Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne

Things like this shouldn't happen at Christmas time. They shouldn't happen at all. But they do-far too often.

Now a little boy has lost his father; his wife has lost her husband, her Superman; his parents the companionship of a son.

The North Highline area lost its Superman too-a local boy who, as a man, returned to make the streets safer and the community better.

King County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Cox was gunned down Dec. 2 as he investigated an earlier shooting.

His killer, a repeat offender and gang member, had a lengthy record of felonies that reveals no socially redeeming value to his life whatsoever.

This purveyor of evil should not have been back on the streets.

Because he was, the blood of Deputy Cox stains our criminal justice system, which once again was less concerned with justice than it was with the criminal.

While Deputy Cox's assassin also died that night, other gang members and violent career criminals lurk in world of darkness, ready to replace him in their street war against civil society.

The meaning of the motto of many police agencies-"To Preserve and Protect"-is renewed in the wake of the murder of Deputy Cox, for he was living this creed when he died.

The next time you get pulled over for a traffic violation, remember Deputy Cox. Even a "routine" stop can turn deadly in an instant.

Remember him, too, the next time a judge gives a habitual criminal an "alternative" sentence. Or when a news report presents the "bad boys" as victims and cops as villains.

Journalists who mislead the public with slanted stories that undermine police agencies only make us more vulnerable to crime.

Judges who practice sociology from the bench rather than protect the public are unfit to hear criminal cases.

Our federal and state constitutions guarantee criminal defendants the right to a fair trial, to protection from conviction based on false evidence.

But these documents were not written to turn those guilty of crimes into victims based on technicalities while the real victims-those whose lives have shattered-are left crying for justice.

Washington legislators need to reinstate a "habitual offender" law that enables trial courts to remove from the streets career criminals who fall short of the "three strikes" guidelines.

Alternative sentences must be tightened or eliminated, and violators sent back to jail without exception.

And just as committing a felony with a firearm adds hard time to a sentence, so criminals who are known gang members should receive exceptional prison terms.

These things can help prevent similar tragedies in the future. Presently, however, White Center grapples with a void from the loss of its Superman.

Yet hope exists.

On the streets of this community, individuals can step forward and meld into a powerful force. Through a combined effort, these citizens can complete the unfinished mission of Deputy Cox.

This will be a fitting legacy for a man who meant so much and gave so much to so many.

May God bless you in the life that is to come, Deputy Cox.

Some 2,000 years ago, just as today, the world was dimmed with tears as well as made glad with laughter.

Yet the glad tidings of great joy that were proclaimed and the brightness of the star that shone then still lighten our darkness and give us hope.

And so, in this somber moment as I write my last column before Dec. 25, please accept these wishes for a truly blessed and merry Christmas.

The views of Ralph Nichols are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Robinson Newspapers. He can be reached at newsdesk@robinsonnews.com or 206-388-1857.