Danny Whatley, Retired Law Enforcement Officer: “I am to pray for the police, the protester, the politician and the people on every side of this issue”

I first met Danny Whatley, pictured, when he appeared on “Ask the Pastor” with the late Pastor Marvin Capehart on KKIM Christian Radio in Albuquerque many years ago. (Marvin was one of the sweetest men ever, he taught me much about being a Pastor!) I was the manager of KKIM at that time. What a man of God! One of my heroes! Danny now is the head of ‘The Rock at Noon Day’ in Albuquerque that does such an awesome work for the homeless. Danny is such an precious servant of our Lord! I asked Danny to give us his thoughts concerning law enforcement in this very chaotic time in American history:

As a retired law enforcement officer (nine years with the Birmingham, Alabama Police Department and 23 years with the Department of Justice, U.S. Marshals Service) it saddens me to see what those wearing the badge are facing today. While there have certainly been incidents that deserve immediate and swift action that have occurred among the ranks of law enforcement, we now paint every encounter with a broad brush.  The immediate rush to judgment calling every encounter between law enforcement and men and women of color, placing blame on law enforcement and immediately claiming that all law enforcement officers are inherently racist and the intent of law enforcement is to harm or kill these same individuals. As in any profession there are those who should not be in law enforcement and often these individuals do things that reflect badly on the profession. The saddest part of some of these actions by a few who carry a badge can often end in serious harm to others or even death.

I have just given you my gut instinct as a retired cop, now let me give you my heart of hearts as a husband, a father and a grandfather, but more than all of these, a Christian. So how do I show the compassion of Christ in the world we live in right now?  There is a large segment of our world, our country that honestly believes that certain lives have no value. I could take the broad road and tell this group that they are wrong and to get over it, that’s what my dad would have said. The narrow road tells me first and foremost that while all lives matter, I need to understand that until I recognize that some think that their lives don’t matter and empathize with them and to rectify this idea, whether real or perceived, the divide will not only remain, but it will grow. I certainly don’t have the answers, but I know what God’s word tells me to do, to love to pray and to communicate. I am to love using the model of Jesus, Agape, sacrificial love, love that doesn’t come easy, love the hard to love,  I am to pray for those I disagree with or don’t understand.  I am to pray for the police, the protester, the politician and the people on every side of this issue. I am to communicate with others in such a way that invites disagreements, but leads to honest and productive dialogue.

Communication is the hardest for me, there are so many voices and all of them are screaming for justice, their idea of justice that is often unrealistic and not based on facts. But somewhere in all the noise is that opening for conversation and for understanding. It is easy to get caught up in the rhetoric and pick a side, Christians don’t have that option.  We are to love, pray and communicate the compassion of Christ in all that we do and all that we are. I pray God’s richest blessings on our nation and on those that we entrust to protect it.