Al Burrell of the University Circle Police Department wears a Guardian Angel pin on his bulletproof vest.Photo Courtesy of University Circle Police
Guest columnist Jim McBride was a police officer for 49 years and served for 28 years as chief of police at Lakeland Community College. Co-author Thomas Wetzel retired earlier this year as chief of the Richmond Heights Police Department and is now serving as the interim chief of the University Circle Police. Nursing Pin
American workers dress in a variety of clothing styles. Some wear suits or sport business casual looks, while others don heavy-duty overalls. Some toss on belts studded with dangling work tools and perch construction hard hats on their heads.
Police officers have their own uniform, including a duty belt filled with lethal and non-lethal weapons. And there will likely be a pair of handcuffs, a portable radio, some rubber gloves and a tourniquet, in case they get shot or have to treat someone else who has been shot.
But the one most important piece of equipment is the one we police officers place over our hearts: a bulletproof vest, designed to stop bullets from penetrating into our upper body where our heart and vital organs are.
It is an expensive piece of police equipment, but what it may save is priceless -- a cop’s life.
This is the Guardian Angel pin that retired Lakeland Community College Police Chief Jim McBride hands out to area law enforcement officers.Photo Courtesy of University Circle Police
One new addition to many of these vests has been the Guardian Angel pins that retired Lakeland Community College Police Chief Jim McBride shares with police officers in honor of his beautiful daughter Shannon, who went to heaven too early.
He gives the little pins to officers he meets with the hope and expectation that they will put them on their vests and wear them whenever they do a tour of duty.
In his own words, Chief McBride explains what this noble endeavor means to him:
“I’ve been called the Angel Cop, but this story is not about me. I’m often asked by others if I think my deceased daughter, Shannon, is an angel now. I do not. The truth is this is a story about God in relationship to us and our true spiritual nature.
“Shannon was a beautiful and kind soul with a warm heart. She was truly lovable. She was 22 when she passed in 2003. After a tonsillectomy in July of that year, she suffered severe complications for the next 15 days before she was called home by God.
“During that period, we watched many people do their very best to save her life, and hundreds of others supported her and us in numerous and vital ways. A few hours before her death, she and I had a brief chat about heaven and God and angels.
“Maybe she was sensing what lay ahead and needed to talk about it. Then, while a good friend was visiting, she expired.
“Afterwards, God asked me to begin the ministry with the Guardian Angel pins. Each of those little gold-plated brass pins is a powerful symbol of our spiritual essence, which we often tend to ignore.
“They also symbolize the role God can play in our lives if we believe. They represent love, courage, compassion, fellowship and, more importantly, faith in a power much higher than ourselves.
“I share them with first responders to remind them to be safe and to call upon their own guardian angel when they encounter danger. I gift them to nurses and hospital staff to thank them for their contributions to our wellbeing. I gift them to military personnel and anyone else who appears to need one.
“Actually, I often pass an angel pin through inspiration from above. We never know how one small act will influence their lives. Any one of us can be called upon suddenly, or over time, to help others and act as their angel on earth.
“The big question is, when that call comes, will we choose to do so?”
Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today’s topics are also welcome.
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