Murders of two deputies in less than a month attest to the sacrifices made by first responders and those who love them.

A gunman shot Adams County sheriff’s Deputy Heath Gumm on Wednesday as he chased suspects north of Denver near Thornton.

At age 31, Gumm leaves behind a wife and family.

His murder comes 24 days after a suspect shot and killed 29-year-old Douglas County sheriff’s Deputy Zackari Parrish and injured four other officers. Like Gumm, Parrish leaves behind a wife and family.

Authorities arrested a suspect Thursday in the killing of Gumm and, as of press time, searched for accomplices. As officers pursue the suspects, their lives are at high risk.

Of five cops shot nationally since New Year’s Eve, two lived and worked on Colorado’s Front Range.

Too often, the public takes law enforcement for granted.

Law enforcement officers are above-average professionals. They are screened for high character, intelligence and psychological stability at a threshold few understand.

Their jobs involve a daily decision to wear a gun and a badge and confront people who refuse to play by rules, don’t respect others and will kill to get away with crime.

We expect cops to help us keep our kids off drugs. They tend to the mentally ill and homeless. They triage victims of violent accidents and crimes. They protect and serve by defending our properties and lives.

They do it to fulfill a calling to serve.

They don’t sacrifice alone. Spouses, children and parents worry though each shift, hoping and praying the officer comes home.

In Colorado, the role of police only gets more difficult and dangerous.

As crime rates drop or hold steady throughout much of urban America, they spike in Colorado.

“Colorado’s crime-rate increase in 2016 was more than 11 times the 0.3 percent average increase reported in the 30 largest cities in the nation, according to the Brennan Center for Justice,” explained a story in The Denver Post last year.

“Last year’s number of homicides – 189 – marked a 9.9 percent increase over the 172 in 2015, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation report ‘2016 Crime in Colorado.’ “

Population growth gets only some of the blame. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation found a 6.3 percent homicide rate increase after adjusting for growth.

In Colorado Springs, the 2017 homicide rate nearly set a record for the city.

The rest of the world covets the American way of life, as evidenced by millions who risk their lives to get here. The men and women of law enforcement make our lifestyles possible.

Thank them for their service. Thank their families. Secretly pick dinner or coffee tabs for uniformed officers at nearby tables. Contribute to funds and charities to help survivors of fallen cops.

Law enforcement professionals will lay down their lives for us, as made clear by the recent losses of Heath Gumm and Zackari Parrish. We will never match the sacrifices of these men and their loved ones but should do our best to give back whatever we can.