"Blue Defends Blue" in Florida Tragedies

Susan Murphy-Milano, Daughter of Chicago Police Detective Philip Murphy who murdered her mother Roberta Murphy, in 1989, before taking his own life speaks out on this tragedy in Flordia on 10/11/05. It does not matter in what city or state this took place, the fact still remains that blue still defends blue. The spokesperson for the Orange County Florida sherriff's department Barbara Miller responded "Not only when you have a deputy who has died, but when you see two small inncocent children, it's very disconcerning and disheartening to the officers" Well, the officers responded to at least 5 calls for help from estranged wife Leigh Ann to this home in the past month. The Lautenberg Act of 1998 was put into law so that tragedies just like this do not happen. Clearly this Officers actions goes far beyond the deaths of two innocent children. It was his way of having the last act of control because Leigh Ann, who he thought no differently of then a possession was going to pay for leaving him. As you are reading this you can bet that officers across the country are telling their spouses "See What happened" or police wives are seeing the news headlines fearing if they leave, they too, will be killed. Throughtout my entire childhood I heard my father say "If you leave, I will find you, If I find you, I will kill you. Then Sheriff Kevin Beary stated "I wish I had all the answers on something like that". It's called accountability and doing the job you were sworn as officers to serve and protect. It does not mean looking the other way when it's one of your own. It is the Orange County Sheriff department who should be charged for the crime of not responding and doing their job and as the law requires. This is a perfect example of the lack of accountability. The events of this tragedy are clearly off balance. Why doesn't someone charge the Sheriff Department with murder? Police Departments across the country need to get their act together by being more accountable to the other members of police families. How, first when any Officer going through a marriage break-up, there should be an automatic red flag to the department. The end of a police relationship should be treated the same as an officer involved in a street shooting. In these cases the department pulls the officer from active duty, usually assigning him time off or desk duty until he is given clearance by the police board after a review and mandatory counseling. The spouses should also be brought in for a debriefing of sorts explaining what safety measures, tactics and a telephone number for assistance and what she can expect should events escalate. I am reminded of when I was in the 5th grade, I teacher gave us an assignment to write a poem about something in our lives, I wrote

This man who drinks and carries a gun, each night he'd come home, we would have no fun.

That bottle, that gun, there is no place to run.

The laws pertaining to Family Violence, who not signed by elected officials with a pen of ink, but a pen of blood for all those who died because the system turned a deaf ear.

Susan Murphy-Milano author of "Defending Our Lives" (doubleday) and "Moving Out, Moving On"

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