"Brandt, 34, is a religious man".  The churches I attend preach against religion and to a lesser extent against idolatry.  From what little time I had to attend the city council meeting last night, the outpouring of support was good to see.  However, I see lots of idolatry in the form of worshipping the uniform, both among the community in its physical form and here online.  My friend Mikey Belknap died doing his job in 2003, knifed and left for dead in someone's driveway for the resident to find the body on his way to work in the morning.  The response could only be called "business as usual".  Mikey was smart enough to cause enough injury to his assailant in fighting back, otherwise the dude likely would have not been caught.  Regardless, a friend who did time the following year told me about his repeated bragging about his crime.  The only difference I see is in the difference in Mikey's job title.  Evidently, other folks see such things differently.