This editorial is different: a love story brought about by two very compelling officer survival incidents. Last month, I had the honor of attending a wedding that has caused me to ponder the meaning and timing of life's events. Let's meet the bride and groom.
On Oct. 31, 2009, Seattle Officer Britt Sweeney was only 30 days into FTO training when a determined killer pulled up alongside the marked patrol car occupied by Sweeney and her FTO, Tim Brenton. Without warning or prelude, the killer leveled a .223 rifle at the officers and fired repeatedly. Sweeney was struck in the head by a glancing round, causing her to instinctively dive down and to the right. Another round struck Sweeney in the back, hitting her body armor at an extreme angle because she had bent down to minimize herself as a target. The round penetrated the body armor to the last layer before being deflected upward toward the roof of the patrol car. What could have been a round through her chest was stopped by her vest.
Officer Brenton was killed. Although Sweeney was wounded, she rolled out of the car and returned fire, striking the suspect's car as it sped away. The bullet holes in the car would later prove important in identifying the suspect's vehicle. Considering her injuries, her limited experience and the intensity of the circumstances, Sweeney's actions were nothing short of heroic. Sweeney was placed on administrative leave and sent home with instructions to not discuss the incident.
On Nov. 29, 2009, one of the most tragic chapters in law enforcement history was written when four Lakewood (Wash.) PD officers were murdered in a coffee shop. Those officers were Sgt. Mark Renninger and Officers Tina Griswold, Gregory Richards and Ronald Owens.
Two days later, their killer approached Seattle PD Officer Ben Kelly as he was out with an unoccupied stolen vehicle. Processing an unoccupied stolen vehicle was not unusual, and Kelly could understandably have been caught off guard. But complacency isn't Ben Kelly's style. He stayed clearly focused on the concept of W.I.N. (What's important now?) and it paid off. A micro-second after realizing he was facing a killer, Kelly took the offensive, shooting his would-be assailant as he tried to pull a gun taken from a fallen officer. Even while calling for assistance, Kelly maintained a position of cover and directed responding officers into a position of safety. His tactics were spot-on and the killer of four police officers met justice on a dark and cold Seattle street.
The actions of Officers Sweeney and Kelly should serve as a model for every officer and underscore some key officer survival points. 1) Always be ready because trouble will find you when you least expect it. 2) Complacency is not an option. 3) Wearing body armor is a must, and there's no advance warning for when it might be needed. 4) You must focus on W.I.N.—What's important now? 5) Finally: When it's time to act, get it done with commitment and follow-through.
So where's the love story? Well, Sweeney was still on administrative leave when Kelly was involved in his shooting. To say she was going stir crazy would be an understatement and despite the admonition to not talk with anyone, she reached out to Kelly. Actually, she barraged him with email, essentially begging him to talk with her. She felt compelled to tell him what the administrative "penalty box" was like and she needed someone with whom she could commiserate.
The emails were so frequent and frenetic that Kelly, who didn't know Sweeney, felt like he was being stalked. He eventually gave in and agreed to a meeting. You guessed it. They fell in love. Three years, three months and nine days after gunfire changed Sweeney's life forever, she married Ben Kelly in a storybook wedding ceremony, a portion of which honored those who had lost their lives in the events that brought the couple together.
But wait, there's more. Two days after the wedding, the new Mr. and Mrs. Kelly came to a Below 100 training session organized by Sgt. Jeff Carroll, the training sergeant at Lakewood PD. They told their stories to a group attending Below 100 instructor training. That training and those stories will be used to save the lives of other officers.
I'm honored to know Ben and Britt Kelly and to have shared in their celebration of life. If you'd like to see some photos that I took at the wedding, go to www.LawOfficer.com/ben&britt.
—Dale Stockton, Editor in Chief
