 | Sergeant Manuel Hurtado Tapia
Arizona Department of Public Safety
Arizona
Tuesday, January 8, 1991 |
YOU ARE REMEMBERED TODAY AND THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR SERVICE Pat Van Den Berghe, Manchester, NH
Neighbors for a Better Manchester, NH
2008-01-02
"The Badge"
He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.
He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.
Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.
He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.
His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.
He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.
And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.
But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.
Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.
Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.
So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.
In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.
Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.
Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC
2007-07-25
Rest in Peace, Sergeant Tapia. Your sacrifice is not forgotten. Officer 11169
2007-03-14
Manny, we serve in your memory. Keep your hand over us as we continue. Narcotics Sergeant
AZDPS
2005-11-21
Manny and I go back to our High School years.
He went to school in Bowie and I went to School in San Simon, and we played sports against each other.
He was then as he was as a police officer a true competitor and very effective at what he did.
He became a police officer first and I followed a few years later.
Through all the years that I knew him he was a professional and he loved what he was doing and making a difference in this world.
The law enforcement community lost a true and pure warrior the day that he left us.
He will always be a hero in my eyes. Retired police officer
2004-05-06
May god bless you and keep you forever safe.
Rest easy Blue Angel...your work here is done. Watch over us from above...until we see you again.
Cleveland Police, Retired Ohio
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