Those who risk their lives, every day

Editor, The Times:

I will never claim I can relate to what police officers go through on a daily basis, but I do claim to realize I will never understand, as I have not walked in their shoes [“‘Coldblooded killing’ of officer,” page one, Nov. 2].

As an administrative support specialist with the Portland Police Bureau, I won’t walk in their shoes because I don’t have what it takes to survive the emotional and physical trauma it can create.

I can’t imagine a world without police officers.

We can take them for granted because people like the officers who risked their lives in Seattle are willing to accept the risk inherent in law enforcement. They are willing to wear the uniform, and do a job that makes them targets for the kind of people we don’t want to deal with.

Our world would be less dependable and our lives less tranquil if people like those brave men and women weren’t there when we called. Saying thank you hardly seems adequate, but it is worth saying, and worth remembering.

Thank you for giving your life to save ours.

— Deborah Monk, Portland, Ore.

Police deserve respect, admiration

I am simply appalled by the shooting death of Officer Timothy Brenton on Oct. 31.

The person responsible is a coward.

For no good reason, someone chose to commit a most dishonorable act. I don’t care about his or her history, or if they grew up poor, for they no longer have my sympathies.

The killer deserves nothing but the brunt of justice coming down like a revelation.

To those who still look at police officers with disdain, maybe this incident will finally make everyone see just what these brave men and women face every day.

Perhaps this will make everyone appreciate them for what they do. Perhaps everyone will finally give police officers the respect they richly deserve.

— Taiji Tamura, Shoreline

But what about all the other lives lost?

This is a very difficult letter to write, as I do not in any way want to diminish the terrible sacrifice to the community and his family by the recent shooting death of a police officer.

However, I am very disturbed by how easily the police force and community have rallied for this life in a way I have not seen them rally for the other lives lost to violence in our community.

At what other recent murder have you seen such a quick and numerically significant police response? At what other death did you get the mayor and police chief at a press conference solemnly promising every available resource was being pulled and redirected to respond to such an outrage? At what other murder victim’s funeral cortege have you seen such large numbers of police, fire and ambulance drivers paying respect?

While I am happy the community chooses to celebrate this fallen servant of us all, I do think we need to rethink our response in the context of asking ourselves why some lives seem so much more important to us than others.

— J. O’Leary, Seattle