On the recordJanuary 28, 2016
on Sunday, January 17, 2016, this country lost an American hero--Officer Doug Barney of the Unified Police Department in Salt Lake County, Utah, was shot and killed in the line of duty. He died honorably, doing what he loved to do: serving and protecting his community. Every day of his 18 years on the force, Officer Barney made his community not just safer but better. I know this not from personal experience--I was not one of those fortunate enough to have met Officer Barney--but from the community's response to his untimely death. When the tragic news spread across Utah and the Nation, those who knew him or knew of him--and it was hard to live in Salt Lake County without knowing Officer Barney--sprung into action to support his family and to commemorate his life of service. The most important step was taken first: to surround Officer Barney's wife and three teenage children with love, comfort, and assistance. The outpouring of support came not just from friends, family, and neighbors, but from strangers, too. Nanette Wride and Shante Johnson didn't know Officer Barney, but they were among the first to join his wife, Erika, on her long journey of healing. Indeed, Wride and Johnson came as fellow travelers on that journey--they, too, had suffered the loss of a husband serving on the front lines of law enforcement-- knowing all too well the unique challenges facing the Barney family during this trying time.…
