Officer Ronnie E. McGraw

Your death changed the way many, if not all departments in NC serve search warrants. I am perhaps one of hundreds, if not thousands, of officers alive today because of some hard lessons learned that night and in the years of trials to follow. It seems in our profession too many times there has to be "a first" to bring change in training and tactics. There was a night in a California onion field that has sparked decades of conversation between officers. There was a night in Newhall, California that not only redefined high risk vehicle stop tactics, but gave birth to the concept of "Officer Survival". Those were nights marking new beginnings in the culture of officer safety. At least for those of us in North Carolina as far as raid execution is concerned, because you were "the first" to show major flaws of our thinking, the raid you executed did not illustrate what you "should have done" but rather educated the rest of us that, going forward, "THIS is what and how we need to do". I'm sorry that you had to join the posthumous ranks of "the first", but I hope ALL of you know that generations that have come after you appreciate the legacy left us. I hope that brings you a measure of peace. Thanks.

NC Officer

October 18, 2020