APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) - In the aftermath of the shooting death of a Texas police officer, along with several other recent shootings of officers, Appleton Police Chief Todd Thomas is asking for national leaders to condemn the killings.
Thomas wrote an essay in reaction to the fatal shooting of San Antonio Det. Benjamin Marconi on Sunday; the shooting of a St. Louis police sergeant, along with the wounding of officers in Gladstone, Missouri, and Sanibel, Florida, on Sunday.
Chief Thomas wrote:
"Mourning, pain, anxiety, fear, anger, confusion, disappointment, divisiveness, evilness, ignorance, lies, sacrifice, politics, and children and spouses crying themselves to sleep for God knows how long…but mostly HEROES…these are the things many of us in law enforcement are thinking about and feeling today.
Four more officers were shot yesterday in our country, one died; Detective Benjamin Marconi of the San Antonio Police Department was ambushed and assassinated, God rest his soul. Detective Marconi was writing a traffic ticket when another driver pulled up behind him, got out and walked to his passenger side window, and shot him in the head.
Detective Marconi’s two children will now be without a father; they join hundreds of other children and spouses who will be going into their first Thanksgiving and Christmas season without a father or mother. They will try to figure out what they should be thankful for and why someone would kill their mom or dad; who just wanted to help people. No good answer is available for these children. All we can tell them is there are some evil people in this world and their parent was one of the brave and courageous people; whose calling it was to protect the rest of us from them.
In 2015, over 50,000 police officers were assaulted in this country; over 10,000 of them assaulted by a firearm, knife, or other dangerous weapon. While we wait for our national leaders to condemn the 71% increase in the number of officers killed by gunfire this year, and a tamping down of any hateful rhetoric, we will continue to be resolute in doing our duties.
We are blessed to live in the Fox Cities and we truly appreciate the community support we have. We thank you for being great partners and allies of ours. If we haven’t won your trust yet please give us a chance; we think you will be glad you did.
Our officers and their families are affected when these tragic events occur, please take the time to say “thank you”, wave, or shake their hand when you see them. These small actions mean the world to us.
In the lobby of the Appleton Police Department we have blue ribbons available for the public to wear in support for law enforcement. We invite you to wear one and share them with family, friends, and co-workers."