Emotional balloon release honors fallen officer David Lee

Fellow officers and the family of fallen Officer David Lee gathered for an emotional balloon release in his honor just before his final farewell Friday evening at the North Patrol.

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[TallulahB]

Balloon releases are so bad for the environment and wildlife. There are better ways to honor the fallen officer.
Animals: Animals can mistake balloons for food or get tangled in the ribbon, which can lead to death:
Marine animals: Balloons are a leading cause of death for seabirds and other marine wildlife, such as dolphins, whales, and turtles. They can be mistaken for jellyfish, a staple food for many marine species.
Farm animals: Balloons can also harm farm animals, such as cows and goats.
Environment: Balloons can pollute the environment and waste helium, a non-renewable resource:
Litter: Balloons can end up as litter in waterways, such as streams, lakes, and oceans. They can also travel hundreds of miles from their original release location.
Microplastics: Balloons that don't break down can become microplastics, which can end up in water sources that people use for drinking.
Power outages and fires: Mylar balloons can hit power lines, causing power outages and fires.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks that Americans stop releasing balloons.

[-RM-]

Apparently, it's "dangerous and hateful" to make a comment about how stupid it is to release rubber and mylar balloons into the air. Even though someone else in the comments already did that. I am saddened by the officer's death (and especially the circumstances surrounding it), but there is no reason we need to be sending balloons into the air anymore.

[leighalunatic]

The balloons aren't reaching nothing and if you actually cared about his job that worked with the community, you wouldn't destroy your community with balloons to "honor him.

[jpdunphy]

I feel for the family's and community's loss, but a balloon release is harmful to the environment and a waste of finite resources. It's sad how ignorant the decision to do this was and how no one close to the family either didn't or couldn't convince them this literal garbage was not the way to honor the officer killed. Unfortunate that we even need to talk about it.

[TeeroyHammermill]

Shocking how incredibly reckless and careless drivers are these days. Common sense would tell anyone to slow all the way down when there's a bunch of cop cars with flashing lights on the highway. This should not have happened

[-RM-]

And once again my comments have been deleted