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The letter below was written by Lieutenant Brian Garrett of the Polk County Sheriff’s office voicing his feelings about the recent events in the wake of the tragic death of Deputy Matt Williams and K-9 “DiOGi” and the wounding of Deputy Doug Spears. With Lt. Garrett’s permission I’ve posted it here because I think it should be shared with everyone. If, after reading this letter, you find that its content is a summation of your own feelings, just as I have done, please contact our webmaster to have your name added to the bottom of the letter to show your support and appreciation.
Sincerely,
Jeff Barrett, USPCA President, Region One
‘An Open Letter to Attorney Grady Irvin in reference to the death of Deputy Sheriff Matt Williams’
I had the opportunity to see your appearance on local television indicating your concerns over the death of Angilo Freeland and your apparent confusion over what to tell his children about their father. I am a simple man, I do not have a law degree, I do however pride myself on having some measure of common sense so let me give you some suggestions about what to tell the Freeland children when they are at the age where they can understand and comprehend the demon that was their father.
Tell them that somewhere long ago Mr. Freeland's family failed to instill in him a sense of decency, a sense of respect for his fellow man and the ability to hold himself accountable for his own actions.
Tell them that their father made a conscious decision to be a common street thug who apparently could not live under his own name out of fear of the consequences.
Tell them that their father apparently started making bad decisions long ago; decisions that led him to run from the law and his parental obligations; decisions that would forever change for the worse the lives of hundreds of decent, hard working friends and family members who shared DS Williams' simple desire to make this world a safer place for everyone, regardless of race, color, creed, age or station in life.
Tell them their father made a conscious decision to kill an honorable man in cold blood for no other reason than he did not want to be inconvenienced by spending time in jail. Be sure and tell them that this was no desperate physical struggle to escape, but rather a calculated decision to execute two deputies and a patrol dog leaving them to die alone in dark woods far from their homes. Tell them but by the grace of God one of those deputies survived his physical wounds only to be forced to live forever with the memories of his friend's death.
Tell them of Deputy Sheriff Williams, tell them of how, unlike their father he was a devoted family man and friend to many. Tell them of a wife without a husband and children without the father who loved them and took tremendous pride in being a part of their lives. Tell them of the void that can never be filled, dreams that will never be realized, and the grief and sorrow that will last hundreds of lifetimes. Tell them that a widow's birthday will forever be the day her best friend, lover and guardian was taken from her by a man consumed with hate.
Tell them that their father made a conscious decision to meet his "uncommon" end on his own terms. He lay in wait almost 20 hours with gun in hand to ambush the next searcher when he could have at anytime during the night walked the hundred yards out to the road and surrendered. When they ask if the cops would have shot him if he tried to surrender, remind them that during the 20 hours of the search many persons matching their father's description were contacted and released when their identity was confirmed, none were injured.
Tell them of the grief and soul searching the officers who shot their father will have to endure because of the bad decisions he made. Contrary to the popular beliefs of attorneys and conspiracy theorists, even the most justifiable of shootings take a tremendous toll on the officers involved. The media scrutiny, the legal reviews and the threat of lawsuits make it a nightmare for those involved and all are never the same as before the incident. Tell them that many officers involved in fatal encounters will leave law enforcement within five years of the incident due to the physical and emotional stresses. Ask any soldier who has experienced combat how easy it is to live, when you have looked death squarely in the eye.
Tell them there is an ancient and honorable book that proclaims that those who live by the sword shall die by it, and so it was on the 29th of September 2006.
Tell them that we feel compassion for them as well; for they had no choice as to who helped bring them into this world or why he chose not to provide them the love and guidance only a father can give.
Tell them that their father's actions that day only steeled the resolve of many of us. More deputies have committed to being K9 handlers, more deputies are training harder and longer to stay safer. Many of us went home and hugged our loved ones a little tighter and a little longer, reminded that life is a precious gift, but one that can be stolen in a heartbeat.
As to an inquiry, I hope you get all of them you ask for because anytime a citizen dies at the hand of law enforcement it bares scrutiny. However, I don't believe you will accept any results you don't agree with. Maybe you will get an answer as to how many wounds are acceptable, obviously by your statements eight is "common" for one person if that person is a deputy sheriff, but sixty-eight is "uncommon" if you are the person that killed the deputy sheriff. Please let me know the magic number and how you arrived at it.
Mr. Irvin, your motives are suspect at best, you are well aware that anyone can lodge a complaint with any of the many agencies that investigate alleged police misconduct and none of them require an attorney to do so. Your attempt at fifteen minutes of fame at the expense of a grieving family and friends is sad, but not surprising. Good luck explaining the actions of Mr. Freeland and please, let me know, because I for one can't begin to understand them.
Sincerely,
Brian Garrett
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