Imagine a man who puts his life on the line every time he walks through his door. Someone who is brave, selfless, and prepared to risk everything for the sake of keeping his family, his city, and his county safe. Someone who works well past his designated hours, whose shift never really ends because of that, and who has put his own life on hold more than once to help someone in need.

That is the reality of the countless law enforcement officials who work tirelessly across our nation, and that is the reality that my father lives with every day.

I have always been proud of my father; he’s the kind of man who would do anything for his family, and I have grown up knowing that no matter what, he will be there for me as more than just a parent; he is there for me as one of the trained professionals who keep me, my brother, our mother, our neighborhood, and so many people we don’t even know, safe.

Last night, I had the opportunity to be a guest at the 2016 West Virginia Prevention Resource Officer Conference dinner. Present were 77 certified PROs, who have taken the role of police officers to a whole new level. Not only have these men and women worked their time on the streets, but now they have taken the next steps to begin making a difference in the lives of youth across our state.

For those who do not know what a Prevention Resource Officer is, allow me to elaborate. A PRO is a certified law enforcement official who is assigned to one of the schools in his or her county. Their primary role is to be there for the students of that school, to make that school safer, to teach, to love, to learn, and to make a difference in the lives of those who might have chosen the wrong path without that officer’s support.

Needless to say, they are an integral facet of the school system, and the PRO program is one that I want to see spread nationwide, for the sake of our young people, and the important men and women that they will one day become.

My father was named Prevention Resource Officer of the Year last night, a prestigious honor that he more than deserves. When we were driving home after the dinner, I asked him something I realized I had never bothered to question before. “Dad,” I began, “What made you want to stop working the streets and become a PRO in the first place?”

His answer, like his demeanor, was humble. My father has always loved children, and believes in the importance of impacting their lives at the earliest stage possible, so that they can choose to forge a path that will lead them to right choices and prosperity. He told me about the doorway that led him into the school systems, and continued to explain in great detail all of his duties and responsibilities that must leave him exhausted at the end of the day, but that make his job as special as it is.

The reason why I bring all of this up is because it is no secret that police officers are under heat all over the country. I am not writing this to get controversial; I don’t want to spend my time debating those whose mindsets are so sure of themselves that nothing I say will convince them otherwise.

I write this because I believe there is always a light to be found in the darkness. Misery loves company, and so negativity is primarily what is broadcast around our nation. And it’s sad, because so many people are accusing police officers of brutality, of injustice, when those are the very things they are fighting against.

I do not know each unique situation well enough to say whether an officer made a mistake while in the line of duty or not. But I can tell you that all of the good so many officers do is often overlooked. I believe that if we spent more time really getting to know those police officers, and seeing the lengths they go to for our sake, we might be less inclined to jump at the opportunity to accuse and berate them.

I could not be more proud of my father, and the men and women who stand by his side and fight to make our world a better place. I just hope the rest of the country can join me in that pride and that, one day, we will see a world in which the police is as well-respected and adored as it should be.