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08-05-2002, 22:34
'ONE OF THE WARM STARS': Losing policewoman is like a death in the family
July 30, 2002 BY HUGH MCDIARMID JR. FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Cops were family for Jessica Wilson.
It was family -- her brother Rob Nagle -- who went side by side with her through Ferris State University's criminal justice school. They graduated in 2000 and landed jobs immediately, she in Hazel Park, after an internship in Port Huron, he in Fraser.
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It was family two months ago when she married Matthew Wilson -- an officer in Detroit's 11th (Davison) Precinct decorated earlier this year for apprehending a serial rapist.
And it was her family of fellow Hazel Park officers who rushed to her side when she was cut down by a shotgun blast during a routine neighborhood disturbance run Sunday night.
By phone, police radio and e-mail, colleagues, former classmates and friends took the news like a blow to the gut.
"It's real personal," said Jim Chapman, adjunct faculty member at Ferris' School of Criminal Justice, where more than 50 classmates earned degrees and officer certification along with the brother and sister in 2000.
"That class was one of the tightest classes we've had in years," Chapman said. "Many of those graduates are officers around Detroit, and many of them went right to the hospital when they heard."
Wilson, 26, distinguished herself without being loud or pushy, he said, calling her "one of the warm stars in the group."
Her combination of mental and physical skills -- key to successful police work -- shone in 1994 when the Free Press named her a Scholar Athlete at Warren Fitzgerald High School. There, she was on the student council and had a 3.03 grade point average, earning varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and softball.
Her enthusiasm for life hadn't dimmed under the gritty burden of police work.
Hazel Park Police Officer Brian McNair said Wilson's spirit showed through in small ways, like her love for three cats she had rescued from an animal shelter.
She loved to drive Jet Ski-style watercraft and was a country music buff, favoring George Strait.
"She was a cheerful person, and we liked to have her around," he said.
"Jessica died doing what she loved to do," her husband, Matthew, said Monday afternoon. "This man didn't take one life last night. He took the heart of everyone who knew and loved her."
Contact HUGH McDIARMID JR. at 248-586-2611 or mcdiarmidjr@freepress.com. Staff writers Laura Potts and Ben Schmitt contributed to this report.
prayers go out to the WIlson Family, this really hits close to home. Mat Wilson is a friend and co worker of mine at the Precinct.
July 30, 2002 BY HUGH MCDIARMID JR. FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Cops were family for Jessica Wilson.
It was family -- her brother Rob Nagle -- who went side by side with her through Ferris State University's criminal justice school. They graduated in 2000 and landed jobs immediately, she in Hazel Park, after an internship in Port Huron, he in Fraser.
RELATED CONTENT
HAZEL PARK KILLING: 'Help me!' dying officer cried
It was family two months ago when she married Matthew Wilson -- an officer in Detroit's 11th (Davison) Precinct decorated earlier this year for apprehending a serial rapist.
And it was her family of fellow Hazel Park officers who rushed to her side when she was cut down by a shotgun blast during a routine neighborhood disturbance run Sunday night.
By phone, police radio and e-mail, colleagues, former classmates and friends took the news like a blow to the gut.
"It's real personal," said Jim Chapman, adjunct faculty member at Ferris' School of Criminal Justice, where more than 50 classmates earned degrees and officer certification along with the brother and sister in 2000.
"That class was one of the tightest classes we've had in years," Chapman said. "Many of those graduates are officers around Detroit, and many of them went right to the hospital when they heard."
Wilson, 26, distinguished herself without being loud or pushy, he said, calling her "one of the warm stars in the group."
Her combination of mental and physical skills -- key to successful police work -- shone in 1994 when the Free Press named her a Scholar Athlete at Warren Fitzgerald High School. There, she was on the student council and had a 3.03 grade point average, earning varsity letters in volleyball, basketball and softball.
Her enthusiasm for life hadn't dimmed under the gritty burden of police work.
Hazel Park Police Officer Brian McNair said Wilson's spirit showed through in small ways, like her love for three cats she had rescued from an animal shelter.
She loved to drive Jet Ski-style watercraft and was a country music buff, favoring George Strait.
"She was a cheerful person, and we liked to have her around," he said.
"Jessica died doing what she loved to do," her husband, Matthew, said Monday afternoon. "This man didn't take one life last night. He took the heart of everyone who knew and loved her."
Contact HUGH McDIARMID JR. at 248-586-2611 or mcdiarmidjr@freepress.com. Staff writers Laura Potts and Ben Schmitt contributed to this report.
prayers go out to the WIlson Family, this really hits close to home. Mat Wilson is a friend and co worker of mine at the Precinct.