Jan 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 1

“Bear with me,” he said. “I just need you for a second.”
Scores of police officers, sheriff’s deputies, dispatchers,
firefighters and medics rose.
“So why get in this business?” he asked. “If this is how
it ends, if this is what it’s all about, why sign on?
“Regardless, if you’re fighting fires, fighting crime or
providing medical care to save lives, you sign on because
you know there are people that depend on you,” he continued.
“You sign on because you know that you’re making
a difference and it would be chaos without you. You
sign on because you truly care about the welfare of others.
Don’t ever forget for a second why you signed on.”
Wingert then asked Farrell’s widower, Jesse Farrell, a
Pleasant Hill police officer, and his family to stand. He
asked them to look around at the scores of public safety
servants standing in the room.
“Don’t just look at the sheer numbers,” Wingert said.
“Look into their eyes. They signed on because there are
people like this in this room that will always be there for
you. It is who we are. It is what we do. There is nothing
quite like it. And Officer Susan Farrell will always be a
part of this family.”
Those in attendance applauded for nearly 10 seconds.
In the midst of honoring the fallen, Wingert found a way
to inspire those left to carry on. Wingert paused as the
Farrell family and the public safety officers sat down.
Weariness marked his face.
He looked like a man who could add up the minutes
of sleep he’d had over the last five days and never quite
reach a full hour. Yet the compassion and strength of the
Des Moines police chief shone through.
He drew a deep breath. And then he said goodbye.
“They didn’t make it...Those are the words that
we’ll never forget. But I stand here before you today
to argue that statement … because Officer Susan
Farrell and Officer Carlos Puente-Morales did make
it. And now they sit in God’s house, and they watch
over us, and they guide us, and they will for all of our
days.”
40 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 41
40 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 41