Not all Heroes Wear a Cape,
Mine wears Kevlar.
By Clarles Rein
I can't believe author Ronald Dahl wrote "tv rots your brain." Was he aware that certain shows can also inspire? Decades ago a teenager was motivated by a law enforcement tv show. He watched the tv show, '21 Jump Street' on the new FOX network.
Back in the 1980s there were police officer led classroom lessons for every grade known as DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). These programs even featured McGruff "Take a Bite Out of Crime" dog character in elementary schools. This inspired teen even wore a costumed McGruff dog suit on several occasions while volunteering with the police. This teen was ⚠️ Spoiler Alert ⚠️ ME, who joined a group, the "Police Explorers."
While I eventually decided not to pursue a career in law enforcement, my five years volunteering gave me a greater respect for "the boys in blue." I even crashed into a police car, while driving a police car (on a closed course) but that's another story!
My reminiscing coincides with Nationaltoday.com highlighting today as National Law Enforcement Day.
https://nationaltoday.com/national-law-enforcement-appreciation-day/
So, thank your local police sometime this week. While not everyone is pleased with law enforcement and there is a debate regarding the question: "Is there systematic racism in law enforcement in America?" I've personally attended several rallies in 2020 where most people attending were supportive of our first responders.
On one side are groups and journalists who get flashy headlines shouting out police brutality slogans, "A badge is not a license to kill" and put forward examples. They may also include websites like Statista, in which a narrative is forwarded that, "Sadly, the trend of fatal police shootings in the U.S. seems to only be increasing, with a total 1,060 civilians having been shot, 220 of whom were Black, as of December 20, 2022."
https://www.statista.com/statistics/585152/people-shot-to-death-by-us-police-by-race/
Not everyone agrees with their perspective. Talk-show host and best-selling author Larry Elder said that when it comes to murder, nearly half of the homicides each year are black-on-black killings.
Elder has a short five-minute video:
There's no epidemic of Fatal Police Shootings Against Unarmed Black Americans
https://youtu.be/CdG2FAt1ueQ
A young teen whose story I came across (Jan 20 2021 article by Chris Karr) in the Epoch Times, was Jordan Ramirez.
Jordan belongs to "The Young Marines" a youth organization for ages 8 to 18 that promotes the mental, moral and physical development of its members. The organization emphasizes character building and leadership and helps young people to appreciate the importance of patriotism, courage, self-discipline, and a healthy lifestyle. Today, there are over 19,000 members in 700 units across the U.S. and Japan.
These days, as some police have found themselves in the crosshairs of a growing number of highly vocal, public critics, Jordan has this message for law enforcement instead: "You're not alone out there."
I reached out to the Young Marinee member from West Covina. In 2022, I spoke with his father; this time it was Jordan who answered my questions.
"I began the 'Thank You For Your Service' walks after the pandemic and the unrest across our country began. I use to show my appreciation by doing long distance races, but in mid-2020, all my races were shut down and first responders still had a job to do. With Covid and double the crimes happening, I didn't want to just sit on the sidelines and do nothing. I wanted (others) to know that they (first responders) are needed, that their hard work is appreciated and also help people open their eyes and know that our first responders are also parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. That at the end of the day, they deserve to be respected and deserve to go home safely to their families."
Then I asked Jordan:
What advice would you have to bring people on both sides together regarding building respectful dialogue?
He answered: "Talking and more programs that get the community and police involved. People need to know more on how law enforcement is. People base their comments on movies, (but) police make split second decisions that can save lives. And yes, there are some bad officers out there, but unfortunately every profession has it, but we can't be ignorant and judge all of them for the mistakes of a few."
"We cannot be fooled by the media's agenda. They (the media) will put the negative (out there) as much as possible because people are attracted to tragedy, chaos, violence and all this means more viewers that equal more money for them."
Today, January 9, National Law Enforcement Day remember to thank a police officer or read the poem, "An Officer's Heart" by Kathy Farace. A paragraph read:
"I chose to work in law enforcement;
It's my duty and my call.
I will serve no matter what the risk
in a crisis great or small."