The difference between a law enforcement officer or agent recieving a medal for bravery, a law enforcement officer being injured or disabled in the line of duty and the difference between a law enforcement officer or agent being killed is sometimes a very thin line. All of the Law Enforcement Officers and Agents who have died in the line of duty ARE Police Veterans.

 We need to make sure our officers/agents have the best equipment possible. Cars with airbags...not just front air bags but side, side curtain, rear and rear curtain air bags. Our LEO's deserve the state of the art balistic protection. We should put kevlar into the door panels (at least the front door panels). We have departments that run their cars twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, and then there is shock when the car has a major malfunction causing a tragedy. We have departments that allow vans or trucks with a high center of gravity to go on pursuits...and again, the shock that occurs when the vehicle the Law Enforcement Officer or Agent flips over causing mayhem and lives changed forever. 

I'm not sure, but, having a single Law Enforcement Officer make a car stop, or go out on patrol alone, this seems to be a tragedy in the making. Is it because of financial constraints? We have many departments that have two man patrols.

We need to learn from these terrible tragedies. Unfortunately, that's what it seems the departments wait for...the tragedy; only then will they implement better procedures.

There are so many similarities between the deaths of these brave officers and the disabilities that we recieve...it is mind boggling. A fraction of an inch...a second longer or shorter, that road we took, the road we might have taken.

We must have discussions..alot of them...on how to make our job safer. Who better to spearhead these discussions than us...the "lucky ones" who lived; and we are lucky to have lived. However it is our jobs as the educated, disabled law enforcement community to right the wrongs. To speak for those in law enforcement who can speak no more...either by severe injury or death. Yes it is painful to list the brave officers who have died in the line of duty, but there is a reason we do it. To remember, no matter how hard it gets...and my God, it gets so hard...so many tears we cry for our injured and disabled...and yes the deaths! So many tears I have cried because I will never be the same; but I AM LUCKY!!! I AM ALIVE! 

It is also painful that there is NO ACCURATE DOCUMENTATION of our injured and disabled law enforcement professionals year after year. Departments are to busy claiming our injuries are not line of duty. Well WE ARE THE DOCUMENTATION. Our voices can make a difference...the difference.

I'm not writing this to hurt or upset anyone of us. Please do not beat me up for this. I am not the enemy, I am pointing out simple and painful facts. We can talk about our procedures. We can talk about our medications. We can advise the on-duty, non disabled officer. But even better, WE CAN PREVENT ANOTHER DISABILITY. WE CAN MAKE THAT LIST OF OFFICERS WHO GO ON THAT MEMORIAL A SHORTER LIST!! We can hold our heads high. We are a brother and sisterhood. I do not want to have any of us monday morning quarterback....I want to hear about your suggestions for better equipment...for better procedures. I want us to write to our politicians. We are American