Police Officer Ricktor A. Gutowsky

The Gutowskys and my family went to the same church. And I can vaguely remember when he died, albeit from a 4 year old’s perspective. But I remember understanding that he died in the line of duty as a Detroit Police Officer. With his crazy policeman’s work schedule I think I vaguely remember seeing him maybe only once at church, in the narthex before the service began. When he died, I remember understanding that it was not good and he was not around anymore. It was something everyone in church felt and we were all saddened by it. It was not until I bought Isaiah McKinnon’s Book “In the Line of Duty” published in 2003, that I understood for the first time what the circumstances of his death were. It is with great dedication police officers serve the communities they work in and most of them do their jobs well. With all of the unrest currently occurring right now concerning police officers and many feeling we need to defund the police department, I think we need to remember how much we do need them, otherwise we’d have communities of anarchy.

Karla S

October 18, 2020