Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

FIRST LET ME GIVE MY HEART FELT CONDOLENCES TO LARRY'S FAMILY. HE LOVED ALL OF YOU DEARLY.

LARRY AND I BEGAN OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREERS TOGETHER IN 1991 IN CORRECTIONS STANDARDS. WE WERE HIRED BT THE POLK COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE AS CORRECTIONS DEPUTIES AT THE SAME TIME. HIS EMPLOYEE NUMBER WAS ONE STEP ABOVE MINE AND HE, IN GOOD HUMOR, WAS QUICK TO POINT OUT TOO ME HE WAS SENIOR TO ME AND THAT I'DE BETTER WATCH MY ATTITUDE AROUND HIM AND TREAT HIM WITH RESPECT. HE LIVED NEAR ME IN FORT MEADE AND WE CAR POOLED EACH DAY TO CLASS. WE GREW CLOSE DURING THIS TIME. I LEARNED THAT LARRY WAS DEVOTED TO HIS FAMILY FIRST. HE SPOKE OF THEM OFTEN AND ALWAYS SEEMED EAGER TO RETURN HOME AFTER CLASS TO BE WITH THEM. AS THE CLASS PROGRESSED LARRY BEACAME A FRIEND TO ALL OF US. HE WAS ALWAYS GOOD FOR A LAUGH.

WE WORKED TOGETHER FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 YEARS AT THE JAIL UNTIL I LEFT TO WORK AS A PATROL OFFICER FOR ANOTHER AGENCY. LARRY STAYED BEHIND, CONFIDENT HE WOULD REACH HIS GOAL OF BEING A ROAD DEPUTY FOR THE SHERIFF. HE REACHED HIS GOAL SOON AFTER I LEFT AND AS I ENCOUNTERED HIM IN PASSING OVER THE YEARS HE BOASTED OF THE FACT HE HAD MADE IT TO THE ROAD, WITHOUT GIVING UP HIS TIME IN SERVICE, AND WAS PROUD OF THAT. HE WAS PROUD OF BEING A DEPUTY AND SERVED HIS COMMUNITY WITH DEDICATION.

I WILL MISS LARRY. HE WAS THE KIND OF PERSON YOU MEET IN LIFE THAT LEAVES YOU FEELING BETTER. I WILL NEVER FORGET HIM AND I THANK THE LORD I HAD THE OPP0RTUNITY OF KNOWING AND SERVING WITH HIM. MAY WE ALL PRAY FOR HIS FAMILY DURING THIS TIME.

GOOD BYE, MY FRIEND, MY BROTHER.

CPL. J.D. GOFF
PATROL DIVISION
BARTOW P.D.

CPL. JAMES D. GOFF
BARTOW POLICE DEPARTMENT, BARTOW FL

Thank you for your service. You will be greatly missed. May god be with you and your family. Goodbye my brother

Explorer Justin Betts
Alameda County Sheriff's Office, CA

It is so sad when we hear that another Officer has died in line of duty, but it is specially hard when is from our State. My prayers go out to the family and friends of Deputy Rhoden, may God Bless you always.

Terry Miyares
widow
Officer Emilio Miyares
Hialeah Police Dept, Florida
1959-1986

Terry Miyares, officer's widow
Hialeah Police Dept.

Today while I was tweedling my thumbs boredly in school, you were dying. For that, I feel almost selfish, but more than selfishness a great sense of gratitude. I don't really understand 0200 hours - maybe I was still half-asleep in bed - either way, I've been thinking about how I'm so tired and have such a headache and want to go home so badly, and those are just my stupid whiny comments while you are dying. Either way, thank you for serving your country. May God Bless your beautiful wife and sons, who have only known the news for a matter of hours, if that, or even if they do know yet. I know what it feels like to have such news broken to you and it will be a long time before they can see clearly through the muddle of agony. May God wrap them in His loving arms as they get through the first stages and begin the long road of healing. If Mrs. Rhoden and her sons ever read this, I know it means nothing, because I have had this said to me before - "I express my condolences" - but I honestly do. I know the pain of death and how it will change you forever, and how you don't care right now what it would take if you could only make the pain go away and make him come back, and you don't care that he is watching over you, because you want him HERE. I know the long line of agonizing, heart-wrenching, breath-choking line of emotions you are entering and no one can heal them. I know there's nothing I can say or do, but I want to plant the seed and let you know that thousands will pray for you for this and that while you may lose your father/husband's physical body, you will never lose his love.

In Memoriam
Joey...e/o/w 6.7.01

Anonymous

Dear Sir,
I am sure you were a very good cop.. I will be there at your Service to watch you pass on to the other side... May the lord be with you both on your way home to the new department in the sky with all brand new Squad cars all shined up and ready to go.. God Sped deputies rest in peace
Explorer Bignotti

Explorer Pete Bignotti
Pinellas County Sheriffs Office

GOD BLESS!!! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP FROM ABOVE WE KNOW YOU WILL KEEP WATCHING OUT FOR US FROM HEAVEN.
BARTOW P.D. K-9 UNIT

Sr. Officer Greg Rhoden
Bartow Police department