It's how you lived...

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer.com

I wish I could find out who said:It's not how you die that counts; It's how you lived. This past week the police community has stood together in grief once again as a criminal takes the lives of three of our brothers in a single day. Some say justice prevailed because the criminal himself was justifiably shot and killed. I wouldn't argue with that - but I would debate when the ultimate justice is served. What do I mean? Every day the men and women of the law enforcement profession put their lives on the line to protect a town; a county; a state or even our country. They do so with courage; knowingly standing on the line across which no criminal violence is allowed to pass. Unfortunately, there simply aren't enough of us to fully man that line, so gaps exist and crimes of violence do occur. We make amends to the community we serve by investigating the crimes; capturing the criminals; prosecuting them and punishing them. Obviously, the prosecution and judgment / punishment part aren't done by law enforcement, but by our partners in the judicial system. The ultimate jutice being served, in my sometimes idealistic mind, is the aggressive and on-going fight to eradicate crime. The closer we get to it, the more peaceful the souls and spirits of our lost brothers and sisters can sleep. To honor their sacrifice, we should commemorate them by fighting the fight against criminal anarchy with as much courage and conviction as they did; we must be willing to make the same sacrifice they made; we must remember them and say quietly in our minds, "I still stand beside you, my brother in blue." There are plenty of people writing about the lessons to be learned from the incidents that cost us four good cops. With all my heart I'd prefer we didn't have to learn those lessons. I'd happily trade the minimal education if we could get those four officers back alive and whole. Rest in peace, my brothers. Your watch is over, but many of us are still on the line and we will man that line with your memory as our motivation.