“We didn’t sign up to die” – SMPD mourns the loss of brothers and sisters in blue

Just two weeks into 2019 and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shows a sobering statistic.

Nationwide, seven law enforcement officers have been killed so far this year, two female rookie cops were gunned down just a day apart.

Over this same time period last year, the number of overall fatalities sat at four.

Slightly weighed down by the rain, a flag outside the Santa Maria Police Department flies at half-staff. Mourning bands fit tightly around every badge in the department.

Tragedy in Birmingham over the weekend rounds out a devastating few days for law enforcement.

Police say Wytasha Carter was fatally shot early Sunday while investigating a call about vehicle burglaries. Another officer was critically-injured.

The death of an Alabama Sergeant comes just days after Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona was fatally shot during a seemingly routine call.

Officials say Corona died in an ambush style attack Thursday when a gunman on a bicycle shot the “rising star” in the department as she responded to a triple-car crash in the Northern California city. She had only been patrolling the city streets for a few weeks.

“It’s a scary reminder of the dangers of our job,” said Sgt. Nathan Totorica with the Santa Maria Police Department.

Three police officers have been gunned down across the U.S. in less than a week.

Along with Carter and Corona, Chateri Payne was shot dead at a home in Louisiana as she prepared to start her shift Wednesday. She had just graduated from the Police Academy in November.

“Initially it’s a bit of a downer because we lost another family member, another friend, another officer in blue. As time progresses and we get over that morning stage, it really brings us closer together,” said Sgt. Totorica.

Totorica says it feels like bad news like this comes in waves and these law enforcement deaths will likely influence their training. “When these things come up we really focus on how they were killed, the circumstances behind their death and train specific to that incident, any way we might be able to prevent that in the future,” he said.

Totorica says training has evolved in recent years with an emphasis on mental health.

“Recently I would say over the last few years [training] has evolved to dealing with people that are in mental crisis and mental health issues and how we can help resolve their problems and get them the help they need,” said Sgt. Totorica.

While officers acknowledge that they put their lives in harms way every day, Totorica wishes folks would think twice before uttering a common phrase.

“This isn’t what officers signed up to do. We didn’t sign up to die, we signed up to protect the community for sure and we understand that putting our lives on the line is part of that but nobody signed up and signed a death certificate when they wanted to get this paycheck,” said. Sgt. Totorica.

SMPD recognizes one officer killed in the line of duty in the department’s 114 year history. Officer Robert Ramos died in a tragic accident on his way to work in 2003.