Posted on 07/13/2018 7:44:43 PM PDT by Mariner
DALLAS – When Dallas County Sheriff’s Deputy Omar Calderon was laid to rest on July 5, his funeral was a solemn salute.
A 40-year-old father of three, Calderon took his own life after a battle with depression. “He was so sad, I mean it was obvious,” said his widow ShaRonda Calderon. The couple had been married since 2012 and together since 2001.
“If you needed him, he’d be there,” she said. “That’s what I fell in love with. If I needed something, he would be there. That’s what makes a perfect police officer.”
Her husband’s funeral was a tribute, but not what she, a one-time sheriff’s department employee, expected. “There were a lot of things that I was told should have happened that didn’t happen,” she said.
Honoring officers who lose their lives is a delicate, dignified process.
The Dallas County Sheriff’s department uses what are called general orders as their guideline for protocol.
The orders explicitly state Calderon would not receive full honors – those are reserved for line of duty deaths – but the orders do state that deputies who die while off-duty are to be given an officer standing watch beside the casket, an honor guard, a bugler, and a final call broadcasting their badge numbers on the radio.
Those things did not happen, even though ShaRonda said she wanted them.
(Excerpt) Read more at wfaa.com ...
Her name is Marian Brown and I don’t think she likes her job.
And who has a Texas and LEO ping list?
Not a Texan, not a deputy, but as an active duty Sailor who recently was tasked with coordinating the memorial service for a fellow sailor who took his life, I find her dismissive excuse disgraceful.
Black vs. brown - keeps them both down. Slogan probably goes back 40 years.
Bad decision by Sheriff.
Yes, her remarks were distasteful. However, I have a not “so high” opinion of people who take their own lives.
I find her dismissive excuse disgraceful.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Agree, sounded somewhat like a ‘cheap shot’.
I was wondering what the WHITE POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION had to say about her conduct.
MLK TRIED to ‘teach’ us that a Cop is a Cop, a Sailor a Sailor, a Marine a Marine etc etc his color or ethnicity not withstanding.
Was wondering if the Deceased was a Catholic and what is the Catholic Churches stance on funerals for ‘certain causes of death’.
I seem to remember at one time the Church was not prone to ‘celebrate’ the death by suicide, apparently the same stance the Sheriff took....
This sheriff has been missing the mark at every turn and this situation is the worst possible example of how tone deaf she is about how to run a large LE agency. IMO, depression is no different than cancer since depression eats at the soul while cancer eats at the body. Both can lead to death and the sheriff choosing to discriminate due to the deputy succumbing to the effects of depression is simply reprehensible.
It was a disgrace.
The man was obviously jacked up. And apparently the office didn’t intervene.
Then to deny him a basic Officers funeral service...that’s just a damn disgrace.
I know a cop who died off duty and was given a missing man formation helicopter flyby with all the honors. And his death was not in the line of duty.
Funerals aren't for the dead, they're for tbe living.
I know of a cop who hung himself in his garage attempting an auto-erotic procedure. Does he deserve a cop funeral with honors as well?
They should have told interim Chief to stay the F away
And that has what to do with my comment? I don’t see the correlation. Ya think they’d do what I described to some twisted freak like you described?
As a point of fact wakes and burial services are for the living. It sounds like this may have been a burial service. Funerals are for the dead and for worship of God. The confusion stems from certain protestant denominations retaining the name as an adjective for many mortuary things despite no longer believing theologically in the practice. Or retaining the practice despite no longer believing in the purpose.
Why does a cop who does not die in the line of duty deserve anything more than any other person who dies? People die everyday, killing yourself does not warrant a line of duty death funeral.
I never implied or claimed anyone deserved anything. Where did ya get that?
ShaRonda. Wow. You are not owed everything, Sha stupid name Ronda. The depressed person was owed one simple thing: help.
“Why does a cop who does not die in the line of duty deserve anything more than any other person who dies?”
EXCELLENT point.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.