To: the officers involved. Keep your heads up, be true to your oath of being a police officer, be truthful, accept whatever happens as a cost of being a “COP”, and continue doing what you think is right for the betterment of the citizen’s of Pinellas Park, the United States of America and your fellow officers.

A couple of comments here....

1. First to everyone that believes everything you read in the St. Pete Times is the truth, especially reported by A.L.,,,unforuntately you have not been the subject of “ITS” investigative reporting. Because if you have, then you would know you can only take the tainted facts out of the article.

2. To the complacent “ready or already retired person” who stated most officers never (God forgive me, say, “draw leather”) well this is unfortunately a different time in society. This is not the same time where there are terrorist’s attacks, snipers, suicide by cop situations, school shootings, subjects with body armor and automatic weapons, and random acts of violence.*** not to mention Pinellas Park was one of, if not the first high school shootings in the nation.***

The most overwhelming example of restraint, empathy, compassion, training, heart, sacrifice, and justice is the officer/person who does what is right when other’s lives are depending on it. 9 times out of 10, we (as officers or good Samaritans) respond to incidents thinking only of others in danger. If someone does something in good faith and makes a mistake in going to the wrong address, really is that a true reflection of a bad cop or person? No, I do not think so, and I am willing to bet you really do not think so too. But we are so entranced by the media, and we let them sensationalize every single incident. The problem with our society is that we think that we are a “Free Society”. But yet we let the media force us into thinking what is right or wrong by nothing more than popular opinion or mobish (probably not a word but it sounds right) thinking. I challenge everyone to not make “knee jerk” reactions to everything you hear, but yet place yourselves in the situation and view it from all sides (empathy). And after that, well…….that is up to you.

God bless and lets us all come home…………………………………….