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We join the community of San Benito, and the entire Rio Grande Valley, in mourning the loss of Police Lt. Milton Resendez. The 27-year veteran was fatally shot Tuesday night during a multi-agency vehicle chase and shootout that stretched from South Padre Island to Brownsville. A bullet fired from a suspect’s gun entered Resendez’s vehicle and struck him beneath his protective vest.
Two men face capital murder charges in the incident.
Shock and sorrow have rippled far beyond San Benito, which has suffered its first police fatality. Resendez is the fifth Valley police officer killed in the line of duty since 2019. Words of grief and support have come from law enforcement and political officials across the Valley and state, including Gov. Greg Abbott’s office.
“This senseless act is a solemn reminder of the selfless risks our law enforcement officers take every single day when they put on the badge,” Abbott said in a written statement.
We hope Resendez’s family, friends and all who knew and loved him find some solace in the widespread support. By all accounts he was one of the good ones. People who knew him — and even people who didn’t but had interacted with him — remembered him for his professionalism and friendly demeanor.
Resendez was memorable because of the kind of person he was. He is also one of legions of law-enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect the lives and safety of all members of their community.
We all recognize that selfless commitment, and feel the loss when any of them falls in our public service.
It’s an appreciation we all feel, even as we fail to express it as often as they deserve.
It certainly belies the amount of attention that is thrust upon police when something goes wrong. The infrequent incidents of corruption and abuse police, whether they occur in large cities like New York or small towns in Missouri or Minnesota, become national news. They are noteworthy, and newsworthy, because we all know they are so rare, and they violate the immense trust, and confidence, we place in those who are sworn to protect us.
That is also why kneejerk calls to defund the police or sanction entire departments for the actions of a renegade few generally don’t gain much public support.
And so the good guys — like Lt. Resendez — far outnumber the bad, and most people know it. Most of them don’t mind toiling in relative obscurity, as long as they can return safely to their families at the end of each shift. Some even have said they prefer anonymity, as recognition can make them targets in the eyes of career lawbreakers and criminal organizations.
We trust our law enforcers know they are needed, and appreciated. The outpouring of support they receive during the difficult times when one of them falls while protecting us all is felt every day, even though it might not be expressed on those frequent days when nothing happens.
We all know that the tranquility we enjoy on most days is a result from the presence, and actions, our law enforcement agencies provide at every hour.
May the tragedies that can occur during their service, such as the loss of Lt. Resendez and others who have been killed in action, remain rare.
