Just a day in the life: the Thin Blue Line

Published 4:28 pm Friday, July 16, 2021

By Jan Runions

1 of 5

Ellen Myers School Resource Officer Jorge Morell

New Tazewell Police officer Russell Ruszkowski

CCSO officers Colby Mullins and Eddie Myers

Tazewell Police officer Jacob Melton

Tazewell Police officer Cindy Taylor

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

As the public rushes to jobs, schools and other pursuits, we often forget who keeps us safe to do so. The Thin Blue Line represents much more than some guy in a uniform cruising the streets, looking to hand out traffic tickets. Sometimes, it’s life or death. Other times, it’s fixing a flat tire for a stranded woman or representing law enforcement in a positive manner to school children.

We may not always appreciate it when a patrol car hits his lights to pull us over because we exceeded the speed limit or were swerving over the line. It’s all in a day’s work for our county and cities finest. It is the law.

Students at Ellen Myers decided at the close of last school year to thank their Resource Officer Jorge Morell for patrolling the halls and keeping them all safe. Included in the gift bag was a handprint painting courtesy of Tripp and Wren.

Another day, another event as Claiborne County Sheriff’s officers Colby Mullins and Eddie Myers are dispatched to help a stranded woman fix her flat tire.

Two Middle School events had kids dusting for latent fingerprints and learning safety tips to use while surfing the Internet and social media sites.

Summer Camp at SMMS and H. Y. Livesay was made all the more interesting with the help of CCSO detectives Bradley Duncan and Chris Cardwell who interacted with the day campers with all things investigative.

The officers brought some unique and special gadgets they routinely use while solving crimes.

Joining Duncan and Cardwell were Claiborne Sheriff Bob Brooks and chief deputy Ron Hayes.

The Thin Blue Line has been thickened a bit with the addition of New Tazewell Police officer Russell Ruszkowski and Tazewell Police officers Jacob Melton and Cindy Taylor.

Taylor got her feet good and wet during one of her first duties as a newly sworn officer. She was dispatched to the scene of a reckless driver who decided to run from the law rather than be caught with a few items of contraband.

Pursuit began in the Dogwood Heights area of Tazewell and ended when the driver crashed at the intersection of Seymour Lane and Hickory Valley Road in Union County.

Every day, officers across this country risk their lives for the good of everyday citizens. Like any other profession, there are a few bad apples in the barrel. We don’t throw the entire barrel out because of a few rotten wormy apples.

When our house has been burglarized; when a loved one goes missing; when a weapon is shoved into your face remember, we have the Thin Blue Line.