A Tribute to

Our Fallen Brothers and Sisters

By:

James J. Scanlon

Over the years, it seems as though we have lost the very best in our profession.  Was it by chance?  Was it just bad luck?  Maybe they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.  No!  It was by choice that they put themselves at the right place at the right time.  They didn’t avoid dangerous situations; they were drawn to them.  They knowingly put themselves in harms way to protect others!  Great cops do that!  Rather than concentrating on the similar ways these officers paid the ultimate price, I’d like to honor the way they lived their lives and served their communities. 

These were great cops…the best cops.  What distinguishes them from other people?  What makes them tick?  Law enforcement is the most honorable profession in the world.  There is no profession more honorable.  Cops are held to a higher standard than any other group of people in society.  Higher than politicians…Higher than doctors and lawyers…higher than any other group in society.  This is as it should be.  We are the thin blue line that stands between the good guys and the bad guys.  We are charged with the responsibility of protecting strangers, at the risk of losing our lives.  We have the power to deprive citizens of their liberty, when they run afoul of the law.  Citizens are justified in holding us to a higher standard and great cops hold themselves to an even higher standard. 

Being a police officer defines who we are more than what we do for a living.  It’s more closely aligned to a religious vocation than it is to a profession.  It requires a passion and a commitment that can’t be turned off after an 8-hour block of time.  Some might say this headset can be self-destructive.  They might be correct.  There is a risk associated with this passion and commitment.  What we know for sure is; the very best cops, including those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, share this passion and commitment. 

Twenty-five years ago, shortly after becoming a Columbus Ohio Police Officer, I struggled to make sense out of my life and my new experiences.  In the first several months, and certainly over the next 25 years, I witnessed the worst things our society has to offer.  I saw terrible acts of violence and senseless suffering.  I saw great cops killed, innocent children seriously injured and killed and other victims brutalized.  These are things all cops experience!  That’s a given.  So, how can anyone be expected to make sense out of this profession?  Every 6 months or so, I’d sit down and reevaluate my situation.  Why are we cops and what difference can we make?  How did our fallen heroes view their noble careers?  I tried to answer the who, what, where, when and why of that question. 

Who?  Who do we work for?  We have supervisors, safety directors and administrators.  Certainly, all of these individuals have a direct impact on our jobs.  During a career, however, police officers will see many of these individuals come and go.  To make sense out of our situation, we need a more consistent answer to the question, “For whom do we work?”.  We work for every decent person who lives, works and plays in our communities and for every honorable cop who may need our assistance.  Assisting the good people of our community, when they are in trouble, and helping a cop or his family when they are in need, is a consistent and worthwhile motive for doing our job.  Our fallen brothers and sisters understood this concept! 

What?  What is our primary job…our primary responsibility?  We place ourselves between the good guys and the bad guys.  We protect and serve in any capacity we can.  We put ourselves in harms way to assure the safety of those good people we work for.  Ask any good citizen out there, “What do you want your cops to do?”  They will all tell you the same thing.  “Keep me safe and be there, for me and my family, when things get ugly”.  Our fallen brothers and sisters understood this concept! 

Where?  Where should we serve?  All officers find a niche.  They normally gravitate to an assignment they enjoy and are good at.  Most Officers are fortunate to have a variety of assignments to gravitate to.  The point is, we serve where we believe we can be most effective and make a difference.  Our fallen brothers and sisters understood this concept! 

When?  When should we serve?  Whenever and wherever the need arises.  We’re back to stepping between the good guy and the bad guy.  It doesn’t matter when that happens or where that happens.  Will we respond any less aggressively, when off duty, if we see a bad guy rip the purse from an elderly lady’s arm?  Will we look the other way if we see a child being attacked when we are on vacation in a different state?  We’re cops!  It’s who we are, not just what we do.  Our fallen brothers and sisters understood this concept! 

Why?  Why do we engage in this honorable profession?  Is it the pay?  Let’s say you’re dispatched to a bar on a call involving a man with a shotgun.  He’s cranking off rounds and terrorizing everyone in the area.  Oh, by the way, he stated that he would kill the first cop that walks through the door.  Police Officers successfully handle similar runs on a daily basis.  Given our hourly pay rate, they’ll be paid less than $25.00 for responding to such a run.  If you’re doing it for the money, please schedule an appointment with your local shrink.  So, why do we race into these dangerous situations?  We will clear a lower priority run so we have the opportunity to respond with our fellow officers.  We knowingly and willingly put ourselves in harms way to protect good people.  The commitment of the fallen officers we honor wasn’t motivated by money.  Their commitment was motivated by a sense of integrity, duty and honor.  Certainly, our fallen brothers and sisters understood this concept!  

When the Founding Fathers of our country declared our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, they did not believe those rights were given to us by a king or a queen or by a government.  Instead, they understood that we were endowed these rights by our creator; and it was these very rights that our fallen officers chose to protect.  Every day that they went to work they accepted the personal risks associated with trying to bring order to an often chaotic world.  So, it is fitting that we pray to our Creator on their behalf.  We pray that we always remember their lives and the commitment they showed others.  We also pray that their spirit, which lives on through the lives of their wives, husbands, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, will continue to inspire us and strengthen our resolve to carry on the efforts they started.  As Abraham Lincoln said when honoring the fallen soldiers at Gettysburg, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here thus far, so nobly advanced”. 

So, we must look to the future.  We must never forget the great officers that have paid the ultimate price in the pursuit of this commitment.  Their integrity, honor and passion for the job have been an inspiration to us all.  They have kept us focused and better prepared to carry on their mission. 

We need to work harder at taking care of each other.  Cops are an independent lot who are reluctant to ask for help.  Trust me, that will change with age.  None of us can expect to maintain our emotional health, throughout our careers, without the help of fellow officers.  As individual cops, we need to assist each other and the families of fellow officers, as we move through the difficult times together. 

Most importantly, we must remember to show our families the appreciation they deserve.  As I stated earlier, law enforcement is the most honorable profession in the world.  I absolutely believe this to be true.  The most honorable people in the world, however, are those who are related to police officers.  Our families are with us during the good times and the bad.  They may question why we engage in some of the crazy things we do, but they’re always there to support us.  Through the injuries, police involved shootings, unjustified media attacks and baseless anti-police rhetoric; they offer their unconditional loyalty.  Like most cops, I love my chosen profession.  I can count on one hand how many days I didn’t want to come to work.  I regret the worry and pain it has caused my family, at times, but I appreciate their support more than I can adequately express.  Behind every good cop is a loving and supportive family.  They provide us with the strength to do this job well.  They are the rock that keeps us grounded.  We must continually remember to thank them for their unconditional support. 

I can’t begin to imagine the heartache involved in having a family member killed in the line of duty.  Unfortunately, some of you know the feeling first hand.  But, I can assure you that they made a difference.  They accomplished this in both small and big ways, every day.  They led a life that was significant.  Every officer who lost their life in the line of duty left behind hundreds of wonderful stories and memories.  While each of these stories is unique, they’re remarkably similar.  They are about people who were a joy to be around and who made this world a better place to live.                                    

We were so fortunate to have them in our lives.  We miss these people in our lives, which makes us sad.  But when I think of fellow officers who are no longer with us, I immediately remember their laughter and their enthusiasm.  I think of the camaraderie they experienced by working with so many like-minded individuals.  I think of the pride and satisfaction they must have felt by passionately pursuing their careers; by prevailing under difficult circumstances.  I think of the times they came to the aid of their fellow officers when their fellow officers were relying on them to do exactly that.  That laughter; that hard work, that passion and that trust creates a special bond that most people never get a chance to experience.  In so many ways they lived the most fortunate of lives.  They laughed; they loved; they achieved…they made a difference.  Isn’t that what life is all about? 

About the Author:
Officer James J. Scanlon is a 26-year veteran of the Columbus Ohio Division of Police.  He has spent 12 of those years on their full-time S.W.A.T. Unit.  He is also a co-owner of North American SWAT Training Association, (NASTA).  The NASTA copywrited QUAD Programs have been presented to hundreds of college and university law enforcement professionals throughout the United States.   Officer Scanlon can be reached through their web site, at www.nasta.ws 

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