Yesterday afternoon, family, friends, citizens, San Angelo Police officers and San Angelo firefighters attended the 4th annual 5k marathon held in honor of Jaime Padron. The event began at 4 p.m. at the Red Arroyo Running Path and lasted for four hours.
Jaime was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 6, 2012 in Austin, Texas while serving the citizens of his community. He was a former San Angelo Police Officer before he made his way to the Austin Police Department. In 1995, Jaime joined the SAPD, and in 2008, he joined the APD.
Sgt. Matt Baldwin of SAPD, who helped make this event possible, said, “We are here to honor and remember my friend Jaime Padron, who was an Austin Police Officer, formally a San Angelo Police Officer. On the 4th anniversary of his death, we are out here to run a continuous four-mile loop at the Red Arroyo Running Path.”
A marathon run was chosen for this event because it was a hobby Jaime enjoyed. His sister Linda said, “Running was one of the things that Jaime had in common with his buddies. That is why this event is so fitting.”
April 6th is a very emotional day for friends and family of Jaime. Linda said, “To us, this is a day to remember all of the good stuff about Jaime.”
Baldwin added that “April 6th is one of those days that will forever be imbedded into my mind; to either be depressed and ball up in the fetal position, or to embrace life for what it is and accept reality and come out here to do something like this.”
As time passed by, many runners sprinted, jogged or walked around the trail.
Mike Hernandez, a candidate running for Police Chief, also attended the memorial event yesterday. Hernandez worked with Jaime in the gang unit. When he promoted out, Jaime took his place. They were fellow Marines. He said, “It hits close to home to lose a friend and former co-worker. We backed each other and supported each another. With it being the 4th anniversary, and still fairly new, we just want to support the rest of the family.”
John E. Rodriguez, a retired officer, was also a very close friend to Jaime. Linda had personally asked him to carry a replica of Jaime’s badge on the Ironbutt Run this past Saturday. The Ironbutt Run is a 1000-mile motorcycle ride that is completed in less than 24 hours.
Linda said, “The fact that John took the badge two years in a row on the 1000 mile journey is so important and means a lot to me. This badge has significant meaning to me. It is one of the only things that I have that belonged to Jaime.”
Family, friends, and citizens in San Angelo aren't the only ones celebrating Jaime's life.
Sean Gorham has been a police officer at APD for 14 years. He knew Jaime when he worked for APD. He said, “I knew Jaime from around patrol. He put in orders for the dog unit that I was on, so he rode with us quite a bit.”
Officer Gorham also mentioned that an annual memorial golf tournament is held in Jaime’s honor every August. The tournament helps raise money for the Austin Cops for Charities.
Jaime Padron was a dear friend and family member who touched many hearts during his life.
“He had this huge personality," Linda finalized. "He knew no strangers. He loved to talk to people and make friends. He not only wanted to know your name, but he [also] wanted to know more about you.”
Overall, many people feel Jaime made an impact on the San Angelo community as well as Austin's.
Rodriguez said, “Jaime was a really good police officer and a great human being. He meant a lot to a lot of different people, not just law enforcement. He was the type of officer who made the rest of us better because he did so much and would always smile about everything. He made you want to be able to do the same.”
An Officer Down Memorial Page has been created for the public to post about Jaime at http://www.odmp.org/officer/reflections/21219-senior-police-officer-jaime-d-padron.
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