The shooting of two Niagara Regional Police officers Saturday night is a stark reminder of the dangers our police officers continually face, day and night, each and every day of the year. Amid all the anti-police hype we have seen across North America this past year, this simple fact gets lost -- policing is a high-risk calling.
Some would argue that policing isn’t as high on the list of dangerous occupations as some civilian jobs are. That is true. Fisheries workers, loggers, construction personnel, factory workers and more, all have higher risks of job injuries and death. No injury or death is right or acceptable. We all agree on that point. But the difference is that none of those innocent people in private industry are hurt or killed by intentional acts (assault or murder) or while trying to protect the public and property in the very worst of conditions. Some, but very few are acts of bravery.
I’m sure most of those people are not spit on, treated with total disrespect, threatened or told “I pay your salary.”
Those in private industry aren’t normally tightly governed by extensive legislative frameworks. They don’t have oversight bodies that monitor their every move. Twenty-four hour live news media isn’t immediately reporting on their activities, often wrongly in the early hours of horrendous events – as actual facts have yet to be sorted out, but that misinformation remains “the gospel” in the minds of many, for all eternity. They are not bestowed life-altering or life-taking powers, that once utilized are examined under several investigative, special interest groups and media microscopes. They also don’t see some of the best and all of the worst that exists in society, seldom going home and crying themselves to sleep over the tragedy of the day.
Private citizens will err in their various vocations at times. We all do. But when they do, they don’t have bloggers that spend every minute of every day trying to find and post media clips that show some cop somewhere is alleged (granted, sometimes accurately) to have broken the law of misused their authority – for no other reason than to portray all police officers as corrupt. No breaking of the law by any officer is acceptable behavior. I completely believe in that principle. But when they do, the court of public opinion often vilifies them, long before due process runs its course.
But guess what? Wonderful men and women out there still proudly wear a badge and carry a gun and remain totally committed to protecting the public they are sworn to serve 24/7. They do so bravely, with integrity and despite the dangers and pressures of policing, wouldn’t have any other job. Why? Because policing is not just a job that has a competitive salary and benefits, it’s a lifelong commitment to doing what is right to help others. And, there are thousands of young people out there who are studying hard and volunteering and becoming leaders in their communities, as they prepare to become police officers themselves. They know that albeit risky, it is an honourable calling that despite the current swirl of negativity, is highly respected and valued by the vast majority of people on this continent.
On Saturday evening, 2 Niagara Regional Police officers went to work, in a job that they chose to do and put their lives on the line for a member of the community they so proudly serve. They reportedly tried to stop him from taking his own life and so he tried to take theirs. Thankfully they will be okay and hopefully sooner than later, will again don their uniforms. Despite having gained both physical and emotional scars, they will go out and carry on what they joined the profession to do….protect others.
Please keep them, their families, their colleagues and all of law enforcement in your thoughts and prayers – now and forever.
Chris Lewis served as Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police from 2010 until he retired in 2014. He can be seen regularly on CTV and CP24 giving his opinion as a public safety analyst.
