LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – It’s a law enforcement family’s worst fear come true. Two Nevada State Police troopers were killed in a crash on the I-15 last week, and now other police families are sharing their fears of the job.
“As soon as you hear something like that, as a police wife, my mind automatically goes to, ‘I wonder if he has a family,’” said Deborah, founder of the Las Vegas Metro Police Wives group.
Two families and an entire community are mourning two troopers killed on the job by a hit-and-run driver last week – Nevada State Police Sergeant Michael Abbate and Trooper Alberto Felix.
“I have talked to people that know the families. They have a lot of support around them right now,” said Deborah. “It’s a very overwhelming time of your life when you’re trying to navigate a reality that you never expect or hope to be faced with.”
It’s a reality that many law enforcement families fear every day.
“It’s something that you think about often because the reality of it is very real. You see it on the news across the country,” said Deborah. “With the NHP situation, in the last few years they’ve had several officers they’ve buried, and they’re a very small department.”
These tragedies weigh heavily on the minds of the families and first responders themselves, who brave the risks each day on the job.
“Your children see and witness the reality of that job, seeing their dad go to funerals,” said Deborah. “My husband’s been on for almost 18 years, and he called me crying that day, and he said this just does not get any easier. The longer you’re on, the more people you bury.”
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