Our police officers serve us diligently — and, unfortunately, sometimes dangerously — 24 hours a day. We need to be appreciative.
In duty shifts that may be dull, or at least inconvenient in midnight hours, our police seek to assure our personal safety, protect our property, support peace and regulate traffic.
They deal with violence and thievery, accidents and injuries, and a wide variety of other problems. And at times, without warning, they may face death.
We were reminded of that by a terrible incident Thursday in West Memphis, Ark. Two police officers engaged in anti-drug work “routinely” stopped traffic on Interstate 40, looking for suspects. Two men got out of a van, firing AK-47s — tragically killing the two police officers.
Many other officers swarmed the area, cornered the killers in a parking lot, and a shoot-out occurred. The two suspects were killed, and two other officers were wounded, one seriously.