Thin Blue Line: Remembering The Fallen

Thanks to the tireless work of the people behind the Officer Down Memorial Page, the exact number of law enforcement killed in the line of duty get reported and recognized for their heroic sacrifices. In 2018 alone, a total of 46 law enforcement officers have been killed and their sacrifices memorialized on www.odmp.org.

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<span style="margin-top:15px;rgba(42,51,6,0.7);font-size:12px;">Johnny Nguyen</span>

Related coverage: <a href="http://thegoldwater.com/news/24518-Arizona-Suspect-Arrested-For-Murder-Of-46th-Police-Officer-Killed-In-2018">Arizona - Suspect Arrested For Murder Of 46th Police Officer Killed In 2018</a>

<b>The ODMP Misison Statement:</b>

<i>The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., (ODMP) is a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America's fallen law enforcement heroes. More than 22,000 officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the United States since 1791, and it is with great honor that the ODMP preserves their memories within its pages. The countless stories of selfless courage and heroism exhibited by officers who lost their lives while serving and protecting the citizens of this great nation are a testament to the dedication of those men and women who wear the badge.</i>

The ODMP was created in 1996 by Chris Cosgriff, a James Madison University freshman who read a Washington Post article about the release of a cop-killer responsible for the deaths of two Prince George County, Maryland police officers. When Cosgriff learned that the killer served only 16 years for the double murder he was compelled to find a way to honor the fallen officers. He then created the ODMP for law enforcement officers killed or wounded in 1996 but soon expanded to include fallen officers dating back to 1990.

National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund, Inc. helped Cosgriff expand the ODMP by providing the site with information about thousands of officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. The newly-formed database recorded fallen officers as far back as the 1790's. The intention behind the website is to bring honor to the lives sacrificed by fallen officers. To do this, the ODMP posts photographs of officers and images of agency shoulder patches to the memorials of each officer. The organization was granted a status of 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2000. A decade later, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance awarded a grant to provide nationwide death notifications as well as resources and benefits available to the surviving members of the fallen officers' families.

Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/23782-Police-Aren-t-The-Enemy">Police Aren't The Enemy</a>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Jesus Cordova. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and the Nogales Police Department. <a href="https://twitter.com/NogalesPoliceAz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NogalesPoliceAz</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ywm1cKfKKq">pic.twitter.com/Ywm1cKfKKq</a></p>&mdash; Pima County Sheriff (@PimaSheriff) <a href="https://twitter.com/PimaSheriff/status/990027887821570048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 28, 2018</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Police officers stand and salute a police processional for fallen Somerset County Sheriff’s Corporal Eugene Cole, who was killed in the line of duty. Rest easy hero <a href="https://t.co/uhRjx9S2N6">pic.twitter.com/uhRjx9S2N6</a></p>&mdash; Police Support USA (@BackTheCops) <a href="https://twitter.com/BackTheCops/status/989977652097269760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2018</a></blockquote>

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The website serves an important role to remind us of what is so easily taken for granted and that is the sacrifice of those members of our communities who gave their lives in the line of duty. Far too often the police are portrayed as the enemy and painted in a negative light while in reality, the majority of police officers are just people like you and me who are doing their best at an impossible job. Recently, two more names were added to the list: Corporal Eugene Cole of Somerset County Sheriff's Office and Officer Jesus "Chuy" Cordova.

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Usually, police officers are only in the media under negative circumstances such as a fatal shooting, but the reality is many police officers never fire their gun in the line of duty. The average day of an officer isn't filled with high-speed chases and shootouts with criminals. Most of the time being an officer of the law means performing menial tasks such as roadside assistance, helping a person with a flat tire, or even filling out paperwork. A study taking place at the Tampa Police Department followed 60 officers with body cameras and recently they released some of the footage from the project. This short clip gives a much more realistic picture of what the average day of an officer looks like.

The study also found that 20 percent of the 1,000 Tampa police officers were assaulted in the line of duty in 2014 alone. 341 of those 1,000 officers were injured. Being a police officer is an impossible job. They are expected to write tickets which are ruining people's lives and making the community hate police and at the same time, they are supposed to be protecting and serving that community. The state of the relationships between communities and police departments is in tatters and it's going to take a shift in perspective to heal the rift. We must view police officers as what they are: members of our communities performing a job.

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<span style="margin-top:15px;rgba(42,51,6,0.7);font-size:12px;">arkansasonline.com</span>

Related coverage: <a href="http://thegoldwater.com/news/24509-Cop-Killer-in-Maine-Arrested-with-Corporal-Cole-s-Handcuffs-after-Four-Day-Manhunt">Cop Killer in Maine Arrested with Corporal Cole’s Handcuffs after Four-Day Manhunt</a>

Dealing with people who hate you multiple times every day can wear on a person and police are just regular human beings look you or I. They have bad days at work too and sometimes they aren't always as professional as they should be. It's not an easy job and the militarization of our police forces is expanding the wedge between us and them. Try not to judge all police by one bad experience where you felt an officer was rude. Just remember, each day they go to work might be their last and knowing that would weigh heavily on anyone. So while I shouldn't run into a police officer anytime soon, the next time I do I will treat them with the same respect that would want in return and remember their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice.

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