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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

In addition to leading a mainstream publishing company and working
on wonderful projects like Blue Lives Matter, I’ve dedicated more than 25
years of my professional life to public safety communications. Through
my service as a 911 dispatcher (supervisor) at Brown County Public Safety
Communications and my mission with the world’s largest public safety
education organization (APCO) as an instructor and presenter, I’ve deep-
ened my appreciation for – and respect of – all men and women who wear
the badge. Blue Lives Matter: In the Line of Duty has given me the op-
portunity to take my vocation as a public servant and combine it with my
entrepreneurial spirit and passion for storytelling in a way that honors the
fallen and teaches valuable lessons about officer safety.
One of my favorite lines from scripture comes from Jeremiah, “Before I
formed you in the womb, I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5) It’s extremely unlikely
that you – our reader – and I will ever meet, yet I feel like I know you inti-
mately. We are connected to one another through our blue family. You are
police officers and sheriff’s deputies, dispatchers and records professionals,
parents, spouses and children. And we’ve been brought together because
we have a common mission: We want to do everything in our power to
ensure that every member of the law enforcement community is able to
safely return home at the end of their tour.
This book is my best attempt to convey admiration, respect, and ap-
preciation for the risks and work of our blue family. It is my hope that this
book and series has the ability to impact and save lives by humanizing
officers and their families, while creating deeply needed, effective conver-
sation. I am humbled to be part of the blue family and this project.

Respectfully,
Tracy C. Ertl

Chief Executive Officer & Publisher
TitleTown Publishing