The move toward violence against our law enforcement officers was brought to the forefront with the execution of two New York officers this week. This senseless act against those who serve and protect has triggered a gamut of responses across the board.

The call for the death of police officers by those who claim some type of discrimination is beyond my comprehension. Just as the looting and violence against shop owners and citizens in Ferguson and in New York were senseless in response to grand jury actions, so, too, this taking of life is senseless.

While there are some bad people in any profession, the public outcry against the police somehow indicating that every officer is a racist or a killer is a scary path to head down.

The officers who don the uniform, for the most part, are upstanding and take the burden on themselves to keep us all from harm. They take an oath to serve and to eliminate criminal behavior from our midst.

The killing of the officers in New York, and really, the behavior of the mobs calling for the death of officers, the looting, the destruction-it shows how very far down the wrong path many of our nation’s citizens are going.

Regardless of disagreement with a court ruling, it is never justified to take the life of anyone, especially one not involved.

The action by the criminal who traveled from our metropolitan area to New York to kill innocent police officers is something that is rocking not only that neighborhood, but every neighborhood across this country.

Our local officers, I am sure, wonder about going to work everyday as the lack of respect not only for their profession but for their lives is evident. The constant portrayal by the national media, by leaders of large cities such as New York and by our federal leaders that somehow police departments around the country need to be re-vamped because of grand jury findings will continue to lead to actions such as that taken against the two officers in New York.

What we need is to have our leaders stand up and denounce such criminal behavior rather than continue to offer excuses for it. They need to commend our officers for their protection and willingness to put their lives on the line each day rather than insinuate that every officer has some hidden agenda. The “agenda” comes more from those excuses than from officers going to work every day.

Shame on us for continuing to tolerate behavior from rioting mobs, many of whom don’t even know why they are rioting. The door was opened to place blame somewhere and these individuals are leading the charge. If our towns, our cities, our nation doesn’t reign in and condemn these actions, they will likely grow. Are we willing to lose more lives to those who allegedly rally against the loss of life?

Step up America and defend your police forces just as they defend you each day.