The ODMP Blog

Thursday, September 16, 2010

School District Police In the Line of Fire

Officer Euel Smith

On April 22, 1983, Police Officer Euel Smith was shot and killed in Bibb County, Georgia, while transporting a prisoner. On that day, Officer Smith became the first school police officer known to be killed in the line of duty.

With the ever increasing threats of gangs, child predators, and active shooters in our schools, school boards and school districts around the country are taking steps to form their own police departments. California, Texas, and Georgia have the most school district police agencies, and consequently have also suffered the most line of duty deaths in this often overlooked segment of law enforcement.

Please take a moment to remember the 12 school district police officers who dedicated their lives to protecting our children:

Police Officer Euel Thomas Smith
Bibb County Board of Education Police Department, GA
EOW: Friday, April 22, 1983
Cause of Death: Gunfire

Police Officer Roosevelt Ferrell
Compton Unified School District Police Department, CA
EOW: Monday, March 16, 1987
Cause of Death: Gunfire

Sergeant William Maldonado III
San Antonio Independent School District Police Department, TX
EOW: Thursday, May 26, 1994
Cause of Death: Fall

Officer Timothy B. Howe
Oakland Unified School District Police Department, CA
EOW: Friday, April 14, 1995
Cause of Death: Gunfire

Private Michael Donell Stephenson
Richmond County Board of Education Public Safety, GA
EOW: Wednesday, July 16, 1997
Cause of Death: Gunfire

Police Officer Carnel Cook
Fulton County Schools Police Department, GA
EOW: Wednesday, September 29, 1999
Cause of Death: Heart attack

School Safety Agent Orville M. Williams
New York City Police Department - Division of School Safety, NY
EOW: Tuesday, November 16, 1999
Cause of Death: Heart attack

Patrol Officer Lloyd Auther Rogers
Castleberry Independent School District Police Department, TX
EOW: Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Cause of Death: Heart attack

Special Officer Dwayne Anthony Reeves
Newark School District Police Services, NJ
EOW: Monday, July 18, 2005
Cause of Death: Gunfire

Sergeant Michael Scott Neal
Mexia Independent School District Police Department, TX
EOW: Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Accidental)

School Safety Agent Vivian A. Samuels-Benjamin
New York City Police Department - Division of School Safety, NY
EOW: Friday, December 16, 2005
Cause of Death: Heart attack

Chief of Police Ernest V. Mendoza
Needville Independent School District Police Department, TX
EOW: Friday, January 19, 2007
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Calling All Officers: Ride in the 2011 Road to Hope

In May 2010, at the beginning of Police Week, the inaugural bicycle ride for Law Enforcement United kicked off in Chesapeake, Virginia. Over the next three days, over 200 riders rode the several hundred miles to an amazing arrival ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. I had the honor of being invited to the arrival ceremony at the Pentagon and it was one of the most powerful events I've attended since founding the ODMP.

The amazing men and women of LEU raised more than $110,000 for Concerns of Police Survivors' Kids Camps and $20,000 towards the annual operating expenses of the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Law Enforcement United now has over 400 members (riders and support members) and is currently accepting new member applications for the May 2011 ride. In 2010, Law Enforcement United was represented by teams from as far away as Texas and Minnesota.

It would be great if the 2011 ride had a team, or even a single rider, from each of the 50 states.

To learn more, or to submit a new member application, visit the LEU website today.

Watch this video to learn more about how the children of fallen of fallen officers receive support at the C.O.P.S. Kids Camps, funded in part by Law Enforcement United. As a member of Law Enforcement United, you would be helping to make these Kids Camps even better!

Team Nashville's support trailer.

Riders from Law Enforcement United pause for a picture!

LEU riders with an escort from a Syracuse, NY, police car!

This is what it's all about.

The downill.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Honoring the 104 Fallen Law Enforcement Officers of 9/11

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, caused more law enforcement line of duty of deaths than any other single incident in American history.

One officer was killed when United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as he and other passengers attempted to regain control of the plane from the hijackers. 71 officers were killed when the two World Trade Center buildings collapsed in New York City. 32 more have passed away in the years following 2001 as the direct result of illnesses contracted while working in the hazardous conditions immediately following the attacks in New York.

We pay tribute to the 104 law enforcement officers, representing 10 different agencies, who died as a direct result of the 9/11 attacks.

New York City Fire Department, NY