American Law Enforcement suffered the loss of six heroes in the month of April. While 2015 has seen a slight downward trend compared to last year, we continue to see trends that we must acknowledge and work to reduce. The three leading causes of LODDs including deaths due to firearms, vehicles and a heart attack all took place in April.
We must join other professions such as the airline and freight industry and learn to analyze each death and injury very closely with the mantra to never repeat any mistakes of the past. Each year the causes of LODDs look eerily similar and while we may not be able to eliminate every single tragedy, it is indeed possible to eliminate accidental deaths during firearms training, single vehicle fatalities and vehicle fatalities due to a lack of seatbelt usage. There will be no new ways in 2015 for law enforcement to get killed or injured.
For more on how we can reduce the number of LODDs. Visit Below100.com. Special thanks to our partners at the Officer Down Memorial Page for their tireless commitment to keeping the memory of our fallen heroes on their page, ODMP.org.
Here are summaries of our fallen during the month of March, listed in order of occurrence.
Police Officer David Colley Montgomery Police Department, Ala., 24, was killed when his patrol car collided with a tractor trailer at the intersection of Narrow Lane Road and East South Boulevard. He was responding to a call when the crash occurred at approximately 6:00 am. He was transported to Baptist Medical Center South where he succumbed to his injuries. Officer Colley had served with the Montgomery Police Department for two years. He is survived by his wife and 1-year-old child.
Police Officer Jared Forsyth Ocala Police Department, Fla., 33, was accidentally shot and killed while participating in firearms training at the Lowell Correctional Institution’s firing range on NW Gainesville Road at approximately 3 p.m. A firearm was accidentally discharged during the training and the round struck Officer Forsyth in the side of his chest, between the panels of his vest. He was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center where he succumbed to the wound approximately two hours later. Officer Forsyth had served with the Ocala Police Department for three years.
Police Officer Juandre Gilliam Jeanerette Police Department, La., 22, was killed in a crash during a vehicle pursuit at approximately 10:30 p.m. A vehicle he was attempting to stop for a traffic violation fled, and he pursued it onto St. Peter Street where his vehicle overturned near Route 182. Officer Gilliam was extricated from the vehicle and transported to Iberia General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Both occupants of the vehicle, one adult and one juvenile, were arrested a short time later. Officer Gilliam had served with the Jeanerette Police Department for two years but had only graduated from the police academy three weeks prior to the crash.
Corporal Scott Thompson Manchester Township Police Department, N.J, 47, suffered a fatal heart attack while working out in the police department gym as part of its wellness program. He was transported to Community Medical Center where he passed away. Corporal Thompson had served with the Manchester Township Police Department for 17 years. He had previously served with the Seaside Park Police Department, South Toms River Police Department, and Lakehurst Police Department for a combined 12 years. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal.
Police Officer Mike Villarreal Pearsall Police Department, Texas, 51, was killed in a vehicle crash on Highway 97, five miles west of Jourdanton, at approximately 1:30 p.m. He was transporting a juvenile offender to the Atascosa Juvenile Detention Facility when his patrol car and a large pickup truck collided head-on. Officer Villarreal suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. The juvenile offender and other driver both suffered critical injuries. Officer Villarreal had served with the Pearsall Police Department for less than one year but had served in law enforcement for 27 years. He is survived by his two children and fiancee.
Deputy Sheriff Gil Datan, Coos County Sheriff’s Office, Ore., 43, was killed in an ATV crash while patrolling timber lands between Green Acres Road and South Sumner Road, near Coos Bay. It is believed that he was thrown from the ATV when it rolled down a steep embankment between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm. The vehicle landed on top of him, causing him to suffer fatal injuries. A massive search was initiated after he failed to check in with dispatch at the end of his shift at 4 p.m. The crash site was located at approximately 9:45 p.m. Deputy Datan had served with the Coos County Sheriff’s Office for five years and had served in law enforcement for 19 years. He had previously served with the Myrtle Point Police Department, North Bend Police Department, Confederated Tribal Police Department, and Reedsport Police Department. He is survived by his daughter.
We owe it to every law enforcement officer and their family to do everything we can to bring them home each night. This will require leadership at the every level, accountability to all and a deep commitment to providing the highest level of training to each man or woman wearing a badge today.
On behalf of Law Officer, our thoughts and prayers are with the families, communities and agencies affected by these tragedies. May we honor these ultimate sacrifices by never forgetting what these heroes have done for their communities.