Here’s why this Phoenix police officer’s story makes ‘her’ a hero

They’re not hard to find, if I take time to look.

No, I’m not talking about clouds and the monsoon — which hasn’t made a real appearance in the Valley yet. I’m talking about finding strong women to point out to my girls. 

Tonight, I’m breaking my wife’s “no devices at dinner” rule because it’ll be my first opportunity to introduce my 8- and 10-year old daughters to Phoenix Police officer Morgan Bullis. I’ll make that introduction with a video Phoenix Police released Monday showing Officer Bullis’ first day back to work — after being shot in an ambush in March.

After being shot in the line of duty, Officer Morgan Bullis is back on patrol and excited to be serving her community once again. Welcome back, Officer Bullis! 👮 💙 #MotivationMonday#PhoenixPolice#PHXPD#PHXPolice pic.twitter.com/qkM230jsVq

— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) July 17, 2023

Although she was the victim in that attack, she has acted like anything but a victim in the months since being shot on March 24. It was at around 9:15 on that March morning when police received a call about a black Chevy Camaro that had crashed into the front yard of a residence near 11th and Atlanta avenues, south of Broadway Road.

When Officer Bullis responded, the driver, 29-year-old Joseph Lopez, allegedly fired several shots from a rifle into her patrol vehicle. She was hit in her hip with a bullet and in the face with bullet fragments.

She’s had a long road of physical recovery, including learning to walk (and run) again. But learning to run again meant getting back to her job of protecting the community she loves — which she knew would mean the most to healing herself emotionally and mentally.

The fact that Officer Bullis has gone back to protecting people like my young daughters, my wife and my elderly neighbors — as well as (supposedly) tough guys like myself — is what makes me add an “o” to the end of “her.”

This week, Officer Bullis put back on the very uniform that made her a target for a violent, physical attack and continues to make her a target for verbal attacks by anti-police groups. 

The fact that she continues to protect and serve despite these attacks is why my daughters have to know about her as soon as possible. It’s why I’ll be breaking our house’s dinner rules tonight — and it’s why I’m calling her a hero.  

Follow @JimSharpe