Tampa Photography Blog

The words “thank you” said to a police officer must seem pale in comparison to what they do on a daily basis.

I can’t imagine putting my life in danger every day for complete strangers.

This isn’t a fear most officers have—they just know they have a job to do, at whatever cost.

After 31 years with no fatalities, the St. Petersburg Police Department has had three officers die in the line of duty in less than a month. To call this a tragedy is an understatement.

Officer Jeffrey A. Yaslowitz and Sgt. Thomas J. Baitinger were killed by Hydra Lacey as the officers were serving a warrant on Jan. 24. Officer David S. Crawford, a 25-year veteran, was shot by 16-year-old Nicholas Lindsey as he responded to a prowler call on Feb. 21.

What frustrates most of us who are merely by-standers is that we don’t know how to help. How do you help an officer’s wife or kids when you don’t know them? How do you offer support?

The Police Benevolent Association is selling t-shirts for Yaslowitz and Baitinger and will probably have one for Crawford shortly. This may seem like a simple idea—how can buying a $15 t-shirt really help these families in need? The original goal was to sell 500 shirts and they have now sold approximately 26,000! With 100% of the proceeds going to the wives of the fallen officers, that’s $195,000 for each family!

The next time you think a small gesture doesn’t count, remember how a t-shirt helped two distraught families stress a little less about finances during their time of mourning.

The only positive aspect of any atrocity like this is to see how a community responds. And I can tell you I’m proud to see how the Tampa Bay and St. Pete communities have stepped up in response to the deaths of Yaslowitz and Baitinger.

I’m sure we’ll do the same for Crawford.

All we need is a t-shirt and a few folks with big hearts.