Married to 'The Man': Officers Down

Monday, January 2, 2012

Officers Down - New Years Day

Mt. Rainier ranger shot to death, gunman sought

Suspect in Mt. Rainier Shooting Found Dead in Snow

Puerto Rico Officer Killed During Traffic Stop

Officer Down - Memorial Page

Amidst all of the celebrations...resolutions...and hangovers - some sobering occurrences, for law enforcement officers and families, are sure to remind us all how lucky we are and how easy it is to lose a loved one in this line of work.

The scariest part about these stories is that both involved simple traffic stops...something LE officers doing every day, often dozens of times. It's easy to forget, especially for LE families, just how dangerous each and every stop has the potential to be. Of course, it's also sort of imperative that we "forget"...or at least avoid thinking about it all the time.

When I was a kid, my dad was a pilot in the Army. It was simply a fact of our life that he might be sent away to war or might have any number of flight-related mishaps. I'm certain my mom was aware of it...always...on a subconscious level. But, to survive a life with someone in a dangerous profession, the family must push the awareness of that danger into the back of their minds. Unfortunately, we are much more aware of it, even subconsciously, than people on "the outside".

Just recently, my husband was advised by an officer friend to "never forget to call or text your wife when you are going to be late". The breath-stopping fear that can leap into the psyche of an LE spouse when he/she wakes up at 4 (when the officer was supposed to be home at 1) can lead to a state of instant panic. My husband and I know this first hand. Early on in his reserve experience, I woke up in just this situation. And just as would be expected, I freaked out.

It only takes one shot.

My heart and prayers go out to the families of