News and Announcements :: May 18, 2009
Tucson Police Department Attends National Peace Officers Memorial Events in Washington D.C. — Letter of Thanks
TPB Board,
On behalf of all of us who attended the National Law Enforcement Memorial Services in D.C. this past week I wanted to send a
sincere and heartfelt "thank you" to the Tucson Police Foundation for your generosity in making this trip a reality. I had a unique perspective
in that I served dual roles as both a supportive spouse to Jennifer who was deeply impacted by this tragic event and in representing the department in
my role as a police commander.
Please let all of the foundation members know that the City of Tucson and the Tucson Police Department was represented in the most professional and honorable way during the various events we attended. They truly made us proud. This is the second time I have had the privilidge of travelling with a large contingent of TPD officers to law enforcement events out of town and I can say without reservation that our officers are among the most professional officers in the country and take their representation of our department very seriously.
The officers, on their own initiative, arrived 3 hours before the National Memorial Service and sat in Class-A dress uniforms in hot and humid conditions the entire time. They did this in order to sit in the front row of the surviving co-worker seating area so Nohemy, Samantha, and the entire Hite family would see the TPD representation at the service. They then stayed the full additional 4 hours of the event until the very last name was read. Many agencies left the service after their state's fallen officers were read.
Allowing these officers to attend these services will have a lasting impact on them and on the Hite family. Again, thank you so much for the opportunity to honor Erik at these events.
JT Turner
Lieutenant
Tucson Police Department
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