REACTION: FAMILIES OF OFFICERS CAN'T STOP WORRYING

Spouse Of Injured Cop Says She Knows Her Husband Loves His Work

DETROIT -- Detroit narcotics officer James Tolbert walked away from the
Persian Gulf war unscathed, but in his daily job of fighting the city's war
on drugs, Tolbert almost lost his life.

Tolbert was one of three officers shot doing what dozens of officers do day
in and day out -- making raids on drug houses and everything else necessary
to keep drugs off Detroit streets. They risk their lives on raids similar
to the one conducted Wednesday. Others go undercover to set up drug
dealers. "They close the doors, they put guns to our heads and we buy the
dope," said Detroit narcotics officer Javier Johnson, who is Tolbert's
cousin.

Soon after the deal ends, more officers arrive to raid the house and arrest
the dealers. Unlike the fantasy world of television, police on the street
face real consequences when something goes wrong.

"People watch TV and (an actor) gets shot but he's back next week filing
papers and nothing is said about the injury," Johnson said. "That's not how
it works in real life." In real life, people like Tolbert and the others
get hurt and their families worry. "I'll probably have a hard time sleeping
tonight," said Johnson, who knows many family members are worried about the
shooting.

Marilyn Stefani's husband, Michael Stefani, was seriously injured in the
shooting. She said worrying is part of life for the families of narcotics
officers, but she knows her husband loves his work. "If he's not doing it
he won't be a whole person," Stefani said. "He had been on hundreds of
raids. He was very cautious. I'm confident Mike did everything right. He
thinks everything out."

Sometimes doing everything right isn't enough, said Johnson, who has been
working narcotics for 10 years. "You get that feeling when things aren't
going to be right," Johnson said. When they don't go right, it shows. "I
saw an officer from (Tolbert's) crew. He is totally and visibly shaken,"
Johnson said.

Johnson knows what the officers were going through. He has seen the
aftermath of fellow officers wounded during drug raids. "Two or three days
later, all the sudden you realize what happened," he said. "It all comes
into focus, and you deal with it." Dealing with it can be talking to other
people or asking for a transfer to another unit. Many officers, however,
keep fighting the drug war. "Everybody's got a fear of something," Johnson
said. "A lot of people fear this. It is something you choose to do."

Copyright 1998, The Detroit News