Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. Ideas, thoughts, inventions, introspection, memories of joyful days and nights. These are things for which most of us never pause to make time for. The idea of working and giving an honest day's effort for a day's pay seems foreign to some, but to inspiring heroes and heroines of Dade County as you were, Officer Cook, you always gave a supreme effort and your sacrifice has had an ever greater affect on all because of the bravery and fortitude you showed in enhancing those cherished lives of the citizens who have been given a new lease on how they lead their lives today. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. The glow of your beautiful soul glows even brighter today and one day, those you knew and loved will be even more comforted when they snuggle up to it for eternal warmth and safekeeping.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

What we love to do we find time to do. Many of us are so busy accomplishing something to help keep us from finding out what it is we might like, or even love to do. Take some time one day a week to discover what gives you satisfaction, peace and the passion to carry on. You found an inner spiritual peace, Officer Cook, that permitted you to carry on a display a mastery over all your endeavors. Take care of your fellow angelic comrades as you rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

For he or she who has no concentration, there is no tranquility. True focus is very foreign to some folks. What is required of us at least is to bare down and to view the value of quietness. Take a few moments, clear your head, listen to the beating of your heart. You possessed this marvelous trait, Officer Cook. You were a very organized person in both thoughts and in actions. You could handle stressful domestic issues with other citizens, calming them down, your comrades had to have an amazed look on their faces watching you provide humble and loyal assistance to all. That is so dearly missed today. Your advice is very much absent, but still it seems to be assembled within the hearts and minds of each person who not only knew and respected you, but loved you like a close relative. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

To serve your community, sometimes there is a very dear price which one has to pay in order for the means to reach fruition. You wanted to serve as a police officer from the time you were a young boy and you saw your dreams reach their climax. We did not want for there to be a loss of life or injury, but you were, Officer Cook, always willing to travel that extra distance down the road to pave the way of our freedoms and will not be forgotten for this. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life devoid of breadth. Many of us are good at measuring things: How fast? How far? How long? Yes, we do ponder our longevity-how many years we have left on earth? What will I do with my remaining years? We find the moments that give us the strength to pursue the inner peace so meaningful to our very lives. You ascribed to this theory, Officer Cook and for your twenty-five well thought out and well-spent years toiling on our behalf, you never I do believe ever got bogged down wasting a moment. Only well-spent time with your family and friends. God has you well placed in His shelter for eternity after you performed so faithfully as His devoted and most beloved servant. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

One of the symptoms of the approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important and that to take a holiday would bring all kinds of disaster. How many vacations have been interrupted by an emergency phone call? How many days or times have turned into anguish because we assumed the worst? Police officers are always on pins and needles, as are their loved ones when they kiss them goodbye and say I or we hope to see you later. That day when you got up in the morning to get ready to go to work, you probably had a cup of coffee with Karen, shared a quiet and serenely private moment together, no one could foretell this as being the last time you were together. No one should ever ever have to go through this. A call came in officers down, officers were dispatched to a scene of tragedy and kayos. But we can be sure of one thing, you, Officer Cook, did not ever let your comrades down. You saved them, four of them and those three civilians from certain peril or most likely death because of your heroic actions to quell a terrible incident that unfolded near the end of your shift. You were an excellent officer, a good friend and most importantly, a loving son, brother and a most cherished and beloved husband. You took the brunt of that very violence that was perpetrated upon you and your colleagues and served forever as our inspirational legacy. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. I can see why officers suffer mental issues and other various assorted health problems as stressful as they have it daily.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at each end. Verbal bayonets are everywhere. They exist in the workplace and all around. They certainly do not, absolutely do not belong in police work. Officers have a stressful enough time doing a job that demands full concentration at all times. They carry their weapons for a reason, not just to utilize them at every whim. You used your weapon, Officer Cook, on May 16, 1979, and you used it to defend and protect your comrades after they were shot and wounded by a man who went beserk. Tragically sad. No telling what would have transpired if you did not arrive on that scene. You exerted all that you had within yourself to attempt to rectify a terrible situation. God bless you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

God is not dead, but alive and well, he's working on a much less ambitious project. All God's work is sacred indeed. Some changes around us are healthy others need a little more work, a little polishing if you will. Compulsive behaviors and the fact that we sometimes lose track of our fundamental selves. Our loving parents are the arc of our lives, as they are the ambitions of where our focuses, guidance and reflections should be placed. Your wonderfully loving and giving parents, Officer Cook, steered you and your sister, Nancy, in the right direction. It is because of them and the hard work, long hours of study and rigorous training that you become their pride and joy. Now you occupy a very cherished eternal space in God's kingdom working on one of His most ambitious projects. What is that you might ask? It's to look down and help God protect those officers who share a common goal of yours, in serving, defending and being diligent with the ingredients of loyalty, grace, bravery, honor, dignity and integrity in a most humble and healthy dosage. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

Look at me. Worked myself up from a humble and loving family environment and rose to become a beloved and respected hero of the Metro-Dade Police Department. You did everything properly, Officer Cook, you left no stone unturned and you did your utmost each day to examine the ratio of work to pleasure. Is there a balance? You recognized this balance and gave you all to secure the safety of all citizens of Dade County. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 31, 2013

God himself does not speak prose, but communicates with us by hints, omens, inference and dark resemblances in objects lying all around us. Police officers don't speak like this, they endeavor to talk to us in a rational and calming manner. One of Dade County's best at solving domestic issues, you were a Godsend, Officer Cook, the shining badge you displayed said it all. Genuinely concerned for all, you displayed great patience and the virtue that is not always ingrained in one's self. If the situation was different that day, but would, could or should cannot undo the tragedy that took your young life so others could continue their pursuits of joy and goodness. You were a pleasure I'm sure for your comrades to team with and work on various cases with you and this inspired them to only humbleness and positive results within the ranks. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 30, 2013

Wonderful verse of the Gods, of one import, of varied tone; they chant the bliss of their abodes to man imprisoned in his own. You recited these verses over and over, Officer Cook and your fellow worshipers appreciated the immense love that came forth from your lips. Lips that only spoke the truth, as you learned these very intense lessons from your parents. They instructed you and your sister, Nancy wisely and they penetrated your very beings. The day of your marriage to Karen, while I was not there to witness two very loving and giving human beings, had to be one of great humility and one that I'm certain would still be kindled today if you were here. You deserved better, but your giving back to the Dade County community has cemented your honor and integrity for always. These grateful residents appreciate when a service is done for their benefit will the epitome of grace. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 30, 2013

It is only when people begin to worship that they begin to grow. God is love and experience teaches us that we do not always receive the blessings we ask for in prayer. Your faith in God, Officer Cook, was the very reason of why you were successful in all your endeavors. You believed with all your heart that Our Creator would carry you through all of your journeys and he never disappointed you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero and guide our very souls through all their journeys in this world and allow our physical abilities to take us on pilgrimages of good will towards all men and women.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 30, 2013

A great many people have come up to me and asked how I manage to get so much work done and still keep looking dissipated. You can accomplish a great deal in a short period of time if you know how to manage you time wisely. One of your greatest strengths, Officer Cook and I'm sure a strength of Karen's too. The professions you both worked extremely hard at to achieve took a lot of ingenuity and plenty of mental and physical acuity to maintain a maximum effort if you were going to be able to serve your patients and loyal citizens in a proper fashion. God rewards those who serve Him with a smile and grace personified and my neighbor, friend and hero, you have been reaping your reward for saving seven lives, putting your being ahead of those who counted on you the most. Rest in peace.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 30, 2013

People who are unhappy, like people who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact. There are those who do not like excuses and we know you were one not to make excuses for lack of dignity and decorum that police work demands, Officer Cook. If other officers adhered to this motto, then I believe wholeheartedly that some if not most of our streets would be safer. You always tended to those citizens, Officer Cook and never, ever let them down. You were so valiant and resourceful, that is something amiss today. You will be long remembered for your usage of calm and a low key style to help you resolve situations that needed closure. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 30, 2013

Life is God's novel. Let Him write it. People who do too much have much in common, but one of the major commonalities is our inability to "let go." We dream that we control our lives and while we are awake we are in control of it. There is so much more that goes into our lives than the events we control. We should be afforded the ability to write a certain script for how we would like for a lives to be. That is not always the case. But we do need to allow our sense of control to free us; to feel a sense of uncertainty and revel in it. Your life, Officer Cook, as was the lives of around twenty-one thousand brave and courageous police officers who chose a profession that sometimes the risks outweigh the rewards. But each and everyone of you fine, upstanding and honorable individuals each have a compelling story that can be retold to those who honestly have an interest in knowing why law enforcement work suited them and why they each dedicated themselves to hard work and difficult conditions to make a dent, a difference if you will in each and everyone of their fine communities. These sacrifices on our behalf have been duly noted and your legacies will stand forever as God has you all cradled for safekeeping in His shelter to patrol over His golden streets above. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 30, 2013

We are not punished for our sins, but by them. The punishment should fit the criminal, not the crime. The young man who took your life, Officer Cook, has his taken in the end in a shootout with your colleague, Detective Blocker. God bless you Detective Blocker. Your comrade and friend, your department's hero, Officer William C. Cook has been watching over you now for these last thirty-four years and we continue to pray to God that his loving soul receives the warmth and love for all his actions from Our Creator. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. It has been very difficult for your family, but I know them personally and know they come from a strong fabric of honesty and integrity to guide them through these difficult times.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 30, 2013

Happiness may well consist primarily of an attitude toward time. The clock, its face is often much angrier, much less forgiving than the faces of our superiors, our bosses, our supervisors. We work through our breaks, our breakfasts, lunches and dinners if the situation dictates it. We come home drained from our daily labors to our wives, who ever is in our life. Time can be the enemy. Police officers I would imagine like any other individuals can be clock watchers, but do realize that the shift they patrol the streets on has added significance not only to their very existence, but to the survival of those in which they take an affirmation to protect. After you were wounded, Officer Cook, time was something that could not be wasted as the doctors and paramedics did all they could do in their power to save you as your bosses, chief and fellow officers gathered at North Shore Hospital. You put up a gallant fight to stay alive, God, Our Creator had other plans, needing you to patrol His golden streets. You were a hero of grand and humble proportions and your beloved spirit will always be here guiding us to greater means. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 29, 2013

Now that I'm here, where am I? Your business card probably read as follows, " Officer William C. Cook, Badge#1664 Metro-Dade Police Department. How much more succinct can you be? You started creating your legacy on the day when you graduated from the police academy and starting on your patrol of Dade County streets. Your among the many heroes and heroines of the Dade County law enforcement community and its large family of officers who were unafraid to battle violence on a daily basis and who gave their lives so that perpetual peace my ring in this New Year of 2014 and the many years prior to this time of the year. Since that day in May of 1979, officers have added protection, as your sacrifice spearheaded what should have been part of your equipment already. Buildings in Miami have changed and so have the very lives of those you served and watched over. Now my neighbor, friend and hero, uplift our spirits and allow us to lead our lives as you should still have been living yours, in peace. Rest in tranquility.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 29, 2013

Live all you can; it's a mistake not to. It doesn't so much matter what you do in particular, so long as you have your life. If you haven't had that, what have you had? Living all you can does not mean taking on everything in sight. It means that we should live our lives to the fullest, without distractions, without duplicity of thought or action. Live your life with your own definitions on its direction with an inner directness. Enjoy what you desire to earn a livelihood by and attempt to stick by this. Well you did, Officer Cook and so did your beloved wife, Karen. You both had your compasses always pointed in the right direction poised to achieve greatness with humbleness, devoutness to your faith, but most of all as dangerous a profession that you undertook, you accomplished this with honor, knowing at the end of each day, you were assisting in bettering the lives of all residents who admired your intestinal fortitude and more assuredly, your superior character. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 29, 2013

I must keep aiming higher and higher-even though i know how silly it is. It's not silly, as we should all strive to be motivated enough to reach higher and higher. You subscribed to this statement, Officer Cook and this served you quite well for the six years of dignity and integrity that you brought to the Metro-Dade Police Department. Tangible wealth was not what you were about or how you were raised by your loving parents. There sure were plenty of other ways in which you were able to serve God and the citizens of Dade County. You made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf to afford us all the inner peace and the very blessings that come with this sacrifice. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 29, 2013

I think it makes God angry if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it. You were one individual, Officer Cook, as are any person who greeted your fellow man with a smile and perhaps a good natured joke. We were placed on Earth not just to admire God's creations, but to endeavor to make His world just a little bit more special each and everyday. With your assistance and Karen's assistance the two of you made them world special. I'm sure she still does things to make people feel great, feel wonderful about themselves. You are the most important person, the motivation for her to carry on, because of your unselfish sacrifice which she recognized and understood when she became Mrs. Karen Cook. She supported your decision to become an officer, as you supported her decision to become a registered nurse. The loyalty and compassion you both brought to your professions only reinforces the need for us to think and to act wisely and prudently. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You proudly served all men and women regardless of color, ethnicity and background and for this you deserve a huge salute.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 26, 2013

The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work. Work does not have to be a ball and chain. Work should be and quite often is very fruitful and fulfilling. Short-tempered, overtired and prickly. None of these ever applied to you, Officer Cook. It was sheer motivation and the hard work as you metriculated through the Miami-Dade College Police Academy that took you down the straight and righteous trail. At least you made good friends with a plethora of many fine and outstanding men and women. Chief Geoff Jacobs, your old high school classmate from Norland High-"The Pioneers." I'll bet if the two of you fine gentlemen worked together you would have made quite a "dynamic duo." The streets of Dade County were in deed blessed by your presences. Chief Jacobs worked in Opa Locka part of his career and now serves as Chief of Police for the Porterdale, Georgia Police Department. Your hard work too, Chief Jacobs has not been overlooked as your old buddy, Officer William C. "Billy" Cook, has been watching over you and your department and fine officers from above. I'm sure he is very proud of you. God bless you Chief and my you rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero, Officer Cook.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 26, 2013

Life is one gosh golly thing after another. Those who knew you, Officer Cook, knew you enjoyed hunting and photography. You also loved the quiet moments with your beloved wife, Karen. I heard Karen you have been remarried since 2009 and I wish you well. I hope and pray the entire Cook, Toussel and Wilkerson families are doing well and enjoyed a nice Christmas. Your sacrifice my neighbor, friend and hero never leaves the crevices of my mind. You'll always be held in high esteem, I just wished the kids in your old neighborhood in North Miami Beach who run and play, I could someday explain to them who you were and what you wore proudly and how you represented each citizen with the respect they should give back to you and your family for helping God bring you into this world to do good deeds and the greatness of your giving spirit should never remain unseen. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 26, 2013

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. People who do too much rarely, if ever, overlook anything. Keeping things simple, streamlining our lives, does not come easy to us. We clutter our lives with our calendars, overlook an emotional ledger, until we no longer have a grip on anything. We constantly take notes of tasks or chores that need completing. Officer Cook, you were careful and meticulous in all your preparations and this is why you became the top officer who will forever be thought of for their loyalty, honesty and integrity. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. Keep helping us from God's golden streets in uncluttering that which is secondary in our lives, so that we can focus only at the time on the primary problems that need solving.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 26, 2013

There is an obvious cure for failure-and that is success. But what is the cure for success? Most of us might answer more success. An ego maniac would probably answer like this. A dedicated and loyal police officer such as yourself, Officer Cook, would humbly say I'll only and will always do their best and try to go to great lengths to procure safety and liberty for all. No high wire act is needed. A little Yankee ingenuity perhaps. Self-worth is not measured by external approval. You can be a workaholic driven by addiction and success. If you travel down this path, this long and winding road, you might not return. Your successes my neighbor, friend and hero have gone a long way and continue to swirl round and about the entire Dade County community of which you were a value and cherished member and resident. People should feel great, confident of themselves and in their abilities because of brave officers like you who truly cared for them compassionately and displayed a passion to do right by them. The big picture of yourself proudly wearing your badge and uniform that is hanging in Metro-Dade Police Department's Main Headquarters is really where our eyes should remain focused. Officer Cook, you and the other forty-one other heroes and heroines had your eyes solely squared on protecting us, maybe it is high time we focus on what you've done for us and to never lose sight or track of that purpose for which God placed you and them among us. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

December 25, 2013