A Police Story
By: John Kearns
Tags: Law Enforcement, Police, Family, Dad, Father

A Police Story

It all starts one evening, you’re 7 years old and it’s almost bed time. Your sitting there with your mom, dad, and sister watching tv.

It’s close to the time your dad has to leave for work, he’s a police officer and he’s working graveyard shift. He kisses your mom(his wife), your sister and you good night and leaves.

Your Mom says ok you too, it’s bed time and kisses you both good night. You and your sister head to bed, your mom watches tv for a while longer and then turns out the lights. It’s like any other night, we have dinner at the table, clean the dishes and sit together watching tv. Nothing seems different or out of the normal.

Your mom heads to bed, the house goes silent. All three of you attempt to fall into slumber. You toss and turn a while before finally falling asleep.

Some hours later, all three of you are awaken by repeated knocks at the front door. Your mom gets up and turns on the hall light as she walks to the front door. You and your sister get up and walk into the hallway, watching as your mom opens the front door.

You recognize the 2 guys at the front door, they are in Police Uniforms and look sad and upset. You hear their voice and it’s shaken and disturbed. You hear them say “We are so sorry to have to be here and tell you this, Your husband has been shot”. Your mom breaks into a cry and screams “nooo”, you and your sister start crying and screaming “daddy”.

Both the officers come inside and attempt to comfort the three of you, they radio to have the chaplain and counselors come to the house. You and your sister just sit there on the floor staring at the wall. Your mom, she’s so shook up and crying that she falls to the floor, one of the officers catch her and lay her down.

It’s 3am in the morning, there are all sorts of people in the house and outside. The chief of police is talking to your mom, sitting at the kitchen table. The chaplain is trying to talk to you and your sister.

Your grandparents are on their way up from down south, your uncle and aunt are with them. The captain called them just a short while ago and informed them.

You can’t think, you can’t stop crying, you can’t even see through your tears. You don’t even know where your sister is, but you can hear her crying. You start hitting the floor with your hands, saying “I want my daddy, I want my daddy”

One of the officers that originally knocked on the door, reaches down and picks you up, holding you, attempting to calm you down. You start punching him in the shoulder with your 7 year old fists. You know it doesn’t hurt him, but you don’t know what else to do.

The Chief takes your mom, you and your sister down to the station to help arrange stuff. Your grandparents, aunt, and uncle arrive from down south. They meet with your mom, the chief, and the chaplain.

2 days go by and you haven’t slept hardly at all, just sat there on the living room floor. All you’ve done was stare at your daddy picture, crying and crying. You and your sister have missed school, your mom has missed work. Your grandparents are trying to help your mom make the funeral arrangements.

You don’t even know what day it is anymore or even care. Your mom and grandparents tell you and your sister that it’s time to bury your dad. You begin crying even more and hitting the floor even harder, saying “no, he’s coming home. He has to come home”

It’s been a week since that night, and your now standing in the funeral home staring at your daddy’s casket. You walk up to it and look in, your daddy looks like he is sleeping. You try to wake him up by shaking his shoulder. Your mom. and Grandpa come up to you and say “honey, that’s not gonna work. Your daddy is gone”.

After a while, daddy’s casket is put in a Hurst and all of you climb in a long black car and follow the hurst. Lots of police officers are following and leading in police cars and motorcycles. You all arrive at a cemetery, you know this cemetery because you’ve been here before.

Several policemen take your daddy’s casket out of the hurst and carry it to a hole in the ground, a grave site. They place it on straps and the priest has the bagpipe players begin playing. The priest begins his ceremony, many people talk good things about your Daddy.

The priest folds up the flag that was draped over your daddy’s casket and the chief of police hands it to your mom. The straps begin lowering your daddy’s casket into the ground. Many people cry and hug each other. 7 officers fire 3 shot each into the air for the “21 gun” salute.

Several officers, your mom, grandparents, uncle, and the chief of police are shovel a bit of dirt onto the casket in the hole. Your still lost, still don’t know what day it is, or even if it’s really happening. Maybe this is a dream, you think to yourself. Maybe you’ll wake up and it’ll all be fake.

Days go by, weeks go by, months go by, and your still lost. You still don’t know why. You just pretend like everything is ok. Your really just a shell, with nothing inside, no joy, no desire. Your daddy was your world, he was the “greatest man on earth” and now he’s gone.

You find out later, that he was killed by someone who simply didn’t like the fact that he was a police officer. They killed him for no other reason. You don’t understand why. Your daddy would never hurt anyone or anything.

Why would someone ever think that just because this person wore a police uniform, they deserved to die.

You, your mom, and your sister are left to try to go on with life. To live, to grow up without your daddy around anymore. How, Why, When, Where- how can this happen.