Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Rest in peace Deputy Sheriff Pittenger.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

April 27, 2020

Hard to believe it has been 34 years. I’ll never forget that evening. The Pottawatomi County Sheriff’s Office couldn’t get a hold on Pott #3 on the radio, so they dispatched me (from Wamego PD) to a domestic, shots fired call in St. George, KS. I was first on scene. Pott #3, Don Pittenger arrived shortly thereafter. During the call Deputy Pittenger suffered a stroke. We placed Don in the back of my patrol car and I raced Don back to the Wamego Hospital. Don was transferred to a Topeka hospital where he passed three days later.

Don was old school but was good at his job. He knew everyone in the county!

Rest in Peace Don!

Officer Ricky Johnson
Wamego Police Dept

April 26, 2020

Rest in Peace, Deputy Pittenger. Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Officer 11169

February 4, 2014

"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Matthew 5:9

Marshal Chris Di Gerolamo
Federal Air Marshal Service

September 22, 2012

Your heroism and service is honored today on the 24th anniversary of your death. Your memory lives and you continue to inspire. Thank you for your service.
My cherished son Larry Lasater was a fellow police officer who was murdered in the the line of duty on April 24, 2005 while serving as a Pittsburg, CA police officer.

Time never diminishes respect. Your memory will always be honored and revered. Rest In Peace.

I pray for solace for all those that love and remember you for I know both the pain and pride are forever. Your family is in my heart's embrace. Thanks to your friends for sharing their memories and devotion to you through their reflections.

Phyllis Loya
Mom of fallen California Officer Larry Lasater, Pittsburg PD, eow 4/24/05

May 13, 2012

YOU ARE REMEMBERED TODAY AND THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR SERVICE

VANDENBERGHE
MANCHESTER, NH

May 1, 2008

YOU ARE REMEMBERED TODAY AND THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR SERVICE

VANDENBERGHE
MANCHESTER, NH

May 1, 2008

I was the second officer on the scene to back up Deputy Pittenger along with Officer Johnson of the Wamego PD. Don had been dispatched to a domestic where shots had been fired. He arrived, restored order by separating the parties when he suffered his stroke. Officer Johnson and I placed him in the patrol unit and Officer Johnson rushed him to the hospital in Wamego. Don (Pottawatomie County #3) did not wait for backups as most officers do these days...He new peoples lives were in danger and he did not hesitate to step in and stop the further violence. Don was a good officer that worked very hard at his job. If something was happening in the county, Don seemed to always know what directly an investigation needed to take. He is still missed by us that worked with him.....

CPT Gerald M. Schmidt
Pottawatomie County Sheriff

March 13, 2008

"The Badge"

He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.

He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.

Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.

He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.

His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.

He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.

And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.

But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.

Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.

Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.

So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.

In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.

Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.

Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission

Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC

January 19, 2008

Rest in peace. On this day you are remembered. 04-19-05

April 19, 2005