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Aah! Summertime! Here we are, many of us stretched out in front of the television set, munching on snacks, with our iPhones stuck in one hand while playing video games with the other. Perfect, right? Actually, we should answer no! Summer has a higher purpose!...

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In Uvalde, one person changed the world.  A single individual—whose motives remain unknown—chose to commit a heinous act, and young lives full of promise ended abruptly. Twenty-one people whose journeys were cut short. Seventeen more wounded. Families plunged into grief. All because of one evil...

For many Californians, the term “Honor Roll” conjures up images of academic excellence and the proud feelings associated with seeing your name included on a prestigious list. For those of us in law enforcement, the “Honor Roll” is not a list on which we want to find our names. Although this list also gives rise to feelings of pride, it is the list of California peace officers killed in the line of duty. So far this year, 33 names have been added to the Honor Roll nationwide.Each year, the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation holds a ceremony to honor the men and women in law enforcement who have made the ultimate sacrifice and joined the list that year. The numbers vary from year to year, but since 2001, the names of 159 California Police Officers have been added to the Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument in Capitol Park in Sacramento. Those names are also included in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., and are joined by thousands of others. These brave men and women are honored each year in our nation’s capital during National Police Week in May. This year, May 15 will be recognized as National Peace Officers Memorial Day.Those of us who chose law enforcement as a career start each day with a desire to serve and protect our communities by putting the safety of others before our own. We are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. We are coaches, counselors, mediators and mentors. We dedicate ourselves to fighting crime and drugs to create a safe community for those we serve. We help at-risk youth in schools as well as parents in crisis, and connect the homeless and mentally ill with services. We show up when you call 911 to help you in a time need or an emergency. We do these things with the understanding that it’s part of our job and we are proud to serve our community.The men and women of our department care deeply for Morgan Hill and demonstrate that care through various community engagement efforts—often on our own time. We also strive to decrease crime and ensure a high quality of life through proactive and intelligence based policing strategies.We are grateful to serve a community that supports its police department. I encourage you to show your support during National Police Week, the week of May 15, by shining a blue light to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community and to show your local heroes how much they are supported by those we serve.On behalf of the men and women of your Morgan Hill Police Department, thank you for the opportunity to partner with you to provide a safe environment in which to live, work and play.David Swing is the Chief of the Morgan Hill Police Department.

It’s the end of the year and that usually means that we all look back and reflect on what we have done and what stands out that we have witnessed over the last 12 months. Then we might think about what we want to make happen next year or call it good and rest on laurels. My guess is that not many will do the latter.