A memorial is growing in Carrollton for a police officer who died while assisting in a DWI investigation.
According to the Carrollton Police Department, Officer Steve Nothem had just arrived to assist a fellow officer with a DWI arrest in the westbound lanes of 1905 East President George Bush Turnpike when his squad car was hit by a passing driver just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Police said the driver who hit Nothem, 82-year-old Phillip Parker of Carrollton, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Community members stopped by the Carrollton Police Department on Wednesday to drop off flowers and pay their respects. Nick Smith, the owner of the flower shop In Bloom, was one of the well-wishers.
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“We feel terrible. It’s a horrible blow to our community,” Smith said. “We’ve been in this community for a long time. We feel a commitment to honor those who serve us day in, day out. That’s why we’re here.”
Nothem’s death is the Carrollton Police Department’s first line of duty death, according to Carrollton police. B.J. Wagner, Senior Vice President of Health and Safety at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, is urging the department to stay actively engaged with its officers and staff as they mourn the loss.
“We often want to set first responders aside as being superhuman and superheroes, because they do super-human and super-hero type jobs," Wagner said. "But we’re hiring human beings. We’re not hiring robots. We’re not hiring saints. We hiring human beings into these positions."
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The law enforcement community is tight-knit, Wagner added.
“People compartmentalize all the time, and I expect that many of his friends and colleagues at work will compartmentalize that loss as they go back to serving their community, but that pain will be there. Those thoughts will be there,” she said. “We’ve become so accustomed to saying, 'We’re here for you,' and we really need to transition that to, 'We’re going to come get you and give you the support, give you the time, space,' to process this loss, not as a workplace loss but the loss of a family member.”
Bryan James, owner of Mr. Jim’s Pizza, has been in Carrollton for more than two decades. The shop is located across the street from the police station.
“My first thought is, 'Have I met him? Do I know him?' That’s my first thought. I’ve met several of the officers over the years,” James said. “You feel horrible that it happened here. You think of those things happening somewhere else. When it happens here, it can just kind of brings it closer to home.”
Nothem leaves his wife, a 13-year-old son, twin 6-year-old sons, a 1-year-old-daughter, and many extended family members. He joined the Carrollton Police Department in March of 2020 after serving the Grand Chute, Wisconsin, Police Department for four years. Prior to his law enforcement career, Nothem served for many years in the U.S. Marines.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
