Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Dennis and I were Narcotics Officers together in 1987-1988. Dennis was a great officer and a great friend. I think of him often and his family remains in my thoughts and prayers. You are never forgotten, my fallen brothers and sisters, but always remembered and sorely missed!

Vencent Woods D/Sergeant
State of Michigan-Department of Environmental Quality

April 9, 2004

When God made Police Officers..........

When the Lord was creating police officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the spec on this order?"

"A police officer has to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle is uniform."

"He has to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witness, and testify in court the next day."

"He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands...no way."

"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, "it's the three pairs of eyes an officer has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, "May I see what's in there, sir?" (When he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) Another pair in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, "You'll be all right ma'am, when he knows it isn't so."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."

"I can't" said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."

The angel circled the model of the police officer very slowly, "Can it think?" she asked.

"You bet," said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes; recite Miranda warnings in it's sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time it takes five learned judges to debate the legality of the stop...and still keeps its sense of humor."

"This officer also has phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in hell, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim's family, and then read in the daily paper how law enforcement isn't sensative to the rights of criminal suspects."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the police officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"That's not a leak," said the Lord, "it's a tear."

"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.

"It's for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, for justice."

"You're a genius," said the angel.

The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," he said.

Our prayers and thoughts go out to the Finch family.

Lt. Matthew Morton
GTB Tribal Police Department

You are not forgotten, you are always in our memory. Thank you for watching down on our department and keeping us safe. We will always remember you.

Jennier

Rest in peace Sgt..

Inv. Michael Walker
Tallahassee Police Department

I remember the good times we had in Traverse City on the 10-6 shift. You were always the go to guy, the guy we looked up to and respected, the leader we counted on. A part of me died with you on that sunny day. Rest in peace my friend your memory lives on, and because of you, Traverse City is a safer place

Anonymous