GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Today is the kick-off to Police Week 2019 and officers throughout the state say they don’t care what people might say about their profession, because they’ve got a job to do.
“We have a job to do,” explains Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt. “Regardless of rhetoric that’s out there.”
Sheriff Schmidt joined the John Muir Show on Monday to discuss his thoughts and emotions entering this year’s Police Week.
Often times, that job includes saving lives, even if it might be the life of someone that doesn’t agree with what they do for a living.
“We don’t ask what anyone’s political motivation is, we don’t ask what side of the aisle they’re on,” he explains. “We go and do the job that we have to do.”
Sheriff Schmidt admitted that the conversation regarding law enforcement has changed just in the past handful of years, but what hasn’t changed, is the danger that officers face everyday when they put on the uniform.
“[If] there’s a domestic incident that’s going on we need to respond to it, [if] there’s a homicide,” he explains. “Even a traffic stop, something as simple as a traffic stop can go bad, as well.”
And unfortunately, there are still plenty of cases where it does indeed go bad for the officers involved.
“We have four members of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office that have died in the line of duty from 1926 to 1978,” says Sheriff Schmidt. “And we certainly want to honor them.”
In fact, he says the week should be tailored around remembering the fallen officers, rather than fixating attention on current members of the force.
“Really for us in law enforcement, the biggest part of this week is recognizing and honoring those that have fallen throughout the history of law enforcement,” explains Sheriff Schmidt.
For those currently on the force, it’s unthinkable to not make that distinction, since they are reminded of the dangers associated with the job on a daily basis.
“That’s what we as law enforcement officers do, is we recognize and remember those individuals who gave their life, the ultimate sacrifice, protecting the citizens of our county, and our state, and our country,” he explains.
