Thanks to COVID-19, the so-called “new normal” foisted upon citizens in America has resulted in a bevy of changes in society. The “it is what it is” credo has many applications nowadays.
Many traditional features have defaulted to non-traditional means. Last was the week-long recognition of our nation’s nurses, kudos from other first responders was mostly done via drive-by salutations. This week it is in honor our country’s cops.
The hugely heralded and widely attended National Police Week [1] has for years been a staple annual commemorative event whereby law enforcement officers and their loved ones from all over flock to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial [2] (NLEOMF) in Washington, DC, while various respective state, county and local police memorials dotting the United States map conduct their own tributes—until now.
Starting last week, the seeming momentum heaped as police agency after police agency somberly announced the pandemic-driven necessity to cancel law enforcement memorial commemorative events, removing the typical element of physically saluting side by side and exchanging stories and cop shop talk. Instead, these events of honoring the fallen will morph into tributes attended largely online. Now, taps will be played to listeners tuned via telecast methods, with a simulcast of perhaps one or two police officials tending to the memorial site while socially distanced from each other while donning ceremonial white cotton gloves—some supplemented by a medical face mask.
https://www.facebook.com/HCSOSheriff/videos/240881427251387/
While honoring the fallen, a unique adaptation to traditional police week events evolved within the ranks of the Tampa Police Department (TPD). A hybrid tribute was fashioned whereby participants (mostly cops) maintained social distance protocols while a pro-police news anchor presided at a podium in front of police headquarters, orating an abbreviated tribute in a mostly desolated downtown city. Each of TPD’s fallen warriors had his/her name affixed to the rear of a Tampa police cruiser to commemorate respects to their fallen.
Interestingly and safely, the moderator spoke the name and end of watch date with the clang of a bell…while a cameraperson walked and aired the respective name on each cop car. Sadly, the series of names and line of parked police cruisers was lengthy. In an orchestrated fashion, once each fallen officer’s name was mentioned, the respective cruiser telegraphing that particular cop’s name would extinguish that particular cruiser’s red/blue emergency lights.
Each Tampa PD cruiser was occupied by a Tampa cop, none of whom ever stepped out of their vehicle. With the onset all Tampa police vehicles had their emergency lights flashing; one by one, as the fallen officers’ names were mentioned and the bell clanged, cruiser after cruiser went dark/silent. At the outset, the entire string of cop cars sat idle, laced around the city park which sits directly in front of police HQ.
According to the NLEOMF site, “This year, the names of 307 brave men and women will be engraved on the walls of the Memorial.” Meaning their engravers and work crews will be socially distanced and/or protected against COVID-19 while doing the surface work of adding names to the memorial wall. A virtual candle vigil is offered May 13 at 20:00 hours (8 p.m. EST).
During the writing of this article, a “light a virtual candle [3]” vigil submission was received by the NLEOMF; it reads, “This pandemic may discourage us from gathering physically, but it will not discourage our desire to think of you and the life you have lived. Thank you for giving us your all. We’ve got it from here, brother.”
Despite the sign of the times, blue burns bright in virtually unimaginable ways.
https://www.facebook.com/TampaPD/videos/589618184981410/
This piece was written by Stephen Owsinski on May 11, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette [4] and is used by permission.
Read more at LifeZette:
These RINOs are forming ‘Republicans for Biden’ [5]
House Democrat introduces $100B TRACE Act aimed at compromising the most fundamental rights of every American [6]
Michael Rapaport launches disgusting Mother’s Day attack on Melania Trump [7]