Another morning has approached
as I think of my officer again.
One of the many officers that swore
to serve and to protect,
and gave up his life in the very end.
That fateful day is something that
I am not allowed to forget.
It is that memory that reappears
each time I put on my headset.
And when I sit in front of the radio
and dispatch my officers to a priority call,
I silently hope and pray
that I hear them clear,
instead of hearing them take the fall.
You see, I have always read their voices
and sent back up when I sensed tension or fear.
But now, more than ever, it is their voice
I want to continue to hear.
Taking for granted that you will hear
an officer do another traffic stop,
just should not be done.
For it does not matter how routine
the stop or call may be,
it only takes one.
When one of our brothers or sisters
is lost in the field,
the briefing room will then be left
with an empty space.
And in our hearts it is perceived,
that this brother or sister will
never be replaced.
It is my solemn vow to all of my officers
to give my very best,
and to be the voice they want to hear
in their worst times of distress.
It is for my officers that
my loyalty is firmly planted,
And it is their voices
that I will never again,
take for granted.
By Paula Ann Gomes
