I began our first update for the new year this morning with hope and excitement.  As I began typing, I heard my “new e-mail” alert, so I stopped typing to check the new message.  What I read came as no surprise.  I became angered, not only because of what I read, but because of my reaction.    I file e-mails of “struck-by” incidents by state after I read them.  After reading this new message, I almost methodically went to move it to my Maryland file.  How easy it has become for me to learn of someone’s death and then file it away.  So, rather than filing the e-mail, I read it again. 

Here is what part of the article read:“…As MDTA Police were preparing the highways for the New Year, Officer Courtney Brooks, a 13-year veteran, was working as part of the commercial vehicle safety unit.  As he set down flares along I-95 and the 395 exit to keep trucks out of the city during the New Year’s celebration, a motorist struck him and took off. Officer Brooks was rushed to Shock Trauma where he died.”

We have become desensitized to tragedy, that is until it becomes our own.  It is someone else’s problem, until it becomes our own.  It is someone else’s family, until it becomes our own.  This is our own.  Officer Coutrney Brooks was our own.  Whether your uniform is black and silver, blue or brown.  Whether you wear a badge or an orange vest.  Whether you carry a gun or a fire hose.  Whether you are just waiting for your’s to come home.  This is our own.  Pray for Officer Brooks’ family as if they are your own.

If we take the time to reflect on 2007, we know it brought great success as well as great tragedy.  With a strange sense of pride we can say that our successes have been the result of tragedies.  A tragedy is just that if nothing is done as a result. 

Almost a year ago, Deputy Tim Johnson from Wisconsin was struck by a motorist.  Tim nearly died.  He spent weeks in a coma, but is now back on the force.  Tim’s accident would have been a true tragedy had it not been for his family, friends, co-workers…and Tim.  This amazing group rallied together to provide some of the greatest public education in the country. 

So, are we done?  Are Tim and his family done?  Not by a longshot.  Sure we have educated thousands of motorists about the Move Over Law, but there are thousands more.  We have seven more states that still do not have a Move Over Law on their books, and ALL of our states need to do a better job of public education of the Move Over Law.  Many states, including North Carolina and Florida, have done an outstanding job of educating motorists.  Even national organizations like AAA and the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund have jumped into the Move Over Law.

Should we sit back and wait for more to be done.  No, we can’t.  We have to find a way, in our own communities, to ensure that the public is aware of the Move Over Law.  We asked thousands of men and women to put on uniforms to protect and serve…the least we can do is bring them home to the ones they love.

For Officer Brooks’ family, we just did not try hard enough.  Maryland is one of the seven states without a Move Over Law.  Our resolution for this year…try harder.

Please, MOVE OVER & SLOW DOWN FOR STOPPED EMERGENCY and PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES…THE LIVES WE SAVE MAY BE OUR OWN.

This is just a simple post to get all the categories on the list.