Death of an Officer - wife was a dispatcher

[Guest guest]

A NOTE from 911 CARES: I have met all of the fine professionals at this

dispatch center and this event has been a double tragedy for them. They

lost one of their own Officers and he was married to one of their past

dispatchers. Their center also was an integral part of the search for

Sgt. Sottos for hours. Please don't forget to send the center a card

or note. Any donations can be made directly to the family via the

addresses listed below. There is also an e-mail to send your

condolences. Agencies near the quad-cities may also consider attending

the memorial. There is also a family site listed below that is moving

and shares the family tragedy.

Dear 911 CARES,

I am writing this request on behalf of a friend and 911 dispatcher

Debbie Sottos. On Monday July 31, 2006 Debbie faced the loss of her

husband, an 11 year veteran of the Moline Police Department, Sgt.

Sottos.

Sgt. Sottos had left the police department headquarters in his squad car

around 2:30 p.m. Around 3:30 p.m. Mike spoke to Debbie on the phone

and told her that he was going to follow up on a sexual abuse

investigation. After he failed to come home, and couldn't be reached

by phone or police radio, Mike's personal vehicle was located in the

department's parking lot and officers began to suspect foul play.

Sgt. Sottos was entered as a missing/endangered person at around 7:00

p.m. Officers from the Moline Police department and surrounding agencies

began to search for him. Sgt. Sottos was located by his fellow officers

at approximately 11:00 p.m. with a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Our agency, Mike's family and the entire public safety community is in

total shock, no one saw this coming. Mike was and will always be

remembered as an amazing father, friend, brother, son, uncle and police

officer. He was always the calm in the middle of the storm. He treated

everyone with respect and was an amazing human being. I can honestly

say that I have never heard anyone say a bad word about him. He was a

true stand-up guy that put his family first and foremost. I remember

telling Debbie numerous times how blessed she was to have such a

wonderful husband and beautiful family. >From the outside, their family

was one to admire and look up to. They appeared to have it all.

Mike and Debbie Sottos met while both were working at the Moline Police

Department. They married in October, 1998. Their commitment to their

children led Debbie to the difficult decision to leave dispatching and

stay home to raise their ever-growing family. Debbie is a beautiful

person inside and out, an incredible mother and was an outstanding

dispatcher.

Sgt Sottos leaves behind his wife Debbie and their 5 children, Logan 15

yoa, Seth 6 yoa, Grace 4 yoa, 3 yoa, and Emma 1 yoa. They are

also expecting their 6th child mid January 2007.

We cannot begin to imagine the impact that Mike's death will have on his

family both emotionally and financially. We are asking for prayers,

cards and any monetary donations that you are able to give. Every

dollar makes a difference.

Sgt. Sottos came from a family with several ties to public safety. His

father is a retired Illinois State Trooper, his uncle a retired Moline

Police Captain, and his brother is a Moline Firefighter.

To learn more about Mike and his family, this link will take you to a

web-site created by his family. www.mike-sottos.memory-of.com

<http://www.mike-sottos.memory-of.com/>

Visitation is Friday, August 4th (2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.) at DeRoo

Funeral Home 1611 7th St; Moline, IL 61265. The funeral will be

Saturday, August 5th (9:30 a.m.) at Sacred Heart Church 1307 17th Av;

Moline, IL 61265.

Cards and letters of support can be sent to:

Debbie Sottos

c/o 911 Centre Communications

1200 River Dr

Moline IL 61265

Please make monetary donations payable to Mike Sottos Memorial Fund and

mail to:

Amy sen

c/o 911 Centre Communications

1200 River Dr

Moline IL 61265

For any additional information that is needed, you may contact Amy

sen cell phone or email acp6970@...

You may also contact 911 Centre Manager Nanette at

(Mon-Fri 8-4).

Willett

PSTC - Public Safety Training Consultants

www.pstc911.com <http://www.pstc911.com/> www.911cares.com

<http://www.911cares.com/>

WK: x 102

FAX:

PGR:

E-mail: kevin@...

PO Box 5508 - Redwood City, CA 94063