JAMES EUGENE ST. SURE ~ August 5, 1912~August 28, 1989
When the Lord was creating peace officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said, "Have you read the specs on this order?
A peace officer has to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform.
"He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses, and testify in court the next day.
He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands ... no way."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the three pairs of eyes an officer has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, "May I see what's in there, sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, 'You'll be all right ma'am, when he knows it isn't so."
"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the peace officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.
"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes; recite Miranda warnings in its sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five learned judges to debate the legality of the stop ... and still it keeps its sense of humor.
This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how law enforcement isn't sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the peace officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the lord, "it's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, for justice."
"You're a genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," he said.
~ Anonymous
While you sleep, we're there.
When you're sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, or celebrating Christmas, we're there.
When its raining and cold, and you're glad to be in your home with your family, we're out there.
When it's your children's birthday, we're out there.
When it's our children's birthday, we're still out there.
You put on a suit and dress to go to work, we strap on a ballistic vest and a gun.
There's little room for error in your job, in ours there is none. An error by you means a demotion, an error by us means a funeral.
When you tell your families "see you tonight" as you leave for work, you mean it. When we tell our family that, we pray we will.
At your job you strive to succeed, at our job we strive to survive. In your job, one bad person is the talk of the office. In our job, one bad officer makes the news and suddenly we're all bad. In these headlines, it's not what good we've done, but how much better it could have been done.
When you're scared you call us, when we're scared, we must carry on.
While you're eating a home cooked meal, we're having another hamburger.
While you're asleep with your spouse, ours sleep alone.
So the next time you're out with your family or friends, and you see a patrol car go by, remember the incredible sacrifice made by these officers everyday. Inside that car is a person that sacrifices his or her life, both professionally and personally, everyday.
~ Author Unknown
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shinning, just as brightly as his brass.
"Step forward now, Officer, how shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek? To church have you been true?"
The officer squared his shoulder and said, " No, Lord, I guess I ain't,
because all of us who carry badges can't always be a saint.
I've had to work most Sundays, and at times my talk was rough,
and sometimes I've been violent because the streets are tough.
But I never took a penny that wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime, when the bills got too steep.
And I never passed a cry for help, though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God forgive me, I've wept an unmanly tear.
I know I don't deserve a place among the people here.
They never wanted me around except to calm their fear.
If you've a place for me here, Lord, it needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much, but if you don't ... I'll understand!
There was silence all around the throne where the saints often trod.
As the officer waited quietly for the judgment of his GOD.
"Step forward now, Officer. You've borne your burdens well.
Come walk a beat on heaven's streets, You've done your time in hell."
Amen.
http://www.statetroopersdirectory.com/
http://www.officer.com/
http://www.fbi.gov/mostwant/topten/tenlist.htm
http://www.c-s-i.org/
I was always your little angel, daddy ... and now you're mine ...
The loving and beautiful gifts you've given me as a father have shaped my life and made me the person I am.
You taught me to be strong ... your strong sense of values ... of fairness, of right and wrong ... are all part of me.
My outlook on life, my sense of humor, my love and respect for
God's country and all of His beautiful creatures, my love for the
goodness in mankind, my gentle heart, all my interests and talents ... I can see you in all of them.
It makes me happy and so proud to know that the qualities in you I love and admire so much ... are a part of me ... and my children.
You are always with me Daddy ... in my thoughts, in my heart, in
the very fabric of my life ... you are always with me.
Eternally loving you, daddy. I miss you so much ... Sunny
It is my wish that you will find comfort in the music here. May it help you relieve the the stresses of your daily life. May it help you overcome the pain caused by accident or illness, a failed relationship, or of the loss of a loved one.
Let your heart hear what I hear ... Close your eyes and let the music take you to another world. Relax and let all your troubles and cares be swept away."
Bruce DeBoer's CD's are available at http://www.mp3.com/BruceDeBoer
