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Spring/Summer 2003
Police Week 2003 & Upcoming Events Once again, National Police Week is just around the corner. And once again, we have added more names to our wall and the wall in Washington, DC. Four officers from the state of Ohio gave their lives in the line of duty in 2002: Officer Tanner, Officer Taylor, Officer Beall, and Ranger Pitney, all while serving their communities. We also have three officers from other states who were killed last year whose families live in Ohio. We welcome them into our family as well. Ohio C.O.P.S. will once again be sponsoring the Bar-b-que dinner on May 15th at the Hilton in Washington, DC. All Ohio survivors (regardless of your officers state of death, as well as any out of state co-workers and family members), and all officers from Ohio are invited to this event. We will pass tickets out the day of the event. Unless there is bad weather, the bar-b-que is located along side the lake in the hotels courtyard. We have a lot of fundraising activities coming up. Check the website often for updates to these activities. The National seminar, "Traumas of Law Enforcement" was held in Cincinnati on March 3, 4, 5. It was a wonderful event. We also have a 5K race in May, once again sponsored by the Springdale PD, and a new annual event coming up in April. The Sandusky FOPA has most graciously selected the Ohio C.O.P.S. chapter to be their fundraiser recipient. A "casino night" type of event is planned for Saturday, April 19th, 2003. We have quite a few people interested in this event, and we are planning on getting a block of rooms at a local hotel located near Sandusky. Ohio C.O.P.S. will have a booth at this event to sell merchandise and distribute information. If anyone is interested in attending, please contact Linda at Linda@ohiocops.com and we can get a room lined up for you and your friends. Our annual meeting/picnie will be on Sunday, June 29th, 2003. We are hoping for statewide poker runs gathering at different locations around the state, with the final destination being our picnic site. Lunch will be provided for all of the riders and special t-shirts will be printed and sold the day of the ride. More information will be posted on the website as the details become available. [ return to top ] New Line of Duty Death Manual Available
[ return to top ] A new bill was introduced into the legislature after Cleveland Officer Wayne Leon was gunned down in the line of duty on June 25, 2000. Representative Dean DePiero of District 15 sponsored House Bill #130. This bill "imposes a seven-year mandatory prison term upon an offender if that offender discharged a firearm at a peace officer or a corrections officer while committing the offense." We would like to thank Rep. DePiero for all of the time and effort into making this bill a reality. Grace Leon, widow of Officer Leon and Dean Leon, brother of Officer Leon, presented heartfelt testimonies to the committee panel in order to see this bill through. It was tough to go in front of these people and share once again the pain of losing a loved one to a brutal, senseless act. It is because of people like them that we are able to get things done. This is definitely a step in the right direction at getting some of the scum off the street for a longer period of time. [ return to top ]
Highway Named for Trooper Frank G. Vazquez House bill 580 was passed by the legislation and signed into law by the governor on January 6th, 2003. The bill designates the portion of I-270 running between I-70 and the Georgesville Road interchange, the "Trooper Frank G. Vazquez Memorial Highway." Trooper Vazquez was struck and killed by a repeat drunk driver on November 6, 2001. The man who murdered Frank got the maximum sentence afforded him by law. Eight years is all he will serve. Frank left behind a wife, three small children, his father, as well as other family members. Frank's wife Krissy, will be a guest speaker during Cincinnati's Victims of Crime Week Program held on Fountain Square in Downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 8th at noon. The program is co-sponsored by MADD. [ return to top ]
Project Blue Ribbon - Fly the Blue!
Please let Ohio C.O.P.S. know if you would like to receive blue ribbons. We will make arrangements to get them to you. Call or email your request. [ return to top ]
Trial News and Updates
We at Ohio C.O.P.S. would like to announce that the murder trial of Muskingum County Sheriff Deputy Robert Tanner, Jr. has been moved to August 1, 2003. We would like to thank everyone who sent in petitions, wrote letters, and helped us to get this accomplished. When we first started out on this journey, the judge and prosecutor said they would not, for any reason, change this trial date. Well, that wasn't good enough for us. "How can you sit there and do this to these survivors?" was our question. It is done daily for the criminals. Continuances are frequent and for much less valid purposes than honoring a fallen law enforcement officer. We tried to show the judge and prosecutor that what they were doing was wrong. The judge and prosecutor actually were looking forward to the trial being held during police week, for what reasons we may never know. But in the end, we stuck together as law-abiding citizens, law enforcement officers, and survivors, and we beat the system. Being a survivor myself, and never having had to endure a trial as the man who murdered my husband committed suicide, I can only imagine the pain and horrir of a trial. Sitting in the courtroom every day, looking at the person who changed your life forever in a split second, our hearts go out to you. The Tanner family will still have to face this man for what he has done to them, but it won't be during Police Week, when the nation will come together and acknowledge the loss of one phenomenal human being, Deputy Robert Tanner, Jr. May God bless this family and his co-workers. [ return to top ]
Back the Blue Cruise is Back
Pricing will be available starting in April, so make sure you check the website for details. This trip should be a blast! Please plan on crusing with us! [ return to top ]
National Sets Dates for Hands On Programs
Dates for Hands On programs:
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Banishing the Darkness, Together
Concerns of Police Survivors invited us to Washington, D.C. and the next May we dutifully showed up not knowing what to expect. But I will never forget the Candlelight Vigil in Judiciary Square. We stepped off the bus and walked through a cordon of officers. It might have seemed to the casual observer that we were being honored but it was really Tim that was being honored as we walked among officers from every state and community. I will always remember the many men and women who gave of their time to acknowledge someone they never knew but someone I loved. We found Tim's name on the wall and spent a quiet time there surrounded by other families. We hadn't known to bring anything and were touched by the drawings and letters left by children. "Hi, Daddy, I played on the basketball team this year and we won two games. I am taller now, almost up to Mom's shoulder. I hope you like Heaven, Love, Philip, Age 9 and 1/2." We decided we would bring a picture of Tim and his children when we returned next year. I don't remember much of the service - I know the Attorney General was there and I remember my wife's surprise that someone of that level would take time to be the guest speaker. But I remember the lighting of the candles and the reading of the names. One large candle on the podium was lit, officers in their dress uniforms filed by and lit their candles from the flame, then fanned out through the crowd, lighting a candle at every row. Each person lit his candle from the person next to him and in several minutes, all of Judiciary Square was alight with the flame of that one candle. The square that night glowed with the light of thousands of candles, the shared memories of hundreds of families, and the respect and honor given by Tim's fellow officers. The light reflected from the candle I held high, and the one across the square from me, and the other thousands of people all holding their candles high. For just an instant, we banished the darkness and the light was held high with pride and love and memories. It was reflected on the tear-streaked cheeks of the officers who had come to remember with us. And, for a moment, we were not alone with our pain and we felt connected to the men and women who share Tim's values and commitment. He lives on in our thoughts and he lives in each one of them. In the years since, we have returned to support those families who banish the darkness for the first time, for just a moment, and we share again the magic of one candle magnified by many. And of one life, magnified by the finest men and women it has been my privilege to meet. I hope to see you in Washington and to help banish the darkness for a little while again. [ return to top ]
Upcoming Events
On May 13 - 16, the 1st Annual Central Ohio Peace Officer Memorial Run will be held. This will be a motorcycle ride to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. For more information, contact Barry Connell at evonighttrain@alltel.net. During the Greater Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial, Grace Leon and Mandi Salvino will host the first Ohio C.O.P.S. booth during the swap meet at the Tattoo. Stop by and say hello! On May 18th, the Springdale Police Department will hold it's sixth annual COPS Code 3 Run. Ohio C.O.P.S. has been the beneficiary of this run for the past several years. The race registration form will be available online at the www.ohiocops.com website if you would like to participate in this year's event. It is a 5K. The Ohio C.O.P.S. Annual Picnic will be held at a facility near Columbus on Sunday, June 29th. More information will be sent out and put on the website. We are hoping for a statewide poker run, with all runs converging on the picnic site. We feel this is an awesome way for law enforcement to stay connected with survivors. We are going to make this an annual event and hope it becomes something that everyone looks forward to in the future. We are having t-shirts printed up specially for this event. Hope to see lots and lots of bikes! Information will be posted as we get it. [ return to top ]
National Police Week Events
The National Concerns of Police Survivor Seminars will take place on May 14th and 16th. There will be something for everyone here. The kids will find their way to the FBI academy, and family survivors will find their way to seminars designed specifically for them. There are the co-worker seminars designed for affected officers who have had to buy a comrade. We cannot stress enough to all of you the importance of attending these seminars. They are there to assist you in this most traumatic event in your life. We cnnot help you if you don't attend! Please don't use this week for sightseeing, but instead to take advantage of all those who care so deeply about you. Won't you make a commitment to yourself to attend? If you need help finding an appropriate seminar, we will be there to help. [ return to top ]
Ohio C.O.P.S. Bar-b-Que on the 15th
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Ohio Fallen Officer James R. Pitney
James R. Pitney Ranger Pitney was killed when a large piece of a tree fell and struck him on the head as he walked beneath a worker in a tree topping bucket. The work crew was topping the tree at a campground near Charles Mill Lake when the accident occurred. Ranger Pitney was transported to the MedCentral-Mansfield Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Ranger Pitney also served as a part time deputy for the Ashland Co. Sheriff's Department. He is survived by his wife and two sons and their families. [ return to top ]
Some Police Week Facts It was not until May 15, 1982 that the first National Peace Officer's Memorial Day Service was held in Washington, DC. Activities during NPW now include the annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial and C.O.P.S. National Police Survivors Seminars, as well as the National Peace Officer's Memorial Day Service. Also during the month of May, we have our Blue Ribbon Campaign. All law enforcement agencies, as well as citizens are asked to fly a blue ribbon on their car antennas to show support for those fallen in the line of duty as well as those who continue to put on the uniform and hit the streets daily, putting themselves in harm's way to protect and serve. [ return to top ]
Change of Address and Email Addresses
You can also be added to our email list. This list is growing daily and is useful when we do petition drives or have information that needs to get out quickly. It is because of this "instant access" that we were able to get Deputy Tanner's trial moved. We received huge quantities of petitions that were able to be downloaded right off the email. It is a wonderful way to stay current on the critical events of our chapter. Just go to the www.ohiocops.com site, and submit the email to join. [ return to top ]
Donations and Thank-You's The Crime Clinic, Inc., from Cleveland, OH for your generous donation to Ohio C.O.P.S. Stephanie Kaiser and Joe for doing an outstanding job with the children at our Blue Light Remembrance. We couldn't have done it without you! Thank you Klaus and the staff at Speeds' for our Blue Light Remembrance. It is an awesome facility! The committee who worked so hard to make the Blue Light a success: Pam Sohn, Brenda Flugum, Angie McDowell, Daryl & Wilma Zornes, Mandi Salvino, Chuck and Marion MacLennon, you guys did an awesome job. Hamilton County Police Association for always being there to support us. The officers and survivors who made up the roster at Cincinnati's Trauma of Law Enforcement Seminar. Thanks for buying so much of our stuff! Tony Michaels and Cruise 800 for another check in the amount of $4300 for the Back the Blue Cruise that we took in October. I don't know how we would survive without you! To the Sandusky FOPA lodge for putting on the fundraiser in April. Again, we don't know how we would survive without you! And also to the Springdale PD for once again sponsoring our 5K Code 3 Run. It's these annual events that keep us going! And a continuing thank you to all who continue to support this chapter. Thank you. Thank you. [ return to top ]
Memorial License Plate Update
Please think about signing up for a plate. Ohio C.O.P.S. will receive money each year from this fundraiser.
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Someone you love has been murdered, or was killed by a drunk or reckless driver. It is an understatement to say that your life has been changed. Your anger and pain are deep, and it will take a great deal of hard work and time to recover. You may never feel as if you have "recovered". However, many persons who have been in your situation learn to "manage their grief". You will need time, determination, and, often, the support of a caring listener.
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| May 2002 Issue |