Stunned...

de·prav·i·ty/diˈpravitē/

1.Moral corruption

2.A wicked or morally corrupt act

I really don't have words for what happened to my co-workers last night.  I don't have the words for the fear that came true.  It may not be the biggest fear, but it's right up there.  

When you work in law enforcement, your goal is to help citizens, and have each deputy and officer make it home safely.

Sadly, that didn't happen last night.  I was off work, thankfully.

But, I can't imagine what my co-workers went through when those words came over the radio, that a deputy had been shot.  Not an hour later, another deputy from another county was shot by the same person.

There are no words.  Really.  You go day in and day out without anything happening, everyone going home safely, getting to see their kids, their wives/husbands.  You get that "nothing will ever happen to us" mentality, all the while knowing it can happen.  

Thankfully, the good Lord was watching over the deputies that were shot last night.  Both of them will survive, both are expected to make full recoveries.  One was hit in the arm, nothing life threatening.  However, the deputy from our agency wasn't so lucky.  First word of his injuries were frightening.  His injuries were bad, and the result could have been different.  But, it wasn't.  God put his hand over those deputies, guided the surgeons' hands. 

The power of prayer was proved last night

You hear people thanking veterans all the time.  There's even several days throughout the year that are set aside, just for the veterans of the military.  Do not take that as me saying vets don't deserve it, they deserve 100 times more than that.  What I'm saying is, how many times have you stopped to thank a law enforcement officer?  How many times have you even stopped to think about it?  They are the peace makers here at home, here on our streets.  Each traffic stop is dangerous, each call for domestic help is dangerous.  You never know what could be in that car, what could be in that house.  You never know what a human is capable of.

What I don't comprehend, how can someone be capable of that?  How does someone just gun down a peace keeper?  These men and women put their lives on the line every day, put themselves in harm's way to make sure even the criminals are safe.  They don't just look out for those whose only law violation is speeding or running a stop sign.  They look after all of us.  All walks of life, all levels of society.  

I'm always at a loss when it comes to random acts of violence.  But, when it happens to an officer, a deputy...

How can you do that?  I understand people are going to yell mental illness, I don't buy it.  The offenders actions seemed to direct, not impulsive, too well thought out.  

Because the offender happens to be a veteran (no idea yet why he was discharged), people are going to say he suffers from PTSD.  I'm sorry, I have a hard time buying that, don't know that I ever will or would.

I'm not one who listens to much psycho-babble.  I'm not one who cares for so-and-so's terrible childhood sob story.  Guess what?  You're an adult now, you make your own decisions and choices.  If you didn't like your childhood, your raising, change it now.  Fix what you don't like.  Don't excuse it.  You make your own choices.

Please, pray for quick healing for the two men injured.  Please pray for comfort and peace for their families.  Yes, they're alive, but their families faced a great fear last night.  They were confronted with one of the worst fears of a law enforcement officer's family.  The call that your loved one has been hurt in the line of duty.  I don't know if they will return to the streets, I'm sure they will.  Pray for their continued safety, pray for their families peace of mind.  Pray that they don't have anxiety each time their loved one puts on his uniform, to go out and protect you and I.

Thank an officer or deputy.  They certainly don't hear it enough.