AUG 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 8.
AUG 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 8. FEATURES 34 UVALDE - What Really Happened. 42 UVALDE - We Stopped Looking for Heroes 48 COVER - Michelle Cook-True Passion for Service 62 Visit Galveston Island this Summer DEPARTMENTS 6 Publisher’s Thoughts 8 Editor’s Thoughts 10 Guest Commentary - Bill King 14 News Around the US 34 Breaking News 58 Calendar of Events 68 Remembering Our Fallen Heroes 80 War Stories 84 Aftermath 86 Open Road 88 Healing Our Heroes 90 Daryl’s Deliberations 94 HPOU - From the President, Douglas Griffith 96 Light Bulb Award 98 Running 4 Heroes 100 Blue Mental Health with Dr. Tina Jaeckle 102 Ads Back in the Day 106 Parting Shots 108 Buyers Guide 128 Now Hiring - L.E.O. Positions Open in Texas 166 Back Page
AUG 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 8.
FEATURES
34 UVALDE - What Really Happened.
42 UVALDE - We Stopped Looking for Heroes
48 COVER - Michelle Cook-True Passion for Service
62 Visit Galveston Island this Summer
DEPARTMENTS
6 Publisher’s Thoughts
8 Editor’s Thoughts
10 Guest Commentary - Bill King
14 News Around the US
34 Breaking News
58 Calendar of Events
68 Remembering Our Fallen Heroes
80 War Stories
84 Aftermath
86 Open Road
88 Healing Our Heroes
90 Daryl’s Deliberations
94 HPOU - From the President, Douglas Griffith
96 Light Bulb Award
98 Running 4 Heroes
100 Blue Mental Health with Dr. Tina Jaeckle
102 Ads Back in the Day
106 Parting Shots
108 Buyers Guide
128 Now Hiring - L.E.O. Positions Open in Texas
166 Back Page
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The BLUES 1
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<strong>AUG</strong>UST 2022<br />
34 UVALDE - What Really Happened.<br />
42 UVALDE - We Stopped Looking for Heroes<br />
48 COVER - Michelle Cook-True Passion for Service<br />
62 Visit Galveston Island this Summer<br />
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The BLUES is published monthly by Kress-Barr, LLC, PO Box 2733, League City Texas 77574. The opinions<br />
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4 The BLUES The BLUES 5
FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK<br />
The “Moth Effect”<br />
It’s real and your life hangs in the balance.<br />
Every night in America, at<br />
least one, sometimes multiple,<br />
emergency vehicles will be<br />
struck while parked alongside a<br />
highway. Sixty percent of those<br />
accidents will involve an intoxicated<br />
driver. The remaining 40%<br />
are either distracted drivers or<br />
drivers that experienced what<br />
experts call the moth effect.<br />
Just last week, a Deputy with<br />
Harris County Constables Pct.<br />
8 was parked on the shoulder<br />
of the Harris County Beltway 8<br />
tollway when a highway work<br />
crew plowed into her Chevy<br />
Tahoe. The impact crushed the<br />
doors and the vehicle immediately<br />
caught fire. Had it not been<br />
for the quick actions of a nearby<br />
wrecker driver, Deputy K. LeMelle<br />
would have surely lost her life.<br />
Last year, on a different section<br />
of the same tollway, Deputy Jennifer<br />
Chavis from Harris County<br />
Constable’s Pct. 7 lost her life<br />
when her Tahoe was rear ended<br />
by a drunk driver and burst<br />
into flames. Despite desperate<br />
attempts by citizens and other<br />
officers to free her, the fire was<br />
too intense, and she perished in<br />
the vehicle.<br />
So why are drunks, and sometimes<br />
completely sober drivers,<br />
slamming into hundreds of<br />
emergency vehicles on a nightly<br />
basis? A recent study showed<br />
drivers were drawn to the emer-<br />
gency lights like a moth to a<br />
flame.<br />
All drivers may have experienced<br />
this effect and just not<br />
realized it. You’re driving home<br />
at night. It’s darker than a coal<br />
mine at midnight when, in the<br />
distance, you see flashing red<br />
lights off to the side of the<br />
road. As the lights draw closer,<br />
you notice how bright they are.<br />
You’re mesmerized by the lights<br />
and suddenly you realize how<br />
close they are. You’re almost on<br />
the shoulder and coming up fast<br />
on the emergency vehicles. You<br />
swerve to regain your lane and<br />
avoid running into the parked<br />
police car with tons of flashing<br />
lights.<br />
According to some experts,<br />
you’ve just experienced “the<br />
moth effect.”<br />
Like the moths, experts maintain<br />
that motorists are attracted<br />
to bright lights, whether it’s the<br />
flashing lights of a police car or<br />
the stadium lighting of a construction<br />
zone. Even cops are<br />
guilty of rubbernecking at accident<br />
scenes, but at night it can<br />
be deadly if distracted for if only<br />
for a second or two.<br />
During the day, our eyes are<br />
able to process not only all that<br />
is happening on the shoulder,<br />
but we’re able to gauge our<br />
speed and distance relative to<br />
vehicles and people. We can<br />
MICHAEL BARRON<br />
gauge what lane we’re in and we<br />
can gauge how close we are to<br />
the parked vehicles and whether<br />
we need to move to the left. At<br />
night, it’s a different story.<br />
There are no objects to focus<br />
on. There is a minimal flow of<br />
optic information. It’s the same<br />
as driving at night in the rain.<br />
You just can’t see well, so you’re<br />
forced to rely on those objects<br />
you can identify. In the case of a<br />
crash, it’s those flashing lights.<br />
Theories suggest that fixating<br />
on these identifiable objects<br />
causes you to forget all the other<br />
factors that go into driving:<br />
maintaining speed, maintaining<br />
lane position. Instead, you focus<br />
on the lights and so you “aim”<br />
for them.<br />
Tom Vanderbilt writes in his<br />
book, “Traffic,” that “the simplest<br />
explanation may be that<br />
most drivers, upon seeing a car<br />
on the highway, assume that it is<br />
moving at the same high speed<br />
as everyone else — and cars<br />
with flashing lights are usually<br />
moving even faster than that.”<br />
This optical illusion proves your<br />
assumptions false because the<br />
vehicles are, in fact, stopped.<br />
He also notes that we tend to<br />
look longer at dramatic things,<br />
such as a bad crash, meaning<br />
that the longer we become<br />
distracted, the harder it is to<br />
maintain direction. Researchers<br />
have been studying the effect<br />
for decades, all the way back to<br />
B2 pilots in World War II, who<br />
spoke of becoming fixated on the<br />
lead plane and navigating toward<br />
it.<br />
Today, researchers look at its<br />
effects on motorists.<br />
In 2008, the University of Michigan<br />
Transportation Research<br />
Institute studied the effects of<br />
warning lamp color and intensity<br />
on driver vision. Variables<br />
included color and intensity of<br />
light.<br />
Participants were asked to<br />
differentiate, as quickly as possible,<br />
whether the flashing lights<br />
were on the right or left side<br />
of an emergency vehicle. They<br />
were then asked to differentiate<br />
whether an emergency responder<br />
was standing on the right or<br />
left side of the vehicle.<br />
As expected, participants were<br />
better able to differentiate the<br />
lights at night and the pedestrians<br />
during the day. When color<br />
was added to the equation, blue<br />
markings were the most easily<br />
distinguishable, followed by yellow,<br />
red and white.<br />
Researchers suggested equipping<br />
all emergency vehicles<br />
with blue lights, as is common<br />
in Europe. They also suggested<br />
that blue lights might prevent<br />
the moth effect, in which drivers<br />
would mistake red lights for vehicle<br />
taillights and follow them<br />
off the road and into the emergency<br />
personnel.<br />
According to the ODMP website,<br />
31 police officers were<br />
struck by vehicles and killed<br />
while directing traffic or assisting<br />
motorists to date in <strong>2022.</strong><br />
There were 61 in 2021 and 46 in<br />
2020.<br />
“The moth effect may be a pop<br />
phrase, but the phenomenon is<br />
real,” said Jack Sullivan, director<br />
of training for the Cumberland<br />
Valley (Va.) <strong>Vol</strong>unteer Firemen’s<br />
Association’s Emergency Responder<br />
Safety Institute and one<br />
of the nation’s leading experts.<br />
Regardless of what you call<br />
it, every time you work an accident,<br />
make a traffic stop or<br />
just park on a highway at night,<br />
your chance of being hit are 90%<br />
greater than they are in daylight.<br />
Working accidents at night is<br />
just part of the job. <strong>No</strong>t much<br />
you can do about it, other than<br />
have your head on a swivel the<br />
entire time you’re out there.<br />
But when it comes to traffic<br />
stops on a busy highway, maybe<br />
moving the violator off to the<br />
frontage road is a better option<br />
and might just save your life.<br />
And finally, I say to the departments<br />
that require their night<br />
shift officers to make dozens<br />
of traffic stops. Is the revenue<br />
gained from a ticket worth your<br />
officers’ life? I think not.<br />
6 The BLUES The BLUES 7
FROM THE GUEST EDITOR’S DESK<br />
CONGRATULATIONS<br />
Something for Everyone<br />
The BLUES is now the Largest Digital Police<br />
Magazine in the United States !<br />
This past month marked<br />
yet another milestone in the<br />
history of The BLUES. From a<br />
rag tag, 16-page tabloid, to a<br />
200+ page digital magazine,<br />
seen all over the world.<br />
The BLUES has accomplished<br />
something no other<br />
police magazine has done to<br />
date. Become the largest all<br />
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America.<br />
Last month, the BLUES<br />
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distribution to the heads of<br />
every police department<br />
in the US and our monthly<br />
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for the first time ever. But<br />
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The BLUES has always<br />
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Some read it for the news.<br />
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Did you know, The BLUES<br />
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We feature stories on firearms,<br />
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Our goal has been and<br />
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the cover. We remain resolute<br />
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We owe it to the officer<br />
and his family to honor<br />
them in the most dignified<br />
way possible.<br />
It is hard to believe as I<br />
sit here typing this column,<br />
we have come so far. From<br />
paper and ink to the world<br />
of digital press. The world<br />
REX EVANS<br />
is changing fast, and we’re<br />
committed to keeping up<br />
with it.<br />
<strong>No</strong> matter what the future<br />
holds for Law Enforcement,<br />
we are here to support you,<br />
entertain you and to honor<br />
you. We’ll keep you up-todate<br />
and well informed. We<br />
may make you cry, but we’ll<br />
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If you have a news story,<br />
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desk at bluespdmag@gmail.<br />
com.<br />
Finally, just like you, we refuse<br />
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Thank you for reading our<br />
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8 The BLUES The BLUES 9
10 The BLUES The BLUES 11
READERS SPEAK OUT<br />
Suicide in America<br />
Over the last 20 years, nearly<br />
a million Americans have taken<br />
their own lives. During that time,<br />
suicide has been the tenth leading<br />
cause of death for all ages.<br />
In 2020, it was the second leading<br />
cause of death for the ages<br />
of 10-14 and 25-34 and the third<br />
leading cause for ages 15-24.<br />
Because the incidence of suicides<br />
is so high among young<br />
people, the years of life lost is<br />
especially tragic. One research<br />
group estimated that in 2020<br />
alone, there were nearly a million<br />
years of life lost in America<br />
to suicide.<br />
The number of suicides over<br />
the last two decades has been<br />
steadily increasing, reflecting<br />
both a larger population and<br />
about a third increase in the rate<br />
of suicide. Interestingly, suicides<br />
topped out at just over 48,000 in<br />
2018, and then declined slightly<br />
in 2019 and 2020. Preliminary<br />
data for 2021 indicates that there<br />
was probably not much change<br />
from 2020. This contradicts the<br />
predictions of many, including<br />
yours truly, that suicides would<br />
increase during the pandemic<br />
due to depression from isolation.<br />
Advocates for stricter gun<br />
laws, almost always lump suicides<br />
together with homicides<br />
and firearm accidents, when<br />
citing the toll of gun violence in<br />
America. I think that is unhelpful<br />
in trying to sort out why so<br />
many people die from guns in<br />
America because the two phenomena<br />
are so dramatically different.<br />
However, it is entirely fair<br />
to ask the question of whether<br />
American’s greater access to<br />
guns affects the number of suicides.<br />
It seems intuitive that greater<br />
access to a lethal weapon<br />
would certainly make it easier<br />
to commit suicide and therefore<br />
more likely. A survey of studies<br />
conducted by a research group<br />
at Harvard suggests a correlation<br />
between the number of<br />
gun ownership parameters and<br />
higher suicide rates, e.g., people<br />
who own handguns are almost<br />
ten more likely to commit suicide<br />
than non-owners. However,<br />
as I have previously discussed,<br />
correlation does not necessarily<br />
imply causation and some of the<br />
data suggests a more complicated<br />
picture.<br />
First, only about half of all suicides<br />
are committed with a firearm<br />
and that rate has remained<br />
fairly steady over the last twenty<br />
years, despite the rapid increase<br />
in gun ownership I noted in my<br />
last post. Indeed, the number<br />
of suicides committed without<br />
a firearm has actually increased<br />
by a greater percentage over the<br />
last twenty years than firearm<br />
suicides (72% vs. 46%).<br />
Also, the United States’ suicide<br />
rate is only slightly higher<br />
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when compared to other countries.<br />
In 2019, the global rate<br />
was about 10.4 versus 11.7 for the<br />
U.S., which, of course, does not<br />
come close to coinciding with<br />
our country’s dramatically disproportionate<br />
private ownership<br />
of firearms compared to other<br />
countries. And to further muddle<br />
the data, there are several<br />
countries with minuscule private<br />
gun ownership but which have<br />
higher suicide rates than the<br />
U.S., e.g., Belgium, Russia, South<br />
Korea.<br />
One factor is that individuals<br />
who attempt suicide with a<br />
firearm more often succeed in<br />
ending their life than those who<br />
use other methods. A 2000 study<br />
found that 82% of those who<br />
attempted suicide with a firearm<br />
died while less than 10% of those<br />
who used other methods did.<br />
The study was a relatively small<br />
sample and is somewhat dated,<br />
but I find those results intuitive<br />
and likely consistent with all suicides<br />
attempts.<br />
So, does the greater access<br />
to firearms in America result in<br />
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a higher suicide rate? I do not<br />
think we can definitively answer<br />
that question. But it seems to<br />
me that the weight of the evidence<br />
suggests the ready access<br />
to firearms is a factor that results<br />
in a higher rate than we might<br />
otherwise have. Does it make a<br />
dramatic difference? I doubt it.<br />
<strong>No</strong>te 1 – Most of the data in this<br />
post I got from running queries<br />
on the Web-based Injury Statistics<br />
Query and Reporting System<br />
maintained by the CDC’s Webbased<br />
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12 The BLUES The BLUES 13
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
DETROIT, MICHIGAN<br />
OFFICER AMBUSHED<br />
Officer Loren Courts was shot and killed while<br />
responding to a 911 call about a man with a gun.<br />
TERMINATED<br />
DETROIT, MI. – Officer Loren<br />
Courts was shot and killed<br />
in Detroit, Michigan on July 6<br />
after responding to a 911 call<br />
around 7:30 p.m., according to<br />
the Detriot Free Press. Courts<br />
and his partner were responding<br />
to a call about a man with<br />
a weapon near Marlowe Street<br />
and Joy Road.<br />
Courts and his partner, Officer<br />
Amanda Hudgens, were reportedly<br />
ambushed by the suspect,<br />
19-year-old Ehmani Mack Davis.<br />
Davis allegedly fired at them<br />
with an AK-47-type weapon,<br />
a 7.62 semi-automatic Draco<br />
pistol, from a building window.<br />
Courts reportedly put the car in<br />
reverse after being shot before<br />
he and Hudgens jumped out to<br />
take cover. Courts collapsed<br />
and Hudgens reportedly applied<br />
pressure to his wounds as Davis<br />
advanced behind her. Other<br />
officers arrived on the scene<br />
and returned fire, killing Davis.<br />
Courts, 40, later died at the Sinai<br />
Grace Hospital.<br />
Detroit Police Chief James E.<br />
White described the five-year<br />
veteran of the police force as a<br />
hero. White also said that the<br />
Officer Loren Courts<br />
community has been robbed and<br />
should be outraged, per CNN.<br />
“Candidly, we were robbed. We<br />
were robbed of one of our heroes,”<br />
he said. “And we should all<br />
be outraged. We should be outraged.<br />
This is unacceptable.”<br />
Courts’ father was also a<br />
police officer with the Detroit<br />
Police Department and recently<br />
retired from the force. Courts’<br />
grief-stricken widow Kristine<br />
Courts said she is more sad than<br />
angry.<br />
“I am angry, but I’m more sad,”<br />
said Mrs. Courts. “I’m sad that I<br />
don’t get to see him again, that<br />
we don’t get to hug him again. I’m<br />
sad. I don’t know if I have time to<br />
be angry right now.”<br />
The couple has two children, a<br />
nine-year-old daughter, Devyn<br />
Courts, and a 15-year-old son,<br />
Darian Courts. A GoFundMe<br />
page has been set up to help the<br />
family with expenses. His widow<br />
described Courts as the family’s<br />
Batman, her best friend and an<br />
amazing dad.<br />
“This man was so much more<br />
than a police officer,” she wrote.<br />
“He was an amazing dad, my<br />
best friend and the man I married.<br />
All the news articles talk<br />
about is a DPD officer. He was so<br />
much more to me and the kids.<br />
Our Batman! I’m broken, I can’t<br />
begin to imagine how we are<br />
going to live without him. My babies<br />
need him. I need him. I keep<br />
thinking I’m going to wake up<br />
from this nightmare and he’s going<br />
to come home … me and my<br />
babies will never be the same. I<br />
already miss his hugs, his voice,<br />
his jokes, and his smile with<br />
those eyes. Rest In Peace daddy,<br />
we will never stop loving you.”<br />
14 The BLUES The BLUES 15
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
Four Heroes Down<br />
in Helicopter Crash<br />
Bernalillo County Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lt. Fred Beers,<br />
and Deputy Michael Levison killed In helicopter crash.<br />
SAN MIGUEL COUNTY, NM –<br />
Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office<br />
(BCSO) Undersheriff Larry Koren,<br />
Lieutenant Fred Beers, and Deputy<br />
Michael Levison died in the<br />
line of duty on July 16 when the<br />
helicopter they were traveling in<br />
crashed in a remote area outside<br />
of Las Vegas.<br />
Bernalillo County Fire Department<br />
(BCFD) Rescue Specialist<br />
Matthew King was also killed in<br />
the crash, New Mexico Governor<br />
Michelle Grisham said in a press<br />
release last month.<br />
The four first responders were<br />
inside BCSO helicopter Metro<br />
2 assisting with wildfire suppression<br />
efforts by “providing<br />
bucket drops and other air<br />
logistics needs to fire crews on<br />
the ground” and were returning<br />
to Bernalillo when the crash<br />
occurred at approximately 7:20<br />
p.m., the BCSO said in a press<br />
release.<br />
“At this time, the specific cause<br />
of the crash is unknown,” the<br />
sheriff’s office said.<br />
The helicopter was a Bell UH-1<br />
Iroquois, according to the Albuquerque<br />
Journal.<br />
A multifaceted, multi-agency<br />
investigation into the tragic<br />
collision remained ongoing on<br />
Sunday, the sheriff’s office said.<br />
“Our hearts are broken by the<br />
tragic and distressing news that<br />
we lost four of the state’s finest<br />
public servants, killed in the<br />
line of duty,” New Mexico Public<br />
Safety Cabinet Secretary Jason<br />
Bowie said in a statement to<br />
the Albuquerque Journal. “It’s a<br />
sacrifice no one should have to<br />
make.”<br />
The BCSO and the Office of<br />
the Medical Investigator recovered<br />
the fallen heroes from the<br />
crash site and transported their<br />
bodies to Albuquerque on Sunday<br />
afternoon.<br />
Flags were raised and people<br />
stood along the route to salute<br />
and honor the procession of<br />
first responders as they passed<br />
by, the Albuquerque Journal<br />
reported.<br />
“Our focus remains on providing<br />
care and support for the<br />
surviving family members as<br />
they grapple with the situation,”<br />
the sheriff’s office said.<br />
Grisham said that the loss of<br />
all four dedicated public servants<br />
“will leave a devastating<br />
hole in the lives of countless<br />
family members, friends, and<br />
colleagues at the Bernalillo<br />
County Sheriff’s Office and Fire<br />
Department.”<br />
“Their bravery and public<br />
dedication will not be forgotten,”<br />
the governor added.<br />
Undersheriff Koren served the<br />
BCSO for more than 23 years,<br />
according to the Albuquerque<br />
Journal.<br />
Lt. Beers had been with the<br />
department for 13 years.<br />
In addition to his service as a<br />
law enforcement Officer, Deputy<br />
Levison also served in the<br />
New Mexico Air National Guard,<br />
the Albuquerque Journal reported.<br />
Rescue Specialist King had<br />
been a paramedic for the past<br />
17 years.<br />
University of New Mexico<br />
Associate Professor of Emergency<br />
Medicine Dr. Drew Harrell<br />
said he knew all four of the<br />
fallen heroes and that they had<br />
worked together on numerous<br />
rescue missions in the past, the<br />
Albuquerque Journal reported.<br />
Undersheriff Larry Koren<br />
Rescue Specialist Matthew King<br />
Lieutenant Fred Beers<br />
Deputy Michael Levison<br />
“Seldom do you lose one or two,<br />
much less undersheriffs and lieutenant<br />
officers as well as patrol<br />
deputies to a single event,” Harrell<br />
said, adding that their deaths “will<br />
certainly reverberate for quite some<br />
time.”<br />
“These were four dedicated public<br />
servants who were doing what so<br />
many of our first responders do day<br />
in and day out: working tirelessly to<br />
serve and protect their fellow New<br />
Mexicans,” Grisham said in a statement<br />
to KRQE on Sunday. “On<br />
behalf of the people of New<br />
Mexico, I extend my deepest<br />
gratitude to these four brave<br />
individuals, and my deepest<br />
sympathy to their families,<br />
friends and colleagues.”<br />
The governor ordered all<br />
state and U.S. flags be lowered<br />
to half-staff through sundown<br />
on July 22 to commemorate<br />
the lives of the four officers<br />
who lost their lives.<br />
16 The BLUES The BLUES 17
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18 The BLUES The BLUES 19
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
EDMOND OFFICER<br />
Killed in Fatal Crash<br />
EDMOND, OK. — Edmond police<br />
identified the officer killed in a<br />
crash on Tuesday, July 19, as Sgt.<br />
C. J. Nelson.<br />
Officers responded to a<br />
five-vehicle crash in the northbound<br />
lanes of the 14000 block<br />
of Broadway Extension just<br />
after 3 p.m. When they arrived,<br />
they found a utility truck driven<br />
by 54-year-old Jay Fite had<br />
crashed into a group of vehicles<br />
that were stopped at a red light,<br />
including Nelson’s police motorcycle<br />
Nelson, who was on duty<br />
at the time of the crash, was<br />
brought to the OU Medical Center<br />
but passed away from his<br />
injuries. <strong>No</strong>body else was injured<br />
in the crash.<br />
Fite was taken to St. Anthony<br />
Hospital to be checked out after<br />
the crash. Investigators obtained<br />
and served a search warrant to<br />
draw a sample of his blood.<br />
He was later booked into the<br />
Oklahoma County Detention<br />
Center on a second-degree murder<br />
charge.<br />
The <strong>38</strong>-year-old Nelson leaves<br />
behind a wife, an 11-year-old<br />
daughter, and a 7-year-old son.<br />
Wednesday would have been<br />
his 13th anniversary with Edmond<br />
police. He’s the first Edmond<br />
officer to lose his life in<br />
the line of duty.<br />
A makeshift memorial has<br />
been set up outside the Edmond<br />
police building in the wake of<br />
the crash. Many have been sharing<br />
their grief with the officer’s<br />
family, the department, and the<br />
city.<br />
“We just ask for your<br />
thoughts and prayers for the<br />
officer’s family, our department,<br />
and our community at<br />
this difficult time,” said Deputy<br />
Chief Larry Campbell with the<br />
Edmond Police Department.<br />
The owner of CrossFit 822,<br />
Jenae Judge, describes Nelson<br />
as a caring and hardworking<br />
Sgt. C.J. Nelson<br />
individual.<br />
“He was just super nice, like<br />
a very, very nice person, very<br />
kind, very generous. He was very<br />
supportive of everybody around<br />
him,” Judge said. “I never saw<br />
him in a bad mood. I never saw<br />
him grouchy, never complained<br />
about any workouts or anything.”<br />
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20 The BLUES The BLUES 21
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
ROCHESTER, NY<br />
Suspect arrested in the shooting death of Officer<br />
Anthony Mazurkiewicz.<br />
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Rochester<br />
Police Chief David Smith announced<br />
the arrest of a suspect<br />
in the killing of officer Anthony<br />
Mazurkiewicz and the wounding<br />
of two others.<br />
Mazurkiewicz, 54, was on<br />
patrol in a northeast Rochester<br />
neighborhood when he was<br />
fatally shot on Bauman Street<br />
shortly just after 9:15 p.m. Thursday.<br />
His partner, 37-year-old<br />
Sino Seng, was shot and wounded<br />
in the attack.<br />
The suspect, identified as<br />
21-year-old Kelvin Vickers, is<br />
being held in the Monroe County<br />
Jail and will be arraigned in<br />
city court Saturday morning. He<br />
is charged with second-degree<br />
murder, attempted second-degree<br />
murder, second-degree<br />
assault, and two counts of second-degree<br />
criminal possession<br />
of a weapon.<br />
A 15-year-old girl was in a<br />
nearby house and grazed by one<br />
of three shots that penetrated<br />
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the walls of her house.<br />
Investigators found Vickers<br />
a short time later in a vacant<br />
building nearby and took him into<br />
custody. Umbrino said that initial<br />
tests indicated that a 9mm handgun<br />
found near Vickers was the<br />
weapon used to shoot the two<br />
officers.<br />
Vickers is from Boston, Umbrino<br />
said, and has an extensive criminal<br />
history.<br />
At a news conference Friday<br />
morning, Chief Smith said Mazurkiewicz<br />
was a member of the<br />
department’s tactical unit and<br />
a 29-year veteran of the police<br />
force. Both officers were in plainclothes<br />
Thursday.<br />
“Last night, Officer Mazurkiewicz<br />
and his partner, Officer<br />
Sino Seng, were attacked in a<br />
cowardly ambush and fell victim<br />
to the very violence in our<br />
community that we are trying<br />
to combat,” Chief Smith said at<br />
a press briefing Friday morning<br />
at Rochester’s Public Safety<br />
Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz<br />
Building. “During this incident,<br />
the full force of the region’s law<br />
enforcement responded to the<br />
scene. This same full force is<br />
being utilized to bring whoever is<br />
responsible for this heinous act to<br />
justice.”<br />
Umbrino said Friday evening<br />
that police had Vickers in custody<br />
within an hour of the shooting.<br />
22 The BLUES The BLUES 23
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
CLARK COUNTY OHIO<br />
Deputy Matthew Yates was shot and killed while responding<br />
to a possible break-in at mobile home park.<br />
HARMONY, Ohio — A sheriff’s<br />
deputy was shot and fatally<br />
wounded while responding to<br />
a report of a possible break-in<br />
and gunfire at a mobile home in<br />
western Ohio.<br />
Deputy Matthew Yates was<br />
a 15-year veteran of the Clark<br />
County Sheriff’s Office and a<br />
member of its special operations<br />
team, Sheriff Deb Burchett said<br />
at a press conference Sunday.<br />
The responding officers were<br />
shot at after they entered the<br />
mobile home in Harmony Township,<br />
Burchett said.<br />
Yates, 41, was wounded and<br />
remained inside the home for<br />
several hours Sunday before other<br />
officers could get him out and<br />
take him to a hospital, where he<br />
died, the sheriff said.<br />
At some point during the episode,<br />
the mobile home caught<br />
fire. Authorities have not released<br />
any additional information<br />
about a suspect, the shooting<br />
or the fire.<br />
The charred frame of the<br />
home could be seen in a photo<br />
tweeted Sunday by Ohio Attorney<br />
General Dave Yost.<br />
“My heart breaks for his father,<br />
who he followed into law<br />
enforcement,” Yost wrote.<br />
The sheriff’s office said Monday<br />
that another deputy sustained<br />
an injury to an extremity<br />
not caused by gunfire while<br />
trying to rescue Yates and is<br />
recovering at home after treatment<br />
at a hospital.<br />
Deputy Matthew Yates<br />
24 The BLUES The BLUES 25<br />
ODMRBuckslip_<strong>2022.</strong>indd 1<br />
6/14/22 12:57 PM
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
LAPD OFFICER DEATH<br />
Officer Houston Tipping, 32, suffered a fatal spinal<br />
cord injury during a grappling exercise in May.<br />
By Sarah Calams<br />
LOS ANGELES, CA. — Months after<br />
the training death of LAPD officer<br />
Houston Tipping, an autopsy has<br />
determined his cause of death as an<br />
accident.<br />
Officer Tipping, 32, suffered a<br />
fatal spinal cord injury during a<br />
grappling exercise in May. Since his<br />
death, Tipping’s mother has filed a<br />
wrongful death claim against the<br />
city, alleging assault and battery<br />
and other civil rights violations<br />
in the training exercise she says<br />
was “meant to simulate a mob.”<br />
Last month, Tipping’s mother also<br />
claimed the department did not<br />
have a certified training instructor<br />
on site during the training exercise.<br />
However, the autopsy report’s findings,<br />
according to The Los Angeles<br />
Times, contradicts allegations made<br />
by Tipping’s mother. A laceration to<br />
Tipping’s head, which was used as<br />
evidence to support his mother’s<br />
claim, found that injury – along<br />
with fractured ribs – were a result<br />
of efforts used to save his life.<br />
Deputy Medical Examiner Lawrence<br />
Nguyen said the laceration was<br />
from a clamp used during spinal<br />
surgery and the rib fractures resulted<br />
from efforts to resuscitate<br />
Tipping, according to the report.<br />
Members of the department, who<br />
continue to remain anonymous, told<br />
the L.A. Times that Tipping’s death<br />
was an accident, but they also<br />
questioned if proper safety measures<br />
were in place.<br />
For instance, they said Tipping<br />
wasn’t certified to be an instructor<br />
and the training room lacked<br />
sufficient padding, according to the<br />
report. Tipping was wearing padded<br />
protective gear when the incident<br />
occurred.<br />
Since Tipping’s death, LAPD Chief<br />
Michel Moore has ordered an investigation<br />
by the department’s<br />
Office of Constitutional Policing and<br />
Officer Houston Tipping<br />
Policy, which would determine if<br />
the exercise adhered to statewide<br />
standards. The investigation remains<br />
ongoing. Tipping’s family is<br />
conducting their own investigation<br />
into the incident.<br />
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26 ODMRBuckslip_<strong>2022.</strong>indd The BLUES 1<br />
6/14/22 12:57 PM<br />
The BLUES 27
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS<br />
Officer Crystal Sepulveda shot in face.<br />
By Sarah Calams<br />
HOUSTON, TX — A 29-year-old<br />
officer who was shot in the face by<br />
a suspect after a weekend pursuit<br />
is keeping her spirits high while she<br />
faces a long road to recovery.<br />
Missouri City Officer Crystal Sepulveda,<br />
who has been an officer<br />
with the department for three years,<br />
was shot multiple times after spotting<br />
a car that had been reported<br />
stolen during a carjacking. Sepulveda<br />
and other officers tried to pull<br />
the car over, but the driver led them<br />
on a pursuit, KHOU.com reported.<br />
The suspect eventually got out of<br />
the car and led officers on a foot<br />
pursuit, leading them to the backyard<br />
of a house. That’s when the<br />
suspect opened fire and hit Sepulveda<br />
three times – once in the face,<br />
left calf and left toe.<br />
“She went down immediately<br />
… struck in the face by a bullet,”<br />
Missouri City Police Chief Michael<br />
Berezin said. “Then she was able to<br />
struggle back to her feet.”<br />
The bullet, Berezin said, hit Sepulveda<br />
in the face, which shattered<br />
her cheek and exited through her<br />
ear. Her injuries, according to the<br />
report, were non-life-threatening,<br />
but she has undergone reconstructive<br />
surgery for her face.<br />
The male suspect was later shot<br />
by police after opening fire on more<br />
officers. He was taken to a hospital,<br />
where he was pronounced dead,<br />
KHOU reported.<br />
“She was just trying to make the<br />
community safer and get the bad<br />
person off the street,” Clint McNear,<br />
Texas Municipal Police Association<br />
Field Service Supervisor, said. “He<br />
chose to hide and intentionally ambush<br />
her.”<br />
Berezin said he hopes Sepulveda<br />
is able to make a full recovery and<br />
return to the department.<br />
“She’s an amazing person and<br />
outstanding officer,” he said. “She<br />
Officer Crystal Sepulveda<br />
is extremely well-rounded and she<br />
volunteers to do a lot of extra duty<br />
things.”<br />
A fund has been started to help<br />
Sepulveda with medical expenses.<br />
TX Deputy Saved from Burning Patrol SUV by<br />
Tow Truck Driver, Richard Borgstrom<br />
HOUSTON. TX – A tow truck<br />
driver rescued a Harris County<br />
(TX) Precinct 8 deputy constable<br />
from her burning patrol SUV<br />
early Tuesday morning.<br />
Deputy K. LeMelle was parked<br />
on the side of the road monitoring<br />
traffic around 2 a.m. when<br />
her patrol vehicle was struck<br />
from the rear by a commercial<br />
work vehicle after the driver<br />
veered onto the shoulder, the<br />
constable’s office said on Facebook.<br />
“Upon impact, Deputy<br />
LeMelle’s patrol vehicle became<br />
engulfed in flames.”<br />
Tow truck operator Richard<br />
Borgstrom was nearby when he<br />
heard the collision and immediately<br />
came to the deputy’s aid.<br />
Deputy LaMelle was trapped inside<br />
the burning SUV. “Borgstrom<br />
broke Deputy LeMelle’s driver’s<br />
side window and was able to<br />
pull her out of the patrol vehicle<br />
moments before the flames<br />
reached the driver’s cabin. His<br />
actions undoubtedly saved Deputy<br />
LeMelle’s life,” the constable’s<br />
office says.<br />
The deputy was transported to<br />
a hospital, treated and released.<br />
“At this time, the cause of the<br />
crash remains under investigation.<br />
Our thoughts and prayers<br />
are with Deputy LeMelle and all<br />
those effected by this event. I<br />
would like to extend my thanks<br />
to Mr. Borgstrom, who without<br />
regard for his own safety, did not<br />
hesitate to act in this situation.<br />
This is yet another example of a<br />
tow truck operator who stepped<br />
up to render assistance to one of<br />
my Deputies when needed and<br />
for that, I am grateful,” Phil Sandlin,<br />
Constable of Harris County<br />
Precinct 8 said in a statement.<br />
28 ODMRBuckslip_<strong>2022.</strong>indd The BLUES 1<br />
6/14/22 12:57 PM<br />
The BLUES 29
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
MASS EXODUS @ NOLA<br />
Like New York, New Orleans PD is losing officers at a fast<br />
pace and response times exceed 2-3 hours.<br />
By John Simerman<br />
NEW ORLEANS, LA. – Gregory<br />
Rotton’s career as a New Orleans<br />
Police Department officer ended<br />
with a crash.<br />
A detective in the First District,<br />
Rotton was tapped to investigate<br />
after four young people in a stolen<br />
SUV barreled into a St. Claude<br />
Avenue arcade on Jan. 12 with<br />
police in pursuit, severely injuring<br />
a worker.<br />
As he walked away a month<br />
later, after almost seven years on<br />
the force, Rotton said his superiors<br />
pressured him to accuse 19-yearold<br />
Lamar Logan, the lone adult in<br />
the crash, of trying to rob a federal<br />
agent in Treme minutes earlier.<br />
Rotton argued that the account<br />
from the off-duty agent amounted<br />
to “a suspicious person incident at<br />
most.” He said he was then quickly<br />
yanked from a choice assignment.<br />
“I refuse to work for an agency<br />
in which I can be punished for<br />
upholding my oath and the rule of<br />
law,” Rotton wrote in a letter to<br />
the department.<br />
His account sits among hundreds<br />
of pages of officer exit interviews<br />
reviewed by The Times-Picayune,<br />
a hefty stack mostly filled with<br />
harsh criticism for a department<br />
struggling to find and keep offi-<br />
cers.<br />
The interviews are from officers<br />
who resigned or retired in 2022,<br />
many of them leaving for jobs at<br />
other police agencies. Together,<br />
their parting shots echo a chorus<br />
of despair from an overtaxed,<br />
dispirited force that today enters<br />
its second decade under federal<br />
oversight.<br />
When former Mayor Mitch<br />
Landrieu and then-Attorney General<br />
Eric Holder announced the<br />
sprawling federal consent decree<br />
at Gallier Hall on July 24, 2012, the<br />
department employed more than<br />
1,300 commissioned officers, with<br />
a budget for 1,600 and plans to<br />
remake the NOPD in the image of<br />
reform.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w, fewer than 1,000 officers<br />
remain after a net loss of one in<br />
six officers since the start of last<br />
year. More than 90 have left the<br />
force this year as of early July,<br />
according to police officer groups.<br />
That’s about the same number<br />
who resigned, retired or were fired<br />
in all of 2020.<br />
The departing thoughts of veteran<br />
officers and newbies alike lend<br />
biting and often emotional detail<br />
to a recent NOPD-commissioned<br />
survey that reflected similar discontent,<br />
with pay a distant second<br />
in the reasons officers gave for<br />
leaving in droves.<br />
Overly punitive discipline and<br />
restrictive policies were nearly<br />
twice as likely to be cited as a<br />
reason for officers’ departure than<br />
was pay, according to the survey<br />
by SSA Consultants.<br />
Officers went further in their exit<br />
interviews, speaking of crippling<br />
internal politics, run-down gear, a<br />
lack of support from police brass,<br />
disciplinary head-hunting, and<br />
for many officers, little sign of an<br />
NOPD ready to address its problems.<br />
The exit interviews were provided<br />
by the city in response to a<br />
public records request, with the<br />
names of the officers redacted.<br />
They are identifiable, however,<br />
through other information in the<br />
records.<br />
“I can no longer watch the<br />
citizens suffer to violence and<br />
crime while the department is not<br />
allowed to do the basic service<br />
of protecting the citizens of this<br />
community,” wrote Nathan Gex, a<br />
23-year NOPD veteran who moved<br />
to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s<br />
Office in April. “People become<br />
police officers to make a difference<br />
and protect citizens. This is<br />
not happening, and we hear it and<br />
see it in the community.”<br />
“It’s not about the money. It’s<br />
about job satisfaction and appreciation,”<br />
wrote Joseph Brooks, a<br />
sergeant who resigned in March<br />
after 12 years. “The department<br />
has been in decline for some time.<br />
Disciplinary issues prevent personnel<br />
from performing without<br />
fear of punishment. I would refuse<br />
to be bullied into punishing officers<br />
for minor infractions.”<br />
Some, like Rotton, aired specific<br />
gripes over incidents or supervisors<br />
that soured them. Others<br />
hammered the department in<br />
broad strokes. A few retiring veterans,<br />
including some long-serving<br />
police brass who left this year,<br />
gave the department high marks.<br />
Others declined to participate.<br />
Amid a surge in homicides and<br />
carjackings, confidence among<br />
residents in a downsized police<br />
force also has tanked. The bloodloss<br />
at the NOPD, the exit interviews<br />
show, weighs on those who<br />
remain.<br />
“Sometimes there’s no time to<br />
eat,” said one rookie officer who<br />
resigned to return to school.<br />
Several officers who resigned<br />
this year after stints patrolling<br />
New Orleans East described<br />
clocking in at the Seventh District<br />
to a mountain of unattended 911<br />
calls, with police emergency response<br />
times continuing to hover<br />
at decade highs.<br />
“Working in the 7th district on<br />
‘C’ platoon with only four officers<br />
on the streets with a 55-call<br />
backlog plus threats of (discipline)<br />
if evals and training weren’t done<br />
is ridiculous,” wrote Willie Herron,<br />
who wrote that he was jumping to<br />
St. Tammany Parish after less than<br />
two years.<br />
“Due to working overnight, I never<br />
see my family. Was in the 7th<br />
and the backlog was unbearable,”<br />
wrote Meghan Silva, who quit as<br />
an officer after two years.<br />
In recent months, Mayor LaToya<br />
Cantrell and the City Council have<br />
pushed to reignite an officer recruiting<br />
campaign that has foundered<br />
over the pandemic, while<br />
offering tidy sums to keep officers.<br />
This week, the City Council<br />
approved a plan to help stanch<br />
attrition with big bonus payments<br />
for officers and other public safety<br />
workers. In a year, officers are<br />
slated to receive $5,000 for every<br />
five years they’ve served, up to<br />
$20,000.<br />
Yet in their exit interviews, officers<br />
generally praised the NOPD’s<br />
pay, benefits and academy training,<br />
while panning department<br />
culture.<br />
Joshua Fontenot, a senior police<br />
officer who resigned after seven<br />
years, wrote that the NOPD’s “pension<br />
system and pay are amazing,”<br />
but that “cronyism is rampant.”<br />
Fontenot took a scorched-earth<br />
approach in the space marked<br />
for suggestions: “Fire everyone,<br />
dissolve the department and start<br />
over.”<br />
The NOPD’s federal overseers<br />
have not been nearly as despairing,<br />
praising department leaders<br />
for dramatic strides toward compliance<br />
in all areas of the reform<br />
agreement.<br />
It’s still unclear, however, when<br />
U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan<br />
plans to release the department<br />
from court oversight. In April,<br />
Morgan projected a phase-out to<br />
begin in June. That timetable has<br />
passed with no public action.<br />
30 The BLUES The BLUES 31
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
SMITH COUNTY, TEXAS<br />
Deputy Lorenzo Bustos was struck and killed by<br />
a drunk driver on his last shift of FTO training.<br />
SMITH COUNTY, TX – Deputy<br />
Lorenzo Bustos was on his last<br />
shift of training Friday night July<br />
29th, when he was killed in the<br />
line of duty.<br />
At the end of that shift, Bustos<br />
would’ve had his first chance<br />
to go solo at the Smith County<br />
Sheriff’s Office after working<br />
alongside a field training officer.<br />
Bustos was killed by what<br />
the sheriff’s office said was a<br />
drunk driver, who struck him at<br />
a “moderate to very fast speed”<br />
as he worked a traffic stop<br />
just after midnight. Bustos was<br />
standing behind the patrol vehicle<br />
when the vehicle hit him. The<br />
driver, 21-year-old Daniel Nyabuto,<br />
was arrested and will be<br />
charged with intoxication manslaughter,<br />
Sheriff Larry Smith<br />
said.<br />
Bustos was at the sheriff’s office<br />
for less than six months after<br />
previously working for other<br />
local law enforcement agencies.<br />
The 29-year-old was early in<br />
his career but had high aspirations,<br />
said Bryan Pool, who hired<br />
Bustos at the Rusk County Sheriff’s<br />
Office a few years ago.<br />
“He wanted to excel in his<br />
career and promote up ... He was<br />
ambitious, just a lot of fire, a lot<br />
of heart,” Pool said in an interview<br />
with CBS19.<br />
After a year, Bustos left the<br />
sheriff’s office to work for the<br />
Henderson County Police Department<br />
where he worked for over<br />
a year. He started working for<br />
Smith County this year, where he<br />
quickly bonded with the department.<br />
“He had become to be very<br />
loved by all of his cohorts and<br />
co-workers,” Smith said. “He<br />
was doing a great job.”<br />
Bustos may have been just getting<br />
started on his career in law<br />
enforcement, but it didn’t take<br />
long for him to make an impact<br />
on those in the field. News of his<br />
death spread quickly and drew<br />
an outpouring of support from<br />
the law enforcement community.<br />
“We are deeply saddened by<br />
the loss of one of our brothers ...<br />
The officers at Henderson Police<br />
Department are in mourning and<br />
extend our deepest condolences<br />
to his family and friends at their<br />
darkest and hardest time. Deputy<br />
Bustos will forever hold a special<br />
place at the Henderson Police<br />
Department,” Henderson PD said<br />
on its Facebook page.<br />
East Texas sheriff’s offices and<br />
police departments posted on<br />
Deputy Lorenzo Bustos<br />
their Facebook pages an image<br />
of the Smith County Sheriff’s<br />
Office back with a black line<br />
over it. Soon, agencies across the<br />
state began to share the image<br />
and offer words of comfort to<br />
fellow officers and Bustos’ family.<br />
He was “a young deputy who<br />
has left us way too soon,” the<br />
East Texas Peace Officers Association<br />
said.<br />
Bustos leaves behind a wife<br />
and three children, ages 4, 5 and<br />
<strong>8.</strong> A lieutenant has been assigned<br />
to stay with the deputy’s<br />
wife until he is laid to rest.<br />
Gov. Greg Abbott ordered U.S.<br />
and Texas flags to be lowered to<br />
half-staff<br />
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32 The BLUES The BLUES 33
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
Texas House Report: “Systemic failures” in shooting went far beyond local police.<br />
By Zach Despart,<br />
The Texas Tribune<br />
UVALDE,TX –The 18-year-old<br />
who massacred 19 students<br />
and two teachers in Uvalde on<br />
May 24 had no experience with<br />
firearms before his rampage<br />
began. He targeted an elementary<br />
school with an active shooter<br />
policy that had been deemed<br />
adequate but also had a long<br />
history of doors propped open.<br />
<strong>No</strong> one was able to stop the<br />
gunman from carrying out the<br />
deadliest school shooting in<br />
Texas history, in part because of<br />
“systemic failures and egregious<br />
poor decision making” by nearly<br />
everyone involved who was in a<br />
position of power, a new investigation<br />
into the shooting has<br />
found.<br />
On July 17, a Texas House<br />
committee released the most<br />
exhaustive account yet of the<br />
shooter, his planning, his attack<br />
and the fumbling response he<br />
provoked.<br />
It provides a damning portrayal<br />
of a family unable to recog-<br />
nize warning signs, a school district<br />
that had strayed from strict<br />
adherence to its safety plan and<br />
a police response that disregarded<br />
its own active shooter training.<br />
It explains how the gunman,<br />
who investigators believe had<br />
never fired a gun before May<br />
24, was able to stockpile military-style<br />
rifles, accessories<br />
and ammunition without arousing<br />
suspicion from authorities,<br />
then enter a supposedly secure<br />
school unimpeded and indiscriminately<br />
kill children and<br />
adults.<br />
In total, 376 law enforcement<br />
officers — a force larger than<br />
the garrison that defended the<br />
Alamo — descended upon the<br />
school in a chaotic, uncoordinated<br />
scene that lasted for more<br />
than an hour. The group was<br />
devoid of clear leadership, basic<br />
communications and sufficient<br />
urgency to take down the gunman,<br />
the report says.<br />
<strong>No</strong>tably, the investigation is<br />
the first so far to criticize the<br />
inaction of state and federal<br />
law enforcement, while other<br />
reports and public accounts by<br />
officials have placed the blame<br />
squarely on Uvalde Consolidated<br />
Independent School District<br />
police Chief Pete Arredondo for<br />
his role as incident commander<br />
and other local police who were<br />
among the first to arrive.<br />
The report also reveals for the<br />
first time that the overwhelming<br />
majority of responders were federal<br />
and state law enforcement:<br />
149 were U.S. Border Patrol, and<br />
91 were state police — whose<br />
responsibilities include responding<br />
to “mass attacks in public<br />
places.” There were 25 Uvalde<br />
police officers and 16 sheriff’s<br />
deputies. Arredondo’s school<br />
police force accounted for five<br />
of the officers on the scene. The<br />
rest of the force was made up of<br />
neighboring county law enforcement,<br />
U.S. marshals and federal<br />
Drug Enforcement Administration<br />
officers.<br />
The investigators said that in<br />
the absence of a strong incident<br />
commander, another officer<br />
could have — and should have —<br />
Family members and friends participate in a march in Uvalde on July 10, 2022, in support of those killed<br />
and injured in the school shooting at Robb Elementary. Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune<br />
34 The BLUES The BLUES 35
stepped up to the task.<br />
“These local officials were<br />
not the only ones expected to<br />
supply the leadership needed<br />
during this tragedy,” the report<br />
said. “Hundreds of responders<br />
from numerous law enforcement<br />
agencies — many of whom<br />
were better trained and better<br />
equipped than the school district<br />
police — quickly arrived on the<br />
scene.”<br />
The other responders “could<br />
have helped to address the unfolding<br />
chaos.”<br />
The three committee members<br />
— Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock;<br />
Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso;<br />
and former state Supreme Court<br />
Justice Eva Guzman — said they<br />
sought to create a comprehensive<br />
account the Legislature can<br />
use to craft policies aimed at<br />
preventing future massacres. The<br />
trio also sought to present an<br />
accurate narrative to the public,<br />
in contrast to several conflicting<br />
and retracted accounts provided<br />
by other officials, including the<br />
governor and state police, in the<br />
seven weeks since the tragedy<br />
that have undermined residents’<br />
trust in the ongoing investigations.<br />
They dedicated the document<br />
to the 21 people killed in the<br />
shooting and first unveiled their<br />
findings during a private meeting<br />
with Uvalde residents on Sunday.<br />
“The Committee issues this<br />
interim report now, believing<br />
the victims, their families, and<br />
the entire Uvalde community<br />
have already waited too long for<br />
answers and transparency,” the<br />
report reads.<br />
LAW ENFORCEMENT FAILURES<br />
The failure of police to quickly<br />
subdue the shooter has faced<br />
widespread public condemnation<br />
and criticism from fellow<br />
law enforcement officials. At its<br />
core, the committee report echoes<br />
criticisms made previously<br />
by police tactics experts: that<br />
instead of following the doctrine<br />
developed after the 1999 Columbine<br />
High School massacre,<br />
which dictates that officers immediately<br />
confront active shooters,<br />
police at Robb Elementary<br />
retreated after coming under fire<br />
and then waited for backup.<br />
“They failed to prioritize saving<br />
the lives of innocent victims over<br />
their own safety,” the committee<br />
said in its report.<br />
The report lists myriad law<br />
enforcement mistakes, which<br />
expanded far beyond any single<br />
commander or agency. They<br />
stemmed not from a lack of<br />
manpower, but from an absence<br />
of leadership and effective communications.<br />
In interviews conducted or<br />
obtained by the committee, police<br />
officers said they assumed<br />
Arredondo was in command or<br />
did not know who was in charge.<br />
Several described the scene as<br />
“chaos” or a “cluster.”<br />
The report listed several ways<br />
that an effective incident commander<br />
outside the school might<br />
have helped: The commander<br />
might have noticed that radios<br />
weren’t working well and found<br />
a better way to communicate.<br />
They might have found a master<br />
key to the school faster to get<br />
inside the classroom where the<br />
shooter was barricaded — or<br />
suggested checking to make sure<br />
the door was locked. Or they<br />
might have urged officers to find<br />
another way to get inside the<br />
classroom.<br />
But Arredondo told The Texas<br />
Tribune in June that he did not<br />
consider himself the incident<br />
commander after he was one of<br />
the first officers to arrive inside<br />
the school. He said he assumed<br />
another officer outside would fill<br />
that role.<br />
The committee did not find this<br />
argument persuasive. It cited the<br />
school district’s active shooter<br />
response plan, co-authored<br />
by Arredondo, which states the<br />
chief will “become the person in<br />
control of the efforts of all law<br />
enforcement and first responders<br />
that arrive at the scene.” The<br />
school district last month placed<br />
him on administrative leave.<br />
But blame for the flawed police<br />
response extends far beyond<br />
the school district police chief<br />
of a six-officer department, the<br />
report concludes.<br />
The report criticized other<br />
officers and law enforcement<br />
agencies, many of them better<br />
trained, for failing to fill the<br />
leadership vacuum left by Arredondo’s<br />
inaction.<br />
“In this crisis, no responder<br />
seized the initiative to establish<br />
an incident command post,” the<br />
committee wrote. “Despite an<br />
obvious atmosphere of chaos,<br />
the ranking officers of other responding<br />
agencies did not approach<br />
the Uvalde CISD chief of<br />
police or anyone else perceived<br />
to be in command to point out<br />
the lack of and need for a command<br />
post, or to offer that specific<br />
assistance.”<br />
In testimony to a Senate committee<br />
June 21, Department of<br />
Public Safety Commissioner Steve<br />
McCraw said some officers on<br />
scene observed that Arredondo<br />
was not acting like an incident<br />
Graphic Content Warning: Hallway footage obtained in Uvalde school shooting CLICK HERE TO WATCH<br />
commander.<br />
McCraw previously dismissed<br />
the idea that his state troopers<br />
could or should have stepped in<br />
to take control from Arredondo.<br />
“Let’s say a DPS captain shows<br />
up in a situation, decides he’s<br />
going to exercise control,” Mc-<br />
Craw told senators last month.<br />
“Well, first of all, he doesn’t have<br />
the information. And you know<br />
what? He may not be as sharp<br />
as the on-scene commander<br />
that’s there … so I’m reluctant to<br />
encourage or even think of any<br />
situation where you’d want some<br />
level of hierarchy where a larger<br />
police department gets to come<br />
in and take over.”<br />
Yet when pressed by Sen.<br />
Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat<br />
whose district includes Uvalde,<br />
McCraw conceded that confronting<br />
an active shooter is<br />
more important than deferring<br />
to an officer who, according to<br />
protocol, is the rightful incident<br />
commander.<br />
DPS officials did not respond to<br />
requests for comment Sunday.<br />
Ultimately, the report said<br />
Border Patrol agents decided<br />
they would breach the classroom<br />
without seeking permission from<br />
Arredondo. That team killed the<br />
gunman at 12:51 p.m., ending the<br />
standoff.<br />
Despite the collective failure<br />
of police to act decisively, the<br />
committee uncovered individual<br />
instances in which officers acted<br />
boldly without instruction.<br />
When officers were driven<br />
back by gunfire just after entering<br />
the school, Uvalde Police<br />
Department Lt. Javier Martinez<br />
attempted to confront the<br />
shooter again. He advanced up<br />
the hallway in “an evident desire<br />
to maintain momentum and<br />
to ‘stop the killing.’” <strong>No</strong> officers<br />
followed him, and he stopped.<br />
Several law enforcement officers<br />
told the committee that they believed<br />
if others had followed him<br />
as backup, he might have made<br />
it to the classroom and engaged<br />
with the shooter.<br />
DPS Special Agent Luke Williams<br />
disregarded a request that<br />
he assist in securing a perimeter<br />
outside and instead entered the<br />
building to help clear rooms. He<br />
found a student hiding in a boy’s<br />
bathroom stall with his legs up<br />
so he couldn’t be seen. The boy<br />
refused to come out until Williams<br />
proved he was a police<br />
officer, which he did by showing<br />
his badge beneath the door of<br />
the stall.<br />
Williams then encountered a<br />
group of officers clustered at<br />
the end of the hallway where<br />
the shooter was and overheard<br />
someone ask, “Y’all don’t know if<br />
there’s kids in there?”<br />
“If there’s kids in there, we<br />
36 The BLUES The BLUES 37
need to go in there,” Williams<br />
said at 11:56 a.m., according to<br />
footage captured by his body<br />
camera.<br />
An officer in the hallway responded<br />
to Williams that “whoever<br />
was in charge would figure<br />
that out,” the report said.<br />
INADEQUATE SCHOOL SAFETY<br />
Robb Elementary School, on its<br />
face, had all the pieces in place<br />
to slow an intruder. The school<br />
is encircled by a 5-foot fence. It<br />
has an emergency management<br />
alert system and school policies<br />
for faculty and staff to keep exterior<br />
and interior doors locked<br />
at all times.<br />
But a culture of complacency<br />
weakened these safeguards.<br />
Multiple witnesses told the<br />
committee that employees often<br />
left doors unlocked, while teachers<br />
would use rocks, wedges and<br />
magnets to prop open interior<br />
and exterior doors. This was<br />
partly because of a shortage of<br />
keys.<br />
“In fact, the school actually<br />
suggested circumventing the<br />
locks as a solution for the convenience<br />
of substitute teachers<br />
and others who lacked their own<br />
keys,” the report said.<br />
In March, the teacher in Room<br />
111, through which investigators<br />
believe the shooter entered<br />
during the massacre, reported<br />
to school administrators that his<br />
classroom door “was not always<br />
locking.” The head custodian<br />
testified he never heard of any<br />
problems with that door, and<br />
maintenance records during the<br />
school year do not contain any<br />
work orders for it. The teacher,<br />
Arnulfo Reyes, was shot twice in<br />
the shooting but survived.<br />
Ultimately, the shooter was<br />
able to easily scale the fence and<br />
enter the school through a series<br />
of unlocked doors.<br />
“Had school personnel locked<br />
the doors as the school’s policy<br />
required, that could have slowed<br />
his progress for a few precious<br />
minutes — long enough to receive<br />
alerts, hide children, and<br />
lock doors,” the report found.<br />
The question of locked doors<br />
came into play again when law<br />
enforcement arrived and assumed<br />
they couldn’t break down<br />
the doors of the classroom to<br />
reach the gunman.<br />
They would fumble for several<br />
minutes in search of a key, and<br />
other equipment to break down<br />
the door, that is now believed to<br />
have been unlocked the entire<br />
time.<br />
The search for the unnecessary<br />
key was complicated by the<br />
fact that the school, which first<br />
opened in 1955, had different<br />
sets of master keys for different<br />
doors. Lt. Mike Hernandez of<br />
the district police department<br />
said he typically carried 50 keys<br />
to various campus buildings,<br />
though sometimes he had to jiggle<br />
them to turn locks. On other<br />
occasions, staff changed locks<br />
without his knowledge. During<br />
the shooting, other officers attempted<br />
without success to use<br />
Hernandez’s set to find a suitable<br />
master key for the wing of the<br />
school where the shooter was.<br />
Additionally, some faculty and<br />
staff did not initially take the<br />
intruder alert seriously because<br />
they were desensitized to the<br />
alert system, which often was<br />
triggered by frequent immigration-related<br />
police pursuits.<br />
Uvalde is about 50 miles east<br />
of the border with Mexico and<br />
sits at the intersection of major<br />
highways from the border cities<br />
of Del Rio and Eagle Pass. Police<br />
described a recent increase in<br />
“bailouts,” when officers chase a<br />
vehicle containing suspected undocumented<br />
migrants, who then<br />
purposely crash and scatter to<br />
avoid apprehension. School district<br />
officials told the committee<br />
there had been 47 “secure” or<br />
“lockdown” events since February<br />
<strong>2022.</strong> Around 90% of those<br />
had been because of bailouts.<br />
There has never been an incident<br />
of school violence related<br />
to the bailouts.<br />
“The series of bailout-related<br />
alerts led teachers and administrators<br />
to respond to all alerts<br />
with less urgency—when they<br />
heard the sound of an alert,<br />
many assumed that it was another<br />
bailout,” the report states.<br />
Even when there were alerts,<br />
it wasn’t certain that everyone<br />
would receive them. The emergency<br />
management alert system<br />
operates by sending out<br />
warnings online to teachers and<br />
faculty — and many access it<br />
through a smartphone app.<br />
But not all teachers received<br />
the alert about the gunman<br />
immediately, thanks in part to<br />
a poor wireless internet signal<br />
that made it difficult to send out<br />
the alert and the fact that many<br />
teachers didn’t have their phones<br />
or had them off at the moment<br />
they received it.<br />
Principal Mandy Gutierrez<br />
never attempted to communicate<br />
the lockdown over the school’s<br />
intercom system.<br />
MISSED WARNINGS SIGNS<br />
The gunman, Salvador Ramos,<br />
displayed signs he was unstable<br />
and possibly planning a violent<br />
attack, yet none of these warning<br />
signs reached authorities.<br />
A year before the massacre,<br />
he had earned the nickname<br />
“school shooter” on social media<br />
platforms because of violent<br />
threats he would make against<br />
other users. With few, if any,<br />
friends and a strained relationship<br />
with his parents, the report<br />
describes him as a high school<br />
dropout and social outcast who<br />
eventually concluded that spectacular<br />
violence could bring him<br />
“notoriety and fame.”<br />
Online, the committee found,<br />
he became interested in gore<br />
and violent sex, sometimes<br />
sharing videos and images of<br />
suicides and beheadings. His internet<br />
search history suggested<br />
he questioned whether he was a<br />
sociopath.<br />
In real life, he was fired<br />
from two fast-food jobs. At<br />
Whataburger, he harassed a<br />
female employee and at Wendy’s<br />
he would not talk with any<br />
co-workers, except one occasion<br />
when he attempted to start a<br />
conversation about guns.<br />
In the final months of his life,<br />
he was determined to acquire<br />
guns, a desire the report says<br />
family and friends were aware<br />
of. Because he lived with his<br />
grandmother and had no expenses,<br />
he was able to use his<br />
money for this effort.<br />
While he was still 17, the<br />
shooter asked at least two people<br />
to purchase guns for him,<br />
but they refused. Instead, he<br />
focused on purchasing accessories,<br />
including a gun sight, rifle<br />
sling and body armor carrier. He<br />
turned 18, the legal age to buy<br />
guns in Texas, on May 16. Over<br />
the course of the next week, he<br />
READ THE ENTIRE REPORT HERE<br />
spent more than $3,000 on two<br />
AR-15-style rifles from an online<br />
retailer, which shipped the<br />
weapons to an Uvalde gun shop.<br />
Because he had no license and<br />
did not know how to drive, an<br />
uncle transported him to the gun<br />
store twice. His uncle said the<br />
first time he didn’t know he was<br />
going to pick up a rifle, since the<br />
store is also a popular restaurant<br />
in town and his nephew said he<br />
was hungry. But he returned with<br />
a narrow box and no food.<br />
The owner of the gun store,<br />
Oasis Outback, remembered him<br />
and described him to investigators<br />
as an “average customer<br />
with no ‘red flags.’” Other store<br />
patrons told the FBI they thought<br />
he was “very nervous looking”<br />
and “appeared odd and looked<br />
like one of those school shooters.”<br />
The report details no attempt<br />
by anyone who interacted with<br />
the gunman to alert authorities<br />
about his troubling behavior.<br />
UNDERMINING TRUST<br />
In the days after the shooting,<br />
state officials unnecessarily<br />
undermined public trust in the<br />
<strong>38</strong> The BLUES The BLUES 39
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ongoing investigations by making<br />
false statements about what had<br />
happened, the report states. The<br />
day after the massacre, an Uvalde<br />
Police Department lieutenant<br />
tasked with briefing Gov. Greg<br />
Abbott and other state leaders<br />
fainted just before the meeting<br />
began.<br />
DPS Regional Director Victor<br />
Escalon took his place, relaying<br />
the second hand accounts of<br />
police, as he had arrived at the<br />
school minutes before the shooting<br />
ended. Some of this information<br />
was inaccurate, which the<br />
committee said was the reason<br />
Abbott, in a news conference<br />
immediately following the briefing,<br />
presented a “false narrative”<br />
that the shooting lasted as few<br />
as 40 minutes thanks to “officers<br />
who rapidly devised a plan,<br />
stacked up and neutralized the<br />
attacker.”<br />
Abbott also said that the gunman<br />
had been confronted by a<br />
school resource officer before<br />
entering the school. At a news<br />
conference the following day,<br />
a DPS official said the exterior<br />
door through which the gunman<br />
entered had been propped open.<br />
Both statements were false.<br />
The committee criticized state<br />
officials for misleading the public.<br />
“A complete and thorough<br />
investigation can take months<br />
or even years to confirm every<br />
detail, especially when this<br />
many law enforcement officers<br />
are involved,” the report states.<br />
“However, one would expect law<br />
enforcement during a briefing<br />
would be very careful to state<br />
what facts are verifiable, and<br />
which ones are not.”<br />
Abbott’s office did not respond<br />
to a request for comment Sunday.<br />
The committee also refutes a<br />
significant revelation included in<br />
a report published last week by<br />
the Advanced Law Enforcement<br />
Rapid Response Training (ALER-<br />
RT) Center at Texas State University.<br />
That report stated that an<br />
Uvalde Police Department officer<br />
with a rifle had an opportunity<br />
to shoot the gunman before he<br />
entered the school. However,<br />
when he asked a supervisor for<br />
permission to fire, he never received<br />
a response and the gunman<br />
slipped into the school.<br />
The committee noted that<br />
the ALERRT staff conducted no<br />
investigation on their own and<br />
relied entirely on information<br />
supplied by the Department of<br />
Public Safety. The committee<br />
concluded that the person the<br />
Uvalde officer saw was a coach<br />
who was ushering children inside<br />
and found no evidence that<br />
any law enforcement personnel<br />
had a chance to engage the gunman<br />
outside the school.<br />
The disastrous police response<br />
at Robb Elementary has set this<br />
mass shooting apart from so<br />
many that have become a regular<br />
occurrence in American life.<br />
It has renewed the debate over<br />
the role of police and cast doubt<br />
on the theory embraced by many<br />
Second Amendment advocates<br />
that good guys with guns are<br />
the best defense against active<br />
shooters.<br />
Yet the report concludes with<br />
a somber finding: Because the<br />
gunman fired the majority of his<br />
rounds before police arrived inside<br />
the school, about 100 in the<br />
space of three minutes, whether<br />
the death toll would have been<br />
lower had police breached the<br />
classrooms immediately is unknown.<br />
Most of the victims died quickly,<br />
torn apart by bullets designed<br />
for battlefields, and it is unclear<br />
whether a flawless police response<br />
would have saved any<br />
lives. But the report suggests<br />
that stopping the gunman sooner<br />
could have made a difference.<br />
“Given the information known<br />
about victims who survived<br />
through the time of the breach<br />
and who later died on the way<br />
to the hospital,” the committee<br />
wrote, “it is plausible that some<br />
victims could have survived if<br />
they had not had to wait 73 additional<br />
minutes for rescue.”<br />
Uriel Garcia contributed to this<br />
story. Reprinted from The Texas<br />
Tribune.<br />
40 The BLUES The BLUES 41
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
“WE STOPPED LOOKING FOR HEROES”<br />
Former school police chief in Uvalde ‘disappointed’ by law enforcement failures.<br />
By Alfredo Corchado<br />
DALLAS MORNING NEWS<br />
UVALDE, TX — He’s sat with<br />
grieving family members at funerals<br />
and accompanied them to<br />
ongoing wakes to honor victims<br />
of one of the most gruesome<br />
school mass shootings in the<br />
country’s history.<br />
Last week, Leo Flores — known<br />
as Chato — witnessed angry parents<br />
call on their school board<br />
members to resign, deriding<br />
them as cowards and demanding<br />
accountability in the wake of the<br />
massacre at Robb Elementary<br />
School that left 21 dead.<br />
Flores fidgeted uncomfortably<br />
— his anxiety rising.<br />
“I know one thing: Had I still<br />
been at the school, I wouldn’t be<br />
alive today,” he said. “For sure.”<br />
“As a mother, I would have<br />
expected more dead officers and<br />
more children alive,” added his<br />
wife, Melissa, 37. “If he had been<br />
there ... I wouldn’t have a husband<br />
today. I’d be a widow.”<br />
Flores, 37, is the former Uvalde<br />
Consolidated Independent<br />
School District police chief,<br />
replaced in 2020 by Pete Arredondo,<br />
who is facing intense<br />
criticism for not immediately<br />
storming the classroom and<br />
instead trying to negotiate with<br />
an active shooter. A school board<br />
meeting set for Saturday July 20,<br />
to decide whether Arredondo<br />
should be fired was delayed after<br />
his lawyer raised concerns.<br />
Among the 19 students killed<br />
was Flores’ niece, Eliahana<br />
Torres — Eli to her best friend<br />
and cousin, Unica Alicia Flores,<br />
the daughter of Flores and his<br />
wife. The couple have been at<br />
just about every post-shooting<br />
meeting, accompanying Melissa’s<br />
sister after the shooting, forming<br />
a tight family support system<br />
around her.<br />
“My niece was there so yes, I<br />
wish I had been there,” Flores<br />
said, and pausing through every<br />
word, he added “Every … Single<br />
… Day.”<br />
Nearly two months after the<br />
state’s deadliest school shooting,<br />
Uvalde remains a town filled<br />
with regret. Grief transformed<br />
into fury, following a leaked<br />
77-minute video showing footage<br />
of cops mostly standing<br />
along the hallway inside the<br />
school, waiting for someone<br />
to take command of a chaotic<br />
situation, waiting for instructions<br />
to attack an 18-year-old gunman<br />
who killed 19 students and two<br />
teachers.<br />
The week culminated with the<br />
special House subcommittee 77-<br />
page report, the most exhaustive<br />
account yet of the tragedy that<br />
detailed a “systemic failure of<br />
egregious poor decision making”<br />
by nearly everyone in power, every<br />
one of the 376 law enforcement<br />
officers who descended on<br />
the school.<br />
Flores read the report extra<br />
carefully, complete with the expected<br />
“Could have. Would have.<br />
Should have.” He created the<br />
school district’s original police<br />
department, trained staff for active<br />
shooter situations, and tried<br />
keeping teachers on their toes.<br />
After reading the report, he said<br />
he was at a loss for words.<br />
“Disappointed.”<br />
“You take an oath to protect<br />
and serve,” he said, adding “In<br />
an active shooter situation, you<br />
eliminate the threat at all costs.<br />
If it’s you, the one that’s killed,<br />
or the guy behind you, or the<br />
one behind him, the threat is<br />
eliminated in a timely matter.<br />
I’ve been through a door where<br />
I didn’t know what was on the<br />
other side numerous times. ... It’s<br />
just what you signed up to do.<br />
42 The BLUES The BLUES 43
It’s part of the training from day<br />
one.”<br />
FEELING OF BETRAYAL<br />
In many ways, Flores’ life is<br />
synonymous with the majority-minority<br />
town’s underdog<br />
character — resilient yet faced<br />
with long odds. The community<br />
of some 15,000 is even more on<br />
edge since the leaked videos. The<br />
searing pain and overwhelming<br />
agony instantly returned, made<br />
worse by second-guessing,<br />
which Evadulia Orta, the mother<br />
of Rojelio Torres — Rojelito to<br />
her — said “isn’t healthy. We just<br />
want the truth of what happened<br />
and accountability so we<br />
can move forward.”<br />
Meanwhile, divisions, mistrust<br />
and acrimony continue to<br />
grow. Even the U.S. Border Patrol<br />
agents who were lauded for<br />
finally storming a classroom and<br />
taking down the shooter are facing<br />
scrutiny and some disdain.<br />
“Even the migra waited too<br />
long,” Ruben Mata, grandfather<br />
of victim Lexi Rubio, said in an<br />
interview in Spanish, referring to<br />
the U.S. Border Patrol. “We were<br />
betrayed by everyone and anyone<br />
with a badge. I can’t stop thinking<br />
what would have happened<br />
if the kids were white, or if we<br />
lived in Dallas, or Alamo Heights<br />
[San Antonio]. Where is the outrage?<br />
Where is the accountability?”<br />
Gone are most of the makeshift<br />
tributes, the balloons, the big<br />
crowds. The flowers have since<br />
wilted in the heat. Only plastic<br />
ones survived, though they’re<br />
fading, too, along with the teddy<br />
bears under a scorching sun.<br />
“We stopped looking for heroes,”<br />
said Rosie Ruiz, who lives<br />
around the corner from Robb.<br />
Ruiz has known Flores since he<br />
was born. “I do think he’s crazy<br />
enough to have stormed the<br />
classroom and taken down the<br />
shooter, without hesitating. He<br />
would have done his job.”<br />
Flores hears those words everywhere<br />
he goes, he said.<br />
“People approach me and say<br />
they wish I had been there, and<br />
I think people mean that as a<br />
compliment,” he said. “But it<br />
weighs heavy on me.”<br />
Flores concedes that he took<br />
himself out of the potential<br />
hero’s role. He resigned as chief<br />
of the school district in January<br />
2020 under a cloud of controversy,<br />
tied to “family problems,”<br />
Mayor Don McLaughlin said in<br />
an interview. “He made some<br />
personal mistakes, but I’ve done<br />
stupid things, too, when I was<br />
young,” he added, pointing to a<br />
divorce. “Some learn from their<br />
mistakes. I think he did, too.”<br />
PATH TO THE FORCE<br />
McLaughlin has known Flores<br />
for years, and following the<br />
cantankerous board meeting, the<br />
two huddled quietly late into the<br />
humid evening. Towering oak<br />
trees stood still as mosquitos<br />
attacked.<br />
A native of Uvalde, Flores was<br />
raised by his grandparents after<br />
his parents split. He was a star<br />
wide receiver during Friday night<br />
high school football games. Following<br />
graduation, he thought<br />
of joining the U.S. Border Patrol,<br />
common for young Mexican<br />
Americans living on or near the<br />
border.<br />
He didn’t have a chance. Melissa,<br />
his sweetheart since elementary<br />
school, was pregnant.<br />
He had no choice but to grow up<br />
fast, he said.<br />
Uvalde Police Detective Jerry<br />
Martinez’s hobby was restoring<br />
old cars. One weekend, he<br />
approached Flores, who was<br />
working on his 1979 Chevy Blazer.<br />
Martinez liked the hubcaps.<br />
Flores offered them for free.<br />
They struck up a conversation,<br />
and Martinez encouraged him<br />
to apply for a job in the police<br />
department.<br />
“I was attracted to his personality,”<br />
said Martinez, now a<br />
captain at the Carrizo Police Department,<br />
some 50 miles away.<br />
“Very approachable. Easy to get<br />
along with.”<br />
Flores responded: “That would<br />
require going to college, and<br />
school is not for me. I’m a father<br />
and I gotta work.”<br />
Martinez persisted and soon<br />
after, in 2007, Flores began<br />
working as a police dispatcher<br />
overnight for about a year,<br />
simultaneously attending the police<br />
academy during the day for<br />
six months. A year later, he was<br />
working as a police officer and<br />
member of the SWAT team. Later,<br />
he worked for a U.S. Marshals<br />
fugitive task force. He loved the<br />
adrenaline and was usually the<br />
“entry person in countless situations<br />
involving barricaded shooters,<br />
suicide-murders, very tense<br />
situations,” he said.<br />
But Martinez cautioned that no<br />
one person can take credit for<br />
taking down a bad guy in those<br />
situations.<br />
“There’s no I in SWAT,” he said.<br />
“He was very proactive.”<br />
By 2018, Flores was hired as<br />
the first chief of the Uvalde Consolidated<br />
Independent School<br />
District, where Melissa also<br />
worked. He quickly formed a<br />
four-member police force team.<br />
But soon, his good fortune<br />
dried out. In January 2020, he<br />
resigned under pressure from the<br />
district for causing a disturbance<br />
with his wife at work. Three<br />
months later, he was arrested<br />
at a local bar on charges of<br />
unlawfully carrying a weapon<br />
on premises that sell alcohol,<br />
obstruction or retaliation and<br />
Class C public order crimes<br />
and booked into the county jail,<br />
according to The Uvalde Leader-News.<br />
Flores eventually paid a $50<br />
fine and $350 in court fees. He<br />
also took a plea bargain from<br />
the district attorney “cause I<br />
couldn’t afford an attorney.” He<br />
lost his police license.<br />
In the last two years, he’s<br />
held a myriad of jobs, including<br />
a door-to-door delivery service.<br />
On May 24, he was doing a<br />
plumbing apprenticeship when<br />
a coworker said, “Bro, there’s a<br />
shooting at Robb.” Flores ignored<br />
it, assuming it was yet another<br />
false alarm. But his phone lit up.<br />
Flores abruptly ran out “and I<br />
left the poor lady with her sink<br />
undone.” He made a beeline for<br />
Robb.<br />
CHAOS AND CONFUSION<br />
Flores said he arrived about<br />
12:14 p.m. and was surrounded<br />
by hundreds of law enforcement<br />
officers, including many he knew<br />
from his days at the city’s police<br />
force and school district police.<br />
Among them was Arredondo,<br />
who had once served as the<br />
assistant police chief for the city.<br />
He saw a visibly upset Ruben<br />
Ruiz, his old friend and colleague<br />
at the district. In the video, Ruiz<br />
is shown scrolling through his<br />
phone in the hallway, reading a<br />
44 The BLUES The BLUES 45
cousin Eli.”<br />
“We don’t know what we will<br />
do when it comes to school<br />
time, because she won’t go to<br />
the bathroom by herself,” Flores<br />
said.<br />
Asked what options they’re<br />
considering, he paused.<br />
“That’s a tough question,” he<br />
said. “One thing that nobody<br />
talked about at the board meeting,<br />
and everybody wants an<br />
answer, but nobody really asks<br />
is: Are we truly safe anywhere<br />
anymore?”<br />
Staff writer Jamie Landers in<br />
Dallas contributed to this report.<br />
Reprinted from the Dallas<br />
Morning News<br />
Be sure and check out<br />
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BUYERS GUIDE<br />
on Page 142.<br />
Sponsored by Datalink.<br />
text from his wife, who had just<br />
been shot and told her husband<br />
she “was dying.”<br />
Flores stared at the school,<br />
encircled by a 5-foot fence,<br />
the same one he used to climb<br />
over in drills when he disguised<br />
himself as an intruder to keep<br />
staff on their toes — just like the<br />
shooter had done that morning,<br />
entering the school through an<br />
unlocked door.<br />
After his drills, Flores would<br />
write reports for the principal,<br />
specifying how many doors were<br />
unlocked and making recommendations.<br />
He would share the<br />
information on Facebook to alert<br />
the community, especially parents.<br />
“A culture of complacency<br />
weakens those safeguards,” he<br />
said.<br />
Flores stared at what he described<br />
as a “chaotic scene.”<br />
He offered his former police<br />
colleagues help but “I was told<br />
‘everything is under control.’ And<br />
then I saw them pull a couple of<br />
bodies out of the school, and I<br />
knew nothing was under control.<br />
Everything was in such chaos. It<br />
was bad.”<br />
As the situation deteriorated,<br />
“one of my nephews ran toward<br />
me and said, ‘Eli has been<br />
shot.’“And I just, it was … so<br />
difficult. ... Still is. I just wished I<br />
had been in there.”<br />
Eli’s uncle and legal guardian,<br />
Al Salinas, 54, has heard the<br />
talk in town about how things<br />
might have been different under<br />
Flores. He knows Flores. Salinas<br />
is married to one of Melissa’s<br />
older sisters, making him a “concuño,<br />
brother-in-law,” he said.<br />
And he’s seen the videos, too,<br />
with law enforcement members<br />
standing around, paralyzed.<br />
Salinas isn’t convinced.<br />
“It’s easy for him in a conversation<br />
to tell me that he would<br />
have done this, and he would<br />
have done that, but he didn’t<br />
have actual live rounds shot at<br />
him,” he said. “<strong>No</strong> one did their<br />
job. We’ll never know.”<br />
Flores agrees that it’s wasted<br />
time to second-guess. It’s time<br />
to move forward, he said, and<br />
prepare for the next mass shooting.<br />
This week, he wrote to the<br />
school board and offered to be<br />
part of a committee to look into<br />
what happened at Robb and<br />
come up with informed suggestions<br />
on how to prevent another<br />
mass shooting.<br />
“I asked not as someone who<br />
wants to be a cop again, because<br />
I know that’s not going<br />
to happen, but as a concerned<br />
parent,” he said.<br />
His eldest child, Leo, 18, who<br />
was a school classmate of the<br />
shooter, just graduated from<br />
high school. His second son, Jett,<br />
14, is entering high school, and<br />
his youngest, Unica Alicia, 9,<br />
hasn’t slept in her bedroom since<br />
the shooting. She’s moved into<br />
her parents’ room “to sleep at<br />
night, feel safe. She misses her<br />
46 The BLUES The BLUES 47
“Today we are turning a page in the history of this<br />
agency and the community,” Sheriff Michelle Cook.<br />
48 The BLUES The BLUES 49
A True Passion for Service<br />
Sheriff Michelle Cook, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Florida<br />
Words by Dr. Tina Jaeckle, Editor, The BLUES<br />
As the only female sheriff<br />
currently holding this office<br />
in the State of Florida, Michelle<br />
Cook has reached a<br />
level in her career that few<br />
will ever achieve. I first met<br />
Michelle several years ago at<br />
the <strong>No</strong>rtheast Florida Criminal<br />
Justice Center in Jacksonville,<br />
Florida. At that time,<br />
she was serving in the role of<br />
Assistant Chief and Academy<br />
Director and her passion for<br />
public service was already<br />
clearly present. I respected<br />
her confidence, intelligence,<br />
and drive and had no question<br />
she would continue to<br />
rise. However, the characteristics<br />
that make Sheriff Cook<br />
truly extraordinary are not<br />
only her love and commitment<br />
to her community and<br />
agency but also to her family.<br />
In fact, when asked what<br />
she considered her greatest<br />
personal achievement, she<br />
stated without hesitation, it<br />
was adopting a sibling group<br />
of four from the Florida foster<br />
care system. Along with<br />
her husband Don Tuten at her<br />
side, she clearly cherishes<br />
her role as a parent to all six<br />
of their children.<br />
Sheriff Cook has deep roots<br />
in the community she serves.<br />
The Cook family moved to<br />
Clay County in the early 80’s<br />
when Michelle’s father, a<br />
Navy veteran, was stationed<br />
at Naval Air Station Cecil<br />
Field. Michelle attended<br />
Orange Park Middle School<br />
and is a Clay High School<br />
graduate. Michelle entered<br />
the law enforcement profession<br />
as a Patrol Officer,<br />
working as a beat cop on the<br />
street. With earned promotions<br />
throughout her 26 year<br />
career, Michelle retired as a<br />
3-star Director, and third in<br />
command, from the Jacksonville<br />
Sheriff’s Office, a<br />
3,300-person agency and the<br />
nation’s 25th largest police<br />
department. As Director of<br />
Patrol and Enforcement, her<br />
responsibilities included the<br />
strategic deployment and<br />
activities of over 1,000 first<br />
responders and community<br />
relations personnel, and direct<br />
management of a budget<br />
of over $100 million. She<br />
50 The BLUES The BLUES 51
also oversaw the over 1,000<br />
special events that occurred<br />
in the Downtown Jacksonville<br />
area each year. She also<br />
served as the agency lead<br />
on collective bargaining and<br />
routinely worked with elected<br />
officials while promoting<br />
the law enforcement mission.<br />
In 2017 Michelle accepted<br />
the position of Chief of Police<br />
for the City of Atlantic Beach,<br />
Fl. The Atlantic Beach Police<br />
Department (ABPD) is<br />
a full-service agency with<br />
a 6-million-dollar budget,<br />
serves approximately 14,000<br />
residents and handles approximately<br />
25,000 calls for<br />
service each year. Under her<br />
leadership, the City of Atlantic<br />
Beach saw a decrease in<br />
the crime rate and improved<br />
employee and citizen morale<br />
and support. She is credited<br />
with successfully leading<br />
the ABPD through the Florida<br />
Commission for Law Enforcement<br />
Accreditation process.<br />
She is also credited for writing<br />
the City of Atlantic Beach<br />
All-Hazard Response (hurricane)<br />
plan.<br />
In early 2020 Michelle retired<br />
from the Atlantic Beach<br />
Police Department and began<br />
her campaign for Sheriff<br />
in the County she was born<br />
and raised. Michelle successfully<br />
beat out five other candidates<br />
to win her primary<br />
and then was declared the<br />
winner when a write-in candidate<br />
withdrew. On September<br />
1, 2020, Governor Ron<br />
Desantis appointed Michelle<br />
to Sheriff of Clay County to<br />
complete the term left vacant<br />
by her predecessor and<br />
on January 5, 2021 Michelle<br />
was officially sworn in to<br />
start her first term. It was<br />
a big step forward for Clay<br />
County.<br />
Recognized for her extensive<br />
experience and leadership<br />
in law enforcement,<br />
Michelle has built a reputation<br />
of being a firm, yet<br />
compassionate law enforcement<br />
leader whose integrity<br />
and genuine management<br />
style bring respect not only<br />
from her work family but<br />
also the community she<br />
serves. Sheriff Cook has<br />
numerous career highlights<br />
to include, but not limited<br />
to, having served as the<br />
Incident Commander during<br />
SWAT/Negotiator call-outs;<br />
Training Academy Director in<br />
which she commanded the<br />
firing range, recruiting, basic<br />
recruit training, Criminal<br />
Justice Standards and Training<br />
Commission Trust Fund<br />
Advanced and Specialized<br />
Training and all police and<br />
corrections basic and in-service<br />
training requirements;<br />
Assistant Chief of Narcotics<br />
and Vice and supervised<br />
all undercover narcotics<br />
and vice operations, internet<br />
crimes against children,<br />
technical support, and served<br />
as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking<br />
Area member; Chief<br />
of Professional Standards<br />
in which she commanded<br />
the firing range, training<br />
academy, polygraph unit,<br />
inspections, internal affairs,<br />
accreditation, crime analysis,<br />
continuous improvement, fusion<br />
center and information<br />
systems management; Commander<br />
of the Intelligence<br />
Unit and represented the<br />
Jacksonville sheriff’s Office<br />
on the Joint Terrorism Task<br />
Force, <strong>No</strong>rth Florida Fusion<br />
Cell, and served as key agency<br />
liaison to US Marshals and<br />
FBI; Incident Commander for<br />
the <strong>No</strong>rth Florida All Hazards<br />
Team for hurricane and<br />
crisis response and credentialed<br />
through the Emergency<br />
Management Institute as an<br />
Operations Section Chief and<br />
Incident Commander and has<br />
served in this role for over<br />
500 unplanned incidents<br />
and pre-planned events in<br />
the region, combining her<br />
extensive knowledge of the<br />
Incident Command System<br />
with real world experience<br />
handling complex critical<br />
incidents; and serves as an<br />
instructor and consultant for<br />
an organization that provides<br />
training nationally for Active<br />
Shooter Incident Management,<br />
sharing her extensive<br />
experience in the command<br />
and leadership portion of the<br />
training curriculum and provides<br />
crucial input and feedback<br />
on course development.<br />
Incident Commander, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office<br />
Meeting with the Community<br />
52 The BLUES The BLUES 53
Sheriff Cook’s commitment<br />
to service also extends in<br />
other areas as demonstrated<br />
through her participation in<br />
numerous community initiatives<br />
including, but not limited<br />
to, the Continuity of Care<br />
Board; Jax Journey Oversight<br />
Committee; Jax Journey Juvenile<br />
Justice Sub Committee;<br />
Leadership Jacksonville<br />
Board Member; IM Sulzbacher<br />
Campus (Homeless Shelter<br />
and Services), working group<br />
member; State of Florida<br />
Emergency Response Management<br />
Team (NEFLAHIMT);<br />
Fusion System Cell Steering<br />
Committee; Law Enforcement<br />
Terrorism Prevention<br />
Program (RDSTF); FBI Hate<br />
Crimes Working Group; Career<br />
Training Curriculum<br />
Development Committee;<br />
Career Oral Board for police<br />
candidates; Career Development<br />
Committee; State Law<br />
Enforcement Training Center<br />
Directors group; Region V<br />
Training Advisory Committee;<br />
and the Florida State College<br />
at Jacksonville Criminal Justice<br />
Advisory Committee<br />
Sheriff Cook holds a master’s<br />
degree in Criminal Justice<br />
from University of <strong>No</strong>rth<br />
Florida and a bachelor’s degree<br />
in Criminal Justice and<br />
a minor in Public Administration<br />
from the same institution.<br />
She is also a graduate<br />
of the FBI Law Enforcement<br />
Executives training and a<br />
member of the Florida Police<br />
Chief’s Association and Florida<br />
Sheriff’s Association. Her<br />
dedication has earned her<br />
countless awards to include<br />
the Law Enforcement Legacy<br />
Leader Award; Contributing<br />
Writer/Award Winner – “Police<br />
Director’s Consortium”;<br />
Chad Reed First Responder<br />
Award for Hurricane preparedness<br />
and response; and<br />
the 6 Pillars of Character<br />
Award Winner.<br />
During this interview I had<br />
the opportunity to learn<br />
more about what motivates<br />
Sheriff Cook to continue to<br />
serve and her philosophy<br />
that drives her passion. She<br />
shared “I love my job. I love<br />
serving others. I love building<br />
a culture and an organization<br />
based on giving back<br />
to our community. I love<br />
law and order and the ability<br />
to maintain a strong prolaw<br />
commitment while still<br />
building community relationships”.<br />
Her positive attitude<br />
Enjoying Horseback Riding<br />
Chief of Police,<br />
Atlantic Beach Police Department, Florida<br />
SWAT Call Out in the Spring of 2021<br />
54 The BLUES The BLUES 55
also helps combat what she<br />
considers one of the greatest<br />
challenges her field faces<br />
today, the negativity toward<br />
law enforcement and their<br />
mission.<br />
The policing field has historically<br />
changed over the<br />
last two decades and this<br />
has clearly impacted opportunities<br />
for women. I asked<br />
Sheriff Cook her thoughts<br />
on these changes and she<br />
shared that although she was<br />
grateful that the uniforms fit<br />
now, women still make up<br />
a very small percentage of<br />
police officers overall. In addition,<br />
acceptance of women<br />
in law enforcement appears<br />
to have increased, however,<br />
the actual number of women<br />
joining the ranks is still<br />
low and these opportunities<br />
should be encouraged by<br />
agencies.<br />
Given an increasing number<br />
of high profile active shooter<br />
incidents in this nation<br />
and Sheriff Cook’s extensive<br />
expertise, I inquired about<br />
her thoughts on best practices<br />
in the policing field. She<br />
offered “I have been involved<br />
in active shooter tactical<br />
training and active shooter<br />
incident management for 15<br />
years now. I have traveled<br />
the country teaching Active<br />
Shooter Incident Management.<br />
We must continue to<br />
train our line level personnel<br />
in active shooter tactical response,<br />
but it is also imperative<br />
that police leaders also<br />
obtain active shooter incident<br />
management training”.<br />
When I asked Sheriff Cook<br />
where she saw herself in five<br />
years in this field, she simply<br />
stated, Sheriff of Clay<br />
County. I have no doubt. Very<br />
well done, good and faithful<br />
servant.<br />
Sheriff Cook with her Husband Don Tuten<br />
56 The BLUES The BLUES 57
<strong>AUG</strong>UST<br />
7-10<br />
WPLF Summer Training<br />
Conference<br />
Green Bay, WI<br />
88th Annual APCO International<br />
Conference<br />
Anaheim, CA<br />
https://www.apco2021.org/<br />
8-9<br />
International Conference<br />
on Special Admin Law<br />
New York, NY<br />
8-11<br />
Kentucky Association<br />
Chiefs of Police State<br />
Conference<br />
Center for Rural Development<br />
Somerset, KY<br />
11-13<br />
21st Annual State Criminal<br />
Justice Network Conf.<br />
The Breakers<br />
Palm Beach, FL<br />
15-18<br />
Fleet Patrol Conference &<br />
Expo 2022<br />
Austin Convention Center<br />
Austin, TX<br />
18-19<br />
Midwest Security & Police<br />
Conference<br />
Tinley Park Convention Center<br />
Tinley Park, IL<br />
22-23<br />
Police Recruitment & Retention<br />
Summit<br />
Bellagio Hotel<br />
Las Vegas, NV<br />
24-26<br />
TacOps South<br />
Sheraton Music Center<br />
Nashville, TN<br />
24-27<br />
NYTOA SWAT Training<br />
Conference<br />
Turning Stone Resort<br />
Verona, NY<br />
1-7<br />
39th Annual NTOA Law Enforcement<br />
Conference<br />
Kansas City Marriott Downtown<br />
Kansas City, MO<br />
4-6<br />
Interpol<br />
The Ritz<br />
Raleigh, NC<br />
SEPTEMBER<br />
7-9<br />
TaCops East Tactical<br />
Training Conference &<br />
Expo<br />
Crystal Gateway Marriott<br />
Arlington VA<br />
11-14<br />
2022 VACP Conference<br />
Roanake, VA<br />
19-23<br />
27th Annual Advanced<br />
Homicide Investigation<br />
Conference<br />
The Claridge<br />
Atlantic City, NJ<br />
24<br />
OFFICER DOWN MEMORIAL<br />
RIDE<br />
Bull Run Harley-Davidson<br />
Manassas, VA<br />
27-29<br />
GSX 2022 Conference<br />
Orange County Convention<br />
Center<br />
Orlando, FL<br />
OCTOBER<br />
15-18<br />
IACP – International Association<br />
of Chiefs of Police<br />
Dallas Convention Center<br />
Dallas, Texas<br />
17-21<br />
TAVTI– Texas Association<br />
of Vehicle Theft Investigators<br />
Emerald Beach Hotel,<br />
Corpus Christi<br />
24-27<br />
TCOLE Training Conference<br />
American Bank Conference<br />
Center<br />
Corpus Christi, TX<br />
58 The BLUES The BLUES 59
Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2022 TCOLE Conference!<br />
<br />
Join us on October 24th-27th<br />
at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, the Gulf Coast Capital!<br />
<br />
Check out some of the breakout sessions we have planned for this year’s conference on<br />
innovative training approaches, conflict solutions, active listening, PTSD, Texas Law<br />
Enforcement Peer Network, legislative updates, background investigations and Secure<br />
Share, TCLEDDS, police recruiting and retention, and more:<br />
www.tcole.texas.gov/content/tcc-schedule<br />
<br />
Reminder: All sessions must be attended to receive conference credit.<br />
<br />
Early Bird Pricing = $200 before September 25th, 2022<br />
Regular Pricing = $275 on or after September 26th, 2022<br />
<br />
The TCOLE Conference draws around 1,000 attendees annually. If you would like to be a<br />
vendor or sponsor for this year’s conference, please contact<br />
vendor.support@tcole.texas.gov.<br />
<br />
There is no shortage of fun, miles of beaches, incredible views, and great weather in Corpus<br />
Christi, where many attractions and adventures await!! Come see what makes this place the<br />
Gulf Coast Capital.<br />
<br />
See you in Corpus Christi!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Register Today!<br />
All sponsors will get signage dependent on individual sponsorship deal.<br />
Additional on-stage recognition may be given for certain event/food sponsorships. (ex: Enjoy your break sponsored by xxx)<br />
60 The BLUES <br />
The BLUES 61
What to Do This Summer?<br />
Head Down to<br />
Galveston Island<br />
Attractions<br />
Galveston Island is home to some of the<br />
best attractions Texas has to offer, including<br />
Moody Gardens, Schlitterbahn<br />
Waterpark, the Historic Pleasure Pier,<br />
unique museums, dazzling Victorian architecture,<br />
and 32 miles of sun-kissed beach-<br />
Historic Buildings & Homes<br />
Although most of the original structures are long gone, the<br />
stories of early islanders live on in renovated structures<br />
and new establishments created in memory of the past.<br />
Galveston Beaches<br />
With 32 miles of shoreline and a variety of<br />
parks, Galveston Island offers something for<br />
every kind of beachgoer. And with warm Gulf<br />
waves from spring through October, there’s<br />
plenty of time to explore each beach’s unique<br />
personality. Whatever your sunseeking fancy,<br />
Galveston has a beach for you.<br />
62 The BLUES The BLUES 63
Head Down to<br />
Galveston Island<br />
Katie’s Seafood House<br />
2000 Wharf Rd Galveston, Texas<br />
(409) 765-5688<br />
For more than 20 years, Katie’s Seafood<br />
Market has provided the highest quality<br />
seafood to Galveston locals and visitors.<br />
In September of 2019, Katie’s husband,<br />
Buddy, opened Katie’s Seafood House<br />
right next to the store. The market supplies<br />
the restaurant with its fresh seafood,<br />
which is a unique attribute among<br />
restaurants and takes each dish to the<br />
next level. Stop in for a delicious shrimp<br />
platter and enjoy a house cocktail next<br />
time you in Galveston!<br />
Where to Stay?<br />
The BLUES recommends:<br />
Casa Del Mar Beachfront Suites<br />
Be the hero of your family vacation! With<br />
a relaxed vibe, beautiful views of the Gulf<br />
of Mexico and steps from the beach,<br />
Casa del Mar is ideal for a family vacation<br />
or weekend getaway. Each suite offers a<br />
private balcony, a small living room with a<br />
queen sleeper sofa, a studio kitchen, private<br />
bedroom, and junior bunks for small<br />
kids.<br />
The Spot<br />
3204 Seawall Blvd Galveston, Texas<br />
(409) 621-5237<br />
Island Famous: Five Venues, One Spot: The<br />
Spot, Tiki Bar, SideYard, Rum Shack and<br />
Squeeze! You can’t go wrong at The Spot, Galveston<br />
Island’s premier beachfront dining and<br />
entertainment destination. Dive into a mouthwatering<br />
burger or fresh seafood, grab a beer<br />
and find a sweet spot to relax inside or out on<br />
our multi-level beachfront patios. Whether you<br />
want to catch the game on one of our many<br />
HDTVs or enjoy the sparkling views of the Gulf<br />
of Mexico, every seat’s the best seat in the<br />
house. It’s the perfect setting to hang out with<br />
your friends and meet new ones.<br />
Tours & Sightseeing<br />
Whether you prefer to stroll down quaint<br />
alleyways by foot or trot through the streets<br />
in a carriage, all paths can lead you on an<br />
unforgettable journey back in time. You’ll<br />
be entertained and enlightened by knowledgeable<br />
guides giving tours on foot,<br />
carriage, shuttle or even boat. If you prefer<br />
to do you own thing, we’ve assemble<br />
self-guided tours of popular sights with<br />
maps designed for mobile devices.<br />
Rudy & Paco Restaurant and Bar<br />
2028 Postoffice St., Galveston, TX<br />
Phone: (409)762-3696<br />
When visiting Galveston Island, you simply<br />
can’t miss the Island’s most unique<br />
dining experience, Rudy & Paco. Awarded<br />
Top 100 Restaurants of 2017 and Top 100<br />
Romantic Restaurants of 2018, Rudy &<br />
Paco features grilled seafood and steak<br />
with a South and Central American sabor.<br />
Relax and unwind with your favorite<br />
cocktail while enjoying delicious Antojitos.<br />
Whether you’re dining for a special<br />
occasion or just grabbing a drink at the<br />
bar, coming to Rudy & Paco will surely<br />
be an experience like no other.<br />
64 The BLUES The BLUES 65
Head Down to<br />
Galveston Island<br />
TRAIN RIDES<br />
EVENT VENUE<br />
Galveston Railroad Museum<br />
Visit the Galveston Railroad Museum to learn the history of the golden age of rail and experience<br />
the excitement of bygone days. Interactive activities include walking through a<br />
railroad post office, sleeping cars, dining and baggage cars. Visit the fully restored train depot<br />
and enjoy current exhibits as well as hands-on fully operational signal lights, learn the<br />
Legacy of the Railroad including the story of the Pullman Porter, view a rare railroad calendar<br />
collection, artwork and the take selfies with the lifelike alabaster sculptures that depict<br />
depot passengers in period dress. Step inside a telephone booth, lift the receiver to your<br />
ear and overhear their conversations. Don’t miss additional exhibits located on the railyard<br />
and board a caboose for a real train ride! The Galveston Railroad Museum is family friendly<br />
and has something for all ages to enjoy! Check our online schedule for upcoming events.<br />
Home of the popular Christmas holiday family event The Polar Express Train Ride, pajamas<br />
are encouraged for the full experience that runs <strong>No</strong>vember thru December. Membership at<br />
the Galveston Railroad Museum is loaded with benefits including Polar Express early bird<br />
ticket purchase. In addition, members enjoy year- round access to the museum and enjoy<br />
discounts in the museum store and at special events. Don’t miss the train! For additional<br />
information go to www.GalvestonRRMuseum.org or call (409) 765-5700.<br />
EXHIBITS<br />
Established 1983<br />
galvestonrrmuseum.org<br />
409-765-5700<br />
RAIL HOTEL<br />
Show this ad at the museum ticket counter or online code “Blue” to receive a 1st responder<br />
20% discount on museum exhibits and rides. Valid Through September 30, 2022<br />
66 The BLUES The BLUES 67
HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES<br />
SERGEANT JOHN K. WILLIAMS<br />
POLICE OFFICER LOREN MICHAEL COURTS<br />
CORALVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT, IOWA<br />
END OF WATCH SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2022<br />
AGE: 59 TOUR: 28 YEARS BADGE: 376<br />
Sergeant John Williams passed away after suffering a medical emergency following his response to a shooting<br />
call. The shooting occurred in an apartment complex and involved a 3-year-old victim. Sergeant Williams was<br />
on scene of the incident when he began to experience symptoms of an acute medical emergency. He was<br />
transported to a local hospital where he passed away a short time later.<br />
Sergeant Williams had served with the Coralville Police Department for 28 years. He is survived by his wife,<br />
four children, and six grandchildren.<br />
DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT, MICHIGAN<br />
=END OF WATCH WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2022<br />
AGE: 40 TOUR: 5 YEARS BADGE: 611<br />
Police Officer Loren Courts was shot and killed while responding to a shooting call near the intersection of Joy<br />
Road and Marlowe Street at about 7:30 pm. When Officer Courts and his partner arrived on the scene, the subject<br />
immediately began shooting at them, striking Officer Courts while he was still in his patrol car. His partner tried<br />
to save him by applying pressure to his wound, with her back toward the approaching gunman. The subject had<br />
come downstairs from the building, pointing the gun at the two officers. Other officers who had arrived on the<br />
scene shot and killed the suspect. Officer Courts was transported to Sinai Grace Hospital, where he succumbed to<br />
his wounds a short time later. Officer Courts had served with the Detroit Police Department for five years and was<br />
assigned to the 2nd precinct. He is survived by his wife, son, daughter, and parents. His father had recently retired<br />
from the Detroit Police Department.<br />
68 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 69
HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES<br />
POLICE OFFICER BRIAN OLLIFF<br />
UNDERSHERIFF LARRY KOREN<br />
NATCHITOCHES POLICE DEPARTMENT, LOUISIANA<br />
END OF WATCH SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2022<br />
AGE: 52 TOUR: 20 YEARS BADGE: 116<br />
Police Officer Brian Olliff died after suffering a heat-related medical event while working in the city’s downtown<br />
district.<br />
Officer Olliff had served with the Natchitoches Police Department for 20 years and concurrently served with<br />
the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office. He previously served with the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office. He is<br />
survived by his wife and four children. One of his sons also serves with the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.<br />
BERNALILLO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, NM=E<br />
END OF WATCH SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2022<br />
AGE: 55 TOUR: 25 YEARS BADGE: 25<br />
Undersheriff Larry Koren, Deputy Sheriff Michael Levison, and Lieutenant Fred Beers were killed when the agency’s<br />
helicopter, Metro 2, crashed near Las Vegas, New Mexico. Rescue Specialist Matthew King of the Bernalillo<br />
County Fire Department was also killed in the crash. Metro 2 was returning to Albuquerque after assisting fire<br />
crews at the East Mesa Fire. They were returning to Albuquerque after conducting bucket drops when the crash<br />
occurred at about 7:20 pm.<br />
Undersheriff Koren had served with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office for 25 years. He is survived by his wife,<br />
two sons, and two sisters.<br />
70 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 71
HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES<br />
LIEUTENANT FRED BEERS<br />
DEPUTY SHERIFF MICHAEL ADAM LEVISON<br />
BERNALILLO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, NM<br />
END OF WATCH SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2022<br />
AGE: 51 TOUR: 13 YEARS BADGE: N/A<br />
Lieutenant Fred Beers, Undersheriff Larry Koren, and Deputy Sheriff Michael Levison were killed when the<br />
agency’s helicopter, Metro 2, crashed near Las Vegas, New Mexico. Rescue Specialist Matthew King of the<br />
Bernalillo County Fire Department was also killed in the crash. Metro 2 was returning to Albuquerque after<br />
assisting fire crews at the East Mesa Fire. They were returning to Albuquerque after conducting bucket drops<br />
when the crash occurred at about 7:20 pm. In 2017 Lieutenant Beers organized a hike to the summit of<br />
Wheeler Peak, the highest point in New Mexico, with other members of Cops on Top to honor fallen officers.<br />
Lieutenant Beers was a United States Air Force veteran and had served with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s<br />
Office for over 13 years. He is survived by his wife, son, father, and two sisters..<br />
BERNALILLO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, NM=E<br />
END OF WATCH SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2022<br />
AGE: 30 TOUR: 5 YEARS BADGE: N/A<br />
Deputy Sheriff Michael Levison, Undersheriff Larry Koren, and Lieutenant Fred Beers were killed when the agency’s<br />
helicopter, Metro 2, crashed near Las Vegas, New Mexico. Rescue Specialist Matthew King of the Bernalillo<br />
County Fire Department was also killed in the crash. Metro 2 was returning to Albuquerque after assisting fire<br />
crews at the East Mesa Fire. They were returning to Albuquerque after conducting bucket drops when the crash<br />
occurred at about 7:20 pm.<br />
Deputy Levison was a New Mexico Air National Guard veteran and had served with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s<br />
Office for five years. He is survived by his mother, father, stepmother, three brothers, a sister, grandmother, and<br />
girlfriend.<br />
72 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 73
HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES<br />
POLICE OFFICER DANIEL VASQUEZ<br />
SERGEANT CHRISTOPHER JAMES NELSON<br />
NORTH KANSAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, MO<br />
END OF WATCH TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022<br />
AGE: 32 TOUR: 2 YEARS BADGE: N/A<br />
Police Officer Daniel Vasquez was shot and killed while making a traffic stop near the intersection of 21st<br />
Street and Clay Street at about 10:40 am. The driver of the vehicle shot Officer Vasquez before fleeing. A<br />
backup officer who arrived at the scene began CPR before Officer Vasquez was transported to a nearby<br />
hospital. He succumbed to his wounds a short time later. The subject who shot him turned himself in at the<br />
Kansas City Police Department approximately three hours later.<br />
Officer Vasquez had served with the <strong>No</strong>rth Kansas City Police Department for two years.<br />
EDMOND POLICE DEPARTMENT, OKLAHOMA<br />
END OF WATCH TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022<br />
AGE: <strong>38</strong> TOUR: 15 YEARS BADGE: M519<br />
Sergeant CJ Nelson was killed when his police motorcycle was struck by a utility truck on Broadway Extension at<br />
Comfort Drive at about 3:00 pm.The utility truck was driving northbound at a high rate of speed when it struck<br />
Sergeant Nelson’s motorcycle and several vehicles that were stopped at the light. Sergeant Nelson was transported<br />
to the OU Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the truck was charged with manslaughter<br />
and second-degree murder. Preliminary blood tests showed the presence of amphetamine and methamphetamine<br />
in the driver’s system. Sergeant Nelson was one day shy of his 13-year anniversary with the Edmond<br />
Police Department and previously served with the Honolulu Police Department for two years. He is survived by his<br />
wife, daughter, son, mother, stepfather, father, and brother.<br />
74 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 75
HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES<br />
POLICE OFFICER ANTHONY PATRICK MAZURKIEWICZ<br />
DEPUTY SHERIFF MATTHEW YATES<br />
ROCHESTER POLICE DEPARTMENT, NEW YORK<br />
END OF WATCH THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022<br />
AGE: 54 TOUR: 29 YEARS BADGE: 557<br />
Police Officer Tony Mazurkiewicz was shot and killed while conducting surveillance on Bauman Street at 9:15 pm.<br />
As part of a murder investigation, Officer Mazurkiewicz and another officer were in an unmarked police vehicle when<br />
the subject walked up from behind and fired 17 rounds. The other officer exited the passenger side and returned fire<br />
but did not strike the subject, who fled. Officer Mazurkiewicz was shot at least twice in the upper body. Officer Mazurkiewicz<br />
was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. His partner was shot in<br />
the lower body and transported to Rochester General Hospital, where he was treated and released. A 15-year-old girl<br />
was grazed by a bullet that entered her home during the ambush.Officer Mazurkiewicz had served with the Rochester<br />
Police Department for 29 years and previously served with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department. He is survived<br />
by his wife, four children, three grandchildren, parents, brother, and sister.<br />
CLARK COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, OHIO<br />
END OF WATCH SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022<br />
AGE: 41 TOUR: 15 YEARS BADGE: N/A<br />
Deputy Sheriff Matthew Yates was shot and killed while responding to shots fired call at the 1100 block of Ashwood<br />
Drive in South Charleston. At 10:51 am, Clark County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting that a<br />
female subject had broken into a residence and fired five or six shots. When Deputy Yates and another deputy<br />
attempted to check the mobile home, they were met with gunfire. Deputy Yates was shot inside the trailer and was<br />
trapped inside for hours during the standoff with the subject. Clark County Special Operations and other tactical<br />
teams were called to rescue him. Deputy Yates was flown to the Miami Valley Hospital where he succumbed to his<br />
injuries. A second deputy was injured while trying to escape the gunfire. Deputy Yates had served with the Clark<br />
County Sheriff’s Office for 15 years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, two stepsons, and father, who retired from<br />
the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.<br />
76 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 77
HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES<br />
PATROLMAN VINCENT ANTHONY PARKS<br />
DEPUTY SHERIFF LORENZO BUSTOS<br />
JONESBORO POLICE DEPARTMENT, ARKANSAS<br />
END OF WATCH SUNDAY, JULY 17, 2022<br />
AGE: <strong>38</strong> TOUR: 1 MONTH BADGE: N/A<br />
Patrolman Vinnie Parks passed away after collapsing while participating in physical exercises at the Central Arkansas<br />
Law Enforcement Training Academy’s facility at Camp Robinson. He started showing signs of distress and was able to<br />
walk to an ambulance before collapsing. The Central Arkansas area was under a heat advisory at the time.<br />
Patrolman Parks had served with the Jonesboro Police Department for only one month. He is survived by his wife,<br />
daughter, mother, sister, and grandmother.<br />
SMITH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, TEXAS<br />
END OF WATCH FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022<br />
AGE: 29 TOUR: 2 YEARS 1 MO. BADGE: N/A<br />
Deputy Sheriff Lorenzo Bustos was struck and killed by a drunk driver at about 12:50 while making a traffic stop<br />
in the 14000 block of State Highway 155. He and his field training officer had conducted a traffic stop shortly<br />
before midnight and had taken two occupants of the vehicle into custody. While they were completing their investigation<br />
of the initial traffic stop another vehicle struck Deputy Bustos as he stood behind his patrol SUV. The impact<br />
pushed Deputy Bustos beneath the patrol vehicle. His partner, who was sitting in the passenger seat at the time<br />
of the crash, immediately started rendering aid. Deputy Bustos was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed<br />
to his injuries about five hours later. Deputy Bustos had served with the Smith County Sheriff’s Office for<br />
six months and was on his final night of field training. He had previously served with the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office<br />
for one year and the Henderson Police Department for one year. He is survived by his wife and three children.<br />
78 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 79
By Lt. Brian Nichols, RET<br />
the Naked Truth<br />
Working nights taught me<br />
one thing. Intoxicated people<br />
lose all common sense and all<br />
inhibitions when it comes to<br />
clothing or the lack thereof. In<br />
other words, they get naked at<br />
the drop of a hat. Allow me to<br />
share a few of these encounters<br />
with you.<br />
LOCKED OUT.<br />
Many years ago, they were<br />
building a new business park<br />
on the north side of town. For<br />
the longest time, all that existed<br />
were paved streets that proved<br />
to be a haven for couples looking<br />
for a place to make out. Or<br />
more.<br />
One night, around 2am I made<br />
my usual swing through the<br />
complex to make sure the only<br />
thing being stripped were young<br />
couples not cars. Hey, I was<br />
young once and what you do in<br />
your own car is your business<br />
as long as you’re not breaking<br />
any laws. And since these were<br />
private streets without any <strong>No</strong><br />
Trespassing Signs, they weren’t<br />
technically breaking any laws.<br />
But there’s always that one<br />
couple that pushed the boundaries<br />
and did something to draw<br />
attention to themselves. Tonight,<br />
was Tommy and Sherry’s night.<br />
As I turned down the last street<br />
in very back of the complex, I<br />
couldn’t help but notice these<br />
two love birds sitting on the<br />
hood of their car – completely<br />
naked. Oh yeah, this should be<br />
interesting. I turned on the takedown<br />
lights and immediately Ms.<br />
Sherry starts yelling at me.<br />
“Hey asshole, can you turn off<br />
the fucking spotlights?”<br />
Asshole huh. What the hell<br />
are you two doing? Why are you<br />
sitting naked on the hood of your<br />
car?<br />
Again, Sherry was obviously<br />
the brains of this pair “because<br />
asshole, we locked the keys in<br />
the car and our clothes are in<br />
the backseat. And why the fuck<br />
are you staring at my naked<br />
ass, don’t you have a blanket or<br />
something?”<br />
Well, I was going to ask for<br />
some ID but I’m assuming that’s<br />
locked up with your clothes. And<br />
no ma’am I don’t have any blankets.<br />
But I’ll…..<br />
“Well what kind of fucking<br />
cop are you? You don’t carry any<br />
blankets with you. That’s just<br />
bullshit!”<br />
I was going to say, I’ll call a<br />
wrecker and get your doors<br />
opened so you can get dressed.<br />
Then we’ll see whether or not<br />
you both to jail. So, I suggest you<br />
calm your ass down and be a little<br />
more respectful considering<br />
the predicament you’re in.<br />
All this time, her boyfriend<br />
Tommy hasn’t said a word and<br />
was keeping his hands in plain<br />
sight…cupped over his privates<br />
that believed they were stilled<br />
engaged in the previous activities.<br />
If you know what I mean.<br />
<strong>No</strong>rmally I would search the two<br />
for weapons, but in this case, it<br />
was clear who was holding a<br />
loaded weapon…..well, you get<br />
the idea.<br />
I called dispatch and asked for<br />
a friendly wrecker to check by<br />
with a Slim Jim and while we<br />
waited, I asked the young man<br />
exactly what led to their extra<br />
vehicular activities. He says his<br />
girlfriend said his back seat was<br />
too small and that they should<br />
do it on the hood. Somehow, she<br />
hit the door lock and well here<br />
they were.<br />
“Hey, shit head don’t blame<br />
me, if you had a bigger car this<br />
wouldn’t have happened”<br />
I couldn’t help but inject myself,<br />
Oh I don’t know he seems to<br />
have a pretty big car over there<br />
now. LOL<br />
“Yeah, you’re real funny Mr.<br />
Asshole cop. What the fuck is<br />
taking so long for the damn<br />
wrecker? Can’t you do something<br />
to get them here faster? You’re<br />
just such an asshole.”<br />
Oh yes ma’am I can. Unit 2303<br />
dispatch, I need the first wrecker<br />
on the scene at my location with<br />
a Slim Jim, first wrecker with a<br />
Slim Jim to help a young lady<br />
retrieve her clothes from her<br />
locked car. Also, I need a blanket<br />
to cover up this young lady.<br />
Within minutes over 30 wreckers<br />
showed up to see the show.<br />
Sherry was furious. LOL<br />
They both got dressed. Tommy<br />
wasn’t drunk, so I let him go.<br />
His girlfriend Sherry took a ride.<br />
Bitch cussed me all the way to<br />
jail.<br />
• • •<br />
MS. NIGHTGOWN<br />
It was my first time to work the<br />
north district which consisted of<br />
mostly expensive homes and rich<br />
people. <strong>No</strong>t that I had anything<br />
against either one, just stating<br />
the facts. I had heard stories<br />
from the officers that worked<br />
this beat that the night shift was<br />
clearly the best beat in the city<br />
to work.<br />
I assumed it was the best because<br />
it was quiet, and you really<br />
didn’t have to do much. <strong>No</strong>pe.<br />
That wasn’t it. I was about to find<br />
out why this section of town was<br />
so desirable. At least for night<br />
shift cops anyway.<br />
My first call was for a possible<br />
prowler in a backyard. The house<br />
sat at the end of a cul-de-sac,<br />
and it was massive. I rang the<br />
bell, knocked, said police department<br />
and I hear this faint<br />
voice, “Hold on officer.”<br />
The door opens and an older<br />
80 The BLUES The BLUES 81
woman in a night gown says,<br />
“thank God officer, I think there’s<br />
a man in my back yard.”<br />
It was at this moment, whether<br />
she staged it or not, that I noticed<br />
the entire house was dark<br />
except for a bright lamp that<br />
was situated just behind her<br />
in the hallway. That lone light<br />
shined right through that night<br />
gown, and it was quite obvious<br />
that was all she was wearing,<br />
Well, ok, ma’am, you lock the<br />
door and I’ll go around back and<br />
check it out.<br />
“Don’t you want to come in and<br />
check the house first?”<br />
I thought you said you heard<br />
someone in your backyard.<br />
“Back of the house, front of the<br />
house, what difference does it<br />
make. Surely it would be faster<br />
to come through the front?”<br />
What the hell was she saying.<br />
Ma’am, close the door, and I’ll<br />
check the backyard. Well, the<br />
back yard was like a country<br />
club. Huge swimming pool, tennis<br />
courts, guest house. It was<br />
massive. I checked every inch of<br />
that backyard and as I made my<br />
way to the back patio, there she<br />
was standing in the open doorway,<br />
buck naked. She ditched the<br />
gown and bared it all.<br />
“Officer, don’t you want to<br />
come check out the inside now?<br />
I got to admit, there was part<br />
of me that wanted to say what<br />
the fuck and go for it, but I used<br />
what little sense I had left and<br />
said ma’am, it’s all clear in the<br />
backyard. Be sure and lock all<br />
your doors and call us back if<br />
you hear anything else.<br />
In all the times that I worked<br />
that beat, I’d have no less than<br />
a dozen prowler calls from her<br />
and several other women on the<br />
same block. I’ll say one thing,<br />
that rich neighborhood sure had<br />
a lot of lonely women.<br />
• • •<br />
NAKED ON THE HIGHWAY<br />
Last but not least, I’m on the<br />
way to the station to meet with<br />
the Night shift Captain when I<br />
see this 20-something young<br />
girl walking alongside the highway.<br />
I pull over and before I can<br />
get out of my car, she opens the<br />
passenger side door and gets in<br />
the front seat, closes the door<br />
and says “hey what’s up, thanks<br />
for giving me a ride.”<br />
Uh ma’am where the hell are<br />
your clothes?<br />
“My soon to be ex-boyfriend<br />
threw me out of his car because I<br />
wouldn’t give him oral sex.”<br />
So why were you naked?<br />
And she says “why not?<br />
This was less than a week from<br />
my last encounter with the<br />
naked couple on the hood and<br />
you’d think I would have thrown<br />
a blanket or two in the truck.<br />
But since I had nothing, and it<br />
was the middle of the summer<br />
and I had no coats, windbreakers,<br />
nothing to cover this woman<br />
up, I decided the best thing to do<br />
was drive her to the station and<br />
find her something to cover up<br />
with there.<br />
I told the dispatcher I was in<br />
transit to the station with one<br />
“unclothed” female and gave her<br />
my mileage.<br />
When I pulled up at the jail,<br />
there must have been 20 officers<br />
waiting on me and of course, so<br />
was the captain.<br />
Hey Capt has it going.<br />
“Just fine LT. Who’s your<br />
friend?”<br />
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82 The BLUES The BLUES 83<br />
CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE
Mass Shooting Victim Wakes Up<br />
One of the worst assignments<br />
I’ve had in more than 25 years of<br />
policing, was working the aftermath<br />
of an active shooter and<br />
mass causality event.<br />
Long after the suspect was<br />
shot and killed, crime scene processed<br />
and the victims, some of<br />
which were children, transported<br />
to the ME’s office, did the tons<br />
of paperwork begin. It literally<br />
takes weeks to process everything<br />
and gather all the reports<br />
from the various agencies that<br />
worked the scene. Pray to God<br />
you never have to work a scene<br />
like this. It takes everything out<br />
of you and more.<br />
Weeks after the shooting, one<br />
of the victims was still in a drug<br />
induced coma. His wife and two<br />
kids were shot and killed while<br />
enjoying what they thought<br />
would be a normal Sunday afternoon.<br />
This father and loving<br />
husband had been shot multiple<br />
times including a head wound<br />
that doctors believed he most<br />
likely wouldn’t recover from.<br />
Considering the fact he lost his<br />
entire family, maybe joining<br />
them in Heaven wouldn’t be so<br />
bad.<br />
Then, some 3 months later, I<br />
got a call from the hospital. My<br />
victim was awake and alert. My<br />
worst fears were about to come<br />
true. I had to tell this young man<br />
that his entire life was about to<br />
change for the absolute worse.<br />
Everything he loved and cherished<br />
was gone. His beautiful<br />
wife and children had been the<br />
victims of a ruthless killer. The<br />
drive to the hospital was the<br />
longest drive of my life. On the<br />
way, I called the Chief to let him<br />
know and he agreed to meet me<br />
there. At least I didn’t have to do<br />
this alone, but never-the-less, I<br />
wanted to be doing anything but<br />
this.<br />
I met the Chief just outside<br />
the patient’s room and his doctors<br />
briefed us on his condition.<br />
They admitted they didn’t quite<br />
know why he was awake as he<br />
was still medicated and should<br />
still be in a coma. They advised<br />
if we wanted to speak with him,<br />
we needed to do it quickly as<br />
he might drift back into unconscious<br />
at any minute.<br />
I saw the look on the Chiefs<br />
face and knew I was going to<br />
have to take the lead and do all<br />
the talking. Mr. Young, I’m Detective<br />
Williams, do you know<br />
where you are?<br />
“Yes, I’m in a hospital”<br />
Do you know what happened?<br />
Do you know why you are here?<br />
“Yes. I was with my family<br />
when God came for them, and I<br />
came back to tell you they’re OK”<br />
Mr. Young, did someone tell<br />
you about your family and what<br />
happened to them? Did you<br />
know you and your family were<br />
involved in a tragic shooting?<br />
“Yes, I know Detective, but no<br />
one told me. I was there and I<br />
saw what happened. A troubled<br />
young man did horrible things to<br />
a lot of good people. But it’s OK,<br />
they are all in heaven now and<br />
safe. But I had to come back and<br />
tell you.”<br />
Tell me what Mr. Young?<br />
“That you don’t need to worry<br />
anymore. That I’m OK and<br />
I’m with my family. I know how<br />
much you hated to come here<br />
and tell me such bad news,<br />
and that your heart is broken.<br />
But it’s OK. We’re all together<br />
and we’ll be fine. Please tell<br />
everyone that lost loved ones<br />
not to be sad. Just know we<br />
are all safe now.”<br />
His eyes closed and the<br />
monitors in the room went<br />
crazy.<br />
Code Blue, Code Blue. Room<br />
312, Code Blue.<br />
We both stepped outside<br />
while the doctors and nurses<br />
worked to revive him, but we<br />
both knew he was gone. The<br />
Chief looked at me and said,<br />
“what just happened in there<br />
Williams?”<br />
I’m not really sure Chief. I guess<br />
God needed a way to let us know<br />
that despite all the evil in the<br />
world, we should still believe in<br />
God and heaven.<br />
You believe in heaven don’t you<br />
chief?<br />
“I guess I do know,” he said.<br />
We both stood their speechless<br />
until we heard the doctor<br />
say, time of death 15:56 hours.<br />
As we walked down the hall to<br />
the elevator, I asked the Chief if<br />
I should notify the press and let<br />
them know there was another<br />
death from the shooting.<br />
“Yeah, I guess so. Williams<br />
what about the rest? Should we<br />
tell anyone what he said?”<br />
I think that’s your call chief.<br />
Maybe at his funeral, you could<br />
say something then.<br />
“Yeah, yeah maybe you’re<br />
right.”<br />
That day changed us both in<br />
ways I can’t explain. But neither<br />
of us has missed a Sunday in<br />
church since.<br />
Share your AFTERMATH experiences<br />
with our readers. Send<br />
your story to: BLUES Aftermath,<br />
bluespdmag@gmail.com.<br />
Can’t wait to read it.<br />
84 The BLUES The BLUES 85
THE OPEN ROAD<br />
by Michael Barron<br />
Ford Announces Electric Police<br />
Special Service Pickup<br />
Ford Pro has announced the<br />
launch of the 2023 Ford F-150<br />
Lightning Pro Special Service<br />
Vehicle, America’s first electric<br />
pickup truck purpose-built for<br />
police duty.<br />
The F-150 Lightning Pro SSV is<br />
designed to handle specialized<br />
departmental needs outside of<br />
pursuit situations such as assisting<br />
at an accident or crime scene<br />
or giving departments the ability<br />
to tow a boat or trailer.<br />
“We’re proud to offer America’s<br />
first electric police pickup<br />
truck to local government customers<br />
who can use the truck’s<br />
game-changing technology to<br />
help improve their productivity,”<br />
said Nate Oscarson, Ford<br />
Pro national government sales<br />
manager. “Pro Power Onboard<br />
can serve as a mobile power<br />
source to light up evening accident<br />
scenes on the highway, the<br />
electric powertrain helps to potentially<br />
reduce costs associated<br />
with fuel and scheduled maintenance<br />
needs and the Mega Power<br />
Frunk provides extra lockable<br />
storage on top of purpose-built<br />
police additions our customers<br />
have come to expect from the<br />
leader in police vehicles.”<br />
The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning<br />
Pro SSV offers sub-four-second<br />
0-60 mph acceleration capabilities,<br />
with the vehicle’s high-tech<br />
electric platform and innovation<br />
with Ford Pro’s real-time software<br />
and support.<br />
PURPOSE-BUILT FEATURES<br />
FROM F-150 POLICE RESPOND-<br />
ER INCLUDE:<br />
Police-grade heavy-duty cloth<br />
seats with reduced bolsters to<br />
help holstered officers enter and<br />
exit the vehicle more easily<br />
Built-in steel intrusion plates in<br />
the front seatbacks.<br />
Available red/blue, amber/<br />
white roof-mounted LED warning<br />
beacons<br />
An upfit-friendly reinforced instrument<br />
panel top tray for easy<br />
mounting of police equipment<br />
Easy-to-clean vinyl front seats<br />
and vinyl flooring<br />
Easy-to-clean vinyl rear seats<br />
and vinyl flooring are incorporated<br />
into the vehicle.<br />
STANDARD FEATURES INCLUDE:<br />
Interior: 12-inch digital cluster<br />
screen and 12-inch landscape-style<br />
touchscreen on the<br />
center stack<br />
Exterior: Mega Power Frunk<br />
gives officers 14.1 cubic feet of<br />
lockable cargo area in the front<br />
and offers easy access for upfitters<br />
to locate a 220-amp DC-DC<br />
power source<br />
Targeted performance and capability:<br />
452 horsepower, 775 lb.-<br />
ft. of torque, 7,700-pound towing<br />
capacity and 2,235 maximum<br />
payload with a standard-range<br />
battery, and sub-four-second<br />
0-60 mph acceleration, 580<br />
horsepower, 775 lb.-ft. of torque,<br />
and 10,000-pound towing capability<br />
with the extended-range<br />
battery<br />
Technology: Intelligent Range,<br />
SYNC 4, over-the-air Ford Power<br />
Up software updates and Ford<br />
Co-Pilot360 technology, including<br />
Automatic Emergency Braking<br />
and Blindspot Information<br />
System (BLIS) with Cross-Traffic<br />
Alert<br />
As part of Ford Pro’s platform<br />
of connected vehicles, software<br />
and services, the targeted zero-emissions<br />
police truck comes<br />
pre-configured to connect to a<br />
department’s existing fleet of<br />
Ford and non-Ford internal combustion<br />
engine and battery-electric<br />
vehicles, chargers, and fleet<br />
management software. When<br />
used together, police departments<br />
can manage<br />
when vehicles<br />
are charged<br />
and serviced,<br />
resulting in potentially<br />
lower<br />
operating costs<br />
and improved<br />
uptime.<br />
Ford Pro SSV<br />
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86 The BLUES The BLUES 87
A BADGE OF HONOR<br />
heal ing our heroes<br />
LEADERSHIP<br />
Delivered to Your Inbox<br />
Every Month FOR FREE<br />
Starts With You<br />
“We have the lowest morale ever,”<br />
said a commander from a police<br />
department in a large city.<br />
“There’s no accountability. Officers<br />
are afraid to act because they<br />
are now the target of our city’s<br />
politicians,” he continued.<br />
What do we do when it all seems<br />
to be falling apart? The once coveted<br />
job as a police officer is taking<br />
more from us than ever before.<br />
With our police chiefs caught up<br />
doing battle with local officials, and<br />
training budgets slashed, we are<br />
left to fend for ourselves, relying on<br />
supportive police associations, and<br />
the public to champion our cause.<br />
When it seems that there is no<br />
place to turn, how can we help<br />
ourselves? First, make the choice<br />
to lead. By our nature, we operate<br />
with excellence at our core. Our<br />
training helps build it. Once trained<br />
in our police duties, we sometimes<br />
only rely on that training to solve<br />
everything. There is a famous quote<br />
that says, “You will always fall to<br />
the level of your training.” By making<br />
the choice to lead, you choose<br />
to do more, to be more than what<br />
your training has provided to you.<br />
Next, create a plan to lead yourself.<br />
After all, if we simply try to<br />
be an excellent mom/dad, partner,<br />
spouse, supervisor, wearing lots of<br />
hats every day all the time, overwhelm<br />
and stress are typically the<br />
result because leaders want to be<br />
the best. When we try to wear a lot<br />
of hats all the time, typically we are<br />
not “engaged” or “present” in it. It<br />
becomes rote and robotic. So, what<br />
can you do to build a leadership<br />
plan for yourself so you can serve in<br />
all your roles effectively while also<br />
being “present?”<br />
First, go back to the beginning<br />
and define your why. Specifically,<br />
why did you decide to be a police<br />
officer? Author Simon Sinek says it<br />
best, “Your why is the one constant<br />
that will guide you toward fulfillment<br />
in your work and life.” Once<br />
you define it, write it down and put<br />
it in all the places you find yourself<br />
each day. Your office, your patrol<br />
car, your locker, your personal vehicle,<br />
and in a pocket in your uniform.<br />
When times get tough, and they<br />
will, you have your why as reminder<br />
of your excellence and why you<br />
chose to become an officer.<br />
Second, write out what is important<br />
to you right now, in the place<br />
you find yourself. Perhaps you are a<br />
new shift supervisor, and the most<br />
important thing right now is to be<br />
a good listener. Or maybe you are<br />
a veteran officer who has sought<br />
out some help because you cannot<br />
seem to separate job life from<br />
home life. For you, the most important<br />
thing may be to learn how to be<br />
dad or mom again when you walk<br />
in the door from work.<br />
Third, learn a strategy to delegate.<br />
We use control or the feeling<br />
of it to alleviate stress. Control<br />
can sometimes backfire however,<br />
often causing more stress in the<br />
SAMANTHA HORWITZ & JOHN SALERNO<br />
end. While “in the moment” control<br />
makes us feel good, when things<br />
get quiet and we cannot turn off the<br />
control, however, we often find ourselves<br />
wound tighter than a rubber<br />
band, ready to “snap” at the next<br />
person who asks for something, or<br />
worse at our own family. Ask others<br />
to do certain things at work and at<br />
home which can help alleviate the<br />
feeling that you need to do everything<br />
and be everything to everyone.<br />
Another strategy is, take time for<br />
yourself. Make YOU a priority. This is<br />
one of the most self-LESS and important<br />
things you can do. Whether<br />
it is setting a specific gym time each<br />
day or making time for your favorite<br />
hobby. The more purposeful you<br />
are with things away from your job<br />
the better your brain’s function. You<br />
can “turn off” and be in moment.<br />
A note of caution here. Should you<br />
find yourself unable to “turn off” it<br />
may be a sign of hypervigilance and<br />
uncontrolled “fight or flight.” Please<br />
reach out for help.<br />
Make the choice to lead yourself<br />
first, so you can lead others more effectively.<br />
When things go sideways,<br />
or you get stressed remember your<br />
why. Be more effective at work and<br />
at home by putting yourself first, and<br />
delegate. By implementing these<br />
strategies, you will be able to be<br />
engaged with everything.<br />
88 The BLUES The BLUES 89
DARYL LOTT<br />
daryl’s deliberations<br />
God and Others Love Me and You<br />
I love America. It’s a country<br />
that is full of selfless, loving<br />
people. I recently heard about<br />
a fellow whose story was as<br />
magnificent as it was exemplary<br />
for those of us who never tire<br />
of examining the lives of heroes<br />
among us.<br />
The place where I first encountered<br />
the subject of today’s story<br />
was the news crawl on the bottom<br />
of my television screen from<br />
the Golf Channel. It was a “this<br />
day in golf history” type of thing.<br />
That’s where I first saw his name<br />
and decided that I needed to<br />
know more.<br />
The news crawl said that he<br />
missed the cut in the United<br />
States Senior Open in 1994. He<br />
shot a 90 on this particular day. I<br />
thought, “So what? I can do that<br />
on a good day.” There must be<br />
more to the story.<br />
There was. Mr. Corbin Cherry<br />
was a senior golfer who played<br />
amateur golf in elite competitions<br />
like the U.S. Open. I found that he<br />
was a poet and he also wrote a<br />
golf instruction book. I guess that<br />
the most prominent thing that set<br />
him apart was that he only had<br />
one leg. What happened?<br />
His story started (at least as far<br />
as his leg goes) in 1969. He was<br />
with comrades from the 101st Airborne<br />
Division in a place called<br />
the A Shau Valley near Hue, South<br />
Vietnam. Captain Cherry was<br />
serving the U.S. Army as a combat<br />
chaplain. As his unit was under<br />
fire, some of his comrades stumbled<br />
into a minefield and mines<br />
exploded. There were casualties.<br />
Captain Cherry ministered to<br />
his charges despite the fact that<br />
his own left leg was blown off.<br />
One can only imagine the scene<br />
of carnage, chaos, and courage<br />
that ruled that day in the A Shau<br />
Valley.<br />
Ultimately, it became time for<br />
the chaplain to be carried off the<br />
field. As his fellow soldiers were<br />
being airlifted out of the valley,<br />
Captain Cherry looked to his<br />
men’s welfare. The combat medic<br />
asked Captain Cherry if he had<br />
any immediate concerns. “How<br />
am I going to play golf on one<br />
leg?”<br />
“Whaaattt?!?! You’ve got to be<br />
kidding, sir!” He wasn’t.<br />
The Army wasn’t kidding either.<br />
By the time Captain Cherry left<br />
Vietnam he earned the Silver Star,<br />
the Bronze Star with “V”, three<br />
Purple Hearts, five Air Medals, and<br />
the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.<br />
That’s quite impressive—especially<br />
for a chaplain. It’s heroism<br />
on a grand scale. When Captain<br />
Cherry awakened in the Army<br />
hospital, the commanding general<br />
of the 101st was at his bedside.<br />
The captain was concerned that<br />
he was taking up valuable time of<br />
the general and brought to tears<br />
by the general’s concern. The<br />
general told the captain to shed<br />
his tears and not to worry about<br />
the general’s time -spending time<br />
in the hospital was his very highest<br />
priority. <strong>No</strong>thing was more<br />
important.<br />
The 101st Airborne earned a<br />
startling number of Medals of<br />
Honor in Vietnam: seventeen.<br />
Their casualty figures were<br />
shocking: over 20,000 troopers<br />
killed or wounded. To put that<br />
number in perspective, that is<br />
over twice the number of casualties<br />
that the division suffered<br />
in World War Two. It should be<br />
remembered that the 101st landed<br />
at <strong>No</strong>rmandy, fought through<br />
the hedgerows of France, fought<br />
the Battle of the Bulge, fought the<br />
vaunted SS in the Bavarian Alps,<br />
and liberated camps of the Holocaust.<br />
After service in Vietnam, Captain<br />
Cherry was appointed as the<br />
Chief Chaplain at Walter Reed<br />
Hospital in Washington DC. He<br />
moved around the country serving<br />
in similar capacities for the<br />
Veteran’s Administration and<br />
retired after over thirty years service<br />
out of the V.A. in San Francisco.<br />
He was a man of God first<br />
and foremost being an ordained<br />
minister of the Methodist Church.<br />
He served his fellow veterans<br />
for decades in that sometimes<br />
hopeless environment of the V.A.<br />
However, he also had a heart<br />
for others whose lives had been<br />
impacted by the pervasiveness of<br />
the dreaded land mine and other<br />
IED type bombs.<br />
In 1994, Chaplain Cherry finished<br />
the U.S. Senior Open. The<br />
U.S. Open is our country’s national<br />
championship in golf. It has<br />
the reputation of being the most<br />
grueling of all elite golf championships.<br />
The United States Golf Association<br />
makes the Rules of Golf in<br />
the U.S. and it puts on four major<br />
U.S. Open Championships (Men’s,<br />
Women’s, Senior Men’s, and Senior<br />
Women’s). Arnold Palmer,<br />
Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus all<br />
competed in the 1994 U.S. Senior<br />
Open. That should give one<br />
an idea of just how exclusive of<br />
an event the U.S. Open is. Many<br />
levels of qualifying tournaments<br />
have to be completed for every<br />
competitor that is admitted to the<br />
U.S. Open. Simply getting into any<br />
of the four fields of play is a feat<br />
in and of itself.<br />
Chaplain Cherry walked the<br />
course with no assistance of any<br />
kind. A golfer typically walks<br />
around seven miles while playing<br />
eighteen holes. Each day was<br />
an uphill trek in the mountains<br />
of Pinehurst, <strong>No</strong>rth Carolina that<br />
would exhaust most of us. In addition<br />
to playing, one has to “keep<br />
up.” It’s called “pace of play” and<br />
one may not stop if it causes a<br />
delay of any kind. Chaplain Cherry<br />
would have normally changed<br />
his medical sock and adjusted his<br />
prosthetic during a recreational<br />
round, but not so during the U.S.<br />
Open.<br />
His leg developed blisters and<br />
then as he walked on, the blisters<br />
became raw and enflamed.<br />
The old warrior’s battle wound<br />
was rearing its bloody head. He<br />
walked on. He envisioned his<br />
wounded and lost comrades from<br />
the war in Vietnam. He walked<br />
on. Through his tears, he envisioned<br />
children around the world<br />
stepping on these most destructive<br />
devices as they played.<br />
He walked on. He saw a daddy<br />
pushing his wheelchair bound<br />
boy for two days over thirty-six<br />
mountainous holes so the boy<br />
would know what was possible<br />
if he didn’t give up. He walked<br />
on. He played on ever mindful of<br />
his failing body and the blazing<br />
summer sun’s toll on it. His eyes<br />
burned with sweat and tears impacting<br />
his vision, but he walked<br />
on. As he trudged the 451 yards of<br />
the last hole, spectators and golfers<br />
alike stopped in their tracks<br />
as they watched the battered and<br />
90 The BLUES The BLUES 91
loody old war horse approach<br />
the last green.<br />
The customary silence required<br />
by golf etiquette was broken by<br />
the sobs emanating from the 18th<br />
hole at Pinehurst #2 Golf Course.<br />
Grown men were now weeping<br />
unashamedly while the story<br />
spread as if carried on angels’<br />
wings.<br />
His wife had advised him not to<br />
be surprised if he got emotional.<br />
With thoughts of his old commanding<br />
general telling him it<br />
was okay to cry, he said he was<br />
sorry, but he couldn’t help it. The<br />
pain of his bloody stump was<br />
agonizing and he couldn’t believe<br />
what just happened. He wept<br />
when he retrieved his ball from<br />
the hole. He did it. He kept the<br />
faith. He finished the course.<br />
In retirement, Chaplain Cherry<br />
visited the wounded children<br />
of Vietnam. He brought them<br />
artificial arms, legs, and wheelchairs<br />
in the name of Jesus. He<br />
told them encouraging stories of<br />
others like himself who survived<br />
and thrived. He loved the children<br />
who shared his wounds. They<br />
loved him back.<br />
Many times he was asked,<br />
“Why?” He wrote a book of poetry<br />
about his many experiences<br />
which included that question:<br />
You see God loved me enough,<br />
even today to show me just the<br />
right way.<br />
The answer to the question<br />
why, I have no clue, except that<br />
God and others love me and you.<br />
The HALO (Hazardous Area<br />
Life-support Organization) Trust<br />
is an international nonprofit that<br />
shares Chaplain Corbin’s concerns<br />
and works around the<br />
world to de-mine fields and<br />
remove IED’s. They serve in Asia,<br />
Africa, and Europe. Afghanistan<br />
and Ukraine still have much work<br />
ahead for their HALO de-miners,<br />
but they are currently onsite. This<br />
is a UK headquartered organization.<br />
Princess Diana made the<br />
de-mining of old or recent battlefields<br />
her cause. Her sons still<br />
support this important work.<br />
Like many heroes before him<br />
and doubtless others that will<br />
follow, Rev. Corbin Cherry rests<br />
in the honored glory of Arlington.<br />
His standard government marker<br />
indicates some of his combat<br />
awards and that we lost him in<br />
201<strong>8.</strong> I intend to visit his grave<br />
when next I go to Arlington. It’s<br />
the least I can do for someone<br />
who gave his all for our country<br />
and the Good News that God is<br />
Love.<br />
Further Reading:<br />
“Nam Sense: Surviving Vietnam<br />
With the 101st Airborne Division”<br />
by Arthur Wiknik, Jr<br />
“From Thunder to Sunrise: Reflections<br />
of Vietnam” (poetry) by<br />
Corbin Lee Cherry<br />
“You Will Find a Way, The Inner<br />
Spirit of Golf” by Corbin Lee Cherry<br />
“Great Moments of the U.S.<br />
Open” by Robert Williams<br />
92 The BLUES The BLUES 93
HOUSTON POLICE OFFICERS UNION<br />
from the president<br />
Why fewer HPD traffic stops?<br />
<strong>No</strong>w hiring police officers to work extra employment and Level<br />
II and Level III security officers for various locations.<br />
For information call: 713.540.0544<br />
DOUGLAS GRIFFITH<br />
94 The BLUES The BLUES 95
NOT SO BRIGHT AWARD<br />
lig ht bul b award<br />
Ten Light Bulb Awards that should have<br />
never been awarded.<br />
By a Texas Chief of Police<br />
On May 24th, 2022, at approximately<br />
11:30 a.m. one of the absolute<br />
worst tragedies in Texas<br />
History occurred in, of all places,<br />
Uvalde, Texas. More specifically,<br />
at Robb Elementary School. To be<br />
even more specific, Classrooms 110<br />
and 112.<br />
We all know, the entire world<br />
knows, nineteen (19) children<br />
and two (2) teachers died as a<br />
direct result of point-blank gunshot<br />
wounds from a .223 or 556<br />
semi-automatic rifle. If you don’t<br />
know, such a wound inflicts catastrophic<br />
damage to a human<br />
being, especially a child.<br />
So, the first light Bulb on this<br />
whole thing goes to the shooter<br />
himself. Mental health issues be<br />
damned. You were a cruel demon<br />
as far as I am concerned. The<br />
torment and evil you brought upon<br />
those children and their teachers<br />
were unconscionable.<br />
Second, goes to those from the<br />
Superintendent on down. The<br />
culture of complacency that is<br />
rampant throughout your District<br />
(though fairly normal for most<br />
ISD’s in Texas prior to May 24th) is<br />
absolutely inexcusable. The manner<br />
in which so many Texas Superintendents,<br />
Deputy and Assistant<br />
Superintendents, and Principals<br />
casually disregard input from their<br />
District Police Chief, is absurd. Trying<br />
to advise them on anything, can<br />
only be described as arrogant and<br />
reckless disregard for the safety of<br />
their employees and more importantly,<br />
their students.<br />
Third, to the ISD Chief who literally<br />
froze when the one time, the<br />
one moment, he absolutely should<br />
not have. What the hell is wrong<br />
with you dude? An Active Shooter<br />
Incident is the SINGLE MOST CRIT-<br />
ICAL reason you and your officers<br />
are even there. It is the single most<br />
important thing you and your officers<br />
should be thinking, discussing,<br />
planning, training, and oh yeah,<br />
TRAINING for!!! To even think for<br />
a moment, you are not somehow<br />
the Incident Commander is incomprehensible.<br />
Dude, you ARE the<br />
ISD Police Chief. It is YOUR School<br />
District. Those are YOUR children<br />
inside that school. What the hell<br />
were you doing? More importantly,<br />
in this tragic case, what the hell,<br />
were you NOT doing?<br />
Fourth, to all the Law Enforcement<br />
Officers who took fire and<br />
ran, leaving those children with<br />
no defense, no help and no hope<br />
in the final moments of their lives.<br />
WTF? You are an embarrassment<br />
to Law Enforcement Officers across<br />
this country, and you have NO business<br />
wearing a badge. PERIOD.<br />
Fifth, to the Officers (more specifically,<br />
Supervisors) who arrived<br />
on this scene, witnessed the chaos<br />
or the lack of order, command and<br />
communications and did nothing.<br />
WTH is wrong with you? You’re a<br />
Supervisor for God’s sake. Act like<br />
one. Take control. Take charge.<br />
Take command. DO SOMETHING! If<br />
you are a Supervisor, from Sergeant<br />
on up, and you arrive at<br />
some crazy ass scene with Officers,<br />
Firefighters, and Medics running<br />
in different directions without<br />
any direction, do something. Especially<br />
with parents running into a<br />
wall of officers only to be knocked<br />
down and placed in handcuffs…<br />
and you, yes you, as a Supervisor<br />
do NOTHING to bring order to the<br />
chaos? You are nothing more than<br />
another part of the problem. With<br />
rank, comes privilege. More importantly,<br />
with rank comes RESPONSI-<br />
BILITY. Either be a Leader or get out<br />
of the way.<br />
Sixth, the Texas Governor, Lt.<br />
Governor, Attorney General and<br />
Texas Legislature. You were all<br />
briefed after the tragedy at Santa<br />
Fe, Texas. You witnessed the<br />
breakdowns in Command, Control<br />
and Communication. And yet, with<br />
all your PHD’s and fancy meetings,<br />
committees, and directives, you<br />
accomplished nothing. All those<br />
invaluable lessons learned were<br />
allowed to simply fade into the<br />
shadows of time. And tragically,<br />
nineteen children, two teachers<br />
and all those who were wounded,<br />
paid the price for your arrogance<br />
and inaction.<br />
Seventh, The Texas School Safety<br />
Center…. you are charged with<br />
overall safety and security of ALL<br />
Texas Schools. You have scored<br />
a huge, terrible, high priced “F”.<br />
The lackadaisical attitudes, careful<br />
not to ruffle any Superintendents<br />
“feathers” or incur the wrath of<br />
some high horsed School Board<br />
Member, led your organization to<br />
turn a blind eye upon the one job<br />
you had…. Keep Texas School Children<br />
and Teachers, SAFE. The Texas<br />
School Safety Center needs to have<br />
a Law Enforcement Component to<br />
it. Period. A section of professional<br />
men and women who are Commissioned<br />
Texas Peace Officers<br />
with the tenacious resolve to keep<br />
every child, teacher, and employee<br />
in our Texas Public Schools, safe<br />
and sound. A board that has the<br />
authority and ability to take the<br />
arrogant Superintendents and their<br />
Assistants to task! If their schools<br />
aren’t or don’t meet the State of<br />
Texas Standards with regards to<br />
safety and security, then by God,<br />
these men and women need to<br />
be able to hold those responsible,<br />
accountable. Drag them into court<br />
if need be.<br />
Eighth, ISD Police Chief’s as a<br />
whole…. STOP thinking in terms of<br />
“It won’t happen here!” or “I can’t<br />
even see or speak to my Superintendent”.<br />
That is all B.S. The State<br />
of Texas passed a Law that directs<br />
the ISD Chief of Police to report<br />
ONLY to the Superintendent. Stand<br />
up. Make it happen. Don’t waste<br />
your time talking to a Deputy or<br />
Assistant Superintendent. There<br />
needs to be direct and open communication<br />
between the ISD Superintendent<br />
and their Chief of<br />
Police. PERIOD. As for not happening<br />
where you are. I guarantee you,<br />
ask anyone in Santa Fe or Uvalde<br />
if they ever thought in a million<br />
years such evil would come to their<br />
community. I’m quite sure their answer<br />
would be a resounding “HELL<br />
NO.” And yet, how many precious,<br />
sweet, and innocent lives were lost<br />
in both of those communities.<br />
Ninth, ISD Police Officers as a<br />
whole…I know the schedule is<br />
awesome. Days. Weekends off. Holidays<br />
off. Summers, off…you know<br />
what else is off…the ability to train<br />
effectively and aggressively to fight<br />
the Devil, like the Devil himself. If<br />
your District isn’t training you to<br />
take on an Active Shooter in the<br />
way they should, find the training<br />
yourself. There’s plenty of venues<br />
to accomplish this. The next school<br />
targeted might just be YOUR<br />
school. Are you prepared? Are you<br />
ready? Have you trained, trained,<br />
and trained some more to go into<br />
immediate and resolute “Combat”<br />
and stop the killing, or not?<br />
Tenth and final light bulb. All of<br />
us. Every Texas Peace Officer. We<br />
failed. Period. We failed our kids<br />
and teachers in Santa Fe and in<br />
Uvalde. We failed one another and<br />
we failed ourselves. Evil came to<br />
us, and we failed to fight it head<br />
on, immediately, and with absolute<br />
ferocity. Shame on us. Every<br />
single Texas Peace Officer should<br />
take pause and look themselves in<br />
the mirror and make a conscious<br />
decision, MY LIFE, FOR THEIR LIFE.<br />
It really comes down to that…. And<br />
if we don’t, we’ve failed. Again.<br />
Look, I know I sound harsh. I get<br />
it. But I am in my eleventh year<br />
as a Chief of Police. Nearly ten of<br />
that as an ISD Chief of Police. I am<br />
keenly aware of how Texas ISD’s<br />
work. The politics, the drama, the<br />
tight budgets, the Bond Elections,<br />
etc. I am also keenly aware of the<br />
most important aspect of every<br />
school district in Texas. The students.<br />
I mean hey, that’s who we<br />
are all here for, right?<br />
As painful and profound as each<br />
loss of life was in Uvalde and in<br />
Santa Fe, we cannot, we must not<br />
allow those lives to be lost in vain.<br />
My God if we do, what does that<br />
say about us? Think of each family,<br />
devastated and reeling from such<br />
pain. Think of our fellow Law Enforcement<br />
Officers who lost their<br />
loved ones in both tragedies. How<br />
then, could we ever fail to act upon<br />
everything we’ve learned?<br />
I am not one of those Chiefs who<br />
rose through the ranks because<br />
of my master’s degree, stepping<br />
upon the backs of everyone else<br />
while playing “politics.” I am not<br />
one of those Chief’s who’s never<br />
worked the street. I’ve worked<br />
nights, weekends, and holidays. I<br />
am not one of those Chiefs who<br />
judged and ridiculed everyone who<br />
worked for me because they were<br />
doing a job, I had no idea how to<br />
do myself. Believe me, I know the<br />
type. They’re miserable to work for<br />
and intolerable to be around.<br />
I am a Chief who fights to never<br />
forget where he came from. I have<br />
been in more than one OIS. I have<br />
been shot. And I’ve had my share<br />
of ambulance rides and even one<br />
Life Flight ride. All due to injuries<br />
sustained in the Line of Duty.<br />
So, I am not writing this article<br />
based upon marginal experience<br />
or from some book I read. I am<br />
writing this from real life, hard<br />
roads traveled and broken-hearted<br />
experiences. Ladies and Gentlemen,<br />
collectively we MUST do better.<br />
There’s simply too much riding<br />
on what we do from this point<br />
forward. From what You and I do,<br />
from this point forward.<br />
In the movie Yellowstone, old<br />
Dutton is sitting on the porch<br />
talking to his son and he tells him<br />
“You can’t reason with Evil. Evil<br />
wants what it wants and it won’t<br />
stop until its won or you kill it.<br />
The way to kill it, is to meaner<br />
than Evil.” <strong>No</strong>w, I am not saying be<br />
mean. But when Evil shows up at<br />
a place where you are the responsible<br />
Law Enforcement Authority,<br />
you’d damn sure better be ready to<br />
be meaner than Evil, if you want to<br />
win.<br />
Think you have a candidate for a<br />
LB Award? <strong>Blues</strong>pdmag@gmail.com<br />
96 The BLUES The BLUES 97
HONORING FALLEN HEREOS<br />
“Honoring our fallen heroes through running while providing financial support to the families of our<br />
fallen Heroes, First Responders injured in the Line of Duty and Safety Equipment to K9s in need.”<br />
Zechariah<br />
Cartledge:<br />
a True American Hero<br />
Grants Awarded to Injured First Responders: 34<br />
Total Amount Awarded: $297,500<br />
Funds Awarded to Families of Fallen Heroes: 24<br />
Total Amount Awarded: $250,000<br />
Funds/Equipment Awarded to K9 Officers: $10,000<br />
2022 Run Tracker:<br />
Total Miles Run in 2022: (as of 7/30/22): 191<br />
- Zechariah - 182<br />
- Giuliana - 5<br />
- Jayden - 4<br />
Total Miles Run in 2021: 327<br />
Total Miles Run in 2020: 401<br />
Total Miles Run in 2019: 376<br />
Overall Miles Run: 1,295<br />
- - - - - - - - - -<br />
2022 Run Stats:<br />
Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen LEO’s (<strong>No</strong>n COVID-19): 84<br />
Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen Firefighters (<strong>No</strong>n COVID-19): 57<br />
Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen Canada LEO’s: 0<br />
Total Miles Run in 2022 for Fallen COVID-19 Heroes: 18<br />
Total Miles Run for 2021 Fallen LEO’s: 21<br />
Total Miles Run for 2021 Fallen Firefighters: 2<br />
Total Tribute Runs by State/Country: 9<br />
States/Cities Zechariah has run in:<br />
Florida - Winter Springs, Lake Mary, Clearwater, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Orlando, Temple Terrace, Blountstown,<br />
Cocoa, Lakeland, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach, Starke, Melbourne<br />
New York - New York City, Weedsport • Georgia - Cumming, Augusta, Savannah<br />
South Carolina - <strong>No</strong>rth Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Sumter • Pennsylvania - Monaca<br />
Illinois - Springfield, Naperville, Glen Ellyn • Texas - Houston (2), Fort Worth, Midland, New Braunfels, Freeport, Madisonville,<br />
Irving, Sadler, San Antonio • Kentucky - Nicholasville • Arkansas - Bryant, Hot Springs, Springdale, Prairie Grove<br />
Nevada - Henderson • Kansas - Overland Park • California - Mt. Vernon, La Jolla • Arizona - Mesa<br />
<strong>No</strong>rth Carolina - Concord, Raleigh • Virginia - <strong>No</strong>rton, Richmond • Tennessee - Bristol, Bartlett<br />
Oklahoma - Stilwell (2) • Delaware - Milford • Maryland - Towson • Minnesota - Arden Hills • Indiana - Sullivan, Spencer<br />
Mississippi - Grenada, Olive Branch • Missouri - Springfield, Rolla, Joplin • Iowa - Independence, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids<br />
District/Countries/Territories:<br />
Washington D.C. • Puerto Rico - San Juan<br />
98 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE<br />
The BLUES 99
DR. TINA JAECKLE<br />
blue mental health<br />
Supporting the Mental<br />
Health of our Corrections<br />
Officers: A Call to Action<br />
As the 2021 Annual Texas Sheriff’s<br />
Association Conference is<br />
held in San Antonio in early August,<br />
I am utilizing this month’s<br />
column as a call for action for<br />
correctional administrators in<br />
the state and across the nation<br />
to examine the need for more<br />
comprehensive mental health<br />
programs and support for their<br />
officers. According to a National<br />
Institute of Justice paper (Ferdik<br />
and Smith, 2017) titled “Correctional<br />
Officer Safety and Wellness-What<br />
We Learned from the<br />
Research Literature”, correctional<br />
officers experience high stress<br />
levels, burnout, and a variety<br />
of other mental health-related<br />
consequences as a result of<br />
their jobs. The combination of<br />
the negative physical and mental<br />
health for correctional officers<br />
can also have harmful effects on<br />
the wider jail institution. Between<br />
COVID and difficult working<br />
conditions, staffing shortages<br />
now consistently exist with low<br />
officer-to-inmate ratios and high<br />
turnover rates in staffing which<br />
can threaten a correctional facility’s<br />
ability to implement appropriate<br />
security measures.<br />
Both police and corrections<br />
officers experience similar issues<br />
DR. TINA JAECKLE<br />
including but not limited to constantly<br />
rotating work shifts, irregular<br />
sleep patterns, exposure<br />
to trauma and violence, and the<br />
challenges of family-work-life<br />
balance. These problems can<br />
contribute to increased stress<br />
levels, physical problems such as<br />
heart disease and diabetes, and<br />
the increased risk of suicide and<br />
domestic violence. However, far<br />
more law enforcement agencies<br />
have focused their attention and<br />
funding resources on assisting<br />
police rather than correctional<br />
officers. Many jail institutions<br />
lack appropriate mental health<br />
counseling for their correctional<br />
officers and much of this deficit<br />
can be attributed to difficulties<br />
in locating adequately<br />
trained clinical providers who<br />
are knowledgeable about best<br />
practices related to correctional<br />
mental health. Specialized<br />
training programs in corrections<br />
mental health should be developed<br />
and encouraged in graduate<br />
programs for mental health<br />
professionals. Additionally, both<br />
internal and external programs<br />
and policies designed to address<br />
these issues are absolutely<br />
critical in improving the overall<br />
psychological health of corrections<br />
officers and perhaps these<br />
lessons can be borrowed from<br />
police practices. Simply put, do<br />
not reinvent the wheel.<br />
One well known strategy that<br />
could be implemented to manage<br />
correctional officer stress is<br />
the establishment of peer support<br />
programs and it should be<br />
noted that there are a number of<br />
correctional agencies nationwide<br />
that have adopted this technique.<br />
Peer-support programs recruit<br />
workforce colleagues who<br />
can offer emotional and social<br />
support to those who may have<br />
experienced traumatic events,<br />
both on and off the job. These<br />
peers offer support and education<br />
to their colleagues to help<br />
them cope with the consequences<br />
of their stressors. However, in<br />
my experience over the last two<br />
decades training countless law<br />
enforcement critical incident<br />
stress management and peer<br />
support teams, I have directly<br />
observed that the emphasis for<br />
programs is often placed on the<br />
mental health needs of police<br />
rather than correctional officers.<br />
Although there are events that<br />
can occur in the jail setting that<br />
can be considered traumatic for<br />
most (inmate suicide, attack on<br />
an officer, etc.) some are frequently<br />
overlooked or not assessed<br />
as a reason to activate a<br />
peer support team. These policies<br />
must be re-evaluated.<br />
Recently I was provided the<br />
privilege to train a group of<br />
specially selected correctional<br />
officers who work at the Lake<br />
County Sheriff’s Office (Florida)<br />
jail facility. While we already<br />
have an established critical incident<br />
stress management and<br />
peer support team there was<br />
a glaring absence of members<br />
solely from corrections. Although<br />
one CISM team can be comprised<br />
of peer members from police,<br />
dispatch, and corrections, true<br />
peer to peer support is most<br />
effective when there is a more<br />
comprehensive understanding of<br />
the job responsibilities of each<br />
role. In other words, much like<br />
police to police peers, correctional<br />
officers supporting other<br />
corrections officers simply<br />
makes sense. With the assistance<br />
of Lake County Sheriff’s Office<br />
Chaplains Jason Low and Jim<br />
Cornell, we have now created<br />
a best practices model though<br />
a specific “jail” team to focus<br />
solely on corrections. It is important<br />
to note that these programs<br />
cannot exist without full<br />
endorsement and recognition<br />
of the administration and command<br />
staff. Lake County Sheriff<br />
(FL) Peyton Grinnell shared his<br />
thoughts on the new team, “The<br />
purpose of this new peer support<br />
program is quite simple. We recognize<br />
the inherent stress associated<br />
with the environment that<br />
our correctional officers work<br />
in, and we want to give them the<br />
tools and resources they need to<br />
effectively deal with that stress.<br />
Our goal is for them to stay<br />
healthy and enjoy a long, successful<br />
career here.” I encourage<br />
you to recognize that both police<br />
and corrections officers provide<br />
an essential role in our criminal<br />
justice system and should receive<br />
equally appropriate mental<br />
health support.<br />
<br />
Delivering solutions to<br />
Texas Public Safety Agencies.<br />
100 The BLUES The BLUES 101
ADS BACK IN THE DAY<br />
102 The BLUES The BLUES 103
ADS BACK IN THE DAY<br />
104 The BLUES The BLUES 105
THERE ARE NO WORDS<br />
parting shots...<br />
... pardon our humor<br />
106 The BLUES The BLUES 107
Your Source for<br />
Law Enforcement<br />
Products &<br />
Services<br />
108 The BLUES The BLUES 109
The time is NOW to upgrade<br />
schools and universities with the<br />
latest communications and security<br />
software on the market. Datalink,<br />
is an internationally known and<br />
well-respected provider of some of<br />
the best software technology available<br />
to protect students, teachers<br />
and employees.<br />
Datalink Systems International<br />
Inc. a world leader in processing IP<br />
data over a wide range of wireless<br />
networks including LMR, cellular,<br />
and satellite.<br />
EduLink is one of those systems<br />
that is an all-encompassing, internet-based<br />
communications platform<br />
which is a variant of Datalink’s<br />
encrypted DataGate communications<br />
and tracking software. This<br />
software is used by military and<br />
governments including the US Marshals<br />
Service, the UK Ministry of<br />
Defense, and others throughout the<br />
world<br />
One cloud based EduLink platform<br />
can link all administrative offices,<br />
schools, teachers, and other staff<br />
members. The system works for<br />
fixed locations and mobile assets for<br />
an entire school district and administered<br />
by each school district<br />
including remote secure management.<br />
This also includes school<br />
buses and other assets.<br />
The Key Features are:<br />
• Low Cost and <strong>No</strong>thing to Install<br />
• Uses existing Wi-Fi Network<br />
Internally<br />
• Uses Encrypted Internet Links<br />
Externally<br />
• Encrypted Internal WIFI Transmissions<br />
• Auto-Forwarding to Other Email<br />
Addresses if Unacknowledged<br />
• Modular, Easy to Use, yet Secure<br />
Design<br />
• WebAlert App Installs on Android<br />
and Apple Smartphones<br />
• Each Staff (remove)<br />
• Key Staff can use the Vocalis App<br />
in their Smartphones to PTT Group<br />
and Discuss Issues<br />
• Lower cost Network Agnostic SIM<br />
Cards available<br />
• GPS Monitor School Buses<br />
• Communicate with School Bus<br />
Drivers with an Android/iOS Datalink<br />
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• Track Students on and Off<br />
School Buses with GPS Location<br />
• Can be Integrated with 3rd Party<br />
Logistics Systems such as Edulog<br />
EduLink is also meets the requirements<br />
of Alyssa’s Law that has<br />
become law in a number of states<br />
across the US. Alyssa’s Law is critical<br />
legislation addressing the issue<br />
of law enforcement response time<br />
when a life-threatening emergency<br />
occurs because time equals life.<br />
The law calls for the installation of<br />
silent panic alarms that are directly<br />
linked to law enforcement, so in<br />
case of any emergency they will get<br />
on the scene as quickly as possible,<br />
take down a threat and triage any<br />
victims. Datalink’s recommended<br />
hardware include portable silent<br />
alarms.<br />
WebGate PTT is another “sole<br />
source product” available only from<br />
Datalink. DataGate and the Law<br />
Enforcement variant of the software<br />
“WebGate PTT, can be Cloud based<br />
or installed on a local windows<br />
computer. DataGate has fifteen +<br />
years of development evolution<br />
behind it. WebGate is a Web-Browser based<br />
user interface for DataGate which delivers a<br />
multi-network, multi-asset merged common<br />
screen solution. Users can access the remote<br />
DataGate using assigned credentials ranging<br />
from basic screen viewing to remote administration<br />
of the host DataGate.<br />
MULTIPLE 4G NETWORKS<br />
Unlike FirstNET which is operated by AT&T<br />
on 700 Mhz channel frequencies which may<br />
not be available in all communities, Web-<br />
Gate is network agnostic. The strongest<br />
networks are used in each region including<br />
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon and MVNOs. Technically<br />
4G Towers have wider coverage over<br />
5G which has more limited coverage but<br />
provides faster transfer for large video files.<br />
WebGate supports the smaller communities<br />
with more specialized services.<br />
DataGate + WebGate are popular choices<br />
for law enforcement, military, and government<br />
agencies as they can be installed<br />
on their own servers, and it operates as a<br />
private, stand-alone system behind their<br />
firewalls. DataGate and WebGate for Law Enforcement<br />
includes AES-256 encryption and<br />
is P25 compatible.<br />
It should be noted that Datalink is a software<br />
developer and recommends that<br />
School Districts contract local installers and<br />
hardware where required. For more information,<br />
follow this link to their website:<br />
https://datalinkinternational.com/edulink/<br />
110 The BLUES The BLUES 111
NEW KID ON<br />
THE BLOCK<br />
ProForce Law Enforcement is a relative newcomer to the<br />
law enforcement distribution market in the state of TEXAS.<br />
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store continues to serve its law enforcement customers. The<br />
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Inset: Dan Rooney ProForce President<br />
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112 The BLUES The BLUES 113
Starting in 2003, Cop Stop Inc. Opened with a vision and goal to service first responders; “Our everyday<br />
heroes.” Catering mainly to Police, Fire, Military and EMS, but also open to the public, Cop Stop<br />
offers a variety of products, gear and apparel. Open and operated by Rick Fernandez, a former officer<br />
of 10 years, he prides himself on maintaining the highest standards of customer service. Cop Stop understands<br />
its our customers who drive our success, and we strive to offer the best service to everyone<br />
who walks through our doors. At Cop Stop we offer quality products at great low prices. With access to<br />
over hundreds of brands and products, and constantly adding more, we are confident we can fulfill your<br />
needs.<br />
“If you provide good service and a fair price, customers will talk about you and come back.<br />
It’s that simple!” Rick Fernandez<br />
114<br />
114 The<br />
The BLUES<br />
BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE<br />
The BLUES 115<br />
115
People are Your<br />
Purpose, and Ours<br />
In 2008, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office<br />
was informed by the federal government that it<br />
was violating inmates’ civil rights because of its<br />
indirect supervision policy. Part of the requirement<br />
to remedy the violation was to hire 200 detention<br />
officers in addition to the 450 they already<br />
had.<br />
Instead, Captain David Baisden turned to Digi<br />
Security Systems for a technological solution. Together,<br />
we designed a system that would provide<br />
100 percent visibility in each of the 30 pods in the<br />
jail. Digi installed the system, and the impact was<br />
definitive.<br />
“All of a sudden, we noticed an immediate drop<br />
in altercations from 300 to 30,” said Captain Baisden.<br />
“Ninety percent of the violence was gone.”<br />
We have a saying around here that People Are<br />
Our Purpose. As a security systems integrator,<br />
the work we do is important: we design, install,<br />
and service commercial security systems for all<br />
kinds of organizations. Those very security systems<br />
are the technology that keeps our children<br />
safe in their classrooms, our police officers protected<br />
from wrongdoers, our business’ assets<br />
secure, and our communities free from the worry<br />
of violent threats. We design systems that maximize<br />
safety and limit the number of personnel<br />
and hours spent trying to identify and respond to<br />
incidents.<br />
It’s important work. It’s work that makes a real<br />
difference. And that work is just part of the Digi<br />
Difference that defines us. When an organization<br />
decides to partner with us, we become an<br />
extension of their team. Because we care deeply<br />
about the safety and security of the very people<br />
you care deeply about, we do whatever it takes to<br />
help you meet your goals while providing you the<br />
most exceptional experience possible.<br />
We serve and support law enforcement agencies<br />
across the region, including jails and city and<br />
county governments. We understand the unique<br />
needs you have in protecting your staff and the<br />
public. Learn more at digiss.com/government.<br />
Customized Security Solutions<br />
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Keeping the peace and serving the public is a vital job for the health of a community.<br />
As your partner, we make technology your ally by providing you security solutions<br />
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JAIL CONTROL SYSTEMS<br />
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Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office<br />
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116 The BLUES The BLUES 117
Key Management &<br />
Key Control Products<br />
All of our KeyWarden Security<br />
products are reliable, easy to use<br />
and expandable to meet your<br />
growing needs.<br />
Through seamless design,<br />
manufacturing and support, we<br />
have earned the reputation as<br />
the world leaders in security<br />
management products. We also<br />
write our own software to ensure<br />
system compatibility and performance.<br />
Every Morse Watchman’s<br />
product and system is meticulously<br />
designed and inspected to<br />
offer the latest in security technology<br />
and reliability.<br />
KEYWATCHER TOUCH<br />
KeyWatcher Touch brings one touch key<br />
control to the KeyWatcher, one of our industry-leading<br />
electronic key cabinets. Our<br />
new big, bright 7 touch screen key register<br />
systems give you an easier-to-use interface.<br />
KEYWATCHER FLEET<br />
The industry’s only key control system for<br />
fleet management applications, KeyWatcher<br />
Fleet puts you in command of vehicle<br />
distribution, comprehensive utilization,<br />
right-sizing of your fleet and much more.<br />
THE KEYBANK<br />
The KeyBank® key control system eliminates<br />
outdated key boxes and the paper<br />
chase created by outdated manual logs and<br />
provides extensive protection from liability<br />
issues.<br />
KeyWatcher Illuminated<br />
KeyWatcher Illuminated is a modular, scalable<br />
integrated key control and management<br />
solution that’s designed for interoperability<br />
with access control and other<br />
systems.<br />
KEYBANK TOUCH<br />
<strong>No</strong>w get touchscreen convenience with<br />
KeyBank key access control system, the<br />
safer, more secure way to manage keys. The<br />
bright 7 touchscreen key organizer system<br />
gives you an easier-to-use interface.<br />
KeyWarden is the Texas distributor of Morse Watchmans industry-leading key and asset management systems. We are actively involved<br />
in the Texas Law Enforcement community as a founding member of the East Texas 100 club, and corporate members of the <strong>No</strong>rth Texas<br />
Police Chiefs Association, the East Texas Police Chiefs Association, the High Plains Police Chiefs Association, and the Central Texas Police<br />
Chiefs Association. We are proud to participate in the TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE.<br />
THE KEYWATCHER TOUCH SYSTEM is deployed in the law enforcement environment to:<br />
• Securely dispense track and audit the use of keys to: vehicles, facilities, lockers and<br />
other high-value assets.<br />
• Prevent unauthorized staff from driving specialist vehicles, or racking up miles on the<br />
newer fleet while older units sit idle.<br />
• Allow management to compel the use of vehicle pools rather than staff controlling the<br />
keys to particular units.<br />
• Quicker and more efficient shift changes.<br />
• Control the keys to facilities and mandate accountability.<br />
• Managing and controlling access to assets stored in lockers.<br />
As a Texas-based company, we provide on site evaluation, implementation, training and support of the<br />
KeyWatcher System. We are also a member of BuyBoard and offer discounted pricing and ease of purchase.<br />
19015 Gentle Knoll<br />
San Antonio, Texas 78258<br />
Office: 830-214-0867 Fax: 775-898-1807<br />
www.keywarden.com - click here to email us<br />
118 The BLUES The BLUES 119
CAP Fleet is an emergency<br />
vehicle upfitter and<br />
authorized Chevrolet SVM<br />
Bailment Pool provider<br />
for Law Enforcement<br />
Vehicles. We have a pool<br />
of vehicles available to be<br />
upfitted by CAP Fleet and<br />
sold through any GM dealer<br />
in the United States.<br />
We also offer law enforcement<br />
vehicles from<br />
Chevrolet, Dodge, and<br />
Ford through our dealership<br />
network.<br />
Since 2011, we have<br />
combined the highest<br />
quality products in the<br />
industry with superior<br />
craftsmanship, providing<br />
customer service and installations<br />
at a reasonable<br />
price.<br />
Our sales staff brings<br />
over 100+ years of law enforcement<br />
experience and<br />
our installation team has<br />
an equal number of years<br />
in the emergency vehicle<br />
upfitting industry. We<br />
understand your needs<br />
and strive to make your<br />
experience at CAP Fleet<br />
simple. All installations<br />
are completed by our inhouse<br />
technicians. Every<br />
vehicle goes through an<br />
extensive quality control<br />
program supervised by<br />
our shop managers. Our<br />
technicians are constantly<br />
focused on quality and<br />
efficiency.<br />
With locations in<br />
Belton, Tx and Houston,<br />
Tx, and a new state<br />
of the art facility under<br />
construction in Caldwell,<br />
Tx, as well as mobile<br />
technicians serving the<br />
Dallas/Fort Worth and<br />
Rio Grande Valley metro<br />
areas, we have you<br />
covered!<br />
Whatever your needs<br />
are, from turn-key police<br />
vehicle builds, product<br />
replacement and/or upgrades<br />
to existing vehicles,<br />
or building a complete<br />
new fleet, CAP Fleet will<br />
have your vehicles 10-<strong>8.</strong><br />
2023 CHEVROLET TAHOE PPVs<br />
ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH<br />
OUR BAILMENT POOL!<br />
CONTACT US FOR MORE<br />
DETAILS ON HOW YOU CAN<br />
GET YOUR FULLY UPFITTED<br />
2023 TAHOE PPV THROUGH<br />
CAP FLEET.<br />
www.capfleet.com | sales@capfleet.com | 254-773-1959<br />
120 The BLUES The BLUES 121<br />
120 The BLUES The BLUES 121
PLANET FORD IN SPRING, 20403 I45 NORTH,<br />
SPRING TEXAS<br />
Planet Ford on I-45 in Spring, Texas has been<br />
the <strong>No</strong>. 1 Ford Dealer in the greater-Houston area<br />
for over 20 years.* Our Ford dealership earns<br />
this distinction year after year because our team<br />
makes our clients and their vehicle needs our top<br />
priority. Planet Ford is part of the award-winning<br />
World Class Automotive Group. The dealership<br />
has earned many top honors, including multiple<br />
Triple Crowns, which is bestowed upon only<br />
the best. In order to be recognized, a dealership<br />
must receive all of Ford’s top awards, including<br />
The President’s Award for customer service. Planet<br />
Ford has been redesigned from the ground up<br />
to provide a superior customer experience. Planet<br />
offers over 30 acres of new Ford inventory, Certified<br />
Pre-Owned Fords, pre-owned vehicles of all<br />
makes and models, as well as aftermarket and<br />
performance parts, service, commercial truck<br />
services, and collision repair. Beyond automotive<br />
services, the Randall Reed family and Planet team<br />
support and gives back to the community, from<br />
local charity events to sponsoring schools and<br />
veteran programs. Learn more at PlanetFord.com.<br />
122 The BLUES The BLUES 123<br />
122 The BLUES The BLUES 123
CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is your source<br />
for the best in police equipment. Based<br />
in Houston, we supply law enforcement<br />
with the equipment they need.”<br />
CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY has been<br />
serving Houston law enforcement for<br />
nearly 50 years with the absolute best<br />
customer service and quality products.<br />
CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is<br />
located at 1410 Washington Ave, near<br />
downtown Houston, but you can<br />
purchase everything you need online<br />
at:https://www.centralpolice.com/<br />
JC Kaufmann, a former Master Police<br />
Officer in Texas, is now an agent with<br />
Leopold & Strahan Realty Group, located<br />
at 2715 Broadway on Galveston Island.<br />
JC can assist all First Responders and<br />
Peace Officers in finding that perfect<br />
home to purchase or lease. If you’re in the<br />
market to sell your home, JC can list your<br />
home and find you the perfect new home.<br />
JC can be reached by phone at 713-628-<br />
8670 or by email at jck765@yahoo.com<br />
Our Purpose<br />
Honor And Respect LLC is committed to bringing respect to all<br />
first responders and military members who devote their lives<br />
to helping all of us. When you purchase a pair of Honor And Respect<br />
athletic shoes, 100% of profits are donated back to organizations<br />
who support our nation’s heroes. We stand with all<br />
first responders and are here to assist them in their time of need.<br />
Our Products<br />
With any Honor and Respect product, you are receiving quality<br />
apparel items that represent military, firefighter, and police<br />
officers. Our collection consists of a variety of police and<br />
military apparel items that support different groups of first<br />
responders. Our shoe selection supports police officers, firefighters,<br />
and military personnel. Recently, we have added to<br />
our product selection to include all first responder groups<br />
represented by our HR Gray All Hero tee and a variety of<br />
tri blend shirts. To ensure the best quality, each of our police<br />
and military apparel are checked before being sent out.<br />
SHOP ONLINE AT:<br />
https://honor-respect.com/collections/all<br />
124 The BLUES The BLUES 125
4807 KIRBY DRIVE • HOUSTON, TEXAS • 713-524-<strong>38</strong>01<br />
RIVER OAKS CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP & RAM<br />
Alan & Blake Helfman are the named and primary<br />
sponsor of The BLUES. For over 65 years the<br />
Helfman’s have supported local area law enforcement<br />
and supported The BLUES since our first issue.<br />
There is simply no better dealership in Houston<br />
to purchase your Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep,<br />
Ram or Ford product. The sales team provide<br />
honest, no BS pricing and their service department<br />
ranks among the top in the nation.<br />
Call Alan or Blake Helfman at 713-524-<strong>38</strong>01 when<br />
you are ready to purchase your next vehicle. It will<br />
be the best car buying experience you’ve ever had.<br />
12722 HWY. 3 • WEBSTER, TEXAS • 281-488-5934<br />
AUTO FACELIFTS is located on the South Side of<br />
Houston across from Ellington Airport. Auto Facelifts<br />
is an industry leader in auto upholstery in the Houston,<br />
TX area. We work on cars, trucks, and even boats,<br />
so no matter what you’re riding in, we can give it a<br />
facelift! Whether you’re looking for a new leather interior,<br />
carpet replacement, or auto detailing, we’ve got<br />
a package that will fit your needs. But we don’t stop<br />
there! We’ve also got an incredible selection of car and<br />
truck accessories to really take your vehicle to the next<br />
level. And, if that’s not enough, we can also provide<br />
you with premium car audio and car stereo equipment<br />
that will make your vehicle the talk of the town. Stop<br />
into Auto Facelifts and upgrade your ride today!<br />
ALL FIRST RESPONDERS & VETERANS<br />
START THE NEW YEAR OFF<br />
WITH A NEW INTERIOR<br />
10% OFF RETAIL<br />
12722 Hwy. 3 Webster, Texas • 281-486-9739<br />
CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE<br />
126 The BLUES The BLUES 127
NOW HIRING<br />
LE job posit ions<br />
Bryan Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/14/2022 - 5pm<br />
Marlin Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Brownwood Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer (<strong>No</strong>tice of Exam) 08/17/2022 - 5pm<br />
Schleicher County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Waco Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/30/2022 - 4pm<br />
Missouri City Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Memorial Villages Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 08/08/2022 - 5pm<br />
St. Edward's University Police Department Get Info On Call Police Officer 08/09/2022 - 5pm<br />
St. Edward's University Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/09/2022 - 5pm<br />
Alamo Colleges Police Department Get Info Patrol Captain 08/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Anderson County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy (Cadet) 08/10/2022 - 5pm<br />
Anderson County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy 08/10/2022 - 5pm<br />
Bastrop Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Tahoka Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Baytown Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/02/2022 - 5pm<br />
Lakeport Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/14/2022 - 5pm<br />
Bryan Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/14/2022 - 5pm<br />
San Antonio Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/14/2022 - 5pm<br />
Lindale ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/15/2022 - 5pm<br />
Hutto Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
West Lake Hills Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Horseshoe Bay Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Flower Mound Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/10/2022 - 5pm<br />
Stafford Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Texas Women's Univ. Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Brady Police Department Get Info School Resource Officer 08/17/2022 - 5pm<br />
Brady Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/17/2022 - 5pm<br />
De Leon Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/20/2022 - 5pm<br />
Milford Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 08/21/2022 - 5pm<br />
Caldwell Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/21/2022 - 5pm<br />
Bell County Constable Pct 4 Get Info Deputy Constable II 08/22/2022 - 5pm<br />
Sealy Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/15/2022 - 5pm<br />
Crosbyton Police Department Get Info Chief of Police 08/15/2022 - 5pm<br />
Kingsville Police Department Get Info Police Officer - Entry Level 08/09/2022 - 5pm<br />
Paris ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/23/2022 - 5pm<br />
Malakoff ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/28/2022 - 5pm<br />
Tye Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/25/2022 - 5pm<br />
Stratford Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/27/2022 - 5pm<br />
Harris County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy I 08/28/2022 - 5pm<br />
Pelican Bay Police Dept. Get Info Peace Officers 08/28/2022 - 5pm<br />
Bruceville-Eddy Police Department Get Info School Resource Officer 08/28/2022 - 5pm<br />
Sachse Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 08/31/2022 - 5pm<br />
Goliad County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Delta County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Beverly Hills Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
<strong>No</strong>lan County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 08/29/2022 - 5pm<br />
<strong>No</strong>lan County Sheriff's Office Get Info Courthouse Deputy 08/29/2022 - 5pm<br />
Baylor University Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
<strong>No</strong>rthside ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
DeWitt County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 08/29/2022 - 5pm<br />
Highland Park Department of Public Safety Get Info Police Officer/Firefighter 08/31/2022 - 5pm<br />
Rollingwood Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 09/02/2022 - 5pm<br />
Knox Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Chief Deputy 09/05/2022 - 5pm<br />
K<strong>No</strong>x Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy 09/05/2022 - 5pm<br />
Garza Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Oak Ridge <strong>No</strong>rth Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Tarrant Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 09/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Junction Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 09/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Greenville ISD Police Dept. Get Info Chief of Police 08/08/2022 - 5pm<br />
Woodway Public Safety Dept. Get Info Public Safety Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Hamilton Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/20/2022 - 5pm<br />
Angelina Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 08/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Crowley Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Crowley ISD Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Hearne Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 08/07/2022 - 5pm<br />
Cisco Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 09/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Josephine Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Muleshoe Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 09/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Texas Juvenile Justice Department, Get Info Corporal 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Killeen Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 09/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Dallas Fort Worth Airport PD Get Info Police Officer 09/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
<br />
Delivering solutions to<br />
Texas Public Safety Agencies.<br />
128 The BLUES The BLUES 129
Cottonwood Shores Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer (Level 1) 09/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Dallas County Hospital District PD Get Info Police Officer 09/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Cottonwood Shores Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer (Level 2) 09/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Everman Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 09/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Beaumont Police Dept. Get Info Police Cadet 09/04/2022 - 5pm<br />
Beaumont Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/04/2022 - 5pm<br />
Mesquite Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 08/17/2022 - 5pm<br />
Hemphill Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 09/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Willis Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 08/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Haltom Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 08/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Palacios ISD Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 08/31/2022 - 5pm<br />
Southwestern Baptist PD Get Info Police Officer (Part Time) 09/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Coppell Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Farmers Branch Police Department Get Info Deputy Marshal P/T 09/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Leonard Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/23/2022 - 5pm<br />
Shenandoah Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Port Aransas Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Galveston County Sheriff's Office Get Info Reserve Deputy 09/18/2022 - 5pm<br />
Stagecoach Police Department Get Info Reserve Officer 08/18/2022 - 5pm<br />
Onalaska Police Department Get Info School Resource Officer 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Lamb County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy 09/19/2022 - 5pm<br />
Conroe ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Argyle ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/31/2022 - 5pm<br />
Santa Fe ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/19/2022 - 5pm<br />
Gillespie County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 09/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
TSTC Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/02/2022 - 5pm<br />
Bedford Police Dept. Get Info Detective (lateral) 09/18/2022 - 5pm<br />
Elm Ridge Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/21/2022 - 5pm<br />
Plano Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/05/2022 - 5pm<br />
Henderson Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/22/2022 - 5pm<br />
Keller Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/25/2022 - 5pm<br />
University of Texas at Houston Police Get Info Police Officer 09/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Greenville Police Department Get Info Police Officer (Entry) 10/07/2022 - 5pm<br />
Angelina Co. District Attorney Office Get Info Investigator 09/22/2022 - 5pm<br />
Burleson Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/26/2022 - 5pm<br />
San Antonio Airport Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 09/28/2022 - 5pm<br />
Stanton Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 10/26/2022 - 5pm<br />
New Braunfels Police Department Get Info Police Officer (Cadet or Lateral)08/19/2022 - 5pm<br />
Ingram Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/26/2022 - 5pm<br />
Kyle Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/15/2022 - 5pm<br />
San Marcos Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/10/2022 - 5pm<br />
STATEWIDE VACANCIES FOR JAILERS<br />
Collin County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Detention Officer 10/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Anderson County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 08/10/2022 - 5pm<br />
Hemphill Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
<strong>No</strong>lan Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Ellis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 08/27/2022 - 5pm<br />
Goliad County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Harris County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 08/30/2022 - 5p<br />
<strong>No</strong>lan County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 08/29/2022 - 5pm<br />
Garza Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 08/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 09/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Montague Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Corrections Officer 09/05/2022 - 5pm<br />
Galveston County Sheriff's Office Get Info Corrections Deputy 09/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Rockwall County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 09/18/2022 - 5pm<br />
Gillespie County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 09/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Uvalde County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jail Administrator 09/25/2022 - 5pm<br />
Keller Police Department Get Info Detention Officer 09/25/2022 - 5pm<br />
STATEWIDE VACANCIES TELECOMMUNICATION OPERATOR<br />
Galveston Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 08/06/2022 - 2pm<br />
San Saba County Sheriff's Office Get Info Dispatcher/Jailer 08/09/2022 - 5pm<br />
St. Edward's University Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 08/09/2022 - 5pm<br />
Scurry County Sheriff's Office Get Info Dispatcher 08/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Stafford Police Dept. Get Info Dispatcher 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
Hemphill Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Telecommunicator 08/16/2022 - 5pm<br />
St. Edward's University Get Info Telecommunicator 08/23/2022 - 5pm<br />
Blanco County Sheriff's Office Get Info Telecommunicator 08/27/2022 - 5pm<br />
Goliad County Sheriff's Office Get Info Telecommunicator 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Harris County Sheriff's Office Get Info Communications Officer 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Beverly Hills Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 08/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
Baylor University Police Department Get Info Dispatcher 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
DeWitt County Sheriff's Office Get Info Dispatcher 08/29/2022 - 5pm<br />
<strong>No</strong>rthside ISD Police Dept. Get Info Police Dispatcher 10/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Angelina Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Telecommunications Operator 08/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Crowley Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 09/06/2022 - 5pm<br />
Leander Police Dept. Get Info Telecommunications Officers 09/07/2022 - 5pm<br />
Castle Hills Police Dept. Get Info Public Safety Telecommunicator08/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Get Info Dispatcher 09/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Galveston County Sheriff's Office Get Info Telecommunicator 09/13/2022 - 5pm<br />
Waxahachie Police Department Get Info Police Dispatcher 09/11/2022 - 5pm<br />
Tarrant Regional Water District Get Info Telecommunication Specialist 09/12/2022 - 5pm<br />
Port Aransas Police Department Get Info Dispatcher 09/01/2022 - 5pm<br />
Bedford Police Dept. Get Info Public Safety Dispatcher 09/18/2022 - 5pm<br />
Williamson County Communications Get Info 911 Telecommunicator 0 9/30/2022 - 5pm<br />
130 The BLUES The BLUES 131
132 The BLUES The BLUES 133
EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS<br />
• Paid Vacation<br />
• Sick Leave<br />
• Paid Holidays<br />
• Personal Days<br />
• Compensatory Days<br />
• Certification Pay<br />
EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS<br />
• Paid Vacation<br />
• Sick Leave<br />
• Paid Holidays<br />
• Personal Days<br />
• Compensatory Days<br />
• Certification Pay<br />
ALDINE ISD POLICE DEPT.<br />
now accepting applications for:<br />
Dispatcher<br />
Salary starting at $32,690,<br />
TO APPLY VISIT<br />
WWW.ALDINEISD.ORG<br />
OR<br />
Contact the Personnel<br />
Department at<br />
281-985-7571<br />
OR<br />
Contact Sergeant R. Hall at<br />
281-442-4923<br />
ALDINE ISD POLICE DEPT.<br />
now accepting applications for<br />
Full-Time Police Officers<br />
MUST HOLD A CURRENT TCOLE<br />
PEACE OFFICE CERTIFICATE<br />
TO APPLY VISIT<br />
WWW.ALDINEISD.ORG<br />
OR<br />
Contact the Personnel<br />
Department at<br />
281-985-7571<br />
OR<br />
Contact Sergeant R. Hall at<br />
281-442-4923<br />
no experience required.<br />
HIRING PROCESS<br />
• Oral Board Panel Interview<br />
• Complete Personal History Statement<br />
• Psychological Evaluation<br />
• Medical Examination<br />
• Interview with the Chief of Police<br />
Salary starting at $50,000<br />
with no experience<br />
HIRING PROCESS<br />
• Physical Agility Test<br />
• Written Exam<br />
• Oral Board Panel Interview<br />
• Complete Personal History Statement<br />
• Psychological Evaluation<br />
• Medical Examination<br />
• Interview with the Chief of Police<br />
132 The BLUES The BLUES 133
BECOME A BAYTOWN<br />
PATROL OFFICER!<br />
STARTING PAY:<br />
$67,320/YEAR<br />
$1,500 SIGNING<br />
INCENTIVE!<br />
SALARY<br />
(YEARLY)<br />
EMPLOYEE BENEFITS<br />
PAID LEAVE<br />
Probationary Patrol Officer $67,320<br />
5 Year Patrol Officer $81,073<br />
9 Year Patrol Officer $93,694<br />
Annual salary increases up to a max of<br />
$93,694 with longevity pay<br />
Modified Lateral Pay Scale for Peace<br />
Officers from time at immediately<br />
preceding Law Enforcement Agency<br />
CERTIFICATION PAY<br />
Intermediate PO Certification $92.08<br />
Advanced PO Certification $157.08<br />
Master's PO Certification $212.33<br />
RELOCATION<br />
(MONTHLY)<br />
Health Insurance<br />
Dental Insurance<br />
Vision Insurance<br />
Life Insurance<br />
Employee Wellness Center<br />
Training and Fitness Facility<br />
Retirement Plan (7% Mandatory with a<br />
2:1 match; 20 year retirement)<br />
457 Deferred Compensation Plan<br />
Tuition Assistance and Academy Tuition<br />
Reimbursement<br />
City Vehicle Program<br />
Uniforms/Equipment Provided with<br />
Annual Allowances<br />
15 Vacation days accrued per year<br />
(civil Service Status)<br />
10 City Holidays per year<br />
1 Personal day per year<br />
15 Sick days accrued per year<br />
15 days of Military Leave per year<br />
EDUCATION PAY<br />
Associates $50<br />
Bachelors $100<br />
Master $125<br />
SPECIALTY/ SKILL PAY<br />
(MONTHLY)<br />
(MONTHLY)<br />
Relocation Expenses Reimbursed<br />
Bilingual in Spanish $50<br />
WWW.BPDCAREERS.ORG 281-420-5354 281-420-6660<br />
134 The BLUES The BLUES 135
Requirements<br />
Be eligible for certification from TCOLE (Texas<br />
Commission on Law Enforcement). (Please refer to Texas<br />
Administrative Code Title 37 Chapter 217.1 for clarification.)<br />
Must be 21 or older (at the time of certification)<br />
Must have a valid Texas Driver’s License (or ability to<br />
obtain)<br />
30 hours college credit from an accredited college (college<br />
requirement waived if certified peace officer OR two years<br />
active duty military experience with an honorable<br />
discharge)<br />
Incentives<br />
Step<br />
Police Salary<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Hourly <br />
Annual<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*College education pay for Associates Degree and above<br />
*TCOLE certification level pay<br />
*Foreign language pay<br />
*Tattoo and facial hair friendly<br />
136 The BLUES The BLUES 137
<strong>No</strong>w Hiring for Patrol Officer Position<br />
<br />
13 Paid Holidays<br />
2 Weeks Paid Vacation<br />
Certification Pay<br />
100% Insurance Paid for Employees<br />
Retirement 2 to 1 match (20yr Retirement)<br />
FSA for Employees<br />
Longevity Pay<br />
Equipment & Uniforms Provided Including Duty Weapon w/ Red Dot Sight<br />
Take Home Vehicle Within City Limits<br />
10 Hour Work Shifts<br />
Membership Paid to Local Gym<br />
Department Provided Training<br />
Off-duty Security Opportunities<br />
Cell Phone Stipend<br />
Starting Pay Depends on Qualifications<br />
Requirements: Must be TCOLE Certified or currently enrolled in an accredited Police<br />
Academy and pass a background investigation.<br />
150 The BLUES The BLUES 151<br />
Email TCOLE Personal History Statement to sellis@cityofcuero.com<br />
October 15
DEER PARK POLICE<br />
DEPARTMENT<br />
Forney ISD<br />
Police Department<br />
WE ARE HIRING<br />
<br />
Police Officer<br />
Dispatcher<br />
Public Safety Attendant - Jailer<br />
Animal Control Officer<br />
Part time Crossing Guard<br />
Description<br />
School-based police officers work<br />
with school administrators, security<br />
staff, and faculty to ensure the safety<br />
and well-being of students at various<br />
campuses. This officer works as the<br />
main security arm of a school.<br />
Requirements<br />
U.S. Citizen<br />
Accredited High School Diploma<br />
or equivalent<br />
Valid Texas Peace Officer License<br />
Valid Texas Driver's License<br />
Two or more years of college or<br />
advanced training preferred<br />
<br />
<br />
Police Officers<br />
Experience<br />
SBLE Experience preferred<br />
Demonstrate the ability to<br />
teach & engage with youth<br />
<br />
<br />
Retention Stipends<br />
Clothing Allowance<br />
Health/Childcare Incentive<br />
Paid Training<br />
Lateral Entry<br />
<br />
<br />
APPLY ONLINE TODAY!<br />
www.forneyisd.net<br />
140 The BLUES The BLUES 141
GALVESTON<br />
COUNTY<br />
SHERIFFS OFFICE<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
GALVESTON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE ESTABLISHMENT OF ELIGIBILITY<br />
APPLY TODAY AND BECOME A GALVESTON POLICE OFFICER<br />
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JOB RESPONSIBILITIES<br />
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NEXT CIVIL SERVICE EXAM IS<br />
October 7, 2022<br />
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS<br />
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TO APPLY<br />
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SHERIFF.GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV<br />
142 The BLUES The BLUES 143<br />
JOIN US<br />
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<br />
CONTACT US
LATERAL DEPUTY<br />
144 The BLUES The BLUES 145
WE ARE<br />
HIRING!<br />
BENEFITS<br />
• Free basic Medical, Dental and Vision insurance for<br />
employee<br />
• Free basic Life insurance<br />
• Long Term Disability (LTD)<br />
• Affordable Medical, Dental and Vision benefits for<br />
eligible family members<br />
• Flexible Spending Accounts<br />
• 10 paid holidays per year<br />
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) including 10 vacation<br />
days and 13 sick days per year accrued biweekly<br />
RETIREMENT<br />
• Harris County matches your investment at 225%<br />
• 7% of your salary is invested pre-tax in your<br />
retirement account<br />
• Retirement Vesting after 8 years<br />
• Eligible upon earning 75 points (age+years of service)<br />
SALARY SCALE<br />
INCENTIVE PAY<br />
LATERAL DEPUTY<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
• Must be a licensed Peace Officer by the Texas Commission on Law<br />
Enforcement (TCOLE) in good standing<br />
• Must be currently employed as a first responder Peace Officer<br />
(any break in service will be discussed on a case-by-case basis)<br />
• Must have a minimum of 12 months of consecutive experience as<br />
a first responder Peace Officer at any one agency<br />
• Must successfully pass the Physical Abilities Test (PAT) obstacle<br />
course<br />
• Must pass a thorough background investigation (Criminal<br />
background check, fingerprinting, personal interview, etc.) as<br />
required by TCOLE<br />
• Must pass a physical and psychological evaluation as required by<br />
TCOLE<br />
• Valid Driver’s License (TX by start date)<br />
• Eyesight must be correctable to 20/20, normal color and<br />
peripheral vision<br />
• Correctable normal audible range in both ears<br />
• Firearms qualification<br />
For additional information contact Harris County Sheriff’s Office Recruitment Unit: (713) 877-5250<br />
<strong>No</strong>w Hiring<br />
OFFICERS<br />
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Our fast-growing City shows a trending decrease in crimes based<br />
on four offenses from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting.<br />
<br />
Hutto ranked one of the<br />
safest cities in Texas.<br />
Retirement<br />
2-to-1 City match with TMRS<br />
Take-home Patrol Car<br />
<br />
Top-of-the-line Equipment<br />
and Technology<br />
Beards and Tattoos Allowed<br />
Additional Pay<br />
+<br />
+<br />
Starting Salary<br />
$59K to $63K*<br />
Annual Leave Accruals<br />
12 paid holidays, 80 hrs vacation, 96 hrs sick leave<br />
Multiple Positions Available<br />
<br />
Education Pay up to $175/month<br />
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CLASSIFICATION SERVICE HOURLY ANNUAL TCOLE CERTIFICATION ANNUAL<br />
DEPUTY I 0-47 $25.22 $52,458<br />
Intermediate $1,560<br />
Advanced $3,420<br />
DEPUTY II 48-83 $26.99 $56,139<br />
Master $6,000<br />
EDUCATION<br />
ANNUAL<br />
DEPUTY III 84-119 $2<strong>8.</strong>59 $59,467<br />
Associate Degree $1,320<br />
DEPUTY IV 120-155 $30.03 $62,462<br />
Bachelor’s Degree $3,180<br />
Master/Doctorate $4,500<br />
DEPUTY V 156-191 $31.52 $65,562<br />
TO APPLY<br />
146 The BLUES<br />
Bilingual Program $1,800<br />
Harris County<br />
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The BLUES 147<br />
Receive up to fourteen (14) years of credit for time served! (Restrictions apply)<br />
@HCSOTexas<br />
HCSOTexas HCSOTexas @HCSOTexas<br />
SCAN THIS CODE<br />
Sheriff’s Office<br />
To learn more or apply, visit or scan<br />
www.huttotx.gov/policejobs<br />
Questions? Email: PDrecruiting@huttotx.gov<br />
Sign On Bonus!<br />
$2,500
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MANVEL POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
Patrol Officer<br />
The City of Manvel Police Department is looking to find qualified candidates to fill the ranks of the patrol division.<br />
The City of Manvel is a rapidly growing and diverse community. The current population is estimated at a little over 16000 and is located in the<br />
northern part of Brazoria County along the State Highway 288 corridor approximately 4 miles South of the City of Houston.<br />
The Manvel Police Department has a competitive pay structure for cities of the same size. Salary is based on experience and certification levels.<br />
The department currently has 32 sworn positions.<br />
18 officers currently in patrol with 8 positions added in this fiscal budget year.<br />
Patrol Salary: $53,704.56 to $68,031.84. Salary is based off experience and certification.<br />
Certification pay<br />
12-hour shifts / shifts rotate every four months. (Modified Dupont Schedule)<br />
Retirement through TMRS - 7% contribution with a 2:1 match<br />
Vested after 5 years with the city<br />
Employee health coverage paid 100% by the city, additional for family<br />
Health care for employee and eligible dependents through Prime Health Care.<br />
Personal Time off – Vacation and Holiday accruals<br />
Paid sick time<br />
Minimum Requirements:<br />
High school diploma or GED<br />
Valid Texas Driver’s License with good driving record<br />
TCOLE certified OR currently enrolled in Academy program<br />
Preference for LE experience<br />
Hiring Process Includes:<br />
Written test*<br />
Physical test *<br />
Oral board interview*<br />
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Thorough background investigation<br />
Modified Field Training Program for experienced officers<br />
One-year probationary period<br />
For more information you can contact The City of Manvel Police Department at 281-489-1212 or email, rcarrlacy@manvelpd.org<br />
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The Memorial Villages Police Department () currently<br />
looking for experienced officers who are self- motivated, innovative, and enthusiastic about<br />
community policing.<br />
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Hiring Bonus $1500<br />
Night Shift Differential $3600<br />
ECA $1300<br />
Basic Peace Officer<br />
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Hiring Bonus $1500<br />
Night Shift Differential $3600<br />
Master Peace Officer<br />
ECA $1300<br />
Bi-Lingual 2.5% of base pay<br />
College up to $3000 (Masters)<br />
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Healthcare Insurance, DHMO Dental, Vision – <br />
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Paid long-term disability and life insurance for employee, with additional life insurance<br />
available for spouse/dependents.<br />
Health Savings Account with departmental contributions up to $4200 annually<br />
TMRS Retirement 2 to 1 match, 7% Employee ,14% Employer Contribution, 20 Year Retirement<br />
457 Plan with employer contribution of 2.5% of annual salary<br />
Tuition reimbursement<br />
Longevity Pay up to a max of $2400 annually at 10 years of service.<br />
ECA (Emergency Care Assistant) $1300 Annually, training provided to each employee.<br />
12 hour shifts with every other Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.<br />
To learn more or apply, visit our website at www.mvpdtx.org<br />
Or contact Sgt. Owens 713-365-3711 or lowens@mvpdtx.org<br />
Or Commander E. Jones 713-365-3706 ejones@mvpdtx.org<br />
11981 Memorial Dr. Houston, Texas 77024<br />
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142 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 143
MAKE A<br />
DIFFERENCE<br />
IN YOUR<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
We are looking for outstanding individuals to<br />
<br />
mission will be to prevent crime and disorder, build<br />
partnerships within the community, and positively<br />
<br />
CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS<br />
• Competitive Salary • Outstanding Training<br />
<br />
The City of Pearland is one of the fastest growing<br />
communities within the region. Pearland is located<br />
approximately 20 minutes south of Downtown Houston<br />
and the current population is approximately 130,000<br />
residents.<br />
JOIN OUR TEAM<br />
HIRING POLICE OFFICERS AND CADETS<br />
<br />
<br />
TEST DATE:<br />
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 8:30 A.M.<br />
Register by: April 12.<br />
WATCH FOR UPCOMING<br />
Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium<br />
4141 Bailey TEST Road, DATES Pearland, TX IN 77584. 2022<br />
Doors Open: 7:15 a.m. <strong>No</strong> admittance after 7:45 a.m.<br />
Candidates must park in the north parking lot.<br />
SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES WILL APPLY<br />
• <br />
• Mandatory temperature checks<br />
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• Candidates seated 6 feet apart<br />
156 The BLUES For additional information and to register for an upcoming Civil Service Exam, The BLUES visit 157<br />
pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers
144 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 145
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FILL YOUR DEPARTMENTS’<br />
<br />
<br />
OPEN POSITIONS<br />
<br />
OFFICER SALARY RANGE: HIRING PROCESS: BENEFITS:<br />
<br />
YEARS OF SERVICE ANNUAL SALARY<br />
1 Year—Step 0 $66, 626.06<br />
2 Years—Step 1 $68, 291.71<br />
3 Years—Step 2 $69, 999.00<br />
4 Years—Step 3 $71, 74<strong>8.</strong>98<br />
5 Years—Step 4 $73, 542.70<br />
6 Years—Step 5 $75, <strong>38</strong>1.27<br />
7 Years—Step 6 $77, 265.80<br />
8 Years—Step 7 $79, 197.45<br />
9 Years—Step 8 $81, 177.<strong>38</strong><br />
10+Years—Step 9 $83, 206.82<br />
ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION:<br />
<br />
<br />
Bilingual Pay: $1 ,200 annually<br />
Complete and submit a City of Wylie<br />
job application: https://<br />
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/<br />
wylietexas<br />
Written Exam (exempt for Laterals)<br />
Physical Agility Test<br />
Complete and submit a Personal<br />
History Statement<br />
Oral Board Panel Interview<br />
<br />
Police Chief Interview<br />
Polygraph Examination<br />
Psychological Evaluation<br />
Medical Examination<br />
RECRUITING CONTACT:<br />
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<br />
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City Paid Medical/Dental/Vision<br />
Texas Municipal Retirement System<br />
(TMRS) 14% City Contribution<br />
<br />
City Paid Uniforms<br />
City Paid Training<br />
Life Insurance and AD&D<br />
Long Term Disability Insurance<br />
Employee Assistance Program<br />
Longevity Pay<br />
Tuition Reimbursement<br />
Free Recreation Center Membership<br />
Deferred Compensation Plan<br />
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<br />
Pay scale:<br />
$57,000up to $82,762<br />
BENEFITS<br />
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Important<br />
Information<br />
Application Deadline:<br />
January 14, 2022<br />
Written exam:<br />
January 21, 2022<br />
Bryantx.gov/PDJobs<br />
The City of Bryan is an Equal Opportunity Employer.<br />
ONLY $250,<br />
FOR 12 MONTHS.<br />
REACH OVER 1 MILLION<br />
<br />
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES.<br />
Wylie Police Department Mission: Our mission is to impact the quality of life, by providing a professional<br />
level of service that will foster, support, and build relationships with those we serve.<br />
162 The BLUES The BLUES 163<br />
https://www.wylietexas.gov/police.php
STARTING SALARY<br />
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<br />
At Hire<br />
At<br />
6 mos.<br />
end<br />
year 1<br />
end<br />
year 2<br />
end<br />
year 3<br />
end<br />
year 4<br />
end<br />
year 5<br />
end<br />
year 6<br />
end<br />
year 7<br />
end<br />
year 8<br />
end<br />
year 9<br />
GET STARTED<br />
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LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF<br />
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN<br />
$3,000<br />
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We Love Florida Sheriffs<br />
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