Memorial honors police officers' sacrifices in the line of duty

The truth of Madison Bonham's award-winning poem about police work came to life Friday morning.

"If someone breaks the law,/The police always answer the call," the 9-year-old wrote.

As she read the poem aloud during Seniors and Lawmen Together's annual law enforcement memorial, officers and their families smiled and nodded.

One officer didn't get to see Madison accept her award and read her poem. Her father, Cpl. Jeff Bonham, had to leave the ceremony early to process evidence at a crime scene.

That kind of sacrifice isn't unusual for police officers and their families, but it's far from the toughest sacrifice they make, Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair told the crowd assembled for the memorial at Cape Bible Chapel.

Blair said people fall into three categories: sheep, who are ordinary people who go about their daily lives and wouldn't think of intentionally hurting someone else; wolves, who "look for every opportunity to run down and snatch up a sheep and do violent harm on them"; and sheepdogs, who defend the flock from wolves.

"The sheepdog lives among the sheep, and his whole job is to protect the sheep," Blair said.

Police, firefighters and military personnel are society's sheepdogs, he said.

"Sheepdogs protect the flock at all costs," Blair said.

On Father's Day 2010, Blair was setting up camp with his family in New Mexico, enjoying a vacation from his job as assistant chief of the Lancaster, Texas, Police Department, when his boss called with bad news: A murder suspect had shot patrol officer Craig Shaw, killing him instantly.

Vacation was over. Blair had to deliver the news to his son, who was about 5 at the time.

"I knew he was going to be devastated about that, because he'd really been looking forward to [our trip]," he said. " ... He just looked at me and said, 'Well, let's go take care of the police officers.'"

The SALT memorial Friday morning honored 48 Southeast Missouri officers killed in action since 1875.

Chaplain John Harth read each officer's name, following the list with the numerical code 10-42, which signals the end of an officer's tour of duty.

"The final call acknowledges full well that the fallen officer would rise up and answer the call if at all possible," Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan told the audience. " ... It's a haunting reminder that there is now a void in our lives that will never be filled."

The most emotionally charged moment of the ceremony came near the end, when a large photo of Cape Girardeau's late assistant chief, Roger Fields, appeared on a screen behind Jordan.

Fields, who died March 30 of a medical condition, was instrumental in organizing the memorial every year.

Jordan struggled to maintain his composure as he gestured toward the picture on the screen.

"My buddy," he managed, his voice wavering, before he described how Fields took the memorial from "a small group of us holding hands" around a plaque on the ground to a formal ceremony with more than 200 participants.

Fields researched forgotten officers who had been killed in action, wrote personal letters to the relatives of deceased officers and called families to invite them to the ceremony, Jordan said.

"Roger was so proud to be a police officer," he said. "I hope that everyone will remember: Because of Roger Fields, the badge shines brighter today."

After the ceremony, Fields' mother, Bonnie, said she was "very, very impressed."

"It just gets bigger every year," she said. "Bigger and better. ... This was his project. He loved the seniors. He loved the kids. He just loved everybody."

epriddy@semissourian.com

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