Being married to a cop

The news media lately has been blowing up the airwaves about police brutality, excessive force, and race-related shootings/murders. (My personal opinion of the news media is that they have become rating mongers who sell their souls to sensationalize stories to the public to boost their ratings and their sponsorships, but that is a different blog for a different day.) I want to tell America that my husband is a good--no a GREAT cop--who does not believe he is above the law but is a servant of the law. I am not the only one who thinks he is a great cop--most everyone who meets him thinks he is a great cop. (I also have to mention that he doesn't like the word cop--he prefers police officer.) I had the privilege today of attending my 13th superintendent's retreat, and I heard current and recently graduated students who expressed what RRISD mean to them. Several of these students knew my husband because he serves as a School Resource Officer (SRO) for one of the high schools. These students mentioned to me how much they like my husband and how much they respect the work he does. This is not an uncommon story---everyone I meet tells me the same thing. My husband makes a difference in the lives of countless community members that he serves---kids and parents. He has a genuine love and appreciation for humans, and he has the capacity to relate to people and humbly help them. He is a gentle giant who will go the extra mile to make sure that this community is safe and understands that police officers are truly here to protect and to serve. He is really good at both. Everywhere we go, people remember him. It isn't because he is 6'4" and weighs about 275 or that he missed his calling as a stand-up comedian, but it is because of the way he cares for them, or protects them, or serves them as a servant of the law. He has disdain for police officers who abuse their powers or who resort to violence before they use "verbal judo"--the ability to calm a person or a situation down. I am not saying that he has never had to go hands on with someone, but I am saying that he uses that as his very last option; consequently, he has made more ER trips than I care to count. Many people don't realize that good police officers will often hurt themselves trying to restrain an offender so the offender isn't injured; moreover, they also don't realize that good cops don't like to hurt people. I know there are bad cops on our streets and in police departments across America, and I am not excusing their actions. I simply want to point out that there are some very good police officers serving and protecting our communities, and I am fortunate to be married to one of the best. I am thankful for the work he does, but I am also cognizant that every day that he puts on that uniform and walks out that door, he is putting his life at risk---the media doesn't tell you that. As a public servant, I want to recognize all the other public servants who humbly serve our communities and want to make a small difference in the world--social workers, teachers, fire fighters, EMTs, council members, and police officers. Thank you for your service to our communities---you deserve a standing ovation for doing the jobs that others can't or won't do. As far as the police brutality and the race-related shootings/murders, this is indicative of societal ill that we must address (once again, a different blog for a different day), but don't lump all police officers into the category of "bad cop" because many of them are excellent, and I don't even want to imagine our society without them.