Every
day I drive past the home of David Parde, one of the nicest guys I know. David is always positive, always grateful, and
simply loves life. In my book, David is
a hero, but he insists he is not.
Every
Thursday morning I sit beside Jimmy Truell at a Men’s Bible Study at the
YMCA. Jimmy retired after a long and
distinguished career at the Lexington Police Department and is now following
God’s call as a pastor. He balances his
time between theology classes at Duke Divinity School and serving the Dulin
United Methodist Church in Davie County.
I also consider Jimmy to be a hero.
He does not.
As a
young officer in 1984, Jimmy was answering a domestic disturbance call when he
was shot in the head. Through God’s
grace he recovered. Six years later
David was answering a suspicious person call at an apartment complex when he
was shot in the back. The bullet left David permanently paralyzed as it tore
through his left lung and caused irreparable damage to his spinal column.
The
brave men and women who faithfully serve our communities as police officers
constantly face the same danger. Already
this year, eight on-duty police officers have been killed by gunfire—five of
these taking place the second week of this month. Forty-two officers were killed in 2015. Every time an officer knocks on a door, stops
a car for a traffic violation, or responds to a call for help, they never know
what danger is lurking in the shadows.
They place their lives on the line each and every day to keep our
communities safe.
But
there is a troubling wave of discontent in our nation. A recent Gallop Poll revealed that U.S.
confidence in our police force is the lowest it has been in 22 years. Disturbing events in Ferguson, Missouri and
North Charleston, South Carolina have scarred the image of law enforcement
across the nation. While our police
officers often deal with the worst of humanity, they are expected to present a
positive image regardless of the danger or abuse they are routinely subjected
to endure. The public is quick to jump
on a police officer who fails, but seldom affirms the overwhelming majority who
faithfully fulfill their mission with integrity and kindness. But Lexington, North Carolina is not following
this national trend!
We
are blessed to have one of the finest police departments that you will find
anywhere! Police Chief Mark Sink and his
department excel in building positive community relations. Their pro-active stance in preventing crime,
developing a strong Community Watch program, and involvement in the community
has resulted in Lexington being recognized as one the safest cities in the
state. But even more is the spirit of
trust and respect that our citizens hold for our Police Department. Chief Sink and his exceptional officers work
hard to build this trust as they are engaged in the community in a variety of
ways. A few weeks ago patrons of
Pastor’s Pantry were surprised to have our Police Chief and several of his
officers loading their groceries. In
ways large and small they are serving our community.
All
of these officers are heroes in my book as they face danger every day. Consider our history: In addition to Jimmy Truell and David Parde, Lexington
Police officer Tommy Clodfelter was shot responding to a domestic call in
1970. Frank Henderson was stabbed on an
arrest on South Main Street in 1980. Jay
Enelnick was shot on a traffic stop in 1986.
But still, Jimmy said, “We don’t consider ourselves heroes. Looking back, I feel we all just love people.” And David said, “Please remember I am not a
hero. I was just a 25 year old kid doing the job he loved, who got to do the
job he always wanted to do, and then it ended.
Not all people can say that!”
On
Palm Sunday, March 20, the faith community will gather at the Old Courthouse on
the Square as we celebrate our Lord riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, a symbol
of humility and peace. This year we are
doing something special. We are honoring
our “peacemakers,” the dedicated officers of the Lexington Police
Department. These faithful officers are
our friends. Jimmy Truell put his service
in perspective when he said “Lexington NC is our community and our friends whom
we all protected.” “No one has greater
love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
The
men from the YMCA Thursday Morning Bible Study and several area churches are
raising the funds to purchase “Policeman’s Bibles” for the entire Lexington
Police Force. We are also inviting the
entire force to join us for lunch on Palm Sunday at the YMCA. The Bibles will have LPD embossed on the
cover.
