United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol, U.S. Government
End of Watch Friday, July 11, 2025
Reflections for Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Eric Cespedes
Thank you for your sacrifice for our nation. May you be with the Lord and may he be with your family.
Det. Russ Cain (Retired)
Pittsburgh PD
January 30, 2026
Heavenly Father, God of Life and Death, You are with us from the moment we are conceived to the moment we leave this earthly life. We know from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 13:1-5, that America’s Peace Officers have a sacred task, to enforce laws that protect the innocent and punish the guilty.
Now, our hearts feel heavy with grief because of the loss of another American Peace Officer, a Brother-in-Blue, that leaves us feeling so alone once again. There are moments when the grief feels overwhelming, and we find it difficult to move forward. But we know You see our pain and feel our loss and sorrow.
Lord God, hold us in Your loving and most capable arms and comfort us with Your presence. Let us feel Your peace in the midst of our heartache and Your quiet assurance that we are not walking this path alone. Wipe away our tears and remind us of the hope we have in You. You are our refuge and our strength, our ever present help in trouble. Teach us how to carry this loss of another American Peace Officer without losing hope. Help us to release our emotional pain into Your merciful and compassionate hands, trusting that You are working even in our most difficult moments. When our grief feels too much to bear, fill us with the courage necessary to face each day and the faith to keep moving forward.
Thank You, Lord God, for Your unfailing love and for being the God who sees us, holds us, and walks with us as we endure the wickedness of evil humanity.
Lord God, if You are willing, have Your warrior servant, Michael the Archangel, Your Defender and Protector Against Evil, who successfully defeated Satan and his fallen angels in heavenly battle because of his unwavering faith and courage, according to the Book of Revelation Chapter 12:7-9, welcome America’s Fallen Peace Officers into Your Eternal Light and comfort their loved ones and all those left behind who mourn.
Finally, Lord God, we place our trust and sorrow into Your loving and most capable hands and rest in the hope that You will ultimately bring “Beauty from the Ashes”. In Christ Jesus’ mighty and holy Name, and by His Power, Authority, and Sacrificial Blood, I believe and pray. Amen.
Chaplain Steven R. Closs, DDiv, MSBS, NCCA, NACM
Ordained / Licensed, Independent Christian Clergy
The Saint Michael the Archangel Prayer Ministry
“Good Shall Triumph Over Evil”
Member: Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers - USA
Captain Steven R. Closs (Retired)
Nashua NH Police Department (1974-1998)
January 29, 2026

