A Tale of Two Officers

Sandeep Dhaliwal. Amber Guyger. Two officers. Two people with the same job, two completely different paths their lives took. Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal was killed this past Friday during a traffic stop. Officer Amber Guyger, while off duty, and tired, went into the wrong apartment and shot and killed Botham Jean, who she thought was a burglar in her apartment.Two extremes. Two tragic events that should have never taken place.We can't sit here and tell you how seriously Amber took her job as a police officer compared to Sandeep. We're not in her head, we're not perusing her thoughts. Nor can we know what is in Sandeep's head. We didn't know him personally or talk to him. But we can extrapolate from the data given.Sandeep was a man of the community he served. It seems from all the press clippings and stories that Sandeep was a pillar in that community. He wasn't above them, nor below them, but rather beside them, fighting the best way he knew how to make this world a little bit better. For all intents and purposes, he was the epitome of the ideal law enforcement officer. Kind, generous, thoughtful, helpful, brave, strong-willed and strong of character.Amber...not much is known about her, save for that which we've gleaned during the ongoing trial. According to her statements, she was tired, lacked focus and mistook Botham Jean's apartment for her own. Botham Jean was seated on his couch eating ice cream.Thousands of law enforcement officers across this country go home tired and weary after a long day dealing with the public. No doubt, there were days when Sandeep was tired. As a Harris County Deputy Sheriff, Sandeep was around for Hurricane Harvey as well as this latest round of floods in Houston...being tired is no excuse for Amber.All we know is what has been made publicly available. We don't have the authority nor the credentials to cast judgment. We're not the judge, nor are we the jury. We are, however, part of the public, and in that, what we're about to say matters.Strive to let your life be known for your goodness, rather than your mistakes. We all make them, but the difference that we can see, in our own biased and tunnel-visioned mind is that Sandeep was a man of purpose and willful intent. He is remembered the way he is because he took charge of his actions, he was proactive and calm. Amber Guyger will be remembered for this "mistake". Whatever the outcome of her trial is (and believe us we have our STRONG opinions on that), she has admitted to shooting Botham Jean, an action that was both reactive and frantic.Reactive and frantic versus proactive and calm. No matter your profession, no matter your culture, or lineage, religion, upbringing, financial status...

“We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” -Albert Einstein