Once again, a cowardly ambush perpetrated on the police took place over the weekend. Two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies were simply sitting in their cruiser, safeguarding the Compton Transit Center.
There is no denying the reality that cops continue to find themselves in the crosshairs of some deeply hateful individuals armed with firepower and enough unmitigated angst fed by a steady diet of cops-are-bad rhetoric.
These police warriors (who some among our society want abolished) were each shot multiples times, got back up, and stayed in the game of surviving…exactly as taught by police academies and reinforced by field training officers (FTOs). Evolving details and related images continue to flood our electronic screens.
I’ve never been one to use profoundly sad imagery to accompany prose but, as the saying goes, a picture paints one thousand words.
Although the image is nothing shy of surreal graphic detail, and the reason for such a bloody scene so callous and grotesque, it deserves a gander to punctuate today’s reality in American law enforcement.
These two reportedly “rookie” law enforcement officers were out doing the job and were brazenly targeted simply because of their chosen noble profession, exuding inherent bravery throughout the ordeal. One report indicated a detail that both stupefied me and also compelled pride: The female deputy was shot in the jaw…and managed to drag her partner to safety, talk into her shoulder mic to call for police reinforcements and medical attention, and supported her significantly injured partner while simultaneously knotting a tourniquet to save his life. Superheroes? At least. I’m sure her six-year-old child thinks so.
Despite the fact that the shooting suspect is still at large with a mounting bounty on his head, these two deputies deserve all the recognition in the world not only for filling the role not many want or dare to do, but because of how human perseverance and police warriorhood combined to enable another day or two…despite the voices of hatred emanating the air. Hard to conceive that the words “We hope they die” were spoken outside the hospital right after these two cops were almost assassinated for their attire—it is true, published right on the front cover of the New York Post.
America’s values and constitutional principles are under attack, and this most recent ambush on law enforcement is one among a mounting heap of examples. Utter lunacy and unambiguous depravity run rampant, supported by barks which lack substantive basis, all seemingly sparked by emotion-riddled, propagandized platforms consisting of anti-police rhetoric. Even leisure time is laden with it all. Watch any sports lately
While ballplayers are kneeling and whining about matters under a myopic lens, this duo of police partners saw to it that neither one was going to die on the killing streets. No, both swore that was not an option, and on Saturday night they exemplified actions to evince the oath-born words.
A Maryland-based policeman authored the following today, directly related to what warrior cops are enduring in America: “I never idolized sport players. I never idolized actors on TV. The people who I looked up to as a kid, were the same people wearing the uniform I wear now. Last time I checked, we never call sport players, TV stars or businesses when we are in an emergency. I find myself amazed at how in a short few months we went from heroes to villains all because they wanted to change the characters of the story. I know like me, many of you officers find it hard to get up and continue to put this uniform on. To go out into a world where the not-so-majority seem to have the loudest voices and biggest impact. To go out into a world where you can be right, but if it doesn’t look good, you’re wrong. Remember this, there are silent keepers that have flown under the radar in hopes this would blow over. There are many many many individuals who stand with us, and they are beginning to emerge. Stay the course. Continue on. There is always light on the other side.”
He is spot on. And his reference to the silent majority is accurate; we are seeing it in many ways, minutely moving like an awakening bear, slowly taking stock and reacting to satiate justified needs.
Citizens are aware of the massive strikes to the police gut.
I’m not a Shark, and I don’t swim with any, but “Shark Tank” cohost Daymond John shared some words of wisdom while I was composing this piece, words which I feel contextually relate quite well given the latest ambush of these two Los Angeles deputies fighting on and forging forward for each other’s sake: “You are the company you keep. I know that the people you surround yourself with was just as important as your mindset. If you’re keeping people close to you who don’t inspire you, who bring you down, or who laugh at your dreams, why are you keeping them close to you?
“I’ve been blessed with some really amazing friends throughout my whole life and I’ve continued to keep that inner circle tight, because they’re the ones who know me best, who have my back, and are always pushing me forward, even today.” The latter half of that second paragraph hit home for this retired cop; it was there even when I was looking.
Amid the unspeakable devastation inflicted on September 11, 2001, many poignant episodes evolved, all typifying the warrior mindset and police partnership: Cops held each other up, police officers reassured each other that “turning the corner” would enable them to regroup and go back in.
In their own way, I suspect the two LASD deputies harbor such sentiments and mentalities. Especially since Saturday. It is largely endemic in law enforcement; it has to be, given that LEOs all swear to confront evil fully cognizant that their own life may be the price to pay to protect innocents.
Courage under fire? Diligence and vigilance? It looks like this: