Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Merry Christmas sweetie.. you are always in my thoughts and prayers... I miss you.

Melissa

December 26, 2007

"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

December 26, 2007

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family on this anniversary.

Former N.H. Police Officer
Fauquier County, VA

December 25, 2007

Patrolman Swaney:

Thank You for having served the Carolina Community.

May You Rest - In - Peace.

Maj M. B. Parlor
USMC / LAPD

December 25, 2007

Remembering you on the 10th anniversary of your death.

I am from Asheville North Carolina, but I remember reading about your death in the Asheville Citizen-Times, God Bless You, and may you rest in peace.

Michael Roberts former police officer

December 25, 2007

You are remembered today and thank you Sir fo ryour service

VanDenBerghe
manchester, NH

December 23, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving sweetie. You are in my thoughts always. I miss you.

melissa

November 22, 2007

You are greatly missed. May you be at peace.... May your family find some comfort and peace knowing you did what you loved.

Melissa

September 23, 2007

I WORKED FOR HUNTERSVILLE POLICE DEPT SOME TIME AGO AND HAD THE OPPURTINITY WORKING WITH MARK. HE WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR ANYONE AND CARRIED A GREAT SINCE OF HUMOR. I THINK OF HIM OFTEN AND SHARE HIS STORY WITH AS MANY POLICE OFFICERS AS I CAN. AT THE END OF MY TRAINING CLASSES I ALWAYS END WITH A SAYING FROM A FELLOW MARINE FRIEND WHO IS A POLICE OFFICER NOW IN ORLANDO. I WILL LEAVE IT WITH YOU AND SHARE MARKS STORY, HE IS TRULY AN AMERICAN HERO AND WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTON.

"IF IT BE MY LOT TO DIE, LET ME DO SO WITH COURAGE AND HONOR IN A MANNER WHICH WILL BRING THE GREATEST HARM TO MY FOE, AND ALL EVIL THINGS WHICH THREATEN OUR WAY OF LIFE".

GOD BLESS YOU MARK AND YOUR FAMILY.
WILLIAM G. CAIN FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL

TROOPER WILLIAM G. CAIN
FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL

July 21, 2007

Hello buddy, I still think of you often. It is going to be 10 years this Christmas since you left us and went on to be with the Lord. Man has Mooresville changed. I still ride down Mott Rd. and pause at the spot you lost your life. Davidson has changed as well, you would not recognize it. Continue to rest in peace and I will see you again some day.....

MASTER TROOPER J.R. FLEMING
NC STATE HIGHWAY PATROL

July 7, 2007

Mark,

Thank you for your dedication to the badge and service to the people of North Carolina. I've heard stories about you and what a great person you were. The Davidson Police Dept. truly misses you and remembers you daily in their hearts. I had the opportunity to attend Police Week with the Chief and other officers and you could tell how proud they were to stand and represent you at the memorial. They were proud b/c they were honoring a true hero who sacrificed everything for the people of his city. Mark,
I believe at the time of your death you were engaged to be married just like Joey and I. My heart goes out to the special woman you had chosen to spend the rest of your life with. I wish I knew your fiance' personally so I could invite her to join me and the other fiance's who support each other on a daily basis. It just seems she and I have so much in common. You and Joey were both taken from us ten years ago and in the same tragic manner. How many people can relate to something like that? Mark, go and rest in peace b/c you will never be forgotten here on earth.

Dana Shriver
Fiance' of Deputy Joseph (Joey) C. Rodgers
EOW - 4/9/97

Dana Shriver
Fiance' of Deputy Joseph C. Rodgers

April 17, 2007

How you were such a special person in my life and to not have you in my life.. to know i will never hear your voice again.. to not ever see your smile.. to hear you laugh... i miss you

Melissa

Melissa Chambers

March 30, 2007

MARK, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.
I HAVE A "BLUE LIGHT" SHINING IN MY WINDOW ALL YEAR TO HONOR YOU AND THE MANY THAT HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES "IN THE LINE OF DUTY" AND ALSO FOR THOSE STILL PROTECTING US.

MOTHER OF A FALLEN DEPUTY.

December 25, 2006

Mark, you will not be forgotton.

D
CPD

December 21, 2005

Mark was a true blessing to everyone who came into contact with him. He and I went to school together many years and everyday he would say or do something different to make you smile. From the school hallways to the classrooms to the football field, he'd always make you smile. It's selfish of me to ask why, but that doesn't help the matter. I know in my heart that God has his reasons and that helps to fill the void. Mark is now watching from above over the rest of us and, that alone, as always, makes me smile. Godspeed brother, you will never be forgotten.

Corporal T. A. Boyles
Winston-Salem Police Dept

June 25, 2004

I stop by this website often after the death of two dear friends with the NCSHP (Troopers Calvin Taylor E.O.W. October 3, 2001 and Anthony Cogdill E.O.W. May 30, 2003).

We all grieve over the lives lost in the line of duty. I hope you can find some comfort knowing that there are countless prayers that go out for your family.

These are senseless tragedies that never seem to stop. God Bless the men and women who continue to serve their communities in our great Nation.

...Gone, but never Forgotten....

Marti (EMT-Paramedic)
Haywood Co EMS (NC)

April 5, 2004

On angels ...

"The wings ain't anything but a uniform that's all. When they are in the field so to speak, they always wear them."
- Taken from Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Mark,
You're not forgotten ... my heart remembers you every Christmas Day.
December 23, 2003

Anonymous

December 23, 2003

Mark, I'm positive you're a topcop on St Michael's squad now.

Sgt. Mike Young
Davidson Co. Sheriff's Office

Being a family man myself, I can only imagine the terrible grief suffered by Officer Swaney's family.  The entire Hoke family extends our deepest sympathies.

Officer 1st Class Paul Hoke
Baltimore County Police

I MET MARK IN COLLEGE. WE WERE PARTNERS IN A FINGERPRINTING CLASS AND THEN ATTENDED SEVERAL OTHER CLASSES TOGETHER. AFTER SCHOOL AND 3 YEARS OF NOT SEEING EACH OTHER, WE ENDED UP WORKING AS PARTNERS AT DAVIDSON POLICE DEPARTMENT.

MARK AND I WORKED EXTREMELY WELL TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE TEAMS WHERE THE OTHER ALWAYS KNEW WHAT THE OTHER WAS THINKING. OFF DUTY WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LOOK FOWARD TO ALSO.  THE SAME INTREST, PERSONALITIES, AND GOALS. I RECEIVED A CALL AT MY HOME WHILE CELABRATING CHRISTMAS WITH MY WIFE FROM A MUTUAL FREIND WHO WORKS AT CHARLOTTE-MECK COMM CENTER. SHE SAID THAT THERE WAS A SHOOTING IN DAVIDSON INVOLVING AN OFFICER. THE FEAR SET IN KNOWING MARK WAS WORKING THAT NIGHT, THEN THE FEAR CONFIRMED MARK CAME IN EARLY THAT CHRISTMAS NIGHT,SO THE OTHERS COULD GO HOME AND CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY WITH THEIR FAMILIES. MARK WAS ALWAYS ABOUT MAKING OTHERS FEEL GOOD, AND THEN HIMSELF. I WAS PRIVLEDGED TO HAVE SUCH A FREIND. SOME GIVE ALL, ALL GIVE SOME.

DEPUTY SHERIFF JASON BEEBE
CATAWBA COUNTY SHERIFF DEPT

Mark and I were close friends attending grade school together all the way through graduation. After high school, we attended a local community college, earning a degree in Criminal Justice. We would ride with each other back and forth to college to save on expenses. We attended Basic Law Enforcement Training together which lasted 14 weeks. Mark was always one who would keep you laughing and make things interesting when times were at a low. Upon graduation from the Academy, Mark went to work for a local department seperate from where I became employed. We continued to keep in touch, always interested to know what each other was encountering on the "streets". I was accepted into the NC Highway Patrol Basic School, and Mark was the first one to come by and congratulate me. Mark was truely a special friend. It is so ironic that on Christmas Day, 1997, I had just arrived at my parents for supper. I asked my dad if I could listen to his walkie and see if I could hear Mark on the radio. I heard Mark dispatched to a call about shots fired in the area. I heard Mark check on the scene, and then I heard him say he had the suspect "over here". The next thing I hear is a voice on the radio saying, "Officer down, shots fired, get us some help". I froze, knowing Mark was needing help and I could not be there for him. I began praying that everything would be ok, but I learned a short time later Mark had lost his life. It was reassuring to know that Mark had indeed returned fire on the suspect who also died at the scene. Mark was wearing his bullet proof vest, but the bullet entered between his vest panel and underarm. I was able to lead Mark's funeral procession through town, on the same streets we used to spend together in our childhood days. I wear a ODMP bracelet with Mark's name on it everyday that I work to remind me that Mark gave the ultimate sacrifice and I should continue on because that is what Mark would have wanted. I truely lost a great friend and fellow officer on Christmas Day, 1997.

Trooper J.R. Fleming
NC State Highway Patrol

God bless you and your family.

Anonymous