KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Kansas police officer Zeta Bates was four months pregnant and engaged to Capt. Dave Melton when a fellow officer called.
July 19, 2016, Melton was shot and killed in the line of duty.
"This is a hard job and we do hard things and bad things happen. We still wake up and we still put on the uniform and we still go to work every day," Bates said.
We talked to Zeta Bates, fiancé of @KCKPDHQ Capt. Dave Melton, who died in the line of duty about her Peacekeepers organization & how the community can support officers who experience violence. @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/EIbHo6QSAK
— Dia Wall (@DiaWall) July 17, 2018
Now, she's president of the Lancaster Melton Peacekeepers, an organization that supports military and police families often at their worst moments. Bates does it because, "I never want somebody else to get the phone call I got and unfortunately, it's happening all too often."
The Peacekeepers take part in two programs; Wreaths Across America and the 100 Salutes ribbons.
"We do make a choice. We make a choice every day to put ourselves in harm's way but that doesn't mean that we like that choice. We just put ourselves forward so it's us and not someone else."
For people who want to learn more about supporting law enforcement, Bates suggests reaching out to your local fraternal order of police.
Check out the Peacekeepers at its website.
