United we stand in United States

I have been a member of the law enforcement community for 47 years - 31 with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., 18 months with the United States Capitol Police, in which I was assigned to the Office of Intelligence, and nearly 15 years with the nation’s Amtrak Police Department where I retired as the chief of police this past July. My wife, Kristan, held high-level civilian positions within the USCP and the Senate Sergeant at Arms Office.

As were most Americans, I was shocked to witness the series of events Jan. 6 at our nation’s Capitol Building. Here is my story: In 1973 I left Brooklyn, N.Y., to fulfill my childhood dream of being a cop.

One of the only agencies to hire at the age of 20 was MPD. With the encouragement of my mother, I left for D.C. when the MPD called. D.C. in the ‘70s was not what it is today. Most businesses, to include restaurants, closed before 8 p.m and there were very few places during the midnight shift to grab a bite to eat. For those who know me, I do not miss a meal. There was a USCP officer’s wife who would make us heroes, hoagies, subs, whatever you want to call them, and sold them for $1.

I remember sitting on the steps, yes, the same steps we all saw in horror Jan. 6, in the wee hours of the mornings eating my sandwich. I would call my dad from there and tell him how awesome my new job was.

My dad, who was my hero, grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, leaving high school to fight in World War II. Fast forward to July 24, 1998, when I found myself sitting on the same steps again, but this time I was investigating the murders of USCP Officer J.J. Chestnut and Detective John Gibson. I and many others stayed on the scene for over two days gathering evidence for the prosecution of the killer.

When I registered to vote in 1971, I registered as an Independent much to the dismay of my Democratic parents, but they said they understood my choice. I protested the war in Vietnam, but not against the soldiers fighting.

Since January 2017, we all have seen a buildup in our great country of us against them, Americans vs. Americans, with little effort by anyone to say United We Stand and Divided We Fall. Those who participated in the insurrection/coup were committing acts of domestic terrorism to overthrow our legislative branch of government and will be handled as such.

We nearly saw the fall of the legislative branch of our government. My heart went out to all the men and women who tried so hard to hold the line, and to the people who died, believing they were answering a call to action by a leader.

Officer Sicknick was killed holding the line and protecting the U.S. Capitol the best he could along with his fellow officers. As it is written on the Washington, D.C. National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall: “In Valor there is Hope.”

I have lost so many friends since January 2017. It hurts. These were friends I grew up with - some who saved my life in some tough situations. I know that we all learned some lessons from the attempted insurrection/coup Jan. 6.

I know there will be a congressional commission to investigate how this occurred and how this can be prevented from happening again, but as we, the people, we need to come together, whatever your political views may be, and begin the healing process now. United we stand.