Statistically, being a law enforcement officer is not the most dangerous profession. The last such study we saw on this ranked agriculture in that spot.

For statistics, though "dangerous" is defined as the number of injuries or deaths compared to the number of people who are employed in the job.

That is a scientific way of looking at it and it is valid for that purpose.

But, as the death of Department of Public Safety trooper Scott Burns shows us, there are other considerations that explain why his death affects us so much more deeply and, for that matter, the deaths of all law enforcement officers.

Burns and all those in law enforcement stand up for us, that is, in our place. Without them, crime would either run rampant, or we, as citizens, would have to take it on. Anyone who knows the history of the old West knows that situations such as this occurred. There were places where the law did not exist, many times because people were simply too afraid to take it on.

Scott Burns was not afraid. He stood up to crime and the criminals so we would not have to do so.

Earlier this week, he paid the ultimate price at the hands of a criminal. This was no accidental death — though those are no less horrible — this was a situation where a criminal intentionally killed an officer. That criminal has now taken his own life.

Criminals who have no regard for human life exist and will always exist. Indeed, without people like Burns and those who served at his side, we're sure that many more of them would haunt our streets. At the very least many more of them would now be out of prison.

Without the Scott Burns of this world, we will be at the mercy of these people. He bore the brunt of crime for us.

We owe a never-ending and never-payable debt to Burns, his family and all those who serve as law enforcement officers for taking this mantle. It is not something we can pay with any amount of money. But we can begin to pay with the honor and respect that law officers deserve.

Here is something we instinctively know about Trooper Burns — and all those who serve — that had he known years ago that he would be killed in the line of duty, he would not have hesitated to do what he did. It is, in fact, what every law enforcement officer lives with.

We would like to think that the violence ends here, that after Trooper Burns there will be no other deaths in protecting us. Unfortunately, we know that is not the case, as does every officer.

And, still, they serve.