The Utah Peace Officer Association

	Leave your thoughts and condolences here (Courtesy ODMP) Read the thoughts and condolences Joseph Dan Adams August 04, 2001

LEHI - A Lehi police officer was shot and fatally injured during a traffic stop just before 11 p.m. Friday, and a man believed to be involved in the shooting was in critical condition.


Investigators look over the crime scene at 11400 S. State in Draper where a suspect in the shooting of a Lehi police officer was caught. Jason Olson, Deseret News

      Officer Joel Adams was pronounced dead at 12:13 a.m. Saturday at LDS Hospital, according to Jess Gomez, hospital spokesman. Adams was shot at least twice, once in the chest and once in the leg.
      A wounded man, who was driving a red Chevrolet Cavalier, was taken into custody at an Albertson's express gas station on 11400 S. State in Sandy shortly after the shooting. Initially, the man was transported to Alta View Hospital. He was subsequently taken by helicopter to LDS Hospital in critical condition with one gunshot wound in the lower abdomen, Gomez said.
      The shooting apparently occurred during a traffic stop at approximately 1200 West and I-15 in Lehi. Further details were not available from the Lehi police at press time.
      Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Jay Southam said a man pulled into the grocery store's gas island and that he was driving a Chevrolet. He declined further comment.
      Witnesses at the gas island said they first noticed a man, whom they described as a Hispanic in his 20s, on the ground near the store's gas island. They noticed he was bleeding heavily, struggling to get back into his car, and one wrist was handcuffed.
      "He was red and obviously bleeding near his stomach and holding his stomach," witness Rex Bush said. "He asked for help, and we weren't sure what to do so we called 911."       Although Salt Lake County Fire Department paramedics arrived first, officers from Lehi, Alpine and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office soon arrested the man. He remained in critical condition at LDS Hospital early Saturday.
      Robert Holland, the attendant at the station, said Bush alerted him to the man and he quickly called police.
      "We didn't know what was going on exactly, but we knew we didn't want to get too close to him," Holland said.
      The shooting comes less than a month after Roosevelt Police Chief Cecil Gurr was killed after responding to a domestic dispute. Lee Roy Wood is facing a capital murder charge in Gurr's July 6 death.

ksl.com 8-4-01
LEHI POLICE MURDER
"WE REGRET TO INFORM THE CITIZENS OF LEHI AND THE STATE OF UTAH THAT A
POLICE OFFICER WAS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY."
For the second time in less than a month, a Utah police officer is shot and
killed in the line of duty. The shooting occurred late last night as Officer
Joe Adams of the Lehi Police Department made a traffic stop. He was shot and
later died. And the man accused of killing him was captured early this
morning.
Central Utah Correspondent Sam Penrod has more.
There's a sense of shock and sadness in this community tonight. The officer
has been on the force here for three years. Last night as he made a routine
traffic stop along this road he was killed in the line of duty. It was about
eleven o'clock last night when Lehi Police Officer Joe Adams pulled a car
over near an on ramp to I-15. Scott Welch of West Valley City.
Sgt. Dennis Harris/Utah County Sheriff's Office: "OFFICER ADAMS WAS IN THE
PROCESS OF ARRESTING THE SUSPECT AND HAD PLACED A HANDCUFF ON HIS HAND."
While investigators won't give specifics, it appears the suspect opened
fire, hitting Officer Adams once in the leg and once in the chest, in an
area not covered by his armored vest. The officer was able to return fire
and struck the suspect. Police say a passenger in the suspect's car, got out
and called 911 as the suspect drove away.
Sgt. Dennis Harris/Utah County Sheriff's Office: "OFFICER ADAMS WAS SHOT AND
TAKEN BY LIFEFLIGHT TO LDS HOSPITAL IN CRITICAL CONDITION."
Sgt. Dennis Harris/Utah County Sheriff's Office: "A SHORT TIME AFTER
ARRIVING TO LDS HOSPITAL, OFFICER JOE ADAMS WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD
The suspect was captured in this parking lot. Someone reported to police a
man in a car, was bleeding, with a handcuff on. Scott Welch was arrested and
is under guard tonight at LDS hospital in critical condition, with multiple
gunshot wounds to his stomach.
The passenger in Welch's car was questioned by police, but not arrested.
Officer Adams is remembered fondly by officers who worked with him. He was a
new father, his wife recently gave birth to a baby boy. And as a three-year
veteran of the Lehi police force, those who knew him say he was well
respected.
Sgt. Dennis Harris/Utah County Sheriff's Office: "HE WAS EXTREMELY GOOD AT
ALMOST EVERY SINGLE THING HE DID. HE WAS LIKED VERY DEEPLY BY ALL THE POLICE
OFFICERS, NOT ONLY IN LEHI BUT IN THIS COUNTY."
The Utah County Sheriff's office is handling the investigation of the
shooting. They along with prosecutors are working together to build a murder
case against the suspect. He has no criminal history in either Salt Lake or
Utah County.

Officer's death shocks Lehi

'These kind of things don't happen here,' resident says

By Angie Welling with Gib Twyman, Sharon Haddock and Brady Snyder
Deseret News staff writers
LEHI — Word of the death of police officer Joseph D. Adams in the line of duty spread slowly through this small Utah County town Saturday. And when the news hit, it hit hard.
    "This'll be a hard time for Lehi," predicted Assistant Fire Chief Bret Hutchings, swiping gently at his tear-filled eyes. "You think little Lehi, these things just don't happen."
      Flags throughout the community of 19,000 flew at half-staff Saturday as investigators continued to examine the Friday night gunfight that left Adams dead and another man critically injured. Details remain sketchy, for police are releasing little information.
      From Hutchings' family-owned appliance store just two blocks from the empty police station — Utah County deputy sheriffs patrolled the town Saturday to allow Lehi officers time to grieve in private — he spoke fondly about the 26-year-old man killed during what began as a routine traffic stop.
      "He's the kind of guy that gave everybody a fair shake," Hutchings said. "He did the police job so well. He was well-liked by everybody."
      Three of Adams' friends spent the afternoon cleaning the blood from the road where the officer died.
      "This is an honor to come here and do this for Joe. He was my best friend," said Doug Fannen as he and two others used bleach and scouring pads to remove blood stains from the pavement.
      Adams had served on Lehi's 26-member police force for three years. He leaves behind a wife, Cydney, and an 8-month-old son.
      "You feel he's got to be in a better place than here, but it's so sad for his young family," Hutchings said. "And that's where our hearts will be."
      Family members at Adams' Orem home on Saturday declined to comment when contacted by the Deseret News.
   Lehi Police Chief Karl Zimmerman said Adams will be missed.
      "It's bad," Zimmerman said about the mood within his department. "Everybody's really hurting."
      According to police, Adams stopped a suspected drunken driver at 2100 N. 1200 West just before 11 p.m. Friday. Adams reportedly ticketed the man for DUI and asked him to step out of his vehicle. In the process of being handcuffed, the man was somehow able to free one hand, grab a small handgun and begin shooting, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Harris said.
      A wounded Adams was still able to shoot the assailant numerous times before the man got into his car and drove away with Adams' handcuffs dangling from one wrist.
      Police have identified the man as Arturo Javier Scott Welch, 23, West Valley City.
      Adams was shot at least twice, once on the left side of his chest a mere fraction of an inch above his protective vest, and once in the leg. He was flown by medical helicopter to LDS Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:13 a.m. Saturday.
      Shortly after the shooting, Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies arrested Welch at a gas station at 11400 S. State in Draper. A license plate check on the red Chevrolet Cavalier Welch drove some 15 miles from Lehi to Draper indicates the vehicle was not registered to Welch. Police would not release information about the owner of the vehicle.
      Welch was also airlifted to LDS Hospital, where he remained in critical condition Saturday night with multiple gunshot wounds to the abdomen, spokesman Jess Gomez said.
     A search of court records indicates Welch was cited in April with a class B misdemeanor DUI and four class C misdemeanors, including driving with an open container. He pleaded not guilty to those charges in July, and an Aug. 17 pretrial conference is scheduled in that case.
      In 1996, Welch also pleaded guilty to fleeing from a peace officer and possession of alcohol by a minor, both class B misdemeanors. A third misdemeanor count of vehicle burglary was dismissed.
      Friday night, a passenger exited Welch's vehicle sometime during the gunfight. The man, whom police have identified only as an "acquaintance" of Welch, dialed 911 on his cell phone and waited for police to arrive.
      Harris described the man, who was questioned and released Saturday morning, as "very forthcoming. I believe he's helped out the detectives quite a bit."
      Officers arrived almost immediately and began performing CPR on Adams within minutes, said Hutchings, who was among the emergency personnel called to the emotional scene.
      "There was a lot of crying going on here last night, from the chief on down," Hutchings said. "None of us wanted to leave the scene. We just kind of stood there in amazement."
      State Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, said his community is feeling a deep sense of loss over the slain officer. So is the Utah County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team, of which Valentine is a part.
      "Our unit is fairly somber right now. One of our lieutenants was among the first on the scene and administered CPR to Officer Adams, so it's hitting him especially hard," Valentine said. "We had a training exercise at Bridal Veil Falls (Saturday) morning, and it was extremely difficult for everyone to get going, thinking about another peace officer being shot."
State and county counseling teams are coordinating efforts to assist officers, dispatchers and staff members in dealing with the shock.
      The entire town of Lehi is dazed, convenience store clerk Karla Glodowski said. The shooting dominated conversations inside the store all day Saturday, she said.
      "You have to keep hearing about it before it sinks in because it's still a small town," Glodowski said. "These kind of things don't happen here."
      Adams' death comes less than a month after similar tragedy rocked another small Utah town.
      Roosevelt Police Chief Cecil Gurr was shot and killed July 6 after responding to a domestic dispute in a convenience store parking lot. Lee Roy Wood, Vernal, is charged with capital murder and could face the death penalty.
      "I think the citizens of Utah should really take this as a warning. We're a state that's growing, and with that increase brings good people and bad people," Harris said. "This is a wake-up call to the citizens of Utah and to the police officers of Utah."
Lehi City Councilman Johnny Barnes agreed and issued a call that Adams' death not be in vain.
      "I want it to be a wake-up call for people, a motivation to get on the ball, get involved, teach our kids, not just point fingers," Barnes said. "I think we can use this to uplift and help by getting involved in service."
      Valentine said anytime a police officer goes down it creates shock waves both for law-abiding citizens and the peace-keeping fraternity — especially with the recent spate of fatal shootings.
      "We are grieved at the loss of yet another officer in the line of duty," Valentine said. "Being a police officer is a very risky endeavor. Every time he or she goes out, they face this possibility.
      "And yet they do keep going out because they are professionals. Now we've lost one of our own out of our city, and it is hard to find the words to express how extremely upsetting it is to us all."
      An Arts in the Parks "Country Showcase" program scheduled for tonight has been dedicated to Adams and the sacrifice he made for the community. The event will start at 7 p.m. in Wines Park, 600 N. 100 East in Lehi. A trust fund for Adams' family has been established at the Lehi branch of the Bank of American Fork. Donations can be made by calling the bank at 766-1000.

Grieving For One of Their Own
Sunday, August 5, 2001

        BY ANN SHIELDS and KEVIN
        CANTERA
        (c) 2001, THE SALT LAKE
        TRIBUNE

            LEHI -- The slaying of a police officer during what began as a routine traffic stop has sent a wave of grief through the small band of law officers in this Utah County town.
            Officer Joseph D. Adams, 26, died Saturday morning after being shot once in the abdomen and once in the leg. The suspect, a 25-year-old West Valley City man, remained hospitalized in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds late Saturday.
            A three-year veteran of the force, Adams was one of 22 sworn members of the Lehi police department, said Chief Karl Zimmerman.
            He leaves behind a wife and a 7-month-old son.
            "It is very traumatic," Zimmerman said. "It has affected every one of my officers as well as myself."
            Zimmerman said he was with Adams when he died at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City just before 12:15 a.m. Saturday.
            "We will all just have to
get through this," Zimmerman said. Lehi officers, as well as dispatchers and emergency medical personnel, met with grief counselors Saturday, he said.
            "It is just such a senseless, stupid thing," Lehi Mayor Kenneth Greenwood said. "We are not used to this kind of thing down here" in the town of 16,150.
            Adams is the second Utah officer killed in the line of duty in less than a month. On July 6, Roosevelt Police Chief Cecil Gurr, was shot and killed when he responded to a domestic dispute in the parking lot of a Uintah County convenience store.
            Lee Roy Wood has been charged with capital murder in Gurr's slaying.
            Investigators have released few details of the confrontation that led to Adam's shooting during a traffic stop just before 11 p.m. Friday at 2100 North 1200 West in Lehi.
            Adams wore a bullet-proof vest when he was shot, but the suspect apparently fired his weapon at an angle that rendered such protection useless, said Sgt. Dennis Harris, Utah County sheriff's office spokesman.
            The murder weapon was in the suspect's possession, said Harris, who declined to describe the gun.
            An unidentified passenger in the suspect's car called police from the scene of the shooting as the suspect sped away. The passenger has been questioned and released, Harris said.
            Adams was apparently shot while attempting to arrest the suspect. A pair of handcuffs dangled from one of the suspect's wrists when he was found bleeding from the abdomen in the parking lot of a Draper gas station about 15 minutes after the shooting, Harris said.
            The suspect had been shot multiple times, but police would not say if the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of Adams returning fire.
            Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies had just received a bulletin on the suspect when they were dispatched to the gas station at 11400 S. State St., said Peggy Faulkner, sheriff's office spokeswoman. The suspect was bleeding heavily when deputies arrived.
            "We did not fire a shot," Faulkner said, adding deputies provided only "ambulance backup" as emergency crews transported the suspect to Alta View Hospital in Sandy. He was later air-lifted to LDS Hospital, where he remained under armed guard Saturday, hospital spokesman Jess Gomez said.
            The Salt Lake Tribune usually does not name suspects until they have been formally charged.
            A special task force from Utah County sheriff's office has taken over the investigation and is expected to release more details next week, Zimmerman said.
            The killing has sent law enforcement officials statewide reeling. "Officers are an extremely close group -- they are brothers and sisters together," Harris said. "They're rallying around each other, [but] they are taking it very hard. It is a very difficult time. "
            Harris battled his own emotions as he described Adams as an "outstanding officer."
            "Joe was always there to help you. He was one of those individuals who everyone automatically liked," Harris said.
            Fellow officers called Adams "Money," because he was so reliable, Greenwood said.
            "When you lose a loved one, it is just such a terrible sense of loss," the mayor said.
        "Heartbreak is the only word to describe the feeling."
            A trust fund has been established at the Bank of American Fork to help support Adams' family, said Harris. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Memorial honors officer

By Geoffrey Fattah
Deseret News staff writer

LEHI - A Lehi police officer was attempting to make a drug-related arrest when he was fatally shot, according to information released Monday by the Utah County Sheriffs Office.

Officer Jeremy Elswood, left, and Sgt. James Munson mourn together after the service Sunday.

Stuart W. Johnson, Deseret News

      Sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Harris said Officer Joseph D. Adams, who was memorialized Sunday at a city park, had recovered a controlled substance from the car of Arturo Javier Scott Welch during the 11 p.m. traffic stop on Friday and also suspected the West Valley man was driving drunk when he attempted to arrest the man.
      Before Monday police had not released any details from the incident.
      Harris said a witness later told investigators that Welch and a passenger in the vehicle had both been drinking heavily earlier that evening.
      Adams stopped a car near a freeway interchange in Lehi. He ordered the driver out of the car and was attempting to handcuff him when police say the man broke free, pulled a small handgun from his pocket and shot Adams.
      Adams was wounded once in the shoulder — a fraction of an inch above his protective vest —and once in the leg.
      The wounded officer was able to shoot the man several times before the man got back into his car and drove off with Adams' handcuffs still attached to one of his wrists.
      A passenger in the vehicle jumped out of the car and onto the ground when shots began being fired. Harris said the passenger rushed to Adams' aid after the other man drove off and dialed 911 from the scene.
      Two Lehi officers were among the first on the scene, where they performed CPR. Adams was flown to LDS Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:13 a.m. Saturday.

Members of the Lehi Police Department gather after the Sunday memorial in honor of Joseph Adams, shot to death Friday.

Stuart W. Johnson, Deseret News

      Welch was arrested shortly after the shooting at a gas station at 11400 S. State in Draper. He was flown by helicopter ambulance to LDS Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen.
      Welch, 23, remained hospitalized Monday in critical condition after undergoing surgery.
      Utah County deputy attorney John Allan said the county is moving forward with its investigation and anticipates criminal charges will be filed against Welch sometime later this week.
      Welch is under state custody at LDS Hospital. "We have a guard that is watching him," Allan said.
      Because Welch is still in critical condition, a judge will decide Tuesday morning whether bail will be set without his presence.
      On Sunday, those who call this semi-rural burg home said their neighbors are like family. And the ranks of the city's police force feel the same strong bonds.
      Lehi's police officers, along with several hundred mourning residents, gathered at a city park to honor the memory of Adams
      At the memorial, comforting hugs were exchanged among those who knew the fallen officer.
      Groups sang such solemn songs as "Testify to Love" and during a teary rendition of "Amazing Grace," uniformed Lehi officers stood on the stage — with one empty space among their ranks.
      "We are family — first and foremost," said Darcie Bugden, a member of Lehi's 26-officer force. "We're using each other as support."
      The memorial service evolved from a previously planned Sunday "Arts in the Park" event. Plans were changed after news spread across the state about Adams' death.
      "I heard the news Saturday morning, and I knew that for a public reason he had to be remembered here," said Shirlyene Phillips, who organizes the weekly Sunday concerts. "We're a small town, and we're a close community."
      But Lehi lost a bit of its small-town innocence Friday. Adams' death marked the first officer shooting death in the city's 149-year history.

The sun sets behind a cross where Joseph Adams was shot during a traffic stop Friday night.

Stuart W. Johnson, Deseret News

      A white cross stands at a dusty freeway interchange near 2100 N. 1200 West. That's where Adams was fatally wounded in the gunbattle.
      A Lehi police patch is placed at the center of the wooden cross. In dark paint, it reads: "God Speed Officer Adams."
      Friday's shooting has left Adams' fellow officers shaken.
      "When you put on this uniform you're proud to be who you are," said Lehi Police Sgt. Jeff Swenson. "Joe died doing what he loved."

The following story appeared on deseretnews.com on August 07, 2001.

Was Lehi slaying over drugs?
Documents say Adams found bag of coke in trunk

Author: By Geoffrey Fattah

Deseret News staff writer

PROVO -- A West Valley man fatally shot a Lehi police officer over a bag of
cocaine, prosecutors say in court documents filed Tuesday in Provo's 4th
District Court.

According to court documents filed Tuesday in Provo's 4th District Court, Lehi
Officer Joseph Adams was shot by Arturo Javier Scott Welch, 23, after Adams
discovered a bag of cocaine in the trunk of the 1998 red Chevy Cavalier Welch
was driving.

Utah County Deputy Attorney John Allan said he filed the probable-cause
statement to ensure Welch remains in police custody while he recovers at LDS
Hospital from multiple gunshot wounds. Welch is in critical but stable
condition.

Allan said he plans to file capital murder charges.

County prosecutors also plan to file a second-degree felony charge of possession
of cocaine in a drug-free zone and a misdemeanor charge of driving without a
license or insurance.

The probable-cause statement is framed mainly from statements by the man who was
in the passenger's seat of Welch's car when Welch reportedly shot Adams. Adams
returned fire before succumbing to his wounds.

The 26-year-old officer pulled Welch and his friend over at 2100 N. 1200 West in
Lehi around 10:34 p.m.

According to the witness -- whose name is being withheld by investigators --
Adams asked Welch to exit the vehicle and talked with him at the rear of the
car. The man said he overheard Adams question Welch about the contents of a bag
in the trunk.

"The passenger then heard an estimated eight gunshots. According to the
passenger, Welch then returned to the driver's seat of the vehicle and stated,
'let's get . . . out of here,' " the document says.

The man told police he assumed it was Adams who was firing the gun. But
investigators say that while Adams was placing Welch under arrest, Welch
allegedly drew a gun from his pocket and shot at Adams.

The witness said he exited Welch's vehicle and threw himself to the ground as
Welch drove away from the scene. He said he looked at the officer and rushed to
his aid. He called 911 on his cell phone.

Utah County Sheriff Sgt. Dennis Harris said Adams was working an overtime shift
to earn some extra money for his family.

Harris said there were five officers on duty at the time of the shooting. Two
were at another traffic stop.

Harris said investigators determined that Adams followed proper procedures when
he stopped Welch.

Adams was pronounced dead from two gunshot wounds at LDS Hospital at 12:13 a.m.
Saturday. A .22 caliber shell was found inside Adams' body during an autopsy.

One bullet missed his protective vest by a fraction of an inch.

Welch, who was bleeding from a gunshot wound, was arrested at an Albertsons
grocery store at 11479 S. State in Sandy. "Welch also had a set of handcuffs on
his left wrist bearing the name 'Adams,' " according to the documents.

Judge Guy Burningham ordered Welch held without bail until his next hearing.
"This is a very sad situation," he said.

Public defenders Richard Gale and Tom Means have been assigned to represent
Welch if his family has not contacted an attorney.

Burningham expressed concern that Welch's constitutional rights are respected.
He offered to go to LDS Hospital and hold the first felony hearing in Welch's
hospital room.

Allan said Welch's criminal history involves DUI convictions.

The Utah County Sheriff's Office is still looking for additional witnesses. Harris said people are encouraged to call the detective division at 343-4010.

LAST NIGHT'S SHIFT
Tears Shed for Slain Officer 8-5-2001
by William Crook Orem P.D.Now, I guess I will tell you about one of the most heartwrenching stories I have ever told. Please understand that not all of the details of this story are known 100% to be accurate because the investigation is still ongoing.
For those of you that have been on the list for an extended period of time you will remember that I wrote about my friend "Teach". He is a great person and an awesome cop. Teach and I are on the same team (meaning we work a lot of shifts together), so we have gotten along really well.
Teach is always proud to talk about his brothers who are all police officers in the same county. One brother works for the city next to where I live. I had some training classes with him and kept in contact frequently via in-car computers whenever we worked the same hours. He did not talk a whole lot, part of it was that he was always making a great arrest and part of it was his quiet disposition.
The other night on a traffic stop he found drugs on a suspect and began to take him into custody. The suspect pulled a small handgun from his waistband and shot the Teach's brother in the neck. The bullet penetrated just above the bullet-proof vest, hit a bone then traveled down, piercing his hear. Before falling to the ground the officer shot the suspect several times in the abdomen.
At that time the officer fell to the ground and never got up.
There happened to be a passenger in the truck as all this took place. As the driver got back into the truck to flee, the passenger, not knowing what had just taken place, got out of the truck and laid face first on the ground with arms and legs extended. The truck and wounded driver then sped away. The passenger stayed on the ground but began looking around. It was then that he realized the officer had been shot.
From the story I heard, the passenger ran over to the officers position and called out on his radio to dispatch that an officer was down.
Several units arrived and began to treat the officer but it was too late. He was fatally wounded.
The suspect drove to a gas station several miles away and asked for help. Customers at the station refused to help when they saw the cuff on the bleeding suspect wrist. Police did respond there and put together the match of the suspect from the shooting. He is in the hospital in serious condition at this time.
I came home the other morning and began checking email. A friend of mine had written me saying that she heard an officer in my area had been killed. I was horrified to find that it was true. As I looked through the news clipping I saw the name of the officer and I instantly was shocked. I did not know what to do. Never before had an officer so close to me been killed, especially in the line of duty.
The first thing I did was call Cuz and Big O. They too were shocked.
When my wife returned home, I told her too. We were both silent for a long time. A while later she said that she no longer will tell people that she is not worried about my line of work.
We had a family function to go to, so I decided to take a shower and get ready to go. This was probably not the place I should go, because I did nothing but ponder how close to home this tragedy hits. I began to think about how the officer and his wife just had a baby. The more I thought about the situation the more I began to break down. Then it hit. I lost it. I fell to my knees right there in the shower and wept for about 20 minutes. The world is so brutal.
I began to wonder if it's all worth it. Why do we put our lives on the line? Why do we do it? Why do the good ones dies? Why did this happen? It's too tough. It seems like we fight with the criminal element, the good taxpaying citizens, the attorneys, the judges, and our administration. It seems that it's not really worth it.
In about six hours I am scheduled to work. I will definitely be thinking of my fallen friend. I was scheduled to be working with TEACH also, but I doubt he will be there. I hope that he is not.
I just hate the feelings that I have right now. I hate the sadness that accompanies this job.

Subject: Last Night's Shift Public Support?
08-11-2001 In my last email I asked a lot of questions. I had a lot of wonders about this job. Why do we put our lives on the line when we get so little in return? Why do we put our bodies and our families through the stress when in the end no one really cares?
Since the death of my friend. I have done a lot of thinking. A LOT! I have done even more talking with my wife. I have told my kids that I love them so much that they think I am a fruit cake or something. I just want things to be understood if anything should ever happen to me.
My wife told me shortly after we heard the news of the fallen officer that she used to tell people that she knew I was safe out on the streets. I could see it in her eyes that for the first time in my career she knew the reality of my job. I could see the fear she had letting me go out into a world that may kill me and never think twice about it.
It took me a few days to stop crying. I shed a lot of tears and I asked a lot of questions of God. It did not take long to get an answer to my questions.
I now know that this is my calling in life. I know that I LOVE this job. I love almost everything about it. I know that my duty is out on the streets. I know that I am meant to be here and I will never quit. I know that I will never be rich and famous. I know that I will never have a second house or a three car garage, but I also know that I am extremely happy with what I do for a living.
I have worked a lot of overtime this week. Whenever the opportunity is available I snatch it up. It has nothing to do with money right now, it?s all to do with the good feeling I get when I put on that uniform.
Several times this week people have commented that they do not thank us (officers) enough for the job we do. Countless times people have mentioned that they love police officers and just want to make sure that we know that. The public support at this time is something I have never seen. It would be a dream come true if the public perception of police officers stay where it is right now. But, again I know the reality of it all. I know that in a few weeks people will start to forget the positive feelings they have for us. I know that the media will begin to focus on the negative things that a single officer does. For now though, I will soak it up. I won't change. I won't give up.
Last night I worked an overtime shift. The Sgt. called me and explained that he was down four guys. I laughed and said, "so you?re alone", He replied "just about, can you come out and help take calls for a few hours". Immediately I jumped up, showered and dressed for work.

This page, along with the State Memorial at Utah's Capitol, is maintained by the Utah Peace Officers Association in behalf of Utah's Fallen Officers - may we never forget their ultimate sacrifice

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