Published: June 21, 2007 11:34 am      

Mrs. Denzinger’s message of strength

Slain officer's funeral Saturday at Floyd Central

Two days after a person loses the love of her life, it’s unreasonable to expect composure, let alone eloquence.

Tara Denzinger had both in spades Wednesday afternoon as she recalled her husband, Officer Frank Denzinger — “the epitome of a gentleman” — who was shot dead while on duty for the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department Monday night.

At a news conference she requested, Denzinger gave an impromptu address for five minutes and answered questions for another 20 minutes. She spoke clearly with an occasional quaver.

Three of her husband’s best friends and colleagues sat alongside Denzinger and six family members sat behind as she faced expectant notepads and television cameras in a Sheriff’s Department conference room.

Denzinger was the emotional center of the room; many laughed and cried along with her as she talked about her husband. She was nearly overcome when recalling the “fertility prayer” at her wedding, “because I wasn’t supposed to be able to get pregnant.” Two years ago, Avery Denzinger was born.

“I’m going to have weak moments, but I speak for him now and I’m going to carry his strength,” Denzinger said.

Asked why she’d decided to speak publicly, Denzinger said she felt the community her husband protected deserved to know more about him.

“I know that the media can be a tool. This isn’t something that is just an interest for our family,” Denzinger said. “I just needed a few days to get myself together.”

Officer Jeff Firkins sat beside Denzinger as she spoke.

“She’s a strong lady and they were a strong couple,” said Firkins, a best friend of Frank Denzinger. “She thought long and hard about this.”

Denzinger described herself as “in awe” of her community’s response to the tragedy and emphasized that she was thinking about and praying for all the families involved.

“I don’t want this to overshadow that we have an officer who’s still recovering,” said Denzinger, referring to Joel White, who was seriously injured in the shooting that killed Frank Denzinger. “I don’t want that story to get lost.”

A state Fraternal Order of Police critical-incident team is offering counseling and peer support to Frank Denzinger’s colleagues.

“It helps mitigate the circumstances and save careers,” said Darren Sroufe, chairman of the team and the memorial committee that will arrange Saturday’s intricate funeral and burial services.

The same officials are putting families in hotel rooms and delivering meals, Sroufe said. The dozen officers are from throughout the state, as evidenced by the variety of police vehicles seen around New Albany’s government center: Jasper, Mishawaka, Lawrenceburg, Gary, Carmel and Evansville.

Police expect at least 3,000 people to attend Denzinger’s funeral, perhaps half of them fellow police officers.

“When you’re talking about a funeral of this magnitude, you want everyone to be here,” said Firkins.

Tara and Avery Denzinger will be there, and Denzinger said her daughter “knows more than what people think a 2-year-old would know” about the week’s events.

Denzinger paused before answering a question about her husband’s hobbies.

“The No. 1 thing I’d say about Frank, which is a little hard right now, is that he loved guns,” Denzinger said. “Our [wedding] cake was a Glock symbol.”

The couple met through mutual friends in the Sheriff’s Department. He was an officer and she was a dispatcher.

“He called me to ask me out on a date, and we talked for four hours,” Denzinger remembered.

She called his friends Firkins, Brad Scott and Brad Powell, all of whom sat with her Wednesday, “the thing that brings me the greatest relief.”

Denzinger looked forward to their help in raising her daughter: “The guys have promised to say [to Avery] some of the things Frank used to say.”



Parking at FCHS reserved for funeral

• Parking spaces at Floyd Central High School will be reserved Saturday for those attending the funeral of Floyd County Police Officer Frank Denzinger.

Denzinger’s funeral begins at 11 a.m. in the school’s gym.

Runners participating in the Run for the Hills and other visitors not attending the funeral are asked to park in the school’s sports complex lot along Edwardsville-Galena Road.