Possumhaw is usually about birds and bees, and a thing called love. I have a bee in my bonnet and a good bit of love, so I hope you’ll stay with me.
Years ago, I was chairman of the Oktibbeha County Salvation Army Advisory Board. The Starkville police chief was also on board. We came up with a program providing clothing, food, medicines, and other needs for inmates as they did their time and moved on. I watched the jailer and the deputies; it seemed right to do something for them. So, we did. It took a while for deputies to eat our cakes and cookies. They were always on alert, rarely trusting anyone. I learned deputies were often church pastors, Sunday School teachers and had extra jobs to make ends meet. One deputy wrote his opinion in the Starkville Daily News about the night he took his wife to dinner only to have three guys “downing them about police and saying things I can’t even repeat.” I kept his column and reached out recently to find him, hoping to get permission for you to see his story. After all these years he still didn’t trust me. We wouldn’t have his story now if his wife had not said, “Yes, tell her it’s okay.” Here’s a slightly-paraphrased excerpt from the deputy’s opinion on law enforcement life:
We see that every man, woman, and child should have the right to walk down the street without fear. We see enormous predators roaming the streets. We have chosen this life. We do not seek recognition, nor do we seek riches or a pat on the back for a job well done-just respect. I know God put me in law enforcement for a reason. No one is going to hurt you when I am here. No one is going to take your innocence from you. Law enforcement requires stressful training, requiring a moment’s notice making a decision and hoping you’re right. We go through schooling and have laws to study and keep up with time we have to spend in court. Learning is never over.
Rain or snow, hot or cold, we have to go. I know I’ve left my wife and two daughters alone when they wanted me to be with them and I get a call out. I’ve neglected my family. I thank God for letting them understand. A lot of prayers go out inside a patrol car on the highways and dark county roads. It’s very lonely. Most people couldn’t bear the scenes we see, a burning car with a person trapped inside, a small child screaming for help lying beside her dead mother. Drug related murders have plagued our city and country, and gun crimes have become an everyday occurrence. I am so grateful and thank God I can say I am a man with courage and braveness to put my life on the line 24 hours a day for your protection, like all the other officers do. The deputy said a lot more, but it was too gruesome to share.
Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God – Matthew 5:9
Amen.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
