Police stand in for fallen officer at daughter's graduation

[jnelsoninjax]

ANTHEM, AZ (CBS5) - Hundreds of Phoenix police officers showed their support for a fallen colleague by attending his daughter's kindergarten graduation in Anthem on Wednesday

Officer Daryl Raetz was killed in the line of duty while working the scene of a DUI arrest near 51st Avenue and Cambridge early Sunday morning. Raetz, 29, an Iraq war veteran, joined the Phoenix Police Department on June 8, 2007.

Phoenix police officers, showing how much the Raetz family means to them, greeted a motorcade at the school carrying 5-year-old Tatum Raetz.

"The purpose of us is to be here in proxy for Daryl and to let her know that we're here for her," said Phoenix Officer Keith Garn.

Uniformed officers three deep lined the walls of the room where Ridgeline Academy held the ceremony.

"This is wonderful," said Phoenix Officer Sara Garza. "It's uplifting. It's just the most important thing that we can do. We honor his memory, but we celebrate and we're there with his family."

Police Chief Daniel Garcia was among the troops attending.

Principal Keven Barker offered a moment of silence in honor of Tatum's dad. And then the festivities were under way.

The crowd was all smiles and for a little while, a grief-stricken widow got a little reprieve.

A kindergarten diploma for a 5-year-old received an Academy Award-worthy standing ovation.

The photos that followed captured memories to last a lifetime and a smile that beamed all the way to heaven.

"He's left a precious child and a wife behind, and it's our responsibility to make sure that they're taken care of for the rest of their life," said Phoenix police Sgt. Ben Kartchner.

Source

[Digitalfox]

Really cool action :)

[Roger H. Veteran]

awww.... :cry:

Very touching, i'm sure that's something she'll never forget (if she does (she's still young) there's plenty of video/pics to remind her (Y))

[Ph1b3r0pt1c]

Did they do this on their own time, or were the taxpayers paying for them to be there? I have no problem with this is they were on their own time, but if people were paying for them to stand there, then this is stupid. Kids loose parents every day to industrial accidents and so forth. You, however, don't see his or her workers attend anything that has to do with someone elses family, and get paid for it, do you?

[devn00b]

I would much rather pay my $$ for them to do things like this than say pay for them to stand at the local doughnut store "waiting" for something to happen.

Things like this show their community that they aren't heartless monsters than many of them seem to be (Mostly hear of cops shooting xyz person, or beating xyz, or hell even tazering people to death). Good on them I say.

[Ph1b3r0pt1c]

AMEN BROTHER!!

This is a totally heartwarming example of how police / fire officers are there for each other and their families, and to spin it negatively loses all sight of this events humanity.

/rant on/

So what if this was their paid personal leave?? They earned it as a benefit of their life-risking employment and can use it as THEY see fit, not subject to the whims of some internet troll. It would be STUPID to say they could use it for a fishing trip or vacation but not this.

/rant off/

You guys keep throwing the word 'leave' around. No where in that article does it state that "Hundreds" of officers were on 'leave'. I am so glad they were there with her and not out somewhere patrolling, and preventing crime!

"He's left a precious child and a wife behind, and it's our responsibility to make sure that they're taken care of for the rest of their life," said Phoenix police Sgt. Ben Kartchner.

At the taxpayers expense, I'm sure!

And furthermore, Maybe you need some enlightenment:

In Internet slang, a troll (pron.: /?tro?l/, /?tr?l/) is someone who posts inflammatory,^[1] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as a forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response^[2] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.^[3] The noun troll may also refer to the provocative message itself, as in: "That was an excellent troll you posted."

I asked a simple question, and the next two posters concerned themselves stating they wished I never procreated, and that I 'lack' a heart.

[techbeck]

You guys keep throwing the word 'leave' around. No where in that article does it state that "Hundreds" of officers were on 'leave'. I am so glad they were there with her and not out somewhere patrolling, and preventing crime!

And where are you getting that they went to the graduation when they were on duty? Like I said, I doubt the city would allow hundreds of their officers to go out at the same time. Common sense would dictate this. And how is this any different for officers going to a funeral or military personnel going to funerals for their fallen comrades.

[Ph1b3r0pt1c]

And where are you getting that they went to the graduation when they were on duty? Like I said, I doubt the city would allow hundreds of their officers to go out at the same time. Common sense would dictate this. And how is this any different for officers going to a funeral or military personnel going to funerals for their fallen comrades.

Are they supposed to be in uniform while off duty? Its illegal here.

[techbeck]

Are they supposed to be in uniform while off duty? Its illegal here.

Not sure but that was not the issue people were commenting to you about. And I doubt it is illegal since off duty officers attend fallen officers funerals in full dress. So there are exceptions most likely.

[Ph1b3r0pt1c]

Not sure but that was not the issue people were commenting to you about.

Your right, they did not agree with my opinion, and decided to start bashing me about it.

[DocM]

Are they supposed to be in uniform while off duty? Its illegal here.

Not a problem for things like honor guards, tributes, etc. which this arguably was - even for fallen officers in another jurisdiction. Not to mention the considerable public wrath if the police or city chain of command said "no." That would get real ugly.

Not to mention that in many if not most jurisdictions off-duty cops are still considered on-duty enough that they have to carry their firearms, and when the s**t starts in their presence they are immediately active. Even out of their jurisdiction they can do citizen's arrests (as can everyone else in 49 of 50 states.)