It’s important that we, as one collective community, appreciate and show respect to the hardworking men and women who work minute-by-minute day and night to keep us safe.

I appreciate the hard work of law enforcement officers in each of the communities The Dispatch serves.

I believe that we have the finest men and women in uniform at the Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office, Victoria Police Department and Kenbridge Police Department, along with troopers and officers with Virginia State Police and the state’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Each of these men and women — on a daily basis — put their lives on the line when they knock on a door in a rural neighborhood to serve a warrant or summons, respond to a domestic dispute in town, approach a vehicle pulled over for alleged speeding or seek out a suspicious person.

Though we observed National Police Week in mid-May, we should seek out opportunities to appreciate law enforcement officers year round, not just during a designated week annually. And it shouldn’t take an incident involving injury or death of a law enforcement officer to justify our appreciation. It should come natural.

Changes in society and other various reasons, including misguided attention and sensationalism by the national media, have made it more difficult for police to earn the trust of those they serve.

I think we’re very fortunate in this community in that we trust our law enforcement officers and, in turn, they trust and respect us. This isn’t to say that civilians are perfect and all police do the right thing 100 percent of the time. The fact of the matter is that humans make mistakes, and we have to pay for them, no matter if we wear a badge or not.

Another fact is the mutual confidence, trust and respect police here have for citizens and citizens have for police here is something other communities should take note of. I believe our law enforcement officers treat others the way they’d want to be treated.

And we owe it to them and ourselves to do the same in living by the Golden Rule.

Jordan Miles is managing editor of The K-V Dispatch. His email address is Jordan.Miles@KVDispatch.com