Editor s Note: Jeff Chudwin, chief of the Olympia Fields (Ill.) Police Department and the 2009Law OfficerTrainer of the Year, sent the following e-mail to his list following news of the Lakewood shootings. Chudwin brings to bear the poignant experience of having lost two officers from nearby departments he worked with, both murdered on duty.
Dear Friends,
I have heard from many of you today about the murder of four of our brother and sister officers from Lakewood P.D.
Each of us recalls where we were when we heard this news:four officers murdered.Four is it possible? How can this be?
Like those of you who wrote, I too feel a deep anger and sense of loss.
We did not know these officers as partners or friends, but each of us is one of them.
There is little we can say that will either make sense of this evil or in any way give comfort to the families who must now live a life of unimaginable loss.
Where words fail, action must stand.
Let us first resolve to use all our lawful might to bring those responsible to justice or finish any fight they offer.
We have faced this evil before and will do so again. We have buried our honored dead and somehow continued forward.
Every day, each of us starts anew with no promise of safety and no assurance of peace.
We do so understanding that there is no sanctuary, and violence may come at any time and place.
We choose to do this for our communities and nation and take on the heavy burden that comes with it.
We cannot detach our families and loved ones from what we do. Like the families of our brothers and sisters in the military, those who wait carry the heaviest burden.
We will find out the facts in this case, and it will make no sense. It never does.
We will remember each of these fine officers and make their lives and deaths have meaning. When the news reports have ended and the rest of the world has forgotten, we will not.
For now, let us keep faith with the fallen by offering a prayer for them and their families.
Let us further resolve to move our attention to our practices and safety.
It can and does happen to any officer, anywhere and anytime. There is true evil in the criminal and terrorist creatures who target us and our citizens.
They will not succeed nor endure, no matter how great our loss and pain.
We must never give up; never give in. We are it. If not us, who then will take on this sacred duty?
Stand proud of who we are and what we represent because we are the Thin Blue Line that has not wavered or failed. Without us, there is nothing else but anarchy.
Be ever vigilant, armed and prepared. Standing ready to fight, and win. All of us together what it is and will always be.
Today, I will not tell you to stay safe. Safety is not our calling. Instead, I will finish by telling you how much I respect you and thank you for what you do.
God Bless our fallen and all who must continue.
Regards,
Jeff Chudwin
