In the wake of the George Floyd murder and calls for defunding the police, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd reflects on our changing points of view on law enforcement through a personal prism—the life and times of her father. For four decades, Detective Sergeant Michael J. Dowd served on the Washington, D.C. police force, guarding Presidents and catching killers. Meanwhile, his daughter grew up as a child of the 1960s, embracing liberal politics and evolving into a journalist some Presidents might have thought they needed to be guarded from. As a result, it took decades for Dowd to fully embrace her father’s bravery and make peace with the pride she felt in his work. She has done so with heartfelt eloquence in this deeply personal and profound look back at a man who represented the good that lives within us, even those who wear a gun and badge.