Last week, we published a story about Sampson County Sheriff’s Capt. Marcus Smith’s promotion to the department’s chief deputy, a high honor provided to a young man who has made a career out of protecting others.
Many of us know him and have watched and applauded him as he’s climbed the law enforcement ladder.
Smith’s tenure includes work at the Clinton Police Department, as a School Resource Officer, a county deputy, and now a chief deputy.
Just a few miles from the Sheriff’s Department sits Police Chief Adrian Mathews, the department’s first Black law enforcement leader, another individual who has worked his way up the ranks, serving in various capacities, including as assistant chief under retired chief Anthony Davis.
Many of us know him and, like Smith, have watched him grow and succeed, lauding each step he’s made in his law enforcement roles and responsibilities.
Smith and Mathews, along with many of the law enforcement officers who serve at either the Sheriff’s Office or the Police Department, are among our friends and neighbors. They are more than just law enforcement figures; they are the coaches at little league games, the security at proms, the fathers cheering from the sidelines at their children’s middle and high school ballgames, the men and women who flip pancakes or shovel shrimp or cook fish for local civic clubs.
You see, in places like Clinton and Sampson County, our law enforcement officers aren’t an anonymous force with a badge and a gun; they are neighbors in a patrol car, individuals we often know and certainly care about on a far more personal level.
They hold camps for our youth or walk the halls of schools, serving as role models for many young people who need to know that the uniform isn’t something to be feared, that the men and women who wear the badge aren’t their enemy but rather their friend. In those unique roles, officers can do more to prevent a crisis with a pat on the back and a knowing smile than they ever could with a citation or an order for arrest.
In today’s world, where national headlines are dominated by the not-so-good news regarding law enforcement, it is easy to lose sight of the truths we see and experience here at home. For here, the “Thin Blue Line” isn’t a barrier or a bully, but a familiar face and a friend.
As we observe National Law Enforcement Appreciation Month and National Police Week during May, we are reminded that while the job of local law enforcement can be dangerous and often unending, there’s a personal connection that runs deep between those who wear the uniform and those they are sworn to protect.
It is one of those unique aspects of life in small communities, and it’s one we are grateful exists here.
As we pay tribute to our officers this month, let it be more than lip-service. Instead, let’s make it a solid commitment to recognize their efforts, to understand the toll of the job, the missed family outings and the heavy weight of responsibility they carry on their shoulders every hour of every day — for us.
And, when you see Smith, Mathews, or any of our officers, never forget that they are far more than just a representative of law enforcement. They are the neighbor who have chosen to stand in the gap for the rest of us.
They aren’t perfect, but in almost every case, they answer the call to duty out of a great sense of duty and responsibility.
We owe them a debt of thanks for the jobs they so willingly do, but more than that, we owe them our continued support and partnership in keeping Sampson County a place where community is far more than just a word.