It had been our fervent hope to be able to help Officer Bowden as she recovered from her injuries, and we are extremely saddened that we did not have that opportunity. However, we would like to honor Officer Bowden by creating a fund in her memory, that can be used to help Officer Bowden's family, Officer Brown and other officers and their families who may face similar circumstances.

Shortly after the incident that injured Officers Bowden and Brown, I contacted Hilary Scott and her husband, Michael, with the idea of a community-wide benefit concert. They immediately and enthusiastically agreed. I am an evening student at Columbia College, and in my capacity as President of the International Sociology Honor Society (AKD), I proprosed the idea to Columbia College to host the Officer Down event in Launer Auditorium. I also asked that the Criminal Justice Student Association (CJSA) help out. The early resonse and excitement for this project has simply been amazing.

The media has been especially generous with free announcements and advertising. Zimmer Radio Group will run 5 public service announcements a day the week of the show, and in addition, Hilary and I have been invited on the Cosmo and JC Radio show on Y107 to talk about the concert on Thursday, February 24th at approximately 8:30 AM. The Columbia Tribune has already run one article regarding the show, with a possible second in the near future, and KOMU has put the announcement on their "Community Calendar," spots throughout the day and evening. Hilary Scott will also be interviewed on KOPN on Wednesday, February 21st, and by Michelle Lynn on KMIZ morning news on Tuesday, February 22nd. We appeared on the Amy Miller show on February 17th at 6:30 pm, Hilary Scott appeared on the David Lyle KFRU AM 1400 show on Friday, February 18th, and Hilary will also appear on BXR 102.3 FM's Sunday morning acoustic sunrise show on February 20th with Tony Barbos at 8 am. A huge thank you goes out to everyone in the media for their support.

I am a former police officer and I know how frustrating and thankless a job it can be. Generally speaking, officers (and all law enforcement including County and State) do not see the many good people in their community in the regular course of their jobs. Most people do not tend to stop and reflect on the risks officers take every time they step out of the door in uniform. True, getting a speeding ticket can ruin one's day, but that officer might have saved a life by forcing someone to obey the speed limit. Officers regularly have to do building searches facing the unknown, prowl through back yards in the dark looking for burglars, and as the recent tragedy shows us, there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. Unfortunately, all too often, the police do not get a thank you when they respond to a call, let alone if they initiate a traffic stop and issue a ticket.

It is my hope that with this concert, law enforcement officers will know that the community does appreciate their day-to-day sacrifice and will feel a sense of solidarity with the people of Mid- Missouri. I would also implore the community to think about the families of police officers. Every day, when the family of an officer kisses them goodbye, they know the harsh reality that the officer may never come back home. An officer's family makes many sacrifices, including believing in the importance of their loved one's profession.

I would also like to take this opportunity to let the fans of the Hilary Scott Band know that Hilary and the Band are giving much more than just one night's performance. The setup is the night before, and sound checks run through the afternoon the day of the show. Besides all the interviews, Hilary personally made posters exclusively for StreetSide Records and hand- delivered the tickets. She and her band are working on three new songs for the concert, and she and I have e-mailed dozens of letters dealing with the details of this concert.

Place: Launer Auditorium on the Columbia College Campus

Tickets are $10, with all ticket sales going directly to the Officer Down Fund.

Tickets are available at:

Maximum Edge 1400 Forum Blvd, Suite 11A (Forum Shopping Center) (573) 446-3222

Kilgores Medical Pharmacy 1608 Chapel Hill Rd. (573) 447-4444

Streetside Records 401 S. Providence (573) 875-7105

The Officer Down Benefit concert in memory of Molly Bowden is my way, and my band's way, of doing what we know best, which is using music to celebrate life. It has been even more vital, in light of Molly passing away, to ensure that this concert is not only raising money for the Officer Down Fund, and giving the audience a night to remember, but that it truly honors Molly's memory. We have chosen songs that will mourn death, celebrate life, and, we believe, bring hope to those in the audience directly or indirectly affected by the violence Molly endured and which ultimately took her life.

Having experienced the loss of a family member who was also very young, I empathize greatly with Molly's family, whose loss is compounded by the fact that an act of violence, rather than illness or accident, took Molly's life. In the world in which we live, violence is on the rise, and we must know that many men and women like Molly risk their life every day, truly believing in their ability to make a difference, and to protect the rest of us. That there are people out there like Molly should be an inspiration to us all.

I have had the opportunity to raise my voice in song for many important causes, such as raising money for breast cancer research, for the families of children with terminal diseases, leukemia/lymphoma research, to help women who are the victims of violence, and many more. The Officer Down Fund is not just something we should think about giving to once, and never again, as with any fund or charity that we might feel is important, the need will be ongoing. Sadly, there will most likely always be people injured in the line of duty, trying to make our lives safer.