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MARCH 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 3

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  • Blues
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MARCH 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 3

Over the last month I

Over the last month I have had of total fear among those who 0,000 the privilege to be involved ..what in are it at won’t the most risk, get our senior you. multiple Special Assignments/ Operations. Now, I know most of you were just rolling your eyes at the terms Special Assignment or Special Operation……but hear me out. There were the vaccination lines, where I personally saw so many people come in with hopeful eyes and worry upon their faces. After the inoculation, you could literally see the stress level on their faces instantly fade. Tears, literally tears streaming down their faces. Tears of joy, relief and absolute peace from the terrifying worries of COVID-19. As we (our country) near the 500,000 lost souls mark, one can clearly see the realization citizens, medically susceptible and of our first responders/medical staffers. To be a small part of huge operations taking place across our country, was and continues to be a privilege. Secondly, working straight through several days/nights during the wretched winter freeze we (our state and county) have just endured, right after Valentine’s Day. We knew this winter storm was coming, but I have to say, I don’t believe anyone really expected or knew (at least at our level) just how bad, difficult, challenging and ultimately, heartbreaking it was going to really be. There was the ice, snow, freezing temperatures and of course, REX EVANS the shock and awe of it all. Then, reality settled in. Hundreds, no thousands, of people were without power, heat and then no water. People of all races, ethnicities, economical statuses were finding themselves in a struggle to simply survive. Tragically, some of our neighbors did not. They sat quietly in the dark and freezing cold and they slipped the binds of this life and went onto the next, leaving behind heartbroken family and friends. I was able to spend my time on Special Assignment with other Deputies from Pct. 1 and Pct. 4 Constables Offices (Constable Alan Rosen and Mark Herman). We were stationed at Gallery Furniture’s turned Warming Center. Now, to some this might seem odd, at first glance. However, it was not to me. You see, ole Mattress Mac (Jim McIngvale), has time and time again stood where others dared to never stand. He has stood up for the hardest hit in our society, the poorest and most deeply in need. And, from my own personal experience from years ago, he donated a chair to help me recover after being seriously injured in the Line of Duty. In a way, it was a small way for me to give back to Mr. Mc- Ingvale and everyone at Gallery Furniture who helped me when I was down. In a larger way, it was my opportunity to help those in our community who were finding themselves, through no fault of their own, in their darkest of hours. It was not an easy time for any of us there, but it was one of those experiences in my career, no matter how hard it was, in the end, it was highly rewarding. One of the most profound moments of the entire assignment for me was when an elderly and physically impaired woman with a walker, couldn’t get into the restroom without assistance. Now, she was obviously cold, tired and in dire need of relief. More profoundly though, she was highly embarrassed and frustrated. With huge tears streaming down her face, she sat in the main lobby of Gallery Furniture at about two in the morning and I quietly walked over and sat beside her. I placed my arm around her, and I told her “I know it’s tough. I know you’re hurting. I am so sorry this has happened to you, but come daybreak you and I will still be here together, ok? I am not going to leave you here, alone.” She placed her head upon my shoulder and cried. For about a minute we sat there, and she finally spoke. She said, “I’m scared.” All I could think to say was “I know. We all are, but here were all are, scared together. That’s better than being at home, scared alone, right?” In that moment, she smiled. I knew I had reached her, and I knew, if only for a moment, she felt safe and secure. I figured that was exactly what I was there for, not for the “Enforcement Action or Peace Keeping Action”. I was there for the singular component of “The Human Action.” To simply be a kind, compassionate and caring human being. While I have worked hard and some exceptionally long hours since being back at Pct. 1, I must tell you, I have found it to be highly rewarding to back out among people in dire need in desperate times and finding a way to bring some semblance of peace and tranquility in an otherwise tumultuous time of fear, worry and uncertainty. It has been, a sincere and humbling privilege, one which I am and shall forevermore be, grateful for. 6 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 7

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