July 2024. Blues Vol 40 No.7
July 2024. Blues Vol 40 No.7 FEATURES/COVER 78 RELENTLESS DEFENDER 98 VISIT GALVESTON ISLAND 102 APSCON ‘24 - AIRBEAT SPECIAL INSERT DEPARTMENTS PUBLISHER’S THOUGHTS EDITOR REX EVANS THOUGHTS GUEST COMMENTARY - DOUG GRIFFITH GUEST COMMENTARY - LAW OFFICER GUEST COMMENTARY - JON ADLERGUEST COMMENTARY - DANIEL CARR GUEST COMMENTARY - REX EVANS NEWS AROUND THE US MIGRANT CRIME BREAKING NEWS CALENDAR OF EVENTS REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES WAR STORIES AFTERMATH HEALING OUR HEROES DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS BLUE MENTAL HEALTH DR. LIGHT BULB AWARD ADS BACK IN THE DAY PARTING SHOTS BUYERS GUIDE ISD PD JOB LISTINGS NOW HIRING BACK PAGE
July 2024. Blues Vol 40 No.7
FEATURES/COVER
78 RELENTLESS DEFENDER
98 VISIT GALVESTON ISLAND
102 APSCON ‘24 - AIRBEAT SPECIAL INSERT
DEPARTMENTS
PUBLISHER’S THOUGHTS
EDITOR REX EVANS THOUGHTS
GUEST COMMENTARY - DOUG GRIFFITH
GUEST COMMENTARY - LAW OFFICER
GUEST COMMENTARY - JON ADLERGUEST COMMENTARY - DANIEL CARR
GUEST COMMENTARY - REX EVANS
NEWS AROUND THE US
MIGRANT CRIME
BREAKING NEWS
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES
WAR STORIES
AFTERMATH
HEALING OUR HEROES
DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS
BLUE MENTAL HEALTH DR.
LIGHT BULB AWARD
ADS BACK IN THE DAY
PARTING SHOTS
BUYERS GUIDE
ISD PD JOB LISTINGS
NOW HIRING
BACK PAGE
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 1
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VOL. <strong>40</strong> NO. 7 JULY 2024<br />
FEATURES/COVER<br />
DEPARTMENTS<br />
78<br />
98<br />
102<br />
RELENTLESS DEFENDER<br />
VISIT GALVESTON ISLAND<br />
APSCON ‘24 - AIRBEAT SPECIAL INSERT<br />
PUBLISHER’S THOUGHTS<br />
EDITOR REX EVANS THOUGHTS<br />
GUEST COMMENTARY - DOUG GRIFFITH<br />
GUEST COMMENTARY - LAW OFFICER<br />
GUEST COMMENTARY - JON ADLER-<br />
GUEST COMMENTARY - DANIEL CARR<br />
GUEST COMMENTARY - REX EVANS<br />
NEWS AROUND THE US<br />
MIGRANT CRIME<br />
BREAKING NEWS<br />
CALENDAR OF EVENTS<br />
REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES<br />
WAR STORIES<br />
AFTERMATH<br />
HEALING OUR HEROES<br />
DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS<br />
BLUE MENTAL HEALTH DR.<br />
LIGHT BULB AWARD<br />
ADS BACK IN THE DAY<br />
PARTING SHOTS<br />
BUYERS GUIDE<br />
ISD PD JOB LISTINGS<br />
NOW HIRING<br />
BACK PAGE<br />
COVER PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
BY SGT. DAVID RAMIREZ<br />
06<br />
10<br />
14<br />
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GUEST COMMENTARY<br />
22<br />
DOUG GRIFFITH<br />
GUEST COMMENTARY<br />
DANIEL CARR<br />
154<br />
158<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 3
4 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
FOUNDER, PUBLISHER, EDITOR-N-CHIEF<br />
MICHAEL BARRON<br />
OUR TEAM<br />
OUR CONTRIBUTORS<br />
EDITOR-AT-LARGE<br />
Chief Rex Evans(Ret)<br />
SENIOR EDITOR<br />
Dr. Tina Jaeckle<br />
CREATIVE EDITOR<br />
Jessica Jones<br />
COPY EDITOR<br />
Lt. John King (Ret)<br />
OUTDOOR EDITOR<br />
Rusty Barron<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR<br />
Lt. Daryl Lott (Ret)<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS<br />
Sam Horwitz & Det. John Salerno (Ret)<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR<br />
Doug Griffith<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR<br />
Art Woolery<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR<br />
Daniel Carr<br />
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR<br />
Jon Adler<br />
WARSTORY<br />
Michael Barron<br />
AFTERMATH<br />
Michael Barron<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />
Joanna Putman<br />
Matthew Halloway<br />
Pat Droney<br />
Lorenzino Estrada<br />
Rey Covarrubias, Jr.<br />
Katie Nickas<br />
Jenna Sundel<br />
Alejandro Serrano<br />
Lyndsay Winkley<br />
Liz Sawyer<br />
Kristen Spicker<br />
Jeff Chamer<br />
Ryan Oehrli<br />
Philip Marcelo<br />
Stefanie dazio<br />
Fox News<br />
Associated Press<br />
The Law Officer & Police 1.com<br />
The BLUES is published monthly by Kress-Barr, LLC, PO Box 2733, League City Texas 77574. The opinions expressed in some articles,<br />
op-eds, and editorials are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of The BLUES or its parent company.<br />
Rebuttals or submission of news articles and editorials may be submitted to: The BLUES @ bluespdmag@gmail.com.<br />
The entire contents of The BLUES IS copyrighted© and may not be reprinted without the express permission of the publisher.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 5
FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK<br />
Politics is a Dirty Game<br />
Yes, running for any political<br />
office can be a downright dirty<br />
proposition. Just depends on<br />
how bad someone wants to win<br />
and how low they are willing to<br />
go to get what they want.<br />
This month we take a break<br />
from national politics and talk<br />
about the local sheriff’s race in<br />
Galveston, Texas. The current<br />
Sheriff, Henry Trochesset, is a<br />
good and decent man and has<br />
served the citizens of Galveston<br />
County for over 12<br />
years as sheriff. In fact,<br />
Trochesset has devoted<br />
almost his entire adult life<br />
working at the Galveston<br />
County Sheriff’s Office<br />
beginning at the age of 19.<br />
Just recently he celebrated<br />
his <strong>40</strong>th anniversary<br />
with the department. The<br />
BLUES interviewed Trochesset<br />
back in 2021 and<br />
he indicated he wasn’t<br />
going to seek a 4th term<br />
and would retire in January<br />
of 2025.<br />
The first candidate to<br />
announce his intentions<br />
to run for Galveston<br />
County Sheriff in 2024<br />
was Jimmy Fullen. I’ve known<br />
Jimmy since the 90’s and he is<br />
a stand-up guy, a good friend,<br />
and a damn good cop. He’s the<br />
guy you want watching your six<br />
when all hell breaks loose. He<br />
admits, he’s old school ‘kick ass<br />
and take names’ kinda cop. But in<br />
6 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
a 2020’s new age kind of way. In<br />
other words, Fullen wants to run<br />
the thugs out of Galveston County<br />
and restore law and order. My<br />
kind of sheriff. And he not only<br />
earned the support and endorsement<br />
of The BLUES, but damn<br />
near every law enforcement<br />
official in Galveston County and<br />
beyond. From the minute he announced,<br />
he was the most likely<br />
candidate to win the primary<br />
and the election. By all accounts,<br />
Fullen is going to be the next<br />
Sheriff of Galveston County.<br />
Well, Fullen’s plan to ‘clean<br />
house’ at the Sheriff’s Office<br />
didn’t sit kindly with the old<br />
guard that Trochesset had assembled.<br />
Most knew that when<br />
Fullen took over, they would be<br />
following Trochesset out the<br />
door. Enter Ray Nolen, a major<br />
at the department who decided<br />
he liked working at the SO and<br />
rather than get kicked<br />
to the curb, he would<br />
run against Fullen. No<br />
big deal. The more the<br />
merrier.<br />
Nolen had only been<br />
a full time Galveston<br />
County employee for 4<br />
years. Prior to that he<br />
was captain in the SO<br />
Reserves for about 15<br />
years. Trochesset hired<br />
him in 2020 and he<br />
eventually was promoted<br />
to Major over patrol<br />
and investigations. Nolen<br />
was a quiet kind of guy<br />
that just went about<br />
doing his job. In other<br />
words, just the opposite<br />
of Fullen.<br />
Soon after Nolen jumped in<br />
the race, a former employee of<br />
the department Kenneth Williams,<br />
AKA Costa Loca, decided<br />
he would create a one-man<br />
anti-Jimmy Fullen campaign<br />
and the mudslinging began.
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 7
Anthony Buzbee, who successfully<br />
defended Attorney General<br />
Ken Paxton during the 2023<br />
impeachment trial in the Texas<br />
Senate, is again taking on a politically<br />
charged case.<br />
Buzbee, one of the region’s most<br />
prominent attorneys, confirmed<br />
he has taken on Galveston County<br />
Republican Sheriff Nominee Jimmy<br />
Fullen’s fight to retain his peace<br />
officer’s license.<br />
Earlier this month, the executive<br />
director of the Texas Commission<br />
on Law Enforcement recommend-<br />
8 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Williams began an all-out war<br />
against Fullen. Following him<br />
to campaign events and posting<br />
hundreds of hours of selfie<br />
videos on Facebook, making all<br />
kinds of allegations of misconduct<br />
by Fullen. I saw first-hand<br />
how frickin’ crazy this guy was<br />
when he stood up at a candidate<br />
forum and accused Fullen<br />
of being under investigation by<br />
TCOLE. Which at the time was<br />
an all out lie. This guy would get<br />
right in Jimmy’s face at events<br />
and scream at him. Fullen exercised<br />
extreme patience with him,<br />
because I probably would have<br />
punched the dude for getting in<br />
my face. Everyone agreed, Williams<br />
was obsessed with taking<br />
Fullen down and most thought<br />
Nolen had put him up to it, although<br />
Nolen denied it.<br />
Despite his crazy antics, Williams<br />
did his homework and<br />
did in fact find some instances<br />
where Fullen had left details of<br />
his past off some law enforcement<br />
applications including the<br />
fact that one department had<br />
terminated him. In his younger<br />
days, Fullen was arrested for<br />
a simple assault for coming to<br />
another person’s defense which<br />
was later dismissed. I’m not<br />
going to go into every instance<br />
of what Fullen may or may not<br />
have done in his past. Or why<br />
applications presented to TCOLE<br />
may or may not have included<br />
everything they should have. But<br />
the fact is, Williams launched a<br />
complaint against Fullen with<br />
TCOLE and TCOLE has recommended<br />
that Fullen’s TCOLE<br />
license be suspended. Fullen has<br />
several options to appeal this<br />
decision including going to State<br />
Court.<br />
One thing for sure is that Fullen<br />
isn’t throwing in the towel and<br />
his supporters aren’t walking<br />
away including the BLUES and<br />
this author. Jimmy Fullen has<br />
done nothing in his past that<br />
would preclude him from being<br />
Sheriff of Galveston County other<br />
than he broke a few TCOLE rules.<br />
He didn’t break any laws, commit<br />
any felonies or mistreat anyone.<br />
He may have made some mistakes<br />
in his past that I’m sure he<br />
now regrets. But every damn one<br />
of us has done things in our past<br />
that we all regret. That’s life.<br />
But as a person, Jimmy Fullen<br />
is one of the best human beings<br />
you will ever meet. He is kind<br />
and respectful and just wants to<br />
make a better place for citizens<br />
of Galveston County to live and<br />
work.<br />
In conclusion, Fullen is the best<br />
candidate for the next Sheriff of<br />
Galveston County and despite<br />
all the efforts to keep him from<br />
winning, I think he’ll overcome<br />
all the adversity and become the<br />
next Sheriff. I hope the TCOLE<br />
board agrees that we all make<br />
mistakes, and that Jimmy Fullen<br />
deserves the chance to become a<br />
great sheriff of Galveston County.<br />
Famed local attorney Tony Buzbee calls TCOLE director’s<br />
recommendation result of ‘sour grapes’<br />
ed that Fullen’s law enforcement<br />
license be revoked.<br />
“This misguided effort is all a<br />
distraction, and the appellate<br />
decision, which I’m confident we<br />
will prevail in, won’t even come<br />
about until well after the general<br />
election,” Buzbee said. “I call<br />
this whole thing a “sour grapes”<br />
effort to defeat someone they<br />
couldn’t beat at the ballot box<br />
because Jimmy won handily.<br />
“Bottom line, we will prevail.”<br />
The recommendation followed<br />
an investigation into a detailed<br />
complaint from retired Galveston<br />
County Sheriff’s Office investigator<br />
Kenneth Williams.<br />
Williams alleged that Fullen<br />
omitted adverse incidents in his<br />
career and life on the required<br />
personal history report.<br />
TCOLE’s executive director<br />
agreed.<br />
TCOLE’s letter to Fullen reads.<br />
“Because respondent omitted<br />
or failed to disclose information<br />
and provided false or untruthful<br />
statements, respondent violated<br />
TCOLE standards related to mak-
ing, submitting, causing to submit,<br />
or filing reports to TCOLE.”<br />
Fullen said that any omissions<br />
were not to clean up his record.<br />
He publicly acknowledged earlier<br />
brushes with the law and arrests<br />
but maintained that because<br />
of the outcome of those cases,<br />
he believed he didn’t need to be<br />
reported.<br />
He also explained that other<br />
issues raised in the complaint<br />
were taken out of context and<br />
misrepresented the facts of the<br />
situations.<br />
The complaint became a point<br />
of contention during the Republican<br />
Primary between Fullen and<br />
Sheriff’s Office Major Ray Nolen.<br />
Williams, posting under his<br />
online pseudonym Costa Loca,<br />
mounted an all-out campaign<br />
against Fullen using documents<br />
he obtained that he said were<br />
proof that Fullen failed to file the<br />
proper personal history documentation.<br />
Williams obtained the personal<br />
history report Fullen filed with the<br />
Precinct 2 Constable’s office when<br />
he went from elected Constable<br />
to a deputy since he had to resign<br />
to run for sheriff.<br />
Fullen also filed a personal<br />
history report with the Texas<br />
City Police Department, where<br />
he served as a reserve officer for<br />
over a decade.<br />
That was requested when an<br />
audit of the personnel files at<br />
Texas City PD, Chief Landis Cravens<br />
said.<br />
Nearly nine months after Williams<br />
filed the first complaint and<br />
three months after Fullen won the<br />
primary election with roughly 57%<br />
of the vote, the executive director<br />
of TCOLE recommended that<br />
Fullen have his peace officer’s<br />
license revoked.<br />
The peace officer’s license is<br />
paramount because state law requires<br />
a sheriff to have an active<br />
law enforcement license before<br />
taking office.<br />
For now, it’s just a recommendation.<br />
Since Fullen has appealed, his<br />
peace officer’s license remains<br />
active, and under state law, he<br />
remains eligible to be on the November<br />
ballot.<br />
An administrative judge will<br />
set a hearing to hear evidence<br />
from TCOLE and Fullen’s defense.<br />
In that process, Buzbee will join<br />
Fullen’s other attorney, Greg Cagle.<br />
Cagle is well known for his<br />
work defending law enforcement<br />
officers as an attorney assisting<br />
the Texas Municipal Police Association<br />
The judge will make a recommendation<br />
to the TCOLE commission,<br />
which will vote to accept or<br />
deny that recommendation.<br />
Even should the commission<br />
not rule in Fullen’s favor, he can<br />
appeal to a district court judge,<br />
said TCOLE’s Director of Government<br />
Relations Gretchen Grigsby.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 9
FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE<br />
Penalty for failing to act.<br />
Well folks, before you go<br />
judging me on the following<br />
editorial, just remember I was<br />
once a chief for over a decade<br />
and while I may not know it all, I<br />
do have a clue.<br />
The former Uvalde ISD Chief of<br />
Police was indicted last month,<br />
along with another former member<br />
of the UISD Police Department.<br />
Both men were charged<br />
with multiple counts of Child<br />
Endangerment. (TXPC 22.041 –<br />
© A person commits an offense<br />
if they intentionally, knowingly,<br />
recklessly or with criminal<br />
negligence, by act or omission,<br />
engages in conduct that places<br />
a child younger than 15 years<br />
of age in imminent danger of<br />
death, bodily injury, or physical<br />
or mental impairment.)<br />
Look, these guys dropped the<br />
ball. Big time. There were multiple<br />
failures to act, react and<br />
just do their jobs. Period. When<br />
you’re the Chief of Police, and<br />
you FAIL to do YOUR job, you<br />
absolutely should lose your stars,<br />
your position and all that comes<br />
with it. In this case, when multiple<br />
children and adults perish at<br />
the murderous hands of a madman,<br />
while you stand around<br />
and do nothing, you should be<br />
indicted.<br />
I said, what I said.<br />
It is incumbent upon the Chief,<br />
or the head of any agency for<br />
that matter, to understand those<br />
10 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
stars get heavy, fast. You wanted<br />
them, now earn them. Do the<br />
right thing, at the right time, for<br />
the right reasons. And friends,<br />
I cannot think of more right<br />
reasons than multiple young and<br />
innocent children in a classroom<br />
being shot and killed while you<br />
did nothing to stop it.<br />
In my time serving as an ISD<br />
Chief of Police I had following<br />
losses:<br />
In separate incidents, over 100<br />
students injured in school bus<br />
crashes.<br />
In separate incidents, three<br />
students lost their lives on my<br />
watch.<br />
In separate incidents, two<br />
employees lost their lives on my<br />
watch.<br />
The difference? I immediately<br />
and decisively responded to each<br />
incident. I immediately directed<br />
all operations and coordinated<br />
with multiple responding and<br />
investigating agencies. I worked<br />
with our administration and<br />
ensuing media inquiries. Not a<br />
day or night goes by, I do not remember<br />
my losses. I remember<br />
every decision, every action, and<br />
every call. I’ll especially never<br />
forget the difficult moments of<br />
having to notify surviving parents<br />
and family members.<br />
I’ll end with this. You carry<br />
a badge, you carry a gun, you<br />
swore an Oath under God to do<br />
your job. To do your Duty. You<br />
do it for the sake of everyone<br />
around you. If you aren’t willing<br />
to give up your life to save<br />
the life of others, QUIT NOW!!<br />
PLEASE.<br />
It’s not an easy commitment<br />
to make. I get it. I live with it<br />
every day. But believe me when<br />
I tell you the Demons do come a<br />
calling. But it’s what we signed<br />
up for. We knew it could happen.<br />
And if it happens on our Watch,<br />
we’d damn sure better respond<br />
accordingly.<br />
If we don’t, the loss of our job,<br />
our career and possible jail time<br />
is the least of our worries. Because<br />
if we fail, someone, maybe<br />
multiple someone’s, will lose<br />
their lives because collectively<br />
as law enforcement, we failed<br />
them.<br />
That my friends, is something I<br />
cannot and will not accept. None<br />
of us should. The indictment was<br />
the right decision. In fact, more<br />
should follow, and probably will.
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 11
12 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 13
GUEST COMENTARY<br />
Doug Griffith<br />
Where do we go from here?<br />
As most know, the HPOU<br />
has been very vocal over the<br />
last few months regarding the<br />
command staff and specifically<br />
the former Chief. This all<br />
stemmed from the infamous SL<br />
code that most officers were<br />
not even aware of. If you did<br />
not work investigations, then<br />
you more than likely had not<br />
heard of it.<br />
I attended a City Council<br />
meeting towards the end of<br />
2014 where a presentation was<br />
provided by then Chief McCleland<br />
regarding the status of a<br />
report completed by Justex.<br />
The 2014 report provided an<br />
overview of the manpower<br />
across the city and included<br />
information about investigating<br />
cases. I do not recall the<br />
specifics regarding investigated<br />
cases in the report but<br />
that there will be a number<br />
of cases that will have to go<br />
un-worked due to manpower.<br />
However, I distinctly recall Ray<br />
Hunt speaking about his concerns<br />
and the discussion centered<br />
around manpower and<br />
the inability to investigate all<br />
cases. At the end of the presentation<br />
and discussion by city<br />
council, and Council Member<br />
Kubosh stating, “I think we have<br />
been put on notice.” At the end<br />
of the presentation, City Council<br />
did not increase staffing to<br />
address the challenges presented<br />
All of city Council was aware<br />
that the department was down<br />
over 1500 officers, and this was<br />
in 2014. Here we are 10 years<br />
later, and the same problems<br />
persist. I hope to work with the<br />
Mayor and Council to do a few<br />
things that will help the Houston<br />
Police Department be the<br />
best department in the nation<br />
once again. On the priority<br />
list of things to consider are<br />
obviously hiring and retaining<br />
good officers to increase the<br />
overall number of officers on<br />
the department. Second is to<br />
work on the morale of the rank<br />
and file within the department.<br />
For the last few years, we have<br />
seen our leaders be afraid to<br />
make decisions because they<br />
would be criticized or worse,<br />
demoted, for taking a stand.<br />
This has to end!<br />
We must entrust our Commanders<br />
to run their division as<br />
they see fit (within reason) and<br />
then hold them accountable<br />
for crime in their area, or the<br />
investigations under their command.<br />
We must also embolden<br />
our patrol officers to make<br />
decisions without having to call<br />
a supervisor to every event. If<br />
a supervisor has to make every<br />
decision, then let’s just promote<br />
all officers to Sergeant and<br />
DOUG GRIFFITH,<br />
PRESIDENT, HPOU<br />
move on.<br />
We need to find a way to motivate<br />
and encourage officers,<br />
not manage them by IAD.<br />
Our goal as an organization<br />
must be to empower our<br />
members to be the best that<br />
they can be. This must include<br />
better training, understandable<br />
policies, and a common sense<br />
approached to discipline. Obviously,<br />
we do not have a timeline<br />
for a new chief, but our<br />
hope is that whomever our next<br />
chief may be, that he listen to<br />
the rank and file, not just those<br />
yes people that they tend to<br />
surround themselves with.<br />
NOTE:<br />
The concluded investigation<br />
into the SL code will be out<br />
shortly. Our goal is to make<br />
sure that no one is disciplined<br />
for abiding by the SOP that was<br />
developed and signed off by<br />
their respective AC or EAC.<br />
14 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 15
GUEST COMENTARY<br />
the Law Officer<br />
BIDEN LYING ABOUT CRIME RATE<br />
Almost half of all crime in not being reported.<br />
Washington D.C. – It’s an election<br />
year and right on schedule,<br />
politicians are lying to you.<br />
Today, President Biden addressed<br />
‘Moms In Action’, a gun control<br />
group. In touting the two year<br />
anniversary of passing the Safety<br />
Communities Act, he said that<br />
violent crime was at a 50 year<br />
low.<br />
The lie isn’t new. A few months<br />
ago, the White House put it in<br />
writing, issuing the below press<br />
release.<br />
Americans are safer from violent<br />
crime today than a year ago.<br />
Today, an independent organization<br />
of police chiefs from the<br />
nation’s largest cities released<br />
data showing that, compared<br />
to a year earlier, violent crime<br />
declined across every category<br />
in the first quarter of 2024 and<br />
murders are down 17%. These<br />
decreases build on substantial<br />
decreases in previous years. After<br />
the prior Administration oversaw<br />
the largest one-year increase<br />
in murders ever recorded, violent<br />
crime is at a near fifty-year<br />
low. This crime reduction is not<br />
an accident. It’s the result of<br />
extraordinary efforts from law<br />
enforcement and community<br />
leaders. It’s also the result of historic<br />
steps by my Administration<br />
to stop the flow of illegal guns<br />
and make the largest-ever federal<br />
investment in fighting and<br />
preventing crime because of my<br />
American Rescue Plan.<br />
CLICK PLAYING TO WITH TAP TO THE WATCH DATA<br />
Biden is using the crime data<br />
from his own FBI to tout the lie<br />
and almost half of the crime is<br />
not being reported. In 2019, 89%<br />
of municipal police departments,<br />
consisting of 97% of the<br />
population, submitted crime data<br />
to the FBI but by 2021, the population<br />
represented in the crime<br />
data had dropped to 65% when<br />
just 63% of the agencies reported<br />
their crime. It hasn’t improved<br />
much since and in 2023, cities<br />
such as Los Angeles, Chicago,<br />
and New York City did not submit<br />
their crime data.<br />
Do you think that may affect<br />
the national crime stats just a<br />
little….<br />
It should be no surprise that<br />
the worse offenders are not<br />
exactly coming from safe states.<br />
New Jersey reported crime from<br />
just 177 of their 578 agencies<br />
and Pennsylvania only reported<br />
crime from <strong>40</strong> of the 1504 agencies<br />
while just half of California<br />
reported crime.<br />
But don’t worry. The FBI has a<br />
100% compliance from the mean<br />
streets of Connecticut and Delaware.<br />
APPLES TO ORANGES<br />
We may never know the sleight<br />
of hand coming from the agencies<br />
that did report the data. Reports<br />
have surfaced for years of<br />
agencies purposely downgrading<br />
violent crimes to misdemeanors<br />
and the pressure to do so has<br />
only increased in recent years.<br />
The reality is exactly what you<br />
know. Crime is not down. While<br />
our leaders tout the great job<br />
they are doing in reducing crime,<br />
the Major City Chiefs Association<br />
showed a significant increase in<br />
crime while the National Crime<br />
Victimization Survey showed<br />
a 30% rise in robbery (25% of<br />
all violent crime) while the FBI<br />
claimed it was reduced by 18%.<br />
EXCUSES<br />
It may not be a coincidence<br />
that the wheel broke in 2021.<br />
Coming off the most violent<br />
year America has ever seen, the<br />
FBI changed how they accepted<br />
crime data (NIBRS) and Americans<br />
went from knowing the<br />
crime levels to not having a clue.<br />
At the same time, many law enforcement<br />
leaders and politicians<br />
at the highest level used this broken<br />
system to brag how crime is<br />
down.<br />
THE BIG LIE<br />
No one believes that violent<br />
crime is down because they have<br />
eyes and President Biden looking<br />
you in the eye and lying about<br />
crime is insulting.<br />
16 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 17
GUEST COMENTARY<br />
Jon Adler<br />
Border Mess is Endangering<br />
Police Nationwide<br />
More than 1<strong>40</strong>,000 migrants have gotten away from the Border Patrol in<br />
less than 12 months. Some of them are very dangerous people.<br />
In March, Border Patrol Chief<br />
Jason Owens announced that<br />
there had been 1<strong>40</strong>,000 known<br />
“got-aways” at the Southwest<br />
border since Oct. 1, 2023. Known<br />
got-aways refers to the number<br />
of migrants that were able to<br />
evade capture while crossing the<br />
border illegally into the United<br />
States. It further means that<br />
there is a strong likelihood that<br />
a percentage of that number is<br />
comprised of violent criminals.<br />
We can debate that percentage,<br />
but the irrefutable fact is that<br />
this unspecified percentage of<br />
undocumented violent criminals<br />
poses a threat to officer safety.<br />
Am I suggesting that 1<strong>40</strong>,000<br />
migrants are going to immediately<br />
attack law enforcement<br />
officers? No, absolutely not.<br />
Like many Americans, I believe<br />
that the majority of migrants entering<br />
the United States illegally<br />
are simply searching for a better<br />
life. However, as I try to hold<br />
onto that optimistic perspective,<br />
a startling mathematical assessment<br />
illustrates the prospective<br />
problem for officer safety. If<br />
we consider that just 1% of the<br />
18 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
known got-aways may seek to<br />
harm law enforcement officers,<br />
that equates to 1,<strong>40</strong>0 violent<br />
criminals now in our communities.<br />
How many of these 1,<strong>40</strong>0<br />
are terrorists, gang members,<br />
rapists, or mentally deranged<br />
violent criminals? And when the<br />
police come into contact with<br />
any of these 1,<strong>40</strong>0, how many of<br />
them will attack, injure, or kill<br />
an officer?<br />
Is this a far-fetched xenophobic<br />
rant? Not in the least.<br />
Let us first consider published<br />
data from the CBP.gov website.<br />
From 2023 to the present,<br />
migrants committed an average<br />
of <strong>40</strong> assaults per month<br />
against Border Patrol agents.<br />
In fiscal year 2023, the Border<br />
Patrol captured 598 gang-affiliated<br />
migrants, and 169 migrants<br />
on the terrorist watchlist. The<br />
vast majority of these incidents<br />
involve migrants that crossed<br />
the Southwest border. There is<br />
no evidence to suggest that any<br />
of these migrants with violent<br />
backgrounds were crossing into<br />
the United States to advocate for<br />
world peace. And to be clear,<br />
these migrants were caught and<br />
thankfully not in the known gotaway<br />
category.<br />
In addition to the Border Patrol’s<br />
great work, the officers of<br />
the Enforcement and Removal<br />
Operations (ERO) did a great job<br />
capturing known violent migrants<br />
during this time period.<br />
According to the ICE.gov website,<br />
ERO removed 3,<strong>40</strong>6 known<br />
or suspected gang members in<br />
fiscal year 2023. That represents<br />
a 27.7% increase over the preceding<br />
year. ERO officers also<br />
captured 139 known or suspected<br />
terrorists in 2023, which represents<br />
a 148.2% over fiscal year<br />
2022. This leaves us to question<br />
what the impact on officer<br />
safety would have been if these<br />
known violent migrants were<br />
able to evade capture and enter<br />
the United States.<br />
Let us move from speculation<br />
to five documented examples of<br />
how law enforcement officers<br />
were impacted by violent migrant<br />
confrontation from 2023 to<br />
the present.<br />
In May 2023, a Guatemalan<br />
migrant was arrested for man-
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 19
slaughter for his alleged involvement<br />
in the line-of-duty death of<br />
Sgt. Michael Kunovich of the St.<br />
John’s County (Florida) Sheriff’s<br />
Office. The migrant reportedly<br />
resisted arrest, claimed he did<br />
not speak English, and attempted<br />
to evade the officers, Sgt.<br />
Kunovich tragically succumbed<br />
to medical distress during the incident.<br />
ICE released the migrant<br />
10 months later. This case risks<br />
setting a bad precedent that a<br />
migrant can claim a language<br />
barrier as an excuse to actively<br />
resist law enforcement.<br />
In January 2024, Americans<br />
watched the news media video<br />
coverage of 14 violent migrants<br />
viciously attacking two NYPD<br />
20 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
officers in Times Square. Fortunately,<br />
the officers’ determination,<br />
teamwork, and back-up<br />
support helped them survive<br />
the assault. This violent group<br />
included either known gotaways<br />
or unknown got-aways<br />
who posed a lethal threat to<br />
the officers. This situation was<br />
exacerbated by the reckless perspective<br />
on bail advocated by the<br />
Manhattan District Attorney and<br />
a judge that led to the release of<br />
these suspects after their arrest.<br />
What message does this send to<br />
other violent got-aways when<br />
interacting with the police?<br />
During the following month in<br />
New York, a 15-year-old gotaway<br />
allegedly shot at NYPD officers.<br />
After attempting to rob a<br />
store, this violent migrant shot a<br />
tourist and then targeted officers<br />
as he attempted to flee, police<br />
say.<br />
Later that same month, a gotaway<br />
reportedly shot three Metro<br />
DC officers in Washington and<br />
then became a barricaded lethal<br />
subject. Fortunately, all three<br />
officers survived.<br />
In March, an illegal migrant<br />
under the influence crashed his<br />
vehicle into the patrol vehicle of<br />
a Washington state trooper, authorities<br />
say. Tragically, Trooper<br />
Christopher Gadd was killed.<br />
Undoubtedly, the surge of<br />
got-aways across the Southwest<br />
border presents a critical officer<br />
safety hazard. During a March<br />
24, 2024, news interview, Border<br />
Patrol Chief Jason Owens said<br />
the 1<strong>40</strong>,000 got-aways is what<br />
keeps him up at night. I am with<br />
him, and what keeps me up at<br />
night is the next violent gotaway<br />
that causes a law enforcement<br />
fatality. The federal government<br />
needs to get the Border<br />
Patrol and the Border sheriffs<br />
and officers the resources they<br />
need, so that violent got-aways<br />
become got-caughts.<br />
Jon Adler is the former director<br />
of the Department of Justice,<br />
Bureau of Justice Assistance. He<br />
is also the former chief firearms<br />
and tactical training officer of<br />
the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the<br />
Southern District of New York,<br />
and a 26 year federal law enforcement<br />
veteran.<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 21
GUEST COMENTARY<br />
police law news<br />
Daniel Carr<br />
Unnecessary escalation?<br />
Or an impossible situation.<br />
On June 12, 2024 a woman called<br />
911 and reported that her son (Jonathon<br />
Gounaris) had theatened to<br />
commit suicide and homicide.<br />
Ogle County, IL deputies were<br />
dispatched and attempted to make<br />
contact with Mr. Gounaris at his residence.<br />
There was no response.<br />
A Tactical team (including a<br />
crisis negotiator) then arrived on<br />
scene and attempted for nearly<br />
three hours to make contact with<br />
Mr. Gounaris. The deputies called<br />
his cell phone as well as a “throw<br />
phone” that they lobbed into the<br />
residence over fifty times - without<br />
success.<br />
THE DECISION<br />
At this point a decision had to be<br />
made: Disengage and leave as no<br />
crime had been committed. Enter<br />
the residence and force contact<br />
with Mr. Gounaris.<br />
FACTORS<br />
If the allegations/concerns<br />
were limited to suicide/selfharm<br />
and no one else was inside<br />
the residence with the subject -<br />
“best practices” nowadays is that<br />
law enforcement disengage. I<br />
agree that this is usually the best<br />
option in these scenarios.<br />
But, the report was not only<br />
suicide but homicide. This make<br />
things far more difficult for police<br />
supervisors.<br />
WHAT IF?<br />
What if… police disengage and<br />
22 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
the family believes that he had<br />
committed suicide or is injured and<br />
they tell police that they intend to<br />
enter the residence on their own as<br />
soon as police leave? Police cannot<br />
stop them. Knowing this - do police<br />
have a duty to ensure that the scene<br />
is safe before they leave?<br />
or<br />
What if… the police disengage<br />
and he emerges twenty minutes<br />
later and acts on the homicidal<br />
threats?<br />
or<br />
What if… the police enter and find<br />
themselves ambushed and in a gun<br />
battle?<br />
This is an impossible situation<br />
for law enforcement to be in. If it<br />
doesn’t end perfectly - there is ample<br />
space for honest (and dishonest)<br />
criticism.<br />
USE OF FORCE<br />
The decision was made to enter<br />
the residence. The deputies forced<br />
the door open and were immediately<br />
met with gunfire. This f*cker had<br />
been waiting.<br />
Three deputies were shot and<br />
injured. Mr. Gounaris was also shot<br />
and injured.<br />
CHARGES<br />
Jonathon Gounaris now faces<br />
12 criminal charges: 4 counts of<br />
Attempted First Degree Murder, 3<br />
counts of Aggravated Discharge of<br />
a Firearm, 3 counts of Aggravated<br />
Battery, and 2 counts of Possession<br />
of a Firearm Without a Firearm<br />
Owner’s Identification Card (FOID).<br />
THE INEVITABLE CRITICISM<br />
The criticism is, of course, that the<br />
deputies unnecessarily escalated<br />
the situation.<br />
But, we all know, that if the deputies<br />
disengaged, and Mr. Gounaris<br />
walked over to the local day camp<br />
and slaughtered a dozen children<br />
- those very same critics would be<br />
slamming the cops for being lazy,<br />
incompetent, and not “protecting”<br />
the community from a known madman.<br />
The “safest” thing (both physically<br />
and liability-wise) for police to do<br />
is disengage. There is no question<br />
about that. But, is that the “right”<br />
thing? Is that what the public expects<br />
from local law enforcement?<br />
What I do know is that police<br />
leaders and trainers should study<br />
this case and craft policy that is<br />
cemented with real-life training<br />
scenarios - to prepare for when<br />
their officers and supervisors are<br />
faced with a similar situation.<br />
Final Thoughts<br />
It is far easier to craft the perfect<br />
tactical plan - after an incident<br />
has taken place. After watching the<br />
body cam footage with the benefit<br />
of 20/20 hindsight guiding every<br />
move. From a safe space. With no<br />
ones life riding on the outcome of<br />
decisions. That is policing from a<br />
point of privilege. And cops on the<br />
street do not have it.
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 23
GUEST COMENTARY<br />
police law news<br />
Daniel Carr<br />
Officer Involved: Ryan Londregan<br />
The first time I watched the<br />
body cam footage I was not convinced.<br />
I wasn’t convinced either way<br />
on this one and I knew that if<br />
it wasn’t clear to me - that it<br />
would undoubtedly leave negative<br />
space for anti-police activists,<br />
agenda-driven prosecutors,<br />
and the millions who read lots of<br />
headlines but zero articles - to<br />
make an issue of this case.<br />
WHAT HAPPENED<br />
on <strong>July</strong> 31, 2023 Minnesota<br />
State Patrol troopers initiated a<br />
traffic stop on a vehicle that was<br />
driven by Ricky Cobb II on Interstate<br />
94 - because the vehicle did<br />
not have working taillights.<br />
During the initial contact a<br />
Trooper ran Mr. Cobb’s information<br />
and found that he had a<br />
felony warrant out of Ramsey<br />
County. Trooper Londregan attempted<br />
to detain Mr. Cobb and<br />
instructed him to exit the vehicle.<br />
Mr. Cobb refused and argued<br />
with the officers.<br />
After several minutes of backand-forth,<br />
Troopers made the<br />
decision to extract Mr. Cobb<br />
from the vehicle. This included a<br />
Trooper unbuckling his seatbelt.<br />
It was at this point that Mr.<br />
Cobb accelerated the vehicle in<br />
an attempt to flee. Two State<br />
Troopers had parts of their bodies<br />
inside of the vehicle and were<br />
dragged as Mr. Cobb dangerously<br />
and selfishly sped away.<br />
24 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Trooper Londregan then shot<br />
Mr. Cobb and he died from his<br />
injuries.<br />
CHARGES<br />
In January 2024 the Hennepin<br />
County Prosecutor (Mary<br />
Moriarty) filed charges against<br />
Trooper Londregan. The criminal<br />
complaint charged three counts:<br />
second-degree unintentional<br />
murder, first-degree assault, and<br />
second-degree manslaughter.<br />
The presumptive sentence under<br />
the Minnesota Sentencing<br />
Guidelines for a second-degree<br />
unintentional murder conviction<br />
would be 128-180 months.<br />
ANALYSIS<br />
I had been careful to not cover<br />
this case on both SubStack nor in<br />
my videos on (Tik Tok and You-<br />
Tube) as I honestly was not sure<br />
what my position was.<br />
Upon initially just watching<br />
the body/dash cam - it almost<br />
seemed as though Trooper<br />
Londegran fired his weapon as<br />
the vehicle was fleeing. Shooting<br />
at a vehicle for only fleeing is<br />
never reasonable.<br />
However, a careful review<br />
clearly shows that two Troopers<br />
were in the vehicle (at least<br />
partly) as Mr. Cobb drove away.<br />
Trooper Londegran’s actions<br />
were to save the lives/minimize<br />
injury to the other Troopers who<br />
were in immediate danger and<br />
therefore were within the law<br />
and objectively reasonable.<br />
For those who do not think that<br />
this OIS was justified - please<br />
answer the following question,<br />
as it must be at the center of<br />
your argument, “As Mr. Cobb<br />
drove away, dragging the Troopers,<br />
what was the appropriate<br />
force response from Trooper<br />
Londregan (or any other police<br />
officer in this situation)?”<br />
THE FALLOUT<br />
Prosecutor Mary Moriarty was<br />
not able to secure a use of force<br />
expert from the Minnesota State
Police to testify on behalf of the<br />
State. The use of force instructor<br />
for the State Police (who actually<br />
taught Trooper Londregan)<br />
was prepared to testify that he,<br />
“acted in accordance with training”.<br />
This is evidence that the Prosecutor<br />
was more concerned with<br />
locking up a cop than properly<br />
and thoroughly investigating this<br />
case.<br />
Mary Moriarty even hired an<br />
outside law firm to review the<br />
case. A Washington D.C. based<br />
firm that was comprised of former<br />
Federal Prosecutors.<br />
Even Democrat Governor Tim<br />
Walz recognized the gross injustice<br />
and threatened to remove<br />
Moriarty from the case if the<br />
charges were not dropped. An<br />
unusual move for one Dem to<br />
publicly call out another Dem on<br />
such an issue.<br />
Last week Moriarty dropped<br />
the charges against Trooper<br />
Londregan citing “new evidence<br />
would make it impossible to<br />
prove unauthorized use of force.”<br />
That is great news, but…<br />
No new evidence in this case<br />
magically appeared. It was just<br />
that the facts of this case finally<br />
outweighed the sick desire<br />
to add imprisoning a cop to her<br />
resume.<br />
THE FIGHT<br />
What impressed me as a<br />
retired cop with a law degree<br />
and former police union elected<br />
representative was the outpouring<br />
of public support from the<br />
Minnesota Peace Officers Association<br />
and the competent and<br />
constant public statements from<br />
Trooper Londregan’s legal team.<br />
Defense attorney Chris Madel<br />
and Police Association Attorney<br />
Imran Ali deserve special recognition.<br />
The professionalism and<br />
relentless pursuit of the truth<br />
should be the case study of a<br />
course on this for other attorneys/union<br />
representatives in this<br />
realm.<br />
I guess it is a good thing that<br />
Imran is a lead instructor for<br />
LETAC (law enforcement training<br />
services). I had the privilege<br />
of attending the 2023 LETAC Use<br />
of Force Conference and cannot<br />
wait to attend another conference<br />
as a student or speaker.<br />
FINAL THOUGHTS<br />
Even honest prosecutors make<br />
mistakes. But, prosecutors with<br />
an agenda are a special problem<br />
for law enforcement. In these<br />
instances having competent,<br />
professional, and aggressive<br />
representatives is an invaluable<br />
asset for police officers.<br />
The charges were dropped in<br />
this case but there are several<br />
others nationwide where officers<br />
in (arguably) more “justified”<br />
cases are still facing prosecution.<br />
Officers like: Christopher<br />
Schurr - Grand Rapids, Michigan-<br />
Brad Lunsford - Las Cruces, New<br />
MexicoMac Bailey Marquette -<br />
Decatur, Georgia<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 25
GUEST COMENTARY<br />
more to say<br />
Rex Evans<br />
“Honorable” people don’t throw stones.<br />
I have not, nor will I ever,<br />
walk on water. If we are to be<br />
truthful, this applies to all of<br />
us including those who throw<br />
stones in glass houses. For<br />
example, a certain person who<br />
has ruthlessly and with great<br />
malice attacked Jimmy Fullen, a<br />
candidate running for Galveston<br />
County Sheriff.<br />
Look folks, politics is now<br />
more than ever, a God awful,<br />
dirty business. People literally<br />
eat their own (Figuratively<br />
speaking) within their Political<br />
Party. Let alone how badly they<br />
attack someone from another<br />
Party.<br />
But going after a Candidate is<br />
one thing. Going after his family,<br />
friends and everyone who supports<br />
him, is quite another. And<br />
then launch personal attacks<br />
against his children. There’s<br />
nothing ‘honorable’ about that.<br />
Look, Jimmy Fullen is human,<br />
and he makes mistakes just like<br />
the rest of us. He knew when<br />
he put his name on the ballot,<br />
that his entire life as well as<br />
his family’s life, would be open<br />
game for his opponent to attack<br />
him in every way possible.<br />
I gotta tell you, I’m down for<br />
supporting Jimmy because he IS<br />
human and has enough humility<br />
to admit he’d made mistakes<br />
in the past. I have tried to make<br />
right of my past transgressions.<br />
26 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
RETIRED POLICE CHIEF,<br />
REX EVANS<br />
I’ve done everything I can to<br />
make my community, county<br />
and state a safer, more peaceful<br />
place for people to live, work<br />
and raise a family. I can get behind<br />
that kind of person.<br />
What I cannot accept, is a<br />
person who ruthlessly attacks<br />
another when the very stones<br />
they are throwing, are of the<br />
same big rock of their own past.<br />
Tread lightly when casting upon<br />
others, for we all have paths we<br />
wish we never taken or roads<br />
we never traveled.<br />
Finally, to try and weaponize<br />
the State Board of Law Enforcement<br />
arguably one of the most<br />
prestigious and certainly one of<br />
the most visible State Boards in<br />
Texas, for one’s own political<br />
agenda is sickening to me. It<br />
reeks and circles back to what I<br />
mentioned earlier…Some will in<br />
fact, eat their very own for their<br />
own personal agenda. If even<br />
that agenda is in and of itself<br />
born out of misconduct.<br />
I haven’t met too many folks<br />
without a “past.” I just haven’t.<br />
And those whom I have met who<br />
didn’t, have a questionable past,<br />
quite frankly I never trusted<br />
them because what the hell have<br />
they ever stood for, done or not<br />
done and above all…what have<br />
they ever done for anyone else<br />
other than themselves?<br />
Thus far, most folks in Galveston<br />
County, TCOLE and others<br />
seemed to feel the same way.<br />
We all have lived our lives, as<br />
best we can. When we’ve stumbled,<br />
we’ve stumbled. We didn’t<br />
just lay there. We got back up<br />
and we did better from that<br />
point on.<br />
Jimmy Fullen is no different.<br />
He’s stumbled in his life. Good.<br />
That means he’s a better man<br />
and will make a better Sheriff<br />
because of these life lessons.<br />
And as Sheriff, he’ll better understand<br />
how to lead the GCSO<br />
through difficult times as we<br />
will surely face in the future.
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 27
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
SOUTHINGTON, CT.<br />
Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was struck and killed by a truck<br />
while conducting a traffic stop on I-84 East.<br />
SOUTHINGTON, CT. – A Connecticut<br />
State Police trooper<br />
was killed in a hit-and-run crash<br />
on Interstate 84 in Southington<br />
on Thursday May 30.<br />
State police identified the victim<br />
as Trooper First Class Aaron<br />
Pelletier, of Troop H in Hartford.<br />
He was a nine-year veteran of<br />
the Connecticut State Police.<br />
Authorities said Pelletier, 34,<br />
was conducting a traffic stop on<br />
I-84 east near Exit 31 when he<br />
was struck.<br />
“Preliminary information<br />
shows the right side wheels of<br />
the pickup were completely over<br />
the dividing line into the shoulder,<br />
sideswiped Trooper Pelletier’s<br />
cruiser and then struck<br />
Trooper Pelletier in the shoulder<br />
while he was speaking with the<br />
operator,” Sgt. Luke Davis, with<br />
Connecticut State Police, said.<br />
Pelletier was pronounced dead<br />
at the scene.<br />
The driver who hit Pelletier<br />
drove away, state police said.<br />
The suspect, who was not immediately<br />
identified, was later<br />
located and taken into police<br />
custody on I-84 in Farmington.<br />
“TFC Pelletier was a member<br />
of 125th Training Troop and a<br />
nine-year veteran of the Connecticut<br />
State Police. TFC Pelletier<br />
served the citizens of the<br />
state of Connecticut with an<br />
unwavering sense of dedication,<br />
pride and professionalism, and<br />
his sacrifice will never be forgotten,”<br />
state police said.<br />
Pelletier leaves behind his wife<br />
and two children.<br />
He spent the past three years<br />
as a K-9 officer with K-9 Roso.<br />
Authorities said Roso was in the<br />
state police cruiser at the time of<br />
the crash but was not hurt.<br />
A miles-long procession was<br />
held in honor of Pelletier on<br />
Thursday evening, and Connecticut<br />
Gov. Ned Lamont directed<br />
flags to half-staff in honor of the<br />
trooper.<br />
“I am devastated to learn about<br />
the loss of Trooper First Class<br />
Aaron Pelletier, who was killed<br />
today in the line of duty while<br />
TROOPER AARON PELLETIER<br />
serving the people of Connecticut.<br />
This is a tragic reminder<br />
about the dangers law enforcement<br />
face every day when they<br />
leave their homes and go to<br />
work. Trooper Pelletier served<br />
Connecticut with honor, integrity,<br />
and commitment, and he<br />
embodies the definition of public<br />
service. His courage and bravery<br />
will never be forgotten,” Lamont<br />
said as part of a statement<br />
released Thursday.<br />
DON’T MISS THIS MONTH’S<br />
AFTERMATH ON PAGE 158<br />
28 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 29
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
MINNEAPOLIS, MN.<br />
Minneapolis Police Officer Jamal Mitchell was shot and killed<br />
after being ambushed while responding to a shooting call.<br />
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis<br />
police officer who was<br />
killed by a man he was trying to<br />
help at the site of a shooting was<br />
memorialized Tuesday as a hero<br />
who exemplified the type of public<br />
servant the city’s police force<br />
has been trying to recruit amid<br />
years of turmoil.<br />
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey<br />
told those gathered at a service<br />
for Officer Jamal Mitchell, 36,<br />
that he will be remembered as<br />
a hero in the city forever. Frey,<br />
Police Chief Brian O’Hara, family<br />
members, friends and fellow<br />
officers described a man whose<br />
high ethical standards led him to<br />
Minneapolis, and perhaps even to<br />
his death at the hands of a person<br />
he was trying to save.<br />
“It’s notable that he chose the<br />
profession of policing post-<br />
2020,” Frey said. “It’s even more<br />
notable that he affirmatively<br />
chose Minneapolis. Of all the<br />
places in the world, of all the<br />
professions in the world, of all<br />
the cities in the world, he chose<br />
us. Officer Jamal Mitchell was<br />
here for a reason.”<br />
Investigators are calling the<br />
May 30 shooting of Mitchell an<br />
ambush. They said he was responding<br />
to a call about a double<br />
shooting when he tried to help<br />
a man he believed was injured.<br />
That man shot Mitchell multiple<br />
times. Three other people, including<br />
the gunman, were killed.<br />
Mitchell had been with the<br />
Minneapolis Police Department<br />
for about 18 months. His killing<br />
stunned a department that has<br />
struggled to fill its ranks since<br />
the murder of George Floyd and<br />
the ensuing turmoil. Officers<br />
from across the state and nation<br />
attended the service at a high<br />
school in the suburb of Maple<br />
Grove.<br />
Tori Myslajek, Mitchell’s longterm<br />
partner and fiance, said<br />
Mitchell’s greatest joys were his<br />
four children.<br />
“Our family is completely devastated<br />
by our recent loss. Jamal<br />
was our whole world,” Myslajek<br />
said in a statement. “Jamal and I<br />
created a beautiful life in Minnesota,<br />
and he was deeply passionate<br />
about helping and serving the<br />
community of Minneapolis.”<br />
A procession of law enforcement<br />
officers escorted Mitchell’s<br />
American flag-draped casket into<br />
the high school gym and paced<br />
it beside a portrait of Mitchell.<br />
Above his casket, a photo slideshow<br />
showed him enjoying ski<br />
trips, football games and evenings<br />
at home with family and<br />
friends.<br />
Mitchell was born on Feb. 12,<br />
OFFICER JAMAL MITCHELL<br />
1988, in New Haven, Connecticut,<br />
according to an obituary handed<br />
out at his funeral. He enjoyed<br />
sharing his love of basketball<br />
with his children. His pickup<br />
basketball teammates called him<br />
“the glue that held it all together.”<br />
Mitchell was previously lauded<br />
by the Minneapolis Police Department<br />
for rescuing an elderly<br />
couple from a house fire on<br />
his third day on the job. He was<br />
posthumously awarded the department’s<br />
two highest honors,<br />
a Medal of Honor and a Purple<br />
Heart.<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 31
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
CHEVY CHASE, MD.<br />
Maryland Parole Agent Davis Martinez was stabbed while conducting<br />
a home visit on a convicted sex offender.<br />
CHEVY CHASE, MD. — A parole<br />
agent was found dead in Chevy<br />
Chase on Friday. He has been<br />
identified as 33-year-old Davis<br />
Martinez, and a suspect has been<br />
arrested and charged with second<br />
degree murder.<br />
The Major Crimes Division at<br />
the Montgomery County Department<br />
of Police charged Emanuel<br />
Edward Sewell, a 54-year-old<br />
Chevy Chase man, with second<br />
degree murder in connection<br />
with the death of a Maryland<br />
Parole and Probation agent.<br />
Martinez is the first Maryland<br />
Division of Parole and Probation<br />
agent in the state to ever be<br />
killed by a client while on duty,<br />
according to the Maryland Department<br />
of Public Safety and<br />
Correctional Services.<br />
“The loss of a law enforcement<br />
officer who was performing his<br />
duties for the state of Maryland<br />
is a tragedy,” Montgomery County<br />
Police Chief Marcus Jones<br />
said. “The death of agent Martinez<br />
is a stark reminder of the<br />
dangers we face everyday.”<br />
Several people are calling Martinez<br />
a hero.<br />
“Those people are the first line<br />
of defense when you’re in trouble<br />
and make a call and what<br />
they do its incredible and they<br />
32 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
often don’t get appreciated for<br />
it,” one man who didn’t want to<br />
be identified.<br />
The department’s secretary,<br />
Carolyn Scruggs, called Martinez<br />
an unsung hero. “We extend our<br />
deepest condolences to Agent<br />
Martinez’s family and co-workers.<br />
His professionalism, diligence<br />
and resilience will remain<br />
engraved in our hearts,” she said.<br />
Governor Wes Moore this evening<br />
issued the following statement<br />
regarding the apprehension<br />
of the suspect wanted for the<br />
murder of Agent Davis Martinez:<br />
“Agent Martinez served with<br />
distinction and our state is safer<br />
because of him—our entire state<br />
grieves his loss along with those<br />
he held dear. I would like to<br />
thank our dedicated law enforcement<br />
community for their<br />
relentless and successful efforts<br />
in apprehending the suspect<br />
and for their unwavering pursuit<br />
of justice for Agent Martinez,<br />
his family, his friends and colleagues.”<br />
Per the governor’s order, the<br />
Maryland flag will continue to fly<br />
at half staff through the day of<br />
Agent Martinez’s interment. The<br />
U.S. flag will also be lowered<br />
to half staff on the day of interment.<br />
AGENT DAVIS MARTINEZ<br />
Police said that on Friday at<br />
around 5:50 p.m., officers arrived<br />
to the 2800 block of Terrace<br />
Drive in Chevy Chase for a welfare<br />
check on an agent who had<br />
not reported back to work “after<br />
a resident check of Sewell, a<br />
registered sex offender.”<br />
Once on the scene, police<br />
found Martinez who was pronounced<br />
dead as a result of<br />
blunt force trauma, according<br />
to an MCPD press conference.<br />
Police said Sewell was not inside<br />
the residence and they believed<br />
Sewell had Agent Martinez’s<br />
badge.
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 33
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
GILA RIVER TRIBAL POLICE<br />
Police Officer Joshua Briese was shot and killed while responding<br />
to a disturbance call at Gila River Indian Community.<br />
Lorenzino Estrada,<br />
Rey Covarrubias Jr.,<br />
USA TODAY<br />
A police officer responding to<br />
a disturbance at a home early<br />
Saturday and a woman are both<br />
dead in Santan, District 4, of<br />
the Gila River Indian Community<br />
in Arizona, according to local<br />
authorities.<br />
Joshua Briese, who had been<br />
with the police department for<br />
less than a year, and another<br />
officer responded to a disturbance<br />
call involving a large<br />
crowd, according to the Arizona<br />
Republic, part of the USA<br />
TODAY Network. Multiple gunshots<br />
were fired and both officers<br />
were struck, the Gila River<br />
Police Department wrote in a<br />
Facebook post.<br />
Both officers were taken to<br />
the hospital. Briese died from<br />
his injuries, while the other officer,<br />
who has not been identified,<br />
was in serious but stable<br />
condition, according to police.<br />
Four other people were struck<br />
by gunfire. The woman who<br />
died was identified as 23-yearold<br />
Alicen Apkaw, Stephen Roe<br />
Lewis, governor of the Gila River<br />
Indian Community, said. He did<br />
not provide details about her<br />
34 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
time of death. The three others<br />
who were shot were being<br />
treated at area hospitals.<br />
Two suspects were taken into<br />
custody Sunday by the FBI’s<br />
Phoenix Field Office and the<br />
Gila River Police Department.<br />
Officials identified them as a<br />
man and a teen boy but did not<br />
release their names. They said<br />
both individuals were receiving<br />
medical care for the injuries<br />
they received from the shooting.<br />
“I know I speak for our entire<br />
Community when I say that we<br />
grieve for our fallen and injured<br />
police officers and every<br />
Community member touched<br />
by such tragic violence,” Lewis<br />
said. “Nothing cuts deeper than<br />
a life cut short. We will pray for<br />
our officers and their families,<br />
and for every Community member,<br />
every loved one, and every<br />
family impacted by what happened<br />
this morning.”<br />
Briese was the son of former<br />
Yellowstone County Sheriff’s<br />
Officer David Briese, who also<br />
died in the line of duty.<br />
David Briese was killed in<br />
November 2006 in an automobile<br />
accident on Interstate<br />
90 in Billings, Montana, while<br />
responding to a backup call<br />
OFFICER JOSHUA BRIESE<br />
for an officer who was dealing<br />
with a combative impaired<br />
driver, according to the Sheriff’s<br />
Office.<br />
County Sheriff’s Office released<br />
a statement regarding<br />
Joshua Briese’s death:<br />
“YCSO is heart broken and in<br />
disbelief upon receiving word<br />
this morning of the Line of<br />
Duty Death of Gila River Arizona<br />
Police Officer Josh Briese,<br />
Joshie as many of us called<br />
him,” the statement said. “All<br />
we can say is God Speed and<br />
rest easy. Knowing Dave & Josh<br />
are together again, both left this<br />
world serving their community<br />
and doing what they loved. RIP.”
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 35
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX.<br />
Senior Police Officer Vicente Ortiz succumbed to injuries sustained 10 days<br />
earlier when he was involved in a motorcycle crash while escorting a funeral<br />
BY Katie Nickas<br />
Corpus Christi Caller Times<br />
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX. – Corpus<br />
Christi police on Saturday,<br />
June 1, announced the death of<br />
Vicente Ortiz, a senior officer<br />
with the department. Ortiz died<br />
from injuries sustained from a<br />
vehicle accident while working<br />
as a police motorcycle escort. He<br />
worked with the department for<br />
15 years.<br />
“It is with tremendous sorrow<br />
that we inform the community<br />
of the passing of Senior Officer<br />
Vicente Ortiz,” the police statement<br />
said. “We mourn the loss<br />
of a great husband, father, son,<br />
brother, friend and co-worker.”<br />
The officer had been in the<br />
hospital for 11 days following a<br />
crash that happened on May 21<br />
at the intersection of Kostoryz<br />
Road and Sacky Drive, police<br />
said.<br />
The incident happened at<br />
about 1:36 p.m. that day. Ortiz<br />
was traveling south on Kostoryz<br />
Road, riding as part of a Corpus<br />
Christi Motors Unit that was<br />
conducting traffic control during<br />
a funeral procession, when the<br />
other driver, headed east on<br />
Sacky Drive, attempted to turn<br />
north on Kostoryz Road, striking<br />
the officer. Ortiz sustained<br />
life-threatening wounds and was<br />
transported to a local hospital,<br />
police said.<br />
Police Lt. Eryca Gonzalez said<br />
the driver who struck the motorcycle<br />
was cited for failing<br />
to yield the right-of-way to an<br />
emergency vehicle, along with<br />
interference with a funeral procession.<br />
The accident is still being<br />
investigated, and traffic investigators<br />
are working to determine<br />
OFFICER VICENTE ORTIZ, JR.<br />
whether charges will be upgraded<br />
and filed with the District<br />
Attorney’s office, she said.<br />
A GoFundMe page was created<br />
for the officer on May 24 to support<br />
his family while Ortiz was<br />
in the hospital. More than $21,700<br />
has been raised.<br />
Ortiz leaves behind his wife<br />
and two children.<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 37
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
CHARLES CITY CNTY, VA.<br />
Sergeant Floyd Miles suffered a fatal heart attack while<br />
struggling with a subject inside an ambulance.<br />
CHARLES CITY COUNTY, VA.<br />
– A deputy from Virginia died<br />
Sunday in the line of duty after<br />
suffering a medical emergency<br />
following a struggle with an<br />
individual.<br />
A spokesperson for the Charles<br />
City County Sheriff’s Office said<br />
Sergeant Floyd H. Miles, Jr. was<br />
monitoring traffic when a man<br />
on a moped fell on his vehicle.<br />
Miles noticed blood on the<br />
man and asked if he was OK, to<br />
which he responded that people<br />
were after him and trying to kill<br />
him.<br />
According to the spokesperson,<br />
“he repeatedly said that<br />
and the deputy then placed him<br />
into the rear of their vehicle and<br />
called EMS for further observation.”<br />
Charles City County Fire and<br />
EMS personnel moved the man<br />
into the back of an ambulance<br />
when they arrived.<br />
After several minutes, Miles<br />
went to the ambulance and the<br />
man became combative towards<br />
the deputy and hit him.<br />
“A struggle ensued between<br />
the subject against law enforcement<br />
and EMS. As a result of the<br />
struggle, the deputy suffered a<br />
medical emergency,” the spokesperson<br />
said.<br />
Miles was taken to the hospital<br />
for treatment, where he later<br />
died. A spokesperson for the<br />
sheriff’s office says Miles was<br />
born and raised in Charles City<br />
County, a place he truly loved.<br />
“Upon graduating Charles City<br />
County High School he enlisted<br />
in the United States Army. Sgt.<br />
Miles returned to serve Charles<br />
City County Sheriff’s Office<br />
proudly for 16 years. He was<br />
supervisor of Patrol and Animal<br />
Control. He had true genuine<br />
passion not only for the residents<br />
of Charles City County, but all<br />
residents of the Commonwealth<br />
of Virginia. He constantly excelled<br />
in his field most recently<br />
graduating from Animal Control<br />
SERGEANT FLOYD H. MILES, JR.<br />
School. He is survived by his<br />
mother and father, wife, three<br />
stepsons, brothers, sister and<br />
grandson,” the spokesperson<br />
said.<br />
The man on the moped was<br />
taken to an area hospital for examination<br />
and observation.<br />
Virginia State Police’s Bureau of<br />
Criminal Investigation is handling<br />
the investigation.<br />
“When a police officer is killed,<br />
it’s not an agency that loses an officer,<br />
it’s an entire nation.”<br />
Chris Cosgriff, ODMP Founder<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 39
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
SCOTTSDALE, AR.<br />
Detective Ryan So was accidentally shot and killed after serving a<br />
search warrant and conducting an arrest in Scottsdale.<br />
By Jenna Sundel<br />
SCOTTSDALE, AR. - The Scottsdale<br />
Police Department and<br />
community are mourning the<br />
loss of Det. Ryan So, who died<br />
after an accidental rifle discharge,<br />
and is only the second<br />
officer to be killed in the line of<br />
duty in the department’s history.<br />
So and several other detectives<br />
from the Special Assignment<br />
Unit were unloading a vehicle<br />
after executing a search warrant<br />
and arrest operation on Thursday<br />
when the tragedy unfolded,<br />
according to a Scottsdale Police<br />
Department press release sent<br />
to Newsweek.<br />
So was moving a bag containing<br />
a rifle when it fell on the<br />
ground and accidentally discharged.<br />
Fellow officers treated So at<br />
the scene before he was transported<br />
to a hospital. He later<br />
died from his injuries.<br />
So served with the Scottsdale<br />
Police Department for nine<br />
years and the United States Navy<br />
for four years. He is survived by<br />
a wife and three daughters.<br />
“The loss of Detective So is<br />
deeply felt throughout the entire<br />
community. We will forever<br />
<strong>40</strong> The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
honor his sacrifice and remember<br />
his legacy as a hero who<br />
dedicated his life to serving and<br />
protecting others,” Scottsdale<br />
police said in a statement.<br />
The Mesa Police Department,<br />
as part of the East Valley Critical<br />
Response Team, is investigating<br />
the officer’s death.<br />
“As you can imagine, this is an<br />
incredibly difficult time,” Scottsdale<br />
Assistant Police Chief Rich<br />
Slavin said at a press conference.<br />
“We ask for privacy for<br />
Ryan’s family and for the police<br />
department. Please keep Ryan’s<br />
family and the men and women<br />
of the Scottsdale Police Department<br />
in your thoughts and<br />
prayers.”<br />
Chris Ellis, a friend of So’s,<br />
told AZFamily he will be missed<br />
by the community.<br />
“I don’t think I’ve known someone<br />
whose had as big a servant<br />
heart as he does,” Ellis said.<br />
“He’s always helping other people.”<br />
Other police departments in<br />
Arizona have paid tribute to So<br />
on social media, including the<br />
Phoenix Police Department,<br />
Gilbert Police Department and<br />
Chandler Police Department.<br />
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s<br />
DETECTIVE RYAN SO<br />
Office also posted a remembrance<br />
of So.<br />
“Sheriff Skinner and the entire<br />
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office<br />
send sincere condolences to the<br />
family, friends, and colleagues<br />
of Scottsdale Police Department<br />
Detective Ryan So who passed<br />
away last night,” the sheriff’s<br />
office said on Facebook.<br />
“We thank and honor him<br />
for his dedicated service to<br />
the community. May he rest in<br />
peace.”<br />
The Fraternal Order of Police,<br />
Police Officers of Scottsdale<br />
Association and 100 Club are<br />
accepting donations for So’s<br />
family.<br />
So is the first officer to be<br />
killed in the line of duty since<br />
2002 and the second in the department’s<br />
history.
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 41<br />
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AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
FAYETTE CNTY, PA.<br />
Phillip J. Michael, a longtime state constable from Fayette County Pennsylvania,<br />
died from injuries suffered in a car crash last month.<br />
FAYETTE COUNTY, PA. – A longtime<br />
state constable from Fayette<br />
County died Thursday more<br />
than a month after his vehicle<br />
was struck by another driver<br />
who allegedly ran a red light on<br />
Route 51 in Perryopolis.<br />
Philip J. Michael, 51, of South<br />
Union Township, died at UPMC<br />
Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh<br />
following injuries he<br />
suffered in the May 3 crash, according<br />
to the Allegheny County<br />
Medical Examiner’s office.<br />
“I don’t think you’re going to<br />
find anyone in the court system<br />
or the community that has<br />
anything bad to say about Phil,”<br />
Fayette County District Attorney<br />
Mike Aubele said Friday. “Just a<br />
super nice guy. Always smiling.<br />
He was never having a bad day. I<br />
can’t say enough about him.”<br />
Aubele, who got to know<br />
Michael while working in the<br />
courts as a defense attorney before<br />
winning election as district<br />
attorney last year, said the constable<br />
was a “great family man”<br />
who also cared deeply about his<br />
job and the community. Aubele<br />
said Michael’s experience made<br />
him the point person for working<br />
on training exercises with other<br />
constables in the county.<br />
42 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
“He was the go-to guy,” Aubele<br />
said. “He did a lot of the training<br />
and certification for the other<br />
constables. We consulted him<br />
for his expertise often, more than<br />
any other constable in the county.”<br />
It’s not immediately clear<br />
whether Michael was on duty<br />
when the crash happened last<br />
month. According to Perryopolis<br />
police, 18-year-old Brianna Krall<br />
was driving on Independence<br />
Street in the borough when she<br />
allegedly went through a red<br />
light and struck Michael’s vehicle<br />
as it was crossing through the<br />
intersection on Route 51. Krall is<br />
facing multiple traffic citations,<br />
including an additional summary<br />
offense of careless driving causing<br />
unintentional death that was<br />
filed Thursday.<br />
Perryopolis police could not<br />
be reached for comment Friday<br />
for additional information on the<br />
crash.<br />
In addition to serving as a state<br />
constable, Michael was a former<br />
Uniontown City councilman and<br />
current president of the Uniontown<br />
Rotary Club, according to<br />
his obituary.<br />
Fayette County Commissioner<br />
Vince Vicites said Michael was<br />
CONSTABLE PHILLIP MICHAEL<br />
both a friend and a neighbor<br />
of his in South Union Township.<br />
He recalled Michael as not only<br />
a constable for more than two<br />
decades in the county, but also<br />
a respected educator, teaching<br />
at school districts in Mapletown<br />
and West Mifflin, while also subbing<br />
at various schools across<br />
Fayette County.<br />
“He was just very community<br />
oriented. Public service meant a<br />
lot to him, helping people. … He<br />
was a community-minded person<br />
who really cared. He touched<br />
a lot of people,” Vicites said. “It’s<br />
just really tragic, really sad. He<br />
will be sorely missed.”
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 43
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
OAKLAND CNTY, MI.<br />
Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Bradley Reckling was shot and<br />
killed while conducting surveillance on a stolen vehicle in Detroit.<br />
DETROIT (WILX) - The Oakland<br />
County Sheriff’s Office is mourning<br />
the loss of a deputy who was<br />
shot and killed in the line of duty<br />
Saturday night.<br />
Police said in a press release<br />
that the shooting happened just<br />
before 11 p.m. on June 22 on the<br />
north side of Detroit.<br />
Bradley J. Reckling, 30, and<br />
two other members of the Sheriff’s<br />
Office Auto Theft Unit were<br />
working undercover to find a<br />
Chevrolet Equinox that was stolen<br />
earlier in the day at Red Oaks<br />
Water Park in Madison Heights.<br />
Reckling and his colleagues<br />
traced the car to a location in<br />
Detroit. Reckling spotted the car,<br />
the vehicle suddenly stopped and<br />
at least one of the three suspects<br />
in the car got out and began<br />
shooting.<br />
Reckling was struck multiple<br />
times and was sent to the hospital<br />
where he later died.<br />
Police in the area were quickly<br />
informed Reckling had been<br />
shot, and Detroit Police and the<br />
Michigan State Police flooded<br />
the area and quickly set up a<br />
perimeter. Three suspects were<br />
arrested.<br />
Reckling was hired back in<br />
2015 and honored multiple times<br />
by the sheriff’s office, including<br />
commendations for life-saving,<br />
meritorious and professional<br />
excellence.<br />
Deputy Mathew Morrision said,<br />
“Brad was a loving husband,<br />
father, and an amazing friend.<br />
He loved the outdoors. Was an<br />
amazing fisherman, loved to deer<br />
hunt, and enjoyed growing his<br />
farm and raising animals.”<br />
“This was a senseless murder<br />
and a terrible loss for our entire<br />
community,” said Oakland County<br />
Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald<br />
in a news release on Sunday. “It’s<br />
also another tragedy caused by<br />
gun violence, which continues<br />
to take a tremendous toll on our<br />
community.”<br />
Oakland County Executive Dave<br />
Coulter also released a statement<br />
saying, “I am heartbroken<br />
DEPUTY BRADLEY J. RECKLING<br />
to learn of the shooting death<br />
of one of our Oakland County<br />
Sheriff deputies. Please keep<br />
him, his loved ones, and county<br />
colleagues in your heart today.<br />
I’ve been in contact with Sheriff<br />
Bouchard to offer support to<br />
sheriff’s office employees during<br />
this difficult time.”<br />
This is still an ongoing investigation.<br />
News 10 will continue to<br />
provide updates.<br />
DON’T MISS THIS MONTH’S<br />
WAR STORY ON PAGE 154<br />
44 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
PUERTO RICO<br />
Agent Luis Algarin De Jesús, of the Puerto Rico Police Department,<br />
was killed when an SUV hit his motorcycle head-on.<br />
Our sincere condolences<br />
go out to the Puerto<br />
Rico Police Department<br />
and the family and friends<br />
of Agent Luis Algarin De<br />
Jesús, who was killed<br />
when an SUV hit his motorcycle<br />
head-on.<br />
Around 6:00 am, Agent<br />
Algarin De Jesús was<br />
traveling on the two-lane<br />
highway of Highway PR-1<br />
in the Jauca neighborhood<br />
when the driver of a vehicle<br />
crossed the center line,<br />
attempting to pass another<br />
vehicle. The SUV hit Agent<br />
Algarin De Jesús’ motorcycle<br />
head-on, killing him<br />
instantly.<br />
Agent Luis Algarin De<br />
Jesús had served with the<br />
Puerto Rico Police Department<br />
for 30 years and<br />
was assigned to the Santa<br />
Isabel District.<br />
AGENT LUIS ALGARIN DE JESUS<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 45
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
HILLSDALE, MI.<br />
Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Deputy William Butler was shot and killed<br />
while assisting another deputy with a traffic stop.<br />
HILLSDALE COUNTY, MI.<br />
(WILX) - The Hillsdale County<br />
deputy who was shot and<br />
killed Thursday afternoon has<br />
been identified by the sheriff.<br />
Hillsdale County Sheriff Scott<br />
Hodshire said Deputy William<br />
Henry Butler Jr., 51, was serving<br />
as a backup for a detective<br />
sergeant with the Hillsdale<br />
County Sheriff’s Office who<br />
was conducting a traffic stop<br />
at the time of the shooting.<br />
The sheriff said during the<br />
traffic stop, the detective sergeant<br />
recognized the driver for<br />
having outstanding warrants.<br />
Eric Fiddler, 34, the passenger<br />
in the car, reportedly refused<br />
to give his identity. After his<br />
identity was known, the sheriff<br />
said they soon learned that<br />
Fiddler also had warrants out<br />
for his arrest. An arrest was<br />
attempted, but the sheriff said<br />
Fiddler resisted.<br />
Fiddler allegedly shot and<br />
killed Butler on June 27 just<br />
after 2 p.m. in the area of<br />
Beecher Road and Lamb Road<br />
in Hillsdale County. Fiddler ran<br />
from the scene. Michigan State<br />
Police told News 10 that Fiddler<br />
was found at around 6:15<br />
p.m. Thursday and was fatally<br />
shot by officers.<br />
DEPUTY WILLIAM BUTLER JR.<br />
The Hillsdale County Sheriff’s<br />
Office hasn’t had an officer die<br />
in the line of duty in nearly 100<br />
years.<br />
46 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 47
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
HOUSTON, TX.<br />
An illegal immigrant accused of raping and murdering 12-year old Jocelyn<br />
Nungaray, wore an ICE ankle monitor when the crime occurred.<br />
HOUSTON, TX. – A suspect in<br />
the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn<br />
Nungaray in Houston last<br />
month was wearing an Immigration<br />
and Customs Enforcement<br />
agency (ICE) ankle bracelet at<br />
the time of the crime.<br />
Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26,<br />
one of the suspects behind the<br />
murder, appeared in court at the<br />
Harris County Criminal Courts,<br />
where it was revealed that he<br />
was wearing the ankle monitor<br />
at the time he allegedly murdered<br />
Nungaray.<br />
The ankle bracelet was provided<br />
to him when he was arrested<br />
by Border Patrol agents after<br />
entering the country illegally<br />
and being released from custody,<br />
with ICE telling Fox News in a<br />
statement Friday that he “illegally<br />
entered the U.S. without<br />
inspection, parole or admission<br />
by a U.S. immigration officer on<br />
an unknown date and at an unknown<br />
location.”<br />
Judge Josh Hill, who presided<br />
over Monday’s proceedings, also<br />
noted that Ramos and 21-yearold<br />
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez,<br />
the other suspect in the case,<br />
faced allegations that they were<br />
attempting to gather money to<br />
flee town.<br />
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek<br />
this week. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)<br />
The judge set Ramos’ bail to<br />
$10 million during the appearance,<br />
more than double the $5<br />
million requested by prosecutors.<br />
Pena’s defense had suggested<br />
a bail set at $1 million, but the<br />
judge argued he represented an<br />
“astronomical” flight risk and<br />
said the chances of the suspect<br />
returning to court would be<br />
“near zero.”<br />
If Ramos were to make bail,<br />
the judge ordered that he must<br />
wear a GPS monitor, be on house<br />
arrest 24/7, remain in Harris<br />
County, have no contact with<br />
the other suspect or the victim’s<br />
family, not have contact with<br />
anyone under the age of 18, not<br />
be in possession of firearms,<br />
drugs, or alcohol, and to surrender<br />
his passport.<br />
Ramos and Martinez are accused<br />
of luring the young girl<br />
under a bridge in Houston before<br />
tying her up and killing her.<br />
“In this case the defendant<br />
lured a 12-year-old under a<br />
bridge, where he and his co-defendant<br />
remained with her for<br />
over 2 hours, took her pants off,<br />
tied her up, and killed her, then<br />
threw her body into the bayou,”<br />
Harris County Assistant District<br />
Attorney Michael Abner wrote.<br />
Investigators were able to use<br />
48 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez have been charged in the killing of Jocelyn<br />
Nungaray in Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)<br />
surveillance video to track the<br />
movements of the two before<br />
and after the killing, police said.<br />
“In this case the defendant<br />
lured a 12-year-old under a<br />
bridge, where he and his co-defendant<br />
remained with her for<br />
over 2 hours, took her pants off,<br />
tied her up, and killed her, then<br />
threw her body into the bayou,”<br />
Harris County Assistant District<br />
Attorney Michael Abner wrote.<br />
Fox News reported that the two<br />
suspects from Venezuela had<br />
entered the U.S. illegally before<br />
being released from custody. An<br />
Immigration and Customs Enforcement<br />
(ICE) spokesperson<br />
confirmed the news on Friday,<br />
saying in a statement that “Martinez<br />
and Pena both illegally entered<br />
the U.S. without inspection,<br />
parole or admission by a U.S.<br />
immigration officer on an unknown<br />
date and at an unknown<br />
location.”<br />
“On March 14, Martinez was<br />
apprehended by the U.S. Border<br />
Patrol near El Paso, Texas. That<br />
same day he was released on an<br />
order of recognizance with a notice<br />
to appear,” the spokesperson<br />
added. “Pena was apprehended<br />
by the U.S. Border Patrol on May<br />
28 near El Paso. He was also<br />
released on an order of recognizance<br />
with a notice to appear<br />
the same day he was apprehended.”<br />
Investigators used surveillance<br />
video to track the movements<br />
of Martinez-Rangel and Peña Ramos<br />
before and after the killing,<br />
Houston police Lt. Stephen Hope<br />
said.<br />
Houston Mayor John Whitmire<br />
said that Nungaray had been at<br />
a convenience store, talking to<br />
her 13-year-old boyfriend on the<br />
phone after sneaking out of her<br />
family’s apartment. The boyfriend<br />
told investigators that he<br />
could hear Nungaray talking with<br />
two people.<br />
Martinez-Rangel and Peña<br />
Ramos, meanwhile, started their<br />
evening at a restaurant together<br />
on Sunday night, police said.<br />
They left the restaurant and<br />
then were seen meeting with<br />
Nungaray and talking to her<br />
for a few minutes. Later, Martinez-Rangel<br />
and Peña Ramos,<br />
along with Jocelyn, walked to a<br />
7-Eleven convenience store.<br />
Afterward, the three of them<br />
walked to a bridge, where investigators<br />
said Nungaray was<br />
murdered. Martinez-Rangel and<br />
Peña Ramos then walked to the<br />
apartment they shared and left<br />
the girl’s body behind, police<br />
said. Police believe the pair lived<br />
in the same apartment complex<br />
as Nungaray.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 49
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
BEL AIR, MD.<br />
An illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was charged in the rape and<br />
murder of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mom of 5.<br />
HARTFORD COUNTY, MD. – An<br />
illegal migrant from El Salvador<br />
is responsible for the murder of<br />
Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother<br />
of five, police announced.<br />
In a press conference on Saturday,<br />
Hartford County Sheriff<br />
Jeffery Gahler said that Victor<br />
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested<br />
late Friday night and booked<br />
on Saturday morning.<br />
“Five hours after meeting with<br />
[Morin’s] family and just before<br />
midnight our time, police in<br />
Tulsa, Oklahoma assisted by our<br />
federal partners, located and arrested<br />
Rachel’s murderer: Victor<br />
Antonio Martinez-Hernandez,”<br />
Gahler said.<br />
He was charged with first-degree<br />
murder and first-degree<br />
rape.<br />
The 23-year-old migrant illegally<br />
crossed into the United<br />
States in February 2023, police<br />
announced.<br />
“We all suspected that Rachel<br />
was not his first victim,” Gahler<br />
said. “It is my understanding that<br />
this suspect, this monster, fled to<br />
the United States illegally after<br />
committing the brutal murder of<br />
a young woman in El Salvador a<br />
month earlier, in January 2023.”<br />
Gahler said that their first DNA<br />
50 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
match for Martinez-Hernandez<br />
was from a Los Angeles attack in<br />
March 2023.<br />
“Once in our country, and likely<br />
emboldened by his anonymity,<br />
he brutally attacked a nine-yearold<br />
girl and her mother during a<br />
home invasion in March of 2023<br />
in Los Angeles,” Gahler said. “And<br />
as everyone I believe is aware,<br />
that was our first DNA match<br />
linking Rachel’s case to the one<br />
in Los Angeles.”<br />
The sheriff turned his attention<br />
to the crisis at the Southern border,<br />
directing his remarks to the<br />
White House and to “both members<br />
of Congress.”<br />
“We are 1800 miles north of<br />
the southern border,” Gahler<br />
Maryland mom Rachel Morin<br />
said. “And American citizens are<br />
not safe because of their failed<br />
immigration policies.”<br />
Hartford County woman has<br />
lost her life to a criminal in our<br />
country illegally,” he said, repeating<br />
his statement. “In both<br />
cases, they are suspects from<br />
El Salvador with ties to criminal<br />
gangs. This should not be happening.”<br />
“Victor Hernandez did not<br />
come to this country to make a<br />
better life for him or his family,<br />
he came here to escape the<br />
crimes he committed in El Salvador.<br />
He came here to murder<br />
Rachel and God-willing, no one<br />
else,” he said.<br />
“But that should have never
Victor Martinez Hernandez, 23, was arrested in the murder of Rachel Morin<br />
(Harford Co. Sheriff’s Office)<br />
been allowed to happen,” Gahler<br />
said.<br />
Morin, 37, was reported missing<br />
in August by her boyfriend,<br />
who said she never returned after<br />
going out for a run on the Ma<br />
& Pa Trail, a pedestrian trail in<br />
Bel Air, a quiet and typically safe<br />
town about 28 miles northeast<br />
of Baltimore, Aug. 5, 2023.<br />
Her body was found on a trail<br />
the following day.<br />
In February, police released<br />
new sketches of, now identified,<br />
Martinez-Hernandez.<br />
The sketches came after DNA<br />
evidence linked Martinez-Hernandez<br />
to the scene of a Los Angeles,<br />
California home invasion.<br />
Police used the Combined DNA<br />
Index System (CODIS), which led<br />
them to a single DNA match for<br />
an unidentified Hispanic male.<br />
The Los Angeles Police Department<br />
(LAPD) collected a hat left<br />
behind at the scene of the March<br />
2023 home invasion that turned<br />
violent, leaving multiple people,<br />
including minor children, injured.<br />
The suspect allegedly broke<br />
into the home in the middle of<br />
the night and assaulted the family<br />
inside before he was chased<br />
out. Surveillance video footage<br />
captured the man leaving, shirtless,<br />
through the front door.<br />
“I’m going to make this short<br />
because I’m very emotional,”<br />
Rachel’s mother, Patricia Morin,<br />
said. “I just want to take<br />
this time to thank all the law<br />
enforcement for all their hard<br />
work.”<br />
“They just really cared for our<br />
family and for our daughter,” she<br />
said. “They were going to diligently<br />
work and find the person<br />
who murdered her.”<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 51
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
SYRACUSE, NY.<br />
Man suffocated woman on her 21st birthday and buried her body in<br />
a Syracuse park, prosecutor says.<br />
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A 21-yearold<br />
man from Ecuador, suffocated<br />
a woman on her 21st birthday<br />
and then hid her body in a Syracuse<br />
park, prosecutors said.<br />
The man buried the woman in<br />
a shallow grave about 15 feet<br />
back from trees in Lincoln Park<br />
on the city’s North Side, according<br />
to prosecutor Alphonse Williams.<br />
The man was staying in<br />
an Airbnb diagonally across the<br />
street from the park, he said.<br />
The man, Jhon Moises Chacaguasay-Ilbis,<br />
was charged<br />
with second-degree murder and<br />
concealment of a human corpse,<br />
according to records from the<br />
Onondaga County Justice Center<br />
jail. He was booked in the jail<br />
Wednesday afternoon.<br />
Chacaguasay-Ilbis had travelled<br />
to Central New York last<br />
week to meet the woman, Joselyn<br />
Jhoana Toaquiza, for her<br />
birthday on Tuesday, June 18,<br />
Williams told syracuse.com | The<br />
Post-Standard. People have told<br />
prosecutors that the two had<br />
gone to primary school together<br />
in their home country of Ecuador,<br />
Williams said.<br />
Chacaguasay-Ilbis can be seen<br />
walking into the Airbnb at 916<br />
Hawley Ave. around 4:20 p.m.<br />
June 18 with Toaquiza, according<br />
to surveillance video the property<br />
owner shared with family and<br />
police.<br />
Three hours later, the video<br />
shows him carrying Toaquiza on<br />
his back, with her arms and legs<br />
wrapped around him. She appears<br />
limp and doesn’t move. It’s<br />
not possible to tell if she’s alive.<br />
Williams said the owner of the<br />
Airbnb told police that there was<br />
blood found in the home.<br />
Chacaguasay-Ilbis later returned<br />
to the Airbnb, and exited<br />
soon after with new clothes on,<br />
the video shows.<br />
He hopped into a waiting Lyft<br />
minivan to the local Greyhound<br />
station, Williams said, and<br />
boarded a bus with a ticket to<br />
New York City.<br />
Chacaguasay-Ilbis turned<br />
himself in to the police Tuesday<br />
evening in Spring Valley in Rockland<br />
County, Williams said. The<br />
suburban community is located<br />
about 35 miles northwest of New<br />
York City, near the New York-<br />
New Jersey line.<br />
It is not clear what he had<br />
been doing for the past week,<br />
if he is employed or where he<br />
resides, Williams said.<br />
Chacaguasay-Ilbis travelled<br />
Joselyn Jhoana Toaquiza<br />
to the United States last year<br />
and surrendered himself at the<br />
border, Williams said. He was<br />
released, Williams said, and may<br />
be applying for asylum.<br />
Syracuse police picked up Chacaguasay-Ilbis<br />
on Wednesday<br />
morning from Spring Valley and<br />
transported him back to Central<br />
New York, police said in a news<br />
release Wednesday evening. He<br />
is scheduled to be arraigned<br />
Thursday morning.<br />
Her uncle, Paul Toaquiza, said<br />
she lived with him, his wife and<br />
children on the city’s North Side.<br />
52 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
ALBANY, NY.<br />
An Illegal immigrant from Turkey accused of raping NY teen, had<br />
slipped into the US through San Diego.<br />
ALBANY, NY. – An illegal immigrant<br />
from Turkey is accused of<br />
raping a 15-year-old New York<br />
girl in his car after threatening to<br />
beat her with a pipe, according<br />
to local reports.<br />
Sakir Akkan, 21, forced the girl<br />
into his green Toyota Prius on<br />
May 14 but was not captured<br />
until June 18, the Albany Times-<br />
Union reported.<br />
Border Patrol agents arrested<br />
him in November 2023 at the<br />
U.S.-Mexico border in California<br />
and released him into the interior,<br />
according to the paper. Then<br />
he obtained a New Jersey driver’s<br />
license and a car and settled<br />
in Troy, New York.<br />
Albany police later confirmed<br />
to Fox News that Akkan is not a<br />
U.S. citizen.<br />
According to the incident<br />
reports, Akkan coerced the girl<br />
into his backseat with a pipe,<br />
removed her clothes and raped<br />
her there despite her attempts to<br />
push him away.<br />
He was being held in an Albany<br />
jail without bail. He is due back<br />
in court Thursday afternoon.<br />
Court records show Akkan had<br />
been stopped in another jurisdiction<br />
for an alleged traffic violation<br />
12 days before his arrest.<br />
He has pleaded not guilty to a<br />
first-degree rape charge.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 53
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
UVALDE, TX.<br />
Former Uvalde ISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo and a second<br />
school officer were both charged with child endangerment in the<br />
Uvalde school shooting response.<br />
BY ALEJANDRO SERRANO,<br />
The Texas Tribune<br />
A pair of indictments released<br />
Friday, levied multiple state jail<br />
felony charges of child endangerment<br />
against former Uvalde<br />
schools police Chief Pete Arredondo<br />
and one of his former<br />
officers for their response to the<br />
2022 Robb Elementary School<br />
shooting.<br />
The indictments detail the first<br />
criminal charges to be brought<br />
against law enforcement who<br />
were called to the deadliest<br />
school shooting in Texas history.<br />
The 10-count indictment against<br />
Arredondo, accuses him of placing<br />
10 children who survived the<br />
shooting in imminent danger by<br />
giving directions that delayed the<br />
police response and for failing to<br />
heed his training.<br />
Former district officer Adrian<br />
Gonzales was also indicted on<br />
29 counts of child endangerment,<br />
according to a separate<br />
indictment. Gonzales is accused<br />
of putting 29 children in imminent<br />
danger by failing to act to<br />
impede the shooter, suggesting<br />
that Gonzales had time to engage<br />
the shooter, after hearing<br />
shots and being advised of the<br />
shooter’s location, before the<br />
shooter entered the classrooms.<br />
Gonzales, the indictment reads,<br />
“failed to otherwise act in a<br />
way to impede the shooter until<br />
after the shooter entered rooms<br />
111 and 112 of Robb Elementary<br />
School and shot at a child or<br />
children in Rooms 111 and 112.”<br />
The May 22, 2022 shooting,<br />
left 19 children and two teachers<br />
dead before Border Patrol agents<br />
killed the shooter.<br />
The alleged failures by Arredondo<br />
include not identifying<br />
the situation as an active shooting<br />
after hearing shots fired<br />
and learning that a teacher and<br />
students had been wounded —<br />
Arredondo instead called for a<br />
SWAT team and ordered officers<br />
to evacuate a wing of the school<br />
— and not setting up a command<br />
center or enacting a response<br />
plan, which the indictment said<br />
paralyzed the response as law<br />
enforcement officers from local<br />
to federal agencies arrived at the<br />
school with no direction.<br />
Arredondo also failed to determine<br />
if the door to one of<br />
the classrooms where children<br />
remained with the shooter was<br />
locked and failed to provide<br />
keys and breaching tools to get<br />
54 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 55
into the classrooms in a “timely”<br />
manner, according to the indictment.<br />
The indictment calls Arredondo<br />
the designated incident<br />
commander at the scene; shortly<br />
after the shooting Arredondo<br />
said he did not consider himself<br />
the incident commander and that<br />
he never gave any orders. The<br />
indictment alleges that Arredondo<br />
decided to delay a breach<br />
until other classrooms were<br />
evacuated. Both Arredondo and<br />
Gonzales were booked into the<br />
Uvalde County Jail and released<br />
on bond.<br />
Hundreds of law enforcement<br />
waited 77 minutes before the<br />
Border Patrol team rushed the<br />
room where the shooter was<br />
located and ended the standoff.<br />
A grand jury returned the indictments<br />
six months after being<br />
convened and more than two<br />
years after the massacre. District<br />
Attorney Christina Mitchell said<br />
Friday that she had no comment.<br />
Since the shooting, reviews by<br />
the state and federal government<br />
identified an assortment of<br />
failures in leadership, communication<br />
and training that resulted<br />
in children becoming trapped<br />
with the gunman for more than<br />
an hour.<br />
Reporter Kayla Guo contributed<br />
to this story.<br />
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56 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 57
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
NEW YORK, NY.<br />
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg condemned for dropping charges against<br />
30 pro-Hamas rioters.<br />
BY Matthew Holloway<br />
NEW YORK, NY - A majority<br />
of the pro-Hamas rioters who<br />
illegally occupied Columbia University<br />
buildings in New York City<br />
have had their charges dropped<br />
by Manhattan District Attorney<br />
Alvin Bragg during hearings on<br />
Thursday generating severe criticism.<br />
Reporting published Friday by<br />
The Washington Times observed<br />
that 30 of 43 rioters arrested<br />
during the occupation of Hamilton<br />
Hall at Columbia University<br />
saw their cases dismissed with<br />
Bragg’s office, citing “absence<br />
of criminal histories and a lack<br />
of evidence.” Bragg’s office<br />
explained that the individuals<br />
were wearing masks at the time<br />
of their arrest and surveillance<br />
cameras were covered.<br />
Manhattan Assistant District<br />
Attorney Stephen Millan told<br />
Judge Kevin McGrath, “It would<br />
be extremely difficult for the<br />
people to prove any charge of<br />
misconduct.”<br />
Another 13 people were offered<br />
dropped charges contingent on<br />
avoiding arrest for the next six<br />
months, however, they declined<br />
58 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
and are scheduled to appear for<br />
another hearing on <strong>July</strong> 25th as<br />
reported by the Columbia Spectator.<br />
The group complained that the<br />
DA’s office didn’t dismiss all of<br />
the defendants’ cases. At a press<br />
conference, a spokesman for the<br />
group told reporters, “We refuse<br />
to abandon our co-defendants<br />
or to tacitly endorse the state’s<br />
definitions of legitimate and<br />
illegitimate protests, while the<br />
same state perpetrates genocide.<br />
We insist that property is not<br />
sacrosanct, but life is. We call on<br />
all people to stand in solidarity<br />
with those who take direct action<br />
to resist genocidal force.”<br />
The blow back against Bragg<br />
was nearly immediate.<br />
The Manhattan DA, who has<br />
taken enormous rhetorical fire<br />
for declining prosecutions while<br />
aggressively pursuing charges<br />
against former President Donald<br />
Trump, was blasted for the move<br />
by many prominent figures in<br />
New York and beyond.<br />
New York’s Kiryas Joel School<br />
District Superintendent Joel<br />
Petlin told The Times, “Pro
Hamas protesters caused tens of<br />
thousands of dollars in damages<br />
and attacked a custodian at<br />
Columbia University. How much<br />
damage do you need to do in<br />
order for the Manhattan DA to<br />
prosecute you if your name isn’t<br />
Donald Trump?”<br />
Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) told<br />
the outlet, “This decision undermines<br />
the rule of law and sends<br />
a dangerous message that unlawful<br />
behavior will be tolerated.<br />
Peaceful protest is a fundamental<br />
right, but these protests<br />
were anything but. Breaking into<br />
and occupying campus buildings.<br />
Threatening students. Supporting<br />
terrorist organizations…There<br />
needs to be consequences.”<br />
He posted to X, “I am deeply<br />
disturbed by the recent news<br />
that nearly all charges against<br />
the Columbia University protesters<br />
have been dropped by DA<br />
Alvin Bragg’s office. This decision<br />
undermines the rule of law and<br />
sends a dangerous message that<br />
unlawful behavior will be tolerated.”<br />
“This is turnstile justice,” Michael<br />
Nussbaum, a 25-year Jewish<br />
Community Relations Council<br />
of New York member told The<br />
New York Post, “This a green<br />
light for chaos, a green light for<br />
destroying property.”<br />
Several police officers who<br />
spoke to The Post anonymously<br />
expressed outrage. “Lack of<br />
evidence?” one of them told a<br />
reporter. “Apparently body-worn<br />
camera wasn’t enough?”<br />
Another NYPD veteran officer<br />
warned, “We have a DA giving<br />
them what amounts to a mandate<br />
to push the envelope further<br />
now.”<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 59
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
SAN DIEGO, CA.<br />
New San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl unveils sweeping changes<br />
to department structure.<br />
By Lyndsay Winkley<br />
The San Diego Union-Tribune<br />
60 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
SAN DIEGO, CA — After months<br />
of foreshadowing, San Diego<br />
Police Chief Scott Wahl<br />
announced just days into his<br />
tenure as top cop that sweeping<br />
changes are being made to the<br />
department’s decades-old organizational<br />
model.<br />
The new structure is leaner at<br />
the top, with four fewer assistant<br />
chief spots, and weaves in<br />
more civilian professionals at<br />
the department’s highest levels,<br />
including an assistant director<br />
of finance. The shifts mean<br />
some of the agency’s top leaders<br />
will be demoted — something<br />
that hasn’t happened in<br />
decades.<br />
The chief has been teasing his<br />
plans for a reorganization since<br />
his nomination by Mayor Todd<br />
Gloria in March. He’s noted a<br />
few times that the complexity of<br />
policing and the department’s<br />
growth has outpaced the current<br />
organization’s capabilities.<br />
Wahl said the new model is designed<br />
to help the department<br />
work more efficiently and with<br />
more balanced workloads so it’s<br />
well positioned to tackle urgent<br />
challenges such as recruitment<br />
and retention struggles,<br />
the community’s desire for more<br />
engagement and transparency,<br />
lengthy response times and racial<br />
disparities.<br />
“We’ve been using the same<br />
organizational structure for four<br />
decades now, and it was very<br />
effective in the ’90s,” Wahl said<br />
in an interview Wednesday. Now,<br />
however, policing is changing<br />
more rapidly than the old model<br />
can keep up with. “We’re just<br />
slowly sinking. So this change is a<br />
big reset.”<br />
Some of the current structure’s<br />
shortcomings have long been<br />
obvious. For example, one assistant<br />
chief oversees nine division<br />
captains while two other assistant<br />
chiefs have only one captain<br />
each. There are also department<br />
functions, like internal communications,<br />
management of the fleet<br />
of patrol vehicles, officer wellness,<br />
juvenile services and overtime,<br />
that could use additional<br />
development and oversight, Wahl<br />
said. Other responsibilities aren’t<br />
centralized the way they could<br />
be, like the efforts of the department’s<br />
community resource<br />
officers.<br />
To help address these issues,<br />
Wahl is adding 11 new lieutenant<br />
positions and four new captain<br />
spots and replacing four assistant<br />
chiefs with commanders —<br />
a lower rank that sits between
captain and assistant chief.<br />
The new spots were created by<br />
reclassifying existing positions,<br />
some of which have long been<br />
vacant, Wahl said.<br />
The new chief will be conducting<br />
interviews for all assistant<br />
chief and commander spots,<br />
with the hopes of having his new<br />
leadership team finalized by Aug.<br />
3 . That introduces the possibility<br />
that current assistant chiefs<br />
may not remain on the top floor,<br />
and it’s unclear if all will choose<br />
to stay. An assistant chief hasn’t<br />
been demoted since 2000.<br />
“I made it very clear my expectation<br />
is that commanders<br />
need to be a master at networking<br />
in the community and with<br />
our cops,” he said. “I see them<br />
as a bridge in our community<br />
policing efforts, in bringing that<br />
community-supported policing<br />
approach.”<br />
The department’s new structure<br />
can be broken down into<br />
five areas of focus. The largest is<br />
Operations, which encompasses<br />
all the department’s patrol divisions,<br />
its investigative teams and<br />
its specialty crews like SWAT and<br />
neighborhood services. Planning<br />
and Intelligence include units<br />
that handle special events and<br />
emergencies as well as internal<br />
affairs, and Logistics houses areas<br />
such as dispatch, human resources<br />
and training.<br />
The final two areas center on<br />
civilian employees.<br />
The first is Finance, which will<br />
be run by an assistant director<br />
— an equivalent to an assistant<br />
chief — who will oversee payroll,<br />
grants and other fiscal endeavors.<br />
The Police Department’s budget<br />
will be nearly $660 million next<br />
fiscal year.<br />
“Being fiscally responsible is<br />
important to me, and I think it’s<br />
important to our taxpayers,”<br />
Wahl said. “We’re not for profit,<br />
but we’re also not for loss. I want<br />
to make sure that we’re spending<br />
the tax dollars we have efficiently<br />
and effectively.”<br />
Over the years, some community<br />
members have argued the<br />
department’s budget is bloated<br />
and that more money should be<br />
funneled into community-based<br />
crime prevention programs.<br />
Francine Maxwell , a community<br />
advocate and former president<br />
of the San Diego NAACP branch,<br />
said that while she appreciated<br />
the swift reorganization — a shift<br />
some felt was overdue — she<br />
said she would have preferred to<br />
see more resources being moved<br />
back into the community instead<br />
of redistributed throughout the<br />
department.<br />
“What I envisioned was something<br />
that cut the fat at the top,<br />
not just bring it down,” she said.<br />
The second civilian-focused<br />
area is an advisory group featuring<br />
two new positions — a<br />
community liaison manager and<br />
a public affairs manager. These<br />
two additions will help the department<br />
center its community<br />
policing initiatives, something<br />
Wahl has talked about often over<br />
the last several months, and help<br />
the department better coordinate<br />
with City Hall on legislative<br />
or policy mandates, such as the<br />
city’s surveillance and street<br />
vending ordinances.<br />
Wahl said that empowering<br />
civilian staff members will allow<br />
the department to “maximize the<br />
amount of cops we have out in<br />
the field, instead of pulling them<br />
in to do office jobs.”<br />
He said he wants to make sure<br />
that, like sworn staff, civilian<br />
employees who want to stay<br />
with the department have room<br />
to grow professionally. The department<br />
will benefit from the<br />
perspectives these experts will<br />
bring, he said.<br />
“It’s expertise and advice from<br />
somebody that’s not conditioned<br />
the way a police officer is to see<br />
the world a certain way,” Wahl<br />
said.<br />
News of the reorganization<br />
caused a stir when it was announced<br />
internally at two separate<br />
meetings and in a department-wide<br />
video Wednesday<br />
morning. While many acknowledged<br />
some of the proposed<br />
changes were necessary, there<br />
were concerns.<br />
Some department and community<br />
members questioned whether<br />
it was the right move to add<br />
more lieutenants and captains to<br />
a department that has sometimes<br />
struggled to identify and develop<br />
its leaders. Police officials said in<br />
2022 that about 700 officers had<br />
five years or less of experience.<br />
Wahl acknowledged the additional<br />
promotions will require<br />
development on the front end<br />
but said he hoped a larger crop<br />
of leaders will help diversify the<br />
talent pool for top spots down<br />
the line.<br />
Over the next few weeks, the<br />
department will be fine-tuning<br />
the coming changes. The Police<br />
Department is made up of about<br />
2,500 employees, including about<br />
1,885 sworn employees, about<br />
500 professional staff and another<br />
150 or so part-time workers.<br />
The department has long<br />
struggled to fill vacant positions,<br />
including more than 180 officer<br />
spots.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 61
AROUND THE COUNTRY<br />
ACROSS THE US<br />
The Latest Breaking News as we go LIVE.<br />
911 TRANSCRIPTS DETAIL<br />
CHAOS OF MASS SHOOTING<br />
THAT KILLED MINNEAPOLIS<br />
POLICE OFFICER.<br />
By Liz Sawyer,<br />
Star Tribune<br />
MINNEAPOLIS — Bullets rang<br />
out while she was in the bathroom.<br />
The caller emerged to<br />
find a horrific sight: two men<br />
mortally wounded inside the<br />
south Minneapolis apartment.<br />
Her partner lay bleeding from a<br />
gunshot wound to the head and<br />
was barely breathing.<br />
She hid, fearing the shooter<br />
would return for her.<br />
“My boyfriend has been killed<br />
inside this house. I need you to<br />
hurry up … and save him,” she<br />
told the 911 operator.<br />
Newly released transcripts offer<br />
a real-time window into the<br />
frantic and chaotic moments before<br />
officers arrived at the scattered<br />
scene of a mass shooting<br />
in Whittier on May 30 that killed<br />
four people, including Minneapolis<br />
police officer Jamal Mitchell,<br />
and injured three others.<br />
The transcripts include dozens<br />
of panicked emergency calls<br />
from bystanders, witnesses and<br />
victims who watched the mayhem<br />
unfold on a busy Blaisdell<br />
62 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Avenue street last month. They<br />
include accounts from a motorist<br />
who admits to ramming the suspected<br />
gunman as he attempted<br />
to rob a man of his scooter,<br />
an innocent driver shot while<br />
passing through the intersection<br />
with his toddler in the car, and a<br />
former police captain desperate<br />
for help evacuating his children<br />
from a nearby apartment building.<br />
The initial 911 call came in<br />
around 5:15 p.m., when the unidentified<br />
woman pleaded with<br />
dispatchers to send help after<br />
discovering her 36-year-old boyfriend<br />
unresponsive with obvious<br />
head trauma. Another man lay<br />
dead in the kitchen.<br />
“Okay, did you see who did it?”<br />
the dispatcher asked.<br />
“No, can you just please hurry?”<br />
the woman begs. She inquires<br />
about how to treat the<br />
wound — and whether she<br />
should move his body.<br />
The dispatcher instructs the<br />
woman to stay by his side and<br />
remain on the phone.<br />
“He’s all I have,” she later says,<br />
sobbing. “Please.”<br />
That man, Mohamed Bashir<br />
Aden, died at the hospital eight<br />
days later. Osman Said Jimale,<br />
32, died at the scene. It’s still not<br />
clear what led up to the rampage,<br />
which spilled outside and<br />
down the block.<br />
Officer Mitchell never made it
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 63
to the apartment. He stopped his<br />
squad car just over a block away,<br />
rushing to render aid to two<br />
wounded men in the street.<br />
The first man he approached<br />
ambushed and killed him, firing<br />
several shots at close range.<br />
Responding officers soon killed<br />
that suspect — later identified<br />
as 35-year-old Mustafa Ahmed<br />
Mohamed — during an exchange<br />
of gunfire.<br />
In the moments proceeding<br />
the officers’ arrival, Mohamed<br />
apparently attempted to steal a<br />
random man’s electric scooter. A<br />
passing Subaru driver reported<br />
intentionally ramming Mohamed,<br />
likely breaking his leg, before<br />
fleeing the scene.<br />
“I just hit a guy with my car<br />
that I saw assaulting and robbing<br />
a man, um on Nicollet and um he<br />
was, he tried to jump onto this<br />
guy’s scooter and I hit him with<br />
my car,” he told dispatch.<br />
“I believe he started shooting,”<br />
he continued. “I, I, I saw him<br />
reach into his pocket and then<br />
I heard pop and I urn, I, I drove<br />
away.”<br />
Multiple witnesses described<br />
seeing Mohamed, lying in the<br />
street, fire upon several passing<br />
motorists, including a man who<br />
had his 2-year-old son in the<br />
backseat. That driver, identified<br />
by the Star Tribune as Alexander<br />
G. Hage , 38, had pulled over to<br />
dial 911 after seeing Mohamed<br />
bleeding in the roadway and<br />
crying out for help, his family<br />
confirmed. That’s when he was<br />
suddenly struck.<br />
“I got shot. I need help,” Hage<br />
repeated to dispatchers twice, as<br />
gunfire continued to ring out in<br />
the background. He could not say<br />
where he’d been hit. The child<br />
64 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
was physically unharmed.<br />
A firefighter and a second police<br />
officer were also wounded<br />
during the back-to-back shootings<br />
that day.<br />
Minnesota law requires that<br />
police agencies release body<br />
camera footage within 14 days<br />
of a deadly encounter, unless<br />
doing so would interfere with an<br />
ongoing investigation.<br />
Chief Brian O’Hara issued a<br />
statement saying that he has<br />
agreed to temporarily withhold<br />
body camera footage from the<br />
incident at the request of the<br />
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension<br />
(BCA) because “releasing it may<br />
interfere with its investigation.”<br />
He did not elaborate on why that<br />
might be, given that the suspect<br />
is deceased.<br />
“I pledge the MPD’s full cooperation<br />
with the BCA’s investigation,<br />
and I don’t anticipate a<br />
significant delay in the public<br />
release of the body-worn camera<br />
video,” he said.<br />
A BCA spokeswoman clarified<br />
Tuesday that the requested<br />
delay was in connection with<br />
the double homicide inside the<br />
apartment.<br />
ATLANTA POLICE RELEASE<br />
BWC FOOTAGE SHOWING AR-<br />
REST OF JUDGE ACCUSED OF<br />
ASSAULTING AN OFFICER<br />
By Joanna Putman<br />
Police1<br />
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police<br />
Department released body camera<br />
footage showing a county<br />
judge being taken into custody<br />
after allegedly assaulting an officer,<br />
11 Alive reported.<br />
The incident happened on<br />
June 20 while an Atlanta police<br />
officer was working an approved<br />
extra job at a restaurant, the Atlanta<br />
Police Department said in<br />
a news release.<br />
According to police, the officer<br />
overheard commotion nearby<br />
and went to investigate. As the<br />
officer was helping security and<br />
attempted to de-escalate the situation,<br />
“an unidentified female,<br />
later identified as 38-year-old<br />
Christina Peterson, rushed toward<br />
the commotion and immediately<br />
started screaming at the<br />
security guard and the officer,”<br />
the department stated.<br />
“Peterson then forcibly pushed<br />
the officer in the chest and kept<br />
swiping his hands away as he<br />
attempted to assist the female
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 65
eing escorted out. After pushing<br />
the officer again, she was placed<br />
into custody,” the department<br />
said.<br />
Peterson is a probate judge in<br />
Douglas County, according to11<br />
Alive.<br />
The body camera footage<br />
shows Peterson sitting handcuffed<br />
in a police cruiser, where<br />
she hurled profanities at officers<br />
and repeatedly refused to identify<br />
herself. She was eventually<br />
taken to the Fulton County Jail,<br />
facing charges of battery against<br />
a police officer and felony obstruction<br />
of law enforcement,<br />
according to 11 Alive.<br />
66 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
BWC: MAN WITH 2 SWORDS<br />
THREATENS BYSTANDERS BE-<br />
FORE FATAL OIS<br />
By Joanna Putman, Police1<br />
BELOIT, WI. — Body camera<br />
video released by the Beloit<br />
Police Department shows a man<br />
running at a bystander with two<br />
swords before being fatally shot<br />
by an officer, Channel 3000 News<br />
reported.<br />
The officer-involved shooting<br />
occurred on April 28 when<br />
officers were called to the same<br />
location twice to respond to reports<br />
of a man acting erratically,<br />
according to the report.<br />
Body camera video shows Officer<br />
Nicholas Rodenbeck speaking<br />
with 911 callers, informing<br />
them that officers were working<br />
to avoid a potentially deadly<br />
confrontation with the suspect,<br />
who he said was “in crisis.”<br />
“Property can be replaced, but<br />
somebody’s life can’t be replaced,”<br />
Rodenbeck said to the<br />
callers, who were seated in a<br />
vehicle.<br />
After speaking with the occupants<br />
of the vehicle for several<br />
minutes, the suspect emerged<br />
from behind a home with a<br />
sword in each hand. The suspect<br />
appeared to be yelling at either<br />
the officers or the 911 callers as<br />
he approached them aggressively.<br />
The suspect repeatedly ignored<br />
Rodenbeck’s instructions to drop<br />
the swords and yelled at the<br />
officers. After the man appeared<br />
to threaten one of the callers<br />
and began walking toward their<br />
vehicle, Rodenbeck fired several<br />
shots, bringing the man to the<br />
ground.<br />
Officers rendered medical aid<br />
to the suspect until EMS personnel<br />
arrived to transport him to<br />
the hospital. He was pronounced<br />
deceased shortly after arrival<br />
at the hospital, according to the<br />
report.<br />
The Rock County District Attorney<br />
announced on June 20 that<br />
Rodenbeck was found to have<br />
been acting lawfully in the officer-involved<br />
shooting.<br />
“I stand firmly by Officer Rodenbeck<br />
and his commitment to<br />
upholding the law and protecting<br />
the residents of our community,”<br />
Beloit Police Chief Andre Sayles<br />
stated in a Facebook post. “Our<br />
officers are trained to make<br />
split-second decisions under<br />
extreme pressure, and in this<br />
instance, Officer Rodenbeck’s<br />
actions were necessary to prevent<br />
harm.”<br />
BWC: MAN DRAWS GUN,<br />
TURNS TOWARD N.C. OFFICER<br />
DURING FOOT PURSUIT BE-<br />
FORE OIS<br />
By Joanna Putman, Police1<br />
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The<br />
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police<br />
Department has released<br />
body-worn camera footage of<br />
an officer-involved shooting of<br />
a man who pulled a gun from<br />
his waistline after being told to<br />
raise his hands, according to a<br />
City of Charlotte news release.<br />
On February 8, Metro Division<br />
officers responded to an armed<br />
subject call, according to the release.<br />
The area was being monitored<br />
by surveillance cameras<br />
as part of CMPD’s crime reduction<br />
initiatives. A real-time crime<br />
center video showed a suspect<br />
removing a firearm from his<br />
waistband, manipulating it, then
concealing it again.<br />
Upon arrival, officers observed<br />
what appeared to be a drug<br />
transaction involving the suspect<br />
in the parking lot, according<br />
to the release. As officers<br />
approached, the suspect fled on<br />
foot.<br />
Video shows the officers instructing<br />
the suspect to show his<br />
hands. During the short foot pursuit,<br />
the suspect pulled a firearm<br />
from his waistband and turned<br />
toward the officer.<br />
The officer fired a single shot,<br />
causing the suspect to fall to the<br />
ground. Officers quickly placed<br />
the suspect into custody, recovered<br />
the firearm, and began<br />
rendering medical aid.<br />
The Charlotte Fire Department<br />
and EMS personnel responded<br />
to the scene. The suspect was<br />
transported to an area hospital<br />
with non-life-threatening injuries,<br />
according to the release.<br />
No officers were injured at the<br />
scene.<br />
Upon release from the hospital,<br />
the suspect was transferred<br />
to the custody of the Mecklenburg<br />
County Sheriff’s Office and<br />
charged with possession of a<br />
firearm by a convicted felon,<br />
resisting a public officer and<br />
carrying a concealed weapon,<br />
according to the release.<br />
LOS ANGELES METRO TO<br />
FORM AN INDEPENDENT PO-<br />
LICE DEPARTMENT AMID RISE<br />
IN CRIME, SOME FATAL<br />
By Matthew Holloway<br />
LOS ANGELES, CA - The Los<br />
Angeles Metro Board, which<br />
oversees mass transportation in<br />
Greater LA, unanimously voted<br />
Thursday to establish its own<br />
police force akin to the MTA, and<br />
Port Authority Police in New York<br />
City or the BART Police in the San<br />
Francisco Bay area.<br />
As reported by Fox News LA,<br />
the decision has come following<br />
a series of brutal, fatal outbreaks<br />
of violence onboard or in<br />
proximity to the city’s buses and<br />
trains. The new department to<br />
be christened the Transit Community<br />
Public Safety Department<br />
(TCPSD) is planned to gradually<br />
be stood up over five years, coming<br />
fully online in 2029.<br />
Fox reported that between<br />
April and May, seven violent<br />
attacks have occurred, three of<br />
which resulted in fatalities.<br />
In a blog post pitching the new<br />
department to the public, the<br />
Metro broke down the justification<br />
for the new department into<br />
three categories: lack of oversight,<br />
lack of consistency, and<br />
skyrocketing costs.<br />
Presently, Metro LA is patroled<br />
under contract by the LA County<br />
Sheriff’s Department, the LAPD,<br />
and the Long Beach Police Department.<br />
The organization explained,<br />
“Since 2017, our Office of<br />
the Inspector General has been<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 67
conducting annual assessments<br />
of the law enforcement contracts<br />
with LASD, LAPD, and LBPD.<br />
Over and over, they’ve found that<br />
these models simply don’t provide<br />
enough visible presence on<br />
buses, trains, and other critical<br />
infrastructure locations.<br />
“Moreover, because we can’t<br />
monitor and oversee the individuals<br />
assigned to our system, we<br />
can’t ensure they are fully patrolling<br />
it.”<br />
India Mandelkern, writing for<br />
Metro, noted that an independent<br />
Metro Police department existed<br />
from 1978-1997 and was eventually<br />
merged with the LAPD and LA<br />
County Sheriff in a merger that<br />
“had more to do with politics<br />
than the in-house police force’s<br />
effectiveness.”<br />
Fox LA reported that LA County<br />
Sheriff Robert Luna disagreed<br />
and expressed misgivings about<br />
the formation of a new department<br />
on the cusp of LA hosting<br />
the Olympics and the (2027) Super<br />
Bowl. He also cited concerns<br />
about how quickly the department<br />
can hire to full staffing.<br />
He told reporters, “As the<br />
county sheriff responsible for<br />
public safety in this county, I<br />
have to make sure that with the<br />
World Cup coming in, the Olympics<br />
and the (2027) Super Bowl<br />
— this is not a time to experiment<br />
with new projects. Public<br />
safety is too critical to do that<br />
with.”<br />
The TCPSD will reportedly employ<br />
a “zone-based” deployment<br />
model familiar to many departments<br />
splitting greater LA into<br />
six regions where officers will<br />
be “responsible for patrolling<br />
their assigned zones, riding buses<br />
and trains, conducting foot<br />
68 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
patrols at stations, and engaging<br />
with both riders and Metro staff<br />
within their assigned stations.”<br />
According to the post from<br />
Metro LA, the “Enhanced Service<br />
Model,” approved by the Metro<br />
Board, will maintain the current<br />
staffing level of 386 law enforcement<br />
officers in the field and increase<br />
the number of “unarmed,<br />
non-law enforcement personnel<br />
(TSOs, Ambassadors, homeless<br />
outreach, and crisis intervention<br />
teams) by 227 to 673.”<br />
The budget for the department<br />
will also allocate $5 million for<br />
“public safety infrastructure<br />
improvements at transit stations<br />
(CCTV cameras, weapons<br />
detection, enhanced fare gates,<br />
and more).” Overall the plan will<br />
decrease costs from the current<br />
multi-agency model at $194 million<br />
to $192.6 million.<br />
OFF-DUTY ST. PAUL OFFICER<br />
FOILS ARMED ROBBERY<br />
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A St. Paul police<br />
officer was off-duty and out<br />
to dinner with family at a neighborhood<br />
restaurant when he<br />
found himself needing to spring<br />
into action to foil an armed robbery.<br />
The incident took place on<br />
Sunday, June 16, just before 6<br />
p.m. on the Greater East Side and<br />
resulted in the arrest of Drew<br />
Charles Larson, 39, who has<br />
since been charged with two<br />
counts of first-degree aggravated<br />
robbery in Ramsey County<br />
District Court.<br />
The incident was detailed in a<br />
post on the St. Paul Police Department’s<br />
Facebook page:<br />
“When dinner with your family<br />
turns into protecting the community.<br />
Off duty Saint Paul police<br />
officer Jonathan Valencia was<br />
enjoying dinner with his family<br />
on the 1600 block of White Bear<br />
Avenue when suddenly, a man<br />
stole the tip jar from restaurant<br />
counter.<br />
When the staff confronted<br />
the man, he pulled out a knife,<br />
raised it as if he intended to stab<br />
the staff member.<br />
Off duty Saint Paul police officer<br />
Jonathan Valencia was in<br />
the restaurant and jumped into<br />
action to save lives. He drew his<br />
firearm, identified himself as a<br />
Saint Paul police officer, and<br />
ordered the man to drop the<br />
knife, which he did immediately.<br />
Officer Valencia and staff members<br />
held onto the suspect until
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 69
on duty Saint Paul police officers<br />
arrived to take him into custody.<br />
The suspect was charged with<br />
Aggravated Robbery by the Ramsey<br />
County Attorney’s office in<br />
relation to this incident.<br />
This goes to show that duty<br />
and the oath to protect do not<br />
have a day off. Saint Paul police<br />
officers are always vigilant,<br />
whether they’re on duty or off<br />
with their families.”<br />
Larson was granted a public<br />
defender at a court appearance<br />
last week and remains in custody<br />
in Ramsey County Jail on<br />
$25,000 bond or $2,500 cash<br />
bail. Larson’s next court appearance<br />
is scheduled for <strong>July</strong> 15.<br />
‘TARNISHED THE BADGE’:<br />
TENNESSEE POLICE CHIEF IN-<br />
DICTED ON 17 CHARGES FOL-<br />
LOWING RESIGNATION<br />
BY Matthew Holloway<br />
CHATTANOOGA, TN - Former<br />
Chattanooga Chief of Police<br />
Celeste Murphy has been indicted<br />
on 17 charges, according<br />
to the Tennessee Bureau of<br />
Investigation, just one day after<br />
she resigned from the police<br />
department. The former chief<br />
surrendered at the Hamilton<br />
County Jail and was released on<br />
a $19,000 bond.<br />
As reported by WRCB-TV, the<br />
Hamilton County Grand Jury<br />
indicted Murphy on charges of<br />
Illegal Voter Registration, False<br />
Entries on Official Registration<br />
or Election Documents, False<br />
Entries in Governmental Records,<br />
Forgery, Perjury, and Official<br />
Misconduct.<br />
The Tennessean explained that<br />
TBI investigators were referred<br />
to investigate Murphy by District<br />
Attorney General Pro Tem D.<br />
70 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Michael Dunavant on allegations<br />
that she falsified government<br />
documents related to her establishing<br />
residency in the city,<br />
citing a press release from the<br />
agency.<br />
The initial controversy seems<br />
to have begun in March when<br />
the City of Chattanooga told the<br />
Nashville Fox affiliate, “The city<br />
auditor found allegations about<br />
Chief Murphy’s residence to be<br />
unsubstantiated. We are confident<br />
Chief Murphy can meet<br />
legal residency requirements and<br />
address any issues with her outof-date<br />
homestead exemption in<br />
Georgia. Mayor Kelly will execute<br />
the one-year extension of Chief<br />
Murphy’s contract as planned...”<br />
Local news outlet WTVC<br />
reported that a homestead tax<br />
exemption form filed by Murphy<br />
listed her legal residence as being<br />
in Fulton County, Georgia just<br />
a week before she was sworn<br />
in as Chief of Police in 2021.<br />
Current property tax records in<br />
Fulton County still demonstrate<br />
that Murphy is still receiving the<br />
homestead exemption for her<br />
Atlanta home.<br />
Subsequent to Murphy’s contract<br />
extension, a TBI investigation<br />
was launched. At that time<br />
Murphy stated in a Facebook<br />
post, “A TBI investigation was<br />
recently initiated about my place<br />
of residence. I will cooperate<br />
fully with the TBI investigation.<br />
I previously initiated an Internal<br />
Affairs investigation concerning<br />
the aforementioned inquiry.<br />
That IA investigation will now be<br />
paused until the TBI investigation<br />
is completed...”<br />
Hamilton County Mayor<br />
Weston Wamp wrote in a post<br />
to X, “Today is a sad day for our<br />
community. Those of us who<br />
have been entrusted to serve the<br />
public have a responsibility to<br />
keep that trust. The Chattanooga<br />
Police Department is a revered<br />
law enforcement agency and I<br />
am confident it will thrive again<br />
under new leadership.”<br />
City Council Chairman Chip<br />
Henderson also spoke to reporters<br />
Wednesday and applauded<br />
Murphy’s decision to resign, “I<br />
think since some of the controversy<br />
surrounding Chief Murphy<br />
had become a distraction, this<br />
was the right decision for CPD.<br />
The police department will be in<br />
good hands with interim Chief<br />
Summers until a new Chief can<br />
be found.”<br />
The Fraternal Order of Police<br />
released a statement on the<br />
matter, which read, “It is a disappointing<br />
day for law enforcement<br />
when an Officer or Chief<br />
is indicted for acting outside the<br />
law and tarnishes the badge we<br />
all proudly wear. We appreciate<br />
the thorough investigation by the<br />
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.<br />
We will support our interim<br />
Chief and will offer our sup-
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 71
port to the Mayor’s Office in the<br />
search for Chattanooga’s next<br />
police chief.<br />
“While we are entering a time<br />
of uncertainty, our resolve to<br />
provide exceptional front-line<br />
services to the residents of Chattanooga<br />
remains steadfast. They<br />
deserve and expect that from<br />
our Membership.”<br />
DASH CAM VIDEO: SUSPECT<br />
VEHICLE COLLIDES WITH OHIO<br />
CRUISER HEAD-ON DURING<br />
PURSUIT<br />
By Kristen Spicker<br />
Dayton Daily News, Ohio<br />
HUBER HEIGHTS, OH. — Dash<br />
camera footage of a police<br />
chase early Saturday in Huber<br />
Heights has been released.<br />
Officers arrested a juvenile<br />
male after he fled a traffic stop<br />
around 1:43 a.m.<br />
He was booked into the Montgomery<br />
County Juvenile Justice<br />
Center for assault, obstructing<br />
official business and failure to<br />
comply with the order or signal<br />
of a police officer.<br />
Officers initiated a traffic stop<br />
on a white Chevrolet Cruze that<br />
had its lights off and was struggling<br />
to stay in its lane, according<br />
to police. Dash camera footage<br />
showed the car veering to<br />
the left before cutting back over<br />
to the right side of the road.<br />
Police initiated a traffic stop,<br />
believing the driver may be intoxicated.<br />
Once the officer turned on the<br />
cruiser’s overhead lights the<br />
Chevrolet accelerated and failed<br />
to stop at a stop sign.<br />
Police conducted multiple PIT<br />
(precision immobilization technique)<br />
maneuvers during the<br />
chase, but the Chevrolet managed<br />
to continue fleeing.<br />
At one point the car drove over<br />
a curb and onto a sidewalk after<br />
turning.<br />
During one of the PIT maneuvers<br />
video footage showed the<br />
Chevrolet spin around before<br />
coming to a brief stop facing the<br />
cruiser. The Chevrolet and cruiser<br />
then collided head on.<br />
The driver was able to continue<br />
fleeing in the car and<br />
eventually drove onto a lawn<br />
near apartments in the Bufort<br />
Boulevard and Fisher Drive area.<br />
The driver got out of the car and<br />
went into the apartment complex,<br />
according to police.<br />
Officers later found the driver<br />
in the area and took him into<br />
custody.<br />
NYPD HONORS FALLEN OFFI-<br />
CER BY GIVING COP GRANDSON<br />
HIS SHIELD NUMBER, RENAM-<br />
ING STREET<br />
By Joanna Putman<br />
Police1<br />
QUEENS, N.Y. — In a tribute to a<br />
fallen NYPD officer, the officer’s<br />
grandson, who also serves as an<br />
NYPD cop, was honored with a<br />
shield displaying the same number<br />
as his grandfather’s, the New<br />
York Post reported.<br />
Lt. Henry Schmiemann, who<br />
was shot and killed during a<br />
robbery while walking to work<br />
50 years ago, was honored with<br />
a street renaming ceremony on<br />
June 22, according to the report.<br />
In a poignant tribute, his grandson,<br />
also named Henry Schmiemann,<br />
received a police shield<br />
bearing his grandfather’s number<br />
during the ceremony.<br />
“It’s an honor to wear my<br />
grandfather’s shield number,”<br />
the younger Schmiemann said. “I<br />
feel like I’ve been given a responsibility<br />
greater than what<br />
is behind the NYPD, which is<br />
immense. I’m just glad everyone’s<br />
here celebrating my grandfather.”<br />
The new street sign was unveiled<br />
during the event, according<br />
to the report.<br />
“Our father left way too early,<br />
but we know that Henry is going<br />
to get the guidance and help<br />
from my father as he does his<br />
job,” said Peter Schmiemann,<br />
Henry’s uncle.<br />
The elder Schmiemann’s kill-<br />
72 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 73
er, John Smith, is serving a life<br />
sentence at Wende Correctional<br />
Facility in Erie County but has a<br />
parole hearing scheduled for August,<br />
according to state records.<br />
OFFICERS CRITICIZED FOR<br />
SHAKING HANDS WITH TRUMP<br />
BEFORE<br />
Footage of presumptive Republican<br />
presidential nominee Donald<br />
Trump shaking hands with a<br />
line of police officers ahead of<br />
a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, has<br />
sparked anger on social media<br />
with former CIA director Michael<br />
Hayden saying they should<br />
be “ashamed” given the former<br />
president’s recent felony conviction.<br />
At the end of May, Trump was<br />
convicted of 34 felony charges<br />
of falsifying business records,<br />
which prosecutors said he did<br />
to cover up the payment of hush<br />
money to former pornographic<br />
actress Stormy Daniels ahead<br />
of the 2016 presidential election.<br />
Trump, who pled not guilty to<br />
the charges, has branded the trial<br />
“rigged” and is widely expected<br />
to appeal.<br />
Trump held a rally in the city of<br />
Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday as<br />
he campaigns for votes in what<br />
is expected to be one of the crucial<br />
swing seats in November’s<br />
election, Newsweek reports.<br />
The video was also posted<br />
on X by the Really American<br />
PAC, which campaigns against<br />
Trump-supporting Republicans.<br />
The account wrote: “It is absolutely<br />
DISGRACEFUL to see so<br />
many members of Wisconsin<br />
law enforcement ‘bend the knee’<br />
to a convicted felon who still<br />
faces dozens of indictments.<br />
‘Law and order’ is now chaos and<br />
disorder.”<br />
However, Paul Szypula, a conservative<br />
activist with 174,000<br />
X followers, took a different<br />
view, sharing the footage with<br />
the comment: “President Trump<br />
just thanked the Wisconsin Law<br />
Enforcement Officers before<br />
getting on his plane to continue<br />
campaigning.<br />
“Joe Biden would never show<br />
such respect to police or any<br />
Americans.”<br />
N.C. OFFICER DIES BY SUI-<br />
CIDE WHILE ON DUTY<br />
Editor’s Note: Suicide is always<br />
preventable. If you are having<br />
thoughts of suicide or feeling<br />
suicidal, please call the National<br />
Suicide Prevention Hotline immediately<br />
at 988. Counselors are<br />
also available to chat at www.<br />
suicidepreventionlifeline.org. Remember:<br />
You deserve to be supported,<br />
and it is never too late to<br />
seek help. Speak with someone<br />
today.<br />
By Jeff A. Chamer and Ryan<br />
Oehrli<br />
The Charlotte Observer<br />
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —An officer<br />
died Monday from an apparent<br />
self-inflicted gunshot wound<br />
near Charlotte Douglas International<br />
Airport, Charlotte-Mecklenburg<br />
police said.<br />
Brent Simpson was a K-9 officer<br />
who had worked at CMPD<br />
since 2006, according to the department.<br />
Before that, he served<br />
in the Navy as an operation specialist<br />
with the Military Police,<br />
according to CMPD.<br />
Police Chief Johnny Jennings<br />
called it a “very sad” day for his<br />
department at a press conference.<br />
He stressed the importance<br />
of talking about mental health.<br />
He asked for respect for the officer’s<br />
family.<br />
“Very sad day for our department<br />
which also stresses the<br />
fact of the importance that we<br />
talk about every day, when it<br />
comes to the mental health of<br />
74 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 75
our officers and the fact that they<br />
see and do things that normal<br />
people don’t see and do,” Jennings<br />
said. “And that takes its<br />
toll.”<br />
Simpson was on break off<br />
Steele Creek Road when his<br />
“e-button” was hit, according<br />
to dispatch radio traffic. Police<br />
found him at the Steele Creek<br />
Presbyterian Church Cemetery,<br />
according to the radio communication.<br />
Dozens of police cars were<br />
racing to the 7300 block of<br />
Steele Creek Road shortly after<br />
noon. That area is about a halfmile<br />
south of the airport.<br />
This is the second tragedy in<br />
the past few months for Charlotte<br />
law enforcement.<br />
In late April, four law enforcement<br />
officers were killed and<br />
four others injured in a mass<br />
shooting in east Charlotte.<br />
The suspect, Terry Clark<br />
Hughes Jr., also died in that<br />
shooting. An investigation into<br />
that shooting continues.<br />
BWC VIDEO SHOWS TEEN<br />
POINT REPLICA GUN AT N.Y.<br />
OFFICERS BEFORE FATAL OIS<br />
By Philip Marcelo and Stefanie<br />
Dazio, Associated Press<br />
NEW YORK — Video released<br />
late Saturday shows an officer in<br />
upstate New York fatally shooting<br />
a 13-year-old boy after he<br />
ran from police and pointed a<br />
replica handgun at them.<br />
The teen was killed a little<br />
after 10 p.m. Friday in Utica after<br />
officers in the city about 2<strong>40</strong><br />
miles (<strong>40</strong>0 kilometers) northwest<br />
of Manhattan stopped two<br />
youths in connection with an<br />
armed robbery investigation,<br />
police said.<br />
The youths, both 13, matched<br />
the descriptions of the robbery<br />
suspects and were in the same<br />
area at around the same time the<br />
day after, police said. One was<br />
also walking in the road, a violation<br />
of state traffic law.<br />
The body camera video<br />
released by police captures<br />
an officer saying he needs to<br />
pat them down to ensure they<br />
don’t have any weapons in their<br />
possession. Immediately one of<br />
the two, identified by police as<br />
Nyah Mway, runs away.<br />
Authorities froze frames of<br />
the video where a running Nyah<br />
Mway appears to point the gun<br />
at the pursuing officers. Police<br />
also edited the video to insert<br />
a red circle around the weapon<br />
to show it to viewers.<br />
76 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
click here for your<br />
FREE Subscription.
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specially-adapted Smart<br />
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WORKING TO ERADICATE<br />
VETERAN HOMELESSNESS.<br />
MORE THAN 3,300 RECEIVED HOUSING<br />
AND SERVICES IN 2023 ALONE;<br />
THOUSANDS MORE ARE BEING HELPED.<br />
NEVER FORGET<br />
FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller<br />
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THE FOUNDATION HAS BEEN SUPPORTING OUR<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 77
Aaron<br />
Tu<br />
RELENTL<br />
Words by: Dr. Tina Jaeckle<br />
Photos: Sgt. David Ramirez<br />
78 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
ESS DEFENDER<br />
Slater and Danielle Delgado:<br />
rning Passion into a Mission<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 79
Founders of ReLEntless Defender,<br />
Aaron Slater and Danielle Delgado<br />
In preparation for this cover story,<br />
I had the wonderful opportunity to<br />
get to know Aaron Slater a bit better<br />
so I could understand what drives his<br />
passion and ultimate mission to give<br />
back. Along with his wife, Danielle<br />
Delgado (also a retired LEO), Slater<br />
founded ReLEntless Defender and<br />
they have dedicated their work to<br />
serving and providing the best Thin<br />
Blue Line clothing to those who dedicate<br />
so much to society. In 2014, Re-<br />
LEntless Defender set out to design<br />
clothing apparel that officers could<br />
wear with pride. Their team discovered<br />
the available market was saturated<br />
with clip art designs printed on<br />
cheap shirts, hats, hoodies and more,<br />
mostly from companies that purported<br />
themselves to be ‘police owned’.<br />
ReLEntless Defender, the brand, was<br />
established as a Thin Blue clothing<br />
Line, built on a platform of support<br />
for our brothers and sisters in blue.<br />
Whether you’re a retired peace officer<br />
or just getting started, they understand<br />
the obstacles officers face<br />
each day. Many are spit at, threatened,<br />
abused, hated and killed, all by<br />
those we selflessly serve. In defiance<br />
of these obstacles, law enforcement<br />
continue to gear up and face them<br />
head on, becoming an unbreakable<br />
Thin Blue Line that separates the<br />
predator and its prey While the company<br />
is young, the staff has decades<br />
of combined law enforcement experience,<br />
careers that have successfully<br />
traversed every facet of our police<br />
culture.<br />
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Deep Ties to Law Enforcement<br />
Slater, as he’s affectionately known<br />
by his peers, is a veteran of law enforcement<br />
experienced in Patrol, Field<br />
Training, SWAT, Criminal Investigations,<br />
Undercover Narcotics Investigations,<br />
Mid-level Supervision, and<br />
Command Level Supervision. He holds<br />
a Bachelor of Science in Organizational<br />
Leadership, a Master of Science<br />
in Criminal Justice Leadership<br />
and Management, is a Master Peace<br />
Officer, and is a graduate of the Law<br />
Enforcement Management Institute of<br />
Texas – Leadership Command College.<br />
He is most notable for his progressive<br />
leadership, innovation and implementations<br />
of Fitness Programs for L.E.,<br />
Recruitment Programs, Departmental<br />
Rebranding, Community Policing Programs,<br />
Problem-Based Police Training,<br />
Strategic Planning and Social<br />
Media Programs for L.E. Agencies. He<br />
is the co-creator of the ROSENBERG<br />
Police FACEBOOK page which has<br />
been featured throughout the world,<br />
such as People Magazine, Good Morning<br />
America, Fox News, Police One<br />
Magazine, the Queen Latifa Show, and<br />
Australian and United Kingdom news.<br />
Currently, Slater is an instructor for<br />
(PATC) Public Agency Training Council,<br />
teaching the increasingly popular<br />
Community Oriented Policing & Social<br />
Media (COPSocial Media) class.<br />
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A Mission of Giving Back<br />
At ReLEntless Defender, they have<br />
made it a priority to donate a portion<br />
of all sales to various police charities.<br />
They pride themselves in always having<br />
at least one item in stock, where<br />
they have made the commitment to<br />
donate 100% of the proceeds to a<br />
police charity of their choosing. In<br />
addition, ReLEntless Defender initiated<br />
a program in which a sales portion of<br />
all Thin Blue Line flags sold, will go<br />
towards providing a Fallen Officer’s<br />
family, an embroidered Thin Blue Line<br />
flag, at no cost to them. A final gesture<br />
of remembrance to honor their<br />
ultimate sacrifice. They are always<br />
looking for ways to help, but consistently<br />
ask for the LE community’s assistance<br />
to identify those in need.<br />
In 2016, after learning about the<br />
deaths of several Dallas police officers,<br />
Slater and Delgado took action.<br />
“I worked all night to create a t-shirt<br />
design that I launched at 5:30 am,”<br />
Slater said. “Then, it started blowing<br />
up. We raised $220,000, which we<br />
donated to the surviving family members.<br />
Ten days later, officers in Baton<br />
Rouge were killed, so we did the<br />
same thing. Then, the team’s fundraising<br />
efforts started snowballing from<br />
there. We’ve had the honor of donating<br />
almost $2.3 million to surviving<br />
family members and other causes.”<br />
Now, Relentless Defender supports<br />
many families in need. “They find us,”<br />
said Delgado, whose father died in the<br />
line of duty three years ago. “We don’t<br />
start fundraisers for fallen offices<br />
now unless a law enforcement organization<br />
or family member contacts<br />
us.”<br />
Learning about the team’s philanthropic<br />
effort isn’t hard for people.<br />
Slater and Delgado also sit on nonprofit<br />
boards like the National Law<br />
Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund<br />
and Concerns of Police Survivors<br />
(C.O.P.S.) Local Chapters. “We’re just<br />
heavily involved in the whole niche,”<br />
Slater said. “When an officer has<br />
been killed in the line of duty, someone<br />
will reach out and ask us to make<br />
memorial t-shirts to help them raise<br />
funds for the family. We’ve never<br />
turned anyone down.”<br />
While they have been familiar faces<br />
at several events as guests supporting<br />
survivors, the line-of-duty death<br />
of Danielle’s father has them now<br />
attending under new titles; Survivors.<br />
Danielle said, “C.O.P.S. has become<br />
more than a partnership, they have<br />
become family to us. Back in 2016,<br />
when we started the partnership, I<br />
never expected our bond to be this<br />
84 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 85
strong. It has never been about selling<br />
a product for us, it’s been about<br />
building bonds and making a difference.”<br />
Danielle’s father, Bay City<br />
(TX) Police Detective Juan Delgado,<br />
contracted COVID while on duty and<br />
died <strong>July</strong> 15, 2021. Detective Delgado<br />
had served in law enforcement<br />
for 43 years. All three of his children<br />
also serve in law enforcement. The<br />
family shared that the first year was<br />
the hardest, as is the case with most<br />
survivors. Danielle added, “There will<br />
always be a void that can never be<br />
filled, but we have to remember that<br />
our officers passed doing something<br />
amazing, something heroic, something<br />
they would do all over again if<br />
given the chance. It’s our job as survivors<br />
to say their names and make sure<br />
they are never forgotten.”<br />
Aaron and Danielle referred to their<br />
grief as a roller coaster that nobody<br />
wants a ticket to ride on. Each day<br />
has ups and downs. Danielle added<br />
some advice to newer survivors,<br />
saying, “At times, it’s ok to not be<br />
ok. C.O.P.S. survivors know grief and<br />
know exactly what you are going<br />
through, so utilize the resources they<br />
have available for you.”<br />
Achievements and Challenges<br />
Slater shared the following, “My<br />
greatest achievement is the ability to<br />
donate millions back to the first-responder<br />
community. I am also extremely<br />
proud to be a board director<br />
for the National Law Enforcement<br />
Officers Memorial Fund in Washington<br />
DC. There are probably way too<br />
many failures in my journey to list,<br />
but I have been able to overcome each<br />
challenge though faith and knowing<br />
there is a purpose for each. Stick with<br />
God’s plan”.<br />
Slater was asked what he considers<br />
the most urgent community, crime,<br />
and social issues that need to be addressed<br />
and he offered that “Most<br />
urgent is leadership. Leadership has<br />
suffered greatly in LE over the last<br />
decade. Managers have become puppets<br />
of the political environment. Regardless<br />
of how obvious many of the<br />
unrighteous attacks have been on LE,<br />
many of the new leadership falls right<br />
in line. Some of those examples are<br />
the kneeling after George Floyd incident,<br />
terminations of police involved<br />
in shootings just hours after without,<br />
and investigation bowing to the mob,<br />
etc. In the past, leadership lead with<br />
86 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 87
integrity and stood up for what was 70 plus hours a week. Second, in simple,<br />
true<br />
A Mission<br />
and righteous, even<br />
of<br />
if it<br />
Giving<br />
meant<br />
Back<br />
Stay Relentless! There will be<br />
putting their jobs the line. We need many obstacles that will make you<br />
to build a culture in law enforcement want to quit. Not every idea is a success<br />
there. but We’ve keep had pushing the honor through of donat-<br />
the<br />
that At ReLEntless brings more Defender, of a servant they leadership<br />
made it back a priority into the to field. donate Today a portion it is frustrations ing almost $2.3 and million fail forward to surviving towards<br />
have<br />
obvious of all sales that to the various Brotherhood police charities. is becoming<br />
They pride a rarity. themselves When in strong always lead-<br />
hav-<br />
Now, Slater Relentless elaborated Defender on his future supports plans<br />
a family continued members success”. and other causes.”<br />
ership ing at least is in place one item the in mentorship stock, where becomes<br />
they have contagious. made the I commitment also believe that to would said Delgado, like to see whose the father success was of a killed<br />
in many five families to ten years. in need. “In five “They years, find I us,”<br />
law donate enforcement 100% of the should proceeds be managed to a social in the line media of duty marketing three years company ago. I am<br />
more police like charity a business of their with choosing. the profits In currently “We don’t establishing. start fundraisers This will for fallen allow<br />
being addition, the ReLEntless community Defender support”. initiated me offices to work now unless with non-profits, a law enforcement companies<br />
organization and agencies or family all over member the world con-<br />
a Slater program offered in which the following a sales portion wisdom of<br />
to all new Thin officers Blue Line currently flags sold, entering will go the with tacts their us.” merchandising. I get asked<br />
field. towards “Make providing a difference a Fallen in the Officer’s world all Learning the time about to help the with team’s branding philan-anthropic<br />
effort for isn’t their hard social for media people. ac-<br />
you family, police. an embroidered This is a calling, Thin a Blue mis-Linsion,<br />
flag, at that no you cost get to rewarded them. A final for ges-<br />
with counts. Slater and I have Delgado taught also social sit on media non-all<br />
a ture paycheck. of remembrance This is not to simply honor a their job over profit the boards country like to the agencies National as Law well.<br />
marketing<br />
that ultimate you should sacrifice. be They counting are always down the As Enforcement ten years, Officers I am not Memorial sure if Fund I can<br />
years looking until for retirement”. ways to help, For but those consistently<br />
want ask for to start the LE a community’s similar company as-<br />
but (C.O.P.S.) I know Local with Chapters. my current “We’re medical just<br />
who ever and Concerns completely of retire. Police I Survivors love to work,<br />
may<br />
like sistance ReLEntless to identify Defender, those Slater in need. advised<br />
In 2016, “First, after be learning ready to about work harder the starting Slater said. to get “When worn an down officer faster has than<br />
condition heavily involved (Multiple in the Sclerosis) whole niche,” I am<br />
than deaths you of ever several have. Dallas Owning police a compancers,<br />
is never Slater based and Delgado on time, took it is action. based mentor one will the reach people out and around ask me us to make take<br />
offi-<br />
I been expected. killed I in feel the my line job of now duty, is some-<br />
to<br />
on “I worked task. You all work night until to create the tasks a t-shirt are the memorial torch and t-shirts move to it help forward”. them raise<br />
completed design that and I launched typically at that 5:30 requires am,” funds for the family. We’ve never<br />
Slater said. “Then, it started blowing turned anyone down.”<br />
up. We raised $220,000, which we While they have been familiar faces<br />
Achievements<br />
donated to the surviving family members.<br />
Ten days later, officers in Ba-<br />
survivors, the line-of-duty death of<br />
and<br />
at<br />
Challenges<br />
several events as guests supporting<br />
ton Slater Rouge left were me with killed, these so we important did the and Danielle’s insightful father final thoughts. has them “Make now attending<br />
out for you. under Be new the servant titles; Survivors. you were<br />
life<br />
same about thing. following Then, your the path team’s that fundraising<br />
put efforts here to started be, knowing snowballing life is not from always about what you receive and is more<br />
God lays<br />
about what you share to make the world a better place”.<br />
88 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The The <strong>Blues</strong> <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 ‘24 89 89
State of the Art Production<br />
The Relentless team includes a staff of highly skilled artists, who design<br />
all the t-shirts, headgear and gear in the Relentless Apparel Catalog.<br />
90 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
Production equipment includes four fully automatic screen presses priniting<br />
over 700,000 prints per year, 17 embroidery heads for hats/jackets/polos,<br />
a huge sublimation press to print flags/blankets/towels, a direct to film<br />
printer that allows to press film on just about anything, and two engraving<br />
machines for memorial bands/plaques/awards ...<br />
The The <strong>Blues</strong> <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 ‘249191
.. to a one million dollar, fully automated direct to garment printer, capable<br />
of printing a different design every 22 seconds..<br />
92 92 The The <strong>Blues</strong> - - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
“We are one of the only shops in Texas that has EVERYTHING under one rooftop.”<br />
The The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 93
What to Do This Summer?<br />
Head Down to<br />
Galveston Island<br />
Welcome to Galveston Island – the Playground of the South!<br />
If you’re looking for the perfect spot for your next vacation, you’ve come to the right<br />
place! Being less than an hour south of downtown Houston, Galveston Island is Texas’<br />
friendliest and most accessible portal to the Gulf.<br />
There are 32 miles of beaches in Galveston, whether you’re looking for a relaxing afternoon<br />
soaking up the sun or an adventure through the waters as you swim, fish or sail.<br />
Galveston Island may be small, but offers a wide variety of things to do, no matter the<br />
season or interests; adventure, amusement parks, water parks and other water activities,<br />
sports, thrift and boutique shopping, a vast array of restaurants, biking, sports, history,<br />
and more tours than most can imagine. The possibilities are truly endless on your Texas<br />
coastal vacation!<br />
With Galveston Island’s friendly community of locals and its sub-tropical weather, the<br />
island has become a favored home-away-from-home for tourists from around the world.<br />
94 Go The to visitgalveston.com <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 to plan your trip today.
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 95
Head Down to<br />
Galveston Island<br />
What to See & Do.<br />
Making the Most of Island Time.<br />
Galveston Island is home to some of the best attractions Texas has to offer, including Moody Gardens<br />
as well as Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark and the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier<br />
amusement park. Galveston also offers a plethora of unique museums, including The Bryan Museum,<br />
Texas Seaport Museum, Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum and Galveston Railroad Museum.<br />
Having one of the largest and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the country,<br />
Galveston allows visitors to explore the island’s interesting history by touring one of its popular historic<br />
mansions.<br />
Cruise Ships<br />
The Port of Galveston is the fourth busiest<br />
home port in the United States with<br />
departures from Carnival, Royal Caribbean<br />
and Disney Cruise Lines. Need an itinerary?<br />
We’ve got suggestions no matter<br />
how much time you have before that ship<br />
sails.<br />
Historic Homes<br />
Although most of the original structures are long<br />
gone, the stories of early islanders live on in renovated<br />
structures and new establishments created in<br />
memory of the past. Visit the Homes Tour during the<br />
month of May.<br />
96 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 97
Head Down to<br />
Galveston Island<br />
What to See & Do.<br />
Making the Most of Island Time.<br />
Galveston Beaches<br />
With 32 miles of shoreline and a variety of<br />
parks, Galveston Island offers something for<br />
every kind of beach goer. And with warm Gulf<br />
waves from spring through October, there’s<br />
plenty of time to explore each beach’s unique<br />
personality. Whatever your sun seeking fancy,<br />
Galveston has a beach for you.<br />
Tours & Sightseeing<br />
Whether you prefer to stroll down quaint<br />
alleyways by foot or trot through the<br />
streets in a carriage, all paths can lead<br />
you on an unforgettable journey back in<br />
time. You’ll be entertained and enlightened<br />
by knowledgeable guides giving tours on<br />
foot, carriage, shuttle or even boat. If you<br />
prefer to do you own thing, we’ve assemble<br />
self-guided tours of popular sights<br />
with maps designed for mobile devices.<br />
98 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 99
Head Down to<br />
Galveston Island<br />
When You’re Hungry.<br />
Best Places to Eat.<br />
Shrimp ‘N Stuff<br />
3901 Avenue O Galveston, TX 77550 (<strong>40</strong>9) 763-2805<br />
Since 1976 we have had many<br />
guests visiting our fine city<br />
from across the U.S. who tell<br />
us they wished they had found<br />
Shrimp ‘N Stuff the first day<br />
they arrived and assured us<br />
they will be back several times<br />
before they leave Galveston.<br />
If you haven’t eaten at Shrimp<br />
‘N Stuff then you are in for a<br />
real treat because we are a<br />
crowd pleaser. We have affordable,<br />
delicious seafood<br />
dinners, po-boys, gumbo<br />
and salads and have been an<br />
island tradition since opening<br />
our doors. We take our reputation<br />
for freshness, flavor and<br />
value seriously and work hard<br />
to ensure that every meal that<br />
is served meets our high standards<br />
of excellence.<br />
100 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
Katie’s Seafood House<br />
2000 Wharf Rd., Galveston • <strong>40</strong>9-765-5688<br />
For more than 20 years, Katie’s Seafood<br />
Market has provided the highest quality<br />
seafood to Galveston locals and visitors.<br />
In September of 2019, Katie’s husband,<br />
Buddy, opened Katie’s Seafood House right<br />
next to the store. The market supplies the<br />
restaurant with its fresh seafood, which is<br />
a unique attribute among restaurants and<br />
takes each dish to the next level. Stop in<br />
for a delicious shrimp platter and enjoy a<br />
house cocktail next time you in Galveston!<br />
The Spot<br />
3204 Seawall Blvd., Galveston • <strong>40</strong>9-621-5237<br />
Rudy & Paco<br />
2028 Post Office Street, Galveston • <strong>40</strong>9-762-3696<br />
When visiting Galveston Island, you simply<br />
can’t miss the Island’s most unique<br />
dining experience, Rudy & Paco. Awarded<br />
Top 100 Restaurants of 2017 and Top 100<br />
Romantic Restaurants of 2018, Rudy &<br />
Paco features grilled seafood and steak<br />
with a South and Central American sabor.<br />
Relax and unwind with your favorite<br />
cocktail while enjoying delicious Antojitos.<br />
Whether you’re dining for a special<br />
occasion or just grabbing a drink at the<br />
bar, coming to Rudy & Paco will surely<br />
be an experience like no other.<br />
Island Famous: Five Venues, One Spot: The<br />
Spot, Tiki Bar, SideYard, Rum Shack and<br />
Squeeze! You can’t go wrong at The Spot, Galveston<br />
Island’s premier beachfront dining and<br />
entertainment destination. Dive into a mouthwatering<br />
burger or fresh seafood, grab a beer<br />
and find a sweet spot to relax inside or out on<br />
our multi-level beachfront patios. Whether you<br />
want to catch the game on one of our many<br />
HDTVs or enjoy the sparkling views of the Gulf<br />
of Mexico, every seat’s the best seat in the<br />
house. It’s the perfect setting to hang out with<br />
your friends and meet new ones.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 101
AIRBORNE<br />
APSCON 2024<br />
WELCOME<br />
BELL HELICOPTER<br />
In 1948, Bell developed and fielded the world’s first-ever police<br />
helicopter – the Bell Model 47D that was delivered to the<br />
New York Police Department. Not only is Bell still partnered<br />
with that same agency, but today, Bell has expanded its reach<br />
by partnering with hundreds of police agencies around the<br />
world and on every continent. This includes more than 2,200<br />
airborne public safety helicopters that are in service and directly<br />
supported by Bell today.<br />
As the only American-made company that offers a range of<br />
five police helicopters options in total - from single engine<br />
patrol focused helicopters to twin engine helicopters capable<br />
of carrying 14 fully equipped tactical police officers, Bell is a<br />
global leader in the pursuit of high-intensity airborne public<br />
safety aviation.<br />
Through listening to our customers, Bell noted that there<br />
were various police units interested in launching an aviation<br />
unit. Because of this, Bell officially launched the ‘New Police<br />
Aviation Unit Start-Up Consulting’ option, which is a unique offering<br />
that is focused not just the technology innovation side of<br />
police aviation, but the operational developmental side as well.<br />
This includes two distinct focuses. First is the potential “new<br />
start-up” police aviation unit. Bell utilizes a specialized cadre<br />
of segment managers that come from the police and police<br />
aviation industry. Former police aviation operators, managers<br />
and technicians that are in place to directly assist the operational<br />
development of the new start-up or existing operating<br />
alike. This consultant-based service is free of charge to any<br />
police agency. The second point uniquely centers around the<br />
102 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
AVIATION<br />
Houston, Texas<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 103
AIRBORNE<br />
APSCON 2024<br />
Booth 100<br />
world’s newest police helicopter, the Bell 505, where we can physically demonstrate<br />
the new start-up potential in the jurisdiction itself. Collectively this product and development<br />
stems directly from customer demand and direct referral.<br />
The Bell 505 incorporates and is certified under the latest aviation technology and<br />
safety standards, as well as the latest police mission equipment that is available on<br />
the market today. The same police cameras, search lights, tactical radios and other<br />
police mission equipment is mounted on today’s traditional police helicopters<br />
is mounted to the Bell 505. And although the Bell 505 is nearly half the cost of the<br />
older police helicopters (both in acquisition and operation), it can respond to urgent<br />
public safety calls at a top speed of 155mph, can carry a maximum police payload<br />
of 1500 pounds and provide the unique aerial perspective that only a police helicopter<br />
can provide. It has a patrol endurance of more than three hours and if need be a<br />
maximum range of more than 350 statute miles.<br />
At the time of this interview, Bell is working with no less than 17 agencies globally<br />
that are in process of establishing new police aviation units. This level of new<br />
start-ups is perhaps unprecedented as the number of existing police aviation units<br />
has typically been finite for the last 20+ years. We attribute this in part to the introduction<br />
of the world’s newest police helicopter, the Bell 505, and the commitment to<br />
supporting the new operational startups with our Key Segment Mangers.<br />
Not only is airborne public safety now expanding again, with public safety is enhanced.<br />
In turn, lives and property are saved. When matched with today’s innovative<br />
helicopter technology and specialized mission equipment, today’s police helicopter<br />
crews can respond quicker, provide faster parameters, detect within larger areas,<br />
and better integrate with all services than perhaps any other function in policing.<br />
The result…more lives saved, more subject apprehensions, and perhaps, most important,<br />
a greater overall officer safety. Quite simply, it’s a force-multiplier.<br />
104 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
AVIATION<br />
Houston, Texas<br />
Unrivaled Mission Readiness.<br />
World-class Global Support.<br />
You have to be ready for anything. That’s why Bell has been an unwavering<br />
partner to law enforcement agencies since 1948, delivering a range of<br />
trusted platforms for varied missions. Backed by our industry-leading global<br />
support, your team remains ever-prepared for any call that comes your way.<br />
bell.co/publicsafety<br />
CML_<strong>Blues</strong> Mag Ad_8.675x11in_070824_R00.indd 1<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 105<br />
7/8/24 7:37 AM
106 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
Air Beat Magazine Conference Preview Issue 2024<br />
CONTENTS<br />
8<br />
APSCON 2024:<br />
Welcome to Houston, Texas<br />
11<br />
APSCON 2024 Courses<br />
16<br />
APSCON 2024 Classes<br />
20<br />
Come Fly With Us:<br />
APSCON Unmanned Expands with<br />
Flying Arena & NIST Test Lanes<br />
22<br />
APSCON Unmanned 2024 Courses<br />
30<br />
Host Agency Profile:<br />
Houston Police Department<br />
Air Support Division:<br />
34<br />
Houston: Innovation, Industry &<br />
Texas-Size Scenary<br />
37<br />
Two Sides of the Coin:<br />
The Official 2024 APSCON &<br />
APSCON Unmanned Challenge Coin<br />
38<br />
Exhibit Hall Floor Plan<br />
24<br />
APSCON 2024 Networking Events<br />
26<br />
Frequently Asked Questions<br />
27<br />
APSCON 2024 Lodging<br />
28<br />
APSCON 2024 Schedule<br />
,<br />
<strong>40</strong><br />
Exhibitor Directory<br />
57<br />
APSCON 2024<br />
Registration Form<br />
58<br />
APSCON Unmanned 2024<br />
Registration Form<br />
Air Beat magazine is published bimonthly, along with a bonus Conference Preview Issue and annual Buyer’s Guide, by the Airborne Public Safety Association, Inc. (APSA), a public benefit, nonprofit<br />
California corporation. Annual subscriptions are $75 (U.S.). APSA is comprised of air crew and air support personnel in public safety and others who support the educational and air safety<br />
objectives advanced for public safety aviation. © Copyright 2024 by the Airborne Public Safety Association. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this journal in whole or in part without written<br />
permission from the Editor is prohibited. Product and corporate names mentioned in this journal are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. The views, thoughts,<br />
and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the APSA, its Board of Directors, staff or membership; nor shall their publication imply endorsement on the part of APSA of<br />
any content or claims made therein. APSA disclaims all warranties, express or implied, and makes no judgment regarding the accuracy of posted information. In no event will APSA be liable to<br />
any party for any direct, indirect, special or consequential damages resulting from the publication or any subsequent public distribution thereof.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 107<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 5
Unrivaled Mission Readiness.<br />
World-class Global Support.<br />
You have to be ready for anything. That’s why Bell has been an unwavering<br />
partner to law enforcement agencies since 1948, delivering a range of<br />
trusted platforms for varied missions. Backed by our industry-leading global<br />
support, your team remains ever-prepared for any call that comes your way.<br />
bell.co/publicsafety<br />
108 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
FROM YOUR APSA BOARD<br />
AIRBORNE PUBLIC SAFETY<br />
ASSOCIATION, INC.<br />
50 Carroll Creek Way, Suite 260<br />
Frederick, MD 21701<br />
(301) 631-2<strong>40</strong>6 • (301) 631-2466/fax<br />
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO<br />
Daniel B. Schwarzbach<br />
Houston (TX) Police Department (ret.)<br />
(301) 631-2<strong>40</strong>6 • (301) 631-2466/fax<br />
e-mail: dschwarzbach@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
Richard Bray<br />
BOARD OF DIRECTORS<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
Richard Bray<br />
Alachua County (FL) Sheriff's Office Aviation Unit<br />
(352) 260-7116<br />
e-mail: rbray@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
Houston will be the site for APSCON/APSCON Unmanned this summer. This is the<br />
53rd anniversary of the conference, and the city is also the site of the association’s<br />
very first APSCON.<br />
In mid-April, Executive Director/CEO Dan Schwarzbach called me and said more<br />
space was needed. The conference had already filled our contracted exhibit area<br />
but our corporate affiliates still wanted booths. The George R. Brown Convention<br />
Center luckily had an adjoining space available which we also began to fill up. In<br />
short, this will be our biggest conference ever and we hope you are able to experience<br />
it in person.<br />
On the manned side, there will be more than a dozen aircraft on display and UAS<br />
operators will have an actual indoor flight area within the convention center. There will<br />
be plenty of informative and new classes and training events taking place during<br />
conference week, as well as the social and networking opportunities in the evening.<br />
And don’t forget the APSA Awards Reception on Friday evening where the good work<br />
of our colleagues is recognized. Get registered for APSCON and APSCON Unmanned,<br />
and we look forward to seeing you in Houston!<br />
Richard<br />
Share your public safety aviation<br />
photos and news with us on Twitter,<br />
Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.<br />
6 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024<br />
VICE PRESIDENT<br />
Dave Ellis<br />
Spokane County (WA) Sheriff's Office<br />
Air Support Unit<br />
(509) 477-3290<br />
e-mail: dellis@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
SECRETARY<br />
Murray Maschmeyer<br />
Edmonton Police Service<br />
(780) 984-1577<br />
e-mail: mmaschmeyer@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
TREASURER<br />
Lee Majors<br />
Leon County (FL) Sheriff’s Office Aviation Section<br />
(850) 528-8431<br />
e-mail: lmajors@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
REGION DIRECTORS<br />
CANADIAN REGION<br />
Kyle Palyga<br />
Calgary (AB) Police Service Air Support Unit<br />
(<strong>40</strong>3) 567-4151<br />
email: pol4735@calgarypolice.ca<br />
CENTRAL REGION<br />
Brandon Rose<br />
Texas Parks and Wildlife<br />
(210) 885-75<strong>40</strong><br />
email: brose@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
MIDWEST REGION<br />
Cole Martin<br />
Michigan State Police<br />
(810) 287-2128<br />
email: cmartin@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
NORTHEAST REGION<br />
Sean Lonergan<br />
Westchester County (NY) Police Department<br />
Special Operations Division Aviation Unit<br />
email: slonergan@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
SOUTHEAST REGION<br />
Todd Tolbert<br />
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission<br />
(850) 554-1386<br />
email: ttolbert@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
WESTERN REGION<br />
Jason Stanley<br />
King County (WA) Sheriff's Office<br />
(206) 423-9742<br />
e-mail: jstanley@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
CORPORATE REPRESENTATIVE<br />
Terry Miyauchi<br />
Bell<br />
(928) 279-2274<br />
e-mail: tmiyauchi@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 109
AIR BEAT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF<br />
Daniel B. Schwarzbach<br />
(301) 631-2<strong>40</strong>6 • (301) 631-2466/fax<br />
e-mail: dschwarzbach@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR<br />
Lisa A. Wright<br />
(727) 808-4578<br />
e-mail: airbeat@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
ASSOCIATE EDITOR<br />
Shea Gibbs<br />
(773) 456-3306<br />
e-mail: sgibbs@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
ART DIRECTOR<br />
Zack Mullikin<br />
CONTRIBUTORS<br />
Dan Knight<br />
APSA Training Program Manager<br />
Thad Sarton<br />
Sergeant, Houston (TX) Police Department<br />
Air Support Division<br />
Carl Sedita<br />
Sergeant, Houston (TX) Police Department<br />
Air Support Division<br />
Additional photography courtesy of:<br />
Houston First Corporation, Houston (TX) Police<br />
Department Air Support Division, Eric Jensen,<br />
Lauren Mudrock, Zack Mullikin,<br />
Tim Pruitt, Carl Sedita, visithoustontexas.com<br />
ADVERTISING<br />
Emily Tarr<br />
Sales Representative • (205) 563-9313<br />
e-mail: etarr@publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
GRAPHIC DESIGN<br />
& PRODUCTION<br />
Wright Publishing Group, Inc.<br />
www.wrightgrp.com<br />
Thursday, August 1 • 1300-1430<br />
Join APSA’s Safety Program Manager Cory DeArmitt<br />
and his panel of aviation experts as they address<br />
the safety issues that affect our survivability<br />
at work. Issues such as loss of control, IIMC,<br />
SMS implementation, fatigue and more will<br />
be discussed. No topic is off limits here;<br />
it’s all about safety and saving lives!<br />
George R. Brown<br />
Convention Center<br />
Room 372CF<br />
Be sure to attend this important symposium.<br />
110 “TO SERVE, The <strong>Blues</strong> SAVE AND - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
PROTECT FROM THE AIR”<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 7
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 111
By Dan Knight, APSA Training Program Manager<br />
Nicknamed the "Bayou City", "Space<br />
City", "H-Town", and "the 713" --<br />
Houston, Texas is known for many<br />
things that have put it on the world<br />
map such as its connection to space exploration,<br />
diverse food scene, sports teams,<br />
energy industry, medical research, museums<br />
and cultural institutions, and so much more.<br />
Houston, Texas is a special place for<br />
APSA, as it is the city where our association’s<br />
conferences & expositions began 53<br />
years ago. Since then, Houston has a steep<br />
tradition of supporting APSCON, and we look<br />
forward to being able to show all our<br />
members what a great city it is. The George<br />
R. Brown Convention<br />
Center will be the location<br />
for APSCON 2024<br />
and it is in the heart of<br />
downtown Houston<br />
surrounded by athletic<br />
stadiums, great dining<br />
establishments and many<br />
other activities. Did you<br />
know that the Houston<br />
Astros baseball team will<br />
be in town during the<br />
conference?<br />
This year, we are<br />
offering nine courses that<br />
we feel are the core<br />
traditions of APSA.<br />
During the first part of<br />
conference week,<br />
Monday, <strong>July</strong> 29 to<br />
8 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2023 2024<br />
112 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
Wednesday, <strong>July</strong> 31, we will be offering the<br />
Aviation Safety Officer Course, Aviation Unit<br />
Manager Course, Fixed-Wing Operator<br />
Course, Tactical Flight Officer Course, and a<br />
new-and-improved Airborne Thermographer<br />
Certification & IR Tactics Course. On Tuesday<br />
and Wednesday, we will add to our<br />
courses the Flight Instructor Refresher<br />
Course as well as the Aviation Safety<br />
Management Systems Course. On Wednesday,<br />
the Inspection Authorization Renewal<br />
Course will be offered again for our<br />
awesome maintainers. New for this year, we<br />
are excited to offer the Coordinated<br />
Response to Sideshow Enforcement, a oneday<br />
course offered on Wednesday. This<br />
course demonstrates how to deter and<br />
prevent illegal sideshows, street racing and<br />
intersection takeovers.<br />
As we move through conference week,<br />
the exhibit floor opens Wednesday evening<br />
and attendees will get their first glimpse of<br />
the event floor and multitude of exhibitors<br />
that have brought something for everyone.<br />
Thursday is purposely kept light of educational<br />
classes and courses so that our attendees<br />
and exhibitors can spend time together<br />
on the floor. We do offer a small number of<br />
classes however, including Water<br />
Survival/Egress training presented by<br />
Survival Systems USA, Inc. It will start in one<br />
of our classrooms at the GRB Convention<br />
Center and then move to the pool at the<br />
Hilton Americas hotel.<br />
Thursday will include a general session<br />
led by the Federal Aviation Administration, a<br />
Safety Symposium led by our Safety<br />
Program Manager Cory DeArmitt with Dudley<br />
Crosson and Bryan Smith, as well as a<br />
Search and Rescue Roundtable exploring<br />
trends and concerns led by Charley Shimanski.<br />
Friday’s classes resume from 0830-<br />
1700 and on Saturday 0800-1200.<br />
Since APSA encompasses many partners<br />
in the “public safety” sector, we strive to<br />
bring in classes that represent the gambit of<br />
members we have. This year, we will have<br />
classes focused on regulatory or legal<br />
issues, maintenance, search and rescue,<br />
natural resources, aerial firefighting, airborne<br />
law enforcement tactics, fixed-wing operations,<br />
drone operations, public aircraft operations,<br />
procuring military excess aircraft,<br />
aviation safety, unit management and<br />
survival stories. Most classes will run 60-90<br />
minutes in length.<br />
The GRB Convention Center classroom<br />
layout on the 3rd Floor lends itself perfectly<br />
to this type of training and it allows the<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> www.publicsafetyaviation.org - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 113 l 9
members to schedule their own personal<br />
agenda and move from classroom to classroom,<br />
topic to topic as they desire. As in the<br />
past, should you need any assistance from<br />
APSA and the educational staff while you are<br />
there, we will maintain an office in the same<br />
area as all the classes and courses and will<br />
strive to be readily available.<br />
APSCON 2024 will once again have Tech<br />
Talks on the exhibit floor. These short tech<br />
talks are an ideal way to hear from exhibiting<br />
corporate members on the latest and greatest<br />
technology, training, equipment, or<br />
anything else they may want to share. Be<br />
sure to look for the schedule in your<br />
APSCON Program Guide, which will be<br />
distributed on site, for the list of classes and<br />
times. Our corporate members would appreciate<br />
your stopping by, and you are sure to<br />
get some very good information from them<br />
to take home.<br />
APSA provides some of the best training<br />
available to the public safety aviation<br />
community through a network of very skilled<br />
and experienced instructors. I know for me,<br />
personally, having been an APSA and ALEA<br />
member for several years, I often reached<br />
out to those instructors for advice or guidance.<br />
And it should come as no surprise,<br />
they were always willing to assist. So, make<br />
plans to attend as many of the sessions as<br />
possible and make new contacts. And don’t<br />
forget that this event brings in people from<br />
all over the states from various sectors we<br />
represent. Get to know them, make new<br />
contacts, or reconnect with an old one,<br />
because you never know when you’ll be<br />
tasked to start something new, purchase<br />
something or take over a program. Remember<br />
that someone has done it already and<br />
you could learn a lot from them.<br />
If you haven’t been to Houston, come<br />
join us, you won’t regret it. Awesome training,<br />
great food, great hotels and great<br />
company. Houston has it all! Check our<br />
website at www.publicsafetyaviation.org for<br />
updates and registration<br />
information.<br />
It is a very exciting time<br />
for APSA as we gear up<br />
for conference week. For<br />
me, I am excited to be<br />
helping to pull this<br />
awesome event together<br />
as the new Training<br />
Program Manager. I am<br />
simply just one cog in a giant wheel to make this<br />
event successful, but I am very happy to be doing<br />
my part. Many thanks to those who have helped<br />
to plan APSCON 2024 and thank you members<br />
for participating. See you in Houston!<br />
10 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024<br />
114 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
APSCON COURSES<br />
All of these conference courses will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.<br />
Airborne Thermographer<br />
Certification &<br />
IR Tactics Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 – Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700 Daily<br />
Location: 370CF<br />
Tactical Flight Officer Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 - Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700 Daily • Location: 372AD<br />
The Tactical Flight Officer Course is designed to provide<br />
aircrew members the tactical skills and information necessary<br />
to safely and successfully support ground units engaged in a<br />
variety of law enforcement missions. Although specifically<br />
designed for tactical flight officers, this course is applicable to<br />
pilots and crew members alike and it is also a valuable course<br />
for unit supervisors. Attendees will learn the elements of crew coordination, gain knowledge<br />
on how to set up a perimeter, direct the activities of ground units from the air,<br />
manage a vehicle pursuit and conduct a thermal imagery search using the latest in<br />
airborne tactics. Additionally, attendees will learn what specialized equipment is available<br />
and how to properly use the most common tools. This class is essential to the professional<br />
development of aviation law enforcement personnel and meets one of the requirements<br />
for TFO training related to accreditation. This course is sponsored by MD Helicopters,<br />
Inc. Maximum enrollment is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members; $495 non-members<br />
Sponsored by<br />
Taught by Sponsored by<br />
industry<br />
experts with<br />
thousands of<br />
hours of<br />
actual experience. New for 2024, on<br />
Day 2, students will break out to their<br />
individual rotor- or fixed-wing track and<br />
receive instruction from rotor- or fixedwing<br />
specific instructors on techniques<br />
that are individual to the aircraft.<br />
Students return to continue learning<br />
together on Day 3. The course offers<br />
certification as an Airborne Thermographer<br />
to qualified students who attend<br />
all 24 hours of training, pass the written<br />
exam and demonstrate proficiency<br />
on the use of a static airborne thermal<br />
imagery system. The Airborne Thermographer<br />
Certification portion of the<br />
course is presented by Brian Spillane<br />
of Teledyne FLIR, who is a Certified<br />
Thermographer Instructor. Also<br />
included is an incident debrief hosted<br />
by Kris Kubasta, who won the APSA<br />
2018 TFO Award for his role in<br />
handling a hostage taking and subsequent<br />
OIS in San Jose, CA. Kris will<br />
walk students through the incident and<br />
explain lessons learned in the critical<br />
incident aftermath. This course is an indepth<br />
study of airborne thermal<br />
imagery use in the areas of tactics,<br />
technology and theory. The course is<br />
sponsored by Teledyne FLIR and<br />
presented by Tactical Flying, Inc. Maximum<br />
enrollment is 65.<br />
Cost: $395 members;<br />
$495 non-members<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 11<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 115
APSCON COURSES<br />
All of these conference courses will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.<br />
Aviation Safety<br />
Officer Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 - Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700 Daily<br />
Location: 371AD<br />
This course Sponsored by<br />
is designed<br />
to provide<br />
both the<br />
newly-assigned and/or experienced<br />
Aviation Safety Officer (ASO). The class<br />
incorporates all aspects of successfully<br />
implementing a Safety Management<br />
System (SMS), understanding the duties<br />
and responsibilities of an ASO, public<br />
aircraft laws, initial and preliminary accident<br />
investigation, and more that a ASO<br />
must know. Successful completion<br />
requires attendance at all 24 hours of<br />
classroom instruction. This course is<br />
intended for public safety ASO’s that<br />
are responsible for the safety program<br />
of a public safety aviation unit. It is<br />
highly recommended that students have<br />
attended SMS training prior to attending<br />
this course. Sponsored by Loft Dynamics<br />
AG. Maximum enrollment is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members;<br />
$495 non-members<br />
Public Safety Aviation<br />
Unit Manager Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 - Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700 Daily<br />
Location: 371BE<br />
This course is Sponsored by<br />
designed to<br />
provide both the<br />
newly-assigned<br />
and/or experienced aviation unit<br />
managers with the latest information<br />
relative to aviation unit management in<br />
support of public safety operations. The<br />
student will obtain valuable guidance<br />
from experienced public safety professionals<br />
that will allow them to effectively<br />
and efficiently manage and lead their<br />
agency’s aviation unit. Specific topics<br />
include aviation safety, personnel selection,<br />
organization, training, creative<br />
finance and budgeting, legal responsibilities,<br />
maintenance and SOP development<br />
– all geared toward what a public safety<br />
aviation unit manager must know.<br />
Successful completion requires attendance<br />
at all 24 hours of instruction. This<br />
course is sponsored by Airbus. Maximum<br />
enrollment is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members;<br />
$495 non-members<br />
Aviation Safety<br />
Management<br />
Systems Course<br />
Tues. <strong>July</strong> 30 – Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700 Daily<br />
Location: 371CF<br />
Effective risk management compels<br />
organizations to genuinely examine how<br />
they conduct their operations and make<br />
the safety decisions involving those<br />
activities. A Safety Management System<br />
(SMS) is an organization-wide, comprehensive<br />
and proactive approach to<br />
controlling the impact of hazards. This<br />
course is designed as an introduction to<br />
SMS and will properly equip participants<br />
with the necessary knowledge and skills<br />
to effectively implement a real-world<br />
SMS in their unit or agency. Successful<br />
completion requires attendance at all 24<br />
hours of classroom sessions. This<br />
course meets the SMS training requirement<br />
for the APSAC accreditation standards.<br />
Presented by CY Consulting Solutions.<br />
Maximum enrollment is 70.<br />
Cost: $275 members;<br />
$375 non-members<br />
12 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024<br />
116 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
APSCON COURSES<br />
All of these conference courses will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.<br />
Maintenance IA<br />
Renewal Course<br />
Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700<br />
Location: 370AD<br />
This course provides Sponsored by<br />
several sessions relevant<br />
to aviation maintenance<br />
and maintenance<br />
management. The course is developed<br />
as an 8-hour dedicated maintenance<br />
course for members that are maintenance<br />
technicians. The classes are instructed by<br />
maintenance experts from across the<br />
aviation industry and includes a variety of<br />
topics. FAA IA Renewal Course Approval<br />
Number: C-IND-IM-190411-K-012-001<br />
(4/30/2026). This course is sponsored<br />
by RMCI, Inc.<br />
Cost: FREE for APSA Members,<br />
$150 non-members<br />
Coordinated Response<br />
to Sideshow/<br />
Intersection<br />
Takeovers Course<br />
Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700<br />
Location: 372CF<br />
This course is designed to provide<br />
instruction to prevent and deter illegal<br />
“sideshows”, such as street racing and<br />
intersection takeovers. Instruction covers<br />
every facet of sideshow enforcement to<br />
include the dangers of sideshows, their<br />
evolution to what they have become<br />
today, tactics and failed tactics previously<br />
attempted, officer safety in enforcement,<br />
proven tactics in shutting down and deterring<br />
sideshows, legal implications, as well<br />
as establishing local ordinances and prosecution<br />
of arrests and citations. Students<br />
will receive instruction from instructors<br />
Nick Byrd, Christian Smith and Kris<br />
Kubasta who pioneered effective strategies<br />
in successfully addressing sideshows<br />
and intersection takeovers from their own<br />
experience with their own agency. Maximum<br />
enrollment is 65.<br />
Cost: $225 members;<br />
$325 non-members<br />
Flight Instructor<br />
Refresher Course<br />
Tues. <strong>July</strong> 30 – Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700 Daily<br />
Location: 372BE<br />
This course is a FAA-approved Flight<br />
Instructor Refresher Course (FIRC). All<br />
of the training will be provided by a<br />
team of professional instructors from<br />
Helicopter Institute, Inc. The FIRC<br />
course is designed for flight instructors<br />
who wish to renew their current flight<br />
instructor certificates under Federal<br />
Aviation Regulation Part 61, while<br />
honing their knowledge and skill with<br />
the latest developments in standards,<br />
regulations and helicopter flight instructional<br />
techniques. Presented by Helicopter<br />
Institute, Inc. Maximum enrollment<br />
is 70.<br />
Cost: $275 members;<br />
$375 non-members<br />
Fixed-Wing<br />
Operations Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 – Wed. <strong>July</strong> 31<br />
0800 - 1700 Daily<br />
Location: 370BE<br />
This course is Sponsored by<br />
designed to<br />
provide the<br />
student with<br />
an extensive education related to the<br />
operation of fixed-wing aircraft for public<br />
safety use. In times of fiscal constraints,<br />
fixed-wing aircraft have proven to be an<br />
economical solution to providing aviation<br />
assets for public safety agencies. The<br />
curriculum for this course will guide the<br />
student through the various missions and<br />
applications of fixed-wing aircraft operations.<br />
In addition, the course extensively<br />
covers the use of these aircraft in all<br />
aspects of public safety airborne operations.<br />
Successful completion requires<br />
attendance at all 24 hours of classroom<br />
instruction. Sponsored by Pilatus Business<br />
Aircraft. Maximum enrollment is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members;<br />
$495 non-members<br />
Share your public safety aviation<br />
photos and news with us on Twitter,<br />
Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 13<br />
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APSCON COURSES<br />
MONDAY • JULY 29, 2024<br />
TIME COURSE ROOM<br />
Airborne Thermographer Certification & IR Tactics Course<br />
Sponsored by Teledyne FLIR; Presented by Tactical Flying, Inc.<br />
370CF<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
Aviation Safety Officer Course<br />
Sponsored by Loft Dynamics AG<br />
Fixed-Wing Operations Course<br />
Sponsored by Pilatus Business Aircraft<br />
371AD<br />
370BE<br />
Public Safety Aviation Unit Manager Course<br />
Sponsored by Airbus<br />
371BE<br />
Tactical Flight Officer Course<br />
Sponsored by MD Helicopters, Inc.<br />
372AD<br />
TUESDAY • JULY 30, 2024<br />
TIME COURSE ROOM<br />
Airborne Thermographer Certification & IR Tactics Course<br />
Sponsored by Teledyne FLIR; Presented by Tactical Flying, Inc.<br />
370CF<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
Aviation Safety Management Systems Course<br />
Presented by CY Consulting<br />
Aviation Safety Officer Course<br />
Sponsored by Loft Dynamics AG<br />
Fixed-Wing Operations Course<br />
Sponsored by Pilatus Business Aircraft<br />
Flight Instructor Refresher Course<br />
Presented by Helicopter Institute, Inc.<br />
Public Safety Aviation Unit Manager Course<br />
Sponsored by Airbus<br />
Tactical Flight Officer Course<br />
Sponsored by MD Helicopters, Inc.<br />
371CF<br />
371AD<br />
370BE<br />
372BE<br />
371BE<br />
372AD<br />
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118 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
APSCON COURSES<br />
WEDNESDAY • JULY 31, 2024<br />
TIME COURSE ROOM<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
Airborne Thermographer Certification & IR Tactics Course<br />
Sponsored by Teledyne FLIR; Presented by Tactical Flying, Inc.<br />
Aviation Safety Management Systems Course<br />
Presented by CY Consulting<br />
Aviation Safety Officer Course<br />
Sponsored by Loft Dynamics AG<br />
Coordinated Response to Sideshow/<br />
Intersection Takeovers Course<br />
Fixed-Wing Operations Course<br />
Sponsored by Pilatus Business Aircraft<br />
Flight Instructor Refresher Course<br />
Presented by Helicopter Institute, Inc.<br />
Maintenance IA Renewal Course<br />
Sponsored by RMCI, Inc.<br />
Public Safety Aviation Unit Manager Course<br />
Sponsored by Airbus<br />
Tactical Flight Officer Course<br />
Sponsored by MD Helicopters, Inc.<br />
370CF<br />
371CF<br />
371AD<br />
372CF<br />
370BE<br />
372BE<br />
370AD<br />
371BE<br />
372AD<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 119
APSCON CLASSES<br />
All APSCON classes will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tech Talks will be<br />
conducted on Thursday and Friday at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The Tech Talk<br />
schedule will be posted in the onsite APSCON 2024 Program Guide for your convenience.<br />
THURSDAY • AUGUST 1, 2024<br />
Water Survival/<br />
Egress Classroom Instruction<br />
0800 – 1630<br />
Survival Systems USA, Inc. will conduct Water Survival<br />
and Egress Training, where students will learn from a<br />
team of experts how to egress after ditching in water<br />
and how to use your emergency air and survival vest.<br />
Equipment and techniques will be discussed in a classroom-ground<br />
school setting, followed by practical application<br />
in the dunker at the hotel pool. The registration<br />
fee for members is $295, plus a waiver form that must<br />
be completed prior to training.<br />
Survival Systems USA, Inc.<br />
Room 371AD /<br />
Hilton Pool<br />
1030 – 1600 NETWORKING & TRADESHOW Exhibit Hall<br />
EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS<br />
1000 – 1130 General Session: FAA Security Issues Instructor TBD<br />
Room<br />
372CF<br />
Facilitated by Cory DeArmitt,<br />
APSA Safety Program Manager<br />
1300 – 1430<br />
Safety Symposium<br />
Panelists:<br />
Dudley Crosson, PhD,<br />
APSA Aeromedical Liaison/Delta P, Inc.<br />
Dan Knight,<br />
APSA Training Program Manager<br />
Room<br />
372CF<br />
Chris Young,<br />
Pik West Insurance Agency<br />
1500 – 1630<br />
SAR Round Table- Trends, Concerns,<br />
Working Group and Online Meetings<br />
Dan Knight,<br />
APSA Training Program Manager<br />
Charley Shimanski,<br />
ICAR President<br />
Room<br />
372CF<br />
120 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
16 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024
APSCON CLASSES<br />
FRIDAY • AUGUST 2, 2024<br />
Accidents in Helicopter Rescue Operations<br />
(Search and Rescue)<br />
Charley Shimanski,<br />
ICAR President<br />
Cory DeArmitt,<br />
APSA Safety Program Manager<br />
Room<br />
370BE<br />
Covering Smuggling Techniques and Scenarios<br />
Involving Kilo Packages Across the Country<br />
(Tactics)<br />
Kenny Maldonado,<br />
FAA LEAP<br />
Room<br />
370AD<br />
Degraded Visual Environment Induced<br />
Spatial Disorientation (Natural Resources)<br />
Tyson Phillips,<br />
AT Systems, LLC<br />
Room<br />
371CF<br />
0830 – 1000<br />
PPE and Fire Resistant Clothing (Safety)<br />
Skip Tackett,<br />
Brunner Aerospace, LLC<br />
Room<br />
372AD<br />
Public Aircraft Operations: Review and Update<br />
(Aircraft Acquisition)<br />
Don Roby,<br />
Airborne Public Safety Association<br />
Room<br />
370CF<br />
Public Safety Aviation Unit Commanders Round<br />
Table (Unit Manger/Round Table)<br />
Richard Bray,<br />
APSA President/Chief Pilot,<br />
Alachua County (FL)<br />
Room<br />
371BE<br />
TFO Selection and Assessment<br />
(Training)<br />
Clay Lacey,<br />
Texas Department of Public Safety<br />
Room<br />
371AD<br />
Air Support to K-9 Operations<br />
(Tactics)<br />
Clay Lacey,<br />
Texas Department of Public Safety<br />
Room<br />
370AD<br />
An Aircraft Ditching in Austin - A Survival Story<br />
(Training)<br />
Dwyane Havis,<br />
Texas Parks and Wildlife<br />
Room<br />
371AD<br />
CFI Roundtable Discussion (Training)<br />
Randy Rowles,<br />
Helicopter Institute/<br />
FAA Designated Examiner<br />
Room<br />
371BE<br />
FAA UAS Update - What's New<br />
(UAS)<br />
Mike O'Shea,<br />
FAA Program Manager, Public<br />
Unmanned Aircraft Operations<br />
Room<br />
381C<br />
1030 – 1200<br />
Human Performance Part 1<br />
(Aeromedical)<br />
Dudley Crosson,<br />
Texas Department of Public Safety<br />
Room<br />
372AD<br />
Lost Person Behavior<br />
(Search and Rescue)<br />
Ken Solosky,<br />
NYPD Air Support (Ret.)<br />
Room<br />
370BE<br />
Manned / Unmanned Airspace Deconfliction<br />
(Tactics for Drone and Manned Aviation)<br />
Robert Cameron,<br />
Texas Department of Public Safety<br />
Room<br />
371CF<br />
Jason Day,<br />
Texas Department of Public Safety<br />
Success Stories in the Use of Drone<br />
in Public Safety (UAS)<br />
Matthew King,<br />
Aurora Uncrewed Test Site<br />
Room<br />
381B<br />
Robert Dooley,<br />
Florida Highway Patrol<br />
US Army Exchange Sales Program<br />
(UH60, C-12, UAS)<br />
Gerald Dwyer,<br />
Texas Department of Public Safety<br />
Room<br />
370CF<br />
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APSCON CLASSES<br />
FRIDAY • AUGUST 2, 2024<br />
Airborne Use of Force<br />
(Tactics)<br />
Mike Peck,<br />
Paladin Resources Group, Inc.<br />
Room<br />
370AD<br />
Drone Support of K-9 Operations<br />
(UAS)<br />
Doug Daniels,<br />
APSA Deputy Director,<br />
Midwest Region<br />
Room<br />
381B<br />
1300 – 1430<br />
Effective Leadership Traits and Styles<br />
(Unit Manager)<br />
Terry Miyauchi,<br />
Bell/Arizona Dept. of<br />
Public Safety (Ret)<br />
Room<br />
371AD<br />
Introduction to Grants<br />
(Aircraft Acquisition)<br />
Tony Minnis,<br />
Commander (Ret)<br />
Orange Co. (FL) Aviation Section<br />
Room<br />
370CF<br />
SOP's and SOG's in Helicopter Rescue<br />
(Search and Rescue)<br />
Charley Shimanski,<br />
ICAR President<br />
Room<br />
370BE<br />
Gen 5 Aircrew Tactics - Modern Tactics<br />
for Effective Public Safety Air Support<br />
(Safety/Tactics)<br />
Bryan Smith,<br />
Pinellas County (FL)<br />
Sheriff’s Office Flight Unit<br />
Room<br />
372AD<br />
1330 – 1500<br />
The Impact of AAM on Public Safety -<br />
Walmart/Amazon/Wing<br />
(UAS/Manned/Regulatory/Roundtable)<br />
-Moderator-<br />
Jason Day,<br />
Texas Department of Public Safety<br />
Room<br />
381C<br />
Maintenance Technician Roundtable<br />
(Training/Round Table)<br />
Mike Broderick,<br />
Rotor Doc, LLC<br />
Room<br />
371BE<br />
Overview Of Texas Parks and Wildlife<br />
(Natural Resources)<br />
Brandon Rose,<br />
APSA Central Region Director/<br />
Texas Parks and Wildlife<br />
Room<br />
371CF<br />
Airborne Public Safety Operational Development -<br />
New Unit Start Up, Sustainment and Expansion<br />
(Aircraft Acquisition)<br />
Terry Miyauchi,<br />
Bell/Arizona Dept. of<br />
Public Safety (Ret)<br />
Room<br />
370CF<br />
Flight Simulator Training and Virtual Reality<br />
(Training)<br />
Woody McClendon,<br />
Loft Dynamics<br />
Room<br />
371AD<br />
1500 – 1630<br />
Pro-Active Fixed Wing Tactics<br />
(Tactics/Fixed Wing)<br />
John Nielsen,<br />
Director of Airborne Law<br />
Enforcement, Air Bear<br />
Tactical Aircraft<br />
Room<br />
370AD<br />
Water and Swift Water Rescue<br />
(Search and Rescue)<br />
Ken Solosky,<br />
NYPD Air Support (Ret.)<br />
Room<br />
370BE<br />
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122 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
APSCON CLASSES<br />
Airborne Public Safety Accreditation<br />
Commission Update<br />
(Public Safety Operations)<br />
Don Roby,<br />
APSAC Secretary<br />
Don Shinnamon,<br />
APSAC Lead Assessor<br />
Room<br />
371CF<br />
1530 – 1700<br />
Human Performance: How Are We<br />
Compromising Safety? (Part 2) (Aeromedical)<br />
Dudley Crosson, PhD.,<br />
APSA Aeromedical Liaison/<br />
Delta P, Inc.<br />
Room<br />
372AD<br />
Natural Resource Aircrew Roundtable-<br />
Wildlife Surveying<br />
(Natural Resources/Roundtable)<br />
Jason Jenson,<br />
Minnesota Department<br />
of Natural Resources Law<br />
Enforcement Aviation Division<br />
Room<br />
371BE<br />
SATURDAY • AUGUST 3, 2024<br />
0900-1030 Aircrew Round Table<br />
Facilitated by Bryan Smith,<br />
Pinellas County (FL)<br />
Sheriff’s Office Flight Unit<br />
Room<br />
381A<br />
Dan Knight,<br />
APSA Training Program Manager<br />
1030-1200<br />
APSCON 2024 Conference<br />
Wrap Up / Critiques<br />
Don Roby,<br />
APSAC Secretary<br />
Room<br />
381A<br />
Dan Schwarzbach,<br />
APSA Executive Director/CEO<br />
Share your public safety aviation<br />
photos and news with us on Twitter,<br />
Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 19<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 123
By Dan Knight, APSA Training Program Manager<br />
APSA would like to welcome you<br />
to APSCON Unmanned, an event<br />
that’s dedicated to public safety<br />
UAS operators. Bringing both<br />
segments of aviation together, manned<br />
and unmanned, in one location has<br />
allowed the sharing of thoughts, ideas,<br />
training and networking. The response to<br />
the combined event has been very positive<br />
and well received.<br />
The event will be held at the George R.<br />
Brown Convention Center in downtown<br />
Houston on <strong>July</strong> 29-31, <strong>2024.</strong> In conjunction<br />
with APSCON 2024, the location is<br />
ideal and it brings great hotels, great food<br />
venues, great activities, and a great<br />
convention center together in one place.<br />
But we think our event is the best reason<br />
for coming to Houston and attending<br />
APSCON Unmanned.<br />
APSA has have made tremendous<br />
strides to ensure a phenomenal experience<br />
for the attendees this year. From<br />
subject matter experts in the field of<br />
drones to comprehensive courses and<br />
classes, this year will be an incredible<br />
year to attend.<br />
For instance, we will be offering the<br />
ability to have an UAS flying venue in the<br />
convention center next to the exhibit hall.<br />
That allows us to bring in specific courses<br />
and allows flight opportunities to be added<br />
to all the courses. We know that the drone<br />
community wants to be actively using and<br />
testing their equipment and this also<br />
allows corporate drone exhibitors to<br />
potentially offer demonstrations with the<br />
latest and greatest equipment.<br />
APSA is also happy to offer courses<br />
based on the National Institute of Standards<br />
and Technology (NIST) sUAS Test Methods,<br />
Monday, <strong>July</strong> 29 through Thursday, August<br />
1. On Monday and Tuesday, the 2-day<br />
Basic/Open Course covering NIST Open<br />
Test Lanes 1-3 will take place. The 3-day<br />
Advanced/Confined Course covering NIST<br />
Test Lanes 1-5 is being offered Tuesday<br />
through Thursday. On Friday, August 2, we<br />
plan to offer NIST check rides for attendees<br />
to test their proficiency with a NIST proctor.<br />
For in-depth educational courses, there<br />
are four two-day courses being offered:<br />
Drone Unit Manager Course, UAS Basic<br />
Operators Course, UAS Advanced Operators<br />
Course and brand new this year is<br />
the Counter Drone Measures Course.<br />
Since we can fly on the exhibit hall floor, a<br />
flying component may be added to all of<br />
these courses.<br />
A full day of 60- to 90-minute classes<br />
with a UAS focus are planned for Wednesday,<br />
<strong>July</strong> 31. They include:<br />
Drone Maintenance &<br />
Continued Airworthiness<br />
Counter Drone Measures<br />
Remote ID<br />
Aerial Mapping & Orthomosaic<br />
(accidents, crime scenes, firefighting)<br />
Integration of UAS into Search<br />
and Rescue<br />
Use of Drones in Fire Applications<br />
Drone Support of K-9 Operations<br />
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124 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
Training Program Management for<br />
Public Safety Drones<br />
Thermal Imaging for Drone Operators<br />
Manned and Unmanned Airspace<br />
Deconfliction<br />
Movement to Contact<br />
UAS Smuggling Cases from<br />
FAA LEAP<br />
Operation Lone Star- Review of the<br />
Use of sUAS to Secure the Border<br />
Tactical Awareness Kit (TAK)<br />
Standards for the Operations of<br />
Public Safety Drones<br />
FAA UAS update<br />
At the conclusion of the courses and<br />
classes on Wednesday, the Opening Reception<br />
takes place in the exhibit hall with fun,<br />
food and drinks, and is open to all APSCON<br />
Unmanned attendees. To take full advantage<br />
of what the week has to offer, including<br />
more classes, time with the vendors, social<br />
events and networking with your peers,<br />
register for the APSCON/APSCON<br />
Unmanned full conference and stick around<br />
through Saturday, August 3. On Friday,<br />
August 2, we'll be offering another round of<br />
UAS-focused classes.<br />
APSCON 2024 will once again have<br />
Tech Talks on the exhibit floor. These short<br />
tech talks are an ideal way to hear from<br />
exhibiting corporate members on the latest<br />
and greatest technology, training, equipment<br />
or anything else they may want to<br />
share. Be sure to look for the schedule in<br />
your APSCON Program Guide, which will be<br />
distributed on site, for the list of classes<br />
and times. Be sure to visit our corporate<br />
members and learn about the products and<br />
service they offer public safety aviators.<br />
Thursday and Friday will also provide<br />
opportunities for flight testing, flight demonstrations<br />
and networking opportunities. NIST<br />
attendees will be flying the courses so there<br />
will be an opportunity to observe and interact<br />
with the students and instructors. Additional<br />
space will be provided for other flying<br />
events, so be sure to check your Program<br />
Guide for more details.<br />
I am excited for APSCON Unmanned 2024<br />
and hope you are too. There is a lot being<br />
offered by some of the best in the industry!<br />
Come join us, meet new friends, connect with<br />
some old ones, establish networking connections<br />
and be part of a rapidly growing community.<br />
APSA is proud to have you as a member.<br />
Check our website at www.publicsafetyaviation.org<br />
for updates and registration<br />
information. See you in Houston!<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 125
APSCON UNMANNED<br />
COURSES<br />
All of these conference courses will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center.<br />
Basic UAS Operator Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 – Tue. <strong>July</strong> 30 • 0800 - 1700<br />
Location: Room 382B<br />
This comprehensive course is meticulously crafted to equip<br />
students with a thorough understanding of public safety drone<br />
operations, including missions, applications, and compliance with<br />
FAA regulations. With a detailed examination of flight tactics, this<br />
course is indispensable for agencies seeking to train their newest<br />
team members. Completion of all 16 hours of classroom and<br />
flight training is essential for success. This course is tailored for<br />
public safety personnel who are new to their team and seeking<br />
comprehensive training. Additionally, it is ideal for beginner pilots<br />
within public safety UAS units. Maximum enrollment is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members; $495 non-members<br />
Advanced UAS Operator Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 – Tue. <strong>July</strong> 30 • 0800 - 1700<br />
Location: Room 381B<br />
Developed to elevate every facet of public safety operations, this<br />
course provides cutting-edge knowledge and tools to enhance<br />
existing drone units. Covering tactical operations, a specialized<br />
class in Tactical Flight Officer (TFO) style, and drone laws, instruction<br />
is delivered by experts in public safety aviation drone operations.<br />
Geared towards experienced public safety personnel<br />
aiming to refine their skills, this program is not suitable for those<br />
who have only completed the basic NIST course. Maximum enrollment<br />
is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members; $495 non-members<br />
Drone Unit Manager Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 – Tue. <strong>July</strong> 30 • 0800 - 1700<br />
Location: Room 381C<br />
Tailored specifically for managers and supervisors of small<br />
unmanned aircraft systems units within public safety agencies,<br />
this course delivers the latest insights and tools for effective leadership.<br />
Topics encompass unit administration, budgeting, safety<br />
protocols, SOP management, training program oversight, legal<br />
and regulatory compliance, and personnel selection strategies,<br />
ensuring comprehensive skill enhancement. This course caters to<br />
public safety sUAS managers responsible for overseeing drone<br />
operations within their agencies, including law enforcement, fire<br />
departments, and search and rescue teams. Maximum enrollment<br />
is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members; $495 non-members<br />
Counter Drone Measures Course<br />
Mon. <strong>July</strong> 29 – Tue. <strong>July</strong> 30 • 0800 - 1700<br />
Location: Room 382C<br />
Drone attacks are occurring almost daily across the globe. It is<br />
only a matter of time until they occur here in the United States.<br />
These low-cost, high-tech, and easily weaponized aerial vehicles<br />
can cause terror just about anywhere. This 2-day course provides<br />
students with the latest technology and tactics to prevent and<br />
respond to a drone attack. This course is tailored for public<br />
safety personnel who operate drones in a public safety capacity.<br />
Additionally, it is ideal for all levels of drone operators in public<br />
safety UAS units. Maximum enrollment is 70.<br />
Cost: $395 members; $495 non-members<br />
Course registration includes Day 3 of APSCON Unmanned classes and the<br />
APSCON 2024 Exhibit Hall Opening Reception at the George R. Brown Convention Center.<br />
126 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
22 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024
APSCON 2024 SCHEDULE<br />
All events to take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center unless otherwise noted.<br />
SUNDAY, JULY 28<br />
Registration Open • 1600 – 1800<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
‘The Hangar’ APSA Store Open • 1600 – 1800<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
MONDAY, JULY 29<br />
Registration Open • 0700 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
‘The Hangar’ APSA Store Open • 0700 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
APSCON Conference Courses (Day 1)<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
APSCON Unmanned Courses (Day 1)<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
Aircraft Fly-In Briefing • 0730<br />
Aircraft Fly-In • 0900<br />
TUESDAY, JULY 30<br />
Registration Open • 0700 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
‘The Hangar’ APSA Store Open • 0700 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
APSCON Conference Courses (Day 2)<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
APSCON Unmanned Courses (Day 2)<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
Exhibitor Set-Up • 0800 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Halls D/E - Ground Level)<br />
WEDNESDAY, JULY 31<br />
Registration Open • 0700 – 2000<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
‘The Hangar’ APSA Store Open • 0700 – 2000<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
APSCON Conference Courses (Day 3)<br />
0800 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
APSCON Unmanned Classes • 0800 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
Exhibitor Set-Up • 0800 – 1500<br />
(Exhibit Halls D/E - Ground Level)<br />
Exhibit Hall Opening Ceremony • 1700 – 1715<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
Exhibit Hall Opening Reception • 1715 – 2000<br />
Sponsored by Bell Textron<br />
(Exhibit Halls D/E - Ground Level)<br />
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1<br />
Registration Open • 0800 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
‘The Hangar’ APSA Store Open • 0800 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
Water Survival Training • 0800 – 1600<br />
George R. Brown Conv. Center (AM - Room 371AD)<br />
Hilton Americas Houston (PM - Pool)<br />
Opening Breakfast/General Membership Meeting<br />
0900 – 1030 • (Grand Ballroom B/C - Level 3)<br />
Breakfast sponsored by Trakka Systems<br />
Exhibit Hall Open • 1030 – 1600<br />
(Exhibit Hall D/E - Ground Level)<br />
Tech Talks • 1100 – 1500<br />
(Exhibit Hall D/E Theaters - Ground Level)<br />
28 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 127
Conference General Sessions • 1300 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
Teledyne FLIR Vision Awards • 1800 – 2000<br />
Hilton Americas-Houston (Ballroom of the Americas)<br />
CNC Technologies Event • 2000 – 2300<br />
Location TBA<br />
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2<br />
Registration Open • 0730 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
‘The Hangar’ APSA Store Open • 0730 – 1700<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
APSCON Conference Classes • 0830 – 1700<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
Exhibit Hall Open • 1000 – 1<strong>40</strong>0<br />
(Exhibit Hall D/E - Ground Level)<br />
Tech Talks • 1000 – 1300<br />
(Exhibit Hall D/E Theaters - Ground Level)<br />
Exhibit Hall Attendee Lunch • 1200 – 1300<br />
(Exhibit Hall D/E - Ground Level)<br />
Exhibitor Move-Out • 1<strong>40</strong>0 – 2100<br />
(Exhibit Hall D/E - Ground Level)<br />
Aircraft Fly-Out • 1<strong>40</strong>0<br />
APSA Awards Reception • 1800 – 1900<br />
Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel<br />
(Ballroom of the Americas DE)<br />
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3<br />
Registration Open • 0730 – 1200<br />
(Exhibit Hall E Lobby - Ground Level)<br />
Exhibitor Move-Out • 0800 – 1200<br />
(Exhibit Hall D/E - Ground Level)<br />
Conference Classes • 0830 – 1200<br />
(Level 3 Classrooms)<br />
All events to take place at the George R. Brown<br />
Convention Center unless otherwise noted.<br />
128 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 29
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 129
HOST AGENCY PROFILE<br />
By Thad Sarton, Sergeant, Houston (TX) Police Department Air Support Division and Carl Sedita, Sergeant, Houston (TX) Police Department<br />
Air Support Division<br />
The Houston (TX) Police Department’s<br />
Air Support Division has<br />
a long history of service to the<br />
community. Officially founded<br />
in 1970, the original “Helicopter Patrol” was<br />
created to assist the police department with<br />
patrol support and traffic control in Houston<br />
as part of the Traffic Division. Shortly after,<br />
the unit became its own division, and its<br />
duties were expanded to the role filled to<br />
this day.<br />
The original fleet began with three<br />
Hughes 269B helicopters, and each had a<br />
registration number that ended with “F”.<br />
Within the department, the helicopters<br />
became known as “Fox”, a moniker and<br />
informal mascot that is still used today. The<br />
original fleet size has grown and contracted<br />
over the years and currently consists of 12<br />
aircraft, which includes seven MD 500Es,<br />
three Schweizer 300Cs, one Airbus H125<br />
and one GippsAero GA8 Airvan.<br />
The HPD Air Support Division serves the<br />
Houston geographic area of almost 700<br />
square miles and over 2.3 million residents<br />
as well as the surrounding Houston<br />
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The<br />
Houston MSA consists of 10 counties,<br />
covers 10,062 square miles, and has a<br />
population of over 7.5 million people,<br />
making it one of the largest and most populated<br />
metropolitan areas in the United<br />
States. The Houston MSA is also home to<br />
the Port of Houston, which is known as one<br />
of the largest and busiest ports in the<br />
world and the largest petrochemical<br />
complex in the nation. While the primary<br />
jurisdiction of the HPD’s Air Support Division<br />
is the City of Houston, the ASD regu-<br />
AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024<br />
130 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
HOST AGENCY PROFILE<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 31<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 131
HOST AGENCY PROFILE<br />
TFO Jason Knox was 35 years old when his watch came to an end on May 2, 2020.<br />
It was the first fatal crash in the agency's 50-year history. His badge number, 2374,<br />
is written in black on their Airbus H125 aircraft as its FAA registration number.<br />
The Houston Police<br />
Department Air<br />
Support Division<br />
and APSA have enjoyed<br />
a long, mutually<br />
beneficial relationship<br />
over the years. Having<br />
been founded around<br />
the same time,<br />
their history has<br />
been intertwined.<br />
larly provides airborne law enforcement<br />
services to public safety agencies throughout<br />
the area.<br />
As one of the smallest divisions in the<br />
department, the Air Support Division<br />
consists of 44 full-time employees, of which<br />
32 are sworn and 12 are civilian. The<br />
employees of the ASD can generally be<br />
broken down into three groups: administrative,<br />
flight operations and maintenance.<br />
The administrative group consists of<br />
one commander, one lieutenant, one supervisor<br />
over the department’s Unmanned<br />
Aircraft Systems program, and five administrative<br />
and support personnel that handle<br />
the budget, inventory, facilities and other<br />
administrative duties.<br />
The Flight Operations group is made up of<br />
27 people divided among two shifts and also<br />
includes the Training and Safety Unit. Currently,<br />
the day shift consists of 10 pilots and five tactical<br />
flight officers, while the night shift is<br />
comprised of seven pilots and five TFOs.<br />
These sergeants and officers keep watch<br />
over Houston from the air and are regularly<br />
involved in a myriad of flying:<br />
Patrol operations<br />
Critical incidents<br />
High-risk support, such as<br />
SWAT operations and protests<br />
Surveillance<br />
Investigative photo and video flights<br />
Dignitary protection flights<br />
Post-storm damage assessment<br />
Critical infrastructure checks<br />
Static displays and relational<br />
policing events<br />
The maintenance group includes nine<br />
Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanics<br />
for in-house maintenance and repairs, four<br />
of which are Inspection Authorization (IA)<br />
certified. The highly-skilled mechanics are<br />
spread across two shifts to maintain as<br />
much coverage as possible to keep the<br />
fleet operational around the clock.<br />
Since the founding of the unit and the<br />
training of the original flight crews, HPD has<br />
conducted training for TFOs and pilots inhouse.<br />
The starting position within the division<br />
is the TFO, who performs all law<br />
enforcement related communication and<br />
documentation for their respective flight.<br />
Classified officers and supervisors generally<br />
serve in the TFO role for approximately three<br />
years before qualifying for pilot training.<br />
Pilot training is conducted by the fulltime<br />
training cadre of flight instructors<br />
made up of a sergeant and a senior police<br />
officer. The FAA certification curriculum<br />
consists of approximately 300 hours of<br />
ground school, countless hours of selfstudy,<br />
approximately 150 hours of flight<br />
training, and 100 hours of solo flying.<br />
Once the certification flight training is<br />
completed, the students transitioned into<br />
the mission aircraft and attend the factory<br />
school before being integrated into the<br />
flight schedules on a regular shift, based<br />
on availability. To date, the Air Support<br />
Division has trained 149 commerciallyrated<br />
pilots within the department.<br />
Houston is one of the first cities to establish an airborne law enforcement program in the United States. The HPD Helicopter Patrol Unit was established<br />
January 1, 1970 as part of the Traffic Enforcement Division. The Houston Police Department (HPD) celebrated the 50th anniversary of its aviation unit in 2020.<br />
32 AIR BEAT MAGAZINE l Conference Preview l 2024<br />
132 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
HOST AGENCY PROFILE<br />
A non-fatal accident in 2019 and a fatal<br />
accident in 2020 caused the Air Support<br />
Division to re-examine and restructure the<br />
division’s Training and Safety Unit to reduce<br />
the risk of further accidents, prevent the<br />
loss of life and protect the department’s<br />
assets. These changes included:<br />
Improved documentation of training<br />
and safety issues<br />
Standardization and objectivity of<br />
training for pilots and TFOs<br />
Improving the training and documentation<br />
of quarterly and annual<br />
recurrent training<br />
Updated Standard Operating<br />
Procedures<br />
Simulator and computer-based training<br />
In 2023, the Air Support Division flew a<br />
total of 4,600 hours while responding to<br />
almost 10,000 calls for service, including<br />
385 vehicle pursuits and 495 foot pursuits,<br />
that resulted in 1,159 arrests - many for<br />
violent offenses. Additionally, thousands of<br />
checks of critical infrastructure sites were<br />
performed to ensure the region’s resources<br />
were protected.<br />
Like other modern agencies around the<br />
country, the Houston Police Department has<br />
the challenges of staffing and budget<br />
constraints. Despite these challenges, our<br />
personnel remain dedicated and determined<br />
to keep the future of the Air Support Division<br />
bright and continue to provide safety and<br />
security for the public we serve.<br />
HPD's UAS Fleet Enhances Public Safety Missions<br />
The Houston Police Department’s twenty-eight remote pilots (RPIC) operate a diverse<br />
fleet of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to support various tactical and operational<br />
needs. The UAS fleet consists of several makes and models tailored to specific tasks.<br />
They include: three Skydio X2D, three FLIR R70 Skyranger, four Autel Evo II Dual Thermal,<br />
six Aardvark Loki E1, one DJI Matrice M30 Thermal, one DJI Mavic M3 Thermal and one<br />
DJI Avata "1".<br />
HPD utilizes these UAS to accomplish the department’s mission across various scenarios,<br />
including search and rescue, disaster response, missing persons, fugitive apprehensions,<br />
building searches, bomb calls and hazardous material observations, monitoring<br />
dangerous and armed subjects, managing large planned or unplanned events and mapping.<br />
The HPD UAS units have been instrumental in<br />
recent major events such as the 2022 Major<br />
League Baseball World Series, Astros Victory<br />
parade, 2023 NCAA Final Four, 2024 NCAA<br />
College Football Playoff, Houston Marathon and<br />
various community celebrations like the Juneteenth<br />
Parades, Pride Parade, and the 2023 Freedom<br />
Over Texas Fourth of <strong>July</strong> Celebration.<br />
Since 2022, the request for and utilization of<br />
UAS to support public safety missions have quadrupled,<br />
underscoring the growing importance and<br />
effectiveness of these tools in enhancing community<br />
safety and operational efficiency.<br />
www.publicsafetyaviation.org l 33<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 133
The following conferences represent only a few of the better<br />
police conferences you should attend in <strong>2024.</strong> A list of EVERY<br />
police conference will appear later this month in this section.<br />
If your group has a conference or training session scheduled<br />
for2024, please send the information to: bluespdmag@gmail.<br />
com.<br />
2024 Crimes Against Children Conference<br />
When: August 11-15, 2024<br />
Where: Dallas, TX2021 CACC<br />
The annual CACC event, typically held in Dallas, Texas, is organized<br />
by the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center and brings<br />
together up to 10,000 law enforcement and children advocates<br />
focused on preventing and addressing the repercussions of<br />
crimes against children.<br />
2024 National Interdiction Conference<br />
When: August 18-23, 2024<br />
Where: Anaheim, California<br />
Why Attend: This event focuses on training and influencing a<br />
pro-active “All Crimes” approach to criminal interdiction and is<br />
coordinated by the National Criminal Enforcement Association.<br />
Annual SMILE CONFERENCE 2024<br />
When: September 18-19, 2024<br />
Where: Palm Beach, FL.<br />
Why You Should Go: Hosted by the Scottsdale Police Department,<br />
the SMILE annual conference is the leading event devoted<br />
to Social Media, the Internet and Law Enforcement initiatives.<br />
The organization pioneered the adoption of social media by law<br />
enforcement agencies across the world for public outreach,<br />
crime prevention, and forensics.<br />
High Technology Crime Investigation Association (HTCIA)<br />
When: September 19-22, 2023<br />
Where: Phoenix, AZ<br />
Why You Should Go: HTCIA features some of the world’s top industry<br />
leaders and is one of the most respected high technology<br />
investigation conferences in the world. Current practitioners<br />
who engage in high technology daily serve as both presenters<br />
and attendees.<br />
National Association for Civilian Oversight in Law Enforcement<br />
Conference<br />
When: October 13-17, 2024<br />
Where: Tucson, Arizona<br />
Why Attend: NACOLE started with its first event in 1995, and<br />
continuously works to put together comprehensive, informative,<br />
and inclusive programs that address skills training and current<br />
or emerging topics. This conference is best suited for civilian<br />
oversight practitioners, law enforcement officials, journalists,<br />
elected officials, students, community members, and others.<br />
International Association of Chiefs of Police 2024 Conference<br />
When: October 19-22, 2024<br />
Where: Boston, Massachusetts<br />
Why You Should Go: The IACP annual conference provides law<br />
enforcement leaders with the new strategies, techniques, and<br />
resources they need to successfully navigate the ever-evolving<br />
policing environment.<br />
Ontario Gang Investigators Association 2024 Conference<br />
When: November 2024<br />
Where: TBD<br />
The ONGIA conference brings together members of the law enforcement<br />
community to learn the latest in gang trends, investigations,<br />
and intelligence while providing professional development<br />
for Police, Probation and Parole, Correctional Officers,<br />
Crowns Attorneys, CBSA Officers, Victim Witness Assistance<br />
Program (MAG) and others.<br />
Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association<br />
46th Annual Symposium<br />
When: TBD IN 2025<br />
Where: Los Angeles, CA<br />
Why Attend: The HAPCOA is the oldest and largest association<br />
in the U.S. of Hispanic-American command officers from law<br />
enforcement and criminal justice agencies at the municipal,<br />
county, state, and federal levels. This year’s national training<br />
symposium will also feature a career fair.<br />
National Law Enforcement Exploring Leadership Conference<br />
When: TBD<br />
Where: TBD<br />
Why Attend: This conference is designed to inspire and educate<br />
law enforcement explorers who will be future law enforcement<br />
professionals and leaders.<br />
Crimes Against Children Conference<br />
When: TBD<br />
Where: TBD<br />
The annual CACC event, typically held in Dallas, Texas, is organized<br />
by the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center and brings<br />
together up to 10,000 law enforcement and children advocates<br />
focused on preventing and addressing the repercussions of<br />
crimes against children.<br />
134 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
PURCHASE TICKETS<br />
FREE LEO TICKETS<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 135
Foundational Homicide<br />
Investigations Course<br />
The IHIA and the Tacoma Police Department<br />
will be holding our Foundational Homicide<br />
Investigations Course in Tacoma, Washington<br />
Topics Include:<br />
• Responsibilities of the<br />
Homicide Investigator<br />
• Investigative Considerations<br />
• Crime Scene Investigation<br />
• Evidence Processing<br />
• Lab Capabilities<br />
<strong>July</strong> 22-26, 2024<br />
Tacoma Police Department<br />
3701 S. Pine Street, Tacoma, WA 98<strong>40</strong>9<br />
$ 435<br />
Non Member<br />
Includes all training materials, IHIA membership, coffee each<br />
morning, and a networking event.<br />
The Buy 3, Get 1 Free promotion is eligible for this course.<br />
(For further info, email us here.)<br />
REGISTER HERE<br />
$ 385<br />
IHIA Active Member<br />
BOOK HOTEL<br />
For questions, please contact:<br />
Lt. Steve Lewis (ret), (813) 299-9921, slewis@ihia.org<br />
Sr. Investigator Ed Striedinger, (206) 992-5610, estriedinger@ihia.org<br />
or visit IHIA.org<br />
Department credentials will be required at check-in. Individuals who do not have<br />
issued department credentials should contact us directly prior to arrival.<br />
• Suspect Development &<br />
Elimination<br />
• Interview & Interrogation<br />
• Exploitation of Digital<br />
Evidence<br />
• Cellular Analysis<br />
• Media & Public Information<br />
Officer Relationship<br />
• Criminal Investigative<br />
Analysis<br />
• Role of the Medical<br />
Examiner/Coroner<br />
• Investigative Resources<br />
(FBI ViCAP)<br />
• Child Abductions/Death<br />
Investigations<br />
• Documentation/Report<br />
Writing<br />
• Defense Attorney/<br />
Prosecutor Relationship<br />
• Legal Matters<br />
• Courtroom Testimony<br />
136 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 137
138 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 139
HONORING OUR<br />
TROOPER FIRST CLASS AARON PELLETIER<br />
1<strong>40</strong> 1<strong>40</strong> The The BLUES <strong>Blues</strong> POLICE -- <strong>July</strong> MAGAZINE ‘24<br />
CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE, CONNECTICUT<br />
END OF WATCH THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2024<br />
AGE: 34 TOUR: 9 YEARS BADGE: 536<br />
Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was struck and killed by a truck while conducting a traffic stop on I-84 East<br />
near Exit 31 in Southington. At 2:45 p.m., Trooper Pelletier pulled over a vehicle on the right shoulder of the<br />
highway with his emergency equipment activated on his cruiser. While he was speaking with the driver of the car,<br />
a truck crossed the dividing line into the shoulder lane, sideswiped his cruiser, and struck him. The driver fled in<br />
the vehicle and was apprehended approximately five miles away in a wooded area. Trooper Pelletier was killed<br />
instantly. His canine partner, Roso, was in the cruiser when it was struck, but he was not injured.<br />
Trooper Pelletier had served with the Connecticut State Police for nine years and was assigned to Troop H in<br />
Hartford. He is survived by his wife and two children.
FALLEN HEROES<br />
POLICE OFFICER JAMAL MITCHELL<br />
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, MINNESOTA<br />
END OF WATCH THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2024<br />
AGE: 36 TOUR: 2 YEARS BADGE: 4819<br />
Police Officer Jamal Mitchell was shot and killed after being ambushed while responding to a shooting call.<br />
Just after 5:00 p.m., officers responded to a shots fired call at an apartment on 22nd Street near Blaisdell Avenue<br />
in Minneapolis. When officers arrived, the suspect fired at officers, and a gunfight ensued. Officer Mitchell<br />
stopped to render aid to who he thought was a wounded victim when that man shot him multiple times. Two<br />
officers arriving on the scene witnessed the suspect shooting Officer Mitchell. The suspect turned and started<br />
shooting at them. They returned fire, killing the suspect. Officer Mitchell was transported to Hennepin Healthcare<br />
where he succumbed to his wounds. Officer Mitchell had served with the Minneapolis Police Department<br />
for two years. He is survived by his son and fiancée.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 141
HONORING OUR<br />
AGENT DAVIS GEOVANNI MARTINEZ<br />
MARYLAND DEPT. OF PAROLE AND PROBATION, MARYLAND<br />
END OF WATCH FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024<br />
AGE: 33 TOUR: 6 YEARS BADGE: 2422<br />
Agent Davis Martinez was stabbed while conducting a home visit on a convicted sex offender<br />
in the 2800 block of Terrace Drive in Chevy Chase. Officers from the Montgomery<br />
County Police Department went to check on Agent Martinez after he failed to return to his<br />
office. The officers discovered his body at the offender’s apartment, suffering from multiple<br />
stab wounds. The subject had fled the scene but was arrested in Hurricane, West Virginia,<br />
the following day by members of a United States Marshals Service task force. He has been<br />
charged with second-degree murder. Agent Martinez had served with the Maryland Division<br />
of Parole and Probation for six years and was assigned to the Silver Spring Field Office.<br />
142 142 The The BLUES <strong>Blues</strong> POLICE - <strong>July</strong> MAGAZINE ‘24
FALLEN HEROES<br />
POLICE OFFICER JOSHUA BRIESE<br />
GILA RIVER POLICE DEPARTMENT, TRIBAL POLICE<br />
END OF WATCH SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024<br />
AGE: 24 TOUR: N/A BADGE: N/A<br />
Police Officer Joshua Briese was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call at<br />
2:00 a.m. at a home in Santan, District 4 of the Gila River Indian Community. When Officer<br />
Briese and his training partner arrived on the scene, they were met with gunfire. Both officers<br />
were transported to a local hospital where Officer Briese succumbed to his wounds. The other<br />
officer is in stable but serious condition. Officer Briese’s father, Deputy Sheriff David Leroy<br />
Briese, Jr. of Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, Montana, died in the line of duty on November<br />
3, 2006. Officer Briese had served with the Gila River Police Department for less than<br />
one year and was still completing field training.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 143
HONORING OUR<br />
SENIOR POLICE OFFICER VICENTE ORTIZ, JR.<br />
CORPUS CHRISTI POLICE DEPARTMENT, TEXAS<br />
END OF WATCH SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024<br />
AGE: N/A TOUR: 15 YEARS BADGE: 746<br />
Senior Police Officer Vicente Ortiz succumbed to injuries sustained 10 days earlier when he<br />
was involved in a motorcycle crash while escorting a funeral procession. He was traveling<br />
southbound on Kostoryz Road when another driver attempted to cross the road at the intersection<br />
with Sacky Drive. Officer Ortiz was unable to stop and struck the other vehicle. He<br />
was transported to a local hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries before succumbing<br />
to his injuries. Officer Ortiz had served with the Corpus Christi Police Department for 15<br />
years. He is survived by his wife and two children.<br />
144 144 The The BLUES <strong>Blues</strong> POLICE - <strong>July</strong> MAGAZINE<br />
‘24
FALLEN HEROES<br />
SERGEANT FLOYD H. MILES, JR.<br />
CHARLES CITY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, VIRGINIA<br />
END OF WATCH SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2024<br />
AGE: 45 TOUR: 16 YEARS BADGE: 5<br />
Sergeant Floyd Miles suffered a fatal heart attack while struggling with a subject inside an<br />
ambulance at the intersection of John Tyler Memorial Highway and Wayside Road. He was<br />
transported to MCV/New Kent Medical Center where he passed away.<br />
Sergeant Miles was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Charles City County Sheriff’s<br />
Office for 16 years. He is survived by his wife, three stepsons, mother, father, brothers, a<br />
sister, and a grandson.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 145
HONORING OUR<br />
DETECTIVE RYAN SO<br />
SCOTTSDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ARIZONA<br />
END OF WATCH THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024<br />
AGE: N/A TOUR: 9 YEARS BADGE: 1473<br />
Detective Ryan So was accidentally shot and killed after serving a search warrant and<br />
conducting an arrest on 78th Street near N Greenway Hayden Loop in Scottsdale. At 7:30<br />
p.m., while unloading equipment from a vehicle, a rifle fell out of the bag, hit the ground,<br />
and discharged, striking Detective So. Despite fellow officers rendering aid, he succumbed<br />
to his wounds at the hospital.<br />
Detective So was a United States Navy veteran and had served with the Scottsdale Police<br />
Department for nine years. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.<br />
146 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
FALLEN HEROES<br />
CONSTABLE PHILIP JOHN MICHAEL<br />
PENNSYLVANIA STATE CONSTABLE - FAYETTE CNTY, PA<br />
END OF WATCH THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2024<br />
AGE: 51 TOUR: N/A BADGE: N/A<br />
Constable Philip Michael succumbed to injuries he received in a vehicle crash on May 3,<br />
2024, while en route to serve a warrant.<br />
Constable Michael was traveling on Route 51 in Perryopolis when a driver ran a red light at<br />
Independence Street and struck his vehicle. He was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital<br />
where he passed away on June 6, <strong>2024.</strong><br />
He is survived by his wife, two sons, and two brothers.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 147
HONORING OUR<br />
DEPUTY SHERIFF BRADLEY J. RECKLING<br />
OAKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, MICHIGAN<br />
END OF WATCH SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2024<br />
AGE: 30 TOUR: 9 YEARS BADGE: 1972<br />
Deputy Sheriff Bradley Reckling was shot and killed while conducting surveillance on a stolen vehicle in Detroit<br />
at about 10:00 pm. He and other detectives with the Auto Theft Unit were searching for a car stolen from the<br />
Red Oaks Water Park earlier in the day. Detective Reckling located the vehicle with three occupants and started<br />
following it as he coordinated with the other detectives. While he continued surveillance of the vehicle the driver<br />
suddenly stopped, and the occupants opened fire on Deputy Reckling’s vehicle. Deputy Reckling was transported<br />
to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Deputy Reckling had served with the Oakland County<br />
Sheriff’s Office for nine years and was assigned to the Auto Theft Unit. He had received numerous awards<br />
during his career. He is survived by his expectant wife and three children.<br />
148 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE<br />
148 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
FALLEN HEROES<br />
AGENT LUIS ALGARIN DE JESÚS<br />
PUERTO RICO POLICE DEPARTMENT, PUERTO RICO<br />
END OF WATCH MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2024<br />
AGE: 51 TOUR: 30 YEARS BADGE: N/A<br />
Agent Luis Algarin De Jesús was killed when his motorcycle was struck on Highway PR-1 in Santa Isabel,<br />
Puerto Rico. Around 6:00 am, Agent Algarin-De Jesus was traveling on the two-lane highway of Highway<br />
PR-1 in the Jauca neighborhood when the driver of a vehicle crossed the center line, attempting to pass<br />
another vehicle. The SUV hit Agent Algarin-De Jesus’ motorcycle head-on, killing him instantly. Agent Luis<br />
Algarin-De Jesus had served with the Puerto Rico Police Department for 30 years and was assigned to the<br />
Santa Isabel District. On Officer Mitchell’s third day working for the Minneapolis Police Department, he rescued<br />
an elderly couple from a burning home. In 2024, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of<br />
Honor and a Purple Heart.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 149
HONORING OUR<br />
YOUTH COUNSELOR COREY PROULX<br />
150 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE<br />
150 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, WISCONSIN<br />
END OF WATCH TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2024<br />
AGE: 49 TOUR: N/A BADGE: N/A<br />
Youth Counselor Corey Proulx succumbed to injuries he received when he was assaulted by a juvenile inmate at<br />
the Lincoln Hills School at W4380 Copper Lake Avenue in Irma. Shortly before 8:00 p.m. on June 24, 2024,<br />
a juvenile threw a cup of hair conditioner into the face of a female staff member. He repeatedly punched her in<br />
the torso and face before fleeing from the Krueger Living Facility. Counselor Proulx followed the juvenile outside<br />
to detain him when the teenager struck him multiple times in the head and face. He fell to the ground, hitting his<br />
head on the concrete, and was unresponsive. Counselor Proulx was airlifted to Aspirus Wausau Hospital where<br />
he was declared brain dead on June 25, <strong>2024.</strong> He remained on life support until his organs could be donated.<br />
Counselor Proulx is survived by his daughter and fiancee.
FALLEN HEROES<br />
DEPUTY SHERIFF WILLIAM BUTLER, JR.<br />
HILLSDALE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, MICHIGAN<br />
END OF WATCH THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2024<br />
AGE: 51 TOUR: 12 YEARS BADGE: N/A<br />
Deputy Sheriff Bill Butler was shot and killed while assisting another deputy with a traffic stop near the intersection<br />
of Beecher and Lamb Road in Jefferson Township around 2:30 p.m. The driver had warrants out for<br />
his arrest and did not cooperate with the deputies. During the struggle, the subject pulled out a gun, striking<br />
Deputy Butler before fleeing on foot. Deputy Butler was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to<br />
his wounds. The subject was found about two miles away several hours later. When he fired on troopers, they<br />
returned fire, killing the subject.<br />
Deputy Butler was an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran and had served with the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s<br />
Office for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 151
152 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 153
BY MICHAEL BARRON<br />
“..he fell out!”<br />
I know we’ve run this ‘war story’<br />
a couple of times in the past.<br />
But with the return of APSCON to<br />
Houston, it seemed only natural<br />
to expose a whole new set of<br />
readers to the Cessna Pilot who<br />
‘fell out.’<br />
“He fell out”<br />
The day started out as one of<br />
those beautiful fall mornings on<br />
Galveston Island where the blue<br />
sky and water seemed to meet<br />
and look the same. The water<br />
was crystal clear and smooth as<br />
glass. Something you rarely see<br />
on the Island and when it does,<br />
you can’t wait to get in the air<br />
and experience it from a couple<br />
hundred feet.<br />
But paperwork and the task of<br />
assigning flights for the week<br />
had me desk bound for at least<br />
the better part of that beautiful<br />
morning. That is until the Sheriff<br />
from a neighboring county<br />
called with a rather strange<br />
question.<br />
“Hey sarge, this is the Sheriff<br />
over at Jefferson County. Being<br />
154 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
a pilot and all, can you tell me<br />
how hard it is to fall out of an<br />
airplane?”<br />
You mean like parked on a<br />
ramp?<br />
“No like in the air”<br />
What kind of airplane?<br />
“I think it’s a Cessna One-Fifty<br />
something”<br />
A Cessna 152?<br />
“Yeah, that’s it”<br />
Nope. Not likely, why?<br />
“Well, I got a young kid/pilot<br />
over here at the airport and he<br />
claims he and this gentlemen<br />
were up doing lessons or something<br />
and they were doing some<br />
steep turns and the door popped<br />
opened and the man fell out.”<br />
Are you serious or you pranking<br />
me Sheriff?<br />
“Naw, I’m serious that’s what<br />
he’s saying. I’m not partial to<br />
believing his story, sounds kinda<br />
fishy to me. Would you mind flying<br />
over here and talking to him?<br />
I sure would appreciate it. We’ll<br />
buy ya’ll some gas for the trip.”<br />
Let me get one of my guys and<br />
we’ll head that way. I can’t wait<br />
to meet this young man. Don’t let<br />
him talk to anyone until we get<br />
there.<br />
I grabbed my chief pilot and<br />
said, “come on, we’re going to<br />
see a man about a flying fish.”<br />
It was a short flight over to<br />
Beaumont Municipal and we<br />
were cleared for a straight in for<br />
the Runway 13. As we taxied onto<br />
the ramp, there was a bright red<br />
Cessna 152 parked right out front<br />
with the left door partially open.<br />
I can’t wait to hear this story.<br />
Morning Sheriff, beautiful day<br />
isn’t it.<br />
“Damn sure is, pity someone<br />
had to die on a day like this.”<br />
Wait, what? You didn’t mention<br />
anyone dying.<br />
“Huh, must have slipped my<br />
mind. He’s up in the conference<br />
room just up the stairs.”<br />
WTF, I thought. What the<br />
hell are we getting into here. I<br />
opened the door and here was<br />
this 20 something young man<br />
that was obviously scared shitless.<br />
Hello, my name is Sgt. Barron, I<br />
understand you had some kind of<br />
accident, and someone fell out
of your airplane? Tell me exactly<br />
what happened.<br />
“Well, I was at work and this<br />
student of mine called and said<br />
he wanted to come take a lesson.<br />
I scheduled him for a onehour<br />
flight, and he showed up<br />
this morning as he always does.<br />
We pre-flighted the plane, did<br />
our pre-checks, did a run-up,<br />
got clearance from the tower<br />
and then took off.<br />
And then what?<br />
“He said he wanted to do some<br />
steep turns, so we climbed to<br />
3500’ over near the lake, that’s<br />
pretty much our usual training<br />
area and ….”<br />
Wait. Was he flying?<br />
“Yes”<br />
And he was in the left seat?<br />
“Yes”<br />
Ok, go on.<br />
“So, he started making a steep<br />
left-hand turn, about 45 degrees<br />
and then he rolled the plane to<br />
almost 60 degrees and that’s<br />
when the door popped open.”<br />
And then what happened?<br />
“He just rolled out”<br />
What do you mean, he just<br />
rolled out? Like the door opened<br />
and he fell out?<br />
“Yes”<br />
Son, are you aware that lying to<br />
a police officer is a crime?<br />
“..but that’s what happened, I<br />
swear.”<br />
Son, come with me. I led the<br />
young man downstairs with the<br />
Sheriff and his men in tow, down<br />
to the ramp and outside to the<br />
parked Cessna.<br />
The sheriff is like “Sarge what<br />
are we doing?”<br />
You’ll see. Ok young man, get<br />
in the left seat where your student<br />
was. And by the way, did he<br />
have his seat belt and harnesses<br />
fastened?<br />
“I don’t remember”<br />
Uh huh. Well, we’re going to<br />
assume no. So, sit inside. Which<br />
he did. Ok, put your hands on the<br />
yoke. Turn the yoke all the way<br />
to the left. Which he did. Now<br />
I’m going to hold this door open<br />
while you roll out. OK?<br />
“Uhhhhhh OK”<br />
OK roll out. The boy leaned<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 155
towards the open door and hard<br />
as he tried, he couldn’t fall out.<br />
Hell, he didn’t even budge 2<br />
inches off that seat.<br />
The inside of a Cessna 152 is<br />
so small and tight, it takes a lot<br />
of maneuvering just to get inside<br />
much less get out. No way in hell<br />
you’re going to ‘fall out.’<br />
Come on, roll out. What are<br />
you waiting on?<br />
Wait, you were going pretty<br />
fast I assume, let me push<br />
hard on the door while you roll<br />
against it to simulate the wind<br />
blowing 100mph against it.<br />
He just looked at me and burst<br />
into tears.<br />
Ok, that’s enough of this bullshit.<br />
We’re going back inside and<br />
you’re going to tell us what really<br />
happened from start to finish<br />
or you’re going to jail. Ok?<br />
“Yes sir”<br />
So, he says the guy comes in<br />
and wants a flight lesson. They<br />
take off. Get to 5000 feet or so.<br />
The man hands the young man<br />
an envelope with cash and says<br />
“here this is all I got. I’m sorry,<br />
but I can’t go on and I’m going to<br />
jump.<br />
The pilot freaks out, tries to<br />
talk him out of jumping but the<br />
man threatened to crash the<br />
plane if he doesn’t let him jump.<br />
So scared they will both die,<br />
the instructor takes the controls<br />
while the man undoes his seat<br />
belt, struggles to open the door<br />
and after about 5 minutes or so,<br />
manages to get outside the door<br />
and onto the wing strut and then<br />
let’s go.<br />
WTF. Then what?<br />
“I tried to close the door, but<br />
I couldn’t get it closed. So, I<br />
turned back to the airport and<br />
landed.<br />
“ I told the flight office he fell<br />
out, they called the cops, they<br />
showed up and then you showed<br />
up and …..am I going to jail?”<br />
More tears.<br />
Do you think you can find the<br />
spot where he jumped?<br />
“I think so”<br />
OK then. The sheriff called DPS<br />
and we all loaded in the helicopter<br />
and for the next hour we<br />
searched for the victim. As we<br />
hovered near the lake, almost<br />
exactly where the young man<br />
said he jumped, I saw a couple<br />
of cows gathered around something<br />
on the ground. As we got<br />
close, sure enough, we found<br />
our man. And yep, he was plenty<br />
dead alright.<br />
As we landed to verify it was<br />
in fact the flying man without a<br />
parachute, the young man looks<br />
at me, pulls an envelope out of<br />
his pockets and says...<br />
“Does this mean I have to give<br />
the money back?”<br />
Ahh, yeah. I think so.<br />
• • •<br />
We left them with tons of paperwork<br />
to do.<br />
A young flight instructor that<br />
would probably never give another<br />
flight to a student.<br />
And a long look at a deep<br />
blue Gulf of Mexico as we sailed<br />
along the coast at 500 feet admiring<br />
what a beautiful day it<br />
was here on the coast.<br />
It was a shame that it had to<br />
have a tragic ending.<br />
156 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 157
WORDS BY MICHAEL BARRON<br />
Tragedy Over Houston Skies...<br />
Four years ago, The Houston<br />
Police Department had the<br />
unthinkable happen. For the first<br />
time in its nearly fifty-year history,<br />
they had a fatal crash of one<br />
of its many MD 500 Helicopters.<br />
Jason Knox, the tactical officer<br />
was killed and the pilot, Chase<br />
Cormier was severely injured.<br />
Jason was a loving father of<br />
two young children and a beautiful<br />
wife. His loss that night<br />
is still so hard to imagine. His<br />
father Mike Knox, A Houston City<br />
Councilman, says his son died<br />
doing what he loved, protecting<br />
his city, and flying with his best<br />
friend Chase.<br />
Cormier was a hero that night.<br />
His extraordinary skill as a pilot<br />
guided a virtually uncontrollable<br />
airship away from an apartment<br />
complex that surely would have<br />
suffered multiple casualties had<br />
the helicopter crashed on the<br />
roofs of occupied apartments.<br />
Cormier and Knox had been<br />
responding to call on the North<br />
side of Houston about a possible<br />
drowning near Greens Bayou.<br />
As they orbited near the bayou,<br />
the ship suddenly entered a spin<br />
and continued to spin until it<br />
158 The <strong>Blues</strong> -- <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
struck a small building alongside<br />
the apartment complex in the<br />
Greenspoint area. The Houston<br />
Fire Department and paramedics<br />
arrived on the scene and were<br />
able to extricate both pilots from<br />
the crumpled helicopter. Unfortunately,<br />
Knox’s injuries were<br />
just too severe and despite the<br />
extraordinary efforts of the doctors<br />
at Hermann Hospital, they<br />
were unable to save his life. That<br />
night, Cormier underwent the<br />
first of multiple surgeries that<br />
would ultimately save his life<br />
and one day, allow him to walk<br />
again.<br />
The official NTSB report reads<br />
as follows:<br />
On May 2, 2020, about 0203<br />
central daylight time, a model<br />
369E MD Helicopter, N8375F, was<br />
destroyed when it was involved<br />
in an accident near Houston,<br />
Texas. The pilot sustained serious<br />
injuries and the other flight<br />
crewmember sustained fatal injuries.<br />
The helicopter was operated<br />
as a Title 14 Code of Federal<br />
Regulations Part 91 public aircraft<br />
flight. According to initial<br />
information from the Federal<br />
Aviation Administration (FAA), a<br />
Houston Police Department
...and again in Huntington Beach.<br />
Then two years later, another<br />
MD 500 Helicopter crashed,<br />
this time a NOTAR 500N model.<br />
A Huntington Beach Police<br />
Department aviation unit<br />
flying patrol along the coast of<br />
Huntington Beach, experienced<br />
what some say, is a somewhat<br />
common trait of the NOTAR –<br />
instances of loss of tail rotor<br />
authority, or in this case NOTAR<br />
authority.<br />
Huntington Beach tactical<br />
flight officer Nicholas Vella and<br />
his partner were on a routine<br />
patrol down the beach front<br />
when then were dispatched to<br />
a fight in progress just south of<br />
their location. Once on scene,<br />
the pilot began orbiting the<br />
helicopter to the right to give<br />
Vella a better angle for the<br />
infrared camera to locate the<br />
suspects involved.<br />
At some point, the pilot<br />
slowed the ship and entered a<br />
tight turn when the helicopter<br />
entered a slow spin until<br />
then struck the water in almost<br />
horizontal position. The NTSB<br />
report filed reported the accident<br />
as follows:<br />
On February 19, 2022, about<br />
1834 Pacific standard time,<br />
a McDonnell Douglas 500N,<br />
N521HB, was substantially<br />
damaged when it was involved<br />
in an accident in Newport<br />
Beach, California. The<br />
pilot sustained minor injuries,<br />
and the tactical flight officer<br />
(TFO) was fatally injured. The<br />
helicopter was operated as<br />
a public aircraft flight by the<br />
Huntington Beach Police Department.<br />
The helicopter was<br />
owned by the City of Huntington<br />
Beach and was providing law<br />
enforcement air support under a<br />
contract service agreement for<br />
the City of Newport Beach. The<br />
helicopter departed its home<br />
base, Huntington Beach Police<br />
Department Heliport (CL65), in<br />
1800, and for the next 30 minutes<br />
flew a routine patrol along<br />
the coast of Huntington Beach,<br />
inland to Costa Mesa, and then<br />
south to Newport Beach. The<br />
pilot reported that as they were<br />
about to depart the Newport<br />
Beach area, they received a<br />
transmission over the primary<br />
police radio channel that there<br />
was a fight taking place just<br />
south of their location. The pilot<br />
stated that he redirected the<br />
helicopter toward the area and<br />
began a right-hand orbit while<br />
the TFO (who was seated in the<br />
right seat) turned on the infrared<br />
camera and began searching the<br />
ground. The TFO spotted a group<br />
fighting, and the pilot began to<br />
maneuver the helicopter in a<br />
tighter right orbit while the TFO<br />
relayed his observations over the<br />
police radio channel. Ground patrol<br />
officers arrived on the scene,<br />
and the pilot continued the orbits<br />
about 500 ft above ground level,<br />
while simultaneously viewing<br />
the activity through his monitor,<br />
and maneuvering the helicopter<br />
so the TFO could continue<br />
to observe the altercation. The<br />
pilot stated that he watched as<br />
ground patrol officers got out<br />
of their car and approached the<br />
group, who by this time had<br />
mostly dispersed. He was concerned<br />
that one of the groups<br />
was about to start fighting with<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 159
Houston<br />
helicopter was on a local flight<br />
near the George Bush Intercontinental/Houston<br />
Airport (IAH),<br />
near Houston, Texas, and its pilot<br />
had contacted air traffic control.<br />
The pilot was using flight following<br />
while he was conducting<br />
a search flight for a person near<br />
a bayou. A Department of Public<br />
Safety (DPS) helicopter contacted<br />
the controller, asked for<br />
clearance into the airspace near<br />
IAH, and was given that clearance.<br />
The DPS helicopter crewmember<br />
asked if the controller<br />
was still in contact with the<br />
police helicopter. The controller<br />
advised that radar contact was<br />
lost with the police helicopter.<br />
The DPS helicopter crew member<br />
advised that there was an<br />
indication that the helicopter had<br />
impacted terrain. An FAA inspector<br />
examined the wreckage site<br />
and documented it. The helicopter<br />
had impacted an unoccupied<br />
building and terrain. The wreckage<br />
was recovered and retained<br />
for further detailed examination.<br />
The helicopter was equipped<br />
with an augmented reality mapping<br />
system. The data recording<br />
device from that mapping system<br />
has been retained to see if<br />
it contains information pertinent<br />
to the accident flight. The pilot<br />
held an FAA commercial pilot<br />
certificate and a second-class<br />
medical certificate. At 0153, the<br />
recorded wind at IAH was 170° at<br />
4 kts and visibility was 10 statute<br />
miles. According to United States<br />
Naval Observatory indications,<br />
the Moon had set, it was more<br />
than 30° below the horizon, and<br />
160 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
it provided no illumination at the<br />
time of the accident. According<br />
to a video taken by a witness,<br />
the helicopter rotated while in<br />
the air and descended. The conditions<br />
present in the video were<br />
consistent with the observatory<br />
indications.<br />
I spoke with Chase just before<br />
we published this issue. His most<br />
recent surgery was a huge success.<br />
Doctors had to replace all<br />
the pins, screws, and plates in his<br />
back from the original surgery<br />
two years ago. Despite doctors<br />
telling him he’d most likely never<br />
walk again; I am proud to report<br />
that he is in fact walking. Never<br />
tell a veteran that something is<br />
impossible. Cormier served his<br />
country and the citizens of Houston<br />
in a way no ordinary man<br />
could do. On a night when all<br />
odds were against him, he managed<br />
to save hundreds of innocent<br />
lives on the ground. He took<br />
command of a situation that<br />
ultimately cost his best friend his<br />
life and crippled himself in doing<br />
so. Cormier is the true definition<br />
of an American Hero. Houston<br />
will also remember what you<br />
did to protect its citizens.<br />
Godspeed to Jason Knox as he<br />
watches us from above and God<br />
Bless my friend Chase Cormier.
Huntington Beach<br />
slowed the helicopter<br />
to keep the camera<br />
aimed at the scene<br />
longer, so that they<br />
would not lose sight<br />
of it behind a building.<br />
Suddenly the helicopter<br />
yawed aggressively<br />
to the right, and he<br />
immediately applied<br />
full left foot pedal and<br />
forward cyclic to try<br />
and arrest the rotation,<br />
but there was no response.<br />
He continued to<br />
apply corrective control<br />
inputs, but the helicopter<br />
did not respond,<br />
and began to progress<br />
into a spinning descent.<br />
The TFO transmitted<br />
over the police radio<br />
channel, “We’re having<br />
some mechanical<br />
issues right now”, followed by,<br />
“we’re going down, we’re going<br />
down”. The pilot stated the rotation<br />
became more aggressive as<br />
the helicopter began to descend.<br />
He continued with corrective<br />
control inputs, which appeared<br />
to be partially effective but did<br />
not stop the rotation. He stated<br />
that the engine was operating<br />
throughout, and his goal was<br />
to continue to fly the helicopter<br />
with the engine still running,<br />
rather than reducing power and<br />
performing an autorotation to<br />
a populated area. Because it<br />
was dark, he had no horizon or<br />
accurate external reference, but<br />
he could see the lights of houses<br />
approaching, and sensed impact<br />
was imminent, so he pulled the<br />
collective control in an effort to<br />
bleed off airspeed. They then hit<br />
the water hard in a downward<br />
right rotation, on TFO’s side. The<br />
pilot recalled a sudden smash<br />
and saw water and glass coming<br />
toward him as the canopy shattered.<br />
He felt the rotor blades<br />
hitting the water, everything<br />
then stopped, and within a few<br />
seconds he was submerged. The<br />
pilot stated that he continued<br />
to hold on to the collective as<br />
a reference point, then cleared<br />
the mouthpiece from his rescue<br />
air bottle, and began to use it<br />
to breath. Continuing to hold<br />
the collective with one hand he<br />
reached down and released his<br />
seat harness and egressed by<br />
pushing himself away with the<br />
collective and through the door<br />
opening. He exited the helicopter<br />
and ascended to the surface,<br />
and a short time later, onlookers<br />
began to arrive, and pulled him<br />
away and toward a boat.<br />
Huntington Beach lost a hero<br />
that night. Officer Nicholas Vella<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 161
A BADGE OF HONOR<br />
healing our heroes<br />
BAND-AIDS ON<br />
BULLET HOLES<br />
By Retired NYPD Detective,<br />
John Salerno, Co-founder of<br />
A Badge of Honor<br />
As a young cop in the NYC<br />
Police Department, some of<br />
the first things I learned in the<br />
academy was to make sure<br />
you always wear your body<br />
armor, it will protect you,<br />
always carry your radio in<br />
case you need to call for help,<br />
it will Save you. The tools on<br />
your gun belt will keep you<br />
alive. If you are in a bad situation,<br />
use the code 10/13 which<br />
will alert Officers to respond<br />
fast and get you backup.<br />
Every Law Enforcement Officer<br />
in the nation has a code<br />
for assistance, it is our lifeline<br />
when we are in distress or<br />
injured. It is the way we communicate<br />
with each other to<br />
ask for help.<br />
But what happens when we<br />
are off duty? What code do<br />
we use to call for help when<br />
we are stripped of all our<br />
protective armor? When we<br />
have no radio to request assistance?<br />
When we are most<br />
vulnerable? When we are in<br />
distress.? These codes do not<br />
162 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
exist. Or do they?<br />
Just like we were trained,<br />
we need to train our Loved<br />
ones, our friends and those<br />
in our closest social circles<br />
the signs and symptoms of<br />
Post-Traumatic Stress. Let<br />
them in on your own distress<br />
code. This way they know<br />
how to respond. Many want<br />
to help; they just do not know<br />
how.<br />
So, it is important that we<br />
take the step and educate<br />
those around us.<br />
The hardest thing for us to<br />
do is ask for help. Sadly to<br />
say, many will not. The open<br />
wound is covered by a Band-<br />
Aid. We mask our hurt and<br />
our pain with what our culture<br />
has trained us to do. This<br />
process seems to work in the<br />
beginning as we shield ourselves<br />
until the next tour.<br />
IT’S A DOUBLE EDGE<br />
SWORD, IF WE DO NOT ASK<br />
FOR HELP and our families<br />
and friends do not know how<br />
to offer help.<br />
The quick fix for us is to get<br />
back to the JOB and allow<br />
more wounds and more pain<br />
to cover the past ones. This<br />
SAMANTHA HORWITZ &<br />
JOHN SALERNO<br />
is a cycle that is ongoing and<br />
infectious. We never treat our<br />
wounds, we only treat the<br />
pain.<br />
Many Officers use alternative<br />
means to ease this pain, such<br />
as alcohol, drugs and seclusion.<br />
But what we do not see<br />
is the infection as this wound<br />
continues to fester.<br />
The soreness becomes red,<br />
the redness soon turns to<br />
black, everything around it becomes<br />
numb, the nerve endings<br />
soon begin to die, until<br />
there is absolutely no feeling.<br />
Mental Health is no different.<br />
When we cover up our injuries<br />
in our brain, the things we<br />
see, hear and experience daily,<br />
WILL cause damage, sometimes<br />
irreversible.<br />
When one of the band-aids<br />
falls off, it makes the wound<br />
visible to others exposing the<br />
damage, sparking a response<br />
that says, “YOU NEED TO<br />
SEEK HELP FOR THAT.”<br />
But by that time, the wound<br />
is already numb and dying.
Therefore, it is so important<br />
for others to notice the bandaids<br />
before they fall off. This<br />
will help treat the infection<br />
before the damage becomes<br />
irreversible or at the very<br />
least, difficult to repair.<br />
Even the smallest of<br />
wounds need to be addressed,<br />
no matter how<br />
insignificant you think they<br />
may be. The smallest of untreated<br />
cuts may cause us to<br />
lose something irreplaceable,<br />
your marriage, your kids, your<br />
family, or maybe your life.<br />
Every wound can be treated<br />
differently. Some may<br />
just need a quick antibiotic,<br />
whereas others may take a<br />
longer healing process. But<br />
99.9% of all wounds are treatable,<br />
if they are addressed<br />
early on.<br />
It's time to stop putting<br />
Band-Aids on bullet holes.<br />
Rubbing dirt on it, walking it<br />
off and sucking it up, are the<br />
days of the past.<br />
We have the knowledge<br />
now to identify, address and<br />
treat every aspect of PTSD<br />
from the crisis onset to post<br />
outpatient care if needed.<br />
The Buy-in of each department<br />
is the key that will<br />
unlock the tools which can<br />
dismantle and Smash the<br />
Stigma.<br />
John and Sam host MAD (Making a<br />
Difference) Radio, Wednesdays 7pm<br />
central live on FB @Makingadifferencetx.<br />
For more about Sam & John<br />
and the wellness and resiliency<br />
workshops for first responders, visit<br />
ABadgeofHonor.com.<br />
The BLUES<br />
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 163
DARYL LOTT<br />
daryl’s deliberations<br />
Appearances & Honor<br />
Americans, it appears, no longer care<br />
what something looks like.<br />
I remember when the actual<br />
truth on the ground took a back<br />
seat to what any action I took<br />
looked like. In other words, my<br />
decision as a police lieutenant<br />
had to consider the optics of the<br />
situation. Did my decision make it<br />
look like I was playing favorites?<br />
Did it make it look like I favored<br />
one race or gender over another?<br />
Did my decision look like I was<br />
placing my fingers on the scales<br />
of justice?<br />
After all, I<br />
represented<br />
all the<br />
citizens of<br />
Houston<br />
and I had<br />
the duty<br />
to support<br />
not only the<br />
facts on the<br />
ground, but<br />
to consider<br />
the citizens’<br />
perceptions<br />
of my<br />
actions. The<br />
Houston<br />
Police Rules Manual dictated that<br />
I must use “sound judgment.”<br />
In recent years, issues arose in<br />
our country that affected perceptions<br />
and notions of fair play and<br />
objectivity. Of course, this is not<br />
limited to one ideology or politi-<br />
164 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
cal party. It gives rise to reactionary<br />
politics. Reactionary politics<br />
dictate that when one side does<br />
X, the other side must do Y as<br />
a reaction. Reactionary politics<br />
make no accommodation for<br />
compromise. I give a few examples<br />
of what concerns me.<br />
When the pandemic struck the<br />
world, some people used the<br />
term “Chinese Covid” as the name<br />
of the disease. The mainstream<br />
DARYL LOTT<br />
media in America derided the<br />
term as it made China look like<br />
the culprit in the whole episode.<br />
It’s nothing new to tack the origin<br />
of a virus on the name of the<br />
sickness. For example, “German<br />
Measles”, “Russian Flu”, “Spanish<br />
Flu”, etc. As the mainstream<br />
media dug in their heels over<br />
this, they did not care if it looked<br />
like they were<br />
pawns of the<br />
Chinese Communist<br />
Party.<br />
They manufactured<br />
the<br />
angle that if<br />
anyone called<br />
it “Chinese<br />
Covid”, they<br />
were racists<br />
against Asian<br />
people. Why<br />
not just report<br />
the facts?<br />
As the pandemic<br />
took its<br />
toll around the<br />
world, Democrats in the U.S. decided<br />
to change voting laws so no<br />
one would be “disenfranchised”<br />
because of the quarantines. Anything<br />
more than someone driving<br />
by and casting a vote without<br />
identification confirmation was
“Jim Crow.” Democrats wailed<br />
about Voter ID being discriminatory,<br />
yet they gave no evidence<br />
of anything to that effect. Meanwhile,<br />
Republicans (and most<br />
Democrats) believed the only<br />
reason one would not want Voter<br />
ID is to cheat. That really is the<br />
only logical conclusion. During<br />
the pandemic many irregularities<br />
occurred. I’m not saying the election<br />
was stolen. I am saying that<br />
if the Democrats wanted to make<br />
it appear the election was stolen,<br />
they succeeded beyond their<br />
wildest dreams.<br />
Republicans took to the streets<br />
of Washington DC on January<br />
6th. I assume they believed the<br />
election was stolen because it<br />
appeared that way. The same<br />
appearance situation occurred<br />
in reverse. If a group of people<br />
wanted to make it look like they<br />
were trying to overthrow the<br />
government of the United States,<br />
they hit the mark. Read the room,<br />
people!<br />
It seems like neither side asks<br />
what their actions will look like<br />
to the other side or objective<br />
people around the world. Honor<br />
requires such a consideration.<br />
Democrat prosecutors have<br />
gone after President Trump with<br />
a vengeance. They have no complainants<br />
and the obscure laws<br />
they pull up have never been<br />
prosecuted like this before. It’s<br />
no wonder that Trump’s poll<br />
numbers have gone up. It looks<br />
like Democrats have manufactured<br />
some really flawed legal<br />
proceedings to prosecute their<br />
political opposites. Apparently,<br />
most Americans believe the worst<br />
about Democrat motivations for<br />
prosecution.<br />
The old adage “Perception is<br />
Reality” has never been truer than<br />
today. Americans have respected<br />
the other side’s perceptions<br />
throughout our history, and now<br />
reactionary politics rule the day.<br />
Above all, there is no honor.<br />
The first president elected in a<br />
two-party system was Andrew<br />
Jackson. He sincerely believed his<br />
first run for the office was stolen<br />
in the House of Representatives in<br />
what history called “The Corrupt<br />
Bargain.” He was probably correct,<br />
but he congratulated the<br />
victor and honored his country.<br />
He told his supporters they would<br />
have to get more votes the next<br />
time so the election wouldn’t be<br />
thrown to the House. They got<br />
more votes, and he won convincingly<br />
the next time.<br />
Jackson said, “Every good citizen<br />
makes his country’s honor his<br />
own and cherishes it not only as<br />
precious but as sacred. He is willing<br />
to risk his life in its defense<br />
and is conscious that he gains<br />
protection while he gives it.”<br />
The Apostle Paul wrote to the<br />
Christians at Thessalonica and<br />
admonished them to “Abstain<br />
from the appearance of evil.”<br />
The same apostle wrote to the<br />
Romans, “Outdo one another in<br />
showing honor.”<br />
What we’re doing now can’t be<br />
good for us. Just sayin’.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 165
166 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 167
DR. TINA JAECKLE<br />
blue mental health<br />
The Psychological Impact of<br />
Criminal Accountability<br />
168 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
As our nation has encountered<br />
the devastating consequences<br />
of an increased number of mass<br />
shootings, especially when it<br />
involves innocent children, we<br />
are now seeing more calls for<br />
criminal charges for responding<br />
officers. When there is a potential<br />
question of negligence on<br />
the part of law enforcement,<br />
both the surviving families and<br />
prosecutors are now moving<br />
forward with seeking accountability<br />
through criminal charges.<br />
However, these cases are often<br />
legally difficult to prove as<br />
demonstrated by the criminal<br />
trial of former Broward County<br />
deputy Scot Peterson. A jury<br />
acquitted him on all charges of<br />
felony child neglect, three counts<br />
of culpable negligence and one<br />
count of perjury. Peterson, a<br />
school resource deputy, stayed<br />
outside during the February 2018<br />
massacre at Marjory Stoneman<br />
Douglas High School in Parkland,<br />
Florida.<br />
Now another tragedy continues<br />
to play out on the national stage.<br />
According to the Washington<br />
Post (Voisin, June 2024), a grand<br />
jury indicted the former chief of<br />
the school police force in Uvalde,<br />
Tex., in connection with the<br />
botched response to the 2022<br />
mass killing at Robb Elementary<br />
School, finding that he bears responsibility<br />
for the lengthy delay<br />
in killing the gunman. The indictment<br />
released Friday echoes<br />
much of what state and federal<br />
law enforcement leaders have<br />
concluded in their own reviews<br />
of the attack that left 19 students<br />
and two teachers dead. Prosecutors<br />
allege Pedro “Pete” Arredondo<br />
failed to identify the attack as<br />
an active shooter incident, even<br />
after hearing gunshots and being<br />
informed that a teacher had<br />
been shot and there were children<br />
still inside. The indictment<br />
also asserts that Arredondo was<br />
the incident commander, something<br />
he has disputed. Arredondo<br />
was charged with one felony<br />
count of abandoning or endangering<br />
a child for each of the 10<br />
children who survived the attack<br />
inside classrooms 111 and 112 by<br />
pretending to be dead or hiding<br />
among the dead. He was booked<br />
at the county jail on Thursday,<br />
June 27, and later posted bail.<br />
In addition, a former officer,<br />
Adrian Gonzales, was also indicted.<br />
Prosecutors said he and<br />
Arredondo were the first on the<br />
scene. Gonzales was indicted<br />
on 29 counts of abandoning or<br />
endangering a child. That figure<br />
represents the combined total<br />
of 19 child victims and 10 child<br />
survivors.<br />
The officers are the first to face<br />
DR. TINA JAECKLE<br />
criminal charges in a shooting<br />
that sparked outrage over both<br />
the violence of the 18-year-old<br />
gunman and law enforcement’s<br />
lengthy delay in entering the<br />
classroom and killing him. Texas<br />
leaders initially praised the law<br />
enforcement response but later<br />
acknowledged officers had<br />
waited 77 minutes to confront<br />
the gunman. Legal experts said<br />
the charges appear to mark an<br />
unprecedented application of the<br />
child-endangerment statute. Legal<br />
experts could not recall any<br />
previous case in which Texas law<br />
enforcement officers had faced<br />
child-endangerment charges,<br />
which are typically brought<br />
against parents, caregivers or<br />
individuals related to victimized<br />
children. But there is a subsection<br />
of the law that gives prosecutors<br />
room to charge an individual<br />
they think knowingly acted or<br />
failed to act in a way that led to<br />
a child experiencing imminent<br />
danger of death or bodily injury.<br />
There is ample evidence show-
ing law enforcement’s inaction<br />
that day on body-camera videos,<br />
radio communications and other<br />
records. However, whether Christina<br />
Mitchell, the Uvalde district<br />
attorney, wins a conviction, the<br />
charges “send a message directly<br />
to law enforcement that if<br />
you are police officer and know<br />
a child is in danger, you cannot<br />
wait an hour to engage with a<br />
bad actor.”<br />
As these cases unfold, the<br />
entire law enforcement community,<br />
as well as the grieving<br />
families, are closely watching.<br />
But there is, without question, a<br />
psychological impact on those<br />
who serve and protect and increased<br />
questions on responsibility<br />
and accountability in these<br />
situations. Fortunately, there are<br />
countless officers in our country<br />
who would never hesitate<br />
to put their lives on the line to<br />
save others, especially children,<br />
and we are deeply grateful for<br />
their heroism and sacrifice. These<br />
criminal cases may indeed send<br />
a strong message to those law<br />
enforcement officers who hesitate<br />
to respond. Time will certainly<br />
tell.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 169
NOT SO BRIGHT AWARD<br />
Light Bulb Award<br />
BLOOD IS ON THEIR HANDS<br />
BIDEN. HARRIS. MAYORKAS. All three have the blood of these<br />
innocent victims on their hands.<br />
We should just rename this<br />
section – The JOE BIDEN Moron<br />
Awards instead of LIGHT BULB.<br />
And believe it or not, I’m not<br />
talking about the debate. Although<br />
that was a unmigrated<br />
disaster. But we all knew Joe<br />
would screw that all up and he<br />
did not disappoint.<br />
This month’s MORON AWARD<br />
goes to the entire BIDEN team,<br />
whoever the hell is running this<br />
country and more importantly,<br />
who is ultimately responsible for<br />
the disaster at the Border. Because<br />
who ever you are, whoever<br />
is pulling the strings behind<br />
the Joe Biden curtain, you have<br />
the blood of dozens of innocent<br />
victims on your hands. Including<br />
12-year old Jocelyn Nungaray<br />
from Houston, 21-year old Joselyn<br />
Jhoana Toaquiza from New<br />
York, Rachel Morin, a Maryland<br />
mother of five and the senseless<br />
rape and assault of a 15- year<br />
old girl from New York. And<br />
that’s just last month.<br />
Mayorkas should be held<br />
accountable for every crime<br />
committed by illegal aliens and<br />
charged alongside the criminals.<br />
His blatant disregard for<br />
the safety of American citizens is<br />
just unfathomable. How anyone<br />
can stand before the American<br />
THE VICTIMS<br />
people and say the border is<br />
secure is beyond me. I can sum<br />
it up in 4 words – he’s a fucking<br />
idiot.<br />
And what about our Border<br />
SZAR. Kamala Harris? Another<br />
frickin’ idiot. That kackling moron<br />
doesn’t have a clue what the<br />
hell she is doing and I’m not sure<br />
she even knows where the border<br />
of the United States begins<br />
or ends. She has no business<br />
overseeing anything much less<br />
the border and God forbid she<br />
170 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
THE MORONS<br />
ever had to step in and become<br />
the commander in chief.<br />
And as if that wasn’t bad<br />
enough, DHS Says over <strong>40</strong>0 Migrants<br />
Crossed the Border with<br />
the Aid of ISIS Affiliated Group.<br />
Homeland Security has identified<br />
over <strong>40</strong>0 immigrants who have<br />
come to the U.S. from Central<br />
Asia and elsewhere as “subjects<br />
of concern” because they were<br />
brought by an ISIS-affiliated human<br />
smuggling network, three<br />
U.S. officials tell NBC News.<br />
While over 150 of them have<br />
been arrested, the whereabouts<br />
of over 250 remain unknown,<br />
the officials said, and Immigration<br />
and Customs Enforcement is<br />
looking to arrest them on immigration<br />
charges when they are<br />
located according to reports by<br />
NBC.<br />
“In this case, it was the information<br />
that suggested a potential<br />
tie to ISIS because of some<br />
of the individuals involved in<br />
[smuggling migrants to the<br />
border] that led us to want to<br />
take extra care,” said a senior<br />
Biden administration official,<br />
“and out of an abundance of<br />
caution make sure that we<br />
exercised our authority in the<br />
most expansive and appropriate<br />
way to mitigate risk because of<br />
this potential connection being<br />
made.”<br />
The official added that since<br />
ICE began arresting migrants<br />
brought to the U.S. by the ISISlinked<br />
smuggling group several<br />
months ago, no information has<br />
emerged tying them to a threat<br />
to the U.S. homeland.<br />
Recent terrorist attacks in<br />
Russia have fueled heightened<br />
concern about ISIS and<br />
its offshoot ISIS-K. In recent<br />
months, DHS has been looking<br />
more closely at migrants from<br />
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova,<br />
Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Russia,<br />
countries where ISIS-K has been<br />
active.<br />
People made fun on Trump<br />
when he said countries were<br />
emptying their jails and mental<br />
institutes sending some ‘really<br />
bad people here.’ He was 100%<br />
correct. The criminals crossing<br />
our border are in the hundreds of<br />
thousands. Trump says if elected<br />
he would begin the largest<br />
deportation of illegal aliens in<br />
the history of the US. I’m not sure<br />
how you would even find all these<br />
people.<br />
One thing is for sure. The killing,<br />
robbing, stealing, and raping is<br />
only going to get worse under the<br />
Biden regime. We must rid ourselves<br />
of this moron and his band<br />
of idiots. This November you need<br />
to vote and bring back a secure<br />
border. We need TRUMP back.<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 171
ADS BACK IN THE DAY<br />
172 The <strong>Blues</strong> - - January <strong>July</strong> ‘24 ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> The <strong>Blues</strong> - January - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 173
ADS BACK IN THE DAY<br />
174 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 175
THERE ARE<br />
parting shots...<br />
176 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
NO WORDS<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 177
THERE ARE<br />
parting shots...<br />
178 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
NO WORDS<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 179
180 180 The The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 ‘24
POLICE SUPPLIES<br />
choose the heading<br />
add your logo<br />
add a photo<br />
Starting in 2003, Cop Stop Inc.<br />
Opened with a vision and goal to<br />
service first responders; “Our everyday<br />
heroes.” Catering mainly to Police, Fire,<br />
Military and EMS, but also open to the<br />
public, Cop Stop offers a variety of<br />
products, gear and apparel. Open and<br />
operated by Rick Fernandez, a former<br />
officer of 10 years, he prides himself<br />
on maintaining the highest standards<br />
of customer service. Cop Stop understands<br />
its our customers who drive our<br />
success, and we strive to offer the best<br />
service to everyone who walks through<br />
our doors. At Cop Stop we offer quality<br />
products at great low prices. With<br />
access to over hundreds of brands and<br />
products, and constantly adding more,<br />
we are confident we can fulfill your<br />
needs.<br />
“If you provide good service and a<br />
fair price, customers will talk about<br />
you and come back. It’s that simple!”<br />
Rick Fernandez<br />
up to 250 word to describe your business<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> -- <strong>July</strong> ‘24 ‘24 181
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182 The <strong>Blues</strong> - - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
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POLICE SUPPLIES<br />
GUNS/AMMO<br />
Starting in 2003, Cop Stop Inc.<br />
Opened with a vision and goal to<br />
service first responders; “Our everyday<br />
heroes.” Catering mainly to Police,<br />
Fire, Military and EMS, but also open to<br />
the public, Cop Stop offers a variety of<br />
products, gear and apparel. Open and<br />
operated by Rick Fernandez, a former<br />
officer of 10 years, he prides himself<br />
on maintaining the highest standards<br />
of customer service. Cop Stop understands<br />
its our customers who drive<br />
our success, and we strive to offer the<br />
best service to everyone who walks<br />
through our doors. At Cop Stop we<br />
offer quality products at great low<br />
prices. With access to over hundreds<br />
of brands and products, and constantly<br />
adding more, we are confident we can<br />
fulfill your needs.<br />
“If you provide good service and<br />
a fair price, customers will talk<br />
about you and come back. It’s that<br />
simple!” Rick Fernandez<br />
Supporting Law<br />
Enforcement in<br />
TEXAS<br />
ProForce’s commitment to providing excellent customer<br />
service is a key element in the company’s success<br />
throughout the western United States. As a relative newcomer<br />
in the state of TEXAS ProForce has been welcomed with open<br />
arms by the law enforcement community.<br />
ProForce’s relationships with top industry manufacturers<br />
and vendors, as well as their sales volume, allows them<br />
to negotiate better pricing to meet the budgetary needs<br />
of law enforcement agencies. While some vendors may<br />
not always have product availability in a timely manner.<br />
ProForce’s industry relationships and direct contact through<br />
vendor representatives, the sales team is able to suggest<br />
and provide alternatives to meet specific requirements of<br />
agencies, ensuring that the agency’s needs are always met.<br />
“<br />
Working with PROFORCE through the<br />
bidding and purchasing of the M&P 2.0’s was<br />
very easy and simple. We added the ACRO red<br />
dot along with the holster and the light. This<br />
purchase was simple and easy.<br />
The troops love the improvement to the 2.0<br />
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Lt. Socha. Austin PD.<br />
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CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is<br />
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Inset: Dan Rooney ProForce President<br />
The company features an excellent selection of high demand<br />
law enforcement firearms, equipment and accessories from<br />
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Proforce takes great pride in distributing high quality public<br />
safety products from top tier manufacturers and this<br />
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agencies in the State of Texas.<br />
Agency demonstrations, test and evaluation<br />
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about trade-ins! We will buy your agency duty or<br />
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First class customer support and quality service<br />
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Call (800) 367-5855<br />
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CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is<br />
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with the equipment they need.”<br />
CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY has been<br />
serving Houston law enforcement for<br />
nearly 50 years with the absolute best<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> -- <strong>July</strong> ‘24 183
NOW HIRING<br />
PRIORITY BOLO<br />
ISD PD JOB LISTINGS<br />
IS YOUR ISD PD<br />
HIRING?<br />
YOUR DEPARTMENT’S RECRUITING AD<br />
CAN BE LISTED HERE FOR ONLY $250<br />
bluespdmag@gmail.com<br />
184 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
ALDINE ISD<br />
POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
JOIN OUR TEAM<br />
EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS<br />
• Sick Leave<br />
• Paid Vacation<br />
• Paid Holidays<br />
• Personal Days<br />
• Teacher Retirement System<br />
TCOLE CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE<br />
• Intermediate PO: $2,<strong>40</strong>0<br />
• Advanced PO: $4,800<br />
• Master PO: $7,200<br />
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS<br />
• Must be 21 Years Of Age<br />
• Must Hold an Active Tcole Peace Officer License<br />
• Must Complete the Following:<br />
• Pass Physical Agility Test<br />
• Background Investigation<br />
• Psychological Evaluation<br />
• Drug Screening<br />
DEPARTMENT BENEFITS<br />
• Uniforms Provided, Including Duty Weapon<br />
• Department Provided Training<br />
• Starting Pay Depends on<br />
Qualifications / Experience<br />
• TCOLE Certification / Education Pay<br />
• Most Officers work Day Shift with Weekends Off<br />
(INCENTIVE PAY FOR DETECTIVES, K-9 HANDLERS, AND<br />
FIREARM INSTRUCTORS.)<br />
FOR MORE INFO CONTACT<br />
SGT. HALL AT 281.442.4923<br />
OR VISIT ALDINEISD.ORG<br />
APPLY AT<br />
ALDINEISD.ORG<br />
STARTING SALARY $55,000 WITH NO EXPERIENCE<br />
UP TO $85,000 DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE<br />
ALDINE ISD PD OFFERS<br />
SPECIALIZED DIVISIONS<br />
• Criminal Investigations<br />
• Emergency Response Team<br />
• Honor Guard<br />
• Gang Task Force<br />
• Community Outreach Division<br />
• K-9 Division<br />
• Firearm Instructor<br />
$1,000 SIGNING BONUS<br />
<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> -- <strong>July</strong> ‘24 185
NOW HIRING<br />
PRIORITY BOLO<br />
ISD PD JOB LISTINGS<br />
FIND YOUR ISD<br />
POSITION HERE<br />
186 The The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> <strong>July</strong> ‘24 ‘24
Now Hiring<br />
School District Police Officer<br />
Must be TCOLE Certified<br />
www.pfisd.net/police<br />
226 day work schedule with starting<br />
salary between $52,884 and $60,821<br />
depending on experience<br />
Overtime Opportunities Available<br />
Stipends for TCOLE Advanced & Master<br />
Licenses, MHO Certification, College<br />
Degrees, and Bilingual Proficiency<br />
Thanksgiving, Winter, &<br />
Spring Breaks off<br />
Take Home Vehicle Program<br />
Great Insurance & Benefits<br />
Package with TRS<br />
Retirement<br />
SPRING BRANCH ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
WE’RE<br />
HIRING<br />
Patrol & Onsite Officers (HS/MS)<br />
Gang Officer<br />
Mental Health Officers<br />
Community Relations Officer<br />
Emergency Management<br />
Criminal Investigations<br />
K-9 programs<br />
*All equipment provided including duty weapon<br />
**Training opportunities available<br />
DEPARTMENT<br />
HIGHLIGHTS<br />
55 officer department<br />
44 square mile district<br />
47 schools<br />
35,000 population<br />
24/7 Patrol<br />
We want you to preserve, protect, and defend our future.<br />
Starting Pay $63,000 (TCOLE Basic Peace Officer certification with no experience)<br />
Language pay<br />
Shift differential pay<br />
Intermediate, Advanced and<br />
Master Peace Officer<br />
certificate pay<br />
Paid time off<br />
Ample overtime opportunities<br />
Apply online today. springbranchisd.com/join-our-team<br />
The The <strong>Blues</strong> <strong>Blues</strong> -- <strong>July</strong> <strong>July</strong> ‘24 ‘24 187 187
NOW HIRING<br />
LE job positions<br />
Fort Worth Marshal’s Office Get Info Deputy Marshal 07/01/2024<br />
Bailey County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy 07/03/2024<br />
Fort Worth Police Department Get Info Lateral Police Officers 07/01/2024<br />
Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 07/06/2024<br />
San Saba County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy 07/06/2024<br />
Port Aransas Police Department Get Info Patrol Officers 07/30/2024<br />
Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 07/08/2024<br />
Manvel Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 07/13/2024<br />
Temple Police Department Get Info Police Officer 07/14/2024<br />
Center ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 07/15/2024<br />
Rollingwood Police Department Get Info Police Officer 07/20/2024<br />
University Park Police Department Get Info Police Officer Apply Here! 07/31/2024<br />
Haltom City Police Department Get Info Police Officer Civil Service Exam 07/28/2024<br />
Travis County Sheriff’s Office Facilities Court House Deputy 07/15/2024<br />
Gunter ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 07/15/2024<br />
Baylor County Sheriffs Office Get Info Deputy 07/20/2024<br />
Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4 Lateral & Current TCOLE Certified Cadets 07/23/2024<br />
Frisco Police Department Get Info Police Officers (Certified, Out of State Lateral and Recruits) 07/01/2024<br />
Wallis Police Department Get Info Police Officer 07/28/2024<br />
Rains ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/01/2024<br />
West Lake Hills Police Department Get Info Police Officer 07/30/2024<br />
Stratford Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 07/28/2024<br />
Kleberg and Kenedy CNTY District Attorney’s Office Lt. Investigator 07/15/2024<br />
University of North Texas at Dallas Get Info Police Officer 07/15/2024<br />
Blanco County Constable Office PCT. 1 Deputy 07/05/2024<br />
Rockport Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 08/04/2024<br />
Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy 08/04/2024<br />
South San Antonio ISD Get Info Police Officer 08/06/2024<br />
Clyde Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer/School Resource Officer 07/31/2024<br />
TSTC Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 08/09/2024<br />
Woodsboro Police Department Get Info School Resource Officer / Patrol Officer 08/10/2024<br />
Greenville Police Department Get Info Police Officer 07/10/2024<br />
Colleyville Police Department Get Info School Resource Officer 08/10/2024<br />
Colleyville Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/10/2024<br />
Oak Point Police Department Get Info School Resource Officer 07/15/2024<br />
Allen Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 07/31/2024<br />
Cleveland Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 08/09/2024<br />
Muenster Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 08/01/2024<br />
Booker Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 08/11/2024<br />
Saginaw Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 08/10/2024<br />
Bryan Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/13/2024<br />
Bandera County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 08/12/2024<br />
Comptroller of Public Accounts Get Info State Police Officer / Corporal 08/12/2024<br />
Sunrise Beach Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/09/2024<br />
De Kalb Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/13/2024<br />
The Port of Corpus Christi Authority Get Info Police Officer 07/28/2024<br />
Lago Vista Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/16/2024<br />
Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Law Enforcement Deputy 08/16/2024<br />
Sour Lake Police Department Get Info Police Officer 08/17/2024<br />
Dallam County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 08/17/2024<br />
Lexington Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 08/17/2024<br />
City of White Deer Get Info Police Officer 08/20/2024<br />
Aubrey ISD Get Info Peace Officer 08/20/2024<br />
San Antonio Airport Police Department Police Officer 08/23/2024<br />
City of Lockhart Get Info Police Officer 07/15/2024<br />
Southwestern Baptist Get Info Part-Time Police Officer 08/23/2024<br />
Harlingen Police Department Get Info Entry Level Police Officer 08/23/2024<br />
188 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
NOW HIRING<br />
LE job positions<br />
Uhland Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Officer 08/23/2024<br />
Lakeway Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Officer 08/24/2024<br />
Hutto Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Officer 08/24/2024<br />
Central Texas College Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Officer 08/31/2024<br />
Alamo Colleges Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Officer 08/25/2024<br />
Austin Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Cadet 08/26/2024<br />
Dallas County Marshal Service LEO Get Info<br />
Peace Officer – Corporal 08/26/2024<br />
Robertson County Sheriff’s Office Get Info<br />
Patrol Deputy 08/27/2024<br />
Pilot Point ISD Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Officer 08/15/2024<br />
Beverly Hills Police Department Get Info<br />
Detective 08/16/2024<br />
Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Officer 08/28/2024<br />
Lakeway Police Department Get Info<br />
Police Cadet - Apply Here!<br />
07/19/2024<br />
Grimes County Sheriff’s Office Get Info<br />
Patrol Deputy 08/16/2024<br />
WELCOME ABOARD PASADENA PD<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 189
ADCRR is Hiring<br />
Correctional Officers<br />
1-888-545-RUSH<br />
190 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
This Is How We Serve<br />
Serve With Us<br />
Idaho State Police<br />
Apply now through<br />
March 3rd<br />
To Serve and protect<br />
the citizens<br />
of Idaho<br />
K9 Teams<br />
Commerical Vehicle Safety<br />
Investigations<br />
www.isp.idaho.gov<br />
Capitol Protective Services<br />
SWAT<br />
Crash Reconstruction<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 191
192 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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194 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
ALDINE ISD<br />
POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
JOIN OUR TEAMAPPLY AT<br />
EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS<br />
• Sick Leave<br />
• Paid Vacation<br />
• Paid Holidays<br />
• Personal Days<br />
• Teacher Retirement System<br />
TCOLE CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE<br />
• Intermediate PO: $2,<strong>40</strong>0<br />
• Advanced PO: $4,800<br />
• Master PO: $7,200<br />
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS<br />
• Must be 21 Years Of Age<br />
• Must Hold an Active Tcole Peace Officer License<br />
• Must Complete the Following:<br />
• Pass Physical Agility Test<br />
• Background Investigation<br />
• Psychological Evaluation<br />
• Drug Screening<br />
ALDINEISD.ORG<br />
STARTING SALARY $55,000 WITH NO EXPERIENCE<br />
UP TO $85,000 DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE<br />
ALDINE ISD PD OFFERS<br />
DEPARTMENT BENEFITS<br />
• Uniforms Provided, Including Duty Weapon<br />
• Department Provided Training<br />
• Starting Pay Depends on<br />
Qualifications / Experience<br />
• TCOLE Certification / Education Pay<br />
• Most Officers work Day Shift with Weekends Off<br />
(INCENTIVE PAY FOR DETECTIVES, K-9 HANDLERS, AND<br />
FIREARM INSTRUCTORS.)<br />
FOR MORE INFO CONTACT<br />
SGT. HALL AT 281.442.4923<br />
OR VISIT ALDINEISD.ORG<br />
SPECIALIZED DIVISIONS<br />
• Criminal Investigations<br />
• Emergency Response Team<br />
• Honor Guard<br />
• Gang Task Force<br />
• Community Outreach Division<br />
• K-9 Division<br />
• Firearm Instructor<br />
$1,000 SIGNING BONUS<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 195
196 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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198 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 199
NOW<br />
HIRING<br />
BIG SPRING PD IS NOW HIRING POLICE OFFICERS<br />
• 100% PAID ACADEMY TRAINING FOR<br />
NON-CERTIFIED CADETS<br />
• EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS ARE PROVIDED<br />
INCLUDING TAKE HOME VEHICLES<br />
• TMRS RETIREMENT (2:1 CITY MATCH)<br />
• 100% EMPLOYEE MEDICAL AND LIFE<br />
INSURANCE PREMIUM PAID BY THE CITY<br />
• PAID VACATION AND HOLIDAYS<br />
• PAID SICK LEAVE<br />
200 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
• LONGEVITY PAY FOR YEARS OF SERVICE<br />
• EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM<br />
• PROGRESSIVE ANNUAL IN-SERVICE<br />
TRAINING AND EXTERNAL TRAINING<br />
OPPORTUNITIES.<br />
• OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIVERSE<br />
EXPERIENCE IN ASSIGNMENTS SUCH AS<br />
SWAT, NARCOTICS, TRAFFIC, AND CRIMINAL<br />
INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION<br />
• $1500 ACADEMY REIMBURSEMENT AND<br />
$2<strong>40</strong>0 RELOCATION PAY FOR CERTIFIED<br />
OFFICERS<br />
$55,900 STARTING ANNUAL SALARY FOR CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICERS.<br />
ENTRY LEVEL TESTING ON AUGUST 1, 2023<br />
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 26, 2023<br />
APPLY NOW AT WWW.MYBIGSPRING.COM<br />
THE CITY OF BIG SPRING IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 201
202 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 203
Cuero Police Department<br />
Now Hiring for Patrol Officer Position<br />
Email TCOLE Personal History Statement to sellis@cityofcuero.com<br />
204 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Department Benefits<br />
14 Paid Holidays<br />
2 Weeks Paid Vacation<br />
Certification Pay<br />
100% Insurance Paid for Employees<br />
Retirement 2 to 1 match (20yr Retirement)<br />
FSA for Employees<br />
Longevity Pay<br />
Equipment & Uniforms Provided Including Duty Weapon w/ Red Dot Sight<br />
Take Home Vehicle Within Surrounding Counties<br />
10 Hour Work Shifts<br />
Membership Paid to Local Gym<br />
Department Provided Training<br />
Off-duty Security Opportunities<br />
Cell Phone Stipend<br />
Starting Pay Depends on Qualifications<br />
Requirements: Must be TCOLE Certified or currently enrolled in an accredited Police<br />
Academy and pass a background investigation.
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 205
DALLAS POLICE department<br />
WE aRE HIRING<br />
Lateral Entry Police officers<br />
INCENTIVE PAYS<br />
Education Pay Up to $2,880/yearly<br />
Bachelor’s Degree $3,600/yearly<br />
Intermediate Cert. $600/yearly<br />
Advanced Cert. $4,800/yearly<br />
Master Peace Officer $7,200/yearly<br />
Shift Differential 3.5% - 6.5%<br />
FTO Pay<br />
$1,200/yearly<br />
Language Pay Up to $1,800/yearly<br />
3 years experience<br />
$80,431<br />
4 years experience<br />
$82,736<br />
5 years experience<br />
$85,109<br />
BENEFITS<br />
Assistance with state licensing<br />
endorsement<br />
15 paid vacation days/year (does<br />
not expire)<br />
Relocation assistance<br />
No residency requirement<br />
Wellness Unit and Peer Support<br />
6 Weeks maternity/paternity leave<br />
Health/Vision/Dental/Life<br />
Insurance<br />
Load Bearing Vests<br />
All Equipment provided at no cost<br />
Minimum Qualifications:<br />
Subject to same hiring process as all other police officer applicants<br />
Will have college credit hours substituted<br />
Must have 36 months certified, full-time, law enforcement experience<br />
Must not have any pending disciplinary actions or investigations<br />
Out of state applicants will complete state licensing process prior to entry into the lateral<br />
academy<br />
Apply now at<br />
206 www.dallaspolice.gov<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
DALLAS POLICE RECRUITING<br />
1<strong>40</strong>0 Botham Jean Blvd., Dallas, TX 75215<br />
(214) 671-4<strong>40</strong>9
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 207
208 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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210 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 211
GALVESTON<br />
COUNTY<br />
SHERIFF’S OFFICE<br />
Seeking Individuals Who Are Interested in a Rewarding Career in Corrections<br />
Begin Your Career Today!<br />
GALVESTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ESTABLISHMENT OF ELIGIBILITY<br />
Position: Corrections Deputy I<br />
Bureau/Division: Corrections/Jail<br />
Title/Rank: Corrections Deputy/Deputy I<br />
Reports to: Sergeant - Corrections<br />
Starting Salary: $51,250.00<br />
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES<br />
Maintains the security of the facility by conducting security checks, settling disputes, and performing cell searches and<br />
inspections; conducts outside perimeter checks.<br />
Preparation and proper completion in the documentation of inmate records.<br />
Issues inmate meals, clothing, linens, and personal items.<br />
Supervise inmate programs (recreational, legal, health care, visitation and religious services)<br />
Prepares reports on jail and inmate activities, enforce inmate handbook rules.<br />
Supervises inmates performing such assignments as cleaning and maintaining the jail facility and continuously observe<br />
locations and activities of inmates.<br />
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS<br />
• High School / GED Certificate and must be at least 18 years of age.<br />
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and resident of the contiguous United States for a period of time sufficient to conduct a<br />
background investigation.<br />
• Must be able to work days, nights, weekends, holidays and mandatory shifts when needed.<br />
• Must be able to work during natural disasters and or under declarations.<br />
• Must possess a valid Texas driver's license and an acceptable driving record as determined by the Galveston County<br />
Sheriff's Office in effect at the time of application.<br />
• Must have favorable employment history. All information given regarding past employment will be thoroughly checked.<br />
• Must have a stable credit history.<br />
• Must possess good computer skills and demonstrate comprehensive reading and comprehension skills.<br />
• No conviction above a Class B Misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last 10 years nor have been on or<br />
currently on court-ordered community supervision or probation for any criminal offense and no Family Violence<br />
convictions of any level.<br />
• Applicant must pass all phases of the required testing.<br />
• Must be eligible for licensing by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for the position applied for, if not<br />
presently licensed.<br />
TO APPLY<br />
An applicant interested in any of GCSO position shall first download, complete and return<br />
the Application Packet, per the instructions on the downloadable form.<br />
The Application Packet can be found at SHERIFF.GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV<br />
JOIN US<br />
VISIT SHERIFF.GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV TO APPLY!<br />
212 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer<br />
CONTACT US<br />
<strong>40</strong>9.763.7585 : SO.EMPLOYMENT@GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 213
214 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
NOW<br />
HIRING<br />
BIG SPRING PD IS NOW HIRING POLICE OFFICERS<br />
• 100% PAID ACADEMY TRAINING FOR<br />
NON-CERTIFIED CADETS<br />
• EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS ARE PROVIDED<br />
INCLUDING TAKE HOME VEHICLES<br />
• TMRS RETIREMENT (2:1 CITY MATCH)<br />
• 100% EMPLOYEE MEDICAL AND LIFE<br />
INSURANCE PREMIUM PAID BY THE CITY<br />
• PAID VACATION AND HOLIDAYS<br />
• PAID SICK LEAVE<br />
• LONGEVITY PAY FOR YEARS OF SERVICE<br />
• EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM<br />
• PROGRESSIVE ANNUAL IN-SERVICE<br />
TRAINING AND EXTERNAL TRAINING<br />
OPPORTUNITIES.<br />
• OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIVERSE<br />
EXPERIENCE IN ASSIGNMENTS SUCH AS<br />
SWAT, NARCOTICS, TRAFFIC, AND CRIMINAL<br />
INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION<br />
• $1500 ACADEMY REIMBURSEMENT AND<br />
$2<strong>40</strong>0 RELOCATION PAY FOR CERTIFIED<br />
OFFICERS<br />
$55,900 STARTING ANNUAL SALARY FOR CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICERS.<br />
ENTRY LEVEL TESTING ON AUGUST 1, 2023<br />
APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 26, 2023<br />
APPLY NOW AT WWW.MYBIGSPRING.COM<br />
THE CITY OF BIG SPRING IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
GOOSE CREEK CISD PD<br />
NOW RECRUITING<br />
POLICE OFFICERS !<br />
POSITION DETAILS:<br />
Provides law enforcement services to the school district to prevent and protect all students, personnel,<br />
and visitors from physical harm and prevent property loss due to theft or vandalism. Enforce all<br />
laws including municipal ordinances, county ordinances, and state laws.<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
2<strong>40</strong> or 202 Duty Day Schedule<br />
Competitive Salary - MTD9* Starting<br />
Stipends available for Intermediate, Advanced and Master TCOLE License<br />
Various opportunities including K9, Patrol, Investigations, FTO, Instructor and more<br />
REQUIREMENTS:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Current TCOLE Peace Officer License<br />
Ability to pass comprehensive background<br />
Ability to pass medical, drug and psychological<br />
exams<br />
HIRING PROCESS:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Online Application<br />
Complete preliminary interview<br />
Complete background investigation<br />
Complete Oral Board Interview<br />
Conditional Job Offer<br />
Complete Medical, Psychological and Drug Screen<br />
PREFERRED:<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
●<br />
Intermediate TCOLE Peace Officer License<br />
Bilingual<br />
Previous ISD PD experience<br />
Background in law enforcement<br />
Contact us at 281-422-6461 to speak with a recruiter.<br />
Apply online @ https://www.gccisd.net/page/employment.home<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 215
ARE WE<br />
HIRING<br />
Criminal Background<br />
Pass<br />
proficiently<br />
Type<br />
Nights, Weekends & Holidays<br />
Work<br />
Speaking Preferred<br />
Spanish<br />
11th Street<br />
1015<br />
Texas<br />
Hempstead,<br />
Hour work schedule<br />
12-<br />
every other weekend<br />
off<br />
THE CITY OF<br />
TELECOMMUNICATIONS DIVISION<br />
HEMPSTEAD POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
Dispatchers<br />
QUALIFICATIONS<br />
18 years of age<br />
Minimum<br />
Starting Salary: $41,600<br />
B E N E F I T S<br />
BlueCross Blue Shield<br />
Vision & Dental Insurance<br />
Longevity Pay > 1 year<br />
Certificate Pay<br />
Uniform Shirts Provided<br />
77445<br />
216 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
www.hempsteadcitytx.gov (job opportunities)
JOIN OUR TEAM<br />
Place your department’s recruiting ad<br />
in The BLUES for only $250 for an<br />
BECOME entire A HEMPSTEAD year, only $20 a POLICE month. OFFICER<br />
Hempstead's Finest<br />
Starting Salary: $57,750<br />
- BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD<br />
- VISION & DENTAL INS<br />
- CERTIFICATE PAY<br />
- WEAPONS ISSUED<br />
- OFF EVERY OTHER WEEKEND<br />
- CONTINUING TRAINING<br />
NOW HIRING 3 POLICE OFFICERS<br />
HPD BOASTS:<br />
- Training Provider<br />
- Canine Program<br />
- Narcotics Investigation<br />
- Crash Investigators<br />
- Telecommunications<br />
Division<br />
1015 11th St Hempstead, TX<br />
hpdrecruing@hempsteadcitytx.gov<br />
Or call us at: (979) 826-3332<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 217
218 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
LATERAL DEPUTY<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 219
220 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 221
WE ARE<br />
HIRING!<br />
LATERAL DEPUTY<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
• Must be a licensed Peace Officer by the Texas Commission on<br />
Law Enforcement (TCOLE) in good standing<br />
• Must be currently employed as a Peace Officer (any break in<br />
service will be considered on a case-by-case basis)<br />
• Must have a minimum of 12 consecutive months experience as a<br />
Peace Office at any one agency<br />
• Must successfully pass the HCSO Physical Abilities Test (PAT)<br />
• Meet HCSO firearms qualification standard<br />
• Must pass a thorough background investigation (criminal<br />
background check, fingerprinting, personal interview, etc.) as<br />
required by TCOLE<br />
• Must pass a physical and psychological evaluation as required by<br />
TCOLE<br />
• Valid driver’s license and liability insurance (Texas by start date)<br />
• Eyesight must be correctable to 20/20, normal color, and<br />
peripheral vision<br />
• Correctable normal audible range in both ears<br />
• A two (2) year minimum commitment to Patrol before being<br />
eligible to transfer to other Bureaus<br />
For additional information contact<br />
Harris County Sheriff’s Office<br />
Recruitment Unit<br />
(713) 877-5250<br />
222 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
TO APPLY<br />
www.harriscountyso.org | www.hcsojobs.com<br />
SCAN<br />
THIS CODE Harris County<br />
@HCSOTexas<br />
Sheriff’s Office<br />
HCSOTexas HCSOTexas @HCSOTexas
WE ARE<br />
HIRING!<br />
DEPUTY CADET<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
• At least 60 college credit hours and/or 2 years of military<br />
experience with an honorable discharge<br />
• At least 21 years of age (by start date)<br />
• Valid driver’s license and liability insurance (Texas by start date)<br />
• Must successfully pass the HCSO Physical Abilities Test (PAT)<br />
• Eyesight must be correctable to 20/20, normal color, and<br />
peripheral vision<br />
• Correctable normal audible range in both ears<br />
• Must pass a thorough background investigation (criminal<br />
background check, fingerprinting, personal interview, etc.)<br />
• Must pass a medical and psychological evaluation as required by<br />
TCOLE<br />
• Must pass all required testing<br />
YOUR LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER<br />
STARTS HERE, JOIN OUR ACADEMY!<br />
• Must pass all required testing upon completion of the Basic<br />
Peace Officer Course (BPOC), sworn Deputies must successfully<br />
complete the Field Training Program (FTP) before receiving a<br />
Patrol assignment<br />
• A two (2) year minimum commitment to Patrol before being<br />
eligible for other Bureaus<br />
For additional information contact<br />
Harris County Sheriff’s Office<br />
Recruitment Unit<br />
(713) 877-5250<br />
TO APPLY<br />
www.harriscountyso.org | www.hcsojobs.com<br />
SCAN<br />
THIS CODE Harris County<br />
@HCSOTexas<br />
Sheriff’s Office<br />
HCSOTexas HCSOTexas @HCSOTexas<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 223
WE ARE<br />
HIRING!<br />
DETENTION OFFICER<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
Ask About Our Hiring Incentive<br />
• High School Diploma or G.E.D<br />
• U.S. Citizen<br />
• At least 18 years of age (by start date)<br />
• Eyesight must be correctable to 20/20, normal color,<br />
and peripheral vision<br />
• Correctable normal audible range in both ears<br />
• Must pass all pre-employment testing<br />
• Must pass a thorough background investigation (criminal<br />
background check, fingerprinting, personal interview, etc.)<br />
as required by TCOLE<br />
• Must pass a medical and psychological evaluation as required<br />
by TCOLE<br />
Lateral Detention Officer:<br />
If you have verifiable experience as a correctional officer or a<br />
jailer from any correctional facility, we will pay you up to 14<br />
years for your experience.<br />
For additional information contact<br />
Harris County Sheriff’s Office<br />
Recruitment Unit<br />
(713) 877-5250<br />
224 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
TO APPLY<br />
www.harriscountyso.org | www.hcsojobs.com<br />
SCAN<br />
THIS CODE Harris County<br />
@HCSOTexas<br />
Sheriff’s Office<br />
HCSOTexas HCSOTexas @HCSOTexas
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 225
226 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 227
THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
IS NOW<br />
Hiring<br />
FOR THE POSITION OF<br />
Police Officer<br />
Online Applications<br />
will open:<br />
<strong>July</strong> 31, 2023<br />
Application Deadline:<br />
September 15, 2023<br />
Civil Service Exam will<br />
be:<br />
September 24, 2023<br />
To apply, go to:<br />
www.killeentexas.gov/16<br />
8/Job-Opportunities<br />
Wear The Badge,<br />
Make a Difference<br />
D<br />
b<br />
th<br />
a<br />
Officer De'Vonte Johnson<br />
Recruiter<br />
254-200-7987<br />
DJohnson@killeentexas.gov<br />
The Killeen Police Department is an<br />
228<br />
Equal<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong><br />
Opportunity<br />
- <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Employer
Starting pay - $57,889<br />
Paid: Vacation, Holiday & Sick Leave<br />
$15K Sign-on incentive for TCOLE<br />
certified Peace Officers<br />
College Degree pay incentive<br />
7% retirement plan through TMRS<br />
with a 2:1 match ratio<br />
Comprehensive Benefits Package<br />
Opportunity to work in various<br />
specialized units<br />
The Killeen Police<br />
epartment is dedicated to<br />
uilding a partnership with<br />
e community to fight crime<br />
nd improve every citizen's<br />
quality of life.<br />
Follow us at:<br />
KilleenPD<br />
KilleenPolice<br />
JoinKilleenPD<br />
Visit www.KilleenPD.com for further The <strong>Blues</strong> - details<br />
<strong>July</strong> ‘24 229
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232 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 233
community theatre, museums, shopping and much more, Lockhart has a community feel that can’t be beat. We have several<br />
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$75, master’s $100 per<br />
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Start a career with<br />
Longview PD<br />
LongviewTexas.gov/LPDJOBS<br />
Providing<br />
Professional<br />
Policing<br />
We accept lateral transfers!<br />
Starting Salary<br />
$63,090-$71,070<br />
Two-Tier Hiring Incentive<br />
$3000<br />
236 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Longview Police Department
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SPRING BRANCH ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
WE’RE<br />
HIRING<br />
DEPARTMENT<br />
HIGHLIGHTS<br />
55 officer department<br />
44 square mile district<br />
47 schools<br />
35,000 population<br />
24/7 Patrol<br />
We want you to preserve, protect, and defend our future.<br />
Starting Pay $63,000 (TCOLE Basic Peace Officer certification with no experience)<br />
Patrol & Onsite Officers (HS/MS)<br />
Gang Officer<br />
Mental Health Officers<br />
Community Relations Officer<br />
Emergency Management<br />
Criminal Investigations<br />
K-9 programs<br />
Language pay<br />
Shift differential pay<br />
Intermediate, Advanced and<br />
Master Peace Officer<br />
certificate pay<br />
Paid time off<br />
Ample overtime opportunities<br />
*All equipment provided including duty weapon<br />
**Training opportunities available<br />
238 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
Apply online today. springbranchisd.com/join-our-team
Patrol Officer<br />
The City of Manvel Police Department is looking to find qualified candidates to fill the ranks of the patrol<br />
division.<br />
The City of Manvel is a rapidly growing and diverse community. The current population is estimated at a<br />
little over 16000 and is located in the northern part of Brazoria County along the State Highway 288<br />
corridor approximately 4 miles South of the City of Houston.<br />
The Manvel Police Department has a competitive pay structure for cities of the same size. Salary is based<br />
on experience and certification levels.<br />
Requirements:<br />
High school diploma or GED<br />
Valid Texas Driver’s License<br />
with good driving record<br />
TCOLE certified OR currently<br />
enrolled in Academy<br />
program<br />
Preference for LE experience<br />
Hiring Process Includes :<br />
Written test<br />
Oral board interview<br />
Physical agility test<br />
Thorough background<br />
investigation<br />
Accelerated Field Training<br />
Program for experienced officers<br />
One year probationary period<br />
Pay and Benefits:<br />
Competitive pay with an employment<br />
improvement step program<br />
TMRS retirement up to 7% with 2:1 match<br />
by city<br />
Retirement vested after 5 years of service<br />
Medical Insurance covered 100% for<br />
employees and 100% paid for employees<br />
and dependent by the city after 3 years<br />
12 hour shifts (DuPont Schedule)<br />
Personal time off - Vacation and Holiday<br />
accruals<br />
Paid sick time<br />
Lateral transfers<br />
For more information you can contact<br />
The City of Manvel Police Department at<br />
281-489-1212<br />
Rochelle Carr-Lacy<br />
rcarrlacy@manvelpd.org<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 239
WE’RE HIRING<br />
Join our team and receive:<br />
• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance<br />
• Paid vacation, employee days, well days,<br />
sick days and holidays<br />
• Competitive pay (including bilingual pay incentive)<br />
AND MUCH MORE!<br />
APPLY NOW<br />
Scan here or visit<br />
RideMETRO.org/Careers<br />
Call 713-739-4953 or email JoinMPD@RideMETRO.org<br />
for additional information.<br />
2<strong>40</strong> The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24<br />
METRO I S AN EQU A L O PPOR TUNIT Y E M P L O YER.
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MAKE A<br />
DIFFERENCE<br />
IN YOUR<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
We are looking for outstanding individuals to<br />
join our team! As a Pearland Police Officer your<br />
mission will be to prevent crime and disorder, build<br />
partnerships within the community, and positively<br />
impact the quality of life for all our residents.<br />
CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS<br />
• Competitive Salary • Outstanding Training<br />
• Career Advancement • Exceptional Benefits<br />
The City of Pearland is one of the fastest growing<br />
communities within the region. Pearland is located<br />
approximately 20 minutes south of Downtown Houston<br />
and the current population is approximately 130,000<br />
residents.<br />
JOIN OUR TEAM<br />
HIRING POLICE OFFICERS AND CADETS<br />
$5,000 Hiring Incentive for T.C.O.L.E Certified Police<br />
Officers who qualify with at least 2 years of experience.<br />
TEST DATE:<br />
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 8:30 A.M.<br />
Register by: April 12.<br />
Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium<br />
4141 Bailey Road, Pearland, TX 77584.<br />
Doors Open: 7:15 a.m. No admittance after 7:45 a.m.<br />
Candidates must park in the north parking lot.<br />
SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES WILL APPLY<br />
• Attendance limited to first 150 arrivals<br />
• Mandatory temperature checks<br />
• Masks required, hand sanitizer available<br />
• Candidates seated 6 feet apart<br />
For additional information and to register for an upcoming Civil Service Exam, visit<br />
pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers<br />
246 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
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PORT HOUSTON<br />
POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
WE ARE<br />
HIRING<br />
SIGN UP TODAY!<br />
www.porthouston.com/careers-2<br />
STARTING PAY*<br />
$60,000 up to $71,000<br />
* Salary depends on experience<br />
Are you looking for a career with<br />
meaning? Do you want to make<br />
a difference in a highly supportive<br />
community? Join our team at<br />
Port Houston!<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
• Must be 21 years old<br />
• Must have 2+ years of po<br />
experience<br />
• Must have valid Texas Dr<br />
• Must be a U.S. Citizen<br />
• Must have an honorable<br />
from the military (if applic<br />
• Must never have been co<br />
Class A Misdemeanor or<br />
• Not been convicted of a C<br />
misdemeanor within the l<br />
• Must have a GED or high<br />
248 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
BENEFITS:<br />
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance<br />
eligible first day of employment<br />
• Wellness Program<br />
(can earn up to $600 credit per year if requirements met)<br />
• Enrollment with Calm App for Wellbeing<br />
• Defined contribution plan (<strong>40</strong>1a)<br />
– Employer Sponsored<br />
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan)<br />
– Employee Contributions<br />
• Vacation<br />
• Sick Leave<br />
• Paid Holiday 12 days/year<br />
• Life and Accidental Death and<br />
Dismemberment Insurance<br />
• Short Term and Long-Term Disability Benefits<br />
• Flexible spending account (FSA)<br />
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)<br />
• Pet Insurance<br />
• Legal and Identity Theft Protection<br />
• Tuition Reimbursement<br />
Up to the IRS annual limit and a maximum lifetime<br />
reimbursement of $25,000<br />
• Onsite Credit Union<br />
– Port of Houston Credit Union<br />
lice officer<br />
iver’s License<br />
discharge<br />
able)<br />
nvicted of a<br />
above<br />
lass B<br />
ast 10 years<br />
school diploma<br />
EMPLOYMENT<br />
TESTING<br />
Employment is contingent on passing<br />
any post-offer pre-employment<br />
screening as listed below:<br />
• Criminal background check<br />
• Motor Vehicle Record check<br />
• Drug screening<br />
• Physical exam<br />
• Psychological exam<br />
• Additional as required<br />
SCAN<br />
QR CODE<br />
TO APPLY<br />
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 249
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252 The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24
The <strong>Blues</strong> - <strong>July</strong> ‘24 253
SPRING BRANCH ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
WE’RE<br />
HIRING<br />
DEPARTMENT<br />
HIGHLIGHTS<br />
55 officer department<br />
44 square mile district<br />
47 schools<br />
35,000 population<br />
24/7 Patrol<br />
We want you to preserve, protect, and defend our future.<br />
Starting Pay $63,000 (TCOLE Basic Peace Officer certification with no experience)<br />
Patrol & Onsite Officers (HS/MS)<br />
Gang Officer<br />
Mental Health Officers<br />
Community Relations Officer<br />
Emergency Management<br />
Criminal Investigations<br />
K-9 programs<br />
Language pay<br />
Shift differential pay<br />
Intermediate, Advanced and<br />
Master Peace Officer<br />
certificate pay<br />
Paid time off<br />
Ample overtime opportunities<br />
*All equipment provided including duty weapon<br />
**Training opportunities available<br />
Apply online today. springbranchisd.com/join-our-team<br />
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HUNTER BIDEN