Current Issue - Deputy Sheriffs' Association of San Diego County

station reports
The Southwest Corner
Imperial Beach by Ryan Ehrlich
Fall is upon us and the temperatures are quickly
starting to drop throughout the county. It seems,
though, that with the drop in temperatures,
people’s natural ability to make good choices
has dropped as well…
I.B. (Night) Spa?
I remember in the academy, sitting in my seat,
listening to all of the seasoned instructors tell
us about how our new careers will provide the
most interesting subject matter for stories later
in life and that we will experience things on
patrol that you just can’t make up. Well, one
of those moments came a few weeks ago when
we received the call of an “Unknown Trouble.”
Basically, the reporting party (RP) had heard
someone calling for help way out in the distance,
but didn’t know where it was coming from and
couldn’t find the person.
Reserve Lt. Gary Reid, Reserve Dep. Percy
Pedroso, and I were first on scene trying to
find these so-called “calls for help.” As we were
walking up this barren, cold bike path at some
wee-hour in the morning, looking for someone
in distress, we could hear a faint voice trying
to get our attention in the distance. As we got
closer and shined our flashlights on the person,
we quickly discovered a male completely stuck
about chest-deep in a giant mud puddle (saying
“puddle” makes it sound tiny, but you could
literally roll a VW Bug into this thing and it
would probably swallow the whole thing up). I
immediately tried to get close to the guy, but was
quickly deterred after starting to sink into the
mud about 30 feet away from him. It reminded
me of quick sand from an Indiana Jones movie,
“Grab the snake!”
Luckily, my beat partner that night, Dep. Steve
Sepulveda, and Sgt. Marilu Marcq were quick
to arrive right after we found him. We tried
hailing for the fire department to respond for
a rescue, but the bike path was so secluded and
narrow, it was not going to happen with a fire
truck. With the quick wit and decisiveness of
Deputy Sepulveda, who thought to grab a rope
from his patrol car, and the help of Lieutenant
Reid and Deputy Pedroso, we were able to win
the tug-o-war against the mud hole and pull
the guy to safety. Unlike a resort and spa, I’m
sure the phrase “Mud Bath” means something
completely different to him now!
Deputy Of The Month
Before shift change, while with Team 3, Dep.
Doug Morse received a call to investigate a 911
hang-up. When he arrived, he encountered a
man standing in his doorway with a large knife
in his hand and two small children with him.
The man told Deputy Morse he was feeling
suicidal and eventually barricaded himself
inside his apartment with the children. Deputy
Morse also heard the male may have had a
loaded shotgun in the residence as well. Against
these difficult odds, Deputy Morse showed his
true colors of why law enforcement was his
career choice.
Deputy Morse kept his composure and patience,
as he talked with the suspect for an extensive
period of time. Deputy Morse was able to
develop a rapport with the suspect, and while
doing so, was able to sneak one of the small
children out the door to safety. Deputy Morse
continued to de-escalate the situation with his
calm demeanor enough for the suspect to give
up the second child and eventually surrender
himself without incident. Looks like a future
Crisis Negotiator to me! Great job, Doug!
A Good Time Had By All…
(Except Two)
Who knew driving a truck that wasn’t yours,
with no license plates, and committing several
traffic violations would get the attention of the
sheriff’s department? Weird, right?! Well, this
next story is about a guy and girl who thought
they were faster than the law.
Reserve Lt. Lyle Mowery had joined us in IB on
what was expected to be another busy Friday
night. There was another home football game
at Mar Vista HS, and, if anything reminded us
of the previous week, it was that ANYTHING
could happen. Late in the evening, Lt. Mowery
spotted a pick-up truck with no plates, driven by
a guy who apparently thought stop signs said,
“Go ahead, it’s no big deal.” Lt. Mowery thought
this particular driver needed an intervention to
remind him of basic traffic safety laws. As the LT
was putting out the stop on the radio, I heard a
definite change in tone in his voice. As soon as
the words “failing to yield” came out across the
radio, we knew the chase was on.
The driver took off in an attempt to get away,
but the LT was right on him the whole time.
DONOVAN J. JACOBS
Attorney at Law • (Retired SDPD)
I REPRESENT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN CIVIL LITIGATION
Personal Injury • Discipline Appeals
Civil Service & Skelly Hearings
If you have any legal questions,
feel free to call:
(619) 445-8650
(619) 466-2335 (FAX)
DonovanJJ@yahoo.com
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24 Silver Star December 2012