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The deputies of Fannin County provide an essential service to the peaceful people of this beautiful county. They not only work to keep the criminal element under control, but they also provide many necessary community services.

These services include controlling crime, apprehending offenders, maintaining order, protecting constitutional rights, aiding citizens in hazardous situations, facilitating traffic, resolving conflict, providing funeral escorts, and assisting other emergency service agencies in their response to 911 calls.

Deputy Sheriffs also provide vital services by doing welfare checks on the county’s elderly and shut-ins, along with requested checks for family or friends of someone who has been unreachable for a length of time. They also do routine checks on people’s homes, when requested, if the owners are going out of the area. In addition, they often help citizens who have accidentally locked themselves out of their cars, or have broken down on the side of the roadway. They also serve as school resource officers, hospital security, and help with many community informative programs, such as the Drugs Awareness and the Arrive Alive programs.

They willingly accept the challenge to defend the innocent, protect the weak, and aid the distressed. They are serious about their commitment to 'Serve and Protect' and are compassionate in the way in which they perform these duties. Their mere presence helps to discourage many would be criminals. Everyday they put their own lives at risk to keep the fine citizens of Fannin County safe. They are indeed much more than law enforcement officers. They are heroes!

The Law and You

All to often people view law enforcement officers as the bad guys. It is only when we have actually needed their help that we start to appreciate the service they provide. For instance, when we see a patrol car or an officer, an immediate sense of dread comes over us and we start checking to see if we are doing something wrong. Even when we are quite sure we are not breaking any law, we still try to avoid contact with them. Yet let us see a drunk driver swerving all over the road in front of us and our first thought is, where are the cops, they need to get that guy off the road.

If someone runs a stop sign in front of you or speeds past you on the interstate, you probably comment about what an idiot the person is. And yet, if you get pulled over for doing the same, do you thank the officer for doing his or her duty, or do you try to come up with an excuse about not seeing the sign or not knowing how fast you were going?

The truth is that even if you weren’t just making an excuse, you will probably be more cautious in the future, and therefore you will be a safer driver, so the officer has done you and everyone else on the road a favor.

In reality, the deputies, police, state patrol, and other peace officers are there to protect us. Just stop and think about what this country would be like without them. If you think crime is bad now, can you imagine what it would be like with no one fighting against it. Laws are there to provide order to what otherwise would be utter chaos, and it is the peace officer’s job to uphold them. They don’t make the laws, your elected officials do. If you have a problem with a law write your congressman, start a petition, or go vote, but don’t take it out on the ones enforcing it. They are merely doing their job.

Given all they put up with, it is easy to see why some law enforcement officers may become a little cynical in their jobs. Add to this the fact that they receive very little praise, a great deal of criticism, and are highly underpaid for the job they do, and one would have to wonder why they do it at all. The answer is simple. They do it because they care about their fellow man, even when their fellow man doesn’t care about them. They do it because they believe in the standards of right and wrong, even when right doesn’t always win. They do it because they have a strong desire to protect the weak and the innocent, even if it means putting their own lives in jeopardy. They do it because we need them to.

Your Part

Please think about what an officer of the law goes through each and every day on the job. The kind of people they come in contact with, the things they see and hear, the risks they face with each call, are these things that you would be willing to deal with everyday?

Finally, ask yourself what if anything have you ever done to make them feel appreciated, or to thank them for risking their lives to help keep you and your loved ones safe? If the answer is nothing then you are not alone. These people provide a vital service to all of us and how do we show them our respect? We avoid them…

So the next time you see an officer of the law, walk up to them and ask to shake their hand. Tell them how much you appreciate the job they do and how grateful you are that they are there looking out for you. Perhaps if we all do it, they will become less cynical of us and we will see that they really are the good guys, and maybe the world will be a better place.

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