The enormous flag snapped in the wind about twelve feet above my head where it was suspended between two extended fire truck ladders. I kept my eyes forward as I stood at attention but out of my peripheral I could see hundreds of police officers who lined the street on both sides of me and directly across the street. The color guard passed and we all saluted the flag, the weather was perfect, the setting picturesque and ideal except nobody was in a joyful mood, nobody smiled.
A limousine carrying the family of the slain officer slowly drove by and as they began to approach the flag where I was standing the window rolled down and one of the officer's two very young daughters poked the top half of her body out and looked up. She then looked over at me and the men standing nearby and gave a little wave before poking her head back into the car.
The officer standing next to me began to silently weep to himself and I tried to act like I didn't notice. I stood perfectly still with burning tears welling up behind my eyes but I didn't break, I couldn't. I didn't know the officer I only knew of him but the same thought filled my head that was in the heads of every one of these men, it was on that of my own family and the tragedy that this family had endured because their husband, father, brother and son chose a different path in life. One where the real heroes are buried, where the hours are bad, the working conditions dangerous and the pay could be a lot better, but still he chose it.
Prior to the above scene however we were in the church. The service was solemn and exceedingly sad. The officer was basically a rookie, young with a very young family. He had everything going for him at the time of his death. After watching the mayor and the chief of police give their speeches, some of the officer's friends began to speak about him. Frequently they would stop to unsuccessfully try to fight back the tears but their efforts only served to make the pain even more real.
Before arriving at the graveyard my fellow officers shared a vehicle with me. There were four of us in all and we had just finished up at the church before joining the vehicle procession which involved hundreds of police cars with lights flashing to the graveyard. People all over the city stopped their cars on both sides of the freeway or walked out of their businesses and houses to wave American flags or stand with their hands over their hearts. Up the freeway I saw a man, a lone Marine Corps soldier standing on top of the concrete highway divider at perfect attention. He stood saluting while every single car drove slowly past where he had posted himself. He probably stood there in the middle of the highway for over half an hour before all was said and done.
That day will be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. That day I saw heroes, honor and sacrifice culminate into the drawing together of an entire city. That day showed me the impact that a good police department, with good officers has upon a community and how that community can sense the loss when one falls.
Occasionally we get postings on the forums here or I see postings on other forums from those who are interested in working in law enforcement. Inevitably they want to know how to become a cop, a CSI, etcetera and what education to get or what the prerequisites are. I always try to answer the questions as honestly and truthfully as I know how, but the reality is that the best prerequisite I know of is for that person to have a sense of community, a sense of honor and lastly a sense of obligation to serve something bigger than themselves.
If you they take that with them into their interview, into their school work and keep this the focus of their endeavors as a cop, they will be immensely successful in whatever they wish to do in law enforcement.
The officer?
http://www.odmp.org/officer/18636-officer-dwayne-n.-freeto