Sean C. Morgan
Police Chief Jeff Lynn recognized officer Rocky Hanni last week with the Sweet Home Police Department’s Lifesaving Medal as part of a police memorial ceremony at the department.
SHPD staff, police officers’ families and community members gathered on Wednesday evening, May 13, at the department to remember fallen police officers, in a service led by Community Services Officer Gina Riley.
Lynn, in remarks to the assembly, noted that 181 names are on the state Fallen Officers Memorial Wall in Salem. One is from Sweet Home: Marshal Mounts Story who died in 1920 of injuries sustained while breaking up a drunken brawl.
“I would also like to pay tribute to the men and women of Sweet Home Police Department,” Lynn said. “Every day that these officers and dispatchers go to work, they do so not knowing what the day holds. Their shift can be quiet and relatively uneventful, or it can bring forth a crisis where lives literally depend on their abilities to think clearly.
“They put themselves in harm’s way and then make instantaneous, competent decisions. The positive impact of that can last a lifetime. And then they will go to their next call where they may do it all over again.”
On that note, he recognized Officer Rocky Hanni and presented him with the Lifesaving Medal.
He became the lead officer in the high speed pursuit of Holly Craig, who fled an attempt by sheriff’s deputies to pull her over and led law enforcement personnel in a high-speed chase through Sweet Home, which ended near the scales shack at Foster Lake.
Craig’s vehicle crashed and rolled over east of Sweet Home along Highway 20 and then caught fire.
When Hanni arrived at the crash, he saw a gap between the top of the vehicle and the ground, and he could see part of the driver’s body under the vehicle, still alive.
Disregarding possible injury from fire, Lynn said, Hanni pulled her to safety.
Two individuals specifically recognized Hanni for his work, Sheriff Bruce Riley and Dispatcher Brian Hawes.
Howard Ruby, VFW chaplain, said local police officers do what they do for everyone, said Most of the time, their help goes unrecognized.
“The recent events in Texas, that Muhammad painting thing, is a good example of having a vigilant police officer willing to stand in harm’s way on our behalf.”
A single off-duty police officer guarding a May 3 cartoon drawing contest, in which contestants drew the prophet Muhammad, in Garland killed two gunmen who attacked the event. The security guard was injured, but no one attending the event was.
“It reminds us of the debt we as we approach Memorial Day,” Ruby said. Whenever he sees a police officer or firefighter, he thinks of their families and the possible dangers the officer or firefighter may face.
Sgt. Jason Ogden, who also spoke, said when he hears the phrase “The Thin Blue Line,” he thinks of the Johnny Cash song “I Walk the Line.”
“I think that the thing that resonates for most when they pay careful attention to the lyrics in this song is Cash’s deep love for and his desire to be faithful to his wife,” Ogden said
He referred to a 1990s interview when Cash said, “With temptation just outside my door and a new wife at home, I’m going to be true to those who believe in me and depend on me. In other words, I’m still being true, or Walking the Line.”
That song was Cash’s means of communicating this publicly to his wife, Ogden said: “Because I care so deeply for you, I will walk the line.”
That, Ogden said, reminds him of those who walk the “thin blue line,” a popular phrase to describe law enforcement. For its members it means three things.
The thin blue line represents the thin line those in law enforcement walk daily between life and death. The thin blue stripe in the center of depictions of the line represents law enforcement while the top black line represents life and the bottom black line represents death.
Second, it represents law enforcement’s role separating the good from the bad, creating order from chaos.
And third, the blue line on black is a memorial for the law enforcement personnel killed in the line of duty and those who continue in their duties.
“It is walking this thin blue line that distinguishes law enforcement personnel and sets them apart as having one of the most unique and distinct jobs in the world,” Ogden said. “The thin blue line isn’t just a symbol to remind us of our daily walk between life and death, between order and chaos. More importantly, it is a visible public symbol of our deep love and commitment to the community and its people we serve.
“Like Johnny Cash, it’s as if we are saying, ‘We know that we are not perfect, but we want you to know that we are committed to you and committed to doing what is right.”
The event was one of many held in May, during National Police Week, when the nation pauses to recognize the service and sacrifice of law enforcement, Riley said.
“In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed the first proclamation recognizing May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as National Police Week, and, I quote, ‘to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and to voice our appreciation for all those who currently serve on the front lines of the battle against crime.”
Today, some 900,000 officers put their lives on the line for the safety and protection of others, Riley said. “They serve with valor and distinction and with great success.”
That protection comes with a price though, she said. Over the past decade an average of 150 officers per year were killed in the line of duty. In 2014, there were 117 police officer deaths. In U.S. history, nearly 20,000 have died.
“Because of their service, some have paid the ultimate price and laid down their lives for others,” said Hillside Fellowship Pastor Matt Coleman during a closing prayer. “Tonight, we thank you for them. We honor them with this ceremony and cherish their memories.”
“Their spouses and children have also paid a high price. We honor them. We pray that we would support and encourage them as they carry that load.
“Please give officers and their families faith and courage in the pressure cooker of this life.
“We also pray for them as they have to make a distinction, a thin blue line between good and evil. We pray for wisdom. We ask that you would protect them from harm. Protect them from the temptation to use the dark side of force.”