A lot of prayers have been said in the past seven days since two Winston-Salem police officers were shot as they were handling a domestic situation last Thursday.

One of those officers, Sgt. Mickey Hutchens, died Monday evening, while the other, Officer Daniel Clark, was able to go home from the hospital last Friday.

Many may have watched the events of the shooting on television shortly after they took place last Wednesday morning as the public slowly got information as to what happened at the Bojangles’ on Peters Creek Parkway.

Myself, I was intently listening for a more personal reason — my cousin is an officer with the Winston-Salem Police Department.

I knew, or was fairly certain, that he works mostly evening and night shifts and he typically handles calls on the northern end of town. Also, since the television reporters said the families of the two officers were at the hospital, I assumed if it was my cousin I would have known by the time I heard about it on air.

But that never is a sure thing until you know for certain and hear who those involved are by name, or unless you talk to them yourself.

After calling my parents, and getting word from them that no one in the family was involved, I was somewhat relieved.

But that didn’t take away the feelings I felt for the victims and their families. I prayed that the officers would be OK, and would come home where they could recover and then go back to work — always heroes of their community for putting their lives on the line to help protect those who need it.

Domestic incidents happen far too often. The people in the incident are at danger as well as the officers who respond to those calls on a daily basis.

Already this year in Surry County, there have been deaths involving domestic situations. In the local cases, no officers were injured, but innocent people died at the hands of their alleged abusers nonetheless.

Domestic violence is not pretty. Whether it can be seen or not, it leaves bruises — to the emotions, to the mental state, to the physical body many times where clothes will hide the evidence.

It takes a community to stand up and say no more. We won’t stand by and watch people be abused and hurt and all the time be silent.

Silence gives the abusers permission to continue acting out in an unacceptable manner.

The justice system needs to be more aggressive.

Not only in domestic violence cases, but also in DWI cases, too often the offenders get a slap on the wrist, a little community service and probation, if that, and then they get to go home where they can threaten the lives of others all over again.

This incident, the death of Sgt. Hutchens, should be a lesson to the judicial system officials and an eye-opener to the community which needs to stand up and say, “We won’t tolerate it anymore.”

Take a stand. Help protect your neighbors.

Sgt. Hutchens and Officer Clark are heroes. They are heroes to the suspect’s target, who was not injured by her assailant because the sergeant and Officer Clark did their jobs. Hutchens is a hero to the community, for spending his career protecting residents and giving his life in the line of duty.

Wendy Byerly Wood is the associate editor of The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at wbyerly-wood@mtairynews.com or 719-1923.