This Ain't Mayberry

I know most Americans get a warm fuzzy feeling when they hear the word Mayberry. They think back to hours spent watching the Andy Griffith show with their families, laughing as the lovable sheriff and his goon of a deputy worked to eliminate any danger that came into their sweet little town. And by danger, I mean a handful of moonshiners and the usual town drunks. The show also put a face to the rural American cop and reminded us all that yes, officers are people, too.

Andy Griffith looked out for his town, just as my man is trying to do. Last Monday he started a job as a Detention Officer (AKA, a jailer) for our local Sheriff's Department. I can feel the pride running through my veins as I type those words! But with that pride comes a kind of fear that I never even knew existed until he told me about this time last year that he wanted to quit his job as a diesel mechanic and become either a Navy SEAL or a police officer. Thankfully I cried enough to talk him out of joining the Navy and instead we agreed on law enforcement. Let me tell you, I was, and sometimes still am, paralyzed by the fear that comes with being a police girlfriend.

Because he started his job in the jail last Monday, we haven't experienced any kind of the danger that most LEO families have. But just because he hasn't experienced it firsthand doesn't mean he won't. We are hoping for him to start as a patrolling officer here in the next few years, and then I'm sure my anxiety will really go through the roof. The reason for that is this ain't Mayberry.

Yes, we are in an extremely rural part of Idaho. Yes, the crime rate here is well below that of the national average. Should these things make me feel better? Probably. But here are some more statistics for you.

Just yesterday, Nez Perce Tribal Police Officer Josh Rigney was ambushed at the door of him home on his day off. His wife and children were in the home when he was shot twice in his doorway.

On Sunday, Cowlitz County Sheriff's Deputy Justin DeRosier was shot and killed when responding to a parking complaint. DeRosier was a husband and father to a five month old girl. He wasn't even thirty yet. 

If these don't scare you, maybe nothing will, but they scare me. Just knowing that my man, the one who signed up to help people and make a difference, could be the next dead cop statistic brings tears to my eyes every single time I think about it. 

I know everyone keeps telling me that he will be fine since we are in such a rural area, but both of these officers were as well. I'm terrified of what's to come, because no matter what anyone says, this ain't Mayberry.