May 16, 2010
Tribute to Fallen Officers: When I Was the First to Arrive…
By Skip Holbrook
Huntington Chief of Police
(Editor’s Note: Saturday, May 15, 2010 was a day in which communities remembered their fallen law enforcement officers. Two years ago, Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook shared a meaningful, passionate and appreciative experience --- it tells of his experience when he was first at the scene answering an ‘officer down’ dispatch. )
Currently, there are 18,274 names of fallen officers engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Memorial. In 2007, there were 181 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty --- a 20% increase from the previous year. These are alarming numbers, and reinforce the dangers associated with law enforcement.
As many of you know, the Huntington Police Department has tragically lost six officers in the line of duty since the Department’s creation in 1872.
Today, I am honored to welcome and be in the presence of the families of those officers. I was very proud to present to the families a framed picture of each of their fallen heroes. The HPD will now forever honor the officers’ memories with a display of their photographs in our public lobby, as well as a display just outside our “Roll Call” room. From this day forward, no officer will ever begin a shift without passing these framed pictures of our fallen heroes. This display should not only pay tribute to our fallen heroes, but also serves as a reminder of the individual sacrifices these heroes made and the ever present, unpredictable dangers we face every day.
I would like to share with everyone a story that I seldom talk about. This story is why honoring our fallen heroes and their families is so important to me.
On August 5, 1990, I was working the evening shift on the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina. This particular district had a reputation for being considerably dangerous and violent. I certainly respected this reputation but was very confident in myself and my fellow officers. We handled intense situations routinely and took great pride in how we policed our district.
I was working as a Field Training Officer with a new, young female officer. We had just cleared from a domestic call and had pulled over to discuss how she handled the call. As I sat talking in the car, the radio sounded with two alert tones and I heard the Dispatcher say, “Officer down; stand by.”
The next thing I heard was the Dispatcher giving the location of the downed officer. I was just a few blocks from his location. I responded immediately and was on the scene in less than a minute --- I was the first to arrive. At that point, my life changed forever. I found 32-year-old Charlotte Police Officer Terry Lyles shot, lying on the ground near his police cruiser.
I made my way to where Terry was lying on the ground, telling myself, “He’s just injured; get him out of danger.”
But when I got to his side, I knew he was seriously wounded. We were able to recover Officer Lyles from further danger and deliver him to Emergency Medical Technicians that were waiting down the street. Terry was taken to a nearby hospital where he died a short time later from multiple gunshot wounds. The suspect was apprehended, convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
This was a tragedy that truly changed me. How did this change me and what did I learn? No longer was I just hearing the words --- “Police work can be dangerous. I had witnessed violence and deadly force toward a police officer first hand. I learned danger is indiscriminate. I learned that complacency is not acceptable. I learned that mental and physical preparedness for duty is paramount.”
I thought I already knew these things, but I didn’t. This tragedy registered these important lessons in my mind forever. I also found out just how strong our families can be. I watched how strong and steady Terry’s family was throughout the funeral and subsequent trial. I saw how my family, as well as other officers families, rallied around their loved ones and each other as everyone grieved the loss of a fellow officer. And, finally, I saw just how strong our law enforcement family can be, always standing together.
I would experience the loss of a fellow officer three more times. Each time , you lose a part of your heart; but, each time, the law enforcement community and families rally around one another. We pull together and we become better. I pray I never experience another loss of an officer in the line of duty.
My message to all of you, officers, troopers, deputies, retired officers, and especially families of our fallen officers --- you are and will always be a part of the law enforcement family --- especially the Huntington Police Department family. Our fallen officers, our fallen heroes, will be remembered for their lives and service to our department and this great community… their memories will forever be remembered, never forgotten.
I am honored to be Huntington’s Police Chief and proud to be part of such a rich tradition and a strong law enforcement family.
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Tribute to Fallen Officers: When I Was the First to Arrive…
By Skip Holbrook
Huntington Chief of Police
(Editor’s Note: Saturday, May 15, 2010 was a day in which communities remembered their fallen law enforcement officers. Two years ago, Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook shared a meaningful, passionate and appreciative experience --- it tells of his experience when he was first at the scene answering an ‘officer down’ dispatch. )
Currently, there are 18,274 names of fallen officers engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Memorial. In 2007, there were 181 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty --- a 20% increase from the previous year. These are alarming numbers, and reinforce the dangers associated with law enforcement.
As many of you know, the Huntington Police Department has tragically lost six officers in the line of duty since the Department’s creation in 1872.
Today, I am honored to welcome and be in the presence of the families of those officers. I was very proud to present to the families a framed picture of each of their fallen heroes. The HPD will now forever honor the officers’ memories with a display of their photographs in our public lobby, as well as a display just outside our “Roll Call” room. From this day forward, no officer will ever begin a shift without passing these framed pictures of our fallen heroes. This display should not only pay tribute to our fallen heroes, but also serves as a reminder of the individual sacrifices these heroes made and the ever present, unpredictable dangers we face every day.
I would like to share with everyone a story that I seldom talk about. This story is why honoring our fallen heroes and their families is so important to me.
On August 5, 1990, I was working the evening shift on the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina. This particular district had a reputation for being considerably dangerous and violent. I certainly respected this reputation but was very confident in myself and my fellow officers. We handled intense situations routinely and took great pride in how we policed our district.
I was working as a Field Training Officer with a new, young female officer. We had just cleared from a domestic call and had pulled over to discuss how she handled the call. As I sat talking in the car, the radio sounded with two alert tones and I heard the Dispatcher say, “Officer down; stand by.”
The next thing I heard was the Dispatcher giving the location of the downed officer. I was just a few blocks from his location. I responded immediately and was on the scene in less than a minute --- I was the first to arrive. At that point, my life changed forever. I found 32-year-old Charlotte Police Officer Terry Lyles shot, lying on the ground near his police cruiser.
I made my way to where Terry was lying on the ground, telling myself, “He’s just injured; get him out of danger.”
But when I got to his side, I knew he was seriously wounded. We were able to recover Officer Lyles from further danger and deliver him to Emergency Medical Technicians that were waiting down the street. Terry was taken to a nearby hospital where he died a short time later from multiple gunshot wounds. The suspect was apprehended, convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
This was a tragedy that truly changed me. How did this change me and what did I learn? No longer was I just hearing the words --- “Police work can be dangerous. I had witnessed violence and deadly force toward a police officer first hand. I learned danger is indiscriminate. I learned that complacency is not acceptable. I learned that mental and physical preparedness for duty is paramount.”
I thought I already knew these things, but I didn’t. This tragedy registered these important lessons in my mind forever. I also found out just how strong our families can be. I watched how strong and steady Terry’s family was throughout the funeral and subsequent trial. I saw how my family, as well as other officers families, rallied around their loved ones and each other as everyone grieved the loss of a fellow officer. And, finally, I saw just how strong our law enforcement family can be, always standing together.
I would experience the loss of a fellow officer three more times. Each time , you lose a part of your heart; but, each time, the law enforcement community and families rally around one another. We pull together and we become better. I pray I never experience another loss of an officer in the line of duty.
My message to all of you, officers, troopers, deputies, retired officers, and especially families of our fallen officers --- you are and will always be a part of the law enforcement family --- especially the Huntington Police Department family. Our fallen officers, our fallen heroes, will be remembered for their lives and service to our department and this great community… their memories will forever be remembered, never forgotten.
I am honored to be Huntington’s Police Chief and proud to be part of such a rich tradition and a strong law enforcement family.
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