Our law enforcement officers save many from distress and are the key to keeping our cities safe. We are kept safe without realizing that the safety they provide is being shared by the ones who cherish them the most, their families.

These officers are much more than just the peacekeepers of our city; they are fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, and to most a memory. As our officers gear up each day, preparing to serve and protect, their families are unseen heroes who support and sacrifice with them. These heroes are often in the background, striving to be a support system, a fan, an encourager, a peace, and a wound healer.

There are times and seasons in the lives of their families, some filled with many joys, and at times, much sorrow. There are those that stand alongside them and those who are left standing. Their families, although not officially sworn into the police department, are sworn in by the love they share and have promised.  Their support and encouragement are shown when they allow their officer to walk out the door each day, unsure of their return and sharing their safety with the rest of the city and country. They are the ones who hold their breath at the news of a fallen officer. These precious families try to understand and sacrifice on holidays, birthdays, gatherings, and at times at their officer’s end of watch.

Many of these heroes behind the heroes not only uphold strength for their officer but for their children. Many law enforcement children are not often seen as heroes. But, they are! These children try to understand when their law enforcement mother or father are absent at their birthday party, Christmas mornings, recitals, games, school programs, Thanksgiving meals, bedtime, and so much more. Our children in blue, although proud of their parent, know that there is much more than just catching the bad guys. They too sacrifice their mother or father on duty and are unaware most of the time at how much of an impact their mom or dad are making in this world.

Many of our heroes today are those who were left standing till the very end. These heroes hold onto the memories, they support others who have lost their loved one in the line of duty, and at many times remain strong for the sake of their law enforcement family. They are the ones that fear their officer will be forgotten, although we know in our hearts they will be honored and never forgotten. Their dedication and sacrifice will be told to our future generation of police officers to come.

At the beginning of each day our officer’s go to roll call. It is there that they announce their presence. It is there that they respond to the call. You too respond to the call each day in the role you play. As we honor our men and women who serve and protect this country, we want to say thank you to all those who stand behind and beside them and to those who have stood behind these warriors. For the families who have lost their loved one in the line of duty, we mourn with you and we hold you dear to our hearts.

Families, you are living courageously and we honor every one of you. You have responded to the roll call of honor. The role you play is so vital in our officer’s lives. It is you who keep them believing in the good things of life and the joy in making memories. You stand proud by our uniformed men and women who fight battle after battle on the streets. Our law enforcement families are to be looked upon in reverence. We honor you today and always, you are truly the heroes behind the heroes.

The recuits were in the 6th week of an 18-week training academy and physical fitness is a part of every academy class.

About 1.5 miles into the run, RTO Deputy Jesus Cabadas who was following the class in a patrol car as a routine safety measure, noticed that a 50-year old male recruit was lagging behind and appeared to be physically unable to keep up with the class.

Deputy Cabadas evaluated the recruit and determined the recruit was unable to safely participate in the class run then directed him to stop running and had the recruit ride in the patrol car.

Deputy Cabadas continued to follow the class on their run with the recruit resting in the back seat of his patrol vehicle.

About five minutes later, Deputy Cabadas heard the recruit’s breathing become very labored and noticed he appeared to be experiencing greater physical discomfort.

Deputy Cabadas immediately called for the assistance of the pre-designated First Aid recruits from the class. These recruits were both prior trained Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) who had decided to become sheriff’s deputies.

Deputy Cabadas stopped the patrol car and along with the EMT recruits, immediately began to render aid to the recruit. Deputy Cabadas and Deputy Sheriff Trainees Duran and Garcia noticed the recruit was pale, had no pulse, and was not breathing. They immediately administered Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the recruit until Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics arrived.

When paramedics arrived, an Automatic Electric Defibrillator (AED) was administered on the recruit; shortly thereafter the recruit began to breathe on his own. He was then transported via ambulance to a local hospital for further medical treatment by Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel. He is in stable condition and feeling much better.

To maximize the safety of recruits while participating in challenging physical training exercises, it is common practice to designate fellow recruits to promptly respond to the staff instructors request to assist other recruits during physical training.

As an additional safety measure, a staff instructor is designated as the Safety Officer. Deputy Cabadas was performing that function; driving in a marked patrol unit following the class during their run throughout the area in the event of an emergency and to alert the driving public of the runners.

“This was truly a rare occurrence and it is difficult to remember a time when a recruit experienced such a significant medical emergency,” said Sheriff’s Academy Captain Robert Esson. “We are very glad, and we know the family is glad too, that we were well prepared to respond swiftly and effectively to handle the recruit’s medical needs, just as we so often do for the public.”

It is the consensus of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Training Bureau Staff and the responding Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel that the quick actions of Deputy Cabadas and the two recruits who rendered aid, Deputy Sheriff

Trainees Duran and Garcia saved the life of the injured recruit.

Police Chief Charlie Beck last week presented the officers and detectives with the department’s highest honors, the Medal of Valor and the Purple Heart. This was the second year the Purple Heart was bestowed on officers who suffered grave injuries in the line of duty.

The officers included men and women, some injured or put at risk while on patrol, on undercover assignments or headed home after work. Three Purple Hearts went to officers shot during a foot chase of an armed suspect in 1949.

Among those honored was Officer Stacy Lim, who in 1990 was followed home by four gang members. As Lim got out of her car, she was shot in the chest with a .357 Magnum revolver.

The bullet damaged her heart, spleen, stomach, intestines and liver, but she got up and returned fire at the gang member wielding the gun. Lim struck the man in the chest and neck, taking him down.

Another officer, Oscar Bryant, responded to a robbery call at a dress shop in South L.A. When he arrived, four suspects were still in the store. As Bryant ordered them to line up and raise their hands, one robber shot him. The officer fell. He returned fire and wounded the man who shot him, along with another suspect. Bryant later died of his injuries.

Four officers were given Medals of Honor, including Det. Craig Marquez, who in December 2011 shot and killed Tyler Brehm, who had randomly shot at passersby at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street.

Brehm was upset over his recent breakup with his girlfriend. Marquez was in plain clothes that day when a transient in the area told him about the gunfire. People sought cover behind cars and parking meters. When the gunman ran toward Marquez, the detective shot and killed him.

More than 800 people, including Jamie Lee Curtis, attended the ceremony at Hollywood & Highland.

Beck called the honors “timeless tributes” to those who went above and beyond their duty.

“We’re saying thank you for valiantly protecting the residents of Los Angeles,” he said.

Green, 46, was charged with one count of murder, along with two special circumstances for the murder of a police officer and murder to avoid imminent arrest.  The verdict was announced at about 1:45 p.m.

The penalty phase of the trial is next, with jurors asked to recommend either death sentence or life in prison without possibility of parole.

Authorities say on the night of Nov. 7, 2010, Officer Ryan Bonaminio, 27, tried to pull over a semi-truck believed to be involved in a hit-and-run collision near the 60 Freeway. After a police chase, Green and Bonaminio got into a foot pursuit in Fairmount Park. Police say Bonaminio slipped on wet grass while trying to stop Green, who then attacked Bonaminio, grabbing his service gun and shooting him.

Green was arrested two days later. Prior to the murder charge, Green had been arrested at least 13 times in Riverside County and was on parole from state prison.

Green’s defense lawyers did not deny that Green fatally shot Bonaminio, but they told jurors during their final argument that Green did not set out to kill the Riverside police officer. Instead, they blamed a series of family problems that led to Green’s irrational state of mind.

While they did not dispute their client’s guilt in the murder, they said Green was only attempting to escape when it went horribly wrong, pleading with the jurors to deliver a verdict of second-degree murder.

Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution – Murder, Kidnapping, Rape, Parole Violation

REWARD: The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to the arrest of Joe Luis Saenz.

Instead, the newborn decided to make her arrival while El Monte Police Cpl. Aram Choe and his wife Elisabeth were driving the 25 miles from their Eastvale home to the hospital.

“When it was happening, I kind of was in that cop mode,” Choe said Monday. “My emotions went out the door and I just had to get the job done.”

His wife Elisabeth, whose estimated due date was three weeks away, woke Choe up around midnight on April 28 after experiencing some contractions, he said.

They were at Towne and Holt avenues in Pomona when his wife told him the baby wasn’t going to wait.

“I pulled over to the first well-lit parking lot I could find, which happened to be a McDonald’s,” Choe said. “As I parked, I was dialing 911 and letting them know we needed a paramedic to respond.”

When the police officer exited the car and got around to the passenger seat to assist his wife, the baby’s head was already out, he said.

When Choe saw that baby Kora’s umbilical cord was wrapped around the back of her neck, he utilized what he had learned from First Aid classes he had taken.

“I knew… I had to clear (the cord) over her face,” Choe said. “Right after that, the rest of her body came out. This all happened in the front seat of our Ford Expedition.”

A manager at the fast food restaurant helped by providing towels to keep the newborn warm, he said.

Choe is back at work this week and mom and baby, who spent a day and a half recovering at the hospital, are doing great, he said.

“The afternoon that we came home, she wanted to go shopping and grab dinner,” Choe said of his wife. “This was our fourth child so she’s a pro.”

Baby Kora has one sister and two brothers, he said. Kora Raye Aram was born last week in the parking lot of a Pomona McDonald’s, as her parents, El Monte Police Cpl. Aram Choe and his wife Elisabeth were making the 25-mile trip from their Eastvale home to the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.

Detroit Police Officer Arthur Matthews, 40, was shot the morning of May 6, 2011, while off-duty during a robbery attempt at a Marathon gas station on Michigan Avenue and 11th Street.

The shooter, Christopher Proctor, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with intent to commit murder, which each carry up to a life sentence. But Wayne Circuit Judge Ulysses Boykin on Tuesday sentenced Proctor to 14-25 years in prison.

Matthews, who still uses a cane as a result of his injuries from the shooting incident, stood up in the courtroom and called the judge’s sentence “insulting.” The patrolman, based in the department’s northeastern district, was named last week by the Detroit Police Officers Association as one of several Officers of the Year.

“There’s a sea of emotions I’ve had since this happened,” said Matthews, who has been on disability since the shooting. “The (sentence) has been whittled down to 14 years. I find that very insulting. That’s kid gloves, not attempted murder.

“This is the message you send to police officers when we try to do our jobs?” Matthews asked Boykin. “I don’t expect any remorse from the defendant, but I did expect justice from this court.”

As Matthews spoke, Proctor slumped in his chair, hand on his chin. Once, when he tried to interrupt Matthews, bailiffs told him to be quiet.

Boykin explained that he came to his sentencing decision after receiving “numerous letters from Mr. Proctor’s family.”

“While this is a heinous offense, and Officer Matthews has suffered an injury that will probably never heal … we’ve got guidelines that are very lenient.”

After the hearing, Matthews scoffed at Boykin’s statement. “The guidelines aren’t lenient,” the officer said. “The judge was lenient.”

Under Michigan law: “Any person who shall assault another with intent to commit the crime of murder, shall be guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for life or any number of years.”

After the hearing, Boykin declined to discuss his sentencing decision.

Curt Benson, a professor at Cooley School of Law in Grand Rapids, said the 14-to-25-year sentence seemed “a bit low,” although he said he would have to see what presentencing recommendations were made by the Michigan Department of Corrections in order to make an informed assessment.

“Unfortunately, that’s not a public document,” Benson said. “So I’m not sure what the (sentencing) score was, but 14 years does seem on the low side.”

Proctor’s mother, Shannon Proctor, said her son is “a wonderful person, a hard worker and a great father.”

“He’s innocent, but he pleaded guilty because he knew nobody would take his word over a police officer,” she said.

Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Thomas Trzcinski said his office didn’t cut a deal with Proctor, who also was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the .45 automatic handgun he used to shoot Matthews was defaced, which is a federal offense.

“There was no plea deal; (Proctor) just pleaded guilty to what we charged him with,” Trzcinski said.

The shooting incident happened after Matthews’ sister returned his car, which she had borrowed. The officer pulled into the gas station and was refueling his car when Proctor approached him and demanded, “Give me all your (expletive),” Matthews said.

“I see he’s got a gun in his hand,” said Matthews, recounting the shooting prior to the sentencing. “As he’s walking toward me, he racks the gun. My first instinct was to shoot him, but he’s got his gun out already and I can’t.

“He puts his gun to my temple and tells me he wants my money. I’m thinking I’m going to try to throw the money between his legs and make him turn around; then I’ll shoot him. But he gets nervous and says, ‘Don’t move. If you grab my gun I’ll shoot you in the face.’”

Matthews said he identified himself as a police officer. “I said, ‘What are you doing? I’m the police.’ But he started shooting. I knew I was hit but I felt no pain. I heard God’s voice tell me, ‘You won’t be hurt.’”

Although Matthews said Proctor had the gun aimed at his temple, he was able to wrest it lower, so when Proctor pulled the trigger, he shot the officer five times in the legs and side. His left femur was shattered. A sixth bullet struck Matthews’ service pistol in its holster.

“I don’t know if his gun jammed or if he ran out of bullets, but he stopped shooting. I told him ‘You just shot the police.’ Then I punched him in his face. He starts yelling, and trying to regain control of the gun. Then he tried to run away. I don’t know if he was going to shoot me again, so I pulled out my gun and shot him three times.”

While that gunfight raged, Matthews said he believes friends of Proctor opened fire on the officer. “I was hiding behind a street pole,” Matthews said.

Matthews said he received death threats, and that police put a detail outside his east-side home for several weeks.

“I just can’t figure how someone who tries to kill a police officer can be walking the streets in a few years,” he said. “This is our criminal justice system.”

This years Honor Roll:

In Oakland, Calif., stinging gas sent protesters fleeing a downtown intersection where they were demonstrating. It was unclear whether police fired the gas, but officers took four people into custody.

Black-clad protesters in Seattle used sticks to small downtown windows and ran through the streets disrupting traffic.

In New York, police in riot gear lined the front of a Bank of America, facing several dozen Occupy activists marching behind barricades. “Bank of America. Bad for America!” they chanted. About 50 demonstrators in Chicago rallied outside another of the bank’s branches.

Across the world, protests drew tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets from the Philippines to Spain. They demanded everything from wage increases to an end to austerity measures.

Tuesday’s U.S. protests were the most visible organizing effort by anti-Wall Street groups since Occupy encampments were dismantled last fall. May Day protests have in recent years focused on immigrant rights.

From New York to San Francisco, organizers of the various demonstrations, strikes and acts of civil disobedience said they were not too concerned about muddling their messages. They noted that the movements have similar goals: jobs, fair wages and equality.

Organizers of Chicago’s rally said they welcomed participation from the Occupy groups. “I definitely see it as an enrichment of it,” Orlando Sepulveda said. “It’s great.”

In Los Angeles, at least a half a dozen rallies were planned. A rally was also planned in Minneapolis.

In Atlanta, about 100 people rallied outside the state Capitol, where a law targeting illegal immigration was passed last year. They called for an end to local-federal partnerships to enforce immigration law.

The May Day protest was significantly smaller than last year’s, which drew about 1,000 people. Organizers said turnout last year was greater, in part, because the rally was on a Sunday, rather than during the work week.

In the San Francisco Bay area, service on the Golden Gate Ferry was shut down as ferry workers went on strike. They have been in contract negotiations for a year in a dispute over health care coverage.

A coalition of bridge and bus workers said they would honor a picket line of at least 50 workers outside the ferry terminal. They were joined by some Occupy protesters.

Organizers backed away from earlier calls to block the Golden Gate Bridge, but scores of police — some carrying helmets and batons — lined the span during the morning rush hour. Some protesters with signs stood nearby, but did not disrupt traffic.

Across the Bay in Oakland, which has been the scene of some of the fiercest clashes between police and Occupy protesters in recent months, crowds had blocked intersections and tried to force businesses to shut down for not observing calls for a “general strike.”

A group of workers, patrons and property owners clashed with a few dozen protesters who stormed a downtown diner in an attempt to shut it down. The two sides scuffled briefly before police moved in, and the restaurant stayed open.

In New York, where the first Occupy camp was set up and where large protests attracted some of the earliest attention — and mass arrests — to the movement, protesters gathered at Bryant Park in Manhattan. They prepared to march to financial institutions, including Chase and Citibank.

The crowd grew to several hundred with a drum-and-brass live band as a soundtrack. John Connors, who said he was a financial analyst, took the day off, as well as his shirt, revealing a chest with the words, “Black Hole of Finance,” painted on it.

Threatening letters containing a white powder that appeared to be corn starch were sent to some institutions.

Three letters were received Tuesday, two at News Corp. headquarters and addressed to the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, and one to Citigroup. The message in the letters said: “Happy May Day.”

Seven letters were received Monday at various banks. One was sent to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Occupy activists had said they planned to bring business to a standstill, but the crowds protesting in the rain were modest.

The Occupy movement in New York has relied on demonstrations and marches around the city since Nov. 15, when police ousted hundreds of protesters from their base in Zuccotti Park, where they had camped since Sept. 17.

Paul Browne, the police department’s chief spokesman, said recently that the department was “experienced at accommodating lawful protests and responding appropriately to anyone who engages in unlawful activity.

“And we’re prepared to do both.