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Put yourself in our shoes
Published Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Dear Editor, The Advertiser,
This letter is regarding all the comments that are being directed toward law enforcement and our Sheriff.
Regardless of your opinions about the Chilton County Sheriff, his deputies, local municipalities and finances, think about this: lives are on the line, both civilian and law Enforcement. We must have the equipment needed to protect everyone. The following passage was taken from http://crimecasefiles.com.
“FBI Releases Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in 2007”
According to preliminary statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 57 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty during 2007. Geographically, 31 of the victim officers were killed in the South, nine in the West, nine in the Midwest, and seven in the Northeast. One officer was slain in Puerto
Rico. The total number of officers killed is nine higher than in 2006. By circumstance, 16 deaths occurred as a result of ambush situations, 16 died during arrest situations, 11 were killed while handling traffic pursuits/stops, six died responding to disturbance calls, three while investigating suspicious persons/circumstances, three during tactical situations, one while conducting investigative activities, and one while handling and transporting prisoners.
A breakdown of weapons used in these slayings revealed that firearms were used in the majority of incidents. Of the 55 officers killed with firearms, 38 were killed with handguns, nine with shotguns, and eight with rifles. Two officers were killed with vehicles.
At the time they were killed, 35 law enforcement officers were wearing body armor. Eleven officers fired their weapons, and 14 of the slain law enforcement officers attempted to fire their weapons. Four officers had their weapons stolen, and two officers were slain with their own weapons.
The 57 law enforcement officers were killed in 51 separate incidents in 2007. Fifty of the 51 incidents have been cleared by arrest or exceptional means.
In addition to the officers who were feloniously killed, 83 law enforcement officers were accidentally killed in 81 separate incidents while performing their duties in 2007. This number is 17 higher than the previous year’s number.
The FBI will release final statistics in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program’s annual report, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, which will be published on the Internet in the fall of this year.
Whether or not you agree with everything that we (police officers) do or don’t do, please remember: we get paid very little to do the jobs that most can’t or refuse to do. We do it because the citizens need law enforcement. We are not perfect and have never professed to be perfect.
We do the best we can with what we have. We leave our wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters at night and we don’t know if we will make back home or not. Believe it or not, there are people out there who want to kill us just because we wear the uniform.
So while everyone continues to bash the Sheriff and the Commission, we are still patrolling and doing the best we can. Would you stop a vehicle at 2 a.m. on a dark county road by yourself, with backup at least 20 minutes away, to arrest drunk driver, to seize drugs or to arrest someone on a felony warrant? Think about it. We do it daily. Some officers work two or three jobs just trying to make ends meet for their family. I encourage you to search the Internet on law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. There are more videos than you can count that show the danger of our job and why we ask for the equipment we need. Watch the videos of the officers being killed “at work” and see if you still feel the same about what we do. I would imagine if you went to work and people were kicking, cussing and spitting on you just because you were there, I don’t think many of you would stay very long. And yes we knew this before we went to the academy, that’s what separates us. We are willing and prepared to take a bullet for anyone at anytime. That’s what we do.
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Comments
Posted by danwright (Dan Wright) on July 30, 2008 at 10:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well written Shawn!
Posted by johnnie (anonymous) on July 31, 2008 at 9:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think that part of the root of the complaining is that people think we live in a low crime county and compared to let's say Jefferson County, we do. However, crime, accidents, speeding,etc are becoming more and more prevalent in our county. Since I am one of the citizen's who live outside any city limits in this county and who is mainly served by the Sheriff's department, I am glad that they are prepared for whatever they have to face and support them. One more thing, if you have a child in one of the high schools in the county and you talk with your child on a daily basis, you know that drugs, gangs, and violence occur even in our "safe" county.
Posted by BLogical (anonymous) on July 31, 2008 at 11:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That was a well prepared article. Johnnie is correct about the reference to demographics. The role of any public servant is a noble one. Most are under paid for the service they provide. My recent comments were not to down play the duty performed by our officers. The hardest part of any management job is to produce results within a predetermined budget. People heavily scrutinze management decisions because they have all suffered through bad decisions. The role of any elected official will always be arm-chair quarterbacked by the public. Shawn is a good person with a duty to serve. I have spent many years around him. Unfortunately, much like the sheriff, he is judeged along with that small group that is not. The general public is not upset at the workers (deputies), they are upset at the sheriff (management). The enitire situation should never have happend on the part of either side.
Posted by mimisnumber1 (anonymous) on July 31, 2008 at 5:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I believe our Sheriff is doing a great job with what he has to work with. And in response to the article left by johnnie, I totally agree with you, drugs, gangs and VIOLENCE are a huge part of our childrens everyday lives here in our "small & safe" county. I moved here from Jefferson County 15 yrs. ago because I didn't want to raise my children in that "atmosphere". But, today Chilton County is worse than when I left Jefferson County over 15 yrs. ago. Our Sheriff is planning ahead & trying to keep everyone safe. The Sheriff isn't fighting for more money for himself he's fighting for me, you, all the citizens of Chilton County and his dupties. They all put their lives on the line everyday and that is more than I'm willing to do for any of you..... And for that alone we should support them.(The Chilton County Sheriff's Dept.) Because, I can almost guarentee one thing at some point you will need the Sheriff's Dept. and they'll be there for you!!!!
Posted by BLogical (anonymous) on August 4, 2008 at 1:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I just moved back home from Jefferson County and continue to work in Downtown Birmingham. It is not even remotely close to the same. If you apply quantative analysis to the UCR discussed in Shawn's article, you will find that it is drasticaly different than Jefferson County. The money has to be managed for all departments. The managers of each department should concentrate on accomplishing the task within their allocated budget. Stripping money other areas and channelling to the Sheriff's department. Would have an adverse affect. Should they let our other public infastructure deteriorate it will cause crime to rise. The most neglected public serivce in our County are the fire departments. We do not have a full-time fire department in our entire county.
Posted by danwright (Dan Wright) on August 4, 2008 at 3:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
BLogical,
Thanks for your recognition of the fire service in Chilton County being neglected throughout the entire county.
Thorsby Fire Department has done a good job in having paid staffing during the day on weekdays, partially accomplished through a Federal Grant. Clanton Fire Department also has some paid staffing during the day on most weekdays.
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