Editor’s Note: This week’s PoliceOne First Person essay is from PoliceOne Member Tom Wetzel. In PoliceOne “First Person” essays, our Members and Columnists candidly share their own unique view of the world. This is a platform from which individual officers can share their own personal insights on issues confronting cops today, as well as opinions, observations, and advice on living life behind the thin blue line. If you want to share your own perspective with other P1 Members, simply send us an e-mail with your story.
By Tom Wetzel
Police1 Member
My friend Kevin was recently promoted to Sergeant and has started a novel practice in roll call he conducts. He reviews the Officer Down Memorial Page and picks an officer who was killed in the line of duty. He then talks about the officer and the circumstances that led to his death.
He addresses what the officer may have done wrong and uses it as a teaching moment for personnel under his direction. He then has the officers dedicate that particular shift to the officer who was killed.
It really is an outstanding way to honor our fallen officers. But of special importance though is how their lives can help make ours safer.
I have always appreciated the value of veteran officers who can provide wisdom and direction to their agencies. They often have a wealth of knowledge and experience that may go untapped by department leaders who don’t recognize or appreciate what they have in these officers.
If listened to more, these veterans could present insight on how to provide better levels of service and avoid making unnecessary mistakes.
By soliciting their ideas, they could guide their agencies on how to handle officers who develop bad habits or need direction on how to be a good officers. Their backgrounds allow them to offer useful suggestions on tactics, the development of policies and how to better serve those we were sworn to protect.
These veteran officers are alive and working and available to us.
But what about those who have died while protecting and serving and can’t speak to us in a conversation?
As my friend is showing, they too can offer us much to learn from if we are willing to take time to listen. These officers who made the great sacrifice of their lives in service to others are treasures whose life experiences offer examples of how to live and work.
When we look deeper into their lives — beyond the specific causes of their deaths — we will learn of men and women who were fine fathers and mothers, committed friends and brave individuals who believed in a cause greater than themselves.
We will be aware of their mistakes on the job and off and hopefully try to avoid the same problems. We will also find out that certain habits or actions on the job can get us killed.
The circumstances that cost them their lives may help us develop tactics and plans to avoid the same tragedy. It is very likely that we may be doing something on a daily basis that was a specific cause that led to a family losing a father or mother in blue.
I am confident that these special men and women who lost their earthly lives would be very pleased to see that their sacrifice was not in vain. They can continue to serve their fellow man through the example of their lives and offer assistance to those of us still laboring to “protect and serve” others.
God may allow them to work as he inspired Isaiah when he said “I will lead the blind on their journey; by paths unknown I will guide them.” Isaiah 42
My friend is definitely on to something with his new roll call practice and I would encourage others to not only follow his lead but even go further in studying the lives of those who have made a great sacrifice for all of us.
Visit the Officer Down Memorial Page to learn about those special men and women who gave so much.
