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After U.S. Marshal Killed, Reaction About Dangers Of Job

HAZLETON — “This job has changed so drastically over the years and my thoughts and prayers are with the family of those brave and courageous officer...

HAZLETON -- "This job has changed so drastically over the years and my thoughts and prayers are with the family of those brave and courageous officers."

Hazleton police Chief Jerry Speziale calls what happened in Harrisburg a terrible tragedy.

Speziale was himself a Deputy U.S. Marshal for about 18 years.

He worked on a task force, like Deputy Marshal Christopher Hill and like Hill, he also served warrants.

In 1986, Speziale was working with two fellow NYPD officers when he says they responded to a robbery call in the Bronx.

There, he says they were ambushed and there was a shootout.

The suspect was killed.

All three officers including Speziale were shot but survived.

In 1988, Speziale's partner, an NYPD officer, was shot and killed on the job.

"People don't realize when we put this uniform on in the morning and we walk out that door, we never know if we're going to come back at the end of the day,” he said.

Based in Snyder County, Melissa Whistler has been in the bail bonds business for about 10 years.

"There's not a lot you can do, people can be hiding anywhere."

She works throughout Central Pennsylvania and has to serve warrants, too as part of the job, which is called fugitive recovery.

"When you show up, you don't know, you have no idea what's on the other side of the door, you don't know who's in the house, you don't know who's in that house,” she said from her office in Middleburg.

Whistler says she and her partners soon have to pick up a fugitive in Harrisburg and what has happened there has made her nervous.

She says she and her partners will continue to be cautious, maybe even more so now.

Chief Speziale agrees.

"You never know what's going to take place when you go out that morning."

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