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The widow of fallen Austin Police Department Officer Anthony "Tony" Martin said she was "crushed" after seeing Mayor Steve Adler appearing to sleep at her husband's funeral on Monday.
"This service wasn’t just a check list for us. It was the honor & respect of a man who has served his country and community his WHOLE life. My family needed to see him honored not [disrespected]," Amberlee Martin said in a statement on Tuesday through the Austin Police Association.
"My husband, their father who doesn’t get to ever come home again, doesn’t get to go to SLEEP next to me EVER again, doesn’t get to RETIRE in four years from now, who doesn’t get to enjoy those golden years with me. I know he doesn’t mean anything to you but could you have at least pretended for just one hour."
Adler apologized on Monday after a photo surfaced of him with his head down and eyes closed at the funeral for Officer Martin, who died last month in a car crash while returning home from his night shift.
"I want to express my deepest apologies to the family of Officer Martin. Officer Martin died 10 days ago and will forever be honored as a hero. This moment should be about him and his family, including his two daughters whose words today pierced my heart as a father," Adler said in a statement on Monday.
"I hold Officer Martin in the highest regard. May his memory be a blessing to his family, and to the city he served."
A spokesperson for Adler said Tuesday that the mayor has privately reached out to Officer Martin's widow.
Sandy Ramirez said she was sitting a few rows behind Adler and saw him intermittently nod off during the funeral. (Sandy Ramirez)
Officer Martin, who joined the Austin Police Department in 2006 after two decades of service in the United States Air Force, leaves behind his wife, three children, and one granddaughter.
"I have endless memories that I hold in my heart, but sadly that’s all I have now," his daughter, Ashley, said at Monday's service. "My dad was always my hero, my protector, and my inspiration. He was my fearless leader. No matter how scary the path was, I knew I could follow him."
The photo of Adler was originally posted by Austin police officer Justin Berry, one of 19 officers indicted earlier this year for their role in breaking up a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest.
Austin Police Department Officer Anthony "Tony" Martin tragically died in a car crash on Sept. 23. (Austin Police Department)
Sandy Ramirez, an Austin resident who is active in the community, said she also saw the mayor intermittently nodding off and closing his eyes during the service.
"I was very angry," Ramirez told Fox News Digital. "I was ready to get up and elbow him or something."
"I understand nodding off in church because you hear the same stuff sometimes, but this is a memorial for a gentleman that passed on, that gave his life for service, both as an Airman and a police officer."
Steve Adler, mayor of Austin, speaks during an interview in Austin, Texas, U.S., on Monday, Jan. 17, 2021. (Sarah Karlan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Mayor Adler has clashed with advocates for law enforcement in Austin after the city council slashed APD's budget by about a third in August 2020 at the height of the movement to defund the police. Last year, the city council returned about $133 million to the police department's budget in accordance with a law passed by the Texas legislature.
Morale at the department is disturbingly low though and record numbers of officers have departed the force in recent years, leading to about 250 vacancies as of the end of September.
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