Law Enforcement Memorial

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Visiting Canberra for Wintercon I took the time to visit the National Police Memorial in King's Park on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin. The memorial commemorates the more than 700 officers of all Australian jurisdictions who have died on duty over the past 200 years.



I am posting today to express my sympathies to our US colleagues for the loss of 5 officers killed in the line of duty in Dallas last week. I know there are other members of this community who work in law enforcement and such incidents remind us of the risks we take every working day.

Vale DPD Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, age 48, DPD Officer Michael Krol, 40, DPD Sgt. Michael Smith, 55, a former Army Ranger, DART Officer Brent Thompson, 43, a former Marine, DPD Officer Patrick Zamarripa, 32, a former Navy sailor and Iraq War veteran.

[milcoll73]

thank you for the show of respect. rest in peace officers.

[gully_raker]

I salute you all! R.I.P.

[Jager]

Thank you Carl.
And thanks to all Peace Officers, who gave themselves for the rest of us.
Karl

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Something most citizens take for granted, unless a situation like this brings the dangers home to us all.
A reminder to us of the dangerous work that all these services do for us, be it civil or military.
RIP.

[Blackronin]

I have the utmost respect for the Police and the work they do.
I think that it is a tragedy when someone dies in the line of duty.
But just paying our respects to them is doing them a disfavor.
They died for a reason.
They died and if we ignore the reason why they died we are diminishing the reason why they died.
They died because something is fundamentally wrong in the USA Police Forces and society. It is called inequality and racism.
And it must be addressed and healed. With good deeds. With education and better balance of opportunities.
That's the only way bad things with stop happening.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

With due reference to the forum's rules I specifically omitted any mention of the political and social issues surrounding the deaths of these law enforcement officers.

No matter what the reason the murder of five people is a heinous crime. That these men were police officers doing their jobs adds a further dimension to the offence. When the shooting started they could not run from the scene like the public, they stayed to protect the people who had been protesting against police just moments before. They chose to stay and do their duty and paid the ultimate price.

I salute these five officers for their sacrifice.

[Blackronin]

Carl, I fully understand what you are saying. But the moment you disconnect the tragic reason for their deaths you made this thread a politized one. You are saying that these men deserve our respect (they do) but that the innocent civilians that were cold bloodied murdered at the hands of the officers sworned to protect them and in front of their loved ones and children do not deserve a thread and a photo. Why?

[clipper1801]

Carl, I fully understand what you are saying. But the moment you disconnect the tragic reason for their deaths you made this thread a politized one. You are saying that these men deserve our respect (they do) but that the innocent civilians that were cold bloodied murdered at the hands of the officers sworned to protect them and in front of their loved ones and children do not deserve a thread and a photo. Why?

Sadly this is why we strive to not get political here. It is too easy to believe the media bias, I am sickened by the belief out there that the US is considered such a vile and evil place. It is not, and we are not. Having lost several law enforcement friends in the line of duty and watching the racist accusations turn out to be false is very rarely a told tale. The world is full of evil, let's not add to it.

[flash]

With due reference to the forum's rules I specifically omitted any mention of the political and social issues surrounding the deaths of these law enforcement officers.

No matter what the reason the murder of five people is a heinous crime. That these men were police officers doing their jobs adds a further dimension to the offence. When the shooting started they could not run from the scene like the public, they stayed to protect the people who had been protesting against police just moments before. They chose to stay and do their duty and paid the ultimate price.

I salute these five officers for their sacrifice.

Well said Carl.
In addition to the five officers who died, seven officers and two civilians were wounded and we should think of them also.
https://www.odmp.org/search/year

[Blackronin]

Sadly this is why we strive to not get political here. It is too easy to believe the media bias, I am sickened by the belief out there that the US is considered such a vile and evil place. It is not, and we are not. Having lost several law enforcement friends in the line of duty and watching the racist accusations turn out to be false is very rarely a told tale. The world is full of evil, let's not add to it.

Dear Dave, only a fool think that a country is a vile and evil place by judging the actions of a part of it.
I'll say no more here since what I meant seems to go unnoticed.

[David Manley]

Dear Dave, only a fool think that a country is a vile and evil place by judging the actions of a part of it.....

Unfortunately that broad brush approach seems to be pretty standard these days

[Marechallannes]

There can't be any excuse or reason to shoot five policemen from an ambush.


So if Carl told us about his plans to visit a police memorial during his trip to a gaming convention and honors his & mine US colleagues that died in duty in the same thread, it's fine for me and should not start a discussion like this.


Press and social media suggest us sometimes a situation that's not representative. Bavaria has about 30.000 police officers. The city of New York has 35.000 police officers. I can't give a guarantee that there are no black sheep among them. A big problem we have is that we have to act in public, filmed by smartphones, video installations, etc., and if something went wrong the whole country is informed within hours.

Curiously we get this information in Europe in the news - in detail - too, because if press and media have nothing to say, they told us stories about bus accidents in Brazil or China.

The impression that stays in our minds leaves a wrongful opinon, increased by fools that try to place themselves in the forground by expanding those incidents. (With a little luck, weeks and moth after those incidents, we will be informed that justice has brought to those black sheep, like for every citizen.)



At all it does injustice to the thousands of US police officers doing their daily duty in the United States of America.



Rest in peace comrades.

[Canestri10]

Unfortunately There is an agenda played out in the media that is making us think a certain way about those who are sworn to protect us. They can make any individual or group of people look evil or good.

The John Mayer song 'Waiting on the world to change' comes to mind.

"When you trust your television, what you get is what you got,
Because all the infortmation oh they can bend it all they want."

I have personally had nothing but good experiences with the Police. Even when I was young and stupid and had a few run ins, I realised they were just doing their jobs. Sven is quite right that there will always be black sheep no matter where you go.

But in an attempt to steer this thread back to where I imagined Carl wanted it to stay I too salute all those officers and thank them for protecting us with their lives.

[BobP]

I saw and read this thread. I will also bite my tongue and not say anything other than thanks to Carl for his thoughts. Also thoughts go out to all Police throughout the world that do their job, get no thanks but 'CARRY ON".

[Flying Officer Kyte]

I would now like to thank you chaps for keeping this thread within the bounds of reasonableness.
It helps to make the work that we moderators do a lot more pleasant, and less of a chore.
Rob.

[BobP]

Well 3 more names added to the US Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. No comments other than God bless them and their families for their sacrifice.