A Solemn Occasion

Despite not working homicide cases anymore, my friend’s passing was a loss to the profession.

During the memorial service, Joel’s former partner spoke about the game change he experienced when he earned a slot in the Homicide Unit. He stated it was a huge step and a real challenge to get into the rhythm of the new role.

The eulogist had distinguished himself in his previous assignments and today serves as a college professor following his law enforcement retirement. He has earned my highest admiration professionally and personally. His first murder case with Joel was a true whodunnit layered with outsized media coverage and political intrigue. New detectives can’t fail their first time at bat, it sets a bad tempo, so he and Joel worked the case through fatigue and frustration to a successful resolution: the murderer arrested and convicted.

That was 2006, a year with a bumper crop of murders. I had been an investigative aide in the Homicide Unit since April of 2001. I loved working with Joel, and he loved working with me. He thought of me first when there was something to be tackled inside the office or out in the field. His partner was Glen, a U.S. Marine in the Vietnam War who passed on to Joel and myself knowledge that benefits me today.

Following the service, several of us huddled and talked about how Glen mentored Joel, and how Joel passed it on to several detectives. We also spoke about the changing world with young officers assuming the roles of homicide detectives, the concern of the loss of traditional practices and techniques, and how many effective practices would be lost forever. New officers are ‘more interested in feelings, how to spend their precious time off, and how they are more focused on other priorities’ than the obsessive dedication that it takes to solve complex murders.

Sometimes the old ways are best. However, when I arrived 22 years ago, zero cases were solved with cell phone data and three years later, all cases were either solved, or provided supportive or exculpatory data based on those records. In 2001, an administrative aid would be called in in the middle of the night to type, on a typewriter, a warrant affidavit because some of these guys typed fewer than six correct words per minute. In two or three years, I saw staff assistant positions reach obsolescence as their lieutenants would type their own memos to save the back-and-forth time.

So, as I consider those points: how is a retired officer’s passing a loss to policing and will there be anyone with the commitment to speak for the dead in court?

Joel still had so much more to offer the next generation that we have a right to feel short changed.

I have failed to share that he leaves four amazing children, all college graduates, who loved him and love each other. Their unique talents add up to optimism for the future.

There is a next generation that we need to embrace and trust. There is no plan B.

Thank you, Joel. Thank you God for Joel.  I will miss you forever.

Please pray for all of our officers and deputies.