Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Merry Christmas Kristin! I have thought about you all day. My heart goes out to your family during this holiday season, I know its extremely hard for them this time of year. They are in my thoughts and prayers. I still miss you and think of you often. Have a joyous time celebrating your life with our other guardian angels in Heaven, and we will celebrate your life here. Rest in peace my Angel in Blue, you are never far from my thoughts. Thank you for watching over me and being on my side, I know that you have been there protecting me. God Bless You, my Hereo

PO1 Kari Widup
Montgomery County Police

As a Former US Marine I thought I saw enough never to cry again. Then as a Trooper I see and read about your passing I see I was wrong.God speed warrior you have earned your rest To the Mother and Father and Fiance May on behalf of the Tennessee Highway Patrol say we are so sorry for your loss and will be here to help you in any way.

State Trooper k-9
Tennessee Highway Patrol

Another officer has fallen but not in vain. My deepest sympathy to the family, friends and co-workers of Officer Pataki. May you find strength in your heart and may the Lord comfort you during this time.
Rest in peace for your watch is over.

US Park Ranger Catroppa
National Park Service Kennesaw GA

Kristin,

My God, what have you taught us? In your short life and time of service you seem to have touched more lives than one would have thought possible. That was your duty, that was your mission in this world...mission accomplished. Never again shall we go looking for inspiration...you are already in our hearts. For all those that read this, next time you see a uniformed officer, say thank you. Thank you, for placing your life behind the badge and never compromising on its meaning. Thank you, for realizing that the badge does not exist to shield the bearer from harm, but that it is the thin line between harm and yourself. Thank you, Kristin.

Anonymous

Dear Kristin:
I am new with the Maryland-National Capital Park Police. I never got the chance to meet you, however, I think about you often and keep you in my heart. I pray for your family and friends that they may get through the hard times.

Anonymous

Good Bless you and your family. Its obvious of how great an officer and most important, a person, who are.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
John 15:13

Ofc. Scott Sparks
Chesterfield County Police, VA

Kristin,

Our old buddy George from the liquor store is on his way up to see you. About one week before he died his brother Eric came into the store to buy him a Kristin T-shirt. George wanted one very much but he didnt have the money. They tell me he insisted on wearing it until the end. Im sad to say that he suffered quite alot. I hope you guys got a chance to talk. Like so many people he really loved you. George and I are exactly the same age. Miss you dearly.

love, Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad
mncpp

Kristin,

We love you and we miss you

Mom and Dad
mncpp

Kristin- it's been almost a year since we graduated the academy. We are trying to get ready for a "reunion" of sorts, and it will be very hard not having you there.
It's been 4 months since you left us, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of you. I know that you have been my guardian angel on several calls, and near accidents. Your memory will live on in us forever.
To Kristins family....the pain is never going to go away, unfortunately....learning to deal with the grief is half the battle. I can't fathom the pain of losing a child, since I don't have any of my own, but I can understand your pain, anger, sadness, grief, and pride. Kristin was a wonderful person, who was obviously loved by all of her co-workers. Session 39 hasn't had it in us to get together and redo the flag....I am so thankful that you let us give that to her. If there is ever anything we can do to help, dont hesitate to call us. You still have a law enforcement family that thinks of you often.
Jason....although we only met a few times, I knew that your love for Kristin was like none I had ever seen before. May you be able to find comfort in knowing how much she was loved by us all. I hope that you will be able to carry on with your life eventually. You know that Kristin would not have wanted you to be alone the rest of your life....time will ease the wounds. You are still in our thoughts and prayers as well.
May God Bless You all....for our hereo and angel in blue will live on in us forever.

Anonymous

My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Kristin. Although we have never met, I know how you feel. My neice (Deputy Renee Azure age 23) was lost to us in a car accident also. Reading your reflections gives me hope that her parents, sister and Renee's young daughter will get through this. May God be with you. Kristin and Renee are now watching us from above.

Lori Brown
Aunt of Deputy Renee Azure
EOW 8/06/02

I had the privilege of visiting the US for Police Week 2002 and was deeply touched by what I experienced during that time. I also visited the MNCPP and it was obvious that Officer Pataki was held in high regard by all her colleagues and friends & I know she is missed by all who knew her.
There is an expression often used in the U.K. 'In the finest traditions of the service'... She gave her life In the finest traditions of the service... who can do more?

Constable S.T. McAllister
Strathclyde Police, Scotland

I miss you

DadI

to kristin m pataki; my prayers going out to your family members and your police force that you were on, god bless.

Anonymous

I never had the opportunity to know Officer Pataki, but from the reflections that I've read, she was obviously a remarkable person and well thought of by her friends and colleagues. Such a tragic loss of someone with so much potential. I'm sure she is making her fellow Law Enforcement Angels laugh and smile, much like she did for her colleagues here on earth.

To PO1 Jeffrey W. Price, you have absoultely nothing to feel sorry about! You did your job, the way you were trained, the way you were taught, the way that Officer Pataki would have wanted you to do it. Your call for assistance was justified and warranted and Officer Pataki was responding to help a fellow officer. Let her memory and spirit live on in you; she would have wanted it that way. Don't EVER regret calling for assistance and don't let it hinder your job performance. Carry her memory with you, carry her smile and personality with you, carry her spirit with you. As you pin on your badge each day, remember her joyous spirit fondly and know that she is watching over you and your colleagues, each and every day.
And, at the end of your watch, say an little prayer in honor of her and thank her and the Lord God Almighty for bringing you home safely to your family!

Finally, to Officer Pataki's family, fiance, friends, and law enforcement family; strive to carry Officer Pataki's goodwill with you always. Wear her memory as a Badge of Honor and carry her spirit with you always. May God Bless each of you and hold you in the palm of his protective hand. Officer Pataki, rest peacefully and know that our thoughts and prayers are with your family, now and always. Rest peacefully 1A5.

Fraternally,

Det/Sgt. Patrick J. Quigley
Millsporo Police Department
Millsboro, Delaware.

Det/Sgt. Patrick J. Quigley
Millsboro Police Department, Millsboro Delaware

Kristin

The passage of time hasn't made this even one iota better.
With each passing day it seems that we have to work harder and harder to keep our lives together. We always knew that you were special, but now I wonder if we ever let you know that. We are left with such a hole in our lives that even the "grief counselors" wonder at how we can handle this. It's amazing to us to have these so called specialists look at us like we're from Mars. We miss you so much.

Love Mom and Dad
We are left wi

Mom and Dad

Kristin,

Its been exactly 3 months and 1 day since I stood in the dark, cold and fog at your accident site and wondered why you?

A Sunday a week and a half ago I was at work, responding lights and sirens to an assist call to backup another officer. While some things were different, I was essentially doing just what you did that night.
I came to an intersection nearby and started to clear it of traffic. 2 lanes of northbound traffic stopped at the sound of the siren and the flash of the lights. I entered the half of the intersection and watched and waited for a lone southbound car to make up its mind what to do. As I started to move to clear the intersection, a northbound driver in the open 3rd lane who wasn't paying attention and apparently failed to see my emergency lights or hear my siren struck the driver's side of my cruiser broadside.
When my car came to rest and I shook the fog of 'what the heck just happened' away, the first thing I did was look up at your picture I have carried stuck in my visor. Then and there part of the question as to why was answered...

My guardian angel.

Thank you for watching over me and protecting me so that, while injured I was able to walk away from that crash. I truly believe you had a hand in moving me forward just enough so that the rear of my cruiser was hit instead of the center; where I was sitting.

Even now you continue to touch me and so many others so deeply.

May you continue to watch over not just me; but all of us that you've cared for. Keep us under your wings and protect us.

I still miss you just as much

Greg

Thank you for watching over Greg. Without your watchful eye, his accident could have been much worse. Keep on watching over us all.

Anonymous

"There's sunshine in the heart for me,
My blood sings in the breeze;
The mountains are a part of me,
I'm fellow to the trees.
My golden youth I'm squandering,
Sun-libertine am I;
A-wandering, a-wandering,
Until the day I die."

RIP Katz -- you will be missed

Anonymous

Dearest Kristin.....just thought that I would let you know that your memorial t-shirts came out the other day. I think that you would be proud of them. Not a day goes by that I dont think of you. It's actually kinda funny...you know the times when I think of you most is when we all plan to get together and there is a silence in the room. You sure knew how to make everyone laugh! I can still remember all the dances that you would do for us in the locker-room to cheer us up. I have to be honest though...I'm kinda scared to drive in the rain now. I am very protective of the rest of us....noone can leave without me giving them a hug and telling them to be careful about a hundred times! You will be dearly missed...and I will never forget you. I love you sweetie, and miss you very much. I hope that you can forgive me for not staying in touch with you better after we graduated....being busy just doesn't seem like a good excuse anymore. You will never be forgotten...this is my promise to you.

PO1 Kari Widup
Montgomery County Police

I miss you very much. Each day that goes by is harder and harder. I am very proud of you and what you have accomplished. I love you.

love
Your Fiance

I was thinking about you the other day and mentioned it to a friend from high school who told me some horrible news. That lead me to find this site. I must say i am shocked and stunded by the news. At first I tried to think that this was not you and that you were out there somewhere. I remember the time I met you. You had such energy and I must say I was drawn to that. The time I spent with you was always filled with energy and thought. I will always remember your smile. By reading what people have said I find that you had not changed and that you brought fun and love to others. You will be greatly missed and never forgotten.

smd

Kristin,

It has been over two months since we lost you and not a day passes that you don't touch my heart. You came to our shift with an excitement for your chosen profession I have not seen from a new officer in a long time. You had the most potential of any officer under my supervision. You wanted so much to be "one of the guys". It sure didnt take you long to fit right in. I remember that cold snowy night in January. You had only been on the shift a couple of days. Our entire shift met at the Wheaton Community Center for pizza that night. We all sat around cracking jokes on each other. I knew you would fit right in when you cracked the best joke of the night on me. From that night on you were a trusted member of our team. I always smiled when I saw your number on the caller ID on my cell phone( with one of your many questions). You were so eager to learn your job, never hesitating to find ways to better yourself. The night we lost you I was truely devastated. I felt as though I had lost one of my own children.

I say to Kristin's parents, you brought into this world a truely special person. She touched so many lives in so many ways. But, in so many ways she still lives in all of us. I know she does in me. I am thankful to have the privilege of being touched by Kristin.

Kristin, although you are 10-7, you will forever be 10-8 in our hearts. Rest in peace 1A5.

Sgt. Antonio DeVaul
Maryland-National Capital Park Police

To Kristin, her family and friends

I did not have the pleasure of knowing Kristin but from all of the reflections I have read so far, I wish I had.
This is the first time I had ever visited this site, and I have read alot of the reflections of the other fallen brothers and sisters, but so far, none had touched me in such a manner as this one did.
I have been an officer for four years now and in that four years I have made myself become so emotionally hardened that I did not even know if I could cry anymore.
I learned tonight that I can still cry.
Just two nights ago, I was discussing how this job can affect you and how much you change. I told the person that I was talking to that I used to go home, sit by myself and have a good cry to relieve some stress, and then I just got to a point that I could not do that anymore.
Until tonight, I had not shed a tear for about 2 years.
The messages that I have read about Kristin from her family and friends, have been a source of healing for me.
They have brought something out in me that has needed to be revived for a long time.
It seems that she had a great impact on people and was a wonderful friend, daughter, co worker and officer.
It seems so unfair that she was taken but I know that God has his reasons that we will not understand until we all meet again.
My deepest sympathy to each one of you and please know that even though she may not be with us in body, she is still coming to the aid of someone else, as her memory did for me tonight.
Rest in Peace Kristin

Deputy Sheriff
Hood County Sheriffs Department, Granbury, TX

Kristin,

It's hard to believe that I only spoke to you for the first time a few months ago.

It's harder to believe that we only spoke a few times, but became friends so quickly.

It's hardest to believe that I will never speak to you again.

Though we shared a friendship of great distance, I always felt that you were close to my heart. Thank you for the good times we shared and the talks I will never forget. You showed me that there's a lot to cherish in life and that we should always live each day to its fullest. You were and will always be a special person in my heart and in the hearts of so many others.

I know that in this time of great sorrow, you are smiling, and because of that, I am, too. I'll miss you and never forget you.

Cassandra

Dear Kristin, I never met you in real life, but knew of you from your writings. You came across as kind and compassionate. I just wanted you to know you touched so many lives and so many will miss you. I hope your next shift briefing is a place a happiness and joy and rest. I know it will be. Take care and know you are loved~Dotty

Dorthy morabito
n/a