To Protect
and to Serve
In memory of my best friend, the love of my life, my husband, Justin, who passed away June 10, 2002.
When God Made Police Officers
When the Lord was creating police officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order?
" A police officer has to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle his uniform.
"He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses, and testify in court the next day.
"He has to be in top physical condition at all times, on running black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to six have pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the three pairs of eyes an officer has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. "One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, "May I see what's in there, sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) "Another pair here in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, 'You'll be all right ma'am, when he knows it isn't so."
"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the police officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.
"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes; recite Miranda warnings in its sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five learned judges to debate the legality of the stop... and still it keeps its sense of humor.
"This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how law enforcement isn't sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the police officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the lord, "it's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, for justice."
"You're a genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," he said.
Author unknown
Law enforcement agencies, around the world, are a special breed of men and women who give of themselves, not only their time and that of their families, but of their lives. This page is dedicated to these men and women and their families. Although this page is simple, the thought behind it is filled with emotion, appreciation and love.
To my husband, it is with pride I display your memories of the 28 years you proudly served with LAPD. To your "buddies," I send my appreciation for the years they spent protecting John and Jane Q. Public. To all who are currently in law enforcement, I offer my moral support for what you are doing.
I have listed just a few web sites for all to enjoy and hopeful to learn from. Be sure to check out Police.com for information on the Border Patrol, Customs. ATF, and many other law enforcement agencies. The "old badges" on the Police Guide site are true classics.
The
Last Precinct Police Museum
Los
Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Shining Truth
Around eleven came the call,
A hold up at a local mall;
The officers dispatched were soon,
In a real-life dog day afternoon.
~~~
The answer from the folks in blue,
Came swift-in action tried and true;
Against a sea of black and white,
Throughout that Laurel Canyon site.
~~~
Though bullets through the air did fail;
To back from line or give ground,
Despite the chaos all around.
~~~
All stations, on the air,
Were televising the affair;
of valor, adding extra shine,
To each badge, upon that line.
~~~
The incident took heavy toll,
Eleven cops within the roll;
Were injured-yet the suspects lay,
As victims of the sword that day.
~~~
The discipline and training shown,
To all were made so clearly known:
How L.A.'s finest did not swerve,
From duty to protect and serve.
Dedicated to Eleven who fell, yet stood for L.A.'s finest :
Det. Tracy Angels, Det. John Krulac, Officers John Goodman, Wm. Lantz, David Grimes, Conrad Torres, Earl Valadares, Martin Whitfield, James Zboravan, Sgt. Dean Hynes.
Cemeteries/Cottar/Funerals/Surnames/To Protect & Serve/
You Bet Cemetery/Walton Family/Women of Yesteryear/Zimmerman Family