Last night an assassin murdered five white police officers during a peaceful protest in Dallas. Our police are always walking targets for a sniper or any coward who hides in the night to shoot a man or woman in the back. Taking that risk is part of an officer’s job.
Everyone might not know that many big city police departments require recruits to have at least two-year college degrees. Becoming a sergeant often requires a bachelor’s degree. My experience in teaching police officers was that they were good students and good friends and quick to help others. And they were interesting—they had astonishing stories to tell. On the street, they might be wary or unpleasant, not schooled enough in how to reduce conflict. Women officers seem better at conflict reduction, so we know it can be done. But it can’t be done with a sniper who shoots from a dark corner.
We are left to consider the five murder victims in Dallas, unknown men taken from their families because of the color of their uniforms and the color of their skin. The government might not call that terrorism, but I do.
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