John and Andy....

Officers Andy Nobles and John Burnette

With National Police Week just around the corner, I have been working on the final edits to this year's memorial video. I turned to Google searching for a better resolution photo of Officer Burnette, one of 39 fallen officers being remembered next week for their service and sacrifice. I found the photo I was looking for and so much more.

What I found was a wonderful and moving film by Kathryn Frye that shows the young officers, Andy Nobles and John Burnette, full of life, walking their beat in the Adam 2 District, and enjoying the interaction with the community. The film talks about their enthusiasm on the job and their desire to want to make a difference.

It was the very first time, albeit on film, I had seen of any of the fallen officers alive, and it was quite overwhelming for me to say the least.        

What an honor it would be to shake their hand and say thank you -- an honor that will never come.

That fateful night -- Tuesday, October 5, 1993

"Officers John Burnette and Andy Nobles responded to what appeared to be a routine call the night of Tuesday, October 5, 1993.

Someone had reported a suspicious vehicle and persons at Boulevard Homes, a public housing complex that was part of the officers’ Adam Two Patrol District. But when the officers arrived and started talking to a suspect, he ran. Nobles and Burnette chased the suspect into a nearby wooded area. A few minutes later, shots rang out. Nobles, 26, and Burnette, 25, were each shot in the head. 

When they were pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical Center, the recently consolidated Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recorded its first slaying of an officer. It was also the first time in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County history that two officers died in a single incident.
The deaths sparked public outrage. Thousands attended their funerals. Radio and television programs bristled with calls from citizens demanding that something be done about the growing violent crime problems. Memorial services were held, and monuments dedicated. Since the officers died, the very streets where they lost their lives have been named after them." ~ CMPD memorial page

"John and Andy"....a glimpse into the lives of two of CMPD's finest. 

Photo/Film Credits

• "John and Andy" is a production of the North Carolina Center for Educational Films, by Kathryn Frye, in association with the GOV Channel.
• WBTV-Channel 3
• WCNC-TV Channel 36

Shiny Shoe Day....

Each year as National Police Week comes to a close, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department honors their fallen at a Peace Officer Memorial Service. Last Friday, 38 officers in service to Mecklenburg County were honored for their service and sacrifice. This service not only honored the fallen with CMPD, but also with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, Davidson Police Department, Huntersville Police Department, NC Division of Motor Vehicles (Enforcement), and the FBI.

It was a beautiful service and I was honored, for the second year in a row, to have my fallen officer video shown during the opening ceremony. Forever honored; never forgotten.

IT WAS A SHINY SHOE DAY

A memorial service is a day the officers look their best. It is a sign of respect for their brothers and sisters who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Long-sleeve shirt, black tie, a black band over their badge....and, yes, shiny shoes. They have a proper dress code for such events and wearing the black sneakers that they typically wear during a normal workday so they can move about quickly and for comfort, is not part of the appropriate attire for this service. 

Back in the day (late 1970s-early 80s) when my then husband was a deputy for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office, he always wore shiny shoes or nice boots with his uniform. Best I can remember, they didn’t wear black sneakers back then. In fact, sometimes when he was running late, I would polish his boots along with adding the pins and deputy badge to his newly starched white uniform shirt. You might say that I was too young and naive way back then to say “hey, polish your own shoes” (and yes, I was very young), but I don’t think that was it. I was genuinely happy to help my husband look his best before he left the house to serve his community. 

I  CAN'T BELIEVE I SAID THAT!

When I left the memorial service on Friday, I was walking up Davidson Street heading to the parking garage. I stopped at a crosswalk on the corner of 3rd Street and Davidson and pushed the button to cross. A CMPD officer came up behind me and I happened to look down and noticed his shiny shoes. As I looked up I saw his name tag. The officer was a Major! Without thinking, and maybe to make conversation, I said “It’s shiny shoe day, sir”, and he said “Yes ma’am it is”. 

By the time I got to the car I was mortified. I couldn't believe I said that. But if the Major knew me like the hundred or so officers who have sat at my table for a meal know me, he would understand that my heart is always in the right place when it comes to my friends in blue. It was just a silly little observation that took me back 38 years to another time in my life.

My prayer today is that those shiny shoes will stay in the closet until next year's memorial service. May my Heavenly Father continue to protect and keep my friends safe.

                            

                                                                    ♥                                                                 

Never forgotten....

This week is a very special week for law enforcement officers throughout the United States.

In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week is dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers and pays special recognition to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of others. It is a time police officers and thankful citizens throughout the country honor the fallen. 

In 2016, 143 officers in the United States were killed in the line of duty. This is video I did to remember and honor the fallen. Rest in peace officers....time will not diminish our respect for you. 

                                                                                    

Bike to Washington DC

One very special event here in Charlotte during police week is when a few officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and officers from surrounding counties and states ride bicycles 500 miles over four days from Charlotte to Washington, DC. From the start in Charlotte and all along the way they are joined by fellow officers and citizens from towns and cities on the route who ride with them to show support for their cause - a ride in honor and memory of those who have died in the line of duty. Though the 500 mile journey is not easy, each mile is a tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.  (Source: bike2dc.com)

Photo Credit: CMPD

At the completion of the ride, the officers attend a Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. 

 Photo Credit: www.nleomf.org

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department honors 31 officers who have died in the line of duty since 1892.

Photo Credit: CMPD

                                                                   
                                                                      
                                                                     ♥

In memory of NYPD (retired) Detective William Brown

PHOTO CREDIT: NYPD

The thin blue line - a symbol of camaraderie and devotion between fellow officers - is really not all that thin. It runs deep. It is an eternal bond within the police family.

I read this heartwarming story earlier this year and archived it so I could share it with you. This is a story about NYPD (retired) Detective William Brown who almost died alone and forgotten, that is, until his NYPD family stepped in.   
                              
At 95-years-old, this retired detective was frail, he was feeble, and he was alone. 

This story begins in the winter of 2015 when a neighbor called 311 to ask the police to visit Mr. Brown because she hadn't seen him for a few days. He had recently complained that his house had no heat and the temperatures were nearing zero. 

Officers with the 113th Precinct visited Mr. Brown's home and found it empty and in disarray. The furnace was broken and his home was cold. They eventually found Mr. Brown in the hospital where he was being treated for hypothermia. It didn't take the officers long to realize they were in the presence of a retired NYPD police officer -- one of their own.

PHOTO CREDIT: NYPd

However, serving as an NYPD officer was not Mr. Brown's whole life. In World War II, he fought with the 369th Infantry, known as the Harlem Hellfighters - an all African American infantry unit. In the 1940s, he became a New York City police officer. After retirement, he became a gifted jazz musician who played the saxophone and would "jam with any band."

Mr. Brown's 20 year career with the NYPD ended in 1968 with the rank of detective. During that time he received several honors from the department. In 1960, for rescuing a woman and her child from a burning building, in 1962 for apprehending a man with a loaded gun, and in 1964, for arresting an armed burglar.

The department's loyalty and appreciation for one of their own came full circle during the retired detective's final months. They sought help from a local church to have the heat restored in the home where Mr. Brown lived for 60 years. They secured his veterans benefits, escorted him to doctor appointments, and visited every Sunday to check on him. They showed this officer that his service to the NYPD meant something. 

On May 20, 2016, Detective Brown died. With no family or next of kin to claim his body, he was destined to be buried on Hart Island, the city's potters field. But the officers of the 113th intervened to ensure he would have a proper farewell. They arranged a funeral fit for hero, where hundreds of current and former NYPD paid tribute, and they further arranged for his burial at Long Island National Cemetery.

In the end, when it mattered the most, Detective William Brown was no longer alone. He was surrounded by his police family, and he was loved.    

                                                                                 ♥

Photo Credit: DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Story Credits

Mary McDonnell and Graham Rayman / New York Daily News - Click here.