Tribute to the Fallen Heroes. Police Week Memorial 2015

Since this is Police Week, police officers from all across the country--and around the world--are in Washington, DC for the memorial activities. Sadly I missed the candlelight vigil Wednesday night--and I missed watching anti-cop Obama preen for a photo op in front of thousands of the cops that he's insulted and demeaned over the past seven years, but I got down there last night for some pics at the Law Enforcement Memorial. Unfortunately I'm just down to my camera phone now since primary camera took a nose-dive on the concrete on the way there. And it was dusk when I got there, but hopefully these pics capture some of the solemnity.

Many officers are here to remember their fallen comrades.

And many family members come to remember their lost loved ones. And they bring photos, posters and other memorabilia. The heroes are never forgotten. So here are just a few of the countless names on the wall.

Officer Tanjia King, Orlando Fl, Police Dept. Officer Tanja King was killed when her cruiser struck a light pole while she was responding to an emergency assistance call.

Deputy John Mecklenburg, Hernando County Sheriff's Office, Florida. Killed in a crash during a vehicle pursuit.

He was a US Army vet who left behind a wife and two small children.

Officer Robert Hornsby, Killeen Police Department, Texas. Police Officer Bobby Hornsby was shot and killed by a savage with an AK-47 while participating in a SWAT deployment at an apartment complex.

Another officer was wounded at the same time, but the officers returned fire and killed the shooter.

Sergeant Brian Dulle, Warren County Sheriff's Office, Ohio. Hit by the suspect's vehicle while deploying stop sticks to end a pursuit.

Officer Shawn Schneider, Lake City Police Department, Minnesota. Shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call.

He left behind a wife and three children.

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, has lost a lot of heroes over the years.

So has Nashville, Tennesee.

Sergeant William Morris, Miami County Sheriff's Department, Ohio. Shot and killed by a sixteen year old car thief with an M1 carbine.

Corporal Jason Harwood,Topeka Police Department, Kansas. Shot and killed during a traffic stop when one of the occupants of a car that he was approaching ambushed him.

Lots of stories here at the Memorial. None of them have happy endings.

Deputy Jesse Valdez, III, Harris County Sheriff's Office, Texas. Hit head-on by an SUV driven by a woman high on drugs. She'd just been released from prison three weeks prior after an earlier conviction for doing the same thing.

He was a single dad to a ten-year old boy.

Officer Kevin Ambrose, Springfield Police Department, Massachusetts. Shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call.

His killer then shot and killed the woman he'd been assaulting, then shot himself. Officer Ambrose had served for 36 years and was both a father and a grandfather.

Detective David White, Clay County Sheriff's Office, Florida. Shot and killed by a suspect during a drug raid.

Because drug offenders are never violent and drug crimes are "victimless".

"In Valor there is Hope."

Officer Sean Collier, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Department, Massachusetts. Ambushed and murdered by the Boston Marathon Boming terrorists as he sat in his cruiser.

The surviving terrorist, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was just sentenced to death today. Justice!

Border Patrol Agent, Alexander Giannini. Car crash in I-10 in Arizona.

Canada is not immune from police murders, either.

3 RCMP officers shot dead, 2 wounded in Moncton, N.B.

Officer Specialist Timothy Schock, Chesapeake Police Department, Virginia. Died during a training dive while a member of the department's dive team.

Patrolman Thomas J. McMeekin, Jr., Atlantic City Police Department, New Jersey. Struck and killed by a bus while directing traffic, leaving a wife and two-year old daughter to get by without him.

Special Agent James Watson, Drug Enforcement Administration. Stabbed to death on Bogota, Columbia while trying to keep drugs out of our country.

Officer Denise Holden, Raleigh Police Department, North Carolina. Died in a car crash while responding to a call for help from another officer.

Sergeant Derek Johnson, Draper Police Department, Utah. Ambushed while stopping to check on a parked car.

The shooter and his female accomplice were transients with criminal records who'd been living out of the car. Senseless.

Wildlife Officer Joel Campora, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Drowned along with Scott County Sheriff Cody Carpenter while trying to rescue flash flood victims from a submerging home.

Officer Jessica Nagle-Wilson, Hazel Park, MI PD. Officer Jessica Nagle-Wilson was shot and killed when she responded to an animal complaint.

As she exited her patrol car, a man standing on the porch suddenly opened fire on her with a shotgun, striking her in the face, neck, and stomach. Mortally wounded, she was still able to return fire and wounded the suspect.

The suspect was taken into custody at the hospital and sentenced to life in prison. At least she got the bastard.

Too many stories indeed. And too many friends and family members left behind. But on this week, the survivors come together to remember, and to try to heal.

We are not forgotten until the last person affected by the last good deed wo do is gone. And in the case of these selfless men and women, they'll rightfully be remembered forever.

Heroes. Remembering the fallen.

It's that time of year again--Police Week, the time that the nation remembers it's police officers who have fallen in the line of duty. Specifically, it's a time for officers from all over the world and survivors of those who gave all to come to Washington DC's Law Enforcement Memorial to commemorate the men and women of law enforcement who dies while serving their communities. And the one hundred names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2013 were added to the walls of the memorial, along with 186 names of officers killed in previous years for a total of 286 new names. Currently the wall has over 19,000 names on it, each one an American police officer killed in the line of duty.

All over the memorial, you can see family members and fellow officers taking rubbings of the names or just recalling those who are now gone but not forgotten.

The memorial is a solemn place, but it is also alive like few other places as so many come together to reflect and remember.


So who are these law enforcement professionals? Let's take a look at a few. Among other things, they were each someone's husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter. or friend. They were regular people just like you or me, but they chose a career path that allowed them to serve and protect their communities, and one day, each of them failed to return home.

Alaska State Trooper Tage Toll, killed March 30, 2013, in a helicopter crash while assisting on a search and rescue mission in bad weather.

Michigan State Trooper Paul Butterfield II, murdered September 9, 2013 by a nineteen year old scumbag for reason at all during a traffic stop. Trooper Butterfield was shot and killed as he walked up to the car. His killer committed suicide in prison and the killer's wife and mother are currently in prison and awaiting trial respectively as accomplices. At the time of his death, Trooper Butterfield was engaged to be married.

Officer Patrick Hill, Detroit, MI Police Department. Ofgficer Hill died on October 19, 2013, of injuries received during a shootout with a murder suspect. He was a former University of Michigan football player and he left behind a eife and four children.

Trooper First Class Mickey C. Lippy, Maryland State Police, killed when MSP's Trooper 2 helicopter crashed during a medivac on September 28, 2008.

Deputy William Mast Jr., Watauga County, North Carolina. Deputy Mast as his partner were ambushed during a disturbance call and both were shot . Deputy Mast's partner was wounded but still able to return fire and kill their attacker. Deputy Mast died of his injures, leaving behind a pregnant wife.

Many officers died leaving young children behind, or in some cases, children that they never even got a chance to see.

Officer Paul Dittamo of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department was killed in a car crash while responding to back up another officer who was in a fight. He died October 30, 2010, eight months before his son was born.

Trooper Linda Huff, Idaho State Police was attacked in the parking lot of her station by an armed man on June 17, 1998, simply because the man wanted to kill a police officer. Despite being hit my numerous bullets, one of which severed her spine, She fought back until her duty pistol was empty, wounding her killer before he walked up and shot her in the head. She left behind a husband and three children and the was the 50th Idaho police officer to die in the line of duty.

Vernon "Matt" Williams, Deputy Sheriff, Polk County, Florida, and his K9 partner Diogi. Both were shot and killed while pursuing a suspect who'd fled on foot from a traffic stop. A SWAT team killed the murderer when he engaged them with a firearm the following day.

Yeah, it's rough out there for police dogs, too.

Officer Jason Schneider, Baltimore County, MD Police, Tactical Section. Murdered by a 25-year old punk while trying to arrest a fleeing teen during the execution of an arrest warrant. He left a wife and three kids behind.

Officer Gilbert Cortez and his K-9 Mattie, California Department of Corrections. Killed in a car crash on March 25th, 2013, while en route to perform a search.

Sergeant Derek Johnson, Draper, Utah. Ambushed and shot to death while investigating a suspiciously parked car on September 1, 2013. His killer also killed a woman acquaintance before committing suicide. Sgt. Draper had a wife and a seven year old son.

Police Officer Robert Jordan, St. Louis County, Missouri Police Department. Accosted by an armed robber while off-duty and out with his kids, he was shot to death when the robber saw his wallet and realized that he was a police officer.

Sgt. Lance McLean, Sheriff's Deputy, Hood County, Texas. Murdered while responding to a disturbance call. His killer shot another police officer the next day during a gun battle before being killed himself.

Officer Kevin Tonn, Galt, California, Police Department. Murdered on January 15, 2013, by a man that he approached to interview while investigating a burglary.

Police Officer William Sprague, Texarkana, Texas Police Department. Deliberately struck by a hit and run driver while responding to a disturbance call on June 15, 2013.

Officer Timothy Huffman, Arizona Department of Public Safety. Stuck by a semi truck on May 6, 2013 while working a crash scene on the interstate.

There are so many of these. I could go on forever.

It just doesn't stop. It never stops. But the men and women of our local state and federal law enforcement agencies keep going to work every morning or evening despite the risks and the losses. That's because they're that kind of people. When others are rushing out, these are the ones rushing in.

Damn straight.