news-record.com

Your loss is our loss.

So said neighboring law enforcement agencies following the death of one of their own in the line of duty.

Winston-Salem Police Sgt. Mickey Hutchens died Monday from gunshot wounds he suffered last week after answering a domestic call. Hutchens, 50, was a 27-year veteran.

Monte Denard Evans, 35, had confronted his ex-wife at a Bojangles restaurant she manages. As Evans fled, he opened fire on Hutchens and another officer, wounding both. Police returned fire, killing Evans.

Area police departments, including Greensboro's, immediately stepped forward to do what they could to help bear the burden.

Those offers include helping patrol Winston-Salem during Hutchens' memorial service Friday and helping to direct funeral traffic.

For all of the obvious hazards of the profession, say veteran officers, among the most dangerous are domestic calls. "You try to prepare the officer as best you can, and you remind them how unpredictable these calls are," said Lt. R.G. Sigmon, who conducts domestic violence training for the Greensboro Police Department.

Even when the outcome isn't fatal, it can prove costly. In 2001, a man slashed a Guilford County sheriff's deputy's face with a box cutter during a domestic call in Greensboro.

In a study of Charlotte police calls between 1988 and 1990, domestic incidents ranked fourth among calls that resulted in assaults of officers. A volatile stew of hot tempers, clouded judgment and weapons often spells danger for police and bystanders.

"Emotions run high," Sigmon said.

Adding irony to tragedy, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Last year, 83 women, children and men died in domestic violence-related homicides in North Carolina. In 2009, domestic violence thus far has claimed 46 lives in the state.

Add one Winston-Salem police officer.

Here is yet another reason why we should better appreciate what our police do, for relatively meager pay and, all too often, even less gratitude.