On Oct. 12, 1978, I graduated from the Dallas Police Academy and began my rookie assignment at the “old” Southwest Division Substation on Illinois Avenue.
The old station was over crowded, and lockers in the locker room were scarce. I was lucky enough to find one that had been vacated by another officer who had either transferred or retired.
When I opened the door for the first time I noticed several strips of black tape lined up neatly on the inside of the door. I had no idea why they were there, so when I cleaned out the empty hangers and some old papers, I peeled off the little strip of tape and threw them away.
Two and a half years later, on Feb. 23, 1981, Officer John T. McCarthy was shot while patrolling the White Rock Lake area. Officer McCarthy died from his wounds two days later. His funeral was the first “Police Funeral” I attended.
The night after the funeral, I reported to duty as usual and went to my locker to change. I pinned my badge on my uniform, and peeled off the black strip of tape I had used to cover my badge in honor of Officer McCarthy. Without thinking, I placed the strip of tape on the inside of my locker door.
At that moment, I realized why those strips of tape I had peeled off my locker door as a rookie officer were there. They had been worn on an officer’s badge in honor of others killed in the line of duty.
There are now 26 strips of black tape hanging on the inside of my locker door – my personal memorial of fellow officers who have given their lives in the line of duty since my career began.
Some, such as Officer McCarthy, I never knew. Others, such as Gary Blair and David Galvan, were good friends. I miss them.
The non-profit Dallas Police Foundation has announced plans to construct a memorial adjacent to City Hall in honor of Dallas Police Department members who lost their lives in the line of duty. To help, contact the foundation at 353-4448.
National Police Memorial Day is May 15. Please join the men and women of the Dallas Police Department in remembering the following officers who have given their lives while “serving the citizens of Dallas”:
C.O. Brewer, William H. Riddell, William McDuff, Leslie N. Patrick, T.A. Tedford, W. Roy Thornton, Leroy Wood, Johnnie C. “Hoot” Gibson, Dexter Clayton Phillips, Clarence Marshall Isbell, Alex W. Tedford, Sam Griffin Langford, Jesse Emmett Griffin, Luke J. Bell, Ernest E. Leonard Jr., John W. Dieken, John R. Roberts, Ralph Wendell Hoyt, Victor Leon Morris, Ernest Elmer Bates Jr., Preston D. Hale, William Edward Stafford, Johnny W. Sides, Leonard C. Mullenax, Ray Allen Underwood, J.D. Tippit, Frank Weldon Bennett, James Douglas Stewart, Floyd A. Knight, Robert H. Shipp, Johnnie T. Hartwell, Allen Perry Camp, Carl Jackson Cooke, Howard Kenton Hicks, Levy McQuietor Jr., Milton E. “Butch” Whatley, Donald P. Tucker Sr., Leslie G. Lane Jr., Alvin Duane Hallum, Alvin E. Moore, Robert W. Wood, John T. McCarthy, Charles “Chip” Maltese Jr., John R. Pasco, Carl J. Norris, Ronald D. Baker, Robert Cormier, Thomas Lee Harris, Gary Reeves Blair, James Allen Joe, John Glen Chase, Gary Don McCarthy, Walter Leon Williams, Lawrence R. Cadena Sr., Lisa L. Sandel, Mark L. Fleming, Michael R. Okelberry, Thomas Burchfield, Sunny Ma Lov, Lawrence David Bromley, Harold L. Hammons, Billy W. Daughterty, John Paul Jones Jr., Richard A. Lawrence, David R. Galvan, Thomas D. Bond and Reserve Officers Joe Jones and James C. Taylor.
