Yesterday afternoon about 2:00 p.m. I sat down for meeting with Police Chief Dan Carlson and Deputy Chief Rob Reynolds to review our police pursuit policy. The three of us sit down from time to time to review our Police Department operating policies, mostly for my benefit. Later in the afternoon, Lino Lakes Police Officer Shawn Silvera was killed by a suspect fleeing a police pursuit in Anoka County. Officer Silvera was trying to disable the fleeing suspect with “stop sticks”. The Star Tribune explains the situation in more depth than I can get into here.
Officer Silvera was trying to prevent innocent citizens from being killed by the reckless suspect who was trying to evade the police. It’s tragic when a police officer loses his or her life in the line of duty. Officer Silvera’s death creates a wife without a husband and two small children without a father. All caused by a guy trying to run away from the police in his car.
Our police officers put their lives on the line everyday in Eden Prairie. We should all give that some thought today, and pray for the family and friends of Officer Silvera. May he rest in peace.
