Procession in Honor of SAPD Officer Miguel Moreno
By Manny Bautista-Macias
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Expressions of sorrow, but also of dedication and commitment this morning as a parade of police officers from around the state, and even from other states, moved from the parking lot of the Alamodome downtown up US 281 to the Community Bible Church, for the funeral of murdered officer Miguel Moreno, News Radio 1200 reports.
Several of the officers told 1200 WOAI's Michael Board that showing respect for a fallen comrade and support for the officer's family is 'what they do,' and they are 'proud' to stand with a fellow officer's family in time of crisis.
The hearse carrying Moreno's body left Porter Loring downtown later, followed by his family, including his brother, who is also an SAPD officer, and officers from the afternoon shift out of the Central Patrol substation, the officers who worked with Officer Moreno during his entire eight years on the force.
Today is also the first anniversary of the massacre of five Dallas police officers, also by a troubled young man. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus has clearly had enough.
"I don't know what has gotten into people who think they can go out and shoot the police," he said. "I don't understand why people think its okay to advocate for that, condone that, celebrate it, it is a warped way of thinking."
Among the speakers at the funeral will be Gov. Abbott, who has asked all police oficers statewide to run their red and blue lights for one minute at 10AM, the time the funeral will begin, in honor of Officer Moreno, the five officers killed in Dallas, and all officers statewide.
"Respect for our law enforcement officials must be restored in this nation," Abbott said. "It is our officers who stand between us and all that threatns, and we must stand behind them, by sending a clear message that attacks on our men and women in blue will not be tolerated."
The Legislature passed a bill in the recent session making attacks on police a hate crime, with heightened sentencing guidelines. Both the San Antonio and Dallas attackers were killed, the man in San Antonio shot himself while the man in Dallas was killed by police.
McManus says it has to stop.
"There is a small number of people, not only here but around the country, who think its okay to berate police, to badger polie, to insult police," he said. "I am here to tell you that is not okay. I don't know what end could possible come from that, in a good way."