Don't Hate Me Because I'm Blue

If you dislike all police officers because you dislike one police officer, you are a bigot by definition (look it up). If you like the policeman you know, but you don't like the ones you don't know then you have token tolerance, just like the prejudiced man with one black or gay friend who proclaims them to be credit to their kind. If you dislike police because you got a ticket, then you are no better than an angry 13 year old who hates his parents for enforcing house rules. If you hate the police because you hate the government, then you are like the peaceniks of the 60s who hated our soldiers because they hated the war. To all those who want justice, support the first line of blue. To all those who love peace, support your peace officers. To all those who question every decision we make, walk our beat for a week and tell me if we are really paranoid or if we do have real enemies. Tell me if you can trust when all we hear are lies. Tell me how to stop acting like I might die any day when a police officer is killed every other day in our nation. When you post that video clip that has been edited and you have no context, experience, or training to interpret that event you have fueled those who hate us for what we do. This is getting police officers killed as the number of ambushes and random murders of police officers increases as hate increases. You may think law officers have position and privilege and power. We have power over your life in a given moment, but very little power over our own. If you want to criticize, that is your right and responsibility to hold us accountable. But I would ask you first - have you encouraged support in equipment , staffing , and training for your department? Have you said "thank you for your service"? Have you prayed for them?

Don't hate me because I'm blue.