Nearing the end of high school, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I had some ideas, but nothing that really felt right. That all changed during my senior year. My uncle was a great guy. He was the person whom everybody loved and wanted to be around. He was a cop. He was a paramedic. He was a firefighter. He was larger than life, and I wanted to be just like him. My uncle let me ride along as he worked his shift with the Maplewood Police Department. I was hooked, and I knew why God had put me here. I was going to be a cop. I was going to be like Uncle Joe. When I told him what I had decided, he reminded me that I wouldn't be able to change the whole world. Through his example, however, I learned that as a police officer, I had the power to change somebody's world each day. He taught me what a huge responsibility that was, and to always do the right thing. My uncle, Maplewood Police Sgt. Joseph Bergeron, was murdered as he was protecting his community. This tragedy wasn't necessary, however, to prove to me that he was a hero. He was already my hero. We police officers don't do this job simply for a paycheck. More money can be made in easier ways, even today. We don't do it because we need to feel powerful. We work at the pleasure of society, and our only power comes from you. Sure, there have been some ugly examples that would indicate the opposite, but please know that almost all of us are just like you. We're your neighbors, we're your family and your friends. We are a little bit odd, in that we run toward trouble rather than away, but all of us together make a community. I want to thank all of the Maplewood and St. Paul officers, the Ramsey County deputies, the State Patrol and the other agencies for their efforts this weekend. And thank you, Uncle Joe, for your guidance and your sacrifice. We will all miss you. MIKE DUZAN, CHASKA