Death of deputy reminds us of law enforcement’s risks

By Sioux City Journal

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In Iowa, thank goodness, Eric Stein stories are rare. In fact, Keokuk County Deputy Sheriff Stein became the first law enforcement officer shot and killed in the line of duty in this state since 1985 when he was fatally wounded during a standoff outside a rural Sigourney home on April 4.

The 39-year-old Stein was laid to rest recently in Sigourney. Fittingly, thousands of persons paid final respects, according to the Associated Press.

Quoted in the AP story, Jefferson County Chief Deputy Gregg Morton perhaps summed up the reaction of most Iowans to his death. He told the Cedar Rapids Gazette, “You don't expect this to happen anywhere, but to happen in a small southeast Iowa county is even worse yet.”

Collectively, Iowans are reminded by this violent tragedy of the risks police, sheriffs and deputies and state troopers assume each day they put on their uniform to stand between “us” and “them.” The potential for danger exists in large cities and small towns, in both urban and rural settings.

We didn't know Stein personally, but from what we have read he embodied the best of his profession and was nothing short of heroic at the scene of the deadly standoff. Like the many committed men and women we have known in the past and know today within law enforcement, Stein was motivated by a spirit of public duty.

Stein, said fiancée Keri Wyatt in the AP story, “was always the first to help.”

As we honor the life of one fallen Iowa officer, it seems appropriate to reflect on the service provided to our state day in and day out by all of our law enforcement men and women.