Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

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

October 3, 2007

This was a truly wonderful officer and person. I knew him through the Police Explorers and through relatives working with the department.

When I got the word of this incident my heart broke in two. I never will forget Tom ... and unfortunately I'll never forget the way his life was cut short so violently.

Tom - you were one in a million!!! There are many of us who will always remember you with admiration!

B Brown

August 6, 2005

I remember when this happened and think of this officer often. It happened about a week before I joined the Jacksonville Police Explorers. The officer that sponsored me was with Officer Szanfranski just minutes before the incident occured. Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice to ensure our safety. May you live forever in our hearts.

Engineer McLarty
Nassau County Fire Rescue

August 3, 2005

When it happened I had only been an officer for less than a year. Perhaps that is why I thought of you often. It went away for a while but the memories returned in 1998. I sometimes think of your kin and how they are getting along now.

Tom, you are not forgotten.

David Haney, Glynn County, Ga. P.D.

TAC Officer David Haney
Glynn County, Ga. P.D.

April 15, 2004

Thank You for your service.

Inv. Michael Walker
Tallahassee Police Department

February 18, 2004