It's a Marvel

 Mike Corthell, Fryeburg Free Press MEDIA Editor

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William Marvel

Below is the final paragraph of the recent op/ed, Justice of Another Color written by William Marvel, a favorite of The Conway Daily Sun.

(emphasis is mine.)

''Many police all across the country have abandoned their traditional role as peace officers, distancing themselves from the communities they supposedly protect. Adopting a brazen front to disguise their own fear, they often do resort to premature and excessive force. The common quip that an officer's chief task is to go home alive each night sounds reasonable, but it conflicts subtly with the sworn duty to protect and serve. It also diminishes the respect that used to be due all cops for habitually exercising restraint at the risk of their own safety.''

Reading the drivel above you might think that every police officer in the United States has his finger on the trigger, looking for any excuse to gun down law abiding citizens.

Law-enforcement officers across the country risk their lives every day. Every 58 hours a police officer is killed in the line of duty. In 2013 nearly 100 law-enforcement officers were killed. There have been 58,261 assaults on law enforcement officers each year, resulting in 15,658 injuries.

Here are some of the police officers who gave their lives, in just the last two months, protecting their communities:

• Police officer Scott Patrick of the Mendota Heights Police Department in Minnesota. He was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on July 30. Patrick leaves behind a wife and two teenage daughters.

• Police officer Jeffrey Westerfield of the Gary Police Department in Indiana. Westerfield was shot in the head and killed in a July 6 ambush while sitting in his police vehicle after responding to a 911 call. The suspect had been previously arrested for domestic violence and for kicking another officer. Westerfield, a 19-year police-department veteran as well as an Army veteran, leaves behind a wife and four daughters.

• Officer Perry Renn of the Indianapolis Police Department. He was shot and killed while responding to reports of gunfire on July 5. After 20 years on the job, Renn chose to serve in one of the city’s most dangerous areas, even though his seniority would have allowed him to take a less dangerous role. “He chose to work in patrol to make a difference in the field,” police chief Rick Hite said at Renn’s funeral. “Every day, Perry got out of his police car.” Renn is survived by his wife.

• Deputy sheriff Allen Bares Jr. of the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. The 15-year law-enforcement veteran was shot and killed on June 23 while investigating two suspicious suspects. Bares had been mowing his lawn while off-duty when he witnessed a suspicious car crash. When he went to investigate, he was gunned down. The assailants stole his truck as he lay dying. “He’s the type of person that would give his shirt off his back to anybody,” a cousin said in tribute. “Anyone that knows Allen will tell you that he was that kind of person.” Bares leaves behind a wife and two children.

• Police officer Melvin Santiago of the Jersey City Police Department in New Jersey. Santiago, a proud rookie cop who loved his job, was ambushed on July 13 by a homicidal armed robber. Santiago was 23 years old. After Santiago’s killer was shot dead by police, the violent Bloods street gang vowed to “kill a Jersey City cop and not stop until the National Guard is called out.”

It's a tough job out there and it's dangerous. 99.9% of the people who choose to serve and protect say they entered law enforcement to help. The vast majority are good cops. We human beings are imperfect that's why we have to police ourselves. Instead of being at odds with our police we should support and encourage them.

I find William Marvel's frequent letters in the Daily Sun quite entertaining - he certainly helps the publication live up to its motto, 'stirring the pot' but with his anti-Semitic piece a few weeks ago and now this latest rant, he's just another bore.