Police Chaplains Perspective: The Day to Choose a Side Has Come
/By Chris Amos
As the sun was setting on the life of Joshua he delivered an impassioned message to the Children of God. He concluded with an ultimatum: “Choose you this day who you will serve. Either the gods of your fathers or the idols of the land in which you now dwell. But as for me and my house we will serve The Lord.” Jesus nailed home the point even further. “You cannot serve two masters…” This reminds me of a story from during the Civil War. A man lived in one of the border states between the North and South. He was not sure which side to support. One day he came up with a brilliant idea. He would wear a Confederate military shirt and Union military pants. Inevitably, the war came to his small town. The Union soldiers shot him above the waist and the Confederates, below. The moral of all of these points, we all must choose a side.
I choose the side of Jesus Christ and His claim to be the one and only way to God the Father. I choose to believe law enforcement officers are called by God, most do not realize this, to maintain law and order. To protect those unable to protect themselves. To stand in the gap between the sheep and the wolves that seek to prey on them. I do not believe police officers are infallible, far from it. No, they are men and women, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, just like the rest of us who have chosen to pursue an impossible job, not for fame or fortune, or certainly the applause of the masses, but because they simply want to make life better and safer for their families and communities.
The mainstream media, at the urging of their handlers, have made it their life’s pursuit to indict and ultimately undermine policing as we know it. They obsess over the occasional misuse of force, even attempting to paint legal and necessary uses of force by officers with the wide brush of racism, intolerance and hate. The countless stories of personal sacrifice, compassion, heroism and selflessness by men and women serving as law enforcement officers rarely sees the light of day.
During my own, almost 27-year career, I fired my weapon three times, in one incident, while in the line of duty. And this was only after being shot twice while trying to make an arrest. Off the top of my head, I can think of over half a dozen times when I felt in fear for my life or the lives of others and yet did not fire my weapon. This is not unique to me. If you ask any police officer who has served over two or three years, they will tell you the same thing. The point being 99% of those serving in this most noble and honorable profession demonstrate tremendous self-control under the most stressful of circumstances. The attempt to paint police officers as a bunch of racist, trigger-happy, disrespectful bullies just is not true.
Imagine if every interaction of our politicians, schoolteachers, doctors, lawyers, salesmen, nurses, construction workers, ministers, fill-in-the-blank, was recorded. Imagine if those recordings where then put on social media, at times out of context with the omission of particularly important facts. Imagine the field day that we would have. The truth is that at times we do see these kinds of interactions, but usually it is done by anonymous sources and “leaks.” Not so with police officers. Their actions are recorded and released, giving no thought to the context, the stress, the very reason that led to the officers being present in the first place. And often, important facts are intentionally and completely omitted. Facts like the individual shot was armed with a knife or gun and after being told repeatedly to drop the weapon chose rather to turn toward the officer or another person in an aggressive manner.
Do officers make mistakes? Absolutely. At times, those mistakes are in fact crimes so egregious those officers should be in jail if not under the jail. At other times, their mistakes are just that: mistakes. Tragic though they may be, they were still mistakes. Mistakes that do elicit consequences. Consequences that must be experienced by the individuals involved. And yet Jesus reminds us that he who is without sin, aka having never made a mistake, should throw the first stone of accusation and condemnation. Unfortunately, we are living in a time of such unrighteousness and self-righteousness that there is little room for the true righteousness found in Jesus Christ. As a result, the stones are flying from every direction and law enforcement officers are a popular target.
And so where do we go from here? The band-aid to our problems is to support the men and women of law enforcement. Tell them when you see them. Tell your local police chiefs, city council members, city managers and mayors that you support your police officers, deputies, state troopers ... Tell your representatives at the state and federal level that you support law enforcement, and while recognizing the few bad apples you stand in solidarity with the vast majority of officers who do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason. Voice your strong disapproval of politicians attempting to strip law enforcement officers of the very tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. Police officers are being assaulted and killed at an alarming rate. This must not be allowed to continue. Ironically, the greatest critics against the police, those serving in the public sector demanding the defunding of police, also demand and often receive, law enforcement details to protect them.
The real change is that of choosing this day whom you will serve. The Lord Jesus Christ or Satan, the Prince of this world, and the worldly system he is seeking to establish by any means necessary. The United States of America, while by no means perfect, is the greatest obstacle standing in the way of his desire and design for this world. America may be damaged beyond repair, only time will tell. But until the fate of America plays out it is imperative for those of us blessed to be born in the greatest country in the world to choose this day whom we will serve. “Either the gods of your fathers or the social idols of the land in which you now dwell. But as for me and my house we will serve The Lord.”
See you at the finish line! It is closer than it has ever been.
Chris Amos is a retired officer and former spokesperson for the Norfolk Virginia Police Department. He is currently the pastor at Chr1st Fellowship Church in Norfolk. He is married for over 30 years and is the proud father of three children, two of whom are police officers. He serves as the volunteer Chaplain for Norfolk Police Dept. and Norfolk Sheriff’s Office.
