Remembering slain officers
Gary Smith, Emporia police chief
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
THIS WEEK IS National Law Enforcement Memorial Week. Most communities will recognize Law Enforcement Memorial Day on Wednesday. During this week, communities and their law enforcement officers will be remembering police officers that have been killed in the line of duty, with special remembrance of those officers who have died since May of 2008
In 2004, I was fortunate to attend the memorial service for fallen officers in Washington, D.C. At the entrance to the park, statues of lions guard the stark white walls that contain the names of police officers killed in the line of duty: the lions represent the symbol of strength and courage to police officers. Members of the FBI National Academy basic, of which I was a member during that visit, read the names of officers from each of their respective departments who have been killed in the line of duty over the past ten years. It took over thirty minutes for the names that numbered in excess of 100 to be read aloud.
The memorial is located within the confines of what is known as Judicial Square in downtown Washington. During the visit, I observed workers etching additional names of officers who were recently killed on the memorial walls. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing process.
The recent warm weather and rain exploded the trees into a deep green and decorative plants of many colors circle the memorial. As I sat there that afternoon, I watched as families stopped to make paper etchings of names of loved ones and friends. Some were overcome with grief. Many left flowers, cards, pictures and letters. It is an emotional place to visit.
During an earlier visit when I was in Washington, I took time to visit the Memorial. It was a cold and windy March morning. Even on this cold damp day there were those stopping to remember lost loved ones: especially young children who had drawn pictures to remember their police officer parent. I cannot imagine a child losing a parent they see as strong and often invincible to suddenly be taken in the middle of the night by a person high on drugs who was just looking for a cop in a car to kill because an angry, stoned individual got kicked out of a bar earlier in the evening.
This very scenario took place a number of years ago in Washington D.C. The slain officer’s mother came to our academy class and told us about the hell she experienced for the next two years. This officer left his parents, a wife and family behind.
During the time I was attending the FBI National Academy, our class hosted about 180 kids who had lost their law enforcement parent. It is a tradition that has been established at the Academy for many years. The children and their families travel to Washington to participate in memorial services and also seek help and comfort from the Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), a group established to support surviving family members of slain officers.
Police officers face constant reminders of the delicate life and death balance they walk every day. I recall one particular incident prior to becoming a police chief where a narcotics officer brought me a picture of one of our school officers where someone had drawn the crosshairs of a sniper rifle on his face in the photograph. Agents had taken it out of house during a drug raid. At the time, this officer was a DARE officer. Apparently someone resented the anti-drug message we were sharing with the kids at that time.
It is not uncommon for officers to find their names and addresses written down in information books of drug dealers and users in drug houses during drug raids. Some officers can even tell you of experiences of getting pictures of their children playing at school in the mail anonymously. The message from dopers is simple…we can get your family if we want to. The children officers often get harassed at school by other kids and often put in uncomfortable positions by adults as well. Our kids try to be understanding when we can’t go to their concerts or their ball games. We miss their birthdays and other important times in their lives. We celebrate holidays early or late and dinners wait until we can get home.
Our officers put themselves at risk on a daily basis to provide a safe community for all of us. Officers are often referred to as “peace officers. I think is an accurate description of what each officer strives for in his/her career. Contained in the oath we take and professional standards we uphold, we reference our duty as peacemaker and duty to our profession to protect the innocent. As you take time this week to consider those officers who have given the ultimate sacrifice, I would ask that you also keep all law enforcement officers in your thoughts and prayers who are out there everyday working with you to keep our community safe.