I am deeply saddened today with the senseless murder of an old friend and "Brother in Arms". Yesterday afternoon, Virginia State Police Trooper J.A. Walker was shot multiple times, murdered for no reason on Interstate 85, while stopped to check on a vehicle pulled over on the shoulder of the road. Trooper J.A. Walker joined the Virginia State Police in the early 70's and had been assigned to the Dinwiddie/Petersburg area of Virginia since 1986. I met Trooper Walker early on in my career with the Petersburg Bureau of Police. It was common practice for city and county police to provide "back up" for Troopers on traffic stops or accident investigations, and vice versa. Trooper Walker was a giant of a man, in both stature and integrity. He was truly "one of the good guys". He was respected by all who knew him, whether it be the general public, fellow officers, Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys alike and even those he arrested. He treated all with great kindness and respect. He took his job seriously and believed that there was good in everyone. He was the epitome of what a cop should be. Dedicated and professional, yet able to crack a joke to lighten the mood, he brought joy to many. For me, he was a friend and role model.
I stayed glued yesterday to the news coming out of Virginia. Reports of the shooting, not knowing the condition of the Trooper and, for what seemed like an eternity, not knowing the identity. When I first learned that the Trooper involved was J.A., I was overcome with grief and sorrow for his family, friends and fellow officers. I knew that the Law Enforcement community had taken a major blow when I learned of this tragedy.
I watched the national news this morning, expecting to hear of this senseless murder of a well respected veteran Police Officer. I was greatly disappointed as I saw no reports. Instead, it seems like the major National News story for today is that Justin Bieber fainted while on stage. Really? That's it? That's important? Have we gotten so immune or so accepting to the fact that when those people that take on the responsibility of protecting us are murdered, it's not newsworthy? I'm not saying that this is the most important headline of the day, considering the threats of nuclear attack by North Korea, but I would expect that the Nation be made aware of another Police Officer being killed in the line of duty. Of course, local news in Virginia has covered this extensively, which is expected, as Trooper Walker was a resident of the community. The murder of Trooper Walker, and the murder of any Police Officer killed in the line of duty in the country should be reported by the network news media.
Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive because Trooper Walker's murder touched me personally. Everyone needs to be made aware of the frequency of these tragedies. More and more good cops are getting killed every year in the line of duty. For most people, that means nothing...but it should mean something to all of us.
Trooper Walker, thank you for your dedication to duty, your professionalism and more importantly, your friendship and the rekindling of many fond memories. May you rest in peace and may everyone you touched find peace in knowing that you made the Ultimate Sacrifice while doing something you loved and believed in.
I watched the national news this morning, expecting to hear of this senseless murder of a well respected veteran Police Officer. I was greatly disappointed as I saw no reports. Instead, it seems like the major National News story for today is that Justin Bieber fainted while on stage. Really? That's it? That's important? Have we gotten so immune or so accepting to the fact that when those people that take on the responsibility of protecting us are murdered, it's not newsworthy? I'm not saying that this is the most important headline of the day, considering the threats of nuclear attack by North Korea, but I would expect that the Nation be made aware of another Police Officer being killed in the line of duty. Of course, local news in Virginia has covered this extensively, which is expected, as Trooper Walker was a resident of the community. The murder of Trooper Walker, and the murder of any Police Officer killed in the line of duty in the country should be reported by the network news media.
Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive because Trooper Walker's murder touched me personally. Everyone needs to be made aware of the frequency of these tragedies. More and more good cops are getting killed every year in the line of duty. For most people, that means nothing...but it should mean something to all of us.
Trooper Walker, thank you for your dedication to duty, your professionalism and more importantly, your friendship and the rekindling of many fond memories. May you rest in peace and may everyone you touched find peace in knowing that you made the Ultimate Sacrifice while doing something you loved and believed in.
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