Editorial

Deputy's heroics more the rule than the exception

Friday, December 18, 2015

Crimes and improper behavior by law enforcement officers are often in the news, resulting in everything from in-house investigations to full-blown protest riots.

There are "bad eggs," of course, officers who get into the profession for the wrong reason, who let their emotions overrule training and better judgment, accept bribes and accept unethical behavior.

But those are by far the exception rather than the rule. Yes, officers are human and make mistakes, but provided you act in a reasonable manner, your encounter with law enforcement will probably be uneventful if not always pleasant.

If a State Patrol, sheriff's deputy or city police officer seems a little brusk when reminding you of the proper speed limit, meaning of a stop sign or correct use of a turn signal, it's because he or she knows bad things can happen if we ignore the rules.

Deputy Todd Volk knows what can happen when things go wrong. He was one of a number of officers who responded to a report of a reckless semi on Highway 81, headed toward Norfolk. The truck refused to stop, the driver slumped over the wheel with a possible medical condition.

Officers followed the truck for 12 miles, and it slowed as it approached the city, but it was in danger or crashing off a busy overpass ahead.

Volk pulled over in the median, jumped out of his cruiser, ran across the road and climbed into the cab of the truck, stopping it on the bridge before it could cause serious damager.

Any number of people might have done the same thing Volk did, given the opportunity and sense of urgency.

But not many of us are expected to risk our lives in the course of our regular duties.

Remember that next time you're given a warning about speeding or written up for illegal parking.


Watch the video here.

Comments
View 2 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Not long ago, I had a state patrol car pull out in front of me when I was driving down the street. Almost ran into me. Just wasn't looking where he was going. He stopped and stopped me and walked up to my car and apologized for it. He didn't say it was my fault. He didn't say he was on his way to an emergency - which he could have done. He apologized for his mistake. Honest guy. Considerate as well.

    -- Posted by bob s on Fri, Dec 18, 2015, at 1:33 PM
  • How is it that police officers are risking their lives every day when the likelihood of being slain in the line of duty is a small fraction of a percent? (0.0126%) Loggers, fisherman, airplane pilots, roofers, steel workers, refuse collectors, electrical power line installers, truck drivers, farmers/ranchers, and construction laborers have the top ten most dangerous jobs in the U.S. Some would then argue that only police officers face the risk of being murdered every day, but this is not statistically supported. The suicide rate among police officers is 8 times higher than the murder rate and the risk of heart attack deaths is almost equal to murder. I am not saying that police don't deserve credit where credit is due, but actual statistics show their jobs to be relatively much safer than average.

    -- Posted by shallal on Fri, Dec 18, 2015, at 4:23 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: