The public image of law enforcement officers is one that is frequently embraced with the impression that they are distant, callous, unfeeling, and reveal no emotions. Much of that supposition is based on a genuine lack of specific knowledge concerning the nature and extent of the duties, dangers, and challenges that police officers face on a daily basis and is supplemented by, oftentimes, fictitious representations that emanate from television and movies. To the contrary, police officers are people, too, and they have feelings, emotions, and lives like everyone else. Though they may not put them on public display and openly share them with the world, they experience some of life's most difficult and painful contests both on a professional as well as a personal level.
Police officers are in constant battle fighting crime by responding to calls for service, conducting investigations, pursuing leads, chasing down perpetrators, making arrests, and testifying in court. In many instances, they deal with horrible crimes that have devastating impact on victims, the community, and even themselves. In particular, homicide squads are routinely dealing with shocking, gruesome, and unfathomable crimes.
Recently, the homicide detectives in the Prince George's County Maryland Police Department found themselves dealing with a crime that was, to say the least, unfathomable. Detective Nelson Rhone received a phone call one Sunday morning to be told that a live baby was found in a trash bag by some laborers, but the baby died later that day. An anonymous call to police later resulted in the arrest of the baby's mother.
Sadly, no one came forward to claim the body after the thirty day waiting period. Rather than having the child buried in a pauper's grave, the detectives proactively informed the medical examiner they wanted to take responsibility for the baby and obtained a letter from a funeral home indicating it was willing to accept care and custody of the body.
The baby, born on October 12, 2008, was given a name by detectives - Maria del Pilar. When detectives approached a local funeral home and explained the sad situation, the funeral home was immediately and willingly responsive to their needs and provided a casket and a hearse. A local florist followed suit by donating flowers for the funeral service. "The merchants are so willing to help you," says Det. Rhone, the lead investigator on the case. He explains it was difficult to shop at Wal-Mart to buy clothing for the baby's burial, but he purchased a pink outfit with pink booties.
A number of detectives in the homicide unit as well as Major Daniel Dusseau of the Criminal Investigations Division and Major Andrew Ellis, Commander of the Press Office, attended the funeral service that was held on November 16, 2008. "No one else cares. It became personal for each of us. To me, I thought it was something that had to be done," says Det. Rhone.
This is the third case of this type that Prince George's County homicide detectives have dealt with wherein they named a child, received donations from funeral homes and florists, and attended a funeral service for an infant victim of crime. "Everyone just assumes that we roll through these cases. To see them like that, you think tons of people would love to have adopted them," says Detective Kelly L. Rogers.
Sgt. Richard Fulginiti, who heads the homicide unit, acknowledges that despite the fact that there are no rookie officers in the unit and they are accustomed to dealing with homicide to the extent they can be, he acknowledges a child is different because there is an air of seriousness and an air of being more somber. He admits that detectives are more bothered by the fact that the victim is a baby. "It hits home a little bit more because they have children," he says, but indicates that no one has ever come to him and said they cannot cope with it.
Detective Rhone has three daughters of his own, and he reveals that when he is confronted with a case of this type, he immediately calls his girls to talk to them and check on how their day is going. "Everybody thinks you become so hard and callous, but you still have a softer side and you're still a person," says Det. Rhone. He continues, "Although the homicide situation is a career for you in your department, you still want to remember the people and represent the person and give back to the community."
Chief David Rohrer of the Fairfax County Virginia Police Department, and one who is well versed in dealing with both officer and citizen victimization, understands the importance of officers' reactions. "It's ok to have those emotions. Police officers need to talk with their families and share their emotions," he says.
Across the river from Prince Georges County in a neighboring jurisdiction, the Arlington County Virginia Police Department has not had a circumstance of this type victimization to deal with as yet, and the chief certainly hopes his officers never do. Undoubtedly, Arlington officers would be as willing to be proactive in a similar mode to that of their colleagues in Prince George's County. "I was not shocked at all the Prince George's officers chose to lead an effort to give a proper funeral to a baby that was abandoned. Even a police officer who often sees the worst of the worst in society has feelings of what can I do about this? In this case, the Prince George's officers chose to take it upon themselves to do whatever they could. If a similar situation ever occurred in Arlington, I would not be surprised at all to see a similar act of kindness and human decency from my officers. In fact, I would be shocked if they did not do it," says Arlington County Police Chief Douglas Scott.
Catherine Harrison, a licensed clinical social worker at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia and a psychotherapist and medical social worker with twenty years of experience in the area of coping with loss, understands the importance of officers' involvement in these type situations. "I feel that social workers and police officers donate their own funds or negotiate for services on their own time to maintain their own humanity in a way. An abandoned, dead newborn should never be thrown out with cremated hospital bits and pieces but instead should have a quiet resting place and, perhaps, a name not so much for the baby but for society as a whole to recognize what has been lost," she says.
Infant and child victimization carries a heavy toll for homicide detectives. "I am very proud of the investigators for their dedication to not only solving the case but also for maintaining their humanity in the constant face of violence," says Prince George's County Police Major Daniel Dusseau. The impact of the incomprehensible crimes pierces the hearts of many far and wide. "When an innocent baby is killed all of society mourns. This is evident by the comments received from people locally and otherwise. One email we received commended the officers for 'their decency to stand up for someone who never had a chance' and that 'heroism isn't always about defying death, it's about doing what one knows is right.' I do not think I can express it any better," says Major Dusseau.
The dedication and commitment of police officers everywhere attest to the fact that they are genuinely caring and concerned professionals who prove to be public servants at their best. They are, undeniably, the greatest heroes for victims of crime.
