The Obama attack on the white cop doing his duty shows once again the vicious bias the left has against cops. Hypnotized by their own hatred, the mantra is chanted in cult-like conformity: Police are always guilty, out-of-control asses and the Harvard professor is somehow always a “victim.”

Having been raised with a deep respect for law and order, the “cops,” or in my case, the Sparks Police Department, were always a model of excellence.

Around here, most of the cops had grown up locally and had a vested interest in the goodness and the future of our community. Scandals were and remain rare, service and response time were excellent and crime rates, even with a rapidly growing community, were low. Plus, cops were reasonable. The veterans would size you up pretty quickly, intuitively knowing if you were just a punk kid or someone with a criminal intent.

While most folks moan and groan when busted for speeding or some minor infraction, whenever we hear weird sounds around the house, when someone is snooping around our car, when we see someone or something dangerous or threatening, what do we say when frightened? “Call the cops; quick, dial 911!”

As I’ve gotten older and observed beyond the immediate, the realization dawns; the cops are much more than mere protectors. They are the first line of defense in civilization. They are a conservative element, the bulwark against the tide.

What they see and, probably much harder to grasp, what they comprehend is something of which we only get casual glimpses. Behind our seemingly secure lives and property lurks a dark and sinister element they hold in check.

One of the best examples of what I mean is observed when law and order collapse. When Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans and police authority was overwhelmed and by necessity withdrawn, the animals came out. Looters, caught on numerous videos, like hordes of savages, with complete impunity, stole, busted doors and windows and very generously helped themselves to other’s property.

As we learn by deductive reasoning, the only thing holding such in check, like the dikes on the Mississippi, are the cops. And every society and community has this negative element, albeit in greatly varying percentages. The police know this well, and deal daily with this element, while we remain obliviously ignorant except in rare unpleasant moments.

Cops, who are essentially the defenders and preservers of society, are despised by liberals, who instinctively see them as the harbingers of conservative values. Thus, every time a cop goes bad, the seriousness is often given grossly disproportionate attention.

Worse are phony manufactured smear campaigns, the most recent example of which is the “racial profiling” (non) debate. See, cops are all racists, and pick on poor innocent young minority males accordingly. How do we know that? Simple. Disproportionate numbers of them are arrested and pulled over; ipso facto, cops are racist.

The truth: Cops catch bad guys. Cops try to protect people and property. The greatest number of criminals are young male minorities. Using liberal logic (an oxymoron) shows that cops are sexist, too; they bust way more men than women. Intentionally overlooked fact: Cops tend to spend disproportionate amounts of time in minority neighborhoods protecting the decent people there.

So, next time you see officers of the law, thank them. Thank them for the security you enjoy. Thank them for the protection of your property. Thank them for the safety of your children. Thank them for being only a phone call away, even in the most terrible of circumstances. Thank them for keeping the evil elements in check.

Obama at least had the decency, after public outcry, to apologize. Still, is his reaction not a perfect textbook case of what he so self-righteously preaches against, of “profiling?” So, who is guilty of pre-judging? Who is guilty of profiling?

Ira Hansen is a lifelong resident of Sparks and owner of Ira Hansen and Sons Plumbing.