JAN 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 1

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 1

2 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 3

JANUARY 2021 

FEATURES 

26 COVID VACCINE IS HERE - DO YOU TAKE IT? 

36 NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS YOU SHOULD DO 

40 POLICE CARS - PAST. PRESENT. FUTURE. 

56 LOOK AT THE 2021 POLICE MODELS 

70 WHAT ARE YOU DRIVING/FLYING IN ‘31 

OUR TEAM 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

On the Cover / 

Feature Story 

The first police vehicle dates 

back to 1899. This month we look 

back on 122 years of police cars 

and then jump ahead ten years 

to see what it’s like to pilot your 

shop instead of driving it eight 

hours. 

30 

34 

72 

38 

DEPARTMENTS 

06 Publisher’s Thoughts 

08 Editor’s Thoughts 

10 Your Thoughts 

14 News Around the State 

20 News Around the Country 

80 Remembering My Hero - Officer Craig Story 

86 Running 4 Heroes 

90 Blue Mental Health with Dr. Tina Jaeckle 

94 Honoring Fallen Heroes 

98 Outdoors with Rusty Barron 

100 Parting Shots 

102 Now Hiring - L.E. Positions Open in Texas 

DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS, 

by DARYL LOTT 

92 

HPOU EDITORIAL, 

by PRESIDENT DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

MICHAEL BARRON 

founder & publisher 

REX EVANS 

editor-n-chief 

MISTY ROBERTS 

executive editor 

DIANE TRYKOWSKI 

creative editor 

RUSTY BARRON 

outdoor editor 

TINA JAECKLE 

contributing editor 

DARYL LOTT 


DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

HPOU contributing editor 

JANICE VANZURA 

sales mgr / austin 

PHIL PIERCE 

sales mgr / dallas 

REBECCA CESARI 

sales mgr / houston 

T. EDISON 

light bulb award 

SHERIFF ED GONZALEZ 

HCSO newsletter 

NICOLE HENSLEY 


NANCY PERRY 


ERIC TING 


KIM BELL 


JOHN M. WILLIAMS 


CAPT. R. MITCHELL 


HEATHER COTTER 


DANIELLE STORY-STINSON 

contributing editor / COPS 

The BLUES Police Magazine is published monthly by Kress-Barr, LLC, P.O. Box 2733, League City Texas 77574. The opinions 

expressed in articles, op-eds and editorials are those of each individual author and do not reflect the opinion of 

The BLUES or its parent company. Rebuttals or submission of news articles and editorials may be submitted to: 

The BLUES Police Magazine @ bluespdmag@gmail.com. The entire contents of The BLUES is copyrighted© and may not be 

reproduced or reprinted without the express permission of the publisher. The BLUES logo is a Trademark of Kress-Barr, LLC. 


Well we made it! 

2021 is finally here, let the 

celebration begin………. 

SCREEEEEECH! Interject the 

sound of skidding tires and 

burning brakes. Let’s not start 

the party just yet and for God’s 

sake let’s not jinx it either. We 

all agree that we need a better 

year than 2020. Like they say, 

“Hindsight is 20/20,” meaning it 

is easier to analyze and evaluate 

situations when we are looking 

back on them in the past, than 

when we are in the present moment. 

So, let’s take a 20/20 look 

back at 2020. We started the 

year with the beginning of an 

all-new era for The BLUES as a 

digital magazine. Unfortunately, 

we had to start off with the 

tragic news that we had lost 

148 officers before the ball even 

dropped on 2019. Our first issue 

was tribute to all those souls 

lost that year. That unfortunate 

trend continued into 2020. If the 

senseless killing of our brothers 

and sisters in Blue wasn’t bad 

enough, COVID began to take 

them one by one until 301 officers 

(184 due to COVID and 117 In 

the Line of Duty) had been taken 

from us as of New Year’s Eve. 

Most of us have never lived 

through or experienced a pandemic, 

much less faced the 

reality of being a first responder 

working through one. Who 

would have thought a year ago 

that the most critical item in 

your arsenal would be a face 

mask? Try chasing a suspect 

several blocks while wearing 

an N95! Truth is, I did not even 

know what an N95 was before 

March of 2020. But, just as our 

President promised, a vaccine 

was developed by the end of the 

year, and many of our brothers 

and sisters are being vaccinated 

as we speak. 

The only thing more tragic 

in 2020 than COVID, was the 

senseless violence that erupted 

from what was supposed to be 

non-violent protests in cities all 

across our country. The deaths 

of Breonna Taylor and George 

Floyd were the catalysts for BLM 

and Antifa to organize and create 

MAYHEM in every major city in 

the US. Who did they hurt the 

most besides our brothers and 

sisters in Blue? It was the mostly 

black and minority owners of 

the businesses they destroyed 

and burnt to the ground. If you 

want to protest go ahead and 

protest. That’s your right, but 

don’t destroy the businesses of 

hard-working honest citizens in 

the process. That’s not protesting, 

that’s rioting. 

As far as the arrests go, I have 

this to say about both sides. 

If you’re a crook and you get 

caught, take it like a man and 

just comply. Fighting and resisting 

the police is not going to 

make your life or theirs any better. 

If you point a gun or worse 

(shoot at the police) you are going 

to get shot and possibly die. 

If you do, that is on you! You got 

what you deserve. Now on the 

cop’s side, just arrest the asshole 

and put him in the damn car. If 

you haven’t figured out that the 

entire world is filming you, then 

you’re stupid. Kneeling on a guy’s 

neck instead of cuffing him and 

stuffing him in a car isn’t very 

bright. Doing it with a million 

witnesses is just stupid. Now I 

wasn’t there and maybe don’t 

have all the facts, but in the end, 

it doesn’t matter. The world witnessed 

the end of George Floyd’s 

life and all the facts in the world 

aren’t going to change that. 

But isn’t it odd that the minute 

the election was over, there 

hasn’t been an active protest 

anywhere in America? It just 

stopped. Is that because Trump 

lost, or Biden won? Perhaps the 

groups “paying” for the protesters 

got what they wanted and 

sent the troops home? I guess it 

doesn’t matter as long as they 

left our cities and went back to 

the holes they crawled out of. 

But I’m sure they’ll be back. 

Finally, I would like to look 

back on the government’s response 

or lack of it, to the COVID 

crisis facing our citizens and 

business owners. I know this 

really doesn’t have anything to 

do with law enforcement, but it 

does affect all of us. None of us 

asked for a pandemic to ravage 

our country in 2020. Despite the 

ranting of anti-Trump groups, I 

believe the President did the best 

he could, all things considered. 

I believe our Governor did the 

best he could, under the circumstances. 

Regardless of what you 

do, someone is going to say you 

should have done this and not 

that. There are leaders in our 

government, both local and national 

that screwed us all. 

On the local level, Texas mayors 

and county judges took 

it upon themselves to impose 

lockdowns that destroyed thousands 

of businesses across our 

state. Even as I write this column, 

Harris County Judge Lina 

“Dora” Hidalgo and Houston’s 

Mayor Sylvester Turner ordered 

bars and restaurants to close 

from December 31-January 3 and 

ordered people to stay indoors 

(in direct violation of the Governor’s 

order I might add). But not 

all county judges in Texas are 

idiots though. Galveston County 

Judge Mark Henry was no doubt 

the most reasonable and logical 

county official throughout this 

entire ordeal. He refused to order 

businesses to close and everything 

in his power to keep the 

doors open and business dollars 

flowing. 

On the opposite side of the 

spectrum, you have the real 

screwups in Congress. The 

games that these morons play 

on a daily basis are just pathetic. 

People are suffering. Businesses 

are suffering. Do they care? 

NOPE. They’re more interested 

in sending billions of dollars 

to other countries, than helping 

their own citizens. Sending 

Americans $600 is a slap in the 

face. I can’t believe I’m even 

saying this, but maybe it’s time 

for McConnell and his band of 

morons to step aside and let the 

Democrats take over the Senate. 

How could they be any worse 

than the group of morons running 

it now? 

I guess we’ll see what 2021 

brings and pray that it’s better 

than 2020. In closing, I want to 

want to thank BK Klev for his 

inspiring and thoughtful words 

on New Year’s Eve. 

“As we celebrate the beginning 

of the New Year tonight, let us 

always remember all of the heroes 

who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

Take a moment to reflect 

on the sons and daughters, the 

wives, the husbands, the families, 

and the children who may 

only know daddy or mommy as 

a beautiful memory. This is our 

family. Nothing has a stronger 

bond or loyalty.” God Bless you 

all. 

• • • 

Just some last-minute 

thoughts as we compiled this 

issue and prepared it for digital 

distribution. 

First off, a lot of words have 

been written on these digital 

pages this month. 

Rex and I were just having a 

conversation about publishing a 

magazine in the 280-character 

generation. Most people today 

want and expect their news or 

entertainment to be reduced to 

2 or 3 paragraphs at most. 

Well folks, I’m sorry to report 

the BLUES is old school and there 

are over 25,000 words covering 

over 100 pages in this the first 

issue of our 37th year. 

Unfortunately, there are as 

many sad stories as they are entertaining 

ones. The year wasn’t 

but a few hours old when the 

first LEO line of Duty Death was 

reported in South Carolina. Sgt. 

Gordon Best was killed in a traffic 

crash at 4am January 1st. 

The following day, Sgt. Daniel 

Mobley of the DeKalb County 

Police Dept. was also struck and 

killed by a vehicle on I-75 at 9am 

Saturday, January 2nd. 

And later that day here in 

Pearland, Harris County Sheriff’s 

Sgt. Daniel Mobley was also 

involved in a traffic accident on 

his motorcycle on his way home 

from escorting a funeral. 

Three great men taken from us 

within the first 48 hours of 2021. 

Later that night, actually early 

Sunday morning, three more 

deputies of the Harris County 

Sheriff’s office were shot and 

wounded while working off duty 

at an extra job near downtown 

Houston. Thankfully none of their 

wounds were life threatening 

and no one lost their life that 

night. 

And then only hours before we 

completed this edition, our Capital 

was attacked by thugs and a 

Capital Police officer lost his life. 

Let us all say a prayer tonight 

and every night, that this isn’t the 

beginning of another horrible 

year that we lose a brother or 

sister in Blue on a daily or weekly 

basis. Please GOD hear our 

prayers and protect our family. 


Well, here we are. If you’re reading 

this, then you made it to 2021! happen. We just knew, we we weren’t sure what was going to 

$150,000 ..what it won’t get you. couldn’t 

Hallelujah and Amen!!! We left a lot 

of good folks back there in 2020. 

Some were family. Some were 

friends. All were people we cared 

about. Now, I don’t know if 2021 is 

going to be any better. Hell, none 

of us do. What I do know though is 

this, we’re still here to see it. So, we 

might as well get to it. 

If you’re a Cop or the Family 

Member of a Cop (Mom, Dad, 

Grandparent, Spouse, Significant 

Other, etc.) then this next paragraph 

is specifically for you! I don’t 

know how you put up with us. I 

really don’t, especially in the course 

of 2020. The Pandemic and all 

the dangers it presented, then the 

whole fiasco from Minneapolis and 

the ensuing days, weeks and even 

months of protests, riots, assaults 

on Officers. Even several Law Enforcement 

Officers were killed as 

a direct result of unruly mobs of 

people lashing out at whatever and 

whomever they felt they could. 

Through all of it, somehow you 

kept your cool. As a Family Member 

of a Cop, you stood behind your 

loved one and whether you knew 

this or not, you gave that Officer 

the strength, the nerve, the intestinal 

fortitude to get up, gear up and 

get to work, day after day. Deep in 

the throes of everything, when it 

seemed there was no hope in sight, 

each cop out there was able to at 

the very least, have some semblance 

of hope in that, they knew 

someone (YOU) cared about and 

loved them for, not only the person 

they were but, for the Law Enforcement 

Officer whom they felt a very 

real and sincere calling to be. 

Some are too hardheaded to admit 

it but, there were some mighty 

dark days in this last year whereby, 

walk off and give up on ourselves, 

our society, our communities, our 

families, or each other. We knew 

we had to hold The Line and hold 

The Line we did. That is with thanks 

in no small part, to all of you. 

So, from all of us who wear a 

badge and are a part of that Thin 

Blue Line, please allow me the privilege 

to say, “Thank you!” Thank you 

to each and every loved one of a 

Law Enforcement Officer for standing 

by us and not abandoning us or 

demanding we quit, for we couldn’t. 

We had to ensure we all made it 

2021 and here we are. Now that we 

are here, we find our mission is not 

yet complete. For Society, whether 

they know it or not, still require us 

to stand between them and all that 

is evil and dangerous in our lives. 

In closing, humble is a man 

(woman) who serves another. Even 

more so though, is the loved one 

who worries, suffers, and sacrifices 

for the one who serves. For there’s 

no greater sacrifice than for a loved 

one who endures the long and 

lonely nights, weekends and holidays 

alone, waiting for the Servant 

of Others to safely return home to 

them…. God bless you, one and all. 

• • • 

EDITOR: ADDED January 7, 2021. 

I honestly, abhor politics. Both 

parties are fouled, beyond measure. 

Their agendas are ultimately resolved 

upon, the backs and pocketbooks 

of each and every one of us. 

I’ll simply respond with this; 

Four people lost their lives yesterday 

in and about our Nation’s Capital 

Building. Over a dozen Capital 

Police Officers were injured. Some, 

critically. Several of these brave 

men and women will have permanent 

facial disfigurement from, the 

unwarranted violence placed upon 

them. 

One female protester lost her life, 

due to a single gunshot fired by a 

Capital Police Officer who, was 

surrounded and being assaulted. 

Acting in fear for his life and the 

lives of those charged in his care, 

this Officer was left with no other 

option but, to discharge his weapon. 

Now, switching to more personal, 

actual experience. Not something 

I’ve read from a book in school or 

college. Im speaking for my own 

actual experience. That Capital Police 

Officer Officer will endure the 

burden of yesterday, forevermore. I 

know because, I’ve been there. 

Several times in my career, I have 

been called upon and placed into a 

deadly force situation. Each time, 

each moment, every facet of those 

moments, I now live with day, and 

night. 

Setting aside all the “Political 

Rhetoric” I find I am only focused 

upon the tragic loss of life and the 

spilling of blood by those whom 

wear a badge, just like me. All of 

this, upon the hallowed ground of 

our, United States Capital. 

I just cannot and will not align 

myself with, either side of the 

Politicians. Not today. Today, I align 

myself with those who are injured, 

hurting and grieving. 

Democracy is very expensive, my 

friend. No amount of money buys 

it. Democracy demands to be paid 

with a much higher priced commodity. 

And that commodity is, the 

very lives of those willing to sacrifice 

themselves so that others may 

freely live, without oppression and 

fear... 

Solely speaking to the Capital Police 

Officers who were in the midst 

of yesterday’s tragic events; I sincerely 

pray for peace and comfort 

to cover you and your loved ones. 

I’m so sorry you were forced into 

making the difficult decisions you 

had to make, yesterday. 

Each and every one of you (Capital 

Police) have my utmost, sincerest 

respect and admiration for 

your steadfast dedication to Duty, 

Country and especially, unto one 

another. 

Together, you held the line. And, 

as the sun rose over D.C.’s horizon 

this morning, it was self evident 

to the entire world you, the Officers 

of the United States Capital 

Police, (coupled with many other 

responding, reinforcing agencies) 

held this Nation together. 

I for one am, forevermore humbly 

and respectfully grateful. For 

this morning, our Nation’s flag, still 

flies high above the Capital Dome. 


ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE 

CHAPLAIN’S CHRISTMAS EVE 

I had decided to do a Christmas 

Eve ride along after attending 

the graveyard briefing. 

That night, briefing was a festive 

atmosphere with a lot of joking, 

food, and light conversations 

about family and Christmas. The 

Sergeant (acting Lieutenant) 

asked me to say a Christmas 

word of encouragement and 

prayer. Well, you all know that 

although your Chaplains never 

push religion or their faith, that 

we are always ready to encourage 

you and pray when asked. 

Afterwards, I got into the car 

with “John” (not his real name) 

and as he checked out the car 

and prepared for our night, I 

reflected on the many times over 

the years I had worked with him 

both professionally and personally. 

I remembered that night that 

he had been shot and after visiting 

him and his wife at the hospital, 

sat in the hospital parking 

lot, crying to God that he would 

recover 100%. 

Funny, I have sat in the hospital 

parking lot more than I can 

count, praying God’s healing 

touch on our officers and their 

families. 

The night was thick with fog, 

as we slowly drove around his 

district. The radio was silent as 

we approached midnight. All 

the stores and restaurants were 

closed. We pulled over to drink 

our AM/PM coffee and wait for a 

call. 

John looked at me and said, “In 

all these years I have really never 

asked you some questions that 

probably sound dumb.” I looked 

at him and waited. 

Usually “John” calls me “Mindi” 

but this time he took a deep 

breath and asked, “Chaplain, do 

you really believe that Jesus died 

for everyone?” 

With confidence in God’s Word 

and what I know to believe is 

Truth I said, “Yes, and better than 

that “John,” God loved YOU so 

much that he gave His Son Jesus 

to die so that YOU can have 

eternal life.” 

That Christmas Eve, “John” 

asked a lot of “dumb” (not really, 

life changing, but certainly not 

“dumb”) questions. 

That Christmas Eve, “John” accepted 

God’s Christmas Present, 

Jesus. 

That following year, “John” 

was medically retired from 

a work injury that was unrepairable. 

“John’s choice was to 

either become bitter and blame 

God and walk away from his 

newfound faith OR make the 

choice to be better and live with 

a higher call on his life. His desire 

to help other officers who 

suffered from post trauma stress 

or involved in shootings began 

known to many departments. 

“John” developed a strong walk 

with God that has helped many 

officers in their darkest hours. 

This year our meetings have 

been online, but on this day, I unwrap 

the many Chaplain memories 

God has given me, this one 

is one of the ones I cherish most. 

Merry Christmas to my many 

officers out there that have 

looked beyond the trauma informed 

Chaplain who supports 

them, to see the Chaplain that 

prays daily for them. 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE! 

BOONE COUNTY SHERIFF’S 

OFFICE 

On behalf of the Boone County 

Sheriff’s Office, we want to 

thank everyone for the outpouring 

of love and support to our 

department on the loss of our 

K9 Loki. The Sheriff’s Office has 

received a tremendous number 

of requests to donate to our K9 

program. There have also been 

several individuals and organizations 

accepting donations on 

behalf of our K9 program. 

We appreciate the good intentions, 

but please know the 

department may not be able to 

verify the legitimacy of every account. 

The Sheriff’s office is not 

soliciting donations. 

However, due to the overwhelming 

plea to donate, individuals 

may send donations 

directly to the Boone County 

Sheriff’s Office at 615 N. Main St. 

Belvidere, IL 61008. Please know 

100% of the donations received 

on behalf of K9 Loki will go directly 

to our K9 program. Thank 

you again for your unbelievable 

amount of support. 

STOPPED CARING TODAY 

Today, I stopped caring about 

my fellow man. I stopped caring 

about my community, my neighbors, 

and those I serve. I stopped 

caring today because a once 

noble profession has become 

despised, hated, distrusted, and 

mostly unwanted. 

I stopped caring today because 

parents refuse to teach their kids 

right from wrong and blame us 

when they are caught breaking 

the law. I stopped caring today 

because parents tell their little 

kids to be good or “the police 

will take you away” embedding 

a fear from year one. Moms hate 

us in their schools because we 

frighten them and remind them 

of the evil that lurks in the world. 

They would rather we stay unseen, 

but close by if needed, but 

readily available to “fix their kid.” 


we work to keep our streets safe 

from mayhem in the form of 

reckless, drunk, high, or speeding 

drivers, only to be hated for 

it, yet hated even more because 

we didn’t catch the drunk before 

he killed someone they may 

know. 

Nevertheless, we are just another 

tool used by government 

to generate “revenue.” I stopped 

caring today because Liberals 

hate the police as we carry guns, 

scare kids, and take away their 

drugs. We always kill innocent 

people with unjust violence. 

We are called bullies for using 

a Taser during a fight, but are 

condemned further for not first 

tasing the guy who pulls a gun 

on us. 

And if we do have to shoot, we 

are asked “why didn’t you just 

shoot the gun out of their hand?” 

And when one of us is killed by 

the countless attacks that do 

happen (but are rarely reported 

in the mainstream media) 

the haters say, “Its just part of 

the job.” I stopped caring today 

because Conservatives hate us as 

we are “the Government.” We try 

to take away their guns, freedoms, 

and liberty at every turn. 

We represent a “Police State” 

where “jackbooted badge-wearing 

thugs” randomly attack innocent 

people without cause or 

concern for constitutional rights. 

We are Waco, Ruby Ridge, and 

Rodney King all rolled into one 

lone police officer stopping to 

help change an old lady’s tire. I 

stopped caring today as no one 

wants us around, but instantly 

demands answers, results, arrests, 

when a crime takes place. 

If a crime isn’t solved within 

the allocated 60 minutes it takes 

CSI on television, we are inept, 

incompetent, or covering something 

up. If we do get “lucky” 

it was just that and everyone 

with a Facebook account can 

post wonderful comments of 

how “they” would solve the case 

and how “we” are not nearly as 

clever. 


a video of a cop six states away, 

from a department that you 

never heard of, screws up and 

forgets his oath of honor, thus 

firing up an internet lynch-mob 

of cop haters even though 99% 

of us work twice as hard not to 

end up in the news and to still be 

“the good guys.” We are “militarized” 

because we wear body 

armor and kevlar helmets when 

shots are fired or rocks thrown at 

us and carry scary looking rifles 

even though everyone knows 

that they are easier to shoot and 

are more accurate than a handgun 

or a shotgun. 


the culture of today’s instantly 

connected youth is only there to 

take and never give back. To never 

accept responsibility for ones 

actions, but to blame everyone 

else instead of themselves. To 

ask “what is in it for me?” versus 

“what can I do for you?” 

To idolize gangsters, thugs, 

sexually promiscuous behavior, 

and criminals over hard work, 

dedication, and achievement. To 

argue that getting stoned should 

be a right, yet getting a job or 

an education is a hassle. To steal 

versus earn. To hate versus help. 

Yes, I stopped caring today. But 

tomorrow, I will put my uniform 

back on and I will care again. 

LT DANIEL FURSETH, DEFOR- 

EST, WISCONSIN POLICE 

“On Wednesday in Alabama, 

a Walker County Sheriff’s Office 

Deputy came across a man 

walking down the road with an 

oxygen tank and learned he is 

a Disabled American Veteran 

trying to walk/hitchhike from 

the Jasper area to Huntsville for 

a Dr. Appointment he was told 

he could not miss. With no way 

to get there, he said he started 

walking. The deputy acted 

quickly and escorted the Gulf 

War Veteran to the Cullman 

County line where a Cullman 

Sheriff Deputy picked him up. 

The deputy then transported him 

to the Morgan County Line where 

a Morgan County Sheriff Deputy 

took over and met a Madison 

County Sheriff Office Deputy in 

Huntsville who finished the trip 

and took the man to his appointment. 

After an overnight stay, we 

were happy to do it all again today..... 

in reverse to help get the 

man back home. We are thankful 

for our Veterans and were 

honored to play a small role in 

supporting this man who gave a 

great deal for our country!” 

ANONYMOUS 


(Mention this ad for an additional 5% discount) 


Off-Duty Harris County Sgt. Killed in Motorcycle Crash 

Sgt. Bruce Watson has served 20 years 

with the sheriff’s office. 

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The 

Harris County Sheriff’s Office is 

mourning the loss of one of their 

own on this first week of the new 

year. 

Sgt. Bruce Watson, a 20-year 

department veteran, was killed 

in a motorcycle crash while on 

his way home after finishing 

an off-duty extra job leading a 

funeral procession on Saturday 

January 2, 2021, according to the 

HCSO. 

Watson’s motorcycle was 

struck by a vehicle in Pearland 

near FM 2234 and Kingsley Drive. 

He was taken to Memorial Hermann 

Hospital and later succumbed 

to his injuries, according 

to the sheriff’s office. 

“Our entire Sheriff’s Office 

family is grieving the sudden loss 

of our long-time brother,” said 

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez in a statement. 

“Sgt. Watson served 

his community with honor 

and distinction, and we ask 

for everyone to lift his family 

in prayer during this difficult 

time.” 

Watson, 51, was assigned to 

the Patrol Support Services 

Bureau and worked the night 

shift at the Emergency Dispatch 

Center, according to the 

HCSO. 

He first joined the sheriff’s office 

in March 2000. Watson was 

also a detention sergeant in the 

Harris County Jail, a patrol field 

training officer and an instructor 

at the training academy, the 

sheriff’s office said. 

Sgt. Watson was a proud U.S. 

Army veteran. 

Sgt. Watson is survived by his 

wife, a Houston Police Department 

Officer, and his three adult 

children: two daughters, and a 

son. Funeral arrangements were 

still pending at the time of publication. 

Message from Sheriff Ed Gonzalez: 

With just hours left in 2020 (we’re almost there!), we’ve been reflecting on the achievements of a year like no other — when time 

spent at home felt endless, when life had a way of bringing everything into perspective, and when our courageous front-line workers 

risked their health and lives to protect ours. 

In a year when the weight of the world seemed overwhelming, there were many bright spots for our agency and the residents we 

serve. Here are some big ones: 

• We avoided a potentially catastrophic COVID-19 outbreak in the county jail despite a rise in the jail population and a surge in 

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the community. 

• In response to an increase in street racing and road rage incidents, we established a Traffic Crimes Unit centered on every aspect 

of racing culture, street takeovers, and stunt driving. Report racing-related activities to TrafficCrimesUnit@Sheriff.hctx.net. 

• We launched Project Guardian to improve our interactions and calls for service involving persons on the autism spectrum. Click 

here to register a loved one. 

• We expanded our telehealth program that provides patrol deputies with in-hand access to a behavioral health clinician via an iPad. 

• In addition to the 40-hour mental health training course at our academy, we implemented a proven de-escalation training and 

scenario-based program for patrol deputies and detention officers. 

• We created Crime Reduction Units in all five patrol districts tasked with proactively addressing public safety issues unique to each 

community they serve. 

• We launched a Behavioral Threat Management Unit to tackle a key component of domestic violence – stalking. The goal of the unit 

is to prevent volatile situations from escalating into harm or violence. 

• We developed a Flood Rescue Unit to respond to rescue calls during flooding events and devoted more resources to swift water 

training and high-water equipment. The unit has more than 70 trained members. 

• We became the first law enforcement agency in our area to implement a “cite and release” policy that has decreased the number 

of people jailed for low-level, non-violent crimes while still holding them accountable. 

• We established the agency’s first-ever Behavioral Health Division, led by highly qualified mental health professionals, that offers a 

wide range of consultation and counseling services to our employees and their immediate families. 

• Our five patrol districts have started hosting virtual safety forums led by the area’s captain and sergeant with support and updates 

from various agency leaders. Click here to sign up to be notified about your district’s next meeting. 

These accomplishments are the byproduct of our commitment to better serve you and the countless relationships and partnerships 

we’ve developed within our communities. Your readership and support mean a lot to us. We’ve had a challenging year, and like you, 

we look forward to better days in the coming weeks and months ahead. With an important year on our horizon, the need for compassion 

remains. A world rooted in compassion and admirable empathy is a crucial piece in building a community resilient to challenges. 

I miss seeing people’s smiles and gathering in-person at community events. Let’s continue to stay the course and be kind and support 

each other. 

Wishing you a safe and joyous New Year! 

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez 


Three Off-Duty Harris County Deputies Wounded 

Extra job at Set Nightclub turns deadly. 

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Three 

HCSO deputies were shot and 

wounded at an off-duty extra 

job in Downtown Houston early 

Sunday, January 3. 

It happened around 2:20 a.m. 

outside the Set Nightclub in the 

2900 block of Travis Street. 

The Deputies working at the 

club responded to a fight in 

the parking lot when 25-yearold 

Joseph Anthony Gonzalez 

opened fire, according to the 

Houston Police Dept. 

In a tweet posted Sunday 

night, HPD said Gonzalez has 

been charged with three counts 

of aggravated assault against a 

public servant and one count of 

felony possession of a weapon. 

He remains in the hospital and is 

stable. 

Two of the deputies were 

taken to Memorial Hermann 

Hospital, while one was taken 

to Ben Taub Hospital. All three 

were recovering and reportedly 

in good spirits. 

“I don’t know what led him to 

shoot into a crowd where police 

officers and other citizens were, 

but we’ll find out,” Finner said. 

One of the 

deputies, a 

female, was 

shot in the 

abdomen and 

was taken into 

surgery. She 

was conscious 

and talking, 

according to 

Harris County 

Sheriff Ed 

Gonzalez. Another 

deputy, 

a male, was 

shot in the 

foot, and the 

third was shot 

in the hand 

and a lower 

extremity, the sheriff said. 

The gunman also shot and 

killed a woman on the scene 

who was later identified as the 

suspect’s mother. 

According to HPD, a brawl 

broke out around 2 a.m. outside 

the club in Houston’s midtown, 

and That’s when the off-duty 

deputies stepped in. 

“A tragic night but it could’ve 

been a lot worse,” Gonzalez said 

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during a press briefing. 

“We’re just going to be out 

here lifting them up. We’re 

strong, we’re together and we’re 

going to pull through this. We’re 

going to make sure that both 

our agencies continue to work 

together in full support of the 

families. That’s the most important 

thing.” 

All three deputies are expected 

to make full recoveries. 

Post Office to be Named After Deputy Dhaliwal 

Addicks PO now Deputy Sandeep Singh 

Dhaliwal Post Office 

The U.S. Senate unanimously 

passed the Deputy Sandeep 

Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Act 

to rename the post office at 

315 Addicks Howell Rd. in our 

fallen brother’s memory. 

Though it is an impossible 

task to properly memorialize 

a man of his integrity and service, 

the resolution’s passage 

will serve as a permanent 

reminder of Deputy Dhaliwal’s 

lasting contributions to Harris 

County and affirm his deep, 

meaningful connections 

with our 

community. 

We are thankful 

to the entire Texas 

delegation for this 

effort to honor a 

committed public 

servant who 

touched countless 

lives and served 

as a trailblazer 

for the Sikh community. 


Houston’s Murder Rate tops 400 for 2020 

Sharp Increase over the 281 in 2019 

By Nicole Hensley 

Houston Chronicle 

HOUSTON — Just before the 

end of a harrowing, exhausting, 

virus-ridden year, Houston police 

were dispatched to the city’s 

400th murder — a 15-year-old 

boy who was shot at an apartment 

complex in the Alief area. 

Police found the teen’s body 

around 8:30 p.m. Monday in a 

parking lot outside the complex 

in the 8000 block of Cook Road. 

Investigators found witnesses to 

the shooting, HPD police Lt. Larry 

Crowson said, and authorities are 

hunting for the two men believed 

responsible. 

The killing solidified the year’s 

murder rate — calculated by the 

number of known murders per 

100,000 people — as one of the 

worst in three decades. The number 

is a sharp increase from the 

281 deaths last year, but the rate 

is comparable to those of 2006 

or 2007, according to a Chronicle 

analysis of Houston Police Department 

statistics. 

The current rate — which does 

not include accidental deaths, 

those killed by police officers or 

charges dependent on a grand 

jury indictment — is still dramatically 

lower than that of 1990, 

when 681 people were killed, and 

Houston was home to over 1.6 

million people (compared with 

about 2.3 million now). Violent 

crime, which has 

been on the decline 

in recent years, 

increased slightly in 

Houston during the 

pandemic months, 

with aggravated 

assaults driving 

that uptick, records 

show. 

Houston Police 

Chief Art Acevedo 

marked the implications 

of the latest 

death Tuesday in a 

tweet and vowed to 

“stem the tide” next 

year. 

“2020 can’t end 

fast enough,” the chief said. “Our 

city, state, & nation have suffered 

much from the impact of COVID, 

illness, death, economic malaise, 

and an increase in violence. Sadly, 

as of today, 400 Houstonians 

have been victims of murder.” 

Hours later, investigators hurried 

to another fatal shooting 

at West 34th Street apartment 

complex, which could increase 

the count. 

Houston’s killings loomed just 

shy of 400 on Sunday, when 

Mayor Sylvester Turner cautioned 

that Houston was not alone in 

its crime wave, pointing out that 

other major cities also have 

reported a rise in violence. Clearance 

rates for solving murders 

have also declined. 

Turner pointed to pandemic-induced 

pressures as a predominant 

factor, highlighting domestic 

violence among the issues. 

“The challenges that people are 

facing: Losing their jobs, losing 

their businesses, dealing with the 

stress of social isolation, substance 

abuse, mental behavior 

and health issues,” the mayor 

said. “This pandemic has created 

a number of issues for a number 

of people.” 

EDITOR - While the mayor may 

blame COVID, The BLUES believes 

the murder rate is rising due to 

the new slate of liberal judges 

that have filled Harris County Judicial 

benches. Along with DA Kim 

Ogg who doesn’t seem to have 

any interest in making changes. 

Eddie Garcia Takes Over as New Dallas PD Chief 

Reducing Crime is Top Goal for New 

Chief 

DALLAS — Incoming Dallas Police 

Chief Eddie Garcia says reducing 

violent crime and gaining 

the community and staff’s trust 

are among his top goals when 

he starts in February. 

During a virtual news conference 

on held in December where 

he was formally introduced as 

Dallas’ 30th police chief, Garcia 

said he plans to listen to 

his staff, criminologists and 

residents on ways to decrease 

crime. 

A former California police 

chief, Garcia will be the first Hispanic 

chief in Dallas’ history. 

Garcia, who retired as chief of 

San Jose last year, will replace 

outgoing Police Chief U. Renee 

Hall, Dallas City Manager T.C. 

Broadnax announced at the conference 

and his first day on the 

job is set for February 3. 

Garcia spent nearly three decades 

rising through the ranks of 

the San Jose Police Department 

before eventually taking over the 

top job there. He will succeed 

Hall, who was the first woman 

to serve a Dallas chief, after 

she announced she’d be leaving 

at the end of the year following 

criticism from city officials over 

her leadership amid protests and 

unrest that swept the country 

over the summer. 

Garcia, 50, said he felt the statistics 

and perception of crime in 

the city went hand in hand — and 

that both had to go in the opposite 

direction. He said he felt 

residents can judge whether his 

plans are successful by their perceptions 

of crime in the city, how 

present officers are, and their collaborations 

with the community. 

Garcia beat out several other 

candidates, including current 

Dallas commanders, and will take 

over the department as it struggles 

with a rise in violent crime 

get your 




and dearth of trust among 

some Black and Latino residents. 

Dallas Police Association 

President Mike Mata said he 

looks forward to working with 

Garcia, although his organization 

had hoped an internal candidate 

would be named chief. 

Garcia brings decades of 

experience to Dallas and the 

Texas city has a population 

similar to San Jose’s in size and 

demographics. Mata said the 

new chief will also have his 

work cut out for him in bringing 

down Dallas’ murder rate 

and would do well to surround 

himself with commanders who 

know the city and its politics. 


Grimm Start to 2021 - First LEO Death of the New Year 

SC Sgt. Gordon Best Killed in Crash 

By Nancy Perry 

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — 

A South Carolina police sergeant 

died after his car crashed while 

responding to a call early Friday, 

according to the North Myrtle 

Beach Department of Public 

Safety. 

Authorities said Sgt. Gordan 

William Best, 30, was responding 

to a call around 4 a.m. when 

he lost control of his police 

cruiser and hit a utility pole, reports 

Fox News 13. Officials pronounced 

him dead at the scene 

of the wreck. 

Police Chief Tommy Dennis 

remembered Best as “a rising 

star” in the department who was 

“very intelligent” and “well-liked 

by everyone.” 

Best’s death marked the first of 

any police officer in the city. 

“Many have 

known him here 

in our city and 

our police department 

ever 

since he was a 

little boy because 

his mother and 

his father worked 

for the North 

Myrtle Beach Police 

Department 

and both of them 

retired from our 

city,” said North 

Myrtle Beach 

Mayor Marilyn 

Hatley. 

Best is survived 

by his wife, Taylor, 

and their two 

children. 

Man Leads Police on 2-Day Pursuit 

Chase straight out of Grand Theft Auto 

The suspect was finally arrested 

only after crashing into a cop 

car, jumping off a 20-foot ledge, 

being hit by a car himself and 

carjacking a motorist. 

By Eric Ting 

SFGate, San Francisco 

PITTSBURG, Calif. — Bay Area 

News Group obtained footage 

of a police chase in the East 

Bay that most closely resembles 

something from Grand Theft 

Auto. 

Reporter Nate Gartrell noted as 

much in a tweet sharing a link to 

the story, calling the incident the 

“craziest police chase I’ve ever 

covered in my career” and “almost 

straight outta GTA.” 

According to Bay Area News 

Group, the chase — which 

spanned two days and multiple 

cities in June — started in 

Pittsburg when officials sought 

the arrest of 28-year-old Victor 

Topete, who was out on bail 

for a prior manslaughter case 

in Fresno in April. Police tried to 

pursue Topete after he allegedly 

kidnapped a friend and stole his 

car after asking for a ride. 

Topete then allegedly stole 

his parents’ Ford F250 and was 

pursued by officers from multiple 

departments across the East Bay, 

which culminated in a surreal 

series of events that began on 

Fish Ranch Road in Orinda (begins 

at the 53-second mark). 

The surveillance footage 

shows the vehicle owned by Topete’s 

parents driving the wrong 

way on Fish Ranch Road, leading 

to a subsequent head-on crash 

with a police vehicle driven by a 

member of the Lafayette Police 

Department, who sustained a 

head injury but recovered. 

The footage then shows a man 

wearing a neon vest — alleged 

to be Topete — exit the truck and 

jump down from a ledge estimated 

to be at least 20 feet in 

height and proceed to make his 

way onto the portion of Highway 

24 near the entrance of the 

Caldecott Tunnel. 

The man then gets hit by a 

pickup truck but recovers and 

steps in front of another incoming 

vehicle, which causes the 

driver to stop. He appears to try 

to open the driver door but is 

unsuccessful and the car leaves. 

He tries this again on another 

vehicle and is apparently able 

to get the door to open, but the 

driver speeds away while the 

man hangs onto the doorframe. 

The car then stops, and the neon-vested 

man is able to remove 

the driver and takes the vehicle 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO 

himself into the Caldecott Tunnel. 

“The guy in the White SUV 

really acted like an GTA NPC 

though,” a Twitter user wrote of 

the man forced out his vehicle 

(NPC stands for “non-playable 

character”). “No awareness, 

stopped there and let the dude 

carjack him, just like the game.” 

“Pretty much,” Gartrell replied. 

“He told the cops later that he 

got confused and thought the 

guy was a construction worker 

or something because of the 

neon green vest.” 

The chase ended not long after 

since the carjacker crashed 

again in Berkeley and was subsequently 

retrieved by police 

after hiding in a shack at a water 

treatment facility. 

Topete was hit with 15 felony 

and three misdemeanor charges 

following the incident. One of 

the charges Topete faces is “attempt 

to injure a police animal” 

after a Contra Costa County 

Sheriff’s deputy alleged Topete 

tried to gouge the eyes out of 

a police K-9 deputies sicced on 

him when he refused to exit the 

shack. 


Another Minneapolis Shooting Re-ignites 

Protests 

A Minneapolis officer was 

forced to shoot and kill a suspect 

who opened fire on officers 

during a traffic stop Wednesday 

December 30th. The fatal officer-involved 

shooting sparked 

new tensions in the city, which 

is still deeply on edge since 

the in-custody death of George 

Floyd last May and the riots that 

followed. 

Scores of protesters quickly 

descended on the scene of the 

shooting in a gas station parking 

lot in South Minneapolis, about a 

mile from the intersection where 

Floyd died, facing off in below-freezing 

temperatures with 

police officers clad in riot gear, 

some clutching batons and cans 

of pepper spray, the Washington 

Post reports. 

The tense scene, reminiscent 

of clashes between police and 

demonstrators in the aftermath 

of Floyd’s death, continued into 

the early-morning hours Thursday 

and prompted calls for 

peace from Minneapolis officials 

anxious to avoid a repeat of the 

May unrest that left parts of the 

city burned and destroyed. 

In a late-night news conference, 

Minneapolis police chief 

Medaria Arradondo announced 

he would release body camera 

footage of the shooting on 

Thursday in an effort to calm 

tensions and increase transparency 

about the incident. He said 

his department would protect 

the public’s right to “freely assemble 

and demonstrate” but 

said he would not tolerate “destructive 

criminal behavior.” 

“Our city has gone through too 

much,” Arradondo said. 


Webster Groves MO Officer Ambushed 

LEO Shot 6 Times by Stranded Motorist 

The officer was walking toward 

the vehicle to assist the driver 

when the driver flung open the 

car door and shot him. 

By Kim Bell 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch 

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — A 

few dozen times a year, patrol 

officers in Webster Groves assist 

stranded motorists on Interstate 

44, and a car that had come to a 

stop in the far-left passing lane 

of the interstate in May seemed 

no different. 

Police Officer Brendan McGahan 

pulled his patrol car behind 

the white sedan that had 

stopped near Elm Avenue. McGahan 

walked along the left shoulder 

of the highway, shining his 

flashlight on the car as he strode 

closer, then motioned for the 

driver to roll down his window. 

But in an instant the driver, 

Qavon Webb, flung open the 

car door and shot McGahan in 

the chest from about 5 or 6 feet 

away, dashboard video from Mc- 

Gahan’s cruiser showed. McGahan 

spun around and fell backward, 

with Webb firing five more 

shots while running toward the 

officer, circling him. 

The two struggled and McGahan, 

still on the ground, managed 

to return fire with 13 shots in 

rapid succession, 

killing 

23-year-old 

Webb. 

The harrowing 

scene occurred 

about 

8:20 p.m. on 

May 5. The 

time between 

the first and 

last shots was 

19 seconds, all 

while drivers 

in cars and 

tractor-trailers 

continued 

to zip by, 

apparently 

unaware of 

what was 

happening. 

McGahan, 36, was shot six 

times that night but is back at 

work, celebrating his eighth year 

as a Webster Groves officer, police 

Chief Dale Curtis said. McGahan 

was awarded a purple heart 

from the department for his 

actions that night. After watching 

the video, Curtis said, it’s hard to 

believe his officer survived the 

attack. 

“It was frankly a miracle,” Curtis 

said. “The whole thing is kind 

of surreal.” 

Webster Groves released a 

16-minute video from the dashboard 

camera showing the 

shooting and its aftermath. The 

department plans to use the video 

for firearms training. Officers 

will experience what McGahan 

saw as the video plays on a big 

screen before them. 

“They will understand the 

possibilities for danger even on 

routine calls, which is what this 

was supposed to be,” Curtis said. 

After the shooting, Curtis 

asked the St. Louis County Police 

Department to investigate the 

case. “We reviewed this incident 

mainly from the video and everything 

we’ve seen, everything 

he did was appropriate,” Curtis 

said. “He followed proper procedures. 

The video speaks for 

itself.” 

McGahan was hit first in the 

chest, his body armor stopping 

the bullet. Curtis gave the 

Post-Dispatch a photograph of 

the officer’s chest that appeared 

to show a hole. Even though the 

bullet didn’t penetrate the vest, 

the trauma from the impact at 

close range led to dead skin tissue 

and bruising, Curtis said. 

That first bullet knocked Mc- 

Gahan to the ground and more 

shots followed. The officer 

dropped his flashlight. It spun 

around with its beam fixed on 

the dashboard camera, obscuring 

his struggle with Webb. 

Curtis thinks Webb was going 

for the officer’s gun but said 

McGahan “doesn’t have a total 

recollection of everything that 

happened.” 

McGahan returned fire in rapid 

succession, ending with Webb 

falling dead on the pavement. 

Officers are trained to shoot as 

many rounds as it takes until a 

threat is neutralized, Curtis said. 

McGahan radioed for help, 

screaming that he’d been hit, 

and frantically waved to another 

officer who was parked farther 

back to block traffic. McGahan 

then applied his own tourniquet 

to his bleeding arm. 

As the assisting officer watched 

CLICK TO WATCH DASH CAM VIDEO 

over Webb’s body and the 

scene, another officer rushed his 

wounded colleague to a hospital. 

Bullets hit McGahan in the 

hand, arm and the buttocks, and 

“there was another one to his leg 

and a couple in the vest,” Curtis 

said. 

McGahan was back home the 

next day. He still has one or 

two bullets lodged in his body. 

They’re not causing any complications 

and surgery to remove 

them would be risky, Curtis said. 

McGahan returned to work once 

a doctor and a psychologist 

cleared him. 

The chief said the video will 

help train Webster Groves officers 

on how to approach cars 

get your 




“so they’re aware of a real-life 

situation that can happen.” 

Webb had opened and closed his 

car door three times before Mc- 

Gahan approached. In retrospect, 

such actions could be considered 

suspicious and prompt an officer 

to first call for backup, said 

Curtis, explaining that he wasn’t 

second-guessing his officer. 

“I have no fault with the way he 

handled it,” Curtis said. “He just 

thought he was going to assist a 

motorist. He was motioning with 

his hand to ask the guy to roll 

down his window, to ask him 

what the problem was.” 

The chief added, “You can’t 

assist a motorist with your gun 

drawn.” 


I’ve been offered the 

COVID-19 vaccine. 

What do I do now? 

The COVID-19 vaccine is another risk mitigation 

tool, kind of like ”internal body armor” 

“In order to ensure that we 

acquire sufficient quantities of 

COVID-19 vaccines when they 

are made available to us, we are 

asking every employee to respond 

to this survey.” 

Look familiar? Chances are you 

have recently gotten an email 

like this, and if not, you will get 

one soon. 

You may be asking yourself: 

Sgt. First Class Doreen Fajota 

gives Sgt. Brittany Koppenhaver a 

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, 

Dec. 22, 2020, at Evans Army 

Community Hospital at Fort 

Carson U.S. Army Base in Colorado 

Springs. This became the first 

military installation in Colorado 

to administer the vaccine. (Christian 

Murdock/The Gazette via AP, 

Pool) 

• “Do I take the COVID vaccine?” 

• “Is the COVID vaccine safe?” 

• “Should I wait?” 

• “Who and what should I be- 

lieve?” 

I’ll tell you what I think, as 

a doctor and a cop. This is my 

opinion – not department policy, 

not someone’s executive order 

and not me preaching at you – 

just a fellow officer who wants 

to share some facts to help you 

make your own decision. 

First off. Who am I? Well, I’m 

an MD with a Master’s in Public 

Health and Board Certification in 

Occupational Medicine. I’ve run 

travel health clinics and been 

responsible for force health 

protection for several overseas 

deployments with the Navy and 

Marine Corps. I’ve had most of 

the vaccines that are out there 

(some 2 or 3 times), and I’ve 

read and studied everything 

about COVID-19 that I could get 

my hands on over the past 11 

months. I’m also a reserve deputy 

sheriff, serving in southern 

Colorado for the past 10 years. 

I’ve worked the road, the jail, 

crime scenes, wildfires, as well 

as other details and call outs. 

I have tremendous respect for 

all of you and the tough job 

you do every day, just as we all 

have great respect and admiration 

for the FTOs, DTOs and instructors 

that taught us things 

that could save our lives later. 

We listened to them because 

they had the years of experience 

and the hash marks, 

stripes and stars to prove it, so 

for the next few minutes, let 

me be your “COVID-19 FTO.” 

WHAT THE STATISTICS SHOW 

There have been over 

330,000 deaths in the United 

States due to COVID-19 since 

the pandemic started. There 

have been reports of almost 

200 to over 300 COVID-19 

line-of-duty law enforcement 

deaths making the coronavirus 

the leading cause of police 

LODDs in 2020. 

One of these deaths was 

a deputy who had been one 

of my instructors – a family 

man whose life was tragically 

cut short. If you read the 

biographies of those officers 

who have died, you’ll see 

hard-working men and women 

of all ages and ethnic groups 

from local, state and federal 

agencies, working patrol, detentions, 

corrections, investigations 

and other areas. There are 

many empty chairs at the dinner 

table and empty chairs at 

roll calls and briefings all due 

to a terrible virus that doesn’t 

discriminate about who it kills. 

Despite this deadly threat, a 

recent Police1 survey showed 

that only 38% of LEOs surveyed 

planned to take the vaccine in 

contrast to 71% of the general 

public, according to the Kaiser 

Family Foundation. The current 

case fatality ratio for COVID-19 in 

the US is 1.8%, meaning that out 

of 1,000 people who get infected, 

18 will die. Those who recover 

may have long-term side effects 

including fatigue, breathing difficulties, 

infections, blood clots, 

and heart, kidney, skin, neurologic 

and psychiatric problems. 

About 2% of people who recover 

from a COVID infection will 

report having symptoms that last 

longer than 12 weeks – AKA the 

“long haulers” – so that’s another 

20 people out of the group of 

1,000 mentioned before. 

ABOUT THE COVID VACCINES 

Two vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech 

and Moderna, have been granted 

“Emergency Use Authorization” 

(EUA) by the FDA. They are currently 

being given to frontline 

medical workers and other individuals 

at high risk for exposure 

to COVID-19. There are other vaccines 

in the pipeline, too, but not 

yet authorized as of this writing. 

Both vaccines went through 

accelerated clinical trials involving 

thousands of people, and they 

were judged safe and effective 

enough by the FDA for distribution 

to the public (per their 

labels). The vaccines are around 

95% effective at preventing infection 

with COVID-19. 

Since the vaccines are new, 

we do not know if there will be 

long-term side effects. I have 

two daughters and a pregnant 

daughter-in-law who are frontline 

hospital workers who were 

vaccinated (voluntarily) this past 

week and all are doing fine. 

Why is COVID-19 vaccine efficacy 

so much better than seasonal 

flu vaccines, which average only 

about 40%? Well, they had the 

COVID-19 virus “blueprint” before 

they began working on the 

vaccine, but for seasonal flu, they 

have to guess as to which 3-4 


specific flu strains are going to 

be most prevalent, and sometimes 

they guess wrong. 

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna 

vaccines are “mRNA” vaccines, 

which according to the 

CDC, “give instructions for our 

cells to make a harmless piece 

of what is called the spike protein. 

The spike protein is found 

on the surface of the virus that 

causes COVID-19. Next, the cell 

displays the protein piece on 

its surface. Our immune systems 

recognize that the protein 

doesn’t belong there and begin 

building an immune response 

and making antibodies, like what 

happens in natural infection 

against COVID-19.” 

There is no live virus in the 

vaccine and you absolutely cannot 

be infected with COVID-19 

by taking it. The mRNA does not 

incorporate into your own DNA, 

and although this is the first 

mRNA vaccine authorized for 

use in humans in the US, medical 

experts have been researching 

them for years and planned to 

use them for a pandemic just 

like this one. Operation Warp 

Speed and desperate times accelerated 

this research. 

The vaccines require two doses, 

spaced at 21 days (Pfizer-BioNTech) 

and 28 days (Moderna), 

and you can’t mix the vaccines. 

You get the shot in your upper 

arm, and side effects can include 

temporary soreness and redness 

at the injection site, localized 

lymph node swelling, fatigue, 

headache, muscle pain, joint 

pain, chills, nausea and vomiting, 

and fever, so you may need 

to take some acetaminophen 

afterwards. The side effects can 

be worse after the second shot, 

but it is very important that the 

two-shot series be completed. 

There have been rare instances 

of severe allergic reactions, 

which can occur with any vaccine, 

and the clinic where you 

get it should be prepared for 

this. When enough people get 

the vaccine, (75-85% of population 

according to Dr. Anthony 

Fauci), we should reach herd 

immunity, but these numbers are 

likely a year away. Until we reach 

those numbers, you are still 

vulnerable if you haven’t been 

vaccinated. 

RISK MITIGATION 

Much of what we do in law 

enforcement is based on risk 

mitigation – that’s why we wear 

body armor, train in arrest control 

and driving techniques, and 

practice de-escalation strategies. 

What we do on an everyday 

basis in our interactions with the 

public, detainees or inmates puts 

us at significant risk for exposure 

to COVID-19, and though masks 

provide some limited protection, 

they do not provide the definitive 

protection that you will get from 

a vaccine. The CDC has recognized 

this, and that is why first 

responders are a high priority 

group for getting the vaccine, 

while the general public will be 

waiting several months to get 

theirs. 

I look at the COVID-19 vaccine 

as another risk mitigation tool, 

kind of like “internal body armor.” 

My risk of being shot is 

very low, yet if I am shot, I sure 

want to be wearing my body 

armor. Likewise, the risk of me 

dying or having complications 

from a COVID-19 infection is low, 

but if there is a way of eliminating 

that risk with a vaccine that 

is safe and effective, I am going 

to take the vaccine. 

If you want to learn more, 

speak with your primary care 

physician and check out the resources 

below. If you have questions 

about the COVID vaccine, 

email editor@police1.com for 

possible inclusion in an upcoming 

FAQ. 

John M. Williams, Sr., 

MD, MPH, is a physician 

with a Master of 

Public Health degree, 

board-certified in both 

Occupational Medicine 

and Ophthalmology. He 

is also a retired Navy 

medical officer, combat 

veteran and former 

Marine Corps Medical 

Battalion Commander. For the past 10 years, he has been a reserve 

deputy sheriff in southern Colorado and has also served as 

an academy instructor. 


News Years Day - January 1, 2000 

WORDS BY CAPT. R. MITCHELL 

January 1, 2000 fell on a Saturday. 

According to experts around 

the world, the stroke of midnight 

would bring the world to 

a standstill. Power grids would 

fail. Personal computers would 

crash. World banking would 

be disrupted. Some predicted it 

would be the end of times. Well, 

none of that happened. My alarm 

went off exactly at 5am. My cell 

phone showed the correct time. I 

had power, hot water, and no excuses 

not to go to work – hangovers 

notwithstanding. 

The minute I went in service, I 

got THE call. Once, maybe twice 

in your career you get THAT 

call. The one that stays with you 

for your entire career. You can’t 

shake it. You see the images in 

your mind, and it replays itself 

over and over again. Today, was 

going to be that day for me. 

The call started as a welfare 

check. The location was a middle-class 

neighborhood just 

north of our city, located in a 

somewhat rural area. It was 

actually the lowest crime area to 

work and most of the calls were 

accidents and report calls. I fully 

expected to arrive and find the 

occupants to drunk or hungover 

to answer the door or phone. 

Afterall, the world was supposed 

to have ended at midnight. Why 

would anyone be awake at 6am? 

I arrived at 645am and met 

a young woman in a bathrobe 

standing in the driveway of a 

two-story brick home. The address 

clearly marked on a mailbox 

- 666 Pinecrest. Well, that’s 

not a good sign. The reportees 

address was 669 Pinecrest. So, 

I assume this was the neighbor 

who was concerned about her 

neighbor, but 666…not a good 

start. Not that I’m superstitious, 

but I’d soon see it was noteworthy. 

I called out and as soon as I 

got out of my unit, I could see 

the distraught look on the young 

lady’s face. “Good morning 

ma’am. I’m officer Mitchell with 

the Sheriff’s office, did you call?” 

“Yes officer, I did. My neighbor 

isn’t answering her phone 

or door and I haven’t seen her 

since yesterday morning. Her car 

and her husband’s car are both 

parked in the garage. You can 

see them through the glass door 

on the side of the garage next to 

the house. I’ve called and called 

and knocked and knocked and 

nothing. Will you please check 

on them. PLEASE?” 

Yes, ma’am I will. Do you have 

any contact information on a 

relative that I could call and get 

permission to go inside the residence? 

And do you know if it’s 

possible that might have gone 

out of town and taken a taxi or 

airport transport and just not 

told you about it? 

“No, I don’t know anyone and 

there’s no way they could have 

left. I’ve known Sharon for over 

15 years. We grew up together, 

went to high school together, 

married our best friends and 

ended up living on the same 

street, raising families. She’s 

like family. Like my sister. If she 

was going anywhere, I would 

have known. Somethings wrong 

officer, I just know it. PLEASE go 

check on them. PLEASE” 

Besides Sharon and her husband, 

who else lives here? Kids? 

What’s their names? What’s her 

husband’s name? 

“Just her husband Ryan. They 

actually just got married not too 

long along. Sharon divorced her 

first husband last year. He turned 

out to be a real jerk. Anyway, she 

has a 5-year-old daughter Amy 

that lives with them as well. It’s 

her weekend to have her, so she 

should be here.” 

Ok ma’am. Stay here and I’ll 

check the house. 

I started with the front door. 

Knocked and no answer. I walked 

around to the side of the house 

that had a detached garage, with 

a glass paned door leading into 

the garage. It was unlocked and 

I checked inside and found two 

vehicles with both hoods were 

cold. They were locked and no 

one was inside either one. 

Outside the garage was another 

half glass door leading into 

what appeared to be a utility 

room. It was locked, and from 

what I could see inside, everything 

appeared to be normal. I 

knocked repeatedly and got no 

answer. Just around the corner 

from the utility entrance was 

a sliding glass patio door. As I 

opened the gate leading into the 

backyard, I could see the door 

was partially open and something 

was smeared on the glass. 

As I got closer, I could see it was 

blood. Quite a bit as a matter of 

fact. 

I called for backup and used 

my Stream light to gently slide 

the door open. Hello? Sharon? 

Ryan? Amy? There was no answer, 

and I could see no movement 

in the area just inside the 

door. By this time, I was pretty 

certain something was wrong, 

and I had that feeling in my gut 

I was about to walk into something 

bad. I was about to turn 

around and I felt a hand on my 

shoulder and heard “what ya 

got?” in my ear. I about shot one 

of my best friends who was a 

cop in a neighboring town. Dude, 

what the fuck? You scared the 

shit out of me. 

“Sorry, I thought you heard me 

call out. I was about a mile away 

when you called for backup. Is 

that blood on the glass?” 

Yep. Let’s check the house. We 

gently slid the door opened and 

cleared the den and made our 

way to the kitchen and the dining 

room beyond it. Nothing seemed 

out of the ordinary. The kitchen 

was clean. No dishes or food 

was out. No appliances were on 

and the stove was off. The dining 

room and entry hall just beyond 

it were clear and undisturbed. 

Just beyond the entry hall and 

off the den was a closed door I 

assumed led to the master bedroom. 

Gary looked at me with the 

same look I’m sure I had and said 

“I’ll open the door and you cover 


the room” 

He twisted the doorknob, 

gently opened the door, and the 

reality of 666 Pinecrest burned 

an image in my mind I still have 

until this day. Both a male and 

female were in bed with gun 

shots to the head. The bed was 

soaked in blood as was the 

carpet in the room. Two things 

came rushing into my mind. One, 

where was their daughter? Is she 

alive? Second, we are fucking up 

a crime scene big time and we 

are going to get our ass handed 

to us by shitload of detectives 

and supervisors that are about to 

swarm this fucking house. 

I could see the look on Gary’s 

face echoed my thoughts. Gary 

walked into the room just far 

enough to clear the bathroom, 

and I got close enough to see 

that both victims were in fact 

DOA. We backed out of the room 

and called for everyone. Supervisors, 

CSU and detectives. 

We both looked at each other, 

looked up at the stairs, and at 

the same time said, “What about 

the girl?” Do we clear the upstairs 

and check on her knowing 

full well we will be fucking up 

what was already a contaminated 

crime scene? 

The biggest part of me didn’t 

want to walk up those stairs. I 

didn’t want to know what was 

up there and I was scared shitless 

I was going to find another 

body. The body of a small child 

the same age as my daughter? 

Not a happy thought. On the other 

hand, maybe she wasn’t there. 

Or maybe the fucking suspect is 

still in the house and holding her 

hostage. We needed to make a 

decision and make it NOW. 

Thank God at that moment I 

heard my Sergeant call out on 

the scene. I had him come to 

the back door and meet me. I 

told Gary to stay put and don’t 

take his eyes off the top of those 

stairs. I walked to the back door, 

met my Sergeant and told him 

what we had. Two DOAs in the 

master bedroom and one unaccounted 

for 5-year-old female. 

“Have you checked the rest of 

the house?” he asked. No sir, we 

were about to go upstairs but 

we know we’re fucking up the 

scene. 

“Fuck that. Get upstairs and 

look for that girl. Try and not 

touch any more than you have 

too. And Mitchell, watch your 

ass.” 

I knew he had a daughter that 

was six and I’m sure the same 

thoughts were racing through his 

mind as well. I met back up with 

Gary at the stairs and told him 

the Sgt was holding the downstairs 

and gave us the green light 

to check upstairs. Neither of us 

wanted to climb those stairs. But 

we both knew what we had to 

do. At the top of the stairs was 

a hallway that split in two directions, 

one towards the front 

of the house and the other to the 

back. I held the top of the stairs 

while Gary walked left to an 

open bedroom door at the end of 

the hall. He motioned the room 

was clear. Immediately ahead 

was a bathroom that I had been 

covering that was closed. Gary 

opened the door while I stepped 

inside to clear it. Nothing. 

We both knew the only room 

left had to be the child’s room. 

Was she alive or dead? Or was 

there a damn suspect inside 

holding her hostage? Neither of 

us wanted walk through that 

door. But we knew what we had 

to do. Gary opened the door, and 

I ran into the room fully expecting 

to have to shoot someone. 

The room was clear, and the 

bed was empty. Thank God. But 

something wasn’t right. Having a 

daughter of my own and knowing 

what her room looked like, 

something didn’t seem right. I 

couldn’t place it, but I noticed 

toys scattered in front of the 

closet. I motioned for Gary to 

cover the closet, while I opened 

it. I jerked the door and Amy 

screamed the moment it opened. 

Truthfully, she scared the shit 

out of me. I grabbed her in my 

arms, and I know I tears were 

streaming down my face. I was 

so relieved this little girl was 

alive and unhurt. The emotions 

running through me were indescribable. 

I told her that everything 

was going to be OK and the 

bear hug grip she had around my 

neck reminded me of my little 

girl when she had nightmares. 

I radioed the Sergeant that we 

had located the girl, she was unharmed, 

and the suspects were 

GOA. 

Gary grabbed a blanket off the 

bed and wrapped it around her 

and we made our way downstairs. 

Sarge was waiting by the 

front door. I walked out that 

door into a group of grown men 

I knew had tears in their eyes. I 

spotted the neighbor talking to 

one of the detectives and she 

ran over to take Amy from me. I 

handed this precious little girl to 

the neighbor and walked them 

over to my car and let them sit in 

the front seat. 

I could tell by the look on her 

face that no one had told her 

what nightmare was about to 

unfold in her neighborhood or 

to her best friend. She looked 

over Amy’s shoulder and had that 

questioning look in her eyes and 

I shook my head side to side to 

say I’m sorry it isn’t good. 

I looked down at my watch. 

It was only 7:45am. All of that 

had transpired in only 45 minutes. 

I spent the next 10 hours 

documenting that 45 minutes 

and reliving what had happened 

on that first day of 2000. The 

crime scene and bloody bodies 

etched in my mind. The sight of 

that baby girl screaming bloody 

murder in that closet. Her little 

NOW OPEN BY APPT. ONLY 

arms in a bear hug so tight she 

remined me of my own daughter. 

The look of despair on the 

neighbor as she realized that she 

would never see her best friend 

again. 

The following day we would 

arrest the ex-husband who had 

been stalking his ex-wife for 

months. The child heard her dad 

yelling at her mom and knew “he 

was a mean man” so she hid in 

the closet. 

Amy went to live with her 

grandparents. The neighbor 

couldn’t bear to live on the same 

street that her best friend had 

been murdered on, so she moved 

a thousand miles away. And me, 

well I’m the dayshift captain now 

and there isn’t a day that goes by 

that I don’t think about that day. 

Amy and my daughter are both 

25 now. Ironically, they work 

together and are in fact best 

friends. 

See Amy and my daughter 

Michelle are both police officers 

and are partners on the evening 

shift. My friend Gary is their Sergeant. 

Strange how life changes who 

we are and what we become. 


WORDS BY REX EVANS 

True Meaning of “AFTERMATH” 

You hear people speak of the 

term “Aftermath” all the time. 

The section you’re reading at 

this moment is in fact named 

“aftermath” and solely dedicated 

to this term. However, just 

one word never seems to quite 

capture or quantify all that is 

encompassed in the meaning of 

the word, aftermath. 

Many a law enforcement officer 

has suffered from what he/ 

she as seen, felt, smelled and 

ultimately endured. For every 

officer, there are different levels 

of this thing called, aftermath. 

Some just have a moment 

of pause. Others have outright 

nightmares or terrible wandering 

daydreams whereby they 

must stop for a moment and 

completely regroup. Some might 

just call it what it is – PTSD. 

One such aftermath occurred 

for me many years ago, 1998 

to be exact. I was a Deputy for 

Harris County Pct. 1 and worked 

with my best friend Michael. The 

two of us, along with multiple of 

others, applied for positions with 

the Harris County Sheriff’s Office 

(this was a long time ago under 

a different Constable and different 

Sheriff). 

As fate would have it, I was the 

first to be accepted to the HCSO 

and I accepted the offer. Just 

behind me was my best friend, 

at least that was the plan. Unfortunately, 

in late September 

of that year my best friend was 

killed in the Line of Duty trying 

to affect an arrest, in the course 

of a traffic stop. 

To say the least I was devastated. 

I felt as though I had failed, 

abandoned and lost my friend 

forever. For years, I had carried a 

lot of guilt, self-imposed blame 

and shame for the loss of his life. 

I wasn’t there that fateful night 

because my application had 

been approved ahead of his and 

I was already at Harris County. I 

truly felt as though I had abandoned 

my post, my duty and my 

friend. 

I soon discovered the violator’s 

vehicle and occupants Michael 

had stopped I had stopped on 

traffic just a few weeks earlier. 

I issued the driver of the vehicle 

and the occupants’ multiple citations. 

Why they never took me 

on or tried to kill me, I’ll never 

understand or know, but back 

in ’98, the jail wasn’t accepting 

ANY class “C” misdemeanors and 

in fact due to jail overcrowding, 

pretty much all misdemeanors 

were being refused. 

Some years later, Michael’s 

parents were at the Peace Officer 

Memorial in Austin. I was 

in attendance with the HCSO 

Honor Guard. After the ceremony 

was over, I walked up and told 

them who I was and explained 

how awful, ashamed and full 

of guilt I was. Through my tears 

his dad grabbed my arm and 

pulled me close and said “Son, 

this wasn’t your fault. The only 

one to blame for Mike’s death is 

the man who pulled the trigger 

that night.” I had felt as if a huge 

weight had been lifted off my 

shoulders and my heart. 

He and his wife had always 

taken Mike, Joel Caldwell and 

me in as their own. They loved 

us, cared about us and never 

forgot us. For that I am eternally 

grateful. To this very day, Mike’s 

folks are like a second set of 

parents I am so lucky to have. 

They continue to love me, support 

me and keep me on track. 

They have steadfastly done the 

same for Joel, as well. 

Deputy Constable Michael 

Eakin was, and shall always be, 

one of the finest men I ever had 

the honor and had the privilege 

to serve with. Perhaps more 

importantly, he was and shall always 

be, one of my best friends. 

He and Joel were my “Running 

Buddies”, and Lord knows the 

trouble we got ourselves into. 

Those times, laughter and even 

the tears, I shall always be grateful 

for and never forget. 

No matter how many years go 

by, the “aftermath” of his loss 

has never truly subsided. For the 

pain of such loss and the guilt 

I’ve carried, I fear shall remain 

with me for the rest of my life. 

The best I can hope for, is when 

I am called Home, I can see Mike 

for a moment and tell him once 

again “Dude, sorry I’m late.” With 

a lot of tears falling down my 

face I sure do miss and love my 

friend. I reckon I always will…. 


A New Year’s Resolution Every Cop Should Make 

Living a Healthier Lifestyle 

BY Heather R. Cotter 

Reprinted from Police 1 

The New Year brings hope and 

promise to law enforcement 

officers around the globe. Some 

want to save more money, others 

aim to have more family time, 

some seek new ventures or promotions 

and then there are the 

nutrition and fitness goals that 

are set every December to begin 

in January. 

Understanding the basics of 

nutrition goes a long way when 

it comes to lifestyle changes. 

This article does not take into 

account any underlying medical 

issues an individual might have. 

All diets should be carefully researched 

and dependent on your 

individual needs before being 

adopted. 

CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT 

Understanding the basics of 

nutrition goes a long way when 

it comes to lifestyle changes. 

When first starting out with a 

nutrition program, it’s critical for 

all officers to understand the basics. 

Calories determine whether 

or not you gain or lose weight. 

It’s that simple. If you eat more 

calories than your body needs, 

then you will gain weight. 

In order to lose weight, you 

have to create a healthy calorie 

deficit. One pound of body 

weight is equivalent to 3,500 

calories. Now, if you want to 

lose two pounds per week, that 

doesn’t necessarily mean you 

have to carry a 7,000-calorie 

deficit each week, it just means 

that you must burn more calories 

than you consume. 

While the FDA recommends a 

2,000-calorie diet per day, that 

recommendation may be way 

too high or way too low for your 

individual needs. To understand 

what your daily caloric needs 

are, I suggest trying this calculator 

as a baseline. 

MACRONUTRIENTS SIMPLIFIED 

Carbohydrates, protein and fat 

are the primary macronutrients. 

Each of these macronutrients 

has calories associated with 

them, typically per one gram of 

measurement. Eliminating one 

group entirely will cause some 

potential short-term or longterm 

side effects, so it’s important 

to keep a balanced distribution 

of your macronutrients. 

• Carbohydrates = 4 calories per 

gram 

• Protein = 4 calories per gram 

• Fat = 9 calories per gram 

Depending on your goals and 

activity level throughout the day, 

you may seek to consume 30% 

of your calories from carbohydrates, 

40% from protein and 

30% from fat. My rule of thumb 

is to not overthink it and to keep 

everything balanced over the 

course of a week. Eating healthy 

and being mindful about your 

macronutrients is a lifestyle 

change, so modifications on any 

given day are normal and expected. 

The important thing is to 

keep your calorie intake balanced 

based on your individual 

caloric needs. 

ALCOHOL 

Wine, beer and liquor have 

calories and they also alter the 

way your body breaks down the 

food you consume. One gram of 

alcohol equals seven calories. 

A glass of wine typically has 

between 120-140 calories per 

five ounces. A bottle of wine (red 

or white) has about 600-700 

calories on average. Light beers 

tend to have 60-90 calories and 

other beers may have 160-180 

calories per 12 ounces. Finally, 

one ounce of scotch, rum or 

vodka ranges from 64 calories 

to 80 calories, depending on its 

alcohol by volume percentage. 

There are two takeaways from 

this overview of alcohol as it 

relates to nutrition. First, if you’re 

consciously trying to lose weight 

and monitoring your calories, 

your daily caloric intake must 

factor in any calories from alcohol 

you consume. Second, being 

healthy is about balance, don’t 

drink too much, and be responsible 

if you decide to drink – never 

drink and drive. 

WATER AND FIBER 

Water and fiber are two under-consumed 

necessities for 

balanced nutrition. Men need a 

minimum of 64 ounces of water 

and between 30-38 grams of 

fiber each day. Women need a 

minimum of 64 ounces of water 

and at least 21-25 grams of 

fiber per day. To put it simply, the 

more active you are, the more 

water and fiber your body needs. 

Besides the health benefits of 

making sure you consume the 

minimum water and fiber intake 

each day, they both help you 

feel fuller longer when included 

with each meal. A glass of water 

before, during and after a meal 

is a good practice to adopt. Also, 

including something high in fiber 

(e.g., broccoli) with each meal 

makes it easier to work it in. 

SNACKS AND DESSERTS 

Snacks (e.g., crackers, potato 

chips) and desserts (e.g., ice 

cream, candy bars) are all OK to 

eat and will not result in weight 

gain if you do not exceed your 

body’s caloric needs on a given 

day. While snacks do not have 

a lot of nutritional benefits, it is 

acceptable to allow yourself one 

candy bar or one small bag of 

chips once per week. The main 

point about snacks and desserts 

is to limit them to once per week 

to avoid a binge, bad habits from 

coming back and to ultimately 

preserve your health. 

FREQUENCY OF EATING 

The frequency of eating is a 

topic that sparks a lot of debate. 

Some individuals insist on 

having five to six small meals 

(e.g., 200-300 calorie meals) 

a day and others prefer eating 

three balanced meals a day (e.g., 

400-600 calories each). It really 

depends on your level of activity 

and your individual goals. If you 

work out more than five days per 

week or twice a day, then smaller, 

frequent meals may work 

better for you given your level of 

activity. Or maybe you work out 

frequently, but you still prefer 

three balanced meals a day. The 

frequency of eating is an individual 

preference, and it depends 

on your fitness goals. 

DIETS GALORE 

From Paleo and Ketogenic to 

Weight Watchers and Atkins, anyone 

can pick a diet and see results 

if they stick with the regimen. Most 

diets are meant to be temporary to 

reach a specific goal. Some diets 

turn into lifestyle changes. For 

example, competitive bodybuilders 

follow very strict diets year-round, 

but that’s because their fitness goals 

and lifestyles require that level of 

effort. Cops that are not looking to 

compete in fitness competitions do 

not need to adopt these restrictive 

diets. However, all cops need to 

adopt healthy nutrition for longterm 

health benefits. All diet choices 

should be based on individual 

caloric needs and fitness goals. 

There is a lot of information about 

nutrition, and it can often seem 

overwhelming. When making a 

conscious decision to become 

healthier in the new year and modifying 

food and beverage consumption, 

it’s a good practice to start by 

holding yourself accountable and 

keeping a food diary for an entire 

week. Write down everything 

you eat or drink for the week, look 

online for calorie conversions and 

then you can take a step back and 

look at where you can make some 

simple changes. More calories 

than your body needs will result 

in weight gain. Edit your diet and 

apply those modifications each day. 

It’s not impossible to lose weight or 

live healthier, but it is a conscious 

decision that you have to make. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Heather Cotter serves as the 

Executive Director of the International 

Public Safety Association, 

a 501(c)3 non-profit. She’s 

been working with public safety 

professionals for several years 

and understands the challenges 

agencies and resource constraints 

agencies continue to 

face. Heather has a Master’s 

degree from Arizona State University 

and a Bachelor’s at Indiana 

University, both in Criminology. 

Contact her at heather@joinipsa. 

org. 

36 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 37

Food Insecurity 

In today’s uncertain climate, 

many people suffer from “food 

insecurity.” Here in Clear Lake, 

our church and others have 

joined forces to distribute food 

to 300+ families a week. The 

need is obvious. We like to think 

that the safety nets our government 

provide will meet the 

unprecedented need, but that 

is not the case. The virus and 

associated shutdowns have 

devastated the lives of many of 

our neighbors. Thankfully, there 

is still food available for food 

banks to purchase or for charitable 

people to donate. What if 

that wasn’t the case? 

In the winter/spring of 1944- 

45, famine and starvation struck 

the Netherlands. As the Allies 

pushed their way from Normandy 

into France and the low 

countries, there was a failure to 

liberate the northern provinces 

of the Netherlands. An attempt 

was made under British command 

known as Operation Market 

Garden, but it failed miserably 

costing many allied lives. 

This huge area of German occupation 

was bypassed, much to 

the dismay of the Dutch civilians. 

The Germans blockaded the area 

and flooded farm fields to starve 

the population. It worked. The 

people had no food available to 

eat. Queen Wilhelmina of the 

Netherlands and Prince Bernhard 

were in exile and beseeched 

General Eisenhower to liberate 

the entire country. He thought 

that the quickest way to liberate 

it was destroying Germany. The 

“Hongerwinter” (Dutch: Hunger 

Winter) started. 

British and American bombers 

still bombed German positions 

in the Netherlands and some of 

those bombers were shot down. 

The Dutch Resistance would 

rescue Allied personnel and give 

them perhaps the only food for 

miles. This, of course, was not 

known initially by the Americans 

and British, but the airmen knew 

starving people when they saw 

them. When the airmen found 

themselves back in England 

again, they made the fact that 

the Dutch people were starving 

to death known. The Queen 

knew this and was trying to use 

everything in her power to try 

extraordinary measures to save 

her people. 

The Dutch were surviving off 

tulip bulbs and not much else. 

It is estimated that they were 

consuming about 580 calories 

per day. The Dutch royal family 

finally got President Roosevelt 

and Prime Minister Churchill to 

allow allied agents to approach 

the Nazi general over the occupation 

with a plan to relieve 

the Dutch famine. Prince Bernard’s 

agents negotiated a truce 

with German General Johannes 

Blaskowitz that was approved 

by General George C. Marshall in 

Washington. General Blaskowitz 

was reminded that war crime 

trials were going to be started 

as the war was concluded. He 

cooperated and ordered that 

German gun emplacements not 

shoot at Allied bombers. The 

Allied bombers, in return, would 

not bomb German positions. 

This allowed “Operation Manna” 

to proceed. The name was 

taken from the Israelites and 

the manna that God supplied 

during the Exodus. The Royal Air 

Force and the U.S. Army Air Corps 

loaded their heavy bombers 

with food. They had no modern 

pallets with parachutes as our 

Air Force has today, so they had 

to fly at very low elevations and 

“bomb” the towns with every 

manner of packaged food. The 

crews of the bombers were close 

enough to see the grateful faces 

of the starving Dutch people. 

They flew thousands of sorties 

and no crew member was ever 

the same. The notion of dropping 

food rather than bombs 

overwhelmed them emotionally. 

Non-flying personnel at the bases 

were given the opportunity 

to fly on the missions of mercy 

to allow them to experience the 

exhilaration of saving lives. Relieving 

hunger is something that 

blesses the giver as much as the 

receiver. Judeo-Christian charity 

was something that many members 

of the flight crews received 

in the soup kitchens of the Dust 

Bowl and Great Depression. Many 

of them knew “food insecurity” 

firsthand. 

Although the mission of ending 

the Dutch Famine was being accomplished, 

it would be too late 

for many people. Approximately 

22,000 Dutch citizens starved to 

death. Hundreds of thousands 

more suffered from the longterm 

effects of starvation, including 

the well-known actress 

Audrey Hepburn, a child of the 

Dutch famine. 

In this season of uncertainty, 

let us remember those who suffer 

from food insecurity. It is becoming 

more widespread in our 

neighborhoods. As you grocery 

shop, don’t overlook the bags of 

food to purchase for the food 

banks. There are people today 

who are depending on “Operation 

Manna” as the Israelites and 

Dutch once did. Let’s not let them 

down. 


A LOOK AT 

PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE 

WORDS BY MICHAEL BARRON 

Over the years, I guess you could say just about every car made has been a police car at one time or 

another. The first “police vehicle” was actually a wagon run by electricity on the streets of Akron, Ohio 

in 1899. 

In the 1920s the New York City Police Department has employed a fleet of “Radio Motor Patrol” vehicles 

to aid in its fight against crime within the city. 

In the United States and Canada, police departments have historically used standard-sized, lowpriced 

line sedans since the days of the Ford Model A. 

Let’s look back at the history of the police car since that 1899 wagon; what the “big 3” have in store 

for the 2021 models; and investigate the future to see what you might be driving and/or flying in 2031. 

1899 

2021 

2031 

40 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 41 



HOW IT ALL BEGAN 

The first police cars in America 

showed up at the end of the 19th 

century. In fact, the very first police 

car anywhere was a wagon 

powered by electricity used in 

Akron, Ohio, in 1899. 

Of course, back in 1899, when 

the first documented use of a 

self-propelled vehicle for police 

business took place in the US, 

no one really knew where it will 

eventually lead. At the turn of 

the 19th century, police officers 

began using electrically powered 

wagons, but only as a mean 

of transport for them (hence 

the name squad car for today’s 

police cars). This reportedly first 

happened in Akron, Ohio, in the 

aforementioned year. There are 

no records of how the vehicle 

performed, or what it managed 

to do. 

Slowly, the fast-growing automotive 

industry engulfed law 

enforcement efforts as well. The 

road opened by Ford’s Model T 

was the signal for police departments 

to go the motorized way. 

The T became as popular with 

police agencies because they 

were cheap and just about the 

single viable choice at the time. 

The early versions of the T 

were powered by a front mounted 

2.9l four-cylinder engine, 

developing a tiny troop of only 

20.2 hp. This gave it a top speed 

of at most 45 mph (75 km/h) and 

ate as much as 18.7l of fuel every 

hundred kilometers (13 mpg). 

Despite this, being the only true 

choice on the market made the 

T go into service with just about 

every law enforcement agency 

in the country by the 1920s. It 

was common for the police to 

use the so-called paddy wagons 

to transport criminals of the 

day to jail. Most of the vehicles 

were enclosed bed trucks, used 

to carry both police officers and 

criminals. 

Regardless of the vehicle chosen 

to be used for police work up 

until the 1920s, they had one big 

advantage, which also happened 

to be their huge disadvantage. 

A vehicle is faster than a horse, 

and definitely much faster than 

a human on foot, a trait which 

makes it ideal for chasing bad 

guys across the state. 

At first, early vehicles were 

used as a means to allow officers 

to get to the scene of a crime 

faster. Even in their crude state, 

they started being used for patrol 

purposes, with the so-called supervisors 

moving around the city 

to monitor their respective patrol 

districts. 

How could one chase someone 

effectively, if one doesn’t know 

who they are, where they are, 

where they’re heading and what 

they have done? Being fast and 

mobile meant police spent more 

time on the field, but this in turn 

left them with no actual means 

of communicating with HQ or 

with other police officers. Moving 

in packs of two or more vehicles 

was as equally ineffective, as 

the main purpose of the police 

car was to allow police to cover 

more ground, faster. 

THE THING THAT MADE THE 

DIFFERENCE.... was the two-way 

radio. This apparently plain gad- 

... in the beginning 

The very first police car anywhere was a wagon powered by electricity used in Akron, Ohio, in 1899 


get allowed police cars to really 

take off. 

Created, in its modern form, by 

Senior Constable Frederick William 

Downie from the Victorian 

police in Australia, the two-way 

radio was the first means of 

communications which used no 

wires to transmit data. The Victorian 

police was the first one in 

the world, in 1923, to use such a 

system in a car, forever replacing 

the lengthy, ineffective calls via 

telephone boxes. 

In the US, the new technology 

started taking off in 1929. The 

Detroit city police began broadcasting 

on their KOP station in the 

late 1920s, a move which soon inspired 

a world’s first. In Michigan, 

following a $25,000 investment 

in equipment and the support 

of the Federal Communications 

Commission, the world’s first 

state-operated police radio came 

to be, in 1929: station WRDS. 

WRDS was just about the only 

transmitter at the time and its importance 

exceeded state borders. 

The station could be heard in 44 

State Police cars, some 80 State 

Police HQs and countless other 

local police departments. 

The advent of a centralized 

communications system allowed 

the police car to get to the next 

level. Whereas up until then cars 

were used for transport and patrol 

means, coordination meant 

they could get a more aggressive 

stance towards crime. In 1933, a 

blockade system was established 

in 41 Detroit-area counties and 

soon after, interstate-coordination 

started. 

On the parallel front, the vehicles 

themselves were turning into 

forces to be reckoned with. By 

the 1930s, there were three major 

players competing for a place in 

police garages: Chevrolet, Ford, 

and Plymouth. 

Ever since 1918, when Chevrolet 

introduced the Model D, a 

car powered by a V8 engine and 

developing twice as much power 

as the T (55 hp), Ford’s supremacy 

began rocking. With the introduction 

of the over-head valve 

6-cylinder engine in 1929, Chevrolet 

was beginning to threaten 

Ford’s huge slice of the police departments’ 

budgets. Ford fought 

back. 

The star of the cops and robbers 

chase became Ford’s new 

flathead V8, introduced by the 

manufacturer in 1932 on the V-8 

model. Equally cherished by 

the center figures of the “public 

enemy era” (Bonnie and Clyde 

or John Dillinger) and the police 

chasing them, the V-8 would 

establish high-powered, fast 

vehicles as the cars of choice for 

police departments. Also known 

as Model 18, the V-8 developed 

over three times as much power 

as the T used to do, namely 85 hp. 

SETTING THEM APPART 

As the use of cars for police 

purposes picked up, so did chases, 

roads blocks and any other 

type of hood-to-hood confrontation. 

For the innocent, captivated 

bystander however, it was 

not always clear who is chasing 

who. As Henry Ford said, “Any 

customer can have a car painted 

any color that he wants so 

long as it is black.” Although the 

palette was more diverse than 

that, the color of choice for both 

police officers and criminals alike 

remained black. 

Few, if any markings let the 

others know a car is being used 

by police. In the early days, police 

cars were given just an insignia, 

stating the car’s purpose on the 

... the 20s - 50s 


oad. 

This minor setback, together 

with the need to make police cars 

better than their foes, led to the 

creation of what is now known 

as a police package. By definition, 

a police package is the car itself, 

customized to become a police 

car and featuring performance, 

stance and visual enhancements. 

One of the first packages to be 

offered was created by Ford, but 

only after the end of the second 

World War. The American manufacturer 

found there were several, 

repetitive items asked for by 

police departments when it came 

to cars. To make their job easier, 

Ford selected those features and 

combined them with several other 

parts and components, which 

were then sold to police departments 

as police packages. 

Of course, everyone picked up 

the idea and soon US streets were 

filled with identifiable police cars. 

Underneath the fancy painting 

and lights, however, the packages 

hid serious improvements to 

both performance and resistance. 

Police cars became much more 

tough and resilient than their regular, 

street versions. 

Police packages also began 

solving another problem officers 

had to face. Not being purposely 

built for police use, cars did not 

have any means of separating the 

officers from the prisoners they 

transported. To make matters 

worse, until police packages arrived, 

policemen have reportedly 

been driving alongside the suspects 

sitting right beside them on 

the front seats. 

Police cars began using a larger 

scale of sirens and lights. The 

sirens were, in general, a rotating 

disk powered by an electric 

motor, while the lights were 

limited to a red flasher or a Fed- 

... the 60s & 70s 

Chrysler Enforcer 

In the 1960s, the Chrysler Enforcer was a Newport 4-Door Sedan with a Chrysler Police Pack that 

included power steering and drum brakes. It offered the cop that had to keep up a 5.9-liter V8 

engine pushing power through the rear wheels using a push-button transmission. That huge lump 

of an engine made 265 horsepower and topped out at 130 mph. 

Dodge Monaco 

By 1970, 85% of American police cars were made by Chrysler. Chrysler's 7.2 liter 

Magnum V8 was a tough act to beat right up until the fuel crisis of the 1970s that 

put an end to gas-guzzling engines. The Monaco was the last of its kind from Dodge 

as it started downsizing as demand for big engines dropped. The Monaco police car 

did, however, get the perfect swan song by being the hero car in the movie The Blues 

Brothers. It was perfect for the redemption story of two criminals on a mission from 

God as: "It's got a cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, 

cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters, so it runs good on 

regular gas." 


... chrysler’s rein

eral Beacon Ray. By the 1960s, the 

single, rotating light began being 

replaced with federal bar mounted 

dual lights. Towards the end 

of the decade, enclosed lightbars 

began being manufactured, 

sticking with police cars to the 

modern day. 

Larger police departments 

started separating themselves 

from the regular trend and asked 

their cars to be painted in two, 

contrasting colors, to be fitted on 

the doors and front/rear fenders. 

Plymouth, one of the favorite 

choice of police departments, 

took police packages even further 

and came up with an advertising 

campaign to promote 

their products. They even began 

building several packages to suit 

the needs of different law enforcement 

agencies. Chrysler 

replied with the release of the 

Dodge Coronet police package in 

Ford LTD & Crown Victoria 

1956, followed by the Dodge Dart 

Before the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was born, it was the 

Pursuit in 1959. 

Ford LTD with the P72 production code designating it for police, 

The American police’s taste in 

taxi, and fleet duty. By the end of the 1970s, available police cars 

terms of cars thus began taking 

shape. Even since the 1932 Ford 

didn’t have the power that law enforcement wanted, and that 

V-8, the appeal of law-defenders 

for muscle cars grew. By the 

la. The Ford LTD is mainly included here for fond memories of 70s 

went for the instantly recognizable Ford LTD and Chevrolet Impa- 

1970s, just about the entire fleet 

and 80s TV movies where they were, more often than not, seen 

of police cars was a force to be 

losing hubcaps or spinning out and crashing into things while the 

reckoned with, spearheaded by 

protagonist escaped. 

300+ hp engines. 

TIDE TURNING 

Another major change happened 

in the beginning of the 

1960s, when smaller cars began 

being used as squad vehicles. 

As the compact car was slowly 

making its way into the world, 

police began turning their attention 

form the large and mid-sized 

sedans. 

The shift in taste culminated 

with some call “the ultimate 

police car” of the ‘70s (and since), 

the Chevrolet Nova police package. 


... LTD & corwn vic

Surfaced in 1975, the codenamed 

9C1 was powered by a LM1 

350-cid, four-barrel carbureted V8 

engine, developing 155 hp. 

Unfortunately, the end of the 

1970s, the oil crisis, which was 

about to ensue, and the stricter 

emission regulations slowly 

pushed big engines out of the cars 

and consequently, out of the force. 

In the early 1980s big engines 

were nearly extinct and police 

departments had to turn to the 

likes of Ford Fairmont or Plymouth 

Volare. Most of the police spec 

vehicles were the same with the 

ones built for taxi use. 

By mid 1980s the different ways 

and agencies to use police cars 

made for the creation of the current 

classes of police cars. The 

advent of the Sport Utility Vehicle 

(SUV) also opened the doors for 

government agencies to set themselves 

apart from regular police 

forces. 

Since the 1990s, police cars were 

classified as police pursuit vehicles 

(PPV), special service vehicles 

(SSV) and special package vehicles 

(SSP). 

The police pursuit vehicle is the 

everyday patrol car of a police 

precinct. It is fully equipped to 

handle just about every single type 

of situation, from regular traffic 

stops to high-speed chases and 

roadblocks. 

The special service package vehicles, 

mostly used by government 

agencies, are specially equipped 

SUVs, while the special service 

package ones come in the shape 

of sports cars. 

Basically, every type of vehicle 

out there has been used by the police 

at one time or another. At the 

beginning of each shift, sometimes 

it’s just the luck of the draw as to 

which shop you have the pleasure 

of driving that day. 

... chevy’s turn. 

Chevrolet Nova 

When police departments wanted better performance and gas mileage, and could 

make do with a smaller car, the Chevy Nova was a popular choice. Chevy designated 

the Chevrolet Nova as a 9C1 Police Package and was tested as a prototype for the Los 

Angeles County Sheriff’s Department before becoming widely available from 1975 to 

1979. The feature set of the police package included oversized front and rear sway 

bars, a high-output alternator, four-wheel disc brakes, HD steel wheels, a quick-ratio 

power steering system, stiffer body mounts, a dual exhaust, anti-stab steel plates in 

the front seatbacks, and a performance 3.08 final drive ratio from the 4.3-liter L99 V8 

making 200 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque. 

1996 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 

Starting in 1986, the Caprice would replace the Impala for the retail, taxi, and police 

markets based on the third-generation model which was launched in 1977. Like its 

civilian counterparts, the car would get a facelift in 1987 and would remain the same 

until 1990. The Caprice 9C1 was available with either a V6 or V8 in this generation. 

When the fourth generation 1991 model was released, the V6 was dropped and only 

two choices of V8 were offered (the 5.0 V8 carried from the former generation and 

5.7 V8) and featured a digital instrument cluster unlike its civilian version’s analog 

interface, which would remain until 1993 when the LTZ version was introduced. When 

the 1993-96 model cars lost its rear fender skirts design, this increased the 9C1’s 

sales and appeal to law agencies, as this feature wasn’t popular on the 4th generation 

Chevrolet Caprice. Despite General Motors ending production of the fourth-generation 

model 9C1 Caprice in 1996, many police departments across the nation kept them in 

service a lot longer than most other police vehicles, reason being for lack of finding 

a good enough equivalent for replacement with decent fuel mileage for its large size, 

high horsepower, affordable sales pricing, and reliability. With General Motors leaving 

the police market in 1996, Ford’s second-generation Ford Crown Victoria police interceptor 

became the de facto police car, despite being more costly, but it too went away 

in 2011. 

Chevrolet Tahoe PPV 

When Chevrolet stopped making the Caprice in 1996 and Ford stopped making the 

only rear-wheel-drive police packaged car, Chevy decided to offer a police package 

of its V8 powered rear-wheel-drive Tahoe. At the time, many police departments were 

slow on the uptake of a full-sized SUV, but it was popular in rural areas despite an 

all-wheel-drive version not being available. It was an inch lower and faster than a 

standard Tahoe, despite all the heavy-duty and performance components added to 

bring it up to law enforcement specification. The Chevrolet Tahoe is still out there in 

full “Pursuit” spec and a valuable tool for law enforcement. 


TIDBITS YOU MIGHT LIKE 

WHO THE HELL DROVE THESE? 

Some of the crazier police vehicles over the years include: an AMC 

Pacer and Gremlin; VW Beetle; Smart Car; Mini Cooper; 

Toyota Prius; Minivans; Toyota Scion; Chevy Vega and Ford Pinto. 

WHO WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO DRIVE THESE? 

Of course, thanks to drug seizures over the years, a lot of Exotic 

sports cars became police cars as well. A few include: Chevy 

Camaros & Corvettes, Lamborghini’s, Dodge Vipers & Challengers, 


ADS BACK IN THE DAY 


2021 FORD 

2021 Ford Interceptor Utility “Explorer” 

What’s new for the Explorer 

platform for 2021? A new 4th 

generation hybrid system, which 

becomes a first for police duty, 

has been added to the list of 

power train options. 

For the 2021 Police Interceptor 

Utility, the standard drivetrain is 

the 3.3-liter V-6 hybrid with a 

combined 318 hp and 322 lb-ft of 

torque. Optional power trains are 

the 285-hp, 260-lb-ft naturally 

aspirated 3.3-liter or the 400-hp, 

415-lb-ft 3.0-liter turbocharged 

EcoBoost V-6. All are mated to 

a 10-speed automatic, and allwheel 

drive is standard, and the 

new hybrid system as well. 

Ford recently provided some 

standard hybrids at its test track 

in Dearborn for several police 

departments to try out. Explorers 

are modified to become 

Interceptors, including upgrading 

the engine so when the controller 

senses pursuit driving, it engages 

special tuning optimized 

for quicker throttle response, 

transmission logic, and reduced 

concern for fuel consumption. 

A short course was set up to 

give drivers a chance to accelerate 

hard, slam on the brakes, 

and corner around some cones. 

The time behind the wheel was 

only a few minutes, but it was 

enough to discern a few things. 

Tossing the SUV into gear is via 

a traditional column shifter for 

police duty—the civilian Explorer 

has a rotary dial, which you 

don’t want to be fiddling with 

when every second counts. 

The larger brakes on the police 

vehicle have serious bite; coming 

to a hard stop was effortless. 

Trying to brake gently was 

not, they grabbed hard with the 

slightest touch. Ford vehicle dynamics 

engineer Shin Scott said 

he has spent a lot of time in the 

Explorer and the Interceptor and 

appreciates the ability to brake 

late in the police vehicle and still 

negotiate turns. “You get really 

used to them, and then you find 

that you really enjoy them. You 

know that they are there, especially 

at the really high-speed 

braking points.” 

The Interceptor’s 

immediate 

torque, providing 

an initial 

jump in response, 

brings it 

to high speeds 

quickly and 

requires more 

from the brakes, 

Scott said. He 

also stated that, 

“To be able to 

get the brakes 

right when you 

want them is really 

important.” 

We also noticed 

how quickly the 

vehicle decelerates 

when 

you lift your 

foot off the gas. 

The engineer 

said the police hybrid is tuned 

for track work, and the regen is 

programmed to produce power 

at different times than the regular 

Explorer. Cooling upgrades 

include special ducts to cool the 

brakes. 

Michigan State Police testing 

recorded a top speed of 137 mph 

for the hybrid and 149 mph for 

the EcoBoost, with 0-60 mph 

taking just 7.8 seconds for the 

hybrid, 7.3 for the 3.3, and 5.8 for 

the 3.0-liter EcoBoost. Overall 

performance was deemed superior 

to even the V-8 competition 

from Dodge and Chevy. 

2021 Ford Interceptor Utility 


2021FORD 

Ford Mustang Mach-E Begs To Become A Police Car 

Last year, Ford finally lifted the 

wraps off the much-anticipated 

2021 Mustang Mach E SUV. Inevitably, 

it hasn’t taken long for talented 

render artists to envision 

other variants of Ford’s first-ever 

electric SUV. This render designed 

by Aksyonov Nikita, for 

example, shows what the Ford 

Mustang Mach-E would look like 

as an electric police cruiser. 

While Ford already builds a 

police version of the Explorer 

called the Ford Police Interceptor 

Utility, this hypothetical 

Ford Mustang Mach-E police 

SUV looks more intimidating 

with its muscular body and a 

front-mounted bull bar perfect 

for performing PIT maneuvers. 

Flashing blue and red lights on 

the roof, spotlights mounted on 

Despite its humble Ford Escape 

underpinnings, the new 2021 

Ford Bronco Sport is a promising 

entrant in the unibody off-road 

utility vehicle segment, with 

all the makings of a properly 

rugged, capable crossover. Allwheel 

drive is fitted as standard, 

with specially tuned performance 

drive modes suitable 

for a range of different terrain 

types, and its unique suspension 

gives it significantly more travel 

than the Escape, with 0.8 inches 

of added track width. 

Besides all that, the 2021 Ford 

the A-pillars, new wheels, and 

a traditional black and white 

police livery complete the look. 

If you saw one of these police 

SUVs stalking your rear-view 

mirror, you would pull over 

without hesitation. 

With two electric motors 

producing around 459 hp and 

612 lb-ft of torque resulting in 

a 0-62 mph time of 3.5 seconds 

in the range-topping GT Performance 

model, the Ford Mustang 

Mach-E Police Interceptor would 

have no trouble keeping up with 

fleeing criminals, so good luck 

trying to outrun it. With an extended-range 

battery, the rearwheel-drive 

Mustang Mach-E 

will last around 300 miles on a 

single charge before running out 

of juice. 

Ford Bronco Sport Looks Great as Police Interceptor 

Bronco Sport certainly looks the 

part, with a boxy, square-jawed 

design language that borrows 

from the regular body-on-frame 

Bronco. And that's gotten one 

artist wondering: what would 

the new Bronco Sport look like 

as a butch, go-anywhere police 

This is the Ford Bronco Sport 

Police Interceptor Utility, as 

imagined by Russian designer 

Aksyonov Nikita. To make it, Nikita 

essentially took the civilian 

version of the unibody off-roader 

and sat it on a set of classic-looking 

black-and-chrome 

wheels borrowed from the Ford 

Explorer Police Interceptor Utility, 

plastered it with a convincing 

law enforcement livery, and rendered 

with a full set of standard 

police lights and a tough-looking 

push bar. 

To be clear, this vehicle doesn't 

actually exist outside the digital 

realm; it's just an artist's rendering 

from an artist by the name 

of Aksyonov Nikita. But it shows 

what's possible should Ford 

decide to start selling the new 

Bronco Sport to US law enforcement 

agencies. 

2021 Ford Mustang E Concept 2021 Ford Police Interceptor Utility 

2021 Ford Bronco Interceptor Utility Concept 

2021 Ford F-150 Police Responder 


2021 DODGES 

2021 Dodge Charger Pursuit 

2021 Dodge Charger Pursuit 

New and Improved for 2021. dard and available engines offer CHARGER PURSUIT EQUIPMENT 

When the goal is to protect the power and performance 

and serve, the new 2021 Dodge they can count on. The 3.6L Powertrains: 

police vehicles answer the call. Pentastar® V6 engine delivers • Standard - 3.6L Pentastar® V6 

They come fully equipped with outstanding performance and 24V VVT Engine (AWD) 

many of the power, technology, 

impressive efficiency. When the • Optional - 5.7L V8 HEMI® MDS 

safety and security features job calls for a tough V8, few en- 

VVT Engine (RWD) 

necessary to help keep your gines carry the legacy and command 

• Eight-Speed TorqueFlite® Au- 

officers safe, sound and secure, 

respect like the legendary tomatic Transmission 

from shift to shift. All in the available 5.7L HEMI® V8 engine. 

name of the law, all in the pursuit 

All-Wheel Drive (AWD) is avail- 

• Available Integrated Display 

of justice. The 2021 Dodge able on the Charger Pursuit Package with Uconnect® 12.1- 

Charger Pursuit came together 

when equipped with the stan- 

Inch Touchscreen 

to create a purpose-built dard 3.6L V6 engine. Equip your 

vehicle that offers impressive fleet with cutting-edge technology 

• No-Cost Available Officer Pro- 

capabilities and comprehensive 

that is both functional and tection Package 

standard and available safety officer friendly. Tech features include 

and security features. 

multiview full-color cus- 

• Heavy-Duty BR9 Brakes 

Every vehicle in the Dodge Law tomizable displays, a driver information 

Enforcement portfolio offers 

digital cluster display • Vehicle System Integration 

protection and purposeful engineering. 

with dozens of graphics that Module 

Safety and security communicate vehicle data, and 

features include: the ParkView® available Uconnect® systems • Secure Park Officer Safety 

rear back up camera, rain brake with hands-free voice-activated 

System 

support and ready alert braking, 

commands. In addition, the 

a high-strength steel safety available equipment mounting 

frame, available ballistic frontdoor 

bracket and the patrol package 

panels and more. 

base prep allow for the addition 

All officers rely on a partner of police-specific communications 

they can trust, and our stan- 

and equipment. 


2021 DODGE 

2021 Dodge Durango Pursuit 

The Ford Police Interceptor 

Utility (aka the Explorer) may 

be the most commonly law 

enforcement vehicle, but some 

departments opt for the Dodge 

Durango Pursuit instead. The 

Durango received minor updates 

for 2021, mostly coming down to 

quality-of-life changes from the 

2020 models. 

To start, the 2021 Dodge Durango 

Pursuit now gets the eightspeed 

automatic transmission 

across both the V6 and V8 options. 

The former mates up to a 

3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with allwheel 

drive. Police departments 

opting for Hemi power will get 

rear-wheel drive instead. FCA 

says the V6 has more horsepower 

and torque but did not dive 

into technical figures. 

For reference, the 2020 Pentastar-equipped 

model manages 

292 horsepower and 260 lb-ft 

of torque, same as the standard 

base Durango. Although, at least 

this time the police version gets 

more than an antiquated fivespeed 

transmission. 

The 2021 Dodge Durango Pursuit 

carries on more or less unchanged, 

save again some quality-of-life 

changes. FCA moved 

the shifter up onto the instrument 

panel to free up space 

The updated Durango Pursuit 

also includes a “Vehicle Systems 

Interface Module” to make 

upfitting equipment easier. A 

heavy-duty ‘BR9’ brake package 

comes with this model, as does 

standard vinyl flooring and a 

three-zone climate control system 

to accommodate the needs 

of K-9 units. The Durango Pursuit’s 

top speed is limited to 130 

mph. 

2021 DODGE DURANGO PUR- 

SUIT EQUIPMENT 

Powertrains: 

• Standard 3.6L Pentastar® V6 

24V VVT Engine (AWD) 

• Optional 5.7L V8 HEMI® MDS 

VVT Engine (AWD) 

• Eight-Speed TorqueFlite® 

• Automatic Transmission 

• Instrument Panel-Mounted 

Shifter 

• Heavy-Duty BR9 Brakes 

• Police-Specific Seats 

• Vehicle System Integration 

Module 

• Stealth Mode 

• Vinyl Floor Covering 

2021 Dodge Durango Pursuit 


2021 CHEVY 

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe PPV 

The All-New 2021 Chevrolet 

Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle 

has been engineered and built 

to meet the extensive needs of 

today’s law enforcement community. 

Using the All-New 2021 

Chevy Tahoe as its foundation, 

Tahoe PPV features all the 

performance of its predecessor, 

with a smooth ride, greater 

interior space, larger load capacity 

(GVWR†) and new towing 

technology. Inside, an ergonomic 

design tailored to officers makes 

entry and exit easier while the 

police-specific seats are contoured 

to accommodate duty 

belts. Plus, extensive electrical 

architecture featuring updated 

wiring harnesses simplifies upfitting 

in both the front row and 

cargo areas. 

NEW FOR 2021 

ROOM FOR ESSENTIALS 

• 125.9 cu. ft. max cargo volume 

behind front seat 

• 70.3 cu. ft. max cargo volume 

behind second row seat 

• 123.2 cu. ft. passenger compartment 

volume index 

• Available second-row seat 

delete reduces costs 

• Increased trailering capacity 

up to 6,000 lbs. for 2WD and 

optional 4WD to help eliminate 

the need for a dedicated towing 

vehicle 

USING SIZE TO ITS ADVANTAGE 

• Improved ergonomics help 

officers get in and out of the 

vehicle 

• Greater views thanks to larger 

dimensions and high roofline 

• Rear door openings are 3 1/2” 

wider than previous generation 

to make loading passengers 

easier 

KEEPING A LOOKOUT 

• Larger side view mirrors 

• Steering wheel-mounted 

switches to help operate aftermarket 

emergency equipment 

• Vehicle system signals for 

door ajar, brakes applied, transmission 

in park, surveillance 

mode, instrument panel dimming 

BUILT FOR LIFE ON THE BEAT 

• All-new 10-speed transmission 

with on-dash button selector 

creates more space for emergency 

equipment and upfits 

• Improved battery capabilities 

with dual batteries providing 

900 CCA and 760 CCA with 250- 

amp alternator 

• 6-piston front Brembo® brake 

calipers with 16” front rotors 

(increased 3” in diameter) and 

eBoost antilock brakes to reduce 

driver effort and improve control 

• Available 4WD with Autotrac 

electronic transfer case and Terrain 

Mode helps officers stay on 

track when the pursuit leaves the 

pavement 

2021 Chevy Tahoe Police Package 


THE FUTURE 

NOT THAT FAR AWAY 

WORDS BY MICHAEL BARRON 

Your first question is – will 

cars/vehicles actually fly by 

2031? The simple answer is yes. 

In fact, the technology to build 

and operate a flying vehicle actually 

began in 2020 with flight 

testing in 2022. By 2024 the first 

multi-verse vehicles had been 

certified by the FAA’s new FAVCA 

(Federal Aviation Vehicle Control 

Administration) and by 2026 

vehicles had taken to the skies in 

record numbers. How did this all 

begin? A multitude of issues had 

to be addressed long before the 

first flight vehicle lifted off the 

ground. Here are just a few of 

the many rules and regulations 

that FAVCA enacted in the Airborne 

Vehicle Act of 2022. 

First, here are just a few of the 

basic ACRONYMS you need to 

know about ground based and 

air capable vehicles manufactured 

by the China/American 

Manufacturing Company (I know 

what you’re thinking but 98% of 

all drones made in 2021 were 

manufactured in China. A partnership 

with American automakers 

was inevitable.). 

AMV (autonomous motor vehicles) 

UAM (urban air mobility vehicles) 

PAMV (piloted autonomous motor 

vehicle) 

PPAMV / Patrol (piloted autonomous 

motor vehicle) 

UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) ie 

airborne delivery vehicles 

UAV/Patrol (unmanned patrol aerial 

vehicles) 

GBDs (ground based drones) 

GBDCs (ground based drone cycles) 

GBPD (ground based patrol drones) 

GBPDC (ground based patrol drone 

cycles ) 

In order to make flying cars and 

patrol vehicles a reality, the government 

and manufacturers had a 

lot of work to do. But, like NASA and 

going to the moon, never underestimate 

the ability of mankind when 

they set their mind to something. 

Here is a brief recap of the race to 

fly a car through downtown. 

SAFETY CONCERNS 

With the popularity of drones 

and UAV’s steadily on the rise in 

the early 2020s, the demand for 

policies to support commercial 

application of flying cars 

became an increasing reality. 

Critical regulatory obstacles had 

to be overcome if passenger 

drones and flying cars were to 

be operational within the decade. 

Obviating safety concerns 

(both human and autonomous) 

associated with flying car technology 

was of paramount importance. 

As with autonomous 

ground vehicles, any publicized 

adverse safety incidents could 

have tainted the public’s perception 

and limited the growth rate 

of consumer acceptance. 

The most challenging task 

of flying cars involved suitable 

procedures for going airborne 

(takeoffs) and returning to the 

ground (landings), and the development 

of a complex safety 

system that was regulated by 

the National Airspace System 

(NAS), the governing entity for 

United States airspace. From a 

regulatory standpoint, a lot of 

research was required to ensure 

that autonomous systems could 

operate, navigate, and control 

flying cars equipped with redundancy 

(backup systems), and 

have “safe mode” capabilities 

(i.e., “on-the-fly” decision-making) 

if they encountered unusual 

situations. Airspace logistics 

further dictated that the primary 

regulatory body (i.e., the FAA 

and the FAVCA) assigned minimum 

safety standards, and each 

individual state then mandated 

and provided its own private air 

traffic controllers for the combined 

land/air-based vehicles. 

This system was independent of 

current FAA operations as newly 

created airships had to maintain 

flight levels below 1500 feet or 

be transferred to standard FAA 

operations and become PSAMV 

only. 

To Ensure operational safety 

during adverse weather conditions 

(e.g., snowstorm, heavy 

rain, high wind, fog etc.) onboard 

computer systems had to 

monitor the thresholds of safe 

operational environments in 

terms of visibility, wind speed, 

precipitation intensity, etc. for 

different flying car types and determines 

safe operational limits. 

PILOT TRAINING AND CERTIFI- 

CATION STANDARDS 

As flying cars evolved, airborne 

egress was mandated by the 

Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) to govern and manage 

effective risk controls. For traditional 

aircraft, the FAA had a 

successful regulatory system for 

pilot licenses, aircraft certification 

and registration, takeoff and 

landing sites (airports), and a 

mechanism for air traffic control. 

With the introduction of flying 

cars, the FAVCA had to implement 

traffic control systems to 

accommodate the inclusion of 

low altitude flight (below 1500ft 

AGL) and High-Altitude Flight 

(above 1501ft AGL) and develop a 

program to integrate the two. As 

far as licensing, a flying vehicle 

operator was required to obtain 

both a license to drive and fly 

and was required to obtain the 

appropriate vehicle registration 

and Type Certification for the 

vehicle. Flying vehicle technologies 

were essentially large-scale 

drones that became popular in 

2013. 

A wide range of flying car 

types were eventually allowed 

to operate within large, metropolitan 

areas. As such, their 

sustenance was largely dependent 

on certification procedures, 

which dictated the urgency 

and tempo of the emergent, 

and disruptive technology as 

it evolved. Initially, all versions 

of flying cars had a driver/pilot 

on board for the duration of the 

journey. However, as technology 

advanced, fully autonomous and 

automated flying models began 

operations and were remotely 

piloted and supervised either: (a) 

by live humans on the ground, 

or (b) by autonomous systems 

in the air and/or on the ground. 

To operate “urban air mobility 

(UAM)” vehicles (either with or 

without passengers) without a 

pilot depended not only on the 

certification of the vehicle, but 

likewise on the certification of 


pilots and support systems on 

the ground. The FAA created and 

implemented advanced virtual 

training scenarios for future 

flying car operators—particularly 

for handling complex ground-air 

and air-ground transitions. Regulation 

of air traffic issues across 

all governing bodies was both a 

unique and complex challenge, 

but one that the FAA, FAVCA and 

NAS all worked together to make 

happen in a relatively short time. 

INFRASTRUCTURE AND 

NAVIGATION 

The navigational benefits of 

instituting a functional flying 

car network were obvious—a 

technology that allowed civilians 

to transport from source to 

destination at a fraction of the 

overall time required to drive 

the same distance. A typical 20 

min drive is constrained by 2D 

roads, ground congestion, and 

the natural limitations of land 

topography. On the airborne 

flight path, these constraints are 

reduced, and the point-to-point 

straight path travel distance is 

only 7 min. The first obstacles 

that needed to be removed from 

this new “airborne” highway, 

were all electrical wiring, traffic 

signs, red lights and traditional 

street lighting. By the end of 

2023, all street and traffic signs, 

as well as all traffic direction 

signals had been converted to 

holographic systems. This allowed 

a two-layered control 

path for both ground based and 

airborne traffic. In more simplistic 

terms, the area above our city 

streets and highways was virtually 

clear of all intrusions. The 

second most inclusive undertaking 

was building infrastructures 

that would permit safe takeoffs 

and landings, as well as infrastructure 

for vehicle storage i.e., 

parking lots for aircraft. Naturally, 

such a vast network of vertical 

takeoff and landing facilities, 

or “vertiports” necessitated 

standards and certifications for 

the infrastructure (e.g., helipads 

installed atop large public 

buildings; large segments of flat 

land designated for air-ground 

transitions) The design, layout, 

and actually building of such 

vertiports began in 2023 and 

continued for the next five years. 

To allow for the smooth flow of 

airborne traffic, the authorities 

mandated that flying car operators 

be constrained to selected 

flight corridors, such that a 

direct route might not always 

be an option. These corridors 

were strategically located over 

reduced-risk areas of land that 

have minimal population. The 

exception to these mandated 

flight corridors was made for all 

Law Enforcement and Delivery 

vehicles, which could operate 

independent of the standard airborne 

traffic. 

Other unique aspects of flying 

were considered as this new 

“airborne highway system” was 

created. For example, it was 

presumed that in standard operational 

mode, the bottom of 

the vehicle was oriented downward, 

and it can traverse vertically 

while having the capacity 

to “hover,” and likewise remain 

stationary while airborne. Furthermore, 

flying cars could also 

travel longitudinally and laterally 

without having to orient the 

vehicle in that direction. Flying 

cars, like aircraft, therefore 

required rotational motion: to 

bank (roll), to tilt (pitch), and to 

revolve (yaw) to establish orientation 

within a plane parallel 

to the ground. Given the capabilities 

and maneuverability of 

these vehicles, extended horizontal 

runways were not feasible 

and all were required to utilize 

vertical takeoff and landing 

(VTOL) capabilities. Ridesharing 

companies (e.g., Uber and Lyft) 

began using VTOL vehicles with 

“segregated airspace” dedicated 

for and managed by the ridesharing 

entities. As the low-altitude 

airspace above cities and 

towns grew more crowed, Federal 

regulators began studying 

long-term policies that involved 

a holistic integrated airspace, 

where everyone shares the skies. 

The one futuristic vision that 

never occurred was flying vehicles 

that converted to drivable 

cars. The technology existed, but 

the public accepted the choice of 

you either fly or you drive. 

VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT & 

OPERATIONAL CAPABILITIES 

In order to achieve the desired 

airborne capabilities of 

the vehicles, manufactures had 

to overcome present-day battery 

science in order to power 

the vehicles for extended periods 

of time. In the beginning, 

vehicles had a brief 10–20 min 

flight duration before requiring a 

re-charge. In time, battery technology 

advanced to an entire 

new level that increased the 

energy density, cycle life, and 

ultimate 2-hour flight time between 

charges. Needless to say, 

charging stations were placed 

by the hundreds in the landing 

areas, with touchless payment 

systems provided by the vehicle’s 

internal computer links to the 

owners banking information. 

CYBERSECURITY 

Flying car operations rely heavily 

upon computational AI for 

Detect and Avoid (DAA) technologies 

to recognize, distinguish, 

and track other aircraft, predict 

conflicts, and take corrective 

action as required. To realize 

such functionality demanded 

cognitive systems and computing; 

platforms that encompassed 

machine learning/reasoning, human-machine 

interaction/automation, 

and network sensors for 

seamless and real-time vehicle 

to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure 

communications. The 

prevailing safety concern was a 

major system malfunction while 

flying over a densely populated 

area, and how to protect the system 

from hackers, terrorists, or 

other cyber criminals. Ultimately, 

the establishment of cybersecurity 

policies, standards and 

oversight became the primary 

objective of the FAVCA in 2023. 

CONCLUSION 

There were, of course, thousands 

of pieces to this complex 

puzzle to make flying cars a 

reality, but you get the picture. 

Man can create and adapt virtually 

any new technology with 

enough time and money. So how 

did this new technology affect 

policing and what hot new vehicles 

were available to officers 

in 2031? Let’s look at just a few 

of these ‘patrol vehicles’ both 

manned and un-manned. 


2031 MODELS 

2031 INTERCEPTOR PATROL DRONE 

The INTERCEPTOR DRONE 

Company, USA just released 

Version 3.0 of its GBPD ground 

based patrol drone, of which 

LA County and LAPD purchased 

25 each of the high speed twowheeled 

cycle drones. LA County 

and LAPD operate a joint command 

and operations center that 

monitors and controls over 100 

GBPDs and 75 ABPRs (Airborne 

Based Patrol Drones) in the 

greater LA area. 

The GBPD cycle drones have 

the ability to monitor traffic patterns, 

warn drivers of impending 

ground stops, record various 

traffic infractions, transmit both 

live and recorded video directly 

to traffic courts, issue virtual 

traffic citations and in the case 

of a dangerous vehicles, disable 

both manned as well as autonomous 

vehicles electronically. The 

GBPD can then summon an autonomous 

wrecker and have the 

vehicle removed from operational 

lanes of a motorway. If citizens 

are to be taken into custody 

or removed for safety reasons, a 

Transport Drone is dispatched to 

the scene by the command center 

and appropriate action taken. 

In the first year that the GBPD 

cycle drones started patrolling 

LA Freeways and Motorways, 

over 5,000 incidents and accidents 

were handled and cleared 

by the GBPDs with patrol assistance. 

Version 3.0 cycles have a 

100% carbon fiber body frame, 

2 gyroscopic rotors powered by 

electric motors and lithium-ion 

XX battery packs capable of 4.5 

hours of nonstop patrol activities. 

The cycles are powered by 

two high performance electric 

engines capable of speeds up 

to 150mph. They are completely 

autonomous but have computer 

overrides that allow the Command 

Center to redirect the 

vehicles in the event of a catastrophic 

event. 

Two 360º degree 20K cameras 

are mounted on the top of the 

drone that provide live feeds to 

the Command Center as well as 

directly to ground and airborne, 

manned as well as autonomous 

patrol vehicles. To date, LA’s 

GBPD cycle drones have logged 

over 250,000 miles without a 

single accident or emergency 

event. Given the recent upgrades 

to gyroscopic sensors on the 3.0, 

the drones are virtually impossible 

to upset in the event they are 

accidently or intentionally struck 

by another vehicle. 

The most significant improvement 

to drones since their introduction 

a few years ago is 

the failsafe protection system 

built into the electronics of the 

drone’s internal guidance and 

video systems. If an intruder 

attempts to disable or perform 

some type of hack to the drone, 

the security system alerts the 

command center and then delivers 

a 1-megawatt stun to the 

intruder. This millisecond action 

will continue until the intruder is 

taken into custody. 

The INTERCEPTOR DRONE has 

become an invaluable tool to 

law enforcement across the 

country and most departments 

say they have no idea how they 

survived without them. 

2031 Interceptor Drone Model 31-01 

2031 FORD K-85 Airborne Police Interceptor Patrol Vehicle 

It’s hard to believe that for the 

last 111 years, The FORD Motor 

Company has provided law 

enforcement in the United States 

and Canadian Territories with 

some type of Interceptor patrol 

vehicle. In the late 20’s (2020 

that is) FORD partnered with its 

Airborne Vehicle Development 

Division to develop both piloted 

as well as fully autonomous 

vehicles designed to meet the 

demands of modern-day law 

enforcement. 

With multi-levels of transportation 

in effect at the same time, 

as well as ingress and egress 

with FAA controlled flight levels, 

FORD knew its vehicles had 

to be state of the art. This newest 

version of the Interceptor is 

beyond state of art. Powered by 

no less than 20 electric 6-bladed 

props all operating in lighting 


fast sync, backed up by three 

redundant power systems and an 

emergency ballistic parachute 

system, officers can focus on patrol 

duties and not have to worry 

about safety. 

The new lithium-ion XX battery-packs, 

provide over 8 hours 

of system power and have the 

ability to download additional 

kilowatts while hovering over 

key charging locations throughout 

the patrol zones. FORD has 

taken the lead with MAVs and 

UAVs to provide a tri-battery 

system to power the engines 

separately from the onboard 

avionics and electronic ballistic 

shield that protects the vehicle 

from lasers as well as hits from 

legacy firearms. Each battery 

system has the ability to back up 

the other two systems to ensure 

that the vehicle is always powered, 

protected and under complete 

guidance. 

While the K-85A & K-85M are 

similar in a number of ways, 

the K-85A is designed for autonomous 

flight only and does 

not allow for pilot interactions. 

FORD has also introduced the 

K1000 Transport Vehicle to move 

prisoners autonomously as well. 

The K1000 can accommodate 10 

prisoners along with an armed 

crew of 4. 

Pilots and crew that have transitioned 

into the K-85M Interceptor 

from previous models, have 

raved about its incredible speed 

and maneuverability. Top speed 

has been increased to 250 knots 

true air speed above Flight Level 

2000 and limited to 125 knots 

below 2000 feet AGL. In the 

event of sudden weather events 

that reduce visibility or controllability 

of the vehicle, the pilot 

operator can instantly switch to 

full autonomous mode and turn 

navigation and operation over to 

the on-board guidance system. 

The K-85M Interceptor also 

comes standard with a Garrett 

MA9000 avionics suite as well 

as fully automated FADEC and 

DEFENSE Modes. The interior has 

also been upgraded to ballistic 

10G seating and features 10K 

video screens throughout. The 

onboard video systems also have 

the ability to upload and download 

video at over 100,000 bits 

per second from 4-10K onboard 

cameras. Also new to this model, 

is the ability to broadcast both 

video and audio to any onboard 

receiver with a 10-mile radius. 

In the event of a ground-based 

emergency, airborne units can 

provide direction and guidance 

to civilians on the ground. 

Sleek, Fast and Unbelievable 

Protection. That’s the comment 

from everyone who’s flown the 

K-85M Interceptor. Way to go 

FORD. 

DEDICATED TO 

Dedicated to our HPD Brother Jason Knox, 

who we lost last year in a helicopter crash. No 

one knew more about or was more dedicated 

to preserving the history of HPD Police patrol 

cars, than Jason. I wish he could have shared 

his passion with us for this article, but his work 

speaks for itself. 

Fly high my brother until we meet again in 

those heavenly skies that I’m sure you are soaring 

high in everyday. 

2031 K-85A Interceptor Air Ship 


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emembering my hero ... 

... Motor Officer Craig Story. 

Concerns of Police Survivors is an Organization whose mission is to help rebuild 

the shattered lives of those family members and co-workers of law enforcement 

officers that are killed in the line of duty. On Wednesday January 13, 2010, Arlington 

Motors Officer Craig Story Badge #2117 was struck and killed in a motorcycle 

crash with a school bus. His brave wife Danielle Story-Stinson relives that 

tragic day for us. 

The sound of alarm filled the 

room until he reached over and 

touched the phone to silence the 

chirping. Craig stretched and 

swung his feet out of bed. Little 

time passed before I heard 

my husband’s voice speaking in 

sweetly soft tones from the room 

next door to ours. He returned 

with an armful of two-year-old 

boy. With a chuckle, he dropped 

our son onto the bed. 

I lay there in the quiet for a 

few minutes relishing a chance 

to sleep in as it was an unusual 

day off for me. Craig returned 

from the shower and began the 

process of layering on the cold 

weather gear. Once the Velcro 

had been placed and replaced 

and his gig line straight, he 

turned to our son and said, “I’ll 

be right back.” 

The sound of thunder, as they 

call it, rumbled through the 

house as he started the motorcycle 

to warm it in the January 

cold. Booted footsteps grew 

closer as he returned to the 

bedroom. He grabbed our son, 

hugged him tightly, and kissed 

him several times, making our 

son squirm with laughter. “I love 

you, big’ un,” Craig 

whispered as he put 

him down. I was on 

my feet, reaching for 

him—before I could 

say it, he told me he 

loved me and that he 

would see me later. I 

told him I loved him 

too, then he turned 

and retreated, boots 

thumping down the 

hall. 

I watched him go 

for a minute and then 

stood there, peering 

into the empty hallway 

for a moment. I 

turned, heading for 

the closet to change, 

when I heard those 

footsteps again. I 

spun around and I 

met him at the bedroom door. 

“What’s the matter?” 

Craig smiled wide and said, 

“Annnnnnd, I love you again.” 

Smiling in return, I kissed him. 

I said, “I love you, too. Please, be 

careful.” 

He said, “I always do,” turning 

away, his silhouette disappeared 

as he turned the corner. That 

was the last time I saw my husband. 

It was January 13th, 2010—a 

Wednesday. Craig left at 6:40 in 

the morning, the roar of the motorcycle 

vanishing into the quiet 

of the neighborhood. I dressed 

myself and John Barrett, our son, 

fed him breakfast, and left to 

take him to his preschool. Being 

alone at home would allow me 

to finish some things that had 

been putting off. I drove through 

town on my usual route. The 

preschool was part of the First 

Baptist Church in downtown 

Arlington, Texas. I worked in a 

small dental practice, which was 

only a few blocks away from the 

church. My route took me down 

a little-traveled neighborhood 

street that put me just north of 

the University of Texas at Arlington 

on a major road down the 

center of town. I approached 

the stop sign, looking both ways 

waiting for the traffic to clear 

enough to cross five lanes of 

traffic. 

When the traffic began to 

clear, I edged forward but hesitated 

as the scream of sirens 

were suddenly all around me. 

I couldn’t tell where they were 

coming from or where they 

were going. I waited, afraid that 

I would pull out into the path of 

a fire engine or an ambulance. 

It was one or both. Eventually, I 

became sure that I wasn’t in the 

path, moved on to the church. 

Later, I would learn that fire truck 

and ambulance was headed to 

the intersection where my husband 

was killed. 

On the way home, Tonia, a 

co-worker and one of the closest 

friends I have, called. I was 

glad because I had good news 

to share. You see, I’d found out I 

was pregnant the night before. 

When I answered, she was calm 

and self-possessed. She asked 

me where I was, and I before she 

could say anything else, I told 

her she was going to be an Aunt! 

Tonia responded in just the way 

I would have expected her to. 

Then, she asked me if I wanted 

some company. I was surprised 

for a fleeting second as this 

wasn’t normal for us. But then, 

the occasion of a baby might 

have been the reason to my 

mind. She asked me to text her, I 

think, when I got home and that 

she should be there soon. 

I walked in and began emptying 

the dishwasher and tidying 

up. It was around 8:30 am. I was 

in the dining room when I noticed 

a department squad and 

three motor units line up across 

the street. They each climbed off 

the bikes and out of the squad 

and began to walk toward my 

yard. I was immediately furious! 

I couldn’t understand why Craig 

would be bringing friends over 

for breakfast or coffee or whatever 

they were doing without 

telling me. I wouldn’t say I like 

surprises. 

One of the officers, Derrick 

Sheriff, looked like my husband 

from a distance, so I never 


suspected anything more. When 

they were just about to approach 

the front porch, I swung 

open the door. 

A thousand thoughts ricocheted 

around in my mind in a 

matter of milliseconds. First, I 

saw Cliff Elliott. He was one of 

Craig’s closest friends. I knew 

him well and, he was not smiling 

like usual. I honestly don’t 

remember who the third motor’s 

Officer was. Then I noticed 

Harold Elliott, the Chaplain, 

standing ahead of all of them. 

That is when those thousands of 

thoughts exploding in every direction 

vanished, solidifying into 

a lone horrifying realization. 

My voice was calmer than I’d 

intended it to be. “You are not 

supposed to be here,” I said, then 

attempted to close the door. 

Chappy stopped the door, but I 

tried to close it anyway. I was no 

longer rational. I was in flight, 

no fight to be found. Chappy was 

a big man—a slimmer, beardless 

version of Santa. He walked 

through the door with ease, and 

he reached out catching me and 

holding me still. 

I struggled against him, but 

he held onto me. I looked at him 

not seeing him—seeing nothing 

but a blurry fog and encroaching 

darkness. He said, “Danielle, he is 

dead.” 

I know I screamed out—I don’t 

know for how long. At some 

point, Cliff caught me. I guess 

I was falling to the ground. He 

wrapped his arms around me 

and took me to the nearest chair, 

my husband’s recliner—the smell 

of leather and the wind filled me. 

He rocked me while I murmured 

“he was just here… he was just 

here…he was just here…” I don’t 

remember what Cliff said. I only 

remember that he was crying as 

he held me. 

Sobbing and incoherent, I 

looked at Cliff, and I murmured, 

“Last night we found out we are 

having a baby.” 

Time folded in on itself doubling 

and tripling, moving ever 

so slowly. I barely noticed when 

they asked for my phone and 

who they needed to call. Tonia 

had arrived, taking me from Cliff, 

holding me, praying for me. It 

was much later that I learned 

that when the department had 

tried to contact me at work, 

they found the office closed. So, 

they called my boss and spoke 

to his wife, Barbie, to ask where 

I might be. Barbie called Tonia, 

and together they decided Tonia 

would try to find me. To this day, 

I do not know how Tonia was 

able to handle it the way she did. 

Little by little, my house began 

to fill with people I did not know. 

People were in my kitchen, 

finishing the dishes and making 

room for food. It wasn’t long 

before my aunt and uncle arrived 

from Wichita Falls followed 

shortly by my husband’s mother. 

If there had been any pieces of 

my heart still intact at that moment, 

they shattered into dust 

when I laid eyes on her. I ran to 

her and hugged her—she was 

Craig in the flesh and the only 

other bit of him I had besides my 

son. 

I told her I was sorry that I 

didn’t take better care of her son. 

I don’t know why I said that, but 

it was how I felt in my heart. The 

two of us stood broken for how 

long, I don’t know, in the small 

foyer of our home. 

I learned that at approximately 

7:30 am on January 13th, 2010, 

my husband, Motors Officer Craig 

Story, Badge #2117, was killed in 

a collision with a school bus going 

Northbound on Cooper Street 

in Arlington, Texas. 

Craig had been working traffic 

in a school zone a few blocks 

south of the collision. A vehicle 

passed him, speeding into the 

school zone. Craig began a pursuit 

with lights and sirens. The 

vehicle cleared a small intersection 

before the light turned 

red. Having the vehicle in sight, 

Craig slowed through the halted 

traffic and increased his speed. A 

school bus driver carrying children 

was waiting in the center 

turning lane facing the Northbound 

traffic. The driver said he 

knew that his chance to go was 

to go when that light was red. 

However, Craig had already come 

through the intersection and was 

fast approaching. According to 

the bus driver’s statement, he’d 

seen the motorcycle coming, 

but he thought he could make 

it. The school bus turned left in 

an attempt to cross three lanes 

of traffic before the motorcycle 

reached him. 

Craig had nowhere to go. The 

lumbering bus just wasn’t fast 

enough, and the motorcycle’s 

momentum was probably impossible 

to slow much less stop. 

We know that he tried to lay 

the bike down to avoid a worse 

collision, but the damage was 

already done. The bike slammed 

into the bus. They told me that 

he didn’t suffer—that he died 

instantly. They also told me that 

the gas cap had been sheared off 

and caused a fire. Craig’s body 

caught fire, and a passerby saw 

the crash and stopped to offer 

aid—pulling Craig from the burning 

bike. I am forever thankful to 

him for his bravery. 

Those of us who suffer something 

like this know what I mean 

when I say so much happened 

or was said that I don’t remember. 

There are moments during 

the days until Craig’s funeral and 

in the first couple of years that 

followed that are branded on my 

soul. Those moments include the 

night of the funeral, where the 

motors unit brought Craig’s ashes 

to me at dusk and the things I 

said to Cliff and Scott Anderson, 

Craig’s FTO—helplessly worrying 

more for their hearts and souls 

than mine. The looks on their 

faces and what they said are 

precious to me, and I will never 

forget any of that moment. For I 

knew, I wasn’t the only one who 

would face the loss of Craig. 

There were so many beyond 

John Barrett, our son, his mother, 

our family… no, Craig would 

never be forgotten. He was a 

one-of-a-kind individual, funny, 

loyal, loving, and the best father I 

have ever known. 

In those early days, I know 

many came to visit me to offer 

kindness and condolences. There 

was one woman in particular 

who came to visit me, though, I 

wouldn’t come out to meet her 

at the time. Her name is Ashlee 

Hardy-Byers. Her husband was 

a motors officer who had been 

killed in a crash almost three 

years earlier. She didn’t come to 

my house for any other reason 

than to comfort me, but she later 

became the tow-chain that led 

me to down a path I will always 

be thankful for. 

I soon discovered that there 

was a group of people who’d 


een through what I have. Of 

course, I knew there were other 

families, who’d lost a police 

officer, yes. But I didn’t know 

they came together to provide 

support for each other. Ashlee 

texted me regularly; Facebook 

messaged me, too. I never answered 

her—if I did, it was rare. 

That didn’t deter her though 

because she knew what I didn’t 

at that time. Being around others 

like me would provide something 

I had no clue I needed, and that 

was hope. Hope that I would 

not die, Hope that I could raise 

my kids and be ok, Hope that 

one day, maybe, this savage loss 

wouldn’t hurt so much. This is 

what Concerns of Police Survivors 

provided me. 

Three years later, I joined the 

board of the Metroplex Texas 

Chapter of C.O.P.S. Together with 

Ashlee, Karen Freeto-Rutherford, 

Deanna Williams, and Deroy 

Bennett, we worked tirelessly 

supporting those who’d given 

everything. These experiences 

reminded me of Cliff and Gary, 

Scott, Derrick, and others—their 

faces, their hearts grounded me. 

That is when I knew I could offer 

hope and a shoulder to lean on. 

It wasn’t much later when we 

faced one of the worst law enforcement 

losses in Texas. 

July 7th, 2016. Five Dallas and 

DART Officers were killed during 

a protest in downtown Dallas. 

We were there when some of 

the family members were told 

their loved one was gone. 2016 

saw 22 Police Officers die in the 

line of duty—almost half of them 

were in the region our team 

served. 

Soon, I began regularly commuting 

to Austin to work with 

the State Memorial Planning 

Committee to be a voice for survivors 

in 2015, and I continue that 

work today. My time with the 

Metroplex Chapter ended in 2019, 

as the Immediate Past President 

because I was remarried 

and moving South. I’d thought a 

break from my work with Survivors 

would be a good thing—and 

it was, until the President of 

Greater Houston Police Survivors, 

Cheryl Railsback, called one day. 

She is an incredible woman and 

my dearest friend, so when she 

asked if I’d be interested in serving 

with their chapter, I readily 

accepted and haven’t regretted a 

single second. 

I will never forget where I 

came from, nor can I ever repay 

what I have learned or what 

I have gained throughout this 

journey. I have arisen from losing 

Craig with a confidence I never 

had, and an ability to offer hope 

to others. I would be remiss 

if I didn’t mention the countless 

families, co-workers, state 

agencies, and officials who work 

alongside me and remind me 

each and every day why I press 

on. 

On September 13th, 2010, 

Colton Craig Story was born, 

happy and healthy, nine months 

and one hour after his father 

died. John Barrett is 13 and is 

his father’s unbelievable doppelganger, 

while Colton, now 

10, is whole-heartedly Craig in 

personality. In Washington DC, 

during the 2017 National Police 

Week, the officers killed on July 

7th, 2016, in Dallas were honored 

and added to the National Wall. 

On May 13th, I met the escort officer 

of Emily Crawford Thompson, 

Officer Brent Thompson’s 

surviving spouse. That officer’s 

name is Joey Stinson, and we 

have been together ever since. 

He and I have just celebrated our 

3rd wedding anniversary. 

I do not doubt that I would not 

be where I am now if it weren’t 

for someone like me walking 

through my door on the worst 

day of my life who wanted 

nothing more than to hold my 

hand and offer me what I needed 

most—hope. 

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Total Miles Run in 2019: 376 

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2021 Run Stats: 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen LEO’s (Non COVID-19): 2 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen Firefighters (Non COVID-19): 0 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen COVID-19 Heroes: 0 

Total Miles Run for 2021 Non Line of Duty Deaths: 0 

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen LEO’s: 0 

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen Firefighters: 0 

Total Miles Run for 2020/2021 Fallen K9’s: 0 

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Pelosi & McConnell - Head Morons in DC! 

Let’s start off the new year right 

and give credit where credit is 

due. These two morons (and I use 

that term lightly and in utmost respect, 

because I have a lot of titles 

much more fitting) Nancy Pelosi 

and Mitch McConnell, have once 

again screwed over the American 

public. 

I know some you would say, 

aren’t there plenty of Light Bulb 

candidates right here in Texas that 

deserve the distinct honor of being 

the first out of the gate for 2021? 

NOPE. None come anywhere close 

to the low life scum of the earth 

character of these two. 

Now, anyone who knows me, 

knows I’m a diehard Republican. I 

firmly believe the harder you work, 

you more you receive and those 

standing around waiting for handouts 

from the government deserve 

nada, not to take away from those 

deserving of said government 

assistance. Everyone goes through 

some period in their lives that may 

require aide from various government 

backed programs. That’s 

what it’s there for. 

Case in point – a global pandemic 

that for all practical purposes 

shut down our country and 

changed our lives forever. Never 

in my wildest imagination would I 

have envisioned mass layoffs and 

business closures in what weeks 

before a booming economy was. 

But it is what it was and that’s a 

year behind us and conceivably 

better days are ahead. 

But none of us and I do mean 

none of us, asked for the mandated 

closures of our stores, 

restaurants 

and bars or 

the loss of 

millions of 

jobs. And the 

government 

did act by 

providing 

assistance 

to both its 

businesses 

as well as 

its citizens 

in PPP loans, 

expanded 

unemployment benefits and 

direct payments. Of course, none 

expected the pandemic to last 

the entire year or see our lively 

hoods taken away from us permanently. 

This wasn’t our fault. We 

didn’t create this virus or ask for 

our lives to be destroyed, but it 

happened, and everyone expected 

the government to step in and 

help. We of course know how that 

played out. We got played. 

Our LB Award winners, House 

Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch 

McConnell, screwed the American 

public once again. They don’t care 

about the American public, they 

only care about themselves, their 

special interests and how they 

can line their own pockets. While 

a third of the American people 

didn’t know where their next 

paycheck was coming from, these 

two continued to receive their fat 

government checks. They weren’t 

concerned that small businesses 

across America were being 

eliminated one by one. They just 

continued to play games, and in 

the end, counties around the globe 

received more money than the 

American public. See we are only 

worth $1.64 a day. That’s it. Maybe, 

just maybe some of the new PPP 

money will trickle in for some of 

the thousands of businesses still 

struggling to hang on. Many won’t 

survive, and that’s on Pelosi and 

McConnell. 

And so that brings me back to 

my introduction where I bragged 

about being a diehard Republican. 

Well, my friends, I never thought 

I’d say, ‘screw the Republican run 

Senate, let the Democrats have it.’ 

Maybe, just maybe with both the 

House, the Senate and Joe Bob in 

the White House, something will 

positive will happen for Americans. 

At least at it relates to the 

pandemic and getting Americans 

back on their feet and businesses 

reopened. 

As far as the rest of the Democrat’s 

plans. I’m sure more LB 

Awards are sure to come from this 

bunch of $*^%^#*^. 


Making a Difference and 

Breaking Down Barriers 

Over the years I have been 

blessed to meet countless amazing 

current and former law 

enforcement officers who have 

committed their lives to breaking 

down the stigma and barriers to 

seeking and receiving effective 

mental health services. Recently 

I became aware of a Texas based 

award winning radio show called 

MAD (Making a Difference) and 

had the opportunity to connect 

with John Salerno and Samantha 

Horwitz, co-hosts of the show, 

along with Charles Clark, Founder 

of the Blue Voice. MAD radio 

originated out of the realization 

that laughter makes a difference 

and can save lives through 

the reduction of stress and the 

provision of a healing forum for 

the first responder community to 

understand that it’s okay not to 

be okay (#Itsoknototbeok). 

The co-hosts of the show 

clearly bring numerous years of 

experience and wisdom to the 

table. John Salerno is a retired 

New York City Detective with 

over 30 years as a first responder 

starting as an emergency medical 

technician/firefighter then 

moving into law enforcement. 

John was also a 9/11 first responder 

who conducted search 

and rescue. Samantha (Sam) 

Horwitz is a former United States 

Secret Service Agent who was 

in World Trade Center Tower 1 

on 9/11 when American Airlines 

Flight 11 struck it. Sam is the 

recipient of the United States 

Secret Service Director’s Citation 

for Valor for her service on 9/11. 

Sam has also been honored with 

the Texas State Flag from the 

Texas House of Representatives 

in recognition of her service as 

a United States Secret Service 

Agent, and a Proclamation from 

the Texas Senate honoring her 

continued service to the citizens 

of the State of Texas. Sam’s been 

featured in People Magazine, on 

ABC, CBS, Blaze TV with Glenn 

Beck and in other local and 

national media. She is the author 

of The Silent Fall: A Secret 

Service Agent’s Story of Tragedy 

and Triumph After 9/11. Together 

John and Sam (and with guests) 

discuss the impact of Post-Traumatic 

Stress (PTS) and Post traumatic 

Stress Injury (PTSI) within 

the first responder community 

and offer tools and resources to 

help cope with the stressors of 

performing daily job tasks. MAD 

also serves as a healing network 

to share John and Sam’s own 

experiences of PTSD with others 

and to help smash the mental 

health stigma for first responders 

seeking assistance. 

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

A Badge of Honor (www. 

ABadgeofHonor.com was also 

born out of this passion and 

offer educational workshops 

on PTS throughout the country. 

This organization has been able 

to reach hundreds in Texas from 

agencies across the DFW metroplex 

and beyond. All participants 

are provided a questionnaire at 

determined intervals after the 

workshops to assess whether 

they are utilizing the tactics and 

tools demonstrated. This approach 

allows for the measurement 

of what works and how A 

Badge of Honor can keep innovating 

and improving. 

As a mental health provider 

who has consistently advocated 

for more academy training on 

these issues I wholeheartedly 

agree with the current and future 

goals of A Badge of Honor. 

They envision a 40-hour block of 

instruction in academies on PTS 

followed by yearly or semi-yearly 

training. Additionally, they 

aim for all departments to have 

a written policy about mental 

health and how the department 

will support a first responder in 

need with the provision of 100% 

confidential resources and the 

creation of peer and family support 

programs. 

John Salerno offered the 

following valuable insight, “As 

mental health is not a one size 

fits all, we need to show our 

first responders the many options 

that are available to them 

and their families. Families are 

also affected by PTSD and we 

need to educate them as well 

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on what their loved ones are 

going through on a daily basis. 

Once a person becomes a frontline 

responder, your life changes 

if you want it to or not. Your 

mental health and the way your 

department handles it is of the 

most importance to the longevity 

of not only the career but to the 

family unit. Many first responders 

are divorced due to work related 

issues. So, if we can bring the 

knowledge to the entire first responder 

family, we may be able 

to not only save lives but families 

as well”. 

MAD radio now has more 

ALAN HELFMAN 

platforms such as YouTube and 

others and have moved the show 

out of the studio so they can 

interview first responders from 

around the world. The goal is 

to bring change in policies and 

procedures within the first responder 

community and to give 

To 

front line heroes the ability to 

speak openly about an event or 

a feeling from an event without 

any repercussions. 

MAD radio broadcasts live 

every Wednesday on FBRN.US or 

on our Facebook page @MakingADifferenceTX 

from 6 pm to 7 

pm central. 

PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE BLUES 

FOR OVER 36 YEARS 

HELFMAN’S 

RIVER OAKS CHRYSLER 

JEEP • DODGE • FORD CHRYSLER • 

FIAT 

ALFA ROMEO • MASERATI 


New Year has New Challenges including 

PAC Support & Legislation 

We can all agree that 2020 was 

a very stressful year. It all started 

with COVID 19, a virus that drastically 

changed all our lives. The 

political climate was high, as riots 

broke out, police reform was put 

at the forefront, and we sadly lost 

many of our brothers. 

But as bad as it was, the rank and 

file of the Houston Police Department 

proved again why we are 

the best police department in the 

nation. Just like Hurricane Harvey, 

every officer went to work and did 

everything possible to keep the City 

of Houston from burning like other 

cities. We stayed Houston Strong! 

The restraint and professionalism 

our officers demonstrated was very 

impressive. I received calls from 

other police unions around the 

nation praising our department for 

how we performed under pressure. 

I am so proud of this department 

and want to thank each one of you 

for being on the front lines, continuing 

to protect the fine citizens 

of our city. 

TOUGH LEGISLATIVE FIGHTS 

This year we will be facing some 

tough fights during this legislative 

session. We have all heard about 

many of the “reforms” that are being 

proposed around the nation. 

HPOU will be closely monitoring 

all the bills during this session 

regarding the police reform movement. 

There will be a run at our 

143 protections as well as qualified 

immunity. I have found that most 

people do not understand Chapter 

143 of the Local Government Code 

or the ramifications of officers losing 

qualified immunity. I have been 

working with several groups to get 

real information out to the legislative 

bodies that will be pushing 

these reforms. 

It will be a hard fight, but I am 

confident that we will be able to 

work together to protect our rights 

and move forward. This fight will 

be expensive, so if you are not 

already contributing to the HPOU 

Political Action Committee (PAC), 

please consider doing so because 

this will drastically affect all of us. 

It will take all of us working together 

to keep our future secured. 

HPOU PAC’S IMPORTANCE 

Speaking of our PAC, I want everyone 

to understand a few things 

about how PAC funds are spent. I 

have members who have expressed 

concern over specific candidates 

that we support. 

The purpose of the HPOU PAC is 

not to advance any political agenda; 

it is to support those officeholders 

or candidates who support 

us on a local or state level. I can 

guarantee that you will not like everyone 

that we support politically. 

There are times when I completely 

disagree with a candidate’s 

stance on certain issues. But it is 

not about our individual feelings. 

This is about supporting those 

politicians who support our organization 

and our goals, be them 

Republicans or Democrats. 

If every member gives at least $5 

DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

a month, we will have one of the 

largest PAC funds in the state. This 

is what got us to where we are 

today and is the only way to keep 

our future secure. 

You can add or increase your PAC 

contribution at any time on the first 

floor of the Union building. 

THANKS TO OLD AND NEW 

I want to thank and congratulate 

our outgoing HPOU board members, 

Joseph Gamaldi, Christian 

Dorton and David Riggs, all of 

whom promoted to sergeant. Each 

of you served this organization 

well and we appreciate everything 

you have done. I am honored to 

succeed Joe Gamaldi as president 

of our great organization. 

I look forward to working with 

our new board members and a 

special thanks to the executive 

board as they have worked extremely 

hard last year. Let us have 

a productive new year. 

May you all have a safe and 

healthy 2021! Thank you all. 


Police Officer 

Tyler Avery Herndon 

Mount Holly Police Dept., North Carolina 

End of Watch Friday, December 11,2020 

Age 25 Tour #N/A Badge #N/A 


Jason Nicholas Shuping 

Concord Police Dept., North Carolina 

End of Watch Wednesday, December 16, 2020 

Age 25 Tour 1Year 6 Months Badge #4434 

Police Officer Tyler Herndon was shot and killed while he and other officers 

responded to a burglary in progress at a car wash at 313 Beatty Drive at 

about 3:30 am. The subject was shot and wounded by other officers on 

the scene. He was charged with first-degree murder. 

The incident occurred two days before Officer Herndon’s birthday. 


Randall Versie Smith 

Birmington Police Dept., Alabama 

End of Watch Monday, December 28, 2020 

Age 63 Tour 8 Years 

Military Veteran 

Badge #N/A 

Officer Randy Smith died as the result of complications of an inadvertent 

gunshot wound suffered on March 25th, 1995, while responding to a domestic 

disturbance call at 916 18th Street in Ensley. An armed man was 

in the house with a small child who had been left inside as the mother fled 

the home at about 3:00 am. Officer Smith arrived on the scene and entered 

the home in an attempt to rescue the child. As he was rushing back 

outside with the child, another officer heard the commotion and was entering 

the home when the two nearly collided. The second officer’s gun was 

inadvertently discharged and the round struck Officer Smith in the head. 

Officer Smith was flown to University Hospital where he underwent several 

hours of surgery. He remained in a coma for several weeks following the 

shooting. The wound left him partially deaf, partially blind, and permanently 

disabled. 

Police Officer Jason Shuping was shot and killed while responding to an 

attempted carjacking at a fast-food restaurant at 7761 Gateway Lane 

NW. A North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement agent had encountered 

an abandoned vehicle at the scene of a single-car crash on the I-85 exit 

ramp to Bruton Smith Boulevard. As the agent and a Concord police 

officer were at the scene of the crash a woman approached and told them 

a man had just attempted to carjack her at a nearby Sonic restaurant. 

The ALE agent, along with Officer Shuping and another officer responded 

to the restaurant where they encountered the suspect. As they approached 

the man outside of the building, he produced a gun and opened 

fire, fatally wounding Officer Shuping and wounding the other Concord 

officer. 

Officer Shuping had served with the Concord Police Department for 18 

months. 

Sergeant 

Gordon William Best 

North Myrtle Beach Police Dept., South Carolina 

End of Watch Friday, January 1, 2021 

Age 30 Tour 7 years Badge # N/A 

Sergeant Gordon Best was killed in a vehicle crash on Highway 17 S, near 

39th Avenue S, while responding to a call at about 4:00 am. 

His patrol car left the roadway and struck a utility pole during a period of 

rain. 

Sergeant Best had served with the North Myrtle Beach Department of 

Public Safety for seven years. 

Officer Smith was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Birmingham 

Police Department for eight years at the time of the incident. He is 

survived by his three children, two grandchildren, and mother. 


Sergeant 

Daniel Mobley 

DeKalb County Police Dept., Georgia 

End of Watch Saturday, January 2, 2021 

Age 44 Tour 22 years Badge # 2006 

Sergeant Daniel Mobley was struck and killed by a vehicle on I-75/85, 

near Williams Street in Atlanta, at about 9:00 am while on the scene of a 

previous crash involving another DeKalb County police officer. 

Sergeant Mobley had served with the DeKalb County Police Department 

for 22 years. 

Sergeant 

Bruce Watson 

Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Texas 

End of Watch Saturday, January 2, 2021 

Age 51 Tour 20 years Badge # N/A 


Sergeant Bruce Watson was killed in a motorcycle crash near the intersection 

of Shadow Creek Parkway and Kingsley Drive in Pearland. 

He had just completed a funeral escort when his department motorcycle 

collided with an SUV. He was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital where 

he succumbed to his injuries. 

Sergeant Watson was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Harris 

County Sheriff’s Office for 20 years. He is survived by his wife, three 

children, and grandchild. His wife serves with the Houston Police Department. 

Deputy Sheriff 

Johnathan David Price 

Marion County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina 


Brian D. Sicknick 

United States Capitol Police, Washington D.C. 

End of Watch Wednesday, January 6, 2021 

Age 29 Tour 3 years 3 months Badge # N/A 

Deputy Sheriff Johnathan Price was killed in a vehicle crash at the intersection 

of Maiden Down Road and Jackson Road at approximately 10:50 

pm. 

His patrol car collided with another vehicle at the intersection. Deputy 

Price and the driver of the other vehicle were both killed in the crash. 

Deputy Price had served with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for three 

months and had previously served with the Dillon Police Department for 

three years. He is survived by his wife and three children. 

End of Watch Thursday, January 7, 2021 

Age N/A Tour 12 years 


Badge # N/A 

Officer Brian Sicknick succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day 

while physically engaging with protestors on the grounds of the United 

States Capitol. The protestors breached the entrances of the Capitol 

Building while Congress was in session certifying the Electoral College 

votes following the 2020 presidential election. Officer Sicknick returned 

to his division office after being injured and collapsed a short time later. 

He was transported to a local hospital where he passed away the following 

day. 

Officer Sicknick was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the 

United States Capitol Police for 12 years and was assigned to the First 

Responders Unit. 


Taking them Under-Your-Wing 

makes for a Special Hunt! 

Introducing a young person 

to dove hunting was one of the 

highlights for me in 2020. It 

does not happen often enough 

that I get the opportunity to 

introduce someone to the outdoor 

sporting world that I love 

so much and to teach them the 

very basics of gun safety and 

gun handling with the bonus of 

then hunting doves in one of the 

most beautiful places in Texas. 

I know I have written before 

about a certain late season 

Texas dove hunt that I do in the 

Ulvade area each year. 

This year was special because 

my daughter and her boyfriend 

joined my two sons and I for 

the first time in almost 16 years 

of such trips. My daughter 

Bailey decided pretty quick in 

the hunt that she was just there 

for observing the whole experience 

and was not going to be a 

shooter. That was fine with me 

because it quite honestly gave 

us more time together to just 

talk and hang out while I was 

hunting, not to mention she 

was a great spotter for incoming 

birds and marking down 

birds. Her boyfriend Jared had 

always wanted to go hunting, 

but as is typically the case, his 

father was not really into it and 

he never got the opportunity 

before this trip. 

I chose my old Remington 

1100 LT that I have had since I 

was 15 and knew this would be 

the perfect gun for a beginner. 

I originally purchased it as my 

first gun thinking this lightweight 

version of Remington’s 

autoloaders would be ideal for 

carrying all day in the field, and 

for over 40+ years, it 

has never disappointed. 

As I went over how 

to load, unload, work 

the safety, carry, aim, 

and shoot the gun, 

Jared took it all in as 

if there was going to 

be an extensive exam 

when I concluded. 

Well it turns out he 

was right. After he 

successfully demonstrated 

his retention of 

the safety basics, I told 

him to load a shell and 

get ready for his first 

skills test. I picked up 

and threw a clay pigeon 

into the air and 

he raised the gun and 

proceeded to explode it 

on his first shot. With 

a big grin he said, “Hey I 

got it”. Within 20 minutes 

of our first lesson, the final 

test was cutting across in 

front of us heading to the 

big sunflower field. I pointed 

it out and quietly told 

him to remember what we 

talked about. He raised the 

gun and “bang”, and just 

like that his first dove came 

crashing down. A proud 

moment for both student 

and teacher. 

A quick internet search 

uncovered that over the 

last couple of decades we 

continue to see less and 

less hunters taking to the 

woods and from a peak of 

nearly 17 million hunters 

in 1982, we have lost over 

2 million hunters between 

2011 and 2016 alone. Yes, 

there are lots of reasons for 

this decline, but I believe 

one of the simplest reasons 

is that some people just 

don’t know someone who 

can show them and teach 

them. Therefore, If you love 

the outdoors as much as I 

do, please take the time to 

introduce your passion for 

hunting and fishing to someone 

who would otherwise 

never have the opportunity. 

Yes, you might have to give 

up a hunt or two to be that 

teacher, but you might also 

gain a hunting partner for 

life. 



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Montgomery 

County Pct. 4 

Constable's 

Office 

full-time 

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reserve 

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great retirement & 

great insurance 

Advancement Opportunities: Criminal 

Investigations - Special Response Team - Honor 

Guard - Special Response Group - Swift Water 

Rescue Team - K9 - Mounted Patrol - Drone team 

overtime opportunities: step - dwi 

enforcement - special teams - evidence - jp 

security 

Stipend Pay: k9 - specialist - fto deputy 

paid time off: holiday - vacation - comp time - 

personal - paid training 

salary - step pay slotted based on tcole full-time years of 

service: 

Under 2 yrs - $48,755.20 9 Yrs - $59,508.80 

2 Yrs - $51,188.80 12 Yrs - $61,150.40 

4 Yrs - $53,726.40 15 Yrs - $65,270.40 

6 Yrs - $56,368.00 16+ Yrs - $68,536.0 

license certification (up to $3599) and longevity pay 

civil service protected 

MORE INFO: 

Constable Kenneth "Rowdy" Hayden 

Pct. 4 Constable, Montgomery County, TX 

scheduled. 

personality 21130 Hwy 59 Ste. C and New Caney, TX assessment 77357 

www.mcco4.org - 281.577.8985 - 

candidates 3. 

passing Successfully personal 

receive will 

@mcconstablepct4 

book. 

history 


and complete applicant questionnaire in person. 

1. Pickup 

qualification, fitness assessment, written exam 

2. Firearms 

board. 

4. Oral

104 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE

JAN 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 1

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