Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Rest in Peace Sgt. Plouff!
17 years ago this man chose a profession to protect and serve the city of Winston Salem. I'm sure I don't have to tell his family that it takes a special person to choose a profession that has such risks, not only occationally but every shift, every call, every traffic stop. Yet it seems from the comments from his family, friends, and co-workers that he was passionate about his job. To you Sgt. Plouff THANK YOU for your time served her on earth, may you continue to watch over and protect those you love. To his family, may you find comfort in you memories of him. Godspeed. The following song was from the soundtrack to Ladder 49 but it fits.

Artist: Robbie Robertson
Song: Shine Your Light

The cry of the city like a siren's song
Wailing over the rooftops the whole night long
Saw a shooting star like a diamond in the sky
Must be someone's soul passing by

These are the streets
Where we used to run where your Papa's from
These are the days
Where you become what you become
These are the streets
Where the story's told
The truth unfolds
Darkness settles in

Shine your light down on me
Lift me up so i can see
Shine your light when you're gone
Give me the strength
To carry on, carry on

Don't wanna be a hero
Just an everyday man
Trying to do the job the very best he can
But now it's like living on borrowed time
Out on the rim, over the line
Always tempting fate like a game of chance
Never wanna stick around to the very last dance
Sometimes i stumble and take a hard fall
Loose(?) hold your grip off the wall

Shine your light down on me
Lift me up so i can see
Shine your light when you're gone
Give me the strength to carry on
Carry on

I thought i saw him walking by the side of the road
Maybe trying to find his way home

He's here but not here
He's gone but not gone
Just hope he knows if I get lost

Shine your light down on me
Lift me up so i can see
Shine your light when you're gone
Give me the strength to carry on
To carry on

Captain Kelly Owens
Southmont Fire Department

February 25, 2007

Family and Friends of fallen hero Sergeant Howard Plouff,

My thoughts are with the family of this great hero, this great man. We never think the unthinkable can happen to us, and when it does we are left with shattered pieces and questions of WHY!? These questions cannot be answered on this earth especially with such a senseless act. I pray that someday the Plouff family can find peace in the ultimate sacrifice this officer made.

Sorry for you loss,
Brian Scarbrough

Brian Scarbrough
Brother of Michael Scarbrough EOW 2/9/05

February 25, 2007

Sergeant Plouff,

Rest in peace Brother, you are a hero and you will never be forgotten........

"The thin blue line keeps getting thinner".....

Senior Officer D. W. Reichhardt
Waverly, Va. PD

February 25, 2007

To Sgt. Plouff's family, friends and co-workers:
On hearing the tragic news of the shooting of Sgt. Plouff I prayed that everything would turn out ok, and it did according to Gods plan. His plans are always better than ours. Reading all of the other reflections tells me that Sgt. Plouff was a very well respected and loved police officer, and it tells me that he was dedicated to his job and doing what was right. My heart goes out to Sgt. Plouff's wife and children and to the Winston Salem/Forsyth County officers during this time. It is officers with this much love for the community that make us all fell a little safer. May God be with you all during this time of need.

Lisa Hollifield
citizen

February 25, 2007

To Sergeant Plouff family, friends, and the Winston-Salem Police Department; I would like to extend my condolences and deepest sympathy. My thoughts and prays are with you all. Thanks Sergeant Plouff for all your years of service. a job well done, I salute you. You are a true hero. May your soul rest in peace.
Respect.....Honor.....Remember.....

Patrol Officer
Prince George's County, Maryland

February 25, 2007

Your family are in our thoughts and prayers. God Bless.

Sean Fay
Myrtle Beach Police Department

February 25, 2007

We will miss Howie dearly. Thanks for all the great memories, skiing, parties at the Bohemia Fire Dept., the Poconos. The days cutting class and going to the mall, hanging out at the stumps......To a great friend, We will never forget you. God speed and watch over us.

Paul and Jeanette
Friends from Bohemia NY

February 25, 2007

A hero lives forever in our hearts. You will never be forgotten.

February 25, 2007

It hurts me so much to hear things like this. I'm twelve years old and know what evryone in greif are through. I have experienced the pain of a fallen officer/uncle. (michael briggs-83). I wish the best for all of the family anf friends of this officer.
-

Mckenzie Dow
Connection

February 25, 2007

May God bless you and your family through these hard times. R.I.P. Brother, we will never forget...

Officer Marc Sweeney #136
Denton Texas Police Department

Officer Marc A. Sweeney #136
Denton Texas Police Department

February 25, 2007

God Bless, Rest in Peace

Officer A. J. Blake
Greensboro Police, NC

February 25, 2007

Sgt Howard J. Plouff

Go rest in peace brother, for your job here is done.
HEROES IN LIFE, NOT DEATH

Detective Constable Smion Moussa
Ontario Provincial Police

February 25, 2007

May you rest in peace. My prayers are with your family.

Correction Officer Debra Vasquez
Lucas County Sheriff's Department

February 25, 2007

Sgt. Plouff, it is indeed sad to have you on this memorial. You gave your life having the backs of your officers. Thank you for your ultimate sacrifice. You are a hero sir! You will not be forgotten. Heroes, in one way or another, live forever. To the Plouff family, my deepest sympathies go out to you at this time. I will pray that God's grace will be sufficient for you through this time. To the WSPD family, I am praying the God will be with you at this time and as you continue the watch. Thank all of you for all you do. Romans 13:4.

Traffic Officer Tom Williams
City of Los Angeles DOT

February 25, 2007

I see this face, a family face, a beautiful face and I remember our youth and the awesome family times we spent together and Howard, the baby, never ever that I can remember without that big smile of his always present. Hearts have been broken all over the country for the loss of this incredible person and the sad and tragic way that he was taken. We are now, and always have been, enormously proud of the man Howard became and offer our deepfelt sympathy to his wife and children, his mother and father Tom, and his beautiful sisters and their families..we will continue to keep you in our prayers through the long days ahead. Rest in Peace Howard.

Kathy Carlson (Plouff)
cousin

February 25, 2007

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” —Isaiah 6:8

You have paid the ultimate sacrafice Sergeant Plouff. God has a special place in Heaven for his Guardians on earth. May God watch over you and your family. You will not be forgotten.

JD Simcox
Clayton, NC PD

February 25, 2007

As a wife of a police officer I know the anxiety one feels when their loved one leaves for work. My heart goes out to the family of Sgt.Plouff as well as his fellow officers. As demonstrated by Sgt. Plouff, they are are walking into danger while others are running away. Thank you Sgt.Plouff and the rest of WSPD for all that you do.

Jeanna Hagan
wife of WSPD officer

February 25, 2007

I will keep you and your family in my prayers. This world has suffered a great loss with your death. I hope that you family, friends, and loved ones always remember that you are a hero. Thank you for giving the ultimate sacrifice. It is so natural for us to go when another officer is calling for help, no matter how bad the situation turns... we are all together in this brotherhood. You are a hero, and I know you are keeping the streets of heaven even more safe.

rest in peace. you will never be forgotten. I also pray that your family finds comfort through the love and compassion you have left them with.

always.
your fellow officer

OFFICER
NORTH CAROLINA

February 25, 2007

May you rest in peace Sergeant H. Plouff. Thank you for your service in law enforement! My prayers are with you and your family.

ret.Corr. Officer E. Huffmnan
N.Y. State Dep. of Correction

February 25, 2007

I had the fortunate pleasure of working for and with your Sgt Plouff after joining the department in 2005. My time spent working with Sarge was easy going maybe because I too was from the Northeast (New York) area therefore an instant connection had been made.

Although I say it was easy going I can remember feeling very tense whenever I submitted a report for Sarge to review because in my opinion he was the toughest man to write a report for. Sgt Plouff always seemed to find a mistake, whether it was a spelling error, a grammatical error, or some piece of information that needed further explanation. It was awesome to hear "Good job!" from Sarge whenever he finished reading your report and no corrections were needed. This meant you met or exceeded his standards which were very high.

Sgt Plouff always kept you sharp and he challenged me early on in my second phase of training when he asked me to recite how I as a Law Enforcement Officer can make a warrantless arrest. Although I was able to answer the question with a little help from my training coach at that very moment I knew that I should always be prepared to be my very best when working with Sgt Plouff because he expected nothing but the very best from his people. That night I photo copied the section of the book that detailed how an officer can make a warrantless arrest and to this day I keep it within arms reach in my patrol car always remembering the lesson Sarge taught me that day.

Sgt Plouff helped me not too long ago with a complaint that was called on me by a citizen. Sarge called me and asked me what happened on the call. Sarge had a way to put someone that was being questioned at ease and listened intently to what had occurred not casting any judgment until everything was said. This was refreshing considering complaints are taken very seriously and should be investigated thoroughly. Sarge put me at ease after hearing what I had to say which gave me the impression that I had done nothing wrong - which is what I knew all along. The next day I asked Sarge what was the outcome of his investigation to the complaint and he immediately began to apologize for not getting back to me to let me know everything was fine. He kept apologizing and I had to finally tell him that it was not a problem. This again demonstrated his concern for his people in that he felt he had some how let me down or that he had let me continue to worry about the complaint overnight when he could have put me at ease the day before. As I said to him that I had felt because of the tone of his voice and my own conscious that I was in the right and had nothing to worry about so no sweat off my back Sarge. I reiterated to Sarge that it was fine and I thanked him for listening to me. This demonstrated to me that Sgt Plouff truly cared about who I/we felt.

I will miss the way Sarge pronounced my name. SANTIAGO. He always seemed to extend my name out emphasizing the name SAAAAAANTIAAAAAAGO! I will miss the humor he brought into the line up room prior to the beginning of each shift. I will miss his guidance and advice coming from a man that I knew represented all that a police officer and police sergeant should be. I will miss Sarge for being the good soul that he was who truly cared for his men and women and cared for the people he was entrusted to "Protect and Serve".

There are no words that I can manage to say or type to express the deep sadness that my family and I have for Mrs. Plouff and their two daughters. The one thing that consoles a broken heart is the fact that Sarge is now starting a new tour of duty in God's Kingdom of Heaven. He is at peace and those who remain here on this earth will one day reunite with Sarge and rejoice in the everlasting life we have been promised.

The time will come soon for us as a platoon and squad to go back to work knowing we are without Sgt Plouff and the same danger that presented itself two nights ago remains ever present. This does not change or deter our resolve to do what we do - protecting and serving our community. Sgt Plouff is an inspiration and will always be a part of me as I continue to follow in his footsteps and the footsteps of those who have come before me or have paid the ultimate price for doing this sometimes thankless profession.

Respectfully,
R.J. SANTIAGO
Squad 230, Platoon 3

Officer R.J. SANTIAGO
WSPD, Squad 230, Platoon 3

February 25, 2007

May you rest in peace Sarge! Godspeed!!!

Investigator Joshua D. Bowman
Gates Police Dept. Rochester, NY

February 25, 2007

Somebody killed a policeman today and a part of America died. Thanks for your service. RIP brother.

NC Game Warden

February 25, 2007

Rest in peace, Warrior, we'll take it from here.

Special Agent #1393
State of North Carolina

February 25, 2007

As the 20th anniversary date of my husband's death in the line of duty is today, I am saddened to hear that yet another family & department must endure the heart ache and pain of losing a loved one. My prayers and thoughts are with Sgt Plouff's family and friends during this tragic time. I also pray for the safety of all our law enforcement officers who still walk the beat. Rest in peace Sgt. Plouff. You will be missed.

Tammie Elliott-Gehle
Widow of Sgt. Robert L. Elliott EOW-2/25/87

February 25, 2007

Rest in peace brother.

P.O. J. Chirino
Duke University Police

February 25, 2007