Officers aware of potential dangers in line of duty | News

HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF)- December 15, 2012 marks five years since Huntsville Officer Eric Freeman was shot and killed in the line of duty.

They began building the Fallen Officer Memorial at the Huntsville Police Department after Officer Daniel Golden was killed during a domestic violence call. He's remembered there, as is Eric Freeman, who was killed when he responded to an accident.

December 15th, 2007, Freeman was responding to a wreck involving Kenneth Shipp. As officers escorted Shipp to a patrol car to wait for a DUI investigator, Shipp shot Freeman at point blank range. Officers said traffic calls are many times the ones that turn out dangerous. They don't know what they're going to get when they pull someone over or get to an accident scene.

One officer talked about Freeman and the potential dangers that come with traffic stops.

"It's not something you go out and forget to think about. A lot of our officers have memorial stickers on their cars, the officers that worked with him. It's something we're aware of. It keeps us vigilant," said Captain Vince Dauro with HPD. "And it's not just us. We get emails every day about officers killed throughout the country. And it's a reminder every day about how dangerous our job is. Now, we choose to do it. We love to serve, but we do know danger is involved."

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page website, the death of Memphis Police Officer, 32-year-old Martoiya Lang, marks 116 officers killed in the line of duty nationwide this year.

Freeman was only 36 years old when he died. He left behind his wife, and five children.

Copyright 2012 WAFF. All rights reserved.