Four years after Randy Simmon's death during an LAPD SWAT raid, his wife wrote a book about his life. She says it started as a historical record for the couple's two children and turned into a chronicle of a man who was much more than a devoted officer.
"I woke up at five every morning and started writing," recalls wife Lisa Simmons. "A couple times I had to start and stop, because you're reliving everything."
Those moments are shared in her new book, "41D: Man of Valor," named after Randy Simmons' police radio handle.
Lisa Simmons says she first started writing the memoir in 2010 – two years after Randy Simmons was killed during a SWAT raid of a house in Winnetka.
A devout Christian, a mentor to at risk children, and a minister to the poor, colleagues remember the slain officer as “dynamic.”
"In all my life, I've never seen anything like Randy," said LAPD Officer James Hart, Simmons’ partner for eight years. "He was such a dynamic man, and a lot of people didn't know what he was doing away from work."
Behind the badge, Lisa Simmons says there was more to man she was married to for 17 years. Stories she's now sharing for those who will never get to meet him.
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"It's my life," Simmons said. "It's our life together as a family. It's inspirational."
It took two years for Lisa Simmons to complete the book about her husband. She says the journey has been therapeutic and healing for herself and her two children.
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