A job like no other

It's no secret that the police often get dealt a tough hand from the media.

Besides president of the United States, no job is more closely scrutinized, more often critiqued, than that of a law enforcement officer.

And for good reason. It is, after all, the duty of the press to act as watchdog over those granted the power and responsibility to enforce law and order. Yet there often exists a gap in the amount of media coverage devoted to police mishaps when compared to police achievements.

A successful undercover operation that results in the arrest of a major car theft ring might get mentioned on the local 10 o'clock news. But an officer accused of being in a major car theft ring himself- now that would get coverage from every cable news network in the country.

With that in mind, let us consider the terrific job done by Simi Valley police officers this Tuesday on First Street in defusing what could easily have been a deadly situation.

A 54-year-old man was wielding a loaded handgun and was imploring Simi Valley police officers to shoot, but the officers did not fire at the distraught man, even though the situation likely justified it.

Demonstrating incredible poise and professionalism under the most threatening and stressful conditions, the officers did what most of us could never do when faced with a lifethreatening situation- they waited.

They waited until an officer could get close enough to stun the man with a Taser gun, thereby ending the standoff without injury and without having fired a shot.

Now that's the kind of police work that deserves a front page story.

Law enforcement personnel around the world put their lives on the line daily to protect the welfare of others. It's a reality the rest of us will never be able to grasp.

So next time you see a story on the news about another cop using excessive force, remember the countless other times when officers show extreme restraint and fail to get credit.

Our men and women in blue, at the very least, deserve a fair shake.