RIP Officer Padron...and thank you.
Strange how sometimes we take things for granted. We move from a place where we have dear friends, and coworkers who are like family, only to put down roots somewhere else and start again.
I was reminded of an old life this week. A person I adore from my past sent me a message on Facebook. The sight of her picture next to a new message made me smile....reading her email brought a tear to my eye.
We spent many years together inside the old walls of the San Angelo Police Department. I admit, that seems like another lifetime. It's been ten years since I moved and started a new life. Not surprisingly, I am guilty of not keeping in touch with many of the amazing people I knew there. This dear friend sent me the message to tell me that an officer I knew well, admittedly bumped heads with occasionally, but spent many nights on the same radio channel had been killed in the line of duty. He had left SAPD a few years ago, and was now working for the Austin Police Dept. He was dispatched to a call at a WalMart for a drunk and disorderly customer. A quick altercation on his arrival left him with a fatal bullet wound in the neck. He died on the scene.
Officers in both Austin and San Angelo stood vigil over Jaime's body from that morning until his burial. People lined the roadways in both cities as the hearse carrying him took him back home. That is what happens in a law enforcement family. They look after their own...and honor them.
Officer Jaime Padron was a smiling, light hearted guy who LOVED his family, his job, and his department. There were days I took that for granted...and that is a mistake many of us make. We get busy and don't take the time to appreciate the people who are in our lives. So let me do that now. Jaime, we had our laughs and our differences, and yes, lots of both..but you also had my respect. You were a energetic officer and dedicated public servant. Thank you for being one of the good guys. May you rest in peace...you've earned it.
The next time you see that officer working your neighborhood, instead of looking down at your speedometer or trying to avoid them, why not thank them for doing a job many of us would not want. We grow up idolizing sports figures, movie stars, and politicians. Sadly, it's not until we are old that we realize that these are the people who are true heroes.
We spent many years together inside the old walls of the San Angelo Police Department. I admit, that seems like another lifetime. It's been ten years since I moved and started a new life. Not surprisingly, I am guilty of not keeping in touch with many of the amazing people I knew there. This dear friend sent me the message to tell me that an officer I knew well, admittedly bumped heads with occasionally, but spent many nights on the same radio channel had been killed in the line of duty. He had left SAPD a few years ago, and was now working for the Austin Police Dept. He was dispatched to a call at a WalMart for a drunk and disorderly customer. A quick altercation on his arrival left him with a fatal bullet wound in the neck. He died on the scene.
Officers in both Austin and San Angelo stood vigil over Jaime's body from that morning until his burial. People lined the roadways in both cities as the hearse carrying him took him back home. That is what happens in a law enforcement family. They look after their own...and honor them.
Officer Jaime Padron was a smiling, light hearted guy who LOVED his family, his job, and his department. There were days I took that for granted...and that is a mistake many of us make. We get busy and don't take the time to appreciate the people who are in our lives. So let me do that now. Jaime, we had our laughs and our differences, and yes, lots of both..but you also had my respect. You were a energetic officer and dedicated public servant. Thank you for being one of the good guys. May you rest in peace...you've earned it.
The next time you see that officer working your neighborhood, instead of looking down at your speedometer or trying to avoid them, why not thank them for doing a job many of us would not want. We grow up idolizing sports figures, movie stars, and politicians. Sadly, it's not until we are old that we realize that these are the people who are true heroes.
The thin blue line....
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