Next week is National Police Week

Guest commentary:

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the calendar week in which that date falls as National Police Week. This week pays special recognition to law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others, and is a chance to thank law enforcement officers in our community for their service.

The year’s National Police Week began on a tragic note with the burial of Couer d’Alene Police Sergeant Greg Moore on Saturday. This courageous man lost his life serving his community, by ‘simply’ checking out a suspicious person in a neighborhood in the early morning hours of May 5. Sgt. Moore’s family, colleagues and community opened their hearts to honor the life of a father, husband and son. We mourn the loss of a brother.

On Saturday evening, not long after Sgt. Moore was laid to rest, two officers in Mississippi were murdered while on a traffic stop; more families, more departments and more communities rocked by deadly criminal acts against their protectors.

Please take a moment this National Police Week to honor the ultimate sacrifice made by so many law enforcement officers every year. Please reflect on the many families, colleagues and communities that must shoulder the tragic loss of a loved one killed in the line of duty. Please offer a kind word to a law enforcement officer when you get the chance.

Consider the significance of the fact that this is the only civilian occupation in the nation that requires the use of body armor designed to stop bullets. In the dark of night when violence erupts in our communities, you can easily identify the law enforcement officers: they’re the shapes moving toward the danger.

- Roby Bowe is the Lincoln County Sheriff