Did you know that there are heroes residing in and protecting your community? I am not talking about characters like Batman, Spiderman, Wonder Woman or the Black Panther. These heroes go unnoticed by most of us. They may be your neighbor, attend your church or may be sitting next to you cheering on your local high school’s basketball team.
Does anyone come to mind? It might help to define what a hero is. In modern culture, a hero is someone who is willing to take risks or make sacrifices to help others. They are dedicated to save, protect, and make their communities a better place to live. They would sacrifice their own safety and if necessary their own life to accomplish that, even for people they don’t know.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, these heroes are members of your local law enforcement team. These police officers put on their uniforms every day and say goodbye to their loved ones not knowing if they will by able to return to them after their shift.
On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 58 hours. Many more suffer injuries. Former President George Bush said, “It takes a special kind of person to serve in law enforcement. Most people run from danger. Law enforcement officers run toward it.”
God gave us a set of laws and with it guidelines for the enforcement of those laws. Not only did the Mosaic Law define sin, but it specified penalties for those who broke the Law. Any law is essentially meaningless without enforcement. The people in Bible times may not have had a police force as we think of one today, but they definitely had those who promoted justice by enforcing the law. The Bible’s references to watchmen (Ezekiel 33:6), armed guards (Nehemiah 4:13), and judges (Ezekiel 44:24 and the whole book of Judges) could be seen as examples of law enforcement.
Most of us are aware that the day-to-day work of law enforcement officers can be full of potential dangers. They can be injured or killed by criminals or in traffic accidents. In the current climate, they are often underappreciated and disrespected.
Yet these brave men and women continue to fulfill the requirements of their jobs and more. One thing that is seldom seen in newspaper headlines or on TV newscasts are the many times that law enforcement personnel positively impact their communities by going the “extra mile” to help those in need. Many times faith plays a role in their acts.
One such incidence happened to Kelly Carter saved her life. Carter was driving down a back road in Nash County, North Carolina when she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a pond. Kelly was trapped inside the sinking vehicle. Police Detective Roger Shearin happened to be passing by and saw the trunk of Kelly’s car in the pond. Detective Shearin immediately acted upon what he saw. He bravely rushed into the water, got on the roof of the car and forced open the passenger-side door. He then pulled Kelly out from the sinking car and brought her to safety.
“He was definitely my angel that day,” Kelly said. “The Lord definitely put him in a place where he needed to be, and I’m thankful for that. I’m thankful for another day,” she added.
Detective Shearin was hailed as hero and was given an award by the Police Chief. But he refused to accept sole credit stating, “What I did was a simple human gesture. I did what anyone else in this room would have done and I give the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He is who got us through this.”
Following are just a few of the many times officers have gone that extra mile to help others:
*Officers saved Christmas for a family after responding to a breaking and entering and finding that all the presents had been stolen, leaving the children with nothing for the holidays. The officers were able arrange for new gifts for the family. Officer Brian Meador said that opportunities to touch the lives of those in need are what make the job worth it.
*A police officer was recently praised for bursting into a burning home, risking his own safety, and rescuing an elderly man trapped inside. Deputy Brian Gorham saved the life of 92 year old Thomas Keeling. Keeling’s granddaughter, Shea Duckworth, expressed her gratitude to the brave man who saved her elderly grandpa. “He’s a hero,” Duckworth said. “That’s above and beyond.”
*In Maryland, two state troopers, TFC Matthew Hughes and TFC Samuel Rogers, raised nearly $5,000 to purchase Christmas gifts for three children, ages 17, 13 and 6, whose parents were tragically killed in an auto crash in November. The two state troopers knew this was going to be a very difficult first Christmas without their parents and wanted to give the children the best Christmas possible under the tragic circumstances.
*Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Toni Schuck risked her life by directing her patrol vehicle into the path of a drunken driver who was headed toward a bridge where thousands of walkers and runners were participating in a 10K race for charity. “For this trooper to risk her life to make sure that others would be okay is the epitome of what service is all about,” said a fellow trooper. Trooper Schuck suffered serious injuries in the crash, but is now recovering at home.
*Cpl. Annette Goodyear, of the North East (MD) Police Department, saved the life of a young child who was nearly struck by a speeding motorist. Goodyear pushed the child to safety and took a hit from the oncoming vehicle. “No matter what happens, you got to protect that child and make sure that child is safe,” Cpl. Goodyear said afterwards. “That was the only thing that was going through my mind. If I have to take the brunt of it, that’s what’s going to happen.”
*Officer Tyler Dison was the first to arrive at a burning building and forced his way inside where he rescued a 3-year-old boy. Dison sustained burns and his uniform actually melted off his body. The boy’s mother thanked Dison for being her baby boy’s guardian angel.
* A disabled man was pulled to safety by Los Angeles police officers seconds before the man’s vehicle burst into flames. The man’s wheelchair was destroyed in the fire, but no problem–a police officer paid for a new one! All in a day’s work!
*Instead of arresting two women for shoplifting food they couldn’t afford, this Somerset (MA) police officer gave them $250 worth of gift cards out of his own pocket so they could provide a Christmas meal for their young children. That’s what police officers do when nobody is looking.
These are just a few of many heroic acts that happen everyday across our community, our state and our country that mostly go unnoticed and unreported.
We owe a debt of gratitude to all law enforcement personnel and are dedicating this issue of The Good News Journal to honoring those heroes that put their lives on the line for us everyday and that go the “extra mile” to make our communities a better and safer place to live. So join us in expressing our gratitude and our appreciation to all those who have chosen to serve in law enforcement. The next time you see a police officer take a minute and thank them for service.
And don’t forget to pray for them.
Ask the Lord to help them be faithful peacekeepers and keep them safe, to be alongside our officers at every traffic stop, on every domestic call, in every split-second decision they have to make today. Ask God to give them wisdom, strength, and courage and to give the same blessings to their families who carry the heavy burden and privilege of having an officer as a dad, mom, husband, wife, son or daughter.