Now this is the FCB Podcast Network. Just listen to Yourself presents. I'm saying with Davis, it's National Police Week in America. National Police Week offers honor, remembrance, and peer support while allowing law enforcement survivors and citizens to gather and pay homage to those who gave their lives in the line of duty. It began when President John F. Kennedy designated May fifteenth as Peace Officers Memorial Day in nineteen sixty two. It's no secret being a peace officer in America these days is a daunting task. There is no shortage of negative news stories, both earned and unearned, about police in towns and cities across the country. We can all quote most of the tragic details of recent major police misconduct cases. Fewer of us can recount the countless cases of police police who saved lives, solve crime, and protected communities. Bad news cells, of course, but that's no reason to pretend good news doesn't exist. So to celebrate National Police Week, I looked up just a few recent local news stories about police officers doing good work. A Houston police officer, Officer Scott, rescued a man who had become trapped in the floodwaters of the Sanjacino River. When the man told Officer Scott his dog had also gone under the floodwaters, Scott waded back in to rescue the dog. As it turned out there were three dogs trapped in the river. Scott rescued the mall. In Florida, Sergeant Dave Musgrove chased down a speeding motorcyclist, only to discover down the road that cyclist had collided with a car in a horrific accident. The motorcyclist was killed instantly, but inside the car, a mother was trapped with her two children, a toddler and a baby. Sergeant Musgrove leapt into action, rescuing the mother and both children. Mom Kaylee called Musgrove an angel and says she can never repay him. In Ashton, Ohio, twenty three year old officer Soren Osaka saved the life of a three year old girl after her mother called nine to one one to report a head injury. Oska administered CPR at the scene, reviving the toddler and buying time for the ambulance to arrive and transport her to the hospital. In New York City, two peace officers Lieutenant Hat Kim and Officer Brendan Giardino saved a twenty five year old woman from committing suicide by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. Bodycam video shows Lieutenant Kim pleading with the woman, saying, I don't know what kind of trouble you're having or what kind of problem you're going through, but we're going to help you out. Save your life. It's not worth it. Trust me, I got three kids. I don't know if you have a kid, but we care about you. Okay, don't do this. The mention of family persuaded the woman to come down off of her perilous perch, and Lieutenant Kim and Officer grd Know were hailed as heroes. In Vermont, State trooper Michelle Archer saved an eight year old boy who fell through the ice on a winter pond. This is just a small taste of the different ways police officers serve our communities day after day. This doesn't include that thousands of times a day police show up as first responders to terrifying scenes of violence, or all the times they act as enforcer, investigator, and a sole comfort to distress victims in the ensuing minutes of a horrible crime. Choosing the vocation of peace officer means choosing to see Americans in their worst moments. It means choosing to put your life on the line every day to enforce the law and protect the innocent. It means agreeing to put the needs of a community ahead of your own. It means bearing society's judgments of the profession and the few bad people who choose to take it up, and serving with honor anyway. It's low pay for long hours doing a job that can literally mean the difference between life and death for us any given person, on any given day. Twenty twenty four is already on pace to set a record for the most police officers harmed in the line of duty, with ten deceased police officers already this year. Another ninety eight have been shot so far. In twenty twenty three, forty six officers were killed nationwide and two hundred and seventy eight were shot. Let's all take a moment this week to pause and ponder the extraordinary contribution of peace officers across our great nation, their sacrifice, and what our communities look like without them. Maybe even consider thanking an officer or sending a note of thanks to your local precinct or state trooper office. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Thank god they choose to. I'm Kira Davison. I'm just saying. This has been a presentation of the FCB podcast Network, where Real Talk lives. Visitors online at fcbpodcasts dot com.
