Starbucks and my career as a law enforcement officer go hand in hand. Both are a part of my daily life. 

My friends and family make sure I know they support me and fellow law enforcement officers and that means something to me. They like most feel that the way those officers were treated was unfair. I don’t know those officers, nor do I speak for them. I do however speak for the family that law enforcement is in saying that when the radio calls us, we will go. We don’t care where we are going, who we’re helping, what they stand for, or if they fear our presence. We will still help you, because that is our oath.

 Law enforcement is not just our job. The idea of helping people is innate. It speaks to our core. My father taught me that we all put our pants on one leg at a time. Yes, there are people that wear the uniform who don’t do their jobs correctly. They are not the police officers I’m speaking of in this post. The police officers I am speaking about are those who bleed blue and understand the meaning of commitment, sacrifice, and the bond of law enforcement.

In our society, we feel the need to make groups. One person kills dozens of people with a firearm – all gun owners are bad. One police officer acts illegally or makes a bad split-second decision, and all police are bad. One manager at Starbucks, thinking they were doing the right thing, made a judgment call – now Starbucks sucks.  

Individual acts are done by individual people and at that point, their best decision-making got them there. Who are we to put the world into groups?

We love our families the way that you do.

We eat and sleep the same way that you do.

We take vacations the same way you do.

We have personal struggles and daily personal frustrations just like you do.

In the end, we are human, just like you are.

This morning, my pants went on one leg at a time. I kissed my wife and children goodbye as they slept. I pet my dog and let her outside. I drove to work with the top down on my Jeep. I dressed in the same uniform wrapped around the bulletproof vest that I have worn for the last 22 years. I assigned patrol areas to my guys. I loaded my rifle into my trunk. And I went to work.

I drove to Starbucks and got my coffee from the people who treat me kindly every time I go in.

Today I will do my job the way I always have, with the drive to be there when someone, anyone, needs me.