Yesterday showed the Best of the First State

We salute the bravery and sacrifice of Delaware State Police Officer Corporal Stephen J. Ballard, a eight year veteran of the force.  Our Deepest sympathies go out to his wife and family.

While tragic, yesterday’s events reminded me that, despite our myriad of problems, Delaware is a great place to live.    At least, we handle tragedy well.  From ordinary citizens springing into action at the Wawa to attempt CPR and to help the injured Officer Ballard, to the impromptu full police escort from Christiana Hospital to Wilmington’s forensic facility that comprised hundreds of police vehicles from various state and local agencies, to the equally hundreds of ordinary citizens who, while stuck in stopped traffic at the height of the evening rush hour, got out of their cars and saluted the passing procession, to the calmness with which Appoquinimink school teachers and officials handled the lock down of their schools during the first hour or the standoff in Brick Mill, to the continued resilience of residents of the Brick Mill neighborhood in Middletown who are shut out of their homes at this very hour.

All of it shows that we are better than the senseless crime that took the life of Corporal Ballard yesterday.