As the summer of 2020 raged on with daily protests, riots, looting and calls for defunding the police, I only saw one version of police officers portrayed in the media. And that portrayal was all negative; depicting the police as part of the problem and actively seeking to discriminate against minorities.

They were often portrayed as racist, power hungry ego- maniacs, who chose their profession for all the wrong reasons. Many large cities had mayors and council members calling for their police to be reduced or even eliminated and replaced with rapid response social workers. The "reimagine the police" trend gained traction.

Rarely did you hear from the police officers themselves, especially from rural America. I wrote this book to give six officers a voice to tell their stories and give the reader a peek into their everyday lives. These stories offer a glimpse of what it is like to walk in their shoes and what policing is really like. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary things for their communities.

The daily acts of heroism and the dangers police officers face is seldom reported or make the headlines. These stories are the experiences these officers remember the most and which had an impact on them in personal and profound ways. They are more than just police officers; they are real and interesting people.

Read about what motivated these regular people, from different backgrounds and demographics, to become law enforcement professionals. Read stories of their journey and experiences and get to know the human spirit behind the badge. It's not about the badge, but instead it's an inside view of those who stand in the gap between good and evil in our society today.