Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Roll Call 2018


Roll Call
Officer Down, Code 3

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
(John 15:13)


New York State Police, NY
EOW: Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Jersey City Police Department, NJ
EOW: Friday, January 5, 2018

Pierce County Sheriff's Department, WA
EOW: Monday, January 8, 2018

New York City Police Department, NY
EOW: Saturday, January 13, 2018

York County Sheriff's Office, SC
EOW: Wednesday, January 17, 2018

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, US
EOW: Thursday, January 18, 2018

Adams County Sheriff's Office, CO
EOW: Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Detroit Police Department, MI
EOW: Sunday, January 28, 2018

El Paso County Sheriff's Office, CO
EOW: Monday, February 5, 2018


Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Asher Police Department, OK
EOW: Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Richardson Police Department, TX
EOW: Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Locust Grove Police Department, GA
EOW: Friday, February 9, 2018

Westerville Division of Police, OH
EOW: Saturday, February 10, 2018

Westerville Division of Police, OH
EOW: Saturday, February 10, 2018

Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, IN
EOW: Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Detroit Police Department, MI
EOW: Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Brevard County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Saturday, February 17, 2018

Mobile Police Department, AL
EOW: Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Prince George's County Police Department, MD
EOW: Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, PA
EOW: Monday, February 26, 2018

Scotland County Sheriff's Office, NC
EOW: Thursday, March 1, 2018

Boone County Sheriff's Office, IN
EOW: Friday, March 2, 2018

Hickman Police Department, KY
EOW: Friday, March 2, 2018

Ashland Police Department, OR
EOW: Friday, March 2, 2018

Clinton Police Department, MO
EOW: Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Pomona Police Department, CA
EOW: Friday, March 9, 2018

Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office, NC
EOW: Sunday, March 11, 2018

Zachary Police Department, LA
EOW: Monday, March 12, 2018

Pikeville Police Department, KY
EOW: Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Marin County Sheriff's Office, CA
EOW: Thursday, March 15, 2018

Juncos Municipal Police Department, PR
EOW: Wednesday, March 21, 2018

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, US
EOW: Thursday, March 22, 2018

Connecticut State Police, CT
EOW: Thursday, March 29, 2018

Hopkinsville Police Department, KY
EOW: Thursday, March 29, 2018

Saluda County Sheriff's Office, SC
EOW: Friday, April 6, 2018

Huntsville Police Department, AL
EOW: Monday, April 9, 2018

Whitesboro Police Department, NY
EOW: Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Yarmouth Police Department, MA
EOW: Thursday, April 12, 2018

Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Thursday, April 19, 2018

Gilchrist County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Thursday, April 19, 2018

New Castle Police Department, PA
EOW: Thursday, April 19, 2018

Miller County Sheriff's Office, MO
EOW: Friday, April 20, 2018

Paterson Police Department, NJ
EOW: Sunday, April 22, 2018

Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, SC
EOW: Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Somerset County Sheriff's Office, ME
EOW: Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Dallas Police Department, TX
EOW: Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Nogales Police Department, AZ
EOW: Friday, April 27, 2018

Round Rock Police Department, TX
EOW: Friday, April 27, 2018

Terre Haute Police Department, IN
EOW: Friday, May 4, 2018

San Juan Police Department, PR
EOW: Sunday, May 6, 2018

Highlands County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Monday, May 7, 2018
  
York City Police Department, PA
EOW: Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Texas Juvenile Justice Department - Office of Inspector General, TX
EOW: Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Raleigh Police Department, MS
EOW: Thursday, May 17, 2018

Daytona Beach Police Department, FL
EOW: Monday, May 21, 2018

Shelley Police Department, ID
EOW: Monday, May 21, 2018

Monroe Police Department, LA
EOW: Monday, May 21, 2018

Baltimore County Police Department, MD
EOW: Monday, May 21, 2018

North Carolina Highway Patrol, NC
EOW: Monday, May 21, 2018

New York City Police Department, NY
EOW: Thursday, May 24, 2018

United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, US
EOW: Thursday, May 24, 2018

Savannah Police Department, GA
EOW: Friday, May 25, 2018

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, US
EOW: Saturday, May 26, 2018

Dickson County Sheriff's Office, TN
EOW: Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Connecticut State Police, CT
EOW: Thursday, May 31, 2018

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - Office of Intelligence, US

Milwaukee Police Department, WI
EOW: Thursday, June 7, 2018

New York State Police, NY
EOW: Saturday, June 9, 2018

United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation, US
EOW: Sunday, June 10, 2018

Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office, KS
EOW: Friday, June 15, 2018

Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office, KS
EOW: Saturday, June 16, 2018

Florida Department of Corrections, FL
EOW: Monday, June 18, 2018

Rocky Mount Police Department, NC
EOW: Saturday, June 23, 2018

New York City Police Department, NY
EOW: Sunday, June 24, 2018

Mentor Police Department, OH
EOW: Sunday, June 24, 2018

United States Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, US
EOW: Sunday, June 24, 2018

Wayland Baptist University Police Department, TX
EOW: Monday, June 25, 2018

New York State Police, NY
EOW: Monday, July 2, 2018

Cleveland Division of Police, OH
EOW: Friday, July 6, 2018

Cheyenne County Sheriff's Office, NE
EOW: Monday, July 9, 2018

Cumby Police Department, TX
EOW: Monday, July 9, 2018

Weymouth Police Department, MA
EOW: Sunday, July 15, 2018

United States Department of Homeland Security - United States Secret Service, US
EOW: Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Hawaii County Police Department, HI
EOW: Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, LA
EOW: Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Minnesota Department of Corrections, MN
EOW: Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Las Vegas Department of Public Safety - Division of Corrections, NV
EOW: Thursday, July 19, 2018

Dallas Police Department, TX
EOW: Saturday, July 21, 2018

Kent Police Department, WA
EOW: Sunday, July 22, 2018

Arizona Department of Public Safety, AZ
EOW: Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Milwaukee Police Department, WI
EOW: Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Fort Myers Police Department, FL
EOW: Saturday, July 28, 2018

Comanche County District Attorney's Office, OK
EOW: Saturday, August 4, 2018

California Highway Patrol, CA
EOW: Friday, August 10, 2018
  
Detroit Police Department, MI
EOW: Tuesday, August 14, 2018

New Rochelle Police Department, NY
EOW: Thursday, August 16, 2018

Clay County Sheriff's Office, FL
EOW: Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Montgomery Police Department, LA
EOW: Friday, September 7, 2018

Greene County Sheriff's Office, MO
EOW: Friday, September 7, 2018

Fort Wayne Police Department, IN
EOW: Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Costa Mesa Police Department, CA
EOW: Wednesday, September 12, 2018

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, CA
EOW: Friday, September 14, 2018

Fort Worth Police Department, TX
EOW: Friday, September 14, 2018

Ludowici Police Department, GA
EOW: Saturday, September 15, 2018

Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office, KS
EOW: Sunday, September 16, 2018

New Rochelle Police Department, NY
EOW: Sunday, September 16, 2018

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Monday, September 17, 2018

Minnesota Department of Corrections, MN
EOW: Monday, September 24, 2018

Real County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Brookhaven Police Department, MS
EOW: Saturday, September 29, 2018

Brookhaven Police Department, MS
EOW: Saturday, September 29, 2018

Florence Police Department, SC
EOW: Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Suffolk County Police Department, NY
EOW: Thursday, October 4, 2018

United States Department of Energy - National Nuclear Security Administration - Office of Secure Transportation, US
EOW: Friday, October 5, 2018

Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: Friday, October 5, 2018

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, PA
EOW: Wednesday, October 10, 2018

North Carolina Highway Patrol, NC
EOW: Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Gwinnett County Police Department, GA
EOW: Saturday, October 20, 2018

Florence County Sheriff's Office, SC
EOW: Monday, October 22, 2018

Brigham City Police Department, UT
EOW: Friday, October 26, 2018

United States Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations, US
EOW: Saturday, October 27, 2018

Waller County Sheriff's Office, TX
EOW: Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Dallas Police Department, NC
EOW: Thursday, November 1, 2018

Ventura County Sheriff's Office, CA
EOW: Thursday, November 8, 2018

Greensboro Police Department, NC
EOW: Saturday, November 10, 2018

Gardena Police Department, CA
EOW: Thursday, November 15, 2018

Slidell Police Department, LA
EOW: Saturday, November 17, 2018

Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Monday, November 19, 2018

Philadelphia Police Department, MS
EOW: Saturday, November 24, 2018

South Salt Lake Police Department, UT
EOW: Saturday, November 24, 2018

Winchester Police Department, VA
EOW: Saturday, November 24, 2018

Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department, CA
EOW: Sunday, November 25, 2018

New Jersey State Police, NJ
EOW: Monday, November 26, 2018

Miami Beach Police Department, FL
EOW: Wednesday, November 28, 2018

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, US
EOW: Thursday, November 29, 2018

Las Animas County Sheriff's Office, CO
EOW: Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Miami-Dade Police Department, FL
EOW: Wednesday, December 12, 2018

Charlestown Police Department, IN
EOW: Wednesday, December 12, 2018

DeKalb County Police Department, GA
EOW: Thursday, December 13, 2018

Officer Jason Quick
Lumberton Police Department, NC
EOW: Saturday, December 15, 2018

Officer Eduardo Marmolejo
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: December 17, 2018

Officer Conrad Gary
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: December 17, 2018

Detective Deidre Irene Mengedoht
Louisville Metro Police Department, KY
EOW: December 24, 2018

Officer Ronil Singh
Newman Police Department, CA
EOW: December 26, 2018

Officer Michael Smith
Henry County Police Department, GA
EOW: December 28, 2018



“And each one there has one thing shared;
They have sweated beneath the same sun,
Look up in wonder at the same moon,
And wept when it was all done,
For being done too soon.”

-- Neil Diamond.



His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

(Matthew 25:21)


Saturday, November 3, 2018

Friday Friends Apology Edition

(This is a re-print from a Facebook post on my timeline.  I'm placing it here as I believe it never showed up on FB.  Maybe I was in Facebook Jail?)

Friday Friends Apology Edition
It’s been more than six months now. It had been an eventful day. My daughters convinced me to go to Dallas to run a 5K with them. It was the second one of my life. I had run my first 5K with my daughters and I vowed that there wouldn’t be a second one. Daughters! Gotta love them.
After dinner we all adjourned to the living room. I knew something was up as the grandkids willingly went into the room, some with their boyfriend/girlfriend in tow and nervously sat anywhere there was empty space.
Then my daughters presented me with the booklet with my picture on the front of it. They had contacted friends of mine and asked to write letters to me for my 70th birthday. I flipped through the pages and tried to read the words through blurred eyes. Quiet settled over the room as a smile settled in on my face as I turned each page.
I don’t recall how the subject came up, but someone wanted to know a little about the letters. Rather than read the letters I recounted to my family my relationship to each of the people who had written and why they were special to me. Former classmate. Co-workers. Former students. Associates from church. Family. “Adopted” children and siblings. My voice cracked a few times and an occasional tear streaked across my cheek.
I don’t know why I picked up that little booklet again Wednesday night and thumbed through it. Now that I did it, I realize I had to read through it again.
Six months had passed and other things have happened in my life. There were trips, one with a grandchild and others for bike rides. There were trips to visit family. We experienced heartbreak in our home. We experienced blessings unnumbered. There were reunions with friends in our home and elsewhere. There were bills to pay, plans to make, obligations to keep, and adjustments to make in our new home. In the midst of it all, in spite of all the blessings and wonderful things that have happened in my life in the last six months I think I may have lost my way. In addition to the great and marvelous events in my life, there have been some deep concerns on my mind. In short, I’ve been a bit terse in remarks that I’ve made to people I care deeply about. One person referred to it as “mean.” It should never have happened. I have been most ungrateful.
And so, I read the letters again Wednesday night. And I must apologize to those I’ve lashed out and to others who perceived a darker side of me.
Here’s to you. Friends.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

End-to End

Yesterday, Saturday, October 6, 2018, my oldest son and youngest daughter joined me in finishing the KATY Trail in Missouri.  Ben rode the first 70 miles with me earlier this year, then Megan rode with me from the beginning of the trail in Clinton, Missouri, to Defiance, Missouri.  We all wanted to make our way to the end, so we picked up the trail in Defiance again and rode to the opposite end of the trail in Machens, Missouri.  Since there really isn't any place to park at the end of the trail, we doubled back at the end of the trail to the next to last trailhead at Black Walnut where Susan picked us up.

The trail from Defiance to Machens is mostly flat, so we were able to make good time except for one place.  We averaged over 12 mph (I slowed everyone down in the pace), though there was one stretch where we averaged over 14 mph.  The trail was great until we got east of St. Charles.  Whoever was in charge of the trail dumped about a foot of finely crushed limestone all the way to Machens.  The crushed limestone was just a little larger than sand.  Even walking on it was a challenge.  There were places along the trail that our trail bike tires simply sunk down into the limestone causing us to lose control of our bikes.  I nearly crashed two or three times because of the "improved" condition of the trail.  We all commented that it was worse than a 35 mile section of trail that was primarily uphill.  It required every ounce of muscle we had to slog through the limestone on the trail.  It was so bad that people we met along the trail were turning back, refusing to force themselves any further.

When we got to Black Walnut, about 3.1 miles from the finish and the point where we were going to be picked up anyway, we considered just quitting, but then we knew if we did that we would regret quitting before the end and that we would never be able to say that we went end-to-end.  We pushed on.

Within minutes of leaving, a severe storm fell upon us from the west.  Tree branches were literally flying across the trail.  Some landed on the trail while others flew completely over the trail at about five or six feet above the trail.  As I rode on I was grateful that I was wearing a helmet, but nothing would have prevented a limb from flying into me, possibly impaling me in my chest.  In spite of the lose crushed limestone, the wind was so severe that it would push my bike toward the edge of the trail.  We pushed on.

Eventually, we saw the end trailhead at Machens.  Again, we considered our options.  Finding it would be difficult without clear directions.  The wind was letting up, so we decided to return to Black Walnut.  We rode fast and furious.  The return 3.1 miles didn't seem as bad as it was when we were headed out to Machens, but then it began to sprinkle and then rain.  Never did anything look as sweet as the trailhead at Black Walnut.

Susan was there and we were able to load our gear in and bikes onto the car.  We rode home wet, but no worse for wear.

As I contemplated our ride, I couldn't help but think about how disappointed we would have been had we turned around like other bikers did when they first encountered the foot-deep crushed limestone.  Then, as the end came into view more discouragement was heaped upon us.  Then as we headed to our final destination, the place where we would find final shelter, the winds returned with rain.  It was as though everything conspired to discourage us, but we persevered.  We finished the course.

I think that life is often that way.  Sometimes we get bogged down in the thickness of life.  We move forward with every ounce of strength we have.  We swerve.  We stumble.  Sometimes we crash.  Then, as you think the end is in sight, even more challenges can fall upon you.  Yes, you can quit, but if you do, you miss completing your destiny.

We were all tired.  Exhausted.  Sore.  But, we finished.  We met our goal.

Not only that, but we did it as a family.