Last month, ten American Police Officers sacrificed their lives in service to their communities and fellow citizens.  Below is a list of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in February 2017.

1. Lieutenant Steven Floyd, 47, of the Delaware Department of Corrections, lost his life on February 2 in a prison riot.  In the position of sergeant, Floyd and three other prison workers were taken captive by inmates during a riot.  When Police Officers attempted to rescue the four from the prisoners, Floyd yelled out to them that the inmates were staging a trap.  Sergeant Floyd was then killed by the inmates.  The other three workers were rescued and the rioting prisoners were all apprehended.  Hailed as a hero for warning the officers of the ambush, Floyd was posthumously promoted to lieutenant and received the Medal of Valor.  Steven Floyd had served the people of Delaware for sixteen years.  He is survived by his wife and son.
2. Police Officer Eric Wayne Mumaw, 44, of the Metro Nashville Police Department, lost his life on February 2 while attempting to save a suicidal woman.  Officer Mumaw and another officer were attempting to calm a suicidal citizen who was parked on a boat ramp when she put her vehicle in gear and drove into a river.  Officer Mumaw lost his footing on the ramp and fell into the water, where he was swept downstream.  The other officer and the woman survived.  Officer Mumaw’s body was later recovered.  The suspect was charged with vehicular homicide.  Eric Wayne Mumaw had served the people of Nashville, Tennessee, for eighteen years.  He is survived by his family.
3. Sergeant Gregory Michael Meagher, 57, of the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, lost his life on February 5 while rescuing a woman.  Sergeant Meagher entered a medical facility that had a liquid nitrogen leak in an attempt to save an unconscious citizen.  Both were taken to the hospital, where Sergeant Meagher died from exposure to the gas.  The victim survived.  Gregory Michael Meagher had served the people of Richmond County, Georgia, for thirty-three years.  He is survived by his family.
4. Major Jay R. Memmelaar, Jr., 49, of the Goldsboro Police Department, lost his life on February 16 to a heart attack.  Major Memmelaar was exercising with members of the police department when he experienced discomfort in his chest.  He collapsed later in his office, and died at a local hospital.  Jay R. Memmelaar, Jr. had served the people of Goldsboro, North Carolina for twenty-five years.  He is survived by his wife and two children.
5. Special Agent Rickey O’Donald, 54, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, lost his life on February 17 to a heart attack.  He had finished the FBI’s annual physical fitness test when he began to feel unwell.  Special Agent O’Donald drove himself to a local hospital in Miami, Florida, where he later died.  Rickey O’Donald had served the people of the United States for twenty-nine years.  He is survived by his wife and daughter.
6. Police Officer Keith Boyer, 52, of the Whittier Police Department, lost his life on February 20 in a shootout.  Officer Boyer and another officer were investigating a crash that had been caused by a gang member who had stolen a car after committing a murder.  The suspect drew a weapon and shot both officers, who returned fire and wounded him.  The suspect was later arrested, and he and the other officer were hospitalized for non-life threatening injuries.  Officer Boyer died of his wounds.  Keith Boyer had served the people of Whittier, California, for twenty-seven years.  He is survived by his children and parents.
7. Officer Lucas F. Chellew, 31, of the California Highway Patrol, lost his life on February 22 in a motorcycle accident.  Officer Chellew was pursuing a motorcyclist when his own motorcycle crashed, killing him.  The suspect escaped.  Lucas F. Chellew was a U.S. Army veteran and had served the people of California for eight years.  He is survived by his parents, sister, wife, and two children.
8. Deputy Sheriff Michael Foley, 60, of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, lost his life on February 23 when he was struck by a vehicle.  Deputy Foley was walking across the parking lot of a local jail when a prisoner transport bus accidently struck him.  Deputy Foley later died at a nearby hospital.  Michael Foley had served the people of Alameda County, California, for eight years and had twenty-nine years of previous law enforcement experience.  He is survived by his family.
9. Deputy Sheriff Michael Butler, 39, of the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, lost his life on February 25 in an automobile collision.  Deputy Butler was responding to a domestic disturbance when a tractor trailer crashed into his vehicle.  The driver pulled Deputy Butler from the burning vehicle, and he later died at a local hospital.  Michael Butler had served the people of Lowndes County, Georgia for three-and-a-half years.  He is survived by his family.
10. Deputy Sheriff Kevin Haverly, 26, of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office, lost his life on February 28 in an automobile accident.  Deputy Haverly was completing his shift when his vehicle left the roadway, killing him.  Kevin Haverly had served the people of Greene County, New York for four years.  He is survived by his wife, three children, mother, and sister.

Citizens become Police Officers for a reason.  With that badge and that gun comes a great deal of power.  And, like they say in Spiderman, “with great power, comes great responsibility.”

The 900,000 Police Officers in the United States who dedicate their lives to the protection of the innocent and the pursuit of the guilty have an obligation to be a more outstanding citizen than their next door neighbor.

And 99% of cops understand this, and 99% of cops follow that creed.  But we don’t see them in the news.  The newspapers don’t see fit to write an article on the family man who took down the drug dealer poisoning the youth of his community.  The news channels don’t seek to report the young mother pulling a complete stranger’s baby from a burning car.  The media doesn’t see any appeal in telling about the young man who kissed his fiancé goodbye minutes before being gunned down in a traffic stop.

But when one cop out of 900,000 does a horrible thing?  The media fights with Spartan-like doggedness to be the first station to release the story.

After two New York City Police Officers were killed in ambush by a gang member, a movement known as Blue Lives Matter has taken hold in the United States.

People are quick to discredit the organization.  Many reason that people make a choice to be a Police Officer, and should accept the risks that come with their career.

But does that mean that cops should have their lives taken with casual disregard?  Does that mean that Americans shouldn’t respect or at least notice the sacrifices made by our men and women in blue?  Some people rant about their hatred for the law.  However, the moment something in their lives goes wrong, the second that they need help, they reach for the phone and call 911.  And the lawman they dislike is the first to come to their aid.

Now, this doesn’t make the actions of corrupt Police Officers go away.  Throughout history some in power have treated others rudely, harassed people, and have walked around feeling untouchable because of the badge on their chests.

However, each time we hear about negative acts, we must force ourselves to remember the great majority of cops who have treated their fellow citizens with compassion, sacrificed their own safety for a stranger, and have gone out of their way to help someone.

So when someone says “Blue Lives Matter,” they’re not saying “Other Lives Don’t Matter.” Those who support the Blue Lives Matter movement acknowledge that some bad cops have abused their power and mistreated the people they have sworn to protect.  However, those behind the movement seek to support the good cops, the men and women who get out of bed in the morning and go to work, who understand that they may be killed due to the uniform they wear, that they will be the first to respond to reports of dangerous people.  Those involved seek to reinforce our fellow citizens who dedicate their lives not to the benefit of themselves, but to the protection of others.  As Ronald Reagan once said, “…Often the only thing that stands between (the citizens) and losing everything they hold dear…is the man wearing a badge.”

Statistics from: Officer Down Memorial Page

https://www.odmp.org/