SEPT 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 9

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4 The BLUES The BLUES 5

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK 

Say Goodbye to ICE 

The Dodge Charger joins the Crown Vic 

as the last of the true police sedans. 

Well folks, it looks like the 

last true Patrol Sedan is all 

but gone. That’s right, the 

Dodge Charger Pursuit Vehicle 

will end production with the 

2023 model year. And most 

likely, if you haven’t placed 

your order for the 23’s, chances 

are you won’t be getting 

any of those either. 

The Charger will join the 

Crown Vic in the Patrol Car 

Hall of Fame as just another 

Shop our predecessors used 

to drive. The days of Mopar’s 

with Hemi engines and horrible 

brakes are coming to an 

end as the world turns to EVs. 

For the time being, departments 

rely on Ford ‘s Utility 

Interceptor, also known as the 

Explorer or the Chevy Tahoe. 

Sprinkled in among those are 

Ford and Chevy pickups, and 

in rare cases, Chevy Camaros 

and Dodge Challengers, serve 

as pursuit vehicles. 

I just returned from the Fleet 

Patrol Conference and Expo 

in Austin, and of course the 

big news is all EV. ICE is going 

away, and EV is here to stay. 

At the show, Ford showed 

off their new Lightening F150 

and admittedly it’s a damn fine 

pickup. I have no doubt the 

Lightening will find its way 

into the fleets of PD’s across 

the country. It has the battery 

life and durability that’s required 

for patrol and extending 

idling. Chevy also joined 

the party with its Silverado 

and it too, seemed like a durable 

truck and suitable for the 

mission at hand. 

And then there was the Model 

PD - The MODEL PD is the 

first all-electric duty ready 

police vehicle. The MODEL PD 

has been engineered for performance 

and safety. Built on 

the Tesla Model Y platform, 

the MODEL PD has enhanced 

acceleration, expanded cargo 

space and unprecedented fuel 

economy making MODEL PD 

the future of policing. 

That’s their words, not mine. 

I guess only time will tell if 

a Tesla has what it takes to 

chase bad guys. There’s no 

doubt they are fast enough, 

but one only needs to watch a 

few chase videos on YouTube 

and see that most end with 

the bad guys slamming into 

one shop after another. Swap 

out those heavy-duty Tahoe’s 

for Tesla’s and I’m pretty sure 


they won’t last long. 

I did meet NYPD Deputy 

Commissioner Robert Martinez 

who purchased a fleet 

of Tesla Model 3’s to use on 

patrol in areas of New York 

where long-distance driving 

isn’t an issue. In fact, NY 

plans to install charging spots 

throughout the city, so whenever 

you park your patrol car, 

you just plug it in. So, I guess 

for patrol in small communities, 

neighborhood patrols or 

downtown patrols, The Tesla 

might work out. 

This month begins our 

3-part series into the evolution 

of the American Patrol 

Car. Part 1 is a look back at 

the last 75 years, Part 2 next 

month is a look at the 2023 

models and the latest equipment 

upfitters are installing 

and finally in October we look 

towards the future and what 

cops in 2044 will be driving, 

or flying? 


FROM THE GUEST EDITOR’S DESK 

Is Your ISD Ready? 

The 2022-23 is here and as kids return to 

schools across the State of Texas, ISD and 

local police are reviewing their Emergency 

Action Plans. 

Most schools in Texas have 

already returned to the first semester. 

Students, Parents and 

Teachers alike, set aside the 

apprehension, frustration and 

outright worry for their loved 

one’s safety and they walked 

back into Campuses across the 

great state of Texas. 

As a tenured, former Texas 

ISD Police Chief I am keenly 

aware not ONE current ISD Police 

Chief, Supervisor or Officer 

woke up on the morning 

of their first day of school and 

prayed that everything went 

as well as it could and above 

all things, at the end of the 

day, everyone made it 

home safe and sound. 

Each School District 

in this State has 

an Emergency Action 

Plan. Some are up to 

date and accurate. 

And a few, are probably 

not. Most ISD’s 

here have either an 

ISD Police Department 

or a contract 

with a local Law 

Enforcement Agency to provide 

service to the district. Most, if 

not all those Law Enforcement 

Officers have watched and rewatched 

every bit of footage 

from the tragic disaster which 

occurred in Uvalde, Texas. 

Many, probably screamed and 

cussed at their respective 

screens. Some probably wept. 

All of them, I have no doubt 

made a mental commitment 

unto their own heart, they 

would not falter nor fail their 

Students, Teachers, and Parents. 

Most Texas Law Enforcement 

has been through at minimum, 

REX EVANS 

Basic ALEERT Training. Many 

of those Officers recognize 

they need the Intermediate and 

Advanced classes and, will seek 

out those classes on their own. 

Most Officers will have checked 

all their uniforms, gear, body 

armor and completed their 

annual qualifications, too. So, 

most School Based Law Enforcement 

Officers should be 

ready to go! 

Or are they? You have to ask. I 

mean, you’re trained up, geared 

up and have every tool and 

weapon possible, 

either at the ready 

or within a reasonable 

amount of 

time, can be deployed. 

Cool. But 

that’s not what I 

am referring to. I 

am referring to are 

YOU ready? Like, 

mentally. Are you 

ready to run into 

a school, where 

shots are actively being fired, 

seek out and engage the shooter, 

by yourself, if necessary. 

We can train, train and train 

some more. We can give our 

Officers all the gear, weapons 

and high-speed entry tools and 

shield in the world. As we’ve all 

clearly seen, none of those neat 

“things” matter if the Human 

Being cannot or will not be 

able to mentally engage, under 

such conditions. 

I am pretty sure most ISD 

Chief’s and Department Heads 

of Contract Agencies have pondered 

and prayed over this very 

issue. For many years, as an ISD 

Police Chief, I know I sure did. 

And I still do. As we have several 

educations / childcare-based 

facilities where I am currently a 

Chief of Police. I pray that every 

Officer, no matter what, engages! 

Don’t hesitate. Don’t freeze 

up. And for God’s sake, don’t 

run away, leaving children and 

teachers behind, to endure such 

a terrible fate. 

I am in NO WAY speaking 

disparagingly of any School 

Based Law Enforcement Officer 

or Agency. In fact, I know 

exactly what they are called 

upon to do on a daily basis and 

most other Law Enforcement 

Officers, couldn’t do it. It is an 

oftentimes trying, exasperating 

and thankless job. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, all 

that being said, I have been in 

more than one Officer Involved 

Shooting. It’s all highly overrated. 

Glorified on television and 

in the movies but, its nothing 

like that. It’s much, much worse. 

You go into such a fight with 

all the training and all the tools 

that can be provided. But, if you 

are not mentally prepared to 

engage and take down another 

Human Being…Well, then it 

was all for not. 

Lastly, I know just how hard 

ISD Officers work. I know the 

long hours and arduous tasks 

they face, every day. I also 

know that most of them, would 

give their lives for any other 

life on any given campus 

at any given time. No amount 

of training or equipment can 

provide that. It’s either you have 

that inside of you or, you don’t. 

Of all the Law Enforcement 

roles a person can have, as we 

have seen time and time again, 

in the role of a School Based 

Law Enforcement Officer, you 

must be far beyond trained and 

equipped. Your musts have the 

tenacious mindset that, you 

will not stop until one of two 

things happen. 

Either the shooter goes down 

or, you go down. But no matter 

what, do your best to make 

sure every child goes home. 



READERS SPEAK OUT 

Mass Shooting in America 

PART I- In 2017, two researchers, 

Jillian Peterson and James 

Densley, decided to conduct 

in-depth research on every mass 

shooting that had taken place in 

America. Their research ultimately 

led to the founding of the 

Violence Project Center and a 

book in 2021 by the same name, 

which summarizes their research. 

What I found particularly 

interesting and helpful, is that 

they compiled a large spreadsheet 

which summarizes their 

research and have made it available 

to the public. It contains 

information on about 150 parameters 

of every mass shooting 

in America, beginning with the 

Whitman shooting at the University 

of Texas in 1966. The latest 

entry when I downloaded was 

the Buffalo grocery store shooting 

in May.1 It is an extremely 

valuable data resource on these 

horrific events. 

One word of caution about the 

data on mass shootings. While 

these events may seem to us to 

occur frequently, they are quite 

rare, statistically speaking. As 

a result, one event with outlier 

characteristics can have a large 

effect on measures like medians 

and means, for example, which 

can lead to dubious conclusions. 

Peterson and Densley defined 

a mass shooting for their database 

as an event where three 

or more people were killed by a 

firearm(s), not including the perpetrator. 

This is a slightly more 

expansive definition than the 

more common definition of four 

or more victims. 

Using that definition, they documented 

180 mass shootings in 

our country since 1966, that have 

claimed 1,267 victims and represent 

over 41,000 years of life 

lost.2 

While those numbers are 

clearly horrific, mass shootings 

make up a tiny portion of the 

total homicides in the U.S. According 

to FBI stats, about one 

million Americans have died in 

a homicide since 1966, which 

means that mass shootings have 

accounted for less than .1% of all 

homicide victims. Nonetheless, 

mass shootings seem somehow 

more tragic to us than other homicides. 

I suspect some of that 

has to do with the randomness 

and inexplicability of the events, 

which frightens us. In addition, 

they are such a breach of the 

basic social contract on which 

our lives are based, they tear at 

the basic fabric of society. Also, 

the fact that many mass shootings 

have taken place at schools, 

claiming the most innocent 

among us, accentuates these 

tragedies. 

Also alarming, is that the frequency 

and death toll have been 

steadily increasing. Seven of the 

ten deadliest shootings happened 

in the last ten years. Since 

1966 the five-year rolling annual 

BILL KING 

average has increased from just 

one per year to over six. That 

is about 8 times faster than the 

US population has grown. The 

five-year average for the number 

of victims has increased 

from under ten to over 60. As 

such, mass shootings are clearly 

increasing at a much faster rate 

than homicides generally. 

The Violence Project database 

has numerous data elements 

regarding the characteristics of 

each of the shooting incidents. 

There are three that I thought we 

should look at first to provide 

some context. 

Sex, Age & Ethnicity of Perpetrators 

As you undoubtedly know, almost 

all mass shooters are men. 

Of the 182 mass shooting perpetrators, 

only 4 were women and 

they account for only 29 of the 

1,267 victims. 

The average age of mass 

shooting perpetrators is 33. 

However, the bulk of perpetrators 

are clustered in their 20s 

and then again in their mid to 

late forties. Of the 182 perpetrators, 

24 (13%) were under 

21 and they are responsible for 

140 (11%) of the fatalities. The 

youngest mass shooter was 11 

and the oldest was 70. In the 

deadliest mass shooting (Las 

Vegas, 2017), the perpetrator 

was 58. 

Mass shooters are ethnically 

diverse. These are the categories 

that the Violence Project 

used. 

Type of Weapon Used – 

The Violence Project categorized 

the firearms used in the 

mass shootings as handguns, 

shotguns, rifles and assault 

weapons. Their differentiation 

of rifles from assault weapons 

is based on the definition 

used in the Assault Weapons 

Ban of 1994, which includes a 

semi-automatic rifle with certain 

features, such a detachable 

clip. Their research indicates 

that 300 firearms had been 

used in the mass shootings. 

They were only able to determine 

that about 50 of weapons 

used were either purchased 

illegally or the perpetrator was 

illegally in possession of the 

firearm(s). So, while their research 

is somewhat incomplete 

on this point, it appears that a 

substantial majority of the guns 

used were legally purchased 

and possessed by the perpetrator 

at the time of the shooting. 

The majority of the shootings 

were carried out with handguns. 

Assault weapons came in 

second at 22%, with other rifles 

and shotguns each at just over 

10%. 

However, assault weapons 

account for a disproportionately 

higher percentage of the 


fatalities in mass shootings. 

This percentage would have 

been even higher if the recent 

shootings had been included 

in the database. 

Assault weapons were used 

in eight of the ten shooting 

with the highest fatalities and 

their popularity with mass 

shooters has been increasing 

over time. 

Types of Locations – 

Because of the horrific nature 

of shootings at schools 

and places worship, they dominate 

our consciousness and 

the media’s coverage. However, 

school shootings make 

up less than 10% of the mass 

shooting incidents and fatalities. 

Those at places of worship 

and colleges are about 

6% each. 

Shootings at retail locations, 

restaurants and bars make the 

largest portion, accounting 

for a third of all incidents and 

fatalities. At just over 20%, 

employment settings are the 

second most common location 

where mass shootings occur. 

As I suspect you are beginning 

to see, there is a maddening 

variability in mass 

shootings. There are far fewer 

common elements than I was 

expecting. This variability 

makes these events difficult 

to understand and, as a result, 

harder to fashion policies that 

would reduce their incidence. 

Next time, I will look at some 

of the common characteristics 

of the shooters themselves, 

which I think will help begin 

to bring into focus something 

about the type of individual 

that commits these heinous 

acts. 

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AROUND THE COUNTRY 

SPALDING, GEORGIA 

OFFICER KILLED IN 

FREAK ACCIDENT 

Deputy Jamie Reynolds was killed instantly when a 

pine tree fell and crushed his patrol vehicle. 

TERMINATED 

SPALDING COUNTY, GA. — 

The Spalding County community 

is mourning the loss 

of a deputy with more than 

25 years of law-enforcement 

experience. 

Deputy Jamie Reynolds was 

traveling in his patrol car 

Sunday July 31 around 5:30 

a.m. on Ga. Hwy. 16 when a 

large pine tree fell just east of 

Shoal Creek Road, the sheriff’s 

office said. 

“The tree crushed the passenger 

compartment of the 

vehicle, killing Deputy Reynolds 

instantly,” Sheriff Darrell 

Dix said. 

Dix, along with other members 

of his office, notified his 

wife and two children of the 

tragedy at their home, he said. 

Reynolds began his career in 

law enforcement in 1995 and 

joined the Spalding County 

Sheriff’s Office in 2021, they 

said. 

“He was a great guy who 

loved his family, had a deep 

Deputy Jamie Reynolds 

faith, worked hard, and always 

brought you solutions, not 

problems,” Sheriff Dix said. 

The Georgia State Patrol said 

the investigation is ongoing. 



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ELWOOD, INDIANA 

Officer Noah Shahnavaz was shot and killed by a suspect 

on a traffic stop which then lead to a high-speed chase. 

ELWOOD, IN – Indiana State 

Police Sergeant Scott P. Keegan 

said 24-year-old Noah 

Shahnavaz was killed around 

2am on Sunday, July 31 when 

Carl Roy Webb Boards II, 

42, fired multiple rounds at 

Shahnavaz as he exited his 

patrol car, striking him at 

least once. 

Boards then fled the Elwood, 

Indiana scene in his 2012 Buick 

LaCrosse, leading police on a 

high-speed chase. Approximately 

30 minutes later Hamilton 

County PD ramped up the 

pursuit, as Boards was headed 

southbound on State Road 37 

towards Interstate 69, police 

said. 

Police deployed stop sticks 

which were successful, eventually 

disabling Boards vehicle. 

Boards surrendered, was 

apprehended, and is being 

held at the Hamilton County 

Jail without bond. 

“This is a sorrowful time for 

law enforcement and definitely 

the community of Elwood,” 

Keegan said. 

“It’s always a sad moment 

when an officer sacrifices his 

life in the duty of service to 

the community. 

“Today has definitely been 

a challenge,” Elwood Mayor 

Todd Jones said. 

“How do you put into words 

the feelings and emotions that 

we’re all experiencing here 

today?” 

“Noah proudly wore the 

Elwood Police Department 

uniform, serving the citizens 

of Elwood, he was part of our 

city family. 

“On behalf of myself, my 

family, and a most grateful 

city, I’m asking you to keep 

Noah’s family, Noah’s friends, 

the Elwood Police Department, 

and our city in your 

thoughts and prayers as we 

attempt to navigate through 

this tragic time.” 

Andrew Hannah, Chief Deputy 

Prosecutor in Madison 

County, said his office will 

file murder, possession of a 

firearm by a serious violent 

felon, resisting law enforcement, 

and the use of a firearm 

enhancement charges against 

Officer Noah Shahnavaz 

Boards on Monday. 

The firearm enhancement 

charge carries additional sentencing 

penalties. 

Another penalty, known 

as the habitual offender enhancement, 

will be applied to 

the case given Boards’ criminal 

history. 

“Telling Noah’s story is going 

to be really important not 

just for the community but for 

the Elwood PD and for all of 

our chosen professions, State 

Police Superintendent Doug 

Carter said. 

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WAYNE COUNTY, NC 

Sergeant Matthew Fishman was shot and killed 

while attempting to serve commitment papers. 

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. — Sgt. Matthew 

Fishman, 38, served with 

the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office 

for 12 years, and with the Mount 

Olive Police Department before 

that. He died Aug. 2, a day after he 

was shot and killed as he served 

involuntary commitment papers. 

Fishman is survived by his wife 

Sarah, two children aged 10 and 

14, his parents, two brothers and 

six nieces and nephews. 

“Matthew has given the ultimate 

sacrifice,” his father Dave Fishman 

said at the funeral. He remembered 

his son for his faith, his 

love of his family and dedication 

to helping people around him. 

Police officers and deputies 

from across North Carolina gathered 

to mourn Fishman a week 

after his death 

Officers and deputies from 

around North Carolina, including 

as far away as Boone and Dare 

County, gathered Tuesday for the 

funeral at the arena at Mount Olive 

University. Hundreds gathered 

to join the family for the service, 

a casket covered by an American 

flag at the front. 

“When Matthew set his mind 

to something, somehow, some 

way, it will get done,” the senior 

Fishman said. That extended to 

becoming a police officer. 

Matthew Fishman graduated 

from the law enforcement program 

at Wayne County Community 

College. But he couldn’t get 

a job as a police officer right 

away because his “earlier driving 

record” wasn’t quite what the police 

department wanted in a new 

officer, his father said. 

Determined to become a police 

officer, his father said Matthew 

Fishman made friends in the 

Mount Olive Police Department, 

went on ride-alongs and worked 

his way into a job as a police 

officer. 

“The middle child who could 

warm your heart as well as test 

your nerves,” his father said, 

“Matthew was one who was 

more impressive in person than 

he is on paper.” 

“Matthew Ryan Fishman was a 

dependable, loving, giving man,” 

Wayne County Sheriff Larry 

Pierce said Tuesday. “Everyone 

knew Sgt. Fishman for that big 

smile and his calming personality.” 

“Last Monday Sgt. Fishman 

proved to everyone that he would 

not let his people down,” he said. 

“He paid the ultimate sacrifice.” 

Two other deputies were shot 

during the Aug. 1 incident, but 

survived their injuries. The suspect, 

23-year-old Jourdan Hamilton, 

was later found in the home 

Sergeant Matthew Fishman 

dead of a self-inflicted gunshot 

wound, the sheriff’s office said. 

Fishman’s car sat outside the 

arena where the funeral was 

held. A bouquet bore his badge 

number: 5242. Some people had 

placed patches from different police 

departments under the bow, 

including from Chicago, Boston 

and New York. 

A procession with more than a 

hundred cars with family members 

and Wayne County Sheriff’s 

Office members escorted 

the casket from the arena to the 

cemetery. 

“A true hero and a true law 

enforcement officer,” the sheriff 

said. “Sgt. Fishman, rest easy, my 

brother, rest easy.” 

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DISTRICT of COLUMBIA 

Special Police Officer Maurica Manyan was 

shot during a baton training exercise. 

DISTRICT of COLUMBIA - A 

retired D.C. police officer faces 

charges after fatally shooting a 

special police officer at a training 

session Thursday inside a 

public library in the Anacostia 

neighborhood, authorities say. 

Special Police Officer Maurica 

Manyan, of Indian Head, Maryland, 

was the victim, the Metropolitan 

Police Department said 

in an update Friday. She was 25 

and worked as a special police 

officer within the DC Public Library’s 

public safety division. 

Jesse Porter, 58, was arrested 

and charged with involuntary 

manslaughter, police said. 

“I thought I had my training 

gun. Why did I do this? Is she 

ok?” witnesses told police that 

Porter asked. 

It wasn’t immediately clear if 

Porter has a lawyer. He retired 

from MPD in 2020 as a lieutenant, 

an online profile says. 

According to the initial investigation, 

Porter shot Manyan at the 

conclusion of a training exercise 

in a conference room of the Anacostia 

Neighborhood Library. 

Witnesses told police that 

Porter, who had been hired to 

conduct the training, suddenly 

pulled a gun from his holster, 

pointed it at Manyan and pulled 

the trigger once. 

About five officers wanted a 

group picture taken at the end 

of the training, a court affidavit 

says. Manyan was the subject 

of some playful jokes about her 

hair and said she wanted to take 

off her mask. That’s when Porter 

pulled out his gun and fired, the 

document says. 

Porter then said he thought he 

had his training gun, witnesses 

told police. Several people began 

CPR. First responders were 

called to the library at 1800 Good 

Hope Road SE shortly before 

3:45 p.m. 

As Porter was led out of the 

building, he turned to a library 

officer, the affidavit said. 

“I’m sorry. I shot your officer,” 

he said. 

Library patrons were cleared 

from the building. No one else 

was hurt. 

Manyan was taken to a hospital, 

where she was pronounced 

dead. She had been on the force 

for less than a year. Her family 

declined to speak. 

Witnesses said Porter had a 

brightly colored training gun — a 

replica — in his holster until the 

time of the shooting. Camera 

footage in the room where the 

shooting occurred matched what 

Officer Maurica Manyan 

witnesses said occurred, the affidavit 

said. 

Chief of Police Robert Contee 

said Friday that it’s unclear why 

Porter pulled out the loaded gun. 

“There are props and firearm 

lookalikes that are in a training 

environment. They were present 

in this environment. But why and 

what kind of was in his mind at 

this time, I don’t know the answer 

to that,” he said. 

The retired lieutenant was 

conducting a training on how to 

use a police baton, Contee told 

reporters Thursday night. 

“I don’t have answers as to why 

the live firearm was in ASP baton 

training,” Contee said, 

EL PASO COUNTY, CO 

El Paso County Deputy Andrew Peery was shot and 

killed in the line of duty while responding to a shooting. 

EL PASO COUNTY, CO. (KKTV) 

- A decorated law enforcement 

officer was killed in the line 

of duty while protecting those 

around him from an armed suspect. 

“He put himself in the line of 

fire to save others,” said a friend 

of El Paso County Deputy Andrew 

Peery’s heroic actions at 

the scene Sunday evening. 

Peery, a 39-year-old married 

father of two and six-year 

veteran of the El Paso County 

Sheriff’s Office was among the 

three law enforcement officers 

who responded to a 911 call near 

Widefield High School just after 

5 p.m. 

“The caller was reporting a 

shooting in the area of the 500 

block of Ponderosa, which is in 

Security,” said El Paso County 

Sheriff Bill Elder. “We had additional 

callers who were also 

hearing gunfire in the same area. 

Two of our deputies, alongside 

a Fountain police officer, arrived 

on scene almost simultaneously. 

As soon as they arrived, they 

were immediately met with 

gunfire.” 

“Our deputies returned fire 

with at least one round, and 

after additional personnel arrived 

on scene, they immediately 

rendered aid and life-saving 

measures,” Elder said. 

Despite first responders’ efforts, 

Peery did not survive. 

“Andrew was a highly dedicated, 

highly decorated SWAT 

operator for the El Paso County 

Sheriff’s Office, and he has been 

with my office since 2016,” Elder 

said in a news conference Sunday 

night. 

“He was a kind soul,” said 

friend Scott Stone. “He was a 

man’s man, he made sure that 

we were -- that the guys on his 

team were always taken care of. 

He would have given the shirt off 

his back to his fellow officers.” 

Stone, a former El Paso County 

deputy who was injured in 

the line of duty during the 2018 

shooting that claimed the life 

of Deputy Micah Flick, spoke of 

what this loss meant to their law 

enforcement family. 

“It’s one of the worst feelings 

in the pit of your stomach. It’s a 

gut-wrenching thing. You feel 

for his family, you feel for his 

kids. It’s going to be a long healing 

process.” 

Fellow officers lined the 

streets Sunday night to show 

their respects during a procession 

from the hospital. 

Officers pay their respects to 

El Paso County Deputy Andrew 

Peery, who was killed in the line 

of duty while trying to stop an 

armed suspect. 

Deputy Andrew Peery 

Condolences have flooded in 

from law enforcement agencies 

across the country, including 

Kern County, California, where 

Peery once worked as a police 

officer. 

Gov. Jared Polis issued a short 

statement. 

“My thoughts and condolences 

are with the family and friends 

of Deputy Peery and all our 

neighbors in law enforcement 

who put their lives at risk to 

serve others,” he said. 

Peery is survived by his wife, 

Megan, and two children. Those 

wishing to help his family can 

donate through Chase Bank under 

the “Hugh A. Martin Memorial 

Scholarship Fund,” with “Andrew 

Peery” on memo line. 



RALEIGH, NC 

Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd was shot and 

killed while investigating suspicious activity. 

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BUYERS GUIDE 

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RALEIGH, Wake County — Another 

North Carolina deputy has 

been shot and killed in the line 

of duty. 

Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd 

been with the department for 13 

years. According to the sheriff’s 

office, Byrd was a K9 Deputy. He 

joined the sheriff’s office in July 

2009 as a detention officer and 

started Basic Law Enforcement 

Training School to become a 

certified law enforcement officer 

in September 2017. He was 

sworn in as a deputy in March 

2018. 

Sheriff Gerald Baker said Byrd 

did not radio for help after he 

was shot and was found dead 

when the sheriff’s office sent 

other deputies to check on his 

welfare. Baker confirmed that 

Byrd was shot more than once 

while he was outside of his 

patrol car. 

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office 

said the shooting occurred 

near a gas station at around 

11:00 p.m. Thursday. 

Wake County Sheriff Gerald 

Baker held back tears during a 

press conference Friday morning 

on the deadly shooting. “We 

will find who’s responsible for 

this loss. Even in the midst of 

the hurt and the pain, we ask 

for prayers, we ask for patience 

as we go about finding out what 

happened and who’s responsible,” 

Sheriff Baker said. (Photo 

courtesy of Raleigh ABC affiliate 

WTVD) 

The Associated Press is reporting 

that the shooting happened 

on a dark section of 

Battle Bridge Road adjacent to 

open land about a quarter mile 

from a gas station. 

Law enforcement officers 

from multiple agencies are in 

the area Friday searching for the 

shooter or shooters. 

Sponsored by 

Deputy Ned Byrd 

The subject was arrested a 

week later. 

Deputy Bryd was a U.S. Air 

Force veteran and had served 

with the Wake County Sheriff’s 

Office for 13 years. He is survived 

by his K9 partner, sister, 

brother-in-law, and four nephews. 




MIAMI-DADE, FL. 

Miami-Dade Robbery Detective Cesar Echaverry was 

removed from life support two days after being shot by 

an armed robbery suspect. 

MIAMI, FL. – Cesar Echaverry, 

a Miami-Dade robbery detective 

who had been on life-support 

for two days after a shootout 

with a suspected armed robber 

left him brain dead, died 

Wednesday August 17 when 

doctors removed the ventilator 

that had been keeping him alive. 

“It is with great sadness and 

heavy hearts that we announce 

the untimely passing of Officer 

Cesar “Echy” Echaverry,” Miami-Dade 

Police Director Alfredo 

“Freddy” Ramirez wrote on 

Twitter. 

“Surrounded by loved ones, 

Echy succumbed to his injuries 

after a brief battle for his life.” 

Echaverry, the first Miami-Dade 

officer to be killed in the line 

of duty since 2011, will receive 

full honors during a memorial 

service in the coming days. 

His name will also be etched 

into a limestone wall at the National 

Law Enforcement Officers 

Memorial in Washington, D.C. 

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella 

Levine Cava, who spent time at 

the hospital consoling family 

Officer Cesar Echaverry 

Deputy Matthew Yates 

and friends of the officer’s up 

until his death, said she was 

“heartbroken” to learn he had 

died. 

“He laid down his life to stop 

a violent criminal and we will 

be forever grateful for his selfless 

service and sacrifice to our 

community,” the mayor said in 

a prepared statement. “Echy, as 

he was lovingly known to his 

police family, will be remembered 

always for his courage, 

his sense of duty and his unwavering 

dedication to keeping 

our residents safe.” 

Echaverry had been breathing 

through the machine since Monday 

night, when fellow officers 

rushed him to Jackson Memorial 

Hospital after he was shot in 

the head. His suspected shooter, 

Jeremy Willie Horton, 32, was 

killed in an exchange of gunfire. 

A man suspected of partnering 

with Horton on a convenience 

store robbery in Dania Beach 

was killed by Miami police 

serving a warrant at a Miami 

Springs hotel on Tuesday. 

He is survived by his fiancée 

and parents. He was 29. 

His passing was announced by 

Miami-Dade Police Wednesday 

evening on Twitter. “Officer 

Echaverry died in the line of 

duty while serving and protecting 

our community,” Ramirez 

wrote. “Our law enforcement 

family will continue to stand 

beside and support the Echaverry 

family through this difficult 

time. We’ll never forget officer 

Echaverry’s bravery and sacrifice.” 

TAMPA, FL. 

FDLE special agent looses his fight to survive 17-days 

after being hit by a driver causing a major crash. 

TAMPA, FL. (WFLA) — The Florida 

Department of Law Enforcement 

announced Saturday that one of its 

special agents died 17 days after 

being hit by a driver while in the line 

of duty. 

NBC affiliate WTVJ reported that 

FDLE said Special Agent Jose Perez 

was responding to a separate incident 

when he was hit by a driver, 

causing a major crash. 

Man goes 130 mph while fleeing 

Clearwater police, says he ‘was just 

being stupid’: affidavit 

Perez was hospitalized for more 

than two weeks before finally dying 

from his injuries. 

The special agent had worked as 

a member of the military before 

serving 30 years in law enforcement, 

according to the FDLE. 

“Our country, our state, our community 

and FDLE are better because 

of his dedication.” FDLE Acting Commissioner 

Mark Glass 

said. “Rest in peace 

our brave hero. You 

will never be forgotten.” 

Miami-Dade Police 

tweeted their condolences 

for the FDLE. 

“Our hearts are 

heavy as we mourn 

the loss of FDLE Special 

Agent Jose Perez,” 

the department said. 

“We stand with our 

brothers and sisters of 

@fdlepio during this 

difficult time.” 

A ceremonial procession 

from Kendall 

Regional Hospital to 

Miami-Dade Medical 

Exam’s Office was 

scheduled from 3 p.m. 

to 4 p.m. 

26 The BLUES ODMRBuckslip_2022.indd 1 

The BLUES 6/14/22 12:57 27 

PM


OSAGE COUNTY, OK. 

Osage County Captain Willy Hargraves was 

killed in vehicle crash on US Highway 60. 

OSAGE COUNTY, OK. - Captain 

William “Willy” Hargraves died 

Friday, Aug. 19, as a result of a 

traffic accident at the junction 

of U.S. Highway 60 and Oklahoma 

Highway 18, in western Osage 

County, north of Fairfax and west 

of Pawhuska. 

Osage County Sheriff Eddie 

Virden said Hargraves was thought 

to be on his way to work when a 

two-vehicle accident occurred. 

Hargraves was Captain over Patrol 

and Investigations for the Osage 

County Sheriff’s Office, Virden said. 

Hargraves was also a fireman and 

served on the Shidler Board of Education. 

Virden said Hargraves was 

a career law-enforcement officer, 

whose mother had also been a jail 

administrator and an investigator 

for the Osage County S.O. 

“He was a phenomenal guy,” 

Virden said. “I can’t even begin to 

tell you how big a gap he’s going 

to leave in our office.” 

The sheriff said Hargraves had 

recently been involved in planning 

security classes to be offered free 

of charge to school districts. 

“It’s just a sad, horrible, horrible, 

horrible deal no matter how you 

look at it,” Virden said. “I would 

have never seen this coming.” 

According to a press release 

issued by the Sheriff’s Office, 

Hargraves began his law enforcement 

career in 1998, when Russell 

Cottle, who was then the sheriff 

of Osage County, hired him to 

work as a jailer. Two years later, 

Hargraves was promoted to field 

deputy, and in 2003 he was promoted 

to K-9 handler and became 

involved in efforts to prevent drug 

abuse in the schools. 

In 2006, Osage County Sheriff 

Ty Koch promoted Hargraves to 

Patrol Lieutenant, where he was 

responsible for supervising all of 

Captain William Hargraves 

the patrol activities and conducting 

criminal investigations for the 

west area of Osage County. 

In 2020, Sheriff Virden promoted 

him to Jail Lieutenant, where he 

supervised the everyday operations 

of the Osage County Detention 

Center and Transportation 

Division. After Capt. Charlie Cartwright 

retired in 2021, Hargraves 

was promoted to Jail Administrator/Captain. 

Hargraves became 

Captain for Investigations earlier 

this year. 

Sheriff Virden on Saturday, Aug. 

20 announced via text message 

that an escort was being planned 

for Sunday, Aug. 21, as Hargraves’s 

body was moved from Tulsa to 

Trout Funeral Home in Ponca City. 

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. 

Sergeant Bobby Swartz was shot and killed as he and 

another deputy attempted to serve an eviction notice. 

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. — Authorities 

arrested a suspect who 

opened fire on Oklahoma County 

deputies serving an eviction notice 

Monday afternoon at a home 

in southwest Oklahoma City. 

The two deputies were taken 

to an area hospital, where 

one was pronounced dead. The 

Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office 

identified the two deputies shot 

Monday as Robert Swartz and 

Mark Johns. Both were taken 

to OU Medical Center, where 

Swartz was pronounced dead. 

Johns underwent surgery, and 

authorities said he is recovering. 

“The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s 

Office mourns the loss of a 

good man,” sheriff’s office officials 

posted Monday. 

Swartz was in the Army Reserves 

before joining the Oklahoma 

County Sheriff’s Office in 

1997. 

KOCO 5 spoke with someone 

who knew Swartz best, former 

Oklahoma County Sheriff PD 

Taylor. 

“He was a good man, a great 

deputy and a very good friend of 

mine,” Taylor said. 

Taylor said they served at the 

sheriff’s office together for almost 

two decades. Hearing the 

news, Taylor said it’s a horrible 

reminder of the dangers law enforcement 

faces every day. 

“He gave his life for a profession 

that he loved,” Taylor said. 

Swartz was also hailed a hero 

before. In February 2020, he was 

credited with saving the life of 

a man who was run over by a 

pickup truck in downtown Oklahoma 

City. 

Authorities have not released 

many details about the suspect, 

but they identified him as Benjamin 

Plank. 

Law enforcement took him 

into custody after a high-speed 

chase Monday afternoon through 

Oklahoma City that ended outside 

the main gate at Tinker Air 

Force Base. He was arrested and 

booked into the Oklahoma County 

Detention Center on several 

charges, including first-degree 

murder, shooting with intent to 

kill, assault and battery with 

a deadly weapon and use of a 

vehicle in the discharge of a 

weapon. 

The situation unfolded at two 

main scenes Monday afternoon 

in the Oklahoma City metro. 

First, the shooting happened 

Deputy Robert Swartz 

while three Oklahoma County 

deputies served an eviction 

notice at a home in the 2200 

block of Southwest 78th Street, 

between Youngs Boulevard and 

Pennsylvania Avenue. 

The suspect then took off in a 

pickup truck towing a boat and 

was involved in a high-speed 

pursuit with Oklahoma law enforcement 

on Interstates 35 and 

40. 

The pursuit ended when the 

suspect pulled off Interstate 40 

and went to the main gate of 

Tinker Air Force Base, where he 

exited the vehicle and surrendered. 



NOT ENOUGH COPS, 

NO MARDI GRAS? 

Last month we told you about the mass exodus of cops in NOLA, 

now the mayor says they or may not have to cut Mardi Gras. 

By Ben Myers, NOLA.com 

NEW ORLEANS, LA. – The threat 

of a New Orleans without Mardi 

Gras didn’t last as long as most 

Mardi Gras hangovers. 

Last month, at a community 

meeting held at the Lakeview 

Christian Center, a question submitted 

to Mayor LaToya Cantrell 

asked what Mardi Gras might 

look like next year if the New Orleans 

Police Department continues 

to rapidly shed officers. 

“If you don’t have adequate 

police, it could mean there will 

be no Mardi Gras. That’s a fact,” 

Cantrell said. 

“Look, you know I don’t want to 

cancel no Mardi Gras, no not at 

all,” Cantrell added soon after. 

“But when it comes to jeopardizing 

the safety of the men and 

women who make that ultimate 

sacrifice and kiss their families 

when they leave every day and 

hope to come home at night 

or in the morning, they are the 

priority.” 

The comments flew across 

New Orleans. Residents lit up 

social media. Texts were exchanged. 

By the next morning, 

the question of whether parades 

would be canceled buzzed 

through offices and across lunch 

tables. 

The statement suggested 

Cantrell was considering a 

repeat of the drastic step taken 

in 2021, when she canceled all 

parades and other public Carnival 

events to slow the spread of 

COVID-19. But this time, it was 

due to the struggles of the NOPD 

in recruiting and retaining officers. 

The following week, Cantrell 

walked back her comments. 

“We ARE NOT canceling Mardi 

Gras,” the mayor said in a prepared 

statement. 

Cantrell’s statement affirming 

that Carnival would proceed 

didn’t explain what she had 

meant the week before. But it 

provided some details on the 

NOPD manpower shortage and 

the city’s efforts to boost its 

ranks, including improving facilities, 

adding new technologies 

and other steps. 

“The City of New Orleans remains 

committed to delivering 

critical resources needed for our 

public safety agencies, while 

also continuing to safely host 

large-scale events that allow us 

to celebrate our beloved culture,” 

Cantrell said. 

While the prospect of canceling 

parades or other events due 

to issues with the police force 

was surprising, it wouldn’t have 

been unprecedented. In 1979, a 

police strike led to the cancellation 

of parades in Orleans Parish. 

And earlier this year, several parades 

were shortened or rerouted 

from their traditional paths 

because of concerns related to 

how many officers would be able 

to provide security. 

A surge in NOPD retirements 

and trouble recruiting new officers 

has left the NOPD with the 

fewest commissioned officers in 

decades. And on Thursday August 

18, a federal judge offered a 

critical assessment of the NOPD’s 

compliance with its long-running 

federal consent decree, 

stating that NOPD is in danger of 

backsliding. Cantrell has blamed 

the consent decree — among 

other things — for the department’s 

attrition. 

Mardi Gras, a holiday rooted in 

Catholic tradition and celebrated 

in many places around the world, 

cannot be “canceled.” But the 

mayor of New Orleans can place 

restrictions on parading and other 

events. 

Thursday night was the first 

that Bobby Hjortsberg, captain 

of the Krewe of Freret, had heard 

the mayor suggest calling off 

next year’s parades. Hjortsberg 

said he believed Cantrell invoked 

Mardi Gras to focus organizers 

on the serious NOPD staffing 

challenge that lay ahead. 

“I think she was trying to get a 

point across,” Hjortsberg said. “I 

think what is going to ultimately 

result from it is we’re all gonna 

sit down at a table, and we’re 

going to find a solution.” 

And even before Cantrell affirmed 

on Friday August 19 that 

Carnival would take place in 

2023, others were also urging a 

measured look at the situation. 

During a City Council meeting 

on Friday morning, Police Chief 

Shaun Ferguson told council 

members the NOPD still needs 

to conduct a needs assessment 

on Mardi Gras before making any 

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decisions. 

“I don’t think now is the time to 

panic. Now is the time to plan,” 

the chief said. 

Council President Helena Moreno 

agreed, though she added a 

swipe at the mayor. 

“Let’s not make irresponsible 

comments and create panic,” 

she said. 

Staff writers Matt Sledge and 

Doug MacCash contributed to 

this article 



PHILLY PD SHORT 1,300 COPS 

& IT’S ABOUT TO GET WORSE 

More than 800 officers and civilian employees 

have set retirement dates within the next four years. 

By Anna Orso and Ryan W. 

Briggs, The Philadelphia Inquirer 

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 

Police Department has faced 

a critical shortage of officers 

for months — one that’s all but 

certain to get worse as hundreds 

more cops plan to leave. 

With the police force already 

operating about 20% below its 

target staffing level, more than 

800 officers and civilian employees 

have set retirement dates 

within the next four years by 

enrolling in the city’s deferred 

pension program. 

The decades-old program helps 

officials prepare for the departure 

of longtime employees by 

allowing city workers to begin 

collecting on pension benefits 

four years before they retire. 

Fresh pension records analyzed 

by The Inquirer show the number 

of Police Department enrollees 

doubled in four years. 

The figures mean officers are 

leaving faster than the department 

can recruit them. The force 

is virtually guaranteed to see 

about 200 retirements for each of 

the next four years. But this year, 

just 120 cadets will be eligible to 

graduate from the police academy. 

The wave of impending retirements 

comes atop nearly 600 

existing officer vacancies, soaring 

resignations, and hundreds of injury 

claims that have taken more 

cops off active duty. All told, the 

force is already some 1,300 officers 

short of its full complement 

of 6,380. 

The growing officer shortage 

within one of the nation’s largest 

police forces is colliding with 

the highest rates of gun violence 

Philadelphia has seen in generations. 

Last year, there were 562 

homicides, the most in recorded 

history — and so far, this year, the 

pace has not slowed. 

Police Commissioner Danielle 

Outlaw invoked the staffing crisis 

following a West Philadelphia 

shooting that on Tuesday night 

left five young men wounded and 

100 shell casings outside a recreation 

center. 

Outlaw said adequate staffing 

allows police to have a more 

“visible presence.” 

“We will never, ever be able to 

truly quantify how much violence 

would never occur,” she said, “if 

prospective offenders see police 

in the area before they act.” 

The officer exodus coincided 

with both a political shift around 

policing and a broader trend of 

municipal workers leaving their 

jobs in droves. Outlaw has said 

for months that morale among 

officers is low, which she has 

attributed in part to politics and 

increased scrutiny. 

Ranks have dwindled in almost 

every unit, and the effects are 

noticeable. Police response times 

have slowed since 2020. Some 

officers were redeployed to boost 

patrol strength. 

Officials admit recruitment has 

faltered, blaming both the city’s 

uniquely stringent hiring requirements 

and a nationwide shortage 

that has made the market for 

recruits more competitive. 

They emphasize that the problem 

isn’t unique to Philadelphia. 

Police departments across the 

country have faced severe challenges 

recruiting officers, with 

some offering massive signing 

bonuses or retention pay. 

“It’s been very difficult across 

the country to have people wanting 

to get into policing and law 

enforcement,” Mayor Jim Kenney 

said during a recent news conference. 

“I can’t force people to 

become police officers.” 

A DEPARTMENT HEMORRHAG- 

ING COPS 

While agencies across city 

government have buckled under 

persistent short staffing over the 

last year, police in Philadelphia 

are leaving more quickly than 

other municipal workers. They 

also make up a disproportionate 

number of expected retirees, 

according to city employment 

records. 

As of July, 809 Police Department 

employees were enrolled 

in the city’s Deferred Retirement 

Option Plan, known as DROP. 

While uniformed police and 

civilian staff account for about 

a quarter of the city workforce, 

they make up more than 40% of 

the workers enrolled in DROP. 

The full number of department 

retirees in the coming years will 

likely be even higher, because not 

all Police Department retirees 

enroll in DROP — over the past 

three years, more than a third did 

not. 

In all, the department is likely 

to see more than double the 100 

annual retirements averaged before 

the pandemic. 

In addition to those retiring, 

some officers will inevitably 

quit. And resignations similarly 

surged last year: According to the 

department, 128 officers quit in 

2021, more than twice the year 

prior. 

While resignations across 

the municipal government as a 

whole slowed this year, the same 

cannot be said for the Police Department. 

Eighty-seven officers 

have already resigned this year, 

meaning the department is on 

track for more resignations than 

2021. 

Atop it all, injury claims are 

keeping hundreds of paid officers 

out of work — a trend driven, in 

part, by some exploiting disability 

programs. Today, about 580 

police officers report being too 

injured to work, and another 110 

are on “limited duty.” 

Aaron Chalfin, an associate 

professor of criminology at the 

University of Pennsylvania, said 

shortages have a real effect on 

crime. 

He said research shows lower 

police staffing is linked to increases 

in both violent and property 

crime. Experts believe that’s 

because when more officers are 

in an area, they’re making more 

arrests, and their mere presence 

deters crime. 

“It doesn’t mean every city 

and every year there will be an 

impact,” Chalfin said. “But at a 

30,000-foot view of it, murder is 

responsive to the number of police 

officers. Overall violent crime 

is responsive. Property crime is 

responsive.” 

Others see the shortage as an 

opportunity to fill the void with 

support systems outside law 

enforcement to curb those same 

problems. 

The city’s police budget grew 

by about $30 million this year, 

with some money earmarked for 

recruitment. But Kris Henderson, 

executive director of the Amistad 

Law Project, advocated for using 


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MARION COUNTY, TN. 

HELICOPTER CRASH 

A Tennessee Highway Patrol helicopter struck a power line in 

Marion County, TN and crashed, killing the two officers on board. 

By Ben Benton and Carmen 

Nesbitt, 

Chattanooga Times Free Press 

MARION COUNTY, TN — Two 

Tennessee law enforcement officers 

died in a helicopter crash in 

Marion County on Tuesday afternoon, 

officials said. 

One was Marion County Sheriff’s 

Detective Matt Blansett and 

the other Tennessee Highway 

Patrol Sergeant Lee Russell. 

Tennessee Highway Patrol 

officials held a news conference 

late Tuesday night outside of 

Whiteside Church of God. 

“Today is a very tragic day for 

law enforcement,” THP Capt. 

Travis Plotzer said at the news 

conference. 

The investigation is ongoing 

and in its “infancy,” Plotzer said. 

“What I would ask while the 

investigation is ongoing, please 

give the family their privacy as 

we go forward,” Plotzer said. 

“Please give them their time 

to start comprehending what 

they’re going through.” 

Officials would not take any 

further questions. 

The helicopter struck a power 

line around 3 p.m. Tuesday on 

Sergeant Lee Russell 

Aetna Mountain near Whiteside, 

Tennessee, officials said. 

The collision caused the power 

lines to fall across Interstate 

24 at mile marker 163, shutting 

down eastbound traffic while 

officers searched for the wreck. 

The highway has since reopened. 

Marion County Mayor David 

Jackson confirmed the crash 

to the Chattanooga Times Free 

Press earlier Tuesday. 

“A THP chopper did get into 

some power lines and went 

down,” Jackson said in a phone 

interview. 

Detective Matt Blansett 

On Facebook, the office of 

Scott County Sheriff Ronnie Phillips 

expressed condolences to 

the two victims. 

“Our deepest condolences for 

our Tennessee Highway Patrol 

family and that of Sgt. Lee Russell, 

along with his passenger, a 

Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy, 

were both killed this afternoon in 

a terrible helicopter crash while 

serving the citizens of the State 

of Tennessee,” the post said. 

“God bless these dedicated law 

enforcement officers and their 

families during this unimaginable 

time. #GodSpeed.” 

The Dickson County Sheriff’s 

Office issued a similar statement, 

saying, “Tonight we mourn 

the loss of Sgt. Lee Russell with 

the Tennessee Highway Patrol. 

Our thoughts and prayers are 

with his family, friends, and 

brothers and sisters of THP. ... 

We also ask for thoughts and 

prayers for the Marion County 

Deputy who was killed in the 

crash, their family, friends and 

coworkers.” 

The Hardin County Sheriff’s 

Office also praised Russell and 

offered solemn thoughts and 

prayers. 

“As many are aware, Trooper 

Russell provided vital assistance 

to our department on numerous 

occasions,” the department 

posted on Facebook. “The safety 

of the people of Hardin County 

was protected, in part, because 

of Trooper Lee’s service.” 

A Federal Aviation Administration 

spokesperson said late 

Tuesday in an email the aircraft 

was a Bell 206 helicopter that 

struck a power line and crashed 

in a wooded area. Two people 

were on board, officials said. 

The FAA and the National 

Transportation Safety Board will 

investigate. The NTSB will be in 

charge of the investigation and 

will provide additional updates, 

officials said. 

38 The BLUES The BLUES 39


UVALDE, TEXAS 

ISD BOARD FIRES CHIEF 

Uvalde ISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo was officially ousted as 

Chief after the Uvalde School Board voted unanimously to fire him 

over his failure to take action at the Robb Elementary shooting. 

By Brian Lopez 

UVALDE — The Uvalde school 

board agreed Wednesday to 

fire Pete Arredondo, the school 

district’s police chief broadly 

criticized for his response to 

the deadliest school shooting in 

Texas history, in a unanimous 

vote that came shortly after he 

asked to be taken off of suspension 

and receive backpay. 

Arredondo, widely blamed 

for law enforcement’s delayed 

response in confronting the 

gunman who killed 21 people at 

Robb Elementary, made the request 

for reinstatement through 

his attorney, George E. Hyde. 

The meeting came exactly three 

months after a gunman killed 

19 students and two teachers 

at Robb Elementary. Arredondo 

didn’t attend the meeting. 

“Chief Arredondo will not participate 

in his own illegal and 

unconstitutional public lynching 

and respectfully requests 

the Board immediately reinstate 

him, with all backpay and 

benefits and close the complaint 

as unfounded,” Hyde said in a 

statement. 

About 100 people showed 

up to the meeting Wednesday. 

Many chanted “coward” and “no 

justice, no peace.” Four people 

spoke during a public comment 

period before the board went 

into closed session to deliberate 

Arredondo’s employment. 

Arredondo was one of the first 

law enforcement officers to 

respond to the shooting at Robb 

Elementary on May 24. Nearly 

400 local, state and federal law 

enforcement officers waited 

more than an hour to confront 

the 18-year-old gunman after he 

entered the school. 

The board began deliberating 

his fate behind closed doors 

shortly before 6 p.m. Trustees 

faced intense public pressure to 

fire Arredondo, whom many state 

leaders have publicly blamed 

for the delayed response to the 

shooter. 

Hyde asked school officials to 

read a statement on Arredondo’s 

behalf at the meeting. They did 

not comply with the request. 

After board members began 

discussing Arredondo, Felicha 

Lopez, whose son Xavier James 

Lopez was killed in the massacre, 

told people attending the 

meeting that the school board 

needed to “protect our kids” as 

she wiped tears from her face. 

Arredondo has been on leave 

since June 22. Superintendent 

Hal Harrell recommended that 

Arredondo be fired “for good 

cause,” according to an agenda 

of the 5:30 p.m. school board 

meeting. 

A Texas House committee 

report released in July said the 

responding officers lacked clear 

leadership, basic communications 

and sufficient urgency to 

more quickly confront the gunman, 

who was shot and killed 

after a U.S. Border Patrol tactical 

team entered the classroom 

where most of the victims were 

shot. 

Arredondo was listed in the 

district’s active-shooter plan as 

the commanding officer, but the 

consensus of those interviewed 

by the House committee was 

that Arredondo did not assume 

that role and no one else took 

over for him, which resulted in a 

chaotic law enforcement response. 

In a June 9 interview with The 

Texas Tribune, Arredondo said he 

did not think he was the incident 

commander on the scene. 

He said he never gave any order, 

instead only called for assistance. 

Arredondo did not have 

his police radio while he was 

inside Robb Elementary because 

he wanted both of his arms free 

to engage the shooter, he said. 

Arredondo testified to the 

House committee that he believed 

the shooter was a “barricaded 

subject” instead of an 

“active shooter” after seeing an 

empty classroom next to the one 

where the shooter was hiding. 

“With the benefit of hindsight, 

we now know this was a terrible, 

tragic mistake,” the House 

report stated. 

Training for active-shooter 

scenarios directs law enforcement 

responders to prioritize the 

lives of innocent victims over 

those of officers. For a barricaded 

suspect, officers are not 

advised to rush in. 

The report criticized Arredondo’s 

focus on trying to find a key 

to open the door to the room 

the shooter was in, which “consumed 

his attention and wasted 

precious time, delaying the 

breach of the classrooms.” The 

report said the classroom door 

didn’t lock properly and likely 

wasn’t locked as police waited 

to confront the shooter. 

Arredondo was elected to 

the Uvalde City Council a few 

weeks before the shooting but 

wasn’t sworn in until after the 

massacre. After missing several 

meetings, Arredondo stepped 

down from his District 3 seat to 

“minimize further distractions,” 

he said. 

Reprinted from The Texas Tribune. 

Zach Despart and William 

Melhado contributed to this story. 


WHEN THE TIME COMES 

WILL YOU BE READY TO ACT? 

Police officials and law enforcement 

experts say there’s no guarantee that 

officers will follow their training and 

confront a shooter — no matter how 

much training they have. 


After Uvalde school shooting, Texas police 

wonder how much training is enough — 

and will it matter? 

By Joshua Fechter, 

THE TEXAS TRIBUNE 

In the weeks since officers in 

Uvalde waited more than an 

hour to confront a gunman who 

killed 19 children and two adults 

at an elementary school, police 

departments across the U.S. 

have asked themselves a crucial 

question: If they faced a similar 

situation, would they be able to 

quickly stop the gunman? 

The images of parents and students 

pleading with officers to 

take action at Robb Elementary 

School on May 24 before a tactical 

team of federal agents finally 

breached a classroom and fatally 

shot the 18-year-old gunman, 

deeply disturbed Marfa police 

Chief Estevan Marquez. 

“I keep telling my officers, ‘I 

don’t want to ever have to go 

through that,’” Marquez said. “‘I 

don’t want you guys to ever just 

be standing around while innocent 

children are being shot in 

the school, in the classroom.” 

Police departments across Texas 

now find themselves trying to 

reassure communities that their 

officers are prepared to handle 

mass shooters — and reminding 

officers of their training. Since 

the 1999 shooting at Columbine 

High School in Colorado left 12 

students and a teacher dead, 

active-shooter training instructs 

officers to immediately confront 

shooters, even if an officer is 

alone at the scene. 

Active-shooter training is a 

part of the Texas’ core curriculum 

for officers when they 

receive basic training. The state 

also requires police officers 

stationed at schools to receive 

active-shooter training — a 

mandate that’s been in place 

only since 2019. But there’s no 

agreed-upon standard or state 

requirement for how regularly an 

officer should train for an active 

shooter. 

Police officials and law enforcement 

experts also admit 

a stark reality: No matter how 

much training they have, there’s 

no guarantee that officers will 

follow their training and confront 

a shooter at the crucial 

moment. 

Donna police Chief Gilbert 

Guerrero, who oversees a force 

of 30 patrol officers in a border 

town of some 16,000 people, 

said he told his officers that they 

should consider changing jobs if 

they were “not willing to make 

that sacrifice” by facing down a 

gunman and risking their lives. 

Uvalde’s school police had 

trained repeatedly for a mass 

shooting, including a drill in 

March at Uvalde High School. 

Guerrero said he hopes his 

officers would remember their 

training in the moment — but 

he’s not sure they would. 

“It’s up to the individual officer’s 

courage and the state of 

mind if they can do it,” Guerrero 

said. 

In August, Texas Governor 

Greg Abbott directed the Advanced 

Law Enforcement Rapid 

Response Training program at 

Texas State University in San 

Marcos — a program considered 

the nationwide gold standard 

for active shooter training — to 

put Texas school district police 

officers at the front of the line 

for additional training — and to 

provide training before the start 

of the next school year. 

The program, known as ALER- 

RT, was founded three years 

after the Columbine massacre. 

It trains officers from across the 

nation to deal with mass shooters 

and already has seen an uptick 

in requests for active-shooter 

training in the wake of the 

Uvalde shooting, said Pete Blair, 

ALERRT’s executive director. 

The program trains hundreds 

of law enforcement officers each 

year but isn’t able to handle the 

demand in a typical year, Blair 

said. The program receives $2 

million a year in state funding 

and also receives federal grants 

like a $9.8 million award last 

year from the U.S. Department of 

Justice. 

Abbott did not say whether the 

program would receive additional 

state funds to train more 

school police officers. His office 

did not immediately return a 

request for comment. 

The point of active-shooter 

training is “to increase the 

probability that you perform 

well during a crisis,” Blair said, 

adding that the more training an 

officer has, the better prepared 

they will be to face down a rampaging 

gunman. 

“The hope is, even if initially it’s 

a shock to you and you freeze 

up, that you fall back on your 

training,” Blair said. “The best 

we can do is give you training to 

try to prepare you mentally and 

physically for the situation.” 

At the same time, Blair said, 

training “doesn’t guarantee” that 

officers will perform well when 

they’re under fire. 

“Only so much time and money” 

After the Uvalde shooting, 

police departments told The 

Texas Tribune they plan to do 

more active-shooter training. 

For example, the Dallas Police 

Department said in a statement 

that additional training “will take 

place not only in our schools, 

but also critical infrastructure 

like malls, places of worship, 

and movie theaters.” 

In the absence of any state 

requirement for how often Texas 

officers get active-shooter training, 

ALERRT is considering recommending 

that they train every 

two years, Blair said. 

Although ALERRT offers free 

active-shooter training to officers 

from anywhere in the country, 

many smaller departments 

don’t have the resources to continually 

train for active shooters 

the way big urban departments 

can, said Jimmy Perdue, head of 

the Texas Police Chiefs Association. 

Departments have to find officers 

to cover shifts for those 

in training and pay for costs 

like travel, lodging and meals 

if training doesn’t take place 

nearby — which can be more 

difficult for smaller departments 

with fewer officers and slimmer 

budgets, Perdue said. 

“It doesn’t make them any less 

professional, it doesn’t make 

them any less prepared,” Perdue 

said. “It just means that they 

don’t have the ability to maybe 

do it to the levels that are the 

expectation that we have in the 


major urban centers.” 

Marfa’s police department — 

reestablished in 2017 with four 

patrol officers for a town of fewer 

than 2,000 people — hosted 

an ALERRT training session for 

neighboring law enforcement 

agencies in March at Marfa High 

School. Before that, Marfa officers 

hadn’t received formal 

ALERRT training since 2018, according 

to records from the Texas 

Commission on Law Enforcement 

— which Marquez blames 

in part on the pandemic. 

The department otherwise 

drills for active shooters twice a 

year, Marquez said, and it’s possible 

it could add a third training 

session. 

In the meantime, the department 

is looking for ways to 

shore up its stock of tactical 

equipment, Marquez said. Marfa 

police have bullet-proof vests 

and rifle-resistant armor the 

force received through grants 

that would be helpful when 

encountering a shooter, Marquez 

said, but the agency still needs 

equipment like helmets and 

shields and may need to make 

cuts elsewhere in its budget to 

afford them. 

Another thing that worries 

Marquez in the event of a mass 

shooting: Marfa has one ambulance, 

and the nearest hospital is 

30 minutes away in Alpine. 

Police departments have to 

balance mass-shooter preparation 

with other demands, experts 

said. They also must train 

in areas like deescalation tactics 

and spotting human traffickers 

while maintaining enough 

staffing to do their regular patrol 

work. Although mass shootings 

are more common in the United 

States than in other parts of the 

world, they’re still fairly rare and 

account for a small percentage 

of crimes that involve firearms. 

“There’s only so much time and 

money that it makes sense for 

an individual agency to invest 

in something,” said Phillip Lyons, 

dean of Sam Houston State 

University’s College of Criminal 

Justice. “This is a very high 

consequence event but has an 

extremely low probability of 

happening to the vast majority 

of agencies out there. So, with 

precious limited resources, what 

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Why Solo-Officer 

Active Shooter 

Response Should 

be Trained. 

Active shooter incidents create a time problem 

for innocent victims and the Emergency 

Responders trying to save their lives. 

By Todd Fletcher 

This article was originally written in June 

2016, updated on February 22, 2018 and 

again on March 30, 2021. Does your department 

support single officer response? 

The events that took place at Columbine 

High School in Colorado on April 20, 1999, 

changed the way law enforcement trained 

and responded to active shooter incidents. 

The pictures and accounts from this act of 

cowardice produced tears and intense anger. 

Officers, trainers, supervisors and command 

staff recognized the need for a different approach. 


Since then, we have had numerous 

examples of active 

shooter incidents. Although these 

acts of terrorism have differences, 

they all share one common 

element: the murderers who 

committed these acts have a 

clear desire to kill as many people 

as possible. 

The traditional response of 

forming perimeters and calling 

in specialized teams no longer 

applies to active shooter incidents. 

These murderers intend to 

terrorize and kill as many people 

as possible. Initially, training 

evolved to emphasize a small 

group of officers meeting up, 

getting into some sort of predetermined 

formation – diamond, 

triangle, T and whatnot – and 

“going to the sound of guns.” But 

an improved method grew out 

of the reality that these tactics, 

as good as they sound, have not 

worked as envisioned. 

SOLO OFFICER RESPONSE 

During past active killer/shooter 

training classes, I’ve listened 

to instructors explain some of 

these team concepts before going 

out of their way to belittle a 

newer tactic that has been gaining 

traction over the past seven 

or eight years – the solo officer 

response. I’ll give this instructor 

the benefit of the doubt and 

chalk it up to ignorance and a 

lack of understanding regarding 

solo officer response tactics. 

Most instructors who haven’t 

been exposed to these tactics 

believe hunting cells are safer 

for officers and prevent blue-onblue 

shootings, and they’re right. 

However, this completely misses 

the fundamental problem with 

the hunting cell concept. Active 

shooter incidents create a time 

problem for innocent victims and 

the emergency responders trying 

to save their lives. 

If officers are trained to wait 

for additional personnel to arrive 

to form a hunting cell, then more 

innocent people will be hurt or 

killed. Ron Borsch, PACT Consultant 

Group, was perhaps the first 

person to introduce me to the 

solo-officer response concept. 

He believes time is the number 

one enemy facing officers and 

innocent victims during active 

shooter incidents. His statistics 

show active shooters target 

most of their victims inside the 

first several minutes. He says 

the average time for calls to be 

made to 911, the information dispatched 

to officers, and officers 

to arrive on scene could be five 

to seven minutes or longer. 

What this means is we have 

between one and three minutes 

to locate and stop the killing. It’s 

a race against the clock to save 

innocent lives. Just look at the 

September 28, 2016, incident in 

at Townville Elementary School 

in Townville, SC. The first officer 

arrived on scene seven minutes 

after the first call to 9-1-1. 

Ask yourself this question: How 

many rounds can I fire accurately 

in one to three minutes? The 

answer probably depends on 

how much ammunition you can 

carry. The same is true for these 

murderers. 

Unless multiple officers are 

arriving at the same time, many 

trainers have concluded the best 

tactic may be a solo-officer 

response. Of course, a specific 

incident may dictate otherwise, 

but the first officer to arrive at 

the scene is the first officer to 

arrive at the fight. According to 

Don Alwes, the lead instructor 

for the National Tactical Officers 

Association’s Police Response to 

Active Shooter and Workplace 

Violence courses, in nearly 660 

documented active killer incidents, 

no known incidents have 

been stopped using one of the 

predetermined team formations. 

A SWARMING RESPONSE 

Team tactics may be used 

depending on the context of the 

event. However, if innocent people 

are still being killed when 

the first officer arrives on scene, 

the deciding factor should be 

getting life-saving assistance to 

innocent victims quickly. Providing 

rapid life-saving assistance 

to innocent victims is the basic 

premise of the solo-officer response. 

Individual officers making 

multiple entries into a large 

building can move quicker and 

cover more ground than multiple 

officers in a single formation 

entering from the same access 

point. 

George T. Williams of Cutting-Edge 

Training is another 

advocate of multiple officers 

making multiple entries from 

different access points. He believes 

our current approach to 

active killer training is based on 

the faulty belief that law enforcement 

officers will be able 

to respond in sufficient numbers 

to stop the killing. He believes 

a “swarm” of officers entering 

from multiple access points will 

cause the active killer to feel 

surrounded. 

Active killers do not want to 

face armed police officers coming 

toward them from multiple 

directions. These murderers are 

looking for easy victims. Williams 

believes that, “Officers 

utilizing a multiple-angle attack 

are likely to create flanking 

problems for these murderers 

effectively slowing or stopping 

the killing. This anxiety provides 

a chance for a tactical resolution 

either from the killer developing 

an inward focus rather than killing 

(survival) or a quicker preplanned 

resolution (suicide).” 

The argument that hunting 

cells can prevent blue-on-blue 

shootings is a valid argument 

that is easily addressed in training. 

Solo-officer responses to 

active shooting incidents can 

create a risk of blue-on-blue 

shootings. However, as Gordon 

Graham says, predictable is preventable. 

Solo-officer response 

training can make officers aware 

of these risks. Drills and scenarios 

can be scripted to test 

their responses when faced with 

these conditions. Officers need 

to be reminded to shoot what 

they know, not what they think. 

Threat assessment is critical in 

any use-of-force situation, and 

active shooting incidents are no 

different. 

A SOLID HISTORY 

The reality is solo officer tactics 

have a proven track record. 

Getting officers to the scene 

quickly and responding with 

appropriate force is not a new 

active shooter tactic. Don Alwes 

reports that nearly 63% of active 

killer incidents stopped by law 

enforcement were stopped by 

a single officer. Alwes adds that 

around 30% of these incidents 

are stopped by a two-officer 

response. Adding these numbers 

up proves it: 93% of active shooter 

incidents stopped by law 

enforcement are stopped by one 

or two officers. 

Solo officer response had been 

used in several incidents before 

the tragedy of Columbine: 

• On October 16, 1991, a Texas 

Department of Public Safety officer 

ran into a crowded restaurant 

in Killeen (Texas) during 

an active shooter incident. This 

officer chased the mass murderer 

into a bathroom where 

the murderer killed himself. 

Nearly 80 people were inside the 

restaurant when this occurred. 

23 people were killed and 20 

were injured. Is there any doubt 

more people would have been 

killed if the officer had waited 

for additional cover? 

• On June 20, 1994, a lone, 

24-year-old Air Force Security 

Policeman Andy Brown stopped 

an active killer at Fairchild AFB. 

This murderer killed five people 

and wounded 22 others. If 

the killer had not been stopped 

by this courageous young man, 

there is little doubt more people 

would have been injured and 

killed. For more information on 

this incident, visit www.fairchildhospitalshooting.com. 

Recent active killer incidents 

where solo-officer response tactics 

were used include: 

•Austin, TX – Downtown 

(November 2014) 

•Garland, TX – Curtis Culwell 

Center (May 2015) 

•Hesston, KS – Excel Corp 

(February 2016) 

•Antigo, WI – Antigo High 

School (April 2016) 

•Taunton, MA – Silver City Galleria 

Mall (May 2016) 

•Bristol, TN – Days Inn 

(July 2016) 

•St. Cloud, MN – Crossroads 

Center Mall (September 2016) 

•Columbus, OH – Ohio State 

University (November 2016) 

•Lexington, KY – Transylvania 

University (April 2017) 

•New York, NY – West Side 

Hwy Bike Path (October 2017) 

•Lenexa, KS – Costco 

(November 2017) 

All of these incidents were 

stopped by officers who quickly 

responded to the scene to confront 

the killers. None of these 

incidents were stopped by officers 

utilizing traditional formations 

or “hunting cells.” 

CONCLUSION 

This can be a difficult concept 

for many instructors, command 

staff and officers to grasp. Officer 

safety should not be the reason 

instructors fail to consider 

including solo-officer response 

tactics in their active shooter 

training curriculum. Officer safety 

is about mitigating risk, not 

avoiding risk. 

There’s nothing safe about a 

single officer running to confront 

a mass murderer. If additional 

assistance is seconds away, officers 

should wait and go in as a 

team. Two sets of eyes, ears and 

weapons are better than one. If 

additional assistance is minutes 

away, time is the first and worst 

enemy. What if your child needs 

to be saved from being victimized 

by a mass murderer? We 

would all want officers to contact 

and eliminate the threat as 

quickly as possible to save our 

child. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Todd Fletcher is the owner and 

lead instructor for Combative 

Firearms Training, LLC providing 

training for law enforcement 

firearms instructors from coast 

to coast. He has over 25 years of 

training experience as a firearms 

and defensive tactics instructor. 

He retired after more than 25 

years as a full-time police officer 

and over 31 years of law enforcement 

experience. 


Will You Take the Active 

Shooter Pledge? 

By Lt. Dan Marcou 

“I have taken the pledge 

long ago that if I am 

ever once again in a 

position to do so, I will 

move to stop the killing 

immediately.” 

Another active shooter/killer 

strikes – one of which occurred 

in a Bolder Colorado 

supermarket – leaving in his 

wake deaths, injuries, mourning 

and these inevitable questions: 

1. Why did he do it? 

2. What do we do to prepare/prevent 

these incidents? 

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE CON- 

CLUDED 

Having met active shooters 

professionally, I was drawn to 

research these events extensively 

and develop tactics for 

not only responding to, but 

also preventing these incidents. 

I have concluded that family, 

teachers, peers, fellow employees, 

mental health professionals 

and good citizens can 

stop these active shooters by 

taking effective action, during 

the first four of the five phases 

these killers travel through. To 

review the Five Phases of the 

Active Shooter they are: 

1. The Fantasy Phase 

2. The Planning Phase 

3. The Preparation Phase 

4. The Approach Phase 

5. Implementation Phase. 

If you don’t stop them in one 

of the first four phases, then 

you are left with one option. 

To borrow an old cavalry term, 

you must as quickly as possible, 

during the Implementation 

Phase, “Ride to the sound of the 

guns!” 

I have no PHD, but I have discovered 

the answer for why they 

kill can be found in one or 

more of the following categories: 

1. Drug/gang war 

2. Holy war 

3. What for? (The dangerously 

mentally ill) 

4. What for? (They want to 

give fellow humans the proverbial 

“What for!” out of pure 

hate) 

5. Top score. (They want 

to become famous by killing 

more than anyone else. They 

will not stop killing until they 

run out of ammunition, or 

someone stops them. If they 

are killing with a knife or 

vehicle, they will not run out 

of ammunition. If they are 

wearing a bomb, they must be 

dissuaded or diffused.) 

WHAT YOU HAVE PROBABLY 

DONE TO PREPARE 

Most of you have attended 

some sort of police training 

on active shooter/killer response. 

That training expanded 

your knowledge of these 

events and, in some cases, 

gave you practical options 

and allowed you to practice 

team tactics to move through 

a building passing roll players 

who were playing frightened, 

wounded and killed victims. 

You joined others in a onetrained 

formation or another 

in search of roll player(s) pretending 

to be the culprit. You 

practiced communication and 

conducted rescues. 

These are excellent opportunities 

to train and prepare 


together. Agencies should 

continue these exercises, but 

after each training concludes, 

evaluate them, and decide if 

you are even nearly duplicating 

the urgency an initial lone 

responding officer faces. 

A DECISION THAT IS YOURS 

TO MAKE 

The fact is that if you are 

the only first responder at one 

of these events or even an 

off- duty/retired officer who 

happens to be present, you 

will realize it would be safer 

to have two, three, four, five or 

even six additional officers to 

assist you. However, you also 

may be keenly made aware by 

the in-progress circumstance 

that every moment you wait 

for additional officers to arrive 

is a moment during which 

innocents are in fear of death, 

or actually being killed. 

I can’t tell you what to do 

in that lonely moment, but I 

know what I will do. I have 

taken the pledge long ago that 

if I am ever once again in a 

position to do so I will move 

to stop the killing immediately. 

If you are a police officer 

(active, retired, or off-duty) 

consider taking this pledge. 

Remember, when your moment 

arrives, whether you are 

on-duty, off-duty or retired, it 

is your decision to make not 

mine. 

THE ACTIVE SHOOTER/KILL- 

ER PLEDGE 

I have personally decided 

that the threats faced by my 

generation of police officers 

require that I always be armed 

and personally committed to 

furiously train to protect those 

who can’t protect themselves 

in their moment of desperate 

need. 

If I am ever faced with an 

in-progress active shooter/ 

killer and I can make a difference, 

I will use my superior 

attitude, superior training, 

superior tactics and superior 

weapon (superior because it 

is in my trained hands) to become 

an army of one! 

Out of my love for humanity 

I will enter that environment 

like a hate-seeking missile 

and use the chaos created by 

the killer(s) as a distractive 

device. I will move unheard 

and unseen by the killer(s) to 

a position of advantage. Once 

there – if left with no other 

options and presented with 

the opportunity to stop the 

killing – I will take the shot 

and make the shot. I am the 

protector of the flock, the honorable 

sheepdog. 

CONCLUSION 

Whether you take the pledge 

or not, prepare brothers and 

sisters, for your moment may 

be at hand. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Lt. Dan Marcou is an internationally 

recognized police 

trainer who was a highly 

decorated police officer with 

33 years of full-time law enforcement 

experience. Marcou’s 

awards include Police Officer 

of the Year, SWAT Officer of the 

Year, Humanitarian of the Year 

and Domestic Violence Officer 

of the Year. Upon retiring, Lt. 

Marcou began writing. He is a 

co-author of “Street Survival II, 

Tactics for Deadly Encounters,” 

which is now available. His 

novels, “The Calling, the Making 

of a Veteran Cop,” “SWAT, 

Blue Knights in Black Armor,” 

“Nobody’s Heroes” and Destiny 

of Heroes,” as well as his latest 

non-fiction offering, “Law 

Dogs, Great Cops in American 

History,” are all available at 

Amazon. Dan is a member of the 

Police1 Editorial Advisory Board. 

Article reprinted from Police 1. 

Have a Now unique hiring story police you’d officers to work extra employment and Level 

II and Level III security officers for various locations. 

like to share with the 

For information call: 713.540.0544 

BLUES readers? 

Send it to: 

bluespdmag@gmail.com. 

Please change all the 

names to protect the innocent 

and to avoid prosecution 

in the event that the 

statute of limitations hasn’t 

expired. 

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54 The BLUES 

The BLUES 55

PRODUCTS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR CAMPUS SAFE 

Here are just a few products and apps 

that alert you of an active shooter and also 

lock down your doors. 

EduLink by DATALINK 

The time is NOW to upgrade 

schools and universities with the 

latest communications and security 

software on the market. Datalink, 

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the best software technology available 

to protect students, teachers 

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Datalink Systems International 

Inc. a world leader in processing IP 

data over a wide range of wireless 

networks including LMR, cellular, 

and satellite. 

EduLink is one of those systems 

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communications platform 

which is a variant of Datalink’s 

encrypted DataGate communications 

and tracking software. This 

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Service, the UK Ministry of 

Defense, and others throughout the 

world 

One cloud based EduLink platform 

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including remote secure management. 

This also includes school 

buses and other assets. 

The Key Features are: 

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• Uses existing Wi-Fi Network 

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• Uses Encrypted Internet Links 

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• Encrypted Internal WIFI Transmissions 

• Auto-Forwarding to Other Email 

Addresses if Unacknowledged 

• Modular, Easy to Use, yet Secure 

Design 

• WebAlert App Installs on Android 

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• Each Staff (remove) 

• Key Staff can use the Vocalis App 

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• Lower cost Network Agnostic SIM 

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• GPS Monitor School Buses 

• Communicate with School Bus 

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• Track Students on and Off 

School Buses with GPS Location 

• Can be Integrated with 3rd Party 

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EduLink is also meets the requirements 

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across the US. Alyssa’s Law is critical 

legislation addressing the issue 

of law enforcement response time 

when a life-threatening emergency 

occurs because time equals life. 

The law calls for the installation of 

silent panic alarms that are directly 

linked to law enforcement, so in 

case of any emergency they will get 

on the scene as quickly as possible, 

take down a threat and triage any 

victims. Datalink’s recommended 

hardware include portable silent 

alarms. 

For more information, 

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NIGHTLOCK® LOCKDOWN 2 

Outward Swinging Door Security Device 

Nightlock Lockdown 2 Barricades your door in classrooms, offices, safe 

rooms , while you “shelter in place” during emergency lockdown / Active 

shooter events. Designed specifically to secure OUTWARD swinging 

doors with hollow metal frames. NIGHTLOCK LOCKDOWN 2 is code 

compliant and labeled & listed to UL10C standards. No floor mounting 

required. We have nine (9) sizes to fit nearly every hollow metal door 

frame. Works on both left or right-hand opening doors. NIGHTLOCK® 

can provide professional installation service. Note: Installation service 

requires a purchase of a minimum of 100 Lockdown devices. Contact 

Us to LEARN MORE. Works ONLY on Outward swinging wood doors 

with commercial metal frames. NO METAL DOORS! The NIGHTLOCK® 

LOCKDOWN 2 barricades by utilizing the door frame and works as an 

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(NO METAL DOORS) with hollow metal door frames. 

• Meets UL 10C Testing for Fire-Rated Doors 

• Releasable from outside the room with Special Device 

• No floor mounting required 

• Works on doors that open on left or right 

• Simply add this safety device to any existing door 

• Can withstand tremendous force 

• Both style locking handles come with a supplied wall box 

• No need to replace existing hardware 

• One time solution • Lockdown in seconds • Easy to install 

For more information call 1-855-644-4856 or email 

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The Sleeve² - Classroom Door Security 

OUTWARD SWINGING DOOR BARRICADE FOR SCHOOL, OFFICE, OR ANY 

COMMERCIAL BUILDING. 

The Sleeve2 is the only door security device tested under the pressure of 

an actual active shooter event. Fighting Chance Solutions’ classroom door 

lockdown device, The Sleeve, is utilized and trusted for door security by 

thousands of schools and universities nationwide. The Sleeve2 overcomes 

the challenge of securing outward-swinging classroom doors in a matter 

of seconds. No modifications to the door, door frame, or building structure 

needed. Schools and commercial buildings in all 50 states use The Sleeve2. 

Many states have added the product to their approved lockdown door stops 

list. 

For questions regarding fire code, please contact us at 

(888)559-6412 for assistance. 


The Evolution of 

POLICE CARS 

PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE 

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

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

in 1899. 

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

to aid in its fight against crime within the city. 

In the United States and Canada, police departments have historically used standard-size, low-price 

line sedans since the days of the Ford Model A. 

In this 3-part series, we’ll look back at the history of the police car beginning with a 1899 police patrol 

wagon; what the “big 3” have in store for the 2023 models; and look into the future to see what you 

might be driving and or flying in 2031. 

1899 

2023 

2031 

58 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 59

PART I - 1833-1990 

HOW IT ALL BEGAN 

The first police cars in America 

showed up at the end of the 

19th century. In fact, the very 

first police car was actually a 

wagon powered by electricity 

used in Akron, Ohio, in 1899. 

Of course, back in 1899 when 

the first documented use of a 

self-propelled vehicle for police 

business took place, no one 

really knew where it will eventually 

lead. At the turn of the 

19th century, police officers began 

using electrically powered 

wagons, but only as a means 

of transport for officers (hence 

the name squad car for today’s 

police cars). This reportedly 

first happened in Akron, Ohio, 

in 1899. There are no records of 

how the vehicle performed, or 

what it managed to do. 

Slowly, the fast-growing 

automotive industry engulfed 

law enforcement efforts as 

well. When Henry Ford’s Model 

T was introduced, it was the 

signal for police departments 

to go the motorized way. The 

Model T became popular with 

police agencies because they 

were cheap and the only viable 

choice at the time. 

The early versions of the 

Model T were powered by a 

front mounted 2.9L four-cylinder 

engine, developing a 

whopping 20.2 hp. This gave 

it a top speed of 45 mph and 

drank as much as 18 gallons of 

fuel every hundred miles. By 

the 1920s the Model T would 

go into service at nearly every 

law enforcement agency in the 

country. And it was common 

for the police to use the socalled 

paddy wagons to transport 

criminals of the day to jail. 

Most of the vehicles at the time, 

had enclosed truck beds and 

were used to carry both police 

officers and criminals. 

Regardless of the vehicle 

chosen for police work in the 

1920s, they had one big advantage, 

which also happened to 

be their huge disadvantage - 

they could travel farther and 

faster but had no way to stay 

in contact with their headquarters. 

A newspaper at the time reported 

“These motorized carriages 

are much faster than a 

horse, and definitely faster than 

a human on foot, a trait which 

makes it ideal for the police 

chasing bad guys across the 

state.” 

At first, early vehicles were 

used as a means to allow 

officers to get to the scene of 

a crime faster. Even in their 

crude state, they were used for 

patrol purposes, with supervisors 

moving around the city to 

monitor their respective patrol 

districts. 

But how could one chase 

someone effectively, if you 

don’t know who they are, 

where they are, where they’re 

heading and what they have 

done? Being fast and mobile 

meant police spent more time 

on the field, but this in turn left 

them with no actual means of 

communicating with headquarters 

or with other police officers. 

Moving in packs of two or 

more vehicles was as equally 

ineffective, as the main purpose 

of the police car was to allow 

police to cover more ground, 

faster. 

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 

TWO-WAY RADIO WAS A 

GAME CHANGER.... 

When the two-way radio was 

introduced in the early 20’s, this 

new gadget allowed police cars 

and the officers to communicate 

with each other and headquarters. 

Created in 1923, by Senior 

Constable Frederick William 

Downie from the Victorian 

police in Australia, the twoway 

radio was the first means 

of communications which used 

no wires to transmit data. The 

Victorian police were the first 

ones in the world to use such a 

system in a car, forever replacing 

the lengthy, ineffective calls 

via telephone boxes. 

In the US, this new technology 

started taking off in the late 

1920’s. The Detroit city police 

department began broadcast- 

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


ing on their KOP station in 1929, 

a move which later inspired 

another world’s first. Following 

a $25,000 investment in 

equipment and as well as the 

support from the newly formed 

Federal Communications Commission 

“FCC”, the world’s first 

state-operated police radio, 

WRDS, came on-line in December 

of 1929. 

WRDS was just about the 

only transmitter at the time 

and its importance transcended 

state borders. The station could 

be heard in 44 State Police 

cars, some 80 State Police Stations 

and countless other local 

police departments. 

The advent of a centralized 

communications system allowed 

the police car to rise 

to the next level. Now patrol 

cars could be used for not only 

transport and patrol coordination, 

but it meant they could 

take a more aggressive stance 

towards crime. In 1933, a blockade 

system was established in 

41 Detroit-area counties and 

soon after, interstate-coordination 

began. 

On a parallel front, the vehicles 

themselves were turning 

into forces to be reckoned with. 

By the 1930s, there were three 

major players competing for a 

place in police garages: Chevrolet, 

Ford, and Plymouth. 

Ever since 1918, when Chevrolet 

introduced the Model D, 

a car powered by a V8 engine 

and developing twice as much 

power as the Model T (55 hp), 

Ford’s supremacy began to 

dwindle. With the introduction 

of the over-head valve 6-cylinder 

engine in 1929, Chevrolet 

was beginning to threaten 

Ford’s huge slice of the police 

departments’ budgets. But Ford 

fought back... 

The star of cops and robbers’ 

chases became Ford’s new 

flathead V8, introduced by the 

manufacturer in 1932 on the 

V-8 model. 

Equally cherished by public 

enemies of the era “Bonnie and 

Clyde and John Dillinger” and 

the police chasing them, the 

V-8 would establish high-powered, 

fast vehicles as the cars 

of choice for police departments. 

Also known as Model 18, 

the V-8 developed over three 

times as much power as the 

Model T used to do, namely 85 

hp. 

SETTING THEM APART 

As the use of cars for police 

increased, so did chases, 

roadblocks and other types of 

hood-to-hood confrontation. 

But as Henry Ford said at the 

time, you can get your police 

car in any color, as long as it’s 

black. 

In the early days, police cars 

were given just an insignia, 

stating the car’s purpose on the 

road. There were no badges or 

lights to let the public know 

there were coppers behind the 

wheel. 

This minor setback, together 

with the need to make police 

cars better than their foes’, led 

to the creation of what is now 

known as a police package. By 

definition, a police package is 

the car itself, customized to become 

a police car and featuring 

performance, stance and visual 

enhancements. 

One of the first packages 

... the 20s - 50s 


to be offered was created by 

Ford, but only after the end of 

the second World War. The 

American manufacturer found 

there were several, repetitive 

items requested by police 

departments when it came to 

ordering cars. To make their 

job easier, Ford selected those 

features and combined them 

with several other parts and 

components, which were then 

sold to police departments as 

Police Packages. 

Soon streets in the U.S. were 

filled with identifiable police 

cars. Underneath the fancy 

painting and lights, however, 

the packages had serious 

improvements to both performance 

and reliability. Police 

cars became tougher and more 

resilient than the regular street 

versions sold to the public. 

Police packages also solved 

another problem, knowing the 

good guys from the bad guys 

in a chase. Before long, police 

departments began painting 

part of the car white to further 

distinguish the cops from 

civilians. 

Another advantage to the 

police package was a back seat 

designed to hold prisoners. Before 

the police package arrived, 

policemen had reportedly been 

driving alongside the suspects 

sitting right beside them on 

the front seas. Now they could 

“lock” them in the back seat. 

Police cars also began using 

lights and sirens. The sirens 

were simply a rotating disk 

powered by an electric motor, 

while the lights were limited 

to a red flasher or a Federal 

Beacon Ray. 

... the 60s & 70s 

Chrysler Enforcer 

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

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

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

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

... chrysler’s rein 

Dodge Monaco 

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

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

gas-guzzling engines. The Monaco was the last of its kind from Dodge as it started 

downsizing as demand for big engines dropped. The Monaco police car did, however, 

get the perfect swan song by being the hero car in the movie The Blues Brothers. It was 

perfect for the redemption story of two criminals on a mission from God as: "It's got a 

cop motor, a 440-cubic-inch plant. It's got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. It's a 

model made before catalytic converters, so it'll run good on regular gas." 


By the 1960s, the single rotating 

light began was replaced 

with a Federal Bar with mounted 

dual lights. Towards the end 

of the decade, enclosed light 

bars were being manufactured, 

a feature that continues to this 

day, although light bulbs have 

been replaced by LEDs. 

Larger police departments 

invented the term “black & 

whites” when they requested 

their cars be painted in two, 

contrasting colors, on the doors 

and front and rear fenders. 

Plymouth, one of the favorite 

choices of police departments, 

took police packages even further 

and came up with an advertising 

campaign to promote 

their products. They even began 

building several packages, to 

suit the needs of different law 

enforcement agencies. Chrysler 

replied with the release of the 

Dodge Coronet police package 

in 1956, followed by the Dodge 

Dart Pursuit in 1959. 

The American police’s taste in 

terms of cars thus began taking 

shape. Beginning with the 1932 

Ford V-8, the desire for cop 

muscle cars grew. By the 1970s, 

just about the entire fleet of 

police cars was a force to be 

reckoned with, spearheaded by 

300+ hp Hemi engines. 

TIDE TURNING 

Another major change happened 

in the beginning of the 

1960s, when smaller cars began 

being used as patrol vehicles. 

As the compact car was 

slowly making its way into the 

world, police began turning 

their attention form the large 

and mid-sized sedans, to these 

smaller cars. 

... LTD & corwn vic 

Ford LTD & Crown Victoria 

Before the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor was 

born, it was the Ford LTD with the P72 production 

code designating it for police, taxi, and fleet duty. 

By the end of the 1970s, available police cars didn’t 

have the power that law enforcement wanted, and 

that went for the instantly recognizable Ford LTD 

and Chevrolet Impala. The Ford LTD is mainly included 

here for fond memories of 70s and 80s TV 

movies where they were, more often than not, seen 

losing hubcaps or spinning out and crashing into 

things while the protagonist escaped. 


The shift in taste culminated 

with some call “the ultimate 

police car” of the ‘70s 

(and since), the Chevrolet Nova 

Police package. It surfaced in 

1975, code-named 9C1, and 

was powered by a LM1 350-cid, 

four-barrel carbureted V8 engine, 

developing 155 hp. 

Unfortunately, the end of the 

1970s, the oil crisis, which was 

about to ensue, and the stricter 

emission regulations slowly 

pushed big engines out of the 

cars and, consequently, out of 

the force. 

By early 1980s, big engines 

were nearly extinct and police 

departments had to turn to the 

likes of the Ford Fairmont or 

Plymouth Volare. Most of the 

police-spec vehicles were the 

same as those being built for 

taxi use. 

By the mid 1980s, agencies 

began to look at other types of 

vehicles for police cars which 

ultimately led to the creation 

of the current classes of police 

cars. The advent of the 

Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) also 

opened the doors for government 

agencies to set themselves 

apart from regular police 

forces. Nearly every TV and 

Movie made in the past 10 years 

has the FBI, Secret Service and 

US Marshals driving Suburban’s 

and Tahoe’s. 

Since the 1990s, police cars 

can be classified in police pursuit 

vehicles (PPV), special service 

vehicles (SSV) and special 

package vehicles (SSP). 

... chevy’s turn. 

Chevrolet Nova 

When police departments wanted better performance and gas mileage, 

and could make do with a smaller car, the Chevy Nova was a popular 

choice. Chevy designated the Chevrolet Nova as a 9C1 Police Package 

and was tested as a prototype for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 

before becoming widely available from 1975 to 1979. The feature 

set of the police package included oversized front and rear sway 

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

a quick-ratio power steering system, stiffer body mounts, a dual exhaust, 

anti-stab steel plates in the front seatbacks, and a performance 

3.08 final drive ratio from the 4.3-liter L99 V8 making 200 hp and 245 

lb-ft of torque. 

1996 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 

Starting in 1986 the Caprice would replace the Impala for the retail, 

taxi, and police markets based on the third generation model which 

was launched in 1977. Like its civilian counterparts the car would get a 

facelift in 1987 and would remain the same until 1990. The Caprice 9C1 

was available with either a V6 or V8 in this generation. When the fourth 

generation 1991 model was released, the V6 was dropped and only two 

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

and 5.7 V8) and featured a digital instrument cluster unlike its civilian 

version’s analog interface, which would remain until 1993 when the 

LTZ version was introduced. When the 1993-96 model cars lost its rear 

fender skirts design, this increased the 9C1’s sales and appeal to law 

agencies, as this feature wasn’t popular on the 4th generation Chevrolet 

Capric. Despite General Motors ending production of the fourth 

generation model 9C1 Caprice in 1996, many police departments across 

the nation kept them in service a lot longer than most other police 

vehicles, reason being for lack of finding a good enough equivalent for 

replacement with decent fuel mileage for its large size, high horsepower, 

affordable sales pricing, and reliability. With General Motors leaving 

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

police interceptor became the de facto police car, despite being more 

costly. But it too went away in 2011. 

Chevrolet Tahoe PPV 

When Chevrolet stopped making the Caprice in 1996 and Ford stopped 

making the only rear-wheel-drive police packaged car, Chevy decided 

to offer a police package of its V8 powered rear-wheel-drive Tahoe. At 

the time, many police departments were slow on the uptake of a fullsized 

SUV, but it was popular in rural areas despite an all-wheel-drive 

version not being available. It was an inch lower and faster than a standard 

Tahoe, despite all the heavy-duty and performance components 

added to bring it up to law enforcement specification. The Chevrolet 

Tahoe is still out there in full “Pursuit” spec and a valuable tool for law 

enforcement. 


1-7 

39th Annual NTOA Law Enforcement 

Conference 

Kansas City Marriott Downtown 

Kansas City, MO 

4-6 

Interpol 

The Ritz 

Raleigh, NC 

SEPTEMBER 

7-9 

TaCops East Tactical 

Training Conference & 

Expo 

Crystal Gateway Marriott 

Arlington VA 

11-14 

2022 VACP Conference 

Roanake, VA 

19-21 

C.O.P.S. Traumas of Law 

Enforcement Trainings 

Hilton Garden Inn – Omaha 

Aksarben Village 6737 Frances 

Street, Omaha, NE 

19-23 

27th Annual Advanced 

Homicide Investigation 

Conference 

The Claridge 

Atlantic City, NJ 

24 

OFFICER DOWN MEMORIAL RIDE 

Bull Run Harley-Davidson 

Manassas, VA 

25-30 

39th Annual NTOA Law 

Enforcement Operations 

Conference & Trade Show 

Kansas City, MO Kansas City, MO 

National Tactical Officers Association 

Conference Trade Show • 

200+ Vendors • Incident Debriefs 

• Seminars • Special Events • Networking 

& More 

27-29 

GSX 2022 Conference 

Orange County Convention 

Center 

Orlando, FL 

OCTOBER OCTOBER 

4-7 

2022 CCIAA Conference 

California Crime & Intelligence 

Analysts Assoc., Long Beach, Ca 

13-15 

2022 ASCIA Fall Conference 

- Dallas, TX. 

15-18 

IACP – International Association 

of Chiefs of Police 

Dallas Convention Center 

Dallas, Texas 

17-21 

TAVTI– Texas Association 

of Vehicle Theft Investigators 

Emerald Beach Hotel, 

Corpus Christi 

24-27 

TCOLE Training Conference 

American Bank Conference 

Center 

Corpus Christi, TX 

NOVEMBER 

4-6 

C.O.P.S. National Conference 

On Law Enforcement 

Wellness & Trauma 

Hilton Anatole 2201 N. Stemmons 

Fwy, Dallas, TX 

6-11 

SWAT Round-Up International 

Conference 2022 

Orlando, Florida Orlando, FL 

“It is a week-long competition 

event that tests the officer’s abilities 

to shoot accurately, move 

dynamically, think “on the fly” 

and make hard decisions.” More 

than just a training event. 

18 

58th Annual Training Institute 

and Law Enforcement 

Expo 2022 (CNOA) 

Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort 

and Spa 44600 Indian Wells 

Lane, Indian Wells, CA 

List your Event or Conference 

on our Calendar. 

Email the info to: 

The BLUES @ bluespdmag@gmail.com 


Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2022 TCOLE Conference! 

Join us on October 24th-27th 

at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, the Gulf Coast Capital! 

Check out some of the breakout sessions we have planned for this year’s conference on 

innovative training approaches, conflict solutions, active listening, PTSD, Texas Law 

Enforcement Peer Network, legislative updates, background investigations and Secure 

Share, TCLEDDS, police recruiting and retention, and more: 

www.tcole.texas.gov/content/tcc-schedule 

Five-minute scheduled demonstration 

opportunity 

Company profile & individual icon within the 

TCOLE event mobile app 

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The BLUES 73

HONORING OUR FALLEN HEROES 

MOUNTED DEPUTY NICHOLE SHUFF 

DEPUTY SHERIFF II JAMIE LYNN REYNOLDS 

CLARE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, MICHIGAN 

END OF WATCH FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2022 

AGE: 33 TOUR: 2 YEARS BADGE: 18P14 

Mounted Deputy Nichole Shuff succumbed to injuries sustained four days earlier when the horse she was 

riding fell as she responded to a medical call at the Clare County Fair. She was getting off her horse to render 

aid to the citizen when the horse suddenly lost its footing and fell back. Deputy Shuff suffered a serious head 

injury as a result. Deputy Shuff was kept on life support so her organs could be donated. 

Deputy Shuff had served as a volunteer deputy with the Clare County Sheriff’s Office for two years. She is 

survived by her husband. 

SPALDING COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, GEORGIA 

=END OF WATCH SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 

AGE: 46 TOUR: 27 YEARS BADGE: 108 

Deputy Sheriff Jamie Reynolds was killed when a large pine tree fell onto his patrol car as he drove along Georgia 

Highway 16 near Shoal Creek Road. 

The tree crushed the passenger cabin of the vehicle, killing Deputy Reynolds instantly. 

Deputy Reynolds had served with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office for two years and had previously served with 

the Forest Park Police Department for 25 years. He is survived by his wife, seven children, one granddaughter, and 

father. 



POLICE OFFICER NOAH JACOB SHAHNAVAZ 

SERGEANT MATTHEW RYAN FISHMAN 

ELWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT, INDIANA 

END OF WATCH SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022 

AGE: 24 TOUR: 11 MONTHS BADGE: N/A 

Police Officer Noah Shahnavaz was shot and killed while making a traffic stop near the intersection of Madison 

Avenue and Route 37 at about 2:00 am. The driver of the vehicle he stopped exited his car and opened fire 

on Officer Shahnavaz before fleeing in his car. The man then led other officers on a pursuit after he was located 

in Hamilton County. The subject continued to fire at officers during the pursuit until officers with the Fishers 

Police Department conducted a PIT maneuver. Officer Shahnavaz was transported to a local hospital and then 

flown to a hospital in Indianapolis where he succumbed to his wounds. 

Officer Shahnavaz was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Elwood Police Department for 11 months. 

He is survived by his parents, brother, and sister.. 

WAYNE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, NC 

END OF WATCH TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2022 

AGE: 38 TOUR: 12 YEARS BADGE: N/A 

Sergeant Matthew Fishman was shot and killed while serving involuntary commitment papers on the 2500 block 

of Arrington Bridge Road in Dudley. The subject fired at Sergeant Fishman and two other deputies as they arrived 

at the home at about 10:30 am. The man barricaded himself inside the house until a SWAT team entered at 8:00 

pm and found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Sergeant Fishman was transported to ECU Medical 

Center where he succumbed to his wounds the next day. The two other deputies were transported to ECU Medical 

Center and Wayne UNC Hospital in stable condition. 

Sergeant Fishman had served with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office for 12 years and had previously served with 

the Mount Olive Police Department. He is survived by his wife, two children, and father. 



SPECIAL POLICE OFFICER MAURICA MANYAN 

DEPUTY SHERIFF ANDREW PEERY 

PUBLIC LIBRARY OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY 

END OF WATCH THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2022 

AGE: 25 TOUR: 6 MONTHS BADGE: 238 

Special Police Officer Maurica Manyan was accidentally shot and killed during baton training inside a training 

room in the Anacostia Neighborhood Library at 1800 Good Hope Road SE. Several officers were undergoing 

baton training when the contracted trainer, a retired police lieutenant from another agency, inadvertently shot 

her toward the end of the training session at about 3:30 pm. The trainer had replaced the training gun in his 

holster with his firearm prior to drawing his weapon and firing the shot. Officer Manyan was transported to a 

local hospital where she succumbed to her wounds. 

Officer Manyan had served with the District of Columbia Public Library Police Department for six months. She 

is survived by her son and father. 

EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, COLORADO 

END OF WATCH SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2022 


Deputy Sheriff Andrew Peery was shot and killed while responding to a shots-fired call at 5:30 pm at Ponderosa 

Drive and Grand Boulevard in Widefield. A Fountain Police Department officer, Deputy Peery, and another deputy 

responded to a shooting call. When they arrived in the area, they were immediately met with gunfire. Deputy Peery 

was transported to UCHealth Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds at 8:07 pm. A woman was 

found dead in the home’s front yard, presumed to have been shot by the subject. The subject committed suicide 

inside the home. 

Deputy Peery was a United States Army veteran who had served with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for six 

years and was a SWAT Team member. He is survived by his wife and two children. 



CORPORAL CHAD M. BEATTIE 

DEPUTY SHERIFF NED P. BYRD 

WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, PA 

END OF WATCH WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2022 


Corporal Chad Beattie suffered a fatal heart attack after a foot pursuit of a fleeing subject at 335 Washington 

Road in Washington at 1:48 pm. Corporal Beattie responded to assist the South Strabane Township Police 

Department when they were alerted to the presence of a wanted suspect with outstanding warrants in multiple 

counties. After a foot pursuit through a retail store, Corporal Beattie returned to his patrol vehicle and collapsed. 

He was transported to the Washington Hospital where passed away. 

Corporal Beattie had served with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for 20 years and was assigned to the 

Fugitive Unit. He is survived by his son and parents. 

WAKE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, NORTH CAROLINA 



Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd was shot and killed while on patrol shortly after 11:00 pm. Deputy Byrd was shot multiple 

times after he exited his vehicle at the intersection of Battle Bridge Road and Auburn-Knightdale Road while investigating 

suspicious activity. He was in the area after the agency had received several calls regarding the activity; 

however, he had not marked out on an event when he was shot. Another deputy located him approximately two 

hours later. Deputy Byrd’s canine partner was still inside their patrol vehicle. The subject was arrested a week later. 

Deputy Bryd was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Wake County Sheriff’s Office for 13 years. He is 

survived by his K9 partner, sister, brother-in-law, and four nephews. 



POLICE OFFICER CESAR “ECHY” ECHAVERRY 

CAPTAIN WILLIAM HARGRAVES 

MIAMI-DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT, FLORIDA 

END OF WATCH WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022 


Police Officer Echy Echaverry succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two nights earlier near the intersection of NW 

62nd Street and NW 7th Avenue while chasing a robbery suspect at 8:50 pm. A vehicle that had been involved in 

an armed robbery in Dania Beach earlier in the evening was observed driving in Miami-Dade and fled when officers 

attempted to stop it. Officers pursued the vehicle until it crashed into a light pole. The driver exited the vehicle and fled 

on foot as Officer Echaverry and other officers pursued him on foot. The man opened fire, striking Officer Echaverry 

before he was killed by return fire. Officer Echaverry was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he succumbed 

to his wounds the following evening. Officer Echaverry had served with the Miami-Dade Police Department 

for five years and was assigned to the Robbery Intervention Detail. 

OSAGE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, OKLAHOMA 

END OF WATCH FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2022 

AGE: 44 TOUR: 24 YEARS BADGE: N/A 

Captain Willy Hargraves was killed in a vehicle crash at the intersection of US Highway 60 and State Highway 18 

at about 8:00 am. 

He was traveling eastbound when another car entered the highway from a stop sign, causing the collision. Captain 

Hargraves car struck a light pole after the initial collision. 

Captain Hargraves had served with the Osage County Sheriff’s Office for 24 years. He is survived by his wife, three 

children, parents, and siblings. 



SPECIAL AGENT JOSE PEREZ 

SERGEANT BOBBY SWARTZ 

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, FL. 

END OF WATCH SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2022 


Special Agent Jose Perez succumbed to injuries sustained in an automobile crash that occurred on August 2nd, 

2022, at the intersection of NW 127th Avenue and NW 7th Terrace in West Miami-Dade. He was responding to an 

alarm at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Miami Regional Operations Center when another car struck 

his department vehicle. He suffered serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital where he remained until 

succumbing to his injuries on August 20th, 2022. Special Agent Perez was a military veteran and had served in law 

enforcement for 30 years. 

He joined the Florida Department of Law Enforcement after retiring from the Miami Police Department as an assistant 

chief. 

OKLAHOMA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, OKLAHOMA 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022 


Sergeant Bobby Swartz was shot and killed at about 1:15 pm as he and another deputy served eviction paperwork 

at a home in the 2200 block of Southwest 78th Street in Oklahoma City. During the course of the eviction, a 

male subject opened fire, wounding one of the deputies. The second deputy returned fire and attempted to pull the 

wounded deputy to safety when he was also shot. The man then fled in a pickup truck pulling a boat on a trailer. 

Officers from the Oklahoma City Police Department located the vehicle and began to pursue it. The driver shot at 

pursuing officers with a semi-automatic rifle during the pursuit. The man drove to the main gate of Tinker Air Force 

Base where he was taken into custody. Sergeant Swartz was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed 

to his wounds. 



SERGEANT LEE RUSSELL 

DETECTIVE MATT BLANSETT 

TENNESSEE HIGHWAY PATROL, TENNESSEE 



Sergeant Lee Russell and Detective Matt Blansett of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department were killed in a helicopter 

crash on Aetna Mountain in Marion County at about 4:00 pm. 

The Bell 206 helicopter struck high-tension power lines and crashed into a wooded area near mile marker 163 

adjacent to I-24 and SR-134. 

Sergeant Russell had served with the Tennessee Highway Patrol for 12 years. 

MARION COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, TN 



Detective Matt Blansett and Sergeant Lee Russell of the Tennessee Highway Patrol were killed in a helicopter crash 

on Aetna Mountain in Marion County at about 4:00 pm. 

The Bell 206 helicopter struck high-tension power lines and crashed into a wooded area near mile marker 163 

adjacent to I-24 and SR-134. 

Detective Blansett served with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and also served as a Marion County Commissioner. 

He is survived by his wife and two sons. 



POLICE OFFICER IVAN MAURICIO LOPEZ 

CONSTABLE DEBORAH MARTINEZ-GARIBAY 

MOUNT VERNON POLICE DEPARTMENT, ALABAMA 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, AUGUST 22, 2022 


Police Officer Ivan Lopez was killed in a vehicle crash at the intersection of Alabama Highway 59 and 

County Road 36, in Summerdale, at about 7:30 pm. A pickup truck driving on County Road 36 ran a 

stop sign at approximately 90 mph and struck Officer Lopez’s patrol car, killing him instantly. The occupants 

of the other vehicle were injured in the crash. 

Officer Lopez had served with the Mount Vernon Police Department for 12 years. He is survived by his 

wife and two daughters. 

PIMA COUNTY CONSTABLE’S OFFICE, ARIZONA 


AGE: 43 TOUR: 5 MONTHS BADGE: N/A 

Constable Deborah Martinez-Garibay was shot and killed while serving an eviction notice at 3493 East 

Lind Road in Tucson at 11:15 am. Constable Martinez-Garibay, the apartment manager, and a neighbor 

were shot and killed. The subject then committed suicide. 

Constable Martinez-Garibay was a United States Army veteran and had served as Constable for Precinct 

8 for over five months. 


WORDS BY RETIRED SGT. MICHAEL BARRON 

She’ll be back, you’ll see! 

I was only a block away when 

the call dropped. “Fight in progress, 

man fighting with young 

female at the Bridgestone Apartments, 

Apartment 203, possible 

weapon involved.” As soon as I 

turned into the complex, I saw 

a crowd of people gathered in 

the parking lot in a circle. Well, I 

guess the fight has moved downstairs. 

See this wasn’t my first time 

at Apt 203. In fact, I knew both 

tenants very well. Angelia and 

Marcus Smith. Common-law man 

and wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, 

fightee and fighter. As I called out, 

I thought here we go again. Same 

ole bullshit. 

As I walked up, the crowd 

backed up and there on the 

ground in a pool of blood was 

Angelia. Her head flattened 

against the concrete sidewalk, her 

leg twisted and obviously broken. 

I felt for a pulse and nothing. All 

the times I’d been there, all the 

drama, all for nothing. 

I called for a supervisor, detectives, 

ambulance, Crime Scene 

Unit and I notified the ME. It’s going 

to a long night. 

• • • 

I first met this lovely couple 

about two years ago. They had 

moved to Spring from Gulf Port, 

Mississippi. I really don’t remember 

why, but they were both Meth 

heads and nothing they ever said 

really made any sense. Marcus 

worked construction and Angelia 

did a little bit of everything. When 

they needed a fix between paydays, 

Marcus would send Angelia 

out to do tricks so they could 

score some crystal. Then he would 

beat the crap out of her when he 

got wasted for whoring around. 

Dude, you sent her out to get 

money to score your dope. Now 

you’re beating her for doing exactly 

what you asked her to do. WTF. 

Now mind you all this took place 

in the early 80’s and Domestic Violence 

laws weren’t a thing yet. The 

wife/girlfriend had to appear as 

the complainant not the State. And 

every single time I took ole Marcus 

to jail and filed on him, Angelia 

would drop the charges. 

“But I really love him, and he 

loves me. He says he’s sorry and 

that he didn’t mean to hit me.” Repeatedly 

I’d show up, file a report 

and file charges. She’d either drop 

the charges or refuse to go to 

court. And the ADA would yell and 

scream at me every time. Once, 

she even asked if she could ride to 

the jail with us so she could bail 

him out. 

“Sure Angelia, get in the back 

seat with him. I have to handcuff 

you, it’s policy” Now I’m going to 

book your stupid ass for PI and 

whatever the else I can think of, to 

put your ass in jail with him. 

Didn’t matter, they were both 

out the next day and within hours 

fighting again. They moved to a 

dozen different apartment complexes 

over the past twenty-four 

months, as apartment managers 

grew tired of the police kicking in 

their doors to stop the fights. 

On two different occasions, I 

actually helped her move out. I 

rented her a van, helped her move 

what little stuff she had while 

Marcus was at work. I enrolled 

her in a drug rehab and signed her 

up to get help from the women’s 

shelter. The first time she stayed 

a couple of months. Then “she 

missed her man” and low and 

behold one Friday night I’m back 

at yet another apartment complex 

and he’s beaten the crap out 

of her…again. He goes to jail, she 

cries, yada, yada, yada. 

The second moveout was different, 

or so I thought. I checked 

her into a new Drug Treatment 

Center that had opened in downtown, 

and it was locked down 

tight. Check-in and you don’t get 

out until you’re clean and ready 

to move on with your life. Angelia 

stayed inside for six months and 

according to her counselor, she 

was really doing well. She had 

met a really nice guy inside and 

was ready to start a new life. BUT. 

She got released and he didn’t. I 

heard she kept visiting him while 

staying at a nearby women’s shelter. 

Eight months had passed, and 

I was actually pretty proud that 

I had taken a meth head and got 

her rehabilitated and stopped a 

string of violence between her 

and Marcus that would have had a 

tragic ending, at least in my mind 

anyway. Then early one Wednesday 

night, I got a disturbance call 

at the Bridgestone Apartments, 

Apt. 203. Imagine the look on my 

face when I walked in an open 

door and saw Angelia sitting on a 

couch with a bloody nose. Are you 

serious? 

What the hell are you even 

doing up here Angelia? I broke up 

with Steven (the rehab boyfriend) 

and I missed Marcus. Holy shit are 

you kidding me with this crap. 

And are you high? NO, I just took a 

bump with Marcus! I’m not HIGH! 

And where the hell is Marcus? 

“He’s at his brothers around 

the corner. He didn’t want to get 

popped, he’s on probation you 

know.” She says in a slurred, 

barely audible drunken voice. 

No, I didn’t know. Are you going 

to file on him this time and actually 

GO TO COURT. 

“Yes, yes, I will. I’m tired of his 

shit” 

So, I drive around the corner 

and there in the courtyard of, yet 

another dirtball complex was 

Marcus and his dirtball brother. 

One thing I will say about Marcus, 

he was never any trouble. He may 

have been a fuck up, but I never 

had to fight him. I cuffed him, 

went back to Bridgestone, wrote 

the report and transported the boy 

to jail. 

Angelia, I hope this is the last 

time I have to come out here. 

“I promise it’s the last time. I’ve 

learned my lesson. I promise. I’d 

sooner die then come back here.” 

Uh huh. We’ll see. 

• • • 

As soon as the detectives arrived 

on the scene, I told the lead 

detective that I’d be right back. 

He looked at me like I was nuts. 

“You’re leaving? Do we have any 

suspects? Do we have a description? 

Where the hell are you 

going?” 

To arrest a guy for murder, 

where else! He looked at me like I 

was crazy. 

“Hey, bring me back some 

Whataburger, I know that’s where 

you’re going. Arrest a suspect, my 

ass.” 

I drove around the corner, and 

yep, I was right. There were 

Marcus and his dumbass brother 

smoking a pipe in the parking lot. 

As soon as I walked up, Marcus 

looked me right in the eye and 

said “I know, I know, I’m sorry I 

didn’t mean to fight with her, and I 

didn’t mean to push her. But she’ll 

be OK, and she won’t file on me. 

She loves me. I’m her entire world. 

I’ll go with her to the hospital, 

and I’ll take care of her. I promise 

officer.” 


As I handcuffed him for the last 

time, I said, “no Marcus you aren’t 

going to the hospital, you’re going 

to prison… for life. See this time, 

I’m filing the charges and I don’t 

need Angelia. And she won’t ever 

have to worry about you beating 

her again. She’s at peace finally.” 

As I finished reading him his rights, 

he says, 

“Naw, she always comes back 

to me. She’ll be back, you’ll see. 

It was just a little push, she’ll be 

OK,” 

No Marcus, she won’t. As we 

pulled back into the Bridgestone 

Apartments for the last time, 

the ME was loading Angelia into 

the body car. Marcus didn’t fully 

understand what was going on 

until we got out of the car and the 

detectives walked up. 

Detective Martin, this is Marcus 

Smith. I mirandized him and he 

has just confessed to pushing his 

common law wife Angelia Smith 

off the second-floor balcony and 

killing her. 

Oh, and I’m sorry, I wasn’t able 

to pick up Whataburger. 

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WORDS BY AN LAPD OFFICER INSIDE THE BORDERLINE BAR 

Six Unarmed Cops / One Shooter 

The following incident occurred 

on November 7, 2018. Unfortunately, 

shootings like this continue to 

play out all across our country 

on a somewhat regular basis. 

The most recent was an active 

shooter inside a grocery store in 

Colorado that claimed ten lives 

including Police Officer Eric Talley. 

The aftermath is always the 

same no matter where it occurs. 

In nearly every shooting there are 

those, both ordinary citizens as 

well as responding officers, who 

rush towards the shooter to stop 

the carnage. Ultimately though, 

dozens of innocent citizens and 

first responders are killed before 

the gunman is either killed, commits 

suicide or taken into custody. 

So, what’s different about this 

story? There were six off-duty 

officers inside when the shooting 

started. Unfortunately, in California 

it’s illegal for off-duty officers 

to conceal carry inside a club 

that sells alcohol. So, six officers 

and their wives and girlfriends, 

knew the risk when they went in. 

But they all come here often, and 

they had a plan in case something 

did go down. Park their cars 

with guns accessible near the 

side exit, sit as close to that door 

as possible and have at least 

one person in the group watching 

the front door. But the BBG, 

(what they called the Borderline 

Bar & Grill) was a quiet place and 

outside of a few drunks now and 

then, it’s a decent place to hang 

out. Two of the six officers had 

worked security there in the past 

before joining an undercover task 

force. But since it was a Wednesday 

night, the only security was 

a bouncer sitting outside the 

front door. The following article 

is what the mainstream news 

printed. The bolded paragraphs 

are taken from the officers inside 

the bar when the shooting 

started. And once again, you can 

see what a different picture the 

media paints as to what actually 

goes down. 

THOUSAND OAKS, CA – It was 

college night at the Borderline 

Bar and Grill, which describes 

itself as Ventura County’s largest 

country dance hall and live-music 

venue. Located in Thousand 

Oaks California, a city of 130,000 

located northwest of Los Angeles 

and 

in 2018 

it was 

ranked 

as the 

“third 

safest 

city in 

the US,” 

according 

to FBI 

crime stats. 

On this particular night, there 

were over 250 people inside 

the bar, many of them college 

students drawn by the “college 

country night” promotion. Also, 

inside, were six off-duty police 

officers from various law enforcement 

agencies. All were 

there just to enjoy a night off 

and not working security. Since 

it was a Wednesday and the 

crowds were not nearly the size 

as weekends, the only security 

that night was a security guard 

posted at the door. 

It was just past 10pm when 

our little group met up at the 

BBG. It was our weekly ritual 

to all go out and eat and then 

meet up for drinks and some 

dancing at the BBG. Wednesday 

was always a pretty quiet 

night especially when they 

ran their college special. I 

say quiet because outside of 

a few drunk college students 

getting loud, there weren’t 

any fights or red neck assholes 

causing problems. My 

buddy Pete and I have worked 

extra jobs here in the past 

and we knew just about all 

the staff. The only problem 

going to the BBG was it’s a 

90/10 establishment. That 

means 90% of their sales are 

alcohol and 10% food. Which 

also means regardless of who 

you are, you can’t conceal 

carry inside. Only uniformed 

officers were legal to carry 

inside. Which meant we had 

to leave our guns in our cars, 

but we always parked on the 

side of the building near the 

exit door. And then sit as 

close to that door as possible 

once inside. As we walked up 

to the entrance, we stopped 

to say hi to Sean who was 

working part-time as bouncer/bar 

tender. Sean was probably 

the oldest guy working 

there on any given day, but 

he enjoyed the work and 

watched over the younger 

students that worked there 

as well. We made our way inside 

and noticed it was pretty 

busy for College Wednesday. 

Our regular table near the 

exit was taken, so we wound 

up sitting near the back. But 

it was all good. We ordered 

drinks and talked about anything 

but work. 

At 11:18 p.m. Pacific time. Chris 

Brown’s “Turn Up the Music” was 

blaring on the dance floor. Just 

outside a man in dressed in all 

black clothing approached the 

front door. The security guard 

saw the man approaching and 

started to question him as he 

looked out of place for someone 

coming to college night. 

But before he could say a word, 

the gunman, identified as David 

Long, shot 48-year-old Sean Adler 

point blank with .45-caliber 

handgun, and walked inside the 

bar. 

I guess it was around 11:15 

that I heard what sounded 

like a car backfiring in the 

parking lot, but the music 

was so loud I couldn’t really 

tell. I saw the front door 

opening just a second or 

two later and that’s when I 

saw the shooter for the first 

time. He was dressed in all 

black and carrying a Glock. 

The backfire I thought I heard 

was the gunman shooting our 

friend Sean point blank in the 

head. 

Inside, the first person to see 

the gunman was David Anderson, 

23, of Newbury Park, Ca. who 

ironically had survived the mass 

shooting at the Route 91 Harvest 

country music festival 


in Las Vegas. That event back 

in October 2017 left 58 people 

dead and hundreds more injured. 

Now when he went out, Anderson 

liked to keep his eyes on the 

door. 

“Looking at the door on this 

night, I saw the gunman enter 

the club and raise a gun. I knew 

exactly what it was, the moment 

it was,” Anderson said. 

“He took two to three steps 

in, and his stance and the way 

that he was aiming at everyone 

was very uniform and you could 

tell he had training,” Anderson 

said. “And it was like slow motion. 

I watched the gun.” Anderson 

estimated that he fired 10 to 

15 times. “He had a very stern, 

straight-faced, focused face, and 

he never say anything.” 

Long first killed the cashier, 

then started shooting at the 

patrons. He fired a total of 61 

rounds and threw several smoke 

bombs. Many of the victims died 

in the first few minutes of the 

shooting while they were lying 

on the floor or trying to charge 

at Long. 

The minute he fired the 

first round was the instant I 

yelled shooter and grabbed 

my wife and pushed her under 

the table. He fired multiple 

rounds within seconds and 

threw at least two smoke 

grenades into the crowd. Once 

the smoke filled the room, 

it was nearly impossible to 

see where the shooter was. 

Except that when he fired a 

shot, a laser on his gun would 

light up and you could see 

the laser line through the 

smoke. We all knew we had 

to get outside, get our wives 

to safety, and get our fucking 

guns. Problem was that the 

shooter was between us and 

the exit. And we had no way 

of knowing how many shooters 

there were. I grabbed the 

table next to us and turned it 

on its side to use as a shield 

and one of my buddies did the 

same. We were sitting ducks 

inside a smoke-filled room 

with people screaming and 

running in every direction. 

“People dived for cover or began 

to run. “It was sheer panic,” 

said Teylor Whittler, 19, who was 

inside the venue at the time. “I ran 

to the side. We all dog-piled on 

top of each other. I kept getting 

stomped on. Just trampled.” She 

said she ran to the back door, 

where people crowded during a 

pause in the gunfire. “And then, 

all of a sudden, a couple of guys 

started running to the back door 

and said, ‘Get up, he’s coming.’” 

Some hid under a pool table 

as the shooter emptied his gun 

and then paused to reload. Some 

threw bar stools through a window 

and escaped. Other survivors 

credited Cody Coffman with 

acting heroically, warning others 

to run. 

“At first I thought it was robbery,” 

said Sarah Deson, 19. “A 

smoke bomb then went off and 

Cody was yelling, ‘Everyone get 

down!’ He then told me to run for 

the front door because the shooter 

had moved further into the bar. 

I ran fast — so fast — all the way 

across the street to a gas station. 

Then I heard the second round of 

shots.” 

Just to our right was a 

plate glass window. I yelled 

to the group, when he stops 

to reload, grab the tables 

and throw them through the 

glass. We’re getting the fuck 

out of here. I could see several 

victims just feet from us 

and knew he might walk up on 

us any minute. And then the 

shots stopped. It was now or 

never. NOW I yelled. I grabbed 

the center post of the bar table 

and launched it as hard as 

I could towards the window. 

It broke a huge hole in the 

glass but too small to climb 

out. Pete got up and did the 

same with his table and the 

entire window fell out and 

the light from the parking lot 

was almost blinding. By this 

time, the shooter had made 

his way towards the back of 

the bar, but I guess he heard 

the glass breaking and fired 

several rounds towards us. I 

grabbed two of the girls and 

pushed them out the window. 

There were several other college 

students that had been 

sitting near the window and 

we shoved them out as well. 

In all we managed to get 20 

people out the window without 

being hit by gunfire, but 

most of us were cutup by the 

shattered glass. As we ran 

around the front of the building, 

I could see at least 2 or 3 

patrol cars and I knew more 

would be on the way. 

Rochelle Hammons, 24, said 

she heard a volley of shots before 

she was able to flee. “All of 

a sudden we heard four shots, 

you know, ‘bang, bang, bang, 

bang.’ Everyone got down on 

the floor. Everyone ducked and 

covered each other,” she said. 

“As everyone crouched down on 

the floor, I figured that my only 

chance would be to run out to 

the nearest exit. I saw the door 

and I ran out as fast as I could.” 

At 11:19 p.m., two California 

Highway Patrol (CHP) officers 

arrived on the scene and Hammons, 

who had made it to her 

car, rolled down her window and 

told the officers “there is an active 

shooter inside, you’ve got to 

hurry, you’ve got to get in there.” 

At 11:22pm nearby, Ventura 

County Sheriff’s Sgt. Helus was in 

his patrol car, talking to his wife, 

when he got the call. He told her 

he loved her before hanging up 

and moving toward the bar. At 

11:24 Helus told the dispatcher he 

was outside the entrance with 

two California Highway Patrol 

officers. “I’m going in.” 

The three made their way 

across the parking lot towards 

the building. At 11:25 Helus and 

one of the CHP officers entered 

the front door while the second 

CHP officer went around to the 

back door. Once inside, Helus and 

the CHP Officer almost instantly 

came under fire from Long, who 

had been monitoring their movements 

through the nine security 

cameras visible on a monitor in 

the front office where he had 

been taking shelter. In the ensuing 

gunfight, Helus was shot five 

times by Long, who used a laser 

sight on his pistol in the large, 

darkened, smoke-filled room. 

Positioned between Long and the 

CHP officer, Helus 


was also accidentally struck 

by a bullet from the officer’s rifle 

that went through his heart and 

fatally wounded him. Moments 

later, responding Ventura County 

Sheriff’s deputies, who were 

securing the perimeter, located 

and evacuated Helus to safety 

outside. A SWAT team and other 

police officers arrived on the 

scene shortly afterwards. 

As soon as we got around 

to the front of the building, 

we ran into two Ventura 

County Deputies who 

recognized us and saw that 

we were all bleeding and 

covered in blood. “Holy shit, 

you guys were inside?” Yes, 

but our fucking guns are out 

here. I told them I thought 

there was just one shooter 

armed with a Glock and 

smoke bombs. That’s the only 

gun I heard being fired. And 

it’s a fucking nightmare inside. 

Over 200 people when 

it started. I have no idea how 

many were hit. As we were 

talking the shooting started 

all over again. I heard on their 

radio that an officer was 

down. “Officer Down, Officer 

Down…get fucking SWAT in 

here.” By this time the parking 

lot was filled with patrol 

cars from dozens of nearby 

agencies. I could hear at least 

two air units and K9s barking 

in the background. The 

shooting inside was different. 

I could tell it was LEOs firing 

assault rifles. A few minutes 

later, SWAT came out the 

front door with the officer 

that had been hit. I could tell 

immediately that he wasn’t 

going to make it. At this point 

all we could do was help 

those in the parking lot that 

were bleeding from broken 

glass and gunshot wounds. 

I guess it was around 11:40 

when we heard the last single 

gunshot. 

Long stopped shooting victims 

following the exchange of gunfire 

with police. At 11:38 p.m., he 

fatally shot himself in the bar’s 

front office 

For many of those inside, there 

was a grim benefit to being 

young in America during an age 

of massacres: They knew exactly 

what this was, and they knew 

exactly what to do, in the way 

that past generations knew how 

to hide from tornadoes or nuclear 

bombs. 

“They ran out of back doors, 

they broke windows, they went 

through windows, they hid up 

in the attic, they hid in the bathroom,” 

Ventura County Sheriff 

Geoff Dean said. “Unfortunately, 

our young people, people at 

nightclubs, have learned that this 

may happen. They think about 

that.” 

The following day, Sheriff Dean 

identified the deceased officer as 

Sgt. Ron Helus, a 29-year veteran 

of the Ventura department. 

“He died a hero,” said the sheriff, 

with his voice cracking, “because 

he went in to save lives.” 

As to the six officers inside, 

Dean said Los Angeles Mayor Eric 

Garcetti reported on Twitter that 

there were three off-duty LAPD 

officers there at the time, while 

Oxnard police confirmed that 

they had two officers. 

“It’s just amazing, there were 

probably six off-duty police 

officers in there, from a couple 

different agencies,” an emotional 

Dean said. “I’ve already talked 

to a parent that came up and said, 

‘they stood in front of my daughter.’” 

None of them were armed, Dean 

said, and none of them were 

injured. Dean said he had no idea 

what set Long off or what caused 

him to target the bar and kill 

innocent people. Dean went on to 

say that unfortunately this wasn’t 

the first mass shooting, nor would 

it be the last. 

Yes, the following day the 

news media learned six cops 

were inside when the shooting 

started. That we were uninjured 

and OK. And yes, we did 

help as many people as we 

could. But what they didn’t 

mention was, had we been 

allowed to carry inside that 

bar, we could have taken the 

shooter out within seconds. 

We could have saved more 

lives had we been armed. It’s a 

sickening feeling to be in the 

middle of an active shooter 

and not be able to do a damn 

thing to stop it. And of course, 

the very first thing I saw online 

was some politician saying 

we needed more gun control. 

What we needed was OUR 

guns. I do thank GOD for getting 

us all out alive and uninjured. 

I attended Sgt. Helus’ 

funeral a few days later. I was 

almost ashamed to say, “Yes 

I was there, I was inside, and 

I couldn’t do a fucking thing 

to stop it.” And while I agree 

with the Sheriff that this may 

not be the last mass shooting, 

I can tell you for certain, that 

if we or anyone else in that 

bar had been armed, we could 

have taken that asshole out 

and Sgt. Helus would still be 

alive. 


THE OPEN ROAD 

by Michael Barron 

Dodge Charger: The Last Patrol 

Sedan and Now it’s Going Away 

The pursuit-rated police car— 

the Caprice, the Crown Vic, the 

Fury—were all once the ever-present 

symbol of American 

law enforcement. Now the patrol 

“car” is quickly becoming a thing 

of the past, as more often than 

not, agencies are fielding patrol 

SUVs built on light truck platforms. 

For model year 2023, there is 

only one pursuit-rated sedan 

still for sale to law enforcement 

agencies, the Dodge Charger. The 

Chrysler muscle sedan is actually 

one of the last four-door 

American cars still available to 

consumers, as well as police 

fleets and other fleet customers. 

More and more the Big 3 American 

car makers were dedicating 

their production facilities to 

turning out SUVs and light trucks 

and they dropped their car lines 

or trimmed them down to a few 

specialty models. 

That was until they all announced 

in 2022 that they are all 

focusing their attention on EV’s 

(Electrical Vehicles), and ICE 

(Internal Combustion Engines) 

will become a thing of the past. 

By 2030, all big three automakers 

will join a half dozen EV Manufactures 

already producing EVs 

and that will be their sole product 

line. Or so they say. 

But while the Charger had survived 

the sedan purge and is has 

been on duty with police nationwide 

since 2006, its days are 

numbered. Stellantis introduced 

the replacement for the Charger 

and Challenger and it’s all EV 

and it’s certainly not designed for 

police work. 

But before we speculate on 

what’s coming down the pipe 

from Stellantis in the way of EVs 

that might become a Police Sedan, 

let’s look at this final year of 

the Charger Pursuit and see why 

some many departments have 

chosen it for their primary patrol 

vehicle. 

Evolving Platform 

For baby boomer car enthusiasts, 

the late 1960s and early 

1970s Dodge Chargers are legendary 

machines, known for their 

cool styling and Mopar performance. 

The nostalgia for these 

cars is even more powerful with 

kids who watched the 1980’s TV 

show “Dukes of Hazard,” which 

starred a 1969 Charger race car. 

So, it’s little wonder that Dodge 

decided to resurrect the Charger 

brand during the early 2000s era 

of American muscle car rebirth 

that began with the retro styling 

of the 2004 Ford Mustang. 

The 2006 Dodge Charger did 

not have the retro styling of the 

2000s Mustangs and Camaros, 

Dodge saved that for the Challenger. 

But what that Charger did 

have was the four-door performance 

needed for a police vehicle. 

The Charger police pursuit vehicle 

debuted at the 2005 International 

Auto Show, and it was 

a hit with a wide variety of law 

enforcement agencies. Highway 

patrol agencies were particularly 

enamored of the Hemi V8 version 

of the Charger, which boasted 

a top speed of 152 mph at the 

Michigan State Police evaluations 

and just as importantly offered 

heavy-duty brakes. 

Since its debut, the Charger 

patrol vehicle has gone through 

several iterations. The 2011 version 

was officially named the 

Dodge Charger Pursuit. There 

have also been several updates 

to the body styling as well as the 

features and options. 

The Charger Pursuit has evolved 

with the consumer version. It’s 

also evolved with the needs of 

law enforcement agencies for 

different features and different 

technologies. “I think that one of 

the reasons the vehicle has been 

such a mainstay in law enforcement 

is that it is constantly being 

improved,” says Ryan Austin, 

program manager for Dodge Law 

Enforcement. “The company is 

really supportive, and we have 

dedicated engineering support 

for the pursuit 

program.” 

300 HP AWD 

For the 2023 model year, the 

Dodge Charger Pursuit comes 

in two versions, the 3.6-liter V6 

with all-wheel drive and the 

5.7-liter V8 Hemi with rear-wheel 

drive. 

The 2021 V6 Charger offers 

some serious performance. It’s 

powered by a Pentastar engine 

that produces 300 horsepower 

and 264 pound-feet of torque. 

That’s some serious get up and 

go for a non-turbo V6. It gets 

that punch from its dual overhead 

cam 24-valve engine architecture. 

At the 2020 Michigan State 

Police testing, the 2021 3.6L V6 

AWD Charger hit a top speed of 

140 mph in 2.31 miles. Its acceleration 

scores were 0 to 60 mph 

in 7.41 seconds, 0 to 80 mph in 

11.81 second, and 0 to 100 mph in 

17.97 seconds. Of course there’s 

more to performance than power. 

Braking is equally important 

in emergency vehicle operations. 

The MSP tested the brakes of the 

V6 Charger and found it can go 

from 60 mph to dead stop in 127.2 

feet. MSP evaluators recorded no 

severe fade to the brakes in their 

repeated trials, and they also 

recorded that the vehicle stopped 

in a straight line. All-wheel drive 

is one of the big selling points of 

the 2021 V6 Charger. The system 

transitions from rear-wheel drive 

to AWD through an active transfer 

case and front-axle disconnect, 

and it adapts to environmental 

conditions. 

The 2023 V6 Charger Pursuit 

with AWD is turning some heads 

among Charger customers. Catherine 

Brown, director of the Fleet 

and Facilities Division of the Missouri 

State Highway Patrol, says 

the agency’s 495 Chargers are 

all V8s but it is now buying the 

new V6. “We wanted to continue 

with the AWD feature, given our 

location in the Midwest and the 

varying weather conditions we 

experience,” she explains. 

Still Gotta Hemi 

There are few stock sedans 

in the world that can match the 


power and performance of the 

Dodge Charger 5.7L. It’s still 

“gotta Hemi,” as the old TV ad 

touted, and that Hemi V8 produces 

370 hp and 395 foot-pounds of 

torque. 

That power pushes the 

4,356-pound Charger 5.7L to 

a top speed of 140 mph in 1.01 

miles, according to the MSP testing. 

At the same MSP testing the 

Charger 5.7L accelerated from 0 

to 60 mph in 5.91 seconds, from 

0 to 80 mpg in 9.36 seconds, and 

from 0 to 100 mph in 14.14 seconds. 

Even with its powerful performance, 

the Charger 5.7 boasts 

excellent mileage thanks to fuel 

saver technology that turns off 

four cylinders of the eight when 

they are not needed. The EPA 

estimated mileage is 16 mpg in 

the city and 25 mpg on the highway. 

Under law enforcement 

conditions with long idle times at 

scenes, mileage is likely to vary. 

The Charger 5.7L also decelerates 

quickly. The MSP measured 

its 60 mph to stop distance at 

128.8 feet. Testers said the brakes 

did not experience any severe 

fading and the car stopped 

straight. 

Features and Options 

Dodge Chargers now feature 

the TorqueFlite automatic 

8-speed overdrive transmission, 

which offers better performance 

than Dodge’s previous five-speed 

auto transmission. 

The gross vehicle weight rating 

or GVWR of both models of 

the Charger Pursuit was recently 

increased to 5,500 pounds. “The 

increased GVWR means that 

much more payload for agencies 

that need it,” says Austin. 

Charger Pursuit models are also 

available with a number of officer 

safety features and options. 

It comes standard with multiple 

front and side and curtain air 

bags. 

Ballistic door protection for 

the driver and passenger is also 

available. “We offer NIJ Level III+ 

ballistic door protection,” Austin 

says. “The ballistic material is 

ballistic steel because it’s thinner 

than other options. If you think 

of the design of the Charger, 

with the scalloped doors, there’s 

not a lot of room in the doors to 

add armor, so we needed a thin 

option.” The armor adds about 

38 pounds to each door, which is 

not enough extra weight to affect 

performance, according to Austin. 

On the Road 

Chargers are particularly 

well-suited to highway enforcement 

duty. The handling and a 

particular aspect of the performance 

make the Charger a favorite 

with troopers. “It’s not the top 

speed, it’s the closing speed,” 

Austin says. “The biggest concern 

for highway patrols is how 

quickly they turn on speeders 

and get up to them so that the 

troopers don’t get into a chase. 

No one wants to get into a 

chase.” 

Austin says highway patrols 

want the closing speeds, but 

they are less likely to want the 

muscle car top speeds of the 

Charger models. That’s why 

Dodge offers to control the top 

speed. It also offers Mopar service 

tools that can be used to 

lower the top speed even further. 

“Some police fleet managers 

say, ‘I like the acceleration 

and I like the closing speed, but 

I don’t need my folks going 130 

mph.’ So, we give them the option 

to dial it down.” 

Speed is not the only reason 

the Charger is so popular with 

troopers. Missouri State Highway 

Patrol’s Brown says MSHP 

officers also like another aspect 

of the rear-wheel-drive and allwheel-drive 

sedans. “One of the 

things the troopers like are its 

handling capabilities in almost 

any condition.” 

“I think the Charger checks 

a lot of boxes for what many 

agencies need,” Austin says. “It’s 

durable, reliable, offers excellent 

performance and handling, 

and it’s a good value.” 

In 2024, Dodge have the Durango 

Pursuit for sure and we’ll 

have to wait and see what sedan, 

if any, is planned to replace 

the Charger. 

Bottom line is, if you want 

to expand your Charger Fleet, 

you’d better order a ton of 2023 

Chargers. It’s you last chance to 

hold on to the Last Police ICE 

Sedan made in the US. 


A BADGE OF HONOR 

heal ing our heroes 

The Terrorist attacks on September 

11th, 2001, changed the lives of 

millions of Americans forever. 

SAMANTHA RECALLS 9/11 

The sounds, the screams, the 

feelings of helplessness. You would 

think after twenty-one years it 

would have faded. But I can still 

recall everything I saw and experienced 

on 9/11. The tightly wrapped 

gift box in my brain is opened as 

soon as I wake up. 

I see all the American flags on 

the front lawns, I hear the songs 

that play on the radio. The calls, 

the texts, the messages sent to 

me. I was there. Front and center 

for the attack on New York City. A 

suicide attempt followed by treatment 

for Post-Traumatic Stress. All 

my memories nicely packaged and 

waiting to emerge every September 

11th. It is my gift. You may be reading 

this thinking, “What the heck is 

she talking about?” Or “That’s not 

a gift I’d want.” The pain, stress, 

and healing therapy were worth it 

because now I get to give back. 

When I talk to first responders, 

I talk about “my gift” and how the 

trauma has helped me grow. Connecting 

the dots from trauma to 

growth can be challenging for first 

responders, especially if the culture 

is one where the “suck it up” attitude 

is embraced. There is a fallacy 

that if you suck it up, move on, and 

it never crosses your mind again, 

that you have grown from the trauma 

or you have learned to insulate 

yourself from it. It is extremely rare 

SAMANTHA HORWITZ & JOHN SALERNO 

that I come across a first responder 

who is not impacted by his / her 

trauma in some way. I have met 

many first responders who have 

drowned themselves in overtime, 

are on their second or third marriages, 

never talk about the bad 

calls they have gone on, and barely 

see their families. Always on the 

go, unable to pause or gain the 

awareness of the destructive path 

they are on. Until one day, they sit 

home alone after retiring with all 

the time on their hands, paralyzed 

because all those bad calls that 

they have sucked up and buried 

have now come back to life with 

no outlet or ability to process. It is 

here where suicidal ideation and 

contemplation can occur. I have 

experienced this. Where everything 

I saw from September 11th came 

flooding back. It is cold, lonely, and 

completely unnecessary. 

With awareness comes the opportunity 

for growth. The ability 

to find meaning in the trauma. It is 

a journey first responders deserve 

to experience. It was not until I 

completed my EMDR therapy that 

I knew I had the skill and ability 

to manage the triggers when they 

occurred. As first responders we 

receive the training to become 

experts in combatives, marksmanship, 

and report writing. Yet when 

it comes to the trauma exposure, 

we receive nothing close to the level 

of training we need. As individuals 

and leaders, we need to take 

ownership of our commitment to 

ourselves, our families, and out 

colleagues. 

After twenty-one years I am 

grateful for my “gift.” It continues 

to push me to help reach others to 

show them how to create power 

and growth from struggle. Your 

career as a first responder will 

define you. Your trauma does not 

have to. I encourage you to reach 

out because you cannot afford to 

bury it. Unpack “Your gift.” 

JOHN RECALLS 9/11 

It’s been 21 years since a beautiful 

Tuesday morning turned into 

one of the worst days in American 

History. 

The pain, stories and memories 

are endless. Thousands of first 

responders and civilians each with 

a story to tell and a memory to 

share. Many depict the trauma, 

loss, and mental stress it has taken 

from their lives. 

The countless “ifs” encircle the 

day. I missed my train; traffic was 

heavier than usual; or I took the 

day off. Many were spared that day 

due to a circumstance beyond their 

control which changed the trajectory 

of their travels. 

My life was spared due to a 

member of my Fire Department 

telling me to wait for further orders 

to respond. 

As I watched the second plane 

strike the towers, I immediately 

responded to my Fire Department 

on Long Island. As the 1st Assistant 

Chief, I began to formulate a response 

plan and began calling on 

members to respond. I spoke with 

the Ladder Captain at the time advising 

him I was going to proceed 

to the site in order to direct our 

responding units. This was around 

9:15 am. 

The Ladder Companies response 

possibly SAVED MY LIFE. As my 

adrenaline-fueled mindset was 

to get there as quick as possible, 

his level head told me to wait and 

to respond as a department. I 

took his advice and waited. That 

45-minute ride to Ground Zero 

might have surely placed me in a 

fatal position. 

What we fail to focus on sometimes 

is out of tragedy rises triumph. 

Out of the ashes we have seen 

some children grow and become 

dedicated leaders in the first responder 

community, a choice they 

not have taken had it not been for 

9/11. 

Out of the Pain, we have seen Organizations 

and Foundations build 

better stress management solutions 

for our Heroes, which had 

lacked in all the years prior to 9/11. 

From the losses, we have seen 

relationships and our faith in God, 

grow stronger. 

We have learned that each day is 

not promised and those who lived 

through this horrible attack now 

have a higher value and purpose 

for living. 

Through all this, my life path 

certainly changed for the better. If 

not for that day, I would never have 

met my wife, Tara. I would have 

never met my good friend, colleague 

and Co-founder of a Badge 

of Honor, Sam Horwitz. I wouldn’t 

have had the opportunity to help 

heal other lives, through openness 

and education. 

Am I angry about September 11th, 

you bet your ass I am. Do I mourn 

the loss of those Heroes every day. 

Yes, as I suffer and battle with 

the visuals and memories of that 

day. Do we need to keep living. Of 

course, we do. We all do. It’s not 

selfish to continue living, it would 

be selfish to our Heroes who perished 

that day if we didn’t. 

We must take our suffering and 

daily battles of that day and turn 

them into the fuel we need to 

strive forward and carry on what 

the brave heroes of September 

11 accomplished. With more than 

480 first responders who died that 

day, thousands more civilians were 

saved. 

As first responders we are willing 

to sacrifice our lives for others, it’s 

the cloth we are cut from. 

As the living, we owe them the 

promise we made that day to 

“NEVER FORGET” 

For the last 21 years I have Never 

Forgotten, I will never forget. I 

will carry on honoring their oath, 

memory and legacy and promise 

to Protect, Serve, Heal, Listen and 

always REMEMBER. 

Samantha Horwitz & John Salerno 

are regular contributors to The 

Blues Police Magazine. Together 

they created A Badge of Honor, a 

501(c)(3), non-profit post-traumatic 

stress awareness and suicide prevention 

program for first responders. 

John and Sam host A Badge 

of Honor Podcast, powered by the 

OBBM network, every Monday. 

For more about Sam & John, the 

wellness and resiliency workshops 

for first responders, and the podcast 

visit ABadgeofHonor.com. 


DARYL LOTT 

daryl’s deliberations 

Same as Everywhere 

This week I concluded playing 

in the Police Games in Las Vegas. 

I play golf in the annual competition 

which includes many other 

events. It’s a pretty large affair 

that attracts officers (active & 

retired) from all over the country. 

Over the past few years I 

have made friends with guys 

from New York to L.A. 

Las Vegas Metro Police puts on 

the games and their guys (and 

gals) are the best. 

Aside from the competition, 

the conversation with everyone 

is something I enjoy. I’ve never 

seen everyone in such a state. 

I don’t want to make it sound 

like everyone was very sad and 

a downer to be around because 

that’s not what I’m trying to 

describe. There was a resignation 

in the air that was common. 

Officers were working in places 

where staffing has fallen below 

minimum numbers for officer 

safety protocols. In some cities, 

the answer is to require officers 

to staff regular shifts with 

overtime funds. This has always 

been used sporadically and in 

short term instances only because 

it soon descends into a 

negative spiral of fatigue and 

budget overruns. However, it is 

being used as a long term fix 

now. Why? Nobody wants to be 

a police officer. 

The media and politicians have 

made police officers the scapegoats 

for a society in free fall. 

As secondary scapegoats, mainstream 

American values have 

been targeted and obliterated. 

Honesty,integrity, courage, love 

of one’s country, and excellent 

behavior are targets of “reformers” 

who charge such notions as 

evil and racist. Good men and 

women no longer want to do a 

job that has been made impossible 

to do. The general emasculation 

of policing and years of 

“warm and fuzzy” deescalation 

training have reared their ugly 

heads in places like Uvalde, Texas 

where our most precious and 

vital resource was handed over 

to the Devil Incarnate. Politically 

appointed chiefs have been 

made impotent as crime fighters 

and protectors of the guiltless 

ordinary American. It’s a demoralizing 

failure that rings across 

the country and disheartens the 

most outstanding people in the 

field. 

Over zealous left wing District 

Attorneys and judges forget who 

they are being paid to represent 

and act as agents for violent 

lifetime offenders who prey upon 

the innocent. Outrageous indictments 

of officers and citizens 

alike for defending themselves 

take a toll on everyone who faces 

the dangerous criminal element 

on our streets. 

As I went grocery shopping 

in Wal-Mart and Kroger in Las 

Vegas, I was confronted by 

bulletproof plexiglass shields 

in different departments of the 

stores. One way gates in and 

coded restroom door locks led 

to the overall anxiousness I felt 

as bands of thieves were kept 

at bay while “social reformers” 

decry “food deserts” where no 

grocery stores can operate due 

to theft losses. There is a common 

and well grounded notion 

that thieves can operate with impunity 

that is driving businesses 

and jobs away. It also confounds 

those who are charged with 

enforcing the duly made laws of 

the land. This doesn’t mention 

the honest business person who 

wants to serve their community 

and make an earnest profit at the 

same time. 

We are now in the throes of a 

nationwide crime wave that is 

the natural result of seeing the 

criminal population as a constituency 

instead of the scourge 

of civilization. Democrats’ voting 

drives in our jails and prisons 

are one of the things making 

them beholden to gangs and 

felons. “Gun violence” is a new 

term that Democrats have invented 

to supplant the responsibility 

of pulling a trigger from 

the murderer to honest citizens 

who need firearms to defend 

themselves in the absence of an 

effective crime fighting force. 

As we enjoyed our lunches on 

the final day of the athletic competition, 

my table mates were 

from San Francisco and Atlanta. 

I had played with them in 

years past. The room was filled 

with both (there are only two) 

genders, and all races. It was a 

multicultural event in which we 

looked different, but we shared 

in the overwhelming mind 

numbing attack from all corners 

of our country. 

I asked my buddy from SFPD, 

“How are things in San Francisco?” 

He looked around the room, 

then at our mutual pal from 

Atlanta, then back to me. 

Finally, he said, “Same as everywhere.” 


NOT SO BRIGHT AWARD 

lig ht bul b award 

MIAMI FIRE FIGHTER 

KEVIN NEWCOMB 

“Who cares another dead cop...” 

This month’s Light bulb Award 

goes to a Miami Firefighter who 

said he could care less that 

another cop had died in the line 

of duty. What an asshole. The 

following article appeared in the 

Miami Herald on August 20, 200 

and that firefighter Kevin Newcomb 

had been fired as a result 

of his post on Instagram. Let’s 

hope you never need the police 

for anything Kevin, cause I’m pretty 

sure they aren’t coming to your 

aide anytime soon. 

By Charles Rabin, 

Miami Herald 

MIAMI — A Miami firefighter 

was fired Friday after the department 

determined he was the 

author of a callous Instagram 

post about the shooting death of 

a Miami-Dade officer that outraged 

many officers and drew 

a formal complaint from the 

police union. 

The Thursday post, which 

also criticized police officers 

in general, circulated in social 

media as the South Florida 

law enforcement community 

was mourning the loss of Cesar 

Echaverry, who was shot in the 

head during a shootout with an 

armed robbery suspect and died 

Wednesday evening. 

Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban 

said late Friday afternoon 

that firefighter Kevin Newcomb 

was responsible for the posts. 

“We have confirmed that the 

firefighter in question authored a 

written statement using a social 

media platform that demonstrated 

a disregard for human 

life, demonstrated a violent and 

antagonistic stance towards 

civil servants and represented 

conduct unbecoming of a Miami 

firefighter,” Zahralban said in 

prepared statement. 

Newcomb is a 9-year veteran 

whose father is a retired captain 

in the fire department. He 

made news almost a decade ago 

when he learned he had passed 

a flawed test to become a firefighter 

in which the results were 

miscalculated. Newcomb was 

working in a South Miami-Dade 

pub at the time. 

The Miami Herald had been 

“Who cares 

another dead 

cop probably 

against gun 

control. They 

didn’t give a fuck 

when kids were 

dying in that 

school shooting, 

they stood outside.” 

unable to contact Newcomb by 

Friday afternoon. 

The firefighter’s Instagram and 

Facebook pages appear to have 

been taken down. His rant, which 

was posted Thursday, made 

international headlines. Outlets 

in the United States and United 

Kingdom posted the anti-police 

rant with his name and image a 

day before the department confirmed 

it was him. 

The post, which came just a 

day after Echaverry had been 

removed from life support, read 

in part: 

“Who cares another dead cop 

probably against gun control. 

They didn’t give a f--- when kids 

were dying in that school shooting, 

they stood outside,” the post 

read in part. “Cops exist for the 

government to exercise its monopoly 

on violence. They want 

the whole world to stop when 

one of theirs goes down.” 

It went on to say that the firefighter 

had lost count of how 

many “idiots” he had to transport 

because they refused to wear 

masks during the COVID-19 pandemic 

and ends with the writer 

saying “f--- the police.” 

Just before the news broke 

Friday of Newcomb’s firing, Alex 

Cardenas, president of Miami’s 

firefighter union said his department 

was fully supportive of 

police. 

“As city of Miami firefighters, 

we work alongside hard-working 

police officers every day to 

keep our city safe, and greatly 

respect their work and sacrifice,” 

Cardenas said. 

The comments raised the ire of 

many officers, who shared it in 

group chats and on social media. 

On Thursday, Tommy Reyes, 

president of the Miami Fraternal 

Order of Police, issued a statement, 

saying he had requested 

that the firefighter be removed 

from duty pending the investigation. 

“These comments are disgusting 

and lead me to worry for the 

safety of our members, fearing 

that this firefighter may not 

assist one of our members the 

way he should,” Reyes said. “.... 

I want to remind our members 

that this person’s statement does 

not reflect the feelings of all of 

our fire department brothers and 

sisters.” 


HONORING FALLEN HEREOS 

“Honoring our fallen heroes 

through running while providing 

financial support to the families 

of our fallen Heroes, 

First Responders injured in the 

Line of Duty and Safety 

Equipment to K9s in need.” 

Zechariah 

Cartledge: 

a True American Hero 

Grants Awarded to Injured First Responders: 35 

Total Amount Awarded: $307,500 

Funds Awarded to Families of Fallen Heroes: 24 

Total Amount Awarded: $250,000 

Funds/Equipment Awarded to K9 Officers: $10,000 

2022 Run Tracker: 

Total Miles Run in 2022: (as of 8/27/22): 221 

- Zechariah - 204 

- Giuliana - 6 

- Jayden - 5 

- Anthony - 3 

- Andrew - 3 

Total Miles Run in 2021: 327 



Overall Miles Run: 1,325 

- - - - - - - - - - 

2022 Run Stats: 

Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen LEO’s (Non COVID-19): 104 

Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen Firefighters (Non COVID-19): 66 

Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen Canada LEO’s: 0 

Total Miles Run in 2022 for Fallen COVID-19 Heroes: 18 

Total Miles Run for 2021 Fallen LEO’s: 21 

Total Miles Run for 2021 Fallen Firefighters: 2 

Total Tribute Runs by State/Country: 10 

States/Cities Zechariah has run in: 

Florida - Winter Springs, Lake Mary, Clearwater, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Orlando, Temple Terrace, Blountstown, 

Cocoa, Lakeland, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach, Starke, Melbourne 

New York - New York City, Weedsport • Georgia - Cumming, Augusta, Savannah 

South Carolina - North Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Sumter • Pennsylvania - Monaca 

Illinois - Springfield, Naperville, Glen Ellyn • Texas - Houston (2), Fort Worth, Midland, New Braunfels, Freeport, Madisonville, 

Irving, Sadler, San Antonio • Kentucky - Nicholasville • Arkansas - Bryant, Hot Springs, Springdale, Prairie Grove 

Nevada - Henderson • Kansas - Overland Park • California - Mt. Vernon, La Jolla • Arizona - Mesa 

North Carolina - Concord, Raleigh • Virginia - Norton, Richmond • Tennessee - Bristol, Bartlett 

Oklahoma - Stilwell (2) • Delaware - Milford • Maryland - Towson • Minnesota - Arden Hills • Indiana - Sullivan, Spencer 

Mississippi - Grenada, Olive Branch • Missouri - Springfield, Rolla, Joplin • Iowa - Independence, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids 

District/Countries/Territories: 

Washington D.C. • Puerto Rico - San Juan 

110 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 

The BLUES 111


blue mental health 

Challenges and Strengths of Law Enforcement 

Families, Our Unsung Heroes 

According to the IACP resource 

page (2021), the job of a law enforcement 

officer is often stressful, 

demanding, and dangerous. 

The lifestyle and culture of law 

enforcement affects more than 

just officers. Spouses, partners, 

parents. children, and companions 

of law enforcement officers 

play an integral part in an officer’s 

health and wellness. Recently 

I read a posting in a social 

media forum asking for thoughts 

on the greatest challenges encountered 

by law enforcement 

spouses, partners, and families 

and what steps were taken to 

adjust or mitigate the consequences. 

The insight and feedback 

to this post was powerful 

and led me to dedicating this 

month’s article to our unsung 

heroes who support and love our 

law enforcement officers every 

day from the home front. This 

article will provide a very brief 

overview of some of the major 

challenges, strengths, and offer 

a few suggestions for resources. 

FEELING ALONE AND IN FEAR 

Many law enforcement spouses, 

and partners have described 

often feeling alone while their 

loved one is working and during 

rotating or ever-changing shifts. 

One LEO spouse anonymously 

shared the following experience, 

“It is difficult learning to do 

many things alone even though 

you’re married. I can’t tell you 

how many breakfasts, lunches, 

and dinners I have eaten alone 

at a restaurant because he got 

a call after we ordered or just 

never got to the restaurant at all. 

Then there are the missed holidays, 

birthdays, anniversaries, 

and family gatherings. You have 

to get to the point where you 

understand they are aware and 

just as upset or bothered by the 

things they miss. Being married 

to a LEO is not for everyone. It’s 

hard. Then of course there is the 

constant fear a spouse carries, 

worrying about their LEO, which 

has always been there but is 

compounded by the hate mongering 

these days. I had been 

living with the anxiety and fear 

for so long that I never realized 

the level it had gotten to until he 

retired. I was ALWAYS so proud 

of him, but the relief was so vast 

that for a while after I would find 

myself crying from relief at the 

weirdest times. Took me a while 

to figure out what was going 

on and why I was weepy sometimes.” 

LACK OF COMMUNICATION, 

HYPERVIGILANCE, AND PTSD 

It is not unusual to experience 

a change in communication 

patterns in law enforcement 

relationships and marriages. As 

a law enforcement officer becomes 

more ingrained in the 

policing culture and with more 

years on the job, he or she may 

become less communicative 

which can decrease intimacy. 


This is frequently a psychological 

and physiological response to 

the biological roller coaster of 

exhaustion and hypervigilance. 

Hyper-vigilance on a 24/7 basis 

can have profound consequences 

to all areas of an officer’s life, 

including mental health. Furthermore, 

the combination of critical 

incident(s), cumulative stressors, 

and emotional exhaustion from 

hypervigilance can lead to post 

traumatic stress disorder which 

can also have devastating consequences 

for both an officer and 

the family. 

STRENGTHS 

I have met countless law enforcement 

spouses, partners, 

and family members over the 

years. One of the most consistent 

and valuable characteristics 

most possess is resiliency. It is 

without question once of their 

greatest strengths. They often 

learn and grow to embrace that 

becoming a part of the blue 

family requires commitment, 

dedication, and understanding. 

DR. 

A FEW RECOMMENDATIONS 

EXPAND YOUR IDENTITY 

According to a 2017 Police1 

article on marriage and relationships 

(Olson and Wasilewski), 

officers are often encouraged to 

be “more than a cop,” not because 

there is anything wrong 

with that identity, but it is an 

easy identity to get lost in and 

so is that of spouse or partner. 

Policing can become all-encompassing, 

not just for the ones 

wearing the uniform, but also for 

those who love them. The lifestyle 

can become “who you are” 

instead of just a part of who you 

click or scan here, 

for your FREE BLUES 

Subscription. 

are. It becomes essential to find 

your own purpose and identity 

outside of the blue family responsibilities. 

COMMUNICATION, TRUST, AND 

FLEXIBILITY 

One of the most central and 

impactful recommendations for 

LEO families is to learn how to 

enjoy birthdays and holidays on 

different days if needed and consistently 

practice flexibility for 

family events. Embrace the moments 

together and make time to 

communicate effectively and establish 

a safe place to build trust 

and intimacy. According to those 

in long term law enforcement 

marriages or partnerships, these 

steps are absolutely instrumental 

in having a solid foundation. 

RESOURCES 

Fortunately, there are now numerous 

resources today to assist 

law enforcement marriages, 

relationships, and families. The 

IACP has published very valuable 

information on their website, 

and I highly encourage you 

to take a deeper look and most 

importantly please reach out to 

a mental health professional if 

you need help navigating any of 

these challenges. 

The Leader In Law Enforcement Recruitment 

Delivering ZERO COST solutions to 

Texas Public Safety Agencies. 


YOLO. You Only Live Once. 

While I have heard this 

expression many times over 

my life, I have never been so 

connected to it as I am now. 

To me “You Only Live Once” 

stood for an attitude I always 

try to embrace, which is to 

live life to its fullest, every 

day. Now that we live at the 

beach, YOLO stands for something 

else that I also have 

come to love; Electric Bikes. 

YOLO is the name of a local 

company in Santa Rosa Beach, 

FL that is known for their 

high-quality brand of Stand- 

Up Paddle Boards and beach 

bikes. At my retirement from 

Shell after 34 years, they 

gave me a YOLO Electric 

Beach Bolt, a very cool fat 

tire electric bike capable 

of handling forest trails, 

paved bike paths, or even 

riding on the beach, and 

has a range in excess of 40 

miles on a single charge. 

My wife now has a matching 

YOLO electric Beach Bolt 

as well and we can usually 

be found biking along the 

18-mile Timpoochee Trail 

along Scenic Highway 30A 

in South Walton County, 

Florida. 

I wanted to write this 

article to share my personal 

product review after 

one year of ownership of 

my first electric bike. What 

I like about YOLO is the high 

quality of their products and 

the exceptional service that 

comes from everyone I have 

encountered from their company. 

The bike is solid and has 

a beefy look from its fat tires 

and black removable battery 

positioned mid-frame. The 

tires are fat for sand, but I also 

find them acting like a shock 

absorber providing for a very 

smooth ride on hard surface 

paths. The removable battery 

makes for easy charging 

in your home and with a full 

charge we typically ride all 

day around town without ever 

worrying about running out 

of charge. It has five power 

settings on the lefthand of the 

handlebars with a nine-gear 

shifter on the righthand. The 

bike is pedal assist, which 

means the motor assists the 

rider in pedaling the bike and 

we find that with the power 

setting on #2 and the gear 

on #7, we run about 13mph. 

Crank up the power level 

to 5 and shift to ninth gear, 

and the bike will run about 

26 mph. However, be aware 

that running on power level 

5 runs down the battery 

much faster than the lower 

levels. I found the electric 

Beach Bolt is easy to 

ride, but I have noticed 

that friends that are not as 

experienced in riding bikes 

and maybe have shorter 

legs, struggle with the 

large frame of the Beach 

Bolt. But I knew if wouldn’t 

be long before YOLO came 

out with an electric bike 

that even the most novice 

of bike riders could easily 

handle, and of course their 

marketing team nailed its 

name; The Breeze. 

YOLO’s Breeze electric 

bike made its debut this 

year and with a 

slightly smaller 

tire, a more 

streamline battery, 

and an 

easy to get on/ 

off step-through 

frame complete 

with five power 

settings and 

a seven-speed 

shifter. The same 

friends that tried 

my Beach Bolt but 

were conflicted 

because they 

loved the bike but 

thought it was 

just too big for 

them to handle, 

test rode the new 

Breeze and immediately 

bought 

one. YOLO also 

makes a mountain 

bike version 

of the Bolt and for 

those who want 

that style of bike, 

will find it is even zipper in its 

acceleration than the Bolt or 

Breeze. 

My prediction is that electric 

bikes will be the more logical 

first step for most people in 

the US to move toward electric 

forms of transportation. Electric 

golf carts can be fun for 

some areas where Low Speed 

Vehicles are allowed, but 

electric bikes provide a more 

efficient and very fun way to 

travel, without parking issues. 

I also see that more and more 

planned communities, walkable 

cities, resorts, and family-oriented 

neighborhoods 

across America are installing 

extended bike paths to connect 

homes to recreational 

areas and commercial centers. 

If you are considering an 

electric bike, I would encourage 

you to look at YOLO 

electric bikes because after 

owning one for a year, I can 

tell you that I am a customer 

for life. Prices for these bikes 

run from $2,495 to $3,295, but 

I will tell you they are worth 

every penny, and besides You 

Only Live Once. 


ADS BACK IN THE DAY 


ADS BACK IN THE DAY 


THERE ARE NO WORDS 

parting shots... 

... pardon our humor 


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Air Bear announces the arrival of 

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airbear 

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124 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 125

CAP Fleet is an emergency 

vehicle upfitter and 

authorized Chevrolet SVM 

Bailment Pool provider 

for Law Enforcement 

Vehicles. We have a pool 

of vehicles available to be 

upfitted by CAP Fleet and 

sold through any GM dealer 

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We also offer law enforcement 

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Since 2011, we have 

combined the highest 

quality products in the 

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craftsmanship, providing 

customer service and installations 

at a reasonable 

price. 

Our sales staff brings 

over 100+ years of law enforcement 

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our installation team has 

an equal number of years 

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understand your needs 

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Starting in 2003, Cop Stop Inc. Opened with a vision and goal to service first responders; “Our everyday 

heroes.” Catering mainly to Police, Fire, Military and EMS, but also open to the public, Cop Stop 

offers a variety of products, gear and apparel. Open and operated by Rick Fernandez, a former officer 

of 10 years, he prides himself on maintaining the highest standards of customer service. Cop Stop understands 

its our customers who drive our success, and we strive to offer the best service to everyone 

who walks through our doors. At Cop Stop we offer quality products at great low prices. With access to 

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“If you provide good service and a fair price, customers will talk about you and come back. 

It’s that simple!” Rick Fernandez 


128 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 129

The time is NOW to upgrade 

schools and universities with the 

latest communications and security 

software on the market. Datalink, 

is an internationally known and 

well-respected provider of some of 

the best software technology available 

to protect students, teachers 

and employees. 

Datalink Systems International 

Inc. a world leader in processing IP 

data over a wide range of wireless 

networks including LMR, cellular, 

and satellite. 

EduLink is one of those systems 

that is an all-encompassing, internet-based 

communications platform 

which is a variant of Datalink’s 

encrypted DataGate communications 

and tracking software. This 

software is used by military and 

governments including the US Marshals 

Service, the UK Ministry of 

Defense, and others throughout the 

world 

One cloud based EduLink platform 

can link all administrative offices, 

schools, teachers, and other staff 

members. The system works for 

fixed locations and mobile assets for 

an entire school district and administered 

by each school district 

including remote secure management. 

This also includes school 

buses and other assets. 

The Key Features are: 

• Low Cost and Nothing to Install 

• Uses existing Wi-Fi Network 

Internally 

• Uses Encrypted Internet Links 

Externally 

• Encrypted Internal WIFI Transmissions 

• Auto-Forwarding to Other Email 

Addresses if Unacknowledged 

• Modular, Easy to Use, yet Secure 

Design 

• WebAlert App Installs on Android 

and Apple Smartphones 

• Each Staff (remove) 

• Key Staff can use the Vocalis App 

in their Smartphones to PTT Group 

and Discuss Issues 

• Lower cost Network Agnostic SIM 

Cards available 

• GPS Monitor School Buses 

• Communicate with School Bus 

Drivers with an Android/iOS Datalink 

App. 

• Track Students on and Off 

School Buses with GPS Location 

• Can be Integrated with 3rd Party 

Logistics Systems such as Edulog 

EduLink is also meets the requirements 

of Alyssa’s Law that has 

become law in a number of states 

across the US. Alyssa’s Law is critical 

legislation addressing the issue 

of law enforcement response time 

when a life-threatening emergency 

occurs because time equals life. 

The law calls for the installation of 

silent panic alarms that are directly 

linked to law enforcement, so in 

case of any emergency they will get 

on the scene as quickly as possible, 

take down a threat and triage any 

victims. Datalink’s recommended 

hardware include portable silent 

alarms. 

WebGate PTT is another “sole 

source product” available only from 

Datalink. DataGate and the Law 

Enforcement variant of the software 

“WebGate PTT, can be Cloud based 

or installed on a local windows 

computer. DataGate has fifteen + 

years of development evolution 

behind it. WebGate is a Web-Browser based 

user interface for DataGate which delivers a 

multi-network, multi-asset merged common 

screen solution. Users can access the remote 

DataGate using assigned credentials ranging 

from basic screen viewing to remote administration 

of the host DataGate. 

MULTIPLE 4G NETWORKS 

Unlike FirstNET which is operated by AT&T 

on 700 Mhz channel frequencies which may 

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Gate is network agnostic. The strongest 

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4G Towers have wider coverage over 

5G which has more limited coverage but 

provides faster transfer for large video files. 

WebGate supports the smaller communities 

with more specialized services. 

DataGate + WebGate are popular choices 

for law enforcement, military, and government 

agencies as they can be installed 

on their own servers, and it operates as a 

private, stand-alone system behind their 

firewalls. DataGate and WebGate for Law Enforcement 

includes AES-256 encryption and 

is P25 compatible. 

It should be noted that Datalink is a software 

developer and recommends that 

School Districts contract local installers and 

hardware where required. For more information, 

follow this link to their website: 

https://datalinkinternational.com/edulink/ 


People are Your 

Purpose, and Ours 

In 2008, the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office 

was informed by the federal government that it 

was violating inmates’ civil rights because of its 

indirect supervision policy. Part of the requirement 

to remedy the violation was to hire 200 detention 

officers in addition to the 450 they already 

had. 

Instead, Captain David Baisden turned to Digi 

Security Systems for a technological solution. Together, 

we designed a system that would provide 

100 percent visibility in each of the 30 pods in the 

jail. Digi installed the system, and the impact was 

definitive. 

“All of a sudden, we noticed an immediate drop 

in altercations from 300 to 30,” said Captain Baisden. 

“Ninety percent of the violence was gone.” 

We have a saying around here that People Are 

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Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office 

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systems give you an easier-to-use interface. 

KEYWATCHER FLEET 

The industry’s only key control system for 

fleet management applications, KeyWatcher 

Fleet puts you in command of vehicle 

distribution, comprehensive utilization, 

right-sizing of your fleet and much more. 

THE KEYBANK 

The KeyBank® key control system eliminates 

outdated key boxes and the paper 

chase created by outdated manual logs and 

provides extensive protection from liability 

issues. 

KeyWatcher Illuminated 

KeyWatcher Illuminated is a modular, scalable 

integrated key control and management 

solution that’s designed for interoperability 

with access control and other 

systems. 

KEYBANK TOUCH 

Now get touchscreen convenience with 

KeyBank key access control system, the 

safer, more secure way to manage keys. The 

bright 7 touchscreen key organizer system 

gives you an easier-to-use interface. 

KeyWarden is the Texas distributor of Morse Watchmans industry-leading key and asset management systems. We are actively involved 

in the Texas Law Enforcement community as a founding member of the East Texas 100 club, and corporate members of the North Texas 

Police Chiefs Association, the East Texas Police Chiefs Association, the High Plains Police Chiefs Association, and the Central Texas Police 

Chiefs Association. We are proud to participate in the TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT POLICE CHIEFS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE. 

THE KEYWATCHER TOUCH SYSTEM is deployed in the law enforcement environment to: 

• Securely dispense track and audit the use of keys to: vehicles, facilities, lockers and 

other high-value assets. 

• Prevent unauthorized staff from driving specialist vehicles, or racking up miles on the 

newer fleet while older units sit idle. 

• Allow management to compel the use of vehicle pools rather than staff controlling the 

keys to particular units. 

• Quicker and more efficient shift changes. 

• Control the keys to facilities and mandate accountability. 

• Managing and controlling access to assets stored in lockers. 

As a Texas-based company, we provide on site evaluation, implementation, training and support of the 

KeyWatcher System. We are also a member of BuyBoard and offer discounted pricing and ease of purchase. 

19015 Gentle Knoll 

San Antonio, Texas 78258 

Office: 830-214-0867 Fax: 775-898-1807 

www.keywarden.com - click here to email us 


PLANET FORD IN SPRING, 20403 I45 NORTH, 

SPRING TEXAS 

Planet Ford on I-45 in Spring, Texas has been 

the No. 1 Ford Dealer in the greater-Houston area 

for over 20 years.* Our Ford dealership earns 

this distinction year after year because our team 

makes our clients and their vehicle needs our top 

priority. Planet Ford is part of the award-winning 

World Class Automotive Group. The dealership 

has earned many top honors, including multiple 

Triple Crowns, which is bestowed upon only 

the best. In order to be recognized, a dealership 

must receive all of Ford’s top awards, including 

The President’s Award for customer service. Planet 

Ford has been redesigned from the ground up 

to provide a superior customer experience. Planet 

offers over 30 acres of new Ford inventory, Certified 

Pre-Owned Fords, pre-owned vehicles of all 

makes and models, as well as aftermarket and 

performance parts, service, commercial truck 

services, and collision repair. Beyond automotive 

services, the Randall Reed family and Planet team 

support and gives back to the community, from 

local charity events to sponsoring schools and 

veteran programs. Learn more at PlanetFord.com. 



NEW KID ON 

THE BLOCK 

ProForce Law Enforcement is a relative newcomer to the 

law enforcement distribution market in the state of TEXAS. 

Proforce first opened its doors and established their 

corporate headquarters, warehouse and support center 

just outside the beautiful town of Prescott, AZ, which is two 

hours north of Phoenix, in 2001. With continuous growth 

and high demand for top quality durable law enforcement 

equipment, Proforce quickly found popularity in the California 

area. In 2004, Proforce opened a retail location in Brea, 

Southern California and, after 18 years, the Proforce Brea 

store continues to serve its law enforcement customers. The 

store is not open to the general public and exclusively sells to 

individual officers in the law enforcement community. 

Inset: Dan Rooney ProForce President 

In the years since incorporation, Proforce Law Enforcement 

has become well established and has grown professionally, 

adding sales and support professionals all over the Western 

United States. They have an excellent outside sales team 

who travel specific territories building close relationships 

and assessing the needs of law enforcement agencies, 

demonstrating new products, sizing body armor and solving 

day to day issues. 

Proforce’s commitment to providing excellent customer 

service and satisfaction is built upon the foundation of an 

extensive inventory of law enforcement products, equipment 

and accessories from top manufacturers. Proforce’s 

relationships with top industry manufacturers and vendors, 

as well as their sales volume, allows them to negotiate better 

law enforcement pricing to meet the budgetary needs of most 

law enforcement agencies. While some vendors may not 

always have product available in a timely manner, through 

Proforce’s industry relationships and direct contact with 

vendor representatives, the sales team is able to suggest 

and provide alternatives to meet specific requirements of 

agencies, ensuring that the agency’s needs are always met. 

The company features an excellent selection of law 

Proforce Distribution Center Arizona 

enforcement products, equipment and accessories from 

top manufacturers such as: Axon/Taser, Aimpoint, Beretta, 

Colt, H&K, Bola Wrap, Bianchi, Smith & Wesson, Eotech, 

Sig Sauer, Kimber, Otis, Defense, Technology, Magpul, 

Spetz Gear, L3 Harris, Burris, Mossberg, Ruger, Streamlight, 

Safariland, Springfield, Blackhawk, Holosun, Trijicon, Vortex, 

Surefire, Us Peacekeeper ,OSS, Nightstick, FNH USA 

and UTM. 

For information about Proforce or its products call 

(800) 367-5855 

Email: sales@proforceonline.com or visit our website 

www.proforceonline.com 

138 The BLUES The BLUES 139

4807 KIRBY DRIVE • HOUSTON, TEXAS • 713-524-3801 

12722 HWY. 3 • WEBSTER, TEXAS • 281-488-5934 

AUTO FACELIFTS is located on the South Side of 

Houston across from Ellington Airport. Auto Facelifts 

is an industry leader in auto upholstery in the Houston, 

TX area. We work on cars, trucks, and even boats, 

so no matter what you’re riding in, we can give it a 

facelift! Whether you’re looking for a new leather interior, 

carpet replacement, or auto detailing, we’ve got 

a package that will fit your needs. But we don’t stop 

there! We’ve also got an incredible selection of car and 

truck accessories to really take your vehicle to the next 

level. And, if that’s not enough, we can also provide 

you with premium car audio and car stereo equipment 

that will make your vehicle the talk of the town. Stop 

into Auto Facelifts and upgrade your ride today! 

RIVER OAKS CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP & RAM 

Alan & Blake Helfman are the named and primary 

sponsor of The BLUES. For over 65 years the 

Helfman’s have supported local area law enforcement 

and supported The BLUES since our first issue. 

There is simply no better dealership in Houston 

to purchase your Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, 

Ram or Ford product. The sales team provide 

honest, no BS pricing and their service department 

ranks among the top in the nation. 

Call ProForce Alan Law or Enforcement Blake Helfman is at 713-524-3801 when 

a relative newcomer to the law 

you are ready to purchase your next vehicle. It will 

enforcement distribution market 

in the state of TEXAS. Proforce first 

be the best car buying experience you’ve ever had. 

opened its doors and established 

their corporate headquarters, 

warehouse and support center 

just outside the beautiful town of 

Prescott, AZ, which is two hours north 

of Phoenix, in 2001. With continuous 

growth and high demand for top 

quality durable law enforcement 

equipment, Proforce quickly found 

popularity in the California area. 

CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is your source 

for the best in police equipment. Based 

in Houston, we supply law enforcement 

with the equipment they need.” 

CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY has been 

serving Houston law enforcement for 

nearly 50 years with the absolute best 

customer service and quality products. 

CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is 

located at 1410 Washington Ave, near 

downtown Houston, but you can 

purchase everything you need online 

at:https://www.centralpolice.com/ 

ProForce Law Enforcement is 














ProForce Law Enforcement is 














1/3 Page Editorial 

+ 1/3 Page Ad 

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business to over 

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Welcome Aboard 

Austin Police Department 

and the 

Houston Police Department 


austin officers 

austin dispatch 


EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 

• Paid Vacation 

• Sick Leave 

• Paid Holidays 

• Personal Days 

• Compensatory Days 

• Certification Pay 

ALDINE ISD POLICE DEPT. 

now accepting applications for 

Full-Time Police Officers 

MUST HOLD A CURRENT TCOLE 

PEACE OFFICE CERTIFICATE 

Salary starting at $50,000 

with no experience 

TO APPLY VISIT 

WWW.ALDINEISD.ORG 

OR 

Contact the Personnel 

Department at 

281-985-7571 

OR 

Contact Sergeant R. Hall at 

281-442-4923 

HIRING PROCESS 

• Physical Agility Test 

• Written Exam 

• Oral Board Panel Interview 

• Complete Personal History Statement 

• Psychological Evaluation 

• Medical Examination 

• Interview with the Chief of Police 

Serve Your Community with the 

Brenham Police Department 

jobs.cityofbrenham.org 

979-337-7382 


BECOME A BAYTOWN 

PATROL OFFICER! 

STARTING PAY: 

$67,320/YEAR 

$1,500 SIGNING 

INCENTIVE! 

SALARY 

(YEARLY) 

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 

PAID LEAVE 

Probationary Patrol Officer $67,320 

5 Year Patrol Officer $81,073 

9 Year Patrol Officer $93,694 

Annual salary increases up to a max of 

$93,694 with longevity pay 

Modified Lateral Pay Scale for Peace 

Officers from time at immediately 

preceding Law Enforcement Agency 

CERTIFICATION PAY 

Intermediate PO Certification $92.08 

Advanced PO Certification $157.08 

Master's PO Certification $212.33 

RELOCATION 

(MONTHLY) 

Health Insurance 

Dental Insurance 

Vision Insurance 

Life Insurance 

Employee Wellness Center 

Training and Fitness Facility 

Retirement Plan (7% Mandatory with a 

2:1 match; 20 year retirement) 

457 Deferred Compensation Plan 

Tuition Assistance and Academy Tuition 

Reimbursement 

City Vehicle Program 

Uniforms/Equipment Provided with 

Annual Allowances 

15 Vacation days accrued per year 

(civil Service Status) 

10 City Holidays per year 

1 Personal day per year 

15 Sick days accrued per year 

15 days of Military Leave per year 

EDUCATION PAY 

Associates $50 

Bachelors $100 

Master $125 

SPECIALTY/ SKILL PAY 

(MONTHLY) 

(MONTHLY) 

Relocation Expenses Reimbursed 

Bilingual in Spanish $50 

WWW.BPDCAREERS.ORG 281-420-5354 281-420-6660 


For additional information please scan the QR code to go to our recruiting website!

BEDFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT 

WE'RE 

HIRING! 

AND 

RECRUIT 

POLICE 

LATERAL 

OFFICERS 

Requirements 

Be eligible for certification from TCOLE (Texas 

Commission on Law Enforcement). (Please refer to Texas 

Administrative Code Title 37 Chapter 217.1 for clarification.) 

Must be 21 or older (at the time of certification) 

Must have a valid Texas Driver’s License (or ability to 

obtain) 

30 hours college credit from an accredited college (college 

requirement waived if certified peace officer OR two years 

active duty military experience with an honorable 

discharge) 

Step 

Police Salary 

Police Recruit (No certification) - $58,242 

Police Recruit (TCOLE-certified) - $61,155 

Police Officer - $64,351- $80,257 

Hourly 

Annual 

1 $30.93 $64,351 

2 $32.09 $66,765 

3 $33.30 $69,268 

4 $34.55 $71,865 

5 $35.84 $74,560 

6 $37.19 $77,356 

7 $38.58 $80,257 

Eligible lateral applicants will be placed on the Step Plan 

based on their years of experience as a full time Police 

Officer at a paid Police Department. 

Incentives 

*College education pay for Associates Degree and above 

*TCOLE certification level pay 

*Foreign language pay 

*Tattoo and facial hair friendly 

us: 

Contact 

pd.recruiting@bedfordtx.gov 

2121 L. Don Dodson Dr. 

more info and to apply online, visit: 

For 

https://bedfordtx.gov/503/Join-BPD 

Bedford, TX 76021 

152 The www.bedfordpolice.com 

BLUES The BLUES 153

Cuero Police Department 

Now Hiring for Patrol Officer Position 

Department Benefits 

13 Paid Holidays 

2 Weeks Paid Vacation 

Certification Pay 

100% Insurance Paid for Employees 

Retirement 2 to 1 match (20yr Retirement) 

FSA for Employees 

Longevity Pay 

Equipment & Uniforms Provided Including Duty Weapon w/ Red Dot Sight 

Take Home Vehicle Within City Limits 

10 Hour Work Shifts 

Membership Paid to Local Gym 

Department Provided Training 

Off-duty Security Opportunities 

Cell Phone Stipend 

Starting Pay Depends on Qualifications 

Requirements: Must be TCOLE Certified or currently enrolled in an accredited Police 

Academy and pass a background investigation. 


Email TCOLE Personal History Statement to sellis@cityofcuero.com 

October 15

DEER PARK POLICE 

DEPARTMENT 

Forney ISD 

Police Department 

NOW 

HIRING 

Deer Park, Texas 

WE ARE HIRING 

www.deerparktx.gov 

Police Officer 

Dispatcher 

Public Safety Attendant - Jailer 

Animal Control Officer 

Part time Crossing Guard 

Description 

School-based police officers work 

with school administrators, security 

staff, and faculty to ensure the safety 

and well-being of students at various 

campuses. This officer works as the 

main security arm of a school. 

Requirements 

U.S. Citizen 

Accredited High School Diploma 

or equivalent 

Valid Texas Peace Officer License 

Valid Texas Driver's License 

Two or more years of college or 

advanced training preferred 

Police Officers 

Experience 

SBLE Experience preferred 

Demonstrate the ability to 

teach & engage with youth 

Positions starting 

at $29.89/hr 

Retention Stipends 

Clothing Allowance 

Health/Childcare Incentive 

Paid Training 

Lateral Entry 

www.forneyisd.net 


Officer Sam Jammas 281-930-2121 or sjammas@deerparktx.org 

APPLY ONLINE TODAY!

GALVESTON 

COUNTY 

SHERIFF’S OFFICE 

Seeking Individuals Who Are Interested in a Rewarding Career in Corrections 

Begin Your Career Today! 

GALVESTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ESTABLISHMENT OF ELIGIBILITY 

APPLY TODAY AND BECOME A GALVESTON POLICE OFFICER 

Position: Corrections Deputy I 

Bureau/Division: Corrections/Jail 

Title/Rank: Corrections Deputy/Deputy I 

Reports to: Sergeant - Corrections 

Starting Salary: $47,715.20 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES 

Maintains the security of the facility by conducting security checks, settling disputes, and performing cell searches and 

inspections; conducts outside perimeter checks. 

Preparation and proper completion in the documentation of inmate records. 

Issues inmate meals, clothing, linens, and personal items. 

Supervise inmate programs (recreational, legal, health care, visitation and religious services) 

Prepares reports on jail and inmate activities, enforce inmate handbook rules. 

Supervises inmates performing such assignments as cleaning and maintaining the jail facility and continuously observe 

locations and activities of inmates. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

High School / GED Certificate and must be at least 18 years of age. 

Must be a U.S. Citizen and resident of the contiguous United States for a period of time sufficient to conduct a 

background investigation. 

Must be able to work days, nights, weekends, holidays and mandatory shifts when needed. 

Must be able to work during natural disasters and or under declarations. 

Must possess a valid Texas driver's license and an acceptable driving record as determined by the Galveston County 

Sheriff's Office in effect at the time of application. 

Must have favorable employment history. All information given regarding past employment will be thoroughly checked 

Must have a stable credit history. 

Must possess good computer skills and demonstrate comprehensive reading and comprehension skills. 

No conviction above a Class B Misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last 10 years nor have been on or 

currently on court-ordered community supervision or probation for any criminal offense and no Family Violence 

convictions of any level. 

Applicant must pass all phases of the required testing. 

Must be eligible for licensing by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for the position applied for, if not 

presently licensed. 

TO APPLY 

An applicant interested in any of GCSO position shall first download, complete and return 

the Application Packet, per the instructions on the downloadable form. 

The Application Packet can be found at SHERIFF.GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV 


JOIN US 

VISIT SHERIFF.GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV TO APPLY! 

The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer 

CONTACT US 

409.763.7585 : SO.EMPLOYMENT@GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV

LATERAL DEPUTY 


WE ARE 

HIRING! 

BENEFITS 

• Free basic Medical, Dental and Vision insurance for 

employee 

• Free basic Life insurance 

• Long Term Disability (LTD) 

• Affordable Medical, Dental and Vision benefits for 

eligible family members 

• Flexible Spending Accounts 

• 10 paid holidays per year 

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) including 10 vacation 

days and 13 sick days per year accrued biweekly 

RETIREMENT 

• Harris County matches your investment at 225% 

• 7% of your salary is invested pre-tax in your 

retirement account 

• Retirement Vesting after 8 years 

• Eligible upon earning 75 points (age+years of service) 

SALARY SCALE 

INCENTIVE PAY 

LATERAL DEPUTY 

REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be a licensed Peace Officer by the Texas Commission on Law 

Enforcement (TCOLE) in good standing 

• Must be currently employed as a first responder Peace Officer 

(any break in service will be discussed on a case-by-case basis) 

• Must have a minimum of 12 months of consecutive experience as 

a first responder Peace Officer at any one agency 

• Must successfully pass the Physical Abilities Test (PAT) obstacle 

course 

• Must pass a thorough background investigation (Criminal 

background check, fingerprinting, personal interview, etc.) as 

required by TCOLE 

• Must pass a physical and psychological evaluation as required by 

TCOLE 

• Valid Driver’s License (TX by start date) 

• Eyesight must be correctable to 20/20, normal color and 

peripheral vision 

• Correctable normal audible range in both ears 

• Firearms qualification 

For additional information contact Harris County Sheriff’s Office Recruitment Unit: (713) 877-5250 

Now Hiring 

OFFICERS 

TCOLE Certified Peace Officers 

Hutto ranked one of the 

safest cities in Texas. 

Our fast-growing City shows a trending decrease in crimes based 

on four offenses from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting. 

Additional Pay 

+ 

+ 

Education Pay up to $175/month 

Specialty/Certification up to $260/month 

Highlights 

Top-of-the-line Equipment 

and Technology 

Beards and Tattoos Allowed 

No Written Test for Most Lateral Officers 

Benefits 

Retirement 

2-to-1 City match with TMRS 

Take-home Patrol Car 

For officers living within 25 miles 

Starting Salary 

$61K to $72K* 

Annual Leave Accruals 

12 paid holidays, 80 hrs vacation, 96 hrs sick leave 

Multiple Positions Available 

A wide variety of units and assignments available 

CLASSIFICATION SERVICE HOURLY ANNUAL TCOLE CERTIFICATION ANNUAL 

DEPUTY I 0-47 $25.22 $52,458 

Intermediate $1,560 

Advanced $3,420 

DEPUTY II 48-83 $26.99 $56,139 

Master $6,000 

EDUCATION 

ANNUAL 

DEPUTY III 84-119 $28.59 $59,467 

Associate Degree $1,320 

DEPUTY IV 120-155 $30.03 $62,462 

Bachelor’s Degree $3,180 

Master/Doctorate $4,500 

TO APPLY 

DEPUTY V 156-191 $31.52 $65,562 

Questions? Email: PDrecruiting@huttotx.gov 

162 The BLUES 

Bilingual Program $1,800 

Harris County 

The BLUES 163 

Receive up to fourteen (14) years of credit for time served! (Restrictions apply) 

@HCSOTexas 

HCSOTexas HCSOTexas @HCSOTexas 

SCAN THIS CODE 

Sheriff’s Office 

To learn more or apply, visit or scan 

https://linktr.ee/huttopd 

Sign On Bonus! 

$2,500

L A P O R T E 

P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T 

Lateral Police Officer 

Starting Pay $ 62,416. to $73,775. 

Effective October 1, 2022 

No prior experience required. High School diploma or GED required. 

Possession of Class C Texas Driver License. 

Must possess a TCOLE License or be enrolled in accredited Basic Peace Officer Academy. 

Certification Pay (bi-weekly): 

$46.15 - Intermediate Peace Officer 

$69.23 - Advanced Peace Officer 

$92.31 - Master Peace Officer 

Education Pay (bi-weekly): 

$46.15 - Associates Degree 

$69.23 - Bachelors Degree 

$92.31 - Masters Degree 

Employee Benefits: 

Medical / Dental / Vision Insurance 

Longevity Pay 

Tuition Reimbursement 

TMRS Retirement (2 to 1 match) 

ICMA Deferred Compensation/Roth IRA 

$1,000 Physical Fitness Program 

Weapon Purchase Program 

Take-home Vehicles 

Specialized Divisions: 

SWAT / Bomb Squad 

Bike Patrol 

Criminal Investigative Division 

Crime Scene Unit 

Drone Pilots 

School Resource Officers 

Traffic/DOT Officers 

Police Area Representatives 

Apply online at 

www.laportetx.gov/jobs 

Paid Leave Benefits 

15 days vacation (Civil Service) 

15 days sick leave 

Military Leave 

9 observed holidays per year 

2 employee holidays per year 

Bereavement Leave 

Comp Time 


MANVEL POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Patrol Officer 

The City of Manvel Police Department is looking to find qualified candidates to fill the ranks of the patrol division. 

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 

northern part of Brazoria County along the State Highway 288 corridor approximately 4 miles South of the City of Houston. 

The Manvel Police Department has a competitive pay structure for cities of the same size. Salary is based on experience and certification levels. 

• The department currently has 32 sworn positions. 

• 18 officers currently in patrol with 8 positions added in this fiscal budget year. 

• Patrol Salary: $53,704.56 to $68,031.84. Salary is based off experience and certification. 

• Certification pay 

• 12-hour shifts / shifts rotate every four months. (Modified Dupont Schedule) 

• Retirement through TMRS - 7% contribution with a 2:1 match 

• Vested after 5 years with the city 

• Employee health coverage paid 100% by the city, additional for family 

• Health care for employee and eligible dependents through Prime Health Care. 

• Personal Time off – Vacation and Holiday accruals 

• Paid sick time 

Minimum Requirements: 

• High school diploma or GED 

• Valid Texas Driver’s License with good driving record 

• TCOLE certified OR currently enrolled in Academy program 

• Preference for LE experience 

Hiring Process Includes: 

• Written test* 

• Physical test * 

• Oral board interview* 

• Thorough background investigation 

• Modified Field Training Program for experienced officers 

• One-year probationary period 

For more information you can contact The City of Manvel Police Department at 281-489-1212 or email, rcarrlacy@manvelpd.org 


Memorial Villages Police Department 

Bunker Hill • Piney Point• Hunters Creek 

Police Officer 

EOE/M/F/D 

5+ Years Patrol Experience Required 

The Memorial Villages Police Department (Located on the West Side of Houston) currently 

looking for experienced officers who are self- motivated, innovative, and enthusiastic about 

community policing. 

Starting Salary Range 

Effective Jan 2023 

Hiring Bonus $1500 

Night Shift Differential $3600 

ECA $1300 

Basic Peace Officer 

Starting $83,459 

Hiring Bonus $1500 

Night Shift Differential $3600 

Master Peace Officer 

ECA $1300 

Bi-Lingual 2.5% of base pay 

College up to $3000 (Masters) 

Up to $94,164 

Healthcare Insurance, DHMO Dental, Vision – 100% paid for employee, 75% Paid for 

spouse/dependents. 

Paid long-term disability and life insurance for employee, with additional life insurance 

available for spouse/dependents. 

Health Savings Account with departmental contributions up to $4200 annually 

TMRS Retirement 2 to 1 match, 7% Employee ,14% Employer Contribution, 20 Year Retirement 

457 Plan with employer contribution of 2.5% of annual salary 

Tuition reimbursement 

Longevity Pay up to a max of $2400 annually at 10 years of service. 

ECA (Emergency Care Assistant) $1300 Annually, training provided to each employee. 

12 hour shifts with every other Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. 

To learn more or apply, visit our website at www.mvpdtx.org 

Or contact Sgt. Owens 713-365-3711 or lowens@mvpdtx.org 

Or Commander E. Jones 713-365-3706 ejones@mvpdtx.org 

11981 Memorial Dr. Houston, Texas 77024 



MAKE A 

DIFFERENCE 

IN YOUR 

COMMUNITY 

We are looking for outstanding individuals to 

join our team! As a Pearland Police Officer your 

mission will be to prevent crime and disorder, build 

partnerships within the community, and positively 

impact the quality of life for all our residents. 

CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS 

• Competitive Salary • Outstanding Training 

• Career Advancement • Exceptional Benefits 

The City of Pearland is one of the fastest growing 

communities within the region. Pearland is located 

approximately 20 minutes south of Downtown Houston 

and the current population is approximately 130,000 

residents. 

JOIN OUR TEAM 

HIRING POLICE OFFICERS AND CADETS 

$5,000 Hiring Incentive for T.C.O.L.E Certified Police 

Officers who qualify with at least 2 years of experience. 

TEST DATE: 

SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 8:30 A.M. 

Register by: April 12. 

WATCH FOR UPCOMING 

Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium 

4141 Bailey TEST Road, DATES Pearland, TX IN 77584. 2022 

Doors Open: 7:15 a.m. No admittance after 7:45 a.m. 

Candidates must park in the north parking lot. 

SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES WILL APPLY 

• Attendance limited to first 150 arrivals 

• Mandatory temperature checks 

• Masks required, hand sanitizer available 

• Candidates seated 6 feet apart 

172 The BLUES For additional information and to register for an upcoming Civil Service Exam, The BLUES visit 173 

pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers


PORT HOUSTON 

POLICE DEPARTMENT 

WE ARE 

HIRING 

SIGN UP TODAY! www.porthouston.com/careers-2 

BENEFITS: 

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance 

eligible first day of employment 

• Wellness Program 

(can earn up to $600 credit per year if requirements met) 

• Enrollment with Calm App for Wellbeing 

• Defined contribution plan (401a) 

– Employer Sponsored 

• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan) 

– Employee Contributions 

• Vacation 

• Sick Leave 

• Paid Holiday 12 days/year 

• Life and Accidental Death and 

Dismemberment Insurance 

• Short Term and Long-Term Disability Benefits 

• Flexible spending account (FSA) 

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

• Pet Insurance 

• Legal and Identity Theft Protection 

• Tuition Reimbursement 

Up to the IRS annual limit and a maximum lifetime 

reimbursement of $25,000 

• Onsite Credit Union – Port of Houston Credit Union 

Are you looking for a career with meaning? 

Do you want to make a difference in a highly 

supportive community? 

Join our team at Port Houston! 

STARTING PAY* 

$60,000 up to $71,000 

REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be 21 years old 

• Must have 2+ years of police officer 

experience 

• Must have valid Texas Driver’s License 

• Must be a U.S. Citizen 

• Must have an honorable discharge 

from the military (if applicable) 

• Must never have been convicted of a 

Class A Misdemeanor or above 

EMPLOYMENT 

TESTING 

Employment is contingent on passing 

any post-offer pre-employment 

screening as listed below: 

• Criminal background check 

• Motor Vehicle Record check 

• Drug screening 

• Physical exam 

• Psychological exam 

SCAN 

QR CODE 

TO APPLY 

• Not been convicted of a Class B 

• Additional as required 

* Salary depends on experience 

misdemeanor within the last 10 years 

• Must have a GED or high school diploma 



City of Wylie 

Police Department 

OFFICER SALARY RANGE: HIRING PROCESS: BENEFITS: 

Non Certified Police Recruit Pay : $62, 370.00 

YEARS OF SERVICE 

ANNUAL SALARY 

1 Year—Step 0 $66, 626.06 

2 Years—Step 1 $68, 291.71 

3 Years—Step 2 $69, 999.00 

4 Years—Step 3 $71, 748.98 

5 Years—Step 4 $73, 542.70 

6 Years—Step 5 $75, 381.27 

7 Years—Step 6 $77, 265.80 

8 Years—Step 7 $79, 197.45 

9 Years—Step 8 $81, 177.38 

10+Years—Step 9 $83, 206.82 

ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION: 

Certification Pay: Up to $1,800 annually 

Field Training Officer Pay: $2, 400 annually 

Bilingual Pay: $1 ,200 annually 

• Complete and submit a City of Wylie 

job application: https:// 

www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ 

wylietexas 

• Written Exam (exempt for Laterals) 

• Physical Agility Test 

• Complete and submit a Personal 

History Statement 

• Oral Board Panel Interview 

• Background Investigation 

• Police Chief Interview 

• Polygraph Examination 

• Psychological Evaluation 

• Medical Examination 

RECRUITING CONTACT: 

Wylie Police Department 

2000 North Hwy 78 

Wylie, TX 75098 

Sergeant Mark Johnson 

mark.johnson@wylietexas.gov 

972-429-8013 

• City Paid Medical/Dental/Vision 

• Texas Municipal Retirement System 

(TMRS) 14% City Contribution 

• Paid Time Off (Vacation and Sick Time) 

• City Paid Uniforms 

• City Paid Training 

• Life Insurance and AD&D 

• Long Term Disability Insurance 

• Employee Assistance Program 

• Longevity Pay 

• Tuition Reimbursement 

• Free Recreation Center Membership 

• Deferred Compensation Plan 

• Ancillary Benefits Available (Aflac, 

Avesis, and More) 

Wylie Police Department Mission: Our mission is to impact the quality of life, by providing a professional 

level of service that will foster, support, and build relationships with those we serve. 

Serve Your Community with the 


jobs.cityofbrenham.org 

979-337-7382 

Welcome Aboard 


and the 

Washington County Sheriff’s Office 

https://www.wylietexas.gov/police.php 


STARTING SALARY 

$56,160 $57,824 $60,008 $62,400 $64,792 $67,184 $69,680 $72,384 $74,880 $77,480 $80,080 

High School Diploma 

or G.E.D. 

Minimum age of 21 

Must hold a valid 

Texas Driver’s License 

Current valid TCOLE 

certification 

At Hire 

At 

6 mos. 

end 

year 1 

end 

year 2 

end 

year 3 

end 

year 4 

end 

year 5 

end 

year 6 

end 

year 7 

end 

year 8 

end 

year 9 

GET STARTED 

LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF 

DOWNTOWN AUSTIN 

$3,000 


184 The BLUES

SEPT 2022. Blues Vol 38 No. 9

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