Right on the heels of the 1 year anniversary of Cpl. Scott Severns, South Bend Police lost another officer in a shooting incident. Cpl. Nick Polizotto was shot and killed on April 24, 2007. His partner, Ptlm. Mike Norby, was also shot, but survived.
This is happening much too frequently. Just one police officer being killed is too many, but we're averaging at least 1 line-of-duty death per year in this area. Thankfully, none have been from my or Shayne's department, but it's no less a tragedy. It affects us all, whether we knew the victim or not. It seems like so few people have any respect for the law, and even less respect those of us who have sworn to uphold it. It makes me so angry when an officer is killed. I know that we choose this career, knowing the risks, knowing we may be called upon to make that ultimate sacrifice, but it's so unfair. Our country shouldn't need to be defended from its own citizens.
My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Cpl. Polizzotto and with the South Bend Police family.
Oh, God. This is so damned sad.
ReplyDeleteThirty years ago, my partner was stopped from becoming a police officer, which was her life-long dream, by institutional sexism and the realities of being a single mom to a toddler. She's now a court officer (senior bailiff) and every time she talks about how she wishes she could still join the police force, I say a silent prayer of thanks that she can't. I just don't have what it takes to deal with the daily worry abut "what if."
I will include the murdered and wounded police officers in my prayers.