This is has been a very somber and shocking week with the death of Corporal Stephen Ballard, a young, Delaware Police Officer who was gunned down (execution style) in the parking lot of a local Wawa in Bear, Delaware.
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As a boomer, I remember a time when police officers walked a beat in the neighborhoods, they were friendly and fun and no one would ever imagine that someone would brazenly shoot to kill them.
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However, times have changed as has the world and we are constantly reminded not only are there bad cops but there are bad citizens who are quick to kill. I was also reminded of the first encounter I had with a police officer and it was atPlayland, yep, at an amusement park in Rye, New York.
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You see, back in the 60s during the summer there were a few places that we could actually afford to go to and one of them was Playland, the other wasPalisades Amusement Park and theBronx Zoo. I clearly remember one summer Saturday when my grandmother and aunt gave my father and uncle Eddie permission to take us kids to Playland for the day.
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Needless to say, it didn’t turn out too well.
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Both my pops and uncle loved to drink beer and they would often start drinking after work on Fridays and continue until Sunday evening. I guess that’s one of the reasons why I love drinking beer as well, however, I never drank to get drunk unlike those two.
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Anywho, my father and uncle drove us to Playland, it was my sister Gloria and me, the twins, Brenda and Belinda as well as their sister Debra and there may have been others, but I can’t remember who. However, I do remember that when we got off a ride our father and uncle weren’t waiting…they instead had gone to purchase some beer at the concession stand.
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So there we stood, all of us, looking around frantically yet not seeing our adults in charge so we had no option but to find a cop and ask for help. He was very friendly and walked us to the security office, all of us holding hands, a long line of kids like ducks in a row – it was probably a sight to see, but we knew that the police officer would make sure we were safe and would find our dads.
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Yep, as we walked we saw them sitting on a bench, beer in hand, not a care in the world waiting for us to get off a ride on the other side of the park where they had left us but forget to return.
When we were finally reunited with them. I remember only parts of the rest of the day but I do remember that we were warned not to tell our mothers/grandmothers and they plied us with White Castle hamburgers to seal the deal.
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That memory of being helped by a Police officer will always be part of my memory, however, now so will be the death of Corporal Stephen Ballard.
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With deepest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Ballard and may his soul rest in peace for all eternity.
Let’s Chat: Do you remember your first encounter with a police officer?
