The Marquette-area community, and indeed the communities that are the state of Michigan and U.S., had an opportunity Friday to thank police officers and agencies for the work they do.

Friday was Law Enforcement appreciation Day, a commemoration established to pay tribute to cops.

It’s no secret that pollice agencies and the people who work for them have come under significant scrutiny in recent months.

The intention of this writing isn’t to support or oppose anyone in those well-publicized cases. The legal system will determine innocence or guilt.

Nor is it our intention to argue police shouldn’t be held to the highest standards of conduct.

They should.

Rather, what we want to do is simply remind people that being a cop is, all things considered, a tough way to make a living. Between 100 and 200 officers in the U.S. lose their lives in the line of duty each year, according to the police advocacy group Concerns of Police Survivors. Another 50,000 are assaulted and 14,000 injured.

And we believe it’s important to look beyond statistics and see the people and families the numbers represent.

Police of all types are there to protect us. As a community, we should give thanks.