On Monday, a Mesa County, Colorado Deputy Sheriff was shot while trying to apprehend a suspect. Deputy Derek Geer was placed on life support, and subsequently removed the next day after the organ donation process was completed.
I come from a family with a tradition of service. My father was a Deputy Sheriff. Whenever these things happen, I experience a "there but for the grace of god go I" type feeling. My heart aches for this man's family and colleagues.
Which is why it makes me apoplectic with rage when - inevitably - people start using this tragedy to justify the police killing unarmed black people.
"Where's the outrage NOW," they cry. "Why isn't everyone up in arms NOW that a police officer has been killed in the line of duty?" they ask.
Have these people been living under a rock? Have they missed the dozens, hundreds, THOUSANDS of shootings in this country over the last decade? Weren't these the same individuals who refused to consider any kind of gun control measure? Of course people are outraged over this officer's death. Of course people grieve for the loss of this officer, and wish the outcome was different. Of course they want the perpetrator punished to the fullest extent of the law.
But here's the thing - on the occasions when the police behave badly, when they shoot the innocent and kill unarmed citizens, people also want the perpetrators held accountable.
These are not mutually exclusive positions, and as a society, we can demand both.
I wish those complaining about Black Lives Matter and other civil rights groups would just shut the fuck up. They're using this officer's death to cry about how unfair it is that a significant portion of the population wants the police to stop killing them. Seriously - that's what they're complaining about. They think that a criminal shooting and killing a police officer justifies police officer shooting and killing an unarmed civilian, and their thinking is sloppy and indefensible. Do they really expect our law enforcement officers and criminals to hold themselves to the same standards?
Law enforcement should hold themselves to a higher standard than the murdering criminals they pursue. Why is that so hard to understand?
Honor the fallen. Celebrate his service. Support his family and brothers and sisters in arms. Admire his sacrifice, and his last, life-giving act. And keep your logical fallacies and knee-jerk emotional responses out of it.
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