This past Saturday, we lost a dispatcher in a horrific vehicle accident. She was on her way home after her 12-hour shift. I got called out to help cover calls, as re-routing traffic took more people than we had available. I never went to the scene; I knew better.
I knew her, and I know her Dad, who is a DNR Ranger. He and I sort of grew up together starting back in 2000 with me as a new Deputy, and him as a new Ranger. We worked together a lot, and he and I were and remain good friends. Broke my heart to see him lose his daughter.
There are a lot of "Crooked / Stupid / Overzealous Cop" posts in this thread, and I'm okay with that. Where corruption exists, it should be exposed, rooted up, and burned...just like any other invasive weed. This is not really the "To Protect and Serve" thread, it's the "Those Who Fail to Protect and Serve" thread, and I'm okay with that as well, for the most part.
But here's a headline you didn't see this past weekend: "Crusty Old Part-time Deputy Drives Around Answering Calls for Six Hours With Tears in His Eyes".
Saturday sucked.