A veteran of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who was wounded in the 1993 Waco, Texas, siege paid homage to both fallen and current law enforcement at the annual Fallen Officer Memorial Service Tuesday evening.
Retired ATF Agent Bill Buford spoke about the sacrifices that law enforcement officers must make in the line of duty during the ceremony at the Garland County Sheriff's Department. The service, held in conjunction with National Police Week, drew representatives from all branches of Garland County law enforcement, as well as Garland County residents.
Sheriff Mike McCormick said he was humbled by the community's support at the event.
"The outpouring of affection never ceases to amaze me," McCormick said. "We had a great turnout tonight. It goes straight to my heart that we have a community that's so supportive and positive towards law enforcement."
Buford said officers are trained to "observe" and "orient" themselves in any given situation. He said that depending on the nature of whatever that situation is, "observation" and "orientation" often prove to be very difficult.
Buford said it is unfair to judge law enforcement for their response to a tricky situation after the fact.
"Two days later, to say 'They should have done this and they should have done that' is unfair to the officer," he said.
The siege outside Waco, Texas, occurred while Buford was serving with the ATF.
Prior to the siege, Buford said the ATF interviewed former members of the Branch Davidians, the radical church group holding the compound where they were preparing to execute search and arrest warrants. He described what the church members told him about what those holding the compound would do if they were to proceed with the raid.
"Each and every one said, 'They'll hold out as long as they can, and then they'll all commit suicide,'" Buford said.
ATF agents proceeded with the raid of the compound, he said, noting that as they got close to the structure, a "huge firefight" ensued.
Buford described killing one man who was running at him with an AK-47, with bullets coming at him through the floor and walls of a hallway he and his fellow agents were walking through, and getting struck by gunfire four times.
The most emotional moment of his speech came when Buford recounted how one of the officers killed in the siege was a young man he had sworn into duty two months earlier.
Buford said law enforcement is a "big family" that supports one another. He quoted from Shakespeare's "Henry V," stating, "But we in it shall be remembered -- we few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother." In relation to the law enforcement "family," he inserted "and sisters" into the text.
After the ceremony, Buford spoke about the actual families of law enforcement and how they are heroes "as much as the officers are."
"The families suffer a lot from them being absent, and also from not knowing when they leave their house every day, whether they'll be back that night," Buford told The Sentinel-Record.
Buford's speech was followed by the placing of wreaths by each of the area law enforcement agencies and a "hero roll call," which honored all Garland County law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty, along with Hot Springs National Park Ranger James Alexander Cary, the first National Park Service ranger slain in the line of duty, and Hot Springs police Sgt. Wayne Warwick, shot by Wayne Lee Crossley in 1984.
"We always have to be diligent and careful whenever we do our jobs," McCormick said. "We know it's not if, but when, we lose another officer in Garland County."
Hot Springs Police Chief Jason Stachey said each person that works in law enforcement answers a "call to serve," which comes with sacrifices. He said that Tuesday night's service encapsulated that concept.
"When they pin that badge, or that star, or that shield on their chest, they understand that it does come with sacrifices," Stachey said. "These men and women that we're here tonight for, and throughout the entire week across the nation, we recognize that ultimate sacrifice, that they lay down their life for either another law enforcement officer or a citizen."
Stachey said he is grateful for the support he has seen for his agency and others, especially in the past year. He said that in light of this support, he wishes to assist the community in better understanding the role of law enforcement.
"We've really seen that outpouring in this last year," Stachey said. "They understand that we do a difficult job, and sometimes it's a job that people really don't understand. But I think, as law enforcement officers, we're doing a better job of conveying what those duties are. So we're actually pulling back the curtain and saying, 'Hey, this is what we do, here's how we do it, and we'd love your support.'"
Local on 05/18/2017