Sebastopol shooting

I have been wondering what the community reaction was to the incident in which Dennis Colthurst of the Sebastopol Police Department was involved in, in which a man was killed? I know Dennis and intend to drop off a card at the Sebastopol Police Department for him offering my support of him. He had to do something that he has been prepared to do since his training at the Police Academy, but had not been put in a position to do up until this time. I have talked with other police officers who have had occasion to shoot people in the line of duty, and it is very traumatizing for them. I was curious about the concern and compassion available from this community for those people in our midst who have chosen to take on the job of law enforcement, and the consequences to them?
Bruce Schmidt

Thanks, Bruce, for writing this. I, too, have known Dennis for a very long time and have been thinking about how he is doing in the wake of this tragedy.
Two stories come to mind. Back in the 80's, before there were laws regarding how police handled domestic violence, police departments were reluctant to answer those calls at all. One very frightening afternoon back then, an abusive husband pushed his way into his ex-wife's house, terrorizing their children, breaking dishes and furniture, kicking in doors and removing things from the house. During one of his trips to the car with items, the mother frantically dialed the emergency number for the Sonoma County. She lived just outside the boundary of Sebastopol. Fortunately the irate husband heard her make the call and drove off in a cloud of dust. But... the Sonoma County Sheriff never arrived.
When I told Dennis this story, he told me to advise her to call and shout "FIRE" into the phone, admitting the sheriff's no-show was commonplace and saying "She'll have all sorts of vehicles responding." Desperate times called for desperate measures.
On a lighter note, I attended many a party where Dennis was a guest and he often gave complimentary sobriety checks to departing drivers, quite a learning experience for everyone there.
Dennis is known for being a compassionate, caring person who loves his job and I wish him and all the family members of the man who was shot my sincerest hopes for a gentle healing. Seems, from the PD account, it was an unavoidable tragedy.
Peggy Day, former ER RN at Palm Drive

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Posted in reply to the post by heresbruce:

I have been wondering what the community reaction was to the incident in which Dennis Colthurst of the Sebastopol Police Department was involved in...
Bruce Schmidt

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