|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed by Captain Jolene Vancil, Accreditation Manager of the Greer (SC) Police Department. Jolene has fourteen years of law enforcement experience, and a Master's degree in Criminal Justice. She serves as second in command of the Greer Police Department." The events of September 11, 2001 will be ever seared into the consciousness of the nation. Members of the Greer (SC) Police Department looked on in dismay as the World Trade Center towers and a portion of the Pentagon collapsed under the horrific attack. Our thoughts and concerns were directed to our fellow police officers and emergency workers in New York City. Greer Patrol Officers, Brandon Davis, and Michael McDermott approached the Patrol Commander and requested time off to attend memorial services and extend our sympathy to the New York City police officers and firefighters. As word of their trip spread, two other officers, Lt. Jimmy Holcombe and Sgt. Jeff Smith also requested to go. On September 22, 2001, the four officers set off for New York City. They were amazed by the response they received in New York. Our officers had preconceived ideas of how “New Yorkers” were suppose to act, and considering the extreme stresses surrounding the situation there, they were not prepared for the warm welcome. Repeatedly, police officers that had worked around the clock for days, struggling to bring some semblance of order to the unthinkable chaos, would pause in their labors to thank the Greer officers for making the trip. At the memorial service at Yankee Stadium, exhausted emergency workers with tears in their eyes came up and hugged the Greer officers expressing their gratitude to them for traveling so far to attend. While at the memorial service, our officers commented on the number of American flags and stated that due to the great demand, it was becoming very difficult to find an American flag in Greer. Imagine their surprise when the New York officers presented them with a 5x9 American flag to take back with them. After our officers came back and expressed that the experience of being at Ground Zero had given them a way of coping with the event that viewing it through the media could not, we decided to open the experience of meeting the real heroes of September 11th to the Greer community. The New York officers readily agreed to tell their stories. Upon their return to Greer, the officers told story after story of how they were welcomed and appreciated and how inadequate they felt their attempts to render aid had been. Chief Dean Crisp heard these stories and began to devise a plan to really do something for the New York officers. Every January, the Greer Police Department honors its members and selected citizens during the Annual Awards Banquet. Chief Crisp decided to invite a New York City police officer to attend this banquet to be honored as a representative of all the emergency workers who had sacrificed so much. Contact was made with some of the New York City officers who had befriended the Greer officers. Their response was very enthusiastic and in short order, the number of New York officers wanting to come to Greer grew from one to ten! In order to have representation from all areas of New York City law enforcement and emergency workers, we requested that the group consist of personnel from all areas of New York City. The final group consisted of ten law enforcement officers and personnel from such various agencies as the Bronx Task Force, the Department of Information Technology, Police Chaplains, and the Belleview Hospital Police. All had been involved with Ground Zero operations from day one. While we were excited and thrilled to have such a large assemblage, we were faced with what was going to become an incredible cost to our small department. The Command Staff met, discussed the upcoming event, and decided to involve the community from the start. The Command Staff began the project, entitled “The New York Connection” by establishing an agenda for the trip: Bring the officers to Greer, South Carolina for a week. The community responded with donations of money and in kind services. The
visit’s agenda included visiting both of Greer’s high schools, with a panel
discussion and slide presentation that included pictures of the attack and the
aftermath that had never been seen. The
officers gave personal accountings of where they had been and what they
experienced, both the day of the attack and in the weeks following.
The schools made special accommodations for the group by setting up an
assembly and broadcasting the event live into every classroom.
In total, over 2,000 students sat spellbound for nearly two hours as
these American Heroes brought the reality of September 11th home to
them. A local church, Praise
Cathedral, opened its doors to a seminar for local emergency workers and the
public. Although it was held on a
workday, over 600 people attended, many of them openly weeping as they saw and
heard the Officer’s personal stories.
One officer in particular, Gabriel De LaPena, shared his story of personal anguish. Officer De La Pena was on duty that day and when he heard of the first plane strike, he rushed to the World Trade Towers for two reasons, one because that was what was expected of him, and the other that his wife worked on the 87th floor. He reached the Towers just minutes before the first collapse and asked everyone fleeing the building what floor they had been on, trying to determine if people on the floor his wife was on had gotten down. He attempted to enter the building, but was forced back by other officers who realized the imminent collapse. Officer De LaPena was caught up in the frenzied rush to escape the debris, and while searching for his wife continued to assist other victims. Officer De LaPena recounted that the last time anyone had seen his wife; she and her best friend were holding the doors of their office complex open and urging other employees to get out. On January 18, 2002, one hour before the New York officers were to begin their seminar for the community, Officer De LaPena received a call from the husband of his wife’s best friend. They had identified the remains of Emy De LaPena’s best friend, but had not found Emy. However, as they had been together in the last moments of their lives, it was hoped they would soon be found together in death. With tears in his eyes and his cell phone in his hand, Officer De LaPena stood in front of the hundreds of people in that church. As he told his story, he anxiously waited for the phone call that would tell him Emy’s body had been found, the call that would signal the end of his vigil. The call did not come. At the end of the seminar, nearly all of the 600 people came to the stage to hug, shake the hands of, and thank the New York officers for coming to Greer. They told them that hearing their stories and meeting them had begun the healing process for them. In return, the New York officers expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to get away from the 24 hour a day, seven day a week horror of searching for victims, and the efforts to get their lives and agencies back to a semblance of normalcy. The New York officers explained that in order to continue the terrible task of dismantling the wreckage, repeatedly uncovering the remains of hundreds of victims —many of them fellow officers — and interacting with thousands of grieving families, they had been forced to seal off their own emotions. The experience of physically separating themselves from Ground Zero, and finally putting words to their feelings had released months of pent up emotions. The result was a cleansing and healing of their psyches. One officer said, “We have not grieved until today, and I want to thank you.” The trip was not just about reliving that tragic day; there were many opportunities for sharing laughter as well as tears. None of the New York officers had ever been to South Carolina and we decided to show them true southern hospitality. The Greer Police Department has created and nurtured an excellent relationship with the media. One local television station has a traveling weatherman who broadcasts the weather “On the Road” once a week. We scheduled a barbeque to coincide with this broadcast, and invited the weatherman to join us. The result was a media smash. The people at the station were so enthralled with the spontaneity and sheer exuberance of the event that they cut away to the party eight times. Other reporters saw the newsworthiness of the event and jumped in their van to record it. It was the lead story on the evening news that night and for several broadcasts in the following days. There were few people in the area that did not know about the Greer Police Department’s “New York Connection” after this. In conformation of this fact, everywhere we took the New York officers for lunch or dinner there would be a spontaneous standing ovation as we entered the restaurant. People came up, shook hands, took pictures, and expressed their feelings about the visit. It was a time of unity and healing for everyone who made contact with the New York officers as well as for the officers themselves. Wrote one of the officers, “Even though our visit to Greer was just four days, it is one that we will remember for the rest of our lives. The quality time and events we shared with the people of Greer was something very memorable…it is comforting to know that we have an extended family in Greer. It is the kind thoughts and prayers from many Americans like the citizens of Greer, who have made these difficult times a bit less painful…” The visit culminated with our Awards Banquet. The Mayor presented the New York officers with keys to the City; the Police Department presented each officer with gifts and honors. In memory of Officer De LaPena’s wife, Emy, the Greer Police Department commissioned a special memorial plaque and presented it to Officer De LaPena during the Awards Banquet. The plaque is now displayed in our department. Wrote Officer De LaPena, “The plaque you presented to me in memory of Emy at your annual banquet was very moving and special. Having Emy’s plaque displayed will help all of us to ‘Never Forget.’ I have no doubt that she will look down and protect the great men and women of your department.” Closure is just a media “buzzword” that can make people feel guilty if they do not get over something within the time limits set by the demands of the media so they can hurry to cover the next big story. No one or anything can bring closure through one action, only time can do that; but memorials and events like the “New York Connection” permitted the expression of emotion and began the healing process all people needed after September 11th. The trip’s agenda was made available to everyone in the department and all were encouraged to connect with the New York officers at lunch, dinner, and seminars and at their hotel. “The New York Connection” was truly a Greer Police Department and Community event. Members of the Greer Police Department have made lasting friendships with our fellow officers of New York City and have expanded our understanding of how the calling of law enforcement bonds us together. With such unity, there is nothing that we in society of police officers cannot face and conquer.
|
|
|
