Gun incident shows what cops face each day

Published 6:19 am Wednesday, July 13, 2016

This past Saturday, members of the Franklinton Police Department did something they and all cops regularly do — they put their lives on the line.

Major Justin Brown, Sgt. Brandon Manning and Cpl. James Pugh responded to a home in Franklinton where an armed distressed man was residing. Brown was able to calm the man down, and nobody was injured in an incident that could have easily turned tragic.

Recent national events have put a spotlight on law enforcement and its relationship with communities. There are always going to be bad cops. It is an inevitability in a world where there are so many law enforcement officers. But there are always going to be far more good cops, like Major Justin Brown, who remained calm in a potentially deadly situation.

Of course, Brown and his brothers in blue would be the first to say that it was just another day on the job. An often thankless, often criticized job, but the job that they are sworn to do and love to do.

It’s also important to remember that most incidents like Saturday’s negotiation often go unreported. There are certainly many more like it, where cops do their job, do it quietly, and make their communities safer.