[Stealth22]

Originally Posted by lazypucker

I live close to a Denny's. I couldn't even know how to count how many times I have seen cop cars flashing the lights so that they can run a red to zip into Denny's 10 seconds faster...

These men and women put their lives on the line so you can sleep at night. Don't you think they deserve a break once in a while?

Spoiler!

> Subject: Fwd: Letter from a members mother...
>
>
>
> Good morning,
> Every year, standing alongside our veterans, you will find members of
> the RCMP. My wife, Barbara, has written a piece about law enforcement
> officers that is appropriate.
>
> Our Other Heroes
>
> Most of us understand and acknowledge, at least intellectually, the
> stress of being a soldier - whether as a Peacekeeper or in combat. But
> so very few are aware of the stress of being a law enforcement officer -
> this despite the fact that experts have identified law enforcement as
> "one of the most stressful occupations in the world".
>
> As the proud mother of a member of the RCMP, I am so sick and tired of
> listening to people complain about the "cops" lurking around every
> corner ready to pounce on innocent motorists to give them a ticket "just
> to fill their quota". I'm tired of friends and acquaintances who are so
> quick to point out every police car they see at Tim Horton's. I no
> longer bother trying to explain that these men and women work 10-12 hour
> shifts (sometimes longer) and these few minutes they spend at Tim's
> might just be the only
> chance they had that shift to grab a coffee to keep them going.
>
> I don't bother anymore to tell them of the morning my son came home
> while I was visiting and paced the floor for hours because he had spent
> that night's shift at the hospital with a seven year old child who had
> been sexually assaulted, or the time he arrived at an accident scene and
> tried to give CPR to a woman whose face was so mutilated he couldn't
> find her mouth. I don't bother to tell them that in less than four years
> on the force he's been to the hospital three times - the time someone
> threw a brick through his cruiser's window and covered him in shattered
> glass; or the time he was assaulted during a call to a domestic dispute.
> I don't even bother to tell them of the time he and his partner were
> injured in a car accident on their way to assist a fellow officer. They
> weren't injured because he was an inept driver - they were injured
> because some vandals had removed the warning signs off an upcoming
> dangerous curve on a dark rural road. Neither do I
> bother anymore to tell them that he's been cursed at and spat upon -
> not only by criminals but also by the "upstanding" citizens he protects
> from them.
>
> Recently I read a report on the stress and trauma experienced by those
> who police our country. Written prior to the murder of the four RCMP
> members in Alberta, it reported 117 Canadian police officers murdered
> between 1962-2001 (this does not include those others killed on duty in
> highway and other duty related accidents). The report went on to say
> that assaults on police officers in Canada is high and escalating at an
> alarming rate.
>
> Not only are law enforcement officers often in danger of assault or
> worse by criminals, they face the risk of high speed accidents and car
> chases; exposure to blood borne diseases such as TB, hepatitis B and C
> and HIV; and exposure to toxic chemicals and fumes in arson cases and
> illegal drug labs.
>
> In addition to the physical risks, our police officers witness
> firsthand the horrors of horrendous accident scenes, assaults, rapes,
> murders, suicides, domestic violence and child abuse - horrors they can
> only share with their fellow officers. They are understaffed,
> overworked, undervalued, constantly under public and media scrutiny, and
> often disrespected by the people they serve. And yet, they faithfully do
> their duty! They continue to "protect and serve" with dignity,
> professionalism and pride. Can you really begrudge them a coffee break?
> So the next time you see a law enforcement officer at Tim's, don't be so
> quick to judge! Instead, buy him or her a coffee and say "Thank you!"