Metro-Dade Police Department, Florida
End of Watch Wednesday, May 16, 1979
Reflections for Police Officer William Coleman Cook
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone. Simplify, simplify, simplify. I think knowing your family and speaking with them a little bit that you always always gave you entire being and effort behind any project that you started. You deserved to view many of these balls dropping from Times Square. This century and the previous decades have been devoid of one superbly stellar human being. Your absence has only made our hearts grow fonder of your humbly heroic mannerisms while on duty. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You were rich along with Karen in two and many more important areas: Honesty and humility.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 2, 2014
The day is of infinite length for one who knows how to appreciate and use it. How many times has a person said, if only I had another three or four hours to get my work done. Police work is much different in that if it takes a twelve hour shift to get the optimum completed from all of the tasks that one began, then that is the way you have to operate. Nothing is assumed. Whatever assignments you were given, Officer Cook, you completed with the utmost excellence and satisfaction. Do I want to be rich and pass away young, or have somewhat less, materially and be around long enough to appreciate my old age? I know, your family, comrades and friends all wanted you here to reach a ripe old age. Hopefully, your mother, Mrs. Julia Cook, is well at age ninety-eight living out in San Diego, California. I send my regards Mrs. Cook. God bless you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You were and are a truly inspirational figure in the Metro-Dade Police Department ranks.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 2, 2014
To be idle requires a strong sense of personal identity. you were known as a mover and shaker, Officer Cook. The proof is in the pudding so to speak when you answer calls that you did not have to respond to and endeavor to quiet a situation that could have serious after effects. May 16, 1979 bears this out in that you risked your life to save seven other people, four of whom were your comrades. You are one of forty-two Metro-Dade Police officers who have been singled out for their heroic actions. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero, idleness has no place in society, only action, getting up and moving to attempt to change the world in some way, shape or form.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 2, 2014
The passion for order can poison the soul. You were able to categorize, organize and define your role as a police officer, Officer Cook. Nothing poisonous about a person wanting to contribute more to society than others. A very helpful officer, Officer Cook, you gave your all to help effectively change the meaning of those future residents who now can be excited about how they can choose to lead their lives. Your sacrifice, your superb character to act quickly and decisively to restore the law and order people come to expect will resonate for generations to come. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 2, 2014
It is an old ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way. Perhaps that young man who took your life, Officer cook, should have run the other way without harming a soul. He was living at home with three generations of his relatives. Maybe they could have given him some sound advice before he went on his rampage. We'll never understand what made him snap. Depression, desertion from the army, I guess can make people behave differently. You did your part, Officer Cook, trying to restore peace and calmness in the community and for that important role, all of Dade's citizens are eternally grateful. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You performed over and beyond the scope of your profession and how can we be forever thankful?
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 2, 2014
Our dignity is not in what we do, but what we understand. Producing an effort daily is commendable, but it's channeling this energy into comprehension. Why am I undertaking these tasks? But you never looked for any rewards, Officer Cook. Your police work and your excellent ethics reflected your best efforts and became your reward when you and your partners were honored for excellence. When you perform a job properly and do it well beyond what is expected of you, awards and commendations generally come a person's way. No one achieves without putting forth the effort. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 1, 2014
The secret of success is consistency of purpose. Losing track of reason, being blinded by our lack of focus can most assuredly cause one to get off the proper track. Our trains of thought become temporarily derailed and need up righting immediately. Your vision, Officer Cook, never faltered, never wavered, you made solid and lucid decisions that would only help your career and all that you achieved during your brief, but highly successful six years with the Metro-Dade Police Department. You would not ever be mired in abyss, only in doing what needed to be done at the moment to enhance the integrity and honor of your division. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 1, 2014
Loafing needs no explanation and is its own excuse. This habit has no business being in the police station unless you are off duty or at home fooling around with yard work or other chores around the house. Your off days, down time, Officer Cook, was very special for you and when Karen's schedule as a registered nurse allowed you both to spend quiet times together. We have to cherish our time here as we never know when the good Lord comes calling. You were treasured and most beloved by all. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 1, 2014
Every man is entitled to be valued by his best moments. Too often we reflect on those times that we didn't perform, we did not quite live up to expectation. You have been, Officer Cook, viewed and held in high regard by all your peers and colleagues in the law enforcement community. Your family members carry on your legacy with the grace and dignity with which you solidly maintained during your twenty-five tears here in the Dade County community of which you were a loyal public servant and cherished resident who gave back more than we could ever imagine. As nearly thirty-five years since your untimely passing arrives, let us now be resolved to accomplish something each and everyday and dedicate it to your memory as you observe from above how we can better deal with whatever comes our way. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You handled most problems with a calming and soothing voice, maybe we should endeavor to do the same.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 1, 2014
Never confuse motion with action. Correct and do not ever confuse integrity and dignity as they both belong locked into the jargon of all police officers. This was part of your daily diet, Officer Cook, in that this enabled you to focus on preparation and planing for how you would handle each assignment that would come your way that you were dispatched to. I wonder how often you partnered with Reserve Officer Scott Lincoln? Motion is honorable even if it is primarily camouflage. Action implies decision-making, accomplishment, commitment. Sometimes these concepts get confused. Something not be be confused or lost in translation is your bravery and courage for serving Dade County residents with the honor that you position demands. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 1, 2014
Personal relations are the important things for ever and ever and not the outer life of telegrams and anger. Friendships take time to cultivate, but once they blossom sure can last forever. These relationships that you made, Officer Cook, with your friends in and out of the department have lasted even though you are not with us physically. Your loving spirit looks down from the heavens above and keeps tabs on all of your loved ones and their friends protecting them from harm and enabling them to go out and fulfill whatever their hearts desire. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
January 1, 2014
A salesman is got to dream, boy, it goes with the territory. Police officers, men and women who dream of becoming law enforcement officials can have this preoccupation, it just cannot be while on duty. Dreaming is important, so life affirming, so self-nurturing. If we deny ourselves the right to dream, we lose all hope and then the light goes out. We must allow ourselves the reality, the opportunity to dream, to aspire, to climb higher on each rung of that proverbial ladder. They do not come easy, the dreams. But, it's these dreams that keep us going, keep us sane, keep us alive. We look up during the day and at night, Officer Cook and we dream that we can see your soul, this is perfectly normal, as the light from it definitely shines down here in this world for us to be inspired and motivated to do what we feel is normal and just. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. Police officers are like sales reps in that the product they sell has got to be perfect in the sense that what they represent to the citizens is clearly honest and strictly on the up and up. Nothing less can and will be tolerated.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. Ideas, thoughts, inventions, introspection, memories of joyful days and nights. These are things for which most of us never pause to make time for. The idea of working and giving an honest day's effort for a day's pay seems foreign to some, but to inspiring heroes and heroines of Dade County as you were, Officer Cook, you always gave a supreme effort and your sacrifice has had an ever greater affect on all because of the bravery and fortitude you showed in enhancing those cherished lives of the citizens who have been given a new lease on how they lead their lives today. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. The glow of your beautiful soul glows even brighter today and one day, those you knew and loved will be even more comforted when they snuggle up to it for eternal warmth and safekeeping.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
What we love to do we find time to do. Many of us are so busy accomplishing something to help keep us from finding out what it is we might like, or even love to do. Take some time one day a week to discover what gives you satisfaction, peace and the passion to carry on. You found an inner spiritual peace, Officer Cook, that permitted you to carry on a display a mastery over all your endeavors. Take care of your fellow angelic comrades as you rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
For he or she who has no concentration, there is no tranquility. True focus is very foreign to some folks. What is required of us at least is to bare down and to view the value of quietness. Take a few moments, clear your head, listen to the beating of your heart. You possessed this marvelous trait, Officer Cook. You were a very organized person in both thoughts and in actions. You could handle stressful domestic issues with other citizens, calming them down, your comrades had to have an amazed look on their faces watching you provide humble and loyal assistance to all. That is so dearly missed today. Your advice is very much absent, but still it seems to be assembled within the hearts and minds of each person who not only knew and respected you, but loved you like a close relative. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
To serve your community, sometimes there is a very dear price which one has to pay in order for the means to reach fruition. You wanted to serve as a police officer from the time you were a young boy and you saw your dreams reach their climax. We did not want for there to be a loss of life or injury, but you were, Officer Cook, always willing to travel that extra distance down the road to pave the way of our freedoms and will not be forgotten for this. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
There is nothing more tragic than to find an individual bogged down in the length of life devoid of breadth. Many of us are good at measuring things: How fast? How far? How long? Yes, we do ponder our longevity-how many years we have left on earth? What will I do with my remaining years? We find the moments that give us the strength to pursue the inner peace so meaningful to our very lives. You ascribed to this theory, Officer Cook and for your twenty-five well thought out and well-spent years toiling on our behalf, you never I do believe ever got bogged down wasting a moment. Only well-spent time with your family and friends. God has you well placed in His shelter for eternity after you performed so faithfully as His devoted and most beloved servant. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
One of the symptoms of the approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important and that to take a holiday would bring all kinds of disaster. How many vacations have been interrupted by an emergency phone call? How many days or times have turned into anguish because we assumed the worst? Police officers are always on pins and needles, as are their loved ones when they kiss them goodbye and say I or we hope to see you later. That day when you got up in the morning to get ready to go to work, you probably had a cup of coffee with Karen, shared a quiet and serenely private moment together, no one could foretell this as being the last time you were together. No one should ever ever have to go through this. A call came in officers down, officers were dispatched to a scene of tragedy and kayos. But we can be sure of one thing, you, Officer Cook, did not ever let your comrades down. You saved them, four of them and those three civilians from certain peril or most likely death because of your heroic actions to quell a terrible incident that unfolded near the end of your shift. You were an excellent officer, a good friend and most importantly, a loving son, brother and a most cherished and beloved husband. You took the brunt of that very violence that was perpetrated upon you and your colleagues and served forever as our inspirational legacy. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. I can see why officers suffer mental issues and other various assorted health problems as stressful as they have it daily.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at each end. Verbal bayonets are everywhere. They exist in the workplace and all around. They certainly do not, absolutely do not belong in police work. Officers have a stressful enough time doing a job that demands full concentration at all times. They carry their weapons for a reason, not just to utilize them at every whim. You used your weapon, Officer Cook, on May 16, 1979, and you used it to defend and protect your comrades after they were shot and wounded by a man who went beserk. Tragically sad. No telling what would have transpired if you did not arrive on that scene. You exerted all that you had within yourself to attempt to rectify a terrible situation. God bless you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
God is not dead, but alive and well, he's working on a much less ambitious project. All God's work is sacred indeed. Some changes around us are healthy others need a little more work, a little polishing if you will. Compulsive behaviors and the fact that we sometimes lose track of our fundamental selves. Our loving parents are the arc of our lives, as they are the ambitions of where our focuses, guidance and reflections should be placed. Your wonderfully loving and giving parents, Officer Cook, steered you and your sister, Nancy, in the right direction. It is because of them and the hard work, long hours of study and rigorous training that you become their pride and joy. Now you occupy a very cherished eternal space in God's kingdom working on one of His most ambitious projects. What is that you might ask? It's to look down and help God protect those officers who share a common goal of yours, in serving, defending and being diligent with the ingredients of loyalty, grace, bravery, honor, dignity and integrity in a most humble and healthy dosage. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
Look at me. Worked myself up from a humble and loving family environment and rose to become a beloved and respected hero of the Metro-Dade Police Department. You did everything properly, Officer Cook, you left no stone unturned and you did your utmost each day to examine the ratio of work to pleasure. Is there a balance? You recognized this balance and gave you all to secure the safety of all citizens of Dade County. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 31, 2013
God himself does not speak prose, but communicates with us by hints, omens, inference and dark resemblances in objects lying all around us. Police officers don't speak like this, they endeavor to talk to us in a rational and calming manner. One of Dade County's best at solving domestic issues, you were a Godsend, Officer Cook, the shining badge you displayed said it all. Genuinely concerned for all, you displayed great patience and the virtue that is not always ingrained in one's self. If the situation was different that day, but would, could or should cannot undo the tragedy that took your young life so others could continue their pursuits of joy and goodness. You were a pleasure I'm sure for your comrades to team with and work on various cases with you and this inspired them to only humbleness and positive results within the ranks. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 30, 2013
Wonderful verse of the Gods, of one import, of varied tone; they chant the bliss of their abodes to man imprisoned in his own. You recited these verses over and over, Officer Cook and your fellow worshipers appreciated the immense love that came forth from your lips. Lips that only spoke the truth, as you learned these very intense lessons from your parents. They instructed you and your sister, Nancy wisely and they penetrated your very beings. The day of your marriage to Karen, while I was not there to witness two very loving and giving human beings, had to be one of great humility and one that I'm certain would still be kindled today if you were here. You deserved better, but your giving back to the Dade County community has cemented your honor and integrity for always. These grateful residents appreciate when a service is done for their benefit will the epitome of grace. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 30, 2013
It is only when people begin to worship that they begin to grow. God is love and experience teaches us that we do not always receive the blessings we ask for in prayer. Your faith in God, Officer Cook, was the very reason of why you were successful in all your endeavors. You believed with all your heart that Our Creator would carry you through all of your journeys and he never disappointed you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero and guide our very souls through all their journeys in this world and allow our physical abilities to take us on pilgrimages of good will towards all men and women.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 30, 2013
A great many people have come up to me and asked how I manage to get so much work done and still keep looking dissipated. You can accomplish a great deal in a short period of time if you know how to manage you time wisely. One of your greatest strengths, Officer Cook and I'm sure a strength of Karen's too. The professions you both worked extremely hard at to achieve took a lot of ingenuity and plenty of mental and physical acuity to maintain a maximum effort if you were going to be able to serve your patients and loyal citizens in a proper fashion. God rewards those who serve Him with a smile and grace personified and my neighbor, friend and hero, you have been reaping your reward for saving seven lives, putting your being ahead of those who counted on you the most. Rest in peace.
Rabbi Lewis S. Davis
December 30, 2013