In the aftermath of this weekend’s shooting spree in Poland, I was reminded of a recent piece of local news that I, among many, badly needed.
Shortly after the local elections were held, we received the news that Belleville Constable Jeff Smith had been released from hospital and was recovering at home in the loving care of his family.
Smith, as we all know, was critically injured after being shot multiple times while defending the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville from a hate-filled shooting spree back in September.
While that fateful day will haunt me for the rest of my life, the news of Smiths continuing, if slow and tenuous, recovery puts a smile on my face every day.
I know more than I probably should about his injuries, though I have never contacted the family directly out of respect for their request for privacy, which we should ALL respect.
That being said, let me issue this public word of thanks again directly to Smith (and Constable Mike McCurdy) for their efforts to protect lives and prevent a massacre.
Let me also thank Belleville Police leadership and media person Lauren Wilkinson for getting this news out to the public.
At a time when we are still raw, anxious and continuing to recover as a community, it was the kind of update we rarely receive about the medical status of an injured officer.
As his healing process continues, I shall continue to value it almost as much as the heroic actions put him in the line of fire and then on the long road to recovery.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
