Brotherhood of the Badge

Breaking: 3 Officers Shot in St. Louis Gunfight

2011-03-08T07:16:00.001-08:00

Breaking: 3 Officers Shot in St. Louis Gunfight
Today at 10:09 AM

By JIM SUHR Associated Press
St Louis police: Standoff taking place at house where 2 US marshals, 1 officer shot, wounded
Police are involved in a standoff at a house in St. Louis where two federal marshals and a police officer have been shot.

Another man also has been wounded in the gunfight early Monday.

City police spokeswoman Schron Jackson says there is a standoff taking place at the house. She says she has no more information.

Saint Louis University Hospital spokeswoman Laura Keller says one U.S. marshal is in critical condition and another is in fair condition after the shooting. Both are being treated at the facility.

City police say a St. Louis police officer was shot in his bullet-proof vest and is being treated at Barnes-Jewish Hospital for a graze wound and injuries from a fall.

There has been no word on arrests.

Missing Women across the USA

2010-10-19T19:54:00.001-07:00

Officer Down Alert! Indiana State Police Motor Carrier Inspector Robert Pitcher

2010-09-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Inspector Robert Pitcher a 22 year veteran departed our ranks to join an eternal brotherhood of warriors in heaven, standing at the site of God; he and thousands of our brothers and sisters are watching over all of us who continue to do our part to keep our streets safer for future generations.

Motor Carrier Inspector Robert Pitcher
Indiana State Police
Indiana

End of Watch: Sunday, September 26, 2010
Biographical Info
Age: 64
Tour of Duty: 22 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Sunday, September 26, 2010
Incident Location: Indiana
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Motor Carrier Inspector Pitcher was en route to a special detail in the northwestern area of the state from his home in Pershing. He was on-duty driving an I.S.P. Ford F-250 pulling trailer carrying brake testing equipment.

While traveling westbound on Interstate-70 in Wayne County, he lost control of his vehicle. He struck the guardrail on the right side of the roadway and then traveled back across the westbound lanes, across the median, and into the eastbound lanes. His vehicle struck an eastbound semi car carrier. Both vehicles burst into flames and the fire spread to the new vehicles being transported on the carrier.

Motor Carrier Inspector Pitcher was killed instantly. The driver of the semi was airlifted in critical condition to an Indianapolis hospital.

Inspector Pitcher is survived by his daughter, son, and two grandchildren.

Agency Contact Information:
Indiana State Police

Captain Wayne Andrew

5252 Decatur Blvd. Suite J

Indianapolis, IN 46241

Phone: 1-866-849-1368

Memorial Schedule

VISITATION:
Friday, October 1st
2:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. (Eastern)

FUNERAL:
Saturday, October 2nd
1:00 P.M. (Eastern)

LOCATION:
Cambridge City Elementary School Gymnasium
801 E. Delaware Street
Cambridge City, Indiana

Please contact the Indiana State Police for survivor benefit fund information.

Additional information: I have just spoken with Captain Edwards and we will be sending a plaque to honor Inspector Pitcher that will be placed in the office Inspector Pitcher worked out of. If anyone would like us to include a personal note please email that to brotherhoodofthebadge@yahoo.com as soon as possible. Thank you

Fremont police officer shot in Oakland

2010-08-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

Nanette Asimov, Justin Berton,Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writers

Saturday, August 28, 2010

(08-27) 20:42 PDT OAKLAND --

A Fremont police officer was critically wounded in a shootout Friday with an alleged gang member in East Oakland, who then stole a car at gunpoint and fled, authorities say.

The officer, a six-year veteran of the force whose name has not been released, suffered gunshot wounds to the pelvis and groin during the exchange at 2:38 p.m. near the corner of Auseon and Bancroft avenues. He underwent surgery at Highland Hospital late Friday.

"We're all on pins and needles - he's hour to hour," Fremont Police Chief Craig Steckler said.

Dr. Javid Sadjadi said the officer had lost a significant amount of blood. He said the officer was in critical but stable condition and had suffered "rather extreme injuries - it's really touch and go."

Wave of violence
The shooting was the latest in a string of violent crimes in Oakland in the past few days. Six people were killed in a one-week span, including 13-year-old Jimon Clark, a recent middle school graduate who was shot to death Wednesday night on a street near his East Oakland home.

Jimon was killed on Bancroft Avenue near 61st Avenue, about a mile and a half northwest of where the officer was shot Friday.

Witnesses and police described a wild scene Friday after the officer and a colleague from Fremont tried to arrest Andrew Barrientos, 20, who was wanted for a string of crimes including attempted carjacking, resisting arrest and an alleged attack on the mother of his young child on Aug. 12.

'Gangster' tattoos
The officers spotted Barrientos, who police said has "Decoto Gangster" tattooed on his forearms, outside a residence on Auseon Avenue.

Barrientos fled through the neighborhood of 1920s-era bungalows, exchanging shots with the officers as he ran, until he got to a mini-market about a block away, at 86th and Bancroft avenues, police said.

The fugitive tried to carjack a man's Acura in the store's parking lot and shot at the driver when he sped away, shattering the car's glass, police said. The driver was cut by the glass but wasn't shot.

Then the gunman carjacked another motorist and drove off in a dark-green, four-door Mazda 626, with a California license plate of 4MJE548.

Police described Barrientos as Latino, 5-foot-7 and 240 pounds, with close-cropped hair. He has ties to Union City, San Leandro, San Jose and Oakland. In addition to the tattoos on his arms, the word "Decoto" is tattooed on the back of his neck.

Chief Steckler said both his officers had fired on the gunman but apparently did not hit him.

Market has video
The carjackings were captured on surveillance video taken at the mini-market, said Sayez Aldahmi, 18, whose family runs the Arrwa 1 Stop Market. The man whose Mazda was stolen had just walked out of the store.

"The guy was OK," Aldahmi said.

A nearby resident, Tarente Randler, 21, said he had been inside his home when he heard eight or nine shots, followed by the sound of sirens.

"The next thing, about 20 cops came," he said. "They picked the (wounded) cop up and put him in a car."

He said the officer had been in plainclothes.

Steckler said the officer is in his 30s and has young children. Friends and family were at the hospital, he said.

"This is unusual for my department," Steckler said. "I have never seen an officer shot in the 19 years I have been chief."

The officer was in East Oakland working as part of the southern Alameda County major crimes task force, which targets local gangs. Fremont police had alerted Oakland that they were going to be looking for Barrientos in the city but had said they did not need any assistance, Oakland officials said.

Chronicle staff writer Peter Fimrite contributed to this report. E-mail the writers at nasimov@sfchronicle.com, jberton@sfchronicle.com and jvanderbeken@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Retired Pa. Officers Could Work Part Time

2010-08-23T17:43:00.001-07:00

BY JOE SMYDO
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When Lakewood, Colo., police Detective Alex Jameson decided to come out of retirement and rejoin the force on a part-time basis about two years ago, the arrangement suited everybody.

Detective Jameson got back into a game he missed. The department got eyes it otherwise would have done without. And the people of Lakewood got an old hand to take a new look at cold cases.

"There's no learning curve with him," department spokesman Steve Davis said. "He's familiar with the cases. He's familiar with the people. He's familiar with the geography of the city. There's no ramp-up time."

Pittsburgh police Cmdr. Catherine McNeilly says departments nationwide have rehired retirees on a part-time basis, and she'd like Pittsburgh to consider doing the same. At her suggestion, state Rep. Chelsa Wagner, D-Brookline, has introduced a bill to let retired officers across Pennsylvania return to work 800 hours annually without jeopardizing their pension benefits.

Currently, Ms. Wagner said, a full-time officer cannot retire and go back to work part-time for the same department. She said the law is silent on whether a retired officer may work in another department.

Ms. Wagner said her proposal would be a boon to financially strapped municipalities, which wouldn't have to provide health benefits to retirees. She said it's too bad Pittsburgh couldn't tap some of its own retirees in September when it hired hundreds of out-of-town officers on a temporary basis for the G-20 summit.

Cmdr. McNeilly has documented other departments' efforts to deploy retired officers because of budget cuts -- financial problems so severe in some cities that they've had to sell off police horses and helicopters, curtail minor investigations or disband special units. One city, Mesa, Ariz., has hired civilians to perform minor investigations because they're paid less than police officers.

Despite its own financial problems, Pittsburgh hasn't had to take such drastic steps. But Cmdr. McNeilly, who heads the Zone 3 station in Allentown and the department's planning and intelligence unit, said there's no reason to let retirees' talent go to waste.

Cmdr. McNeilly said some officers, after a few years of retirement, decide they aren't ready to give up work or need a part-time job to supplement their pensions. She said it makes sense to capitalize on the retirees' experience and expertise, while giving them an opportunity to make extra money.

"To me, it seems like a can't-lose proposition all the way around," she said.

Cmdr. McNeilly isn't suggesting that retired officers be put back on regular street duty.

Rather, she's suggesting they be assigned to monitor surveillance cameras, man the front desks at police stations, staff the property room, perform confidential clerical work, take reports over the telephone, transport mail from station to station, work missing-person cases, run background checks on police recruits, teach courses at the police academy, operate the citizens police academy, help with traffic control and serve as community liaisons. If retirees filled those roles, she said, more full-time officers could be freed for street duty.

Cmdr. McNeilly said retirees also could be deployed for special events, such as the Pittsburgh Marathon, First Night and major athletic events.

City Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, who chairs the public-safety committee, said she'd like to consider Ms. Wagner's proposal if it becomes law. She said she's always interested in bolstering the city's force of about 900.

Cmdr. McNeilly, estimating the average officer's age to be about 45, said a possible spate of retirements also might spark the city's interest in the idea.

City officials didn't respond to a request for information about possible retirements. But in its most recent annual report, the police department said the average length of service for a commander was 26.9 years; for a sergeant, 17.7 years; for a detective, 16.1 years; for a regular officer, 11 years.

In Lakewood, Detective Jameson didn't take the place of another full-time officer. If he hadn't returned to duty, the cold-case unit would have operated without additional help, Mr. Davis, the department spokesman, said.

Mr. Davis said Detective Jameson has indicated that he's interested in returning to retirement. The search is on, Mr. Davis said, for another retiree to replace him.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Wheeling Officer Killed in Florida

2010-07-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

Police shoot, kill armed man outside Maine VA hospital Shooting followed reports of gunfire in the nearby woods

2010-07-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

Police shoot, kill armed man outside Maine VA hospitalShooting followed reports of gunfire in the nearby woods

Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine — Officials say Maine law enforcement officers have shot and killed an armed military veteran within sight of the entrance of a VA hospital outside Augusta.

The Maine attorney general's office says the confrontation Thursday morning in Togus involved the victim, a member of the local police department and two game wardens.

The shooting followed reports of gunfire in the woods. Witness Paul Stevens says officers fired on a man armed with what looked like a rifle.

He says about eight shots were fired, and the man fell to the ground in the woods off Route 17.

The victim's name was not immediately released.

But officials say the victim was not a resident or member of the VA hospital staff.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The Heart of Courageous

2010-07-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Four men, one calling: To serve and protect.

As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners are confident and focused. They willingly stand up to the worst the world can offer. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they're quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.

They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. Will they be able to find a way to serve and protect those that are most dear to them?

When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God ... and to their children?

Courageous is the fourth release of Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Church in Albany, Georgia. Their first release since FIREPROOF, the No. 1 independent film of 2008, Courageous joins Facing the Giants and Flywheel in touching and impacting lives through heartfelt stories of faith and hope.

Moviegoers will again find themselves crying, laughing, and cheering—sometimes simultaneously—as they are inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Protecting the streets is second nature to these law enforcement officers. Raising their children? That will take courage.

Courageous ... honor begins at home.

Click here to watch clips from the movie

Fatherhood is the heartbeat of Courageous, the new movie from the creators of FIREPROOF that is currently in production in Albany, Georgia. Join us from the set as Sherwood Pictures films its next life-affirming movie!

Courageous ... honor begins at home!
Coming to theaters 2011.

visit the official website of Courageous

Officer Down Alert! Sergeant Doug Weddleton EOW: June 18, 2010

2010-06-18T11:08:00.001-07:00

Sergeant Doug Weddleton
Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts
End of Watch: Friday, June 18, 2010

Biographical Info
Age: 52
Tour of Duty: 28 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: Friday, June 18, 2010
Weapon Used: Automobile; Alcohol involved
Suspect Info: Apprehended

Sergeant Doug Weddleton was struck and killed by two drunk drivers while working a construction detail on I-95 in Attleboro.

Sergeant Weddleton had positioned his patrol car to block an exit ramp from I-95 to I-495 so a construction crew could perform roadwork. At approximately 1:25 am a drunk driver attempted to drive around his patrol car.

As he exited his vehicle to stop the car a second drunk driver crashed into the back of the first car, pushing it into Sergeant Weddleton, seriously injuring him. He was transported to Sturdy Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Both drunk drivers were arrested and charged with numerous charges. The drunk driver in the second vehicle was charged with negligent motor vehicle homicide.

Sergeant Weddleton had served with the Massachusetts State Police for 28 years. He is survived by his wife and four sons.

Agency Contact Information
Massachusetts State Police
470 Worcester Road
Framingham, MA 01702

Phone: (508) 820-2300

Please contact the Massachusetts State Police for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.

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2010-06-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Brotherhood of the Badge is now on AIM! Not only are we now on AIM so you can receive breaking news right to your AIM account but NOW you can receive breaking news and information directly to your phone as a text! JOIN NOW!

Police Officer Joshua Yazzie - EOW: June 7, 2010

2010-06-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

Police Officer Joshua Yazzie
United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Division of Law Enforcement
U.S. Government

End of Watch: Monday, June 7, 2010

Biographical Info
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available

Incident DetailsCause of Death: Automobile accident
Date of Incident: Monday, June 7, 2010
Incident Location: Utah
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Police Officer Joshua Yazzie was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a call in Uintah County, Utah.

Officer Yazzie was driving near the Bottle Hollow Reservoir on the Ute Indian Reservation. He was responding to assist an ambulance crew that was treating an intoxicated person who was behaving violently. While enroute, Officer Yazzie lost control of his patrol car, causing it to roll off a 200-foot embankment. Officer Yazzie was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

Officer Yazzie is survived by his wife and two children.
Agency Contact Information
United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Division of Law Enforcement
1849 C Street, NW
MS-4551-MIB
Washington, DC 20240

Phone: (202) 208-3710

Please contact the United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Division of Law Enforcement for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.

U.S. Law Enforcement Deaths Up 42 Percent

2010-06-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

BY MIKE SAKAL

The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

As another Memorial Day weekend begins to fade, the memories of police officers who died in the line of duty remain during a year that has turned into one of the most tragic years for law enforcement on record.

Nationally, law enforcement deaths are up 42 percent compared to last year, and of the 68 officer fatalities in 2009, 80 percent, or 27 deaths, were from gun fire, according to statistics released by the Mesa Police Association and National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

A mixture of crime scenarios have led to the officer deaths, said Stacey Dillon, a spokeswoman for the Mesa Police Association and the Arizona Highway Patrol Association.

"No one really knows why," Dillon said of the increase. "It's just across the board. People are just fighting back, and the bad guys just don't want to go to jail."

Since December, three Arizona law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty: Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Chris Marano, Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler, and Phoenix police Officer Travis Murphy.

On Dec. 18, Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Chris Marano, 28, was struck and killed by another DPS officer while he was laying down stop sticks on Loop 101 in north Phoenix during a high-speed chase.

Georgia Baker, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Marano's death.

Although Baker did not kill Marano, a unique Arizona law allows prosecutors to charge a person with murder if they flee law enforcement and the pursuit of the suspect results in an officer's death.

On Jan. 28, Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler, 42, was killed during a traffic stop at the corner of Val Vista Drive and Baseline Road. Police say Christopher Redondo, 35, of Globe, shot and killed Shuhandler after the veteran officer pulled over the vehicle Redondo was a passenger in for having an obstructed license plate.

The driver of the car, Daiman Irizarry, 30, then led police on a 50-mile high-speed chase along the US 60 before stopping near Superior and exchanging gunfire with dozens of officers in pursuit.

Redondo was charged with first-degree murder, and Irizarry was charged with aggravated assault, felony flight and drive-by shooting-related offenses.

On Monday, as part of the Gilbert's Memorial Day festivities, a number of items that belonged to Shuhandler, such as his police uniform, a pair of skis and an Arizona Diamondbacks jersey, were dedicated as part of a permanent exhibit at the Gilbert Historical Museum, 10 S. Gilbert Road.

On May 26, Murphy was shot several times and killed by a convicted felon about 1:30 a.m. while responding to a hit-and-run on Fairmount Avenue.

Murphy, 29, who was married with two young children, will be laid to rest today. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. at Christ Church of the Valley, 7007 W. Happy Valley Road, Peoria, with burial following at Phoenix Memorial Park, 200 W. Beardsley Road.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made in Murphy's honor to the 100 Club of Arizona, which benefits the families of fallen officers.

A memorial fund for Murphy's children has been set up in his name at Wells Fargo Bank.

A Tip-a-Cop fundraiser also will be held at the Famous Dave's barbecue restaurant at Mesa Riverview, 1011 N. Dobson Road, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to benefit Murphy's family.

For more information about the Officer Assistance Fund, go to www.mesapolice.org or call Stacey Dillon at (480) 225-4809 "Losing three officers in about six months is chilling," said Sgt. Fabian Cota, president of the Mesa Police Association. "These losses have reminded all officers how important their training is and how fast one could lose their life."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Mexico Favors Scrapping Local Police Depts.

2010-06-04T12:44:00.000-07:00

By DANICA COTO

Associated Press Writer

MEXICO CITY --

Mexico's president is urging approval of a plan to replace local police departments with state forces so the government can better fight unrelenting drug violence that has claimed nearly 23,000 lives.

Part of the goal is to root out corruption by replacing generally low-paid, poorly educated local police, who are seen as more susceptible to bribery and intimidation by the powerful cartels.

It also aims to streamline operations and improve communication between police, President Felipe Calderon told a public safety commission Thursday before it approved the plan at the end of a three-hour session.

"We want a safe Mexico in which there is no room for the fear, violence and impunity that we suffer today," Calderon said.

Pending a cost analysis, Calderon intends to present it to Congress when it resumes session in September.

Mexico's Public Safety secretary first floated the idea last year, but it received a lukewarm response because some officials worried that it would be hard to police many of Mexico's 2,439 municipalities if local departments were eliminated. Only 12 of Mexico's 31 states even have their own police forces.

Some of the officials who voiced those concerns have since stepped down or been voted out of office. It's still unclear how it will fare in Congress.

So far, the military and federal police have led the war against drug cartels launched shortly after Calderon took office in December 2006.

Yet some states have already moved to consolidate municipal forces into regional departments - such as Morelos, which has seen dozens of killings as gangs battle for control of a cartel once led by Arturo Beltran Leyva.

The government is also proposing to create a national crime database that would include information on kidnappings, stolen cars and prisoners. A separate database would contain photos of all police officers, their fingerprints and other identifying details.

A recent high-profile campaign to fight extortion and kidnapping by compiling a registry of cell phone users around the country ended up going awry, however, after the users' personal data turned up for sale on two websites.

Prosecutors are investigating, Interior Department spokesman Luis Estrada said Thursday.

The mayor of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's deadliest city with 2,601 drug-related killings reported last year, backed Calderon's proposal and said municipal police are often easy prey in small, close-knit towns.

"The more (a police officer) knows, the more he becomes known," Jose Reyes Ferriz said. "All this makes him more vulnerable to criminals."

Nuevo Leon Mayor Rodrigo Medina urged the government to create more jobs and education opportunities if it wants to see a drop in crime.

"There is no public safety model that will resolve the situation we face right now," he said, a day after two federal police officers were killed and one wounded in the nearby town of Garcia.

Three alleged members of the Zetas cartel have been charged in the attack, said Luis Cardenas Palomino, regional security chief of the federal police.

Nuevo Leon state prosecutors said the officers had stopped a car for a search when gunmen in several SUVs pulled up and opened fire.

Hours later, police found the bodies of a local traffic officer and a trainee inside a car in the nearby town of Santiago.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Conn. Officer Killed Riding Bike to Work

2010-06-04T12:34:00.000-07:00

BY DIRK PERREFORT

The News-Times, Danbury, Conn.

DANBURY, Conn. -- Flags in the city were flying at half-staff Friday morning and firefighters placed bunting on the entrance of the police station in honor of officer Donald Hassiak, who was killed Thursday while riding his bicycle to work.

"This is a sad day for his family, for the city and for the police department," said City Council president Joseph Cavo. "This is a horrible tragedy."

Police said Hassiak, 41, a 16-year veteran of the department, was struck and killed as a result of a hit and run accident at around 10:30 p.m. on Route 7 near the Brookfield town line.

According to a press release issued early Friday morning, Hassiak, who lived in New Milford, was hit by a vehicle traveling southbound along the roadway. The officer was transported to Danbury Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Hassiak is survived by a wife and three sons, according to the release.

Authorities say they've recovered the vehicle believed to have hit Hassiak and identified the suspected driver, but officers are still looking for the person.

Mayor Mark Boughton said many people are still in shock Friday over the officer's death.

"The entire city of Danbury shares in the grief with his family and we will stand ready to assist them in any way possible," Boughton said. "Hassiak was an outstanding family man and a terrific officer. This is a tremendous loss for the department."

New Milford Police Chief Colin McCormack released a statement calling the accident a "terrible and needless tragedy."

"I cannot comprehend the anguish that such an event has caused officer Hassiak's family, friends and fellow law enforcement personnel, particularly for the Danbury Police Department where officer Hassiak was held in such high regard," McCormack said. "The New Milford Police Department is committed to solving this offense and bringing the responsible party to justice."

Rich Groski, a member of the Brookfield Lions Club with the officer's father, "Donnie," said Hassiak's father was always very proud of his son and talked about him all the time.

"He always talked about how athletic his son was and how he would ride his bike to work," Groski said. "He would ride his bike all the time."

He added that Lions Club members will do what they can to support the family through this crisis.

Officials with the Danbury Police Department have scheduled a press conference that will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Main Street headquarters in the community room.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Wounded Oregon Officer Recalls Shootout

2010-06-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

PORTLAND, Ore. --

A Portland police officer shot in the line of duty recapped a terrifying day on the job Thursday and said he remains saddened by the death of the man who shot him.

Officer Chris Burley was one of several officers who responded May 12 to a traffic stop in northeast Portland involving 25-year-old Keaton Otis.

Otis refused to cooperate during the traffic stop and shot Burley once in each thigh, police said. Burley's fellow officers returned fire and killed Otis at the scene.

Burley said he clearly remembers Otis' demeanor on that day.

"The look that he gave me showed me he was very, very upset," Burley said.

Burley said he tried to pull Otis out of his car. He thought Otis could have been under the influence of drugs, but he said he didn't think he was armed until another officer yelled that Otis was reaching for something.

The 31-year-old officer then heard two gunshots.

"Automatically felt the burning in my legs and I thought, this is what it feels like to be shot," Burley said. "And as I fell to the ground, I thought, 'Do I have the use of my legs?'"

Burley said he tried to push himself away from the scene and out of the line of fire. Sgt. Don Livingston, who was near the back of Otis' car and saw Burley go down, said events appeared to be happening in slow motion.

"Realistically when I look back, I probably only ran 30 feet to get to him, but it seemed like a football field and it took me forever to get to him," Livingston said. "I couldn't get there fast enough."

Livingston and Officer Ryan Foote pulled Burley to safety and put him in the back of a patrol car. Foote sat in the driver's seat and drove directly to Legacy Emanuel Hospital. He knew every second counted.

"I remember driving into oncoming traffic and thinking, 'You've got to do this safely,' but, still, Chris is in my mind the whole time," Foote said.

The bullets hit muscle tissue, but did not hit any major arteries. Burley said he is sore and waddled slightly when he walks. Bu three weeks after the shooting, Burley was not only back on his feet, but also back at work at the police bureau where he is on administrative duty.

"I think the first time I get out of the car, I'm going to be nervous," Burley said.

He said returning to the city's streets won't be easy, but he wants to continue his police work and help the mentally ill get more resources. Otis' parents said he had a mood disorder.

"It saddens me that Otis died and it's sad that he made the decision he did," Burley said.

Copyright 2010 by KPTV.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Oregon Officer Shot by Suicidal Patient

2010-06-04T08:06:00.000-07:00

HILLSBORO, Ore. –

A Hillsboro police officer was shot in the shoulder after police were called to a report of a suicidal person Thursday evening.

Lt. Mike Rouches, a spokesman for the Hillsboro Police Department, said a therapist called police and said a patient was suicidal and despondent at a duplex near 661 North First Street.

When officers showed up at the duplex, they immediately knew there was a threat involved, Rouches said. The person opened fire and a bullet struck the officer in the shoulder, police said, and other officers returned fire and shot the man in the leg.
The injured officer was rushed to Legacy Emanuel Hospital to be treated. His or her condition is unknown.

The condition of the person who shot the officer is also unknown. Its not clear which hospital the shooter was taken to by paramedics.

Police remain at the scene on First Street.

Copyright 2010 by KPTV.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Fallen Phoenix Police Officer Remembered

2010-06-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

June 4, 2010
by botbglobal
.PHOENIX –

Hundreds of mourners packed a Peoria church Wednesday to pay their respects to slain Phoenix police Officer Travis Murphy.

Fellows officers described 29-year-old Murphy as the definition of a hero during the funeral service at the Christ Church of the Valley.

“Today we say goodbye to Officer Travis Murphy,” said Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris. “But this is not the last day we will remember his service and his sacrifice.”

Murphy was fatally shot May 26 during an early-morning confrontation with a suspect. Police arrested 30-year-old Danny Ledezma Martinez of Tucson on charges of first-degree murder and weapons violations in connection to the case.

Harris said Murphy loved being a police officer and he showed the same level of dedication to his job as he did to his family.

Murphy’s sergeant described him as a leader, a man with no fear and great compassion. “Travis is an incredible man with a heart of gold, sense of purpose, and sense of humor,” said Sgt. Jacque Wagaman.

Murphy was a four-year veteran of the police force. He was married with two young children, a 2-year-old daughter and a 1-month-old son.

Murphy’s lifelong friend Luke Underwood shared stories about their childhood antics and Murphy’s competitive nature. “I’m thankful for the 18 years I had with you, Travis,” said Underwood, who met Murphy when they were both in sixth grade. “I pray that everyone could have a friend as fun and charismatic as you.”

Murphy’s mother referred to her son as her hero. “It breaks my heart that I will never hear his voice again, or reach up to give him a hug, or eat one of his amazing home-cooked meals, or compete in our Christmas cookie bake-off,” said Mary Rhodes, as her voice cracked.

“So I say goodbye for now, son. Because I know our goodbye is not the end. Because, Travis, I will see your face again,” said Rhodes.

Danielle Murphy, Travis’ wife, thanked his mother for raising such an amazing man. And through tears said that her husband was her best friend.

“I’m everything I am today because of him. And those babies are going to be a constant reminder of the love that we made and that we shared,” said Danielle Murphy.

A photo presentation showed Murphy as a child, with his mom, growing up and during various achievements in his life. As music played, mourners viewed pictures of Murphy at play, at work and with his two young kids.

Tacked onto the end of the photo presentation was a short video showing Murphy’s 2-year-old daughter, Kaylie, talking into the camera. “I love you, Daddy. I miss you,” she said. She then blew the camera a kiss.

Copyright 2010 by KPHO.com. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Memorial Day

2010-05-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

As we all relax and enjoy our families this memorial weekend please remember that right now there is an Airman, a Soldier, a Marine, a Seaman, a Guardian and a Police Officer guarding and protecting the front line. Some thousands of miles away from their loved ones across the big blue sea fighting to protect the very freedom we enjoy.

There are Grandpas, Dads, Sons, Brothers, Uncles, Grandmas, Moms, Daughters, Sisters, Aunts, Cousins, Friends, Neighbors that have traded their life to ensure our Freedom.

Take a moment this Memorial Day to stop and just say ''Thank You'' to a Veteran and a Police Officer.

Thank you all for your service.

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

•Members only site: www.brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com
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''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

2010-05-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Brotherhood of the Badges' sole purpose is to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and to assist the families and Dept's left behind any way we can.

Collectively BOTB has over 5000 members in over 50 countries around the world. Here you have the unique opportunity to meet, train and share stories with fellow officers and supporters across the world.

Please visit the groups page and sign up for as many groups as you like. Remember the more active our members are the better the groups are.

If collecting is your thing check out Sgt. Joe Borda's many wonderful groups dedicated to law enforcement memorabilia collecting.

Officer Down is the most important group on our site. We feel that one of the ways we can make sure that the memory of our fallen officers lives on is by not only visiting the officers’ memorial initially but go back from time to time and post something. Doesn't have to be long winded just a word shows we have not forgot.

If you would like to receive our bi-weekly newsletter, updates, etc... please be sure to send us an email. (brotherhoodofthebadge@yahoo.com) Please also be sure to add us to your safe sender list to avoid emails being sent to your spam folder.

Also check out the great new resources for up to date info offered by BOTB.

•Members only site: www.brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com
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•Televise the Annual Candlelight Vigil in honor of our fallen Peace Officers: http://www.facebook.com/televiseannualcandlelightvigil

God Bless and Stay Safe.

Fraternally,
Paul Bodenhamer - Founder BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.''
~John 15:13~

DEATH OF A HERO: PREPARING YOUR AGENCY FOR THE UNTHINKABLE

2010-05-27T20:13:00.000-07:00

Classes are now scheduled in Indiana and additional classes set for Kentucky!

Geared toward chiefs and chief officers, this training covers information leaders need to know before tragedy strikes.

It is not a funeral planning class and not an Honor Guard class. It is a class for public safety leaders to prepare themselves and their agencies for what we all hope never happens -- as well as to assist neighboring agencies should tragedy strike there.

INDIANA: Anderson ♦ Fort Wayne ♦ Indianapolis ♦ Lafayette ♦
Mitchell ♦ Terre Haute
KENTUCKY: Flatwoods ♦ Louisville ♦ Richmond ♦
Shepherdsville

A complete schedule is available at:
www.SupportingHeroes.org
Click on CLASSES

Topics covered:

Policy Development and Advance Planning
Family Support Considerations: Immediate and Long-Term
LODD Effects on Co-Workers and Their Families
Chiefs: Emotional Readiness
Ego, Politics, and Special Interests in Funeral Planning
Levels of Honor: LODD, Active, Retiree, etc.
Honor Guards: Important Considerations
Protocol: What it is -- What it is Not
Maintaining Perspective and Values
Death Notification Procedures
Support Mechanisms
Special Honors, Tributes, and Memorials
Media Considerations Following Line of Duty Death
The REAL Story: "How He Died" vs. "How He Lived"
Dealing with Special Circumstances:"Friendly Fire," Suicide, and More
Public Safety Officers' Benefits
Classes in Indiana are presented in conjunction with Indiana Firefighters Association and will include additional topics pertaining to chaplains, their role and importance.

Go to www.SupportingHeroes.org to register.

NOTE: Registration is open to all public safety personnel and chaplains. However, all seats will be held for chiefs and chief officers until 28 days prior to date of class. Other registration requests will be held until that time and then approved in the order received.

Questions? Write us at: Classes@SupportingHeroes.org or call (502) 585-2282.

"It was excellent! I have been through two LODDs in my department and with many other departments in their time of need. I would recommend this class to anyone who really cares about their people and has a desire to take care of their families." -- Lieutenant Stewart Dawson - Chaplain, Lexington (KY) Fire and Rescue

"As a mid-level manager, I had never received any specific training for line of duty deaths. The training and commentary was very beneficial. The tragic real world experiences shared serve to ensure we are better prepared to properly honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the most appropriate and hearfelt ways." -- Captain Brian Krueger, Paducah (KY) Police Department

"Every chief owes it to their personnel to attend this class." -- Battalion Chief Ernie Barnes, Clark County (KY) Fire Department

"It was an excellent class... opened my eyes to what it means to be prepared for the unthinkable... I hope I never have to put your training into action, but I know if I follow your recommendations..." -- Sergeant Marc Schworer, Fort Wright (KY) Police Department

"(It was) an AWESOME presentation and I highly recommend it... You provided great insights that will help us better prepare in the unforseen event of the death of an officer... I commend your team for their compassion and humility. I was blessed by your intense focus." -- Sergeant Scott Paul, Independence (KY) Police Department

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

Responding Boston Motorcycle Officer Crashes

2010-05-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Story by thebostonchannel.com

BOSTON --

Two Boston motorcycle police officers were injured in separate crashes in Roxbury Wednesday morning.

Police said an off-duty officer was riding his personal motorcycle when he went down on Warren Street.

A second police officer responding to the accident also crashed his bike.

The officers' names and extent of their injuries were not released.

Copyright 2010 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

SUV Crashes into Three S.C. Cruisers

2010-05-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 27, 2010

BY BO PERTERSON
The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. -- The late-night police stop was eerie enough. Then it became blood-curdling.

Two patrol cars, with blue and amber lights flashing, stood right in the middle of U.S. Highway 17 at 2 a.m., and a third patrol car was lit up in the median. The officers prepared to do a field sobriety test on driver who had been stopped.

"I heard a slight 'chirp' of brakes locking up followed by a large impact," Mount Pleasant officer Jason Brandon wrote in a police report.

He looked up to see his patrol car skid into the cruiser in front of it, while an Isuzu Rodeo that had struck it veered into a Sullivan's Island squad car in the median.

The Isuzu, with two men inside, had smacked into two town squad cars in the road and caromed into the Sullivan's Island car.

A suspected driving-under-the-influence stop last Saturday by two Mount Pleasant officers at the request of a Sullivan's Island officer turned into the thing the officers were trying to avert - a wreck involving a driver who might be impaired.

Sullivan's Island Lt. Chris Griffin clambered out of his car, apparently OK.

Mount Pleasant officer Joseph Zeitner was up ahead off the road with the driver who been pulled over. Brandon went to check on the men in the Isuzu.

"While speaking with them, they repeatedly stated that they did not see any of our vehicles and did not know how it happened," Brandon wrote in the report.

The S.C. Highway Patrol responded to the wreck and Christopher Paul Koski, 33, of Mount Pleasant, was charged with driving while impaired, according to Cpl. Bob Beres.

Koski and a passenger were taken by ambulance to East Cooper Hospital.

Brandon's patrol car was towed away, and the outcome of the original traffic stop was unknown.

Copyright 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

LAPD Officer Reinstated, Awarded $2M in Suit

2010-05-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 27, 2010

The Daily News of Los Angeles

An LAPD motorcycle officer whose ongoing dispute with his superior snowballed after he was punished for clocking out five minutes early one day has been awarded $2 million from a jury who believed his subsequent firing was unfair.

Officer Richard Joaquin has been reinstated with back pay and is now stationed at the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division.

Joaquin's jury award on May 20 surpassed the $1.5 million settlement the city paid in 2007 to black firefighter Tennie Pierce, who sued for racial discrimination when colleagues put dog food in his spaghetti as a prank.

The jury awarded Joaquin the money even after a police Internal Affairs investigation and a high level review board sided with the superior and upheld Joaquin's dismissal.

City officials said they would consider appealing the award, the latest in a series of multimillion-dollar payouts to city employees who have complained about mistreatment or discrimination.

Joaquin, of Corona, argued that the LAPD had retaliated against him when he filed complaints against the supervisor, who cited Joaquin in 2005 for insubordination for leaving work early.

"For the supervisor, it was a blatant act of disobedience," said Supervising Deputy City Attorney Daniel Aguilera.

That incident triggered a series of exchanges that eventually led to Joaquin's dismissal.

But Joaquin's attorney, Jeff Lipow, said his client saw the disciplinary action for leaving early as another example of the harassment that he had been experiencing for more than a year.

"My guy felt this was unfair and filed a complaint with Internal Affairs against his superior," Lipow said. "He felt he had been harassed for an 18-24 month period and this was the last straw."

Lipow said Joaquin, who was working as a motor officer at the Central Division when the incident took place, did not want to be interviewed.

Aguilera said the city has an aggressive zero-tolerance policy for harassment and was surprised it took Joaquin so long to file a complaint. A subsequent investigation cleared the supervisor of any wrongdoing.

Internal Affairs recommended that Joaquin be dismissed - a finding upheld by the Board of Rights, an LAPD tribunal of two command officers and one civilian who review disciplinary actions.

Joaquin appealed his dismissal in the courts and won the unanimous jury verdict against the city, which included back pay.

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich said the city is looking into appealing the verdict. While he said the verdict is more than he wanted to pay out, it was about half of what had been sought in negotiations.

He also said the verdict is directly related to budget cuts in his office.

"We are down so many bodies, at some point we are going to be at the point where we're walking into court and trying a case without any preparation at all," Trutanich said. "If we had the budget we had two or three years ago, this wouldn't be happening."

Still, the city has been shelling out big money - in the form of settlements or jury awards - for years. In the dog food case, not only did Pierce get a hefty sum, two white Los Angeles Fire Department captains who took part in the prank won a separate judgment totaling $1.6 million, arguing they were more severely punished than a Latino firefighter in the case.

In addition, the LAFD cost the city $6.2 million for mistreatment of a lesbian firefighter, Brenda Lee, in 2007. In 2009, three black workers were awarded a total of $1.2 million after failing to get promotions.

Councilman Dennis Zine, who sits on both the Budget and Finance and Public Safety committees, agreed with Trutanich, saying the Joaquin case can be blamed on staff cuts at City Hall.

"If the city attorney had the investigators he wants and had more time to prepare for cases, maybe we wouldn't have lost this case," Zine said. "It's $2 million that comes directly out of the public safety in the city."

Trutanich has had to take a 10 percent cut in his budget this year, resulting in reduced hiring and an inability to fully staff his Bureau of Investigations.

"It's an expensive retaliation," Lipow said. "The city never should have gone after him. What's expensive is the department chose to file charges and convict him. That's where the damage was. It was retaliation against him for making a complaint."

Copyright 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

Mich. Officer Critical Following Pursuit Crash

2010-05-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Story by clickondetroit.com

PONTIAC, Mich. --

A Pontiac police officer is in critical condition after being injured Tuesday night when a chase ended in a crash.

Pontiac police said two of their officers were assisting the Bloomfield Township Police Department in the pursuit of a wanted motorcycle just before midnight as it traveled northbound on Woodward Avenue.

Police said the motorcycle turned onto eastbound M-59 and entered a construction zone near Martin Luther King Boulevard -- where the roadway was only dirt and loose gravel.

The motorcycle's presence on the loose gravel kicked up a dust cloud that obstructing the pursing officer's view, which police said resulted in the one of the officer's vehicles to crash into some concrete just after the Martin Luther King Boulevard overpass bridge.

Police said the 14-year-old veteran suffered several serious injuries, such as a broken right hand, bruised lungs, internal bleeding and a foot injury.

He remains in an undisclosed area hospital.

Police said they arrested the 27-year-old Detroit man on the motorcycle after a short foot chase. He was treated for minor injuries before being released and taken to the Oakland County Jail.

The motorcycle driver is facing charges that include fleeing and eluding police, resisting and obstructing police and driving with a suspended license causing serious injury.

Eastbound M-59 at Martin Luther King Drive was closed until about 6 a.m. Wednesday for officers to complete their investigation.

Copyright 2010 by ClickOnDetroit.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

Pa. Troopers Shoot, Kill Man Who Hit Cruiser

2010-05-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Story by wgal.com

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, Pa. --

State police in Schuylkill County shot and killed a man after he repeatedly rammed a truck into a police cruiser.

Scott MacKelvey, 41, stole a tractor-trailer cab and led police on a chase along Whitetail Crossing Drive near Tamaqua, police said.

He is accused of nearly hitting police officers with the truck and repeatedly ramming it into a police car. That is when police said they shot MacKelvey.

Copyright 2010 by WGAL.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

Phoenix Officer Killed Investigating Suspicious Car

2010-05-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

May 26, 2010

PHOENIX - Police have arrested
a suspect in the shooting death of an officer at a gas station convenience store in west Phoenix.

Police had responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle around 19th Avenue and Indian School Road when the officer was shot around 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Crump says the officer died at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Police have a suspect in custody and have taken him to police headquarters in downtown Phoenix.

Authorities have not identified the slain officer. Other officers are gathered at the hospital to show support.

Detectives are investigating. Traffic is restricted on 19th Avenue.

Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

God Bless and Stay Safe
BOTB

''Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

DCSO deputies train on tactics, driving skills

2010-05-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

DCSO deputies train on tactics, driving skills

The four deputies got a call about a domestic disturbance. They hopped in their patrol cars and headed to the scene. As they drove, their patrol cars skidded on icy roads.

When they arrived at the home, they heard a slap and then a woman's scream. As they entered, a man and woman were yelling at each other. “Sheriff's office,” announced one of the deputies as the man turned to confront the deputy and his partner.

That was the scene that played out Wednesday during a Douglas County Sheriff's Office training session at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

In reality, the four deputies were driving what's called a skid car, especially designed to help them improve their pursuit driving skills. And the domestic disturbance they confronted was actually a video projected on a large screen by a use-of-force training machine.

The four deputies were among about 60 deputies — including patrol deputies, detectives and investigators — who are taking part in the training this week, said Deputy Dwes Hutson, spokesman for the sheriff's office.

He said the department tries to the do the training annually to help deputies brush up on use-of-force decisions, emergency driving skills and defensive tactics.

“Pursuit driving and use of force are probably a couple of the highest-liability issues we have in law enforcement,” Hutson added. “We like to make sure deputies are prepared when they have to use these skills in real-world situations.”

The training is a way for deputies to comply with regulations that require they receive a certain number of hours of ongoing training, Hutson said.

Elsewhere at the fairgrounds, other deputies practiced defensive techniques by punching and kicking a rubber mannequin. And in one area of the parking lot, deputies were practicing backing up patrol vehicles.

Jerry Johnson, a retired sheriff's office deputy, was training deputies in the skid car. He sat next to deputies in the vehicle, turning levers on a box that reduced the traction on either the front or the rear wheels of the car, leading to either front-wheel or rear-wheel skids.

He teaches deputies that the best way to respond is to make any changes smoothly, whether it's hitting the brake or gas pedal or turning the steering wheel, he said.

He said he trains deputies to only go as fast as is safe. “We tell them to drive safely,” he said. “If they don't make it to the call, they can't help.”

Back inside a fairgrounds building, Deputy Ken Berry explained how the Milo firearms simulator works, used to train deputies on use-of-force decisions.

He said people get a brief description of the situation facing them and then they have to respond. Deputies hold simulated guns and Tasers. When they use them, red dots on the screen show where the weapons deployed.

Berry said he can choose from about 100 different scenarios to display on the video screen. They include “domestic disturbances, suspicious vehicle activity and shooters,” he said.

“The biggest advantage is we can go back and play it over and see where the guys are at in terms of decision-making,” Berry said, “ ... how their judgment is working, to make sure they're making the proper decisions and proper use of force.

“I think it's terrific,” said Patrol Sgt. Tim Robeson of the use-of-force training equipment. “It gives you a lot more realism.”

Robeson said he'd found training on driving skills and defensive tactics useful as well.

“It's all important,” he said. “It's all a package.”

• You can reach reporter Kathy Korengel at 541-957-4218 or by e-mail at kkorengel@newsreview.info.

God Bless and Stay Safe.

Brotherhood of the Badge

2 police fatally shot in West Memphis, Arkansas

2010-05-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

2 police fatally shot in West Memphis, Arkansas

By Tom Watkins, CNN

(CNN) -- Two police officers were fatally shot and another two were wounded Thursday in two separate shootings allegedly by the same suspects in West Memphis, Arkansas, police said.

The suspects, who were using an assault weapon, were themselves fatally shot.

The incident began around 11:40 a.m. (12:40 p.m. ET), when police made a traffic stop on a white minivan traveling eastbound on I-40 at Airport Road, said Inspector Bert Shelton, who is assigned to city hall for the West Memphis Police Department.

The occupant or occupants of the van shot two police officers and sped off, he said. One of the victims died at the scene; the other was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died, Shelton said.

One of the two fatalities was the son of the city's chief of police, he added.
A short time later and about a mile away, in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart, two deputies searching for the suspects came across a white minivan and were shot and wounded as they approached the vehicle, Shelton said.

"The suspects were using an assault rifle," he said.

The suspects themselves were then fatally shot by other responding officers, he said.

Leave a reflection for Police Officer Brandon Paudert
http://brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com/group/officerdown/forum/topics/officer-brandon-paudert-eow-1

Leave a reflection for Police Officer Bill Evans
http://brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com/group/officerdown/forum/topics/officer-bill-evans-eow-may-20-1

God Bless and Stay Safe.

Brotherhood of the Badge

Officer Down

2010-05-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Patrick Ambroise's was killed Saturday night after his Crown Vic was hit and burst into flames trapping Trooper Ambroise in his vehicle. Trooper Ambroise a 4 year veteran on thr dept leaves behind a wife and two young daughters; ages 5 years old and 3 months old.

Please keep Trooper Ambroise's family as well as his FHP and LE family in your prayers.

''Greater love has no one than this, that of a man lay down his life for that of a friend'' ~John 15:13~

http://cbs4.com/local/florida.highway.patrol.2.1696896.html

God Bless and Stay Safe.

Brotherhood of the Badge

Televise the Annual Candlelight Vigil in honor of our fallen Peace Officers'

2010-05-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

Televise the Annual Candlelight Vigil in honor of our fallen Peace Officers'

Televise the Annual Candlelight Vigil in honor of our fallen Peace Officers' facebook page was born on the eve of the 22nd annual Candlelight Vigil by several LEO's and supporters across the U.S..

Thanks to officer.com and the NLEOMF thousands of people across the globe were able to watch the 22nd Annual Candlelight Vigil via live webcast.

It is our sincerest hope that with some work we will be able to one day see this wonderful event honoring our fallen officers' broadcast live on television for all to witness as well as give the general public a little better understanding of who we are (Peace Officers). But more importantly to give those who cannot attend the event in Washington DC the oppurtunity to honor our fallen hero's.

Please join us by becoming our fan and help us with this very noble task. If you are interested in helping us please let us know.

http://www.facebook.com/televiseannualcandlelightvigil

God Bless and Stay Safe

USA Today (paper) honors our 2009 fallen Hero's

2010-05-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Thank You, USA Today, for Honoring our Fallen Heroes

When it comes to honoring the memory of our nation’s fallen law enforcement heroes, the Gannett Co. gets it.

For the second year in a row, the company’s flagship newspaper, USA Today, has donated a quarter-page ad paying tribute to officers killed in the line of duty.

The ad, which appears on page 3D of today's edition (May 13), lists the names of all 116 officers who died in law enforcement service during 2009. And it reminds the family members, loved ones and colleagues of the fallen that a grateful nation will always remember these brave men and women.

Thank you, Gannett and USA Today, for honoring our heroes during National Police Week.

Quick reference for National Police Week

2010-05-13T05:52:00.000-07:00

Quick reference for National Police Week

•Final Roll Call
http://cruzanbadges.com/

•History of Police Week plus facts and figures
http://cruzanbadges.com/History_of_Police_Week.html

•Schedule of Events
http://cruzanbadges.com/Schedule_of_Events.html
http://cruzanbadges.com/2010_Police_Week_UORQ.html

•Greater Cleveland Peace Officer Memorial Society Calender of Events
http://cruzanbadges.com/GCPOMS_GGLT.html

•Officer Down
http://brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com/group/officerdown

Brotherhood of the Badge

History of Police Week

2010-05-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

As many of you know this week marks the 28th anniversary of National Police Week in Washington D.C. as well as the 22nd Annual Candlelight Vigil. Do you know the history of Police Week? We thought in honor of those who have gone before us we would take a moment and give you a little history for this week that is now known worldwide.

In October of 1962 President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-726 proclaiming May 15th of each year as a day to honor all of law enforcement and remember those who have died in service to their country (National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day). In 1994 President William Clinton would amend that law to direct all flags on the US Capital and all federal government buildings be flown at half-staff to remember fallen law enforcement officers.

Little did anyone know that it would actually take 20 years for any organization to actually celebrate or commemorate National Police Week. It wasn’t until August, 1981 that newly-elected National Secretary of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Auxiliary, Suzie Sawyer, would make a motion at the FOP Auxiliary National Post-Conference Meeting to sponsor a National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day Service. The organization would vote in favor of organizing and sponsoring what we now know as National Police Officers’ Week.

The first National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day Service was held in Washington DC on May 15, 1982 on Capitol Hill in the small, beautiful Senate Park. Though only 125 people attended, the FOP saw a lot of promise for future events. It was then that FOP National President Leo Marchetti would vow the FOP’s support in increasing attendance for the activity.

On the eve of the second National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day Service on May 14, 1983, much to the surprise of Police Officers and Auxiliary members who planned to attend, ten young widows came to Washington DC to attend that Memorial Day Service. As you can probably imagine once the survivors met and started sharing stories with them the Police Officers’ emotions started to flow.

After the survivors met a few times with each other they realized a need for a national, peer-supported organization. Concerns of Police Survivors Inc. was then born in 1984.

Later in 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the legislation that allowed the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) to begin raising money for an appropriate monument in Washington DC to honor the fallen law enforcement officers of America. That effort would be spearheaded by Congressman Mario Biaggi, a Democrat from New York who also happened to be the most highly-decorated Police Officer in the history of the New York Police Department.

In 1989, the first annual Candlelight Vigil was held at the site of the soon-to-be constructed National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Judiciary Square located in Washington DC. In October, 1991, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was dedicated by President George Bush. Today that memorial carries the names of over 16,600 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty which now includes 116 from the past year, 2009.

Did you know; Concerns of Police Survivors each year distributes a half million ribbons for law enforcement agencies to tie to their car antennas to call national attention to this day; the US Congress has passed legislation that allows the U.S. Flag to be flown at half staff on May 15; numerous police organizations hold memorial services locally, regionally, and on a statewide level during that week; police departments may have open houses, SWAT team demonstrations, etc. to promote what is know now across the globe as National Police Week?

Facts and Figures:

There are approximately 740,000 sworn law enforcement officers serving in our nation. On average, 150-165 officers are killed in the line of duty each year. Approximately 1 officer is killed every 53-57 hours. Statistics supported by the FBI Behavioral Unit and Center for Disease Control indicate that number to be three times higher in officer suicides each year. About 12% of those figures are female.

1974 would stake claim thus far as the deadliest year in law enforcement (271) and not one incident accounted for multiple deaths. The 1970’s would also claim to be the deadliest decade in our nation’s history; 2,231 or 223 each year.

The deadliest day in law enforcement thus far, also one of the most traumatic days in our Nation’s history is September 11, 2001 when 72 officers were killed in the line of duty protecting you and me. That year would also claim stake to 230 officers killed in the line of duty, an increase of 49% from the 154 officers who died in 2000.

On average 60,000 law enforcement officers are assaulted each year resulting in some 19,000 injuries.

The National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial is located at 4th & E Street in Washington DC and was dedicated in 1991 by President George Bush.

There are approximately 853 federal officers on the Memorial as well as 402 correctional officers and 43 military law enforcement officers; 173 female officers are listed on the Memorial, only 9 of whom were killed prior to 1970.

There are numerous memorials located across our nation honoring our fallen brothers and sisters. To locate these please contact your local law enforcement agency.

One of the greatest ways to honor those who died is to respect those who are working. Respect the law, the people who enforce it, and ask all young people to do the same thing. Lower your flag on May 15th, fly a blue ribbon from your antennae and if possible take the time to attend a ceremony or ceremonies honoring our fallen officers. As always help spread the word so that no officer is ever forgotten. If not throughout the year please take this day to pray for our men and women who put their life on the line day in and day out serving and protecting our families, communities and our beautiful Nation. Take a moment to thank a local Police Officer. I promise we don’t bite.

God Bless you all and may God continue to bless the men and women in uniform.

By Paul H. Bodenhamer III

Sample Proclamation…

Whereas, The Congress and President of the United States have designated May 15 as Peace Officers' Memorial Day, and the week in which May 15 falls as National Police week; and

Whereas, the members of the law enforcement agency of (municipality) play an essential role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms of (municipality); and

Whereas, it is important that all citizens know and understand the duties, responsibilities, hazards, and sacrifices of their law enforcement agency, and that members of our law enforcement agency recognize their duty to serve the people by safeguarding life and property, by protecting them against violence and disorder, and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression; and

Whereas, the men and women of the law enforcement agency of (municipality) unceasingly provide a vital public service;

Now, therefore, I, (title) of (municipality), call upon all citizens of (municipality) and upon all patriotic, civic and educational organizations to observe the week of May (date) - (date), (year), as Police Week with appropriate ceremonies and observances in which all of our people may join in commemorating law enforcement officers, past and present, who, by their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities, have rendered a dedicated service to their communities and, in so doing, have established for themselves an enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights and security of all citizens.

I further call upon all citizens of (municipality) to observe (day), May (date), as Peace Officers' Memorial Day in honor of those law enforcement officers who, through their courageous deeds, have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community or have become disabled in the performance of duty, and let us recognize and pay respect to the survivors of our fallen heroes.

In witness thereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the (municipality) to be affixed.

Ofc. Paul H. Bodenhamer III - Founder
Brotherhood of the Badge
''We Will Never Forget''

''Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.''
John 15:13

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Free live webcast of the 22nd Annual Candlelight Vigil

2010-05-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

We would like to remind you that there is still time to register for the free live webcast of the 22nd Annual Candlelight Vigil.

22nd Annual Candlelight Vigil for
Fallen Law Enforcement Officers

Beginning at 8 PM (EDT) on Thursday, May 13. To register in advance for this free online event, visit www.LawMemorial.org/webcast.

Honoring all of America’s fallen law enforcement heroes.
Thursday, May 13th, 2010 – 8 pm EDT

Presented by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
In partnership with Officer.com.

Brotherhood of the Badge

Drinking and Driving (Or as I call it the ultimate act of selfishness)

2010-04-25T10:14:00.001-07:00

Each year about 16000 lives are taken due to alcohol related accidents. Every half hour someone is killed due to an alcohol related accident. Alcohol is a factor in almost 50% of all accidents. Every other minute someone is seriously injured in an alcohol related crash.

Think about those numbers in the time it took me to write this article 1 person was killed due to an alcohol related accident. In the time it took me to write those facts above 1 person was seriously injured in an alcohol related crash. Based on those statistics think about this right now it is 12:30pm EST, what time is now while you read this? Now how many half hours have passed between those times? That number (based on the US Dept of Transportation) is the number of people killed due to alcohol related accidents. Bet you never realized that did you.

I have been in LE work for close to 9 years and during that span I have seen many families ruined by the selfish act of one individual who makes the conscientious decision to get in a car a drive while under the influence of alcohol. I say conscientious because before you decided to go out that night/day while completely sober you were completely aware of the consequences associated with your actions should you choose to drink and drive (operate under the influence of an intoxicant).

Let’s look at one situation… and see what exactly this gets you. For starters you’re down a vehicle and out a bunch of money, which is actually the least of your worries (or should be). Take for example last night’s scenario…

You one male individual (maybe a successful and good person) went out with a group of friends thinking that was a good way to have a good time. Shortly after supposedly having this good time you make a decision (a conscientious decision) to turn that car on and drive to wherever. Most surely thinking “it will never happen to me”.

Ok now you are driving down the road and because you are so plastered you fail to see a red light at the intersection. You pile through that intersection and just at that time is another car that is also driving through the intersection and is occupied by three females (maybe they are friends of yours or even family who knows). BOOM! In the blink of an eye YOU have just taken the life of one person and seriously injured two others!

Four families will now live with the decision you made. Yes I said four because unfortunately now your family to must live with the burden that YOU KILLED SOMEONE!

Lights and sirens… emergency personnel are responding in the middle of the night,
only to end of having a Police Officer visit three families in the middle of the night one of which he or she will have tell that their daughter/mother is dead. Owe and yes they are also coming to help you.

Now after finally getting you out of your mangled vehicle you are rushed off to the hospital where the doctor is paged and now has to leave her family and spend the entire night trying to fix you! She then after hours and hours of putting you back together so that another life is not taken ends up having to take a strong medication to cure her migraine that she know has from getting no sleep.

Every one of those emergency responders, doctors and medical staff that treated you and tried to revive the three girls will also forever live with that decision you made.

So how cool was that night?! Bet you wished you had learned from the thousands of other selfish individuals who made that same decision.

We can only pray for the families of those three girls and yes we will pray for your family as well.

My personal opinion is that is that you spend the rest of your life behind bars or a good chunk of it contemplating that decision you made.

While I don’t know you I only hope that you did not have children or a wife that to would have to forever live with your decision and possibly without their dad.

God will forgive you and people do change BUT that decision you made is forever etched in stone. One person will never have another day here and you did that!

If you are reading this and have made the same decision this guy did but have by the grace of God not killed anyone please learn from this guy... if you are reading this and now someone who drinks and drives forward this to them.

By Paul Bodenhamer (LE Officer and husband of ER Physician)

Roseburg's Charlie Company Returns Home!

2010-04-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

Douglas County residents are invited to participate Saturday in a procession of vehicles bringing back Oregon National Guard troops returning to the county from Iraq.

“If we have a 20-mile procession, I would have a big smile on my face,” said National Guard Maj. Darren Hoschouer, a Roseburg resident who is executive officer for the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, the parent unit for Roseburg's Charlie Company.

The procession will begin from the Medford armory at 1701 S. Pacific Highway. Vehicles will stage there, following the conclusion of the demobilization ceremony a mile away at Spiegelberg Stadium, 815 S. Oakdale Ave., on the campus of South Medford High School.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. and is expected to last an hour.

Scheduled speakers include Gov. Ted Kulongoski; Major Gen. Raymond F. Rees, adjutant general of the Oregon National Guard; and Medford Mayor Gary Wheeler, said Sgt. Eric Rutherford of the Oregon Military Department's Public Affairs Office.

Beginning at 2:30 p.m., the 325 soldiers who spent the last year in Iraq will march from the armory to the stadium, using Stewart and Holly streets.

The procession to Douglas County will travel along Interstate 5 before exiting at the Harvard Avenue interchange. The vehicles are expected to arrive in Roseburg between 6 and 7 p.m.

Roseburg radio station KQEN, AM 1240, will broadcast live from the ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. News director Brian Prawitz will provide updates as the procession heads to Roseburg and will also cover the parade through town.

Earlier Saturday, the soldiers are scheduled to travel from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state to the Medford armory either by plane or by bus, Hoschouer said. He said he expects the journey will be made by plane, but if it's made by bus, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office will escort the troops going south through the county and back north to Roseburg following the demobilization ceremony.

Residents who have family or friends serving in Charlie Company are also invited to visit with the soldiers before the ceremony. They are expected to be at the Medford armory for 90 minutes to two hours before the ceremony.

“We ask that general members of the public not attend that gathering. There will be time after the ceremony to thank those soldiers and to speak with them,” Hoschouer said.

A second group of National Guard soldiers arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord late Thursday morning. They were stuck during a five-day ban on flights due to floating volcanic ash following an eruption in Iceland. Those 40 soldiers, including about 10 from Roseburg, will be welcomed home during a smaller ceremony tentatively scheduled for April 30 in Ashland.

“We will be recognizing those soldiers and their service, too,” Hoschouer said.

• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 541-957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.

Additional Notes:
So you know...
Residents who want to show their support for soldiers from Roseburg's Charlie Company returning from Iraq are invited to line a parade route Saturday as the soldiers are bused through the streets of Roseburg.

The buses are estimated to be arriving in town from 6 to 7 p.m.
As for the parade route, the buses will exit Interstate 5 at Harvard Avenue, head past the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center and then out onto Garden Valley Boulevard.

From there, the buses will travel west to Stewart Parkway, turn right and then pass Mercy Medical Center on the way to Edenbower Boulevard.

The final leg will take the soldiers along Edenbower to Northeast Stephens Street and then north to the National Guard Armory at 111 General Ave.

Families of Slain Wash. Officers Drop Claims

2010-04-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

BY CHRISTINE WILLMESEN
Seattle Times

Tears rolled down the tired faces of three women who sat side by side on a family-room couch Friday afternoon in Puyallup. They were the two widows and a sister of three of the Lakewood police officers gunned down by Maurice Clemmons four months ago in a coffee shop.

They announced plans to file multimillion-dollar claims against Pierce County, hoping to spark jail reforms and create a safer community. When the Pierce County Sheriff's Department and many in the community verbally attacked them, they were shocked. Much of the public, which had sympathized with these mourning families, now seemed to vilify them.

"We thought this would help with healing," Kim Renninger, widow of Sgt. Mark Renninger, said of the claims. "But it has opened a wound I never expected. What hurts most of all is them calling me greedy."

Bitter comments came from talk-radio callers and anonymous commenters on newspaper and television Web sites.

Renninger and Officers Ronald Owens, Gregory Richards and Tina Griswold were gunned down by Clemmons on Nov. 29.

Lawyers for all four families had announced plans Thursday to file $182 million in claims against the county, saying the Sheriff's Department and jail failed to prevent the officers' deaths by not monitoring jail telephone calls made by Clemmons. He repeatedly vowed that he would kill police officers once he made bail.

On Friday afternoon, the three women said their families have dropped their claims against Pierce County because of the backlash.

"We don't want this ugliness. I just want it to be over," said Kelly Richards, one of the widows.

Owens' sister, Ronda LeFrancois, said: "We were in it for the change. The system is broken. I never would have been able to make it through the tragedy without the community. We'd never throw this back in their face."

A lawyer for Griswold's husband, who filed a claim, said Friday that his client was considering whether to change course, as well.

In the months before the murders, Clemmons can be heard in recorded jail calls telling his wife and other family members that he planned to kill law-enforcement officers. As with all inmates, his phone calls were recorded but not monitored.

The Seattle Times listened to all of Clemmons' recorded telephone calls, having obtained them first under the state's public-records law.

Earlier Friday, the three families said the claims weren't about money but policy changes and revised the claim to reflect their thoughts by dropping the monetary demand.

By Friday afternoon, the families were distraught at the public's negative perceptions and decided they didn't want to pursue the legal claims.

Family members say they don't expect the jail to monitor hundreds of inmate calls a day. Instead they want the county to develop a procedure to evaluate prisoners and listen to calls from those deemed the most dangerous.

"I'm wanting a policy put in place so they monitor phone calls of high-risk inmates -- bottom line," Kim Renninger said. "We see a flaw, and we're trying to put a spotlight on the flaw and fix it. I love and support this county, but I want it a safer place for my kids and families."

Attorney Bob Christie, representing three of the families, said he contacted legal advisers at Pierce County in early March to discuss the families' ideas about monitoring jail recordings. But he said "we got stonewalled." He crafted administrative claims for his clients, intending to force the issue. He assigned multimillion-dollar amounts for damages, a move he now regrets.

Christie said claims are typically filed seeking a dollar amount in damages. However, the $182 million total created a distraction from the purpose of the claims, he said.

"I feel horrible. My approach to this created this backlash," Christie said. "You can blame that on me."

Renninger was upset that Pierce County Sheriff's Department spokesman Ed Troyer acted surprised by the claims and attacked the families in the local media with words like "greed" and "meritless lawsuit."

"It wasn't about the money," she said tearfully.

After the four officers were murdered, the community reached out to the wives and other family members, supporting them emotionally and donating $2 million to an education fund for the officers' nine children.

"People think we're living high off the hog with this $2 million," LeFrancois said. "That's so untrue."

The fund is controlled by a board of trustees that allocates money only to the children's education. The widows and other family have received no money from the account.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Behind the Badge

2010-03-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

How does the spouse of an LEO make it through the uncertainty of what that day or night's shift may bring? Have faith in their abilities, kiss them every time they leave for work, and try not to worry.

(originally published by lawofficer.com)

Behind the Badge
A spouse’s job is just as tough
Elizabeth Angel

Editor’s Note: Last names were omitted from this story at the request of the officers and spouses.

The clock ticking on the wall, the soft chiming as the hour passes yet again, the knock on the door coming just after you fall asleep. There they stand—his partner and lieutenant in formal dress uniforms bringing you the news you fear the most.

This is the worst nightmare of anyone married to a law enforcement officer or LEO. How do the spouses make it through those long days of not knowing and the terrible nights when they put themselves in the position of spouses who have lived it?

There are many uncertainties when you’re married to an LEO, and you’re greeted with those uncertainties daily.

There are times when it can all be overwhelming, especially if you’re not prepared for what life holds in store.

″That is an easy one for me,″ says Sassy. ″I trust his skills and abilities, and I help to make sure he has all the best equipment on his duty belt and has the time and money to attend the best training open to him. Worry is a virus and after you give in to it you can lose sleep and overall quality of life. This is the work my DH is meant to do. He is a professional LEO, who loves every minute of his work. We have an EOW folder if the worst does happen, and we always kiss each other goodbye.″
Jared, an officer who’s also married to a LEO, said, ″We have a plan.

Everything’s in its place in case one of us goes down or there’s an accident. Being in the field I know the risks, and I try not to think about her being out there risking her life as I do mine.″

A Close Call
In December 1995, while on a domestic violence call, my husband, Kelly, and two other officers encountered the suspect who had earlier in the day kidnapped his estranged wife and raped her. During the second call, my husband and his partners encountered the suspect, who waved a gun at them then sped away in his truck.

A short pursuit brought the truck and both patrol cars to a stop in a busy intersection. The man pointed his weapon out the window as the officers continued to try to get him to surrender. What none of them realized is that there was a jeep full of kids in front of the truck.

The suspect left the truck and walked slowly towards my husband’s partner, pulling the trigger on the gun. For some reason he didn’t realize that revolvers had to be cocked for them to fire. He left the officer no choice but to fire on him.

What the officer failed to see in his tunnel vision was a young man trying to stop the suspect from assaulting the officers. The officers’ shot hit the suspects’ legs. It also tore through the young man who was trying to stop the violence. Officers later learned the boy who died was the suspect’s son.

Because we lived in a small community, I always knew what side of town Kelly was patrolling. This day, it was his side of town where the shooting occurred.

Knowing that my husband was involved with this shooting was frightening because no one knew if it was an officer or the suspect who had been shot. I remember the lump in my throat as I waited to hear anything. I finally called the department and spoke to one of his sergeants, who assured me Kelly was all right.

The number of police officers who died in the line of duty from 2001 to 2007 is 1,198, according to the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Web site. That number includes the officers killed during 9/11. According to the National Cops Web site, each year 140 to 160 police officers die in the line of duty. And they leave behind spouses, significant others, children parents and siblings.

There’s support out there for the families of the fallen officers. The spouses of other officers, as well as support groups can help them get through the terrible loss and deal with the bureaucracy and red tape. We learn to deal with the uncertainty of the job. Most of the spouses acknowledge the risks of their job.

Dwelling on the what if’s makes it more difficult to function.

″I have had to make myself switch off when he goes out the door,″ says Heather. ″I used to worry myself sick.

When he arrived home at 5:30 a.m. one morning—and should have been home at midnight—he was greeted by me in floods of tears. He got cross with me and told me that I had to accept that this was his job and that I couldn’t let it affect me this way. It is not an easy way of life.″

″It is difficult for me to let her go to work at times, although she works in the same field as I do,″ says Jason, the spouse of a DO about his wife working in a prison setting. ″I know what goes on behind the walls of a prison and I know what can happen. I worry but I do not think about it constantly, or I would never get anything done.″

Preparation is key, according to the Wives Behind the Badge Web site. If you’re prepared for the event and put it out of your mind, then you don’t think about it so much. Some wives prepare a file with all the information that they need. In case something happens, they’re prepared to deal with what they need to do--whether it is the funeral home, military burial or insurance benefits.

Another Unforgettable Incident
One incident, which occurred in March of 1996, sticks out in my mind as being life-changing for my husband. I had spent the day running errands with our one-year-old, before getting Kelly up for work. He was working graveyard this particular night. He and his partner, Dennis, a county attorney by trade and a reserve officer, were on a domestic violence call when they heard a loud banging coming from the house next door.

Kelly and Dennis went to investigate.
Kelly knocked on the door, standing directly under the outside light. A man came to the door and, in his hand, was a .357--pointed directly at Kelly’s chest. After identifying himself, he tried to get the man to put the weapon down. And Dennis called out from around the corner of the house for the man to drop the weapon, which distracted the man, turning his attention to Dennis long enough for Kelly to try to get out of the line of fire.

As Kelly was moving toward the shadows, the man turned back and pulled the trigger on him. By the grace of whatever deity you believe in, the primer was bad in the bullet and Kelly was safe. The man was arrested. However, Dennis, the county attorney, was now also a victim of this crime. In the end, the charges were dropped and the man got off, but the ramifications were far-reaching emotionally for both men and our families.

Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) happens to police officers at an alarming rate. When you combine the type of work they do with the emotional toll it takes in their lives, it can lead to serious emotional issues that arise not only at work but at home, as well. Kelly is a good man and has never in our entire marriage done anything to make me afraid of him, except once. Although he didn’t mean to, he hurt me and I knew it was PTSD at work. While my case is a mild one, many times the ″civilian public″ doesn’t realize that they’re suffering until someone points it out to them. They deal with the dregs of society and the effects of crime on good people every day. It’s important that there’s a support system there.

Some of the spouses when asked how they deal with the things their husbands share about the job. Some don’t want to hear about the things the men deal with on the job. Others, like me, listen because often there’s no one else for these guys to vent to, and no place to let out the day and find peace again.

When is sharing the information about what he does and sees too much? And how do you deal with it?

″Only one time has he been so upset that he wouldn’t talk to me,″ said Manda, one of the wives from the Wives behind the Badge Web site. ″He has seen many horrible things. But he has to talk about it. I will listen no matter how horrible it is. There are a lot of things I wish I didn’t have to hear, but I appreciate the fact that he trusts me and feels comfortable enough to share everything with me. I think it helps him a lot.″

According to Dr. Ellen Kirschman, author of I Love a Cop, PTSD affects five out of 10 police officers in this country. It’s become an important issue within departments across the country.

Ensuring that their officers are mentally fit to continue the job after a trauma is important not just for the officers but also for their spouses, who know them far better than anyone else.

The summer of 1999, like other summers was eventful. But that summer while on duty, Kelly answered the call of a distressed wife. She and her husband, a patrol officer with the reservation police department, had split up and he was threatening to kill himself.

The officer held up in a local hotel, then left the area, leading the officers on a short pursuit and ending in an intersection where he drew his weapon and aimed it at the officers. They were forced to kill him.

For 780,000 police officers in the U.S. the sad fact is that suicide has been considered and is an occupational hazard. These staggering numbers, according to the American Journal of Psychiatry, are the results of job stress, alcoholism, marital discord and the availability of firearms.
Police officers are commonly referred to as high-risk group for suicide. So far, no comprehensive review has been published about epidemiologic studies among police. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry they systematically explore the occurrence of suicide in police. However, there are no definitive statistics stating the rates of suicides of police officers.

None of the recent nationwide studies slows elevated suicide rates among police. Others studies show inconsistent results. Conclusively, it’s not documented that there’s an elevated suicide rate in police. A particular problem in previous research has been methodological shortcomings. There’s need for further systematic research, and this review points out some strategies of research that do not always work when it comes to diagnosing suicide in police officers.

In Sum
It’s an important part of being the spouse of a police officer to be able to be there and give them that support system they need. Whether an officer is on duty or off, the public must remember that they are people first.

This seems to be overlooked by the public in general, which doesn’t see them as people with families but as the machines that enforce the law and protect them from harm.

Being married to a police officer is a full-time job. The spouses of police officers are the ones to pick up the pieces when things go bad, and they’re the ones who keep it together when things go right. The police family is your family, and its closer than most because, we know that tomorrow it could be any one of us who has to walk that final walk and hear that last roll call.

Elizabeth Angel has been married to a police officer for 16 years. They currently live in the state of Arizona and have two children. Elizabeth is a full-time student, graduating from Ashford University this coming fall, and a writer.

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Quick Action Of Officer Saves Woman

2010-03-23T17:55:00.001-07:00

Officer Down Alert! March 23, 2010

2010-03-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Officer Down Alert!

Brotherhood of the Badge regrets to inform you of tge following brothers we have lost.

Federal Way Officer dies from heart attack on duty.

Officer Brian Walsh suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after responding to a an officer-involved shooting on 26th Avenue, SW.

After the initial response and search for suspects, Officer Walsh was posted on the perimeter to secure the shooting scene. At approximately 6:45 am he was found collapsed in his patrol car.

Read more and leave a reflection:
http://brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com/group/officerdown/forum/topics/officer-brian-walsh-eow-march

California Officer dies from injuries sustanied by a gunshot 30 years prior.

Being fatally shot in the line of duty didn't stop Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. Ira G. Essoe from living another 29 good years.

Paralyzed by a bullet from the chest down in 1980, beset by numerous infections and illnesses over the years, Essoe still enjoyed a loving wife and three children who followed his career into law enforcement - a profession he never stopped loving.

Read more and leave a reflection:
http://brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com/group/officerdown/forum/topics/sgt-ira-g-essoe-eow-feb-4-2010

God Bless and Stay Safe,

Brotherhood of the Badge
brotherhoodofthebadge@yahoo.com
www.brotherhoodofthebadge.ning.com

'Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.''
John 15:13

Officer Down! California Officer dies 30 years after being shot

2010-03-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Brotherhood of the Badge regrets to inform you another brother has gone off duty for the last time.

California Sgt. Dies 30 Years After Being Shot

BY GREG HARDESTY
Orange County Register (California)

Being fatally shot in the line of duty didn't stop Orange County Sheriff's Sgt. Ira G. Essoe from living another 29 good years.

Paralyzed by a bullet from the chest down in 1980, beset by numerous infections and illnesses over the years, Essoe still enjoyed a loving wife and three children who followed his career into law enforcement - a profession he never stopped loving.

Now, the profession is loving him back.

Essoe, 69, died Feb. 4 of "delayed complications" from gunshot wounds he suffered Nov. 6, 1980, during an attempted car theft in Orange, the coroner has ruled. Technically, he succumbed to sepsis, in which the bloodstream becomes overwhelmed by bacteria.

Because all of Essoe's medical issues were determined to be a result of his initial gunshot wounds, his name will be enshrined next year on a California Peace Officers' Memorial Foundation memorial in Sacramento, as an officer who died in the line of duty.

Essoe will be similarly honored in Orange County and likely in Washington, D.C.

"This is a vindication of everything he went through these last 30 years," said his son, whose name also is Ira Essoe, a sergeant with the Sheriff's Department's contract city of San Juan Capistrano.

The younger Essoe, 46, recently recounted a tale he knows by heart, down to every exacting detail.

He was a 17-year-old senior at Ocean View High School when he thought he lost his father forever.

A little after 8 p.m. on Nov. 6, 1980, Essoe and fellow sheriff's investigator Greg "Mike" Brown drove to the Mall of Orange to collect bail on a warrant issued against a relative of an employee at Sears.

As they looked for a place to park their unmarked car, the investigators - wearing plain clothes - saw three men attempting to steal a black 1968 Mustang.

The Inland Empire men - Robert Dustin Strong, 25; David Michael Knick, 23; and David Ray Vogel, 34 - all were parolees with long rap sheets and in need of a getaway car for a planned theft at a nearby supermarket.

Essoe got out of the car and approached one side of the Mustang while his partner walked to the passenger side.

One of the men disarmed Brown at gunpoint, took his gun, told him to lie on the ground and threatened to kill him.

Essoe pulled out his gun, trying to save his partner's life.

The three men fired on Essoe simultaneously.

Numerous rounds narrowly missed him, tearing through the fabric of his shirt.

Then, from behind, Essoe got hit under his left arm, the bullet exiting the top of his chest.

A second bullet - another .45-caliber slug - shattered his ribs, passed through his left lung, blasted two of his vertebrae and severed his spinal cord.

Essoe fell to the ground in a clump, unable to move.

One suspect walked over to him. He reached down and took Essoe's gun and car keys. Strong and Knick sped off in Essoe's vehicle.

Police arrested Strong and Knick about an hour later, after they crashed during a high-speed pursuit on the freeway. Vogel fled on foot and was linked to the crime later while serving time in federal prison on a bank robbery conviction.

Essoe was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Brown was not injured.

Growing up in Budapest during the hardships of World War II, Ira Essoe Sr. had setbacks early. By age 7, he'd endured two bouts of polio, rendering his left leg underdeveloped.

When he was 8, the family moved to America.

The elder Essoe, whose father was a troop commander in the Hungarian army, always knew he wanted to be a police officer. But, for financial reasons, he had to put off his dream job.

Living in Westminster with his wife, Ramona, and three children, Essoe worked several years as a computer analyst and got a master's degree in business administration.

By age 31, he was able to walk away from a nice salary and enter the Sheriff's Academy. For nine years, he thrived as a deputy and, later, as an investigator.

Then, he got shot. The biggest setback of his life had begun.

Essoe's wife, Ramona, never left his side. She became an expert caretaker as he dealt with constant pain and, throughout the years, kidney failure, colon cancer and the loss of both of his legs.

The younger Essoe says his father never complained. "He had to be in such pain, but he never showed it."

Nor did he once regret getting into law enforcement. "Being a cop was the one thing that made him happy," Essoe says. "Ultimately, the way he looked at it, he was still alive. He still had his family.

"His attitude was, 'I can choose to be miserable, or I can choose to be happy."

Essoe says his father's attitude helped inspire him to become a peace officer.

The younger Essoe's siblings, Tony and Ramona, also went into law enforcement.

And, in 2008, the younger Essoe's son, Raymond, was sworn in as an Orange County sheriff's deputy.

The three men involved in the shooting got sentences for attempted murder that ranged from eight to nearly 18 years in state prison.

Essoe's shooting prompted then-Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates to initiate what has become "Project 999," which helps wounded officers and the spouses and orphans of peace officers killed in action.

Essoe was the first California peace officer to die in the line of duty this year and the ninth Orange County Sheriff's Department deputy to die in the line of duty, according to records dating back to 1912.

Some of these fallen officers died in vehicle or motorcycle crashes. The last Orange County deputy shot to death in the line of duty was Bradley Riches, in 1999 in Lake Forest.

Now, with his name to be permanently enshrined on state, county and federal memorials for fallen officers, Essoe's legacy is set.

"Getting this recognition is a small thing, but it means that someone else recognizes what he went through," his son says. "He's finally being recognized for gallantry in battle - not just for getting shot."

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