Police: Why so little respect for their daily courage?
Almost all violent criminals are men, therefore, all men are violent. Well, no, that is a logical fallacy.
We read about bad cops in the news, therefore condemn all police officers – another logical fallacy.
Men and women in the Tacoma Police Department and around the country risk their lives and emotional well-being to deal with the uglier side of human nature, to protect us and enforce the laws that elected officials put into place.
At some point, many in society decided this was not worthy of the respect this sacrifice is due. Condemning the many, based on the actions of a few, is called prejudice, and in most other situations it’s condemned by society at large.
The next time you are pulled over, ask yourself if you were breaking the law. The next time you hear about an armed robbery suspect being apprehended, consider the risk that police officers took in apprehending them.
Consider what our city would be like if no one were willing to take those risks.
So yes, maybe, someone saved your life today.
Shannon D. Levy, Tacoma
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Police: Why so little respect for their daily courage?."