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Post by Warren on Jun 27, 2008 17:49:30 GMT -5
On Wednesday afternoon on June 25, 2008 Officer Donna Fitzgerald (51) normally assigned to Caustics was providing security at the PRIDE auto plant at Tomoka CI. At about 7:30pm Officer Fitzgerald conducted a security check in the area as it was being secured and during her patrol was ambushed and murdered by an inmate, who was hiding for this purpose. We are sickened and saddened by this vicious event and we join in extending our deepest sympathy to her family, close friends, fellow staff. Donna had been employed at Tomoka since 1995 and was by virtue of her time of service a future member of our ranks as retirees. Please keep those close to this situation in your thoughts and prayers. Lance - Admin Coolhand - Admin
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Post by brucifer on Jun 29, 2008 12:43:41 GMT -5
Still, requesting info on interment. Date,time, services etc.
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Post by brucifer on Jun 30, 2008 19:56:04 GMT -5
Thank you for the info. I hope the Church can not hold all of the Officers who come to pay their respect to her son and family. I will be there, hope to see you. Anyone wanting to car pool from Live Oak area send me a PM. If not I will be on 2 wheels.
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Post by karlieh74 on Jul 1, 2008 6:50:46 GMT -5
I am game Sarg!! I sent you a PM BUT maybe there are more in this area that are interested - maybe we can caravan if there are too many tushes for the seats - picking up more cars and officers the whole way in?? Headlights for the trip?? I am in Starke - anyone else game?? I am thinking Class A uni is the appropriate attire?? Cat? you and your crew can meet at my apartment if you are interested in going, we can figure out the consolidation.. Hell anyone at UCI that wants to go can meet here or if there are bunches - at UCI after 1st shift (I am off.. neener neener) and we can consolidate vehicles... Just throwing an idea out there... I didn't watch what time the funeral was.. I will have to look again - PM or email me direct heck - karlieh74@yahoo.com I am also on yahoo messenger: karlieh74 I think we should flood the city!! **just looked again - 1pm funeral - plenty of time after shift ends - anyone interested shoot me a note somehow!! We can fill a restaurant with brunchers prior to the funeral if we get there soon enough - I think it will about a 2.5 hour trip from Starke... not knowing exactly where this place is yet.. we will find it!!
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Post by jester321 on Jul 1, 2008 11:04:16 GMT -5
Hello:
May I ask has anyone considered her family's feelings?
I don't mean to put a damper on the grieving, or bereaved.
But she died at work in the line of duty.
Have you considered her son may not want 50 reminders of that the day he lays him Mother to rest?
I don't know the young man, nor did I know Her. I just wonder,??
Its one thing to Mourn the loss of your friend and co- worker. I would not try to stop any of you from that.
I only ask, what are her Family's wishes?
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Post by karlieh74 on Jul 1, 2008 11:09:57 GMT -5
Just in case that is the situation - would someone on here who knows her family please let us know? I know at my Brother-in-Law's funeral - all the people who worked with him at UCI that showed up at his funeral and viewing were welcomed by my sister - but he did not die in the line of duty - so, if anyone has any information please share it.
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Post by brucifer on Jul 1, 2008 11:15:53 GMT -5
Jester, Her son will be reminded every day one way or another. I believe if the family did not want us, then they would not have a memorial service, esp where it is going to be. I believe building holds over a 1,000 people. I have never read/heard of an "Officer Down" gathering not being very large. I am sure the family has already had their private ceremony and they have been gracious enough to provide us a ceremony. I hope Daytona looks like race week on this day.
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Post by badangel3 on Jul 1, 2008 16:11:10 GMT -5
My sympathies for the loss of Officer Fitzgerald. This is my first post. But I've been here for quite some time.
I want to say that Correctional Officers everywhere recognize when a sister or brother is loss. There will be members from all over, not just state corrections, but counties as well. She deserves our respect.
As an Officer for 25yrs ,who has lost more than I care to count in the line of duty...Her son will appreciate the support and it will bring him some peace knowing his mother didn't die in vain. She made the ulitmate sacrifice.
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Post by karlieh74 on Jul 1, 2008 17:21:15 GMT -5
I think it would be a beautiful thing if there were a couple few hundred of us in the congregation for the funeral. The news is going to be there, it would be appropriate for all who can be there to be there. Anything else, well unless the son doesn't want us there, would look like a lack of support. That could have been any officer. Male or female. We need to be there for her and her son so that he knows that we all are thinking of her.
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Post by gatormom75 on Jul 1, 2008 19:06:06 GMT -5
Just for information - the Honor Guard from Sumter CI has been asked to be present at the service on the 7th. I think that shows that any and all correctional members both in uniform and not are welcomed. I would also suggest that out of respect class A is appropriate. I know there will be many from the Region III institutions there. We need to be there for her family, our family from TCI and state wide.
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cwiz
Full Member
Posts: 350
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Post by cwiz on Jul 1, 2008 20:17:56 GMT -5
just to let you know that her son would be offended if officers didn't show up, more the better to show that his mother didn't pass away in vain and will be remember. Especially on how many years she had with the Dept. it would be a slap in the face if we didn't show up and show our support for him and the family
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Post by Natwilk on Jul 2, 2008 8:35:10 GMT -5
I believe that this should provide proof that Correctional Officers SHOULD BE ABLE to carry fire arms. There are TOO many people looking after the inmates' rights rather than the officers who are in the facility with the inmates and the new legislation of allowing the correctional officers to carry fire arms should be named after Donna.
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Post by karlieh74 on Jul 2, 2008 8:49:53 GMT -5
I don't know that I would go that route - anything we take in we must be prepared to have taken from us. In order to safely have firearms the prisons would have to be reconstructed with gun walks like what they have in CA... BUT TASERS would be nice! at least they are not lethal...
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Post by CooL HanD on Jul 2, 2008 9:23:01 GMT -5
When God Created Correction Officers
When the Lord was creating Correction Officers, he was into his sixth day of overtime when and angel appeared and said, "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."
And the Lord said, "have you read the specs on this order? A Correction Officer has to be able to run five miles through galleries in the dark, scale walls, enter cells the health inspector wouldn't touch, and not wrinkle or dirty his uniform."
"While on duty; he has to be able to sit in a cage or at a desk all day, run to red alerts, frisk yards for contraband, and testify in court the next day."
"He has to be in top physical condition at all times, running on black coffee and half-eaten meals. And he has to have six pairs of hands."
The angel shook her head slowly and said, "six pairs of hands....NO WAY."
"It's not the hands that are causing me problems," said the Lord, It's the three pairs of eyes and Officer has to have."
"That's on the standard model?" Asked the angel.
The Lord nodded. One pair that sees through a bulge in a pocket before he asks, "do you have any weapons on you?" (when he already knows and wishes he'd taken that accounting job.) Another pair here in the side of his head for his partners' safety. And another pair of eyes here in front that can look at a bleeding victim and say, "you'll be all right," when he knows it isn't so.
"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve, "rest and work on this tomorrow."
"I can't," said the Lord, "I already have a model that can talk a 250 pound felon into his cell without incident and feed a family of five on a civil service paycheck."
The angel circled the model of the Correction Officer very slowly, "can it think?" she asked.
"You bet." said the Lord. "It can tell you the elements of a hundred crimes; recite department violations in it's sleep; detain; investigate; search and lock up a gang member in the yard in less time than it takes five learned judges to debate he legality of the policy and still it keeps it's sense of humor."
"This Officer also had phenomenal personal control. He can deal with crime scenes painted in blood; coax a confession from an evasive inmate; deal with an inmate's family, and then be able to read it in the daily paper how Correction Officers aren't sensitive to the rights of convicted felons."
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek of the Correction Officer. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put to much into this model."
"That's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear."
"What's the tear for?" asked the angel.
"It's for the bottled-up emotions; for fallen comrades; for commitment of that funny piece of cloth called the American flag; for justice."
"You're a genius," said the angel.
The Lord looked somber. "I didn't put it there," he said.
Author Unknown
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Post by karlieh74 on Jul 2, 2008 9:41:07 GMT -5
What a lovely story.. thank you for sharing that..
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