#2 Act of Kindness: Supporting Officer Zachary Spires

Zoe and Zarya Spires

                                                             
We are often asked, "What does Signal 13 mean? How did you come up with that for your company name?" For many police departments Signal 13 is a distress code meaning an officer is in need of immediate assistance. We thought it was a clever name for a company whose mission was to train officer to become better at what they do. I can not think of a more appropriate name to associate with this weeks Act of Kindness/Remembrance. Over the past few weeks while trying to come up with ideas for our 52 acts I have searched the internet using phrases like "Officer in need of assistance," or "Help a police officer." What I learned is that unfortunately, there are no shortage of officers with serious needs. One of the most heartbreaking stories I have come across is that of Officer Zachary Spires, of the Orlando Police Department. On September 27th, Officer Spires' wife, Monica Harris-Spires, gave birth to twin girls, Zoe and Zarya. One week after the birth, Monica's condition deteriorated rapidly and she died unexpectedly, leaving Officer Spires to raise the two babies by himself. Monica was only 35 years old. Officer Spires also has two older children from a previous relationship.

I have never met Officer Spires, but it is no surprise that when I did some research on him for this entry I found information about him on the internet detailing kind deeds he had done during his career. One of the things I came upon was a recognition by the city council of Orlando for one of Officer Spires' deeds. It read:

Officer Zachary Spires

"In December 2002 Officer Spires participated in the Orlando Police Department's Angel Tree Project, where the department's employees purchased toys for needy children. Officer Spires sponsored 11 children, purchasing six bicycles along with clothing and toys. Additionally, Officer Spires made a generous monetary donation to the project and solicited donations from other sources. Because of his generosity and devotion to the children of Orlando, Officer Zachary Spires was awarded the Outstanding Employee Award."

By all accounts he appears to be a typical cop that cares about his community. How sadly ironic that a man known for his generosity and compassion for children in need, now has children of his own in need. It is time for the good deeds of Officer Spires to be repaid with the generosity and kindness of others.

We have sent a care package consisting of diapers, new dresses and teddy bears to Officer Spires and his family. We hope you are inspired to share your kindness with them as well. Even as little as a card letting them know you think about and pray for them is invaluable.

If you would like to send them care packages they can be mailed to the following address:

                                       Officer Spires Family
                                       Attn: Lt. Pursley
                                       Orlando Police Department
                                       100 S. Hughey Ave.
                                        Orlando, Florida 32801

If you would like to send a monetary contribution, a fund has been established in Monica Harris-Spires memory. Make  checks payable to the Benefit Account for Monica Spires and mail it to 1117 S. Westmoreland Drive, Orlando, FL 32805.

#1-Act of Kindness/Remembrance (Corporal Courtney Brooks)

                                                              
                                                       Corporal Courtney Brooks


On January 1, 2008, exactly five years ago, Corporal Courtney Brooks, of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department was killed in the line of duty. In an utterly senseless act Cpl. Brooks was struck by a drunken driver while performing a traffic detail. As is so often the case in line of duty deaths, a superb human being who has devoted their life to public service is lost at the hands of an irresponsible menace. For an extremely thorough account of the incident and notes from a chilling plea agreement proffer by Assistant State's Attorney, Theresa Shaffer, please read this article.

Each year on average between 125-200 police officers are killed in the line of duty. The outpouring of support by law enforcement after an officer is killed is nothing short of awe inspiring. Representatives from law enforcement agencies from around the country and beyond respond to pay their respects and participate in funeral processions that can be several miles in length. Corporal Brooks' funeral was no exception. Unfortunately, as time goes by more and more officers join Corporal Brooks among the names on the Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial wall in Washington, D.C. The memory of those who have fallen tend to fade with time to those who did not know and love them.

For the first "Act of Kindness and Remembrance" of the year I thought it fitting to honor an officer that had given their life on New Year's Day. New Year's Day is a day of celebration and hope. A day to clean the slate of disappointments from the previous year and look forward to better days in the coming year. A day to spend with friends and family. On New Years Eve, 2007, Corporal Brooks, like so many other officers across the country reported to work. While most people have the day off to celebrate and spend time with the ones they love, Corporal Brooks and those many other officers sacrificed spending time with their friends and family for the holiday and went to work. Corporal Brooks stood outside in the cold working a traffic detail while most of the rest of the population were in the comfort of the indoors, celebrating. Simply for the sacrifice of leaving their families and going to work on holidays we should honor law enforcement officers. But in this case, Corporal Brooks' sacrifice was so much more.

Corporal Brooks served his country for six years in the Army and served his community for 13 years as a police officer. He left behind three children and a fiance. His children were ages 17, 4 and 2 when he died.

In honor and remembrance of Corporal Brooks we placed flowers on his grave on this, the five year anniversary of his death, and made a donation in his honor to the Concerns of Police Survivors, a non-profit organization whose mission is as follows:

"Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as determined by Federal criteria.  Furthermore, C.O.P.S. provides training to law enforcement agencies on survivor victimization issues and educates the public of the need to support the law enforcement profession and its survivors.'

We have also left a message of reflection for Corporal Brooks at the Officer Down Memorial Page. We encourage you to leave a reflection as well. You can visit the site here.

We also encourage you to support C.O.P.S. and their important mission to assist police survivors. Visit their website.

Finally, please take a moment to view this video of a standing ovation that was given to Corporal Brooks at his funeral. Five years later, I hope you can all find a way to honor Corporal Brooks.

52 ACTS OF KINDNESS AND REMEMBERANCE

It's New Years Eve 2012. Time to be asked over and over again what our New Year's resolution is. First of all, it may be more interesting to ask if anyone remembers there resolution from last year. How often have you heard of anyone that actually followed through with their resolution? Maybe its because most of the things we choose pertain only to ourselves. We resolve to lose weight, get in shape, stop smoking, stop drinking, etc. etc. When is the last time your resolution pertained to doing something for others?

In response to the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy Ann Curry, of NBC News, challenged everyone to do 26 acts of kindness to honor each of the victims from the tragedy. Ms. Curry describes her inspiration and intent for this in a great article here.

My New Years resolution is to double Ann Curry's request and do 52 acts of kindness/remembrance (one for each week of the year). My intention is to do something to honor, support and/or remember a law enforcement or military hero who has sacrificed their own well being and in many cases their lives so that we may live in peace and freedom. I want to show my appreciation to these individuals and share their story with as many people as possible. So, I encourage you to please follow the blog and share the stories with as many people as possible so that the sacrifices these heroes made will always be appreciated and never be forgotten.

I also encourage you to find inspiration from this effort and commit your own acts of kindness and remembrance and share your stories in this forum so we can honor as many heroes as possible.

Happy New Year.

"Feel GD"

The Peace Tree

Two weeks ago today I attended my office Christmas party. It was a great night with friends filled with the joy of the season. The next day while feeling "a little under the weather" from partaking in too much of the previous nights festivities, I made my way into work. When I arrived several co-workers were gathered around a T.V. watching the live footage from Sandy Hook Elementary. "Did you hear what happened?" they asked. The synopsis that followed was more than I could process. An elementary school? First graders? 26 people? 11 days before Christmas. Times like this  have a way of making us question our faith. How could something so horrible happen to so many innocent people? Children?

So, I would like to share some observations I brought home from Newtown. If you are religious or spiritual you may find some extra meaning.

• On Christmas day we paid one last visit to the memorials. In front of the town hall a "Peace Tree" had been created where many thoughtful ornaments paying tribute to the victims had been hung. Nearby was a woman who had set up a table and was giving away home made cookies. She was appropriately named "Faith." Faith is a teacher who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Like Taylor and I she traveled to Newtown to spend Christmas because she needed to "do something." 

Taylor and I with Faith, a teacher from Phoenix who traveled to Newtown on Christmas to hand out home made cookies.

• When we returned to the main area of memorials in Sandy Hook Christmas morning a man had brought his piano and set it up next to the memorial.  We stood mesmerized by his music for quite a while. Silent Night, O' Holy Night, to name a few, together in the setting of the gently rolling river nearby brought a great sense of peace over us. 

• Before leaving to come home on Christmas morning we left a new teddy bear under each of the 26 Christmas trees that lined the road to the elementary school. As we waited to make a turn at the main intersection in town where the majority of people congregate around memorials my eyes were drawn to the license plate on the car directly in front of us.

Nike has a slogan, "Just do it." Three simple words that capture an attitude of achievement. As I continued through the day on December 14th, everywhere I went people were staring at the news accounts on the television, the same looks of disbelief on all of their faces. By the time I arrived home at the end of the day I had inadvertently created my own two simple word slogan, "Do something." I was not yet sure of what I was going to do, but I was absolutely determined to do something! There are so many things that could be done for the people of Newtown/Sandy Hook. Numerous funds have been established to help the families of the victims or to support charities related to special interests the victims had. All are very worthy causes. But for me I wanted to do something more personal than anonymously sitting at a computer and punching in my credit card information. I wanted to rally a community far removed from Newtown, Connecticut and bring our message of love and support personally to them so that they would realize that an entire nation was grieving with them and they were not alone. The greatest attribute of the human spirit is that it grows stronger in the face of evil. One evil act has led to countless acts of kindness and compassion  and that is the only way for those directly affected by the Sandy Hook incident to ever regain any sense of normalcy and purpose. I hope this blog has helped to make the dozens of you who contributed to this effort feel connected and that you too were delivering a personal message and not an anonymous contribution. As we move forward I would encourage everyone to continue to "do something." There are so many people in need and so many worthy causes to support. It does not always have to be monetary gestures. Often the most valuable thing we can contribute is our time. Even if it is taking a moment to call a friend or send a card to someone who is struggling. Maybe if we all commit to more consciously "doing something" kind and positive we will someday rediscover a world where incidents like Sandy Hook are not as common.

One last personal note. So often when tragedy strikes we say to ourselves and each other, "go home and hug your kids." Having my daughter with me all along the way during this experience has been the greatest "hug" I could ever imagine. I thank all of those who so graciously gave to this cause for helping make this possible.

I hope you have found this blog informative and will sign up to "follow" it. If you have read any of the entries prior to Sandy Hook you will see that it often focuses on human interest stories related to law enforcement. I would love for the following to continue to grow and bring awareness and appreciation to those I write about. Some still with us who could use your thoughts and prayers; and some who have passed but should be honored and remembered.

I would also welcome your comments. I wish everyone a safe and happy new year.

"I Don't Think I Will Ever Get Those Images Out of My Head"

As a police officer for more than 20 years whenever I hear of an incident like Sandy Hook in addition to feeling great sadness and concern for the victims and their families, one of my first thoughts is how are the first responders doing? In addition to the victims, media attention seems to focus more on the suspect and gun control and rarely acknowledges the first responders and the extremely difficult job they do. We all take the horrifying details of the incident in from a distance and it jolts us to our core. Imagine then what it must be like for the officers who were the first ones to arrive at the school. Our first stop on this trip was at the Connecticut State Police barrack located  just a few minutes from Newtown. Every trooper working at this post on December 14th, responded to the shooting in progress call, many were among the first officers on the scene. For most of the days since then many of these troopers have remained intimately involved in the investigation. Taylor and I were fortunate enough to spend some time with a few of the Troopers that were on the scene. They are still visibly shaken by what they saw. Whether they like the police or not, the public holds officers to a certain standard of integrity, bravery and ability to remain calm and collected under the worst of circumstances. And to our credit not a day goes by that officers across the country not only meet, but exceed these high standards under the most difficult and stressful of circumstances. But although we are conditioned to control our emotions and perform professionally no matter what comes our way, at the end of the day we are human, just like everyone else. Those of us who have followed this story in the media only imagine how horrific the scene inside that school was. These officers experienced it. They escorted horrified children from the building. They witnessed the unthinkable carnage. They diligently and thoroughly processed that scene for days after the event, making sure the investigation was conducted in the most impeccable and complete manner possible. We look at the innocent smiles of the child victims in their school pictures that are flashed across our T.V. screens and it breaks our hearts. Imagine how these officers last saw them. One officer sadly stated, "I don't know how I will ever get those images out of my head." Another wept as he recounted his interaction with a little boy from Ms. Soto's class when the officer returned his backpack to him earlier that day.

Taylor and I with some of Connecticut's  finest State Troopers. Several of these Troopers were among the first on the scene at Sandy Hook Elementary

After visiting with the CT State Troopers we made our way into town and began visiting the memorials. We personally handed gift cards to every police officer and firefighter we encountered. They were genuinely grateful for the support. What stood out to me the most was that there were no Newtown Police Officers in the town. Every officer we encountered was from a neighboring jurisdiction, many of them volunteering to be there on Christmas Eve and Christmas day so that their brother/sister officers of Newtown could be with their families. To those of you who are police officers or from police families you will not be at all surprised by this. This is an example of why I became a police officer and why after all these years I am still passionate about my job. In no other profession does the phrase, "we take care of our own" apply more. This unity and camaraderie is in no small part one of the strongest motivating factors for me to take on this endeavor. So many times during my career I have been on the receiving end of this support from members of other agencies. It is my duty to be there for them when they are in need. A further example of this attitude was displayed when we went to the Newtown police station and offered a gift card to a volunteering officer from a neighboring jurisdiction. The officer politely declined and stated, "take them into the station and leave them for the Newtown guys, they need it more than me."

I would be remiss if I did not mention that the residents of Newtown and the surrounding area have been extremely supportive of the first responders. Both police facilities we visited are overflowing with food. During the hour visit we had at the CSP barrack at least four people continued to add to the food supply. Gourmet desserts, shrimp platters, and one of the largest arrays of Christmas cookies I have ever seen were among the donations. It would only be appropriate for me to also thank the many of you that contributed generously to this cause. We were able to distribute gift cards to at least 100 officers and dozens of firefighters as a small token of support and appreciation. These gifts and our efforts were genuinely appreciated. When I awoke on Christmas morning the following text message from one of the Troopers we met with was on my phone:

"Mark-it was a great honor to have met you and Taylor yesterday. We can't thank you and your community enough for what you do for people like our first responders. Your trip up here on Christmas eve is truly a message for us from our Lord and he has sent both of you as messengers to show us there is still much love..."

Thank you for letting us be your messengers!  My next entry will hold some final thoughts about this experience.

Anywhere But Here

Newtown and Sandy Hook are small towns separated only by Interstate 84. Where one town ends and the other begins is indiscernible; they are very much one community. It is the kind of community depicted on toy train displays next to Christmas trees at a local volunteer firehouse. They are the kinds of towns that inspire movies like "It's a Wonderful Life," and Norman Rockwell paintings. They are the kind of towns where everyone knows each other and looks out for one another. This is the kind of community that people seek out to raise their children in. You will not find Wal-Mart or Target here. Instead there is a "General" store. No Toys R Us either. Instead there is "The Toy Tree," a local toy store whose Christmas business was devastated when media trucks overtook the town and blocked the storefront as well as cutting off parking around the store. There is an American flag that flies prominently in the middle of Main St. in Newtown against the backdrop of a rustic church that displays a sign in front that reads "Newtown Meeting House 1793." One can only imagine the things that have been prayed for in that building for over 200 years. And what is prayed for inside there on this Christmas day. The Newtown Bee, the local newspaper is housed in a quaint one story red cottage with an antique town clock on the sidewalk in front of it. Sandy Hook has a beautiful river that runs right through the middle of town. The river is now the backdrop of one of the many impromptu memorials of signs, teddy bears, ornaments and other thoughtful items left to remember the victims.

Newtown General Store

Main St. Newtown

The Newtown Bee

The Toy Tree (Sandy Hook)

"Downtown" Sandy Hook

It is easy to discern the local residents from the many out of town people like us who have come to pay respects. The out of towner's have mournful faces filled with sadness. The local people have vacant stares with looks of disbelief, shock and horror. They move slowly along the memorials as if on autopilot. There were several small children crying and being consoled by parents. Most likely schoolmates of the victims. How could someone steal the innocence of these children? How can we ever imagine our six year old spending Christmas this way? There is a palpable quiet in the town. It is haunting. There is an endless line of people visiting the makeshift monuments, but no one speaks.    At the main four way intersection in town there are four police officers directing traffic. But even the traffic is eerily calm. The motorists move very slowly and quietly so as not to disturb what is going on and the officers also very stoic and quiet make sure pedestrians are able to safely cross from one side of the street to the other and continue viewing the seemingly endless line of mementos piled in honor of the victims. 

For me, besides the loss of 26 innocent lives, the cruelest thing to come from this is that such a quiet, peaceful town will forever be linked with such a horrendous event. The last place on earth you would ever expect this to happen.

My next entry will address our interaction with the first responders. Thank you for following us and for being a part of this.

When Words Are Not Enough

We arrived in Newtown this afternoon. There is a steady stream of visitors paying their respects. There is an endless array of memorials all throughout the town. Despite there being hundreds of people walking along the street viewing the memorials there is a very eerie quiet throughout the town. Everyone here is numb. I can't find the words right now to express what Taylor and I have experienced today so until I do I will let these pictures speak for us. May you all have a peaceful Christmas Eve.