We braced for it when we heard Wednesday an officer had been shot on Interstate 95.

The comment came in our email, unsigned, and said what has been said since Roanoke Rapids, after annexation, took over a small portion of the highway, that the police department has no business out there.

With that statement, those sentiments, we can only strongly disagree.

The Roanoke Rapids Police Department does need to be on that highway because John Taylor did what he was supposed to be doing and we commend him for his bravery, are thankful he’s going to be OK and believe the Advanced Criminal Enforcement team is a highly successful and integral part of the department.

The unit has taken untold amounts of illegal drugs, weapons and dirty money off the highway. Their presence has made traffic slow down because we all tap our brakes when we see law enforcement sitting on the side of any road.

That’s what Taylor was doing when he was shot multiple times, enforcing traffic laws, watching for signs of drug running, some of the techniques we know and some we don’t.

He saw a car following another too closely, an act which begs for a wreck to happen. He took action, stopped the car and, unfortunately, he stopped the wrong the car, a vehicle which ended up being stolen, a vehicle occupied by fugitives from Pennsylvania.

He followed protocol, approached the vehicle in a safe manner and more than likely touched the vehicle somewhere to leave his fingerprints on it, a technique to give investigators evidence when something like this happens.

What if Taylor had not been out there that day? What could have happened? Could this pair have gone on a crime spree down the interstate? Could they have possibly killed someone committing petty robberies? Anything is possible and a gun in the car, a stolen gun in a stolen vehicle is not a sign someone is going to Myrtle Beach or Daytona for a week of fun in the sun.

What if Taylor had not been out there that day? Could the minor infraction of following too closely have led to a major wreck and some innocent family who was going to Myrtle Beach or Daytona for a week of fun in the sun never make it because a loved died? Sure. That is why that law was written.

What serious crimes Taylor may have thwarted because there is an ACE team will never be known and can only be left to speculation.

What we do know is Taylor’s shooting has nothing to do with the interstate but everything to do with opportunity.

Rich Square Police Chief Joe White had no idea in the late 1990s his life would end when he stopped a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a dialysis center.

We’re sure even earlier than that, North Carolina Wildlife Enforcement Officer Lloyd Mayse had no idea his life would end when he confronted hunters in 1980.

Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Jeff Hinton was still in high school when the last city officer was shot. That was in 1977 and Lieutenant Willard Vaughan was fatally wounded answering a call in the city limits.

No, the interstate has nothing to do with what happened to Taylor. He could have been answering a call on Premier Boulevard or in the mill village and we take time to salute him for his bravery and to contemplate and speculate what his selfless actions Wednesday may have prevented — Editor.