I’ve been a police officer for about six years now, so by all modes of measurement, I’m still pretty green. In that time, I’ve responded to thousands of calls for service, made hundreds of arrests, been involved in using force against individuals, and even had to stop a wrong-way driver on the interstate. All of that, and by far the most challenging task I have undertaken, is notifying a young mother of three that the father of her children was dead. The look of complete disbelief, followed by her struggle to maintain emotional control in front of her three young children, will never fade from my memory.

First responders are repeatedly exposed to traumatic events. On a weekly or even daily basis, first responders experience more trauma than the average person will experience over their entire lifetime. Take a minute to think about that. Consider this fact next time you feel like criticizing the Police Officer sitting in his patrol car in an empty parking lot trying to finish his reports (or catch a cat nap to recharge) or the officer who seems distracted or disconnected while you explain to her that your neighbor’s feline pet has been setting off your Ring doorbell camera every night for weeks and urinating on your prized rose bush.

The most traumatic events to which I respond are car crashes. About two years ago, I responded to a two-vehicle collision during the height of rush hour traffic. The caller was frantic, describing significant injuries to a female driver. The crash itself didn’t appear powerful enough to cause fatal injury, but the circumstances ultimately led to the tragic loss of a young woman who had yet to graduate high school just three blocks from her home. My wife confronted me the next day at home and asked if everything was okay, as I had been a bit withdrawn. This was the first time, to that point in my career, a call had affected me, and I couldn’t immediately compartmentalize the event. I spared her the gruesome details but explained that simple and correctable circumstances resulted in this young woman’s death. It took me a couple of weeks to completely process her family’s loss.

Today is Thanksgiving day, and I’m “on-call” for fatal injury crashes. I expect to be called to at least one fatal crash scene today and several more throughout the weekend. Before you get in your car after celebrating with family and friends, please consider alternative means of transportation. Don’t put your own life or the life of others at risk of being seriously injured or killed due to poor decision-making. The $30 ride share is worth every penny when you arrive home safely to your family. You will also spare first responders from going to at least one scene, after which they will have to try and process the trauma of a violent death or grave injury.

To all my fellow police officers, firefighters (begrudgingly), EMS, emergency communications, corrections, crime scene investigators, military personnel, doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and other public safety folks working on this holiday, thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving.