Six-Year-Old Shea Supports Law Enforcement

When it comes to making a difference in your community, there are no age limitations. Shea, a motivated and driven six-year-old entrepreneur, is a prime example. According to The Official Lemonade Day Blog, she began making plans for her Lemonade Day stand when she learned about others who are less privileged. Shea decided she wanted to do something to help them.

Lemonade Day, held on the first Sunday in May each year in cities across America, is a fun, entrepreneurial and experiential learning program that teaches youth not only how to start their own business by operating a lemonade stand, but fundamental lessons about life, success and themselves.

After explaining her ideas for a Lemonade Day stand, her family members were quick to offer their support. Her mother agreed to help her with marketing, fundraising, and other logistics, while her grandmother helped her design a logo to print onto aprons, and her father lent a hand in building the stand.

While difficult to choose just one cause to support, Shea finally settled on The Twin Towers Initiative, which honors the 72 police officers killed on 9/11 and raises funds for the National Law Enforcement Museum, set to open in Washington, DC in 2013.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund recognizes and thanks Shea and all of our loyal supporters for their dedication to America’s law enforcement officers. It is thanks to the generosity of others that the National Law Enforcement Museum is being built to honor the admirable law enforcement profession and its heroes, both fallen and living.

For more on this story, go to:
http://lemonadeday.wordpress.com/
http://www.lemonadeday.org/home
http://www.facebook.com/lemonadeday

Race to Remember 2010 Raises $10,000 for National Law Enforcement Museum

On Monday, Memorial Fund Chairman & CEO Craig Floyd was presented with a $10,000 check by the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC. The funds were raised at the 3rd Annual 2010 Race to Remember, held four months prior on Sunday, October 17, 2010.

Nearly 700 runners gathered at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to race around the nation’s capital, showing their support for law enforcement officers by raising awareness and funds for the Memorial.

Chief Cathy Lanier thanked Memorial Fund staffers Mary Brown and Anne Kringen for their efforts in putting together the race, along with Assistant Chief Pat Burke and Officer Greg Alemian from MPD, and Marcello Muzzatti, President of the DC FOP Lodge #1.

After three years, the Race to Remember has raised over $30,000 to help build the National Law Enforcement Museum.

The Memorial Fund would like to thank each and every Race to Remember participant, all of our generous sponsors and supporters, the DC FOP Lodge #1, and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC for their continued efforts in honoring America’s peace officers.

RECENTLY FALLEN: Correctional Officer Jayme Lee Biendl, Washington State Department of Corrections

At nearly 11:00 pm on Saturday January 29, Correctional Officer Jayme Lee Biendl was tragically found and pronounced dead in the Monroe Correctional Facility’s chapel, located about 30 miles northeast of Seattle, after paramedics’ unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation.

The 34-year-old officer had been assigned to prison chapel, and was discovered there after her radio and keys were noticed missing by workers at the Monroe Correctional Complex. According to authorities, she had been strangled by a microphone cord.

An inmate, who was reported missing during a routine count at approximately 9:14 pm, was later found in the chapel lobby and told officers he planned to escape. The prisoner, who is serving a life sentence, is suspected in the murder of Correctional Officer Biendl, and remains in custody in a segregation unit.   

One of the 17 officer fatalities reported in the first month of the New Year, eight-year-veteran Officer Jayme Lee Biendl is the first from Washington killed on duty, and the first officer killed by strangulation, in 2011. She is the second officer, and first-ever female officer, to be strangled to death in Washington recorded law enforcement history, the first being in 1920.

In an issued statement, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire said she had asked Department of Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail to thoroughly review the incident and look at the safeguards in place at the Monroe complex.

For more on this story, go to:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/30/washington.officer.dead/index.html?hpt=T2
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/31/1843826/monroe-prison-guard-found-strangled.html
http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_prison_guard_killed.html?source=mypi

RECENTLY FALLEN: New York State Department of Correctional Services Corrections Officer Casimiro Pomales

Corrections Officer Casimiro Pomales died in an automobile collision on Friday January 28, 2011. Officer Pomales worked for the Eastern Correctional Facility in Ulster County, NY.

The 52-year-old officer and a fellow officer were transporting an inmate for medical treatment when a car swiped the prison van Officer Pomales was driving, causing it to flip. The two officers and the inmate were taken to a hospital where Officer Pomales succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The 22-year-veteran, also a U.S. Navy veteran, is survived by his wife and children.

"For more than 20 years, Officer Pomales served the people of New York, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Dorothea, and their children, as well as his friends, and coworkers at Eastern Correctional Facility," said Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Officer Pomales is one of the 17 recorded fatalities in 2011, and one of the four traffic accident deaths to date.

For more information, go to:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110131/NEWS0301/301319994/-1/SITEMAP
http://online.wsj.com/article/APed42df85cc214138917f9ac16407f5da.html
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2011/01/30/blotter/doc4d44cff273627900109835.txt

RECENTLY FALLEN: Indianapolis (IN) Metropolitan Police Officer David Moore

Three days after being shot during a traffic stop, Indianapolis (IN) Metropolitan Police Officer David Moore succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday January 26, 2011.

At approximately 9:00 am on Sunday (January 23), Officer Moore was administering a weekend traffic stop, when a suspect began releasing unprovoked gunfire, “striking him twice in the face, in the thigh, and just missing his spinal cord,” according to doctors, who said an additional shot was stopped by his bullet-resistant vest. The alleged gunman, a 60-year-old ex-convict and parolee suspect was taken into custody.

Rushed to a hospital, Officer Moore remained in a coma. The six-year veteran was taken off life support on Wednesday morning and died that day; his organs were donated after his death.

At a vigil held before hundreds of mourners, Indianapolis (IN) Mayor Greg Ballard spoke fondly about Officer Moore, fighting back tears. “He was just a terrific man, the kind of guy we'd want to wear the uniform, and now he's gone." Mayor Ballard urged members of the community to support the Moore family, and said in the coming days the city would celebrate "someone who looked out for all of us."

Officer Moore is the first officer fatality from Indiana in 2011. He is one of the 15 total fatalities recorded in the first month of the New Year, as well as one of the 11 gunfire-related officer deaths.

Officer David Moore is survived by his father and mother — a retired and an active member of the Indianapolis (IN) Metropolitan Police force — respectively. 

For more on this story, go to:

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110126/LOCAL18/101260334/1001/local/A-community-grieves-prays-family?odyssey=nav|head

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=133238317

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/25/2610159/ind-agency-suspends-suspects-parole.html

RECENTLY FALLEN: St. Petersburg (FL) Sergeant Tom Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz

Just four days after the cluster killing of two Miami-Dade (FL) law enforcement officers, a violent attack struck yet another Florida police force, tragically taking the lives of St. Petersburg (FL) Sergeant Tom Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz. 

"On behalf of the City of Tampa, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the officers, the larger family of the St. Petersburg Police Department, and to all the citizens of our sister city," Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said.

The violent gunfire that erupted on Monday January 24, 2011, followed a sequence of shootings in the 24 hours prior, in which 11 peace officers were shot in five different states. Sergeant Baitinger and Officer Yaslowitz, along with a team of agents, dispatched to a St. Petersburg residence to serve a felony arrest warrant 

When officials arrived at the scene, the gunman was barricaded inside the attic of the home, and refused to appear despite pleading by officers. While Sergeant Baitinger remained on the main level to survey and to provide coverage, Officer Yaslowitz and a U.S. Marshal’s deputy entered the attic and were gunned down instantly. The suspect fired again from the attic below and struck Sergeant Baitinger. 

All three wounded lawmen were transported to a nearby hospital, where the Marshal’s deputy was treated for injuries and remained in stable condition. Regrettably, Sergeant Baitinger, 48, and Officer Yaslowitz, 39, succumbed to their fatal gunshot wounds. The alleged gunman died following the shootout. 

The St. Petersburg fatalities are the fourth and fifth for Florida — leading all 50 states in officer deaths, followed by Texas and Ohio — in the first month of 2011. Sergeant Baitinger and Officer Yaslowitz are two of the 14 total fatalities and join the list of officers killed by gunfire, which has now reached 11 thus far in 2011. These lawmen are also the ninth and tenth St. Petersburg (FL) officers killed by gunfire in the department’s recorded history. 

The 15-year veteran Sergeant Baitinger is survived by his wife. Officer Yaslowitz spent 12 years on the force and is survived by his wife and three children. 

For more on this story, go to:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/st-petersburg-police-shooter-hydra-lacy-jr-spent-years-in-prison/1147454

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/jan/25/251151/st-pete-police-deaths-cap-deadly-24-hours-nationwi/

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20029376-504083.html
Photo from:
http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/story.aspx?storyid=170556&catid=250

RECENTLY FALLEN: Columbus (OH) Division of Police Officer Tom Hayes

Over three decades ago, Columbus (OH) Division of Police Officer Tom Hayes suffered a gunshot wound during an attempt to arrest two teens on a curfew violation on December 18, 1979.

At approximately 2:25 am, Officer Hayes approached the teens to take them into custody, when a struggle transpired. During the altercation, the suspects removed a handgun and shot 30-year-old Officer Hayes in the back, paralyzing him from the waist down. 

Seven-year-veteran Officer Hayes suffered serious health issues the remainder of his life as a result of the shooting; one of his legs was amputated six years ago. After the incident, he continued to work as a civilian sketch artist for the Columbus (OH) Division of Police, until 31 years later, he finally succumbed to his injuries at the age of 61.

Officer Tom Hayes is one of the 15 officer fatalities recorded thus far in 2011, and one of two fatalities from Ohio. He is survived by his wife. “For all the pain and suffering and agony he has been through, he never showed it,” said Officer Hayes’ wife, Mary. “He was my hero.”

For more on this story, go to:

http://www.officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=2&id=56416