I don't talk about the law enforcement side of things too much in this blog. However, I couldn't let National Law Enforcement Memorial go by unrecognized. Actually, I did a lengthy post following our local memorial commemoration which Blogger "ate" when the system went down for 24 hours.
While walking in Virginia Beach last weekend, I came across this stunning painting on the side of a building. If you look closely, you can see a tear in the eye of the sad police dog mourning his human partner.
Officer Down is the most gut wrenching thing you can ever hear if you live in the law enforcement world. The most recent Officer Down I know of is Officer Andrew Garton of the Hawthorne , California Police Department. His watch ended yesterday. Please pray for his family.
Seventy-three police officers have been killed in the line of duty so far this year, with 20 in the month of March alone. This number is up 17% from 2010. Approximately 60,000 officers are wounded in the line of duty each year. http://www.odmp.org/search/year/2011
Rick Spaulding, a Portsmouth Police Officer, died in the line of duty. His watch ended November 23, 2005. He served his country in the military. Prior to being hired by the Portsmouth Police Department as a paid officer, he served as a auxiliary (volunteer) officer for many years. Rick is the person I honor this month. Thank you for your sacrifice. You have not been forgotten, nor have the other 12 fallen officers from Portsmouth.
So over the next few weeks, if you see an officer as you drive along, pray for his safety. And if you happen to run across one directly, thank her for her service to your community.
