Southwest Missouri law enforcement officers reflect on deaths of four Missouri first responders in March - KY3

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - First responders across Missouri have been grieving the deaths of four people who gave the ultimate sacrifice, all within the month of March.

In March, two Joplin police officers, a Bonne Terre police officer and an Ebenezer firefighter all died in the line of duty. Missourians are mourning the deaths of Joplin corporal Ben Cooper, Joplin officer Jake Reed, Bonne Terre officer Lane Burns and Ebenezer firefighter Dustin Brandhorst.

Lawrence County Sheriff Brad DeLay says these deaths are more common than in the past.

”One of my biggest concerns every day is I hope and pray that all of my people go home at night,” Sheriff DeLay says.

Sheriff DeLay says first responders across the state and even the country are like a family. When one organization suffers a tragic loss, they all do.

“We grieve with them because we think that could have been us,” Sheriff DeLay says. “That could have been one of our people because they were doing exactly what we would have been doing.”

Sheriff DeLay says it can take a big mental toll on officers, which is why the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office has a mandatory yearly training for mental health.

“I don’t wake up every morning thinking, ‘Oh, I hope I can die for somebody’ or ‘I hope that I can do this,’” Sheriff DeLay says. “But they have to understand that is the oath we take. If it happens, that’s our job to be there to do that. If I have to stand in front of a bullet for you, that’s my job.”

Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott says his department has a psychologist on staff. That’s something he says wasn’t available when he was a deputy.

“It is tough dealing with some of these things, so those are available,” Sheriff Arnott says. “In fact, we make things mandatory for our staff that are directly involved in a critical incident.”

Sheriff Arnott has experienced this loss within his own department. He says it brings back tough memories for him, but that’s why it’s so important to go and support other agencies during this time.

“That is one of our ways to heal. We bond together and lean on each other,” Sheriff Arnott says.

Sheriff DeLay says training for his deputies will slightly change after the tragic losses seen across the state.

“We’re not saying what anybody did was wrong, but we start thinking about what could we have done different,” Sheriff DeLay says. “How could something have changed or if we approached it in a different way, how could we have prevented something like that from happening.”

Both Sheriff DeLay and Sheriff Arnott hope these deaths don’t deter people from wanting to become first responders or law enforcement officers in the future.

To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected]

Copyright 2022 KY3. All rights reserved.

source: https://www.ky3.com/2022/04/01/southwest-missouri-law-enforcement-officers-reflect-deaths-four-missouri-first-responders-march/

Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.