1/9/09 - Sr. Corporal Norman Smith murdered.

You think your job is tough?  How does it compare to a cop's day at work?  Tuesday morning, January 8, 2009, a husband and father went to work, and a wife and mother went to work.  Tuesday night, the wife was a widow and the husband was a memory.

DallasArena.com readers know I'm a cop's kid.  My husband's a retired Fire Chief.  I absolutely am in awe of people who become public safety officers, people who run into danger to protect those of us who take an easier life path.  When you have a couple like Lt. Regina Smith and Sr. Corporal Norman Smith who have devoted their lives to serving others, neither should have had to die for their altruism.

I saw the news report that an officer had been shot in the head.  Before I could go on line to get more information, a friend called to say the officer had died and that his wife was Chief Kunkle's aide.  It made me physically sick.  I then watched Fox4's coverage and saw Chief Kunkle struggling for composure as he talked about his murdered friend:

Chief Kunkle saw Sr. Corp. Smith and Lt. Smith as a unit, a loving unit.  Sarah and David are personal friends of mine and my husband, but they were very close to the Smith's -- way beyond professional.  They are hurting as much as anyone, and they are stunned.

That's what most people don't understand about police officers -- the bond between the officers and their respective families.  Many police officers marry other officers because that's who they know.  The job they do is not conducive to stable relationships with spouses not in the business of public safety. 

My parents were married for 28 years when my stepfather passed away almost 12 years ago.  Their marriage was my dad's second and last, which made him unusual as a police officer.  For the Smith's to have had such a long term marriage is a testament to the specialness of their bond. 

Losing any officer to the gun of a thug is a horrible wrong on society.  These men and women are not the one-dimensional uniforms many of us see when we come in contact with a police officer.  They are unique humans who are born with an extra gene that causes them to find happiness in service.  Still, they are lovers and spouses.  They are friends and neighbors.  They are sons and daughters and parents and grandparents.  They are nieces and nephews and aunts and uncles.  They matter to hundreds of others. 

Lt. Regina Smith has had almost two decades of love from a man who adored her.  Tuesday morning, she was one person.  Tuesday night, she was someone else.  I don't know her, but my heart aches for her.

Her pain is beyond anything I can comprehend, but the other officers who loved Norman Smith also are walking around in stunned disbelief.  He was not a uniform to them.  He was their colleague, their buddy, their comrade in arms against the bad guys. 

There will be a 7:30 p.m. candlelight vigil Thursday night at the Police Headquarters Downtown.  The vigil is an opportunity for us to comfort his surviving gang unit members and friends.  They need to be reassured by us that we recognize their loss in Norman Smith's death, that we appreciate their sacrifice for our safety.

Former Councilwoman Donna Blumer sent this note about Norman Smith's life and death:

Amen.

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