I propose a toast to all the men and women patrolling a beat during the Christmas season.
With thirteen years of road experience I have come to realize that harder than the job itself, is the time we sacrifice away from family.
While the citizens get to enjoy their families you are selflessly serving your communities, meanwhile missing out on your own family gatherings, decorating cookies and unrecoverable time with friends.
I would like to quote an article that I published on December 24, 2015 as I believe it still applies today.
In Remembrance of Me
The leader that comes to mind during this season is Jesus of Nazareth.
Irrespective of whether you believe that He was a prophet or the son of God, I believe that at minimum we can all agree that He was a smart visionary and an awesome leader.
As all leaders before Him and after Him he led by example. He did what he did so that people would learn the way.
For the record I personally believe in Jesus Christ, but you don’t have to, to appreciate this message and wish.
The lesson that we will focus on in this article is His lesson of gratitude that was taught particularly well during the last supper.
Jesus raised his glass of what was believed to be wine, and said the following solemn words (paraphrase) “drink this in remembrance of me.”
What does that mean?
He wasn’t only alluding to the sacrifice that He was about to make for them and us. He wasn’t referring to the different trials and tribulations that He went through so that they wouldn’t have to suffer. He was denoting the fact that everybody in this world owes their position in life to a predecessor who laid the foundation, groundwork and went the extra mile in hopes that their descendants wouldn’t suffer as they did.
Every time that you wake up in the morning and your car’s not on bricks; Every day that you and your family enjoy a picnic in the park, on the mountainside or at a theme park free from crime; Every time that you need somebody to bail you, your family or friends out of harms’ way; Every time that your car is stalled on a dark street in the middle of the night and the soothing sight of blue approaching lights makes you feel safe; Every time that you enjoy the peaceful freedoms that you enjoy, with the confidence that when you call we are there; do so “in remembrance of me.”
Who is me in this context?
Me, is every man and woman that puts on a uniform, badge and gun and provides for their family by protecting yours. Me is, every law enforcement officer that gets stabbed trying to protect your belongings. Me is every law enforcement officer that is left alone to their own devices when they go above and beyond to protect the public against perpetrators that play the system of technicalities.
Me is, every law enforcement officer that is commissioned with the responsibility of doing what is reasonable and necessary to defeat the community’s criminals and is left alone to fend for themselves and chastised when doing so. Me is, every law enforcement officer that gets ridiculed and insulted by the media for doing and criticized for not doing.
Me is, every law enforcement officer that takes a bullet for you, when you are under fire by an assailant. Me is, every law enforcement officer that detours the attacks against your integrity that you don’t see because they got to them before they could materialize.
Me is every law enforcement officer that chases the perpetrator that just stole your wedding ring into the dark eerie tree line to recuperate what you hold dear. Me is, every law enforcement officer that risks life and limb to get to you before you lose yours.
Every time that you enjoy safety on a city street, public place, private establishment or in your house do so, “in remembrance of me.”
As you are gathered around the table with family and friends this Christmas raise your glass and make three toasts: One for me that risks his/her life on a daily basis for your safety.
The second one is for my brother’s and sister’s that lost theirs that you may live on and enjoy yours. And the third (if you believe) for the sacrifice that Jesus made on your behalf.
A moment of silence for those officers who lost their lives in 2023 (whether health or duty related) it is no less of a loss to their family’s, friend’s, community’s and brother’s and sister’s in law enforcement (ODMP).
Chief of Police Justin Clark McIntire
Brackenridge Borough Police Department, PA
EOW: Monday, January 2, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Carl Douglas Kimball
St. Francisville Police Department, LA
EOW: Thursday, January 12, 2023
Cause: COVID19
Deputy Sheriff Darnell Calhoun
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, CA
EOW: Friday, January 13, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Supervisory Officer Jacqueline Montanaro
United States Department of Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations, US
EOW: Saturday, January 14, 2023
Cause: Fire
New Jersey State Police, NJ
EOW: Monday, January 16, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Corrections Officer Lawrence Christopher Prather
New Hampshire Department of Corrections, NH
EOW: Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Cause: Duty related illness
Master Patrol Officer Clarence L. “CJ” Williams
Cairo Police Department, GA
EOW: Saturday, January 28, 2023
Cause: Duty related illness
Police Officer Gonzalo Carrasco, Jr.
Selma Police Department, CA
EOW: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Sean Leonard Sluganski
McKeesport Police Department, PA
EOW: Monday, February 6, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Peter E. C. Jerving
Milwaukee Police Department, WI
EOW: Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Charles Herring
Pembroke Pines Police Department, FL
EOW: Thursday, February 9, 2023
Cause: Motorcycle crash
Fountain Police Department, CO
EOW: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Cause: Fall
Correctional Officer Jay Miller
Washington State Department of Corrections, WA
EOW: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Cause: COVID19
Police Officer James Muhlbauer
Kansas City Police Department, MO
EOW: Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Sergeant Christopher D. Fitzgerald
Temple University Police Department, PA
EOW: Saturday, February 18, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Memphis Police Department, TN
EOW: Saturday, February 18, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Detention Officer Kenneth Fowler
Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office, OK
EOW: Sunday, February 19, 2023
Cause: Fall
Police Officer Andres M. Vasquez Lasso
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, IN
EOW: Thursday, March 2, 2023
Cause: Duty related illness
Master Trooper James R. Bailey
Indiana State Police, IN
EOW: Friday, March 3, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Detective Sergeant Mason Griffith
Hermann Police Department, MO
EOW: Sunday, March 12, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Lieutenant Frederick Charles Bowens, Jr.
Detroit Police Department, MI
EOW: Monday, March 13, 2023
Cause: COVID19
Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, OK
EOW: Monday, March 20, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
McAlester Police Department, OK
EOW: Monday, March 20, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Baton Rouge Police Department, LA
EOW: Sunday, March 26, 2023
Cause: Aircraft accident
Baton Rouge Police Department, LA
EOW: Sunday, March 26, 2023
Cause: Aircraft accident
Huntsville Police Department, AL
EOW: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Timothy James Unwin, III
Springfield Township Police Department, OH
EOW: Friday, March 31, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Detective Sergeant Nicholas Pepper
Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, LA
EOW: Sunday, April 2, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Police Officer Emily Ann Breidenbach
Chetek Police Department, WI
EOW: Saturday, April 8, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Hunter Timothy Scheel
Cameron Police Department, WI
EOW: Saturday, April 8, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Senior Police Officer Trevor Abney
New Orleans Police Department, LA
EOW: Sunday, April 9, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Jason Stuart Jones
Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, TX
EOW: Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Cause: COVID19
New York State Police, NY
EOW: Thursday, April 13, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Pope County Sheriff’s Office, MN
EOW: Saturday, April 15, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Reserve Corporal Joseph Johnson
Nyssa Police Department, OR
EOW: Saturday, April 15, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Senior Investigator Nicholas Georgeadis
New York State Police, NY
EOW: Friday, April 28, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Newark Police Division, NJ
EOW: Monday, May 1, 2023
Cause: COVID19
Captain William J. Gawron, Sr.
Sayreville Police Department, NJ
EOW: Thursday, May 4, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Police Officer Aréanah M. Preston
Chicago Police Department, IL
EOW: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office, WI
EOW: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Deptford Township Police Department, NJ
EOW: Sunday, May 7, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, TN
EOW: Sunday, May 7, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Port Police Officer Kimberly Sickafoose
Alabama Port Authority Police, AL
EOW: Thursday, May 11, 2023
Cause: Drowned
Cameron Police Department, TX
EOW: Thursday, May 11, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, CA
EOW: Saturday, May 13, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, FL
EOW: Friday, May 19, 2023
Cause: Heart attack
Scott County Sheriff’s Office, KY
EOW: Monday, May 22, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, OH
EOW: Friday, May 26, 2023
Cause: Duty related illness
Police Officer Horren Randy Tyler
Madison Police Department, MS
EOW: Thursday, June 1, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Denham Springs Police Department, LA
EOW: Friday, June 2, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
West Virginia State Police, WV
EOW: Friday, June 2, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Chief of Police Anthony Rickerson
Jasper Police Department, FL
EOW: Sunday, June 11, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
New York State Police, NY
EOW: Monday, June 12, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Police Officer Mark Christopher Wagner, II
Wintergreen Police Department, VA
EOW: Friday, June 16, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Trooper Jacques F. Rougeau, Jr.
Pennsylvania State Police, PA
EOW: Saturday, June 17, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Technical Sergeant Scott Charles Norcutt
New York State Police, NY
EOW: Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Indiana State Police, IN
EOW: Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Montgomery Police Department, AL
EOW: Friday, June 30, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Tell City Police Department, IN
EOW: Monday, July 3, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Detective Delberth Phipps, Jr.
Virgin Islands Police Department, VI
EOW: Tuesday, July 4, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Tyee Michael Browne
Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, GA
EOW: Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Jessica Ebbighausen
Rutland Police Department, VT
EOW: Friday, July 7, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Marion County Sheriff’s Office, IN
EOW: Monday, July 10, 2023
Cause: Assault
Fargo Police Department, ND
EOW: Friday, July 14, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Police Officer Anthony Ferguson
Alamogordo Police Department, NM
EOW: Sunday, July 16, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Sergeant Edwin Maldonado-García
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Eastland County Sheriff’s Office, TX
EOW: Friday, July 21, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Special Agent Robert C. Castioni, Jr.
United States Department of Homeland Security – Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, US
EOW: Monday, July 24, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Newberry Police Department, SC
EOW: Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Deputy Sheriff Alejandro Martinez
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, CA
EOW: Friday, July 28, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Macon County Sheriff’s Office, TN
EOW: Saturday, July 29, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Ville Platte Marshal’s Office, LA
EOW: Monday, July 31, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Trujillo Alto Municipal Police Department, PR
EOW: Monday, July 31, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Timothy J. Guyer
Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, IN
EOW: Tuesday, August 1, 2023
Cause: Heart attack
Easley Police Department, SC
EOW: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Cause: Struck by train
Associate Director John “Jack” Hess
United States Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation, US
EOW: Friday, August 4, 2023
Cause: 9/11 related illness
Fairway Police Department, KS
EOW: Monday, August 7, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Honolulu Police Department, HI
EOW: Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Cause: Motorcycle crash
Alamogordo Police Department, NM
EOW: Monday, August 14, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
United States Department of the Treasury – Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, US
EOW: Thursday, August 17, 2023
Cause: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Hudson Independent School District Police Department, TX
EOW: Friday, August 18, 2023
Cause: Duty related illness
Police Officer Anthony Francone
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department, TR
EOW: Friday, August 25, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office, GA
EOW: Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Deputy Sheriff Matthew Pierson
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, TX
EOW: Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Chief of Police Frank Hayes, Jr.
Goodland Police Department, KS
EOW: Wednesday, August 30, 2023
Cause: Heart attack
Governmental Affairs Liaison Michael Elaine Griffin
Mississippi Department of Public Safety, MS
EOW: Monday, September 4, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Hartford Police Department, CT
EOW: Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Deputy Sheriff II Auston Smith Reudelhuber
Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, NC
EOW: Saturday, September 9, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Algona Police Department, IA
EOW: Wednesday, September 13, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Ryan Clinkunbroomer
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, CA
EOW: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Shannon Eric “Shane” Lang, Sr.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office, TN
EOW: Sunday, September 17, 2023
Cause: Heart attack
Deputy Sheriff Marylin Anjanette Mayo
St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, LA
EOW: Thursday, September 21, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer Darrin McMichael
Arlington Police Department, TX
EOW: Thursday, September 21, 2023
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Captain John Robert Randolph, III
Ringling Police Department, OK
EOW: Monday, September 25, 2023
Cause: Fall
Community Parole Officer Christine Guerin-Sandoval
Colorado Department of Corrections, CO
EOW: Thursday, September 28, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Deputy Sheriff Jacob Eric Salrin
Richland County Sheriff’s Department, SC
EOW: Friday, September 29, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Correctional Officer I Robert Danforth Clark
Georgia Department of Corrections, GA
EOW: Sunday, October 1, 2023
Cause: Assault
Knox County Sheriff’s Office, TN
EOW: Monday, October 2, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Manhattan Beach Police Department, CA
EOW: Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Cause: Motorcycle crash
Sergeant Richard Carrero Mendez
Philadelphia Police Department, PA
EOW: Thursday, October 12, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
San Benito Police Department, TX
EOW: Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Correctional Officer I Kelly Bernard Rolando
Missouri Department of Corrections, MO
EOW: Sunday, October 22, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Fort Worth Police Department, TX
EOW: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Cause: COVID19
Benton Police Department, AR
EOW: Wednesday, November 8, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Senior Police Officer Jorge Pastore
Austin Police Department, TX
EOW: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Correctional Officer III Jovian Motley
Texas Department of Criminal Justice – Correctional Institutions Division, TX
EOW: Monday, November 13, 2023
Cause: Unidentified
Border Patrol Agent Freddy Ortiz
United States Department of Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection – United States Border Patrol, US
EOW: Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Cortez Police Department, CO
EOW: Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Nevada Department of Public Safety – Nevada Highway Patrol, NV
EOW: Thursday, November 30, 2023
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Nevada Department of Public Safety – Nevada Highway Patrol, NV
EOW: Thursday, November 30, 2023
Cause: Struck by vehicle
Waltham Police Department, MA
EOW: Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Sergeant Russell Earl Lavarl Jones
Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office, NC
EOW: Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Cause: Heart attack
Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, ND
EOW: Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Chief of Police Christopher Byard Cummings
Samburg Police Department, TN
EOW: Sunday, December 10, 2023
Cause: Heart attack
Somervell County Sheriff’s Office, TX
EOW: Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Police Officer Daniel P. DiDato
East Fishkill Police Department, NY
EOW: Monday, December 18, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Deputy Sheriff Joshua Hamilton
Preble County Sheriff’s Office, OH
EOW: Monday, December 18, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, CO
EOW: Monday, February 13, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Kansas City Police Department, MO
EOW: Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
United States Department of Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection – Office of Field Operations, US
EOW: Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Cause: Duty related illness
San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office, CA
EOW: Sunday, February 19, 2023
Cause: Stabbed
Baytown Police Department, TX
EOW: Thursday, March 9, 2023
Cause: Animal related
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, CA
EOW: Friday, April 14, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Kane County Sheriff’s Office, IL
EOW: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Wake County Sheriff’s Office, NC
EOW: Friday, May 26, 2023
Cause: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Montville Police Department, CT
EOW: Thursday, June 1, 2023
Cause: Assault
Cobb County Police Department, GA
EOW: Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Cause: Heatstroke
Houston Police Department, TX
EOW: Monday, June 12, 2023
Cause: Heatstroke
Shreveport Police Department, LA
EOW: Saturday, June 24, 2023
Cause: Heatstroke
Forest Heights Police Department, MD
EOW: Sunday, July 2, 2023
Cause: Heatstroke
Gary Police Department, IN
EOW: Thursday, July 13, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
San Diego Police Department, CA
EOW: Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Clayton County Police Department, GA
EOW: Saturday, September 2, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, SC
EOW: Thursday, September 28, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Harris County Sheriff’s Office, GA
EOW: Sunday, October 1, 2023
Cause: Duty related illness
Orange County Sheriff’s Office, FL
EOW: Monday, October 16, 2023
Cause: Automobile crash
Georgia Department of Natural Resources, GA
EOW: Thursday, October 19, 2023
Cause: Heart attack
Pima County Sheriff’s Department, AZ
EOW: Friday, October 27, 2023
Cause: Assault
Franklin Police Department, OH
EOW: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Cause: Vehicular assault
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, KS
EOW: Thursday, November 16, 2023
Cause: Assault
South Fulton Police Department, GA
EOW: Friday, November 17, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
Connecticut State Police, CT
EOW: Thursday, December 21, 2023
Cause: Gunfire
From my family to the families of those brothers and sisters that have fallen, I raise my glass now and always in appreciation and remembrance of you. An officer is only as strong as the family that stands beside them.
Merry Christmas
Romans 12:9–18
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Eric Anthony Aguiar LLB