Tuesday, June 9, 2020

The Promise



In our ever changing world, we still need on thing.

We need warriors.

It is important that we confront and challenge our bias, challenge the system to insure and require fair and equal treatment for all and put in place the architecture that constantly reinforces those ideals.

We need to keep our promises. We need to remember the oaths we swore. We need to do it to guarantee that we will uphold the values that we have in our hearts.

But we in fact, need warriors to face the things that go bump in the night.

Yes I understand that most people abhor violence. I personally abhor violence. But I also know that sometimes it is necessary for the greater good. I accept that fact, albeit it’s a begrudgingly acceptance for me.

Law enforcement officers train to mitigate and reduce violence. They spend hours in classes for crisis/tactical communications. Many officers spend time in the community trying to connect and show people that they want to be part of the violence reduction solution continuum. They go and teach in our schools that message. They talk to people almost daily with that theme in prominence.

But, sometimes we need them to confront evil directly. They get called to address problems associated with violent, evil people. Sometimes evil seeks them out. Sometimes that face evil head on and evil does what it does. It kills our hero.

What happened in Ben Lomond, California on June 6th 2020 was exactly that.

“According to Hart, around 1:30 p.m. a caller reported a van parked off the road near Jamison Creek in Boulder Creek. The caller said there were guns and bomb-making materials inside the van. As deputies arrived, they witnessed the van leaving the area drive by a man later identified as Steven Carrillo. They followed the vehicle to a home on Waldeberg Road in Ben Lomond."



Hart said that when deputies went to investigate, they were "ambushed" with gunfire and multiple improvised explosive devices. It was during this time that Gutzwiller was shot. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.”

Article - https://www.ksbw.com/article/santa-cruz-county-sheriffs-office-reports-active-threat-involving-shooting/32789232

Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was shot and killed that day. He left behind his wife and family. He left his colleagues at the Sheriff’s Office, his friends, his community and his greater law enforcement family.

Sheriff Hart described Damon as “a courageous, intelligent, sensitive and a caring man".

I submit that he was all of that and he was a warrior. He was protecting us from evil. He was doing the job he was called to do. He was murdered while he was protecting us.

We need more men and women just like him. We need warriors.

We ask so much from our public safety personnel:

They must be brave.

They must be strong and yet sensitive.

They must be fair.

They must be problem solvers.

They must be able to be attentive and alert for 12, 14…..heck even 27 hrs if needed (yes that long at times).

They must be adept at counseling, science, law, sensitive to cultures, hugging, showing love for their fellow man, jumping fences, driving fast, emergency medicine, narcotic and alcohol symptomology, crisis resolution, changing an occasional tire and many others not always covered in training.

They must be patient and respectful as a protester spits in their face as they are telling them they “hope you die”.

But they also must be able to switch to tactical mode, 5 seconds after holding the door to your business for the next patron as they walk in for a welcome cup of coffee at 3 AM.

They say law enforcement is a calling.

It is.

Only a few men and women are up to the task to understand what the promise of swearing the oath actually means. We need more people like Sgt. Gutzwiller. 

I was a cop for a long time. I was and am proud of that. I am proud of my brothers and sisters in blue. I will always back them.

That is my promise.

Thank you for listening. Be good to each other.

Dave

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