06/02/2026
21 Years Ago Today
June 2, 2005.
A date I will never forget.
I was serving with the Livingston County Sheriff's Office when Deputy Roger Dale Lynch responded to a domestic violence call. Roger was working alone, and like so many officers before him, he answered a call for help without hesitation.
That night, I was off duty when I saw Roger pass my house with his lights and siren activated. Knowing he was the only deputy on duty, I called dispatch and was advised that additional help was on the way and my assistance was not needed.
A few minutes later, the phone rang.
I was told Roger had been shot.
I grabbed my vest, my duty gear, and responded immediately.
What I witnessed that night would stay with me for years.
For a long time, I struggled with responding to domestic violence calls. Every time the radio toned out a domestic, part of my mind went back to June 2, 2005. I questioned things. I became hyper-aware of danger. I carried fears that I had never carried before.
There were times I seriously considered leaving law enforcement altogether for fear of my children growing up like I did, without a father.
What many people don't realize is that police officers see things that most people will never experience in their lifetimes.
We see the worst violence.
We see traumatic death.
We see addiction.
We see all types of abuse.
We see people on the worst day of their lives.
And then we are expected to answer the next call, perfectly under the microscope of public scrutiny from folks with an opinion but have no idea what its like.
And then the next.
And then the next.
And then the next.
The public often sees the uniform, the patrol car, or the badge.
What they don't see are the memories officers carry home. They don't see the scenes that replay in our minds again and again even years later. They don't see the sacrifices made by officers and their families in the name of protecting complete strangers regardless of their backgrounds.
That experience changed me.
It made me more cautious.
It made me more aware.
It made me understand that every call matters and that complacency can be deadly.
But it also reinforced why law enforcement exists in the first place.
As Scripture says:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." - Matthew 5:9
Today, I remember Deputy Roger Dale Lynch.
I remember his ultimate sacrifice as he saved a mother and a child by standing between good and evil.
I remember his family and the times we shared, the heartache we endured, and the difficulty trying to heal.
And I remember the lessons that night taught me...
Twenty-one years later, he is still not forgotten.
End of Watch: June 2, 2005
đź’™ Never Forgotten. Always Remembered.
