Tuesday’s news was grim….a Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy answering a call was shot to death on a Williamston street.

While a wife, two daughters, friends and an entire community grieves the loss of Deputy Charlie Brown, the shooting serves as a reminder of the dangers faced each and every day by those sworn to protect and serve.

While Martin County and Williamston lie on the outskirts of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald coverage area, Deputy Brown was no different than the outstanding men and women of our four-county region who proudly wear a law enforcement uniform.

Each has spent hours, days, months and years in honing their skills. Sure, they are paid for the jobs they perform, but there’s no amount of money on the face of the Earth that can bring them back to life if they die in the line of duty.

A law enforcement officer never knows from day to day if they will come home to embrace their loved ones following a shift. They never know if this day will be their last for the simple reason that while average citizens are running away from a clear and present danger, law enforcement officers are the ones running towards that menacing situation.

The next time we choose to gripe and complain about law enforcement officers issuing someone a citation for breaking the law, think about the dangers they face every day. Think about Deputy Brown as well as the others in uniform killed in the line of duty.

Would you trade places with them?