Roger Fields was a joy to know

There are some people who are simply a joy to know and be around. Roger Fields was one of those special individuals.

The assistant police chief for Cape Girardeau died March 30 from "a complex medical condition," according to a police department news release.

Fields served on the Cape Girardeau police force for 26 years. He was remembered as a fun-loving guy and someone who handled his role professionally and with compassion.

Reporter Emily Priddy spoke with several individuals who worked with Fields. Here are a few quotes from the story in the April 1 newspaper:

"It's the old adage: They broke the mold. ... Roger had that ability to take a group of people and make them better than the sum of their parts. People saw his passion for it and wanted to follow it and do it well for him." -- Scott Meyer, Cape Girardeau city manager.

"Roger was a people person, well-liked within the department, well-liked by friends, had a lot of friends, hard worker, very dedicated to the department, very dedicated to our city -- just a ... great loss to our department and a great loss to the citizens of our community." -- Harry Rediger, Cape Girardeau mayor.

"I think his biggest strength was that he really, truly had a compassion for people." -- Wes Blair, Cape Girardeau police chief.

According to his obituary, Fields was a member of Connection Point Church in Jackson. He was on the Cape Girardeau County SALT Committee, SEMO Drug Task Force, Cape Girardeau and Bollinger County Major Case Squad, United Way and Jackson JAYF little league football. Among his other affiliations, Fields served as coordinator of the annual Law Enforcement Memorial.

Police work is not for the faint of heart. It's challenging work and takes special individuals who care for people and have a passion to serve.

We extend our prayers for the Fields family.