Heroes

Editor, The Times:

The Lakewood officers were doing ordinary police work; doing their jobs. And then in a moment they were executed. Does that make them heroes [“‘We will remember them always,’” page one, Dec. 9]?

Yes, forgive me for being a slow learner. The killings of the Lakewood police officers finally made it clear to me.

These officers had counseled troubled youth and comforted victims of crime. They kept us safe by being warriors against crime, and by being champions of community building.

We sat safely in our homes while these officers ensured the safety of us all — because we depend not only on our local police, but also on the police of the communities around us. Not only on our justice department, but on those of other states. Collectively, these systems form an armor that protects our entire society.

The state of Arkansas revoked their warrant for Maurice Clemmons, opening a chink in this armor, and we suffered a cruel cost: four people killed by a man who should have been jailed. They were killed because they represented that armor of safety.

How fitting that the officer who found Clemmons was doing ordinary police work: investigating a suspicious car. It’s ordinary police work, 24/7, that keeps us safe and makes them all heroes.

Let’s insist that our justice system mends the armor so that no one meets another Maurice Clemmons.

— Keith Logan, Seattle

Community should be proud, too

I was one of the thousands of officers who was privileged to attend the services for the Lakewood police officers on Dec. 8.

I would like to praise those who put together the service for the officers. It was truly beautiful.

I would also like to say how impressed I was with the citizens I met during my time there. Everywhere we went, people told us how thankful they were that we made the effort to attend. I watched as people in the streets stopped what they were doing and paid their respects.

Even in the airport as Sgt. Mark Renninger’s body was loaded on the plane, people throughout the airport stopped in their tracks.

If that is reflective of your community, you should be as proud of yourselves as you are of your officers.

— Lt. Pete Krall, Sparks Police Department, Sparks, Nev.