San Jose Police Officer Killed

How tragic and my sincere condolences to the family of this brave officer.

People should remember that police officers can leave for work in the morning and return to their family in a box.

Menlo Voter - I know you served for several years on a big city police force and know first-hand the dangers of the job. I salute your service.

Officer Michael Johnson R.I.P. Thoughts and Prayers to his family and friends. Murdered so sad.

Thank you POGO. I served. That was why I did it. To serve. Yet there are many who would vilify me and most other officers who do nothing more than their jobs. Serving and protecting.

I wish people would remember that we do/did the job to protect and serve.

This was written by a former SJPD officer:

"I am numb.
For the third time in my 16 years at SJPD we will be burying a colleague lost in the line of duty.

It is my hope that Mike Johnson’s senseless death will remind us all of the humanity in police work and the humanity of the men and women who answer the call to service.

Police work is unique in civil society and always will be alternatively sensationalized and demonized as a result.

(But) can we honor Mike’s memory by putting aside the agendas, the noise and the frenzied social media driven bias long enough to remember what should be some simple common ground.

This is a fact of humanity: approximately 800,000 people serve as law enforcement officers in this country.

Like any other collection of 800,000 people and despite the best efforts in recruiting and screening (a) very small percentage of this group do not deserve the badge or our trust – they are bigots or crooks or mentally ill – and when they are exposed as such headlines scream.

Those headlines should not drown out what is truly worthy of note but persistently taken for granted, until flagged draped caskets remind us of the personal sacrifice so many make in the service of a noble calling.

We confront danger so you don’t have to; we run to gunfire and death and tragedy to insulate you from it; we absorb the toxicity of the human condition on your behalf, confronting the deranged, the predatory, the fallen, the hateful and the addicted.

Mike paid the ultimate price.
Many of us wear the physical scars of assault: we wear these scars so you don’t have to.

Many carry the long-term physical afflictions of the work, the bulging discs, the untreated ligament tears, the hearing loss, and the many corrosive consequences of stress and adrenaline.

Perhaps more profound are the unseen scars on the soul.
Day after day you go to work not knowing what will happen.

To preserve your own humanity year in and year out in this environment is a struggle.
To not be infected by the violence is a daily battle.

Try leaving a murder-suicide to attend your mom’s Mother’s Day dinner, or a domestic violence attack resulting in a near decapitation to meet someone for a first date.

Last night officers had to step around Mike’s body to put their lives at risk evacuating residents of the suspect’s apartment complex.

Today they are expected to go back to work, to compartmentalize, to overcome and to execute their sacred trust undiminished.
And back they will go.

Honor Mike’s life and his sacrifice by remembering that we the police are an imperfect collection of humans united by a devotion to an institution and an ideal that is perhaps more noble than any of one of us as individuals, and thus we will fall short from time to time.

If Mike’s mortality could remind us all of our humanity – and we can use the inspiration of his selflessness and sacrifice to re-frame the conversation about policing -- then his death can stand for something."

A former San Jose Police officer
3/25/15

My deep condolences to Michael Johnson's family and friends, What a huge tragedy Officer Johnson';s death is. I can only offer my hopes that his family and friends will find some small comfort in knowing he died protecting the rest of us.

Menlo Voter --
Words cannot express my deep thanks to you for your service, and for posting that very moving and heart-wrenching tribute to Officer Michael Johnson. What would we all do without the bravery and dedication that you and all your fellow officers exhibit every day -- which we, the public, all too often take for granted and do not appreciate? You all face danger -- so we don't have to. And do protect and serve us.

Thank you.

The senseless killing of Officer Michael Johnson
March 27, 2015, 05:00 AM By Susan Manheimer

“In Valor There is Hope.” This quote by Roman historian Publius Tacitus adorns the marble walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., which commemorates the more than 18,000 peace officers killed in the line of duty (dating back to 1792).

Over the last 10 years, an average of 164 names are added annually during a somber May ceremony marking Law Enforcement Memorial Week. Sadly, the name of our fellow officer, Michael Johnson of the San Jose Police Department, will join those names etched on the memorial wall after he was brazenly gunned down while responding to a call for help Wednesday night, March 24, just three days after the March 21 anniversary of four officers violently gunned down in Oakland six years ago.

Again, our tight-knit Bay Area law enforcement community will come together with family, friends and the communities they serve to mourn and seek comfort and solace as they lay a brave officer to rest and reflect on his sacrifice.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johnson’s family, the San Jose Police Department and the community they serve. You see, when a law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty, it impacts every one of us within the profession. When we are sworn into office, we are well aware that the unspoken part of our oath is that one day we may be called upon to pay the ultimate price with our lives. Our families and friends understand that, as well as the nights, weekends and holidays spent working long hours so that others may be safe and secure.

Yet we do this work not to become heroes, but because we hope to truly make a difference in the lives of others. Ask almost any officer and they will tell you this is not a “job,” it is a “calling.” We understand that we are that “last line of defense” between fear and safety, between peace and disorder; the standard bearers of a just and civil society.

Oftentimes, officers place themselves in harm’s way to protect our community and, for the most part, these acts go unnoticed and unsung each and every day. Yet more recently, we have seen officers across the county become the target of these acts of violence, with many of our ranks being targeted simply for the badge and uniform they wear.

In the face of these headlines, it is heartwarming to see the outpouring of support and grief from our communities and our leaders who understand that our job is dangerous, and that we are truly the final defense against fear and violence. It is a great source of comfort to our law enforcement family.

As we lose yet another of our ranks, we will come together to grieve and reflect on the senseless deaths and the ultimate cost of being a guardian of public safety.

But make no mistake; we will not be deterred by these tragic losses, these cowardly acts of violence. Our law enforcement officers are resilient. We understand danger and do not flinch in the face of it; on the contrary, we run to it as others flee. This is simply our job, and we strive to do it with excellence and compassion, oftentimes in the face of great adversity and personal risk.

I have gone to far too many of these tragic police funerals. These brave men and women are heroes and their selfless ultimate sacrifice has defined, yet again, the face of true courage and valor. In the face of this tragedy, we redouble our resolve, we rededicate ourselves to making our streets safer for everyone. This is our higher calling, and our fallen comrade has reminded us all of the nobility of our profession and the critical importance of what we do.

Indeed, one can only hope that this can be the legacy of Officer Michael Johnson’s ultimate sacrifice. Indeed, “In Valor There is Hope” for us all, and a safer and more noble society for he and those 18,000 officers who gave their all for a more just and civil society.

Susan Manheimer is the chief of police for the city of

San Mateo.

This sort of shooting of police does not occur in other countries. Law enforcement agencies all over the country should be strongly advocating for real gun control.

Robert Cronin - are you referring to suicide by cop incidents in other countries?

Water--No. Read my comment. It said shooting of police not by police. However, shootings by police are also much rarer in countries with strong gun control, quite possible because police in those countries do not assume that everybody is armed, as in this country.

PLEASE. Let's not turn this into a gun control discussion. Please start another thread if you want to talk gun control. A police officer was killed. The gun control discussion doesn't have a damn thing to do with it. Show some respect. Thank you.

But this was a suicide by cop incident, Robert. It's incredibly tragic and horrifying. It eerily reminds me of the downed Germanwings flight.

Menlo Voter: I think that many people who are upset, concerned and angry about Officer Johnson's death are showing support in various ways, according to what I've read. If his funeral is public, that is also an opportunity for the people to show their respect, support and sorrow.

A sad day indeed. Protecting others from harm. RIP Mike, and condolences to your family