Some police actions — like those that led to the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore — deserve to be challenged.

Some don’t. By all accounts, Auburn Police Officer Ronald Tarentino Jr. did his job exactly as it should be done, with honor and integrity. He paid for it with hifs life when Jorge Zambrano, a 35-year-old Worcester man with an extensive criminal record, fatally shot him during a routine traffic stop. Zambrano was killed by police some 18 hours later, after a daylong manhunt that ended with his death and the wounding of a state trooper.

Tarentino’s murder is a terrible tragedy and loss for his family. As we honor his service and memory, we should never forget the great danger inherent in daily police work.

The sacrifice of the 42-year-old officer comes at a time of intense national debate over police accountability. The 2014 shooting by a police officer of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Mo., has led to a polarizing litmus test. On one side is the Black Lives Matter movement, where virtually every police action is subject to question. From the police side comes the view that you are either with or against them. Just recently, FBI director James Comey blamed a spike in crime on the “Ferguson effect,’’ suggesting police are wary of confronting suspects for fear of ending up in viral videos that cast doubt on their actions. Meanwhile, as The Washington Post recently reported, fatal shootings of police are on the rise.

This national debate continues as Tarentino is mourned. On Monday, a judge acquitted Baltimore Police Officer Edward Nero of all counts for his role in the arrest and death of Gray, who suffered several spinal cord injuries while in the back of a police van. When Gray died a week later, riots erupted in Baltimore. Nero was the second of six Baltimore Police officers charged in the case to stand trial. The first ended in a mistrial.

Whatever the outcome in court, legitimate questions about police protocol were raised in Baltimore. And at times, such questions are necessary. Police deserve respect, but not blind allegiance on the misguided theory they can do no wrong.

At the same time, we should always remember that policing involves an immediate, daily risk. There is always the chance of coming face to face with a man like Zambrano, with a criminal past and a future he’s willing to blow away, along with an officer who gets in his way.

With Zambrano, questions revolve around the criminal justice system’s handling of his case.

According to the Globe, Zambrano pled guilty to cocaine possession charges in May 2004 and was sentenced to up to three years in state prison. He was given credit for 119 days spent in jail awaiting trial. In 2007 and 2008, he faced indictments for trafficking in cocaine, possession of a silencer, and assault and battery. In May 2011, he was sentenced to seven years and one day, but was given credit for time spent in jail awaiting trial. He was released in 2013. In January 2016, he was arrested on charges of assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. That same month, he was also charged with operating with a revoked license. A summons was issued and the case was continued until June 9. On May 16, he was arrested for attaching the wrong plates to a car, operating with a revoked license, and driving a vehicle with expired registration. That case was also continued to June 9.

As Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis said, we owe Tarentino’s grieving family “a thorough accounting of everything that occurred.’’

So we do. It won’t ease their pain, but it will honor a police officer who did his job the right way.

Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Joan_Vennochi.