In A Single Day
As we told you here on KXEL, Friday began as a day of celebration for the Iowa Department of Public Safety. In the morning, a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the department’s Division of Criminal Investigation was held at the state capitol.
Twelve hours later, the mood was decidedly different, as the department’s Iowa State Patrol was engaged in an armed standoff in Grundy Center, with one of their troopers being shot and killed in the line of duty.
Reports are that the man charged with murder in the case had taunted officers to come get him, and expressed pleasure at shooting Sgt. Jim Smith, saying he wanted to shoot and kill other officers.
And the day before the centennial for DCI, patrol officers were involved in a confrontation at the capitol with supposedly peaceful protestors. Troopers were there to make sure the protests stayed within the bounds of the law, when an 18-year-old high school student grabbed a trooper by the arm, knocking him off balance. As she was being arrested for her assault, other protestors tried to pull the officer away, while others later tried to gain access to a patrol squad vehicle parked outside. One protestor said the group was provoked by the trooper who was assaulted.
No profession is pure and innocent, without bad apples. But the idea that all law enforcement is bad and should be physically attacked is one that needs to be eliminated from our society, and fast. It’s not hyperbole to say that these officers leave for work every day, not knowing what they’ll face–or if they’ll even come home.
For high school students to think it’s OK to grab an officer during a protest…how did we get to that point? That officer today wears a black band across his badge in honor of his fallen colleague, who was simply trying to keep a small town neighborhood safe from someone with guns who was not afraid to use them.
It’s a job most of us would never be good enough or tough enough to do. And instead of calling for defunding…we need to show respect for those who give so much…at times, making the ultimate sacrifice…to keep the peace.
