In December, a group gathered outside Dearborn Police headquarters to protest and vilify law enforcement. Despite a lack of facts, protesters quickly called for strict disciplinary measures for the Dearborn Police officer who fatally shot a 35-year-old Black man on Dec.23.  Is it me or does anyone else find this alarming?

There are no indications yet to suggest this officer did anything other than what he was trained to. Our men and women in blue don’t deserve this. Dearborn doesn’t deserve this. 

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad and his force have earned national awards for civil rights and community policing efforts. The Dearborn Police Department goes out of its way to encourage diversity and equality.

The man who lost his life on Dec. 23 was somebody’s son. The loss of life is always tragic for the family members, regardless of circumstance. This is something law enforcement officers understand all too well. 

Upholding the law is a dangerous proposition. Every morning, all across the U.S.A., family members watch their loved ones leave for duty, praying for their safe return.  According to 2014 FBI crime statistics 48,315 officers were assaulted in the line of duty.  That year saw 96 law enforcement officers die in the line of duty. Fifty one were murdered. For the record, 43 of those murdered were White. 

Enforcing the law is no picnic. Sometimes officers are forced to make split second, life or death decisions. It’s a choice nobody wants to make. Like my mother-in-law’s cooking, law enforcement isn’t and never will be perfect.  However, rushing to judge the ones sworn to protect us is counterproductive.

In 2014, rushing to judgment is exactly what spawned the anarchy in Ferguson, Missouri.  Protesters in Ferguson played the role of judge and jury in the case of Michael Brown.  Before the evidence ever came to light, the court of public opinion had ruled and the town of Ferguson paid the price.  

It didn’t matter that a Grand Jury found no reason to indict the officer. It didn’t matter that a Department of Justice federal investigation cleared the officer of any wrong doing. It didn’t matter that all forensic evidence and credible eye witness accounts confirmed the officer’s story. Nor did it matter that Michael Brown never had his hands in the air and never once screamed “don’t shoot.” None of this mattered. All that mattered was driving the narrative that White law enforcement officers kill unarmed Black people too often.

First you need to know that 99.9 percent of all police arrests do not end fatally’ according to the FBI. Moreover, when an officer is forced to fire his weapon in the line of duty it’s more often than not at a White person. For instance, according to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, in 2012 police shot and killed 326 White people but only 123 Black people. There is no doubt this issue requires much more discussion than a single opinion piece and a few stats.

Our leaders need to be a voice of reason. In Dearborn, Mayor O’Reilly routinely condemns protestors who rally against “radical Islam.” Where is this condemnation for those who rally against our law enforcement officers?

At the end of the day, this is a free country and you have the right to protest anything you want.  However rushing to judgment undermines the public’s faith in law enforcement and the ability to effectively maintain safe communities. Maybe it’s that I watched too many Clint Eastwood movies, but I’ve always assumed the cops are the good guys. 

-Regan J. Ford is the founder and president of Dearborn-based VIVID Maintenance.  He serves his community as the president-elect of the Rotary Club of Dearborn and president of the Southwestern Outer Drive Neighborhood Association.