I spend alot of time standing in driveways talking to weary parents as we work crime scenes. Talk about the neighborhood, places from back in the day, anything to momentarily numb the pain of not just that moment but of so many moments that led to us standing in their driveway.

I always have the same reaction no matter the level of violence: I wish it had been different for everyone. I never get mad. Or hate. Or look down on suspects, even in incredible senseless violence. Never. I get weary sometimes. But I try to break that cycle at least in my part

My colleagues do the same. And there’s no shortage of work. Cuz the issues are massive on a scale we as a society somehow manage to overhype in one way while ignoring in many others. We focus on the violent acts. But, man, there’s entire operas before that solo. We can do better

So I use the Hippocratic Oath for Cops: First, Do No Harm. To me, that means I must not act faster than my judgment and the law and the entire point of it all, which is our neighbors and our community. Nothing can justify doing harm. Nothing. Be patient. Be right. Be persistent.