In the line of duty

A newspaper's job is to be current and fresh. News that's 24 hours too late is about as useful as day-old medical assistance.

So, it's not too often we ask you to read stories that are 78 and 88 years old.

So, it's not too often we ask you to read stories that are 78 and 88 years old.

But starting today, and for the next five days, we're asking you to walk into Aurora's history through the stories of Alfred Olin and Thompson Richardson – the only two Aurora officers ever killed in the line of duty.

But starting today, and for the next five days, we're asking you to walk into Aurora's history through the stories of Alfred Olin and Thompson Richardson – the only two Aurora officers ever killed in the line of duty.

What's the relevance of stories that ended before most of us were born?

To current Police Chief Bill Powell, the last person to wear Richardson's badge number before it was retired, the stories resonate as strongly today as they did eight decades ago.

Both Olin, killed in 1918, and Richardson, who died in 1928, were shot while responding to the report of a stolen car. A suspicious vehicle — it's still one of the most common calls officers get, and least predictable.

Imagine all the dangerous situations officers have been through in nearly 150 years. Yet, just two were fatally wounded. Powell knows the odds are against that, which is why he still tells new officers about Olin and Richardson.

For the rest of us, Olin and Richardson's tales are reminders.

Cops are not perfect. Cops, including those in Aurora, make mistakes. We all gripe about speeding tickets, but we're quick to forget the unmeasurable service police offer just by their willingness to put on a uniform and walk up to a car filled with anyone from a reckless teen to a wanted criminal.

As I went through old copies of the Beacon News, reporters filled the pages with vivid accounts of murders and trials. And each story included something to the effect of how a tragedy reminds us of what we take for granted. Let's hope it doesn't take another retired badge to wake us up.

Instead, as you wander through these bits of Aurora lore, pay particular attention to the sermon delivered by Rev. Oscar Johnson 78 years ago, with surprising foresight.

And during National Police Week, as Johnson told the hundreds who came to pay tribute to a fallen hero, let us "honor them for the protection we are assured of, hovering around us."

— Matt Hanley