SEPT 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 9

The BLUES 1

Firearms and Tactical Equipment for Law Enforcement Professionals 

800-367-5855 

Supplying Equipment and Accessories 

to Law Enforcement Agencies! 

SPOTLIGHT ON 

Since 2013, Holosun has been committed 

to creating innovative optic and laser/IR 

technologies for a broad range of shooting 

needs. 

Today, Holosun is at the forefront of 

developing new features including 

innovations such as; up to a 100,000 hr 

battery life, Solar Fail-Safe technology, 

Our signature multi-reticle system (MRS), 

and much more. 

Holosun, are obsessed with producing 

cutting-edge equipment with superior 

quality, at a price that astounds the 

competition and the customer. 

>> PRODUCTS & SERVICES

yrs. 

yrs. 

VOL. 39 NO. 9 SEPTEMBER 2023 

FEATURES 

DEPARTMENTS 

72 Jason Aldean: 

Artist of the Year 

78 Austin’s Defund the Police 

Turns into a Cluster. 

COVER: 

Jason Aldean is our Artist of 

the Year for 2023 and we take 

a look into Austin’s Defund the 

Police Movement. 

PUBLISHER’S THOUGHTS 

EDITOR REX EVANS THOUGHTS 

GUEST COMMENTARY - DOUG GRIFFITH 

GUEST COMMENTARY - DANIEL CARR 

LETTERS FROM YOU 

NEWS AROUND THE US 

TEXAS ISD PD JOB LISTINGS 

THE ABC’S OF UAS 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES 

WAR STORIES 

AFTERMATH 

HEALING OUR HEROES 

DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS 

RUNNING 4 HEROES 

BLUE MENTAL HEALTH DR. 

LIGHT BULB AWARD 

ADS BACK IN THE DAY 

PARTING SHOTS 

BUYERS GUIDE 

NOW HIRING 

BACK PAGE 

06 

08 

12 

14 

16 

20 

64 

68 

98 

104 

116 

120 

124 

126 

128 

130 

132 

134 

138 

140 

146 

222 

124 

A BADGE OF HONOR 

116 120 

130 

DR. TINA JAECKLE, SENIOR EDITOR 

BLUE MENTAL HEALTH 

The BLUES 3

4 The BLUES

FOUNDER, PUBLISHER, EDITOR-N-CHIEF 

Michael Barron 

OUR TEAM 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

EDITOR-AT-LARGE 

Rex Evans 

SENIOR EDITOR 

Dr. Tina Jaeckle 

CREATIVE EDITOR 

Jessica Jones 

COPY EDITOR 

Lt. John King (Ret) 

OUTDOOR EDITOR 

Rusty Barron 

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 

Daryl Lott 

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 

Sam Horwitz & John Salerno 


Bill King 


Doug Griffith 


Daniel Carr 


Brandon Karr 

WARSTORY 

Wendy Grossman Kantor 

AFTERMATH 

Kerry Breen 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Brittny Mejia 

Charles Rogland 

Shira Moolten 

Jake Sheridan 

Eugene Garcia 

Amy Taxin 

John Antczak 

Sara Roebuck 

Caleb Lunetta 

The BLUES is published monthly by Kress-Barr, LLC, PO Box 2733, League City Texas 77574. The opinions expressed in some articles, 

op-eds, and editorials are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of The BLUES or its parent company. 

Rebuttals or submission of news articles and editorials may be submitted to: The BLUES @ bluespdmag@gmail.com. 

The entire contents of The BLUES IS copyrighted© and may not be reprinted without the express permission of the publisher. 

The BLUES 5

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK 

yrs. 

The Countdown has Begun. 

In 90 days or so, The BLUES will 

reach a milestone that no one, 

including myself, thought possible 

when we published the first issue 

in December of 1984. Yes, that was 

40 years ago. Way before most of 

our readers were even born. In other 

words, a long ass time ago. 

A lot has changed in the past 40 

years. For one, we are no longer 

that 20-page tabloid officers used 

to see laying around their offices. 

For more than 35 years, officers 

throughout Texas relied on The 

Blues Police Newspaper to bring 

a little levity into their somewhat 

routine lives. To read the latest war 

story with parts that were obviously 

embellished to the latest gossip 

from police agencies across the 

Lone Star State. Every cop in Texas 

has heard of The BLUES. If you’re 

an old head, you read it back in the 

day. If you’re a rookie, you’re reading 

it on your phone. 

The World has evolved in ways 

our parents and grandparents 

couldn’t have possibly imagined. 

Or is it exactly as they imagined it 

would be. Flying cars, communicators 

on their wrists, spaceships 

flying to far away planets. Google 

the “jetsons” and watch one of the 

old cartoons from the 60’s. It’s as 

if someone used a time machine 

to jump ahead 60 years, took a 

snapshot and returned to create a 

cartoon about life in the future. 

I’m sure every generation has at 

one time or another looked back at 

their past 40 years and said, “damn 

we’ve come a long way in forty 

years, who could have imagined all 

this.” 

And that’s exactly what we are 

going to do beginning next month. 

We are going to relive the past 40 

years of The BLUES beginning in 

December of 1984. From the patrol 

cars of the 80’s, to the electrification 

of the modern patrol car. From telefax 

machines to the latest electronics. 

The bag phone to the iPhone 15. 

From the design and layout of 20- 

page tabloid printed on newsprint 

to a 250-page all-digital platform 

read by over 1.5 million cops literally 

around the world. We will cover 

it all. And we need your help. 

We want all your old photos. Your 

first patrol car. Your grandfathers 

patrol car. Your first uniform. Every 

old photo you can dig up. Scan 

them and send them to us. If you 

have a war story you’d like to tell, 

send it. Featured in a newspaper or 

magazine, we want a copy. Tell us 

if you liked the BLUES or hated it, 

either way it’s part of our history 

and we want to include it. 

And finally, to the dozens of 

folks who had a part in producing 

the BLUES over the past 40 years, 

please, please send us your best 

and worst memories. The first unsolicited 

email from a former editor 

arrived just last week and is presented 

in its unedited form: 

“I remember working for Mike Barron 

in the late 80’s. Trying to read the 

chicken scratch he scribbled on the 

back sides of old offense reports, 

legal pads and anything other blank 

paper he could steal and typing it on 

a 1980’s typewriter. And he couldn’t 

spell for shit. On deadlines, he was 

screaming constantly about how we 

were never going to press on time. 

But we did and I remember when the 

paper was printed, how proud we 

all were to see our hard work turn 

into something that people could 

SGT. MICHAEL BARRON RET 

hold in their hands. To see people 

reading what we had created was 

really pretty damn cool. Barron was 

still an asshole most days. LOL. But 

I will say this. Regardless of how 

much pressure he was under from 

the sheriff that wanted him fired and 

the newspaper to just die, he never 

gave up and he never walked away. 

Some months, we didn’t even make 

enough money to pay the printer, 

and Barron would pay for it out of 

his county paycheck. So yeah, I’m 

damn impressed The BLUES is still 

around and that Barron is too. I say 

congratulations to Mike Barron for 

what he’s managed to accomplish…. 

took him forty damn years to do it… 

but nevertheless…it’s pretty damn 

impressive.” 

Send what you have to: michael@ 

bluespdmag.com or mail it to: The 

BLUES, PO Box 2733, League City, 

Texas 77574. 

6 The BLUES

LE AGENCIES 

CALL FOR 

PRICING 

Tel: 800-367-5855 

www.proforceonline.com 

Supplying Equipment and Accessories 

to Law Enforcement Agencies! 

ECHELON 

9MM 

50696 

590 SPX 

EC9459B-3D 

9MM 

OPTIC READY 

PUMP ACTION 

SHOTGUN 

NEW! 

CALIBER: 9MM 

CAPACITY: 17+1 | 20+1 

SIGHTS: NIGHT SIGHTS 

BARREL LENGTH: 4.25 

12GA 

CALIBER: 12GA 

CAPACITY: 6+1 

SIGHTS: GHOST RING 

BARREL LENGTH: 18.5” 

STOCK: ADJUSTABLE 

OPTIC READY 

NEW! 

DR920 

FOUNDATION 

SERIES 

VP9 

ML-2306 

9MM 

CALIBER: 9MM 

CAPACITY: 17+1 

SIGHTS: FIXED 


81000483 

9MM 

OPTIC READY 

CALIBER: 9MM 


SIGHTS: FIXED SIGHTS 


13194 

OPTIC READY 

METAL FRAME 

M2.0 

M&P 

M2.0 

OPTIC READY 

NEW! 

W365XCA-9-BXR3-RXZE 

P365 

XMACRO 

CALL OR EMAIL US FOR PRICING OR ASK US ABOUT DEMOS OR TRADE-INS 

CALIBER: 9MM 


SIGHTS: FIXED 


Comes with 

ROMEOZero Elite 

9MM 

CALIBER: 9MM 



SIGHTS: NIGHT SIGHTS 

CHECK OUT THESE GREAT 

MANUFACTURERS 

AIMPOINT • BERETTA • COLT 

BIANCHI • TASER • BENELLI 

SMITH & WESSON • CZ USA 

H&K • DANIEL DEFENSE 

SIG SAUER • SHADOW SYSTEMS 

DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY • AGUILA 

EOTECH • BURRIS • UTM 

MOSSBERG • PROTECH • RUGER 

STREAMLIGHT • MAGPUL 

SAFARILAND • SPRINGFIELD 

BLACKHAWK • OSS • HOLOSUN 

TRIJICON • SUREFIRE • BOLA WRAP 

US PEACEKEEPER • OTIS 

NIGHTSTICK • FNH USA 

NOTE: TERRITORY RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY 

Visit our website today for up to date 

information, pricing and products! 

PROMOTION ENDS 9/30/23 

Support Center: 2625 Stearman Road, Prescott AZ, 86301 Tel: (800) 367-5855 

e-mail: sales@proforceonline.com | www.proforceonline.com 

The BLUES 7

FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE 

yrs. 

This Profession! 

Challenges in Law Enforcement 

are nothing new. Our profession has 

always done more with less and 

all the while do what we do while 

under fire. Both, literally and figuratively. 

And yet somehow, men and 

women from all across this Nation 

have sustained enough intestinal 

fortitude to still ensure the arduous 

process of a background check, 

academy, field training and then 

probationary time. 

IF and I mean IF a person makes 

it through all of that, then they get 

a patrol car (200,000 miles plus 

with minimal a/c-thank you) all 

to themselves for their shift. Going 

from call to call, problem to problem. 

Like homicides, sexual assaults, 

child abuse, abuse of a corpse, 

abuse of an animal, domestic violence 

calls, traffic accidents, lost 

children, I forgot where I parked my 

car, etc, etc, etc. 

Oh, and in between all of that, 

there’s a plethora of paperwork to 

be completed BEFORE you go off 

duty because hey, nothing is done 

till the paperwork is done, right?! 

Then, the next day comes around 

and you get to work only to find all 

those reports and paperwork you 

completed have been broad stroked 

with corrections for you to complete. 

Now, for the fun part. You ready? 

Hang on…here we go!!! No less than 

three or four people a day ask you 

if the road you are blocking with 

your patrol car with its lights on is 

really blocked or can they simply 

just go around you. Of those three 

or four, at least three probably argued 

with you, cussed you, or may 

have even shown a bit of exhibition 

of acceleration as they drove away. 

Pretty much every call you arrived 

at someone says, “oh great…so now 

you show up!” And you’re like, “Bro, 

I just came on duty and was dispatched 

straight here…” Your Sergeant 

(or Sergeants) is like “Where 

are you? We got calls holding!! 

Where’s your reports from earlier? 

Have you completed your time 

sheet? Why is your car so dirty? 

Where are you going? Where have 

you been? And the list goes on. 

Then there’s the walk by the Captain 

or Chief’s Office and wouldn’t 

you know it…they’re like “Hey 

buddy! How are you? How’s your 

day? Ok cool, look I got to go, nice 

talking to ya” and then you don’t 

see them for another six months. 

(sigh) 

Yep. This profession is fairly 

stagnant when it comes to some 

of what we do. It hasn’t changed in 

over 100 years. Oh, the technology 

and equipment have certainly been 

upgraded (or downgraded depending 

on your point of view) but the 

basics of Law Enforcement remain 

the same. Get out there, get berated, 

get chastised, get belittled, all 

the while keeping your head up and 

keep on keeping on. 

As you’re reading this, some of 

you are laughing or at least giggling 

by now. Because every word of it 

is true!!! And some would even beg 

the question of “Why? Why do we 

continue to do this job, under such 

circumstances?” 

The answer isn’t the pay, that’s 

for sure. There’s not enough money 

in the world that can cover a ride 

CHIEF REX EVANS 

like this. It’s one thing and one thing 

only…well, for most of us. It’s a 

“Calling.” Truly, no one decides to 

endure all that we endure, day after 

day, night after night, weekends 

and holidays, without it really being 

something special deep within our 

heart that drives us to do this job. 

The next time you ask yourself 

“Why am I doing this?” try to remember 

one little thing… 

If not you, then who? 

Keep on, keeping on. Don’t let this 

world or people bring you so far 

down that you want to turn in your 

badge. You went through hell to 

get it, remember. Don’t let anyone 

or anything take it away from you. 

Be a good cop, do your job and do 

it well. Maybe, even save a life or 

two along the way. If no one tells 

you’re doing a good job, I may or 

may not be your Chief but, I’ll tell 

you. You’re doing great. You are 

more appreciated than you think. 

Look around, people aren’t exactly 

knocking down the door to do this 

job. There’s a critical, nationwide 

shortage of Law Enforcement Officers. 

You are very much needed. 

So…DON” T YOU DARE GIVE UP OR 

GIVE IN. God bless. And hey!!! Let’s 

be careful out there. 

8 The BLUES

The BLUES 9

10 The BLUES

The BLUES 11

GUEST COMENTARY 

Doug Griffith 

yrs. 

Fights worth Fighting. 

Most of our members are 

unaware as to what we do 

over here at the union. Any 

given day you will find us in 

our office working to resolve 

whatever issue has jumped 

up in the last 24 hours. Over 

the last few weeks, we have 

been very vocal over a variety 

of issues that affect all of our 

members. I know that most do 

not watch the evening news 

and do not get to see my interviews 

or press conferences, 

but I do plenty of them. If I 

cannot do it, I have Ken, Ray, 

or Tim handle it, because it is 

important to get our message 

out there to the community. 

Three weeks ago, we held a 

press conference and called 

for the resignation or removal 

of Dr. Peter Stout with the 

Forensics Science Center. The 

Forensics Science Center is 

now backlogged in every single 

area in which they conduct 

analysis and continue to 

get farther and farther behind. 

I reached out to him to see 

what the plan was to catch up 

on the backlog, but he had no 

plan. Sexual assault kits are 

backlogged with an average 

test time of 308 days. So, if 

your daughter was sexually 

assaulted by someone they 

know, you are still waiting 

308+ days just for the testing! 

On the Forensics Science Center 

website, it states that gun 

testing is currently at 215 days, 

but in an email, he sent out to 

me, city council, DA’s office, 

and a Defense Attorney, it will 

be March of 2025 to test a gun 

used in a homicide today. 20 

months is an unacceptable 

amount of time to wait on 

evidence to charge an individual. 

This makes the department 

appear inept when it is 

completely out of our control. 

I cannot even start to talk 

about the narcotics issue, but 

it is the Science Center that is 

causing the DA to no charge 

under 4 grams without a test. 

I will continue to go after the 

Forensics Science Center until 

we get real leadership in the 

right position to fix the backlog. 

Last week, we found out 

that Travis Scott is going to 

be allowed to have two more 

concerts in Houston. It was 

just two weeks ago we released 

the 1200-page report 

giving the details of the tragic 

Astroworld concert, then four 

days later we get word of 

these concert dates. Not only 

is it disrespectful to the families 

of those lost that horrific 

night, but it is also disrespectful 

to our officers who worked 

valiantly to save those crushed 

DOUG GRIFFITH, HPOU 

by the crowds that night. It 

forever changed the lives of 

many of our officers and we 

should not be allowing this 

event back to Houston. We 

released a statement to the 

media, and we did at least a 

dozen interviews on why this 

should not be allowed in our 

city again. 

These are only a few of the 

big outside battles we are 

facing, but there are plenty of 

in-house issues as well that 

we deal with constantly. We 

will continue to fight and support 

our membership and do 

everything possible to make 

this department better. Also 

know, we can’t fix what we 

don’t know about so do not 

assume we are aware of every 

issue. Please call if you have 

questions or feel that there is 

something that we need to be 

aware of. 

Thanks for all that you do 

keeping this city safe! 

12 The BLUES

The BLUES 13

GUEST COMENTARY 

police law news 

yrs. 

Daniel Carr 

It’s a Damn Shame. 

Oliver Anthony’s poetic wrecking ball. 

I am the last person who 

should write a music review. I 

blew out my eardrums and have 

permanent hearing loss from attending 

hundreds of metal/rock 

concerts in small venues around 

the Chicagoland area while in 

high school and college. And 

because of that I nearly failed 

the audiology examination to get 

hired at the police department 

when I was 22 years old. 

But, on what I am qualified to 

write about - it is not music. Just 

ask my wife who has a degree 

in vocal performance and is a 

classically trained opera singer. 

She rolls her eyes at my musical 

preferences - which include 

Third Eye Blind, Atmosphere, and 

Zach Bryan. 

But the seismic rise of Oliver 

Anthony over the last few days 

cannot be brushed off as a purely 

musical achievement. This is a 

defining cultural moment where 

self-reflection of society itself is 

inevitable. 

If you are one of the 6 people 

in the country that hasn’t heard 

it yet - stop reading - go listen 

(here) and then I’ll connect this 

work of raw art to everything 

else that matters to decent people. 

THAT’S IT 

Oliver’s song Rich Men North 

of Richmond is THE anthem that 

a lot of normal people had a 

14 The BLUES 

craving to hear - to remind us 

that we are not the problem. A 

necessary admonishment that 

our aggressive resistance to bad 

ideas is instead - the solution. 

I wish politicians would look 

out for miners 

And not just minors on an island 

somewhere 

Lord, we got folks in the street, 

ain’t got nothin’ to eat 

And the obese milkin’ welfare 

Well, God, if you’re 5-foot-3 

and you’re 300 pounds 

Taxes ought not to pay for your 

bags of fudge rounds 

Young men are puttin’ themselves 

six feet in the ground 

‘Cause all this damn country 

does is keep on kickin’ them down 

When was the last time you 

that were stopped dead in your 

tracks by the lyrics of a song? 

THE WHY 

As a society we passively 

allowed rioters to destroy cities 

and businesses in 2020. We 

allowed maniacs to take control 

of our streets and offered up our 

sense of security as payment for 

the hope of woke social credit. 

We then had to think twice 

about where we let our kids 

play. My 70 year-old life-long 

Democrat mother felt compelled 

to remove her yard sign that 

expressed support for first responders 

so that her windows 

were not smashed in. And those 

who challenged the anarchy and 

took up arms to defend life and 

property were labeled by the 

media as “racists”. 

Elected leaders across the 

country bowed down and groveled 

at the boots of angry mobs 

that demanded we (via the 

threat of violence) defund our 

police departments to achieve 

their goal of destabilizing communities. 

Our weak leaders were 

cuckolded by dishonest elites 

who reside behind high walls 

with expensive private security 

forces - knowing that they enjoy 

the luxury of avoiding the consequences 

of their faux public 

beliefs. 

Employers held their workers 

hostage and forced compliance 

on personal health issues. 

The deep state nudged the 

dangerous and unelected administrative 

industrial complex 

to erode individual rights and 

promulgate scientific wrongs. 

And after all that we now have 

this guy calling us out - singing 

a song in the middle of nowhere 

- infecting our ears and smashing 

us in the face with truths that 

we can no longer deny. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Oliver Anthony now has a massive 

audience. This is the result 

of an honest man with something 

important to say - who has 

balls to say it. And we should 

listen. As the time to stand back 

and standby has long passed.

The BLUES 15

READERS SPEAK OUT 

letters from you 

BROTHERS & SISTERS IN BLUE 

I am one of those people whose 

wheels are always turning, full of 

nervous energy, can’t sit still, got to 

be doing something. I am also very 

impulsive; I sit around thinking of a 

project or something that is bothering 

me for months. Then, one day 

I wake up and decide to act on the 

problem. That is the case with what 

I am about to tell you. 

Those of us either currently, or 

formally, who are members of the 

Law Enforcement Community call 

each other our brothers and sisters. 

I know that we really feel that way 

in our hearts. I do call some of 

my old buddies from time to time 

to check on them, especially now 

that I am retired. We always end up 

saying “you know we really need to 

get together, seems like we only see 

each other at someone’s funeral”. 

I recently read there are more than 

800,000 sworn law enforcement 

officers in the United States. Around 

137,000 are Federal L.E. Officers, the 

rest work for State and local agencies. 

Woman now make up 13.3 % 

of the total number. The point is as I 

once heard an Officer tell a biker he 

had stopped “I belong to the biggest 

club in town”. After the biker had 

made reference to his affiliation, 

with a large biker club. The color 

of your skin, how you vote, who you 

support, how large or small your 

department is, does not matter to 

me. You are my brothers and sisters. 

My heart pumps blue blood and my 

eyes still light up, the alert buttons 

still get pushed and the adrenaline 

still sends sharp pain up my back 

when I see overheads flashing and 

hear sirens blasting. 

Our Country is changing or should 

I say it has changed. Road rage, jugging, 

car jackings in broad daylight. 

Are you kidding me? I am scared 

16 The BLUES 

for my wife 

to go grocery 

shopping alone, 

or anywhere 

alone for that 

matter. Recently, 

I pulled up 

at a red light 

and as I pulled 

up beside the 

vehicle to my 

left, I noticed 

the driver 

obviously had 

something to 

ask me. Maybe, 

like directions 

or something, 

I rolled my 

window down 

and I instantly 

realized I had apparently somehow 

pissed this asshole off, as he said 

to me, “do you want to die motherfucker”? 

I am thinking you are 

about a dumb SOB as I now sat with 

my 45ACP in hand held below the 

window line so he could not see it, 

hoping his hands remained in sight 

while he continued to spit venom in 

my direction. Fortunately, the light 

changed and we both went our 

separate ways. This incident along 

with PR bonds for terds already 

out on bond for assaults, robbery, 

murder and the like, who continue 

to pray on the innocent, really pisses 

me off. To be honest with you, I’ve 

had enough. 

It really bothers me that the leaders 

of our country spend most, or 

all of their time making sure they 

get rich while in office instead of 

doing for the people as they were 

elected to do. Never, have we seen 

such boldness and corruption in 

our nation’s Capital. I pray for the 

whistle blowers with the courage 

to come forward with information 

about the illegal activities of persons 

who the voters trusted to be 

honest and truthful and loyal to our 

country. With what we are seeing, 

nothing would surprise me, not 

even murder. 

To those of you still busting your 

ass, putting your life on the line everyday 

for the rest of us, thank you, 

and may God watch over you, and 

God Bless America! 

Detective Art Woolery, RET 

HCSO, Jersey Village PD 

A HERO OUT OF THE DARKNESS 

On Saturday, August 19 at approximately 

2am, I found myself in 

a dangerous situation that was absolutely 

going to cause me serious 

injury or possibly death. I would like 

to tell you, my story. 

On Friday, I started work at 11:30 

am and didn’t get off until after 

midnight. As I was making my way 

home about 1:30 am when I rolled 

up on a fatality accident and troopers 

had the road closed. Now I’m 

new to Florida and really didn’t 

know another way home. However,

The BLUES 17

I figured I could turn around and 

try to find an alternate route on my 

GPS. About two miles down the 

road, my car lost power. 

After a few minutes, it started 

again so I felt it was best to turn 

around and head back toward the 

officers in case the car had another 

issue. As I was turning around, my 

car died again. Now I was blocking 

both lanes of the road, with no 

lights, and traffic coming from both 

directions. I had no cell service and 

I felt I had to decide to be hit in my 

car or walking. I had dark clothing 

on and felt my chances were better 

in the car. This is when I started 

praying, I told God if it’s my time, 

I understand but please don’t let 

anyone else get hurt. 

It was at that moment I saw 

another car coming at me and I just 

braced for impact. To my surprise, 

the car slowed down, and I thought 

to myself, GREAT, I’m going to be 

killed by some drunk serial killer. It 

was at that moment the driver, who 

turned out to be a Florida Trooper, 

turned on his overheads and I 

couldn’t help but laugh and cry at 

the same time. I wasn’t out of the 

woods, but I had help. 

Out of nowhere, Trooper Brown 

came to my rescue. I jumped out of 

the car and explained I had no power 

and it wouldn’t go into neutral. 

The Trooper said he would use his 

car to push it off the road. He tried 

putting the car in neutral but had no 

luck. I knew he was risking his own 

safety to try and move my car. With 

no other options, he used his car 

to push mine off the road. He tried 

to be gentle, but he had to force it 

off the road and into a ditch. Once 

off the road, it was as no longer a 

danger to oncoming traffic. It was 

then that Sgt. Seay showed up to 

the scene and I told him if there is 

any damage, it’s on me. I told him 

thank you and that I could just walk 

home. He told me he couldn’t allow 

that and made sure I got home 

18 The BLUES 

safely. 

Trooper Brown is my Hero, and I 

can’t even image what would have 

happened if he had not shown up. 

In this day and age, it seems everyone 

wants to show LEO’s doing 

something wrong. Trooper Brown 

was extremely professional and 

made his badge shine. I can’t thank 

him enough for being there for 

me so I’m hoping there is something 

you can do to reward him for 

his actions. What an outstanding 

Trooper and person. AGAIN, THANK 

YOU!!!!! 

COPS AND DONUTS 

Okay, I know – cops and donuts 

go together. I mean, everyone likes 

donuts, but cops REALLY love them, 

right? Well, sort of… The joke is 

that cops take to donuts like a fish 

takes to a worm. While there is 

some truth to that – it’s not the 

whole story. 

The truth is, in the old days, cops 

liked the convenience of them…and 

the taste. Old cops remember the 

days when there were no 24-hour 

convenience stores, and not many 

all-night diners. In 1940s and 1950s, 

a cop assigned to the midnight shift 

was a lonely person. The good people 

were mostly at home, leaving 

only the cops and the bad guys out 

on the streets. In such cases, donuts 

were the key. When working a long, 

slow shift, most people, including 

cops, get sleepy. So, if there were 

only a couple of diners open in 

town, coffee was usually available. 

Further, if almost nothing else was 

open, that was the only place to go 

to take a break. 

By the way, the coffee was black 

– plain, black coffee. No sweetened, 

iced, double latte, whatever. It was 

just plain, hot, black coffee. 

Today, if a bad guy is looking for 

a place to get some quick cash, he 

has a plethora of places to choose 

from to rob. But in the 40s and 50s, 

the one or two open diners made 

for slim pickins for a bad guy to rob. 

In order to keep them away, a police 

car parked in front is a good deterrent. 

So, how do you get a police car in 

front without the expense of having 

to hire someone to provide security? 

Donuts. They are tasty, easy to 

make, and delicious. So, the diner 

owners surmised, why not offer 

free donuts and coffee to keep the 

cops coming around, and the police 

cars in front? It was a win-win! 

That is how it happened. 

Here is the problem… young 

officers are stuck with battling the 

stigma created by old guys like me, 

even though they don’t eat the little 

fat pills like we used to. But you 

better be quick about asking an old 

cop if he remembers the old days of 

eating donuts. Most have either died 

of heart disease or old age. 

Well, there you have it. You now

have the truth of the matter – maybe. 

I think I’ll go have a donut and a 

cup of black coffee. 

Mike Simmons 

DEMOLITION DERBY & TRUMP 

And now we have yet a fourth 

indictment against former POTUS 

Donald Trump for alleged efforts to 

overturn his loss in the last presidential 

election. 

The 98-page indictment lists 41 

separate counts against a total 19 

defendants for everything from not 

accepting the vote tallies in Georgia 

to stepping on a crack in the 

sidewalk (sarcasm). The indictment 

was brought by Fani Willis, the 

Fulton County district attorney. The 

DA’s Office webpage says Willis is 

a dogged chaser in fighting crime; 

it’s her webpage, it would say that. 

Where’s her pursuit against Trump 

and his supporters been for 2½ 

years? I guess there’s a time and 

purpose for everything. It would 

seem Willis is now laser-focused 

on Trump but not so much on the 

other crime that flourishes in Fulton 

County which is in the 15th percentile; 

meaning 85 percent of the 

3,142 counties in America are safer. 

Fulton County beats the national 

average in assaults, murders, robberies 

and is statistically tied in the 

number of rapes, suggesting that if 

you live in the greater metropolitan 

Atlanta area either you or your 

property will eventually be a crime 

victim. 

I wondered how many crime 

victims in Fulton County were glad 

to see Fani focus on a presidential 

race now well in the rear-view 

mirror, and then the obvious occurred 

to me. Fani Willis, Alvin 

Brag (the Manhattan DA) and Jack 

Smith (special counsel), are all 

really focused on the next POTUS 

race in 2024, not 2020. So, if the 

Jan. 6 trial happens in Washington, 

D.C., in January; the Georgia trial 

in February; the Manhattan trial in 

March; and, the Florida trial happens 

in May, all the Dems have to 

do is get one more trial in the June 

timeframe and Trump’s Republican 

Convention hopes in July will be 

dashed forever. The Orange Man 

will have been beaten. Does anyone 

think this timing is an accident? 

That all this is some giant coincidence? 

All Democrat eyes now look 

to Arizona in hopes that Gov. Katie 

Hobbs can get the Arizona attorney 

general (Kris Mayes) to bring a fifth 

indictment. C’mon Katie, you can 

do it! Who doesn’t like to watch a 

demolition derby? This kind of judicial 

gaming erodes public faith in 

our election process even more than 

Jan. 6 ever could. 

DOG & PONY SHOW FOR CHIEF 

I read your editorial last month 

about cities hiring police chiefs and 

I have a question. Why do some 

agencies announce they are seeking 

a new police chief, launch a “nationwide 

search for the best candidate” 

and then hire someone they 

had in mind for the position anyway. 

They put on a dog and pony show 

to attract all these applicants from 

far and wide, narrow the list to 4 or 

5 candidates, have them spend days 

in an interview process, meet and 

greets, and such. Only to hire who 

everyone knew was their favorite 

from the get-go. Why waste taxpayer 

dollars, not to mention the 

time and money of the applicants, 

when you can just hire your favorite 

and be done with it. 

Did you know that 85% of cities 

that spend over a ¼ of million dollars 

to conduct a nationwide search 

for a new Chief, end up hiring either 

someone within the department 

or someone local from another 

department. $250,000 is a lot of 

money to waste. That money could 

be spent on new body armor, body 

worn cameras, etc. 

Here’s another fact. Of the 15% 

that do hire outside the department, 

90% of those new hires end up 

leaving in 2 years or less. In other 

words, the entire recruiting process 

for finding a new police chief is just 

a load of BS. Either promote someone 

within your department who 

has worked their way up through 

the ranks or hire an experienced 

chief from another local agency 

that has the experience you’re looking 

for. Just stop wasting money 

and everyone’s time acting like you 

want the best and then hire someone 

everyone knew from the start 

has the job. 

Finally, my last word of advice. 

Don’t hire a chief who has spent 

30+ years with another department 

and retired. They’ve already given 

their best years to that agency. 

Now they’re just looking for a place 

to chill and collect a check. If you 

think for a minute that ole timer is 

going to go out and run calls, you 

are sadly mistaken. They are riding 

the desk until they die. 

NAME WITHHELD 

DON’T MISS THIS MONTH’S 

BADGE OF HONOR ON PAGE 124 

The BLUES 19

AROUND THE COUNTRY 

L.A.COUNTY,CA. 

L.A. County Sheriff’s recruit dies eight months after 

being struck by wrong-way driver in South Whittier. 

yrs. 

BY BRITTNY MEJIA, LA TIMES 

An L.A. County sheriff’s deputy 

recruit struck by a wrong-way 

driver while out on a training 

run, died Friday night after 

spending the last eight months 

in the hospital. 

Alejandro Martinez, 27, died 

shortly before 7 p.m. at UCLA 

Ronald Reagan hospital surrounded 

by his family, friends, 

Sheriff Robert Luna, and other 

department members, according 

to the Sheriff’s Department. 

He had been out during an 

academy training run last year 

on the morning of Nov. 16 when 

an SUV veered into the wrong 

lane and crashed into the formation. 

“Our condolences go out to 

Alejandro’s family, friends, and 

academy classmates. He will 

forever live in our hearts & never 

be forgotten,” the sheriff’s 

statement said. 

Martinez grew up in South 

Central L.A. and later graduated 

from Cal State Northridge. He 

had dedicated his life to public 

service, joining the Army National 

Guard and later applying 

20 The BLUES 

to become a deputy sheriff. 

He was one of 76 recruits 

who started the training program 

at the Sheriff’s Training 

Academy and Regional Services 

Center last year, on Sept. 22. 

They would spend 22 weeks 

there, before graduating and 

launching their careers in law 

enforcement. 

They made up Class 464. 

In the academy, Martinez was 

part of the flag detail, a position 

of honor, according to the 

young man’s drill instructor, 

Victor Rodriguez. The recruits 

would march into the staff 

office each morning, recover 

the flags and would then raise 

them up for the day. 

When the class did their peer 

evaluations, Martinez didn’t get 

any bad ones. They were all 

positive, Rodriguez said. 

“He was a great recruit,” 

Rodriguez said. “He wasn’t one 

to draw attention to himself, 

which spoke volumes. He had 

this maturity, this life experience. 

He was an example of a 

recruit for other ones that are 

new to this type of career, new 

to this structure.” 

On the morning of Nov. 16 —

eights weeks into the academy 

— the recruits were on a fourmile 

training run. They were 

running in formation around 

6:30 a.m., accompanied by six 

instructors and two black-andwhite 

radio cars. They were a 

mile into their run when those 

at the front of the group spotted 

a Honda CR-V approaching. 

The SUV veered to the wrong 

side of the road and into the 

group. The runners at the front 

were able to get out of the way 

before the SUV struck others 

and crashed into a lamppost. 

The driver, Nicholas Gutierrez, 

was arrested on suspicion 

of attempted murder of peace 

officers but was released the 

day after the crash. Gutierrez’s 

lawyer said he fell asleep at 

the wheel on his way to work. 

Twenty-five recruits were 

injured, five of them critically, 

with head trauma and broken 

bones. Martinez suffered brain 

swelling, compound femur 

fractures, a collapsed lung and 

damage to multiple organs and 

was placed on a ventilator following 

the crash. 

The weekend after, former 

Sheriff Alex Villanueva swore 

Martinez in as a full deputy. 

“All [Martinez] ever wanted 

to do was be a deputy sheriff,” 

said Capt. Pat Macdonald, who 

leads the Los Angeles County 

Sheriff’s Department’s training 

bureau. “He dedicated his life to 

serving the country and more 

specifically his community.” 

After Martinez’s death, around 

1 a.m., a procession escorted 

his body to the coroner’s office. 

Along with the Sheriff’s Department 

there were other law enforcement 

agencies, including 

the California Highway Patrol 

and the UCLA Police Department. 

“We’ve had many close calls 

in the last eight months and 

we’ve had a lot of weekends 

where we’ve kind of been ready 

in the event that his health 

takes a turn for the worse,” 

Macdonald said. “When this 

actually happened, I think that’s 

when it all kind of set in, of 

how horrific this incident was.” 

The BLUES 21


yrs. 

VILLE PLATTE, LA. 

Deputy Marshall Barry Giglio and a civilian were killed 

in a shooting in the town of Ville Platte. 

VILLE PLATTE, LA. (AP) — A 

deputy marshal and another 

man were killed and a woman 

was critically wounded in a 

shooting during a drug investigation 

in southern Louisiana, 

authorities said Tuesday. 

Ville Platte Deputy Marshal 

Barry Giglio died at the scene 

in the city about 75 miles (120 

kilometers) northwest of Baton 

Rouge at about 8:30 p.m. Monday, 

authorities said. 

Giglio was shot while helping 

members of the Evangeline 

Parish Sheriff’s Office serve 

a search warrant in a home 

where drug activity was suspected, 

Louisiana State Police 

said. 

A man and a woman in the 

home also were struck by 

gunfire and taken to hospitals, 

where the man died, authorities 

said. 

One person was arrested but 

authorities didn’t immediately 

release the names of the suspect 

and the other victims or 

other details of the shooting. 

“This tragedy is yet another 

reminder of the sacrifices men 

and women in law enforcement 

make each and every day when 

they put on their uniform and 

badge, not knowing if they’ll 

come home to their families 

at the end of each day,” Ville 

Platte Mayor Ryan Leday Williams 

said. “Deputy Marshall 

DEPUTY MARSHALL BARRY GIGLIO 

Giglio’s ultimate sacrifice in 

service of his community will 

never be forgotten.” 

© 2023 The Associated Press 

Experience the only first responder owned and operated THEME studio in 

the Country! 10 years strong! We are Family! 

We look forward to seeing you soon! 

22 The BLUES

The BLUES 23


yrs. 

TRUJILLIO ALTO, P.R. 

Trujillio Alto Municipal Police Sergeant Pedro 

Torres-Santos was shot and killed in the line of duty. 

TRUJILLO ALTO, PUERTO RICO – 

Trujillo Alto Municipal Police 

Department (TAMPD) Sergeant 

Pedro Torres-Santos was murdered 

in the line of duty on 

Monday night while working a 

second job as a security officer 

at a bakery. 

Puerto Rico Police Colonel 

Roberto Rivera said 47-year-old 

Sgt. Torres-Santos was standing 

outside the El Punto bakery 

with two other TAMPD officers at 

approximately 10:30 p.m. on July 

31 when a gunman in a passing 

vehicle opened fire on them, El 

Nuevo Dia reported. 

“It was alleged that it was a 

robbery. We’re ruling out theft,” 

Col. Rivera said. “They stopped 

there and, from inside a vehicle, 

opened fire on them, killing Sergeant 

Pedro Torres.” 

The suspect vehicle fled the 

scene and the gunman has not 

been located. 

TAMPD Officer Jack Bruno 

Andujar, 49, and Sergeant Jorge 

Torres Rodriguez, 47, were also 

wounded in the attack, Primera 

Hora reported. 

They were rushed to a local 

hospital in unknown condition, 

according to El Nuevo Dia. 

Trujillo Alto Mayor Pedro 

Rodriguez-Gonzalez said he was 

shocked and saddened to learn 

of the deadly drive-by shooting. 

“I know the three policemen, 

their trajectory,” Rodriguez- 

Gonzalez said, according to El 

Nuevo Dia. “In the case of Pedro, 

he was a neighbor of mine…I 

saw him every day, if it wasn’t 

during the day working or at the 

bakery when I went shopping, I 

would see him in the afternoon 

when I would pass by his house 

every day to get to my house and 

I would say hello.” 

The mayor said the slain hero 

was a husband and father. 

“It is a very dear and big family 

in Trujillo Alto,” Rodriguez-Gonzalez 

added. 

He said Sgt. Torres-Santos’ 

wife works at the bakery where 

the shooting occurred, Primera 

Hora reported. 

Sgt. Torres-Santos served the 

SGT. PEDRO TORRES-SANTOS 

TAMPD for 27 years, according to 

the Officer Down Memorial Page. 

The mayor said he was one 

of the first members to join the 

department when it was established, 

El Nuevo Dia reported. 

Our thoughts and prayers are 

with the family of Trujillo Alto 

Municipal Police Department 

Sergeant Pedro Torres-Santos, 

both blood and blue. Thank you 

for your service. 

Sergeant Pedro Torres-Santos, 

your life mattered. 

First Responders on Maui recount a 

night of terror in the ocean. Page 120 

24 The BLUES

luespdmag@gmail.com The BLUES 25


yrs. 

HUDSON, TX. 

Hudson ISD Police Officer Brian Holley died after suffering a medical 

emergency while on duty at Bonner Elementary. 

HUDSON, TX. (KETK) – The 

Hudson Volunteer Fire Department 

said that Hudson ISD officer 

Bryan Holley died while 

working at Bonner Elementary 

on Friday. Several Angelina 

County law enforcement agencies 

and elected officials shared 

tributes to Officer Holley on 

Saturday. 

“Officer Bryan Holley was a 

valuable and loved partner of 

the Hudson Fire Department. He 

would frequently go outside of 

his required duties to assist on 

accidents and other emergencies 

in the community. He passed 

away in the performance of his 

duties. The noble duty of protecting 

our children each and every 

day. Standing between them 

and the evil in this world. And 

he did it with a smile. He was a 

great example of an honorable 

law enforcement officer and 

friend to all of Hudson’s kids. 

The Hudson Fire Department 

will miss Officer Holley. May his 

family have comfort knowing the 

impact he had. Rest easy brother!” 

HUDSON VOLUNTEER FIRE DE- 

PARTMENT 

Officials said Hudson VFD was 

called to Bonner Elementary to 

assist EMS on a medical call. 

First responders were working to 

26 The BLUES 

save Officer Holley, but he died, 

according to Hudson VFD. 

The Lufkin Police Department 

shared several photos and the 

following statement: 

“REMEMBERING BRYAN HOLLEY: 

Yesterday the community lost 

Hudson ISD Police Department 

Officer Bryan Holley. He was a 

wonderful man who dedicated 

his life to protecting and serving 

the citizens of Angelina County. 

Bryan suffered a medical issue 

on duty yesterday afternoon 

and sadly passed away. He was 

escorted from the hospital to 

a local funeral home by Lufkin 

Fire Department in a procession 

led by his brothers and sisters 

in law enforcement. Though 

Bryan served various agencies 

throughout his career, he made 

his final law enforcement home 

at Hudson’s Bonner Elementary. 

He spent the past decade there 

watching over the children and 

families of Hudson. Bryan was 

known for finding new ways to 

inspire smiles and laughter every 

day. One of his most famous antics 

was arguably the December 

he greeted students as “Elf on 

the Shelf” while perched atop a 

school awning.” 

Officer Holley served 17 of his 

31 years in law enforcement at 

the Angelina County Sheriff’s 

OFFICER BRIAN HOLLEY 

Office. Angelina County Sheriff 

Tom Selman shared a statement 

and photo of officer Holley: 

“With great sadness, the Angelina 

County Sheriff’s Department 

reports that one of our former 

Lieutenants, Officer Bryan Holley 

of the Hudson Independent 

School District, passed away 

Friday, August 18th while performing 

his duties at Bonner 

Elementary School in Hudson. 

Officer Holley was a 31-year 

veteran of law enforcement and 

was much loved by the students, 

parents and staff of Hudson ISD 

and by the extended community 

at large. Bryan began in law enforcement 

as a deputy constable 

for Angelina County Precinct One

in 1992. After 4 years of service 

in Pct. 1, Bryan moved over to 

the Angelina County Sheriff’s 

Department where, for nearly 

17 years, he worked patrol, as a 

K-9 officer in narcotics and was 

a member of the SWAT Team 

while rising through the ranks to 

become a Lieutenant and commander 

of a patrol shift. Officer 

Holley’s career led him to the 

Hudson ISD in 2013 where, for 

the last 10 years, he served the 

students, staff and parents of 

Hudson as a school police officer. 

Bryan was much loved by 

everyone in Hudson, was admired 

by his kids and he cared 

deeply about them. Bryan had a 

great sense of humor and while 

on duty, though serious about 

his job, was always looking to 

entertain and have a good time 

with everyone he met to make 

the school day more fun for all. 

Bryan cared enough about Angelina 

County that he expressed a 

willingness to serve the broader 

area by submitting himself as a 

candidate for sheriff in the election 

of 2020. The loss of Bryan is 

a shock to the law enforcement 

community, family and friends. 

Bryan was married and had children. 

Please pray for all of them 

during this difficult time.” 

ANGELINA COUNTY SHERIFF 

TOM SELMAN 

Angelina County Judge Keith 

N. Wright issued a proclamation 

stating that all flags at county 

facilities will be flown at halfmast 

until the morning of Aug. 

28, 2023, in honor of Officer Holley. 

Lufkin Mayor Mark Hicks also 

adopted Judge Wright’s proclamation 

honoring Holley. 

The BLUES 27


yrs. 

PLAINFIELD, IN. 

Johnson County Deputy Timothy J. Guyer was found unresponsive in 

the dorms of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. 

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — The Indiana 

State Police are investigating the 

death of a central Indiana Police 

Officer at the Indiana Law Enforcement 

Academy. 

ISP said during Tuesday’s press 

conference, a Johnson County 

Sheriff’s Deputy was found in the 

academy’s dormitory room unresponsive. 

Immediate life-saving 

measures couldn’t revive him, 

and he was pronounced dead on 

the scene. 

He was identified as 49-yearold 

Deputy Timothy J. Guyer. 

Guyer was attending the 230th 

session of the law enforcement 

academy. Guyer is survived by a 

wife and four children. 

ISP added they believe this is 

preliminarily a “pure medical 

issue” and no foul play was expected. 

Guyer was a lifelong Johnson 

County resident, family and businessman 

that authorities said 

had a “dream of being a deputy.” 

The deputy was sworn in on 

Dec. 1, 2022, but officers have a 

year to complete their training at 

the academy once they’re sworn 

in. No exceptions are made on 

age and over 200 men and women 

were currently training at the 

academy. 

The academy training is a 

16-week program and officials 

say Guyer’s death is considered 

a “line of duty” police officer 

death. 

Investigators are working with 

the Hendricks County Coroner’s 

Office to determine an official 

cause of death. 

The Indiana State Police extends 

its condolences to the 

family, friends and community of 

Deputy Guyer. Funeral arrangements 

are set to be announced 

in the coming days. 

IMPD released a statement 

Tuesday evening expressing its 

condolences for Guyer’s loss. 

“The IMPD would like to send 

our deepest condolences to the 

friends and family members of 

Deputy Timothy Guyer. We also 

are keeping those who worked 

DEPUTY TIMOTHY J. GUYER 

with Deputy Guyer at the Johnson 

County Sheriff’s Office in our 

thoughts & prayers,” read IMPD’s 

statement. 

Guyer’s patrol vehicle was 

parked in front of the sheriff’s 

department in Franklin, Indiana. 

The public was welcome 

to leave their sympathies and 

remembrances at the vehicle, the 

sheriff’s department said. 

Ian Barnes, a Maui First 

Responder, takes us into the fire and 

recounts his mission to save as many 

people as he can. Page 116 

28 The BLUES

Calling All First Responders! 

Nationwide Group Health Insurance 

Pre-65 Insurance Plans for First Responders, Police, Fire and Emergency 

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical, RX, Dental & Vision Plans 

We are pleased to announce, the First Responders VEBA Trust has secured Pre-65 Healthcare 

options for the active and former first responder’s community and their dependents. Please mark 

your calendar and join us at a location near you! 

Please RSVP to Lisa@MyMedPlans.com 

Or use QR code on the right to RSVP 

Date / Time City Location Address 

September 20 9:30am Kalamazoo Kalamazoo Expo Center 

2900 Lake St., 

Kalamazoo, MI 49048 

2:00pm Grand Rapids The Waddell Center 

1115 Taylor Ave. North, 

Grand Rapids MI 49503 

September 21 9:30am Saginaw 

HORIZONS Conference 

Center 

6200 State Street, 

Saginaw, Michigan 48603 

2:00pm Lansing 

East Lansing Hannah 

Community Center 

819 Abbot Rd, 

East Lansing, MI 48823 

September 22 9:30am Detroit 

Sindbad's Restaurant, 

Banquet Room 

100 St Clair Street, 

Detroit, MI 48214 

1:00pm Detroit 

Sindbad's Restaurant, 

Banquet Room 

100 St Clair Street, 

Detroit, MI 48214 

September 25 9:30am Toledo The Venues 

540 S St Clair Street, 

Toledo, OH 43604 

2:00pm Toledo The Venues 

540 S St Clair Street, 

Toledo, OH 43604 

September 26 9:30am Cleveland 

September 27 9:30am Warren 

2:00pm 

Akron 

September 28 9:30am Dayton 

September 29 

2:00pm 

9:30am 

2:00pm 

Columbus 

Cincinnati/ 

Anderson 

Cincinnati/ 

Anderson 

Cleveland Police 

Patrolmen’s Assoc. 

Memorial Hall 

Warren City Council 

Chambers 

Courtyard Akron 

Downtown 

Hilton Garden Inn Dayton/ 

Beavercreek 

Marriott Columbus 

Northwest 

Anderson Center 

Anderson Center 

1303 West 58th Street 

Cleveland, Ohio 44102 

141 South Saint Southeast, 

Warren, Ohio, 44483 

41 Furnace St., 

Akron, Ohio 44308 

3520 Pentagon Park Blvd, 

Dayton, OH 45431 

5605 Blazer Parkway, 

Dublin, OH 43017 

7850 Five Mile Rd 

Anderson Township, OH 45230 

7850 Five Mile Rd 

Anderson Township, OH 45230 

WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS OR NEED ADDITIONAL INFO? 

Contact the Benefits Team 

www.FirstRespondersUS.com (800)236.4782 

The BLUES 29


yrs. 

EASLEY, SC. 

Easley Police Officer Matthew Hare was struck and killed by an 

Amtrak Train while trying to pull a suicidal subject off the tracks. 

BY Chalmers Rogland 

Officer Hare, 22, was struck 

and killed by an Amtrak Train as 

he tried to tried to pull a suicidal 

woman off the tracks. He was 

killed instantly when hit by the 

train. 

The South Carolina Law Enforcement 

Division was called to 

investigate the death alongside 

the coroner’s office as requested 

by the Easley Police Department. 

A Facebook post on the police 

department’s page said a 

call came in around 5 am of an 

individual threatening suicide on 

the train tracks. Hare and another 

officer located an individual on 

the railroad tracks around 6 am 

on the 2000 block of East Main 

St. in Easley. 

According to the department, 

while attempting to get the individual 

off of the tracks, Hare was 

hit by an oncoming train. 

Hare was pronounced dead by 

the coroner’s office at 6:20 am 

on the train tracks at Allen St. 

“While attempting to remove 

the person from the tracks, Officer 

Matthew Hare was struck by 

the train. Tragically, Officer Hare 

did not survive,” the statement 

read. 

“This loss is incredibly difficult 

30 The BLUES 

OFFICER MATHEW HARE 

for The Easley Police Department 

and our community.” 

The second officer and train 

passengers were not injured. 

The individual on the tracks 

was also not injured and is in 

custody, according to the department. 

Hare’s body was escorted from 

the hospital in Anderson back to 

Easley Thursday evening. 

Lt. Anderson said Hare graduated 

from the South Carolina 

Criminal Justice Academy in 

March 2023, and had started 

with the department in October 

2022. 

“He was doing exactly what 

he wanted to do, which was to 

help and serve others, and for 

that, we are incredibly grateful,” 

Anderson told The News Thursday 

afternoon. “He was always 

in very good spirits, and he was 

very close to some of his fellow 

officers. He is certainly greatly 

missed.” 

A memorial fundraiser has 

been set up for the family of an 

Easley police officer who died 

after being struck by a train on 

the 2000 block of East Main St. 

early Wednesday morning. Matthew 

Logan Hare with the Easley 

Police Department was attempting 

to assist an individual officials 

say was suffering a “mental 

health crisis.” 

So far, the fundraiser has 

raised over $18,000. Lieutenant 

Ashley Anderson of the department 

said there is not an organized 

vigil scheduled right 

now, but the public is invited to 

come by the department to pay 

respects at a memorial set up 

outside the department office. 

Chalmers Rogland covers public 

safety for the Spartanburg 

Herald-Journal and USA Today 

Network. Reach him via email at 

crogland@gannett.com.

SMART WATCH 

SMART 

CITATION 

SMART CAR 

A Flexible, Comprehensive System 

Cross Platform - Apple, Android, or Windows devices 

Multiple Courts and Date Scheduling 

Seamless Integration with Your Court and RMS 

Accurate and Reliable from Citation to Court. 

It’s easy to get started...let’s talk. 

TM 

by 

 

800-285-3833 sales@cardinaltracking.com 

ultimatecitation.com 

The BLUES 31


yrs. 

FAIRWAY, KS. 

Fairway Police Officer Jonah Oswald was shot while attempting 

to arrest two suspects and he later died. 

FAIRWAY, KS. –Jonah Oswald, 

29, was a four-year veteran 

with the Fairway Police Department. 

He was injured in a 

shooting at a Johnson County 

QuikTrip and died Monday at an 

area hospital. 

A police officer in Fairway, 

Kansas, has died after suffering 

injuries from a early morning 

shootout at a QuikTrip, the second 

officer in the Kansas City 

metro to die while on duty this 

year. 

Jonah Oswald, 29, had been 

with the Fairway Police Department 

four years. Officials 

say Oswald, along with other 

officers, was trying to arrest 

two suspects at a QuikTrip in 

Mission at 4700 Lamar Avenue 

when shooting broke out. 

Oswald was injured in the 

shooting and taken to a hospital 

in critical condition. He died 

Monday. 

Fairway Chief of Police J.P. 

Thurlo said in a statement that 

Oswald “made the ultimate 

sacrifice while carrying out his 

oath to serve and protect.” 

“Officer Oswald was an integral 

part of our team and 

made significant contributions 

32 The BLUES 

to our department and to the 

Fairway community,” Thurlo 

said. “We will remember him 

as a warm-hearted individual 

whose hard work and passion 

touched the lives of many.” 

Oswald leaves behind a wife 

and two young children. 

The incident began when 

Lenexa police responded to 

reports of a stolen car Sunday 

morning, at West 95th Street 

and I-35. Officials say the 

driver, 40-year-old Shannon 

Wayne Marshall from Tennessee, 

struck a Lenexa patrol car 

and then fled in what was suspected 

to be a stolen car. 

The QuikTrip at Lamar Avenue 

and Foxridge Drive is where 

Fairway Police Officer Jonah 

Oswald was shot Sunday while 

pursuing two suspects. 

The ensuing police chase 

ended in Mission, Kansas, when 

the driver stopped at a QuikTrip 

near Lamar Ave. and I-35. Two 

people got out of the vehicle 

and then went into the gas station, 

officials say. 

Law enforcement from 

Lenexa, Fairway, Mission and 

the Kansas Highway Patrol were 

on the scene to arrest the sus- 

OFFICER JONAH OSWALD 

pects when gunfire broke out. 

One of the suspects, Shannon 

Wayne Marshall, died in the 

shootout. 

The other suspect, 32-yearold 

Andrea Rene Cothran from 

Tennessee, was arrested and 

charged Tuesday with aggravated 

battery, fleeing law 

enforcement, felony theft and 

reckless driving. Her bond was 

set at $1 million. 

The Johnson County Officer-Involved 

Critical Incident 

Investigation Team is investigating 

the shooting. It’s still 

unclear who fired the shots and 

how many were fired.

The BLUES 33


yrs. 

HONOLULU, HI. 

Honolulu Police Officer Bill Sapolu succumbed to 

injuries he sustained in a motorcycle crash back in July. 

HONOLULU (KITV4) -- Honolulu 

Police have announced the passing 

of Officer Bill Sapolu. Sapolu 

was injured in an accident while 

on duty on July 11. He passed 

away Tuesday, August 8 from his 

injuries. 

Sapolu served 21 years with the 

Honolulu Police Department, and 

22 years of military service, including 

4 overseas deployments. 

“Today, in his final act of service, 

he donated his organs to 

save the lives of others,” Sapolu’s 

family said in a statement. 

SHOPO President Robert Cavaco 

issued the following: 

On behalf of the State Board of 

Directors of SHOPO, I express our 

deepest condolences to the family 

and friends of Honolulu Police 

Department Solo Bike Officer Bill 

Sapolu, who succumbed to injuries 

related to an on-duty motorcycle 

collision. Officer Sapolu 

will be remembered as a fine 

officer and an outstanding human 

being who deeply loved his 

family, his community, and our 

profession. Bill was our brother, 

our friend, and our colleague. He 

will be missed. Officer Sapolu’s 

death is a tragic reminder of the 

dangers our officers face every 

day as they patrol our roads to 

help keep our community safe. 

We ask everyone to please keep 

his family in your thoughts and 

prayers during their time of grief 

and loss.” 

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi 

issued the following statement: 

“I am deeply saddened by the 

tragic loss of Solo Bike Officer 

Bill Sapolu, who gave his 

life while bravely serving and 

protecting our community. His 

unwavering commitment to 

upholding the law and ensuring 

the safety of our residents is a 

testament to his character and 

selflessness,” said Mayor Rick 

Blangiardi. “We mourn alongside 

his family, friends and fellow 

POLICE OFFICER BILL SAPOLU 

HPD officers during this difficult 

time. We must remember and 

honor his sacrifice by continuing 

to support and appreciate the 

courageous men and women 

who put themselves in harm’s 

way every day to keep us safe. 

Our thoughts and prayers are 

with his loved ones as they navigate 

through this heartbreaking 

loss.” 

Experience the only first responder 

owned and operated THEME studio in 

the Country! 10 years strong! We are 

Family! We look forward to seeing 

you soon! 

34 The BLUES

The BLUES 35


yrs. 

PHOENIX, AZ. 

Special Agent Patrick Bauer was inadvertently shot and killed while 

participating in a department firearms training in Phoenix. 

PHOENIX, AZ. — It’s been nearly 

one month since an Internal Revenue 

Service special agent died after 

being shot during a training exercise. 

Special Agent Patrick Bauer, 47, 

worked in the IRS Criminal Investigation 

Division at the Phoenix Field 

Office. 

IRS Criminal Investigation Special 

Agent in Charge Albert Childress 

said it has been a difficult couple of 

days for the entire division. 

“Pat was an outstanding individual, 

a fantastic investigator,” Childress 

said. 

Many words came to mind when 

Childress was describing Bauer to 

12News. 

“Talented, well-rounded, professional,” 

Childress said. 

Above all, Childress told 12News 

Bauer was a leader in the field. 

“Everybody knew Pat. Everybody 

would go to Pat for advice. (He) 

36 The BLUES 

had a great relationship with local 

police departments as well as our 

federal partners,” Childress said. 

Bauer spent over a decade working 

to solve crimes across Arizona, 

New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. 

“He’s been in the Phoenix Field 

Office his entire career, came up as 

a special agent and worked a wide 

range of cases,” Childress said. “Everything 

from what you traditionally 

think of the IRS working, white 

collar sort of tax investigations all 

the way through narcotics investigations 

and some terrorism work 

with FBI.” 

Childress couldn’t speak with 

12news about the investigation into 

Bauer’s death. 

“We’re struggling as you can 

probably imagine. It’s shaken us 

sort of to the core,” Childress said. 

Childress told 12news the training 

the special agents complete is important 

for the cases they’re tasked 

SPECIAL AGENT PATRICK BAUER 

with. 

“We take on the complex investigations. 

We’ve got a skillset of 

forensic accounting, as well as law 

enforcement. So, it allows us to 

take on difficult investigations and 

challenges some other law enforcement 

agencies aren’t suited to 

address,” Childress said. 

Childress said Bauer was also a 

loving husband and father. 

“He was an incredible member 

of our team and he’ll be greatly 

missed,” Childress said. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation 

is investigating Bauer’s death. 

The shooting range is located 

west of Interstate 17 and Daisy 

Mountain Drive.

LEARN MORE 

ATR 

528 

1000W MOTOR 

DUAL BATTERY 

REINFORCED 

FRAME 

UPGRADED 

COMPONENTS 

The BLUES 37


yrs. 

NIXON, NV. 

Tribal Officer Anthony Francone was struck and killed by a vehicle 

as he attempted to deploy stop sticks during a chase in Nevada. 

NIXON, Nev. — A Pyramid Lake 

Tribal Police officer was killed 

while trying to stop a fleeing 

suspect, the Storey County Sheriff’s 

Office said. 

On Friday, Aug. 25, Officer 

Anthony Francone attempted 

to stop the suspect’s vehicle by 

deploying spike sticks, 2News 

reports. That’s when the suspect 

intentionally hit Francone with 

his vehicle, police said. 

The suspect was shot and 

killed by police, the FBI told 

2News. 

Before he became an officer 

with the Pyramid Lake Tribal 

Police, Francone was a deputy 

with the Storey County Sheriff’s 

Office. 

For more than 10 years, Francone 

dedicated his service to 

the community of Storey County, 

holding positions as both deputy 

and corporal. Throughout 

this period, Francone gained 

acknowledgment and accolades 

due to his courageous acts, his 

commitment to safeguarding the 

public and his camaraderie with 

fellow law enforcement personnel, 

the sheriff’s office said. 

“While with the Storey County 

Sheriff’s Office, Anthony was the 

No. 1 traffic enforcement officer. 

Anthony was also the agency’s 

primary RADAR instructor, lead 

accident investigator and field 

training officer. Anthony’s humor 

was definitely one of his greatest 

qualities and he always had 

a way of making people laugh 

regardless of the situation,” the 

sheriff’s office said in a statement. 

Francone was a former Storey 

County Sheriff’s deputy, that 

agency posted on Twitter. 

“Anthony Francone served the 

residents of Storey County for 

over a decade in the rank of 

Deputy and Corporal. During that 

time Anthony was recognized 

and awarded for his bravery, his 

duty to protect the public, and 

his fellow officers,” the Storey 

OFFICER ANTHONY FRANCONE 

County Sheriff’s Office posted. 

“Anthony’s humor was definitely 

one of his greatest qualities and 

he always had a way of making 

people laugh regardless of the 

situation.” 

James Phoenix, chairman of 

the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, 

posted that the investigation is 

still ongoing. Reprinted from 

Police1 

38 The BLUES

Under 65 Healthcare Options? 

We have you covered. 

Nationwide Group Health Insurance for 

First Responders, Police, 

Fire and Emergency by Low 

BlueCross BlueShield. 

Deductibles 

Low Out of 

Pocket 

www.FirstRespondersUS.com 

ENROLL TODAY! 

(800)236-4782 — Individuals 

(832)541-8842 — Groups 

The BLUES 39


yrs. 

POMPANO BEACH, FL. 

A BSO Helicopter experienced a fire and a catastrophic failure of its tail boom 

and crashed into an apartment building, killing one of the crew members and a 

civilian in the apartment. 

POMPANO BEACH, Fl. – A Broward 

Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue 

helicopter crashed into an 

apartment building in Pompano 

Beach Monday morning, killing 

two people and injuring four 

others, authorities confirmed. 

According to the National 

Transportation Safety Board, one 

person on-board the helicopter 

was killed, along with another 

person on the ground. 

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony 

identified the BSO captain who 

died in the crash as 50-year-old 

Terryson Jackson, who has been 

with the agency for 19 years. 

Tony said he knew Jackson 

personally for over 14 years. 

“Terryson was a rock star. He 

was one of the best of us, one of 

the brightest. He bled this profession 

inside and out all day long,” 

the sheriff said. “There’s almost 

6,000 people in this agency. I’m 

not going to meet everybody, 

and I haven’t, but that man I 

knew. I knew very well. And the 

type of effort and commitment 

he had for this community – impeccable.” 

Tony confirmed that a woman 

who was inside the apartment 

building was killed. He said the 

two other BSO employees who 

40 The BLUES 

were on-board the chopper were 

able to crawl out and survived. 

He identified them as Pilot 

Daron Roche, 37, who has been 

with BSO for four years and firefighter/paramedic 

Mikael “Mike” 

Chaguaceda, 31, who has been 

with BSO for five years. 

The crash was reported just 

after 8:45 a.m. in the area of 

North Dixie Highway and Atlantic 

Boulevard, a half-mile southwest 

of the Pompano Beach Airpark. 

Tony confirmed that the air 

rescue crew was headed to 

North Lauderdale, responding to 

a call regarding a mother and 

her child. 

“They were in air within a 

minute,” he said. “They were

CLICK TO WATCH 



The BLUES 41

42 The BLUES 

‘mayday’ and putting out the 

distress within two minutes, and 

throughout that time they still 

had the foresight to notify the 

local fire department that we 

weren’t going to be able to land 

and that they needed to be able 

to get there and rescue these 

people. So, we’re talking about 

the character of these men and 

women -- or these men in this 

case, on this aviation unit -- as 

they were fighting for their life, 

they were worried about someone 

else’s.” 

The Federal Aviation Administration 

confirmed that three 

people were on-board the Eurocopter 

EC135 helicopter that 

“crashed into a structure.” Sky 10 

was above the scene just after 10 

a.m. as an apartment building in 

the area had a large, gaping hole 

in the roof with burned debris 

visible. 

Video posted to Facebook 

shows smoke coming from the 

helicopter before it starts going 

around in circles and then crashes 

to the ground. 

Pompano Beach spokeswoman 

Sandra King said two crew 

members and two civilians who 

were inside the apartment building, 

helped the victims out of the 

chopper and were all hospitalized 

after the crash. 

BSO spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright 

later confirmed that 

all four were taken to Broward 

Health North and are listed in fair 

condition. 

“They jumped?” a witness is 

heard saying in the video. “These 

(expletive) saved their life.” 

The sheriff, however, said the 

crew members did not jump 

from the chopper, but miraculously 

survived after crawling 

out. 

Another closer up video shows 

the two men coming down from 

the roof after first responders 

and witnesses placed a ladder 

against the building. 

Local 10 News reporter Samiar 

Nefzi spoke with the father and 

sister of the two civilians who 

were injured. 

They said the brothers were 

alone inside their apartment 

when the crash occurred. 

“I’m trying to find out what’s 

happening with my brothers. 

They’re at the hospital and I just 

got a phone call from my son, 

and I don’t know what’s going 

on,” the victims’ sister said. 

Another resident at the apartment 

building said he was 

inside his home when he heard 

a loud sound. 

“When I was inside, there was 

a ‘pop, pop, pop, pop.’ There 

was fire (inaudible) everywhere,” 

he said. 

Dixie Highway was shut down 

between Northeast Fifth Street 

and Northeast 10th Street after 

the crash. Drivers are asked to 

avoid the area. 

The FAA confirmed that it will 

investigate the cause of the 

collision, along with the NTSB, 

which will be in charge of the 

investigation.

The BLUES 43


yrs. 

Sheriff says he asked county for new 

helicopters years before fatal crash. 

By Shira Moolten 

South Florida Sun-Sentinel 

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Broward 

Sheriff Gregory Tony had 

asked the county for new helicopters 

years before the fatal 

crash Monday that killed two 

people, he said at a news conference 

Tuesday afternoon. Now, 

after a verbal agreement from 

the county, two new helicopters 

are on the way. 

The Airbus Helicopter EC 135T- 

1 helicopter, one of only two 

paramedic helicopters operated 

by BSO, had an engine fire in 

flight, a pilot told investigators, 

plummeting into an apartment 

building in Pompano Beach Monday 

morning and killing a Broward 

Sheriff’s Fire Rescue captain 

and a woman on the ground. 

Four people were injured. 

“This is the result of not just 

one administration, whether it 

be BSO or the county government,” 

Tony said Tuesday. “This 

is how things have operated in 

government here in this county 

for too long, in that tragedy 

strikes, and then we respond.” 

The exact cause of the crash 

remains unknown, but the helicopter 

fell out of the sky after an 

in-flight fire, the National Transportation 

Safety Board said in an 

update Tuesday. A pilot reported 

44 The BLUES 

both a left engine failure and an 

engine fire during flight. 

NTSB investigators were on the 

scene Tuesday, examining the 

wreckage and speaking to witnesses 

as cranes began to lift the 

wreckage from the building. The 

wreckage was taken to an offsite 

facility, according to the NTSB, 

where investigators will continue 

to analyze it, including examining 

the engines. 

The Sheriff’s Office and the 

county had a “multitude” of conversations 

about replacing the 

current helicopters over the last 

three years, Tony said. In June, 

he said, he again raised concerns 

about the state of the helicopters. 

“Listening back to my statements 

in June, you probably 

heard more of an awareness 

tone,” he said, “Of, hey, we need 

to get this done, because eventually 

the aircraft are not going to 

be capable of flying, and the risk 

factor of one falling out of the 

sky is too great. Now it’s happened.” 

Spokespeople for the county 

did not immediately return 

voicemails left late Tuesday 

afternoon. 

The Fire Rescue captain, Terryson 

Jackson, and his crew 

were responding to a car crash 

in North Lauderdale when the 

helicopter plummeted out of 

the sky. He was trapped in the 

wreckage and could not get out, 

said Tony. 

The woman who died was a 

resident of the apartment building. 

Carey Codd, a spokesperson 

for BSO, said the Medical Examiner’s 

Office was working to 

identify her Tuesday. 

The Sheriff’s Office is “down an 

aircraft” and “tripling up inspections,” 

Tony said Tuesday, but 

now, two state-of-the-art H145 

helicopters are on the way after 

talks with Broward Mayor Lamar 

Fisher and Airbus, the helicopter 

manufacturer. A contract had 

fallen through with a different 

buyer, and Airbus reached out to 

him.

“With this tragedy, an opportunity 

presented itself,” Tony 

said. Now, they’re waiting on a 

cost estimate, which he says 

they should get by the end of the 

week. 

Ideally, Tony said, the Sheriff’s 

Office will get six helicopters, 

not just two. The total cost for 

all six would be about $60-$70 

million, or about $10-$12 million 

per helicopter. 

Tony also posthumously promoted 

Jackson to Battalion Chief 

on Monday. 

Jackson “was known for his 

affable personality and his forever 

willingness to help,” Debra 

White, a manager for Broward 

Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Services, 

wrote in an email to the 

department. “He was praised 

by his supervisors for exceeding 

expectations and his initiative to 

accomplish tasks.” 

Jackson is survived by his 

mother, father, son, daughter, 

and siblings. His brother, Cleavone 

Brooks, is also a sergeant 

within the department, according 

to the email. 

Brooks did not respond to a 

voicemail Tuesday afternoon. 

Residents of the one-story, 

eight-unit building where the 

helicopter crashed were evacuated 

Monday after the NTSB 

declared the building a crime 

scene. It will be closed for at 

least 72 hours, after which Pompano 

Beach will send a structural 

engineer to determine if 

it is safe for residents to return, 

according to city spokesperson 

Sandra King. 

The Red Cross is housing residents 

in need of shelter but did 

not say where. 

“Our hearts are with the families 

and loved ones who have 

been impacted by this tragic 

incident,” the organization said 

in a statement Tuesday.” … the 

American Red Cross is coordinating 

with local officials and the 

Broward Sheriff’s Office to offer 

immediate assistance, mental 

health support and spiritual 

care to all the families affected 

as they process their emotions 

during this difficult time.” 

The NTSB will release a preliminary 

report about the crash 

in two to three weeks. 

©2023 South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 

The BLUES 45


yrs. 

MAUI, HI. 

A PD’s response to helping an officer 

affected by Lahaina wildfire devastation. 

Police officers are wired to help, not be helped; here are 

six ways to ensure your officers are supported in their time 

of need with tangible action items. 

If your department is looking 

to help with Maui fire relief and 

recovery, here is a verified list of 

organizations you can donate to 

and share within your community. 

When we consider the adversity 

law enforcement agencies are 

facing regarding unprecedented 

attrition, public scrutiny, and 

emerging social and legal challenges, 

any prudent leader will 

recognize the need to focus on 

what we can control. We need 

to do so in a positive, constructive 

and collaborative manner 

– following suit with how we 

manage public safety, criminal 

justice and community engagement. 

I frequently study, write and 

speak upon foundational issues 

that will galvanize recruiting and 

retention. The answer? Culture. 

At the epicenter of organizational 

and team culture are our 

values. 

Amid the aforementioned 

challenges, supporting our 

46 The BLUES 

people must be our top priority 

if we are to thrive as public 

safety agencies. We need to take 

care of the people who do the 

caretaking for our community. 

This fosters strong individuals, 

resilient teams and efficacious 

organizations. 

By sharing efforts and successes, 

it solidifies the connection 

with the community. I come from 

a long-standing peer support 

and wellness background, specifically 

within the law enforcement 

profession. These efforts 

are critical, but they’re more than 

just themes and programs. Leaders 

need to nurture how we support 

our officers amid personal, 

familial or community hardship. 

An officer who I have supervised 

for years is from the Maui 

town of Lahaina, Hawaii. 

The same town that has re-

cently been ravaged by wildfires, 

resulting in neighborhoods being 

reduced to ash and rubble. When 

the fires devastated that region, 

his family’s home was destroyed. 

The following is a case study 

of how we can put our intent 

and goal of officer-focused support 

into action to highlight that 

pillar of healthy agency culture. 

SIX WAYS TO SUPPORT OFFI- 

CERS IN NEED 

1. Peer support: This needs to 

be a defining facet within a successful 

organization. It is something 

every member of the team 

can and should embrace. It is 

checking in, knowing your people 

and hedging on over-checking 

rather than assuming someone 

is OK. This is something my 

department has practiced for 

years. 

By the time I called my officer, 

several others had already been 

in contact with him and his wife 

to check on his family and see 

how they could help. Like most 

first responders, he was stoic, 

embraced ownership and focused 

on “handling it.” 

2. Be persistent: As first responders 

and public servants, 

we tend to want to do things by 

ourselves. It is not necessarily 

stubbornness, but often a belief 

that everyone else has their own 

issues and we do not want to be 

a burden. We are wired to help, 

not be helped. In speaking with 

his wife later, I believe I was 

the straw that broke that stance 

after many others had been 

checking in and offering help. I 

relayed how people feel helpless 

not being able to help. I offered 

a posed scenario: if the situation 

was reversed, then how would 

he want to respond? He was 

Donated supplies gathered in Kent (Wash.) PD’s recruitment office 

awaiting packaging for their trip to Maui. (Photo/Eric Tung) 

humble and open to receiving 

the suggestions and, frankly, the 

love we wanted to share. 

3. Initiate and identify key players: 

My part was minimal. There 

is nothing special about what 

I did, but someone has to get 

things in motion. Once I received 

buy-in from my officer, I recognized 

needing to find lynchpins 

that could help carry and continue 

our momentum. My officer 

was already going home to Maui. 

He already got support and the 

blessing from our administration 

to help as a first responder with 

documentation (this was critical; 

we will return to this). 

When I learned about this 

support, I just had to confirm 

permission to engage the department 

staff via email, which 

I was immediately granted. With 

our officer being boots on the 

ground, I connected with his 

wife as a liaison to what resources 

were needed as there’s 

currently spotty communication 

in Maui (phone/Wi-Fi intermittent 

or down). This process continued 

with quick adjustments, 

pivots in the plans and logistics, 

but nothing we police officers 

aren’t proficient in! 

My department already 

had members who manage a 

non-profit for funds to support 

officers and their families in 

times of extreme hardship and 

loss. By engaging a representative, 

I confirmed details on how 

employees and others could 

contribute funds in a simple, 

effective hub. This eliminated 

the need to utilize a public 

crowd-sourcing module, which 

ends up being resource-skimming 

with associated fees. 

4. Give direction: People are 

willing and want to help. Give 

them a job! I wrote an email that 

explained the situation, gave 

an overview and what the plan 

was. I outlined the types of items 

needed and how to donate funds. 

I gave them a place to drop 

items, how to access and gave 

a deadline, which allowed us 

to project when and where we 

would ship the collections. 

Donations poured in and filled 

the designated office. I was 

alerted to the volume with a 

quick photo sent to my phone 

The BLUES 47

y one of our officers. I was one 

part humbled and inspired to see 

the outpour of support, yet one 

part dreading if I could get everything 

packed and loaded between 

my agenda the next day. 

When I returned to the office, 

nearly everything was gone. 

A few of our staff had self-initiated 

to dive into this critical 

task, knowing the timeline previously 

relayed. They strategically 

“beat the heat” of the upcoming 

summer day and got a cargo 

van loaded to the brim, leaving 

a very manageable excess for 

another truckload. Remember: 

people want to help. When they 

know the communicated plan, 

they will fill in the blanks and 

find the work to get the mission 

accomplished. Absent that, I am 

confident that if I arrived to find 

the area full, I could have easily 

asked and allowed people to 

help (reference above). 

5. Adapt: This is an emergency 

response situation. Things 

change. Contingencies emerge; 

this is part of the job we do daily. 

The shipping method (cargo 

company) fell through. As with 

most large-scale emergency 

responses, specific and reliable 

information is hard to legitimize 

in a short time. Hearsay is involved, 

games of telephone warp 

the intel. Luckily, members of 

this team were on top of firming 

out the emerging issues, utilizing 

contacts and finding resources. 

The rest of the plan went off 

without a hitch, except ultimately 

what I thought was free 

Priority air shipping ended up 

being a hefty bill, to pair well 

with the elevation of the flight. 

I figured we would utilize the 

funds raised, but in yet another 

48 The BLUES 

inspiring moment – highlighting 

goodwill and community – a local 

business owner with knowledge 

of the operation covered 

the bill. hat’s another tick mark 

in the “allow and receive help” 

column. 

6. Communicate/report back: 

Those of us who have learned 

the hard way by not calling our 

loved ones back on shift or not 

answering our attentive dispatchers 

promptly know the 

power of timely communication. 

People want updates because 

they are concerned. Be sure to 

provide those updates at reasonable 

timing, when you can. 

In this case, I collected some 

photos and gave a brief back to 

the whole team, which included 

our officer’s status (and his long 

shifts working alongside Maui PD 

in the relief zone), images of the 

volume collected and donated, 

and “thank you’s” to many behind-the-scenes 

“lynchpins.” 

Reporting back with clear 

and intentional messaging can 

be a catalyst for bonding. It 

helps underline the collaborative 

efforts and connects us 

in this special culture. It relays 

that things were a success, and, 

frankly, that we are a success. It 

is about galvanizing a team and 

its bonds. Acknowledging people 

on your team (when deserved 

and detailed properly) is not 

self-praise; it is celebrating the 

quality of your people. It is relaying 

gratitude, not taking them 

or your team for granted. It helps 

actualize your unified purpose. 

ADDITIONAL LESSONS 

Support from administration 

was critical. This sets a tone 

from the top that your organization 

truly supports its people. 

Not only was the hardship acknowledged, 

but officializing the 

response back home allowed our 

officer to get into relief efforts. 

This was clearly impactful to 

the officer, inspirational to the 

department, and elevating to 

the profession and community. 

It highlighted two key things we 

must always focus upon: 

• The heart of a first responder 

transcends state lines (or country 

borders) and certainly patches. 

• At the end of the day, we are 

people who devote themselves 

to taking care of people. 

Be ready to manage and limit 

expectations and know your 

boundaries. As word spread, 

other city departments asked if 

we should create a city-wide effort. 

I immediately recognized a 

couple of issues that could affect 

the result. 

First, opening it up would increase 

the volume, but it would 

also require a longer time frame. 

The increased volume would be 

hard to estimate and logistics 

could be dramatically more difficult 

to secure. 

While I was tempted to go for 

more, I had to focus on the goal: 

to get a bulk of necessities in 

the fastest practical timeline. 

I offered a “not right now, but 

…” clause, where I suggested 

a larger city-wide effort that I 

would be happy to liaise on a 

larger team with more bandwidth 

and director coordination. 

I recognized it did not have to be 

either/or, and we could carry on 

our mission as planned without 

dismissing help and good intent. 

Don’t forget about spreading 

the good news. Our city communications 

team asked if they

RAW VIDEO: New aerial footage shows scope 

of wildfire devastation in Lahaina 

could share our efforts. Most 

police shy away from this, as 

we do not do good deeds for 

attention or praise, but because 

we want to. However, if I have 

learned anything in my time with 

community engagement and 

recruiting roles, first responders 

and police officers specifically 

can afford to let people in. 

By sharing efforts and successes, 

it solidifies the connection 

with the community. We don’t 

need the praise, but it is our 

community and it does not hurt 

to let them know more about 

us. It does not hurt to be more 

entwined and part of one whole. 

Outside of police relations and 

social dynamics, I find it healthy 

to recognize that sharing good 

news and positivity is simply 

infectious; it breeds more good 

feelings and energy. What is the 

harm in that? 

If that was too idealistic for 

you, I will submit to you this: after 

it was shared as an overview 

on social media, other area police 

officers I knew reached out. 

They wanted to learn what we 

were doing; in doing so, I learned 

about other efforts departments 

were building with connections 

and resources we were unaware 

of. Sharing information for good 

begets more goodness. 

CONCLUSION 

We know we are facing an uphill 

battle to rebuild and sustain 

our ranks in policing. If there is 

a way we can do it, it is through 

culture. 

Our people are our most valuable 

assets. By demonstrating it 

through support and action, we 

not only highlight it, but create 

that culture of caring. 

It is what will optimize our 

officers, our departments, and 

create connection with the 

community in order to serve and 

protect them best. After all, this 

is our main role and purpose. 

About the author 

Sergeant Eric Tung has been 

a police officer for 16 years in 

Washington State. He currently 

supervises Recruiting, Hiring 

and Outreach. He has led patrol 

squads as well as training, community 

engagement, civil disturbance 

and Field Training program 

supervision. He has worked 

as a field training officer and 

K-9 generalist handler. Eric is a 

peer support team coordinator 

and wellness program developer. 

Eric was a 2022 40 Under 40 

honoree, recognized by the International 

Association of Chiefs of 

Police. He develops wellness and 

leadership content on @bluegritwellness 

on Instagram and the 

Blue Grit Radio podcast. 

The BLUES 49


yrs. 

SEATTLE, OR. 

“Criminals are Running This City!” 

A now-retired Seattle police lieutenant wrote a 15-page resignation letter that promised 

an “unfiltered, raw and unapologetic” description of why she decided to retire. 

By Police1 Staff 

SEATTLE — A now-retired Seattle 

police lieutenant called it 

quits at the beginning of August 

after 23 years on the force, 

releasing her resignation letter 

voicing her frustrations with 

the city and local leaders, KTTH 

reports. 

Lieutenant Jessica Taylor told 

the Jason Rantz Show that she 

did not fill out the exit form 

when announcing her resignation, 

which asks questions like 

why an officer is leaving, their 

new employer, and what the officer 

liked most and least about 

working in the department. 

Instead, she wrote Chief Adrian 

Diaz a 15-page resignation letter 

that promised an “unfiltered, raw 

and unapologetic” description of 

why she decided to retire. 

In the interview with the Jason 

Rantz show, Taylor said 

she “wanted to go out with the 

truth.” 

“Chief Diaz, let me tell you, 

the state of the Seattle Police 

Department and this city is a 

disgrace,” she wrote in the letter 

she shared with the Jason Rantz 

Show on KTTH. “The toxic mix of 

50 The BLUES 

the Seattle City Council’s absurdity, 

the spinelessness of the 

mayor, the leniency of the prosecutor’s 

office and your failed 

leadership has accelerated this 

city’s downhill slide straight 

to rock bottom. The problems 

were already brewing before 

you came on the scene, but since 

your arrival, it’s been a free fall 

into anarchy and chaos.” 

Taylor criticized the Seattle 

city council members for having 

“strayed from reality,” as their 

decisions were characterized 

by a lack of common sense and 

fundamental logic. 

“Their absurd policies have 

turned Seattle into a playground 

for anarchists and criminals, and 

they seem utterly unconcerned 

with the devastating consequences 

of their actions. If you 

haven’t noticed, the criminals are 

running this city,” Taylor said. 

Although she had reservations, 

Taylor’s decision to resign 

brought about mixed emotions. 

She holds a deep affection for 

the city, devoting her time to 

volunteering for the homeless 

and contributing to the Special 

Olympics. Her commitment was 

acknowledged by the National 

CLICK TO READ LETTER 

Guard through a Patriot Award, 

a distinction reserved for supervisors 

who exhibit exceptional 

dedication in aiding soldiers 

within the National Guard. 

Taylor said she entered the 

field of policing with the intention 

of aiding her community, 

but she reached a point where 

she believed she could no longer 

fulfill that objective. She lauds 

her colleagues as profoundly 

devoted, courageous and skilled 

individuals, describing them as 

“exceptional, exceptional people.” 

Taylor has transitioned to a 

role beyond law enforcement. 

The Seattle Police Department 

told KTTH in a statement that 

they want their “officers to feel 

valued and respected for their 

hard work every single day. We 

are committed to highlighting 

that work on a routine basis.”

The BLUES 51


yrs. 

RIVERSIDE, IL. 

Former Cicero Officer Zenna Ramos, who stole a $15 shirt in 

2008, was decertified by the state, barred from working as a cop. 

By Jake Sheridan 

Chicago Tribune 

RIVERSIDE, Ill. — Former Cicero 

Police Officer Zenna Ramos freely 

and remorsefully admits she stole a 

T-shirt 15 years ago. 

She said she had just escaped 

an unsafe living situation with her 

young child, and didn’t have clothes 

when she said she took the shirt 

worth $14.99. 

But Ramos, 37, doesn’t think it’s 

fair the cheap shirt is now derailing 

her career. 

In April, the Illinois Law Enforcement 

Training and Standards Board 

blocked Ramos from certification 

as she transferred to the Riverside 

Police Department, citing the theft. 

The state police certification 

authority told an attorney for the 

western suburb that law compelled 

the finding and the misdemeanor 

charge Ramos faced would harm 

her ability to effectively serve as an 

officer by potentially making her 

court testimony not credible with 

jurors. 

Riverside leaders are pushing back 

against the decision. The board has 

the power to certify Ramos, they 

argue, and she deserves a second 

chance. 

“Yes, she made a mistake in 2008,” 

Riverside’s public safety director, 

Matthew Buckley, said at a news 

conference Tuesday held in support 

of Ramos. “But what she has done 

since that day is the important part.” 

52 The BLUES 

In the years since the theft, Ramos 

has gone to school to study criminal 

justice, worked as a Cicero 

community service officer and 

served for a year as a Cicero police 

officer. 

“That’s the kind of person I want 

working here in Riverside. Because, 

Riverside, we give second chances. 

We work with people,” Buckley 

said. 

Ramos uttered just six words at 

Tuesday’s news conference before 

breaking down in tears. 

“I know I made a mistake,” she 

said inside Riverside Village Hall, 

before pausing to collect herself as 

she began to cry. 

“I took responsibility for my 

actions,” she continued. “And I felt 

that I did everything right to better 

myself for myself and my family, 

so I could be a police officer, so I 

could help people who are dealing 

with circumstances that I’ve dealt 

with.” 

Ramos was certified as a police 

officer in August 2021 after being 

hired by the Cicero Police Department 

and completing the Cook 

County sheriff’s office police academy, 

Buckley said. 

She decided to leave the Cicero 

department because she preferred 

the pace of policing in Riverside, 

where she sensed she had more 

time “to give people full attention,” 

she said. 

After taking Riverside’s entrance 

exam and going through interviews, 

she became the No. 2 candidate on 

the department’s list of potential officers, 

Buckley said. The department 

hired her the day before Valentine’s 

Day this year and immediately put 

her into field training. 

In late March, after the training 

and standards board sent a letter 

with questions about Ramos’ background 

to Riverside police leaders 

seeking her recertification, the 

department responded with a letter 

acknowledging and accepting the 

2008 theft charges. 

“We were very well aware of it. 

She was very forthcoming,” Buckley 

said. 

The board responded with a decision 

in April denying Ramos recertification 

as a police officer, noting 

that it could “only approve applicants 

of good character and free of 

disqualifying convictions” in a letter 

sent by general counsel Patrick 

Hahn and obtained by the Tribune. 

In the letter, Hahn identified theft 

as a “disqualifying misdemeanor” 

under Illinois state law. He also 

cited the sweeping SAFE-T criminal 

justice law reform, stating that the 

law compelled the board to review 

applicants for certification to make 

sure they had not been involved in 

“any crime of moral turpitude.” 

“Past behavior is a logical predictor 

of future behavior,” Hahn wrote, 

citing the 2008 case and adding that 

Ramos was placed on court supervision 

in 2003 for retail theft. 

“There’s an old proverb that says,

‘the person who steals once is always 

thought a thief,’” he continued 

in the letter. “And while such thinking 

may be unfair, it is not most 

uncommon particularly in light of 

today’s jury opinions on police. Ensuring 

the credibility of prosecution 

witnesses is a modern-day challenge, 

which requires the reputation 

of testifying officers to be above 

reproach.” 

Buckley told the Tribune the 

charges against Ramos were vacated, 

dropped and expunged after she 

successfully completed a conditional 

discharge term of six months. 

Buckley argued that she was never 

convicted. Hahn, however, wrote 

in his April letter that “conditional 

discharge” should be considered a 

conviction. 

The board’s decision is listed as 

a “decertification,” making Ramos 

ineligible to serve as a police officer 

at departments across the country, 

Buckley said. Ramos was added to 

the Cook County state’s attorney’s 

office’s “do not call” list of officers 

whom prosecutors will not call on 

to testify in court. 

Village Trustee Jill Mateo and 

former Village President Benjamin 

Sells shared their support for 

Ramos’ certification after the news 

conference. State Rep. Abdelnasser 

Rashid, D-Berwyn, has also stated 

his support for Ramos’ certification, 

according to the Riverside-Brookfield 

Landmark. 

Also speaking in support of 

Ramos, state Rep. La Shawn Ford, 

D-Chicago, argued the SAFE-T 

Act, which he voted for, should not 

prevent the board from approving 

Ramos as a police officer. 

“They actually have the power to 

see it as it is, but they’re choosing 

not to,” Ford said at the news conference. 

Buckley said the law could potentially 

affect many officers transferring 

departments in Illinois if left 

unaddressed. 

The Police Department will appeal 

the decision at a training and 

standards board meeting in early 

September, Buckley said. Meanwhile, 

Ramos is working for Riverside 

but not as a police officer. The 

department is holding an officer 

position open for her, Buckley said. 

Ford said he would work to 

change Illinois law so Ramos and 

officers in similar positions can be 

certified if the appeal is unsuccessful. 

Ramos, who now has three children 

and is married to a Cicero police 

officer, is still holding out hope. 

The BLUES 53


yrs. 

TRABUCO CANYON,CA. 

Retired police sergeant killed three people at a local bar including 

his estranged wife who he shot first. 

By Eugene Garcia, Amy Taxin 

and John Antczak 

Associated Press 

TRABUCO CANYON, CA — The 

retired police sergeant who 

opened fire in a popular Southern 

California biker bar during a 

lively evening, had traveled from 

Ohio to confront his estranged 

wife, whom he shot in the face 

before turning his gun on the 

crowd, authorities said. 

John Snowling killed three 

people, including his wife’s dining 

companion and a man who 

approached him as Snowling 

retrieved additional guns from 

his truck, and wounded six others, 

Orange County Sheriff Don 

Barnes said Thursday. He was 

fatally shot by deputies within 

minutes of the rampage. 

The shooting unfolded as a 

cover band entertained guests 

during the bar’s popular weekly 

spaghetti night. Some froze and 

others ran as bullets flew inside 

the bar before Snowling exited 

to the parking lot and continued 

to fire, witnesses and authorities 

said. 

As the shooting began, M Street 

band keyboardist Mark Johnson 

hid behind a speaker with his 

wife, singer Debbie Johnson. 

54 The BLUES 

“Once he started shooting, it 

was very indiscriminate,” Mark 

Johnson said. 

Snowling, 59, was a retired 

police sergeant with the Ventura 

Police Department in Southern 

California. His wife, Marie 

Snowling, had filed for divorce in 

December 2022, citing irreconcilable 

differences. The proceedings 

were ongoing and the case 

was scheduled for a mandatory 

settlement conference in November. 

The two had been married for 

more than three decades and had 

two adult children. 

Officials said John Snowling 

traveled from Ohio, where 

he had been living on a 7-acre 

property with his dog, according 

to his divorce lawyer, Tristan 

teGroen. It was unclear when he 

arrived in Southern California, 

where he still owns property in 

Camarillo. There was “no murmur 

of domestic violence or 

threats or anything like that from 

the other attorney,” teGroen said. 

John Snowling used two guns 

at the beginning of the shooting 

and then went to retrieve two

more from his truck. All four — 

three handguns and a shotgun — 

were purchased legally, Barnes 

said. 

Two of those killed weren’t 

immediately named and the third 

was identified as John Leehey, 67, 

of Irvine, Calif. All nine people 

shot were adults. Marie Snowling 

was conscious and speaking but 

remained in the hospital Thursday, 

Barnes said. 

Her father, William Mosby, 

of Lake Forest, told The Orange 

County Register, that John 

Snowling could not “deal with 

the divorce.” 

Kenneth H.J. Henjum, Marie 

Snowling’s attorney, said in an 

email that her family was in 

shock and was requesting privacy. 

John Snowling had worked for 

the police department in coastal 

Ventura, northwest of Los Angeles, 

from 1986 to 2014. Ventura 

Police Chief Darin Schindler 

issued a statement expressing 

condolences to the victims’ families, 

the survivors and the deputies 

who responded. 

Cook’s Corner has long been a 

place for motorcyclists to gather 

for bands, open-mic nights or 

just a cold beer after a long ride. 

It calls itself the oldest motorcycle 

bar in Southern California 

and it sits at the intersection of 

two picturesque highways in an 

area of scrubby hills and bicycle 

trails. It attracts everyone from 

motorcycle riders on choppers to 

avid cyclists in Lycra and families 

with young children. 

“It’s a Disneyland for bikers,” 

Kamran Amiri, who has been a 

Cook’s Corner regular for two 

decades, said Thursday. 

Amiri, who was there Wednesday 

but left before the shooting, 

said the bar is “just full of the 

friendliest people” who go there 

to chat over a drink, listen to 

music or show off their motorcycles. 

Hours before the shooting, 

rows of motorcycles and bikes 

framed the gravel entrance 

where plaques describe the bar’s 

history. 

M Street had performed in 

Cook’s Corner’s outdoor area before, 

but this was the band’s first 

time on the stage inside, Mark 

and Debbie Johnson said. 

Two people in the crowd were 

celebrating birthdays, and the 

band promised a special song 

later in the evening, Debbie 

Johnson said. 

It never came. 

“We launched into our next 

song and somewhere in the 

middle of it this man just walks 

in, doesn’t say a word, and just 

starts shooting,” she said. 

Some bargoers fled and ran up 

a nearby hill. 

Mark Johnson said that once 

the gunman went outside, he 

and about 30 others shut the 

doors and hunkered down inside. 

Johnson called 911. 

“We opened the back gate to 

see where he was and he immediately 

started shooting,” he said. 

He and his wife said two of 

their fellow band members were 

wounded and were expected to 

survive. The fifth member was 

not injured. 

“I have never been so happy to 

see dozens of police cars heading 

my way,” Debbie Johnson 

said. “We were fish in a very 

small barrel.” 

Be sure and check out 

our updated 

BUYERS GUIDE 

on Page 140 

Sponsored by 

The BLUES 55


yrs. 

WILCOX COUNTY,GA. 

Wilcox County Sheriff Robert Rodgers dies in one-vehicle crash. 

WILCOX COUNTY, GA. — Wilcox 

County Sheriff Robert Rodgers is 

dead after a car crash on Tuesday, 

according to Wilcox County 

Coroner Janice Brown. 

Brown says Rodgers was driving 

on Highway 233 en route to a 

domestic call when his car hit a 

tree near Matthews Road. 

The Georgia State Patrol says 

that Rodgers lost control of his 

car, striking a tree and the vehicle 

came to rest on the driver’s 

side. 

Rodgers most recently ran for 

re-election in 2020, and he was 

first elected sheriff in 2016, according 

to his re-election Facebook 

page. 

According to Brown, the Georgia 

State Patrol is investigating 

and the Rodgers’ next of kin have 

been notified. 

click here for your 

FREE Subscription. 

56 The BLUES

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO 

Best Take Down of 2023 

By Sarah Roebuck 

Police1 

ATLANTA — A person operating a pickup truck was recorded on video while being apprehended after 

performing donuts at a busy intersection in northwest Atlanta, WSB reports. 

The pickup driver was doing donuts in the middle of Northside Drive and 17th Street Sunday evening. It 

didn’t take long for Georgia State Highway Patrol to show up at the scene. 

A trooper turned on his emergency lights and siren, causing the F-150 to escape through the crowd, 

striking multiple pedestrians. One of the pedestrians sustained an injury as a result. 

The trooper performed a PIT maneuver, forcing the F-150 to hit a curb, making the vehicle inoperable. 

As depicted in the video footage, the state trooper maneuvered alongside the truck and eventually 

succeeded in bringing it to a halt. At that moment, the trooper exited his vehicle and leaped onto its 

roof, extracting the driver from the truck and taking him into custody. 

Be a part of something special. 

OCTOBER, NOVEMBER & DECEMBER 

We look back on 40 years 

of the BLUES. 

Promote your business to over 

1.5 million First Responders. 

LEARN MORE 

The BLUES 57


yrs. 

HOUSTON,TX. 

Shaq offers support for HCSO Deputy Anderson who was shot 

last month during a traffic stop. Anderson is still recovering. 

HARRIS COUNTY, TX — Harris 

County Sheriff’s Office Deputy 

Joseph Anderson continues to 

recover after being shot last 

month during a traffic stop. 

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez 

said he visited Anderson 

in the hospital Monday and said 

he was in “good spirits” and 

was even smiling. 

“He wanted me to convey his 

appreciation for the outpouring 

of support from our citizens, 

his agency teammates, and 

colleagues from all agencies,” 

Gonzalez said in the social media 

post. “He asked for continued 

prayers for a speedy recovery.” 

One of Anderson’s supporters 

is former NBA basketball player 

Shaquille O’Neal. The sheriff 

said Shaq sent Anderson a 

personal video wishing him all 

the best. 

“Great gesture by Shaq and 

much appreciated,” Gonzalez 

said. 

Anderson was shot on Aug. 

16 along Homestead Road by a 

man also accused of shooting 

two more law enforcement officers 

and injuring another. 

The day Anderson was shot, 

he was flown to the hospital 

58 The BLUES 

in critical condition. He immediately 

underwent surgery at 

Memorial Hermann, where he 

continues to recover. 

Anderson is 29 and has been 

with HCSO for about a year 

and three months. According to 

Commissioner Adrian Garcia, he 

has a twin brother and is engaged. 

Terran Green is the suspect 

accused of shooting Anderson. 

The day after shooting Anderson, 

he allegedly injured three 

more law enforcement officers 

as they were closing in on him. 

He was finally arrested after 

an hours long standoff in 

Atascocita. 

Green appeared in court for 

the first time Monday. He faces 

four counts of attempted capital 

murder of a police officer. 

Green was already out on 

bond for violent offenses, and 

on Monday, a judge gave him 

no bond for the most recent 

charges.


yrs. 

SHELBY COUNTY,TX. 

Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Pierson, in only his 

second day on the job, was killed in a patrol vehicle crash on 

Tuesday, August 29th. 

SHELBY COUNTY, TX. – A 

Shelby County sheriff’s deputy 

was killed Tuesday morning in a 

patrol vehicle accident involving 

an 18-wheel truck. 

“It is with a heavy heart that 

Sheriff Kevin W. Windham 

announces the passing of our 

deputy, Matthew Pierson, in the 

fatal accident that occurred this 

morning,” the Shelby County 

Sheriff’s Office reports on Facebook. 

The Texas Department of Public 

Safety (DPS) is investigating 

the crash. 

“The preliminary crash investigation 

indicates that at approximately 

7:30 a.m., a 2014 Peterbilt 

truck tractor semi-trailer was 

traveling west on S.H. 103. 

It is reported that a Deputy 

Pierson, operating a marked patrol 

unit, was traveling north on 

S.H. 147 and failed to yield to the 

truck tractor, striking the trailer 

portion of it,” the Shelby County 

SO said on Facebook. 

Rex Evans, Editor: Our hearts 

hurt for this young man who, 

was literally just starting his 

career. He was only two days in 

and lost his life, in the Line of 

Duty. 

His Mom and 

Aunt work for our 

Tribe, in adjoining 

departments. We 

are all, very devastated 

for this 

amazing family. 

To say this has 

been long and 

difficult week 

around the Tribe 

would be, quite 

an understatement. 

Matthew, did 

not have an 

easy life. He 

had to struggle, 

hurt and fight for everything 

and everyone he had in his life. 

Through all of, he maintained his 

steadfast commitment to being 

a Law Enforcement Officer to try 

and make this world a better and 

safer place. 

That being said, we’re completely 

committed to one another 

here, at the Tribe. We will rise 

back up from our grief together, 

lifting one another along the way, 

to move forward. 

We will continue to live as 

well as we can, for Matthew. 

Carrying on all the good, he 

stood for. Remembering him and 

ensuring that, he is never, ever 

forgotten. 

We humbly offer our sincerest 

condolences to the Family, the 

Shelby County Sheriff’s Office 

and the entire Shelby County 

Community. 

God’s speed, Matthew. We’ve 

got it from here, young man. 

You rest easy now. 

The BLUES 59


yrs. 

ACROSS THE US 

Latest Breaking News as we go LIVE. 

KENTUCKY GRAND JURY 

DECLINES CHARGES AGAINST 

OFFICER INVOLVED IN FATAL 

SHOOTING 

JESSAMINE COUNTY, KY. – A 

Kentucky grand jury declined to 

indict an officer who fatally shot 

a 22-year-old man in Nicholasville 

who was experiencing a 

mental health crisis in October 

2022. 

Officer Joseph Horton with the 

Nicholasville Police Department 

used lethal force against Desman 

LaDuke after police were called 

to LaDuke’s residence regarding a 

welfare check. Upon arrival, the 

man aimed multiple weapons at 

officers through a window. 

The Kentucky State Police were 

the lead investigators of LaDuke’s 

death. They said in a press statement 

that local police were at 

LaDuke’s home because they 

were told he was armed and 

suicidal. 

The Nicholasville Police Department 

released a statement 

saying LaDuke aimed two 

firearms at officers through a 

window prior to being shot by 

Horton. 

Scott Miller is the attorney representing 

Horton in his civil case, 

which stems from the shooting. 

On Thursday, he said he has not 

60 The BLUES 

yet seen KSP 

documents from 

the investigation, 

the Herald-Leader 

reported. 

“The main 

thing for us is 

getting a copy 

of the KSP 

investigation, 

which we did 

not have,” Miller 

said. “My focus is mainly on defending 

(Horton) in the civil case, 

and the resolution of this (criminal) 

case allows us to get additional 

information and hopefully 

resolve the civil matter as well.” 

Miller previously told the news 

outlet the shooting was “tragic” 

but said Horton’s actions followed 

nationally-recognized 

policing guidelines. 

Special prosecutor Richard 

Bottoms was assigned to the 

case, but was not immediately 

available for comment Thursday. 

LaDuke’s family blames the 

police for escalating the situation 

due to the department’s 

response, according to the Herald-Leader. 

Attorney Sam Aguiar who represents 

LaDuke’s family said the 

grand jury’s decision was “confusing.” 

“(LaDuke’s family) are confused, 

frustrated and not surprised,” 

Aguiar said. “Desman’s 

family are not naive, and they 

know historically that KSP investigations 

do not typically result in 

indictments. They were prepared 

for that.” 

Naturally, officers should not 

be charged when lethal force is 

justified, which the Jessamine 

County grand jury determined 

was the case in this situation. 

CAPITOL POLICE PROMOTES 

OFFICERS WHO GOT JAN. 6 

ATTACK SPOTLIGHT 

A lieutenant who shot and 

killed a pro-Trump rioter and an 

officer who testified to Congress 

are on a list of more than 30 

promotions 

The Capitol Police are poised 

to promote a lieutenant who 

shot and killed a pro-Trump

ioter on Jan. 6, 2021, as well as 

an officer who vividly testified 

before a House select committee 

about the violence she encountered 

during that attack. 

Michael Byrd, who fatally 

shot rioter Ashli Babbitt as she 

tried to break into the Speaker’s 

Lobby, will be promoted to 

captain, according to an internal 

announcement reviewed by CQ 

Roll Call that lists more than 30 

employees moving up the ranks 

on Sunday. 

And Caroline Edwards, who 

recounted how she was knocked 

unconscious and described the 

environment at the Capitol that 

day as a “war zone” with officers 

bleeding and throwing up, will 

be promoted to sergeant. 

A spokesperson said the department 

doesn’t discuss specific 

personnel matters but that “the 

promotional process is competitive 

and equitable” and the 

promotions “were well earned 

across the Department to include 

multiple Captains, Lieutenants, 

and Sergeants.” 

During the Jan. 6 Capitol 

attack, Byrd’s fatal shooting of 

Babbitt was caught on video 

as she tried to climb through 

a broken window and into an 

area that abuts the House floor. 

Byrd told NBC that Babbitt posed 

a threat to the House and that 

he fired his weapon after commands 

to get back and stop 

were not followed. 

Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air 

Force veteran and follower of 

the unfounded far-right, pro- 

Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, 

was taken to Washington Hospital 

Center, where she died. She 

was not armed. 

Former President Donald 

Trump and his supporters have 

questioned Byrd’s decision to use 

lethal force. The Justice Department 

decided not to bring criminal 

charges against Byrd, and the 

Capitol Police’s internal investigation 

by the Office of Professional 

Responsibility found Byrd’s 

conduct was “lawful and within 

Department policy.” 

Byrd has faced scrutiny from 

the department before. In 2019, 

he left his gun unattended in a 

Capitol Visitor Center bathroom. 

Edwards was on the front lines 

during the mob’s initial surge 

toward the Capitol and sustained 

a traumatic brain injury. She 

presented dramatic testimony 

before the House panel investigating 

the Jan. 6 attack and was 

among a group of police officers 

awarded the Presidential Citizens 

Medal by President Joe Biden. 

“I saw friends with blood all 

over their faces,” Edwards told 

the committee in 2022. “I was 

slipping in people’s blood.” 

A slate of promotions for the 

assistant chief, deputy chief and 

inspector levels are expected in 

the coming weeks. 

SWAT TEAM FREES CORREC- 

TIONAL OFFICER HELD HOS- 

TAGE BY INMATES AT ST. LOUIS 

JAIL. 

Associated Press 

ST. LOUIS, MO. — A correctional 

officer was abducted Tuesday by 

inmates at a downtown St. Louis 

jail but was freed hours later 

after a police SWAT team intervened. 

Officials with the St. Louis 

Department of Public Safety 

said the 70-year-old correctional 

officer was abducted by two 

inmates while serving breakfast 

shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday. 

Other inmates eventually joined 

in, but authorities weren’t sure 

how many, they said at a news 

conference. Surveillance footage 

is being reviewed. 

“They saw an opportunity and 

they took it,” Corrections Director 

Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah said. 

How exactly the inmates overtook 

the correctional officer 

remains under investigation. 

The motive behind the abduction 

remains under investigation 

but Clemons-Abdullah said one 

inmate demanded pizza. 

A police SWAT team was 

called in shortly after 8 a.m., 

and the correctional officer was 

freed within minutes. The correctional 

officer, whose name 

was not released, suffered minor 

injuries and was treated at a 

hospital. Charges will be filed 

against those involved, officials 

said. 

Interim Public Safety Director 

Chris Coyle said “less-than-lethal 

ammunition” was used on 

the inmates, but he did not elaborate. 

Coyle said two inmates 

suffered minor injuries inflicted 

by other inmates during the hostage 

situation. 

The abduction was the latest 

of several acts of violence inside 

the jail, known as the City Justice 

Center, which holds nearly 

700 inmates. 

In February 2021, inmates set 

fires, caused flooding, broke out 

fourth-floor windows and tossed 

chairs and other items through 

the broken glass. A correctional 

officer also was attacked. 

Inmates again broke windows 

and set a fire during another riot 

in April 2021. A month later, Dale 

Glass, the embattled director of 

the jail, resigned. 

The BLUES 61

62 The BLUES 

WHITE POLICE CHIEF SUES 

CITY OVER ALLEGED ‘RACIAL 

QUOTAS’ IN PROMOTION PRO- 

CESS 

By Law Officer 

ALEXANDRIA, VA.– A police 

captain in Alexandria, Virginia, 

alleged that the city denied her 

a promotion to fill racial quotas, 

according to The Washington 

Post. 

Captain Monica Lisle, who 

served in the Alexandria Police 

Department (APD) for more than 

two decades, alleged that officials 

manipulated scores to remove 

her from consideration for 

an open assistant chief position, 

according to the Post. Lisle asked 

an Alexandria Circuit Court judge 

to enforce a ruling from a city 

arbitration panel that found she 

was unjustly disqualified from 

being promoted. 

“I believe that Chief [Donald] 

Hayes believes that diversity is 

specific to African Americans,” 

Lisle said in a 2022 complaint to 

the Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission, according to 

the Post. “I am a member of at 

least three protected classes, as 

a gay, woman, over the age of 

40.” 

“A lot of our membership feels 

like their service is being disregarded 

by the city — their career 

paths come to a halt,” Damon 

Minnix, president of the Alexandria 

chapter of the Southern 

States Police Benevolent Association, 

told the Post. 

City attorneys argued that Lisle 

did not show the officials’ motive 

to unfairly disqualify her from 

selection, according to the Post. 

“The city’s delay and refusal to 

abide by its own policies at the 

outset and now are unacceptable,” 

William Thetford, Lisle’s 

attorney, said in a statement, 

according to the Post. 

APD did not immediately respond 

to the Daily Caller News 

Foundation’s request for comment. 

CALIF. OFFICER SURVIVES 

CLOSE CALL AFTER SUSPECT’S 

WEAPON MALFUNCTIONS 

By Caleb Lunetta 

The San Diego Union-Tribune 

LA MESA, CA. — La Mesa police 

released video footage Thursday 

of an officer fatally shooting a 

41-year-old man who authorities 

said tried to fire a handgun 

at the officer but the weapon 

jammed, investigators said. 

Officer Brian Heller shot Jason 

Hampton, 41, on Aug. 6 in a 

condominium complex parking 

lot on University Avenue near La 

Mesa Boulevard. Heller was one 

of two police officers who had 

gone to the complex that afternoon 

to arrest Hampton on a 

felony warrant for burglary. 

In the edited video, released 

Thursday, La Mesa Police Department 

officials describe the incident 

from the officers’ point of 

view, and provide footage from 

body cameras worn by Heller 

and the second officer, 

The footage shows Heller as 

he approaches Hampton, who is 

standing behind the open door of 

a blue pickup. 

As the officer approaches he 

asks: “Are you Jason?” 

“No,” the man, later identified 

as Hampton, replies. 

Heller is standing at the front 

end of the truck and asks if the 

man is “Jason” again. 

The video shows Hampton 

pulling out a 9mm handgun 

and — through a crack between 

the open door and windshield — 

aiming it at the officer. 

A click can be heard in the video. 

Investigators said the sound 

was the gun jamming as Hampton 

attempted to load the gun 

and fire on the officers. The gun 

does not go off. 

In the video, Heller can be seen 

ducking momentarily before 

pulling his own handgun. The 

officer fires multiple rounds as 

Hampton runs behind a row of 

cars. 

Hampton then runs along the 

outside wall of the apartment 

complex and down a flight of 

stairs. 

The other officer follows the

suspect along the apartment 

wall. He does not fire his gun. 

Heller keeps his weapon 

trained on Hampton and continues 

to fire. 

In the video, Hampton disappears 

from view momentarily, 

and the shooting stops. He then 

runs back into view and runs 

toward the street. 

Police said Hampton had been 

trying to clear the jammed 

round from his gun while running 

away. A slowed down 

portion of the video shows him 

slightly turning toward the officers 

while continuing to run 

toward the street with a gun in 

his hand. 

The officer shoots four more 

times, the video shows. 

Hampton falls to the ground. 

“Are you all right,” the second 

officer asks Heller. 

“I don’t know,” Heller says. 

“Check me, bro, check me.” 

Heller calls for paramedics, 

and the other officer checks him 

for gunshot wounds. 

The officers were not injured. 

Police said Hampton died before 

he could be taken to a hospital. 

During the shooting, one of 

Heller’s rounds hit a passing vehicle. 

The driver wasn’t injured, 

police said. Another round hit a 

building. 

Heller has been with the La 

Mesa Police Department for six 

years and works patrol, police 

said. Per the department’s policy, 

he’s been placed on leave 

while the shooting is investigated, 

police said. 

The San Diego Police Department 

is investigating the shooting 

per a county wide protocol 

that ensures agencies don’t 

investigate shootings involving 

their own officers. Once the 

department completes its investigation, 

it will be forwarded 

to the county District Attorney’s 

Office, which will determine 

whether the officer bears any 

criminal liability. 

The La Mesa Police Department 

will also investigate the shooting, 

as will a police auditor from 

La Mesa’s Community Police 

Oversight Board. 

Reprinted from POLICE1. 

The BLUES 63

NOW HIRING 

PRIORITY BOLO 

yrs. 

ISD PD JOB LISTINGS 

IS YOUR ISD PD 

HIRING? 

YOUR DEPARTMENT’S RECRUITING AD 

CAN BE LISTED HERE FOR ONLY $250 

bluespdmag@gmail.com 

64 The BLUES

ALDINE ISD 

POLICE DEPARTMENT 

JOIN OUR TEAM 

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 

• Sick Leave 

• Paid Vacation 

• Paid Holidays 

• Personal Days 

• Teacher Retirement System 

TCOLE CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE 

• Intermediate PO: $2,400 

• Advanced PO: $4,800 

• Master PO: $7,200 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be 21 Years Of Age 

• Must Hold an Active Tcole Peace Officer License 

• Must Complete the Following: 

• Pass Physical Agility Test 

• Background Investigation 

• Psychological Evaluation 

• Drug Screening 

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT 

SGT. HALL AT 281.442.4923 

OR VISIT ALDINEISD.ORG 

APPLY AT 

ALDINEISD.ORG 

STARTING SALARY $55,000 WITH NO EXPERIENCE 

UP TO $85,000 DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE 

ALDINE ISD PD OFFERS 

DEPARTMENT BENEFITS 

• Uniforms Provided, Including Duty Weapon 

• Department Provided Training 

• Starting Pay Depends on 

Qualifications / Experience 

• TCOLE Certification / Education Pay 

• Most Officers work Day Shift with Weekends Off 

(INCENTIVE PAY FOR DETECTIVES, K-9 HANDLERS, AND 

FIREARM INSTRUCTORS.) 

SPECIALIZED DIVISIONS 

• Criminal Investigations 

• Emergency Response Team 

• Honor Guard 

• Gang Task Force 

• Community Outreach Division 

• K-9 Division 

• Firearm Instructor 

$1,000 SIGNING BONUS 

 

Montgomery County’s 3 rd Largest Law Enforcement Agency 

• $50,363 minimum starting salary 

• Certification pay: 

Int - $1,600, Adv - $2,400, Mstr - $3,700 

FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER 

• Competitive insurance & benefits 

• Teacher Retirement System (TRS) 

• 20 paid leave days & 12 paid holidays 

Opportunity 

multiple divisions including 

Investigations, Patrol, and 

K-9 services 

Growth 

100+ annual training hours, 

promotion opportunities, 

Field Training Officer 

Balance 

overtime pay, comp time, 

most weekends off, prior LE 

experience pay 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT 

HTTPS://POLICE.CONROEISD.NET/DEPARTMENT/ADMINISTRATION/EMPLOYMENT/ 

police.conroeisd.net 

CISDPolice 

@CISDPolice 

The BLUES 65

NOW HIRING 

PRIORITY BOLO 

yrs. 

ISD PD JOB LISTINGS 

FIND YOUR ISD 

POSITION HERE 

66 The BLUES

Now Hiring 

School District Police Officer 

Must be TCOLE Certified 

www.pfisd.net/police 

226 day work schedule with starting 

salary between $52,884 and $60,821 

depending on experience 

Overtime Opportunities Available 

Stipends for TCOLE Advanced & Master 

Licenses, MHO Certification, College 

Degrees, and Bilingual Proficiency 

Thanksgiving, Winter, & 

Spring Breaks off 

Take Home Vehicle Program 

Great Insurance & Benefits 

Package with TRS 

Retirement 

SPRING BRANCH ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT 

WE’RE 

HIRING 

*All equipment provided including duty weapon 

**Training opportunities available 

DEPARTMENT 

HIGHLIGHTS 

55 officer department 

44 square mile district 

47 schools 

35,000 population 

24/7 Patrol 

We want you to preserve, protect, and defend our future. 

Starting Pay $63,000 (TCOLE Basic Peace Officer certification with no experience) 

Patrol & Onsite Officers (HS/MS) 

Gang Officer 

Mental Health Officers 

Community Relations Officer 

Emergency Management 

Criminal Investigations 

K-9 programs 

Language pay 

Shift differential pay 

Intermediate, Advanced and 

Master Peace Officer 

certificate pay 

Paid time off 

Ample overtime opportunities 

Apply online today. springbranchisd.com/join-our-team 

The BLUES 67

the abc’s of 

UAS 

Brandon Karr 

Formation and Evolution of the Drone Program at 

Montgomery County, TX Pct. 4 Constable’s Office. 

INTRODUCTION 

In a world where technology is 

revolutionizing law enforcement 

and public safety, the Montgomery 

County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office 

has not only embraced the change 

but led the way in innovation. Their 

drone program, initiated in late 

2019, is a testament to their forward-thinking 

approach, enhancing 

efficiency, surveillance capabilities, 

real-time response, and much more. 

THE GENESIS OF THE PROGRAM 

The Constable’s Office embarked 

on a pioneering journey when they 

introduced the drone program in 

late 2019. With the selection of 10 

pilots, the initial training was undertaken 

by the Unmanned Tactical 

Group. The first drone to join their 

ranks was a DJI M300RTK, which 

set the stage for what would become 

an impressive fleet. 

TRAINING & SKILLS DEVELOP- 

MENT 

The initial batch of 10 pilots underwent 

rigorous training by Unmanned 

Tactical Group, led by the 

instructor/co-owner, Brandon Karr. 

His expertise played a critical role 

in the training program, encompassing 

both theoretical knowledge 

and practical skills to ensure that 

the pilots were fully equipped to 

maneuver the drones. 

Over the years, the program expanded, 

and by 2023, an additional 

four pilots were trained through the 

same group, reflecting the growth 

and dynamism of the program. 

FLEET EXPANSION & DIVERSIFI- 

CATION 

The drone program did not 

68 The BLUES 

stagnate with its initial acquisition. 

From the original DJI M300RTK, the 

fleet has grown to include: 

-DJI Mini Pro3: Designed for indoor 

operations, it provides flexibility 

and accessibility in confined 

spaces. 

- DJI Mavic 2: Employed as a 

training drone, it ensures continuous 

learning and skill enhancement. 

- DJI M30T: Recently approved 

for purchase using asset forfeiture 

funds and acquired from FireHouse 

Technology, this addition highlights 

the program’s continuous commitment 

to leveraging cutting-edge 

technology. 

OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE & 

MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP 

The drone program’s success is 

guided by an able leadership team, 

including: 

- Lt. Jim Slack: As the Chief Pilot 

and Program Coordinator, he spearheads 

the strategic direction and 

overall coordination of the program. 

- Lt. Art Looza: Responsible for all 

evening and nighttime operations, 

his expertise ensures seamless operations 

around the clock. 

The pilots, coming from both patrol 

and detective roles, further add 

diversity and multifaceted perspectives 

to the program. 

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION 

The program’s technological 

backbone is provided by Dronesense, 

an all-in-one platform that 

handles flight control, live video 

feed, interoperability, and reporting 

software. The future integration of 

their DFR (drone as first responder) 

program promises to augment the 

current capabilities significantly. 

Plans are also underway to build 

a drone deploy vehicle that will 

double as a command post for 

larger operations. This mobile command 

center would enable quicker 

response and enhanced coordination 

during critical missions. 

APPLICATIONS & IMPACT 

The drone program is not limited 

to mere surveillance; it extends into

The BLUES 69

the abc’s of 

UAS 

Brandon Karr 

70 The BLUES 

a variety of applications that serve 

the community and the Constable’s 

Office: 

Tactical Operations 

Whether it is a high-risk arrest 

or a complex sting operation, the 

drones have proven to be invaluable. 

They provide real-time intelligence 

and an aerial advantage, 

ensuring the tactical operations 

are conducted with precision and 

safety. 

SEARCH AND RESCUE 

In search-and-rescue missions, 

time is of the essence. Whether 

searching for a fleeing suspect, 

a missing child, or an adult, the 

drones’ agility and extensive reach 

have been vital. They allow for 

faster discovery and coordination, 

saving precious time and potentially 

lives. 

MAPPING CAPABILITIES & CRASH 

RECONSTRUCTION 

As the program grows, the integration 

of mapping capabilities, 

including crash reconstruction, is on 

the horizon. These advancements 

would not only speed up crash 

cleanup and open roadways sooner 

but also provide valuable data for 

investigation and analysis. 

BUILDING INSPECTION & MAIN- 

TENANCE 

In a bid to enhance safety for 

county employees, drones are being 

considered for mapping county 

buildings and conducting inspections. 

This eliminates the need for 

workers to climb ladders or rooftops, 

reducing risks and improving 

efficiency. 

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT & 

PROCUREMENT 

The expansion and sustenance of 

the drone program required meticulous 

financial planning and strategic 

procurement. Utilizing asset forfeiture 

funds for the recent acquisition 

of the DJI M30T highlights the 

commitment to financial prudence 

while not compromising on technology. 

VENDORS SUCH AS FIREHOUSE 

Technology were pivotal in the 

supply chain, ensuring timely and 

efficient procurement. 

PARTNERSHIP WITH UNMANNED 

TACTICAL GROUP 

[Unmanned Tactical Group] 

(https://www.unmannedtacticalgroup.com) 

has been instrumental 

in shaping the drone program, 

providing comprehensive training 

for the pilots. Specializing in offering 

custom-tailored training solutions, 

they have been a key partner 

in ensuring the program’s pilots are 

equipped with the right skill set. 

INTEGRATION WITH DRONE- 

SENSE 

The drone program’s success is 

intricately tied to its technological 

backbone, prominently supported 

by [Dronesense](https://www. 

dronesense.com). As a leading 

platform designed specifically for 

public safety missions, Dronesense 

offers a full suite of tools enabling 

efficient coordination and deployment. 

COLLABORATION WITH FIRE- 

HOUSE TECHNOLOGY 

Most recently, [FireHouse Technology](https://www.firehousetechnology.com), 

owned by co-owner 

of Unmanned Tactical Group, Scott 

Mlakar, stands as another crucial 

partner in the drone program’s 

journey. Their focus on offering 

cutting-edge technology resonates 

with the program’s commitment to 

excellence. 

ANOTHER COLLABORATION 

PARTNER 

Another partnership that has 

greatly helped the office build its 

program is [Darley] (www.darley. 

com), whether it was initial planning, 

giving advice on what drones 

are in the market, having an expert 

ear to the tracks, or providing help 

with repair assistance, Darley.com 

has always been there for us. 

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX: A 

BRIEF OVERVIEW 

The drone program is housed in 

Montgomery County, Texas. Known 

for its rich history, cultural diversity, 

and economic vitality, the county 

is a vibrant hub in the Lone Star 

State. You can learn more about 

Montgomery County at [mctx.org] 

(https://www.mctx.org.) 

CONCLUSION 

The drone program at Montgomery 

County Pct. 4 Constable’s Office 

represents a blend of technology, 

innovation, and public service. From 

tactical operations to search and 

rescue, building inspection, and 

potential crash reconstruction, the 

drones are more than just eyes in 

the sky; they are a versatile tool 

enhancing public safety and community 

welfare. 

With continuous growth and 

exploration of new applications, 

the program stands as a beacon of 

positive technological integration, 

reflecting a future where technology 

serves humanity in various 

aspects of life. 

The Montgomery County Pct. 4’s 

Constable Office Drone Team is very 

open to helping and assisting other 

first responder agencies forming 

and building their own drone teams. 

Please feel to reach out to Lt. Slack 

anytime, james.slack@mctx.org or 

their social address: @mocopct4

26 & 27 

SEPTEMBER 

EUROPE’S LEADING 

BUSINESS EVENT 

DEDICATED TO 

THE U.A.V 

INDUSTRY 

@DRONEXSHOW #DRONEXSHOW 

100 3,000 200 

inspirational 

speakers 

INNOVATION 

AWARDS 

VISITORS 

LIVE 

DEMO 

AREA 

VISIONARY 

SUPPLIERS 

RUNNING NEXT DOOR 

ADVANCED 

AIR M BILITY 

EXPO 

REGISTER FOR 

FREE 

TICKETS! 

DRONEXPO.CO.UK 

The BLUES 71

BY SENIOR EDITOR, DR. TINA JAECKLE 

72 The BLUES

ARTIST OF THE YEAR 

TRY THAT IN A SMALL TOWN 

Dr. Tina Jaeckle 

The BLUES Police Magazine has selected Jason Aldean as Artist 

of the Year 2023. As a well-known public figure and long-time 

country music performer, Aldean has taken a stand against the 

misinterpretation of the lyrics and music video of his song “Try 

That in a Small Town”. This has emerged as a familiar political 

litmus test, with interpretations of its message often falling 

along voting divides. As a law enforcement magazine, we applaud 

Aldean for pushing back against the critics and ongoing 

cancel culture. Our nation’s officers have sadly experienced this 

position far too many times and are often unable to counter it. 

Thank you, Mr. Aldean, for holding the line. 

The BLUES 73 

The BLUES 73

Country music superstar 

Jason Aldean faced 

a firestorm recently regarding 

this new song. 

According to Aldean, originally 

from Macon, Ga., 

he first released it in May 

2023. Still, it wasn’t until 

the accompanying music 

video was launched in 

July 2023 that the conflict 

on interpretation ratcheted 

up. In a statement 

released alongside the 

video, Aldean said the song 

represents an “unspoken 

rule” for those raised in 

small towns: “We all have 

each other’s backs, and we 

look out for each other.” The 

singer is not credited as a 

writer for the song, as has 

been the case for most of 

his 27 hit singles. The tune 

was written by songwriters 

Kelly Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, 

Tully Kennedy, and Kurt 

Michael Allison. 

While countless can directly 

appreciate being 

raised or living in an “American 

small town”, there have 

been numerous outspoken 

critics. They have described 

the lyrics as evocative of 

vigilantism, racism, and 

“sundown towns” that practice 

a form of all-white 

segregation in which people 

of color and others who 

were considered outsiders 

knew they faced violence 

74 The BLUES 

74 The BLUES

if they were not out of an 

area before the sun went 

down. This controversy 

then reached a new level 

when some viewers identified 

scenes in the video 

that were shot in front of 

what appears to be the 

Maury County Courthouse 

in Columbia, Tennessee. 

The courthouse has been 

the site of several incidents 

of racial violence, including 

the 1927 lynching of a 

Black man named Henry 

Choate. It also served as a 

backdrop for the Columbia 

Race Riot in 1946. Aldean 

took significant issue with 

the criticism, writing in a 

tweet, “There isn’t a single 

video clip that isn’t real 

news footage.” The seemingly 

pro-gun lyrics were 

also termed “very scary” by 

some. Aldean further commented 

in a tweet that “Try 

That In A Small Town, for 

me, refers to the feeling of 

a community I had growing 

up, where we took care of 

our neighbors, regardless of 

differences of background 

or belief. Because they were 

our neighbors, and that was 

above any differences”. 

On July 19, 2023, Country 

Music Television (CMT) removed 

Aldean’s music video 

based on this criticism. 

CMT then faced backlash 

when Aldean fans called for 

The BLUES 75 

The BLUES 75

a boycott of the CMT after 

the network pulled the 

song. The song further divided 

opinions, with some 

on social media speaking 

out while others, including 

former president Donald 

Trump, defended Aldean. 

Some initially compared 

the channel unfavorably to 

Bud Light, which has been 

facing boycott calls over its 

collaboration with transgender 

influencer 

Dylan 

Mulvaney. 

The fall 

out continued. 

“America 

first” 

influencer 

Paul 

Hookem 

called for 

a boycott 

of CMT, giving them 

“the Bud Light treatment” 

to “make them learn.” Conservative 

commentator and 

host of his own show, Charlie 

Kirk told his 2.3 million 

followers that he thinks 

CMT has made an error in 

judgment. “CMT just murdered 

their own brand, and 

for what? Because a bunch 

of leftists who don’t even 

listen to country music 

complained about Jason 

Aldean’s music video? Let’s 

give CMT the Target and 

Disney treatment. Hold the 

line,” he wrote. Conservative 

author and broadcaster 

Clay Travis suggested to his 

1.1 million followers that the 

channel should embrace 

all styles of country music. 

“CMT canceled @Jason_Aldean’s 

new video. Pathetic. 

[...] The city of Nashville, my 

hometown, should embrace 

all songs,@taylorswift13 or 

@Jason_Aldean.” 

Jason’s wife, Brittany 

Aldean, also has a history 

of making comments on 

Instagram that fuel debate. 

Last August, she made an 

Instagram post sharing a 

before-and-after makeup 

video. In the post, she 

thanked her parents for “not 

changing my gender when 

I went through my tomboy 

phase.” Critics felt the comments 

were transphobic. 

Music stars, including Cassadee 

Pope and Maren Morris, 

spoke out against the 

comments. At the time, Brittany 

Aldean defended the 

post and said her comments 

were taken out of context. 

Shortly after she made the 

comments, Nashville firm 

The GreenRoom PR dropped 

Jason Aldean 

after representing 

him 

for 17 years. 

Brittany Aldean 

further 

addressed the 

issues on the 

song in an Instagram 

story. 

In the story, 

black text 

appears over 

a picture of a 

palm tree. Brittany Aldean 

criticizes the media specifically, 

accusing them of not 

focusing on “real” stories 

while reporting on the Try 

That in a Small Town controversy. 

“It’s the same song 

and dance,” Brittany Aldean 

wrote. “Twist everything 

you can to fit your repulsive 

narrative [sic]. How about 

instead of creating stories, 

we focus on the REAL ones, 

76 The BLUES 

76 The BLUES

such as CHILD TRAFFICK- 

ING? Food for thought.” 

CMT’s decision inspired 

conservative fans to stream 

and purchase the track, with 

sales skyrocketing. The song 

debuted at Number 2, behind 

Jung Kook and Latto’s 

track “Seven,” and kept its 

momentum for consecutive 

weeks. The track remains 

at the top of iTunes’ songs 

chart, and per Billboard, the 

song earned 30.7 million 

streams — up 165 percent. 

*Article complied from 

previously published information. 

The BLUES 77 

The BLUES 77

AUSTIN 

BLUE CITY TURNS BL 

• Fewer Cops = More Crime 

• 911, Please Hold! 

• 3 Hour Response Times 

• Murder Rates Climb 

• DPS Patrolling Streets 

• Worst DA in the Country 

• Welcome to Austin 

78 The BLUES 

78 The BLUES

TEXAS 

EAK 

The BLUES 79 

The BLUES 79

Austin’s Defund t 

BY DR. TINA JAECKLE 

AUSTIN POLICE CHIEF CHACO 

It is a storm that has been brewing for some time. In 

August 2023, Austin (Texas) Police Department Chief 

Joseph Chacon abruptly retired from his post due to 

major staffing shortages, the absence of a police union 

contract, and years of issues with the city council and 

mayors. “This is one of the hardest messages I’ve ever 

had to write,” Chacon said. “A few months ago, I began 

seriously considering retirement, and after long conversations 

with my wife and family and thoughtful prayer, 

I have now decided that the moment is right to hang 

it up on a 25-year career with APD.” He further added, 

“It’s just a very personal decision about my career, my 

family, and just figuring out that it was just my time. It 

should not be viewed as something that will destabilize 

this department.” 

Chacon is not unfamiliar with the pushback and criticism 

that APD’s officers have received from the mayor, 

city council, the citizens, and the “defund the police” 

movement. Chacon, 55, was named interim chief in the 

spring of 2021 after the retirement of Brian Manley and 

appointed to the position six months later after a national 

search. He took the position as the city and department 

were still reeling from the Black Lives Matter 

protests of May 2020 after the police killings of George 

Floyd in Minneapolis and Michael Ramos in Austin. In 

demonstrations in downtown Austin, police crowd-con- 

80 The BLUES 

80 The BLUES

he Police Crisis 

N RETIRES 

The BLUES 81 

The BLUES 81

trol tactics injured more than a dozen protesters. The use 

of less lethal shotguns led to the indictment of 19 police 

officers — most cases are still pending — and the city 

has settled civil lawsuits totaling nearly $19 million. 

During his confirmation process, Chacon, the city’s 10th 

police chief, faced two hours of questioning by City 

Council members about how an internal candidate could 

reform the department, including its training and culture. 

A 9-2 vote appointed him. During his tenure, Chacon has 

taken steps to improve departmental transparency, including 

a policy in which the department releases body 

camera video from police shootings within ten days, 

which police critics have widely supported. 

However, three years later, the aftermath of the protests 

still looms in the department. The use of less lethal 

shotguns remains an ongoing topic of debate. Recently, 

the department banned officers from deploying the guns, 

which use beanbag rounds as ammunition, after details 

of a 2021 incident surfaced in which officers used the 

weapons on a 15-year-old girl who was not armed and 

not accused of any crime, and amid objections by District 

Attorney José Garza and prosecutors. Chacon did not 

discipline the officers. Chacon said his relationship with 

the mayor and council has been stable, and this decision 

was not something he made due to strained relationships 

with anyone at City Hall, adding that he was asked 

by officials to stay in his role. He said there was “no hint” 

he would have been removed had he decided to stay. 

82 The BLUES 

82 The BLUES

The BLUES 83 

The BLUES 83

THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPAR 

DPS PARTNERSHIP 

During his tenure, Chacon has seen unprecedented levels of 

officers leave the department, which prompted a partnership 

with the Texas Department of Public Safety. The department 

currently has approximately 330 vacancies — 240 on patrol. 

Chacon said staffing levels are one of the biggest disappointments 

of his tenure, and he wants the department to fill the 

vacancies. Chacon said one of the easiest ways to begin filling 

those positions is for the Austin Police Association, the union 

representing Austin police, to work out a long-term contract 

with the city. Austin police have been without a contract with 

the city since the end of March after the previous contract 

ended and negotiations fell apart. 

Earlier this year, Mayor Kirk Watson announced a new partnership 

with the Texas Department of Public Safety for its 

troopers to help patrol parts of the city — an arrangement 

that sparked community backlash amid data showing most 

citations and arrests were occurring in minority parts of the 

city. Chacon called it a success during its early weeks, saying 

violent crime had dropped 25% from the weekly average. 

However, Watson abruptly ended the partnership in July amid 

allegations that troopers pulled a gun on a 10-year-old, a 

claim the video did not support. Chacon has said he was not 

part of the decision to end the relationship. 

Although the actual reasons for the severance remain unclear, 

city leaders cited ‘recent events’ that were ‘not in sync 

with Austin’s values’ as the purpose for ending the partnership. 

There was an incident involving state troopers who shot 

two people, one fatally, but the more likely event that instigated 

the end of the partnership was a traffic stop in which 

troopers drew their weapons as a 10-year-old tried to exit a 

car and then pointed their guns at that vehicle with the child 

inside, a claim the video did not support. 

84 The BLUES 

84 The BLUES

TMENT/ 

The BLUES 85 

The BLUES 85

TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABB 

Following the city’s decision to end the Austin Police 

Department/DPS partnership, Gov. Greg Abbott announced 

that he would deploy 30 additional troopers 

to “protect and serve the city of Austin.” The infusion 

of state police would bring the total number of “special 

assignment” troopers patrolling Austin to 130, but 

it is unclear if APD will continue to have a say in where 

those troopers are deployed. APD declined to comment. 

Abbott’s announcement comes on the heels of conservative 

uproar over Austin city leadership pulling the 

plug on the partnership prematurely, for what they see 

as an appropriately handled traffic stop. Austin Police 

Association President Thomas Villareal, writing in a 

statement that ending the partnership was “absolutely 

unconscionable.” Especially, Villareal continued, because 

the decision seems to have been based mainly 

on a “poorly researched news story … purely intended 

to get clicks. Villareal’s reference is to the Fox 7 story, 

which aired allegations from a father and son pulled 

over by DPS troopers on July 9. In that story, Carlos 

Meza claims that during a traffic stop initiated by state 

troopers, the troopers aimed a gun at his 10-year-old 

son, Angel. But video footage of the stop shows that’s 

not exactly what happened. 

Video shows Angel attempt to exit the passenger side 

of the vehicle and a trooper approaching – with his 

gun drawn, though aimed downward – while shouting 

commands for Angel and Carlos. Both troopers 

briefly point their guns at the vehicle, though they are 

approaching from the driver’s side, and it is unclear if 

Angel, the 10-year-old in the passenger seat, would 

86 The BLUES 

86 The BLUES

OTT INTERVENES 

The BLUES 87 

The BLUES 87

have seen the firearms pointing at them. About 20 

minutes into the stop, one of the troopers tells 

Angel he can go inside. After the initial confrontation, 

both troopers holster their firearms and do not 

draw them again. 

Five Austin City Council members issued a joint 

statement emphasizing this problem with the partnership, 

which had been pitched from the start as a 

stopgap measure to address the officer shortage at 

the Austin Police Department. “Austin needs more 

AUSTIN police officers,” the statement reads. “In the 

absence of the APA’s willingness to get more APD 

officers on the street,” the statement continues, the 

DPS partnership was struck. But it has proved to 

be “out of step with what Austinities deserve from 

their police.” 

While city politics have been influential in the 

decision-making process, the severance of this 

partnership has partly been about the labor contract 

between the city of Austin and the APA, which 

expired on March 31. Since then, the two sides have 

not resumed negotiations over a new four-year 

contract. Some at City Hall speculate that Watson 

struck the DPS deal to pressure the APA to come 

back to the bargaining table (the idea being, in 

part, that increased DPS patrols would eat into the 

overtime that city cops depend on to boost their 

salaries). Some think the partnership was meant to 

fend off some privately communicated threat that 

the state would assume a bigger role in local public 

safety. There appears to be some truth to both 

perspectives. 

88 The BLUES

The BLUES 89 

The BLUES 89

SURGING CRIME AND THE FAC 

According to a recent article published 8-31-23 (Foxnews.com), 

the mother of a man killed in one of the most 

high-profile mass shootings in recent Austin, Texas history 

sent a blistering letter shortly before her son’s alleged 

killer, De’Ondre White, went on trial for murder. The letter 

was addressed to the Austin city council that defunded 

police in 2020, which she says contributed to the lawlessness 

that claimed her son’s life. Julia Kantor’s letter, 

in part, read, “Aug 28th in Austin, Texas, there will be jury 

selection for the murder of my son Douglas Kantor and the 

attack on 14 others for the June 12th, 2021 mass shooting 

on 6th street. I hope you follow this [trial] as your duty to 

your citizens. It was you, the city council, and others who 

defunded the police and welcomed these evil people with 

no regard for life to run and ruin your city. It’s time you 

see what you have done to not only the victims like my 

son but also to our family and friends and your city. Your 

irresponsible choices for political gain have put a target 

on the backs of Austin’s citizens and all who visit. You 

have killed and ruined thousands of lives and couldn’t care 

less as long as you stay in power. Just like the killer, you 

are ALL COWARDS. NONE OF YOU HAD THE GUTS TO SPEAK 

UP AND POINT OUT HOW STUPID AND DESTRUCTIVE THAT 

WAS. I’M SURE IF YOUR KIDS WERE BEING KILLED YOU 

WOULD FIND YOUR VOICE.” 

The incident came roughly a year after the Austin City 

Council voted to defund the police amid the unrest following 

the death of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. 

Critics of that move have long maintained that the spike in 

crime that followed, which included Austin setting an alltime 

record for homicides in 2021, was due at least in part 

to the defunding and alienating of police. 

90 The BLUES

E OF THE VICTIMS 

The BLUES 91

THE CURRENT STATE OF POL 

PUBLIC SAFETY IN AUSTIN 

Villareal, as President of the Austin Police Association, 

has continued to remain a vocal advocate 

for improvement in Austin policing and often challenges 

the city’s decisions. In a recent podcast, he 

offered the following update. “We’ve seen a dramatic 

increase in the number of separations that 

we’ve had from the police department. We cut 150 

vacancies in 2020, but the city council also paused 

our police academy. When you have multiple years 

of people leaving and our inability to have cadet 

classes, we’ve seen a decrease in our actual staffing 

numbers. Some people who argue the other 

side of this issue would say that all your funding 

has been put back through the legislature, and you 

have all these allocated positions. The problem is, 

the reality thought process behind the podcast is 

that funding might be there, but we don’t have actual 

people at the police department to do those 

job functions anymore. I try to talk to people oftentimes 

about this problem. The reality is you get 

better response times by patrol officers. You get 

better case clearance from our detective units. Our 

detectives don’t have to go back and work. Patrol 

DPS probably goes away if we have adequate 

staffing. The answer to all of these kinds of issues 

is the addition of about 500 cops. How do we find 

these people? We need to do a better job of finding 

these people and then competing to attract 

them to come to the Austin Police Department. The 

tough conversation that people don’t want to have 

92 The BLUES

ICING AND 

The BLUES 93

FINAL THOUGHTS, FROM THO 

PRESIDENT, AUSTIN POLICE A 

is who’s committing crime in this city. If you look 

at who’s the victim of crime in this city and who’s 

committing those crimes, especially violent crimes. 

Any good police agency worth its salt should use 

data-driven policing strategies. I think it’s very 

shortsighted for folks to just cast away the data 

that was driving those decisions and in those moments.” 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with 

Thomas Villareal and gain additional insight into 

the current events in Austin. He shared that the 

crisis is nothing new and began in December 2017, 

and it is because of the decisions the city has made 

and continues to make. Austin Police Department is 

incredibly short-staffed with no resolution in sight. 

At the end of the day, the folks who are hurt by this 

are the people that these council members profess 

to be fighting for: the people of color and poor 

communities who are the victims of crime in Austin, 

Texas. They are harming people, and it’s going 

to be a long, long time before we’re able to pull 

ourselves out of this mess. 

*Some of this information was obtained from previous 

news articles on Austin. 

94 The BLUES

MAS VILLAREAL, 

SSOCIATION 

The BLUES 95

96 The BLUES 

96 The BLUES

UPDATE, 8/25 - The cars won’t be available again until the HPOU’s Gift Shop’s grand reopening in September. 

It’s currently scheduled for 9/5, but it could change due to construction. We’ll make an official 

announcement on FB when the date gets closer. We are not accepting pre-orders or pre-payments and 

there are no cars physically available at the HPOU at this time. 

The BLUES 97

yrs. 

SEPTEMBER 

10-13 VA Chiefs Conference Norfolk, VA 

12-14 AACOP Annual Training and Vendor Expo Laughlin, NV 

11-15 Force Science Certification Course Houston, TX 

18-22 40 Hr Court Security Specialist - By Court Security Concepts Tahlequah, OK 

19-21 WZ Criminal Level I Investigative Interviewing Techniques McKinney, TX 

19-22 Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing Denton, TX 

21-22 Homicide Investigations Seminar Denton, TX 

22 WZ Criminal Investigative Interviewing Techniques McKinney, TX 

22 WZ Criminal Level II - Advanced Interviewing Techniques McKinney, TX 

25 Bulletproof Courtroom Testimony by Blue to Gold Fort Worth, TX 

25-27 Proactive Leadership Waxahachie, TX 

25-29 Detective and New Criminal Investigator *BY PATC Crowley, TX 

26 Advanced Search & Seizure by Blue to Gold Denton, TX 

27 Advanced Traffic Stops by Blue to Gold Denton, TX 

28 Advanced Criminal Investigations by Blue to Gold Denton, TX 

OCTOBER 

2-3 SLR15 AR15 / M16 / M4 / AR308 Armorer Course Waxahachie , TX 

2-4 FTO for today’s recruits and Pgm. Mgr. McKinney, TX 

3-6 Reid Technique of Inv. Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation Ft Worth, TX 

4-5 Extracting the Truth-Advanced Interview and Interrogation Denton, TX 

4-5 SLR15 Law Enforcement Shotgun Armorer Course Waxahachie , TX 

5 Forensic Statement Analysis - Deception Detection McKinney, TX 

6 SLR15 1911 Pistol Armorer Course Waxahachie , TX 

9-11 LPVO Operator Course Dallas, TX 

10-12 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Lufkin, TX 

14-17 IACP Conference & Expo San Diego, CA 

16 TrapMate* Hidden Compartment Training (Dynamic Interdiction) Burleson , TX 

16-18 Interview & Interrogation for New Detectives BY LLRMI Beaumont, TX 

16-18 Leadership 101 - Professionalism Defined (TX New Supervisor) McKinney, TX 

16-20 5 Day New Detective and New Criminal Investigator By LLRMI Pharr, TX 

16-20 Detective and New Criminal Investigator *BY PATC Rockport, TX 

19-20 Advanced Forensic Statement Analysis - Deception Detection McKinney, TX 

22-26 TCOLE TRAINING CONFERENCE CORPUS,TX 

23-24 Advanced Field Training Officer Course Pharr, TX 

23-24 Covert Surveillance *BY PATC Texas City, TX 

24-26 Inside the Tape Homicide Investigation & Crime Scene MGT Training Rio Grande , TX 

31-1 Death Investigation: Cause, Manner and Mechanism By LLRMI Ft. Worth, TX 

31-3 Reid Investigative Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation Rockport, TX 

NOVEMBER 

1-3 Sexual Deviant Offenders *BY PATC Texas City, TX 

5-10 National Honor Guard Academy Texas City, TX 

6 High Risk/Profile Trial Operations 7 Planning By Court Security Concepts Denton, TX 

6 Bulletproof Report Writing by Blue to Gold Denton, TX 

6-8 Background Investigator Training by ProFirst Training Pharr, TX 

6-9 Tactical Training for Narcotics & Vice Units Cedar Park , TX 

6-10 Hostage Negotiations Phase 1 By LLRMI Pharr, TX 

7 Bulletproof Courtroom Testimony by Blue to Gold Denton, TX 

7-9 Reid PEACE Method of Investigative Interviewing Dyess , TX 

13-17 GST Defensive Tactics Instructor Course Seguin, TX 

13-17 Methods of Instruction - Training Practical Professional Policing Skills McKinney, TX 

14 Mastering Search & Seizure (In-Person & Live-Online) by Blue to Gold San Antonio, TX 

14-15 Protests, Demonstrations and Civil Unrest Operations By LLRMI Georgetown, TX 

15-16 Bulletproof Report Writing Blue to Gold (In-person & Live Stream) San Antonio, TX 

16 Duty to Intervenes (In-Person & Live-Online) by Blue to Gold San Antonio, TX 

16 Real World De-Escalation (In-Person & Live-Online) by Blue to Gold San Antonio, TX 

28-30 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Jourdanton, TX 

1 High Performance Leadership - By Leading Blue Cincinnati, OH 

4-6 Advanced Homicide Investigation by IPTM Jacksonville, FL 

4-6 Effective Strategies for Staff Inspections by IPTM Altamonte Sp., FL 

4-6 Officer Involved Shooting-3 Day *BY PATC Columbus, OH 

4-6 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Billings, MT 

4-6 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Lafayette, LA 

4-6 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Marysville, WA 

4-6 Penn State - Grant Writing - Virtual University Park, PA 

4-6 Recovery of Human Remains by Suncoast Forensics St. Cloud, FL 

4-6 Tactical Breaching Instructor Course Warrensburg, MO 

4-7 PRW Police Sniper BASIC Nunn, CO 

4-8 Advanced Undercover Techniques and Survival Westminster, CO 

4-8 Covert Entry Specialist I & II Course (5-Days) San Marcos, TX 

4-8 Criminal Investigations Using Cellular Technologies SME 40 hour Palm Beach, FL 

4-8 Death and Homicide Investigation *BY PATC Corpus Christi, TX 

4-8 Detective and New Criminal Investigator *BY PATC Baytown, TX 

4-8 Force Science Certification Course Sacramento, CA 

4-8 Hostage Negotiations, Phase III *BY PATC Pearland, TX 

4-8 Methods of Instruction - Training Practical Professional Policing Skills Sanford, FL 

28-1 Reid Investigative Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation San Antonio, TX 

9-11 Interview and Interrogation for Investigators *BY PATC Texas City, TX 

16-18 Supervising and Managing the Drug Unit *BY PATC Angleton, TX 

16-19 Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing Pharr, TX 

17-19 First Responder to Death, Injury and Sexual Violence Scene Texas City, TX 

22-24 3 Day UAS “Drone” Search and Rescue & Thermal Imaging Trophy Club, TX 

22-26 5 Day Use of Force and Officer Involved Shooting by LLRMI New Braunfels 

22-26 Covert Entry Specialist I & II Course Dallas, TX 

22-26 Covert Entry Specialist I & II Course Dallas , TX 

22-26 Death and Homicide Investigation *BY PATC Texas City, TX 

23-26 Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing Angleton, TX 

23-26 Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing San Marcos, TX 

29-31 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - 

DECEMBER 

JANUARY 

Real World Training for the Real Police 

Georgetown, TX 

Send your calendar listings to: 

bluespdmag@gmail.com 

98 The BLUES

The BLUES 99

100 The BLUES

The BLUES 101

102 The BLUES

The BLUES 103

HONORING OUR 

DEPUTY SHERIFF ALEJANDRO MARTINEZ 

104 The BLUES 

POLICE MAGAZINE 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPT. CALIFORNIA 

END OF WATCH FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2023 

AGE: 27 TOUR: 2 MONTHS BADGE: N/A 

Deputy Sheriff Alejandro Martinez succumbed to injuries sustained on November 16th, 2022, as he and other 

recruits from Academy Class 464 ran in formation as part of their morning physical fitness routine. The academy 

class of 75 recruits was running in formation when an oncoming vehicle veered over the center line and 

struck the group near the intersection of Mills Avenue and Telegraph Road in Whittier. A total of 25 recruits 

were struck by the vehicle before it came to a stop. Twelve of the recruits suffered critical injuries that ended 

their careers. Deputy Martinez was sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy two weeks after the incident. He remained 

hospitalized in critical condition until succumbing to his injuries eight months later. Deputy Martinez was a U.S. 

Army National Guard veteran and had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for only eight 

weeks at the time he was injured. He is survived by his father and sister.

FALLEN HEROES 

DEPUTY MARSHAL BARRY GIGLIO 

VILLE PLATTE MARSHAL’S OFFICE, LOUISIANA 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, JULY 31, 2023 

AGE: 65 TOUR: 25 YEARS BADGE: N/A 

Deputy Marshal Barry Giglio was shot and killed at about 8:30 pm while assisting the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s 

Office in serving a warrant in the 100 block of West Beauregard Street. A subject at the residence opened fire 

on the officers, killing Deputy Marshal Giglio and critically wounding a sheriff’s deputy. A civilian was also shot and 

killed. The subject was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder. 

Deputy Marshal Giglio had served with the Ville Platte Marshal’s Office for 10 years and previously served with the 

Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office for 15 years. He is survived by his son and two granddaughters. 

The BLUES POLICE The MAGAZINE BLUES 105

HONORING OUR 

SERGEANT PEDRO TORRES-SANTOS 

TRUJILLO ALTO MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPT. PUERTO RICO 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, JULY 31, 2023 

AGE: 47 TOUR: 27 YEARS BADGE: 8-016 

Sergeant Pedro Torres-Santos was shot and killed in a targeted drive-by shooting as he stood in front of a 

store with other officers while working a secondary employment job. He and two other officers were standing 

in front of the store, at the intersection of Highway 181 and Highway 851 in Trujillo Alto, when a vehicle drove 

by and an occupant inside opened fire on them. All three officers were struck by the gunfire. Sergeant Torres-Santos 

succumbed to his wounds and the other two officers were seriously wounded. 

Sergeant Torres-Santos had served with the Trujillo Alto Municipal Police Department for 27 years and was 

one of its first officers when the agency was formed. He is survived by his wife and children. 

106 The BLUES 

POLICE MAGAZINE

FALLEN HEROES 

DEPUTY SHERIFF TIMOTHY J. GUYER 

JOHNSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, INDIANA 

END OF WATCH TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2023 

AGE: 49 TOUR: 8 MONTHS BADGE: 41-65 

Deputy Sheriff Tim Guyer suffered a heart attack after completing mandatory physical training at the Indiana 

Law Enforcement Academy at 5402 Sugar Grove Road in Plainfield. Deputy Guyer returned to his dormitory 

room to clean up after physical training. At 7:30 am, he was found unresponsive in his room when he did not 

report for breakfast. Despite life-saving measures, he was unable to be revived. 

Deputy Guyer had served with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office for eight months. He is survived by his wife 

and four children. 


HONORING OUR 

POLICE OFFICER MATTHEW HARE 

EASLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT, SOUTH CAROLINA 

END OF WATCH WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2023 

AGE: 22 TOUR: 5 MONTHS BADGE: N/A 

Police Officer Matthew Hare was struck and killed by an Amtrak train near the 2000 block of East Main Street 

while attempting to pull a suicidal subject from the railroad tracks. The subject had called 911 at about 5:00 

am while suffering a mental crisis. Officer Hare and another officer located the subject on the tracks at about 

6:00 am as the oncoming train approached. The officers were removing the subject from the tracks when 

Officer Hare was fatally struck. Neither the other officer nor the subject was injured. 

Officer Hare had graduated from the police academy only five months earlier. He s survived by his mother, 

brother, aunt, grandparents, cousin, and stepsister. 

108 The BLUES 

POLICE MAGAZINE

FALLEN HEROES 

POLICE OFFICER JONAH OSWALD 

FAIRWAY POLICE DEPARTMENT, KANSAS 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2023 

AGE: 29 TOUR: 6 YEARS BADGE: 5801 

Police Officer Jonah Oswald succumbed to gunshot wounds he received when he attempted to arrest two 

subjects who fled from officers in a stolen vehicle. Officers from neighboring agencies, including the Fairway 

Police Dept, assisted in the pursuit on Interstate 35 until the subjects crashed their vehicle and ran into the 

QuikTrip at 4700 Lamar Avenue in Mission. Officer Oswald and other officers entered the store, and when 

officers attempted to arrest the subjects, gunfire broke out. Officer Oswald was critically injured and transported 

to the hospital where he succumbed to his wounds the next day. fficer Oswald was a United States Army 

Reserve veteran who had served with the Fairway Police Department for four years and previously served with 

the Buckner Police Department. He is survived by his wife and two children. 


HONORING OUR 

OFFICER BILL SAPOLU 

HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT, HAWAII 


AGE: N/A TOUR: 21 YEARS BADGE: 2229 

Officer Bill Sapolu succumbed to injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash on Farrington Highway, east of Fort 

Barrette Road in Kapolei, on July 11th, 2023. He was responding to backup another officer on a weapons 

violation call at about 9:00 pm when his motorcycle struck a concrete median. He was thrown from the motorcycle 

and sustained serious injuries. He remained in critical condition until his organs could be donated. 

Officer Sapolu was a U.S. Army National Guard veteran and had served with the Honolulu 

Police Department for 21 years. He is survived by his wife and children. 

110 The BLUES 

POLICE MAGAZINE

FALLEN HEROES 

SPECIAL AGENT PATRICK BAUER 

IRS - CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS 

END OF WATCH THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2023 

AGE: 47 TOUR: N/A BADGE: N/A 

Special Agent Patrick Bauer was inadvertently shot and killed while participating in departmental firearms 

training in Phoenix, Arizona. Members of IRS Criminal Investigation and other federal agencies were using the 

shooting range at Federal Correctional Institute Phoenix when Special Bauer was inadvertently shot by another 

agent. He was transported to HonorHealth Deer Valley Medical Center where he succumbed to his wounds. 

Special Agent Bauer was a veteran of the Arizona Air National Guard. He is survived by his wife and four children. 


HONORING OUR 

OFFICER BRYAN HOLLEY 

HUDSON ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT, TEXAS 

END OF WATCH FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2023 


Officer Bryan Holley suffered a fatal medical emergency shortly after performing afternoon traffic control at 

Bonner Elementary School in Lufkin, Texas. He collapsed at about 4:10 pm after completing the traffic control 

assignment. 

Officer Holley had served with the Hudson Independent School District Police Department 

for 10 years and had served in law enforcement for 31 years. He had previously served with 

the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office for 17 years and the Angelina County Constable’s Office 

- Precinct 1 for four years. He is survived by his wife, four children, and three grandchildren. 

112 The BLUES 

POLICE MAGAZINE

FALLEN HEROES 

POLICE OFFICER ANTHONY FRANCONE 

PYRAMID LAKE PAIUTE TRIBAL POLICE DEPARTMENT 

END OF WATCH FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2023 


Police Officer Anthony Francone was struck and killed by a vehicle after a pursuit south of Nixon, Nevada. The 

pursuit went to the area of Route 446 and Route 447 where he was struck. 

Officer Francone had previously served with the Storey County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years. 


HONORING OUR 

SHERIFF ROBERT RODGERS 

114 The BLUES 

POLICE MAGAZINE 

WILCOX COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, GEORGIA 


AGE: 52 TOUR: 22 YEARS BADGE: N/A 

Sheriff Robert Rodgers was killed in a vehicle crash while responding to a domestic call at 

4:09 p.m. He was traveling on Highway 233 when his patrol vehicle left the roadway near 

Matthews Road. He struck a tree, and the impact overturned his vehicle on the driver’s side. 

Sheriff Rodgers died at the scene. 

Sheriff Rodgers was elected Sheriff in 2016 and was serving his second term with the 

Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office. He had served 15 years in law enforcement before being 

elected Sheriff.

FALLEN HEROES 

DEPUTY SHERIFF MATTHEW PIERSON 

SHELBY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, TEXAS 


AGE: 25 TOUR: 5 DAYS BADGE: 9454 

Deputy Sheriff Matthew Pierson was killed in a vehicle crash at the Texas State Highway 147 and Texas State 

Highway 103 intersection at 7:30 a.m. 

He was driving his patrol vehicle east on Texas Highway 103 and collided with a tractor-trailer while attempting 

to turn north on Texas State Highway 147. 

Deputy Pierson had served with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office for five days. 


WORDS BY WENDY GROSSMAN KANTOR 

MAUI: First Responders 

loose everything, but still go 

to work saving lives. 

“I felt like I needed to go to work and help wherever I could,” Ian Barnes, 

who was scheduled for a week of vacation on the mainland, tells PEOPLE. 

Ian Barnes was off duty when 

the Maui fires ravaged his home. 

After getting his two young kids 

to safety, the first responder 

joined the search and rescue efforts, 

working around the clock 

trying to find the people still 

missing after jumping into the 

ocean to flee the deadly Hawaiian 

fires. 

“I felt like I needed to go to 

work and help wherever I could,” 

Barnes, a 34-year-old Ocean 

Safety Officer, which is under the 

Fire Department in Maui, tells 

PEOPLE. 

“The least I could do is go to 

work and go try and find someone 

that needs help that had to 

jump in the water in the middle 

of the night and is actually still 

116 The BLUES 

116 The BLUES 

out there,” he adds. “Or find closure 

for somebody that is missing 

somebody that jumped in the 

water.” 

After becoming the deadliest 

wildfire in the U.S. in over a century, 

the death toll rise to 99 on 

Monday, and officials said earlier

this week that there could be 

around 1,000 missing. 

When the fires began on Aug. 

8, Barnes was hanging out with 

his two kids, ages 4 and 6. The 

power had been off since 4 a.m., 

so he ran out to buy ice and 

water. 

“I drove through some fire on 

the highway to get back to the 

apartment and then got all the 

stuff out of the fridge into the 

cooler,” he says. 

“Then like 30 minutes later you 

could see smoke kind of going 

over the building and it shaded 

out the sun. It got super dark, 

almost like it was nighttime,” he 

recalls. “When that happened, I 

realized that we should move up 

north.” 

He took his kids to a friend’s 

house a few miles away. “Then 

the wind shifted, and we decided 

that we had to get out of there,” 

The BLUES 117 

The BLUES 117

he adds. 

“We did search and recovery 

on the jet skis out in front of 

Lahaina. And then I did that for a 

couple days,” says Barnes, who 

specializes in water rescues. 

He had been scheduled for a 

week of vacation on the mainland 

for a week, but he stayed 

on island instead, helping. 

“Everybody’s doing something,” 

he says. “The smoke was still 

coming off the land. There’s a lot 

of diesel and gas in the water 

because the harbor burned 

down. A lot of boats floated out 

of the harbor that were stuck 

on the reef. A lot of debris in the 

water just from all the wind.” 

Barnes lived in a 5-story 

apartment building in Lahaina. 

“The whole thing burned down,” 

he says. 

Besides his car, the only thing 

Barnes saved was his two kids. 

“You realize what’s important 

when you have to evacuate,” he 

says. 

“It’s just crazy. Pretty much the 

whole city’s gone. Everything. 

Most of the buildings are homes, 

so everyone’s displaced and I 

mean, Hawaii’s hard to live in in 

general, so it’s not like a lot of 

people had a lot of savings and 

all that stuff. Everyone’s kind of 

in the same boat,” he says. “Everyone’s 

kind of worried about 

rebuilding and what they’re 

gonna do or if they had to move 

off island. A lot of jobs are gone 

too. All retail and restaurant jobs 

are gone. I don’t know if there’s 

enough jobs for everyone to even 

stay.” 

A GoFundMe page was established 

to help Barnes and other 

families who lost their homes in 

the deadly fire. 

“I’ve lived here 13 years. My 

kids were born here. This is all 

they know. This is my home now 

and I know they’ve given back so 

much to me, this community and 

all of people. And I just felt like 

if I could do anything, I had to,” 

he says. 

MAUI UPDATE: 

First Responders face arduous task of 

locating 500-1000 missing people. 

Two weeks after the devastating 

Maui fire ravaged the community 

of Lahaina and became 

the deadliest fire in U.S. history, 

law enforcement must now face 

the arduous challenge of accounting 

for hundreds and possibly 

thousands of missing people. 

Hawaii authorities must now 

determine how many among the 

500 to 1,000 unaccounted for individuals 

have perished and how 

many may have escaped the fire 

but remain uncontacted. 

As of the most recent update 

on August 22, 115 confirmed 

deaths have been reported. 

However, the number of missing 

individuals has raised significant 

hurdles for officials 

118 The BLUES 

attempting to assess the true 

extent of the tragedy. 

The situation echoes a similar 

one that unfolded in 2018 after 

a wildfire claimed 85 lives and 

razed Paradise, California. 

In that case, Butte County authorities 

collaborated with the 

local newspaper to publish a 

list of the missing, resulting in a 

substantial reduction from 1,300 

names to just a handful within a 

month. 

In contrast, Maui authorities 

have chosen not to make their 

list of missing individuals public. 

Adam Weintraub, spokesperson 

for the Hawaii Emergency 

Management Agency, cited 

uncertainties about privacy rules 

and concerns over potentially 

traumatizing families as reasons 

for their decision. 

A Maui County spokesperson 

confirmed to the AP that the 

identities of missing individuals 

would be kept private. 

“The names of, and any information 

related to the missing individuals, 

will not be published 

or be made publicly available at 

this time,” the spokesperson said. 

Addressing the discrepancy in 

reported missing individuals, 

Hawaii Governor Josh Green 

estimated over 1,000, while Maui 

Mayor Richard Bissen mentioned 

850. 

White House homeland security 

adviser Liz Sherwood-Ran-

dall stated that the count likely 

ranges from 500 to 800. 

Families and residents affected 

by the disaster are becoming 

increasingly frustrated as the 

search for their loved ones extends 

further. 

Questions have also arisen 

regarding the pace at which the 

names of the deceased are being 

made public, even after family 

notifications. 

The American Red Cross has 

also been involved in efforts to 

locate missing individuals, generating 

its own list separate from 

law enforcement. 

The volunteers have crosschecked 

names with emergency 

shelter registration records, 

contacted hospitals and scoured 

social media platforms in their 

efforts. 

As of now, they have successfully 

completed about 2,400 out 

of over 3,000 requests for reunification 

or welfare updates. 

Identifying human remains after 

such a catastrophic event is a 

lengthy and challenging process, 

according to experts. 

Because some bodies may 

have been cremated, traditional 

identification methods like DNA 

testing can be difficult. 

Vyto Babrauskas, president of 

fire safety research consulting 

firm Fire Science and Technology 

Inc., explained: “If you go to the 

extreme of things — if turned 

to ash — you’re not going to be 

able to identify anything.” 

The extreme nature of the disaster, 

including debris removal 

and excavation, further complicates 

recovery efforts. 

Reflecting on similar incidents, 

Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea 

shared his experience from the 

Paradise wildfire. 

According to Honea, he had a 

team of 10-15 detectives working 

tirelessly to narrow down 

the list of missing individuals, 

employing traditional detective 

techniques combined with visits 

to last known residences and 

reaching out via various communication 

platforms. 

“We had this Excel spreadsheet 

with the people’s names and any 

of the different information we 

had,” he said. “We’d then start 

working the cases similar to the 

way you work any other case to 

try to locate somebody.” 

As the situation on Maui continues 

to unfold rapidly, those 

who have endured similar tragedies 

are watching closely, empathizing 

with the victims and their 

families. 

Nearly 22 years after the 9/11 

terror attacks, which claimed 

nearly 3,000 lives, almost 1,100 

victims remain without identified 

remains. 

Some families, like that of 

Joseph Giaccone, have chosen 

to focus on cherished memories 

rather than pursuing potentially 

painful identifications. 

“It would just reinforce the 

horror that his person endured 

that day, and it would open 

wounds that I don’t think I want 

to open,” Giaccone said. 

The BLUES 119 

The BLUES 119

WORDS BY KERRY BREEN 

MAUI FIRE WAS HELL ON EARTH 

Maui residents along with first responders ran from the racing 

flames and jumped into the ocean that too was on fire. 

People in Lahaina, a Maui 

town almost entirely destroyed 

by fast-moving wildfires, have 

shared horrific tales of how they 

had to fight to escape the blaze. 

Some hid in the ocean to stay 

safe, while others took their 

chances driving out of town before 

traffic became impassable. 

Many are still searching for family, 

friends and loved ones. So far, 

at least 115 people are confirmed 

dead, with many more missing 

and few of the victims identified. 

Residents and tourists alike 

said they were caught in the 

fast-moving flames because 

they heard no emergency warnings, 

and had to think quickly to 

survive. 

Here are some of their stories: 

WOMEN VACATIONING IN 

MAUI SPENT HOURS IN HOTEL 

POOL SURROUNDED BY FLAMES 

Kristina Lee-Garrido told CBS 

News that she was on vacation 

with a friend when the fires 

started. They were in a rental 

unit, and soon, that building was 

on fire. 

“We were in our rooms and 

the front part of the building 

started on fire, so we ran to the 

back part, the pool, and it continued 

to burn while we were in 

the pool,” Lee-Garrido said. “We 

could not see another living soul. 

It was thick black smoke, so we 

knew we needed to get to the 

pool. There were no other options.” 

Video footage taken by her and 

her friend shows the building 

burning and smoke pouring into 

the sky, while a woman in the 

pool holds a piece of fabric over 

her face. Lee-Garrido said it took 

between two and a half to three 

hours for emergency responders 

to rescue them. 

“We jumped into the pool and 

stayed there, contacted EMS 

through the SOS system on our 

iPhone and they told us to wait. 

They said, ‘You’re in the safest 

place right now. Don’t move. 

We’ve pinged you.’ So we just 

waited for somebody to come 

and get us.” 

WOMAN SAYS SHE WATCHED 

FROM ROAD AS HER MOM’S 

HOUSE BURNED 

Katheleen Cardenas-Haro, a 

mom of two, told CBS News 

that she and her family left their 

house after seeing fires “taking 

a house each at a time and just 

going all over the neighborhood.” 

She, her husband and 

their children wound up standing 

on an overpass, where she 

saw her mother’s home was on 

fire. Because of communication 

issues, Cardenas-Haro wasn’t 

able to contact her mother or 

her siblings right away. 

120 The BLUES 

120 The BLUES

“There was no way to get to 

her or to see if the apartment 

was still standing,” Cardenas-Haro 

said. 

Thankfully, her mother survived, 

but Cardenas-Haro 

questioned the decision not to 

activate sirens that might have 

alerted people to danger earlier. 

“They should have ran the 

sirens, because even if it wasn’t 

a tsunami, people would have 

been aware something’s going 

on, taken a look outside, seen 

the fire coming to them,” Cardenas-Haro 

said. “A lot of people 

I guess couldn’t smell it. Maybe 

some were sleeping, all the kids 

with no school. That would have 

woken them up. That would have 

made them alert and see, but the 

fact is, they didn’t do that. I think 

that caused a lot, a lot of unnecessary 

loss.” 

COUPLE EXPECTING BABY IN 

JUST WEEKS RECALLS NAR- 

ROW ESCAPE 

Tasha Anderson and Kevin 

Campbell said in an appearance 

on CBS News that they hesitated 

to leave, because Anderson was 

eight months pregnant. 

“I was pretty adamant about 

not leaving, honestly,” Anderson 

said. I was like ‘This is our home, 

this is where we built our home 

and our nursery.’ Everything was 

there. If it weren’t for Kevin, we 

probably wouldn’t have left. He 

definitely made that call for the 

both of us, for all of us.” 

Campbell said he knew it was 

time to go when he rode his 

scooter down to the highway 

and caught a glimpse of the fire. 

He had already been concerned 

about high winds that he’d 

observed earlier in the day, and 

when he arrived at the highway, 

he saw that the flames were 

close - and moving fast. 

“We would’ve had to run at 

some point. I just made the call 

a little earlier,” Campbell said. 

“I came back to the house in a 

panic and tried to get the peo- 

The BLUES 121 

The BLUES 121

ple that I could get to get in the 

cars with us to go. We didn’t 

grab anything extra. I felt like we 

couldn’t leave fast enough.” 

WOMAN FLED THE FLAMES, 

THEN SPENT DAYS WAITING 

FOR AID 

Hotel manager Kawena Kahula 

told CBS News that she actually 

“blindly” drove into Lahaina, 

searching for her son, as the fires 

came closer to the town. She 

sat in traffic, in “fear and panic,” 

when she heard a man on a 

motorcycle warn another driver 

about the conditions ahead: “If 

you continue to head into Lahaina, 

you’re not gonna make it 

out alive.” She decided to turn 

back, returning to the hotel 

122 The BLUES 

where she worked, which was 

not burned. 

“There was a lot of emotional 

hotel workers there. There was a 

lot of sad stories. And my team 

members coming back to work, 

smelling like fire, in ash, black, 

crying, telling me, ‘I don’t have 

nothing left except this shirt. Can 

I please stay here?’” Kahula said. 

The workers and guests stayed 

in the hotel for several days. 

Kahula said they reached “a 

point to where we could only 

provide food for the children.” 

On Wednesday, she was able to 

drive out of the area, leading her 

to question why government aid 

took so long to arrive. 

Her son was also safe, and they 

have been reunited. 

“It’s hard. It’s really hard. I 

feel like there’s so much more 

that could have been done in 

different ways, you know? ... 

I’m not a first responder, I’m 

not a government official and 

a politician in any way,” Kahula 

said. “I don’t have any say or 

my hands in any part of that, 

but coming from the hospitality 

industry, we did everything 

we could there, you know, and 

I just feel, like, I feel like there 

should have been more done 

sooner, faster.” 

TEENAGERS SPENT HOURS 

IN THE OCEAN. 

Two Maui teenagers told CBS 

Colorado that they waded in 

the Pacific Ocean for five hours

after traffic made it impossible 

to drive out of Lahaina. The 

boys stood with their mother in 

chest- to shoulder-deep water, 

watching the flames roar. Their 

father was on the other side of 

the island, unable to communicate 

with them. 

“(It was) like last resort time, 

because the fire was like across 

the street at this point,” 19-yearold 

Noah Tomkinson said. “So, 

we were like, yeah, we’ve got 

to jump in the ocean... and then, 

once we got in the water, just 

all the wind and just all the fire, 

and the smog just are coming 

straight toward us.” 

WOMAN WHO LOST HOME 

SAID A FRIEND TOLD HER FAM- 

ILY TO FLEE. 

Pamela Reader, who lived in 

Lahaina with her family, told CBS 

News that it wasn’t an evacuation 

order or emergency siren 

that made her realize it was time 

to leave: It was a friend who 

was riding a bicycle, warning 

people it was time to go. 

“He had been on a bicycle, 

driving around our neighborhood, 

just telling people to get 

out, covered in soot, and I think 

that’s what made people take 

him seriously. He was clearly 

near the fire, and we knew it was 

coming closer,” Reader said. 

“By the time we got to our car, 

which wasn’t that far ... we 

saw flames maybe a block and 

a half away, two blocks away.” 

Reader said her home 

burned. She and her family are 

now in a rental home in South 

Maui, on the opposite side of 

the island from where the fires 

were. 

“Our whole town is gone. 

It’s insane,” said Reader. “My 

whole neighborhood is gone, 

my whole community. The 

places we go to eat dinner, 

where my daughters eat ice 

cream. We’re just devastated.” 

The BLUES 123 

The BLUES 123

A BADGE OF HONOR 

healing our heroes 

yrs. 

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-two 

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 

SAMANTHA HORWITZ & 

JOHN SALERNO 

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 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-two 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.” 

Samantha Horwitz & John 

Salerno are regular contributors 

to The Blues Police Magazine. 

124 The BLUES

The BLUES 125

DARYL LOTT 

daryl’s deliberations 

yrs. 

“There Stands Jackson Like a Stone Wall!” 

126 The BLUES 

When touring all the major 

battlefields of the Civil War, one 

cannot help but look upon the 

legendary officers of both sides 

with a sense of awe. Thomas 

J. Jackson is one that inspires 

many people to this day. There 

are monuments to him in several 

different places. His colorful 

nickname, “Stonewall”, contributed 

to his revered status in Virginia. 

That nickname has a Texan 

connection which is kind of an 

unusual story in itself. 

After General Sam 

Houston defeated 

Santa Anna at San 

Jacinto, he took the 

“Napoleon of the 

West” into custody. 

Many people wanted 

to hang Santa Anna, 

so Houston needed 

to do something 

with the dictator. He 

decided to send the 

maniac to Washington, 

DC and turn 

him over to President 

Andrew Jackson for 

his own safety. Houston 

thought President 

Jackson could resolve 

the dispute between 

Mexico and Texas. 

Santa Anna spent 

several days at the White House 

where President Jackson hosted 

a state dinner in his honor. “El 

Presidente” wanted to negotiate 

a purchase of Texas with Jackson, 

but he was rebuffed. Santa 

Anna was surprised at that because 

Mexico had been in negotiations 

to sell Texas for several 

years. The Mexicans previously 

strung Jackson along in purchase 

negotiations with the snag being 

the “green grease” they expected 

for the Mexican officials personally. 

This time it was the Americans 

who pushed back. Jackson 

said it would offend the Texans 

who conquered Texas with their 

own courage and military prowess. 

Jackson then put Santa Anna 

on a USN vessel and sent him to 

Vera Cruz where he would continue 

to cause mischief. 

When Houston sent Santa 

DARYL LOTT 

Anna to Washington, 

the mission was 

overseen by a Texan 

officer named Bernard 

Bee. Bee took 

the Mexican dictator 

to Washington 

under guard. Santa 

Anna had no uniform 

as his were ripped to 

shreds at San Jacinto 

with Bowie knives 

and Texan steel. 

Santa Anna asked 

Bee for a loan so he 

could procure a fine 

suit of clothing fit 

for a head of state. 

Bee provided his 

personal funds and 

“his excellency” was 

outfitted for a state 

visit at the White House. 

Fifteen years passed and Bee 

found himself on a battlefield in 

Manassas, Virginia. Union troops 

were pressing the Alabama

ebels under Bee’s command 

in the Civil War’s first major 

battle. He saw the Virginian 

standing like a “stone wall” 

and supplied Thomas J Jackson 

the moniker that would 

stick with him the rest of his 

life and beyond. The South 

won the battle that day owing 

much of their success to 

a previously unknown officer, 

and the “Legend of Stonewall 

Jackson” was born. 

Incidentally, if you are wondering, 

Santa Anna never 

repaid his debt to Bee. 

Questions or Comments? DarylLott.Texas@gmail.com 

Photos: Jackson Monument, 

Manassas and monument at 

the location where Jackson 

fell at Chancellorsville. 

The BLUES 127

HONORING FA 

“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 

128 The BLUES 

POLICE MAGAZINE

LEN HEREOS 

yrs. 

AS OF 6/16/23 

Total Grants Awarded to Injured First Responders: 48 

Total Amount Awarded: $437,500 

Total Funds Awarded to Families of Fallen Heroes: 47 

Total Amount Awarded: $317,951 

Funds/Equipment Awarded to K9 Officers: $40,150.10 

Total Amount of Grants Given: $795,601.10 

- - - - 

2023 Run Tracker: 

Total Miles Run in 2023: (as of 8/13/23): 149 

- Zechariah - 56 

- Jayden - 11 

- Andrew - 16 

- Giuliana - 5 

- Anthony - 12 

- Morgan - 29 

- Theresa - 2 

Total Miles Run in 2022: 325 




Overall Miles Run: 1,557 

Overall Miles Run (K9’s): 73 

- - - - - - - - - 

2022 Run Stats: 

Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen LEO’s (Non COVID-19): 135 

Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen Firefighters (Non COVID-19): 80 

Total Miles Run for Non-LODD/Suicide: 13 

Total Miles Run for 2022 Fallen Canada LEO’s: 3 

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: 17 

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 

The BLUES 129

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

blue mental health 

yrs. 

Toxic Public Safety Leadership 

and Employee Mental Health 

Part 2 

I had the opportunity recently 

to read the valuable 

book titled Toxic Boss Blues 

(2014) written by Steve Neal, 

a tough, experienced, and retired 

police officer who confronts 

the sometimes noxious 

nature of leadership in law 

enforcement. This is a mustread 

and I have included some 

excerpts below as we continue 

to discussion on the negative 

impact on officer mental 

health. 

Neal offers the following 

important insight: 

Mean-spirited, malicious, 

discourteous, discriminatory, 

or deliberately hurtful behavior 

toward law enforcement 

officers by their bosses should 

never be acceptable. The 

“contempt of cops” by those 

in the chain of command creates 

toxic boss blues. Poisonous 

bosses who devalue, denigrate, 

chastise, and humiliate 

in the name of discipline and 

learning operate from a platform 

of ignorant aggression. 

Great leaders combine dignity 

and decency with order, 

prerogative, and governance. 

The best amongst us understand 

that treating other people 

as if they matter encourages 

constructive relationships 

that pay huge dividends in the 

workplace. Civility, tact, and 

gracefulness are sophisticated 

leadership skills that facilitate 

greater employee pride, 

self-respect, purpose in our 

work, and enhancement of 

our product. 

Law enforcement is one of 

the most noble and awe-inspiring 

professions in the 

world. Nearly all peace officers 

join the family of public 

safety because they hold honorable 

and principled belief 

systems close to their hearts. 

Our brothers and sisters 

demonstrate enormous integrity, 

are filled with compassion, 

and truly serve the needs 

of others every single day. 

Public safety officers willingly 

put themselves in harm’s way 

and live the biblical quote 

“Greater love hath no man 

than this, one lay down his life 

for his friends.” Law enforcement 

brethren keep the peace 

and ensure the security of the 

homeland. 

In law enforcement circles, 

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

it is often said that threats 

from the street are potentially 

lethal, but that the threat 

from the enemy within is a far 

worse hazard to a law officer’s 

health and well-being. 

When nastiness is allowed 

to flourish in a toxic management 

culture; confidence, 

assertiveness, decisiveness, 

teamwork, and values-based 

supervision can transform 

into vicious bullying, untruthfulness, 

arrogance, indecisiveness, 

immorality, micromanagement, 

revenge, and 

retribution. The evil of toxicity 

and negative behavior exposes 

our peace-keeping warriors to 

unnecessary and potentially 

life-threatening dilemmas. 

Another way of looking at 

the oddly paradoxical problem 

of public safety toxicity 

is through the lens of excessive 

force. The application of 

130 The BLUES

excessive, unnecessary, or 

improper use of force against 

the public is rightly one of 

law enforcement’s pivotal 

issues. Yet, far too many 

officers are experiencing 

unnecessary, unreasonable, 

and repugnant psychological 

force heaped upon them by 

their own bosses. Why are 

toxic bosses allowed to get 

away with applying indecent 

prerogative to their organization’s 

most valuable assets? 

Agencies with high turnover 

and low morale have 

a plethora of incompetent 

toxic authority figures. The 

most valuable weapons 

against management tyranny; 

knowledge, courage, and 

righteousness, will help to 

marginalize the enemy within 

and mitigate the toxicity. 

Those best able to accurately 

identify the toxic threats, 

understand their impact, and 

implement effective survival 

techniques are those most 

likely to persevere and prosper. 

The goal of Toxic Boss 

Blues is to keep law enforcement 

employees healthy by 

identifying and neutralizing 

the deadly management viruses 

that combine to form 

the killer from within. 

Toxic Boss Blues can be 

purchased at ToxicBoss- 

Blues.com, Amazon.com, and 

BarnesandNoble.com. 

The BLUES 131

NOT SO BRIGHT AWARD 

Light Bulb Award 

yrs. 

THE UN-HONORABLE 

Harris County Judge DaSean Jones 

First off Judge Jones, you need 

to wipe that smug-ass expression 

off your face as if you’re some bad 

ass judge that takes no shit and 

puts bad guys away. You are worse 

than those bad guys. Your record 

speaks for itself. Your actions have 

resulted in thousands of innocent 

citizens being victimized repeatedly 

by thugs you let out on low bonds, 

PR bonds, and probation. You have 

NO moral compass. I think you 

could care less that your actions on 

the bench end up hurting the very 

people that elected you in the first 

place. 

The Harris County Deputies’ Organization 

is calling for you to resign 

after a criminal you released on 

bail, shot multiple law enforcement 

officers and ultimately caused the 

destruction of home in Humble. 

Last week, a Harris County deputy 

was shot while conducting a 

traffic stop by a man who has had 

multiple felony convictions. Terran 

Green, a convicted felon, shot at the 

officer before fleeing and shooting 

two U.S. Marshals and another deputy. 

He then barricaded himself in 

a home before eventually agreeing 

to surrender following an extended 

standoff. 

Green’s previous felony convictions 

include aggravated assault 

with a deadly weapon and two 

counts of possession with intent to 

distribute a controlled substance. 

For his convictions, he was sentenced 

to 10 years in prison in 2011 

132 The BLUES 

and two years in 

2017. After being 

released from jail, 

he continued to 

have run-ins with 

the law, leading 

to multiple warrants 

being issued 

for his arrest in 

March and placing 

him on the list of 

the Texas 10 Most 

Wanted Fugitives 

compiled by the 

Texas Department 

of Public Safety. 

The judge we speak of, is Harris 

County Judge DaSean Jones, who 

presides over Texas’ 180th District 

Court. Jones allowed Green to be 

released on a low $55,000 bond 

earlier this year. As a result, Green 

was allowed back on the streets 

and failed to follow bond conditions 

and appear in court. Following 

Green’s recent arrest, the Harris 

County Deputies’ Organization is 

calling for Judge Jones to resign 

or be removed, citing his failure in 

allowing Green to roam free. 

“Judge DaSean Jones has a documented 

history of giving PR Bonds 

and low bonds to habitual, violent 

offenders. This isn’t the first instance 

where his low bonds have put law 

enforcement in danger,” David 

Cuevas, the president of HCDO told 

Texas Scorecard. “Community safety 

matters. The defendant’s criminal 

history matters. None of these are 

things Judge DaSean Jones considers 

or cares about. He is unfit 

to be on the bench and he should 

resign or be removed.” 

Green is currently charged with 

four counts of attempted capital 

murder of a police officer. Out of 

the four officers shot, only one 

was severely injured. 

Judge Jones has not responded 

to a request for comment, 

nor did we expect him too. To 

the citizens of Harris County 

that elected this clown to office, 

you might want to consider 

your voting options in the future. 

Unless of course you like the fact 

that judges let people like Terran 

Green out on bound to shoot 

people and rain terror down on 

your neighborhoods. Elections 

have consequences and Jones is a 

perfect example of who NOT TO 

ELECT in the next election.

CHICAGO 

THE 

MAYOR, 

UN-HONORABLE 

STILL A MORON 

WORTHLESS JUDGE 

WORTHLESS CROOK 

CROOK ON A ROOK 

THE ROOK 

THE LANDLORD “HOLY SHIT” 

The BLUES 133


134 The BLUES 

134 The BLUES

The BLUES 135 

The BLUES 135


136 The BLUES

The BLUES 137 

The BLUES 137

THERE ARE 

parting shots... 

138 The BLUES

NO WORDS 

yrs. 

... pardon our humor 

The BLUES 139

140 The BLUES 

140 The BLUES

yrs. 

POLICE SUPPLIES 

choose the heading 

add your logo 

add a photo 

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 over hundreds of brands and 

products, and constantly adding more, 

we are confident we can fulfill your 

needs. 

“If you provide good service and a 

fair price, customers will talk about 

you and come back. It’s that simple!” 

Rick Fernandez 

up to 250 word to describe your business 

The BLUES 141 

The BLUES 141

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

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 Alan or Blake Helfman at 713-524- 

3801 when you are ready to purchase 

your next vehicle. It will be the best 

car buying experience you’ve ever had. 

AUTOMOTIVE 

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. 

E-BIKES 

Every community deals with contemporary 

problems concerning officer 

and public safety, such as homelessness, 

mental issues, family disputes, 

and outright crime. There is the added 

burden of reporting to various state and 

federal agencies. For over 35 years, 

the Cardinal Tracking Suite of Public 

Safety products has offered agencies a 

cost-effective solution to gather essential 

information that increases operational 

efficiency, policing effectiveness, 

and citizen safety. 

With Cardinal Tracking, agencies gain 

access to software, hardware, and 

services that streamline management 

report generation, as well as prompt 

and knowledgeable customer service 

with real people. Our comprehensive 

product lineup includes: 

MobileCite – eCitation issuance 

MobileLink - Field Reporting 

BALLISTICS 

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 

142 The BLUES 

142 The BLUES 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE 

INFORMATION 

SAN DIMAS, CA – As law enforcement 

agencies strive to enhance their capabilities 

and adapt to the evolving needs 

of modern policing, one company has 

taken a giant leap forward in creating 

a purpose-built solution. Introducing 

the ATR 528 Law Enforcement eBike, by 

American Bike Patrol Services—a remarkable 

two-wheeled marvel meticulously 

crafted over 18 months with an 

unwavering focus on delivering unrivaled 

performance, tactical attributes, 

and reliability. With its groundbreaking 

features and cutting-edge design, the 

ATR 528 sets a new standard for police 

eBikes worldwide. 

Public Safety Software 

“Protection... Revolutionized” Law 

enforcement agencies need ballistically 

capable products that offer mobility and 

maneuverability. In tactical situations, 

your agency likely utilizes an armored 

vehicle. Do you consider it to be ‘fast’ 

and ‘maneuverable’? TC Burton offers 

the LD-1, which will change the face of 

law enforcement and security forever. 

The LD-1 is a patented, lightweight, 

ballistic armor kit for a single-rider ATV 

that utilizes a laser cut steel exoskeleton 

integrated with NIJ III capable ballistic 

panels that can stop up to a 7.62x51mm 

round, which includes AR-15 and AK-47. 

It is the next generation of ballistically 

capable kits for vehicle protection; 

offering law enforcement protected maneuverability 

and speed in all outdoor 

terrain, but also including tight indoor 

spaces such as school corridors, malls, 

freight elevators and warehouses. 

To learn more, visit us at www.tcburton.com

yrs. 

POLICE SUPPLIES 

GUNS/AMMO 

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 over hundreds 

of brands and products, and constantly 

adding more, we are confident we can 

fulfill your needs. 

“If you provide good service and 

a fair price, customers will talk 

about you and come back. It’s that 

simple!” Rick Fernandez 

Supporting Law 

Enforcement in 

TEXAS 

ProForce’s commitment to providing excellent customer 

service is a key element in the company’s success 

throughout the western United States. As a relative newcomer 

in the state of TEXAS ProForce has been welcomed with open 

arms by the law enforcement community. 

ProForce’s relationships with top industry manufacturers 

and vendors, as well as their sales volume, allows them 

to negotiate better pricing to meet the budgetary needs 

of law enforcement agencies. While some vendors may 

not always have product availability in a timely manner. 

ProForce’s industry relationships and direct contact through 

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. 

“ 

Working with PROFORCE through the 

bidding and purchasing of the M&P 2.0’s was 

very easy and simple. We added the ACRO red 

dot along with the holster and the light. This 

purchase was simple and easy. 

The troops love the improvement to the 2.0 

and the red dot. 

Lt. Socha. Austin PD. 

“ 

#X300U-A #13353 #200691 

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/ 

Inset: Dan Rooney ProForce President 

The company features an excellent selection of high demand 

law enforcement firearms, equipment and accessories from 

great manufacturers such as: 

Axon/Taser, Aimpoint, Beretta, Colt, H&K, Bola Wrap, 

Bianchi, Smith & Wesson, Eotech, Daniel Defense, 

NightStick, Sig Sauer, Kimber, Otis, Defense Technology, 

Shadow Systems, Magpul, L3 Harris, Burris, Mossberg, 

Ruger, Streamlight, Safariland, Springfield, Blackhawk, 

Holosun, Trijicon, Vortex, Surefire, Us Peacekeeper ,OSS, 

Nightstick, FNH USA and UTM. 

Proforce takes great pride in distributing high quality public 

safety products from top tier manufacturers and this 

transaction has set a trend for many other law enforcement 

agencies in the State of Texas. 

Agency demonstrations, test and evaluation 

of products is available upon request. Ask us 

about trade-ins! We will buy your agency duty or 

confiscated firearms, any model and condition! 

First class customer support and quality service 

makes PROFORCE the number one choice for first 

responder equipment and accessories! 

Call (800) 367-5855 

Email: sales@proforceonline.com or 

visit our website 

www.proforceonline.com 

SEND US AN EMAIL 

SCAN THE QR CODE 

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 

The BLUES 143

LEARN MORE 

ATR 

528 

1000W MOTOR 

DUAL BATTERY 

REINFORCED 

FRAME 

UPGRADED 

COMPONENTS 

144 The BLUES 

144 The BLUES

yrs. 

ALL FIRST RESPONDERS & VETERANS 

10% OFF A NEW INTERIOR 

FOR YOUR CAR,TRUCK OR SUV 

12722 Hwy. 3 Webster, Texas • 281-486-9739 

CLICK HERE FOR WEBSITE 

The BLUES 145 

The BLUES 145

NOW HIRING 

LE job positions 

yrs. 

Victoria County Sheriff's Office Get Info School Resource Officer 09/03/2023 - 5pm 

Rusk Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

Saginaw Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/23/2023 - 5pm 

Bulverde Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

Blanco Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

Harris County Sheriffs Office Get Info LATERAL DEPUTY 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

Freestone County Attorney's Office Get Info Investigator 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

City of Leonard Get Info Police Officer 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

Beaumont Police Dept. Get Info Police Cadet 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

Beaumont Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

Northside ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

Port Aransas Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 09/30/2023 - 5pm 

Trinity University Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

Corpus Christi ISD PD Get Info Police Officer 09/01/2023 - 5pm 

Highland Park DPS Get Info Police Officer/Firefighter 09/09/2023 - 5pm 

Texas A&M University Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/09/2023 - 5pm 

Travis Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff - Facilities 09/08/2023 - 5pm 

LCRA Public Safety Department Get Info Ranger II 09/09/2023 - 5pm 

Colorado City Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 09/01/2023 - 5pm 

Colorado City Police Dept. Get Info School Resource Officer 09/01/2023 - 5pm 

Ennis ISD Police Dept. Get Info Police Officers 09/10/2023 - 5pm 

Clute Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/10/2023 - 5pm 

Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/11/2023 - 5pm 

Andrews County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy 09/14/2023 - 5pm 

Gruver ISD Get Info School Resource Officer 09/12/2023 - 5pm 

Brown County Water Improvement District Get Info Lake Patrol Officer 09/08/2023 - 5pm 

Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 09/15/2023 - 5pm 

Seguin Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/20/2023 - 5pm 

Flower Mound Police Dept. Get Info Certified Police Officer 09/15/2023 - 5pm 

Groveton Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/08/2023 - 5pm 

Westover Hills Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 09/19/2023 - 5pm 

Seadrift Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/01/2023 - 5pm 

Edwards County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 09/18/2023 - 5pm 

Richland Hills Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/25/2023 - 5pm 

Clifton Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/26/2023 - 5pm 

Tarleton State University Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/25/2023 - 5pm 

Grand Prairie Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/16/2023 - 5pm 

Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 09/25/2023 - 5pm 

Real County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 09/29/2023 - 5pm 

Victoria Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/29/2023 - 5pm 

Hutto Police Department Get Info Police Cadet 09/29/2023 - 5pm 

Brookshire Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/29/2023 - 5pm 

Farmers Branch Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer - entry 09/30/2023 - 5pm 

Farmers Branch Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer - lateral 09/30/2023 - 5pm 

Lindale Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/25/2023 - 5pm 

Killeen Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/15/2023 - 5pm 

Nassau Bay Police Dept. Get Info Patrol Officer 10/01/2023 - 5pm 

Bastrop Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/01/2023 - 4pm 

Liberty Police Department Get Info Detective 10/01/2023 - 5pm 

Liberty Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 10/01/2023 - 5pm 

146 The BLUES

Burnet Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/02/2023 - 5pm 

Burnet Police Department Get Info School Resource Officer 10/02/2023 - 5pm 

Polk Co. Fire Marshal's Office Get Info Environmental Enforcement Officer 10/04/2023 - 5pm 

Anderson County Criminal District Attorney Get Info Investigator 10/06/2023 - 5pm 

Chapel Hill ISD Get Info Police Officer 10/06/2023 - 5pm 

Lancaster ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/07/2023 - 5pm 

Georgetown Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer - Lateral 10/09/2023 - 5pm 

Katy Police Dept. Get Info Police Officer 09/15/2023 - 5pm 

Corsicana Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/30/2023 - 8am 

Pflugerville ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/01/2023 - 5pm 

Ellis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 09/30/2023 - 5pm 

Oak Ridge North Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/10/2023 - 5pm 

Denison Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/22/2023 - 5pm 

Addison Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/15/2023 - 5pm 

Erath County Attorney's Office 

Get Info Police OfficerPre-trial Investigator/Officer 10/01/2023 - 5pm 

Pflugerville Police Department Get Info Officer 10/15/2023 - 5pm 

City of Bulverde Police Get Info Police Officer 10/16/2023 - 5pm 

Richardson Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/16/2023 - 5pm 

Schleicher County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 10/16/2023 - 5pm 

Crowley Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/16/2023 - 5pm 

Mesquite Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/13/2023 - 5pm 

Travis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Law Enforcement Deputy 09/08/2023 - 5pm 

University of North Texas Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/13/2023 - 5pm 

City of Mexia Police Department Get Info Chief of Police 09/08/2023 - 5pm 

Town of Fulton Get Info Chief of Police 09/01/2023 - 5pm 

Dallam County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 10/17/2023 - 5pm 

Dallas County Marshal Service Get Info Deputy Marshal 10/14/2023 - 5pm 

City of Lakeway Get Info Police Officer 09/21/2023 - 5pm 

Westover Hills Police Department Get Info Patrol Officers 10/20/2023 - 5pm 

Eastland County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officers 10/20/2023 - 5pm 

Mills County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 10/15/2023 - 5pm 

City of Lockhart Get Info Police Officer 09/06/2023 - 5pm 

Texas State Technical College Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/17/2023 - 5pm 

Hartley County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 10/21/2023 - 5pm 

Alabama-Coushatta Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 10/24/2023 - 5pm 

Ore City Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/15/2023 - 5pm 

Knox City Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/23/2023 - 5pm 

Aransas Pass Police Department Get Info Harbor Safety & Enforcement Officer 10/23/2023 - 5pm 

Rollingwood Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 10/23/2023 - 5pm 

Onalaska Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

Harris County Sheriff's Office Get Info Part-Time Deputy - Bailiff 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

Ore City Police Department Get Info Chief of Police 09/30/2023 - 5pm 

Lamar CISD Police Department Get Info Police Lieutenant 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

West Orange-Cove CISD Get Info School Police Officer 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

Natalia Police Department Get Info Patrol Officers 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

League City Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

Bexar County Hospital District Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

Round Rock ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

Lamar CISD Police Department Get Info Police Lieutenant 10/27/2023 - 5pm 

West University Place Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/20/2023 - 5pm 

Ore City Police Department Get Info Police Sergeant 10/20/2023 - 5pm 

UT System Police Department Get Info Police Inspector II 10/20/2023 - 5pm 

Metro Transit Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/30/2023 - 5pm 

Anderson County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy 10/29/2023 - 5pm 

Aldine ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 10/29/2023 - 5pm 

Lockhart Police Department Get Info Police Officer 09/06/2023 - 5pm 

The BLUES 147

STATEWIDE VACANCIES FOR JAILERS 

Victoria County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 09/03/2023 - 5pm 

Rusk Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

Harris County Sheriffs Office Get Info Detention Officer 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

Travis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Corrections Officer 09/09/2023 - 5pm 

Flower Mound Police Dept. Get Info Detention Services Officer 09/15/2023 - 5pm 

Real County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Dispatcher/Jailer 09/29/2023 - 5pm 

Tarrant County Sheriffs Office Get Info Detention Officer 10/06/2023 - 5pm 

Ellis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 10/01/2023 - 5pm 

Hood County Sheriff Office Get Info Jailer 10/01/2023 - 5pm 

Richardson Police Department Get Info Detention Officer 10/16/2023 - 5pm 

Anderson County Sheriff's Office Get Info County Jailer - Sergeant 10/29/2023 - 5pm 

Anderson County Sheriff's Office Get Info County Jailer 10/29/2023 - 5pm 

STATEWIDE VACANCIES TELECOMMUNICATION OPERATOR 

Rusk Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Telecommunicator 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

Harris County Sheriffs Office Get Info Communications Officer 09/04/2023 - 5pm 

City of Austin Get Info Emergency Communications Manager 09/05/2023 - 5pm 

City of Katy Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 09/09/2023 - 5pm 

Colorado City Police Dept. Get Info Telecommunicator 09/01/2023 - 5pm 

Manvel Police Department Get Info Telecommunications Operator 09/10/2023 - 5pm 

Flower Mound Police Dept. Get Info Communications Officer 09/15/2023 - 5pm 

North Richland Hills Police Department Get Info Dispatcher Manager / Supervisor 09/19/2023 - 5pm 

Corsicana Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 09/18/2023 - 4pm 

Tarrant County Sheriffs Office Get Info Dispatch 09/30/2023 - 5pm 

Richardson Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 10/08/2023 - 5pm 

Crowley Police Department Get Info Telecommunicator 10/16/2023 - 5pm 

Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Police Dept. Get Info Telecommunicator 11/30/2023 - 5pm 

Williamson County Emergency Communications Get Info Telecommunications Officer 09/27/2023 - 5pm 

Guadalupe County Sheriff's Office Get Info Dispatch 10/23/2023 - 5pm 

148 The BLUES

The BLUES 149

150 The BLUES

JOIN OUR TEAM! 

ARANSAS PASS POLICE DEPARTMENT 

IS HIRING FOR 

TCOLE CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICERS 

The Aransas Pass Police Department is a progressive agency, employing some of the sharpest 

minds and equipping them with some of the best technology available. We continue to seek 

applications from those desiring to become part of our law enforcement family. 

Making a positive dierence in our community is what APPD is all about! Are you in? 

Opportunities 

Bike Patrol 

Crisis Intervention Team 

DEA Task Force 


Gang/Narcotics Investigations 

Criminal Investigations Div. 

Marine Patrol & Dive Team 


School Resource Officer 

TCOLE Training Instructor 

Salary 

Annual Salary: 

$44,200.00 Base 

$6,600 Retention Stipend 

Hourly Incentives: 

$1.50 Max for College Degree 

$0.50 Per TCOLE License Step 

$0.50 Bi-Lingual 

$0.50 Special Assignment 

Benefits 

Paid Bereavement Leave 

Cell Phone 

Holiday Pay/Leave 

Longevity Pay 

Paid Personal Leave 

Sick Leave 

TMRS Retirement (2:1 at 6%) 

Tuition Reimbursement 

Vacation Leave 

Weapon Purchase Program 

Point of contact: Administrative Captain Troy Poe (361) 758-5224 ext. 2421 or tpoe@aptx.gov 

For an application or more information visit: police.aptx.gov/jobs 

The BLUES 151 

The City of Aransas Pass is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability.

ALDINE ISD 


JOIN OUR TEAMAPPLY AT 

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 


• Paid Vacation 

• Paid Holidays 

• Personal Days 

• Teacher Retirement System 

TCOLE CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE 

• Intermediate PO: $2,400 

• Advanced PO: $4,800 

• Master PO: $7,200 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be 21 Years Of Age 

• Must Hold an Active Tcole Peace Officer License 

• Must Complete the Following: 

• Pass Physical Agility Test 

• Background Investigation 

• 152 Psychological The BLUES Evaluation 

• Drug Screening 

ALDINEISD.ORG 

STARTING SALARY $55,000 WITH NO EXPERIENCE 

UP TO $85,000 DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE 

ALDINE ISD PD OFFERS 

DEPARTMENT BENEFITS 

• Uniforms Provided, Including Duty Weapon 

• Department Provided Training 

• Starting Pay Depends on 

Qualifications / Experience 

• TCOLE Certification / Education Pay 

• Most Officers work Day Shift with Weekends Off 

(INCENTIVE PAY FOR DETECTIVES, K-9 HANDLERS, AND 

FIREARM INSTRUCTORS.) 

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT 

SGT. HALL AT 281.442.4923 

OR VISIT ALDINEISD.ORG 

SPECIALIZED DIVISIONS 

• Criminal Investigations 

• Emergency Response Team 

• Honor Guard 

• Gang Task Force 

• Community Outreach Division 

• K-9 Division 

• Firearm Instructor 

$1,000 SIGNING BONUS

The BLUES 153

154 The BLUES

Welcome Aboard 

Alvin ISD Police Department 

The BLUES 155

156 The BLUES

The BLUES 157

158 The BLUES 

austin officers

austin dispatch 

The BLUES 159

NOW 

HIRING 

BIG SPRING PD IS NOW HIRING POLICE OFFICERS 

• 100% PAID ACADEMY TRAINING FOR 

NON-CERTIFIED CADETS 

• EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS ARE PROVIDED 

INCLUDING TAKE HOME VEHICLES 

• TMRS RETIREMENT (2:1 CITY MATCH) 

• 100% EMPLOYEE MEDICAL AND LIFE 

INSURANCE PREMIUM PAID BY THE CITY 

• PAID VACATION AND HOLIDAYS 

• PAID SICK LEAVE 

160 The BLUES 

• LONGEVITY PAY FOR YEARS OF SERVICE 

• EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM 

• PROGRESSIVE ANNUAL IN-SERVICE 

TRAINING AND EXTERNAL TRAINING 

OPPORTUNITIES. 

• OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIVERSE 

EXPERIENCE IN ASSIGNMENTS SUCH AS 

SWAT, NARCOTICS, TRAFFIC, AND CRIMINAL 

INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION 

• $1500 ACADEMY REIMBURSEMENT AND 

$2400 RELOCATION PAY FOR CERTIFIED 

OFFICERS 

$55,900 STARTING ANNUAL SALARY FOR CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICERS. 

ENTRY LEVEL TESTING ON AUGUST 1, 2023 

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 26, 2023 

APPLY NOW AT WWW.MYBIGSPRING.COM 

THE CITY OF BIG SPRING IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The BLUES 161

162 The BLUES

The BLUES 163

164 The BLUES

The BLUES 165

Montgomery County’s 3 rd Largest Law Enforcement Agency 

FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER 

• $50,363 minimum starting salary 

• Certification pay: 

Int - $1,600, Adv - $2,400, Mstr - $3,700 

• Competitive insurance & benefits 

• Teacher Retirement System (TRS) 

• 20 paid leave days & 12 paid holidays 

Opportunity 

multiple divisions including 

Investigations, Patrol, and 

K-9 services 

Growth 

100+ annual training hours, 

promotion opportunities, 


Balance 

overtime pay, comp time, 

most weekends off, prior LE 

experience pay 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT 

HTTPS://POLICE.CONROEISD.NET/DEPARTMENT/ADMINISTRATION/EMPLOYMENT/ 

166 The BLUESpolice.conroeisd.net 

CISDPolice 

@CISDPolice

October 15 

WATCH FOR NEW TEST DATES 

The BLUES 167

168 The BLUES

Cuero Police Department 

Now Hiring for Patrol Officer Position 

Department Benefits 

14 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 Surrounding Counties 

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 

The BLUES 169

170 The BLUES

The BLUES 171

Paid academy up to 

$70,560 

Lateral pay up to 

$81,321.70 

Additional Pay 

Education Pay 

Bachelor's 

Intermediate Cert. 

Advanced Cert. 


Shift Differential 

FTO Pay 

Language Pay 

WE'RE 

HIRING 

300+ NEW OFFICERS 

$2,880/yr 

$3,600/yr 

$600/yr 

$4,800/yr 

$7,200/yr 

3.5%-6.5% 

$1,200/yr 

$1,800/yr 

Benefits 


Pension plan 

Compensation plan 

15 paid vacation days 

12 paid holidays 

15 days military leave 

Additional 6 weeks paid 

parental leave 

Health/ Vision/Dental/ Life 

Insurance 

21-44 YEARS OLD 

45 COLLEGE 

CREDIT HOURS 

MUST MEET ONE REQUIREMENT 

19.5-21 YEARS 

OLD 

60 COLLEGE 

CREDIT HOURS 

ACTIVE TCOLE 

LICENSE 

MUST HAVE VALID 

TEXAS PEACE 

OFFICER LICENSE 

3 YEARS 

ACTIVE MILITARY 

HONORABLE 

DISCHARGE 

dallaspolice.net/join-dpd 214-671-4409 

172 The BLUES 

Civilian positions available: (Apply at www.Dallascityhall.com)

The BLUES 173

174 The BLUES

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 

Position: Corrections Deputy I 

Bureau/Division: Corrections/Jail 

Title/Rank: Corrections Deputy/Deputy I 

Reports to: Sergeant - Corrections 

Starting Salary: $51,250.00 

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 

The BLUES 175 

409.763.7585 : SO.EMPLOYMENT@GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV

176 The BLUES

The BLUES 177

178 The BLUES

The BLUES 179

180 The BLUES

Place your department’s recruiting ad 

in The BLUES for only $250 for an 

entire year, only $20 a month. 

The BLUES 181

FOR A LIMITED 

TIME. 

The Harris County 

Precinct 4 

Constable’s Office is 

accepng 

LATERAL DEPUTIES 

The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office is searching for lateral 

transfer depues to be sworn in on September 14, 2023. 

Whether you have recently rered, looking for an opportunity to 

expand your current skill set or relocang to the Houston, Texas area, 

Constable Mark Herman would like to welcome you to our family. 

The physical and wrien test will be waived and up to 14 years of 

service will be credited for Lateral Transfer Depues. 

To Apply Contact 

Recruing at 

832-927-6229 or visit 

www.constablepct4.com 

STARTING SALARY up to $68,184.00 

Plus Thousands In Incenves Per Year 

Master Peace Officer $6,000.00 

Drug Recognion Expert $2,700.00 

Bachelor’s Degree $3,180.00 

Accident Reconstrucon $2,700.00 

182 The BLUES 

And many more

LATERAL DEPUTY 

The BLUES 183

184 The BLUES


HARTLEY COUNTY SHERIFF 

The BLUES 185

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 

• Paid Parental Leave 

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 

CLASSIFICATION SERVICE HOURLY ANNUAL 

DEPUTY I 0-47 $26.23 $54,558 

DEPUTY II 48-83 $28.07 $58,386 

DEPUTY III 84-119 $29.73 $61,838 

DEPUTY IV 120-155 $31.23 $64,958 

DEPUTY V 156+ $32.78 $68,182 

186 The BLUES 

TCOLE CERTIFICATION 

ANNUAL 

Intermediate $1,560 

Advanced $3,420 

Master $6,000 

EDUCATION 

ANNUAL 

Associate Degree $1,320 

Bachelor Degree $3,180 

Master/Doctorate $4,500 

Bilingual Pay $1,800 

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

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 Peace Officer (any break in service 

will be considered on a case-by-case basis) 

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

Peace Office at any one agency 

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

• Meet HCSO firearms qualification standard 

• 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 and liability insurance (Texas by start date) 

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

vision 

• Correctable normal audible range in both ears 

• A two (2) year minimum commitment to Patrol before being eligible 

to transfer to other Bureaus 

TO APPLY 

SCAN THIS CODE 

For additional information contact 

Harris County Sheriff’s Office Recruitment Unit 

(713) 877-5250 

@HCSOTexas 

Harris County 

Sheriff’s Office 

HCSOTexas HCSOTexas @HCSOTexas

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/Certication up to $260/month 

Highlights 

Top-of-the-line Equipment 

and Technology 

Beards and Tattoos Allowed 

No Written Test for Most Lateral Officers 

Benets 

Retirement 

2-to-1 City match with TMRS 

Take-home Patrol Car 

For officers living within 25 miles 

Starting Salary 

$62K to $81K 

Annual Leave Accruals 

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

Multiple Positions Available 

A wide variety of units and assignments available 

To learn more or apply, visit or scan 

https: //linktr. ee/huttopd 

Questions? Email: PDrecruiting@huttotx.gov 

Tenure agreement required. 

Sign On Bonus! 

$5,000* 

The BLUES 187

188 The BLUES

The BLUES 189

THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT 

IS NOW 

Hiring 

FOR THE POSITION OF 

Police Officer 

Online Applications 

will open: 

July 31, 2023 

Application Deadline: 

September 15, 2023 

Civil Service Exam will 

be: 

September 24, 2023 

To apply, go to: 

www.killeentexas.gov/16 

8/Job-Opportunities 

Wear The Badge, 

Make a Difference 

D 

b 

th 

a 

Officer De'Vonte Johnson 

Recruiter 

254-200-7987 

DJohnson@killeentexas.gov 

The Killeen Police Department is an 

190 The BLUES 

Equal Opportunity Employer

Starting pay - $57,889 

Paid: Vacation, Holiday & Sick Leave 

$15K Sign-on incentive for TCOLE 

certified Peace Officers 

College Degree pay incentive 

7% retirement plan through TMRS 

with a 2:1 match ratio 

Comprehensive Benefits Package 

Opportunity to work in various 

specialized units 

The Killeen Police 

epartment is dedicated to 

uilding a partnership with 

e community to fight crime 

nd improve every citizen's 

quality of life. 

Follow us at: 

KilleenPD 

KilleenPolice 

JoinKilleenPD 

The BLUES 191 

Visit www.KilleenPD.com for further details

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 


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 

192 The BLUES

The BLUES 193

194 The BLUES

LEWISVILL 

E 

Benefits and Additional Pay: 

• $2500 Sign - On Bonus 

• Lateral Entry Program 

• Take - Home Vehicle 

$77,314 - $97,679 

• Cross Fit G ym 

• 24 /7 Private Indoor/Outdoor Range 

• Load Bearing Vests 

• Tattoos and Beards 

• Tuition Reimbursement 

• 20 Year TMRS Retirement 7% , 2:1 match 

• 457 Deferred Compensation p lan with 3.76% city match 

• 3 Weeks Paid Vacation 

• 15 Days Paid Sick Leave 

• 9 Paid Holidays 

• Field Training Officer 

• Bilingual 

• Longevity 

• Education /Certification 

GET PAID FOR YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A CERTIFIED OFFICER 

• 1 YEAR $83,566 

• 2 YEARS $86,877 

• 3 YEARS $90,373 

• 4 YEARS $93,677 

• 5 YEARS $97,679 

Specialized Units : 

• SWAT 

• Street Crimes 

• K - 9 

• Narcotics 

• UAS Drone 

• Bicycle Patrol 

• Criminal In vestigations 

• Traffic 

• DWI 

• Commercial Vehicle Enforcement 

• Training 

• School Resource Officer 

• Neighborhood Resource Officer 

• Co - Care Crisis Team 

www .PROTECTLEWISVILLE. com 

The BLUES 195

196 The BLUES 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- 

 

 

 

 

---

WE’RE HIRING 

Join our team and receive: 

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance 

• Paid vacation, employee days, well days, 

sick days and holidays 

• Competitive pay (including bilingual pay incentive) 

AND MUCH MORE! 

APPLY NOW 

Scan here or visit 

RideMETRO.org/Careers 

Call 713-739-4953 or email JoinMPD@RideMETRO.org 

for additional information. 

METRO I S AN EQU A L O PPOR TUNIT Y E M P L O YER. 

The BLUES 197

LONGVIEW POLICE DEPARTMENT 

JOIN OUR 

TEAM 

2-TIER HIRING 

INCENTIVE 

STARTING SALARY 

$60,085 

$3,000 

Insurance 

120 Hours Vacation 

11 Paid Holidays 

80 Hours Sick Leave 

20-Year Retirement Plan 

2/1 City Match TMRS 

198 The BLUES 

Beards & Tattoos Allowed 

Academy Pay 

Equipment Provided 

Excellent Training Provided 

Speciality/Cerification Pay 

Community Support 

Plentiful Outdoor Activities

$65,709-$67,685 

Based on Population and Experience 

25 YEAR STEP PLAN 

$60,085 - $84,308 

STEP INTO YOUR FUTURE 

NEW POLICE STATION 

COMING 2023 

The BLUES 199

200 The BLUES

MEMORIAL VILLAGES POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Serving the Villages of Bunker Hill, Piney Point and Hunters Creek 

POLICE OFFICER 

The Memorial Villages Police Department is currently looking for experienced officers who are 

self-motivated, innovative, enthusiastic and love working for a community that supports them. 

5+ Years Patrol Experience Required 

Hiring Bonus $1,500 

Night Shift Differential $3,600 

E.C.A $1300 

Bi-lingual Pay 

Education Pay 

Intermediate, Advanced, Master 

Peace Officer Certification Pay 

Healthcare, Dental and Vision Insurance 

100% paid for employee, 75% for 

spouse/dependents. 

Paid long-term disability and Life Insurance 

for employee, additional life insurance 

available for spouse/dependents. 

Health Savings Account with Department 

contributions up to $4,200 annually. 

TMRS Retirement 7% w/ 2:1 match (20 yr). 

457 Deferred Compensation Plan with 

employer contribution of 2.5% of annual 

salary. 


Longevity Pay up to a max of $2,400 

annually at 10 years of service. 

12 Hour shifts with every other Friday, 

Starting at $83,459 up to $94,164 

Scan for more 

information 

W W W . M V P D T X . O R G 

11981 Memorial Drive – Houston, Tx 77024 

713.365.3700 

The BLUES 201

202 The BLUES 

____________________________________________________________________________

The BLUES 203

204 The BLUES

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 

For additional information and to register for an upcoming Civil Service Exam, The BLUES visit 205 

pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers

206 The BLUES


Pflugerville ISD Police Department 

The BLUES 207

PORT HOUSTON 


WE ARE 

HIRING 

SIGN UP TODAY! www.porthouston.com/career 

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 

* Salary depends on experience 

208 The BLUES 

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 

• Not been convicted of a Class B 

misdemeanor within the last 10 years 

• Must have a GED or high school diploma

s-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 


• 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 

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 

• Additional as required 

SCAN 

QR CODE 

TO APPLY 

The BLUES 209

210 The BLUES

Provide Exceptional 

Service to All! 

CONTACT 

US NOW 

972-412-6240 


Rowlett Police Department 

NOW HIRING 

kharrelson@rowlett.com 

4401 Rowlett Rd., 

Rowlett, TX 75088 

Accepting Lateral 

Police Officers. 

Get paid for your 

experience! 

CURRENT SALARY 

Starting salary is $65,554 

Top Out Police Officer salary is $90,861 

Lateral Transfer - May be eligible for a starting 

salary of up to $75,221 

UNITS/ DIVISIONS 

Containment Team 

SWAT 

Bike Unit 

Community Services 

School Resource Officer 


Criminal Investigations Division 

Traffic 

Crisis Assistance Team 

Crisis Negotiation Team 

BENEFITS 

TMRS Pension 7/14 

Medical Insurance 

Dental Insurance 

Vision Insurance 

10 paid vacation days during 

first year & 10 Paid Holidays 

Paid Sick 

Beards and tattoos are 

authorized 

Longevity Pay 

Long Term Disability 

Life Insurance 

Dry cleaning 

Three department issued 

firearms 

GROW WITH The US! BLUES 211

SEGUIN PD IS 

NOW 

ORDER - UNDERSTANDING - RESPECT 

HIRING 

POLICE OFFICERS 

UP TO $3,000 SIGN ON BONUS 

INCENTIVE PAY FOR TCOLE 

CERTIFICATION, BILINGUAL SPEAKERS, & 

EDUCATIONAL PAY 

WELLNESS PROGRAM PROVIDING ON-DUTY 

TIME FOR FITNESS AND FITNESS REWARD 

LEAVE 

POLICE CADETS CAN APPLY AFTER START 

OF ACADEMY, AND BEGIN RECEIVING 

CADET PAY OF $52,350 

EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS ARE PROVIDED 

INCLUDING TAKE HOME VEHICLES, HANDGUN 

WITH RED DOT SIGHT & SUPPRESSED PATROL 

RIFLE 

TMRS RETIREMENT (2:1 CITY MATCH) 

100% EMPLOYEE MEDICAL/DENTAL PREMIUM 

COVERED BY CITY 

PROGRESSIVE IN-SERVICE AND EXTERNAL 

TRAINING EXCEEDING NATIONAL TRAINING 

AVERAGES 

STARTING PAY AT $63,784 

ELIGIBLE FOR ANNUAL STEP RAISES 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIVERSE EXPERIENCE IN 

SPECIALIZED UNITS AND ASSIGNMENTS SUCH 

AS SWAT, K9, NARCOTICS, SPECIAL CRIMES, 

MENTAL HEALTH, TRAFFIC, AND CRIMINAL 

INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION 

$ 6 7 , 0 1 3 L A T E R A L S A L A R Y 

212 The BLUES 

APPLY NOW AT: WWW.APPLITRACK.COM/SEGUINTEXAS/ONLINEAPP 

T H E C I T Y O F S E G U I N I S A N E Q U A L O P P O R T U N I T Y E M P L O Y E R

SPRING BRANCH ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT 

WE’RE 

HIRING 

DEPARTMENT 

HIGHLIGHTS 

55 officer department 

44 square mile district 

47 schools 

35,000 population 

24/7 Patrol 

We want you to preserve, protect, and defend our future. 

Starting Pay $63,000 (TCOLE Basic Peace Officer certification with no experience) 

Patrol & Onsite Officers (HS/MS) 

Gang Officer 


Community Relations Officer 

Emergency Management 

Criminal Investigations 

K-9 programs 

Language pay 

Shift differential pay 

Intermediate, Advanced and 


certificate pay 

Paid time off 

Ample overtime opportunities 

*All equipment provided including duty weapon 

**Training opportunities available 

Apply online today. springbranchisd.com/join-our-team 

The BLUES 213

214 The BLUES

The BLUES 215

216 The BLUES

The BLUES 217

218 The BLUES

The BLUES 219

We are hiring 

Police 

Officers 

now. 

Join the Waco ISD 

Police Department team! 

Pay Grade: 310 

Days: 207 and 226 

Salary: $42,228 to $55,542* 

*Depending on workday calendar 

and years of experience. 

Sign-on Bonus: $5,000 

Qualifications: 

Education/Certification: 

• High School Diploma or GED 

• Texas Peace Officer License issued by TCOLE 

• Current valid Texas class “C” drivers license 

To learn more or 

apply, please visit 

Wacoisd.org/apply 

Waco ISD Police Department 

220 The BLUES


WACO Police Department 

We are hiring 

Police 

Officers 

now. 

Join the Waco ISD 

Police Department team! 

Pay Grade: 310 

Days: 207 and 226 

Salary: $42,228 to $55,542* 

*Depending on workday calendar 

and years of experience. 

Sign-on Bonus: $5,000 

Qualifications: 

Education/Certification: 

• High School Diploma or GED 

• Texas Peace Officer License issued by TCOLE 

• Current valid Texas class “C” drivers license 

To learn more or 

apply, please visit 

Wacoisd.org/apply 

Waco ISD Police Department 

The BLUES 221

222 The BLUES 

HUNTER BIDEN

SEPT 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 9

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?