Growing up, I heard my grandparents and older relatives talking about how they remembered where they were when they heard about the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Apollo Moon Landing, and the assassination of John Kennedy. I always thought it was incredible they remembered a moment in time so vividly.
It has been 10 years since the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was something I know I will never forget. My wife woke me up at 6:04 a.m. to tell me a plane had just flown into the twin towers. I was horrified and angry. I was working as an area detective at Santee at the time, so I quickly dressed and went into work. I noticed how traffic seemed much lighter and the radio was quiet. I walked into the briefing room, and it was full of people. We were stunned, watching the coverage as the tragic events unfolded.
The mantra at the time was we will never forget 9/11. Sadly some people have. That day, 343 firefighters and 60 police officers died in the attacks at ground zero. They went to work the same way we do every day. Not knowing what is around the next corner, in the next module, or behind the doors we knock on. Sixty police officers died in a few hours, which is about the same number of deputies assigned to the South Bay Jail or Encinitas Station or the combined number of deputies at the South Bay and El Cajon Courts.
Sadly, our job is getting more dangerous. Violence in the jails seems to be on the increase. Violence on the streets has increased. Police have been involved in four shootings in San Diego County in the same number of weekends.
SDPD Officer Jeremy Henwood was murdered because he wore a uniform. While the general public might question how often this really happens, we know it happens way too often. Two years ago, four cops in Washington state were murdered by a gunman because they wore a police uniform. Last week, an unknown person attacked a Fresno PD Station parking lot with Molotov cocktails. Luckily, no one was injured. Two deranged suspects set up multiple attacks on Hemet PD Officers last year. Once again, we were lucky no one was killed.
Other than the military, we have the only profession in this country that has people attack us because of what we wear and what we represent. I recently heard some grumbling about the large funerals for law enforcement officers. Some of our detractors questioned sending so many “public employees” to the ceremony. These funerals are the best way for both the public and the law enforcement community to tell our criminals that we stand behind the police and support law and order. It honors the ultimate sacrifice made to protect and serve a community. It shows our communities we won’t stand for the violence that is so commonplace south of the border.
I have already forgotten the name of the murderer who killed Jeremy Henwood; I will never forget Jeremy Henwood.
I appreciated the calls and text messages from those of you who saw my daughter on the news. She, and a couple of friends she talked into attending, held up signs of support at Jeremy’s funeral. She was interviewed on television with her sign and spoke very well according to all the calls I received. It was completely her idea to attend, and I could not have been more proud of her.
Please keep ECPD Officer Jarred Slocum in your prayers as he recovers from a gunshot wound to the head. He was dragged to safety by his trainee, Tim McFarland. (I’ll be sending Officer McFarland a Sheriff’s application.) It is a reminder to treat each other well, because we never know when our lives will be in our partner’s hands.
Stay tuned! A major announcement will be coming from the DSA in the next couple of weeks. We have come to an agreement with Elbeco to sell deputy sheriff uniform pants and shirts. While we are still ironing out the details, we hope to have the uniforms for sale by mid-September with the grand reopening of our newly renovated store. Hopefully, this will put an end to mystery pricing on our uniforms. Our goal is to offer the best price on Sheriff’s Uniforms in San Diego County, and an even better price for DSA members. Remember while there are 3 million residents in San Diego County, only 2,200 can call themselves deputy sheriffs! Be safe out there!