We have all had that morning; the dog may have gotten out, you're having a bad hair day or just hit snooze one too many times on the alarm clock. Either way you need to make up time, so you just tap on the brakes on your way out of your neighborhood. So naturally due to how your morning is going, you see the blue lights in your mirror. As you pull over you’re thinking, "Wow, did this cop really have to sit here and pull me over? Does he not have anything better to do besides ruin my morning?"

But you know what?

What if there was someone’s child standing at that stop sign waiting for the bus, and you hit them? Then what? Then a police officer would be called to the scene (for your carelessness) and have to notify the child’s family. So before you go blame the police officer for your “bad morning,” think of how much worse it could have been.

I want to apologize. I want to apologize to every police officer that goes into work every day to make our town a better place to live in but consistently gets smart a** comments from someone about what they do. I want to apologize for the cops out there who have given all other police officers a bad name. Not all cops are bad, most aren’t… but it only takes a few to ruin your name. I want to apologize for when I was in high school and didn’t respect anything you did, and thought all you wanted to do was catch me driving too fast or sneaking some alcohol. I want to apologize for all those today that truthfully don’t see the positive impact and good that you do for the community.

So that leads me to this particular thank you. Thank you for trying your best to protect, serve and make our town a better place. Thank you for getting the snake from my Barbie playhouse. Thank you for coming to my school and talking about drugs. Thank you for coming to my house when my scardey-cat sister thinks someone is breaking in. Thank you for putting up with ignorant people who don’t respect your job. Thank you for standing out in the rain and directing traffic when it’s freezing out. Thank you for going to do the scary jobs no one wants to do. Thank you for arresting the bad guys. Thank you for giving people DUIs. Thank you for giving me a speeding ticket. Thank you for having to endure the emotional pain of seeing people shot, abused and killed. Thank you for calming riots. Thank you for calming down people after they have gotten in an accident. Thank you for being security at events. Thank you.

Don’t get me wrong, I know plenty of police officers have done wrong and may have abused their badge privilege. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it is. I also think that people don’t realize and thank you enough that all these “annoying” things that happen as a result of breaking the law, you are teaching us a lesson. Teaching us not to do it again. Just like everything growing up, rules are in place for a reason.

I think a lot of peoples' problems with police officers is that people cannot own up to their own mistakes. You can’t hate a cop for catching you speed. You can’t hate a cop for catching you have, sell and/or use illegal drugs. You can’t hate a cop for giving you an underage ticket. And you can’t hate a cop for doing their job, but you can be disappointed and upset with yourself for breaking the law and putting other people’s lives in danger.

Whatever color, religion or race you are, thank you for being a hero.