Officer lost: Think about this as you listen to anti-cop sentiments

All it took was a moment.

The Memphis cop who pulled over the car on the street did not know he was facing danger.

He did not know that this traffic stop would be his last.

And when it was all over, a small marijuana arrest, which would have resulted in a misdemeanor ticket, ended in a murder.

This story should remind us of how dangerous it is to be a police officer today.

Letting your guard down, even for a moment, could mean the end of your life or the life of an innocent bystander.

Law enforcement officers at all levels face this sort of danger every day -- and as we talk about the questionable cases, we need to catalog these, too.

That is the only way to analyze the situation fairly and to address the problem.

Black lives matter. But so, too, do the lives of the men and women who risk their lives every day to keep their communities safe.

And we need to remember that.

Published in Editorials on August 3, 2015 12:04 PM