Life Not Easy for Law Enforcement Officers' Wives

RALEIGH — When people say goodbye to their spouses in the morning, they never really know if they will see him or her at the end of the day. But for the spouses of police officers, that fear is magnified. The shooting deaths of two officers Tuesday was just one of many recent examples of officers getting killed in the line of duty.

Kathy Linthicum is married to Raleigh Police Detective David Linthicum. They have two children. She says they talked about the dangers before they married.

Despite her fears, the couple married. Now, she worries about her husband on a daily basis, but when Raleigh Detective Paul Hale was killed in July, she says it really hit home.

Amy Holloway shares Linthicum's concerns. Her husband is a police officer an was on bike patrol in downtown Chapel Hill in January 1995. That's when a gunman opened fire killing two people.

Amy's husband was not hur, but she still worries. Still, both women say, you can't spend all your time consumed by anxiety.

Spouses of police officers have formed support groups in many areas. The common goal members is to get to know one another and share common issues. In Wake County the Law Enforcement Support Group has recently organized.

Anyone interested in more information about the group can email .

Photographer:Keith Baker