MAY 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 5 Houston Cover

“I’m always with you Mom”

MAY 2021 

On the Cover (S) 

Another first for the BLUES. 

Two covers for one issue. Both 

feature the Moms of Fallen 

Heroes honored in Memorial 

Services in Austin, Houston & 

Harris County. We want to wish 

each Mom a Happy Mother’s 

Day and know you are loved by 

your Blue Family. 

58 

62 

66 

FEATURES 

32 NATIONAL POLICE WEEK 

34 MEMORIAL SERVICE AUSTIN 

50 MEMORIAL SERVICE HARRIS COUNTY 

54 MEMORIAL SERVICE HOUSTON 

72 ARE YOU PREPARED TO STAY ALIVE?: 

OFFICER SURVIVAL GUIDE 

DEPARTMENTS 

04 Publisher’s Thoughts 

06 Editor’s Thoughts 

8,10 Guest Editorials 

12 Your Thoughts 

18 News Around the State 

26 News Around the Country 

114 Daryl’s Deliberations - Daryl Lott 

122 Blue Mental Health with Dr. Tina Jaeckle 

126 Running 4 Heroes 

128 Remembering My Hero - Officer Bryan Hebert 

134 Honoring our Fallen Heroes 

140 End of Watch -Taken too Soon 

142 Outdoors with Rusty Barron 

144 Marketplace - Discounts for LEOs 

150 Parting Shots 

152 Now Hiring - L.E.O. Positions Open in Texas 

114 

DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS 

by DARYL LOTT 

116 

120 


11 Offi cer Defense Tips & Tactics 

From the Editors of 

72 

HEALING OUR HEROES, 

by SAMANTHA HORWITZ JOHN SALERNO 

OUR TEAM 

MICHAEL BARRON 

founder & publisher 


editor-n-chief 

REX EVANS 

contributing editor 

DIANE TRYKOWSKI 

creative editor 

RUSTY BARRON 

outdoor editor 

TINA JAECKLE 


DARYL LOTT 


SAM HORWITZ & JOHN SALERNO 

contributing editors 

DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

HPOU contributing editor 

JANICE VANZURA 

sales mgr / austin 

PHIL PIERCE 

sales mgr / dallas 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

T. EDISON 

light bulb award 

SHERIFF ED GONZALEZ 

HCSO newsletter 

SGT. WHITE 

warstories/aftermath editor 

KATHLEEN DIAS 


JOE VARGAS 


HOLLY HEBERT 

contributing editor / COPS 

OUR PHOTOGRAPHERS 

PETER KOPECEK 

cover #1 Austin 

VICKY PINK 

cover #2 Houston 

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. 

2 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 3

The Real Heroes of 2021 

It’s a humbling experience to 

walk among heroes. In this case, 

the heroes are the surviving family 

members of peace officers 

lost in the line of duty in Texas. 

Each year, Concerns of Police 

Survivors (C.O.P.S) along with the 

State of Texas and police agencies 

from across the State, gather 

together at the Texas Police 

Memorial at the Capitol to honor 

these fallen officers. This year 

the event was moved to a stadium 

a few blocks away. 

Even though they have suffered 

the worst pain imaginable, 

they continue to go about their 

lives knowing a greater good 

was served. That one life was 

given so that another could be 

saved. They know in their heart 

of hearts that God will continue 

to watch over them as well as 

the Peacemakers he has called 

home, for they are truly the Children 

of God. 

So, on this peaceful Sunday, as 

the evening sun slowly sets in 

the hills above this bustling city, 

mothers & fathers, husbands & 

wives, sons and daughters, aunts 

& uncles, grandchildren and 

great grandchildren, each walk 

on stage to meet the Lt. Governor 

and Governor. One by one, hugs 

are exchanged and tears flow as 

Governor Abbott and his wife 

Cecilia comfort these heroes of 

heroes and present them with 

medals to honor their fallen 

officer. 

It is a saddening fact that 

each year, both groups of heroes 

grow larger and larger. This 

past year we lost over 362 officers 

including 234 that lost their 

life due to COVID. That’s 212 more 

than the year before. And in 2021, 

the number across the nation is 

already 119. Hundreds of thousands 

of family and friends now a 

part of a group they wished they 

never heard of. You see, if given 

a choice, none of these heroes 

would be here today. They would 

rather be anywhere but here. But 

this was God’s will and for whatever 

reason He chooses to call His 

children home, we honor that and 

pray He watches over His growing 

flock of angels. 

As the bag pipes play, the sound 

of a 21-gun salute, and officers 

from around the state standing 

at attention, are all vivid memories 

for these family members. 

Memories most would rather not 

relive, but they know it’s their 

duty to be here and support the 

new members of this fraternity. In 

my 36 years of law enforcement, 

I’ve attended way more services 

for fallen officers than I care to 

count. At each one you can’t help 

but relive all ones before. You 

remember every single moment 

that you buried your partner, your 

friend and in many cases your 

own family. And at every single 

service, thoughts race through 

your mind, “What if this were my 

service?” My family, my wife and 

my kids receiving a folded flag. 

The Sheriff, Police Chief or Commander 

standing before them, saluting 

them, holding back a wave 


of tears that will fall when they 

aren’t looking. As each ceremony 

progresses, your mind is overwhelmed 

with grief and yet the 

sad realization that even though 

this isn’t your service or your 

family, the next time it may very 

well be. But today, today you 

mourn for the fallen. You honor 

your brothers and sisters in Blue 

with pride and integrity. It’s what 

you were trained to do. 

But as I stand here today, 

taking all this in one more time, 

I pray to our Father in Heaven 

that He watches over all His 

children both here and those 

He has called home. I beg him 

repeatedly to not take any more. 

Please let us grieve over the 

ones we’ve lost without having 

to add to that burden. Please add 

no more members to this club. 

Let us come here to honor those 

that have fallen in years gone by 

without adding a single name to 

the Police Memorial both here 

and in Washington. We ask this 

in your name Father, Amen. 

FT. WORTH 

6201 NE Loop 820 

HOUSTON 

 

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For information contact: 

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4 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 5 

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It’s been a rough 14-16 months, duty. Look, if that alone doesn’t 

$150,000 right? COVID. Large scale ..what demon- 

get it your won’t attention, get I don’t you. know 

strations, a serious series of critical 

reviews in the National Media 

and Social Media, and an overall 

sense of “Anti-Law Enforcement” 

in the air. Then, our own personal 

issues. For example, in my family 

my son and dad both are battling 

cancer. Thankfully, both are winning 

their respective fight, at the 

time of print. Others I know are 

battling financial problems, relationship 

problems, kid problems 

and well, just problems. 

No matter who you are, whether 

you’re a Cadet in the Academy 

or you’re the Chief, guess what? 

We’ve all got problems. Yes, we 

do. Some are different than others. 

Some are less than or greater 

than. But one thing is for sure, 

we’ve all got them, and they can 

compound into what amounts to 

a bit of a breakdown or disillusionment 

(college word for WTH 

just happened). 

Look, no matter what the problem(s) 

are, no matter who you 

are, if you’re wearing a badge and 

a gun, it doesn’t mean you’re still 

not a “HUMAN BEING”. For God’s 

sake, take a deep breath. Slow 

everything down. Even if, for only 

a moment or two. That doesn’t 

mean you’re weak, bro. It means 

you’ve got the where with all 

to at least understand, I’ve gotta 

stop here for a moment, and 

there’s no shame in that. 

Over the last few years, the 

number of Law Enforcement 

Officer Suicides has doubled and 

more and doubled is the number 

of Law Enforcement Officers 

killed / lost in the line of 

what else to say. Life is tough. It’s 

tougher if you’re a cop. 

If for some reason any of us 

have felt we “had to be” Superman 

or Superwoman, well that 

may be applicable at a certain 

point in time when at work. (and 

for all the mothers who wear a 

badge, I understand that is an 

everyday, all day function…there! 

I said it!!!) But no matter how 

strong we are, how much we 

exercise, eat right, live right and 

do right…there are moments in 

life where everything will just go 

wrong. It just does. 

I believe it is fair to say, time 

are tough for everyone in Law 

Enforcement. The job was always 

hard. Now though, it’s even harder. 

The pressures of life, people, 

the world moreover and of 

course, the ever-present pressure 

of not screwing anything up by 

taking action. Such pressure can 

wear a person down. Mentally, 

emotionally and physically. It 

doesn’t mean that this job has 

become “impossible”. It remains 

highly possible to be a good cop 

and do a good job. 

If you’re feeling the pressures 

of this job, this life right now, 

please know you are not alone. 

Of the thousands of Law Enforcement 

Officers in Harris County 

alone, I can assure you, we are 

all feeling the heat right about 

now. That being said, lean on 

someone if you need to. Don’t be 

afraid or ashamed. There’s absolutely 

nothing wrong with telling 

someone “I’m tired” or “I’m really 

down right now”. Hell, odds are 

REX EVANS 

the response may be “What? You? 

Hell bro, me too! I didn’t want 

to say anything because I didn’t 

think you’d understand.” Well, 

I am here to tell you, more and 

more of us are completely understanding 

now. 

Should you be considering 

giving up this profession, I beg of 

you, don’t. Please, don’t. We need 

to stay strong and stay together 

now, more than ever. Our line has 

always been then. Now we find 

where the Thin Blue Line is thinner 

than ever before. Now is not 

the time to walk away. If it’s more 

than that, if you’re down and 

hurting, PLEASE, for God’s sake, 

talk to someone. Anyone. Hell, 

reach out to me. I would rather 

listen to you than listen to TAPS 

at your funeral because the hardships 

you were facing dragged 

you down. 

It has always been and continues 

to always be imperative that 

we all do this one thing; take care 

of ourselves and each other. In 

today’s world, it is perhaps paramount 

above everything else. For 

how can we save the world if, we 

refuse to save ourselves and one 

another? 

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A Letter to the American Public: Why You 

Must Decide What You Want from Cops. 

If you recruit well, conduct thorough background checks, and train 

constantly, you can have a human with a kind heart and good ethics 

– but you can’t have perfection. 

By Kathleen Dias 

This article is reprinted with 

permission from The Rural Badge 

blog. 

It’s time for the American public 

to decide what we want from 

law enforcement. Warriors? 

Counselors? Guardians? Priests? 

Social workers? Magicians? 

Do we want the cheapest cops 

possible? Or do we want welltrained 

and well-screened cops 

who are equipped with every 

tool needed for every possible 

eventuality? 

Or do we want the beat cop 

from grandaddy’s hometown, 

with nothing but a smile, a 

wheel gun and one set of cuffs? 

Really, we want it all. Admit it, 

we do – and we want it all without 

paying for any of it. 

Every officer needs to be an 

empathetic, well-spoken, SEALtrained 

ninja with double majors 

in psychology and social 

work, who considers the job a 

calling, and has no bills to pay, 

no nerves to fray, and enforces 

the law completely objectively 

while also using discretion at all 

times, unless it’s going to result 

in arresting – or not arresting – 

the wrong person at the wrong 

time, for the wrong thing, in the 

opinion of every member of the 

public. 

If that person existed, he 

wouldn’t work for you. So, we’ve 

got to deal with what exists, and 

what exists are humans. 

Humans are fallible, and their 

bodies are frail. Their brains 

play tricks on them when they’re 

under stress, and then keep them 

from sleeping by replaying the 

stressor on an endless loop later, 

trying to find ways to “fix” whatever 

went wrong. 

Humans come in varieties, not 

exactly like dog breeds, but close 

enough that the analogy works: 

If you need a bite dog, you don’t 

start with a Golden Retriever. 

Possibly, you can teach the Golden 

to bite on command, if you’re 

persistent enough, and mean 

enough, but in the process, you’ll 

ruin everything that made him a 

Golden to begin with. 

Now translate that back to 

people. 

Warriors, soldiers and great 

war generals like Patton may live 

for the fight but they don’t always 

play well with others after 

the battle. They can be harsh. 

They can use bad language in 

settings where you wish they 

were polite. They find humor in 

ugly, dark places that just frighten 

the rest of society. They’re not 

always...nice. 

If you want only a cuddly, soft, 

empathetic officer whose first 

response is always a soft answer 

and compassion, you can have 

that. She’ll never embarrass her 

chief at Coffee with a Cop. He’ll 

present well on camera every 

time and remind you of someone’s 

grandfather. He’ll be the 

perfect SRO until there’s an active 

shooter at your kid’s school. 

Suddenly, society insists on the 

warrior. 

They want the demon Malinois, 

55 pounds of rawhide, spring 

steel and gator teeth, driving 

into the gunfire and doing anything 

it takes – anything – to 

keep the children safe. 

And once the threat is gone, 

society wants the Malinois to 

morph back into the therapy dog. 

They want the warrior gone, 

the counselor returned, the off 

switch thrown. 

That’s not how it works. 

And it’s not fair. 

I tell you now: the unicorn 

doesn’t exist. You can’t have it. 

What you can have is a human. 

If you recruit well, conduct 

thorough background checks and 

train constantly, you can have 

a human with a kind heart and 

good ethics who is willing to 

fight hard, be uncomfortable and 

even get hurt for you. 

You can have a human who 

tries. You can have someone 

who struggles, who sometimes 

fails, who gets better with time 

and experience and who has 

setbacks. 

But you can’t have perfection. 

In fact, you can break perfectly 

good humans by insisting they be 

something they can’t be – things 

no one can be. 

Decide now that as long as 

cops get recruited from the 

human race, they’re going to be 

exactly human, with everything 

that means. The rest of society is 

also human, after all. 

Maybe it’s time we decide what 

we want from the rest of us, too. 

About the Author 

Kathleen Dias writes features 

and news analysis on topics 

of concern to law enforcement 

professionals serving in rural and 

remote locations. She uses her 

background in writing, teaching 

and marketing to advocate for 

professional levels of training 

and equipment for rural officers, 

open channels of communication 

for isolated departments, and 

dispel myths about rural policing. 

She’s had a front-row seat 

observing rural agencies – local, 

state and federal – from the Sierra 

foothills to California’s notorious 

Emerald Triangle, for more 

than 30 years. 

RED MARK USA 

Rescuing the Innocent 

Houston Police officers, Harris County Sheriff’s deputies and deputy 

constables are imprisoned by a corrupt district attorney on trumped up 

charges. A progressive police chief investigates and fires officers by the 

dozens on spurious complaints. 

The USA is under the control of a leftist government. Anyone found in 

contempt of the new ideology has their bank accounts closed and locked. 

That’s the Red Mark. 

Left wing rioters burn and destroy churches, synagogues, mosques and 

temples. The First and Second amendments to the Constitution are declared 

null and void. Right wing insurrectionists plot to kidnap the mayor and city 

council. 

Corrupt and inept Department of Human Relations police abuse citizens 

and act like a new Gestapo. 

Dozens of police officers, sheriff’s deputies and constables are scheduled 

for execution by public hanging in front of an angry mob. It’s up to a group 

of officers and deputies to rescue them before they’re killed. Working in 

strictest secrecy, knowing that the discovery of their plot will mean prison 

and death, they work against time to rescue the innocent. 

Deacon Blue is a retired Houston Police Officer. 

Available on Amazon Kindle or paperback. $9.95 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE 


joe vargas 

By Joe Vargas 

Over the past few years, critics 

have pointed to the need for more 

police training as a solution to the 

shortcomings of law enforcement. 

I would agree training is a necessity 

and should be an ongoing 

priority at every police agency, but 

getting it done is not simple. 

Questions on what training 

should be implemented and in what 

priority have been discussed both 

internally within law enforcement 

departments and with the communities 

they serve. Frankly, the task 

can be daunting. Department priorities 

and community expectations 

have to be taken into consideration. 

Curriculum has to be developed and 

trainers have to be trained. Then, 

there are the costs associated with 

training. 

What people don’t take into consideration 

is that every time a police 

officer is in training, someone must 

take their place, or their job isn’t 

getting done. For even the smallest 

departments, that can require up to 

thousands of hours a year. 

I’ve compiled a partial list of what 

can be considered training priorities 

by police departments and the 

community, along with the number 

of hours that might be required. 

As you can see, law enforcement 

leaders must take many things into 

consideration when planning these 

much-needed trainings. This is not 

GUEST EDITORIAL 

No Simple Answers for Police Leaders Tasked 

with Training Law Enforcement. 

Training is a necessity and should be an ongoing priority at every 

police agency, but getting it done is not as simple as it may seem. 

a simple or easy task to accomplish. 

DE-ESCALATION TRAINING 

Officers confronted with violent 

and non-compliant subjects have 

been criticized in their response 

when things go terribly wrong, especially 

when deadly force is used. 

The goal of de-escalation training is 

to provide officers with the skills to 

slow down, create space, and rely 

on communication to defuse volatile 

encounters. 

Let’s say that 24 hours of training 

would suffice for every officer in a 

police department. 

CRISIS INTERVENTION AND RE- 

SPONSE 

While not quite the same as 

de-escalation, crisis intervention 

training works to reduce injury or 

death during police interactions 

with people suffering from mental 

illness or who are experiencing 

a mental health crisis. This seems 

like a worthy effort and is critically 

needed at a time when these encounters 

seem to occur with some 

frequency. 

That would be another 24 to 40 

hours of training. 

POLICE RESPONSE TO HOME- 

LESSNESS 

Not a single city in the country 

isn’t dealing with issues related to 

homelessness and homeless behavior. 

Police departments have assumed 

the role of the lead government 

agency on these issues. 

Homelessness impacts the community’s 

sense of well-being, safety 

and security. In this situation, police 

are often caught in the middle. Law 

enforcement is criticized if they 

step back and allow social service 

and non-profits to deal with the 

problem. If they take enforcement 

measures to set boundaries and 

they are taken to task for being insensitive 

and coming on too strong. 

If we ignore the violence and 

drug-related issues the problems 

can quickly go out of control. 

At least 24 hours of training 

would be helpful in providing tools 

for the officer’s toolbox. 

Coordinated homeless outreach: 

Where does law enforcement fit in? 

Collaborative responses are the 

most successful at efficiently using 

resources and driving down the 

homeless population when properly 

implemented. 

RACIAL SENSITIVITY, BIAS AND 

CULTURAL COMPETENCY 

Police officers throughout the 

country have been criticized for a 

lack of understanding of how racial 

bias can affect how they enforce 

the law and respond to calls for 

service. Implicit bias training is an 

effort to help officers understand 

how stereotypes and cultural biases 

can and do impact how we respond 

to people. 

Recent historical precedent shows 

how police departments were used 

to enforce racist and unfair laws, so 

naturally, there is distrust and suspicion. 

There is a real debate on the 

effectiveness of the training and if it 

leads to fairer policing. Training is, 

however, better than doing nothing. 

Most of the classes being offered 

are 8 hours in length and usually 

involve all department employees. 

PROCEDURAL JUSTICE 

Procedural justice speaks to the 

idea of fairness and transparency, 

such as how police departments 

interact with their communities and 

how they implement everything 

from enforcement strategies to 

personal contacts with the public. A 

great deal of this training is directed 

at police leadership, middle 

managers and supervisors. In reality, 

all offices could benefit from this 

kind of training. 

The training is usually one or two 

days. 

MOBILE FIELD FORCE 

2020 was a year of demonstrations, 

protests and riots across the 

country. The critiques of police 

responses to these events are universal 

regarding the lack of training 

and preparation. These rebukes are 

not just for the officers on the line 

but in the command, as well as 

control of the situations by police 

commanders. Granted, this is not 

something police departments do 

every day but is something they 

have to be prepared to handle. 

Training of 24 hours for officers 

and 40 hours for police commanders 

could go a long way toward 

improving the police response. 

DUTY TO INTERVENE 

Something that has come up rather 

recently has been the failure of 

backup officers to intervene when 

they see another officer taking actions 

that are escalating a situation 

or are illegal. What can and should 

an officer do when they see something 

like this occurring? It’s been 

a standard oral board question for 

new hires for years. New hires are 

asked, “What do you do when you 

are working with an officer who is 

breaking the law?” 

There is a move to make “duty to 

intervene” a legal requirement for 

officers. Most departments already 

have this as a matter of policy. If 

this becomes the law, departments 

need to better train officers in how 

to handle these situations. 

That would be another 4- to 

8-hour block. 

RESPONSE TO HUMAN TRAF- 

FICKING 

The public response to the crisis 

of human trafficking has been huge. 

Across the country, many jurisdictions 

have created task forces 

and collaboratives to deal with 

the issue. Young women and men 

being coerced into sex trafficking 

is happening in just about every 

city in America. In order to respond 

effectively, police officers need the 

training to identify the signs and respond 

in a manner that understands 

the suspects in these cases are, in 

fact, victims. 

About 8 hours of training would 

be helpful for every officer in the 

country. 

ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING 

Recent events continue to show 

the need for first responders to be 

trained in how to respond to events 

where an individual is actively engaged 

in killing or attempting to kill 

people in confined and populated 

areas. This can happen in a school, 

shopping center, or any area where 

the public gathers. While rare, the 

need for officers to be prepared for 

these dangerous and horrific calls is 

the reality of our times. 

Ideally, 8 hours every year might 

adequately prepare an officer in the 

field to respond. Triple that for an 

officer assigned to a SWAT unit. 

WAIT, THERE’S MORE 

As you can see, a lot of training 

needs to be done, in addition to 

the significant amount of ongoing 

training that still has to occur on a 

regular basis. 

Arrest and control techniques, 

police firearms and range training 

and emergency vehicle driving are 

all skills that have to be continually 

refreshed. It comes as no surprise 

these are some of the areas where 

police departments have the most 

civil exposure. Add to that regular 

legal updates, since the laws are 

constantly changing due to case 

decisions and legislative action. Add 

specialty investigative training for 

detectives and the hours continue to 

add up. 

Regular training is also needed 

on personal well-being, fitness and 

stress management. Police physical 

and mental issues are a real problem 

and are worthy of a department’s 

attention. 

HOW TO PRIORITIZE POLICE 

TRAINING 

Let’s say you are the police chief 

of your city. 

How do you prioritize the training 

on this list? Add in the complicating 

factor that due to the COVID-19 

pandemic, your department budget 

has been reduced and there may 

be also public outcry to defund the 

police. 

Let’s not forget you have to make 

sure officers are still responding to 

calls and investigating cases. 

What is most important to get 

done first and how long is the training 

going to take? Is it going to be 

months, weeks, or years? It can be a 

daunting and challenging task. 

Training is needed, is necessary 

and is beneficial for any law enforcement 

agency. 

The decisions on how it gets done 

and how soon are not easy to solve. 

Public expectations need to be realistic: 

all this training isn’t going to 

happen overnight. 

About the Author 

Joe is a retired Anaheim Police 

Department Captain, a columnist 

at BehindTheBadgeOC.com and a 

POST-certified public and crisis 

communications instructor. He can 

be reached at JVargas@behindthebadgeoc.com. 


THERE IS NO GOOD ANSWER 

“He was a 13-year-old baby. 

How could the police kill him?” 

“He was 13 years old; he wasn’t 

a threat.” 

“If the police are scared of a 

13-year-old, they shouldn’t be 

the police.” 

“I don’t care if he had a gun, he 

put his hands up.” 

“13-year old’s brains aren’t developed; 

he doesn’t know what 

he’s doing.” 

Just like the 13-year-old 

and 15-year-old girl that carjacked 

an Uber Eats driver and 

then killed him. But she was a 

13-year-old baby, she wasn’t 

a threat, right? Tell that to the 

family who buried 66-year-old 

Mohammad Anwar who was a 

hard-working Pakistani immigrant 

who came to the United 

States to create a better life for 

him and his family. 

Just like the two 12-year-old 

girls who planned out and then 

lured their classmate into the 

woods where they viciously 

stabbed her 19 times and left her 

to die. Do you think the victim’s 

parents believe children aren’t 

capable of harm? 

Just like the 15-year-old that 

was a part of the group that 

followed and then fatally shot 

the retired firefighter outside of 

a popcorn shop in Chicago. Did 

you watch that video? Don’t. It 

will make you sick. A man spent 

his entire life serving others 

and was just trying to enjoy his 

retirement before being gunned 

down because he had a nice car. 

He had a concealed weapon and 

returned fire. He did everything 

right. But still lost his life and 

one involved was a 15-year-old 

male. 

Still think children aren’t 

capable of violence? Chicago 

saw a spike in juveniles, age 

17 and younger, arrested for 

first-degree murder. So not old 

enough to drive or get a lottery 

ticket, but old enough to kill. 

A total of 36 juveniles arrested 

for homicide in Chicago 

last year. That is a 35 percent 

increase over 2019. Are you still 

going to claim children aren’t 

a threat? Some of the most 

heinous crimes in our history 

are carried out by children. 

So, stop using his age as an 

excuse. Stop letting emotions 

take control of you. A 13-yearold 

can kill you just as easily 

as an adult. 

This police officer received 

notification of 8 shots fired into 

a vehicle. He chased after a 

subject in a dark alley who he 

knew to be armed. The subject 

turned with a gun in his hands. 

838 milliseconds between 

when the subject dropped the 

gun and when police fired a 

single shot. Virtually, at the 

same time. Go ahead and time 

that on your phone. See just 

how quick 838 milliseconds 

are. Now do it after shots were 

just fired, you’re chasing someone 

in the dark who can turn 

and fire on you any second, and 

you have no idea what race 

or how old this subject is. The 

subject turns toward you with a 

gun. Are you going to wait for 

him to make the right decision? 

Are you going to give him the 

opportunity to shoot and kill you 

first? 838 milliseconds to make 

it home to your family. Go ahead 

and look up how fast your brain 

can process information and 

how fast it can process information 

under stress. 

But everything is the police’s 

fault. Let’s not blame the parents 

who let their 13-year-old son out 

on the streets with a 21-yearold 

at 3 a.m. with a loaded gun. I 

don’t know about you, but when 

I was 13 my parents knew my 

every movement. That’s the way 

it should be when your young 

mind needs guidance. This child 

obviously didn’t have any. 

Let’s not blame the child himself, 

the one who had no regard 

for human life. He was an innocent 

child, right? So, use your 

brain and tell me. What was he 

doing with a gun at that time out 

in the streets then? His friends 

who are crying for his innocence 

and the death of cops, say “Say 

RIP Lil Homicide.” How do you 

get the nickname Lil Homicide at 

the age of 13? Tell me that. Not 

everyone grows up with a good 

home life or good parents, but 

they all don’t choose to turn to a 

life of crime either. 

Is it sad a 13-year-old lost his 

life? Yes. May God have mercy on 

his soul. Could all of this have 

been avoided? Yes. Is it the police’s 

fault for doing their job? No. 

This isn’t about backing the blue 

or blindly supporting police. This 

is about right and wrong. That 

officer will pay for it the rest of 


his life knowing he had to take 

the life of a young boy. I’ll get 

a lot of hate for this post and I 

don’t care. It’s not the police’s job 

to raise and discipline your children. 

Raise your kids so the first 

time they’re dealing with authority 

isn’t when they are dealing 

with the police. 

It’s cool and hip now to make 

thugs and criminals heroes 

while vilifying the police for 

simply doing their jobs. Every 

time you cry police brutality or 

racism in instances it doesn’t 

apply, you’re taking away from 

the times it does. This isn’t a race 

issue. I don’t care if someone is 

a police officer. I don’t care if 

they’re a known criminal. If they 

are wrong, they are wrong. If 

they acted correctly, they acted 

correctly. Stop letting the media 

control what you think about 

everything. Think for yourself 

based off your own research and 

with a logical mind. 

#ADAMTOLEDO 

MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL 

Officer Chauvin was convicted 

on all 3 counts by the jury. 

George Floyd was a career 

criminal. His last crime resulted 

in his death. Officer Chauvin is 

likely going to prison for a very 

long time. It is also very likely 

his verdict will be overturned 

because of irresponsible Democrats 

such as Maxine Waters. 

She yelled in a crowd to convict, 

convict, convict Officer Chauvin 

for murder. She is an elected official, 

and it was totally inappropriate 

for her to be spewing hate 

during a trial. Also, Biden, the 

worst President ever in the history 

of the United States, said he 

was praying for a guilty verdict. 

Beyond disgraceful. The jurors 

were not sequestered during the 

trial. They were threatened on 

social media and so were the 

witnesses. One witness for the 

defense had a bloody head of a 

pig on his front porch and everything 

was smeared in blood. 

Stupidly, the animals that did 

this did not know the witness 

moved from this home 5 years 

ago. There have been memorials, 

marches, demonstrations, protests, 

looting, rioting and more 

for Floyd. The family are millionaires 

now because of his death. It 

is over, or so I thought. There are 

now more memorials planned 

for him. There is a huge mural of 

him in Houston, Texas that shows 

wings on his back. That is beyond 

ludicrous and disrespectful, 

especially to the pregnant woman 

that he held at gunpoint with 

the gun pointed at her stomach 

while his friend ransacked her 

house and robbed her. I would 

really like for the media to shut 

their mouths about this case. I 

never want to hear the name 

George Floyd again. Biden should 

attempt to be President and consider 

visiting the border where 

there is a real crisis. Harris, who 

is supposed to be in charge of 

the border crisis is totally MIA. 

She has only laughed when 

asked if she planned on visiting 

the border. It seems that has 

been swept under the rug. 

SHERYL SHEFFIELD SMITH 

THEY NEED TO STHU AND GET 

A JOB! 

BLM issued the demand in concert 

with a broader demand to 

“defund” all police departments 

across the country, because, 

they claim, current and former 

law enforcement officials were 

involved in the January 6th riot: 

“The police that met our BLM 

protestors this summer with 

assault rifles, teargas, and military-grade 

protective gear were 

the same police that, on Wednesday, 

met white supremacists with 

patience and the benefit of the 

doubt, going so far as to pose for 

selfies with rioters.” 

Black Lives Matter seems to 

ignore that the group’s “freedom 

summer” protests often ended 

in riots and destruction; in some 

cases, the riots and arson associated 

with, or which followed, anti-police 

brutality and anti-racism 

protests in the summer of 

2020 caused more than a billion 

dollars in damage and often left 

minority neighborhoods ravaged. 

FED UP 

AMONTEBELLO POLICE 

HELP 92-YR OLD MAN 

Earlier today, officers responded 

to the Bank of America in 

Montebello regarding a patron 

who was causing a disturbance. 

Upon officer’s arrival, they discovered 

that a 92-year-old man 

was trying to withdraw money 

from his account, however his 

California identification card was 

expired. Per the banks policy, 

because his identification card 

was expired, they were unable to 

fulfill his request. The gentleman 

was upset, and the police were 

called. 

Once officers arrived, Officer 

Robert Josett decided to take 

the man to the DMV in town to 

help him renew his identification 

card. With the assistance of the 

DMV, his identification card was 

renewed, and he was taken back 

to the bank at which time he was 

able to withdraw money from 

his account. He thanked Officer 

Josett and went on his way. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Biden Nominates Sheriff Gonzales to Head ICE 

WASHINGTON — President 

Joe Biden has nominated Texas 

sheriff, Ed Gonzalez, to lead 

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement 

for the Department of 

Homeland Security. 

Since 2017, Gonzales has served 

as sheriff of Harris County, Texas, 

which is the largest sheriff office 

in Texas and the third largest in 

the country. He has led a team of 

5,000 employees in the position 

and previously served 18 years 

with the Houston Police Department, 

rising to the rank of sergeant, 

according to his profile on 

his office’s website. 

If confirmed by the Senate as 

the next director of ICE, Gonzales 

would lead the agency charged 

with strengthening border security 

and preventing the illegal 

movement of people, goods and 

funds into and out of the U.S. The 

agency has about 20,000 deportation 

officers, special agents, 

analysts and other staff. 

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas 

praised Biden’s pick in a 

statement Tuesday. 

“Sheriff Ed Gonzalez is a strong 

choice for ICE Director,” Mayorkas 

said. “With a distinguished 

career in law enforcement and 

public service, Sheriff Gonzalez 

is well-suited to lead ICE as 

the agency advances our public 

safety and homeland security 

mission. I hope the Senate will 

swiftly confirm Sheriff Gonzalez 

to this critical position.” 

In 2017, as Harris County’s new 

sheriff, Gonzales withdrew from 

a partnership with federal immigration 

authorities that allowed 

local officers to determine the 

immigration status of jailed 

crime suspects, citing a lack of 

resources. They were then allowed 

to hold people selected 

for deportation, the Houston 

Chronicle reported. 

Gonzalez would succeed Tae 

Johnson, who has been serving 

as acting ICE director since Jan. 

13. He previously served as the 

agency’s deputy director. 

ICE has not had a permanent 

director since 2017. The agency 

operated with five acting directors 

under the Trump administration. 

This comes as the Biden 

administration has faced challenges 

at the border, including a 

surge of unaccompanied minors 

crossing into the U.S. 

EDITOR - If confirmed by both 

houses, Harris County Commissioners 

Court will pick a replacement 

to head the Sheriff’s office 

until the next election. The BLUES 

recommends PCT. 1 Constable 

Alan Rosen as the #1 choice to 

lead the Sheriff’s office. 

Our entire Sheriff’s Office family 

is saddened by the heartbreaking 

loss of our brother, Deputy Alexander 

Gwosdz. We came together on 

Wednesday with his close circle of 

loved ones to pay tribute to a beloved 

son, brother, and remarkable 

public servant. 

Deputy Gwosdz was looking 

forward to dedicating his life to 

protecting and serving our communities. 

He knew early on he wanted 

to earn the badge and wear this 

uniform. He came from a family of 

public servants. His father, Deputy 

Chris Gwosdz, who was an auto 

theft investigator, retired from the 

Sheriff’s Office last year after 34 

years of service. His sister, Catherine, 

serves as a jailer with the 

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. 

Deputy Gwosdz joined our agency 

in 2012 as a detention officer in 

the Harris County Jail. Two years 

later, he took a leap in fulfilling 

his dreams by graduating from our 

training academy. He served as a 

patrol deputy in northwest Harris 

County, patrolling the very neighborhoods 

where he grew up and 

lived. 

He also was a member of our 

High-Water Rescue Team. These 

critical team members respond to 

rescue calls during flooding events 

and have completed rigorous swift 

water training. They monitor and 

prepare for the worst-case scenario 

and encourage our residents to do 

the same. 

In 2017, during Hurricane Harvey, 

Deputy Gwosdz was in our communities 

on a high-water rescue 

vehicle. For those of us who lived 

through it, we’ll never forget Hurricane 

Harvey’s destruction and 

devastation. He was there for his 

“Deputy Gwosdz remembered for his love for his job 

and immense pride in helping others.” 

neighbors and teammates through 

it all. 

Deputy Gwosdz’s profound impact 

on those who knew him was evident 

in the many stories and memories 

shared over the past week. He 

was remembered for his endless 

love for his job and immense pride 

in helping others. 

His Patrol District 5 teammates 

described their relationship as a 

close-knit family and brotherhood. 

They always looked out for each 

other. 

Deputy Aguilar and Deputy Ticas, 

who were his training academy 

classmates, recalled a time when 

they responded to a call for service 

involving an armed suspect inside 

a residence. Together, the deputies 

safely made their way into the home 

and deescalated the situation without 

any incident. They trusted each 

other with their lives. 

Deputy Gwosdz never hesitated 

to take appropriate action. Reserve 

Deputy Wilson, who also graduated 

from the training academy with 

him, will never forget his partner 

helping a shooting victim stay calm. 

He applied pressure to her gunshot 

wound until EMS arrived, and 

Deputy Wilson worked to clear the 

house. 

Deputy Gwosdz represented the 

very best among us. He possessed 

all the values you could want in a 

peace officer: compassionate, hardworking, 

honest, and kind. People 

cared for him well beyond his work 

here at the Sheriff’s Office. 

His passing reminds us of the 

dangers of this virus and the importance 

of banding together to do 

everything we can to fight it. Deputy 

Gwosdz had his whole life ahead of 

him. Our law enforcement personnel 

in our communities and inside 

the jail are at risk of being exposed 

every day. They’re on the front lines. 

This marks the fifth teammate to die 

after contracting the virus. 

We will keep Deputy Gwosdz 

and his family in our hearts. Your 

brothers and sisters in blue have the 

watch from here. 


Bill allowing permit-less carrying of handguns, doesn’t sit well with 

some Police Unions across the state. 

HB 1927 & HB 1911, known as “Constitutional 

Carry Bills” advance to Texas Senate Floor 

While Texas Republicans are 

already headed toward a collision 

course over platform priorities 

over a controversial election 

bill that recently made its way 

out of the state Senate and is 

headed to the House, they may 

have another juggling act on 

their hands over bills that would 

allow Texans to carry handguns 

both openly and concealed without 

a permit. 

In April, the Texas House Committee 

on Homeland Security 

and Public Safety passed two 

bills - House Bills 1911 and 1927 - 

which allow for unlicensed carry 

of a handgun - known as “constitutional 

carry” - if you are not 

prohibited by law to do so, with 

HB 1927 on the schedule to be 

discussed on the House floor. 

Ahead of this, several law enforcement 

leaders from across 

the state - including the Texas 

Municipal Police Association, 

Texas Police Chiefs Association, 

as well as police chiefs with 

Austin and San Marcos Police 

Departments and police unions 

for Austin, Houston, and Dallas 

- gathered outside the Texas 

Capitol to forcefully oppose 

these bills. 

“We are here not because we 

oppose the Constitution. We 

have all sworn to uphold 

the Constitution. You’ll 

notice I’m wearing a tie 

with the Constitution on 

it. We are here because 

of our concerns for public 

safety. We’re concerned 

that this bill passing will 

make the jobs for our 

law enforcement officers 

more difficult and more 

dangerous,” said Texas 

Municipal Police Association 

Executive Director 

Kevin Lawrence. “This bill 

is just bad public policy.” 

Lawrence went on to 

assert the way the law 

is now in Texas is actually 

constitutional carry, 

listing other constitutional 

rights - like driving a car 

- needing a license. 

Currently, you must 

have a license, which requires 

training, passing tests, and submitting 

fingerprints for criminal 

background checks. 

The timing of HB 1927 being 

placed on the House floor calendar 

has caught the attention of 

many, with so many deadly mass 

shootings scattered across the 

country, including two in Texas. 

Gun control advocates have 

pointed to these shootings as 

evidence. Bills like these should 

not be passed, and laws that 

make it harder - not easier - to 

get access to guns should be the 

priority. 

San Marcos Police Chief Stan 

Standridge, who is also the former 

president of the Texas Police 

Chiefs Association, emphasized 

how this could make things more 

dangerous not only for the public, 

but for law enforcement. 

“We are opposed to House Bill 

1911, which - if passed - would 

make it legal for a person who 

meets the eligibility requirements 

for obtaining a handgun 

license to now carry a handgun 

without a permit, without 

any level of training or firearms 

awareness,” Standridge said. 

“To operate a boat in this state, 

you must have a boaters education 

certificate. To cut a person’s 

hair, you must have a license. To 

be a peace officer and carry a 

firearm, you must be 21 years of 

age and complete a minimum of 

696 hours before licensure. Yet, 

some would suggest all citizens 

21 years and older who do not 

have a criminal record should be 

allowed to openly carry firearms 

into all public venues that are 

not otherwise prohibited. These 

same citizens would not have to 

demonstrate proficiency with a 

firearm or even basic awareness 

of firearms safety. At least with a 

license to carry permit, citizens 

must demonstrate basic knowledge 

and awareness of the laws, 

and the course now even teaches 

how to de-escalate to forgo the 

use of the firearm to begin with.” 

Bills allowing for handgun carry 

without a permit have failed 

in previous legislative sessions, 

but gun control advocates are 

worried this time around because 

new House Speaker Dade 

Phelan has supported such bills 

as recently as last session. 

However, even if these bills 

make it out of the House, they 

still have to make it through the 

Senate, where presiding chair 

and Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick 

has expressed concerns 

with these bills, citing concerns 

law enforcement leaders have. 

In fact, after the deadly mass 

shooting in El Paso, Patrick even 

floated the idea of tougher background 

check measures. 

A major point law enforcement 

leaders brought up Tuesday 

morning was how bills that 

allowed handgun carry without 

a permit make their jobs more 

difficult and dangerous. 

“This begs a simple question: 

At a time when violent crime is 

rising, and police-community 

relations are strained, do we really 

want to inject more firearms 

into this complex equation?” 

Standridge asked. “Your police 

departments are already called 

almost daily to enforce or at 

least educate citizens to wear a 

mask in private businesses. Can 

you imagine the number of calls 

we’re going to receive if House 

Bill 1911 is ultimately passed, 

wherein businesses do not want 

armed citizens inside. They will 

consequently call 911, and officers 

will be dispatched. At a 

time in our state, when we need 

to be lessening the frequency in 

which we engage armed citizens, 

we’re going to, in fact, do 

the exact opposite.” 


16-year-old may face second degree Felony charges. 

Mesquite PD Honors K-9 Kozmo Killed in the 

Line of Duty. End of Watch 4/26/21 

MESQUITE - A K-9 officer from 

the Mesquite Police Department 

who died in the line of duty, 

was honored Friday May 30th by 

police departments across North 

Texas. 

Officers and K-9s from multiple 

police departments gathered 

to honor Kozmo, who was 

brought back to the Mesquite 

Police Department from Texas 

A&M via police escort around 12 

p.m. 

Kozmo was escorted by honor 

guard and placed in rest inside 

the police building until his memorial 

service. 

According to the Mesquite 

Police Department, Kozmo was 

killed in the line of duty early 

Monday morning May 26th after 

a pursuit that took officers from 

Balch Springs to Mesquite and 

ended with three people arrested. 

Officers from Mesquite were 

called to assist with the pursuit, 

according to Mesquite PD. 

After using a spike strip to 

stop the vehicle, one person was 

arrested inside the vehicle, but 

two others ran off into a nearby 

wooded area. 

Police said Kozmo tracked 

the suspects down, but officers 

could not find him after the arrests. 

Kozmo was found at about 

4:13 a.m. and pronounced dead, 

police said. 

Police said a necropsy test 

determined Kozmo’s death was 

allegedly caused by trauma consistent 

with an assault. 

A 16-year-old male involved 

in the chase is now facing second-degree 

felony charges in 

connection with Kozmo’s death, 

police said. 

“Kozmo was an amazing and 

loyal dog who gave his life in the 

performance of his duties,” the 

Mesquite Police Department said 

in a statement. “We ask everyone 

to keep all of our officers in 

their thoughts and prayers as we 

deal with this loss.” 


t 

Alan Helfman Presented with Yet Another Lifetime Achievement Award 

HPD Chief’s Present Helfman with Award 

HOUSTON - At an award ceremony 

hosted by local businessman 

Tillman Fertitta, Alan Helfman was 

presented yet another Lifetime 

Achievement Award, this time by 

the Houston Police Department. 

In March, The BLUES presented 

Helfman with its first ever Lifetime 

Award and featured him on the 

cover. 

A local magazine had this to say 

about the award: 

Perhaps that award was presented 

because he has produced over 

100 fundraisers and given over $1 

million of his own money to the 

Houston Police Department (HPD) 

over the years. “My passion for the 

HPD is helping the widows pay 

the bills and stay in their homes, 

helping the guys who are hurt or 

sick—it’s really good money.” 

That’s just one of many Houston 

charities that he has supported. 

One way he consistently helps others 

is by donating cars. 

“My father and mother, Jack and 

Elaine Helfman, were my inspiration 

in giving,” said the native 

Houstonian about the founders of 

the Helfman car dealership. “They 

gave away three cars a year. Last 

year with the pandemic, I said, 

‘Game on!’ and gave away eight— 

two to the HPD, two to the Houston 

Fire Department (HFD), one to 

Houston Methodist Hospital, one 

to Ronald McDonald House, one 

to Rice University, and one to the 

Houston Community College.” 

As president of his family’s group 

of five Helfman Auto Dealerships—a 

family affair including the Helfman, 

Feldman and Wolf families—the 

gift of cars seems a natural. But 

HPD’s Executive Chief Larry Satterwhite and HPD Chief Troy Fenner, 

present Alan Helfman with a Lifetime Achievement Award 

it’s only part of Alan Helfman’s 

largesse. He puts on exciting fundraising 

events (two a month for the 

past 25 years before the pandemic), 

which are typified by 12 performers, 

sometimes Astros and Rockets 

cheerleaders, and his own band! 

“We dance and sing, jump, and 

three hours later, we’ve raised more 

than $100,000.” 

Recommends to Harris County Commissioner’s Court, that Harris County Constable Alan Rosen, be 

appointed to fill the remaining term of Sheriff Gonzalez should he be confirmed as the head of ICE. 

Constable Rosen is the most qualified and experienced candidate to step in and run the third largest 

sheriff’s office in the country. Therefore, The BLUES Police Magazine, the Largest Digital Police 

Magazine in the U.S. with over 65,000 readers in Texas, endorses: 

Constable Alan Rosen, for Harris County Sheriff. 


DC Police Hit by Russian Ransomware Attack 

WASHINGTON, DC– The Washington, 

D.C. police department 

said last month that its computer 

network was breached, and a 

Russian-speaking ransomware 

syndicate claimed to have stolen 

sensitive data, including information 

on informants, that it 

threatened to share with local 

criminal gangs unless police 

paid an unspecified ransom. 

The cybercriminals posted 

screenshots on their dark web 

site supporting their claim to 

have stolen more than 250 gigabytes 

of data, Fox News reports. 

The District of Columbia’s Metropolitan 

Police Department said 

in a statement that it had asked 

the FBI to investigate the “unauthorized 

access.” There was no 

indication that any police operations 

were affected, and the 

department did not immediately 

say whether it had been hit by 

ransomware. 

The Babuk group, a relatively 

new ransomware gang, said on 

its website that it had “downloaded 

a sufficient amount of 

Washington DC Police admitted to having suffered a ransomware attack. 

The Metropolitan Police Department confirmed this attack after the 

attackers – the Buk Locker gang – disclosed their activity. For now, the 

ransomware gang has threatened the DC Police to leak the data they stole 

through this attack. Around the same time, the attackers have made an 

interesting disclosure of their soon expected departure. 

information from your internal 

networks” and gave the police 

three days to contact it or “we 

will start to contact gangs in 

order to drain the informants.” 

Screenshots it posted suggested 

it has data from at least four 

computers, including intelligence 

reports, information on gang 

conflicts, the jail census and other 

administrative files. One of the 

images, apparently of network 

locations accessed by the criminals, 

showed a text document 

on one computer titled “How to 

Restore Your Files.” 

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Idaho Cop Whose TikTok Mocked LeBron James Over 

His Ma’Khia Bryant Comments Has Raised $500,000. 

Donors raised over $500,000 in 

three days on behalf of a smalltown 

Idaho cop, whose viral 

TikTok appeared to mock LeBron 

James for expressing concern 

about the police killing of 

16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant. 

The money was raised for Bellevue, 

Idaho, police officer Nate 

Silvester through a GoFundMe 

campaign organized by a man 

describing himself as Silvester’s 

“best friend.” In the campaign’s 

description, the organizer said 

Silvester had been suspended 

from the force without pay because 

of the video. 

As the Idaho Statesman reported 

Saturday, Bellevue officials 

haven’t yet confirmed whether 

Silvester has actually been suspended. 

Bellevue Marshal Mynde Heil 

did not immediately return Insider’s 

request for comment about 

Silvester’s employment with the 

city police. Silvester likewise did 

not immediately return Insider’s 

request for comment. 

“The Bellevue Marshal’s Office 

is aware of the extreme controversy 

regarding Deputy Marshal 

Silvester’s viral TikTok,” the Marshal’s 

office said in a statement 

posted to Facebook on Tuesday. 

“The statements made do NOT 

represent the Bellevue Marshal’s 

Office.” 

It said it was a “personnel issue” 

that was being investigated 

internally. 

In the viral video, which as of 

Saturday racked up 5.1 million 

views and more than 700,000 

likes, Silvester sat inside his 

police car and performed a skit 

titled, “here we go again.” 

“Dispatch, I have arrived,” Silvester 

said, pretending to talk 

on his police radio. Music from 

“SpongeBob” played in the background 

of the video. 

He also rolled down the window 

and started to talk to people 

standing outside, though it 

didn’t appear he was actually 

speaking to anyone. 

“Excuse me, sir, can you put the 

knife down please, sir?” Silvester 

said in the video, indicating that 

one of the off-screen characters 

in the skit was holding a knife. 

Then, he pretended to receive 

a phone call from Los Angeles 

Lakers basketball star LeBron 

James. After Bryant was killed 

on April 21, James posted and 

eventually deleted, a tweet that 

said: “YOU’RE NEXT.” James 

called for “accountability” and 

included in the tweet a photo 

of Nicholas Reardon, the officer 

who shot Bryant four times. 

James later deleted the tweet 

to prevent the spread of further 

hate, he said. 

The scenario is a clear reference 

to Bryant, who in police 

bodycam footage appeared 

to lunge at another girl with a 

knife. Bryant’s killing sparked 

protest and outcry, and the mayor 

of Columbus called on the 

Department of Justice to review 

the police force for any instances 

of racial bias. 

“What do you think I should 

do?” Silvester asked the basketball 

player in the skit. James 

wasn’t actually on the other end 

of the phone. 

Silvester then said the character 

in his skit holding the knife 

was black, implying that the 

fake James had asked about the 

man’s race. 

“Well, they’re both black,” he 

said. “One guy is trying to stab 

another guy with a knife. Deadly 

force is completely justified. 

“So, you don’t care if a black 

person kills another black person, 

but you do care if a white 

cop kills a black person even if 

he’s doing it to save the life of 

another black person?” Silvester 

asked James. 

Toward the end of the video, 

Silvester thanked James, pretended 

to hang up the phone, 

and told the fictional people 

outside his window that they 

were on their own, wishing them 

“good luck.” 

In another video on his page, 

Silvester also appeared to defend 

Kimberly Potter, the Minnesota 

Police officer who last 

month shot and killed Daunte 

Wright in his car when she said 

she meant to discharge her taser 

rather than her gun. 

“The female officer in the 

Daunte Wright incident f----d 

up big time,” he said. “She made 

a huge mistake. It’s awful. It’s 

horrible. But at least she had the 

balls to wear the badge and do 

the job for 26 years in an area 

like Minneapolis.” 

In a video Friday posted to 

TikTok, Silvester thanked people 

who donated and said he wanted 

to move the discussion away 

from him and to drum up larger 

support for police. 

“I want to shift the focus with 

this GoFundMe campaign from 

me onto the bigger picture, 

which is law enforcement officers 

all over the country,” he 

said. “We are seeing good police 

officers literally walking away 

from their jobs because it is no 

longer worth it to be police officers.” 

“They don’t have any incentive 

to do the job anymore. It’s not 

safe and it’s not healthy for them 

or for their families. They’re 

being vilified and demonized 

constantly by Hollywood, by the 

media, and we can’t stand for it 

anymore.” 

He added that he was in the 

“primary stages” of launching 

a non-profit organization that 

exists to help officers who “find 

themselves in these very difficult 

situations.” 

“We’re going to get it up and 

running,” he said. “We’re going 

to start taking care of our men 

and women in blue.” 

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In Person Events Vary Across the Country 

National Police Week May 9-15 

National Police Week occurs 

every May, and in 2021 we will be 

commemorating it with virtual 

events that can be viewed from 

anywhere in the world. From May 

9–15, the National Law Enforcement 

Memorial and Museum 

will deliver programs to keep 

current officers safe and healthy, 

as well as ceremonies to honor 

those fallen officers whose 

names have been recently added 

to the Memorial. Be sure to mark 

your calendar for the 33rd Annual 

Candlelight Vigil, happening 

virtually on Thursday, May 13 at 

8:00 p.m. (Eastern). 

In-person events are planned 

for October 13-17, 2021 in Washington, 

DC to offer the same respect, 

honor, remembrance, and 

community support as National 

Police Week, while allowing 

law enforcement, survivors, and 

citizens to gather and pay tribute 

those who gave their lives in the 

line of duty. 

In 1962, President Kennedy 

proclaimed May 15 as National 

Peace Officers Memorial Day and 

the calendar week in which May 

15 falls, as National Police Week. 

Established by a joint resolution 

of Congress in 1962, National 

Police Week pays special recognition 

to those law enforcement 

officers who have lost their lives 

in the line of duty for the safety 

and protection of others. 

National Police Week is a collaborative 

effort of many organizations 

dedicated to honoring 

America’s law enforcement 

community. 

The principal organizers of National 

Police Week include: 

• National Law Enforcement 

Officers Memorial Fund 

(NLEOMF), which produces the 

annual Candlelight Vigil. Phone: 

202.737.3400 | vigil@nleomf.org 

• Fraternal Order of Police/ 

Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary 

(FOP/FOPA), which organize 

the Peace Officers Memorial Day 

Service at the U.S. Capitol. www. 

policeweek.org 

• Concerns of Police Survivors 

(C.O.P.S.), which holds the 

National Police Survivors’ Conference. 

Phone: (573) 346-4911 | 

cops@nationalcops.org 

• The Memorial Fund conducts 

a variety of programs and events 

each year to honor those law 

enforcement officers who have 

made the ultimate sacrifice and 

to increase public support for 

the law enforcement profession. 

• The Memorial Fund (along 

with Concerns of Police Survivors, 

the Fraternal Order of 

Police, and the FOP Auxiliary) is 

a principal organizer of National 

Police Week, the annual tribute 

to law enforcement service and 

sacrifice that is held each May in 

Washington, DC. They host both 

formal ceremonies such as the 

annual Candlelight Vigil each 

May 13 and impromptu, individual 

tributes to American fallen 

heroes of law enforcement. 

• The Memorial hosts several 

other commemorative events 

throughout the year such as the 

annual Wreath Laying ceremony 

to mark the Memorial’s dedication 

on October 15, 1991 and various 

special events for honored 

guests and notable anniversary 

dates, such as September 11th. 

• The Memorial Fund also operates 

various programs designed 

to raise awareness of law enforcement 

service and sacrifice, 

promote officer safety, and 

reduce injuries and fatalities. Our 

Drive Safely campaign encourages 

motorists to be careful around 

law enforcement officers on our 

roadways, where the majority of 

officers are killed each year. Memorial 

license plates in several 

states carry the distinctive Rose 

& Shield logo, reminding motorists 

of the sacrifice officers make 

for our safety and protection. 

• We encourage everyone to 

get involved in the Memorial 

Fund’s program and events, as 

a way to show your support for 

the brave men and women of 

law enforcement. 

• Interested in Holding an Event 

at the Memorial? 

Contact: Tyauna Brown, 

tbrown@nleomf.org or (202) 

737-7135 


National Police Week 


Texas Memorial Service 2021 - Austin, Texas 



36 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 37


The following officers were honored at this year’s memorial service: 

• Christopher David Murray, Frisco Police Department 

• Norman D. Merkel, US Marshal’s Service 

• Ray E. Horn, III, Comal County Sheriff’s Office 

• Russell Dean “Rusty” Salazar, Kendall County, Corrections Department 

• Donna Marie Moss, US Customs and Border Protection 

• Nathan Hayden Heidelberg, Midland Police Department 

• Albert “AJ” Castaneda, Jr., Grand Prairie Police Department 

• David Jones Fitzpatrick, The Colony Police Department 

• Jose Luis “Speedy” Espericueta, Jr., Mission Police Department 

• Carlos A. Ramirez, Kendall County Sheriff’s Office 

• Jose Luis Blancarte, Kinney County Sheriff’s Office 

• Moises Sanchez, Texas Dept. of Public Safety 

• Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, Harris County Sheriff’s Office 

• Matthew Ryan Jones, Falls County Sheriff’s Office 

• Christopher Charles Lewis Brewster, Houston Police Department 

• Kaila Marie Sullivan, Nassau Bay Police Department 

• Bryan Charles Pfluger, San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office 

• Clifton J. Martinez, San Antonio ISD Police Department 

• William Christopher Dickerson, Panola County Sheriff’s Office 

• Nicholas Lee Reyna, Lubbock Police Department 

• Alan Daniel McCollum, Corpus Christi Police Department 

• Richard E. Whitten, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office 

• Christopher Scott Korzilius, Travis County Sheriff’s Office 

• Amanda L. De Leon, Texas Department of Criminal Justice 

• Justin Read Putnam, San Marcos Police Department 

• Jonathon Keith Goodman, Texas Department of Criminal Justice 

• Akbar N. Shabazz, Texas Department of Criminal Justice 

• John Andrew Rhoden, Bell County Sheriff’s Office 

• Coy D. Coffman, Jr., Texas Department of Criminal Justice 

• James D. Coleman, Texas Department of Criminal Justice 

• Jason M. Knox, Houston Police Department 

• Caleb Daniel Rule, Fort Bend County Constable’s Office, Precinct 4 

• Ismael Z. Chavez, McAllen Police Department 

• Edelmiro Garza, Jr., McAllen Police Department 

• N. Kyle Coleman, Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office 

• Sheena Dae Yarbrough-Powell, Beaumont Police Department 

• Walterio Rodriguez, Texas Department of Criminal Justice 

• James W. Weston, Jr., Texas Department of Criminal Justice 

• Peter John Herrera, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office 

• Lemuel Delray “DJ” Bruce, Jr., Houston Fire Marshal’s Office 

• Harold Lloyd Preston, Houston Police Department 

• Sean Sebastian Rios, Houston Police Department 

• M. Wayne Rhodes, Denton County Constable’s Office, Precinct 2 


Concerns of Police Survivors 

Pictured above left to right: Judy Pfluger, Cheryl Railsback, Sheri M. Sullivan, Judy Rule, Valerie Zamarripa, Sylvia Alaniz, Santitos Gonzales, Annette Bennett, 

Jamie Putnam, Charlotte Taylor, Shelia Yarbrough, Deide Powell, Rebecca Dickerson, Patricia F. Castaneda 


Concerns of Police Survivors 

Hundreds of Surviving Families gathered 

together for their Annual Luncheon 

at the Sheraton Hotel in Austin. 

Afterwards, everyone participated in a 

giant Balloon Release. 


A Group of Truly Inspiring Women 

When we think of the word 

“COPS” we usually think of “Police 

Officer’s” as in plural, right? 

Well, you may (or may not) 

know there is an organization 

called “COPS” which stands for 

Concerns of Police Survivors. In 

literal terms, its name defines its 

purpose. 

This organization supports 

surviving family members of 

fallen Law Enforcement Officers. 

It’s comprised of mothers, 

fathers, brothers and sisters, 

spouses, and surviving children. 

The organization is there for 

those who’ve lost their whole 

world. 

COPS is an (501C3) organization 

that began in 1984 with only 

110 initial members. Initially the 

group was established to provide 

sincere and honest relief for 

those surviving family members 

of a fallen Law Enforcement Officer. 

Today the organization has 

over 50,000 members. 

Now if that sounds like a lot, 

it is. This is due to the large 

amount of surviving family 

members of fallen Law Enforcement 

Officers. You see, when 

one of us falls, it isn’t just the 

officer that falls…it’s the entire 

family. 

When an officer is killed in the 

line of duty, Federal, State and 

Local Government entities step 

in and provide financial assistance 

for the fallen officer’s family. 

Then of course there’s the 100 

Club who also does an amazing 

job of assisting surviving family 

members. But as anyone who’s 

been through this traumatic 

experience will attest to, no 

amount of money can make up 

for the officer themselves. To be 

completely fair I don’t think anything, 

or anyone can. 

However, this is where COPS 

come in. They aren’t about the 

financial support; they are about 

the moral and emotional support. 

To be there for those who are 

crushed and hurting to curse at, 

cry with, laugh with and hopefully 

in some way, help one another 

begin to pick up the pieces of 

their shattered lives and world. 

I have attended dozens of memorial 

services organized by the 

state and even the National Peace 

Officer Memorial Service. I have 

knelt upon one knee and deliv- 

ered our Nation’s Flag unto the 

trembling hands of a fallen Law 

Enforcement Officers widow 

and embraced their heartbroken 

children. No amount of 

words could temper the pain of 

such a moment. 

So, when I mention organizations 

like COPS and the 100 

Club, I have a good understanding 

of what they stand for. 

COPS has always gone far and 

above what anyone ever ex- 



pected. Their tenacity and commitment 

to those who are survivors 

is in fact immeasurable. 

They are amazing, truly beautiful 

people who’ve lost so much and 

yet refuse to let the pain and 

grief stop them from helping 

others. Inspirational doesn’t even 

begin to adequately describe 

what these amazing people do 

each and every day. 

The Houston Chapter of COPS 

is one that I have come to know 

personally. The men and women 

here are without a doubt some 

of the strongest, most resilient 

human beings I have ever 

had the privilege of knowing. 

Year after year, as Officers in 

the Houston area are tragically 

taken from us, the COPS Team is 

there to support the family and 

walk them through the process. 

No one is ever really prepared 

to bury a loved one, especially 

a law enforcement officer, but 

these loving souls from COPS 

step in and assist the family in 

every way possible. In a way they 

are all part of a large family that 

no one asked or wanted to be a 

part of. 

I’ll close with this. I have the 

utmost respect and admiration 

for the men and women of the 

Houston Chapter of the COPS Or- 



ganization. I know how much they lost and yet 

they march on despite their own personal suffering. 

I humbled to see their tenacity to not 

let their own loss define how they continue to 

live. They are truly magnificent people with a 

combined heart, as big as Texas itself. 

In the words of an old Sergeant, “Let’s be 

careful out there….” 


Harris County Memorial Service 2021 

The following officers were honored at this year’s memorial service: 

• Deputy Omar Diaz, 39, died on July 6, 2019, after suffering a pulmonary embolism while working at a crime scene. 

• Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal, 42, died on Sept. 27, 2019, after being shot to death while conducting a traffic stop. 

• Sgt. Raymond Scholwinski, 70, died on May 6, 2020, from COVID-19 complications. 

• Deputy Juan Menchaca, 70, died on June 13, 2020, from COVID-19 complications. 

• Honorary Deputy Cornelius Anderson, 28, died on July 12, 2020, from a medical emergency during 

Basic Peace Officer Course training. 

• Precinct 5 Constable Deputy Mark Brown, 53, died on July 25, 2020, from COVID-19 complications. 

• Deputy Johnny Tunches, 56, died on Nov. 3, 2020, from COVID-19 complications. 

• Detention Officer Robert Perez, 54, died on Feb. 3, 2021, from COVID-19 complications. 

• Deputy Alexander Gwosdz, 32, died on April 22, 2021, from COVID-19 complications. 


Harris County Memorial Service 2021 


Houston Police Memorial Service 2021 


Houston Police Memorial Service 2021 


“White Cop Shoots Black Teenager in the Back.” 

They say that history always 

repeats itself. I find that true 

reading accounts of recent police 

shooting involving youth, 

especially young black children 

(sorry I don’t buy into this person 

of color BS). A little over ten 

years ago, I too was involved in 

the shooting of an armed black 

teenager. In short, he pointed 

a gun at me in a dark alley, 

fired two shots at me, I returned 

fire, hit him as he turned to get 

back in his car, he drove off, 

we chased him, he wrecked the 

car and died behind the wheel. 

The news reported “White cop 

shoots and kills black teenager 

in the back.” 

This is my story. It’s long. It’s 

sad. It’s heartbreaking. By the 

end you’ll probably figure out 

who I am, but I’m not identifying 

myself or the young man that 

lost his life. I’ve been through 

hell the past 10+ years and I 

don’t need the media rehashing 

my story. But I know I can tell 

my story here to other cops and 

not be judged. I hope that young 

rookies will learn valuable lessons 

and hopefully my story 

will keep them safe. 

The night of the shooting 

started just like every Friday 

night before it. I had been on 

nights my entire career – 13 

years with this department, 

5 years with a smaller PD up 

north. I was 24 when I started 

and at the time of the shooting, 

I was 42. I took the sergeants 

test three years ago and got 

promoted quick. I asked to 

stay on nights, and they moved 

me to the south side of town. 

Shitsville as my guys like to 

call it. I will say I have a great 

bunch of officers that work for 

me and we always have each 

other’s back. I also honestly 

believe, or at least I did at the 

time, that we were making a 

difference in Shitsville. 

So, this Friday night, the night 

my life changed for the worst, 

was extremely busy. It was one 

priority call after another. But 

there was a full moon, so I fully 

expected it to be busy as crap. 

We work 4 -12 hour shifts and 

then 3 days off and this was 

WORDS BY SGT. WHITE 

day 1 of my tour. By 3am, I was 

ready for the calls to start 

dropping and so I could catch 

up on some paperwork. 

It was around 3:35am that I 

heard one of my units responding 

to a shots fired disturbance 

and advised the dispatcher I 

was moving his way and to 

send additional units as well. 

A couple of minutes later, the 

first unit arrived and advised 

that the suspect was standing 

in the driveway of the reportee’s 

home and was armed. I 

advised to him to take cove 

and wait for additional units. I 

stepped it up and was pushing 

my Tahoe to its limits. I was 

about a mile away when the 

units advised the suspect had 

car jacked a neighbor and they 

were in pursuit of the suspect. 

As they wound through the 

streets of the small subdivision, 

I tried to cut them off but 

each time the suspect turned a 

different direction. I called for 

an airship and of course they 

were on the opposite side of 

the city, but headed our way. 

“Unit 4H44 we’re eastbound 

on Highway 39 reaching speeds 

of over 100. Suspect is driving 

a red Camaro with paper tags. 

It’s believed that the owner of 

the vehicle is still inside in the 

front seat and being held at 

gun point by the suspect. The 

suspect is a black male, 15- 

16 years of age, wearing blue 

jeans and a white t-shirt. He 

is armed with a handgun. All 

units be advised the suspect 

has fired at the police.” 

“4H44 turning North on 

State from 39 and suspect still 

shooting at police.” 

Roger 4H44, all units’ shots 

fired, shots fired at the police. 

“Unit 4H44 East on Ave L.” 

Roger 4H44 East on Ave L. 

“I lost the suspect in the 8000 

block of Ave L and Highway 39.” 

Clear, all units in the area 

of 4H44, the suspect was last 

seen driving a red Camaro with 

paper tags, suspect is a black 

male holding a white unknown 

female as hostage. Suspect is 

armed and dangerous and has 

fired multiple rounds at the 

police. 

“Unit 428, show me in the 

area looking for the suspect.” 

In the area of L and 39 are a 

number of warehouses and 

alley ways and I knew most 

likely the suspect would had to 

have pulled into one of these 

alleys to disappear so quickly. 

As I turned into one of the 

alleys behind an old machine 

shop, I slammed on the brakes 

and damn near ran over a lady 

laying in the driveway. 

“Unit 428 show me out with 

what I believe is the car jack 

victim in the 8100 block of L 

behind the old machine shop” 

Ma’am are you ok. “Unit 428 roll 

me an ambulance and have a 

unit check by.” 

Yes, I’m OK. He hit me with 

a gun and pushed me into the 

passenger seat and started 

shooting out the window. He’s 

crazy officer, just plain crazy. 

Yes, ma’am I have units all 

over looking for him. I’m glad 

you’re ok. How did you get 

out … “I jumped out officer. I 

opened the door and just rolled 

out. I figured if I was going to 

die it might as well be getting 

run over and not shot.” 

You’re going to be ok. I have 

an ambulance on the way. I 

looked up and I had dozens of 

units all around me. I had one 

of the guys take the lady to 

their car and wait on the ambulance 

and I advised the other 

units arriving to begin searching 

the surrounding alleys. 

“Unit 4H33, I’ve located the 

car about a block from Unit 

428’s location. The suspect is 

GOA, but a witness saw him 

running north in the alley.” 

Roger that, all units, suspect 

believed to be on foot and from 

the 8300 block of Ave L in the 

alley possibly northbound on 

foot. 

As I began to walk towards 

my car, the woman grabbed my 

arm and said “Officer…he’s just 

a kid…just a baby…why is he 

even out so late? I don’t understand.” 

I don’t know ma’am, I don’t 

know. 

I got back in my car and drove 

around to the opposite side of 

the building and began searching 

the area on foot. 

All units be advised, we’re 

receiving calls of another 

carjacking near your location, 

black teenage male in blue 

jeans just stole a black Honda 

Civic. Plates unknown. 

The dispatcher had no more 

finished talking when I heard 

the winning of a four banger 

just north of where I was. I 

jumped back in my car, turned 

around and started back up 

the alley and the suspect was 

headed straight for me. He 

slammed on the brakes and slid 

sideways. He opened the driver’s 

door and fired one round 

at my unit hitting the passenger 

side window of the Tahoe. 

I don’t know where the bullet 

ended up, but glass from the 

window spread all across the 

front seat and the right side of 

my face. 

“Unit 428, shots fired, shots 

fired, my vehicle has been hit.” 

Two more rounds struck the 

front of the Tahoe’s hood and 

once I got behind the left front 

fender for cover, I raised up 

and fired two rounds. The first 

round hit the left rear quarter 

panel of the Honda and the 

second round hit the suspect. I 

thought it hit him in the chest 

but once the first round hit the 

Honda, the suspect began turning 

to get back in the car and 

the second round hit him in the 

back. He slid behind the wheel 

and took off towards the front 

of the building. 

“Unit 428, shots fired at the 

suspect and he’s back in the vehicle 

headed towards the front 

of the building.” Seconds later 

the suspect crashed into the 

side of the machine shop build- 


ing. I told all units to stay back 

from the vehicle and take cover. 

As I approached the area of the 

building where he had crashed, 

I could see the door partially 

open, and the suspect slumped 

over the wheel. 

“Unit 428 roll another ambulance; 

the suspect is down 

on his vehicle. And start detectives, 

supervisors, crime 

scene and notify the DA’s office 

we have an officer’s involved 

shooting.” 

I had all my officers wait 

what seemed hours, to make 

sure the suspect was in fact 

incapacitated before we approached 

the vehicle. Once we 

got close, I knew by the amount 

of blood on the seat and floorboard, 

he was most likely 

deceased. I checked for a pulse 

and found none. I could see 

the handgun on the passenger 

side of the front seat. I advised 

everyone to step away from the 

vehicle and wait for medics. 

Once they arrived, they found 

no signs of life and we notified 

the ME and again let the DA 

shot team know the suspect 

was DOA. 

As I sat down and waited for 

everyone to arrive, it started 

to set in what had happened. 

A white cop has just shot and 

killed a young black teenager. 

I just shot and killed a young 

black teenager. He was only 

15. So many thoughts raced 

through my head. What could 

have possibly led to a 15-yearold 

kid, starting a disturbance 

armed with a gun, car jack an 

old lady and scare her to death, 

run from the police, shoot at 

the police, wreck the car, steal 

another car, shoot at the police 

again, get shot, try and flee 

again, only to wreck the second 

hijacked car and die in an alley? 

How is this even possible? 

Why? 

“Sgt. White? I’m Detective 

Williams for the District Attorney 

Office, can you please 

turn over your weapon to my 

partner and come with me?” As 

I sat in the back seat of his old 

Crown Vic, I thought to myself, 

in all my years as a cop, I’ve 

never ridden in the back of a 

Crown Vic. 

Williams leaned into the back 

seat and said “Sgt. White, I 

need to mirandize you please. 

You have the right to remain 

silent ……… 

Story continued in AFTER- 

MATH on the following page. 

WINNING FOR INJURED LEOS 

ALL OVER TEXAS 

THE 

JAMES WOOD 

LAW FIRM 

® 

MILLION DOLLAR ADVOCATES FORUM® 

MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ADVOCATES FORUM® 

® 

The Top Trial Lawyers in America® 

® 

CAPITAL BASED, STATEWIDE REPRESENTATION 

LINEOFDUTYLAW.COM | 512.692.9266 

PRINCIPAL OFFICE: AUSTIN, TEXAS 


“You have the right to remain 

silent and not make any statement. 

Any statement you do 

make could and will be used 

against you at trial. You have the 

right to have an attorney prior to 

or doing any questioning. If you 

cannot afford an attorney, one 

will be provided for you. Do you 

understand these rights as I’ve 

explained to you?” 

Over the years, I’ve read those 

rights to hundreds of suspects, 

but have never had them read to 

me. As we drove away from the 

scene, a million thoughts raced 

through my mind. Who was this 

kid I shot and why did he do 

what he did? Why did he shoot 

at me? Who is his family, and 

did they know their 15-year-old 

kid was out at 3am committing 

crimes? Where did he get a gun? 

Whose gun was it? Was the gun 

used in other crimes? Has he 

committed other crimes? How 

old was he when he started this 

life of crime? Is he a dropout or 

does he go to school? Are his 

parents good or bad? Are they 

crooks too? Who taught this kid 

how to shoot a gun? How many 

people has he shot before? Has 

he killed anyone? How are the 

two carjacked victims doing? Has 

the ME showed up on the scene 

WORDS BY SGT. WHITE 

and how are my guys doing back 

there? I wonder if they called my 

Captain. I wonder if the news is 

there. Oh shit, do you think they’ll 

mention my name? What if my 

wife sees the news? Oh shit, 

what if my mom and dad see 

the morning news? Surely, they 

won’t name me. I need to call 

my family as soon as we get to 

the station. Damn, what about 

my unit? Who’s going to drive it 

back to the station? Did I leave 

the keys with my guys? What 

if that kid’s mom sees this on 

the news and goes to the scene 

and sees her son laying on the 

bare concrete, in an alley under 

a sheet? I can’t even imagine if 

that was one of my kids. Wait! 

He was shot turning around. The 

round hit him in the middle of 

the back. You don’t think they’ll 

think I shot him on purpose in the 

back? That’s not what happened. 

Who’s going to write that down? 

Who’s going to make sure they 

know he was shooting at me? 

Did they collect all the bullets 

fired at me? I wonder if those 

rounds are in my car? Where 

was I when I shot back? Let’s 

see, I was standing just outside 

my car…. that means the rounds 

ejected to the right and …. should 

have landed inside the car…yeah, 

they’d be inside my car…someone 

needs to find those rounds. 

Wait how many times did I fire… 

twice …yeah twice…or was it 

three times…yeah maybe three 

times. I need to check my clip so 

I know who many rounds I fired 

and then look for those casings. 

Wait, they have my gun. Who 

took my gun? Yeah, this guy’s 

partner. You think he’s looked at 

my gun? I wonder when I’ll get 

it back. Wait? How am I going 

to drive home without a gun? I 

mean, surely they’ll want to test 

fire it…collect a sample of the 

round…compare it to the round 

that struck the kid? How long will 

that take? What am I supposed 

to do for a gun in the meantime? 

I guess I can borrow one. Wait, 

I’ll be on desk duty, I don’t need a 

gun….no stupid, you must carry a 

gun it’s policy. Unless they make 

me stay home? I wonder if they’ll 

make me stay home. I know I’ll 

be on restricted duty pending an 

investigation. I wonder how long 

that will take? I mean it was a 

good shoot, right? The kid was 

shooting at me. Wait, who was 

there with me? Who saw him 

shoot at me? Oh yeah, his bullets 

hit my car. They’ll see that right? 

So, he shoots at me, I return fire 

and strike him…. that’s a good 

shoot right there….so I’m good. 

But what if they ask about why 

he was hit in the back? How 

could he be shooting at me if he 

was facing the opposite direction? 

But he WAS facing me. 

He was shooting at me. Wait, a 

bullet broke glass on my car… 

that’s what all these cuts are. 

Someone saw all these cuts and 

blood, right? I need to show this 

to the detectives when we get 

to the station. I’m sure they will 

help me document all this so 

I’m cleared of any wrongdoing, 

right? But wait, these guys work 

for the Das office. Why would 

they help me? They work to 

prosecute people. But I’m a cop 

not a crook, I didn’t do anything 

wrong. Right? Oh shit, I shot the 

kid in the back. But they can’t just 

assume that’s the way it happened. 

They’ll have to investigate 

and recreate the shooting to see 

what really happened? Right? 

I mean they are cops, and they 

must investigate. Recreate the 

scene? I wonder if they are doing 

that right now? Who is leading 

that I wonder? The Captain, he 

must be out there looking into 

this by now. He likes me. We 

work great together. He’ll want to 

know what went down, he’ll get 

to the bottom of this, recreate the 

shooting and know I did the right 

thing. Yeah, that’s what’s going 

on back there. Isn’t it? Let me go 

through this one more time. “Sgt” 

I was headed down the alley… 

“Sgt” … looking for a black male 

with blue jeans driving a… “Sgt” 

… He fired a shot at me and broke 

out my window and I shot back… 

one, twice maybe three times 

…... and then “SGT WHITE! …. 

What? I looked up and the Detective 

was standing outside the 

door of waiting for me to get out. 

I’m sorry Detective I guess I was 

somewhere else. 

“No problem Sgt, let’s go inside 

and get started on all the paperwork. 

Do you want to call your 

union rep before we do?” 

Union rep? Uhhh yeah, yeah, 

Union rep? I guess so. Do I need 

one? Is he asking me or suggesting 

that I NEED ONE? Yes, 

let’s call my union rep and union 

attorney please. 

“Okay Sarge, will do. Follow me 

to my office. We’ll wait on them 

before we take your statement, 

unless you’re comfortable getting 

started without them?” 

I have nothing to hide, why 

would I wait? Oh shit, are they 

going to try and make a case 

about shooting him in the back? 

Uh, I guess I’d better wait. 

“Are you sure, it’s pretty routine?” 

Do I trust this guy? Wait, he 

read me my rights BEFORE we 

left the scene. No, I’ll wait, if 

that’s ok? 

“Sure, Sarge, whatever you 

want to do is fine.” 

We walked down the hall to 

the DAs interrogation rooms, he 

opened the door and escorted me 

inside. I’ve been in here before. A 

couple of times actually with a 

couple of big cases I worked with 

one of the DAs lead investigators. 

I pulled out a chair to sit down. 

“Hey Sarge, can you sit on the 

other side of the table please? 

Thanks.” 

In that very instant, I realized 

I wasn’t the COP in this room, I 

was the SUSPECT. I was the guy 

sitting in the hot seat. I was the 

bad guy facing the two-way 

mirror and the cameras. I was 

the one being questioned. The 

one about to be charged with a 

crime and if you come clean with 

us, we’ll go easy on you. Just tell 

us what happened so we can 

work with you. If you did nothing 

wrong, you have nothing to worry 

about. Would you like something 

to drink before we get started…. 

holy crap…I’m so fucked…. 

“Sarge…. Sarge …. Sarge?” 

Uh yeah what? I’m sorry. 

“Would you like something to 

drink while we wait for your 

attorney? 

OMG it’s really happening. No, 

I’m good. Wait! No, I’ll take a bottle 

of water please. 

An hour later, my union attorney 

showed up. The very first 

thing he said was, “Please tell me 

you haven’t talked or said anything 

to these pricks? They are 

not your friends, and they are not 

here to help you. They will fuck 

you every chance they get. So, 

from this point forward you only 

talk to me and no one else, got 

that?” 

Yes sir, I understand. I have like 

a million questions. 

“One thing at a time, but hold 

on” 

He stood up, walked to the door 

and yelled at the Detective standing 

outside the door. 

“I need a few minutes with my 

client. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANC- 

ES ARE YOU TO BE RECORDING US 

…GO MAKE SURE THAT FUCKING 

CAMERA AND MIC IS OFF, UNDER- 

STAND?” 

“It’s off sir, but we’ll make sure. 

Let us know when you’re ready 

and we’ll get started” 

“Ok, thanks” …. ”fucking pricks” 

For the next few hours, I recounted 

my story. Once for my 

attorney and about a dozen times 

for the detectives. I had to write 

everything down in a statement 

and my attorney had me change 

it like a dozen times, not the 

facts, but the way I described 


it. The room we were in had no 

windows and no clocks and I 

didn’t have my cell phone. Remember, 

this was in the 90’s and 

cell phones weren’t really much 

of a thing then. So, I had no idea 

that it was almost noon when 

we finished. My attorney agreed 

to drive me home and that was 

my first chance to actually “talk” 

to him about everything that was 

swirling around in my head. He 

answered most of my questions 

and while I was still nervous, I 

felt better knowing someone had 

my back. 

When I finally did call my wife, 

she said the Captain had called 

and told her I was ok. He told 

her I was the one involved in the 

shooting but that I wasn’t injured 

and would be home later in the 

day. She told me it was all over 

the news …. “A 15-year-old black 

teenager had been shot by police, 

apparently in the back. No other 

details are available at this time 

and the police are refusing to release 

any further details pending 

an investigation.” 

Unlike, every cop involved 

shooting that happens today, 

mine was 100% different in that 

we had no body cameras. No 

cell phone cameras. No witnesses 

with live cell phone, Tik-Tok 

videos, no social media feeds. 

It was my side of the story and 

that’s it. But it turns out there was 

a witness that was working late 

at the machine shop and was 

taking out trash. He heard the gun 

shots and witnessed the suspect 

shooting at my car. He saw me 

returning fire at the suspect and 

the suspect try and drive away. 

He saw the car hit the building 

and saw the suspect slumped 

over the steering wheel. And said 

when I fired at the suspect, he 

was looking right at me and was 

still shooting his gun. Confirmed 

exactly what I thought had happened 

in several seconds. 

But the news media didn’t 

bother to report what the witness 

saw. They just reported a black 

kid had been shot in the back by 

a white cop. Every cable news 

outlet in the country picked up on 

the story. Now this was way before 

the Eric Garner and Michael 

Brown cases. And there were no 

riots, but there were plenty of 

protests. New interviews with 

the boy’s momma crying on TV 

saying her baby boy had been 

murdered by the PO-LICE. Gunned 

down like a dog in the streets in 

front of his home…steps away 

from his bed. “Didn’t have a 

chance, they killed my baby in 

cold blood.” 

Uh BULLSHIT! Wasn’t in front 

of your house, it was in an alley 

miles away, at four in the morning. 

What was your precious 

baby boy doing out at four in the 

morning? Ask the two people he 

carjacked and beat up how precious 

he was? Where in the hell 

did a 15-year-old get a gun, or 

buy the bullets for the gun? You 

didn’t mention that your precious 

baby boy had been arrested 10, 

yes TEN times before and he was 

15. He was locked up in Juvenile 

Detention but somehow escaped 

and began a 3-day reign of terror 

in YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. No, the 

news didn’t report any of that. 

Not a damn thing. 

For days, I thought I was the 

one going to prison. That a grand 

jury was going to indict me, there 

would be a trial and I’d end up 

in jail. I was scared shitless for 

weeks. My life, my family’s life, 

all scarred for life. Our garage 

door had been tagged countless 

times. My kids harassed at 

school by black kids who yelled 

their dad was a baby killer. 

Eventually we had to sell our 

house and move to get our kids 

to a different school. We legally 

changed their last name, so no 

one would know who their dad 

was. Can you imagine changing 

your kids last name, so no 

one knows you’re their dad? My 

kids are all in college now. No 

one knows about their dad or 

what happened when they were 

kids. My wife? Well, she left me 

a long time ago. Couldn’t deal 

with all the pain I had brought to 

our family. Both my parents have 

passed, so it’s just me and my 

dog at home alone. 

Would I do it all over again? 

Become a cop and put myself and 

my family through all this again? 

I honestly don’t know. 

But what I do know is this. Don’t 

believe anything the news media 

says. They will lie and twist 

a story to fit their agenda. They 

have no interest in telling the 

truth. Just what sells newspapers, 

gets viewers, and incites 

people so they have more to cover 

for the next day’s news. They 

don’t care if your life is ruined, 

just so they get it on film. This 

is the world we live in now. But 

someone has to be the good guys 

to stop all the bad in this world. 

Someone has to sacrifice their 

wellbeing for the good of everyone 

else. So, I guess that’s why I 

became a cop and why despite 

everything that’s happened, I’m 

still a cop. 

Have a unique story you’d like to 

share with the BLUES readers? 

Send it to: 

bluespdmag@gmail.com. 



THE OPEN ROAD 

by Michael Barron 

Welcome to a new addition to 

the magazine called “The Open 

Road.” As you might guess, Open 

Road meaning something to do 

with cars and driving. Cars, fast 

cars, hotrods, muscle cars, racing 

cars, racing go karts, flying. 

Hell, anything with a motor that 

goes fast or leaves the ground is 

a passion of mine. 

Some would say I have an uncontrollable 

urge to buy and sell 

cars. I have no idea why anyone 

would say that unless of course 

they know I have purchased over 

70 cars in my lifetime and just 

recently sold a 4-month-old, 

1200-mile, 2020 Dodge Charger 

only to order a 2021 Dodge Charger 

Wide Body Scat Pack, but I’m 

getting ahead of myself. 

Many of our readers are in 

fact retired LEOs. And as everyone 

knows, when you retire 

you buy a big ass motorhome 

that you have no friggin idea 

how to drive, load the wife, two 

dogs and a cat and hit the open 

road, towing a SUV of some sort 

behind you. Right? Too stereotyped? 

OK! 

Well, you get the idea. Each 

month we’ll talk about cars, motorcycles, 

RVs, long trips, shorts, 

beach trips, off-roading, collecting 

cars, selling cars, modifying 

cars, racing cars…again you get 

the idea. Being a cop or a retired 

cop, deserves its rewards and 

fun activities and we’ll provide 

you with dozens of ideas to do 

that every month. So, let’s get 

started. 

First off, unless you’ve been 

living off the grid for the past 

90-120 days, you must know 

that buying and selling houses 

and autos right now is crazy. It’s 

a seller’s market for both and 

there’s also a shortage of both. 

Let’s talk about new cars first. As 

you no doubt have heard, there 

is a giant shortage of computer 

chips needed to operate various 

parts of your car. Mostly 

due to COVID. The bottom line 

here is there are a lot of cars 

and trucks sitting on lots around 

the US, Canada and Mexico that 

are waiting on these chips. New 

inventory on dealer’s lots has 

fallen to lows not seen in over 20 

years. As a result, forget about 

any deals on new cars. Dealers 

are marking cars up as much as 

10% over MSRP (unless of course 

you visit our friends Alan & Blake 

Helfman at one of their dealerships). 

Since there are so few 

new cars, used cars are going for 

premium prices. Wanna sell your 

car to a dealer? They are paying 

insane rates to get your car for 

their depleted used car inventory. 

Let me give you an example 

of my most recent “exchange of 

muscle cars.” I purchased a new 

2020 Dodge Charger R/T last 

November for 35,000. The MSRP 

was $40,350 but with rebates and 

dealer incentives the final price 

was $35K. I just sold that same 

car, six months and 1200 miles 

later for $39,000. The dealer now 

has that vehicle on his lot listed 

for $43,999. That’s $4,000 MORE 

than the MSRP and it’s a 2020 

model that has to be listed as 

used not new. That is just insane, 

and my understanding is it will be 

gone before we go to press. Now, 

I’m sure you’re asking, “Well Mike 

Barron if you’re so damn savvy 

why didn’t YOU just list and sell 

the car for $44k and make the 

extra money?” Believe me I tried, 

Sold my 2020 Dodge Charger Scat Pack... 

but selling online vs someone 

walking a lot with very few cars 

and seeing my beautiful detailed 

one-of-a-kind Dodge Charger 

just isn’t the same. 

Which brings me to why I sold 

and what I’m buying now. If you 

happen to be a MOPAR fan and if 

you don’t know what a MOPAR is, 

please stop reading this immediately 

and proceed to the next 

page of this fine magazine. Anyway, 

if you know anything about 

Dodge Chargers, 392 HEMIs and 

Scat Packs, you know there is 

way more power than grip. You 

can spin the rear tires at 60 mph 

and turn the car sideways. It’s 

just insane. So, Dodge’s answer 

is more grip and to do that they 

needed wider tires, which meant 

create a “wide-body” Charger 

and Challenger. At first, I 

didn’t care much for the look…. 

that was until I saw one in the 

flesh. Believe me, once you see 

a wide-body Charger or Challenger 

in person, you’ll see what 

I mean. In fact, after seeing and 

DRIVING the wide body, my car 

seemed out of place, too skinny 

and still uncontrollable when 

accelerating. 

Given the unavailability of 

Chargers especially wide bodies 

at any Helfman’s lots, Blake and I 

sat down and spec’d out the perfect 

version – in Frostbite Blue, 

with a leather PLUS package, 

Devil rims and of course huge 

Pirelli tires. It’s a 6-10 week 

process, but to get what I want 

and at a great price it’s worth the 

wait. Over the course of the next 

couple of months and issues, I’ll 

keep you updated on the build 

and arrival date. 

I’ll say one more thing about 

MOPARS, Hellcats and go-fast 

Dodge products: if you intend to 

buy one or in fact already own 

a 700+ horsepower tire melting 

demon, you owe it to yourself 

to attend the high-performance 

track school at Bondurant Racing 

School outside Phoenix. I attended 

a weeklong school a couple 

of years ago and after spending 

a week driving a Hellcat and 

pretty much burning up two 

(2) sets of tires, I was forever 

hooked on HEMIs and MOPARs. 

The school will teach you the 


...to purchase to this bad boy, a 2021 Dodge Charger WIDEBODY Scat Pack 

Ordered by our good friends at: 


asics as well as how to “safely” 

drive a car or SUV with 700+ 

horsepower and insane amounts 

of torque. Did you know that 

you can plant your foot on the 

brakes, totally engage the ABS 

and still maneuver at 80mph out 

of a lane of traffic to avoid an 

object or car ahead of you and 

then back into the same lane – 

without talking your foot off the 

brakes? It’s totally insane the first 

time you try it and seems undoable. 

But the advancement of 

ABS in these cars has improved 

so much over the years that the 

undoable a few years ago is now 

possible. 

The class also includes spintime 

on a skid pad. The car has 

a set of dollies affixed to the 

drivetrain to simulate skidding 

on ice and hydroplaning on water. 

It’s a lot of fun if you know 

how to drift, and damn right 

disgusting if you end up spinning 

the entire time. Oh, and you get 

to sit in the back seat while your 

classmates get their turn. Uh 

yeah…. not a good time to have 

eaten Mexican food for lunch 

that day. 

On the final day of the course, 

you get time on the racetrack to 

practice what you’ve learned. There 

is NOTHING like the sound of your 

Hellcat accelerating through 100+ 

mph and then the sound of downshifting 

and hearing the engine 

backfiring, spitting, and burping (if 

you know it, you get it). And the 

whine of the supercharger, ahhh, 

the sound of power. It was an absolute 

awesome experience and I 

highly recommend it before you hit 

the open road in your new Hellcat. 

That’s all for this month. See you 

next month and until then, hit the 

Open Road and enjoy the sound of 

freedom. 


ARE YOU PREPARED TO STAY ALIVE? 

Cops absorb lots of information during the months they spend in the academy. Then, when they finally 

do hit the streets, they’re required 

OFFICER SURVIVAL 

to ride with a field training officer for a few 

GUIDE 

months, a time 

when the FTO crams even more important stuff into their brains, all while responding to crimes and 

complaints in real time. 

Over and over again, academy trainers and FTOs drill information and practical skills into the minds 

of recruits. Over and over and over again. And then again. And, among all the laws, facts, figures, 

running, push-ups, sit-ups, shooting drills, defensive tactics, and on-the-job training, a common 

theme emerges—officer survival. 




HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO HELP KEEP YOU SAFE, AS WELL AS A SURVIVAL GUIDE 

1. Remember these three words. You will survive! Never give up no matter how many times you’ve been 

shot, stabbed, or battered. 

2. Carry a good weapon. You can’t win a gun fight if your weapon won’t fire. 

3. Carry plenty of ammunition. There’s no such thing as having too many bullets. 

4. Treat every situation as a potential ambush. This includes during meals, at movies, ball games, 

and church, etc. You never know when or where it could happen. This is why cops don’t like to sit with 

their backs to a door. Please don’t ask them to do so. 

5. Practice your shooting skills in every possible situation—at night, lying down, with your weak 

hand, etc. 

6, Wear your seat belt. 

7. Wear your body armor. 

8. Always expect the unexpected. 

9. Suspect everyone until you’re absolutely sure they’re okay and pose no threat to you. 

10. Trust no one until trust is earned. Even then, be cautious. 

11. Everyone is a potential threat until it’s proven they’re not. Remember, bad people can have attractive 

faces and warm smiles and say nice things. But all that can change in the blink of an eye. 

12. Know when to retreat. 

13. Stay in shape! Eat healthy. Exercise. 

14. Train, train, and train. 

15. Take advantage of specialized training classes and workshops outside of the department police 

academy. For example, the black belt trainers at your local gym just might be police academy 

or military instructors who could address your concerns and weaknesses, and/or enhance your 

strengths. For example, some of the specialized training I’ve taught include standing, prone, and 

ground combat, knife and stick fighting, defending against the sudden attack, and personal and executive 

bodyguard training. 

16. Use common sense and remember your training, because your family needs you safely at home at 

the end of your shift. 

17. Family first. Job second. 

18. Make no judgements based on a person’s lifestyle, personality, politics, race, or religion. Treat 

From 

everyone 

the 

fairly 

Editors 

and equally, 

of 

from the homeless drug addict to the crooked Wall Street embezzler. 

From the Editors of 

However, remain on alert and cautious at all times. 

19. Talk to people. Get to know them. Let them get to know you. After all, it’s often a bit tougher to 

hurt an officer they know and trust. 

20. Find a release for your stress. Bike/exercise. Vacation. Talk to someone. Read. Write. Spiritual 

guidance. Hobbies. Seek help the moment you notice a change/decrease in your work performance, 

increase in anxiety, excess use of alcohol and/or you consider drug use, change in sleep habits, you 

experience suicidal thoughts, or other drastic changes in your normal behavior. 

Reprinted from POLICE: 

72 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 73 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 73

FIVE THINGS THAT CAN 

GET YOU KILLED OR SUED 

Thinking things through 

and taking just a little 

care can save you a 

world of hurt. 

I MIKE “ZIGGY” SIEGFRIED 

With the tax base shrinking in many of our jurisdictions and that depleting our 

budgets, all of us have been told to do more with less. 

Consequently, many cops are overworked, sometimes being asked to take on 

the responsibilities once shared by two or three people. There is also a strong incentive 

to cut corners. We have all done it. The trick is to know what corners to cut and what 

corners might cut you back. With this in mind, here’s a look at five things you absolutely 

positively don’t want to do on the job. 

1. REACTING TOO SLOWLY 

With lawsuits abounding, many officers spend more time worrying about how a use of 

force will be perceived by their agencies and communities rather than what they need to 

do to survive it. This can cause officers to hesitate. 

The hesitation problem is exacerbated when the individual officers do not have a clear 

understanding of when they are legally allowed to use force. 

There is a famous maxim that says, “He who hesitates is lost.” The decision to use force 

should never be taken lightly, but once the decision is made, appropriate force should 

be used without fear of what could or might happen after. 

The United States Supreme Court gave us clear direction in the landmark case Graham 

v Connor in 1989. The court expects the force used by police to be “objectively reasonable.” 

If you use “objectively reasonable force,” you will have the full weight of federal 

law behind you. 

Using tactical communication is great. “Be nice,” like Patrick Swayze said in the movie 

“Roadhouse.” Don’t let your mouth write a check other more delicate parts of your body 

might have to cash. Showing respect to arrestees, their families, and friends doesn’t cost 

anything, but it can pay off with increased officer safety and cooperation. Good cops 

turn arrestees into informants. 

A key element in Dr. George Thompson’s “Verbal Judo” is “When words fail, act.” 

When it comes time to act, act! Use force. Too many cops are killed with their weapons 

still in their holsters because they were talking when they should have been shooting. 

2. DRIVING TOO FAST 

Any good traffic cop knows the primary cause of traffic fatalities is usually speeding. 

We are going too fast and it is killing us. 

For those of us in cars, many times we do not have our seat belt fastened and we 

crash. I never understood why so many cops don’t fasten their seat belts. The excuse 

I hear most of the time is, “I don’t want to have my seat belt on in case I get into a 

shooting or have to exit the vehicle in a hurry.” OK, when was the last time you heard 

Wearing a seat belt and driving at 

reasonable speeds greatly reduces of a cop getting out of a vehicle traveling 40 to 100 miles per hour? How about shooting 

at another vehicle or a person while driving at those speeds? Most cops do not get 

officer deaths from traffic collisions. 

100% on their qualification when they are shooting at a stationary target just a few 

yards away. 

I, like most cops, take off my seat belt as I am approaching a vehicle, house, or a person. 

But at that point, I am going at a very low speed, usually 10 miles per hour or less. If 

POLICE I 3 I get into a collision at that speed, I have an excellent chance of being OK. If I get into a 


FIVE THINGS 

FIVE THINGS 

collision at 100 miles per hour without a seat belt, I probably won’t be going home at the 

end of shift. In 2011, we lost 45 officers to collision-related deaths. 

3. BEING TOO PROUD 

Pride goes before a fall. Call for backup. It is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of tactical 

awareness. Ask yourself how much sense would it make for the SWAT team to respond 

to a call and say, “Oh there is only one suspect in the house. Well we will just send in one 

officer. There is no way the suspect in the house is better trained or equipped than our 

guy.” Ridiculous. Right? 

I have heard this mantra from more than one SWAT team: “Surprise, speed, and overwhelming 

force overcome a myriad of tactical problems.” When SWAT teams engage, the whole entry 

team goes in. So remember, you do not have to go it alone. 

4. WRITING TOO LITTLE 

Be humble enough to learn from your peers, especially the experienced ones. Most cops 

have a specialty or two. Something they love to do. Learn from the experts next to you. If you 

are constantly going to court and getting grilled on the stand, find out why proactive officers 

rarely have to go to court. Most of the time, you will find it’s because they write good reports. 

Ask these officers if you can have a copy of their best reports. I have never heard a cop 

refuse this request. In fact, they are usually flattered. Learn from these reports and use 

them as a template for when you have similar investigations. 

Many cops skimp on writing a good report. When calls for service are piling up, they 

feel pressure to get going fast. So they write short reports with minimal information. The 

problem with this philosophy shows up later. If their agencies have good report writing 

oversight, the officers will be asked to rewrite their reports. The report rewrite often 

involves re-interviewing victims, witnesses, and suspects. This usually takes a lot longer 

than doing a good report on the front end. 

There are also legal consequences to writing shoddy reports. They often end up giving 

Mike “Ziggy” Siegfried is a detective, instructor, and use-of-force expert with the San Bernardino 

us bad case law. Bad case law makes it harder for every cop to do his or her job. 

County (Calif.) Sheriff ’s Department. 

Bad reports also create potential liability for the officer and department. The focus 

Write a thorough report the first time 

and you won’t have to rewrite it later. should be on writing a report covering the elements of the crime and potential criminal 

defenses. By doing this, you will have a better reputation with victims, your department, 

and the district attorney. 

Use-of-force incidents are one of the most important aspects of policing that require 

you to write a detailed and comprehensive report. I have seen many force reports that 

lacked the details necessary to defend the officer and the department from civil liability, 

let alone get a criminal conviction on the suspect. 

Force reports should cover three areas: 

• What was the officer’s “legal standing,” or put more simply why did the officer have 

a right to contact the suspect? If an officer pulls over a car without probable cause or 

reasonable suspicion, the officer has no “legal standing.” Therefore, if the officer uses 

force that force will not be legal. 

• What did the suspect do to actively resist you in your lawful duties? Being specific is 

very important. There is a big difference between writing, “The suspect took a combative 

stance,” and “The suspect took a bladed stance and raised his fists to his chin. He moved 

his weight to the balls of his feet and tucked his chin to his chest. He moved his head side 

to side like a boxer. I recognized these movement from defensive tactics training. At that 

moment, I was concerned the suspect had a martial arts skill set that could be a danger 

POLICE I 4 to me and others in the area.” 

76 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 

POLICE I 5 


The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 77 

PHOTO: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM 

• Describe in detail how the suspect’s “active resistance” created a danger for you or 

someone else. For example, “I believed my partner was in imminent jeopardy because 

the suspect with the boxer stance said, ‘I’m going to beat you down.’ He started moving 

quickly toward my partner. At that point, I believed it was objectively reasonable to 

deploy my TASER.” 

5. PURSUING EVERYTHING THAT RUNS 

Just because someone runs, does not mean you have to chase him or her. Sometimes 

patience is the better part of valor. If you know who they are, do you really need to chase 

them into an apartment filled with gang members when you are by yourself? We have 

lost too many officers to ambushes on foot pursuits. 

Do you need to initiate a vehicle pursuit with a known suspect that may result in the 

traffic collision deaths of uninvolved citizens? No. Too many innocent people have been 

killed by officers who engaged in vehicle pursuits when they shouldn’t have. 

Remember, if you started the pursuit you can call if off. You must constantly analyze what is 

happening. You might have to call off the 100-mph pursuit that started in a rural area when it 

enters a crowded urban area. Calling off a bad pursuit is not a sign of weakness. It is a tactical 

necessity. 

My goal is to remind all of us to take a little time to analyze what we are doing and 

how we are doing it. Most of the mistakes I have listed can be attributed to some form of 

going too fast. 

Take a minute and think about what you are doing, saying, and writing. Law enforcement is 

by and large a reactive profession. A suspect completes a crime usually entailing an “overt act” 

and we “react.” By the nature of our work, we must adapt. This adaptation involves being technically, 

socially, and mentally nimble. We analyze current trends and share our experiences 

with others. I hope some of these suggestions will help you.

SAFE SEARCHING: 

THE STANDING BASIC SEARCH 

Conducting effective 

patdowns is an essential 

skill that deserves more 

attention in training. 

I JAMES HARBISON 

Searching people in a standing position is something deputies and officers do every 

day across the nation. We search people in a variety of field situations and legal 

circumstances. But for the purpose of this article, I am going to focus on what is 

commonly referred to as a pat search or Terry search for weapons. As far as officer safety 

skills are concerned, I believe pat search techniques to be one of the most critical skills 

given too little emphasis in training, and therefore worthy of analysis. 

THE ANALYSIS 

Searching people in the field for readily accessible weapons is a tactical necessity to keep 

us safe. It is also a high frequency activity. When analyzing the risk, it’s important to pay 

attention to what happens to law enforcement officers when we are attacked. According 

to FBI statistics, 81.4 percent of the 590,507 officers assaulted in 2009 were attacked by an 

assailant using personal weapons (e.g. hands, fists, or feet), resulting in the highest percentage 

of injuries to the officers. This statistic is consistent with the FBI statistics from the 

previous 10 years, and therefore a fairly reliable indicator of future trends. 

How does this fit within the context of a pat search? If you think about it, in order to 

attack an officer with personal weapons, the assailant must be close enough to strike or 

grapple, the same distance you are at when you search a person. So how can you protect 

yourself when you do your search? Use a method or technique that meets three key objectives: 

safe, effective, and expedient. 

By safe, I mean that which exposes you to the minimal amount of risk. By effective, I 

mean that which affords the best opportunity to find what you are looking for. By expedient, 

I mean simple and quick, though not at the expense of safety or effectiveness. Your 

chosen method should facilitate not only a safe and effective search, but also other force 

options such as control holds, take-down techniques, and handcuffing. 

Although I normally refrain from offering a “best” or “safest” technique, pat searching 

will be my exception. I will explain the three critical components of the search technique, 

and why these are so important to your safety. 

THE SEARCH 

The technique I am presenting is referred to simply as the Standing Basic Search. Control 

is the primary issue in conducting a safe search. The Standing Basic Search represents 

the minimal level of control you are willing to establish over a person while searching 

him or her. Focusing on the Standing Basic Search, there are three keys to control: 

Position the body 

Limit the mobility 

Control the hands 

SAFE SEARCHING 

Stance is also a factor in positioning. Since you search with your hands, you must be 

close enough to touch the areas you intend to search. In the Standing Basic Search, you 

will stand with your gun leg back in a balanced and bladed stance. This stance gives you 

the ability to create some space between your gun and the person you are searching. It 

also provides a platform for mobility and appropriate defensive reactions. 

LIMIT THE MOBILITY 

Once you are behind the person, you want to limit his mobility. To do that, you have 

him widen his stance. The amount varies, because this part of the technique is also used 

to offset a disparity in height between a taller person and a shorter officer. Even if there 

is minimal height disparity, you want to have the suspect widen his stance because this 

adversely affects or limits his mobility. 

To initiate movement from a widened stance (such as lunging forward or turning 

around preparatory to attack) the human body will instinctively move one or both legs 

toward its centerline. This movement creates more time for you to perceive resistance 

and react appropriately. In combative situations, fractions of a second can mean the difference 

between an advantage and a disadvantage. 

CONTROL THE HANDS 

Of the personal weapons aggressors can use to hurt you, their hands should be your 

greatest concern. A suspect’s hands can be used to strike, grab, choke, and manipulate 

weapons. Are you better off controlling one or both hands? Controlling only one hand 

leaves the other hand free to assault you or manipulate a weapon. Therefore, you should 

control both hands. 

One way some officers attempt to do this is to have the person place her hands on a 

stationary object, such as a wall or the hood of a car. However, this does not control the 

hands, it merely isolates them. Worse, this gives her two more points of stability and balance 

from which to initiate an attack. 

Another common method is to have the person place his hands in the small of his 

back. A variety of methods can be used to grab and hold both of the suspect’s hands from 

this position. Although better than the first example, this method is not the optimal way 

to control the hands, for three very important reasons. 

DON’T ALLOW WAISTBAND ACCESS 

First, knowing what you know about where people are most likely to conceal weapons 

(I’ll call them “hot zones”), I’m sure you’ll agree the waistband (front and rear) is at or 

near the top of the list. This makes instructing someone to put his hands at the small of 

her back a risky proposition. 

Considering human perception and reaction times, you are placing yourself at a tactical 

disadvantage by giving the person an opportunity to “comply” with your request 

by moving her hands toward her waistband, a primary “hot zone.” If you told her to do 

it, you must allow that movement. How quickly can you distinguish between a person 

who is compliant, and one who is moving toward a “hot zone,” intending to arm herself? 

How quickly can you react to the threat? Use a training gun or training knife, and work 

through some scenarios; you’ll see what I mean. 

Next, if you agree the rear waistband is one of the high-risk “hot zones,” you should 

avoid obscuring that area with the person’s hands. Although proponents of controlling 

the hands in this location claim they adequately search the rear waistband area, when I 

POSITION THE BODY 

Because we are innately geared toward forward movement, most aggressors, whether 

formally trained or not, will attack in a forward direction. Therefore, you are safer positioning 

yourself behind the person, rather than in front. Positioning yourself behind does not 

preclude a rearward attack (e.g. a rear kick, or rear elbow), but combined with the remaining 

two keys to control, greatly reduces a suspect’s ability to attack you effectively. 

POLICE I 7 make observations in the field, I see just the opposite. 

POLICE I 6 





 

3 

1 

Thirdly, once you have a hold of the person’s hands, you can use 

this connection to your advantage should you need to overcome 

resistant or combative behavior. How much control can you effect 

over the person with his hands behind his back at waist level? 

Some, but not as much as you might think. Advocates of this hand 

control position suggest disengaging from the person by shoving 

her forward. 

As I mentioned before, you are innately wired for forward movement. 

Throughout our lives, we crawl, walk, run, and stumble forward. 

Our central nervous systems develop an orientation bias toward forward 

movement. We become adept at recovering our balance moving 

forward, but not backward. An aggressor’s ability to recover her balance 

2 

directly corresponds to her ability to re-initiate an attack. You can use 

this to your advantage, controlling an aggressor’s balance by breaking her vertical plane in a 

backward direction, rather than forward. To do this most effectively, the subject’s hands should 

not be at waist level. 

“HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!” 

The optimal way to safely and effectively address all three concerns—positioning the 

body, limiting the mobility, controlling the hands—is to have the person place his hands 

behind his head. Why? When was the last time you encountered a person who had a 

gun, knife, hammer, or other dangerous weapon attached to his or her head? As a practical 

matter, the odds of a person effectively concealing a dangerous weapon there are 

quite small. Therefore, you can direct a subject’s hands toward his head with minimal 

concern about distinguishing between compliance and arming. 

If you agree with that, then you can also agree that with this method you need not be 

concerned about obscuring a high-risk area to be searched. If you direct the person’s hands 

to the back of his head, and instead he reaches for his waistband, you now have noncompliance, 

which is more easily identified. There’s your “red flag,” calling you to action. 

Lastly, when you have to overcome resistant or combative behavior, you can much 

more effectively control the person’s body by breaking his vertical plane backward, rather 

than forward. This is most easily accomplished when the hands are linked to the head 

rather than the waist. There are three simple and effective takedown techniques from 

the Standing Basic Search position, which is a topic for another day. 

 

6 

does not change. Depending on the size of the person you are searching, you may have to 

shuffle step in the direction of the second half prior to searching, but your gun leg stays 

back. When you complete your search, place your free hand on the upper back of the person 

and shuffle step back before further directing the subject’s movement (photo 7). 

Depending on the size of the officer versus the size of the person being searched, the downward 

limit of this search technique is about at the area on the person’s legs where “cargo” 

pockets would be. Under most circumstances, the lower legs are not considered readily accessible 

areas. However, if you are concerned about those areas and you are legally justified, they 

should be searched using a technique that meets the same three criteria discussed here. 

SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE 

The Standing Basic Search offers a simple yet effective way to efficiently and safely conduct 

a pat-down search. By using the Standing Basic Search, you establish hand and 

body control of the person you are searching, with a minimal amount of labor. Should 

you feel the need to gain more control over the person you are searching, you can escalate 

to a Standing Modified Search or a High-Risk Kneeling Search, both of which are 

topic for another discussion at another time. 

Whether you adopt the Standing Basic Search technique or not, consider all the risk 

factors involved in searching people, and process those in ways that make sense to you 

so that your searches will be safe and effective. 

Sgt. James Harbison is the Basic Academy Coordinator at the Contra Costa County (Calif.) 

Office of the Sheriff Law Enforcement Training Center, where he teaches defensive tactics 

and physical fitness. 

PROPER TECHNIQUE 

Now let’s look at how to properly execute the Standing Basic Search. The first step is to 

 

4 

have the person place his hands behind his head, with fingers interlocked (photo 1). 

Next, have him turn away from you or maneuver behind him. From a bladed stance, 

safely close the distance and use your lead (non-dominant) hand to grip his hands 

(photo 2). The grip is important: start from the top (pinky fingers) and establish a firm 

grip, using your thumb to “lace up” his fingers (photo 3). Make sure you anchor the 

hands to the base of the skull by exerting downward force. Maintaining your gun leg 

back, use your free hand to thoroughly and systematically search the readily accessible 

areas on the matching side of the subject’s body (right hand searches person’s right body 

 

5 

half) (photo 4). If this is a search where it is legally permissible to reach into the pockets 

(e.g. a parole search), you can easily do so from this position. 

Once you’ve completed one half of the subject’s body, switch the gripping hands (photo 

POLICE I 8 5) and search the other half, again using the matching hand (photo 6). Notice your stance 

POLICE I 9 


 

7

HOW TO WATCH THE HANDS 

WATCH HANDS 

Being able to recognize 

when a suspect is pulling 

a weapon is an officer 

safety necessity. 


Have a subject turn sideways so you can see what he is retrieving from his pocket. Then tell him 

to use only his thumb and forefinger to slowly remove his wallet. 

A person might seem to be innocently reaching for ID when in fact he’s reaching for a gun. Look for the way the hand is positioned in relation 

to the body for signs that a subject is going for a weapon. 

When approaching a subject, focus on movements of the thumb, index finger, and elbow. A subject holding up open hands, even in an 

aggressive manner, is less of a threat because he can’t easily reach a weapon. 

Every year the FBI publishes a report titled “Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted.” 

According to this report, 41 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of 

duty in 2008. Year after year, the report outlines the fact that most officers are killed by 

firearms. But even when the suspect does not use a firearm, he or she may use other weapons 

to kill officers. The attacker may grip an edged weapon, use a blunt object, or steer a car into an 

officer. In all of these instances, suspects use their hands to kill. 

From basic training to field training, officers are told, “Watch the suspect’s hands.” But 

you are not taught how to do it. Why haven’t law enforcement trainers developed an easily 

understandable method to teach you the specifics of suspect hand movement awareness? 

One answer is that trainers and veteran officers who are skilled at hand watching 

often have a hard time articulating how they do it. So they use simple phrases like, “Just 

keep an eye on the hands,” or “It’s important to always watch the hands.” 

But this isn’t enough. It is imperative that you be able to recognize when suspects are 

using their hands to access and deploy weapons so you know how to respond. Never 

bring a control hold to a gun fight. 

safety. I shared this technique with academy trainees and advanced officers. I now have 

a very simple way to explain dangerous suspect hand movements, and I use this knowledge 

when I testify as an expert witness defending officers in use-of-force cases. 

Harris began the training with a question: “How do people access weapons systems?” 

I naively replied, “With their hands.” He said, “OK, but how?” I didn’t have an answer. 

Harris explained that under most circumstances when a person brings a weapon into 

play, she has to make at least two movements with her hand. First, the thumb and index 

finger move toward the center of their body. Next, the elbow moves out away from the 

body. By focusing on these telltale movements, officers can perceive when a weapon 

might be coming into play and respond accordingly. 

Although they might be a precursor to an assault on the officer, movements of the 

hands away from the center of the body where the thumb and index finger are not extended 

are less of a threat than movements where the thumb and index fingers are moving 

to the center of the body. 

HOW TO WATCH THE HANDS 

It wasn’t until I did some training a few years ago with Roy Harris, a world class martial 

FORECAST HAND MOVEMENTS 

artist and martial arts hall of fame member, that I learned how to watch the hands of 

One underutilized technique is forecasting the hand movements of a contact. For example, 

if you want to determine the identity of a contact, you will typically ask for a 

POLICE I 10 a suspect. I could not believe how much this awareness training increased my officer 

POLICE I 11 


WATCH HANDS 

WATCH HANDS 

driver’s license or another form of identification. Instead of saying, “I need to see your 

license,” say, “Where do you keep your identification?” You need to know where the suspect’s 

hands will be going in order to perform the requested action. You also should ask, 

“What form of ID do you have?” There is a big difference between someone saying, “I 

keep my driver’s license in my wallet,” and “I keep my release from prison paperwork 

and my parole card in my wallet.” In either case, you need to know where the suspect’s 

hands are going. 

The reason this is so important is a person makes the same hand motions to get a 

wallet from his rear pocket as he would to access a weapon from the same area. First, 

the thumb and index finger move toward the center of the body. Next, the elbow moves 

out away from the body. You don’t want to overreact to a movement that you told the 

suspect to make. 

A better option is to forecast the movement, and to have the subject turn sideways so 

you can see what he is retrieving from his pocket. Tell the subject to use only his thumb 

and forefinger to slowly remove his wallet. Once the wallet is out, tell him to remove his 

identification. Many agencies do not take wallets from contacts prior to arrest. This is a 

good practice because it limits the subject’s ability to allege that an officer took something, 

like money, from the wallet during the initial contact. 

A MORE COURT-DEFENSIBLE TECHNIQUE 

In court, your actions are judged by citizens who have little or no law enforcement experience. 

You may be interested in securing a conviction, or you may be defending the actions 

of another officer. Either way, having a definable system of how officers are trained 

to watch the hands makes it easier to explain to a jury or a judge why you thought an 

offender was accessing a weapon. 

It’s not enough to say, “I couldn’t see his hands.” You need to be able to explain to a jury 

what not seeing the subject’s hands meant. What were his hands doing? How did you interpret 

these movements and why? What actions were appropriate for that moment? If you can 

explain that the subject’s thumb and index finger moved toward the center of his body and his 

elbow moved away from the body, and that these movements are often indicative of weapon 

retrieval, the judge and jury can better understand your reasoning and actions. 

There have been numerous times when I have made statements to suspects because I 

was recording the contact and I wanted the person hearing that recording at a later date 

to understand what I was seeing. Make statements like, “I see that you are making a fist. 

Let’s not go there. You and I don’t need that kind of trouble.” Make these statements for 

the person, usually a supervisor, who will be conducting the use-of-force investigation if 

the situation deteriorates. 

Imagine two officer-involved shootings, both captured on audio tape, where the actions 

of the suspect are identical. In the first shooting, you hear the officer struggle with 

the suspect and then the gunshots. In the second shooting, you hear the struggle, but 

this time the officer says, “Keep your hands away from your waist,” followed by, “Partner, 

he’s getting something!” and then gunshots. Which of these incidents is easier to defend 

in court, the media, and public perception? 

WATCHING THE HANDS 

CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE 

Dr. Bill Lewinski of the highly respected Force Science Research Center co-authored a 

study with Dr. Joan Vickers titled “Gaze Control and Shooting Performance of Elite and 

Rookie Police Officers During a Force-on-Force Encounter.” Veteran officers who were 

studied directed their attention to the suspect’s gun hand or arm. In other words, they 

were better at watching the suspect’s hands, especially the gun hand. This skill allowed 

them to perform at a higher level and to react to deadly encounters more efficiently and 

effectively than rookie officers. Effective hand watching can increase the likelihood of an 

officer surviving a lethal force encounter. 

There is no foolproof method for knowing when a suspect is obtaining a weapon. You 

must use common sense and choose reasonable solutions to difficult problems. I have 

provided several techniques for how to tackle this important issue. By implementing 

these techniques, rookie and veteran officers can avoid becoming FBI statistics. 

Mike “Ziggy” Siegfried is a detective, academy instructor, and use-of-force subject matter 

expert with the San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff ’s Department. 

TRAINING METHODS 

One way to integrate this concept into training is to create scenarios that expose the 

trainee to subjects who make motions that are indicative of accessing a weapon. This 

approach allows the instructor to see how the trainee responds. 

After the scenario, the instructor asks the trainee to articulate what movements the 

suspect made that caused her to believe the suspect was accessing a weapon. After the 

trainer determines the student can recognize weapon retrieval movements, the trainer 

evaluates the tactics and techniques the student used to neutralize the threat. An important 

element of this training is to encourage the student to verbalize her instructions to 

the subject. The student should also consider verbalizing the fact that she is concerned 

about the subject’s hand movements. 

USE AN AUDIO RECORDER 

I am a big advocate of officers using audio recorders. In almost all circumstances, they 

help in civil and criminal investigations. It is important to remember that recorders do not 

record what you do not say. I have never attended a defensive tactics training course that 

POLICE I 12 included activation of the recorder as part of the “real time” tactics training. Why not? 


POLICE I 13 


SURVIVING FOOT PATROL 

Walking a beat requires 

a different mindset 

and different tactics 

than driving one. 

I TOM WETZEL 

When on foot patrol, keep your head 

up. A lot of people are in the habit of 

walking with their heads down. 

EMERGENCIES ON THE BEAT 

Due to limitations on the mobility 

of foot patrol officers and lack of 

cruiser availability during emergencies, 

departments need plans in place for 

evacuation or protection of foot patrol 

officers in case of a riot or other largescale 

problem in the area of their beats. 

The emergency evacuation plan 

can take the form of an informal policy 

or a written directive. 

Either way officers who walk the 

beats and the responding officers need 

to train together to ensure smooth cooperation 

and coordination during the 

emergency. 

Prior to the development of the automobile and subsequently police cruisers, if cops 

weren’t on horses, they were walking a beat. 

The benefits of foot beats are many and this type of patrol should be a fundamental 

aspect in any community policing model. But after being directed to an assigned area 

or neighborhood to walk, an officer and his or her department should have sound strategies 

in place for how best to accomplish this mission in a safe and productive manner. 

CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR 

Having a good pair of shoes is naturally an important component of any foot patrol 

function. If this assignment is full-time, you should be permitted to purchase athletic 

shoes or specific shoes made for long walking. 

Tactical boots are not the preferred shoe of choice for this assignment. Even though 

manufacturers have made a lot of advances in the design of police boots and made 

them much lighter, boots just aren’t made for the high mileage that a foot patrol assignment 

involves. 

An agency must recognize that when assigning an officer to a foot beat that officer 

will likely go through more shoes than if he or she was patrolling in a cruiser. If your 

department provides a clothing allowance, it should include extra funds for purchasing 

athletic shoes, which can get pretty expensive. 

Clothing for foot patrol officers needs to be lightweight and designed for comfort and 

coolness in the summer months. Shorts and polo-type shirts can provide this type of 

benefit and still allow for a professional presentation. 

FORCE OPTIONS 

Having lots of use-of-force options is especially important for an officer on foot patrol. 

You won’t have a cruiser to use as cover or provide for a quick tactical retreat. 

Your duty belt needs to be equipped with pepper spray, electronic control devices, 

a control baton, and your duty weapon. You should also work regularly on defensive 

tactics techniques. 

As communications with your agency dispatch center or patrol units are vital, as a foot 

patrol officer you need to have good portable radios and at least one backup battery. You 

also need a cell phone. 

FOOT PATR0L 

Occassionally stop walking and listen to 

what is happening around you. You will 

be surprised by what you hear. 

alter specific courses that you planned. This is to be expected and should be considered 

an aspect of the directionless direction model. 

FOOT PATROL PRECAUTIONS 

When walking a beat, look for objects and locations that can provide you with needed 

cover. By doing this enough times, you will help engrain these opportunities in your 

mind so that under stress, you may use them instinctively. 

Get used to walking wide on corners when you walk a beat. This allows you to casually 

“slice the pie” as a manner of routine and look natural doing so. 

When teaching self-defense programs, I tell participants to get in the habit of having 

their heads in a horizontal plane instead of looking down when walking to their cars. 

Too often, people get deep in thought and look downward at the ground as they walk. 

On foot patrol you could fall into the same habit. Looking at a more level position allows 

you to scan farther and recognize dangerous situations more quickly. 

Periodically stopping and listening is also important. Your ears may become attuned 

to the rhythmic sounds of your steps and equipment jostling while walking for long periods 

of time. By not moving for a few moments, your mind and ears may pick up on 

distant sounds that could be signs of trouble. 

GATHERING INTEL 

Scanning the interiors of restaurants or businesses when walking by them or prior to 

entering them can allow you to note anything unusual. A benefit of regular foot patrol 

can be recognizing what and who looks out of place, which leads into an important benefit 

of foot patrol. Recognizing unusual behavior at specific spots as well as getting to 

know the people on your patrol beat gives you an excellent opportunity to gather intelligence 

on possible criminal behavior within that area. 

Citizens and police officers through time and trust can develop a “we” relationship 

when working to keep a neighborhood safe. This symbiotic relationship, which is vital 

to any community policing effort, can chip away at the “us vs. them” attitude that can 

manifest in different neighborhoods based on a history of mistrust between police and 

those they serve. 

By getting out and talking with people and business owners, you can establish relationships 

where citizens feel comfortable telling you about what and who concerns 

them. In time you will have your finger on the pulse of a neighborhood and be able to 

serve it better. 

But be cautious chatting up the locals. You do not want to endanger the residents who 

provide you with information. These citizens have to live and/or work in the neighborhood 

and talking to a cop could cause a problem for them. The intelligence you gather 

from them should be used judiciously and generally used to support other more formal 

information you’ve learned 

DIRECTIONLESS DIRECTION 

Once you begin a foot patrol assignment, it is important to develop a strategy that provides 

a consistent officer presence without an obvious routine that can be recognized. 

By following a different daily path as a course of action, you can patrol using a “directionless 

direction” model. This model involves beginning at a different spot at the start 

of each shift and then following a different pattern of movement with concentration on 

areas of concern within a neighborhood or district. This could be done on a random 

TAKE THE HIGH GROUND 

basis or involve charting a course of movement for the week. 

Walking a beat should not be limited to ground level action. If your areas of patrol include 

multiple story buildings or higher natural elevations, you should periodically ob- 

When walking a course, periodically stopping, turning around and going back in the 

same direction can present an opportunity for surprise. If a suspect sees you walking 

serve your beat from high ground. 

down a street, he or she is likely to assume that you will continue in that direction. Even 

Getting above street level allows you to see the area you patrol from a different perspective. 

This perspective may allow you to plan your routes better, observe criminal or 

if he thinks you may loop back around a block, there may be a perception of a window of 

time to commit a crime. Sudden rerouting may thwart these opportunities. 

suspicious activity, and note possible hiding spots for suspects. 

POLICE I 14 The demands of the shift such as call volume and the people you encounter will likely 

POLICE I 15 


FOOT PATROL 

CONDITIONING IS CRUCIAL 

Depending on the type of assignment, full time or as part of a periodic assignment, if 

you’ve been assigned to foot patrol you need to pace yourself. A casual and steady walking 

pace will allow you to absorb more information and listen better. Walking too fast 

may wear you out more quickly and limit your energy if you suddenly get involved in a 

running foot chase. 

For pacing purposes, it is important to take time to stop or sit for awhile. This gives 

your legs a chance to rest and relieves some stress on your knees. 

One of the health benefits of foot patrol is the exercise. For tracking purposes, purchase 

a pedometer to see how many miles you log while on shift. You are essentially 

working and working out while on duty and this can be a real win-win for you and your 

department. 

The benefits of foot patrol are many. Officers walking beats can contribute to an added sense 

of security within a neighborhood and enhance the harmony between police officers and 

those they serve. Having strategies to implement this patrol function can benefit the officers, 

their agencies, and the communities they serve. Police officers on foot patrol should not just be 

sent out to walk a beat but should instead be sent out “walking with a plan.” 

Tom Wetzel is a northeast Ohio suburban police lieutenant, SWAT officer, trainer, and 

certified law enforcement executive. 

STOPPING GUN GRABS 

Good weapon retention 

begins at first contact 

and requires you to 

use solid tactics. 


When you make contact with any suspect, there is always a firearm involved. It’s on 

you. And it can be turned against you. 

Every year the FBI publishes a report titled “Law Enforcement Officers Killed 

and Assaulted.” This detailed document gives the law enforcement community valuable 

information about the circumstances and trends in assaults on officers. In 2008, 10 percent 

of officers killed with a firearm were killed with their own handgun. In the past few 

months, Officer Ryan Bonaminio of the Riverside (Calif.) Police Department and Dep. 

Sam Brownlee of the Weld County (Colo.) Sheriff’s Department were both killed when 

they lost control of their duty firearms. 

CONCEPTS AND TECHNIQUES 

When asked to demonstrate weapon retention, most officers place both hands on 

their holstered handgun and move their hips violently from side to side. This technique 

is good. But before you are able to react in this manner, the suspect can bridge the open 

space between you, lower his shoulders, and extend his hands to touch your holstered 

firearm. So why don’t officers use a technique that provides a faster reaction? The short 

answer is they were trained not to. 

In many academies, weapon retention is taught by an instructor who says, “The key to 

weapon retention is to keep your handgun in the holster. Now, let your training partner 

get close and put his or her hands on your gun, then react.” This type of training engrains 

into your muscle memory the concept that you have to wait until the suspect gets a hand 

on your weapon before you can perform a weapon retention technique. This type of 

training ignores the concept that you should not let a suspect get anywhere near your 

duty belt in the first place. 

There should be a balance between teaching techniques and concepts. The basic concept 

is to not let anyone near your gun. If someone does get near your gun, push the 

person away and prepare to use one of your weapons. If you cannot push him or her 

away, keep your weapons on your belt and out of the suspect’s hands. Teaching concepts 

provide the why, distance provides the when, and techniques provide the how. 

THREE SECONDS 

In training, officers often say, “If they go for my gun, I will just shoot them.” But what if 

you do not have time? Drawing and accurately firing a handgun takes time, which you 

might not have. A common reference point for reaction time is 1.5 seconds: the time it 

takes most human beings to realize there is a serious problem. It takes the average officer 

another 1.5 seconds to draw a firearm and fire the first shot. 

How much damage could a suspect inflict in the 3.0 seconds it takes for an officer to 

recognize, react, and fire the first shot? I have seen many mixed martial artists knocked 

out in less time. Even an extremely slow runner could get to an officer before the officer 

Standing in the suspect’s blind spot 

allows you to have a better view and can get their first shot off. 

quicker reaction. 

A five-year FBI study, “Violent Encounters: A Study of Felonious Assaults on Our Nation’s 

Law Enforcement Officers,” confirms that victim officers hit the suspect only 40 

percent of the time in deadly encounters. Additionally, if the suspect gets to the officer 

before the officer gets his firearm out of the holster, the officer will have at least one hand 

down. Having one hand down when fighting can have devastating consequences. 

Law enforcement trainers need to take a good look at how we teach and train for 

POLICE I 16 

POLICE I 17 weapon retention. A layered training approach first addresses concepts, then focuses on 


GUN GRABS 

GUN GRABS 

time that you would not have if you were standing in front of the suspect. With so many 

people training in mixed martial arts, wresting, and jiu-jitsu, you may be surprised by 

the speed with which you can be taken to the ground and controlled, especially if you 

are in front of the suspect. 

Your legs are longer and stronger than your arms. You can use them to push the suspect away from your firearm and give you time to react. 

DEFENDING WITH LEGS 

Legs are longer and stronger than arms and are also closer to the suspect. By using 

your front foot, you can keep your gun side back and away from an aggressor. 

One effective technique for using the leg is the front foot push. Target the suspect’s pelvic 

region, including the lower stomach, hips, groin, quadriceps, and knees. 

Raise your front foot as high as it comfortably goes, then push down as if you are stepping 

on the gas pedal of a car. By using less of a kicking motion and more of a downward 

push, you can deliver great force while remaining balanced. 

Pushing with both arms can disrupt a suspect’s balance and prevent a gun grab. It can also buy an officer enough time to react with an 

appropriate weapon from his or her belt. 

four areas: defending with space and angles, defending with the legs, defending with the 

arms, and keeping the firearm secured in the holster. This concept of firearm retention 

has been referred to as “defense in depth.” 

DEFENDING WITH ARMS 

By simply pushing the suspect away, you can keep the suspect away from your weapon. 

Place your hands under the suspect’s chin and force the aggressor’s head back, directing 

the suspect’s eyes away from you. An added benefit to this technique is that the 

suspect will be forced onto his heels and will be less mobile. This pushing motion can 

be combined with moving off line in a circle step motion to force the suspect to turn to 

engage you. 

THE CLASSIC APPROACH 

Sometimes the oldies are the goodies. In the case of weapon retention, the classic twohanded 

weapon retention technique still saves lives. 

This simple move starts by placing the palm of your dominant hand on the top of the 

holster trapping the firearm inside the holster and keeping the suspect from removing 

the firearm. Almost simultaneously, bend your knees and drop your weight. Next, place 

your off hand palm quickly on top of the dominant hand so that both hands work in unison 

to keep the firearm in the holster. Move your hips violently away from the suspect 

using leverage to strip the suspect’s hands off of the holster. 

A common error many officers make when doing this technique is to not protect their 

entire duty belt. They lift up their non-dominant elbow giving the suspect access to other 

weapons on the duty belt such as a TASER, baton, or chemical agents. 

When doing this technique, keep both of your elbows close to your body. This will 

make it difficult for the suspect to take any weapons from your belt. 

None of these techniques are complicated; all are based on gross motors skills that 

can be performed under critical stress incidents. 

Far more important is to remember the concept of creating tactical distance using the 

gross motor skills of pushing. 

Put more simply, push the crook away from you as soon and as fast as you can using 

any part of your body you can do it with. Once you have done that, use the appropriate 

force option to win the confrontation. Don’t let them get their hands on your weapons. 

It is all about going home at the end of your watch alive. 

OPEN SPACE AND ANGLES 

Use both hands to keep your gun 

From a modern firebase in Afghanistan to an ancient castle, the first layer of defense is 

in your holster until you can get the 

a large open area from which the defender can see the enemy coming and engage them 

suspect’s hands off it. 

from a distance. This open space concept can also work for individual officers. 

You will have a better field of view and more time to react to any threat posed by a 

dangerous suspect, if you keep the suspect at a distance. Although every situation is different, 

a good rule of thumb for a minimum distance is five feet. Greater distance is better; 

however, at five feet you can deploy most of the common weapons on your duty 

belt, including your TASER, baton, chemical agents, and firearms. Space equals time. 

Time equals better decision making. Better decision making increases your chance for 

victory. 

One under taught aspect of weapon retention is angles. When talking with a suspect, 

it is a good idea to angle to his blind spot. 

Mike “Ziggy” Siegfried is a detective, academy instructor, and use-of-force subject matter 

Tell the suspect to look forward and stand in his blind spot in a field interrogation 

expert with the San Bernardino County (Calif.) Sheriff ’s Department. 

position (balanced stance with your firearm back). The suspect will be forced to move to 

POLICE I 18 engage you, if he is intent on an assault. This movement will give you valuable reaction 


POLICE I 19 


DYNAMIC TAKEDOWN TECHNIQUES 

TAKEDOWN TECHNIQUES 

If a suspect attacks you 

during a search, use 

these moves to take 

him to the ground. 


1 2 

(1) Start from the Standing Basic Search position. Note the 

downward pressure on the suspect’s hands to anchor them in 

place and slow down escapes. (2) To initiate the Rear Pull-down, 

step out of the hole and pull the suspect’s hands backward and 

downward, breaking their vertical plane. 

Year after year, statistics compiled by the FBI consistently reaffirm the dangers of our 

profession. Law enforcement officers all have one thing in common: ultimately, 

we or those we train and supervise must deal with the bad guys. When we do, we 

are putting ourselves at risk. To offset those risks, we use many resources including 

technology and training. 

When it comes to training, most of us don’t get enough. So the training we do get must 

be practical, effective, and efficient. This article will provide you with two techniques 

you can use to keep yourself safe when dealing with suspects who become resistive or 

combative during a pat search. 

In my previous article, “Safe Searching: the Standing Basic 

Search” (March 2011), I covered the concepts and mechanics 

of performing a safe pat down or Terry search for weapons. As I 

stated, searching persons for weapons is a high frequency activity 

for law enforcement personnel. One of the risks I addressed in 

my previous article was the risk of attack from the person you are 

searching, while you are searching him or her. Using the standing 

basic search gives you the ability to minimize your risk, and 

maximize your options when the person you are searching initiates 

an attack. 

REVIEW 

Before we discuss our options, let’s quickly review the primary 

components of the standing basic search. Remember, you want 

your search to be safe, effective, and expedient. To ensure this, focus 

on controlling the suspect through proper body position, limiting 

the person’s mobility, and controlling the hands. When properly 

executed, the standing basic search position can minimize the 

suspect’s ability to escape or attack. 

One point to consider is the way you control the suspect’s 

hands. Remember, it is critical to both “lace up” the fingers of the 

interlocked hands, and anchor them to the base of the skull, maintaining 

downward pressure throughout the search. This reduces 

the suspect’s ability to quickly escape by turning toward you and 

ducking under your hands. 

1 2 3 4 

(1) Starting from the Standing Basic Search Position, (2) initiate the takedown the same as you do in the Rear Pull-down. (3) Use your free 

arm to wrap and compress the suspect’s arm. (4) Quickly drive your hips and shoulders toward the hole, taking the suspect with you. 

For the remainder of this discussion, I’ll focus on one of your options: taking the suspect 

to the ground. The takedowns we will examine are designed to disorient and temporarily 

incapacitate the suspect to help you quickly and safely establish a greater level 

of control. Taking a suspect to the ground can potentially cause her injury, and therefore 

should always be objectively reasonable under the circumstances. 

THE TAKEDOWNS 

We are all innately wired for forward movement. Your balance and equilibrium are more 

adversely affected when your vertical plane is broken in a backward direction. Therefore, 

from the standing basic search position, you can employ these two simple and dynamic 

takedown techniques to effectively overcome the suspect’s resistive or combative actions. 

Both operate under the same principles of body mechanics, differing only in the amount 

and type of control you will establish once the suspect is on the ground. 

The first and simplest of the two techniques is the Rear Pull-down. The key to this 

technique is quickly and forcefully breaking the suspect’s vertical plane simultaneously 

backward and downward; gravity will do the rest. This technique results in a disengagement 

from the suspect, affording the opportunity to transition to other force options or 

methods of control. 

The second technique is the Rear Pull-down with Arm Compression. This technique is 

initiated in the same way as the Rear Pull-down, but enhanced with a controlling movement 

to assist with the take down and to further control the suspect once she is on the 

ground. Let’s look at each technique in detail. 

OPTIONS 

Once you have initiated your standing basic search, what can 

3 4 you do if the suspect tries to escape or initiate an attack? The universal 

answer is and should always be: it depends. 

(3) Continue pulling as you rotate your hips and shoulders, driving 

the suspect into the hole. (4) Recover to a preparatory position. What does it depend on? Many things, which can be broadly categorized 

REAR PULL-DOWN 

to include the suspect’s actions, your actions, and your 

The Rear Pull-down can be initiated from the standing basic search position regard- 

environment. But under most circumstances, you should be looking at several options, 

less of which hand you are using to control the suspect’s hands. The key is to use that 

ranging from verbal commands to transitioning to control holds or takedowns, and/or 

hand to break the suspect’s vertical plane both backward and downward simultaneously, 

disengaging and transitioning to other force options (e.g. personal body weapons, impact 

while you use your footwork to “open a hole” for the suspect to fall into. 

weapons, chemical agents, electronic control devices, or firearms.) The level and 

In this case, where the head goes, the body will follow. Because you are controlling the 

type of force you choose will always be situationally determined, and must be reasonable 

suspect’s hands, which are connected to his head, you are able to quickly and efficiently 

and justified under your agency’s policy and the law. 

POLICE I 21 move his head and spine backward and downward, breaking his vertical plane. 

POLICE I 20 


TAKEDOWN TECHNIQUES 

CHOKE ESCAPES 

5 

(5) Keep the suspect’s arm compressed and immobilized. 

(6) Transition to a Prone Control by placing your compressing 

hand on his elbow, while your locking hand controls the wrist. 

(7) Drive the suspect’s elbow toward 

his head, while pulling his wrist across his body. 

You’ll want to know how 

to get out of a choke 

hold if you find yourself 

up against an MMA 

aficionado. 


I PHOTOS: JIMMY LEE 

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a dynamic and entertaining combat sport whose 

popularity has grown significantly over the last decade, and this multi-milliondollar 

business appears here to stay. This brings both opportunity and challenge 

to law enforcement officers. We have the opportunity to learn MMA techniques and 

training methods that are useful to us. Our challenge is to recognize that we are facing 

aggressors who have been trained formally in MMA or, at the very least, informally by 

the entertainment industry that promotes this martial art to use techniques such as 

choke holds. So how do we meet that challenge? The answer is simple: training. 

TRAINING PERSPECTIVE 

6 7 

MMA practitioners commonly use choking techniques to defeat their opponents. In a 

match if you are being choked by your opponent you can “tap out” or submit to end the 

As the suspect begins to fall, you let go of his hands, adjust your stance appropriately, 

attack before you go unconscious or suffer a severe injury. Law enforcement officers do 

and prepare to initiate your next action. If you need to generate a little more force 

not enjoy this luxury. 

to initiate the takedown, bring your free (searching) hand to the suspect’s elbow and 

The consequences of your being “choked out” or rendered unconscious are severe. 

push downward as you pull his hands. 

Your aggressor can have his way with you and the weapons on your belt. The danger 

to you, your fellow officers, and the public is obvious. A choke attack should therefore 

REAR PULL-DOWN WITH ARM COMPRESSION 

be considered a critical attack and you should train yourself accordingly. We are going 

The Rear Pull-down with Arm Compression can also be initiated from the standing basic 

to take a look at two popular choke techniques used effectively by grapplers and MMA 

search position regardless of which hand you are using to control the suspect’s hands. Use your 

practitioners: the rear naked choke and the guillotine choke. 

controlling hand to initiate backward and downward movement of the suspect’s hands and 

Before we do that, keep in mind two things. First, nothing will replace well trained 

head. As this occurs, use your free (searching) arm to wrap around the suspect’s arm, midway 

fundamental skills. We are often looking for the “ultimate method or technique” or the 

between the suspect’s wrist and elbow. Quickly move your controlling hand to a supporting 

“surefire solution” to our problems. The reality is that where officer safety is concerned, 

8 

position on your wrapping wrist, locking down and compressing the suspect’s arm. 

what rules the day are basic fundamental skills developed through consistent, highquality 

training. Regardless of what method of defensive tactics or arrest control you use, 

Depending on which arm you are compressing, relative to your stance, you may have to 

(8) Once the suspect is prone, reach adjust your feet to facilitate the arm compression and/or open the hole for the takedown. 

there are several fundamental skill areas you must develop and maintain at the highest 

under with your driving hand and take 

control of the suspect’s wrist. Pull the Once the arm is compressed, drive your hips toward the hole, bringing the suspect to 

levels throughout your career. Awareness, balance, control, timing, and distance are but 

arm up and toward the suspect’s head the ground forcefully. Once on the ground, maintain control of the suspect in the arm 

a few of these fundamental skills. No technique or weapons system can replace these, 

until his shoulder locks. 

compression position long enough to disengage or, preferably, transition into a shoulder-lock 

including the choke escape techniques we are about to look at. 

prone control. 

Secondly, it is frequently pointed out that many if not the majority of the alterca- 

tions officers are involved in end up on the ground. Assuming this is true, does that 

SIMPLE YET EFFECTIVE 

make you a “ground fighter?” Be careful if you answer “yes.” True ground fighters prefer 

Whenever you deal with people who have a potential to harm you, your safety is paramount 

to be on the ground and are comfortable on their backs. They can turn an infe- 

and control is the key. Once you have established control over a person using the 

rior position (on their backs) into a superior position with well-practiced techniques. 

standing basic search, if the person’s resistive or combative behavior necessitates that 

These can surely be useful skills to have. However, we don’t fight in padded rings; we 

you establish greater control, one of your options is to take him to the ground. The two 

don’t have referees. And while we have rules, our aggressors do not. When we do fight, 

takedown techniques presented here are simple in concept and execution, and effective 

we are usually wearing weapons which, if taken from us, can be used against us with 

in application. If you don’t use them already, give them some consideration. Above all, 

lethal consequences. Perhaps most importantly, even the best ground fighter who ties 

stay safe and in control. 

up with an aggressor on the ground will have a difficult time dealing with a second or 

third person joining the fight. Multiple aggressors are a reality law enforcement officers 

Lt. James Harbison is the Basic Academy Director at the Contra Costa County (Calif.) Office 

consistently face. 

of the Sheriff Law Enforcement Training Center. He has been teaching law enforcement 

Many of the young men and women I teach in the Basic Academy program at the 

defensive tactics at the academy and advanced officer levels for more than 21 years. 

Contra Costa County (Calif.) Office of the Sheriff Law Enforcement Training Center al- 

ready have very impressive martial arts/combat sports backgrounds. Some are even a 

tough match for my instructors, one on one. The game changer comes when I introduce 

a second and third aggressor into a combative training exercise. I do this to prove my 

POLICE I 22 

POLICE I 23 point that once you tie up with an aggressor on the ground, you become vulnerable to 


CHOKE ESCAPES 

CHOKE ESCAPES 

1 

2 

3 

4 

multiple aggressors. Your weapons can be taken from you more easily, and you are susceptible 

to brutal and vicious strikes such as kicks and stomps. The more quickly you can 

escape or transition to a dominant position that gives you both stability and mobility, 

the safer you will be. 

I say all this to underscore the notion that even with excellent grappling or “ground fighting 

skills,” your training and your mindset should be geared toward controlling aggressors in ways 

that minimize risk to you. You will notice that in both choke escape techniques presented here, 

the emphasis is on escape, both from the immediate threat and from a compromising, prolonged 

engagement on the ground. 

REAR NAKED CHOKE ESCAPE 

As practiced by law enforcement, the rear naked choke technique is commonly referred 

to as the carotid restraint or lateral vascular neck restraint. Done correctly, it is not 

a true choke, in that it does not impede breathing by compressing the airway. Rather, it 

restricts the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain, which is arguably worse for you because 

unconsciousness comes relatively quickly. 

Remember, if someone uses this technique on you and renders you unconscious, you 

cannot defend yourself or others, and as such, your aggressor can cause you serious bodily 

injury, or worse, kill you. To avoid this, you’ll need to employ four key principles: 

• PROTECT the neck 

• SET UP the escape 

• MOVE to the non-choke side 

• ESCAPE to a position of advantage 

There are several positions your aggressor can establish to use this technique. Perhaps 

one of the most difficult to escape from is when your aggressor is behind you with a full 

wrap on your neck, and both legs wrapped around your waist. Here’s what you do: 

1. PROTECT the neck. Use both of your hands to pull downward on his wrist 

and/or forearm. At the same time, tuck your chin to your chest. Pull hard to relieve as 

much pressure as you can. Remember, time is of the essence, so establish wrist or forearm 

control as quickly as you can. 

2. SET UP your escape. To do this, plant your feet and push yourself backward. Use your 

body weight and leverage to get your head even with or beyond your aggressor’s head. 

3. MOVE to the non-choke side. Bring your shoulder on the choke side to the ground 

on the non-choke side. Resist the temptation to roll onto your stomach. An experienced 

grappler will roll with you and onto your back, continuing to apply pressure to your neck. 

4. ESCAPE to a position of advantage. Use a hip escape, bringing your legs outside the 

aggressor’s legs. 

5. Maneuver to a superior position. You can now transition to your feet or another 

force option. 

6. PROTECT the neck (throat). Bring your hand on the choke side to the aggressor’s 

wrist and/or forearm and pull downward. Turn your head toward the aggressor’s body 

and reach over the aggressor’s shoulder with your free arm. 

7. Walk your feet toward the aggressor, keeping them close together. Get your hips up high 

so that your weight is coming downward on your shoulder, which is pressing forcefully 

into the aggressor’s neck and face. This helps relieve the pressure on your neck and throat. 

8. SET UP your escape. Use your hand and forearm to drive down the aggressor’s inner 

thigh on the choke side. You are trying to “break” the lock the aggressor has around your 

waist by driving his legs below your hips. 

9. MOVE to the non-choke side. Scramble or simply fall to the non-choke side, clearing 

the aggressor’s legs. 

10. Continue moving your feet away from the aggressor, into a side control position. 

Drive the aggressor’s chin to his choke side shoulder to loosen his choke hold. 

11. ESCAPE to a position of advantage. Sprawl and rotate around the aggressor’s head 

to begin breaking his choke hold. 

12. Continue moving to the choke side to break the choke hold and assume a superior 

position. You can now transition to your feet or another force option. 

CONSIDER THIS 

My training team and I recently taught these choke escape techniques to 600 law enforcement 

officers, almost all of whom were not MMA practitioners. Mastery of the techniques 

was not the goal. Creating an understanding of how critical a choke attack is and 

demonstrating the key principles of how to defend against it were the objectives. To that 

extent, we succeeded. 

During the training, some officers raised interesting questions such as, “If it’s a critical 

attack, why don’t we just draw our gun and shoot the person trying to choke us?” 

That is clearly a decision that has to be made by the individual officer, and the wisdom 

and effectiveness of such a decision depends in large part on what stage of the choke 

attack you find yourself in. We presented these escape techniques in close to “worst 

case scenarios,” where the aggressor had already maneuvered the officer into an inferior 

position with the choke set and imminent. In these positions, I believe the time it 

takes to draw and shoot a gun that is already partially blocked by the aggressor’s legs is 

potentially greater than the time it would take to render you unconscious. That being 

said, we trained officers to mitigate and escape the immediate threat of the choke before 

attempting to introduce an unholstered gun into the fight. 

WATCH MMA FIGHTS 

Developing and maintaining your awareness of the threats you face on the job is the first 

step to ensuring your safety. Proper training to address those threats is the next step. If 

you are not currently paying attention to the MMA scene, please do so; it’s amazing 

what you can learn just watching a few fights. Then, consider the points I have presented, 

and look for ways you and your co-workers can enhance your personal and 

departmental training to address the opportunities and challenges MMA brings to law 

enforcement. 

GUILLOTINE CHOKE ESCAPE 

5 

The guillotine choke is a true choke because the aggressor is applying pressure to your 

windpipe. This is a dangerous technique to be on the receiving end of and, like the rear 

naked choke, should be considered a critical attack. There are a variety of positions and 

variations of this choke, but let’s look at one of the more difficult ones to escape from. 

The aggressor has you on the ground with a full wrap around your neck and his legs 

12 

Sgt. James Harbison is the Basic Academy Coordinator at the Contra Costa County (Calif.) 

around your waist. Again, employ the same four key principles: PROTECT the neck 

Office of the Sheriff Law Enforcement Training Center, where he teaches defensive tactics 

(throat), SET UP your escape, MOVE to the non-choke side, and ESCAPE to a position of 

and physical fitness. 

POLICE I 24 advantage. Here’s what you do: 

POLICE I 25 


6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11

LAST-DITCH IMPACT 

WEAPON TRAINING 

Most of the tools on 

your duty belt were not 

designed to be impact 

weapons, but they can 

be very effective if you 

know when and how 

to use them. 

I TOM WETZEL 

One of the concerns with basic law enforcement training in this country is that it 

doesn’t always teach officers what to do when things go wrong. 

Murphy’s Law states that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. And soldiers 

will tell you that “Murphy never sleeps” in combat. Things are always going wrong, and 

those things get people killed. The same is true for police officers on the streets of Anytown, 

USA. 

You can’t expect your equipment to always function exactly like you want it to. You 

have to be ready to react when things go wrong. So training for weapon malfunctions 

of handguns, electronic control devices (ECD), and OC canisters should be a common 

practice within police agencies. 

Handgun malfunctions and how to clear them probably were included in your law enforcement 

training. You should be prepared to do these actions without much thought 

because, depending on the situation, you may not have much time to clear a jam and get 

back into the fight. 

But what happens if that time is reduced even further and a suspect has closed in on you to a 

point where you do not have time to clear a jam, replace an ECD cartridge, or re-holster a canister 

of OC spray? Training to use your force option tools as impact weapons may help prepare 

you for such an encounter and could help stop or slow an assault against you. 

IMPACT WEAPON TRAINING 

the head, which could disorient or knock out a suspect. As discussed before, head strikes 

can cause severe injury and even death, but remember you are already in a deadly force 

situation. 

And the head is not the only effective target for a handgun strike. You can stun or stop an attacker 

with a strike to the solar plexus, groin, or throat. The appropriate target is dependent on 

your position relative to the attacker. 

Emphasis should be placed on controlling the handgun with a solid grip and preventing 

the barrel from facing you when striking with a handgun. If that malfunction clears 

itself during the struggle, you don’t want the muzzle covering you. 

Strikes can be practiced in an open form and also against a heavy bag or training mannequins 

using replica guns such as Blue Guns. The drills should be conducted at a slow 

pace at first and then pick up speed as you get better with the technique’s form. Some 

techniques to consider are the following: 

Punching with the Barrel—In a standing position practice straight punches with the 

barrel facing the subject. This strike can include a turning of the fist as this follows a 

typical punch configuration. After the standing position, move to the ground and 

practice upward and side strikes with the same technique. 

Punching with the Bottom of the Handle—Depending on the proximity of the assailant, 

a strike with the butt of the weapon may be effective. Practice directing the end of the 

handle forward as a strike. When doing so, the barrel will turn to the side or upward. 

Forward Snapping Strike—While holding the handle, direct a snapping forward strike 

using the barrel like a baton. This type of movement may allow for quick repetitive 

strikes. Upward or reverse snapping strikes can also be practiced. 

PHOTOS: TOM WETZEL 

If an OC canister fails, you can use it as 

an impact weapon by striking with the 

side of your fist. 

ECD STRIKES 

ECDs, such as stun guns and TASERs, are primarily used in non-deadly force incidents 

in which you need to control a subject and take him or her into custody. Consequently, 

they are rarely used to strike subjects. 

But use-of-force encounters can change instantly and go from control situations to 

deadly force situations. So it is imperative that you know how to use an ECD as an impact 

weapon when things go wrong. ECDs can fail when you need them most. And when that 

happens you may not have time to draw another weapon and stop an assault. So you 

may have to use an ECD as an impact weapon. 

Strikes with an ECD are performed in a similar manner to those using a handgun. 

However, it must be emphasized that if deadly force is not warranted you should not 

strike someone in the head with an ECD. As with a handgun, a head strike with an ECD 

can cause serious injury and even death. So before you strike someone in the head with 

an ECD, make sure that such a use of force is warranted. 

HANDGUN STRIKES 

Your handgun is obviously not a primary impact weapon. You are not going to use it to 

subdue a suspect in substitute of a baton strike. That would be reckless. But if you are intending 

to use deadly force and your weapon malfunctions, you can end up in a position 

where your only option may be to strike an attacker with your gun. 

Striking someone with a handgun is not an action to be taken 

lightly. It should only be done when you have no better alternative 

because doing so puts you at risk of losing your pistol to an 

assailant. It can also cause serious injury to the subject, especially 

if you strike him or her in the head. And it could discharge, if the 

jam clears with the impact. 

A handgun strike is a desperate, last-ditch defensive measure, 

but nonetheless, it’s one you should practice. If you haven’t 

trained to perform this action, you won’t be able to do it successfully 

when you need it. 

You have to commit to this move. Awkwardness and tentativeness 

can result in disaster. You also have to be aware of weapon retention concerns before 

you make this strike. Dropping your gun or having it taken away are very real possibilities, 

and your trainer should discuss them with you. 

The purpose of striking an assailant with your handgun is to stun or stop him or her. 

It’s a delaying action intended to give you enough space between you and your attacker 

to clear your weapon malfunction or perform a reload and get back into the fight. 

When teaching techniques and directing training drills using handguns (NOTE: For 

safety, use colored gun replicas such as a Blue Gun), your trainers should have you prac- 

OC CANISTER STRIKES 

If deadly force is warranted and your 

gun malfunctions, you may have to 

Like ECDs, OC spray is supposed to be used in situations that do not warrant deadly 

strike the subject with it. 

force. But there are situations where it becomes compromised. Some subjects can fight 

their way through its effects; you sometimes find yourself with an empty canister when 

you need to deploy more OC; and sometimes the canister fails to work. 

So it’s possible that at some time in your law enforcement career, you may find yourself 

facing an assaultive subject with an ineffective OC canister in your hand. If you can’t 

transition to another weapon, your best option may be to punch the subject with the 

canister held in your fist. 

POLICE I 26 tice strikes from standing and ground positions. The best target area for these strikes is 

POLICE I 27 This is essentially the old roll-of-quarters trick that hoodlums have used for decades. 


IMPACT WEAPON TRAINING 

Flashlight strikes have been outlawed 

by many agencies. However, when 

you have no other choice, they’re 

very effective. 

You can either punch normally with this combination or position the canister in your 

hand in such a way that it is sticking slightly out of your fist where the canister makes direct 

contact with the target area. These techniques are easy to execute, but you still want to 

practice them on a training mannequin or a heavy bag. (NOTE: Use training canisters for 

this training so that you do not run the risk of spraying OC in your training area.) 

FLASHLIGHT STRIKES 

There was a time when officers routinely struck subjects with heavy D-cell battery patrol 

flashlights. Use of flashlights as impact weapons is now generally discouraged. A heavy 

flashlight can cause severe injury, especially if it is used to make a head strike. That’s 

why many agencies have policies that prohibit the use of flashlights as impact weapons. 

Still, there are times when you may have no other option but to hit a subject with a 

light. For example, it’s not unusual for subjects to attack officers while they are holding 

flashlights at nighttime traffic stops. 

That’s why I believe agencies should not prohibit all flashlight strikes. Instead they 

should train their officers how to perform them properly and effectively with minimal 

chance of severe injury to the subject, i.e. pressure point control measures, unless severe 

force is justified. 

You will probably not have to apply your use-of-force tools in uncharacteristic fashions. 

Usually they will work as intended. But being prepared to use your weapons as 

impact tools when they don’t work and you have no other options can save your life. 

INTO THE HEARTS OF DARKNESS 

Attics, basements, 

closets, and crawlspaces 

all present great hazards 

to officers searching for 

concealed suspects. 

I DEAN SCOVILLE 

I PHOTOS: ALEX LANDEEN 

For some of us fear of the dark is culturally indoctrinated. For others, it’s an instinctual 

echo; the dark was threatening to our ancestors in ways that humans who live their 

nights under electric lights can barely understand. Today, horror movie directors 

use our instinctual fear of the dark, toying with audiences before drawing back that 

curtain of night and revealing the monster so that the fans of such fare can go home 

having survived a vicarious thrill. 

But when cops must face the unknown hazards concealed by the dark, we don’t have 

the luxury of waiting for the credits to roll and the theater lights to come on. What we 

face in the dark is real and vicious. And the average citizen would be hard-pressed to 

imagine the fear we experience while poking our heads through a dark attic access or 

down a gloomy basement stairwell in hopes of divining a suspect’s whereabouts. 

For an officer, fear of the dark is both reasonable and prudent. Only God knows how 

many cops have peered into that darkness to find it split by an amber flash. 

THE HIGH GROUND 

Cops accept the prospect of working in oftentimes dangerous environs, and we train 

to minimize the risks associated with them. We familiarize ourselves with a variety of 

weaponry and tactics, practice both live fire and simulation round training, and are exposed 

to a variety of role playing scenarios. But if there is one area of tactical concern 

where most cops have perhaps been shortchanged, it is dealing with those dark places 

Tom Wetzel is a northeast Ohio suburban police lieutenant, SWAT officer, trainer, and 

where suspects often hide. 

certified law enforcement executive. 

Attics are particularly problematic. Not only do they give suspects the high ground 

and allow them to be anywhere within a 360-degree radius of a portal, but they often 

find searching officers backlit and precariously situated atop ladders. 

Some officers don’t get that far. 

When officers of the Milwaukee Police Department’s Tactical Enforcement Unit descended 

upon the house of a cop-hating recluse, they anticipated the possibility of being 

fired upon by the suspect. In a bid to get a bearing on the suspect, they inserted a mirror 

into the loft and saw that the man was in the process of lighting candles. Despite their 

attempt to back away, the man was able to douse the officers with a burning fluid. Three 

officers suffered first- and second-degree burns—two of them to their faces. 

Those officers that succeed in gaining entry into attics run the risk of engaging suspects 

in close, confined quarters. For some, such confrontations have led to bodies 

crashing through ceilings and resulted in injuries to both the officers and the suspects. 

San Bernardino (Calif.) Deputy Sheriff Luke Gayton’s first attic entry was a memorable 

one. Gayton was one of several deputies who narrowed down a search for a domestic 

violence suspect to the man’s attic. A neighbor had advised deputies that he thought 

the man may be armed, but wasn’t sure as he’d never actually seen a firearm: Valuable 

information to have, but not enough to rise to the level of a SWAT call-out. Requests to 

a local agency for a K-9 failed to secure one, and in the belief that he’d be able to obtain 

The close confines of a cluttered attic the quickest overview of the attic, the 6-foot, four-inch Gayton was selected to enter the 

can be a great hiding place for a suspect attic first. 

and a real challenge for officers. 

Gayton borrowed a tactical light from another officer, attached it to his gun, and entered 

the attic. The plan was that he’d search the east side of the attic while his partner 

would follow immediately thereafter and search the west side. 

Gayton noticed footprints in the insulation and followed them. Twelve feet from the 

POLICE I 28 

POLICE I 29 attic access, he found a pair of feet protruding from where the suspect had buried him- 




self in the insulation. The suspect’s refusal to obey Gayton’s demands to show his hands 

resulted in Gayton deploying his TASER. But the TASER failed to establish contact, which 

gave the suspect the chance to sit up and point a gun at Gayton. 

Yelling, “Gun!” Gayton fired twice at the suspect with his own sidearm. But while stepping 

backward, the deputy fell and struck his head on a roof joist. 

When he saw Gayton fall, his partner thought that the suspect had shot Gayton and 

returned fire toward the suspect, who again pointed the gun at Gayton. Gayton then shot 

five more rounds, mortally wounding the suspect. 

Gayton’s experience illustrates many of the hazards of confronting a suspect in an attic. 

He dealt with confined spaces, architectural obstacles, ungainly footing, confusing 

acoustics, and a concealed suspect during his first attic search. 

Gayton says the lessons learned that day were taken to 

heart by his agency. These days, San Bernardino County 

deputies routinely deploy mirrors into attics before entering 

them, and Gayton has since safely performed more 

than two dozen attic searches. 

Agencies are also using tactical units more on attic 

searches. And a recent incident in Jonesboro, Ark., illustrates 

why that’s a good idea. 

Jonesboro officers were after an armed rape suspect 

and they thought he was in a specific residence. They obtained 

a search warrant for the location and made entry. 

The search led them to believe he was hiding in the attic. 

A patrol officer went up through the attic opening where 

When opening closet or basement doors, remember to stay out of the he was immediately fired upon by the suspect. The round 

fatal funnel. 

was stopped by the officer’s ballistic resistant vest and he 

was able to return fire, incapacitating the suspect. 

Many experts believe a tactical team should have been called in on this operation. 

After all, most tactical teams have the weaponry, shields, and sophisticated surveillance 

tools such as pole cameras to mitigate the hazards of such a search. 

A K-9 or even just the illusion of a K-9 

can be your best tool for flushing a 

concealed suspect. 

particularly in a residence, as being a really dangerous situation.” 

Alwes cites the recent death of a Kentucky police officer who followed a domestic violence 

suspect down a basement stairwell. Seeing the officer from such a vantage point, 

the suspect was able to ambush the officer with an SKS rifle, killing him. 

“The deputy got in over his head before he realized he’d been caught in that funnel, 

and he didn’t survive it,” Alwes says. 

RECON AND TACTICS 

When it comes to searching for suspects in dark and shadowy hiding places, mitigating 

an officer’s chances of getting shot starts with getting the lay of the land. Officers want to 

determine if there is more than one means of entering or exiting the enclosure and what 

portals may give suspects an eye-line on officers. In dealing with apartments and condos, 

they need to know if attics or crawlspaces share common accesses. Many times, this 

knowledge is acquired only incident to a search of the target location. However, nearby 

buildings with similar floorplans may be used for recon as well. 

Visually canvassing the location and recognizing red flags is imperative. Have cobwebs 

been disturbed around attic portals, or dust pooled on the floor directly below 

them? Has the trap door been haphazardly replaced or weighed down? Are doors, covers, 

and other barriers cracked open or bored in such a manner as to allow a suspect to 

see out, but to preclude an officer’s ability to see in? Has the wire mesh covering a crawlspace 

access been removed or the ground near it been disturbed? 

Answers in the affirmative may dictate a request for a tactical unit to handle the 

situation, particularly if the suspect is known or believed to be armed; more so if the 

suspect’s flight was so effectively contained as to leave little doubt that he is in your 

containment. 

An officer who fails to recognize the significance of attics, basements, and crawl spaces 

may be setting himself up for an ambush. Some will discount the confines as too constricting 

to accommodate a suspect. More often, they simply fail to look up and notice 

them. 

During training exercises, former Fort Shawnee, Ohio, police chief Rick Rohrbaugh 

made a habit of dropping empty casings behind those officers who’d strolled beneath 

ceiling accesses and air conditioning units without looking up. 

“Dropping an empty casing behind the students actually scared them worse than 

shooting a blank,” recalls Rohrbaugh. “But by the time patrol tactics classes concluded, 

we had graduated bobble heads who’d learned to look up, down, and all around.” 

Looking up and recognizing a potential problem is a good start, notes NTOA’s Alwes. 

Still, he cautions that officers should exploit high-tech alternatives before committing 

themselves to needless courses of action. 

“You have thermal devices that can locate sources of body heat; others that can pick up 

minute sounds. Throw robots and pole cameras have also determined whether or not a suspect 

was in a room,” Alwes says. “They’re even developing mechanical sniffing devices that 

will eclipse their canine counterparts in determining whether or not there’s human life in an 

enclosed area.” 

Alwes adds that even in the absence of such high-tech hardware, cops should try 

verbal commands before making like Punxsutawney Phil, the famous Pennsylvania 

groundhog, and sticking their heads up through a hole. 

“Sometimes simply yelling, ‘Come on out, we know you’re in there,’ will get them 

out—particularly if you’re threatening to put a dog in there with them,” Alwes advises. 

GOING DOWNSTAIRS 

Basements may provide insight to the men who exploit them. Such environments often 

appeal to those who wish to make their last stand because they have no means of escape. 

The Beslan terrorists exploited the school basement during their assault on that institution. 

A basement was where cop killer Edward Nathaniel Bell barricaded himself after 

killing Westchester, Va., police Sgt. Ricky Timbrook. It was also a basement that afforded 

St. Louis County, Mo., Sgt. Richard Eric Weinhold’s killer the vantage point by which to 

ambush the sergeant. In California, Joe Teitgen took refuge in a basement before suddenly 

darting out its door and shooting Vallejo, Calif., Officer Jeff Azuar in the head, 

killing him. 

Don Alwes of the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) says that basements 

pose unique threats to police officers searching for concealed suspects. 

“Probably one of the more dangerous situations is going down a stairway into a basement 

where the back side of the steps are not closed,” Alwes explains. “If the bad guy is 

behind the stairs looking through and watching you coming down the steps, he’s got a 

huge lead on you. The only safe way to do that is either crawling down on your belly— 

which isn’t very practical—or to use a mirror to try to see behind the steps, or put eyes 

POLICE I 30 in that basement some other way. We don’t always think about going down the stairs, 

POLICE I 31 And as more than one cop has discovered, that dog need not necessarily be present. 




Officers need to be especially concerned 

about suspects under or behind 

basement stairs. 

“My partner and I responded to a Burglary in progress at 4 o’clock in the morning,” 

recalls retired NYPD officer Jim McDevitt. “We were faced with a pitch-black basement 

where we were pretty sure the suspect was hiding. At the time, only the bomb squad had a 

K-9 unit, but we suspected that our suspect wouldn’t know that. So, my partner began calling 

down into the basement, ‘Come on out or I’m sending the K-9 unit in,’ while I started 

doing my best dog barking imitation. We got the suspect to come out with his hands up.” 

In those instances where “olly-olly oxen free” fails to garner the desired results, many 

law enforcement agencies deem non-compliance with verbal commands as the threshold 

for pepper spray deployment. Marinating a ceiling with PepperBall rounds or saturating 

an enclosure with OC spray can make things awfully uncomfortable for the people 

inside them. 

Ed Santos, owner and founder of Center Target Sports and an expert in low-light tactics, 

suggests that police agencies consider exploiting the acoustics of such closed environs. 

“The loud music and noise exploited by psy-ops units in the military can also work for 

us, as well. It can be exploited on multiple levels—working on the suspect psychologically 

and tearing at his eardrums, while simultaneously masking our breaching attempts 

and other efforts, as well.” 

One can only wonder how long some good ol’ boy could hole up in a closet with 

Ghostface Killah’s latest rap opus blaring at 170 decibels, courtesy of six 15-inch woofers 

and a couple of amplifiers propped up against the door. 

LIFE AND DEATH DECISION 

In those instances where a suspect’s exact location is in question and patrol officers 

elect to search dark environs, illumination may prove to be the greatest equalizer. 

Santos has long been an avid proponent of tactical illumination, but he offers a caveat 

to officers as to their choice of lights, citing unanticipated dangers he and his training 

crew encountered in dealing with A-frame pitched roof attics. “They can create shadows—shadows 

which can conceal the bad guy’s locations,” Santos says. “And the shadow 

problem can be amplified when you’re using strobe lights.” 

Santos recommends deploying very high-density directed light that will offer as diverse 

and spread out a pattern as possible and supplementing this illumination with 

other shielding tools such as portable ballistic shields and smoke. 

“I’ve also seen some creative uses of chem lights,” says Santos. “Face it: The more tools 

that you have at your disposal—tools like infrared, heat sensors, remote cameras—the 

more you can start shifting the odds to your favor. Because make no mistake about it. If 

there’s someone up there, the odds are stacked up pretty high against you.” 

Because of what he has witnessed in training sessions, Santos figures that, at best, an 

officer has a 50-50 chance of guessing where the suspect might be in an attic. And given 

that every one of his students’ attic entries resulted in officers taking hits—irrespective 

of whether or not the officers guessed correctly—Santos wonders who’d want to try and 

guess when it’s real bullets instead of simulated rounds. 

Basement stairwells are best handled by teams of officers who have been 

trained to make such an entry. 

straight up and exposed themselves to gunfire after a mouse has run over their hand, 

you have to wonder how less tactically trained personnel might react.” 

Unfortunately, it is usually a less tactically trained officer doing the leg work on such 

searches. 

A vast majority of the time, these searches are conducted 

without incident. Either the suspect isn’t there, or he 

is discovered and placed under arrest. But often searches 

find officers confronting armed suspects hidden in attics, 

basements, and even closets. 

Last year in the aftermath of killing two Oakland officers 

incident to a traffic stop, the shooter was able to ambush 

and kill still two more officers from a closet where he’d barricaded 

himself. Earlier this year, a Rockdale County, Ga., 

deputy became the first officer with his agency to die in 

the line of duty while searching for a suspect. Officers had 

cleared the bedroom and were just opening a closet door 

when the suspect opened fire from the darkness. Struck 

below his ballistic resistant vest, Dep. Brian Mahaffey was 

mortally wounded. The suspect was shot and killed. 

“One of the things that we see is that when people go 

to open the closet, they stand right in front of it,” observes 

Alwes. “They don’t treat it with the same type of respect that they normally might for the 

front door. They’re backlighting themselves and placing themselves smack in the center 

of the fatal funnel.” 

If officers are going to open closet doors, Alwes recommends that one stand to the 

side and open the door while another officer gets a view from a deeper part of the room. 

Should officers elect to make an entry on an enclosure, they may opt for diversions, exploiting 

secondary entry portals to distract the suspect with flash-bangs or other devices. 

If there is more than one ceiling access, one may be exploited as a diversionary device, 

committing an unseen suspect’s attention toward it while entry is actually achieved via 

another entrance. 

“It comes back to the three Ts: time, tactics, and troops,” Alwes asserts. “Sometimes 

in our haste to catch the bad guy, we fail to honor that old axiom. If you really have 

him contained up there, what really is the motivation to having an officer stick his head 

through that opening? There’s no hostage situation. He’s not in a position to create more 

havoc. What’s the motivation to go through there?” 

Santos emphasizes that those agencies that don’t have access to tactical teams really 

need to look hard at that question. Those that do have teams face an even tougher question: 

Why don’t they allow the team to use their training and techniques during such incidents. 

“There’s always the option of bringing the ceiling down from under him. It just depends 

on the level you’re willing to go to get him. You can bring the ceiling down rafter 

by rafter. It’s very easy to take the drywall down. We’ve done it twice in houses that were 

ready to be destroyed. Tac teams have all the equipment. All of a sudden it gets really 

uncomfortable up there when you start pulling insulation out,” Santos says. 

FATAL FUNNELS 

The decision to enter a location is a complicated one. Having the wrong person make 

the entry can make it more so. 

“Many people have phobias of crawlspaces and attics, and police officers are no exception,” 

notes Santos. “We’ve encountered it in our training. You add the additional 

Alwes says there are two questions he has always asked himself before committing him- 

IS IT WORTH IT? 

stress taken on by that officer as a result of a phobia, and you’ve really upped the ante 

self or his personnel to searches of enclosed venues: First, can I win? Second, is it worth 

POLICE I 32 for making an entry into an attic space. When even SWAT guys have involuntarily stood 

POLICE I 33 it? 



James Stalnaker, a retired captain from the San Bernardino (Calif.) Sheriff’s Office and 

author of the excellent book “Building Search: Tactics for the Patrol Officer,” hopes that 

cops consider Alwes’ two-pronged question before taking action. For to Stalnaker’s mind, 

if there is a greater danger than a lack of training, it is a lack of discipline in patrol officers. 

“I’m talking about cops who are unable to control their adrenaline and their emotion,” 

Stalnaker explains. “There’s always a human factor that gets an officer hurt or killed.” 

The cop Stalnaker fears most for is the one who may have had a suspect under control 

that got away from him. In trying to make some compensatory overture, the embarrassed 

officer may find himself getting in over his head. “The officer feels that he’s been 

made to look bad in the eyes of his fellow officers,” Stalnaker says, “and pride goes before 

the fall, as they say.” 

Despite mankind’s historical fear of the darkness, there have always been those suspects 

who have exploited it to their advantage. But by anticipating their threats before they 

initiate them, we can help to ensure that their darkest hour doesn’t become ours. 

THE POWER OF THE PEN 

Thorough and accurate 

report writing can save 

your career and bolster 

your reputation as an 

honest officer. 

Winning a civil rights lawsuit against a municipality or county is like winning the 

lottery, at least for the plaintiffs and their attorneys. The vast majority of these 

suits do not go to trial; the city or county will settle out of court without admitting 

to wrongdoing. 

In the back of your mind, you know what these administrators are thinking: Our officers 

did nothing wrong, but we are going to pay you this huge sum of money anyway 

so you will go away. Never mind the damage it does to our officers’ morale, the public’s 

trust in our officers and the agency; what is important is that we don’t lose more money 

because we don’t know how to defend against these frivolous lawsuits. 

Where does that leave you, the individual officer? Hopefully covered by the settlement, but 

in reality, what do the people you serve think when they learn about the settlement? 

I know you feel disgusted when your agency rolls over like this and pays 

some nuisance claim. What should disgust you more is that it’s likely that 

one of the reasons your departments and municipalities do not vigorously 

fight these suits are the reports that were filed by officers detailing what 

happened during the incidents. 

When it doesn’t matter, we seem to write reports that people praise 

and use as examples in law schools and police academies. But in those 

cases where force is used—and we are most likely to be sued—we seem 

to be ashamed to tell the truth and admit that we hit, punched, kicked, bit, 

scratched, and otherwise got nasty with some miscreant. Disregarding that 

he pulled out a gun or a knife, or wanted to fight anyone in a uniform, there 

still is a mindset among many administrators and risk manager types that 

writing out exactly what you did and, more importantly, why you did it, is 

You may have been legally justified in TASERing this wrong or not necessary. This is a huge mistake. 

subject, but if you can’t articulate why you were justified 

It is no longer accepted, if it ever was, in a use-of-force incident report 

in doing so, you could face a legal nightmare. 

to use phrases like, “I physically subdued the subject.” What does this tell 

the uninformed reader? Your sergeant may know what happened, but what 

about the prosecuting attorney or defense counsel? Will they know what 

happened and why? 

It may be shorter and even accurate to say you “used physical force,” but 

it does not tell all the facts. Consider the following statement as a way to 

write a report on a use-of-force incident: 

The suspect swung his fists at me. I told him to stop resisting and that 

he would be sprayed with OC if he did not. He again tried to hit me, and I 

sprayed him twice with my department-issued OC spray. This caused him 

to back away, but he still tried to hit me. I again ordered him to, “Stop resisting,” 

but he continued to swing his fists at me, yelling, “Screw off, copper.” 

He again raised his fists and swung at me. I then struck him twice on 

the left knee with my baton. He fell to the ground, saying, “I give up, I give 

up.” I handcuffed the now compliant suspect and drove him to the General Hospital 

Emergency Room for evaluation and treatment by Dr. A. Smith. After he was medically 

cleared, he was booked into county jail without further incident. 

This example is much clearer for you and the reader, and it is more detailed. So why 

don’t we take the time and write all of our reports with this much detail? Probably because 

cops hate paperwork more than anything else, except certain vile criminals, administrative 

types, and the ACLU. 

POLICE I 34 

POLICE I 35 


I MARK TARTE



A good, clear report explains the action 

you took, why you took action, and the 

results. 

OWN WORST ENEMIES 

Many times, we are our own worst enemies. One thing we do have in our favor is that we 

can learn from the mistakes of others, with little or no cost to ourselves. Who hasn’t heard 

of some mistake by a department or officer that has become the force of law through an 

adverse case decision or winced at a judgment brought against a police officer? 

More likely than not, if it was a civil trial, the judgment was due to a perception of 

wrongdoing, rather than actual wrongdoing. If you do not record the details of the 

event and what precipitated the use of force in your report, it looks like you have something 

to hide. You did nothing wrong, but now you are facing a jury, months or maybe 

years after the fact and trying to explain why you did what you did when you did it. 

How does it look to the jury that you are bringing up facts about the case that were 

never in your report? Any competent defense lawyer is going to use the lack of detail 

in your report against you. 

Something to remember is that a jury is a group of 12 licensed drivers, all equally fuzzy 

on the concept of the law, with no experience in the rigors and subtleties of policing. Jurors 

are generally well meaning citizens, but their information comes from the local news or 

the latest “police reality” show, not from being students of the criminal justice system or 

practitioners of law enforcement. 

It is incumbent upon you to paint a word picture for the jury and others that will read 

your reports. You can be the best shot, the fastest runner, an expert at interviewing, and 

look like a Marine recruiting poster in uniform, but without the ability to write a proper 

and factual report, it will all be for naught. 

EVIDENCE COLLECTION 

The same can be said for evidence preservation. The evidence backs up your report 

and without it, you can be in deep trouble. But for years our evidence collection has 

been geared toward prosecution and not the defense of a civil suit. 

When was the last time an officer who was assaulted had to replace his uniform and 

equipment? What happened to the torn uniform and broken equipment? Were they discarded 

or were they kept as evidence? We may have taken some quick photos of the 

damage, but that’s about it. In many departments, only in those dreaded times where an 

officer has been murdered, are the uniform and equipment worn preserved as evidence. 

In the interest of the best evidence available and, frankly, to protect ourselves we 

need to keep as evidence the torn shirt, ripped pants, scraped leather gear, or broken 

eyeglasses or sunglasses. But because of tight uniform and equipment budgets, departments 

try to recycle damaged gear that should be considered evidence. 

Think about the money that could be saved in a properly defended lawsuit due to the 

foresight in booking such evidence. Juries love visual aids. And what better visual aid is 

there to justify your use of force than your ripped uniform? Such evidence can make a 

greedy suspect and his lawyer slink away licking their judicial wounds. 

supposed excessive force video over and over, the public receives a tainted view of law 

enforcement use-of-force incidents, poisoning jury pools and sometimes making necessary 

an out-of-court settlement. 

Many times, your report doesn’t seem to jibe with the video. What better tool, if it is 

available, to use to help you write your report? You have your perception of what occurred, 

and it is a valid perception, but viewing that impartial video can help your recollection 

and aid you in writing an even more complete and accurate report. 

FIGHTING BACK 

A properly written and factual report, along with supporting documentation, witness 

statements, and evidence, are your best defense against a lawsuit. Audio and video are 

even better. Having all of this documentation and evidence probably won’t reduce the 

number of lawsuits that are initially filed against you or your department, but it may give 

plaintiff lawyers pause about taking you on if they know how well you document and 

support your actions in the field. 

With the advent of video recorders, both in patrol cars and in everyday life, it is imperative 

that the reporting officers be as accurate and factual as humanly possible in their reports. That 

doesn’t mean writing longer reports; it means writing smarter reports. 

If your reputation is such that prosecuting attorneys and judges have a high regard for 

your integrity and honesty, your report writing ability, and your courtroom demeanor, then 

plaintiffs’ attorneys won’t want to mess with you. If, on the other hand, your reputation is 

suspect in any way, word will get around and you can bet next month’s pay that some lawyer, 

somewhere, will take on that lawsuit that might be frivolous but still profitable. 

Your reputation can shield you, and it can bury you. A decision by the Supreme Court 

in 1963’s Brady v. Maryland requires any adverse disciplinary information about officers’ 

integrity or honesty to be turned over to the defense by the agency. This decision 

has caused many California district attorneys to tell chiefs and sheriffs they will not use 

an officer’s reports or testimony if he or she has been disciplined for not being truthful. 

Do you want to have something like that hanging over your head? 

I know of one young former officer who was involved in a use-of-force incident and 

wrote a report on it. His report was lacking, not due to deception, but rather haste. Another 

officer had witnessed the use of force and reported it to his sergeant who in turn 

initiated an investigation after the written report was filed. 

The report did not mesh with what was reported by the witness officer and other witnesses. 

The officer who was involved in the use of force lost his job because the agency believed 

he had falsified his report. He has applied for other police positions at many different 

agencies, but not one has given him a second look. This is a good officer who sunk his 

career through haste and lack of detail in a report. This tragedy could have been avoided if 

he had reviewed the facts and made sure all known information was included. The information 

was there; he just failed to gather it and use it, torpedoing his career. 

It is a fact of life in law enforcement that force, including deadly force, will have to be 

used. It is how you apply that force and, just as importantly, how you document it that 

will reduce the filing of frivolous lawsuits as well as preserve our careers. As with any 

other officer safety training, surviving a legal challenge to legal and proper actions is 

worth the time it takes to record and document the events and evidence. Your survival 

in a civil or criminal trial is only as good as your report. 

Make your report writing better and you’ll survive any courtroom challenge. Read reports 

written by fellow officers who have a reputation for being thorough and accurate. 

BE IN THE RIGHT 

Of course, no amount of report writing or evidence collection is going to help any officer 

who maliciously or criminally assaults a suspect, regardless of how justified he or 

she feels in doing so. No matter how much you may want to slam some punk’s head into 

the hood of your patrol car, you have to be a calm professional when no one else can. 

Unjustified use-of-force cases are thankfully rare, but the perception of the public is that 

it happens much more often than it really does. 

POLICE I 36 Thanks to cell phone videos, the Internet, and the 24-hour news cycle that plays a 

POLICE I 37 Talk with other officers about their experiences. Talk with the prosecuting attorney. Talk 



with defense attorneys about bad reports they’ve seen. Take an English refresher course 

if necessary. If your department doesn’t have a good report writing manual, find a department 

that does and use theirs as a model for your department. 

You use that pen, paper, and computer a lot more than you use your OC, baton, or 

sidearm, and they are just as important to your survival. If you don’t practice with the 

weapons you are issued, when the time comes to use them it could be dangerous to you. 

The same goes for report writing. Practice, learn, and protect yourself. 

Mark Tarte is a retired Livermore, Calif., police sergeant with 25 years of law enforcement 

experience. He currently runs the criminal justice program at Las Positas College. 

OFF-DUTY TACTICS 

FOR STREET AND HOME 

There are simple steps 

you can take to 

enhance the safety of you 

and your family. 

I MICHAEL T. RAYBURN 

As law enforcement officers we find it hard to think of ourselves as “victims.” We 

tend to think that robberies, burglaries, and home invasions happen to other 

people, not to us. After all, we’re the cops. Who would be stupid enough to try to 

rob us? Unfortunately, the world is full of stupid criminals. And crime can affect anyone, 

even us. 

Look at the statistics compiled by the FBI. The number one reason why law enforcement officers 

are killed off duty is being the victim of, or intervening in, a robbery or robbery attempt. 

Gang members have intentionally targeted an officer’s house for a burglary “because that’s 

where the guns are.” In recent years we’ve also seen a rise in revenge-style killings against law 

enforcement. 

Consider the recent case of Philadelphia police officer Moses Walker Jr. At the end 

of his shift, he was walking down the street to catch a bus roughly four blocks from his 

stationhouse in north Philly when two suspects approached him on the street. They attempted 

to rob him. In response Walker tried to draw his firearm but was shot several 

times and died from his injuries. 

Think about this incident for a second. Now suppose you’re not the intended target. 

What would happen? How would you react? Now how would you react to the possibility 

of two parolees following your wife and daughters home from the store to make them 

victims? 

HARDENING THE TARGET 

Violence can happen to any of us. There are evil people out there willing to do evil 

things, and some don’t care if you’re a cop or not. We may not be able to stop some 

criminal’s violent intent, but we can make ourselves a harder target to hit so they’ll 

pass us by for someone else. It may sound cold, but we all know that criminals are 

lazy. If it’s between burglarizing the house with the fence, dog, and alarm system, or 

the house where the occupants don’t lock the doors, we all know the bad guy is going 

to take the easy road. Make yourself and your loved ones that harder target. 

Making you and your family a harder target to hit starts at home. There are a few simple 

things you can do to make everyone in your household safer. The first and easiest 

thing you can do is to always lock your doors. It doesn’t matter if you live in the country 

or in the city, lock your doors. There have been many cases of criminals entering homes 

through unlocked doors. Granted, a locked door isn’t going to stop a determined intruder, 

but it may slow him or her down long enough for you to grab your gun. 

Which brings me to the following point. Always carry off duty and always have a firearm 

available in the home. 

OFF-DUTY CARRY 

It shocks me to hear of officers who don’t carry off duty or who don’t even own an off-duty 

firearm. One of the best benefits of this job is being able to carry off duty in your jurisdiction, 

and now through the Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act we can carry concealed off duty anywhere 

in the country, even after we retire. 

You should also practice with your off-duty firearms. Other than “qualifying” with the 

POLICE I 38 

POLICE I 39 off-duty firearm, very few departments do any off-duty training. Rather than seeing how 




many holes you can punch in a paper target, do some legitimate training. Practice robbery 

drills where your hands are up and your back is to the target, forcing you to draw 

and pivot to the target. Practice drawing and holstering from the holster, and the location, 

that you carry your off duty gun in. This may get a little hairy if everyone shows up 

with a shoulder rig, but there are ways to safely get around it. 

If allowed, take your portable radio home with you. There’s no quicker way to get a 

hold of dispatch and get the cops coming to your door than via your police radio. If you 

live outside of the jurisdiction in which you work, have that jurisdiction’s frequency added 

to the radio, after getting permission from your agency of course. 

If you don’t have a take-home portable radio, then have the PD’s phone number on 

speed dial on your home phone and your cell phone. Dialing 911 is good, but sometimes 

911 goes to a central dispatch for the whole county that also dispatches fire and ambulance. 

I’d rather call the cops direct—that’s if you live in an area where real people still 

answer the phone and not a recording. 

These are just a few tips for making you and your loved ones a little safer and a harder 

target to hit. This isn’t about being paranoid; it’s about being alert to your surroundings 

and who is in those surroundings. It’s all about being prepared and having a plan of action 

because sometimes the bad guys try to make us the victim. Don’t be a victim; have a 

plan, fight back, and make the bad guy sorry he ever crossed your path. 

HOME DEFENSE 

While we’re on the topic of guns, how many of you have cleared your house with a replica 

firearm like a Blue Gun? You may know every inch of your home, but have you tried 

clearing it in the dark, with a firearm? Learn what boards squeak in the living-room floor 

and how to cut those corners in the hallway before you need to do it for real. Close your 

blinds before doing this so your neighbors don’t think you’ve gone postal, but practice 

and be prepared. 

Some other simple things to do in your home are to always keep your shades/blinds 

closed, especially after dark. Don’t give the bad guys an opportunity to see the layout of 

your house, covet all the things you own, and know exactly where you are while you’re 

Michael T. Rayburn has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement. He is the 

home. During daylight hours you may be able to spot someone surveying your home, 

author of five books and is the owner of Rayburn Law Enforcement Training. He can be 

but once it gets dark someone can stand outside just a few feet from a lighted room, and 

reached via editor@policemag.com. 

you’d never see them from the inside. 

Most cops don’t make a lot of money and can’t afford an alarm system to be installed, 

so do the next best thing and get a dog. It doesn’t have to be a very big dog, just one that 

barks. My dog is up and growling if a strange car pulls into my neighbor’s driveway, and 

goes absolutely ballistic when one pulls into mine. Go to the pound and save a stray. 

You’ll be doing a good deed for man’s best friend, and the kids will love you for it. 

Have police periodicals and magazines like this one sent to a post office box or to 

the station. Have you done a background check on your mail carrier, and everyone who 

works in the post office? Of course not. So why tell everyone that a cop lives at your address? 

The same goes for wearing your uniform, or any part of your uniform, to and from 

your home. An ex-con can pick out a pair of police pants from a mile away. The same 

goes for wearing those PBA T-shirts while out in the yard raking the leaves. 

Don’t always take the same route home from the police station. Vary your route and 

check your rearview mirror for a possible tail. If you suspect you’re being followed, take 

a couple of extra turns to see if the vehicle stays with you. Drive past your house and 

circle the block. Look for strange cars in the neighborhood or people sitting in a parked 

vehicle. 

We’ve been told on numerous occasions not to “bring the job home” with us, but in 

reality “the job” does come home with us. If you’re from an agency that allows takehome 

cars, don’t park the marked unit or unmarked unit with all the antennas that 

scream “cop,” out in front of your house. Put it in the garage or park it on the street in 

different locations. 

When asked by your neighbors about the patrol car parked on the street, tell them 

you’re trying to slow traffic down. Don’t tell them you’re trying to throw off the bad guys 

by parking your police car in front of their house. 

If you’re on foot, maybe walking to catch a bus home from work, have a 360-degree 

area of perceptual awareness around you. This area of perceptual awareness should extend 

out to a minimum of 21 feet. Depending on the area, time of day, etc., you may want 

to extend that area out even further. Be cognizant of who is in that area, and what they’re 

POLICE I 40 doing. Anyone who looks suspicious should warrant your special attention. POLICE I 41 


Were the Riots & Protests Really 

Necessary? 

Now that the verdicts are in, the 

question remains. Were the riots, 

property damage, injuries, and 

deaths in the Summer of Unrest 

really necessary? Would the state 

of Minnesota have prosecuted the 

Chauvin case without the intimidation 

of BLM? Of course it would 

have! Another question arises; did 

the verdict prove BLM’s thesis that 

there is a system wide conspiracy 

to provide for the “demise 

of black people?” No. As absurd 

as that notion is, politicians have 

bought into that thesis and have 

thrown all logic aside in their 

quest to appease progressive and 

minority voters. 

When the Floyd incident occurred, 

I knew of no one who 

condoned the actions of Derek 

Chauvin. The State of Minnesota 

proved its case that the former 

police officer unintentionally 

caused the death of George Floyd. 

Chauvin was inexcusably negligent 

in his handling of the matter. 

There are some who justifiably 

claim that it was George Floyd 

who initiated the contact and 

violently resisted arrest thereby 

endangering himself and those 

around him. They further justifiably 

claim that Floyd’s illicit drug 

use was a contributing factor to 

his death. These claims cannot 

be denied, but they do not justify 

Chauvin’s negligent actions on 

that scene. 

The State of Minnesota, like 

any other state would have done, 

prosecuted Chauvin to the fullest 

extent under the law. It needed 

no “help” from BLM and other 

activists. This investigation and 

prosecution actually negates any 

position of BLM that state governments 

of the United States are 

engaged in a vast conspiracy to 

deprive black people of their civil 

rights. 

The prosecution wisely made no 

outlandish claims that Chauvin’s 

actions were the work of systemic 

racism. Indeed, one can be 

culpably negligent without being 

a racist. One can make unwise 

decisions that result in the death 

of another person without race 

being a factor at all. More white 

people are killed at the hands of 

police than black people are. Additionally, 

people like myself can 

understand how Chauvin could 

have acted as he did with no 

malevolent intent at all. Although 

the case video speaks for itself 

and documents the inexcusable 

actions of the former officer, it 

does not tell the whole story. 

Much of the hand wringing 

and head scratching that goes 

with the Chauvin case and others 

rest on a fundamental misunderstanding 

that the public has 

regarding policing in a free society. 

Our justice system and rule 

of law are founded on a sociological 

theory called “voluntary 

compliance.” This acknowledges 

the fact that the overwhelming 

number of citizens in our country 

comply with our laws because they 

see the rule of law as a beneficial 

element of society. Therefore, punitive 

action towards law breakers is 

reserved for a very small percentage 

of our population. So, what is the 

fundamental misunderstanding on the 

public’s part that contributes to our 

national situation? 

The public quite simply has no 

earthly idea how difficult it is to arrest 

someone who resists. They have been 

misled for decades by popular movies 

and television programs that show 

police officers to have superior power 

that allows for people who resist arrest 

to be taken into custody without 

anyone being harmed. This is not real 

life. In real life, when a person refuses 

to be taken into custody, they initiate 

a chain of events that usually ends up 

with someone getting injured. Some 

of the time the injury is relatively minor, 

but at other times the resistance 

results in the death of the suspect, the 

police officer, or both — and this is if 

the suspect is “unarmed.” 

The suspect who is in possession 

of a deadly weapon presents 

a case that is very unlikely 

to end well. The speed at which 

a suspect can use deadly force 

on an officer, or another innocent 

person is inconceivable on 

the part of an average citizen. 

Again, Hollywood has corrupted 

the public with visions of John 

Wayne or Clint Eastwood acting 

in a superhuman manner with 

trick photography and stunt doubles 

to showcase their prowess 

against armed outlaws. Real life 

is somewhat different. 

Our nation’s leaders, especially 

black leaders, have missed incredible 

teaching moments by 

blaming an imaginary conspiracy 

for the injuries sustained by 

suspects who resist arrest. Rather 

than encouraging people to 

submit to lawful arrest, they have 

emboldened people to question 

the power of arrest that all law 

enforcement officers possess. 

This makes further incidents like 

the Floyd case not only possible, 

but inevitable. When one resists 

arrest, it places that person’s 

safety in the hands of another 

person who is acting under great 

stress. Mistakes, even culpably 

negligent mistakes, can be made 

that result in the loss of life. 

In the end, BLM did nothing to 

aid in the prosecution of Derek 

Chauvin. In fact, their intimidating 

and implied threats in multiple 

cities have given defense attorneys 

grounds to appeal the case. 

In the Democrats’ zeal to appease 

BLM, people like Joe Biden and 

Maxine Waters poisoned the jury 

before a verdict was published. 

This was unnecessary and hurt 

the very case that they were 

trying to influence. They have 

doubled down on their illogical 

assertion that they actually aided 

and provided support for an 

unwilling prosecution by saying 

that this was just the first step in 

their campaign to “seek justice.” 

They do not give any credit to 

state judicial systems like the one 

in Minnesota to function lawfully. 

With their appeasing thumbs on 

the scales of justice, they sow the 

seeds of civil discord. They risk 

losing the very bedrock of the 

rule of law — voluntary compliance. 

The body cam video in the case 

of a 16-year-old black girl in 

Columbus, Ohio reveals the speed 

that deadly situations arise. Every 

American citizen should educate 

themselves by watching this video, 

as tragic as it is. They should 

question “social influencers” like 

LeBron James who considers 

himself an expert in every field 

of endeavor, it seems, when they 

hold up the case in Columbus as 

an example of the vast conspiracy 

to kill black people. That video is 

another tragic teaching moment. 

It should be shown in every high 

school, college, corporate board 

room, and news venue. I watched 

it via the CBS News website. 

Every parent, regardless of race, 

needs to view the video with their 

teenagers. It is time to place the 

responsibility for these situations 

on the aggressor. It is time to be 

honest regardless of racial undertones. 

White people are killed by police 

at an approximate two to one 

ratio when compared to blacks. 

Some people cite the national 

population percentages to question 

that ratio, but the ratio is not 

out of line when looking at police 

citizen contact figures nationally. 

Police Officers are not evenly 

distributed across our cities. They 

are distributed proportionately 

according to the crime rates in 

the city. A high crime area has 

more officers assigned to it than 

does a lower crime area. Therefore, 

the police citizen contacts 

are not evenly distributed across 

all socioeconomic levels. 

Riots, property destruction, 

injuries, trespassing, intimidation, 

and deaths due to the George 

Floyd case were all unnecessary. 

Rather than inciting violence and 

emboldening criminals with gratuitous 

political grandstanding, 

taking a step back is wise. Teaching 

all of our citizens that everyone 

has a responsibility to follow 

the lawful orders of a police officer 

is what should be stressed. 

Our citizens have been advised 

for over forty years that there 

are multiple avenues of redress 

if one feels that they have been 

mistreated. Complaints are taken 

very seriously and there is now a 

good chance of there being video 

and audio evidence in any police 

citizen contact. 

Life is precious. Your life is 

precious. Don’t endanger it by 

putting it in the hands of a Derek 

Chauvin. Follow lawful orders 

and instructions whether they be 

from a police officer, a firefighter, 

or your teacher at school. The 

age-old admonition of Paul the 

Apostle in the thirteenth chapter 

of Romans still holds true today 

as much as it did 2000 years ago. 

Following the instructions of 

those in charge over you contributes 

to a much safer and pleasing 

society. The heart of voluntary 

compliance is found in realizing 

that an orderly society is a gift of 

God and we each play a part that 

respects our fellow citizens as 

well as those who have authority 

over us. 


Filling In the Gaps: A Tactical Approach 

to Self - Awareness & Self Care 

I describe my year-long therapy 

protocol for post-traumatic 

stress during A Badge of Honor’s 

workshops for law enforcement 

and first responders. I get a lot of 

eyebrow raising and sighs, as if 

saying, “A year! That’s too long.” 

It is not until I introduce what I 

have termed my “off the couch” 

tactical protocols to combat 

stress that I see people relax. 

Studies show “conditions such 

as post-traumatic stress disorder 

and depression have been estimated 

to affect police officers at 

rates that vary between 7% and 

35%.” police1.com/health-fitness/ 

articles/survey-what-is-thestate-of-officer-mental-healthin-2020-oXldKxzNnuebFluY/ 

Therapy protocols are not one 

size fits all. Some of us will seek 

medical treatment and/or traditional 

professional counseling, 

and some of us will look for 

alternatives to assist us. Only a 

licensed professional can diagnose 

you with post-traumatic 

stress. Whatever those alternatives 

are, they should absolutely 

address the stress you are experiencing. 

And the only way you 

will know is if you actively do 

what you learn and practice. 

Post-traumatic stress related 

treatment programs for law 

enforcement have expanded 

over the years to include 

non-traditional approaches. 

My year-long treatment 

included EMDR (eye movement 

desensitization and reprocessing), 

yet I noticed that the things 

I did to “fill the gaps” were just 

as important and sometimes 

effective on their own for managing 

the triggers that come 

with post-traumatic stress. In my 

book, The Silent Fall: A Secret 

Service Agent’s Story of Tragedy 

and Triumph After 9/11, I discuss 

the many approaches I used and 

introduced them in our workshops. 

What I realize is it is not 

about putting the information 

out there, it is about creating a 

tactical and strategic approach, 

meaning doing them so you understand 

how they can work. 

Imagine if in our law enforcement 

academies our instructors 

merely stood at the front of the 

room and talked about what a 

felony vehicle stop is and the 

steps to effectively carry one 

out. There you sit, ferociously 

taking notes, but you never 

get out into the field to practice 

one. That simply does not make 

sense, right? It is in the practice, 

the doing and re-doing repeatedly 

where we commit the steps, 

positions, etc. to muscle memory. 

Then, when it is time to do 

a felony vehicle stop, we simply 

do it without thinking about the 

steps. In fact, some of us have 

gotten so proficient at it, it may 

be difficult to break it down and 

explain it in detail. We may find 

ourselves saying, “It’s easier for 

me to show you.” That is the 

tactical approach to “filling in 

the gaps” we should be examining 

when it comes to supporting 

ourselves when the stress of our 

job rears its ugly head. 

Since 2019, A Badge of Honor 

(AbadgeofHonor.com) has 

conducted workshops for law 

enforcement and first responders. 

A big part of what we do 

is introduce stress mitigation 

techniques and then we DO them 

as a group. We get tactical with 

them. “Not everyone will need 

traditional counseling to work 

through their trauma. Utilizing a 

strategic response(s) when the 

stress is activated is sometimes 

the best thing for us,” says John 

Edmonson, MS, LPC-S, Director 

of Wellness at Healing Springs 

Ranch, CEO of LifeWorks Foundation, 

and member of A Badge 

of Honor. 

What are some of those strategic 

responses and non-traditional 

programs? 

Strategic Responses: 

• Tactical breath work. Slowly 

in through your nose and out 

through your mouth to slow your 

heart rate or conversely, rapidly 

in through your nose and exhale 

through your mouth to boost 

energy. 

• Grounding. Connecting your 

feet, seat and breath which can 

be done anytime. Start of your 

day or shift and in between calls. 

• Centering. Place your hand on 

your heart and become aware of 

your breath. Ideally it should be 

slow and controlled, in and out 

through your nose. When we are 

stressed, we tend to breathe in 

and out through our mouth. 

• Movement for at least 10-20 

mins. Brisk walking or jogging 

releases endorphins, our own 

stress reducing hormone. 

Non-Traditional Approaches: 

• Equine Therapy 

• Service Dog / Emotional Support 

Animal 

• Tactical Stretching (yoga) 

• Acupuncture 

• Sound Therapy 

• Neuro-linguistic Programming 

(NLP) 

For more please visit https:// 

www.lifeworksfoundation.org/ 

john-edmonson.html 

While traditional treatment 

protocols provided by licensed 

medical professionals include 

EMDR, Cognitive Processing 

Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure 

(PE), etc. the abovementioned 

strategic responses are a 

great way to manage the triggers 

in between appointments. If 

you do not have post-traumatic 

stress, the strategic responses 

can assist you being more aware 

of your stress and can act as an 

all-out tactical response to the 

stresses we have throughout 

our day. 

It takes a willingness on 

your part to be open to giving 

yourself the self-care that you 

deserve. After all, you cannot 

give, to your family, friends, 

co-workers, or your community, 

from an empty cup. Let’s 

turn the tide on the stress we 

are expected to shoulder as 

law enforcement officers. If you 

care for yourself, you can effectively 

serve others. 

Samantha Horwitz is a regular 

contributor to The Blues Police 

Magazine before. She is a 9/11 first 

responder, former United States 

Secret Service Agent, speaker, 

and author. She and her business 

partner, ret. NYPD detective 

John Salerno created A Badge of 

Honor, a post-traumatic stress 

and suicide prevention program 

for first responders. John and 

Sam host MAD (Making a Difference) 

Radio each Wednesday 7pm 

central live on FB @Makingadifferencetx. 

For more about Sam 

and the wellness and resiliency 

workshops for first responders, 

visit SamanthaHorwitz.com or 

ABadgeofHonor.com. 


Remember back in the day, when the BLUES published 

it’s “Rookie Review” each month? 

Well due to popular request it’s back. And this time you 

can send photos as well. 

Just email us your ‘rookie’s’ status to: bluespdmag@ 

gmail.com or you can click on this link and it will create a 

rookie notice and send it directly to dispatch. 

And congrats to all our new FTOs ... we know you aren’t 

getting any sleep. 

EDITOR: Surely someone out there had a baby in the 

last couple of months. We’re waiting to hear all about it. 

full page realty ad 

Congratulations to 

Alan Helfman 

on your 

Lifetime 

Achievement Award 

PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE BLUES 

FOR OVER 36 YEARS 

HELFMAN’S 

RIVER OAKS CHRYSLER 

JEEP • DODGE • FORD CHRYSLER • 

FIAT 

ALFA ROMEO • MASERATI 


WINNER(S): DC COPS Who Think They’re Racers. . 

“... the #12 car was leading until the #24 car spun him out.” 

So, this month’s LB Award goes 

to four dumb ass cops in DC 

who decided to “drag race” their 

Ford Interceptors and ended up 

totaling both cars. 

Let’s start by saying WTF were 

they thinking? Second, a damn 

Ford Taurus turned Interceptor 

is not a dragster. After the story 

went viral, officers from the Sandy 

Springs PD, who by the way 

drive Hellcats, said if you want 

to drag race, come by some day 

and we’ll show you boys how it’s 

done – at our DRAG STRIP. LOL 

According to the mainstream 

“we make it up as we go along” 

media (MSM), four D.C. cops are 

now under investigation after 

they totaled two patrol cars 

while drag racing last month 

through a DC neighborhood. 

Their boss said in a memo released 

to local TV Station WTTG: 

“Yesterday two 6D scout cars 

were totaled because officers 

decided instead of fighting crime, 

patrolling their beats, or engaging 

the community — they decided 

to drag race each other on 

Anacostia Avenue at 5 pm in the 

evening.” 

“What does this say to all the 

members of MPD who are passionate 

about their job and work 

hard every day to make a difference. 

This is not fair to any of 

us,” the memo continued. “What 

good are officers to their fellow 

officers if they don’t arrive safely 

or they total 

vehicles that 

we need to 

do our job?” 

According 

to WTTG, 

the cruisers 

were 

at times 

traveling at 

least 60 mph 

before the 

crash. Yeah 

60 mph is 

about top 

speed for 

those Fords 

so I’m not 

sure “drag 

race” was 

the correct 

terminology 

for 

describing 

this unfortunate 

event. More 

like playing 

a game of 

“tag, you’re fired.” 

Oh, and the officers suffered 

non-life-threatening injuries as 

a result of the crash. The MSM 

didn’t mention the ass beating 

one of the cops received from his 

momma when she showed up 

at the scene with a giant purse. 

She then commenced to beating 

the officer (her son) repeatedly 

over the head with the purse 

and threw a few good punches 

as well. The officer’s partner 

tried to intervene, and the woman 

began beating him as well. 

Both officers were transported 

to a local hospital, treated and 

released. It was unknown what 

happened to the officer’s mom. 

All four officers, or should we 

say soon to be former officers, 

were placed on leave pending 

an investigation. A neighbor who 

witnessed the race/ 

accident, appeared on 

several news casts and 

provided valuable insite 

for the investigators 

working the case. 

“From what I saw, 

the #12 car seemed to 

be pulling away from 

the #24 car, when the 

#24 car started bump 

drafting the #12 car and 

that’s when they both 

started spinning and 

ended up taking out Ms. 

Johnson’s fence. I personally 

think they are 

both rookie drivers. I’ve 

got a riding lawn mower 

that would put both 

those boys to shame. 

Best y’all stick to POleasen 

and leave the 

racing to professionals. 

That’s what I think.” 

Yep, Light Bulb award 

for all four, and a special 

mention for Momma 

and her purse. 


Active Shootings & 

Officer Mental Health: 

The ALERRT Program 

An analysis of many active 

shooter and mass-murder 

events has provided evidence 

that the killers had serious 

mental health problems and 

that this likely precipitated their 

assaults. Part of American society’s 

failure to properly address 

the issues of and care for 

people with mental illness is 

ineffective treatment laws that 

require someone to be a danger 

to themselves or others before 

they can be treated over their 

objection. This has served to 

create a national environment 

ripe for an increase in active 

shootings, and as a consequence, 

additional and more 

severe mental health stressors 

for law enforcement officers 

who must intervene. 

“The more severe the violence, 

the more innocent the 

victim and the more the officers 

feel that they were helpless 

to respond — and maybe just 

sheer body count as a fourth 

ingredient — that’s going to 

produce a perfect storm of 

demoralization, anger and 

despair,” according to Dr. Laurence 

Miller, a clinical forensic 

and police psychologist. The 

traumatic effects for these 

officers are often long lasting 

for many years and can also 

include second-guessing about 

a department’s response and 

other factors which can cause 

turmoil within law enforcement 

agencies. Fortunately, 

more programs and resources 

now exist for officers as it 

relates to their needs following 

active shootings. I had the pleasure 

to interview Dr. Pete Blair 

and John Curnutt who manage 

the Advanced Law Enforcement 

Rapid Response Training Center 

at Texas State University in San 

Marcos, Texas. 

What is the mission and 

focus of ALERRT? Our core 

mission is to provide the best 

research-based active attack 

response training in the nation. 

The focus is not only on teaching 

an array of tactical options, 

but also emphasizing strategic/ 

critical thinking to achieve the 

desired operational outcomes 

as quickly as possible, given 

the situational demands at the 

time. 

How does ALERRT advance 

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

the importance of law enforcement 

mental health and 

resilience? Any specific projects 

geared towards this goal? Our 

current training plays a role 

in helping officers to bounce 

forward after an active attack. 

Our classes feature reality-based 

training that is designed 

to help stress inoculate 

first responders to the things 

they are likely to encounter 

when responding. We also 

discuss the importance of both 

physical and mental health. 

At our annual conference, we 

bring in a variety of speakers 

who address various aspects of 

mental health. 

Please tell me more about 

the August summit and national 

conference. The August 

summit is aimed at bringing 

different perspectives together 

to discuss resiliency in our 

profession. Whether it is cumulative 

or acute, the impact of 

the job on a person should not 

be underappreciated. As we 

learn how people have successfully 

developed resiliency 

or have recovered from trauma, 

we hope to formalize these 

lessons into our curriculum 

and develop new curriculum 

that speaks exclusively to that 

need. Our national conference 

is an opportunity for an array 

of professions and experience 

to converge and paint the full 

picture of community response. 

What additional information 

is beneficial in highlighting the 

work of your organization? 

The cost of quality training can 

be quite high. We operate off 

DOJ grants through the COPS 

office as well as appropriations 

through the state of Texas. 

This funding allows us to 

bring the best training available 

to agencies who aren’t able to 

send their folks out to attend 

or aren’t able to host expensive 

training. This is vital in ensuring 

that agencies are prepared 

to protect their communities. 

For additional information, 

please visit https://alerrt.org. 

J. Pete Blair is the Executive 

Director of the Advanced Law 

Enforcement Rapid Response 

Training (ALERRT) Center and 

a Professor of Criminal Justice 

at Texas State University. He 

received his Ph.D. in Criminal 

Justice from Michigan State 

University. He is one of the 

world’s leading experts in active 

attacks and has presented 

his research to numerous policing 

groups around the world including 

the International Chiefs 

of Police, Canadian Association 

of Chiefs of Police, and the FBI. 

In addition to active attacks, Dr. 

Blair also conducts 

research 

on police use of 

force. 

John Curnutt is 

one of the founding 

members of 

the Advanced 

Law Enforcement 

Rapid Response 

Training (ALER- 

RT) Program and 

works for Texas 

State University 

as the Assistant 

Director for 

ALERRT. John 

served 21 years 

as a municipal 

police officer in 

Texas, retiring in 

2016. John served 

nearly eighteen 

of those years on 

a multi-agency 

SWAT Team as a 

point-man, assistant 

team leader, 

team leader and 

then sniper. John 

has been awarded 

the Law Enforcement 

Medal of 

Honor, Medal of 

Valor, 2 Life-Saving 

Medals, Police 

Commendation 

Medal, Distinguished 

Service 

Medal, Chief’s Recognition 

Award, 

and the Texas Tactical Police 

Officers Association’s “Excellence 

Award.” John studied 

Criminal Justice at Southwest 

Texas State University and is a 

US Army (Arctic Light Infantry) 

veteran. 


To

Let’s Discuss Professionalism, Which 

Now Begins with the Old Adage: 

Watch Your Language 

I’m sure that it is easy for those 

in command to look at body 

camera videos and determine 

what you should be doing and 

saying in the streets, but we all 

know the realities of a highstress 

scene. 

Over the last few years, I 

have sat on the Administrative 

Discipline Committee 

fighting 

for officers over 

discipline recommendations. 

With 

the introduction 

of the Body Worn 

Camera systems 

there was a quick 

downturn on 

discipline cases 

as the cameras 

were somewhat 

of a shock to our 

system. 

The department 

found that officers 

were much more 

professional when on camera. 

Over the years I have noticed that 

officers curse quite a bit on video, 

which has not been a problem 

when dealing with violent 

suspects. 

As we all know, over the last 

year there has been a lot more 

scrutiny over officers’ actions, 

especially on video. We are 

starting to see an issue with 

officers and their language on 

camera. 

We all understand that dealing 

with a violent suspect can 

sometimes require colorful 

language. I am the last person 

to comment when it comes to 

flowery language on a scene. But 

once that scene is under control, 

we must start watching what we 

say. 

The banter back and forth 

with a suspect must stop. With 

the current events it is more 

important than ever that we 

show our professionalism while 

dealing with the public. I believe 

that Chief Finner understands 

DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

that language can be 

rough in the heat of 

battle, but he is also 

under a lot of pressure 

to change the 

culture and improve 

the way we deal with 

the public. 

Going forward it 

will be important 

that we do our best 

to curb out language 

while on a scene, 

especially after the 

cuffs are on a suspect. 

I am confident that the 

department will be 

disciplining people in the future 

for unnecessary cursing or foul 

language toward a suspect or 

citizen. 

I believe that we have the most 

professional organization in the 

nation and know that we will 

rise to the occasion and adjust 

to what the citizens of Houston 

expect from us. 


unning 4 heroes 

Zechariah 

Cartledge: 

a True American Hero 

Zechariah’s 2021 Run Tracker and Sponsors: 

Total Miles Run in 2021: (as of 5/4/21): 120 

Total Miles Run in 2020: 401 

Total Miles Run in 2019: 376 

Overall Miles Run: 897 

2021 Run Stats: 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen LEO’s (Non COVID-19): 57 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen Firefighters (Non COVID-19): 21 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen COVID-19 Heroes: 9 

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

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen LEO’s: 23 

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen Firefighters: 6 

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

Total Tribute Runs by State for 2021: 4 

- - - - - - - - - - 

States Zechariah has run in: Florida, New York, Georgia (3), South Carolina (2), 

Pennsylvania, Illinois (3), Texas (5), Kentucky, Arkansas, Nevada, California, Arizona, 

North Carolina, Tennessee, Delaware, Minnesota, Indiana 

Sponsors/Supporters: 

Shoes - Honor And Respect LLC 

Stickers - Powercall Sirens LLC 

Lights - Guardian Angel Device 

T-Shirts - The Tshirt Shop 

Tumblers - Nella’s Cottage 

Drone Security - Gresco UAS 

Games - Zagbag Board 

Sporting Goods - Academy Sports + Outdoors 

Marketing - Awake Marketing Agency 

Legal - Chisholm Law Firm 

Coffee - Engine 3 Coffee 

Food - MISSION BBQ; Marco’s Pizza; Texas Roadhouse 

501(c)3’s - SUPPORT 1; Brotherhood for the Fallen; Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) 


emembering my hero ... 

 

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. Holly Hebert, the sister of Fallen Officer Bryan Hebert, 

talks about her brother and best friend. 

LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE 

ABOUT MY BEST FRIEND. 

My best friend, who just so 

happened to be my brother, is 

Bryan Hebert. There was a sixyear 

difference in our ages; he 

was older, and I was the little 

sister. We always got along 

great with each other, thus 

making us lifelong best 

friends. We shared mutual 

friends, and each had 

friends of our own. Bryan 

had a jovial personality and 

was always willing to help 

anyone in need. He was a 

practical jokester and had 

a great sense of humor, 

balanced with a heart of 

gold. We took road trips 

together, attended tailgating 

events, spent countless 

weeks during the summer at 

our grandparents’ house in 

the country. Bryan enjoyed 

football, taking Jiu Jitsu (he 

was a brown belt) watching 

other sports, spending time 

outdoors, woodworking and 

spending time with his friends, 

family, and dog Apollo. 

We were fortunate to grow up 

in a close-knit family and were 

blessed to have parents who 

encouraged us to work hard, stay 

humble and to be compassionate 

to others. Bryan’s love and dedication 

to his friends and family, 

and others are what helped define 

him. He had a heart of gold and 

this showed in his daily life, as 

well as in his professional life. 

Bryan graduated in 1993 from 

Port Neches-Groves High School 

and later attended and graduated 

from the 93rd Police Academy 

at Lamar Institute of Technology 

(LIT). He embarked on his career 

with Beaumont Police Department 

(Beaumont PD/BPD) in 

January 2001. Throughout his tenyear 

career, he made a tremendous 

impact on those around him, 

touching more lives than he could 

ever have imagined. Also, he continually 

grew from those incidents 

and events, and those things also 

helped shape him into the great 

person and officer that he was. 

During those ten years, he experienced 

a couple of “close” calls 

that were too close for comfort, 

but by the help of others and the 

grace of God, he made it 

through and was more appreciative 

for life each day. 

My brother and I had a 

keen sense of intuition 

about each other. Some 

friends and family would 

laughingly say, we were 

like twins, only I was born 

six years later. I say this 

because when something 

would happen with one of 

us, the other would always 

sense something was 

going on before prior to 

finding out. 

On Friday, July 8, 2011, I 

went to Beaumont to have 

dinner with friends. I had 

just bought a new Mustang 

(that my brother may have 

helped convince me to 

purchase). It had a black exterior 

and black interior, and you could 

change the colors of the interior’s 

ambient lighting. After dinner, 

I was planning to run by to say 

“hi” to my brother, as he was on 

patrol in the “safe” part of town. 

However, that never happened. 

At dinner, my friend and I were 

talking, laughing and having a 

great time; mid-conversation, I 

had a sudden pain in my stomach, 

almost like a huge knot. The pain 

left as fast as I experienced the 

onset. At the time, I had no clue as 

to why this occurred. My friends 

decided to go to the Casino. I had 

a bad feeling and felt like something 

was wrong, so I opted to go 

home. I text my brother when I 

was leaving the restaurant because 

I was planning to go meet 

him since he was just down the 

street from where I was. Before I 

backed out of my parking spot, I 

changed the ambient lighting in 

my car’s cup holders to blue. He 

did not respond to my text, so I 

assumed he was busy, and I made 

my way home. When I was leaving 

the parking lot, I had turned 

on my right blinker; doing this 

would have unknowingly brought 

me to the scene. Instead, out of 

habit, I turned left to my usual 

route home. 

When I got home, I still had an 

uneasy, restless feeling, but I did 

not know what was wrong. A 

few minutes after going inside, 

I received a text from a mutual 

friend of ours, who was also a 

co-worker of my brother. He was 

out of town and did not realize 

we had not been notified, and he 

definitely had our best interest in 

mind. The text stated, “I’m so sorry 

for what happened. I’m out of 

town, but coming back tomorrow. 

I’m here for whatever you need”. 

Not knowing what had occurred, 

I thought he had the wrong number, 

so I text him back with a response, 

“Sorry for whatever happened. 

I’m here for whatever you 

need”. Then, I got an indescribable 

awful feeling that something 

horrible had happened, and I text 

my brother, “Where are you? Call 

me NOW!” 

As soon as I set my phone down, 

the doorbell rang. I walked to 

the front door and looked out the 

window. I could see Chief Coffin 



and a large group of police officers 

from Beaumont PD and other 

agencies standing at the door, 

appearing as if they were fighting 

back tears. I opened the door 

to greet them, and saw the Chief 

holding Bryan’s badge. With tears 

in his eyes, he held up Bryan’s 

badge, and stated, “You’re Holly, 

Officer Bryan Hebert’s sister…”. I 

nodded my head, and interrupted 

as he started trying to break 

the news. I said, “You don’t have 

to say it. Bryan’s dead….?” He 

nodded his head and softly said, 

“Yes.” I was living with my parents 

at the time, and they were 

asleep in their bed. So, I offered 

for everyone to come inside, and I 

volunteered to go break the news 

to my parents. I walked through 

the house, fighting back tears and 

trying to think of the best way to 

say it. Come to find out, there is 

no best way, nor a good way to 

tell your parents the worst news 

they would ever have to endure. I 

walked to their bedroom, turned 

on the light, my tears started 

pouring down my face and I uttered 

the words, “Mom and Dad, 

Bryan is dead.” I will never forget 

their reactions as I broke this 

painstakingly news to them. They 

jumped from their bed, and we 

hugged and cried. I proceeded 

to tell them, “I’m not sure how 

it happened, but everyone is in 

the kitchen”. We walked into 

the kitchen and were greeted by 

these officers and clergy members 

who were near and dear to 

us. They explained the situation 

to us. There was a high-speed 

chase where the suspect led them 

on the highway and on a few 

streets in town. My brother had 

gone ahead of the chase to set 

out spike strips in an attempt to 

safely end the chase and apprehend 

the suspect. He parked his 

patrol car in the turning lane of 

a four-lane road with its lights 

on. As he was at the rear of his 

vehicle and attempting to remove 

the spike strips from his vehicle, 

the suspect sped from the top 

of a nearby overpass at a speed 

exceeding 100 mph. The suspect 

turned off his vehicle’s headlights, 

and intentionally crashed 

into my brother’s patrol car, thus 

knocking the lid of the trunk into 

my brother’s head and causing 

his body to fly approximately 30 

feet into the air before he landed 

on the concrete driveway of a 

bank’s parking lot. The assailant 

was apprehended at the scene, 

and my brother was pronounced 

dead. Later, the assailant agreed 

to a plea of “Life in Prison without 

Parole.” 

Once we found out the things 

that occurred during that night, 

the things that I experienced 

throughout the night started 

making sense to me...the knot 

in my stomach occurred at the 

time Bryan was struck, the time 

I changed the color of the ambient 

lighting in my vehicle was 

the time he was pronounced 

deceased. The text prepared me 

to walk to the door and to be able 

to answer it and to be able to tell 

my parents. Bryan’s alarm clock 

“died” that morning and he had 

told our mom he needed another 

one. How “ironic” that it occurred 

on the same day as his death. 

Our Beaumont PD family drove 

us to the hospital so we could go 

see Bryan. At this point, I knew 

our lives would be changed for 

forever, but I don’t think anything 

resonated with me at this point. I 

just wanted to get to my brother, 

as quickly as we could. When 

we got to the hospital, everything 

became a blur. The hallways 

were lined with officers and loved 

ones, and we made our way to 

the room he was in. I ran into the 

room first, and saw him lying lifeless 

on the gurney. That’s when it 

hit me, he was really “gone” and 

there was nothing I could do to 

help save him. 

We, along with the help and 

dedication of Beaumont PD and 

several others, planned Bryan’s 

funeral. This is where I was able 

to fulfill one of my promises to 

him (if anything ever happened 

to either one of us, the other one 

promised to give the other sibling’s 

eulogy). I had the honor and 

privilege of being able to give the 

eulogy at my brother’s funeral. His 

funeral was beautiful and filled 

with so much dignity, respect, and 

love. I could feel him with us that 

day. So many loved ones, friends 

and family-blood and blue were in 

attendance, it was breathtakingly 

overwhelming. 

Neither of us were married, so 

our friendship had remained strong 

through our adulthood- road trips, 

football games, tailgating, and daily 

chats were the norm. 

Going from a lifelong best friend 

and being the little sister of an 

overprotective big brother for 30 


years to becoming an only 

child (on Earth) became an 

adjustment, even at 30 years 

of age. However, these were 

the cards we were dealt 

and sometimes you have to 

make the most of it. 

When asked what has 

helped me? There are a 

number of things that have 

helped me along my journey. 

First and foremost, 

our faith in God has helped 

tremendously. Seeing the 

strength of my parents has 

helped me. My bond with my 

parents, friends and loved ones 

have helped me. Beaumont 

Police Department and our 

entire “blue” family have helped 

me. People honoring my brother 

through projects and properties 

have helped tremendously. 

The moments, you’re just living 

life that turn into memories 

and being able to cherish those 

memories are also what help 

to make a difference. I’ve met 

several amazing people along 

this journey, who I’m forever 

thankful for. 

I also learned about an organization 

I never knew about until 

I needed them. That organization 

is called C.O.P.S. (Concerns of 

Police Survivors). This organization 

was founded to help the 

family members and co-workers 

of our fallen LEO heroes. They 

host retreats for each specific 

group. At these retreats, there 

are counselors and surviving 

“peers” who understand your 

journey because they are walking 

the same journey, too. My 

first retreat, I didn’t want to attend; 

I didn’t think I “needed” it. 

I only went to appease my parents 

and loved ones. However, it 

was one of the best decisions of 

my life and this organization and 

the people involved have helped 

transform my life. It’s an incredible 

sense of support of things you 

never want anyone else to have to 

understand. But, since these people 

have experienced a LODD too, 

you share a special bond. I have 

gained some lifelong friends from 

this organization who I am eternally 

grateful for. I’m not one who 

typically talks about my feelings, 

but I’ve learned ways to communicate 

them without being extra 

hard on myself. 

Another thing that has helped 

me are all the great things that 

have been hosted and established 

in Bryan’s honor, as well as things 

that include my parents and me. 

I’ve had the honor and privilege 

to share my story in annual 

trainings at Beaumont PD, and in 

a death notification course. There 

was a residential street named 

after Bryan in a field where he 

and friends would play football 

as kids. Training rooms have also 

been dedicated in his memory, as 

well as a 5k hosted by BPOA and 

a relay marathon that included 

officers from Beaumont PD and 

other agencies. These were all 

incredible events and tributes. 

Another major thing that has 

helped is the establishment of 

the Officer Bryan Hebert Memorial 

Foundation. This foundation 

was formally established 

in 2013 by a few of our 

Beaumont PD blue family 

members. Throughout 

the years, I’ve had the 

privilege of serving on 

the board of directors for 

this foundation, and our 

parents serving as advisors, 

along the side of a 

host of incredible officers 

and people who have tremendous 

hearts of gold. 

Since our foundation’s 

inception, we have awarded a 

number of fully paid scholarships 

to cadets attending LIT’s police 

academy, we’ve also assisted with 

FFA students with the sales of 

their animals, and our foundation 

has had the honor of helping fund 

Eagle Scout projects for all 18 of 

BPD’s fallen police officers. 

The concert fundraisers and fish 

fries too, have been an amazing 

act of kindness and support from 

our friends, family (blood and 

blue) and community members. 

We are forever thankful for all of 

these things. 

In July, it will be ten years since 

my brother was killed. We miss 

him tremendously and think of 

him each day of our lives. There’s 

no doubt that he’s watching over 

us, and from time-to-time, he’ll 

send an “angel” sign. Losing 

someone is something you never 

“get over”, you learn to navigate 

your way through it. Some days 

are good, some days are bad. 

Some days you feel lost, other 

days you know exactly where you 

want to “go”. No matter what, 

you always get through. 

Throughout this journey, we 

have gone from experiencing 

some of the worst moments in 

our lives to being able to experiencing 

some of the most incredible 

aspects and hearts of 

others- from 

the love and 

support they 

bring and share 

with us. The 

love and support 

of others 

help get you 

through. Being 

able to be 

there for those 

who are there 

for you also 

makes a difference. 

There 

have been 

some unbreakable 

bonds 

that have been 

established and 

have flourished 

throughout this journey. 

Yes, there is a lot of bad in our 

world, but there’s a lot of good, 

too! You just have to look for it 

sometimes, but it’s always there. 

There’s not a day that goes by that 

I don’t think of my brother and I 

miss him tremendously, but I’m 

thankful for the memories we’ve 

made, the friendship we had and 

that he was my brother on earth 

for 30 years. Heroes never die, 

they live on forever, not on earth, 

but through always speaking their 

names. In valor, there is hope and 

the bonds that are formed are 

astounding. 

Thank you to each of our who 

are reading this for all that you 

do- whether you are in law enforcement 

or a supporter- you 

make a difference, and we appreciate 

you! 


Lieutenant 

James Kouski 

Hometown Police Department, Illinois 

End of Watch Saturday, April 3, 2021 

Age 58 Tour 34 Years Badge # N/A 

Lieutenant James Kouski was struck and killed by a vehicle while investigating 

a prior DUI-related crash at about 3:00 am. 

He was standing on the side of South Pulaski Road, near the intersection 

of 91st Street, when he was struck. The driver of the car that struck 

him fled the scene but was arrested later in the day. 

Lieutenant Kouski had served with the Hometown Police Department for 

34 years. 

Police Officer 

Brent Nelson Hall 

Newton Grove Police Department, North Carolina 


Age 26 Tour 5 Years Badge # 503 

Police Officer Brent Hall was killed in a vehicle crash near the intersection of 

Northeast Boulevard and Isaac Weeks Road in Clinton, North Carolina. He was 

driving his patrol car to Newton Grove at about 6:40 pm when he suffered a 

medical emergency that caused his vehicle to accelerate and leave the roadway 

at a high rate of speed. The patrol car then struck a utility pole before coming 

to rest. Officer Hall suffered severe blunt force trauma as a result of the crash. 

Officer Hall had served with the Newton Grove Police Department for two years 

and had served in law enforcement for five years. He is survived by his parents 

and sister. 

Deputy Sheriff 

Christopher Wilson Knight 

Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia 

End of Watch Tuesday, April 6, 2021 


Sergeant 

James K. Smith 

Iowa State Patrol, Iowa 

End of Watch Friday, April 9, 2021 


Deputy Sheriff Christopher Knight was stabbed to death by a prisoner at 

the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center at about 2:45 am. 

He and another deputy were moving the prisoner to an observation area 

after the man made suicidal comments. The inmate began fighting with 

both deputies and was able to gain control of Deputy Knight’s knife, which 

he used to stab both deputies. 

Deputy Knight was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to 

his wounds one hour later. 

Sergeant Jim Smith was shot and killed while attempting to arrest 

a subject who had assaulted and disarmed another law enforcement 

officer during a traffic stop near Grundy Center. The subject initially fled 

as officers attempted to stop him but stopped and confronted them 

and antagonized them to shoot him. He was able to get back into his car 

and fled to his home at 305 G Avenue. Responding officers established 

a perimeter around the home and established an arrest team. When the 

arrest team entered the home, the man opened fire with a shotgun, striking 

Sergeant Smith. Other members of the team were able to remove 

Sergeant Smith from the home. He was transported to a local hospital 

where he was pronounced dead. 

Deputy Knight had served with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office for three 

years. He is survived by his 2-year-old child and mother. 

Sergeant Smith had served with the Iowa State Patrol for 27 years. He 

is survived by his wife, two children, mother, brother, and sister. 




Thomas Patrick Barnes 

Jefferson Davis County Sheriff’s Dept., Mississippi 


Age 49 Tour N/A Badge S010 

Detention Deputy 

Mark Edward Anderson 

Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota 

End of Watch Thursday, April 15, 2021 

Age 52 Tour 11 Years, 1 Month Badge # 1743 

Deputy Sheriff Pat Barnes was killed in a vehicle crash while responding to 

a domestic disturbance at a hotel in Prentiss, Mississippi. 

He was responding to backup members of the Prentiss Police Department 

when his patrol car left the roadway and struck a tree near the intersection 

of Highway 42 and Ed Parkman Road. 

Deputy Barnes also served as a part-time officer with the Prentiss Police 

Department. He is survived by his wife, two children, and one grandchild. 


David Parde 

Lexington Police Department, North Carolina 

Detention Deputy Mark Anderson suffered a fatal heart attack after 

interacting with a belligerent inmate in the Olmsted County Adult Detention 

Center. Deputy Anderson was working alone managing gym-use time 

for inmates when one of the inmates became extremely upset, prompting 

Deputy Anderson to call for emergency response from other deputies. 

Additional deputies responded and they escorted the inmate back to 

his unit. Deputy Anderson was preparing for a subsequent shift when he 

collapsed in the locker room. 

Deputy Anderson had served with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office for 

11 years. He is survived by his daughter and brother, as well as his significant 

other and her son.Nurse Schulte had served with the Iowa Department 

of Corrections for 14 years. 


Terry Dyer 

Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee 


Age 54 Tour 2 years 6 Months Badge #324 

Police Officer David Parde succumbed to complications of a gunshot 

wound sustained on May 5th, 1992, while investigating reports of a 

suspicious person at an apartment complex at 612 Fairview Drive.A 

resident had called police after three teenagers were observed knocking 

on doors pretending to be delivering pizza at 12:30 am. Officer Parde and 

another officer were attempting to locate the three in the complex when 

one of the juveniles shot him. The round entered his shoulder and caused 

severe damage to his spinal column, leaving him paralyzed below his chest. 

Officer Parde had served with the Lexington Police Department for 2-1/2 

years at the time of the incident. He is survived by his wife, son, two 

grandsons, mother, brother, and two sisters. 


Age 62 Tour 33 Years Badge 71-F 

Military Veteran 

Deputy Sheriff Terry Dyer suffered a fatal heart attack after responding 

to a domestic violence call at a local church two days earlier. 

He collapsed while appearing in a General Sessions Court criminal case. 

He received immediate medical attention and was transported to Jackson 

General Hospital where he passed away. 

Deputy Dyer was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Madison 

County Sheriff’s Office for three years and had previously served with the 

Jackson Polie Department for 30 years. He is survived by his daughter. 


The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 137


Anastasio Tsakos 

New York City Police Department, New York 



Police Officer Anastasio Tsakos was struck and killed by a vehicle being 

operated by an intoxicated driver. Officer Tsakos responded to assist 

at the scene of a fatal automobile collision on the Long Island Expressway, 

near the entrance to the Clearview Expressway. He was redirecting 

traffic when a 2013 Volkswagen driven by a 32-year-old woman swerved 

to avoid other cars and hit Officer Tsakos as he stood next to his marked 

patrol vehicle. Officer Tsakos was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital 

where he succumbed to his injuries. 

Officer Tsakos served with the New York City Police Department for 14 

years and was assigned to Highway Unit 3. He is survived by his wife, 

6-year-old daughter, and 3-year-old son. 

Sergeant 

Chris Ward 

Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina 

End of Watch Wednesday, April 28, 2021 

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

Sergeant Chris Ward and Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox were shot and killed 

while conducting a welfare check at a home on Hardaman Circle. 

Backup officers were able to extract Sergeant Ward from the home but 

were unable to reach Deputy Fox. Sergeant Ward was flown to a hospital 

in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he succumbed to his injuries. 

The subject barricaded himself inside of the house and continued to 

shoot at law enforcement officers who were on the perimeter throughout 

the day. He committed suicide several hours into the barricade. Deputy 

Fox was retrieved from the residence and pronounced dead. 

Corporal 

Keith Heacook 

Delmar Police Department, Maryland 



Corporal Keith Heacook succumbed to injuries sustained on April 25th, 

2021, when he was assaulted after responding to a fight call in 11000 

block of Buckingham Drive in Delmar, Delaware. He was the only officer on 

duty when he responded to the call at approximately 5:00 am. Corporal 

Heacook was assaulted by a male subject who then repeatedly stomped 

on his head after he had become unconscious. Officers from the Delaware 

State Police and Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland, were 

dispatched to check on Corporal Heacook when he failed to respond to 

dispatchers. He was transported to a hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, 

where he succumbed to his injuries on April 28th, 2021. 

Corporal Heacook remained on life support so his organs could be donated.Corporal 

Heacook had served with the Delmar Police Department for 

22 years. He is survived by his son and wife. 


Logan Fox 

Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina 


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

Sergeant Chris Ward and Deputy Sheriff Logan Fox were shot and killed 

while conducting a welfare check at a home on Hardaman Circle. 

Backup officers were able to extract Sergeant Ward from the home but 

were unable to reach Deputy Fox. Sergeant Ward was flown to a hospital 

in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he succumbed to his injuries. 

The subject barricaded himself inside of the house and continued to 

shoot at law enforcement officers who were on the perimeter throughout 

the day. He committed suicide several hours into the barricade. Deputy 

Fox was retrieved from the residence and pronounced dead. 



Our Brothers & Sisters in Blue, taken too soon 


Christopher Farrar 

Chandler Police Department, Arizona 

End of Watch Thursday, April 29, 2021 


Police Officer Chris Farrar was struck and killed by a vehicle during a vehicle 

pursuit of a stolen vehicle involving multiple agencies. 

Deputies with the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office had initiated the pursuit 

of a known felon shortly after 10:00 pm. The driver of the vehicle fired 

shots and at the responding deputies before entering Chandler, Arizona. 

The man drove through a gate and onto the runway of the Chandler 

Regional Airport and then back into the community. He drove to a car 

dealership on East Motorplex Loop where he stole a truck. As the man 

exited the dealership, he struck Officer Farrar and a Gilbert police officer, 

causing both to suffer critical injuries. Officer Farrar was transported to 

a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The man continued to 

flee but was taken into custody after being shot at by pursuing officers. 


Alexander Gwosdz 

Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Texas 

Deputy Sheriff Alexander Gwosdz died from complications as the 

result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. Deputy Gwosdz had 

served with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for nine years. 

Beginning in early 2020, thousands of law enforcement officers and 

other first responders throughout the country contracted COVID-19 

during the worldwide pandemic due to requirements of their job. Many 

of these first responders have died as a result of COVID-19, and continue 

to do so as the virus spreads across the United States. 

Officer Farrar had served with the Chandler Police Department for 18 

years. 

“When a police officer is killed, 

it’s not an agency that loses an officer, 

it’s an entire nation.” 

Chris Cosgriff, ODMP Founder 



Take a Kid Fishing 

this Summer 

Every year, there are events 

throughout the state and across 

the nation encouraging adults 

to take a kid fishing. Those of 

us blessed enough to be good 

coaches with kids and handy 

with a fishing rod should not 

wait for a certain day, but instead 

look for every opportunity 

possible to introduce fishing to 

a young person. Over the past 

40+ years I have had received 

much pleasure from introducing 

people to the sport of fishing, 

but none more gratifying than 

to see the uncontrollable smile 

and excitement from a child 

who has never the experience 

of a tug of a fish on 

the end of a line. Even 

more special is when 

you teach your children 

how to fish and then 

one day you see them 

teaching their friends. 

As I was writing this, I 

realized that although 

I have taught all three 

of my children how 

to fish, my daughter 

will likely claim that 

Jimmy Houston taught 

her how to cast in our 

backyard pool, which 

does sound much cooler 

than learning from 

me. But you don’t have 

to be Jimmy Houston to 

teach someone how to fish. You 

don’t have to own a boat either. 

Remember the most important 

lesson about teaching kids to 

fish; they want to catch fish. So, 

in the beginning don’t worry 

about teaching them too much, 

just get them hooked on fishing 

by catching a fish. Using worms 

in small local pond to watch a 

bream dance a bobber up and 

down and then eventually pull 

it under is a great first experience. 

Then you can move up to 

catfish bait or minnows to catch 

bigger fish. Much further down 

the road can come lures and the 

art of casting. What type of 

type of fishing rods are best for 

very young beginners? Well, 

you can’t go wrong with the all 

enclosed Barbie Zebco 

24-inch fishing rod and 

reel. However, for kids 

older than about five years 

old, I like to start teaching 

them on a small spinning 

rod. They are easy to use 

and once you learn on 

a spinning reel, you can 

very easily go up in size 

to handle even the biggest 

of fish. Remember, 

keep it simple and make it 

fun! With summer fishing 

season almost upon us, 

please consider taking a 

day or two and just focus 

on introducing a kid, 

small or large, the art of 

fishing. 

It was a special treat to have my daughter with me when I got to fish 

Jimmy Houston’s Twin Eagle Ranch in Oklahoma. 


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144 144 The The BLUES BLUES POLICE POLICE MAGAZINE 

The The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 145



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146 146 The The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 

The The BLUES BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 147 147

ADS BACK IN THE DAY 




San Felipe Del Rio CISD Get Info Chief of Police 05/21/2021 - 5pm 

Wise County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace Officer 06/09/2021 - 5pm 

Brownwood Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/19/2021 - 5pm 

Texas State Technical College Police Get Info Peace Officer 05/07/2021 - 5pm 

Bruceville-Eddy Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/15/2021 - 5pm 

Bandera County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 05/21/2021 - 5pm 

Sour Lake Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/23/2021 - 5pm 

Mansfield ISD PD Get Info Peace Officer 06/01/2021 - 5pm 

Sunset Valley Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/17/2021 - 5pm 

Wylie Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/26/2021 - 5pm 

Houston County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 05/26/2021 - 5pm 

Saginaw Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/26/2021 - 5pm 

South San Antonio ISD Get Info Peace Officer 05/31/2021 - 5pm 

Paris ISD Get Info Peace Officer 06/01/2021 - 5pm 

Cleveland ISD PD Get Info Peace Officer 06/08/2021 - 5pm 

University of Texas Medical Branch Get Info AVP and Asst. Chief of Police 06/08/2021 - 5pm 

Port Arthur Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 06/08/2021 - 5pm 

Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Get Info Probationary Agent 05/12/2021 - 5pm 

Woodway Public Safety Department Get Info Public Safety Officer I 05/13/2021 - 5pm 

Denton County Constable Pct. 2 Get Info Deputy Constable 05/13/2021 - 5pm 

Hutto Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/13/2021 - 5pm 

Houston Community College PD Get Info Peace Officer 06/11/2021 - 5pm 

Crowley Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/31/2021 - 5pm 

City of Bellmead Get Info Peace 06/11/2021 - 5pm 

City of Elgin Get Info Peace Officer 06/16/2021 - 5pm 

Baylor University Get Info Peace Officer 06/14/2021 - 5pm 

Hill County Sheriff's Office Get Info Baliff 05/31/2021 - 5pm 

Hawley Police Department Get Info Peace 05/31/2021 - 5pm 

City of Bulverde Get Info Peace Officer 06/16/2021 - 5pm 

Alamo College Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/21/2021 - 5pm 

Pelican Bay Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (full time) 06/16/2021 - 5pm 

Pelican Bay Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (Reserve) 06/16/2021 - 5pm 

Nixon Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/21/2021 - 5pm 

City of Greenvile Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/28/2021 - 5pm 

Cedar Hill ISD PD Get Info Peace Office 06/19/2021 - 5pm 

City of Spur Get Info Chief of Police 05/17/2021 - 5pm 

Stinnett Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/31/2021 - 5pm 

Hays County Constables Precinct 1 Get Info Peace Officer 06/21/2021 - 5pm 

City of Bellmead Get Info VAWA Detective 06/01/2021 - 5pm 

Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 10/10/2021 - 5pm 

City of Crosbyton Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 06/19/2021 - 5pm 

Highland Park Dept. of Public Safety Get Info Public Safety Officer 05/15/2021 - 5pm 

Memphis Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/23/2021 - 5pm 

Limestone County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 05/23/2021 - 5pm 

Coryell County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace Officer 06/22/2021 - 5pm 

Texas Woman’s University Police Dept. Get Info Peace Officer 06/23/2021 - 5pm 

Oldham County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 06/01/2021 - 5pm 

Aubrey Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 06/16/2021 - 5pm 

Prairie View A&M Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/23/2021 - 5pm 

Pearsall Police Deptartment Get Info Peace Officer 05/28/2021 - 5pm 

City of Murphy Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 05/14/2021 - 5pm 

TJC Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 06/27/2021 - 5pm 

City of College Station Police Dept Get Info Peace Officer 05/23/2021 - 5pm 

City of Tulia Get Info Chief of Police 05/27/2021 - 5pm 

Lamar University Get Info Chief of Police 06/03/2021 - 5pm 

McLennan Community College Police Get Info Peace Officer 07/30/2021 - 5pm 

City of Onalaska Get Info Peace Officer 07/07/2021 - 5pm 

Lake Travis ISD Get Info Peace Officer 06/04/2021 - 5pm 

City of Horseshoe Bay Get Info Peace Officer 06/05/2021 - 5pm 

Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 07/05/2021 - 5pm 

Southwestern Baptist Police Dept. Get Info Peace Officer 07/02/2021 - 5pm 

City of Austin Get Info Chief of Police 07/05/2021 - 5pm 

Kaufman Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 07/05/2021 - 5pm 

Frisco Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 07/07/2021 - 5pm 

Merkel Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 07/07/2021 - 5pm 

PLACE YOUR FULL PAGE 

HERE FOR ONLY $250. 

RUNS MONTHLY UNTIL YOU 

FILL ALL POSITIONS 


EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 

• Paid Vacation 

• Sick Leave 

• Paid Holidays 

• Personal Days 

• Compensatory Days 

• Certification Pay 

ALDINE ISD POLICE DEPT. 

now accepting applications for 

Full-Time Police Officers 

MUST HOLD A CURRENT TCOLE 

PEACE OFFICE CERTIFICATE 

Salary starting at $47,211 

with no experience 

TO APPLY VISIT 

WWW.ALDINEISD.ORG 

OR 

Contact the Personnel 

Department at 

281-985-7571 

OR 

Contact Sergeant R. Hall at 

281-442-4923 

HIRING PROCESS 

• Physical Agility Test 

• Written Exam 

• Oral Board Panel Interview 

• Complete Personal History Statement 

• Psychological Evaluation 

• Medical Examination 

• Interview with the Chief of Police 


MAKE A 

DIFFERENCE 

IN YOUR 

COMMUNITY 

We are looking for outstanding individuals to 

 

mission will be to prevent crime and disorder, build 

partnerships within the community, and positively 

 

CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS 

• Competitive Salary • Outstanding Training 

 

The City of Pearland is one of the fastest growing 

communities within the region. Pearland is located 

approximately 20 minutes south of Downtown Houston 

and the current population is approximately 130,000 

residents. 

JOIN OUR TEAM 

HIRING POLICE OFFICERS AND CADETS 

 

 

TEST DATE: 

SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 8:30 A.M. 

Register by: April 12. 

Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium 

4141 Bailey Road, Pearland, TX 77584. 

Doors Open: 7:15 a.m. No admittance after 7:45 a.m. 

Candidates must park in the north parking lot. 

SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES WILL APPLY 

• 

• Mandatory temperature checks 

 

• Candidates seated 6 feet apart 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

156 The For BLUES additional POLICE information MAGAZINE and to register for an upcoming Civil Service Exam, visit 

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 157 

pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers

LATERAL DEPUTY 

 

 

 

 

 


The Alamo Colleges District Police 

Department is currently hiring Campus 

 

 

 

Alamo Community College District. 

 

 

College, St. Philips College, San Antonio 

College. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a a 

a 

a a a 

for a 

a 

 

 

 

s 

- 

 


CEDAR HILL ISD 

POLICE DEPARTMENT 

COMPETITIVE 

BENEFITS 

Insurance 

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 

AD&D and Long Term 

Disability 

Leave Benefits 

***Seeking Certified Peace Officers*** 

High School Diploma or GED 

Valid drivers license 

Law Enforcement experience (Preferred) 

Ability to pass required physical, medical/psychological , 

and drug test 

Proficient with firearms and emergency equipment 

Knowledge of criminal law, procedures, and criminal investigations 

Ability to write effective police reports 

Ability to work well with youth and adults 

Vacation, State/Local Sick Leave 

Retirement 

Teachers Retirement System of 

Texas 

Equipment 

Uniforms and equipment 

(excluding Firearms and boots) 

Highly Sought out Schedule 

226 Work Days 

Weekends & Holidays off 

COMPENSATION 

Basic certification: $45,200 

CHISD Police Department 

Location: 504 E Beltline Rd, 

Cedar Hill, TX 75104 

Phone: 469-272-2088 

E-Mail: carlos.below@chisd.net 

Intermediate Certification: $48,906 

Advanced Certification: $52,595 

Master Certification: $56,319 

Overtime Opportunity ! 


WOODWAY PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT 

PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS 

STARTING PAY: $27.50 PER HOUR 

E D U C A T I O N A L I N C E N T I V E P A Y 

R E T E N T I O N P A Y 

P A I D S I C K L E A V E 

1 3 P A I D H O L I D A Y S 

2 0 Y E A R R E T I R E M E N T 

5 Y E A R V E S T I N G 

2 : 1 E M P L O Y E R / E M P L O Y E E M A T C H 

7 % E M P L O Y E E C O N T R I B U T I O N 

M E D I C A L / D E N T A L / L I F E I N S U R A N C E 

T E X A S M U N I C I P A L R E T I R E M E N T 

V O L U N T A R Y L I F E F O R F A M I L Y 

A L L E Q U I P M E N T P R O V I D E D 

U N I F O R M P R O V I D E D 

OUR OFFICERS PERFORM LAW ENFORCEMENT, CRIME PREVENTION, FIRE SUPPRESSION, FIRE 

PREVENTION AND RESCUE DUTIES ON AN ASSIGNED SHIFT, AND PERFORM OTHER RELATED DUTIES. 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: MAY 13TH AT 5PM 

TO APPLY: CONTACT cstephenson@woodwaytexas.gov OR VISIT 


woodwaytexas.gov/human-resources-2 


Come join the MISD Police Department 

Mansfield ISD Police Department currently employs over 61 

well-trained professional peace officers. Together, we ensure 

the safety of our students, school district, and its employees. 

Employment advantages include: 

NOW HIRING for Multiple Officer Positions! 

CERTIFICATION HOUR ANNUAL 

Based Pay 

Recruit $24.12 $43,608 

Basic $26.28 $47,514 

Highland Park Department of Public Safety 

The Best PEOPLE. The Best TRAINING. The Best SERVICE. 

TESTING FOR: PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER 

Salary Range: $66,820.00 - $84,012.50 

226 day a year work calendar, 

Monday thru Fridays work days 

Majority of officers’ work day shift hours. 

Extended breaks during Thanksgiving, Christmas, 

Spring Break, and the week of July 4 th . 

In addition officers also receive 6 days discretionary 

leave and 10 personal (sick) days per year. 

Available Overtime 

Provided uniforms, dry cleaning, all police equipment, 

and duty weapon. 

Additional Officer training to achieve increased levels 

of peace officer certifications. 

Other benefits include Teachers Retirement System, optional 

health, dental, vision, and life insurance. 

We are currently hiring several officers to fill new schools and 

vacant positions. 

For more information Please contact the Mansfield ISD Police 

Department at 817-299-6000 or go to our District website at: 

start the application process: 

https://www.mansfieldisd.org/join-misd/apply-with-misd 

Right Click to open Hyperlink 

Intermediate $28.42 $51,383 

Advanced $30.56 $55,252 

Masters $32.72 $59,157 

Position receives cross-training as a 

Police Officer, Fire Fighter & EMT-Paramedic. 

 

 

(Applicants possessing at least 60 college hours with either 4yrs combined paid experience 

in police, fire or EMS or 4yrs of active duty military are eligible to test). 

Applications available beginning April 16, 2021 online 

at www.hptx.org. Deadline for submitting 

applications – May 14, 2021 at 5:00pm. 

COVID-19 Screening will be conducted immediately prior to 

all testing and interviews. CDC Guidelines will be followed at all times 

during the hiring process. 

 

 

 


MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE 

High school diploma or GED; supplemented by Basic Peace Officer License and 

TCOLE certification; CPR training; supplemented by completion of in-service 

training, as directed, for assignment to other primary functional areas. Must be at 

least 21 years of age and possess a valid state driver license. 

Total Annual Salary: Certified $50,400.00; Non Certified $ 45,000.00 

Fast growing community 

Work Schedule: 4 days on, 4 days off (12 hour shifts) 

Uniforms: Department provides a complete uniform with a vest 

Paid employee health insurance with optional family coverage 

Retirement: 7% match 2 to 1 (TMRS) 

Complete Job Description here. 

Police Officer Candidates must print and complete an Application, Personal 

History Statement and Authority to Release Information Form to be considered. 

Online Application here 

Personal History Statement here 

Authority to Release Information Form here 

All applicants subject to background check, physical and drug screening. 

Mail all completed documents to: 

City Of Kaufman 

P O Box 1168 

Kaufman, Tx 75142 

Att: Mike Holder ACM 

Human Resource Department 

Direct all questions to Kaufman Police Department 972-932-3094 ext. 201 


STINNETT POLICE DEPARTMENT 

NOW HIRING FULL-TIME CERTIFIED 

POLICE OFFICER 

Stinnett is a wonderful small-town 

community (Population 1,881) that is the 

county seat of Hutchinson County. 

STARTING SALARY 

$40,500 

Currently recruiting TCOLE Certified Peace Officers 

‣ Salary 

o $21.29/hour - $27.00/hour 

o Years of Experience Adjustments 

‣ Certificate & Education Pay 

‣ Annual Uniform Allowance 

‣ 12 Paid Holidays 

‣ Paid Vacation/Sick Leave 

‣ 20 Year Retirement 

‣ Long/Short term disability 

‣ Insurance 

o Medical 

o Dental 

o Vision 

o Life 

‣ Officers allowed 1 hour on-duty 

to exercise 

‣ Training Provided by 

Department 

‣ All Uniforms and Equipment 

provided upon employment 

‣ 12-hour work shifts with every 

other weekend off 

‣ Promotes Higher Education 

GO TO: 

www.fairoaksranchtx.org/jobs 

We are very proud of our PSPCISD school 

district. 

Lake Meredith is a short 15-minute drive! 

And Amarillo is only an hour drive away to 

unlimited shopping and entertainment! 

Vacation, Holiday, 

and Sick Pay! 

Free Health, Dental 

and Vision Benefits! 

Life Insurance 

Available! 

2-1 Retirement match 

(TMRS) 

Take home vehicle for 

those that live in the 

city limits! 

Job Description and link to apply can be found at the link 

below: 

http://www.cityofstinnett.com/explore_stinnett/job_opportuniti 

es.php 

For questions, contact Corisa Earls, Chief of Police at: 

806-878-2422 ext. 402 or email 

CEarls@cityofstinnett.com 


Wylie Police Department Mission: Our mission is to impact the quality of life, by providing a professional 

level of service that will foster, support, and build relationships with those we serve. 

 

HIRING PROCESS: 

SALARY RANGE 

Years of Service Annual Salary 

BENEFITS: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Complete and submit a City of 

Wylie job application: https:// 

www.governmentjobs.com/ 

careers/wylietexas 

Written Exam (exempt for Laterals) 

Physical Agility Test 

Complete and submit a Personal 

History Statement 

 

 

Police Chief Interview 

Polygraph Examination 

Psychological Evaluation 

Medical Examination 

 

1 Year—Step 0 $56,671.60 

2 Years—Step 1 $58,088.39 

3 Years—Step 2 $59,540.59 

4 Years—Step 3 $61,029.11 

5 Years—Step 4 $62,554.84 

6 Years—Step 5 $64,118.71 

7 Years—Step 6 $65,721.68 

8 Years—Step 7 $67,364.72 

9 Years—Step 8 $69,048.84 

10 Years—Step 9 $70,775.06 

11 Years—Step 10 $72,544.43 

12+ Years—Step 11 $74,358.04 

RECRUITING CONTACT: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

City Paid Medical/Dental/Vision 

Texas Municipal Retirement System 

(TMRS) 14% City Contribution 

 

Time) 

City Paid Uniforms 

City Paid Training 

Life Insurance and AD&D 

Long Term Disability Insurance 

Employee Assistance Program 

Longevity Pay 

Tuition Reimbursement 

Free Recreation Center Membership 

 

 

Wylie Police Department 

2000 Hwy 78 North 

Wylie, TX 75098 

Sergeant Mark Johnson 

mark.johnson@wylietexas.gov 

972-429-8013 

 

 

Deferred Compensation Plan 

 

 

 

 

https://www.wylietexas.gov/

MAY 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 5 Houston Cover

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