Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

My thougths and prayers are with Deputy Sheriff Blann's wife, children, family, friends and co-workers. You will never be alone on your pain. We will always be here to support you. Psalm 55:22

Denise Nichols - surviving spouse
Alabama State Trooper Brian Nichols EOW 2/17/2002

September 7, 2004

God Bless You Deputy Blann. My thoughts and prayers are sent to your family, agency, & friends. God Be with you all during this tragedy.

Tonya Stephenson
Delaware County Private Citizen, PA

September 7, 2004

You, your family, and your department are in my prayers during this difficult time.

Ofc. S.L. Coffman #15174
California Highway Patrol

September 7, 2004

Deputy Blann,
Thank you for giving of yourself, that we all might be safer...may your family and friends find peace and comfort in the weeks and months ahead...please watch out for the rest of your brothers and sisters in brown and blue.....God speed, Sir.

wife of a Sgt
Macomb County Sheriff Dept, MI

September 7, 2004

ALL of our Officers, both Civilian and Military, grieve over the loss of Deputy Craig Blann. Condolences and prayers for his loved ones, Police family, and Friends. Deputy Blann....you did, "Protect and Serve". All of us thank you for your commitment. What a MENTOR. We, (all Police Officers), know why you responded with dedication.

Detective
NAVAL WEAPONS STATION, CHARLESTON, SC

September 7, 2004

Deputy Blann...thank you for your service. Newton County & its communities are nice places to live & work...you & fellow officers of the area are greatly responsible for that environment. God bless and thank you from a fellow Hoosier.

Dennis Duncan

September 7, 2004

On behalf of the men and women who serve and work for the Georgia Perimeter College Police Department, our thoughts and prayers are with Deputy Craig Blann's family, friends, and co-workers with the Newton County sheriff's Department.

Rest in peace our brother in blue. The watch is ours now.

Officer Johns
Georgia Periemter College Police Department

September 7, 2004

You are in our thoughts and prayers. Officer Blann gave the ultimate sacrifice protecting the members of his community. You now walk a beat where there is no violence, only peace. See you on the other side.

First Sergeant Salvatore Torelli
Fauquier County Sheriff's Office, VA

September 7, 2004

Rest in peace and may God bless you, your family and all your brothers and sisters at the Newton County Sheriff's Dept.

Mary Schumacher
JPD Communications Center

Mary Schumacher PSDII
Joliet Police Dept

September 7, 2004

May GOD bless your family and friends at this terrible time. Thank you for serving and protecting. Rest in peace, Sir.

Shirley Roberts
Aunt of Fallen Officer John Logan EOW-March 14, 2004

September 7, 2004

From the men and women of Industry Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, our condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of Deputy Blann. Having tragically lost Deputy Mike Arruda recently (EOW 06-15-04), we know all too well the pain and reality of losing one of our own. Take comfort from knowing your extended law enforcement family grieves with you.

Rest in peace, Deputy Blann.

Industry Sheriff's Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

September 7, 2004

“When God made Peace Officers….”

When the lord was creating Peace Officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”

And the Lord said, Have you read the spec on this order? A Peace Officer has to be able to run five miles through alleys in the dark, scale walls, enter homes the health inspector wouldn’t touch, and not wrinkle their uniform.

They have to be able to sit in an undercover car all day on a stakeout, cover a homicide scene that night, canvass the neighborhood for witnesses, and testify in court the next day.

They have to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half- eaten meals. And they have to have six pairs of hands.

The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands….No Way.”

“It’s not the hands that are causing me the problems,” said the Lord, “It’s the three pairs of eyes an officer has to have.”

That’s on the standard model? asked the angel.

The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, “May I see what’s in there sir?” (When they already know and wishes they had taken that accounting job.) Another pair here in the side of their head for their partners’ safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look reassuringly at a bleeding victim and say, “ You’ll be alright ma’am, when they know it isn’t so.”

“Lord,” said the angel, touching his sleeve,” rest and work tomorrow.”

“I can’t,” said the Lord, “I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound drunk into a patrol car without incident and feed a family of five on civil service paycheck.”

The angel circled the model of the Peace Officer very slowly, “Can it think?” she asked.

“You bet,” said the Lord, “It can tell you elements of a hundred crimes, recite Miranda warnings in it’s sleep; detain, investigate, search, and arrest a gang member on the street in less time than it takes five judges to debate the legality of the stop…and still it keeps it’s sense of humor.

This officer also has phenomenal personal control. They can deal with crime scenes painted in HELL, coax a confession from a child abuser, comfort a murder victim’s family’ and then read in the daily paper how Law Enforcement isn’t sensitive to the rights of criminal suspects.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Peace Officer. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model.”

“That’s not a leak,” said the Lord, “It’s a tear.”

“What’s the tear for?” asked the angel.

“It’s for bottled-up emotions, for fallen comrades, for commitment to that funny piece of cloth called the American flag, and for justice.”

“You’re a genius,” said the angel.

The Lord looked sober. “I didn’t put it there,” he said.


Anonymous

Senior Instructor
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

September 7, 2004

I pray for peace for your family and friends and hope they find comfort in these reflections. Rest well our brother, and know your family will be looked afterby your LE family. "Go rest high on the mountain"

D/Sgt. Vencent Woods
State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

September 7, 2004

Some people wonder why so many Officers converge on towns across this nation, when an Officer is Killed In The Line Of Duty. I can simply say, that they come to pay respects to someone who did the job they do, to someone who was doing their duty, in support of other Officers, as a show of respect to family, to someone who was trying to help another, and they all know it could have easily been them in the same situation. I have attended way to many of these but if you shed a tear for another, it will help cleanse your soul. It is the memories that will get you through the years.

May Craig's wife and children, know the love of their community and that of other Officers. May they also know that Craig shall watch over them for all of their years on earth. To his family and friends, you know he was doing what he wanted and he did it well. God Bless !!

Boone County Sheriff's Dept. (INDIANA)

September 7, 2004

Rest in peace Deputy Sheriff Blann. You will never be forgotten.

Ashley Drury
Clare, Michigan

September 7, 2004

Another tragic loss of a fellow officer. God bless you and your family. You will never be forgotten.

DE
St. Louis City Police

September 7, 2004

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Blann family and the Newton County Sheriff's Department. It was a great pleasure having the privilege to work with Deputy Blann for several years.
Rest in peace my friend.

Patrolman Jason King
South Bend Police Department

September 7, 2004

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deputy Blann. You might be gone, but you will never be forgotten. God Speed.

Officer Shannon E. Bunger
Indiana University Police Dept

September 7, 2004

Pride Integrity and Guts

Some of you may know my face, but not my name. Most of you have seen me around the city and some have even met me, but not always under the best of circumstances. Some of you have even spoken to me on the phone, when you called me while I was working.

Most of you have an opinion on how my job should be done, but would never take my job if it was the last one on earth. And some of you who don't even know me, hate me because of my job. But when I go to my job, I go to make a difference and so I can fight what everyone else fears.

When most would be running away from danger, my job requires me to run towards it. I do this in the hopes of making a difference for someone else I don't even know. Most people say I make too much money, because my pay is published in the newspaper. But don't think twice about hearing about another sports player sign a 20 million dollar contract for 6 months a year of playing a "game."

Since my job's base pay isn't the best I must work extra to pay the bills. Including working extra shifts on holidays, and pick up side work at construction sites as well on my days off, most still complain thinking I am greedy, but don't they realize that I to must pay taxes, have a mortgage car payments and kids in collage as well?

Don't they understand that I am not paid for what I do, but for what I am willing to do for them? After all how can you properly compensate someone to risk their own life and face danger everyday they go to work?

And when I go to work I am punched, kicked, spit on and called every name in the book for doing my job. And every night I leave my house to go to work I realize I may not come back home in the morning. Because when I go to work I can be stabbed, shot, drown, fall, be electrocuted, or die in a car accident rushing to help you.

My job also requires me to carry special "tools" to help me do my job. Sometimes even while doing my job I have to defend myself from someone attacking me. Although, the newspapers will report to you that I "beat someone down", and not that I defended myself from an attack.

While at work I must also carry a gun to protect you, but should I have to use it, the media reports to you that I "gunned someone down" or that I "shot and killed" somebody, and not that I defended myself. Don't they realize that I shoot to live and never to kill?

Also when I go to work I wrap a protective vest around me to help keep me safe through my shift. I use this vest so that I will be allowed to live to the end of my work day. And hope and pray that should something bad happen that this vest helps keep me alive so that I will be allowed to see my children grow.

When I go to my job, I will see more pain, sorrow, agony, death and destruction in one month than most of you will see in an entire lifetime.


And to the ones who don't know me, I unforunetly will meet most of you at the worst times in your life.

You often will call me to come help you out with a problem. But if you have a really big problem you can get me at a special 3 digit number and me and my coworkers will race to your house, just to help you no questions asked. All you have to do is call and we will be there for you, no matter what time, day, night or holiday, rain shine or blizzard.

Sometimes my job also requires me to deliver lectures, babies and even bad news. I am also the one required to ring your doorbell in the middle of the night, swallow hard and advise you that a loved one will not be coming home tonight, then I spend the rest of my shift wondering why I ever took such a job.

Some people even refer to me as a "pig," but when I hear that word called to me or one of my coworkers I think of Pride, Integrity and Guts, which everyone in my profession needs to do this job.

Me and my coworkers must be able to have muscles of steel, have a sense of humor and put ourselves into dangerous situations and face danger head on all in a days work.

We must act in a second and make a decision in the blink of an eye, and spend the rest of our life hoping we made the right choice in that split second. If not we can be arrested and charged with breaking a law, be sued for violating someone's rights, or end up with even a worse fate.

My job requires me to take an oath to be their and to risk my life to protect you. And it is an oath that me and my fellow coworkers have taken and is one that we will not break.

What, you ask is my job, I am your local police officer. And what do I ask in return of doing all this and risking my life for you, nothing at all because it is my job and my hope, of being the one who makes the difference.

Officer David Carroll
Choctaw Oklahoma

September 7, 2004

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends, and fellow officers of Deputy Blann. Rest in Peace my brother, and continue to watch over us as we continue the fight.

Trooper J. Perrine
Indiana State Police, District 13 Lowell

September 7, 2004

The policeman stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, policeman.
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To my church have you been true?"

The policeman squared his shoulders and said,
"No lord, I guess I ain't,
Because those of us who carry a badge
can't always be a saint."

I've had to work most Sundays,
and at times my talk was rough,
and sometimes I've been violent,
Because the streets are awfully tough.

But I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at time I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fear.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod.
As the policeman waited quietly,
For the judgement of his god.

"Step forward now, policeman,
You've born your burdens well.
Come walk a beat on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in hell"

GREGG HOUSTON
SOUTH CAROLINA

September 7, 2004

To Deputy Sheriff Blann family, friends, and the Newton County Sheriff's Department. I would like to extend my condolences and deepest sympathy. My thoughts and prays and with you all. Thanks Deputy Sheriff Blann for a job well done; may your soul rest in peace.

Patrol Officer
Prince George's County, Maryland

September 7, 2004

Your tour of duty has ended by having given the ultimate sacrifice.
Thank you for your service to your department and your county.
You will not be forgotten by those whose lives you touched.
Thoughts and prayers are with your family, friends and
your fellow officers as they mourn your untimely loss.

† Rest In Peace, Deputy Blann, May God Bless You †

Jeffrey Williams
Highland, Indiana

September 7, 2004

We send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and fellow Officers of Deputy Sheriff Blann. Our hearts go out to all of you during this difficult time.

The family of Dave Grant EOW 5/31/04
Tuolumne Co. Sheriff's Dept.

September 7, 2004

Craig,
Thank you for your time here on earth. Rest easy. Watch over the rest of us carryig on the duty. Our loss is Heavens gain. Godspeed.

Deputy

September 7, 2004