Statement by U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

Saturday is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and it could not come at a more critical time. Despite a difficult 2020, law enforcement is still out there, protecting you, your property and your loved ones from those who would take all that you have.  But with the current climate, we may soon have fewer and less qualified officers, less protection, and more crime.  Indeed, this downward spiral has already begun.  The ranks of law enforcement have experienced record levels of retirements, lower levels of recruitment, and we have seen increasing crime rates in cities throughout the country.

Over the past 29 years, I have worked with hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement officers – public servants who choose to go to work intent on making a positive difference in our communities. They see the worst of humanity but willingly and purposefully step into the line of fire to help the vulnerable among us. 

Law enforcement officers demonstrate real acts of heroism. They save lives, prevent injury, confront violence, and help those who cannot help themselves.  Helping is what motivates them. They do their dangerous jobs with little external reward, often with little gratitude and with little understanding by the public of the challenges they face.

Imagine the federal agents who must mine through a seemingly never-ending stream of vile child pornography, desperately trying to rescue child victims, haunted by barbaric images of innocent children being abused.  Or consider the local police officer who realizes a family’s financial hardship and pays out of pocket to stock their pantry with food. Know that border patrol agents dive into muddy waters to rescue drowning children and that local police officers routinely sit on sidewalks and talk people through mental health episodes while securing them needed services.

Our law enforcement professionals are burdened with the weight of the human struggle, and they respond. With compassion. With kindness. With concern so much of the time. And often unnoticed or unseen – that’s the way they prefer it.

The risks to these professionals are incredible. Each day they leave their homes uncertain if they will return; if they will be spit upon, cursed, or assaulted; if they will be forced to make a split second decision that could injure or take a life; if they will lose their life; if their spouse will be widowed or child will lose a parent.  When we see them in uniform, it’s easy to forget that they are human beings just like us; that they, too, have parents, spouses, children, and people they love; that they worry about paying their bills or making it to their child’s ballgame.  They do a job most of us are unwilling and incapable of doing.  They run towards gunfire and expose themselves to COVID and other contagious diseases. They tolerate unjustified vilification, work with deficient resources, endure constant criticism, and largely accept relatively low wages all the while handling the very worst our society has to offer – all so that we don’t have to.  In the current environment, one must wonder why anyone would do this job.

I realize that people make bad decisions every day, that corruption creeps into every profession and into the highest echelons of authority. Law enforcement is not immune. Indeed, I have prosecuted police officers during my career for abusing their positions and committing crimes. We expect our law enforcement officials to be held to the highest standard.  But the overwhelming majority of our law enforcement professionals do their jobs exceedingly well and with motives society should emulate.  Tarnishing the reputations of thousands who wear the badge is, like stereotyping of any kind, innately wrong and exceedingly dangerous.

This weekend, when you see an officer, detective, deputy, sheriff or special agent, take a moment to step into their shoes, to listen to their stories, to understand the person. Thank them for their service to our community.  After all, you need them, and they need your understanding.