SPOKANE POLICE DEPARTMENT NEWSLETTER CHIEF'S CORNER

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SPOKANE POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWSLETTER
September 2008
Inside This
Month’s Issue:
Lifesaving Medal
Awarded
A Fallen Hero‐
EPD Sgt. Ng
WSP Trooper
Al Larned
Unit Profile ~
P.A.T.
Explorer Team
Takes 2nd Place
Years of
Service
SPD Looking for
New Reserves
Students Visit
SPD
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3
3
4
5
6
6
Cops N Kids 7
Museum Gets
New Piece
Martin Anderson
Honored
Six New Officers
Sworn In
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7
7
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CHIEF’S CORNER
Unfortunately, over the past month, patrol officers
have responded to an increasing number of
individuals attempting to jump off of local
bridges. Luckily, our officers were able to respond
in time and get them to a safe location
where they were provided with the help they
needed.
It is a very stressful situation when you see someone
standing on a bridge who has already made
the decision to jump. You have to say the right
thing at the right time—make the right move or
not move at all.
By: Chief Anne E. Kirkpatrick
Often citizens only hear of tragedies, but I want to
acknowledge the many successes by our officers. The caliber of men and
women that we have working on our department is simply phenomenal. They
are out on the streets every day helping people in need. As they stand behind
the badge they wear, they must not only be a police officer, but at times take
on a variety of roles—a counselor, a mediator, and/or a friend.
Several of these officers have been nominated for the Lifesaving Medal. Many
believe they are “just doing their jobs” but I know they are going above and beyond
the call of duty. So, I would like to say thank you to them, for protecting
our city.
Citizens Applaud
Our Employees
Citizens Applaud
Continued...
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Upcoming Events 10

LIFESAVING MEDALS AWARDED
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The Spokane Police Department Lifesaving Award is given
to department personnel who, by their immediate actions,
have saved a human life under unusual and/or extraordinary
circumstances. Officer Brian Eckersley and Officer
Nick Geren were nominated by Sergeant C.J. Reynolds and
Corporal Kevin Keller for the Lifesaving Award as a result of
their actions on June 18, 2008. Also being recognized with
the Citizen’s Award is Jackie Buchanan of Spokane. The
following summarizes the incident:
On 06‐18‐08 at approximately 1916 hours Officer Eckersley was waived down by a citizen on Napa
near Sinto in Spokane, WA. Officer Eckersley found out that a male walking down the street,
Terrance R. Weiland, fell to the ground and was no longer breathing. A citizen at the scene, Jackie
M. Buchanan, began C.P.R. after she determined Weiland was not breathing.
Officer Eckersley obtained a mouth guard and relieved Buchanan. Officer Eckersley began giving
Weiland mouth to mouth resuscitation until Officer Geren arrived and took over the chest compressions.
Both officers continued C.P.R. until the medics arrived.
I contacted one of the medics from A.M.R. at the scene, Dennis Wright. Wright stated that
Weiland had no pulse and was not breathing on his own when A.M.R. arrived. Wright stated that
Weiland was "...on the edge of death and starving for oxygen". Wright claimed that Weiland's condition
was fatal and he would have died in two to three minutes if the citizen, and the officers at
the scene, would not have performed C.P.R.
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Corporal Kevin Keller stated, “Officer Eckersley
and Officer Geren are members of the
patrol team I work on. They perform at a
high level each and every night. This incident
is only one example of their professionalism..”
Sergeant Reynolds followed by saying, “It is
not only my opinion, but also the opinion of
the medical professionals at the scene, that
this man would have died had it not been for
the appropriate first aid performed by Officer
Eckersley, Officer Geren and Jackie Buchanan.
I am honored to work with such
From left: Officer Nick Geren, Chief Kirkpatrick, Officer Brian
Eckersley and Jackie Buchanan.
professional officers and they should be recognized for their heroism. Jackie Buchanan should also
be commended for her quick actions to save the life of another member of the community.”
On Tuesday, August 5th, Officer Eckersley and Officer Geren were awarded Lifesaving Bars, to be
worn on their uniforms. They will receive their Lifesaving Medals at our annual Employee Awards
Ceremony in February of 2009. At the same ceremony, Jackie Buchanan was awarded with the
Citizen’s Award for her actions on that day.

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A FALLEN HERO
WSP TROOPER INVOLVED IN COLLISION
By: Officer Teresa Fuller
On the 15 th of August, Chief Kirkpatrick was notified that a member of the Ellensburg
Police Department had died. This was no ordinary notification of a local
police officer’s death. Chief Kirkpatrick hired Sgt. Nelson Ng while she was Chief
at Ellensburg, 11 years ago to the day he died. Chief Kirkpatrick wrote this about
Sgt. Ng, “In all honesty, Nelson was a Great guy and I tried to get him to come to
Spokane, but he loved Ellensburg and he was very proud to be an Ellensburg Police
Officer – and rightfully so. Ellensburg is a wonderful police department.” She
added this about Ellensburg P.D., “Everyone there really is like family. I am honored
that they still have kept me in their family circle.”
Sgt. Ng was 34 years old and leaves behind a wife, Anna, and 7‐year‐old daughter, Elise. He was
credited with several big projects during his 11 years on EPD. The first was the “Look at Me, No MIP” program
for Central Washington University freshman, that’s still used today. He also organized active shooter
drills and made safety plans for the Ellensburg School District, which earned him the honor of Officer of the
Year last year at EPD. He had just been promoted to the rank of Sergeant.
It was later determined that Sgt. Ng succumbed
to a Hantavirus. CDC officials were able to confirm that
the disease was found at the range building where Sgt. Ng
worked as a firearms instructor. They also found deer
mice, known carriers of the disease, at the location. Because
of this information, which came to light just before
the funeral, Sgt. Ng’s family will receive all the benefits
afforded to a family after an officer dies during job related
activities.
An estimated 1,500 people attended the funeral of Sgt. Ng at Ellensburg High School to pay respects
and share memories including about 400 law enforcement personnel from across the state that filled the EHS
gym floor alongside Ng's family and close friends. It was clear he was a loved and well‐respected member of
not only the EPD, but of the entire community and will be greatly missed.
By: Officer Jennifer DeRuwe
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On Sunday, August 17th, Washington State Patrol Trooper Allen Larned was involved
in a serious injury collision on I‐90 westbound just west of Pines in Spokane.
Larned had a vehicle stopped and one in custody in the back of his patrol
car. Larned was sitting in the front seat of his fully marked patrol car when he was
rear ended by a full size pickup traveling freeway speeds. The truck did not brake
prior to impact; slamming into the rear of Larned’s patrol vehicle accelerating the
patrol car into the vehicle he had stopped and then into the jersey barrier. Larned
was transported to Sacred Hospital. Larned has a skull fracture and 8 areas of his
brain that have bleeds. He has short term memory loss and cannot taste or smell.
He was recently moved to St. Luke’s Rehab Center. His chest and back have suffered
trauma and he is extremely sore.
He does not recall the collision. The
person in the rear of the patrol car was
in serious condition as well. The driver
of the pickup truck, William Zink, was
arrested for Vehicular Assault.
Larned’s patrol car after the jaws of life
pried open the backseat.
A benevolent account has been set up
WSP Trooper Allen Larned
for Larned at the S.L.E.C.U. If you
would like to donate, the account was set up under the Spokane
Police Guild’s account (sub account #4). The SPG will then present
the donations to Al Larned in the name our members.
Thank you to everyone from SPD, SPCSO and the WSP who has
called or stopped by the hospital.

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UNIT PROFILE ~ P.A.T.
Got Stress?? P.A.T. can help.
By: Officer Dave Daddato
What does P.A.T. mean you ask?
That’s a great question and the answer may be of
service to you or a co‐worker. P.A.T. stands for Personnel
Assistance Team. This unit was created to aid in combating
the psychological and physical stresses of a critical incident
at work or in your personal life.
Critical stress is defined as “an event that is outside the
range of usual human experience, is sudden and unexpected,
may be a threat to the employee’s physical or psychological
existence or well being, and that causes them to
experience unusually strong emotional reactions.” These
responses can possibly interfere with an employee’s ability
to function either at the scene or later.
The goal of P.A.T. is to provide quick on‐site support to
employees who have been involved in a critical incident. P.A.T. also provides post‐incident
support to employees affected by an event.
If an employee is involved in an officer involved fatal incident, officer involved serious
injury, officer involved serious traffic incident or incidents involving mass casualties, the
employee will be contacted by a P.A.T. member.
If you are involved in a Suicide call, SIDS call, a fatal car collision, a serious physical confrontation,
or a serious injury to a child, the P.A.T. is available to you. All P.A.T. members
adhere to strict confidentiality. The only exceptions to the confidentiality rule are if you
are a danger to yourself or others, your suspected of child or elderly abuse, domestic violence,
and cases where the law requires or the affected employee requests divulgence.
Is the P.A.T. team only for work related stress?
Great question, the answer is no. The P.A.T. is also trained to assist an employee in personal
critical stress incidents. What do you mean by personal critical stress? Well, it can
be a multitude of things for example; personal relationship problems at home, gambling or
alcohol problems.
So if I have a work or personal stress issue who can I contact?
Here are the members of P.A.T. available
to you; Ron Alter, Gene Baldwin,
John Gately, Kellee Gately, Tracie
Meidl, Rex Olson, Deanette Palmer,
Ty Snider, Karl Thompson, Dennis
Walter, Dan Waters, and Beth Wilson.
These members have gone
through extensive training and are
committed to helping their fellow
employees get through some problems
they may encounter through
life.
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SPD EXPLORER TEAM TAKES 2ND PLACE AT COMPETITION
By: Kiley Friesen
Representing SPD Post 941, front row, from left:
Officer Jay Kernkamp, Greg Thompson, Bruce
Blunt, Thor Tangvold, Officer Paul Buchmann.
Back row: Amanda Siers, Allie Gilmore, Alisha
Fiskvik.
Six members of the SPD Explore Post 941 went
to Fort Collins, CO for the 2008 National Explorer
Competition. The competition was held
on the campus of Colorado State University
and was a week long event starting July 21st
and wrapping up on July 25th. Over 4000 explorers
from around the country attended to
compete against and test each others skills in
the law enforcement arena. The competition
involved many team and individual events including
firearms, community safety, crime
scene search, and EVOC. Explorers were not
told prior to arrival which events they would
be competing in, which made preparation very
critical for them to fully hone their skills in several
areas of possible testing.
SPD Explorer
Lieutenant Greg Thompson described one of
his events. “Our second place win came from crime
scene investigation. My team, consisting of myself,
Bruce Blunt and Thor Tangvold, were first responders
to a shots fired call. We arrived on scene and immediately
made contact with the complainant who was
the neighbor and landlord. He was the one who
heard the shots. We the began building a case in order
to be able to lawfully make entry on the residence
where the shots were heard from. As we entered the
residence, we saw a female
From left: Bruce Blunt, Chief Kirkpatrick,
Greg Thompson.
victim on the ground and one of my partners assessed her vitals.
Seeing that they were life threatening, paramedics were called
while my other partner and I continued to search for possible suspects
or victims. Although none were found, we had a victim and a
crime scene. We set up a perimeter, started processing evidence
and were able to pull a full finger print of the suspect. This whole
scene was processed with only three explorers while other teams
had four and five.” He also stated, “This program is such a wonderful
experience and opportunity is because it allows youth to really
decide if they want to purse law enforcement as a career.”
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Congratulations to them for an honor well earned as well as to all of
the explorers and advisors for their effort in preparing for the competition.
The trophy was shown to Chief Kirkpatrick on Monday August
4th.

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YEARS OF SERVICE
July of 2008 was Detective Jerry Keller’s
35th year with Spokane Police
Department.
10 Years of Service
Matt Cowles
Mark Howard
Rich Meyer
Erin Raleigh
He was awarded his 35 year service
pin August 5, 2008.
15 Years of Service
Neil Gallion
Ray Harding
Tim Madsen
Jennifer Nist
RESERVE RECRUTING
The Spokane Police Department is looking for exceptional men and women who
want to make a difference in their community by becoming a Reserve Officer with
the Spokane Police Department. The 280 hour Spokane Regional Reserve Academy
is set to start in late January and finish in mid May of 2009.
Spokane Police Department Reserve Officers perform all of the duties of a regular
police officer while in uniform, but on a volunteer basis. They perform patrol duties
alone or in pairs, depending on their level of training. The only cost of the program is your
time. All uniforms, equipment and training are provided by the Spokane Police Department. The
program is designed for both those who only wish to serve as a citizen volunteer as well as those
interested in gaining valuable experience for a future full‐time law enforcement career.
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Two scheduled test dates are set for Saturday, August 30th and Saturday, September 13th from
0800 to 1100am.
Persons interested in obtaining more information about the SPD Reserve Officer Program can contact
Sergeant Chuck Reisenauer 509‐363‐8281 or Sandy Alter 509‐363‐8283 in the SPD Volunteer
Services Office. Also, visit our website for more information including—SPD Drug Usage Standards
and the Fitness Ability Test Packet.
JAPANESE EXCHANGE STUDENTS VISIT SPD
Thirty‐one Japanese exchange students were at Gonzaga
University for three weeks at the Summer English Learning
Program. For the first two weeks they stayed in
dorms on campus and the third week they did home stays
with area families. While staying in Spokane, the students
visited the Communications Center, the law enforcement
memorial wall, the courthouse, and did a tour
of the Wall of Honor and Hallways of History. While at
the Public Safety Building, the students had their picture
taken with Chief Kirkpatrick, Major Bruce Roberts and
with the mannequin in the lobby!!

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COPS N’ KIDS
By: Officer Gordon Grant
The cops and kids event for 2008, was a total success. We had 122 registered
cars, and 60 more that stopped by. We gave out 500 hotdogs and
free pop. Both Chief Kirkpatrick and Sheriff Knezovich appeared to support
the event. Chief Kirkpatrick gave away the chiefs trophy to a beautiful,
two tone, 64 Buick Skylark convertible. Thanks to all the sponsors and a
special thanks to Sergeant Anderson, and Officers Spiering and Redmon for
their attendance.
WINDOW PRESENTED TO HISTORY MUSEUM
By: Kiley Friesen
On Wednesday, August 20th a presentation was
made to the Spokane Police Law Enforcement Museum.
Chief Anne Kirkpatrick presented a window
etched with the Spokane Police badge from the old
police department building on Riverside. The window
had been in safe keeping until the donation
was made to the Law Enforcement Museum. Sergeant
Dennis Walter and Officer Dean Draper
crafted a beautiful frame to go around the window.
It was presented to the museum’s curator Glen
Whitley by Retired SPD Chief Robert Panther. The
window will be on display at the museum’s new
location at 1st & Jefferson, downtown Spokane.
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EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH ~ SERGEANT ANDERSON
Congratulations to Sergeant Martin Anderson, Assistant Director of
Training for the Spokane Police Department, who has been chosen
as the Employee of the Month for August 2008.
Sergeant Anderson has been the Assistant Director of Training at
the Spokane Police Academy for approximately five years and has
been a Spokane Police Officer for nearly 28 years. He continues to
be in charge of the BLEA, the FTO program, all POST and Equivalency
training, and the Citizens Academy. He is also a BLETC board
member. He is involved in the hiring process and currently supervises
two commissioned employees, two civilian employees and a
temp‐seasonal.
Martin not only takes the initiative regarding changes or projects
he exceeds any requests he is given. He is very dedicated to a
smooth running operation and will typically derail challenges before they have had the opportunity
to grow into problems. Martin’s response is always well thought out and he details a plan of action.
He is skilled at making decisions that range from the insignificant to the career altering. He is
also able to articulate his process, reasoning and any ultimate decision.
Congratulations Martin!
Your service and commitment to the City of Spokane and the community are greatly appreciated!

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SIX NEW OFFICERS SWORN IN
By: Kiley Friesen
From left: Chief Kirkpatrick, Elina Gee, Micah Prim, Rhian
Wilkinson, Dawn Hanson, Lance Fairbanks , Christopher
Douville.
On Monday, August 4th, Spokane Police
Department welcomed its six
newest officers. Rhian Wilkinson has
a degree in Education and spent four
years teaching at Seattle Lutheran
High School in Seattle before moving
to Spokane to become a police officer
in the Inland Northwest. Dawn Hanson
was ready to be hired in 2005
when the hiring freeze was announced.
She has been employed as
a Corrections Deputy at the Spokane
County Jail since then. Chris Douville
graduated form Gonzaga University
with a B.A. in Psychology and History
and previously worked at Providence Portland Medical Center as a patient escort. Lance
Fairbanks attended Spokane Community College and earned his degree in General Studies.
Elina Gee graduated from Eastern Washington University with a B.A. in Criminal Justice
and is working towards a Masters Degree in Public Administration. She also previously
worked for Spokane County Jail as a Corrections Deputy. Micah Prim is the son of former
SPD Lieutenant Mike Prim. Micah served in the U.S. Army for five years, 4 months and
spent a year in Iraq before returning to Spokane. On August 5th, these six new officers
began their Basic Law Enforcement Academy which will end December 11 of this year.
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Congratulations to them and welcome to SPD!!
CITIZEN’S APPLAUD OUR EMPLOYEES
I needed to pass this on, for it again demonstrates the
caliber of officers we have serving on our police force.
Early Sunday afternoon I was standing outside of my
apartment building when I heard a great deal of yelling
coming from the parking lot on the S/E corner of East 1st
Av and Monroe. There were two officers and a rather
irate motorist. The driver was shouting a great deal of profanity at the
officers, apparently trying to start a fight. Corporal Ty Johnson and Officer John
O’Brien were calm and very professional. The motorist left after being cited, still
ranting and raving at the top of his voice accompanied by obscene gestures. I was
proud of and for these two officers for I doubt if a lesser man would have withstood
this type of abuse without reacting. I realize that incidents like this probably happen
far more than the public is aware. That’s a shame, for some of the finest police
officers I have ever met have served on the Spokane Police Department.
~Gary Pollard, Spokane Citizen

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CITIZEN’S APPLAUD OUR EMPLOYEES continued...
The purpose of this letter is to commend Ryan Shaw and thank him for making an informative
Crime Analysis presentation to my criminal justice students and Lewis and Clark
High School. I had the pleasure of interviewing and hiring Ryan when he applied for the
Crime Analysis position he holds today. I thought then, as I do now, that Ryan is a fine
analyst and continues to grow. This was evidenced in his presentation to my students
on the function of Crime Analysis in law enforcement. He entertained the students with
humor, intelligence and knowledge. My review of the students’ notes revealed they were genuinely
interested in the subject matter and material Ryan presented. In closing, I would like to acknowledge
Ryan as a credit to the Spokane Police Department and the Crime Analysis unit in particular.
~Michael Yates, Spokane Police Department (Retired)
*********************************************************************************
I had the opportunity to speak with the victim of an incident that occurred
on May 8th. Officers Zac Dahle, Rob Boothe and Ben Yinger were the responding
officers to what appeared to be burglary. The 80 year old woman
was victimized by a drunken and incoherent defendant—he was so intoxicated
that he believed he was at the home of a friend and proceeded to literally
pound down the victim’s door, breaking through three locks that were
in place, clearly terrorizing this elderly lady. She expressed sincere thanks for all your
help that evening and your reassurance and the fact that you went above and beyond
the call of duty to temporarily repair and secure her home by nailing the door into place.
She said that she thought “...you were just the best ever!” and “...really appreciated everything
they did for me—because I am just a little old lady with no family.” It’s not too
often that I get to speak with our victim’s and have the express their gratitude to our officers and I
just though you should be aware that your service was clearly appreciated by this citizen.
~Rebecca Stewart, Asst. City Attorney
*********************************************************************************
I wanted to send you a quick thank you to pass on to Corporal Jon Strickland for his performance
during the July 10th “fire storm.” We first encountered him at the scene of a
down power line. All of our resources were taxed to the limit and he made himself available
to stand by that scene until Avista could respond. Shortly after leaving that scene,
we were called back to another “down power line.” In route to this call it became obvious
that this was much more than a power line issue (ultimately four single car garages,
trees, and brush extending towards the houses.) We were the first fire apparatus to arrive and we
found Corporal Strickland with a garden hose cooling one of the exposure houses. As I pulled the
first line from our engine, he helped me extend that hose and shortly after he had manned a second
line that had been pulled and was again protecting the exposed house. Time and again I have
personally witness your people going way above and beyond and in this case from a veteran of
your department. It was apparent by conversations of homeowners, neighbors and bystanders
that Corporal Strickland’s actions made quite an impression and I would like to join them in that
sentiment.
~Lieutenant John Stanton, Engine 15
*********************************************************************************
I just wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve done in my neighborhood. I live on W. Kiernan
and I and my neighbors believed one of the other neighbors was dealing drugs. We contacted
you on a few occasions as well as the property owner and expressed our concerns. Your constant
pressure on the property and relentless pursuit of the suspect finally resulted in his decision to vacate
the property. He is currently moving out. I don’t think any of us expected anything to happen
this quickly. We were prepared for the problem to be resolved by the end of the year. Thanks so
much for making our neighborhood normal again. You guys are great!!!
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www.spokanepolice.org
Spokane Police Department
1100 W. Mallon Ave.
Spokane, WA 99260‐0001
www.spokanepolice.org
Upcoming Events In September:
Police Advisory Committee Meeting
September 18—5:30pm
East Central Community Center
500 S. Stone, Spokane, WA
Car Seat Check
September 27—11am to 3pm
Dishman Dodge
Corbin Art Center Fall Classes
September 29th through November 8th
See class schedule online!
Dave’s “30 in 30” Challenge
30 Triathlons in 30 Days!
KXLY 4 News Anchor Dave Erickson challenges the public to join his
efforts in raising $30,000 for Cancer Patient Care by committing to at
least 30 minutes of exercise a day for 30 days.
OZ Fitness (3 locations in Spokane)
September 1 –30, 2008
Spokane Police Department
1100 W. Mallon Ave.
Spokane, WA 99260‐0001
www.spokanepolice.org
SUGGESTIONS—COMMENTS?
Editor, Kiley Friesen
509‐625‐4456
Or by email
kmfriesen@spokanepolice.org
Visit our website
www.spokanepolice.org
For SPD resources and other
interesting information
as well as our newest program
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The SPD Team, including Chief Kirkpatrick and others, will be completing
a sprint triathlon—Tuesday, September 30th at 10:30am @
northside OZ Fitness.
Donations and pledges can be made through Cancer Patient Care.