As I wrote up the story of the shooting, I ran across a picture taken by KREM reporter Sten Walstrom. It was a twitter photo of a Coeur d'Alene fireman spraying the pavement with a chemical, probably to remove blood. It hit me hard. A sad moment, the testimony of a solid, good life reduced to a pool of blood on the pavement.
Police officers stand a short distance between us and the criminals of this nation. The distance is often a very thin blue line.
The Wilbur Avenue neighborhood where Sgt Moore was killed is filled with homes. People going about their daily business, never dreaming they might have been one heartbeat away from death.
One officer's life - one split second of danger that forever changed his friends and family- and perhaps the neighborhood where he died- and most definitely the life of the shooter, who now faces a murder charge in addition to the others.
One Second to Eternity
That Thin Blue Line is the line between life and death, between here and eternity. It is the moment when a police officer takes an undeserved bullet from a criminal who could case less about anyone but himself. Policemen know the risks. Spouses know the risks. And yet the shock of losing loved ones is always worse than we can fathom.
In a few weeks, most will forget. They will once again go about their daily routines, not mindful of the men and women who stand between them and the bad guys.
My advice to all of you - keep an eye out for our law enforcement officers. Honor them, respect them, support them. The more society wants to condemn them- or kill them- the more tense and nervous they will become. If we want to keep any semblance of home town police officers in America we must honor and recognize that Thin Blue Line.
