Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

At the time officer Kidwell was shot in the line of duty, I didn't know that I would end up a police oficer. I remember thinking how it didn't seem real, how could someone in Stanford shoot at a police officer. Things like that only happened in larger cities, like Lexington and Louisville. I thought of how he and his family had gone to church with my family, and had lived not two miles from us. It made me physically sick to think of what his wife and kids were going through: the heartache, the feeling of loss, the senselessness of it all. Three short years later I was the one wearing the badge, in, of all places, Lexington. In eight years on the street I've seen more than I care to admit. I had grown used to how badly some people could treat their fellow man. I had seen three officers shot(thank God all survived), one a rookie officer I trained. But none of it brought back memories of officer Kidwell. Not until November 13, 2001. That day one of my best friends, Deputy Billy Walls of Jessamine county, was gunned down attempting to serve a warrant. The feeling of dread that came over me, I can't find the words to describe it. His wife and daughter, how would they make it through this pain? Not till that black day did I feel anything like the sick feeling I had when I learned Gary had been shot. Just like officer Kidwell's incident, the act was so senseless, if I spend time trying to find reasons why, I would go out of my mind. I think the most we can do is to find a way to live with the consequences of a desperate persons act of violence. To officer Kidwell's family, I want you to know he was a hero. Not for the tragic manner in which he died, but for putting on that badge and going out every day and trying to make the world a better, safer place. After everything I've seen on this job I've learned that is the most important aspect of police work; the willingness to put yourself in harms way to protect someone else.

Officer David K. Day
Lexington PD