The Patrick County Sheriff’s Office wants to extend thanks to all the people who expressed their appreciation in the aftermath of the murders of eight law enforcement officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge.
“The outpouring of thanks, the food that was brought to us, the cards that were sent, they all made us feel very appreciated,” Sheriff Dan Smith said. “It makes me realize just how fortunate we are to live in such a caring place.”
Smith said the shootings brought back memories of when four Buchanan County sheriff’s deputies were ambushed in 2011.
Two were killed, one was paralyzed and another wounded, all because the shooter “hated” law enforcement, Smith said.
Smith said the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office, which is similar in size to Patrick, was devastated.
“That could have been us, it was heartbreaking,” Smith said. “I think about that office and the families of those deputies all of the time.”
The sheriff said that when such shootings happen, they remind law enforcement officers that “we are the line in the sand that separates good and evil, and we have to be ready to defend ourselves and our citizens at any time and place, and under any circumstances.”
