'Ordinary' Officers Perform an Extraordinary Service

Officer Gary Michael, Jr., had been on duty at his dream job with the Clinton Police Department for less than a year when he conducted a routine traffic stop. Sergeant Carl Cosper, Jr., traveled a familiar stretch of highway when he responded to a routine domestic violence call.

Neither Officer Michael nor Sergeant Cosper returned home to their families after those routine calls; both were killed in the line of duty. Their deaths remind us that, for those sworn to protect and serve, nothing is routine. Every ordinary day could present a matter of life and death. Every ordinary officer makes a hero’s decision, on a daily basis, to do something quite extraordinary – to put their lives on the line for the sake of their community.

Officer Michael and Sergeant Cosper are two of the 129 law enforcement officers in the United States to fall in the line of duty in 2017. They made the ultimate sacrifice, and we owe them our undying gratitude.

There is no more important duty of government than to protect its citizens from harm. In the cause of public safety, law enforcement officers are our first line of defense. Speaking for myself as well as the Department of Justice, we will continue to “Back the Blue,” as Attorney General Jeff Sessions says, as we are all united in our efforts to reduce crime in America.

Aside from national security, my highest priority is to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer. As we reinvigorate our efforts to take guns out of the hands of criminals, curb drug trafficking, and eradicate gangs, we rely on our partners in law enforcement. Collaboration with state and local law enforcement is critical for the Department of Justice.

We not only need the support of our law enforcement partners to accomplish this goal, but we need the community’s support as well. Officer Michael and Sergeant Cosper are two good examples of the risks we ask our law enforcement officers to take every day. We can show our appreciation for their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of many other officers, by supporting their brothers and sisters in uniform who continue that good, essential work.

As a small gesture of our nation’s appreciation, flags will be flown at half-staff today in recognition of National Peace Officers Memorial Day as we honor law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. This is part of National Police Week, an annual tribute to law enforcement service and sacrifice.

Each year, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, D.C., to participate in a number of events to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Les Kerr, Law Enforcement Coordinator for the Western District of Missouri, will represent us by attending this year’s events.

National Police Week began last Sunday night with a candlelight vigil on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The names of fallen officers, engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, were formally dedicated.

The names of Officer Michael and Sergeant Cosper – the two law enforcement officers from the Western District of Missouri who were killed in the line of duty in 2017 – have been engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Additionally, the recently discovered name of an officer killed in the line of duty in 1917 has been added to the wall. 

Even as we honor these fallen heroes, we also grieve the lives of three more law enforcement officers sacrificed since I was sworn in as United States Attorney in January. Next year, the name of another Clinton Police Department officer, Christopher Ryan Morton, along with Miller County Deputy Sheriff Casey Lee Shoemate will be engraved on the memorial wall. We also recently suffered the loss of FBI Special Agent Melissa S. Morrow, 48, who died from brain cancer as a result of being exposed to hazardous contaminants when she rushed to help survivors at the Pentagon during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and participated in the investigation afterward.

May these public servants, each of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for the highest good, inspire us to honor their memory by continuing their legacy of serving and protecting our community.

Officer Gary Michael, Jr.

Officer Gary Michael, Jr., 37, of the Clinton Police Department, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Aug. 6, 2017. Officer Michael stopped a vehicle for suspected registration violation. The driver exited the vehicle and opened fire with a rifle. Despite being mortally wounded, Officer Michael was able to return fire and wounded the subject. The man fled the scene in his vehicle, which crashed two blocks away, then he fled on foot but was apprehended two days later. Officer Michael was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

Officer Michael was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Clinton Police Department for less than one year.

Master Sergeant Deputy Sheriff Carl Cosper, Jr.

Master Sergeant Deputy Sheriff Carl Cosper, Jr., 56, of the Barry County Sheriff’s Department was killed in a vehicle collision on April 7, 2017. Sergeant Cosper was responding to a domestic violence call in Seligman, Mo. As he traveled south on Missouri 37, approximately a half-mile south of Washburn, his patrol car struck another vehicle that turned in front of him. Sergeant Cosper was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Sergeant Cosper began his career in law enforcement in 1994 with the McDonald County Sheriff's Department. He went on to serve with the Barry County Sheriff's Department for 10 years. In addition to being a deputy, he was also a firearms instructor, training agent, and taught classes for people who wanted conceal-carry permits.

Deputy Sheriff Edward Culver 

Deputy Edward Culver, 60, of the Platte County Sheriff’s Department, was shot and killed on June 23, 1917, while breaking up a fight at a saloon in Drydale. The subject was able to disarm another deputy and shot Deputy Culver in the chest. Despite being mortally wounded, Deputy Culver returned fire and killed the subject.

 Deputy Culver had served with the Platte County Sheriff's Office for four years.