Honoring Fallen Calcasieu Sheriff’s Officers for Police Week
This week marks National Police Week, which is a celebration of law enforcement officers all over the country who work on the front lines everyday.
These men and women sacrifice a lot and put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect. Remember, these officers leave their families to serve the community and keep us safe, but of course, their ultimate goal is to do their jobs to the best of their ability and go home to their families safe and sound at the end of the day.
I know because I was one of those people. I served as a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Deputy from 1993 through 2002, working in the corrections department and communications, but the bulk of my career was spent on patrol.
I was what is known as a Field Training Officer (FTO). The responsibility of the FTO is to train the men and women who would transfer to patrol in the safe practices of answering calls while maintaining a professional and safe environment for themselves and the public.
It was and honor and a privilege to serve the community that I call home here in Southwest Louisiana. However, we lost some really terrific officers who were killed in the line of duty.
For me, it really hits close to home because I knew these deputies not only in a professional capacity, but some of them were very close friends of mine, as well. So today, as we celebrate National Police Week, I wanted to take a minute to honor these fallen heroes of the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office.