"I'm hurt, and it's sad that we've got to go through this," Harrison told ABC11. "I've lost some deputies. I got shot myself. I know how quickly it can happen, and it's just sad. We're one big family. My heart's aching for them."
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That ache never really goes away. Harrison arrived to the interview wearing a bracelet he never takes off, bearing the names of the several officers he lost while serving.
"It's possible every time we go out, every time we stop a car. One Sunday afternoon, May 28, 1972. I stopped a car for speed. The guy was driving while impaired. The next thing I know, I'm fighting for my life. The gun is right here. Two guys jumped me and so I made it. God blessed me, and my training kicked in," Harrison said.
He knows that story could've had a very different ending.
"The average person doesn't have a clue what we do every day when we leave the house," he said.
As he reflects on the lives lost in Charlotte, grief is not all he feels.
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"I'm angry. I've been in this business a long time, and it's gotten worse. It's the worst I have ever seen it," he said. "Wake up, ladies and gentlemen, I'm telling you, if we don't do something if you don't help us out, we're in a lot of trouble, and I'm tired of it."
He believes a lack of support for law enforcement across the board contributes to the dangers of serving.
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"We need the judges to get behind us. We need to get our governors, our legislators and everybody that we can right now. It's a mess and it's getting worse every day," Harrison said.
He hopes this tragedy encourages everyone to get a better understanding of the risks officers face.
"Ride with us, get in a car and ride with us, and see what we do every day, and I can tell you this, things have got to change," he said.
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