Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

I was just in Oceanside on vacation a few days ago. I saw Officer Zeppetella speaking to another officer that day. What a horrible shock to see his face again. Rest In Peace my brother officer.

Deputy Jason Robey
Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office

With much love to Tony's family.
I am a Bally's friend who supported Tony. He worked so, so hard for the academy.
I remember Tony on the treadmill, treadmill, treadmill!
I remember Tony's smile when he talked about his hopes of becoming a police officer.
I remember when Tony left us to join the academy.

Officer Down

Life shot down
people all around.
Lives affected, lives redirected
Bastard with a gun,
lookin' to have some fun...shoot someone.

Officer Down

Valerie Macleay

A gym friend.

Valerie Macleay

Rest in peace brother. You are a hero.

Police Officer
New York City Police Department

Officers from Mercy General Health Partners Security staff in Muskegon, MI send our condolences to the family of Officer Zeppetella. May God bless you all in this difficult time.

Sgt. Travis Eyestone
Mercy General Health Partners Security

Fly high brother!

K9 Unit
Gulf Shores, AL Police Department

Sincere sympathy to the family, friends and co-workers of Police Officer Tony Zeppetella. Its always so sad to hear of any Officer being killed in the line of duty.

Our prayers and thoughts are with you and we share your grief.

Lyndell & Elizabeth Taylor
Parents of
Deputy Sheriff
Morris Lyn Taylor (Douglas County Sheriffs Dept. Oregon)
EOW 09-14-02

God bless you Sir for your tremendous sacrafice. You will always be honored and never forgotten.

“For those who pledge to uphold it, Freedom requires a sacrifice the protected will never know”

Son of Officer Davis EOW 05-11-95
Seattle

Thank you officer.

and i'm sorry to hear you are not with us anymore.

God Bless You.

Anonymous

This happened around the corner from my house. I want to thank you for the protection and commitment from you and all the officers of the OPD. Thank you for protecting us. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Oceanside Resident

Thank you so much for doing something that so many others are afraid to.

Ofcr CD Roberts
Tucson (Az) Police Dept

It is sad to learn of a young officer being cut down while doing the job that he loved and was trained to do well.

Many of us made it through our years of public service and have retired, others will not.

Now that I am living in Oceanside, my adopted city, to the fellow officers and the family of this young officer, please accept my condolences and remember that this young officer was doing his job to the best of his ability and protecting us. He was a Hero.

Some day we will all meet in a better place and will be able to thank him for his service to the city of Oceanside in person.

Dwight Christensen
Riverside County Sheriff ( Retired Detective)

There are but two persons who protect the sinful human race from destroying itself. One is God's Holy Spirit. The other is the Peace Officer. Without them, we would all perish at each other's hands.

According to Romans 13.1-5...
God ordains the Peace Officer’s profession.
The Peace Officer is sent by God.
The Peace Officer is vested with God's authority to enforce the law.
A Peace Officer's badge is to be honored by us, because it is honored by God.

To the family of Police Officer Tony Zeppetella and the Oceanside Police Department, your extended family of Law Enforcement Officers grieve with you during this time. I pray that God will wrap his loving arms around each of you and comfort you during this most difficult time.

To all my brothers and sisters, please remember the fallen officers we have lost. Remember the men and women who died trying to make this world a safer and better place for us all to live in.
May God be with you every day, please remember, we are a part of the largest family in the world and when one hurts we all hurt.

Though our badges and uniforms may be different, our mission is the same. Rest in peace with our other fallen Brothers and Sisters. We will continue the fight in your honor.

Florida Deputy Sheriff

MAY GOD BLESS FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COWORKERS. WE HAVE LOST ANOTHER HERO IN BLUE. I AM CONFIDENT HE IS IN A BETTER PLACE. MAY HIS KILLER GET WHAT HE JUSTLY DESERVES. REST IN PEACE MY BROTHER IN BLUE.

CHIEF RONNIE WATFORD-RETIRED
JEFFERSON POLICE DEPT,S.C.

I am very sorry to hear about Officer Zeppetella's death. His young son is not the only young person who would want to grow up to be just like him, because myself and many others dream of living the life he led. There are those of us who remember the fallen heroes along with police survivors. Officer Zeppetella couldn't have done anything more amazing with his life than what he did as an officer, stopping violent offenders, which few people would ever dare doing. He was our protector, and must now be the same in heaven. May God bless his wife and child with the best memories and life ever imagined.

Pat
former police explorer, Maryland

THIS IS SO SAD WE LOST ANOTHER BROTHER IN BLUE, MAY THIS OFFICER GO TO HEAVEN AND REST IN PEACE FOREVER.. GOD/BLESS

LT. JOHN FRANGOS
WALMART SUPERSTORE,CRIME PREVENTION OFFICER, PINELLAS PARK FLA.

Rest easy, brother. You have gone to a better place. May your loved ones know, especially your child, that you are a hero. May God comfort those you leave behind and condemn your killer.

Deputy M. Moore
Warren County S.O. (OH)

God bless this wife and young son Glenn and I had a 3 month old grand son that will never know his paw i also know the pain of losing a soul mate and also the heartbreak of a murder trial I will be praying for you.
And please let us not forget this husband and father who gave his life serving and protecting others.
HE IS A HERO

donna hicks widow of Officer Glenn Hicks

REST IN PEACE FALLEN BROTHER. MAY GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILY AND DEPT. MY THERE BE NO MERCY FOR THIS COWARD THAT COMMITTED THE AWFUL ACT.

yet we see another young officer... ambitious to help protect and serve... a noble cause but slain by the scum of humanity... but the lesson is again taught, those who kill a peace officer will be caught. Why is it that officers continue to die, If the criminals fate is so sure. We may all ask ourselves that question, finding different answers along the way... scientific answers, psychological answers or maybe sociological. I believe the problem is society, people do not hold authority in high regard. They hold the lives of those enforcing the law with little or no value at all. A criminal is an interesting object, he lacks vital human emotions, they are heartless, cruel... a reject of the civilized world. When they look at a Law Enforcement Officer they see a badge not the noble man behind it... a man like Officer Zeppetella, one with a family, and a young son who will now, never know his father and what a noble knight he was. Since the earlieast days of civilization we have had some form of a Law Enforcement Officer. Yet it is called a civilized world, but when men run in the streets gunning down an officer of the peace... is this civilization? For Officer Zeppetella, though we all prefer his life to be spared, the memories are there, as an old soldier. We will talk of Officer Zeppetella and many more like him. We will talk about the people he saved, the crimes he prevented and his bravery. So we can all tell ourselves he died for a good cause... but all of you LEo's know as well as I if one officer dies... the price was too great. We can all say he died because of something he believed in... justice and the will to enforce the law.

A Floridian from Tampa
Florida

My anger is only equaled by my sorrow for the loss of Officer Zeppetella. My sincere condolences to the family of Officer Zeppetella.

To the men and women of the Oceanside Police Department, your brothers and sisters in Virginia Beach feel your pain.

IN VALOR THERE IS HOPE

Detetive Tom Shattuck
Virginia Beach Police Department

My heartfelt sympathy goes out ot the family and coworkers of Officer Zeppetella.

Rest in peace my friend. Although those of us who remain grieve the senselessness of your loss, we will proudly cover your post on the thin blue line and continue the doing the job you seemed to love so well.

Anonymous

Tony- You were a great buddy. Ill never forget the times we had joking around in the locker room before briefing. The times I teased you about your short shorts and lunch box. The times we had talking about lifts for your jeep that Dan conned you into buying. A few days before this happened you jokingly drew a smiley face on my emergency button. This button was pushed by you alerting us to your situation. You were a great friend on and off duty. Your loss has affected me greatly and changed my whole perspective on life and I will never be able to tell you this. Ill miss you smile and your upbeat attitude. Some day Ill see you around upstairs. See ya BUDDY!

Field Evidence Technician
Oceanside Police Department

Tony was the excellent image of a new enthusiastic officer dedicated to his proffession and his family. Although he was only with us for a short period, he has left many memories to those who lives he touched. Thank you Tony for "walking the point" so that others may enjoy their freedom.

Sgt. R. C. Woodall
Oceanside Police Dept, Calif.