The shooting death of a CHP officer and the wounding of two others is a sudden and sad reminder of the dangers involved in being a law enforcement officer.
At any moment and in any place, someone can for some unknown and some unexpected reason, even during a routine impounding of a vehicle, suddenly grab a gun and start shooting.
The CHP and all law enforcement departments train their people to know what to do and how to respond in situations like that, but they can’t train them for how to deal with it emotionally afterwards.
Most of them learn how because they have to.And the families of the dead officer and the two wounded officers have to deal with something they may think about it for a moment or two when their loved one heads out the door to their job as a cop, but it is something they don’t want to ever have to think about.
If you’re a law enforcement officer or a family member or a friend of one, you know that.
Yet these men and women, who serve on the front lines of law enforcement every day, and often through the night, know the risk they face on the job.
And they choose to do it anyway and choose to serve their community by putting themselves in harm’s way when necessary to protect others.
In recent years, cops have taken a lot of heat and criticism because of that small handful who have done bad things.
But we should never forget to be grateful for those in law enforcement, especially on a day like today.
READ MORE about what happened.
(Photo credit reporting partner 10News)