ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — There is no doubt this horrific event has law enforcement families hugging tighter right now.
The women of the Wives of the Blue Line in Rockingham County said it's easier when you have people to lean on.
What never gets easier is saying goodbye, as your loved ones head to work and also seeing situations like what happened in Charlotte.
Marty Velazquez is the founder of Wives of the Blue Line.
"Originally my husband and I were from Miami, Florida," said Velazquez. "My husband worked for the Sheriff's Department in Miami, was a 20-year veteran with the Army and he had a passion to protect and serve.There are people in this world who are built for these kinds of jobs, they just jump into it without thinking about it without realizing the cost, because they care about their communities and they care about people."
Velazquez said her husband was a Reidsville Police Officer for 14 years. She said each day she didn't know what to expect.
"I always feared that any possibility could happen, but for him, I couldn't live in that fear," she said. "Serving warrants is one of the most dangerous things these officers can do. You go in with one intention and you don't know what's going to happen. I just had to have faith and trust in god to be able to know that he was going to protect him."
Velazquez said he died nearly two years ago from Covid complications and seeing what happened in Charlotte is a fear many families face.
Courtney Bailey's husband is currently a Reidsville police officer and has been for about six years.
"It is hard to watch him leave," said Bailey. "The hours are, we never know when he's on call, when he's going to get called in, or if something's going to happen. It is hard, and it's harder for my children, especially our babies because they are not used to dad being gone."
Last night, Bailey said their family hugged each other a little tighter.
"We sat in the living room with our children and watched a few movies and we did a simple dinner together," Bailey said. "We don't get to do that very often, but you know, he came home and he had talked about a little bit about it and we have a friend that we know that serves in Charlotte. That hit kind of close to home for us."
Bailey and Velazquez said it's a scary job, but a sacrifice their husbands were committed to.
"I hope that everybody in our communities remembers that these men and women do have families at home waiting," said Bailey. "We want them to know that we are people too and we feel it too. It is definitely a tough job and it is a tough world out there."
They said now is the time to support one another.
"Just send your condolences, let them know that not everybody is against the blue, and always let them know that you have the support of your community," said Bailey.
"They were heroes, they did their job, they did their duty, they served their community, they served their country and you could be proud of that and hold on to that," said Velazquez.
They said if you have family or friends in law enforcement, now is the time to lean in and talk to each other to work through the tough news.