On May 13-19, the Marshalltown Police Department will be celebrating National Police Week. May 15 is National Police Officer Memorial Day. This is an excellent time to reflect upon those law enforcement professionals who have given their lives in protection of our communities across the United States. This is also an excellent time to thank our local law enforcement professionals for all that they do each day to serve and protect our communities.

It takes a special person to be successful in law enforcement. The city of Marshalltown is fortunate to have dedicated and compassionate public safety professionals serving in our community. The men and women of the Marshalltown Police Department strive each day to provide exceptional police services. I feel fortunate to work with such a wonderful group of professionals. I want to take this time to thank all of the police officers, detectives, reserve police officers, 911 communications personnel and police department support staff for their service to our community. They all do an outstanding job and I greatly appreciate their efforts. I also wish to thank the Marshalltown Police Citizens Volunteer group for their tremendous support and their service to our community.

The Marshalltown Police Department appreciates the excellent working relationship we have with the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Steve Hoffman and the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office serve our community with pride and professionalism. The citizens of Marshall County are very fortunate to have such an outstanding law enforcement organization as the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office serving in this community. Additionally, the police department enjoys a great working relationship with other law enforcement agencies working throughout Marshall County. Chief Jeff Bunn and the State Center Police Department, along with Chief Mike Ball and the Melbourne Police Department, are all providing valuable public safety services in their communities. Last, but certainly not least, there are a great group of county conservation officers, DNR officers, state police officers and state police investigators who routinely provide valuable law enforcement services in our community.

It is important for everyone to remember that being a police officer can be, and very often is, a dangerous profession. According to statistics taken from the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund website, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 58 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 21,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice. Over the last decade, on average 151 police officers are killed on duty in the United States each year and nearly 50,000 are assaulted. In 2017, 129 police officers died in the line of duty. So far, in 2018, there have been 51 law enforcement deaths in the United States. The 2018 numbers through May 9 represent a 9 percent increase in comparison with the same period in 2017. Violent attacks against law enforcement are increasing at alarming rates. Already this year we have seen 87 officers shot in the line of duty and 28 of them have been killed. This is 75 percent higher than this time last year. Our nation’s law enforcement officers face dangers every day, but now deliberate targeted attacks by people who wish to harm cops has become the new reality.

These occurrences, and the possibility of danger, weigh heavily on the hearts and minds of each police officer’s family. Spouses, parents, children and other family members are the unsung heroes for our law enforcement professionals. Without their support, officers would not be able to effectively perform their duties. I would be remiss if I failed to thank the family members of Marshalltown police personnel for their support and tolerance every day of the year. We appreciate what you sacrifice to allow us to serve.

The Marshalltown Police Department enjoys tremendous public support. The Marshalltown community does an amazing job supporting their public safety personnel. The men and women of the Marshalltown Police Department are dedicated to providing our community with high quality and professional law enforcement services. We appreciate the opportunity to work with community members every day and we remain committed to collaborating with the community to make Marshalltown a great place to live, recreate and work. I am proud to serve alongside the dedicated professionals working in the police department. They all have my deep gratitude and respect.

If you get a chance this week, take time to thank your law enforcement professionals for serving the Marshalltown community.

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Mike Tupper is the Marshalltown Police Chief.