Flags at Wichita City Hall and other city buildings have been lowered to half staff in honor of Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Etheridge, who was killed Monday.
“We’re just really shocked and saddened by what has happened,” Mayor Carl Brewer said in an interview with The Eagle. “It has affected all of our law enforcement agencies.”
Brewer said the city is providing counselors for police officers who were involved in the shootout and others who may be shaken by the violence.
“Every time they make a stop or enter a house, they don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “This demonstrated just how much risk there is.”
Brewer said the city council plans to issue a statement asking the community to embrace Etheridge’s family and pray for them.
“It’s been years since we’ve seen something of this nature happen,” he said. “It’s even more troubling that this is a young man in his 20s with a family.”
7 Comments
The passing of Officer Etheridge is a very sad day for the Wichita community. Our flags should not be at half staff no matter how touching a gesture you think it is. Do the right thing and proudly fly it full staff in memory of him.
http://www.usflag.org/nffhalfstaff.html
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/micks.htm
If there isn’t already, there should be some kind of compensation for the surviving dependents, esp. for those that lay their lives on the line for protecting society. What a waste, sounds like this guys address should’ve been pegged as he’d a history of assaulting sheriff deputies.
I’m wondering why my comment stating that although the act of lowering the US flag to half staff is a touching gesture, it is not proper to do so was removed. Officer Etheridge took an oath to stand up to what is right. It is right to fly the flag at full staff. We owe that respect to our living, our dead and our flag.
http://www.gettysburgflag.com/FlyFlagHalfMast.php
“When is it permitted to half-staff the U.S. flag?
I clicked on the link provided by humancal. He does have a point. That said. God bless Etheridge and his family.
There is a reason they have prisons. It is for guys like this. If the ladies didn’t find these bums so adorable I think there would be fewer of them also. And now they have produced two kids who are probably going to be a menace to society as well. Somebody knew this guy was a ticking time bomb.
Regarding the flags at half staff comments:
I talked with Rachel Reeves in Gov. Mark Parkinson’s press office this morning. She confirmed that Parkinson has not ordered the flags at half staff. He does not plan to. Instead, he will order flags at half staff on Peace Officer Memorial Day — May 15. That said, Reeves said she is aware of some flags at half staff in Wichita and Sedgwick County. She said it’s a nice gesture even if it is outside of typical procedures. There are no plans to reprimand.
Parkinson’s statement on Etheridge is at this link: http://www.governor.ks.gov/News/NewsRelease/2009/nr-09-0928a-st.htm
Update: Parkinson orders flags to half staff: http://www.governor.ks.gov/News/NewsRelease/2009/nr-09-1001b.htm
Governor Mark Parkinson has directed flags to be flown at half-staff on Friday, October 2nd from sunup to sundown in memory of late Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Etheridge. Deputy Etheridge was shot and killed in the line of duty Monday evening.
Law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty are recognized annually by the lowering of the flags to half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day held on May 15th. Through Executive Order 07-22, the Governor also has the authority to instruct flags to be lowered “in the event of the death of other officials, former officials, foreign heads of state, foreign dignitaries, and other persons.”
To view Governor Parkinson’s statement on the passing of Deputy Etheridge, please visit http://www.governor.ks.gov/News/NewsRelease/2009/nr-09-0928a-st.htm.
To be notified of the governor’s directives regarding flag lowering, please visit http://www.governor.ks.gov/Resources/flaghonors.htm.