Stoneage Ramblings

By John R. Stone

It is a real shock when something happens that we thought could never happen here. That’s how I look at the death of Pope County Deputy Joshua Owen. And as a former newspaper publisher it is a headline and story I was glad I never had to write.

But it has happened, the headline and story have been written.

The law enforcement community is not alone in its grief. Many of the rest of us are shocked and saddened that our quiet little piece of the world, where wondering when the ice would leave Lake Minnewaska was a big item of conversation, has been shaken by the death of a respected veteran and law enforcement person just doing his duty.

When we moved to Glenwood nearly 50 years ago I remember Glenwood had just a police chief and a patrolman and maybe some part time help. The sheriff’s department was not that much larger.

Law enforcement was a lot more casual back then, the big problems were the occasional drunk, car accidents, petty theft and perhaps the occasional disagreements at someone’s home where someone was told to settle down and that took care of it.

We’ve changed as a society and not all for the better. We have more law enforcement personnel than ever and they are busier than ever. It isn’t just drunks anymore, it is people with a variety of drugs that make them do strange things. Car accidents still happen. And now we have mental health issues that law enforcement ends up handling by default because there are no other people to do it. And domestic incidents seem more severe.

People now claim that their personal right to do what they want is more important than the right of rest of society to live in a law-abiding and respectful manner. Church attendance is down. And the list goes on. It is kind of a depressing picture.

After the death of Deputy Owen could there be a glimpse of hope? Hundreds of people lined up in Glenwood Monday morning when Deputy Owen’s remains were returned to Glenwood. People stood on overpasses to honor him all the way from the Twin Cities. The convoy of law enforcement personnel escorting Deputy Owen was over 100 law enforcement vehicles.

It was clear that law enforcement personnel are united in their concern for our fallen officer and his family. It is also clear to all of us now that law enforcement has become a much more dangerous job. And yet we need these people to do this job and protect us.

There was a private dinner Tuesday evening for law enforcement members and their families Tuesday night in Glenwood. It was to be a chance for them to get together and try to digest what has happened to a person from their ranks.

Minnewaska High School opened its doors for the grieving for reviewal and Saturday’s memorial service.

Our part in this process is to support law enforcement and do what we can to make their jobs less dangerous. Besides behaving ourselves we need to keep law enforcement informed about dangers we see. There may be no legal reason for immediate action, but if an officer knows where trouble may be it might helpful if intervention is needed.

We also need to be better community members. We need to look out for our neighbors and we need to remove temptation from those who might be tempted to steal.

We need to respect law enforcement and pay attention to laws. Laws are primarily to protect public safety. They have an important place in a civilized society.

Let’s do what we can to make Pope County safer for our law enforcement personnel. Let’s make it so their families don’t have to worry every time a loved one goes out on a shift. Let’s do what we can so we never have to go through this again.

That would be a proper memorial to Deputy Joshua Owen.