SISTERHOOD IN BLUE MOURNS
Calif. rookie officer’s killing ‘hits home ever harder’ for women cops in Mass.
The line-of-duty killing of a rookie female cop as she responded to three-car crash in California on Thursday is reverberating among women police officers across the nation.
Davis police officer Natalie Corona was on the job only a few weeks when she was shot Thursday while responding alone to a traffic accident shortly before 7 p.m. in the city west of Sacramento. Corona was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where she later died.
“I was devastated. It broke my heart,” Boston police Superintendent Nora Baston told the Herald. “Anytime we lose an officer it touches all of us. When it is a female, it hits home ever harder. We have a sisterhood. Being a female law enforcement officer is special.”
The suspect, who has not been identified, was later found dead inside a home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a short standoff with officers, Davis police said Friday.
Corona, known for her big heart and commitment to helping people, fulfilled her lifelong dream when she was one of six new officers sworn into the department Aug. 2.
Corona’s death is just the latest in an alarming spike in police deaths. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported that 144 police officers were killed in 2018 in the line of duty, with the leading cause of deaths being shootings — a 12 percent increase over 2017.
“We’re 11 days into 2019 and we have four officers already dead this year,” said Wellesley police Lt. Marie Cleary. “It is another tragic accident — a senseless death where an officer is trying to do their job.”
The police slayings are making it more difficult to recruit officers regardless of gender, law enforcement officials say.
Of about 900,000 officers nationwide, only 13 percent are women, according to the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.
When an officer is killed, it hits the whole police family, officers say, but when it is a female cop it’s an added blow, given their special bond among the relatively few women who serve.
“When I see a woman killed in the line of duty, I do take notice, and it becomes more relatable when I see another woman,” said Revere police Capt. Amy O’Hara, a fourthgeneration police officer who became the first woman to become a superior officer in her department. “It’s a reminder of the dangers of this job and you just never know.”
“It’s sad to say but it’s hard to keep up,” said Chelsea police Chief Brian Kyes of Corona’s death. “There has been a lot of public anti-police sentiment in the past four years. For some people who are anti-police, government, they may have added motivation to not listen to the direction of police officers.
“It impacts every police officer. It impacts all our families,” said the BPD’s Baston. “People want to make a difference. Coming on the job, we take an oath to protect and serve.”
Salem police Chief Mary Butler, calling Corona’s death a “tragic loss,” said, “These are people that were committed to giving their life to a career of peace and safety of the community. It is senseless. It is a tragic loss whether the officer is female or male. Their heart was clearly into giving back to the community.”
“People get in this profession because they care about their community. They want to give back and to stand up for people who need a voice,” Butler said. “This is in essence what we are trying to do.”