Officer Ernest May
This week I traveled to Las Vegas to attend a conference on Gangs and Undercover Narcotics Investigations (and yes, I did attend some of the class while I was there). I wanted to take the opportunity to honor an officer from that part of the country since I do not get there very often. While doing my research to find a deserving officer I came upon the story of Officer Ernest May; the first member of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to pay the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Ernest May possessed the essential qualities that every law enforcement officer should have; a strong work ethic, compassion, courage, and the will to never give up. His father died when he was a young boy so Ernest went to work for the Pacific Railroad Company to help his mother provide for the family. After getting married in 1917 Ernest joined the police department while continuing to work for the railroad company after working his way up the ladder and becoming an engineer.
In 1929 Officer May was shot in the arm while apprehending four burglary suspects. He recovered from this incident and went back to work for the police department. As this time was during the Great Depression, Officer May and his family struggled financially, like most others. However, Officer May was known for giving his last five dollars to hobo's before running them out of town in the performance of his duty.
On June 8, 1933, Officer May was shot and killed while responding to a shooting call at a local hotel. Witness testimony and a recreation of the crime scene determined that Officer May was ambushed by the suspect as he got out of his police car at the hotel. However, before succumbing to his mortal wound Officer May returned fire at the suspect striking him four times and killing him. Although Officer May died in this incident, his "never give up" attitude is one that every officer should have instilled in them in the police academy. Officer May was 38 years old and was survived by his wife and seven young children.
There is an elementary school in Las Vegas named in honor of Officer May. Much of the historical information about Officer May in this entry was obtained from the Ernest J. May Elementary School website.
It made me wonder if the young children who attend this school everyday are aware of the heroic figure their school is named after, or after all these years since Officer May died is it just a name of a building to them. This week was Nevada Reading Week for the Nevada school system. This is a yearly program that promotes reading for children through various creative programs and activities. We purchased a box full of new children's books with police and firefighter related themes and donated them to Ernest J. May Elementary and requested that the children be reminded of Officer May's story. Hopefully, the books will inspire a few kids to become police officers someday!
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