The entire KCPD family and I send our deepest condolences to the family, friends and coworkers of Officer Jeff Taylor of the Riverside, Missouri, Police Department. Officer Taylor had volunteered to assist in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Mo., when he was struck by lightning on May 23 near the operation’s command post. He passed away today at age 31 in Springfield, Mo.
This is tragic in so many ways. To lose any officer in the line of duty is crushing, but to lose one who selflessly volunteered to assist in a disaster 150 miles away is devastating. Officer Taylor is the only emergency responder to pass away as a result of the May 22 Joplin tornado and is the first officer ever to die in the line of duty with the Riverside Police Department.
As Riverside Mayor Kathy Rose said, “He died upholding a tradition of our community and many communities like ours to serve and protect, and to help neighbors in need.”
I think of our own officers who tirelessly have been working in Joplin and am sobered by the fact it could have been any one of them. I am thankful every day for their safety.
The Kansas City Police Department enjoys excellent partnerships with our neighboring law enforcement agencies, including Riverside. They always are eager to assist us, and vice versa. Several of our officers knew and worked with Jeff, and they are terribly saddened by his loss. We will assist our police brothers and sisters in Riverside in any way we can during this difficult time.
If you would like to support Officer Taylor’s loved ones at this time, you can send a card or message to:
Taylor Family
City of Riverside Police Department
2990 NW Vivion Road
Riverside, MO 64150
I also encourage you to donate to a fund set up in honor of Officer Taylor to assist his family with expenses:
Taylor Benefit Account
K.C. Police Credit Union
2800 E. 14th Street
Kansas City, MO 64127
www.kcpcu.org
Showing posts with label loss of an officer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label loss of an officer. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Saying good-bye to one of our own
Tomorrow, the Kansas City Missouri Police Department will formally say good-bye to an excellent detective who has served and protected his community selflessly for the last 26 years. Detective Garry Wantland passed away January 12 after a hard-fought battle with cancer. Until his diagnosis, Detective Wantland didn’t use a sick day for 25 years.
Detective Wantland has received more than 100 commendations in his career here, but most of his work was done quietly and effectively behind the scenes. He was assigned to the Intelligence Unit at the time of his death and had been there for the last 16 years. He was the experts’ expert on organized crime in Kansas City. He even created his own training program on the history of organized crime here, and federal agencies often called him for his expertise.
He served on a task force with the FBI investigating all types of large-scale, complex, criminal operations. One of his FBI supervisors called him “a critical asset to the Kansas City Division’s Organized Crime Program,” and another said he loved to pair young agents with Detective Wantland because of all he could teach them. That supervisor also said, “If today I could choose one police officer to work within my division, it would certainly be Garry Wantland.”
Garry was the kind of guy who showed up early and left late, painstakingly hunting down every lead. He was well-liked and respected, and his untimely loss is a tremendous blow not only to our department and its investigations but to the many people here whose lives he touched. I ask that you please keep his family, friends and coworkers in your thoughts and prayers.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
Detective Wantland has received more than 100 commendations in his career here, but most of his work was done quietly and effectively behind the scenes. He was assigned to the Intelligence Unit at the time of his death and had been there for the last 16 years. He was the experts’ expert on organized crime in Kansas City. He even created his own training program on the history of organized crime here, and federal agencies often called him for his expertise.
He served on a task force with the FBI investigating all types of large-scale, complex, criminal operations. One of his FBI supervisors called him “a critical asset to the Kansas City Division’s Organized Crime Program,” and another said he loved to pair young agents with Detective Wantland because of all he could teach them. That supervisor also said, “If today I could choose one police officer to work within my division, it would certainly be Garry Wantland.”
Garry was the kind of guy who showed up early and left late, painstakingly hunting down every lead. He was well-liked and respected, and his untimely loss is a tremendous blow not only to our department and its investigations but to the many people here whose lives he touched. I ask that you please keep his family, friends and coworkers in your thoughts and prayers.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Photos from Thursday's annual Memorial Service
Flag draped in front of Headquarters
21-gun salute
Riderless horse
Pipe and drum corps
Color Guard
Honor Guard
Motorcycle wedge
Speech
Police helicopter fly-over
Playing "Taps" on the trumpet
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Remembering the fallen
We just wrapped up the annual Kansas City Missouri Police Department Memorial Service during which we take time to remember the officers who have given their lives in the line of duty. Below are my remarks from the event, and I hope to have some pictures up later today.
"Welcome, and thank you for coming here today as we celebrate another year without a new name etched into this memorial while taking the time to mourn those whose names are inscribed here. The 119 men whose names are listed here and who are represented by the 119 flags before you were killed in the line of duty, and it is right that we take time to pause and give thanks for their sacrifices, and the sacrifices made by their family and friends. Some died at the hands of a suspect, others in car and helicopter crashes. Every one of them died serving the people of Kansas City, Missouri, and for that, we should all be grateful.
This past year, we heaved a collective sigh of relief after many officers encountered brushes with death and came out alive. One officer is back on the job after she suffered life-threatening injuries when she was hit by a car on an icy stretch of highway. She put herself in harm’s way to stop another crash victim from getting out of her car when another vehicle spun out of control on the ice and struck her.
A dashboard camera captured two officers who encountered a suspect in a park last September who was intent on killing them. The officers returned fire and stopped him, but watching the events replay on video, we get a sick feeling in our stomachs as we are reminded how quickly the situation might have turned out differently. Another dashboard camera filmed an officer processing a car at a DUI traffic stop, only to be struck by another drunk driver who came careening down the road. The officer, thankfully, suffered only minor injuries.
And just last month, I presented a Medal of Valor to an officer who put the safety of others well above his own, even though he was off-duty, out of uniform and had no police equipment available to him. He walked into a toxic cloud generated from an acid spill on the highway to get the other motorists around him out of harm’s way as quickly as possible. He did get those drivers to safety, but he was overcome by acid fumes and had to be transported to the hospital for respiratory treatment.
What kind of people would do these things? What kind of people would put the safety of others before their own, or confront a suspect who shot at them? These are police officers, and the late broadcaster Paul Harvey summed them up well in a poem he wrote many years ago titled, “Policeman,” which we know today refers to both police men and police women. Harvey’s own father was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty when Harvey was a child, and he admired law enforcement the rest of his life. Here are some excerpts from that poem:
'A Policeman is a composite of what all men are, I guess, mingling of saint and sinner, dust and deity. …
What is a policeman? He, of all men, is at once the most needed and the most wanted. A strangely nameless creature who is ‘sir’ to his face and ‘pig’ or worse behind his back. …
He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences between individuals so that each will think he won.
He must make instant decisions which would require months for a lawyer. But if he hurries, he's careless; if he is deliberate, he's lazy. He must be first to an accident, infallible with a diagnosis. He must be able to start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints and, above all, be sure the victim goes home without a limp. Or expect to be sued. …
A policeman must know everything and not tell. He must know where all of the sin is and not partake.
The policeman, from a single human hair, must be able to describe the crime, the weapon, the criminal - and tell you where the criminal is hiding.
But...If he catches the criminal, he's lucky; if he doesn't, he's a dunce. If he gets promoted, he has political pull; if he doesn't, he's a dullard. The policeman must chase bum leads to a dead-end, stake out ten nights to tag one witness who saw it happen-but refuses to remember. ...
The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy and a gentleman.
And, of course, he’ll have to be a genius because he’ll have to feed a family on a policeman's salary.'
Today, we remember the sacrifices of those who were all these things and died because of it. We also pray for the safety of those who continue to serve the people of this city in spite of the dangers they face daily. Please thank them and their families for what they do."
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
"Welcome, and thank you for coming here today as we celebrate another year without a new name etched into this memorial while taking the time to mourn those whose names are inscribed here. The 119 men whose names are listed here and who are represented by the 119 flags before you were killed in the line of duty, and it is right that we take time to pause and give thanks for their sacrifices, and the sacrifices made by their family and friends. Some died at the hands of a suspect, others in car and helicopter crashes. Every one of them died serving the people of Kansas City, Missouri, and for that, we should all be grateful.
This past year, we heaved a collective sigh of relief after many officers encountered brushes with death and came out alive. One officer is back on the job after she suffered life-threatening injuries when she was hit by a car on an icy stretch of highway. She put herself in harm’s way to stop another crash victim from getting out of her car when another vehicle spun out of control on the ice and struck her.
A dashboard camera captured two officers who encountered a suspect in a park last September who was intent on killing them. The officers returned fire and stopped him, but watching the events replay on video, we get a sick feeling in our stomachs as we are reminded how quickly the situation might have turned out differently. Another dashboard camera filmed an officer processing a car at a DUI traffic stop, only to be struck by another drunk driver who came careening down the road. The officer, thankfully, suffered only minor injuries.
And just last month, I presented a Medal of Valor to an officer who put the safety of others well above his own, even though he was off-duty, out of uniform and had no police equipment available to him. He walked into a toxic cloud generated from an acid spill on the highway to get the other motorists around him out of harm’s way as quickly as possible. He did get those drivers to safety, but he was overcome by acid fumes and had to be transported to the hospital for respiratory treatment.
What kind of people would do these things? What kind of people would put the safety of others before their own, or confront a suspect who shot at them? These are police officers, and the late broadcaster Paul Harvey summed them up well in a poem he wrote many years ago titled, “Policeman,” which we know today refers to both police men and police women. Harvey’s own father was a police officer who was killed in the line of duty when Harvey was a child, and he admired law enforcement the rest of his life. Here are some excerpts from that poem:
'A Policeman is a composite of what all men are, I guess, mingling of saint and sinner, dust and deity. …
What is a policeman? He, of all men, is at once the most needed and the most wanted. A strangely nameless creature who is ‘sir’ to his face and ‘pig’ or worse behind his back. …
He must be such a diplomat that he can settle differences between individuals so that each will think he won.
He must make instant decisions which would require months for a lawyer. But if he hurries, he's careless; if he is deliberate, he's lazy. He must be first to an accident, infallible with a diagnosis. He must be able to start breathing, stop bleeding, tie splints and, above all, be sure the victim goes home without a limp. Or expect to be sued. …
A policeman must know everything and not tell. He must know where all of the sin is and not partake.
The policeman, from a single human hair, must be able to describe the crime, the weapon, the criminal - and tell you where the criminal is hiding.
But...If he catches the criminal, he's lucky; if he doesn't, he's a dunce. If he gets promoted, he has political pull; if he doesn't, he's a dullard. The policeman must chase bum leads to a dead-end, stake out ten nights to tag one witness who saw it happen-but refuses to remember. ...
The policeman must be a minister, a social worker, a diplomat, a tough guy and a gentleman.
And, of course, he’ll have to be a genius because he’ll have to feed a family on a policeman's salary.'
Today, we remember the sacrifices of those who were all these things and died because of it. We also pray for the safety of those who continue to serve the people of this city in spite of the dangers they face daily. Please thank them and their families for what they do."
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Police Memorial Service set for tomorrow
PRESS RELEASE:
The Kansas City Missouri Police Department will honor its 119 officers killed in the line of duty throughout the department’s history with a Memorial Service beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 27, in front of Police Headquarters on Locust Street, between 11th and 12th streets.
The service will include an honor guard, a 21-gun salute from the steps of City Hall, the KCPD Color Guard, bagpipers, a flyover by the police helicopter, and a riderless horse representing fallen officers. Dispatcher L.C. Clark will read the names of all KCPD officers killed in the line of duty – the first in 1881 and the last in 2001. There will be 119 flags on display in front of Headquarters representing each one of these officers. For 119 hours preceding the service, dispatchers read one officer’s name per hour over the police radio system. The last officer’s name, Craig Schultz, will be read immediately before the ceremony begins Thursday.
Locust will be closed between 11th and 12th streets from about 10:30 a.m. to noon for the ceremony. In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place inside the basement of police headquarters, which can be accessed from 12th Street. The public is invited to attend.
The Kansas City Missouri Police Department will honor its 119 officers killed in the line of duty throughout the department’s history with a Memorial Service beginning at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 27, in front of Police Headquarters on Locust Street, between 11th and 12th streets.
The service will include an honor guard, a 21-gun salute from the steps of City Hall, the KCPD Color Guard, bagpipers, a flyover by the police helicopter, and a riderless horse representing fallen officers. Dispatcher L.C. Clark will read the names of all KCPD officers killed in the line of duty – the first in 1881 and the last in 2001. There will be 119 flags on display in front of Headquarters representing each one of these officers. For 119 hours preceding the service, dispatchers read one officer’s name per hour over the police radio system. The last officer’s name, Craig Schultz, will be read immediately before the ceremony begins Thursday.
Locust will be closed between 11th and 12th streets from about 10:30 a.m. to noon for the ceremony. In the event of rain, the ceremony will take place inside the basement of police headquarters, which can be accessed from 12th Street. The public is invited to attend.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Grieving with our brothers and sisters in Lakewood, Washington
My heart aches today for our law enforcement brothers and sisters in Lakewood, Wash. Four of their officers were senselessly and violently killed Sunday morning awaiting the start of their shift at a coffee shop. The suspect who did these awful things can no longer hurt anyone else, but that won’t bring those deceased officers back and is cold comfort to their families.
Like so many of our officers, those Lakewood officers were parents. They also were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and friends, and they will be sorely missed. We grieve with our police family in Washington as they work through this excruciating time.
It also makes me reflect on just how dangerous being a police officer is, whether in a large, urban department like ours or a small, suburban department like that in Lakewood, Wash. Kansas City Missouri Police have been fortunate enough not to lose an officer in the line of duty since 2001, but there have been many close calls since then.
Sunday’s tragedy is a grim reminder that officers must always be on guard. The simplest call could turn into a life-and-death situation. In this case, the officers were just doing paperwork in a coffee shop. The article in today’s Kansas City Star discusses how some of our officers are feeling right now.
You may have run across officers who seem stand-offish or don’t readily engage in conversation. This is because they must constantly be alert. Most of them really are wonderful, friendly people, but they are trained to focus on safety first. Nonetheless, most also would readily lay their life on the line to protect yours.
The next time you see a police officer, from Kansas City or Lakewood, Wash., or anywhere else, please thank him or her for the life-risking sacrifices they take every day.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Like so many of our officers, those Lakewood officers were parents. They also were sons and daughters, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and friends, and they will be sorely missed. We grieve with our police family in Washington as they work through this excruciating time.
It also makes me reflect on just how dangerous being a police officer is, whether in a large, urban department like ours or a small, suburban department like that in Lakewood, Wash. Kansas City Missouri Police have been fortunate enough not to lose an officer in the line of duty since 2001, but there have been many close calls since then.
Sunday’s tragedy is a grim reminder that officers must always be on guard. The simplest call could turn into a life-and-death situation. In this case, the officers were just doing paperwork in a coffee shop. The article in today’s Kansas City Star discusses how some of our officers are feeling right now.
You may have run across officers who seem stand-offish or don’t readily engage in conversation. This is because they must constantly be alert. Most of them really are wonderful, friendly people, but they are trained to focus on safety first. Nonetheless, most also would readily lay their life on the line to protect yours.
The next time you see a police officer, from Kansas City or Lakewood, Wash., or anywhere else, please thank him or her for the life-risking sacrifices they take every day.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Mourning the loss of one of our own
Today is a difficult day for the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. Today we mourned the loss and celebrated the life of Officer Peter Aretakis, an officer who served nearly 20 years on this department. Pete lost his battle with cancer on June 19, and his funeral services were today.
Pete was assigned to the North Patrol Division, Watch III. He was diagnosed with cancer in October 2008. He had been undergoing chemotherapy, and in February of this year, it appeared to be working so well that Pete returned to work on limited duty.
Pete was a highly respected and much-loved veteran of KCPD. Shortly after he started chemotherapy this past November, his fellow officers at North Patrol decided to show their camaraderie by shaving their heads since Pete was losing his hair in chemo (a photo of this event is above, with Pete Aretakis in the barber's chair and Officer Pete Shultz shaving Officer Aretakis' head). More than 20 of them went bald that day, including a female officer who cut off a 29-inch braid and shaved her head like her male counterparts to show her support for Pete.
This is a difficult loss for our department, but it is much more difficult for Pete’s family, including his wife and two boys. Our thoughts and prayers are with them for peace and comfort at this time.
Pete was assigned to the North Patrol Division, Watch III. He was diagnosed with cancer in October 2008. He had been undergoing chemotherapy, and in February of this year, it appeared to be working so well that Pete returned to work on limited duty.
Pete was a highly respected and much-loved veteran of KCPD. Shortly after he started chemotherapy this past November, his fellow officers at North Patrol decided to show their camaraderie by shaving their heads since Pete was losing his hair in chemo (a photo of this event is above, with Pete Aretakis in the barber's chair and Officer Pete Shultz shaving Officer Aretakis' head). More than 20 of them went bald that day, including a female officer who cut off a 29-inch braid and shaved her head like her male counterparts to show her support for Pete.
This is a difficult loss for our department, but it is much more difficult for Pete’s family, including his wife and two boys. Our thoughts and prayers are with them for peace and comfort at this time.
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