POST FALLS, IDAHO-- The father of slain Lakewood police officer, Tina Griswold, says he doesn’t hate the man who killed his daughter.
He is relieved Clemmons is dead, but angry he was on the street in the first place.
KREM 2 News spoke with Stan Delong by phone Tuesday from his home in Post Falls, Idaho.
Delong knows all about the dangers of police work.
He was in law enforcement for 20 years, but that experience could never prepare him for the phone call he received on Sunday.
It is a memory Delong clings to, a moment between his daughter Tina and her grandfather, and it’s almost 40 years old. Delong remembers Tina’s grandfather holding her in his arms in church and telling everyone how pretty his grandchild was.
Then, there’s the moment on Sunday when Delong learned the girl he called T-Bomb was gone. Delong says he was totally stunned. And the Delongs are still coming to grips with the loss. Tina’s mother hit the floor when she found out about her daughter’s death.
For someone who spent his life in law enforcement, Delong knew the dangers Tina faced. He prayed for her and her fellow officers every day. And amid the grief, Delong is angry. He says policing the streets has become more dangerous. He calls Sunday’s shooting an assassination.
But Delong is angrier at former governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee. Huckabee commuted Clemmons’ 108-year sentence. Delong says to have that kind of time commuted and then have him turned loose is beyond reason, and Delong says he would tell that to Huckabee’s face. Delong actually lived in Arkansas while Huckabee was governor.
As for the family, they appreciate the support for the community and from local people. The Delongs will head to Western Washington later this week.
