In Memory of Mike Cole
My son-in-law, Mike Cole, died 20 years ago today. He was on duty as an El Dorado County sheriff’s deputy at the time. He had been a cadet, explorer and reserve officer with the Oxnard Police Department, donating more than 1,200 hours, before he was appointed a regular officer at OPD where he served for 10 years. He was only 33 when he got into a fatal car accident and left behind his wife, my youngest daughter, Lori, and three sons - Robert (9), Gregg (5) and Christopher (3). Our family had always commented on how Mike packed so much into his life. Besides being a law enforcement officer, a good husband and father, he had a cabinet-making business and loved to pilot small aircraft. Maybe he had a feeling he didn’t have long to live. Of course Mike is the one who got me started writing about law enforcement because he shared with me so much of what was going on after his shift when he came over for coffee. He even took me on a ride-along and impressed me with his skill in cal...