OUR VIEW: A great cop from a great department

For all the criticism police and police departments receive, it’s easy to forget how much we all really need them and how much they sacrifice for the benefit of others.

Examples of professional, courteous, selfless, compassionate and courageous police work are easy to find in Colorado Springs. Our police department may be second to none.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of our city’s officers, father and husband Ryan Jacobsen, has been honored by none other than President Barack Obama. He was among 10 officers in the United States this year to receive the Top Cop Award Friday, as chosen by the National Association of Police Organizations.

In the world of policing, this equates to a Pulitzer Prize for a journalist, an Oscar for an actor, or an Olympic gold medal for an athlete. It should result in no less fanfare. Though the award belongs to Jacobsen, it’s something that should lift the morale of the entire Colorado Springs police force. One reason Jacobsen is a great cop may be the company he keeps in his profession.

The award results from Jacobsen’s response on May 17, 2009, to a burglary in progress at the home of Mark and Robin Sherwood in the 8200 block of Candon Drive.

Jacobsen arrived at the home, saw the garage door was open, and called for backup. Upon entering the home, he found two burglars. One began raising a gun. Jacobsen fired, killing 29-year-old Paul Kovacevic before the criminal hurt or killed someone else.

Jacobsen chased the other subject, caught him, and was able to subdue him with a stun gun. He asked a neighbor to hold the man down as backup arrived.

Jacobsen knew exactly what to do. He had the skills because of mental discipline and training. He also had the rare ability to put the interests of others ahead of his own, in order to enter the home and confront criminals.

Like any hero, Jacobsen insists he doesn’t deserve accolades for doing his job.

“For me, it is like, you know when you become a police officer that you might have to be involved in something like that,” Jacobsen told Gazette reporter Carlyn Ray Mitchell in a phone call from Washington Thursday. “You know that is part of the job and that can happen. You don’t want it to, but it can.”

It’s just part of the job, for sure. But it’s a job most people could not or would not do.

Complain about the police from time to time. It’s the right thing to do. It’s the role of the public and the press to police the police. But never forget who shows up on the scene in times of distress, when innocent lives are in danger. Never forget who carries a gun in case someone needs the defense of lethal force. Never forget the selfless sacrifice made by men and women the caliber of Ryan Jacobsen. He was there to take that call and he handled it masterfully. Take comfort in the likelihood that most other members of the Colorado Springs Police Department would have handled it in just the same way.

— Wayne Laugesen, editorial page editor, for the editorial board. Friend him on Facebook

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