When the Best of the Best Are Taken: Honoring Detectives Kelley-Eklund, Osborn, and Lemus
Some mornings, we arrive at our unit of assignment as we always do, focused, steady, committed. We load our radio cars, double-check our equipment, and mentally prepare ourselves for the unknown challenges of the day. Sometimes, we even pause to appreciate the privilege of this responsibility, to be ready, to serve, and to protect.
But nothing could have prepared us for Friday morning.
The call came with a weight that we immediately felt. It wasn’t routine. It was something different, something heavy. The Special Enforcement Bureau, the best of the best, our department’s most elite, needed help. And in that moment, every one of us felt the shift. This time, it was our brothers, Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Detective William Osborn, and Detective Victor Lemus, who were in need.
This tragedy struck at the very heart of who we are and what we stand for.
The loss of Detectives Kelley-Eklund, Osborn, and Lemus has shaken every corner of our department. These were not just deputies, they were mentors, friends, husbands, sons, fathers, and brothers in every sense. They were the men we looked to in times of chaos. They were the calm in the storm, the first in and the last out. They were the best of the best.
We owed them everything, and so, we gave them everything we could in return. A procession built on tradition, carried out with unwavering discipline, and filled with honor. Every salute, every tear, every quiet step was for them.
But nothing prepares you for the sight of their families, standing side by side at the coroner’s office, holding onto one another, their grief unspeakable. Behind each of these detectives is a world of people who loved them deeply. Multiply that pain by three, and it feels like the weight of the world has come down on all of us.
And yet, in our greatest sorrow, we find strength, in our unity, in their memory, and in the duty that still lies before us.
To the families of Detective Joshua Kelley-Eklund, Detective William Osborn, and Detective Victor Lemus: You have given this department your heroes. We will carry their names, their stories, and their legacy forward in everything we do. You will always be a part of our family, and we are forever grateful for their lives, their service, and their sacrifice.
They may be gone from our sight, but they will never be gone from our hearts.
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