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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

half staff

There was a funeral yesterday.  Actually, I'm certain there were several funerals yesterday.  But there was one here that had many of us locals stop and take a moment.  A local police officer died in traffic while on duty last week.

It's always sad to hear of one of our public servants dying while serving, but this one touched me a little more than usual.

He was a motorcycle cop.

I've mentioned here how the motorcycle cops sometimes come out and watch my back at the school crossing.  I know they have other, more important things to do, but they occassionally take the time to swing by and keep the traffic in line for the kids.

When we heard the sad news, I looked closely at the face shown on the TV screen.  Did I know him? Was he one of "my" motorcycle cops?



I realized I've never learned any of their names.  They sometimes come over and chat a bit, ask about the traffic, ask about how many kids cross and at what times.

I look at his face, and I'm not sure.  I try to picture it with a helmet and sunglasses and... I'm not sure.




With school about to start, I'm having to dust off my stop sign.  I'm thinking about that first day when the kids are all excited in their new clothes with fresh school supplies.  I'm remembering one morning when a little boy stood next to me, wearing a backpack that was almost as big as he was.  Just as we were about to cross, a Jeep Liberty sped through the crosswalk.  The motorcycle cop to my left fired up his bike and zoomed passed.  

I looked down at my little friend and said, "Wow, how d'you like that!?"

His eyes were wide with admiration, eyebrows as high on his forehead as they could go.  "WHOA!" 

"Yep, he's our hero today"

Rest In Peace Officer Tyner.



Photos courtesty of CSPD.

7 comments:

ShadowRun300 said...

I'm so sorry to hear that. :( It really IS sad when someone who's trying to keep us safe, dies because of it.
I've read many of your stories of people flying through school zones etc. I have to say I didn't notice it too much while we were there, but then again my head was in the clouds most of the time. But you DO have a lot of traffic in that area. You would think, eventually, people would realize how dangerous it is to drive while distracted. (You're posts, by the way, have really changed the way I drive as well... good for you for bringing it to attention!)

Abby said...

One of the problems with that crosswalk is that it's such a wide and open road with good visibility. I understand how people find it hard to slow down. But really, one second of distraction is all it might take.

And thanks for behaving in your pony car!

LL Cool Joe said...

I drive too fast but I do try to slow right down through school zones.

Jenn and Casey said...

Aww, how sad :(

Scott said...

Very sad, and very moving. I am especially touched by the message on the sign in the photograph.

agg79 said...

Thank you for sharing those picture and Officer Tyner's story. All too often we forget about the men and women who work to keep us safe. I am awed when a community turns out to honor a fallen cop/firefighter/soldier - we should all live up to his memory. I only wish he could be home with his family. Thanks again for remembering Matt.

terri said...

I think we all hold our local law enforcement officers close in our hearts and we all feel the loss when a life is lost. They put their lives on the line for us daily. Maybe that's why we feel so connected. So sorry to hear of the loss of one of your heroes.