By Amy Donaldson 
                    Deseret News staff writer 

     SANDY - Salt Lake Police Sgt. James Faraone didn't make a lot of traffic stops. When he did, it was often just to warn the driver to buckle up any children in the car or travel with a little more caution.
    "Safety first," said 12-year-old Kaitlyn Faraone of her father.
    "That was him."
    And it wasn't just that he lectured others about the cost of carelessness. According to those who knew him best, he practiced what he preached religiously.
    "He was a safety fanatic," said Faraone's wife of 23 years, Kelly.
    "My poor daughter couldn't ride her scooter two feet down the driveway without a helmet, elbow and knee pads on. He mowed the lawn in his safety goggles."
     "And his bike helmet," added his son Adam with a smile. "Not only did he ask people to do things like that, but he'd show them. He loved them."
    Faraone's love of people and safety-conscious nature are what his family and colleagues believe caused him to stop his unmarked police car behind a vehicle that had been in an accident on eastbound I-80
    Tuesday afternoon. Faraone was on his way from the airport to the police department downtown when he happened across Phuoc Ton, 56, of West Valley City, stopped in the northern lane of the freeway.
     He turned on the police lights in his rear window and radioed the location of the accident to dispatch. Moments later, he was hit from behind by 74-year-old Milton Drinkard, who apparently didn't realize traffic ahead was stopped. Passersby used crowbars to pry the roof of Faraone's car back so fellow officers could administer CPR.
     Kelly Faraone was at home when a lieutenant called to say her husband had been in an accident. Another officer, who lived nearby, called and offered to ride with her to the hospital. She waited with his colleagues for what seemed like an eternity, only to hear the man she's loved since she was 19 had died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
     Investigating officers for the Utah Highway Patrol said that Faraone's action likely saved Ton's life.
    His co-workers, friends and neighbors are calling him a hero, not just for the way he died but for the way he lived his life. There was only one thing more important than the job he did so well ? the family he loved so much.
    "We came first," Kaitlyn said. "His job came second. He was a good man. Everything he did was good."
    Adam Faraone was on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lima, Peru, and was told of his father's death by his mission president almost immediately after the accident. He was on a plane home within hours to say goodbye to his father and comfort his mother and sister. The Faraones had planned to travel to Peru Oct. 16 to pick up Adam.
   Jim Faraone was looking forward to the trip for many reasons. He'd grown closer to his son and more devout in his religion through their weekly correspondence. In one letter, Faraone told Adam that the young man's first convert to the church was him.
    "He wrote about his daily routine," Adam said. "He always had a touch of philosophy; his own way of thinking. Maybe something religious, but he always finished by letting me know how proud he was of me."
    Kelly Faraone said one of the last letters he wrote to Adam he cradled next to his cheek, as if he was hugging it, before dropping it into the mailbox in front of the Church Office Building downtown.
    One could rarely have a conversation with Faraone and not hear about his children. He'd coached his daughter's softball team for five years. One mother, Annette Bell, told Kelly Faraone, "The only person who compliments her daughter more than Jim was her grandfather . . . . He was a good coach.
    The kids loved him."
    One mother, Annette Bell, made yellow paper medals that said, "Jim is the best coach ever because . . . " and each player wrote something underneath. The remarks, etched in child-like writing, said the coach was groovy, that he made softball fun, and that he never got mad. His own daughter wrote that he was a nice guy who was always fair.
    Just a few days before his death, he'd gone to the craft store with Kaitlyn and they'd purchased stickers for her helmet that spelled out her name. And even more recently, he bought small American flag patches and gave them to the players so they could sew them on their uniforms in honor of those who lost their lives in the recent terrorist attacks on the East Coast.
   He borrowed thread from neighbor Debbie Burt to sew Kaitlyn's on himself.
   "It was late, and I asked him if he needed help," said Kelly Faraone. He waved her away, saying he wanted to do it himself.
   One of the most memorable moments Adam Faraone had with his father lasted just a few seconds.
    He was playing little league football and caught a punt near his team's end zone. He began running toward the other end, making his way past the other players.
    "Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this big guy running down the sideline with me," he said. "He was waving his hands, cheering me on. That's what he's always done. He's always been on the sidelines of                    our lives, urging us on. That won't stop."

                    Deseret News editorial

    The dangers of police work involve more than trying to apprehend suspects or trying to resolve domestic disputes.
    Just the day-to-day efforts of helping others put police officers at risk. That point was made again and again during the courageous efforts last week by law enforcement personnel and firefighters at the demolished World Trade Center in New York City. Many gave their lives helping others.
    Tragically, the point also was made Tuesday in Salt Lake City when Salt Lake
    Police Sgt. James E. Faraone, 48, was killed while helping others.
    Faraone, a police officer with nearly 25 years experience, was trying to protect an accident victim from oncoming traffic. While traveling from the Salt Lake International Airport to the police station in the afternoon, Faraone saw a vehicle that wasn't moving in the far left lane on I-80 around 3500 West. He stopped behind the immobile car and activated the police lights in his rear window to warn motorists of the blocked lane. He then called in the accident to dispatch.
    A pickup estimated to be traveling around 65 mph crashed into the rear of Faraone's unmarked car shortly afterward. The force crumpled the back half of Faraone's car, trapping Faraone against the steering wheel.
    It took awhile to extricate Faraone from his vehicle. He was flown by helicopter to University Hospital, where he later was pronounced dead.
    Investigators say his actions likely saved the life of Phuoc Ton, West Valley City, driver of the stranded car that was involved in an accident with a truck.
     "He literally put himself in harm's way and gave his life for someone else. He's a hero in my mind," Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Doug McCleve said.
     Faraone, who is survived by his wife, a 21-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, is a hero. And he died a hero's death. He was killed in the service of others.
     He is the second Salt Lake City police officer to die while on duty in the past 18 months. Last July, officer Michael Dunman was killed while on bike patrol.
    Faraone's death is another reminder of the dedication those in law enforcement have in protecting those they serve.

                           BY JACOB SANTINI
                           THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE 

      A Salt Lake City police sergeant with nearly 25 years on the job died Tuesday while
protecting an accident victim from oncoming traffic. 
      Sgt. James E. Faraone, 48, was killed shortly after stopping for the traffic
accident Tuesday afternoon. 
     "Our job is to protect the  community," said Police  Chief Rick Dinse. "Jim did that. Jim used his vehicle to save the life of more or any less from my officers." 
     Faraone leaves behind a wife, who at one time worked as a secretary for the department, and two children, ages 21 and 12. 
    At about 2:45 p.m., Faraone was traveling east on Interstate 80, en route from Salt Lake International Airport, where he has been stationed for the past three years, to the city police department, and encountered a vehicle stopped in the middle of a lane at about 3400 West. The driver of that car, Phuoc Ton, 56, of West Valley City, apparently "froze" after being rear-ended in an earlier accident, Dinse said. 
     Although he was in an unmarked vehicle, Faraone had a set of red and blue lights and strobing taillights flashing to notify motorists of the blocked lane. 
      Within a minute of stopping at the scene, and still inside his vehicle, a pickup driven by 74-year-old Milton Drinkard of Salt Lake City rammed Faraone from behind. Investigators said it appeared Tuesday evening that Drinkard didn't see Faraone. There were no skid marks prior to the impact. 
     "There's nothing that indicates any impairment," Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Doug McCleve said. "The initial investigation shows the guy was going somewhere around 65 mph." 
     The rear of Faraone's vehicle was destroyed. He was pronounced dead at University Medical Center. 
   Drinkard was taken to LDS Hospital and was in critical condition Tuesday, McCleve said. Ton's condition was reported as serious at Pioneer Valley Hospital. 
   Faraone's commanding officer, airport chief Marty Vuyk, said Faraone was more than an officer. 
   "Jim was an extremely good friend; an outstanding officer; an individual we can be extremely proud of," said Vuyk, who cried as he spoke. 
  Vuyk had lunch with Faraone on Tuesday. The conversation was monopolized by talk about the toughened security at the airport. 
   But Vuyk remembers Faraone was looking forward to several things away from work. Faraone was planning a trip to Lima, Peru, to pick up his son, who was on an LDS mission. Faraone's son is now on his way back to Utah, Vuyk said. 
   Faraone joined the Salt Lake Police Department after graduating from Utah State University. During his tenure, he served as a motorcycle officer, on the bike patrol and the Metro Narcotics Strike Force, among other positions. 
    McCleve said the accident is under investigation. Investigators will re-create the accident to determine the speed of the truck that struck Faraone.