Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Vaughn Mitchell

Jeff,

I had the privilege of attending the 16th class of the Palomar College Police academy in 2008. During that time, we dedicated our academy to an officer that made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. Our fallen officer was you. During that time, we made memorial pins that we wore above our name tag to commemorate your service. Our pin was comprised of a mini 7 point sheriffs badge with your name and date of end of watch.
I still have that pin to this day. It sat just below my computer screen for years until just the other day. My oldest daughter who is 4 years old picked it up and became immediately intrigued by it. She said " daddy, I have a badge just like you and Im gonna be a police officer just like you." I knelt down to her and brought her in close. I explained that she was holding a very special badge of a super hero named Jeff. I told her that Jeff died protecting all of us. With tears in my eyes, I explained that we need to always remember Jeff and pray for you and your family. I gave her the badge and told her that she needs to take good care of it so we can always remember that Jeff is a hero. My daughter has had the little badge for a week and hasn't let it out of her sight. Its amazing how much she values it. Its amazing that at 4 years old she understands the sacrifice you made and what that badge represents.
Last night we were saying our prayers and we always go down the list of people that we pray god blesses. As normal, it the usual mommy, daddy, grandma and grandpa and so on. But then she said, "god bless Jeff". My mind was a little puzzled and caught off guard at first. I asked my daughter, "who's Jeff"? She said, "He's a police officers that's a hero daddy." It made me sad for you and your family. It put into perspective how fragile life is. It also made me proud that my little girl understands what ands who you are. Going forward, you are going to be included in our prayers. Thank you for giving me perspective 12 years after I was introduced to you. Thank you for teaching me lessons and humbling me even though we've never spoken a word to each other. Ill continue to check in from time to time. Rest Easy Jeff.

Deputy David Wettstead
San Diego Sheriff's Department

August 24, 2020