Wednesday Lincoln County Sheriff Steve Rushing and his chief deputy Johnny Hall Jr. traveled to the office of State Attorney General Jim Hood. There, Hood presented them with the Amy Clayton Justice Achievement Award, honoring the men and women who searched for and apprehended suspect Willie Cory Godbolt in the hours following the tragic events of May 27, 2017 in Lincoln County.

Hood presented the award as part of a ceremony to kickoff National Crime Victim’s Rights Week. We think the decision to honor Sheriff Rushing and his deputies was the right one.

“I am humbled at the recognition,” Rushing said. “It was a great honor but it was bittersweet with the loss of [Deputy] William [Durr].”

While we recognize that crime continues daily in Brookhaven and Lincoln County, we know no one can fully prevent crime from taking place.

Some days our law enforcement officers are spending the bulk of their time getting cattle or debris out of the roads to make them safe for travel, issuing speeding tickets or warning people to slow down for safety’s sake, checking on various individuals to make sure they’re doing OK, or writing citations for vehicles parked illegally. Other days they’re fighting to save someone’s life or pursuing a dangerous criminal.

The men and women who are part our city and county law enforcement entities do not get enough encouragement from us, the general public, on a day-to-day basis. The people of Brookhaven and Lincoln County as a whole seem to appreciate them, however, and that’s a good thing.

They’re not asking for coffee and doughnuts all the time, regardless of stereotypes, but a smile, a wave, a ‘thank you for the job you do’ or another word of encouragement goes a lot further than you may think.

We appreciate you, Sheriff Rushing and Police Chief Kenneth Collins, and all the men and women who work with you tirelessly to keep us safe and protect the rights of crime victims. We salute you, and say thank you.

And maybe someone will still bring you coffee and doughnuts.