Fallen: Officer Robert Stanze

[Rebecca]

He probably felt relief to capture and cuff the man responsible for shooting one of his brothers. I wonder... did he know he had just taken his very own killer into custody?

************************************************** *****

*Officer Robert Stanze
St. Louis Police Department, MO

Cause of Death: Gunfire
End of Watch: August 8, 2000
Date of Incident: August 8, 2000
Time of Incident: 1400 hours
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 6 yr
Suspect Info: In custody
Weapon Used: Handgun

Officer Stanze was shot and killed while arresting a suspect wanted in a shooting of another officer. Officer Stanze and another officer had handcuffed the suspect and placed him in the back of the cruiser. The suspect then drew a handgun he had hidden and opened fire on the officers while they were standing outside of the cruiser. Officer Stanze, who was wearing his bullet proof vest, was struck in the side and the round entered his torso between the two panels. The second officer returned fire, wounding the suspect.

Officer Stanze had been with the agency for six years and is survived by his wife, who is expectant with twins, and a child.

*as reported by the ODMP

************************************************** *****

I'm sorry, Robert. I'm sorry for your wife, for your child... and for your unborn twins.

Rest in peace.

http://www.officer.com/ubb/frown.gif

[Glockarmorer]

My deepest sympathy to Officer Stanze's family and friends.

It is so unfortunate that a vast number of LEO killings are preventable. Hindsight is 20/20, but we do a disservice to officers fallen in the line of duty if we do not learn from their mistakes.

LEOs - SEARCH YOUR PRISONERS. SEARCH THEM WELL. SEARCH THEM RIGHT. EVERY TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS.

------------------
No cops, know anarchy.

[RyanP]

Rest in Peace officer, we'll take care of this guy.

[204]

I have just finished reading the article in the post about this great man.The shooting happened about 30 minutes from my house it really hurts to think there's people vicious enough to kill the very one's who protect the community in which they live.Please rest in peace Officer Stanze.Guys let this be a hard lesson to make darn sure you know suspects have no weapon's before they enter your vehicle this is a perfect example handcuffed or not suspect's should still be considered dangerous
Stay Safe

[Pnutt]

Eternal rest grant unto you, Robert, and let perpetual light shine upon you.

Constance

[tcsd1236]

For those interested:


Donations pour in to aid family of slain officer
A steady stream of people flowed through the Kutis Funeral Home on Gravois Avenue during visitation Thursday for St. Louis police Officer Robert Stanze.
(Robert Cohen/P-D)

By Bill Bryan
Of the Post-Dispatch

St. Louisans have opened up their hearts and their checkbooks, as donations continued to roll in Thursday to assist the family of slain St. Louis police Officer Robert Stanze.

"It's simply unbelievable," said police Sgt. Dan Zarrick, who is trying to coordinate some of the contributions. "You just wouldn't believe this tremendous outpouring of support from the community."

More than 200 businesses have contacted police to offer an array of goods and services, including food, toys, clothes, linen service, dry cleaning and lodging, Zarrick said. "There's too many to mention."

"The Stanze family truly appreciates this kindness," Zarrick added. "It's making their terrible time a little less difficult."

The trust fund set up for Stanze's widow, Michelle, who is pregnant with twins, and their 1 1/2-year-old son, Wil, also continues to swell, Zarrick said.

It got a big boost from the KMOX radio voices of the Cardinals - Jack and Joe Buck and Mike Shannon. Each contributed $1,000 to the trust fund and challenged Cardinals listeners to do the same, promising to mention donors' names on the air.

KMOX radio's charitable foundation, Outreach St. Louis, also has set up an educational scholarship fund to benefit the Stanze children.

Other radio stations are soliciting aid for the Stanzes as well. One is auctioning a pillowcase autographed by the Backstreet Boys singing group; another is selling a special CD.

The phone of Hal Richardson, executive director of the Backstoppers, has been ringing nonstop. "I'm buried," he said Thursday.

"People are really upset with what happened, and they want to join the Backstoppers," he said. "I've never seen a response like this in my 13 years as executive director."

The Backstoppers is a private organization that takes care of virtually all of the financial needs of the families of St. Louis-area police officers, firefighters and paramedics who die in the line of duty.

Another fund for the Stanze family has been set up by the St. Louis Community Credit Union.

Stanze was shot Tuesday afternoon while arresting a man at Marcus and St. Louis avenues. The man was handcuffed by officers but managed to kill Stanze with a pistol that the officers missed in a search.

Stanze's partner wounded the suspect, Eddie Belk, in the shoulder. Belk was in satisfactory condition Thursday under guard at a hospital, charged with murder and other offenses.

The St. Louis circuit attorney's office said Thursday that there is no decision yet on whether to seek the death penalty against Belk. St. Louis County police said Belk was wanted for questioning in the July 22 wounding of a Berkeley police officer during a traffic stop but has not been charged in that case. He is wanted in California on rape and robbery charges.

Officer Stanze's funeral is today, with a Mass at 10 a.m. at the St. Louis Cathedral, 4431 Lindell Boulevard. Burial will follow at Resurrection Cemetery, 6901 McKenzie Road in Affton.

Hundreds of police cars from numerous law enforcement agencies will take part in a funeral procession.

It will leave Kutis Funeral Home, 2906 Gravois Avenue, sometime after 9 a.m. and head northeast on Gravois to Tucker Boulevard, north to Olive Street, then west to Lindell Boulevard to the Cathedral. After the Mass, the procession will go west on Lindell to Kingshighway then south to Chippewa Street and west to Watson Road and on to McKenzie and the cemetery.

E-mail: bbryan@postnet.com
Phone: 314-340-8950

[Gubmentcheez]

A Trust fund for the survivors of Officer Stamze has been established and donations can be made to the following address:

Trust For PO Robert J Stamze

C/O Lindell Bank
PO Box 211
St. Louis, MO 63166

[David]

Another Guardian will not report for his assigned patrol area. That Warrior has done his last patrol.

His baby boy, has become the man of the family, even though he doesn't even understand what it is to be a little boy yet.

Officer Stanze has looked at his wife's stomach and wished for the twins continued health for the last time. The wishes for a happy and contented future are in the hands of others from this day foward.

A warrior has, as a legacy, left a warning for all Guardian Warriors. The world we live in and the public we serve is a dangerous enviroment indeed.

The calling each of us serve is full of dangers and warnings. The danger of a desperate scumsucker and the warning that we have to be ever viligeant, of our surroundings and the people around us. For none are our friends, at first, and on the otherside of the coin, none are our enemy.

These things have to be determined, in the legnth of a thought, or in the drawing of a breath. That same breath could be our last.

Let the warning shown here be remembered in our every action. For we lost a Brother in the example demonstrated.

If not done by the rest of us, another example could be written here also...

Rest in Peace Brother,
Your duties from this day foward, will be on streets of purest gold.
Your transfer has been approved.
Rest in Peace.

[This message has been edited by David (edited 08-14-2000).]

[CJ122]

My prayers are with the family and fellow officers of Robert Stanze.

*****

At the Explorers Conference this year, we were given Burglary in Progress. In the scenario, our post did everything correctly..a top score-until one of our fellow explorers was faced with the task of searching the suspect. After the search, the explorer placed the suspect into the squad, failing to search the small of the suspect's back. The explorer was "shot" and killed through the window of the squad.

I was thinking in the meeting tonight, "this incident hits close to home". After hearing about this incident, and with my explorer training, I have learned two things: never let your guard down, and expect the unexpected.

It is a shame that we have to learn lessons from an officer's death.

God Bless, Be Safe.
CJ