Many police departments are mourning the death of Pierce County Sheriff's Department deputy Daniel McCartney, killed while responding to a robbery Sunday night. In Hoquiam, the pain runs especially deep.
“For me, it's like losing one of your kids,” said Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers, who hired McCartney for his first police job in 2009. McCartney left for Pierce County in 2014.
“When you start your career, and you work in a small department like ours, we become part of a family, and it's been a tough day for everybody here,” Myers said.
McCartney did much more than just patrol streets. He pedaled along with kids at the annual bike rodeo, teaching them about safety.
He was always at the shop with a cop event, helping choose gifts for families in need.
A photo of McCartney at National Night Out, a community safety event, shows him greeting his neighbors with a smile.
McCartney trained other officers and even helped maintain the department's computer network.
Myers said McCartney didn't have to do all that, but he did because that was him. Now, this department and many others are reflecting on a man who made a difference.
“I hope there will be another Daniel McCartney that will step forward and continue to do that,” Myers said.
