Memorial Day is a day when we commemorate those who died serving in our military. For the past 15 years, the City of San Jose has recognized our police officers at an annual Police Memorial Ceremony. This started in 1995 under Mayor Susan Hammer. The event has grown from a small event to one that draws many.
The Police Memorial is held in the City Hall Rotunda—an expensive building however a beautiful setting for the service. The police chaplain does the invocation, followed by the color guard and bagpipers. Speeches are given by the Mayor, Chief of Police, and President of the Police Union. Then we move to the “Bell Ceremony,” when the names of each of the officers who have died in the line of duty are read, with a brief statement about how they died.
San Jose has lost 11 police officers in the line of duty, from Sgt. Van Dyck Hubbard in 1924 to Officer Jeffrey Fontana in 2001. Wearing the badge carries risk, as we only need to look at recent events in Oakland, where four officers were shot dead, or Pittsburgh, where three officers were ambushed. I believe that as soon as an officer puts on the badge, he or she becomes a target, since officers have been gunned down for simply wearing the uniform.
Something more common, and usually not talked about, is that the stress of the job has led several police officers in San Jose to commit suicide. It is difficult to articulate the stress that might lead an officer to end his or her life since I do not wear those shoes. However, if it is about depression or anger we should work to avoid it. Some of this is done behind the scenes by the two police Chaplains. The Chaplains are funded by private donations and the police union. The Chaplains take time to counsel officers that need a wise and thoughtful person to talk to about the stress of the job.
The closing of the ceremony is held outside with the flags at City Hall being drawn to half mast and police officers lining up in formation. A “riderless horse” walks by signifying a fallen officer. There is a lot of ritual in the ceremony which makes it very symbolic. I encourage you to attend next year as it is a public event held during the lunch hour.
Enjoy your BBQ with friends and family today as well as your day off if you are fortunate to be fully employed. Please tilt your soda/beer twice to both our military men and women who carried the ultimate sacrifice and those closer to home in our San Jose Police Department.
On another note my Budget Deficit Survey is still open and I would like your feedback.
Here is the survey link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=bRmrEkMutPaRNDzl3Q3GRQ_3d_3d
Based on the current responses (55 percent male and 45 percent female) here is the Top Ten List for City Services from question six:
1. Police
2. Fire
3. Streets
4. Sewers
5. Libraries
6. Parks
7. Disaster Preparedness
8. Planning (Land Use)
9. Code Enforcement
10. Trails
P.O. Good post. I go to this every year. On the next day at the Sheriff’s Office an event is held honoring all of the fallen officers from the remaining cities in Santa Clara county. I go to this every year also.
BTW. A service is being held today at Santa Clara city park on Kiely between Homestead and Benton at 3PM to honor deceased (in war) veterans. Public is invited. Please come.
Thank you PO.
I want to thank our SJPD for everything they do for us on a daily basis. You are loved and appreciated by many of us in the community. Stay safe, and stay well.
For those of you who do not know this, our very own SJPD helps many victims of crime, and charities out of their OWN Pockets.
Please see the following:
VICTIMS OF CRIME AND ACCIDENTS
On April 17, 2009, 35-year-old Enrique Flores as stabbed to death as he walked to the store to buy some chips and beer. Mr. Flores leaves behind a girlfriend and 5-year-old daughter. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $1,235.
On December 19, 2008, Deborah Dee Parsons-Mason as killed when she was struck by a drunk driver who ran a red light, while crossing the street with her 14-year-old son. Her son was not injured. She is survived by her husband of 27 years, and their four children. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $10,500 to be used for the funeral expenses.
On June 12, 2008, Breanna Slaughter-Eck, 12-years-old, was killed when she was struck while riding her bike home on the last day of school. She was struck by the mother of another student who was picking up her daughter. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $17,500 to be used for the funeral expenses.
On April 24, 2008, Hamid Pejham, 59-years-old, was in the back of his apartment complex cleaning his bikes when he noticed a man harassing a teen-aged girl. He confronted the man asking him to stop. Mr. Pejham was assaulted by the man and seriously injured. The assailant was arrested. Mr. Pejham was injured so badly that he could not return to work for some time and was unable to pay his rent. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $7,125 to help Mr. Pejham pay his rent and other living expenses until he recovered from his injuries.
Sometime in February of 2007, 6-year-old Oscar Jimenez was beaten to death by his mother’s boyfriend. They then drove his body to Arizona and buried him. This was not discovered until August of 2007 when the mother finally told the story in court. Oscar’s father did not have the money to give his son a proper burial. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $12,692 to be used for the funeral expenses.
On July 22, 2007, Sany San was attacked as she walked to work in the morning by two men who raped and murdered her. Ms. San was an immigrant from Cambodia, and her family wanted to have her cremated and returned to Cambodia. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $11,130 to be used for the expenses.
On October 31, 2006, Nicholas Cruz, 45, was stabbed to death by unknown assailants as he walked with is oldest son. He was survived by five children. Their mother had been killed by a hit-and-run driver two years before. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $55,652 to be used for funeral expenses and to help support the surviving children.
In January of 2006, Guadalupe Barajas was shot and killed by her boyfriend and he then committed suicide. Guadalupe’s three young daughters Andrea, 4, Lizbeth, 3, and Alexandra, 20 months, were in the apartment. Andrea fed and cared for her younger sisters until help arrived the next morning when her grandmother came. The SJPOA Charitable Foundation received donations of $30,917 to be used by the grandparents to care for the three children.
They also contribute to the following charities:
Charitable Foundation Donations
Crime Stoppers National Night Out $1000.00
Carry the Vision Conference $1000.00
City of San Jose, Starry, Starry Night $1000.00
Annual Major Awards Banquet $2000.00
(Pay for honorees dinner)
In Home Autism Program $2300.00
Exchange Club of San Jose $2250.00
Learning for Life $1000.00
Historical Plaque Update PAC $900.00
NLPOA –
Nocha Caliente $350.00
33rd Anniversary Scholarship
$1000.00
Overfelt High School – Basketball Program
$200.00
Nat’l Law Enforcment Memorial Fund
$1000.00
PAAF, Charity Hockey Game
$500.00
Sicilian Golf Festival
$200.00
Sacred Heart Community
$2000.00
SJ Japantown Festival
$5000.00
Vanished Children’s Alliance
$1500.00
Story Road Tamale Festival
$1600.00
Special Olympics Northern CA
$4000.00
Evergreen Youth Academy
$300.00
YMCA
$500.00
Nest Door Solutions to Domestic Violence
$1000.00
Los Gatos – Monte Sereno Police Band
$500.00
Safe from the Start
$2000.00
Pact, Leadership in Action Luncheon
$1500.00
Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley
$1000.00
Big Brothers Big Sisters
$500.00
Relay for Life
$500.00
P.O. Thank you for reminding us. Let us also remember the Fontana Family as the wait just a little longer. I recently came across this and I thought it fitting to the posting:
Our Burden
Consider the following: there is a person in your community that stands ready at a moment’s notice to risk, or even lay down his life for you. This person is only a quick phone call away at any time day or night. This person also sacrifices a great deal by working odd hours, missing holidays with family, and other family functions, all to ensure your safety. You have probably run into this person before and maybe wondered why he seemed unkind. But then again, if you had seen what he has seen, and dealt with what he has dealt with, I wonder how it would affect you.
I’m sure you have already guessed this person to be a police officer, and there are many, maybe even hundreds in your community. So let me ask you a question. What comes to your mind when you think of a police officer? Most people think of someone sitting in a patrol car
eagerly waiting to give someone a speeding ticket, but few consider the person behind the badge? They are everyday people who are called to a difficult but necessary job. At any time during the day or night, police officers are doing a wide range of things including breaking up violent domestics, arresting dangerous felons, and so on. Every day we rely on law enforcement officers to protect us.
There are approximately 900,000 sworn police officers in the United States who work long, difficult hours putting their lives in danger for us. After working with them for 13 years, I can say they are some of the finest men and women in the world. However, the public is so
accustomed to seeing police officers in action that they are often taken for granted. The average American seldom considers the toll taken on the officer and their family as a result of the work he or she does. This is a unique profession that wears on the person physically, emotionally, and above all spiritually. Following are a few
statistics that can help put this in perspective:
The average life expectancy of a police officer is only 57 years, which is 21 years less than the average person.
Suicide is rampant. A recent USA Today investigation showed an average of 450 police officers commit suicide each year in this country.
The law enforcement divorce rate varies according to different statistics, but most show a 60-80 percent divorce rate.
Some statistics indicate alcoholism and domestic violence rates are twice the National average.
http://www.reachingcops.com/OurBurden.html
I thought Code Enforcement would have been ranked higher? I chose police as number one since it includes crossing guards. Thanks Pierluigi
Councilman,
I voted for Planning as number one since we should be building more compact housing in areas that are served by any mode of public transportation. Police however was my number two selection followed by sewers. Thank you.
Suicide is a delicate subject.