Look Beyond The Stories About Things Going Wrong

Five years have passed, the trial is over, yet the double standard still exists. I am the wife of a former sheriff’s deputy, and I feel disheartened. It seems to me that members of law enforcement are only publicly recognized when they are killed in the line of duty, placed on administrative leave while their agency conducts an investigation or tried in court and found guilty.

Seldom do we read about law enforcement from a positive perspective or read about how officers risk their lives on a daily basis. Maybe the feeling is, “Well, that’s their job.” Yes, it is the job of law enforcement to respond to calls for help when a person is armed or battering another person, or dying at an accident scene.

But it is time for the press and the community to examine their perception of the law enforcement community and to achieve some balance. Police officers are often held to a standard different than the standard we hold for ourselves.

Throughout the past five years, resulting from an incident in which my husband and his sergeant were assaulted in the line of duty, these two men were investigated, deposed, tried and ultimately found not guilty by a jury. I was at the trial most days and as I listened to my husband testify, I felt a sense of admiration for him, not as his wife but as a spectator. I also gained a greater appreciation and understanding of the many skills required of law enforcement. Our quality of life has been disturbed but not destroyed. Our spirits were often lifted by a passionate attorney, Ray Clary, who exemplifies juris prudence.

After the trial ended, I telephoned a reporter from The Spokesman-Review, hoping to get a story about the not-guilty verdict. I was told the paper would have an interest if substantial damages had been awarded to the plaintiffs, because that is what people want to read about. The reporter did, however, express that he was glad the trial turned out well for us. This is unacceptable to me, because the lives of officers need to be recognized not only when the flags that once draped their caskets are placed in the hands of their widows or when they are accused of wrongdoing, but also while they are alive and on the job.

Remember, police officers are protecting, serving and risking their lives to enforce the laws we have determined necessary to continue the safe and secure lifestyle we often take for granted.