My husband Russell served as chief of police for the town of Dubach for more than a decade. He then took a position at Louisiana Tech University, where he was covered by a state retirement system. He came back to Dubach in 2024 as a patrol officer at $14 an hour because he loved his community. Twelve days later, while conducting a traffic stop, he was struck by an 18-wheeler and killed.
Russell knew what it meant to lose a parent in the line of duty. His father was a police officer killed in the line of duty before him.
In the days, weeks and months following his death, my focus was not on policies, retirement systems or legal obligations. My focus was on my children, remembering my husband and simply trying to survive an unimaginable loss. That is still my focus today…