FEB 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 2

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 1

FEBRUARY 2021 

On the Cover / 

Feature Story 

On January 6, 2020 a mob of 

protesters, rioters and just 

plain idiots decided they would 

storm the Capitol and do what? 

Take hostages? We look back 

at the day’s heroes and those 

that lost their minds. 

32 

34 

94 

FEATURES 

42 JANUARY 6, 2021, D.C., OUTNUMBERED & UNPREPARED 

58 EUGENE GOODMAN -HAILED A HERO ON CAPITOL HILL 

62 BRIAN SICKNICK - PROTECTED LIVES WHEN IT MATTERED 

70 FORMER HPD OFFICER TAM PHAM - CURIOSITY COST HIM JOB 

72 OFF DUTY VIRGINIA LEOs FIRED FOR STORMING CAPITOL 

DEPARTMENTS 

04 Publisher’s Thoughts 

06 Editor’s Thoughts 

08 Your Thoughts 

18 News Around the State 

26 News Around the Country 

40 Daryl’s Deliberations - Daryl Lott 

78 Marketplace - Discounts for LEOs 

84 Remembering My Hero - Deputy Shane Bennett 

90 Running 4 Heroes 

96 Blue Mental Health with Dr. Tina Jaeckle 

100 Honoring our Fallen Heroes 

107 Gone But Not Forgotten - Detective Pete Mejia 

108 Outdoors with Rusty Barron 

110 Parting Shots 

112 Now Hiring - L.E.O. Positions Open in Texas 

88 

HEALING OUR HEROES, 

by SAMANTHA HORWITZ JOHN SALERNO 

98 

HPOU EDITORIAL, 

by PRESIDENT DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

OUR TEAM 

MICHAEL BARRON 

founder & publisher 

REX EVANS 

editor-n-chief 

MISTY ROBERTS 

executive editor 

DIANE TRYKOWSKI 

creative editor 

RUSTY BARRON 

outdoor editor 

TINA JAECKLE 

contributing editor 

DARYL LOTT 


SAM HORWITZ & JOHN SALERNO 

contributing editors 

DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

HPOU contributing editor 

JANICE VANZURA 

sales mgr / austin 

PHIL PIERCE 

sales mgr / dallas 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

T. EDISON 

light bulb award 

SHERIFF ED GONZALEZ 

HCSO newsletter 

SGT. JAKE SF 

aftermath editor 

DINAH YOYLES 


EMILY HAMER 


JUAN LOZANO 


DAVID NEAL 


CHARLES RABIN 


DAVID OVALLE 


JAY WEAVER 


KIMBERLY MOORE 


ANNETTE BENNETT 

contributing editor / COPS 

The BLUES Police Magazine is published monthly by Kress-Barr, LLC, P.O. Box 2733, League City Texas 77574. The opinions 

expressed in articles, op-eds and editorials are those of each individual author and do not reflect the opinion of 

The BLUES or its parent company. Rebuttals or submission of news articles and editorials may be submitted to: 

The BLUES Police Magazine - bluespdmag@gmail.com. The entire contents of The BLUES is copyrighted© and may not be 

reproduced or reprinted without the express permission of the publisher. The BLUES logo is a Trademark of Kress-Barr, LLC. 

2 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 3

Do You Know What the Most 

Popular Quote Was in 2020? 

“GOD just let this year be over and 

please let 2021 be a better year.” 

Well, if January is any indication, 

we’d better start praying 

for 2022. I’m heartbroken to 

report that we lost twenty-four 

(24) officers in January. That’s 

almost double the number of 

officers killed in January of 

2020. I say killed, because no 

one had died from COVID in January 

of 2020. In January 2021, 10 

had died of COVID. 

Later this month, first responders 

will start receiving the 

vaccine. Regardless of all the 

BS you hear, get the shot and 

protect yourself. I was one of 

the first in January to receive the 

Moderna vaccine and I’ve had 

zero problems. I get the second 

one on Valentine’s day. PLEASE 

get vaccinated and let’s stop this 

senseless loss of life. 

Speaking of senseless loss of 

life, January 6, 2021 was a total 

cluster in D.C. as Capital Police 

Officer Brian Sicknick was 

killed by a mob of angry thugs 

who stormed the steps of the 

Capital and waged a war with 

Capital Police. The Mainstream 

Media continues to refer to the 

mob as Trump Supporters and 

maybe the majority were. Regardless 

of who they supported 

for President, they became thugs 

the minute they began assaulting 

police officers. And, to learn 

that dozens of off duty cops 

from around the country were 

a part of this crazed mob was 

unthinkable. 

Going to Washington to support 

your President is one thing, 

but the minute the crowd turned 

violent and started assaulting 

cops and breaking down barriers, 

those cops in the crowd 

should have rendered aid to 

stop the advance on the Capital, 

not join them. At that moment, 

they became thugs, not cops, 

and they deserve whatever punishment 

comes their way. 

For the family of Brian Sicknick, 

your brother, your dad, 

your husband died a hero. He 

died protecting not only a building 

with people inside. He died 

protecting the very symbol of 

freedom in America, The United 

States Capital. Officer Eugene 

Goodman you too are a hero. 

Goodman, a veteran who served 

two tours in Iraq, created a 

diversion inside the Capital that 

drew these thugs away from our 

Vice President and Congress and 

into a hallway where he knew 

backup would be waiting. His 

actions saved countless lives. 

As for the cops and citizens 

that lost their minds that day 

and decided to storm the Capital, 

America’s law enforcement 

is tracking you down as we 

speak and bringing you all to 

justice. And for the record, this 

isn’t about Trump. Regardless 

of whether he instigated the 

incident or not, people make 

their own decisions. Everyone 

on those steps had a decision to 

make. Sure, you have a right to 

protest and support Trump or 

anyone else for that matter. But 

the minute that crowd turned 

violent and started assaulting 

law enforcement, the right 

choice was to get the hell out 

of there or at least try and assist 

your brothers and sisters in 

BLUE. Anything less and you’re a 

THUG! 

So, where do we go from 

here? What lays ahead in 2021 

and for the next four years under 

Biden? While it’s too early 

to tell exactly what effect Biden 

will have on policing in the 

US, I highly recommend each of 

you join and support your local 

police union, whether it be 

the HPOU, FOP, CLEAT, TMPA, 

DPA, or the TPA. All of these fine 

organizations will fight for you 

and protect your rights as a law 

enforcement professional. They 

also lobby against proposed 

laws that limit your policing 

abilities and increase your liability 

with arrests and use of deadly 

force. 

One such law was introduced 

last summer (06/08/2020) in the 

House was the Justice in Policing 

Act of 2020. This bill addresses 

a wide range of policies and issues 

regarding policing practices 

and law enforcement accountability. 

It includes measures to 

increase accountability for law 

enforcement misconduct, to 

enhance transparency and data 

collection, and to eliminate discriminatory 

policing practices. 

The bill facilitates federal 

enforcement of constitutional 

violations (e.g., excessive use of 

force) by state and local law enforcement. 

Among other things, 

it does the following: 

• lowers the criminal intent 

standard—from willful to knowing 

or reckless—to convict a law 

enforcement officer for misconduct 

in a federal prosecution, 

• limits qualified immunity as 

a defense to liability in a private 

civil action against a law enforcement 

officer or state correctional 

officer, and 

• authorizes the Department 

of Justice to issue subpoenas in 

investigations of police departments 

for a pattern or practice 

of discrimination. 

The bill also creates a national 

registry—the National Police 

Misconduct Registry—to compile 

data on complaints and records 

of police misconduct. It establishes 

a framework to prohibit 

racial profiling at the federal, 

state, and local levels. The bill 

establishes new requirements 

for law enforcement officers 

and agencies, including to report 

data on use-of-force incidents, 

to obtain training on implicit 

bias and racial profiling, and to 

wear body cameras. 

In essence, the government 

is to monitor everything you 

do, how you do it and hold you 

accountable if doesn’t fit their 

agenda. 

Join and support your police 

organization or union today. 


For the first time, in a very long 

$150,000 ..what it won’t get you. 

time, I felt like I stood upon the line 

side by side with some amazing 

men and women. 

We worked together, Deputies 

from Pct. One and other various 

agencies, coupled with nurses, 

doctors, medics and other support 

personnel and we helped a LOT of 

people. 

You watch this World Crisis unfold 

before your very eyes, and it tugs at 

your heart. But, until you’re definitively 

immersed within the storm, 

you really don’t get it. 

I cannot tell you how many senior 

citizens I personally had to drive up 

to me after receiving their vacation 

and, with tears streaming down 

over their mask, waving, and repeatedly 

saying “Thank you!” 

I don’t care who you are, your position 

in life, if you’re a human being 

with just a shred of decency in you, 

a day such as today, will touch your 

heart. 

To witness the orchestrated 

systems of various institutions 

and stellar professionals all come 

together, for one cause, one direction, 

was truly both humbling and 

rewarding. 

For me, it’s been a while since 

I’ve seen so many tears of relief and 

happiness together with an overall 

sense of, I don’t know, normalcy, I 

guess. 

Friend, no politics here at all. I’m 

simply saying, what I personally 

witnessed today was, the uncanny 

miracle of people from all walks 

of life, religions and races come 

together, as one and actually do 

some good, accomplish a lot, all the 

while, enduring one more day of 

this wildly crazy life we’ve all been 

living over the past 10-11 months. 

To everyone I served with today, 

to all those whose tears I saw, today 

was such a privilege, to simply 

serve others with all of you by my 

side. 

• • • 

COMING NEXT MONTH 

The staff at The Blues has thought 

long and hard about taking on 

another challenge. In the end, we 

were like “Why not?” 

So, over the next several months, 

we’re going to be bringing up some 

ancient history, as our younger 

counterparts would say. Though 

ancient, it is a bit harsh. 

Starting with Galveston County 

Sheriff’s Office and Galveston Police 

Department, we’re going to be embarking 

upon a trip down memory 

lane. 

You see, Galveston, like several 

other area Agencies, have embarked 

upon an enormously important 

mission: to preserve their respective 

and collective history. 

We believe, as I’m sure many of 

you do, where we’ve come from 

is paramount to not only who we 

are today but, where we’re going 

tomorrow!! 

Please join us in the new adventure! 

Upcoming Agencies after our 

premiere presentation include, the 

Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the 

Houston Police Department and 

other area agencies who’ve compiled 

a spectacular presentation of 

our local Law Enforcement History. 

As always, we love and appreciate 

you and your support!!! The Blues 

has been around for many years 

and, God willing, coupled with your 

continued support, we’ll be around 

for many, many more. 

God bless. Stay safe. 

FT. WORTH 

6201 NE Loop 820 

HOUSTON 

10310 Wortham Center Dr. 

READY TO SERVE YOU! 

• Range packages available for training & qualifications 

• Discounted Range Memberships for law enforcement 

agencies and officers 

• Firearms, tactical equipment, and more! 

For information contact: 

John Pfister • Director Business Development • 513-342-3028 

ARLINGTON 

5661 S. Cooper St. 

HOUSTON 

9245 FM 1960 Bypass Rd. 

DALLAS 

1915 S. Stemmons Fwy 

HOUSTON 

350 E Nasa Pkwy 

AUSTIN 

1775 Warner Ranch Dr. 

SAN ANTONIO 

722 SW Loop 410 

6 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 7 

Sun - Thurs: 10am – 7pm • Fri & Sat: 10am - 8pm | ShootPointBlank.com

COMMUNITY UNITY IS WHAT 

WE NEED. 

I took this picture before I put 

Bob’s shirt in the wash on Saturday. 

I didn’t think much about 

‘why’ I was taking the picture at 

the time. 

This morning, as I sat thanking 

God for protecting him and 

sending him home last weekend, 

I looked more closely at the picture. 

I thought about the Narcan I 

removed from the left pocket of 

his shirt before adding it to the 

wash. Narcan that I know he has 

used twice, saving two families 

from the pain we experienced 

when we lost Kyle. 

I thought about our friends 

who didn’t come home from 

their shift. I thought about their 

wives and children. I thought 

of all of the men and women 

who carry Narcan and spend 

their days going from call to call 

protecting me, protecting us. This 

shirt is a reminder to all of us 

what law enforcement does all 

day, every day. 

The picture now, as I look more 

closely, past the blood, to the pin 

that states “Community Unity” 

is symbolic of what we need. 

We need less hate. Less hate for 

those who protect us. Less hate 

filled posts and more kindness. 

I am reminded of Pat Scott’s 

words, which seem profound at 

this moment “Will you just stop.” 

KRIS FLETCHER/FACEBOOK 

BIDEN STOPS BUILDING WALL 

On Wednesday, the Biden administration 

ordered that construction 

on the southern border 

wall must come to a stop by 

January 27th. 

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D- 

TX), vice chairman of the Appropriation 

Homeland Security 

sub-committee said that he was 

informed that wall construction 

must halt operations, with an 

exception to “safety” concerns 

where necessary. 

“I received notification that 

in accordance with President 

Biden’s executive order, all CBP 

contractors have now been 

formally notified by CBP Procurement 

to pause construction 

activities on CBP self-executed 

projects. While CBP cannot 

speak on behalf of the U.S. 

Department of Defense or U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers (US- 

ACE), it is expected that DOD and 

USACE are undertaking parallel 

action on CBP-funded border 

wall projects that they are overseeing,” 

Cuellar said. 

Biden also rescinded a 2019 executive 

order that designates the 

southern border an “emergency,” 

allowing the government to shift 

military and counter-narcotics 

budgets to help finance the wall 

effort. 

WHY ARE COPS ASSES ? 

Anyone ever wonder why cops 

are such ‘pricks’? Every shitty, 

rotten, horrible, scary situation 

that exists in life, cops deal with 

it. Repeatedly. Every friggen’ day. 

Your ‘worst day ever’ is just another 

tour. Car accident, homicide, 

rape, robbery, baby mama 

drama, baby daddy drama, family 

dispute over who gets the last 

pork chop that winds up with 

a dinner guest sporting a steak 

knife in the chest, a kid that goes 

missing or runs away, a dad who 

gets tanked up and uses mom 

as a speed bag, a drug overdose, 

hostage situations…...every 

despicable thing that one human 

being can do to another is what 

the police are immersed in every 

day. 

Just this week, police in Newburgh, 

NY were at the scene 

where a wonderful upstanding 

citizen was holding others hostage. 

Earlier this year, this young 

man’s brother charged the police 

with a knife (it was the last 

thing he did on this earth) and 

the present hostage situation 

put the lives of 2 people in peril 

as the perpetrator ranted and 

raved. The police charged him 

and subdued him. What did his 

family do? Well, they charged 

the police of course! Listen, one 

family member was a savage 

who tried to kill the police and 

just a few months later his little 

brother is threatening the lives 

of others while he holds them 

hostage. Just after minimizing 

the threat from this psycho, they 

have to hold off his family who 

tried to rush the police. Just a 

little note, when your ‘emotionally 

disturbed’ family member is 

off his/her meds and is a danger 

to himself or to society and 

the police have to be called to 

the scene, try to remember they 

are the POLICE. If you wanted 

a social worker or a psychologist, 

you should have dialed one 

directly. 

This past month, a young 

NYPD officer gained some notoriety 

when he bought a pair of 

boots for what appeared to be a 

homeless man down on his luck 

on the streets of Manhattan. It 

was a selfless gesture, and the 

story went nationwide. It was an 

opportunity to see the police in 

a kinder, softer light and quite a 

human-interest story. Of course, 

the media wanted to know all 

about the recipient of the benevolence 

- who was he? What 

was his ‘story’? Well, it was 

learned that Mr. Hillman was not 

(and is not) homeless. He has 

a nice apartment in the Bronx; 

he receives Social Security and 

Veteran’s benefits and has a loving 

supportive family in Pennsylvania. 

When asked what he did 

with the boots, he claimed that 

he hid them because he didn’t 

want to be robbed and that they 

were valuable (bullshit - he sold 

them). Mr. Hillman also claimed 

that he intends to sue the photographer 

because he didn’t give 

permission for his picture to 

be taken and he wants a ‘piece 

of the pie’. So, Mr. Hillman is a 

straight up ‘playa’, you. Officer 

DePrimo said that he was going 

to keep the receipt in his bulletproof 

vest as a reminder that 

no matter how hard a day he 

was having, he would know that 

someone else is having a harder 

time and that he would always 

be grateful. Officer DePrimo did 

an honorable thing, but the death 

of his innocence and naiveté has 

begun and, in its place, cynicism 

and disdain may have begun its 

germination. 

Stuff like this happens all the 

time. You call, they come. When 

they come, it is likely that someone 

will be leaving in handcuffs. 

You cannot call the police to 

a violent situation and expect 

that in the end, everyone’s tears 

will be dried, hot chocolate and 

cookies will be handed out to 

be enjoyed by all and “Kumbaya” 

will be heard in the background. 

They are law enforcement officers. 

They enforce the law. You 

do not get to determine how 

they execute their duties. If you 

could have handled the bag of 

shit you called them about, you 

would have. You couldn’t, so just 

shut the hell up and deal with 

the fact that your husband/wife/ 

brother/sister/baby mama/baby 

daddy/child/BFF could very well 

be spending time as a guest of 

the municipality who came to 

answer your call for help. 

Cops hang out with other cops. 

They get each other; they don’t 

have to explain themselves. They 

laugh at things other people 

think are inappropriate. Their 

humor is dark, but they love to 

laugh. They work second jobs, 

and they are Boy Scout Leaders, 

lacrosse, football, soccer, 

hockey and baseball coaches. 

The divorce rate in the United 

States is over 50%, for cops it 

is significantly higher, and with 

good reason. They spend twenty–plus 

years being tired and 

grumpy from the commute, the 

crazy hours, the job and the pain 

in the butt bosses. When they 

walk in the door and the kids 

yell, “Daddy!” (or “Mommy!”) they 

are ready with a big hug, a smile 

and a “What’s up guys?” How, 

you ask, do I know these things? 

I have spent twenty-seven years 

being married to one of them. 

He is one of those big-mouthed 

tough guys who know everything. 

He trusts no one. He is a 

cop’s cop. He has an amazing 

memory and eye for detail that 

is astounding. Anyone who has 

ever worked with him will tell 

you he is probably a little crazy, 

but that he is the best cop they 

ever worked with. For twenty 

years, I watched him walk out 

the door and I always prayed that 

he would come back. There were 

some really close calls, but he 

always made it home. I have never 

taken that for granted, I know 

too well the ache and emptiness 

in the eyes of the survivors of the 

shield. For twenty years, I lent 

my husband to New York City to 

patrol the streets and to keep the 

wolves at bay so that the people 

of that city could live under the 

blanket of security and safety 

that his existence provided; all 

the while knowing that the very 

citizens he protected resented 

his presence. In 2010, our son 

took the oath of office and wears 

the shield his father wore before 

him. Again, I wait each night 

until I hear the key in the door 

before I fall into a deep sleep. 

Cops are asses. It’s what keeps 

them alive and whole, because 

if they let all the crap they deal 

with sink in, it would destroy 

their souls. So, they will deal 

with the things you don’t want to 

believe really happen. They will 

be physically and emotionally 

bruised, battered and blood- 


ied. And at the end of each tour 

when they take off the uniform 

and close their locker, they say a 

brief prayer of thanks for making 

it through the day safely. There 

is one thing that a cop wants 

every day when he or she goes 

into work – just one thing. At 

the end of tour, they want to go 

home. That’s it, just to make it 

home where things are normal, 

boring and safe. When all is said 

and done, that really is their job 

- to make it through the day and 

arrive home safe and sound. 

A WIFE WHO KNOWS 

PASSING OF RETIRED HPD SGT. 

& HELICOPTER PILOT ROBERT 

“BOB” TESSIER 

Robert E. Tessier, a Houston 

Police Helicopter Pilot and Sergeant 

Retired, and a member of 

HPROA & ALEA and the Marine 

Corps League, passed away on 

Thursday January 28, 2021, at the 

age of 72. 

He is survived by his devoted 

wife of 44 years Mardy Tessier; 

son Sam Tessier and wife Paula 

with children Patrick Shawn Tessier 

and Laura Elizabeth Tessier; 

daughter DJ Tessier and wife 

Jessica with children Kaylor Key, 

Grace Tessier, and Riley Tessier; 

son Eddie Tessier; daughter 

Samantha Hepford, her husband 

Scott, and their children Asher 

Alan Hepford and Alegria Ann 

Hepford; and adopted grandson 

Jordan Teel. 

He was preceded in death by 

his parents Eddy E. and Doris L. 

Tessier and his brother James E. 

Tessier and numerous very happy 

puppies all 

waiting to greet 

him. 

Robert began 

his distinguished 

law enforcement 

career 

as he became 

a police officer 

for the City 

of Houston on 

January 8, 1968, 

in Class 37. After 

many years’ 

experience and 

promotions in 

various departments, 

he retired 

from HPD 

on July 7, 1988. 

Robert then 

had additional 

careers in law 

enforcement 

and fire prevention 

in Houston TX, Colorado 

Springs and Manitou Springs CO, 

and Cypress TX. 

Bob and Mardy shared a very 

special love, and he enjoyed everything 

in life with her. Robert 

and Mardy enjoyed their times 

with their loving and special 

grandchildren, near and far. He 

was an avid dog lover and habitual 

“treat sneaker” to the family 

dogs Ghost Rider and Snoopy. 

One of Robert’s favorite activities 

was visiting with his fellow 

law enforcement friends and 

aviation colleagues as often as 

he could; still flying whenever 

possible, helping when he could, 

sharing endless stories, and 

enjoying that special brotherhood 

known only by those in law 

enforcement. 

In his later years Robert was 

focused on everything Fire Department 

related, from spending 

quality time working with 

family on his personal fire truck 

to countless spare-time hours 

researching the histories of fire 

departments across the country. 

The resulting mass of information, 

memorabilia, and images he 

collected over his years devoted 

to that pastime could easily fill a 

few museums. 

His family members appreciate 

all the amazing stories 

and pictures his many friends 

have already posted on Robert’s 

Facebook page and ask that you 

continue to do so to celebrate his 

life. 

EDITOR: The following comments 

were all left on Bob’s 

Facebook Page. As you can see, 

Bob was loved by everyone and 

he will be sorely missed. Soar 

high my friend. 

TO MY FRIEND BOB “DUCK” 

TESSIER. You sir were a great 

role model, mentor, friend, 

officer, and family man. I will 

always appreciate your encouragement 

and friendship over the 

years that I spent with you. You 

treated me and my family as part 

of your family. I have and always 

will admire the love and respect 

you showed for your wife Mardy 

Tessier. 

You truly cared about people 

and invested in their lives. I will 

miss doughnut Wednesday at the 

office, even when you showed 

up at lunchtime with doughnuts! 

I will miss your stories of the 

good ol’ days at HPD! I’ll miss 

going to Myti burger with you 

and hearing the history of your 

old patrol days. I will miss going 

to Austin and seeing you in the 

auditorium while I promoted 

and grew my career with DPS. I 

will always buy a loaf of bread 

at county line BBQ when I go; 

you would always buy Mardy one 

because you knew it was here 

favorite. You were the most selfless 

person I have known, you always 

thought of others first and 

I am proud of what you accomplished 

in your life. You served 

your country as a member of 

the armed forces, you served 

the citizens as a police officer/ 

helicopter pilot and JAFO, you 

served the citizens as a fire marshal, 

you served the citizens as 

a school police officer, and you 

served your neighbors as a security 

guard. You Bob, left a lasting 

impression on so many people 

and your legacy will live on. 

I can never repay you for what 

you have invested in me, but I am 

forever grateful. May you Rest in 

Peace! We have the watch from 

here Bob!!! CAVU 

YOUR FRIEND JAFO 

I am so sorry and heartbroken 

to hear of his passing. He 

and my dad, Don Springer, went 

to Waltrip HS and were police 

officers at HPD. My dad said that 

Bobby’s’ father was the one who 

got my dad interested in being 

a police officer. One of my dad’s 

favorite memories was when he 

and Bobby were kids, they ran 

Bobby’s father’s car battery dead, 

because they forgot to turn the 

police radio off after they finished 

listening to it and when Mr. 

Tessier was ready to leave for 

work, his car wouldn’t start because 

of a dead battery. My dad 

said he and Bobby got into so 

much trouble for that incident. 

My dad has so many memories 

and stories of their time together 

as kids and their time together 

at HPD! Robert will be dearly 

missed... 

A CLOSE FRIEND 

Bob, I’ve known you since I was 

a little girl. I always thought it 

was SO COOL to know a man 

who owned his own firetruck 

(lol). I loved watching the friendship 

you and my dad had, and 

how it extended to Mardy and 

my mom. After we lost my dad, 

you continued that friendship on 

to me, I like to think you knew I 

needed that friendship to somehow 

keep my dad close. It meant 

the world to me, and I should 

have told you that. The love 

you had for your beautiful wife 

is an inspiration to many, and 

the marriage you both shared 

is something to strive for. The 

world has lost another superhero, 

yet another reminder even the 

strongest of men cannot live forever, 

but it sure is comforting to 

know you and my dad are keeping 

watch over us from heaven. 

I know without a doubt you and 

my dad are already sitting down, 

reminiscing of all the stories of 

days past and laughing, just like 

old times. Thank you for being 

such a wonderful friend, it’s 

been an absolute honor to be 

a part of your life. You will be 

forever missed. The photo above 

is Bob (center) with my dad and 

the rest of Rescue Squad 1 (Denver 

Fire Dept) MELODY HARRIS 


SGT Tessier once inadvertently 

gave me the best coaching on 

how to be a supervisor when I 

was a young Officer in my 20s. 

He made a scene before I did and 

had the parties separated and 

under control when I promptly 

arrived on the scene. After realizing 

what was involved, out 

of respect, I asked him how he 

wanted me to proceed with the 

call. 

He asked me how I would 

handle it if he wasn’t there and 

I promptly gave a response that 

included arrest and towing a car 

and giving one of the other parties 

a ride home. He then smiled 

and said that was the perfect 

way to handle the issue and I 

promptly proceeded. 

Afterwards, I realized I had 

just been privileged enough to 

get some excellent coaching on 

how to be a supervisor/ leader 

and have used this approach on 

many scenes that I have been 

on as a SGT during my nearly 32 

years of police supervision. 

I actually had the opportunity 

a few years ago, to have dinner 

with him while we were both 

on duty, him with CFISD and me 

with HPD. The first thing I did 

was revisit this story with him 

and express my great gratitude 

for his guidance and shared wisdom 

that night. I told him that I 

had frequently told that story to 

numerous newly promoted SGTs. 

He was very modest at the direct 

compliment that I was paying 

him, and we had a very warm 

visit that evening that I will never 

forget. What a great police officer, 

supervisor, and exceptional 

man he was. 

GREG BROWN 

I first heard of, and about, Bob 

Tessier about five years before I 

had the opportunity to meet him. 

As I recollect, it was during my 

sophomore year (1972-1973) at 

S.P. Waltrip High School, when 

I was in an English class with 

Bob’s younger sister, Sharron. 

Our teacher (whose name escapes 

me) gave us an assignment 

to write an essay. I do not 

remember what I, or anyone 

else wrote about, but I remember 

what Sharron wrote about: 

her older brother, Bob, who was 

a young Houston Police Officer 

at the time. You could tell that 

Sharron was proud of her brother, 

and the profession he had 

chosen, but you could also sense 

that she was concerned for his 

safety. Her essay, and her presentation 

of it were very good. 

Fast forward in time about five 

years, give or take to May 1977, 

and now I was a young Houston 

Police Officer myself, assigned 

to the Northeast Patrol Division, 

Evening Shift. By then, Bob 

was a sergeant, and was one of 

the sergeants on NE Evenings. 

When we met for the first time, 

I recognized his last name and 

asked if he had a younger sister 

named Sharron and he told me 

he did. I told him I had gone to 

high school with her, and that I 

also knew his younger brother, 

Mickey, who had worked at a 

motorcycle accessory store that I 

frequented while in high school. 

I guess you could say that it was 

one of those “small world” moments. 

I appreciated Bob’s style 

of supervision and identified 

him as one of the supervisors I 

wanted to emulate, should I ever 

make rank. 

Moving forward in time again, 

about three years to 1980, I became 

interested in transferring 

to the Helicopter Patrol Division 

(now known as Air Support) 

to become an Observer (now 

known as Tactical Flight Officer) 

and applied for one of four open 

positions. Miraculously, I received 

a phone call from Sergeant Don 

Cook telling me I had been selected 

for one of the openings. 

By this point in time, Sergeant 

Tessier had transferred from 

NE Patrol to Helicopters, having 

served there as an Observer 

himself, prior to his promotion 

to sergeant. A day or two after 

Sergeant Cook’s call, I received 

a call from Sergeant Tessier 

asking me if I wanted to come 

to “his” shift? In those days in 

Helicopter Patrol, all but a handful 

of the classified personnel 

worked ten-hour, rotating shifts; 

a month of days, followed by a 

month of nights, and so on. Bob 

explained to me that “his” shift 

was on, or about to be on night 

shift, and that it was harder for 

rookie Observers to learn the 

job starting out on nights. He 

went on to explain that since I 

had seniority on one of the four 

new Observers, I could choose 

to go to the other shift, which 

would have put me starting out 

on day shift. I told him that I 

was honored that he had called 

and asked me to come to “his” 

shift, and that I definitely wanted 

to do so. Once again, I had the 

opportunity to observe Sergeant 

Tessier’s supervisory style and 

it confirmed to me even more, 

that should I ever make rank, I 

wanted to incorporate Sergeant 

Tessier’s style of supervision into 

my own. 

In January 1988, I promoted 

to sergeant and left Helicopter 

Patrol. In November 1991, I promoted 

to lieutenant. In February 

1994, I was given the amazing 

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opportunity by Captain John 

Snelson to return to Helicopter 

Patrol as a lieutenant. I remained 

in Helicopter Patrol until my 

own retirement in September 

2006. Even though Bob retired 

from HPD in July of 1988, I would 

like to think that his supervisory 

style lived on in some small way 

through me, and I am sure, many 

others. By the way, in my opinion, 

the hallmark of Bob’s supervisory 

style was that he NEVER 

forgot where he came from, 

meaning, he always remembered 

what it was like to wear a silver 

badge, and not a gold one! 

Rest in peace Bob, my friend, 

and mentor! My condolences 

to Mardy, and the entire Tessier 

family. 

JOHN KING 

LT. (RET) HPD Air Support 

I remember as a kid hearing 

that helicopter over the neighborhood 

and going outside to 

watch as Mr. Tessier would fly 

over the neighborhood. I knew 

he was just doing a “fly-by”, but 

I always thought of it as him 

looking out for/protecting the 

neighborhood. I miss that as an 

adult. R.I.P. Mr. Tessier, you’re flying 

with the angels now, protecting 

all of us! 

STEPHEN CASANOVER 

What a beautiful tribute written 

about a wonderful man. He 

loved his life. Whether it was 

work, family, hobbies (both Fire 

and Police dept related). 

When he was in helicopters, 

I could hear him flying over the 

house and knew he was checking 

on us. 

He loved his wife, kids, grandkids, 

and his fur babies. Giving 

that kind of love- he was loved 

in return. He was loved by his coworkers, 

many, many who were 

called friends. 

He was a wonderful friend to 

our family and will be greatly 

missed. 

But the memories I have of him 

will always have a special part 

of my heart. 

Dean has already welcomed 

him, and they are high above 

looking over us now. (In between 

telling war stories with all the 

other retirees) 

Love, hugs and prayers to all 

my extended family. 

BEVERLY RYAN 

“Bobbie” as my young daughter 

would call him, was an amazing 

human! Bob & Mardy Tessier 

were the absolute best neighbors 

we ever had. My husband 

traveled a lot for work and Bob 

was quick to remind me that 

he would keep an eye on things 

when he was gone. They were 

like grandparents to my children- 

but cooler, giving rides 

on his fire truck, always engaging 

with my daughter when 

she would yell at him from the 

second story window and just 

watching out for us. Hearing this 

news today breaks my heart! 

Sending much love to Mardy and 

the entire family! 

CORINA MARTIN 

I will forever be grateful for 

the friendship Bob and Mardy 

had with my mom and dad. That 

friendship became even more 

special to me when I lost my 

dad, and both Bob and Mardy 

continued their friendship with 

me. Bob, you were truly an 

amazing man, you loved your 

country, your friends, your family 

and your beautiful wife. You 

will forever be missed. Give my 

dad a huge hug for me. I know 

you two are already reminiscing 

of the good old days. Mardy and 

family, the DeHerrera family is 

with you now and always. 

MELODY HARRIS 

It just won’t feel the same 

without Bob weighing in on FB, 

although we were retired HPD, 

his comments gave a sense to us 

that it could be a modern-day 

roll call again. Where we bantered 

about war stories, family 

matters or political concerns. He 

always had a solid opinion leveled 

with common sense. Until 

we meet again, RIP Bob. 

DEE LANGSTON 

Today I said goodbye to an 

amazing man - one who I have 

looked up to for many years. 

He made the world a better 

place with his smile, his service, 

his compassion, and his love for 

life. 

I will never forget the kindness 

he showed to me and my family, 

when others simply walked 

away. 

I will forever love you, Robert 

Tessier. 

Rest easy, Bobby. I’ve lit a candle 

in your honor. 

AMBER LEA LOPEZ 


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HPD Honors Fallen Officer Jason Knox 

New Airbus H125 Bears Jason’s Badge 

Number N2374F - as Aircraft Tail # 

Houston police unveiled its 

latest addition to its aging helicopter 

fleet: an Airbus H125 dedicated 

to fallen Flight Tactical 

Officer Jason Knox. 

The aircraft, obtained through 

a $7.5 million grant through 

the Texas Department of Public 

Safety, was delivered to the 

Houston Police Department’s Air 

Support Division in December 

with the tail number N2374F to 

incorporate Knox’s badge. Knox, 

son to Houston council member 

Mike Knox, died May 2020 in 

an on-duty helicopter crash at 

a Greenspoint area apartment 

complex. 

HPD said the helicopter will 

not be a replacement for the 

crashed MD Helicopter but instead 

stemmed from a grant 

that had been in the works for at 

least four years. 

Police parked the helicopter 

— complete with an Oilers-blue 

pinstripe on the body — on a 

landing pad at William P. Hobby 

Airport next to where a portion 

of Knox’s ashes was scattered. 

Knox’s family, including his 

parents and widow Keira Knox, 

joined the Air Division for the 

dedication ceremony. 

The blue paint pays tribute to 

Knox’s love for fixing old police 

City Councilman Mike Knox, left, Mayor Sylvester Turner and Houston Police Chief 

Art Acevedo check out HPD’s newest helicopter during the dedication ceremony of 

the chopper to the memory of fallen Police Officer/Tactical Flight Officer Jason 

Knox Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021 in Houston. The H125 Airbus incorporates Officer 

Knox’s badge number of 2374 into its registration number, which is N2374F. The 

fuselage also features a vintage HPD blue stripe as a nod to Knox’s passion for the 

department’s history. 

cars. The officer, who joined HPD 

in 2011, had a penchant for replicating 

what police — such as 

his father, a retired HPD officer 

— once used to patrol Houston 

streets in the 1990s and before. 

“Jason would get a kick out of 

all this attention,” the elder Knox 

said. 

The new bird has already taken 

flight over Houston on multiple 

occasions, according to flight 

records. 

Bradley Mark — one of three 

pilots trained to fly the new 

Airbus — called the new aircraft 

the “golden standard” for law 

enforcement aviation. “Sixteen 

more officers will be trained in 

March,” he said. 

“It’s a complex aircraft but its 

stable platform is confidence-inspiring,” 

Mark said. 

Pilots will have better control 

over the tail rotor and are less 

likely to spin out of control, Mark 

continued, like what happened 

in the fatal crash. 

Mark remembered Knox as 

charismatic. The two worked 

together on the night shift. He 

fondly recalled walking off 

meals with Knox on a nearby 

runway in between flights. 

Chief Art Acevedo said the 

new aircraft is better suited for 

Houston’s sweltering weather — 

which can impact a helicopter’s 

lift. Its roll out for patrol will be 

limited because other helicopters 

in the fleet are still airworthy, 

he said. 

“The Airbus will be better suited 

for search and rescue operations, 

firefighting and security,” 

he continued. 

“We want to try to save some 

of the flight hours for the other 

capabilities that it has,” Acevedo 

said. 

The police department has 

lost two aircrafts to crashes in 

the past two years. The helicopter 

from the first crash in July 

2019 — in which Knox was also a 

passenger — remains in disrepair 

and the department is determining 

whether it will be too costly 

to fix. 

Acevedo grounded the HPD 

fleet for at least four weeks in 

response to Knox’s death. By the 

start of the George Floyd protests 

in late May, the police helicopters 

were back in the air. 

The fatal crash happened as 

Knox and pilot Chase Cormier 

were wrapping up an aerial 

search for a possible drowning 

— none was found — in a bayou. 

The aircraft spiraled out of control 

and crashed into an apartment 

clubhouse. 

Cormier was critically injured, 

and he has since retired for 

medical reasons, Houston Police 

Officers’ Union President Doug 

Griffith said. 

Days after the crash, a preliminary 

report from the National 

Transportation Safety Board offered 

few answers as to why the 

aircraft went down. 

Police have not disclosed the 

results of their internal investigation 

into the crash. Acevedo 

said their review is contingent 

on the finalized NTSB findings — 

which could take another year. 

The pandemic has slowed the independent 

agency’s investigation 

into the crash, the chief said. 

Meanwhile, an internal review 

of safety protocols within the air 

division found nothing “problematic,” 

Acevedo said. 

Police ruled out the possibility 

that “hostile action” was a factor 

behind the crash. Investigators 

accused Josue Trajedo-Claros of 

firing a gun at a Department of 

Public Safety helicopter whose 

pilots responded to the HPD 

wreckage. 

Trajedo-Claros remains jailed 

on two counts of aggravated 

assault against a public servant 

and tampering with evidence — 

all felony charges. 


Another Shooting Involving a Thug Who Should Have Been Locked Up 

Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy 

Barrington Shot & Saved by Vest 

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — 

Hours after a Harris County 

sheriff’s deputy was shot multiple 

times, investigators are still 

searching for the suspect’s gun. 

Moises Martinez, 37, is expected 

to appear in court Wednesday. 

It’s unclear what charges 

the suspect will face in connection 

to the shooting. 

He was taken into custody 

about 9 p.m. Tuesday after an 

incident near the intersection 

of Veterans Memorial Drive and 

Forestburg Drive in north Harris 

County. 

Officers were out overnight, 

and well into the morning, 

searching the area for more evidence. 

ATF was out along with 

K-9 officers, canvassing cars and 

homes. 

According to records, Martinez 

was wanted on two felony warrants 

and is no stranger to the 

Harris County Sheriff’s Office. 

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez 

said yesterday two of his 

deputies were responding to 

reports of a suspicious man. 

The officers tried to talk to the 

suspect when they found him, 

but he pulled out a gun and 

began shooting, according to 

investigators. 

Martinez is accused of shooting 

a responding deputy multiple 

times, injuring the officer’s hand, 

back and cheek. 

Gonzalez confirmed the officer 

— later identified as Deputy Barragan 

— was alert and conscious 

when taken to an area hospital. 

He continued to recover 

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Wednesday, and according to the 

sheriff’s office, is awaiting surgery 

for his wounded hand. 

“[Barragan] remains in good 

spirits,” the sheriff’s office 

tweeted. “Doctors are hopeful 

he’ll be released in the next few 

days.” 

The other deputy who responded 

to the scene returned 

fire, but investigators said Martinez 

was not hit. 

The alleged gunman was arrested 

after an hours-long manhunt. 

We welcomed 60 new deputies 

to our Sheriff’s Office family this 

week. The graduation ceremony – 

and each cadet’s pledge to our oath 

of office – was the culmination of 

resilience, teamwork, and a passion 

to serve others. 

Academy Class B1-2020 

This academy class pressed on 

despite the uncertainty and necessary 

restrictions brought on by the 

pandemic, reimagined instruction, 

and the sudden and heartbreaking 

loss of a classmate and friend, Cadet 

Cornelius Anderson. 

B1-2020, you will always be 

remembered for your strength and 

unwavering commitment to be 

there for one another. You vowed to 

carry on Cadet Anderson’s dream 

of becoming a deputy by following 

your calling in the face of hardship. 

Cadet Anderson possessed a 

positive spirit and love for our 

profession that continues to inspire 

everyone at the Sheriff’s Office. His 

memory is sewn into every stitch 

of the uniforms worn by our new 

deputies. 

During their journey, the cadets 

embraced change when academy 

instructors temporarily moved 

in-person classroom instruction to 

a virtual platform. They remained 

flexible when tests were re-scheduled, 

and the hands-on training was 

altered to comply with public health 

measures. 

Most importantly, they closed 

ranks and leaned on each other and 

their instructors through it all. 

To make it to graduation, cadets 

engaged in 1,696 hours of training 

curriculum ranging from classroom 

instruction to simulations to emergency 

vehicle operation. The training 

topics included critical crisis 

intervention, de-escalation techniques, 

tactical communications, 

Texas Penal Code, and Texas Code 

of Criminal Procedure. 

This academy training lays the 

foundation for a deputy’s entire 

law enforcement career and equips 

them with the knowledge, tools, 

skills, and mindset to provide a safe 

and humane response to calls for 

service. The bonds and camaraderie 

built over the past six months will 

last a lifetime. 

This class’s motto is “Be the 

Change.” We cannot think of a 

more fitting motto. Their roles as 

public servants are vital in this 

pivotal moment. At the podium on 

Tuesday, I challenged them to lead 

policing into a new era with empathy, 

respect, and understanding. 

I asked each of them to hold on 

to this sentiment throughout their 

career as peace offers. 

I also challenged those in our 

ranks who came before them to: 

Guide them. Mentor them. Show 

them how to honor the badge they 

wear and carry as a symbol of public 

faith and trust. 

This is just the beginning. These 

deputies are preparing to enter field 

training. It’s another crucial step to 

ensure we’re doing all we can to 

best serve you. 

We are so incredibly proud of 

them and wish them well. Join me 

in celebrating this well-deserved 

achievement. 


More Houston Officers Indicted in 

Wake of Deadly Drug Raid 

A second Houston police officer has been charged with murder and is among 

additional officers who have been indicted as part of an ongoing investigation 

HOUSTON — A second Houston 

police officer has been charged 

with murder and is among additional 

officers who have been 

indicted as part of an ongoing 

investigation into a Houston 

Police Department narcotics unit 

following a deadly 2019 drug 

raid, prosecutors announced 

Monday. 

In all, a dozen officers tied 

to the narcotics unit have been 

indicted after their work came 

under scrutiny following the 

January 2019 drug raid in which 

Dennis Tuttle, 59, and his wife, 

Rhogena Nicholas, 58, were 

killed. 

“The consequences of corruption 

are two innocent ordinary 

people were killed in their 

homes, four police officers were 

shot, one of them paralyzed and 

now all of them will face Harris 

County jurors who will decide 

their fate,” said Harris County 

District Attorney Kim Ogg. 

Officer Felipe Gallegos was 

indicted for murder in Tuttle’s 

death. If convicted, he faces up 

to life in prison, Ogg said. 

Rusty Hardin, an attorney for 

Gallegos, declined to comment 

on the case Monday. 

Five other officers were indicted 

Monday for 

their roles in an 

alleged scheme 

to steal overtime 

payments as part 

of their work 

with the narcotics 

squad. 

Three of the 

officers — Oscar 

Pardo, Cedell Lovings 

and Nadeem 

Ashraf — face first 

degree felony charges of engaging 

in organized criminal activity 

related to theft of a public 

servant and tampering with a 

governmental record. They face 

up to life in prison if convicted. 

Two other officers — Frank 

Medina and Griff Maxwell — 

face second-degree felonies on 

these same charges and could 

be sentenced to up to 20 years in 

prison if convicted. 

Ogg said grand jurors on Monday 

also indicted three retired 

officers who had been indicted 

last year on different charges in 

connection with the case. Two of 

these officers — Clemente Reyna 

and Thomas Wood — were 

indicted on first degree felony 

charges of engaging in organized 

criminal activity related 

to theft of a public servant and 

tampering with a governmental 

record. The third retired officer — 

Hodgie Armstrong — was indicted 

on second-degree felonies on 

these same charges. 

Two former members of the 

unit — Gerald Goines and Steven 

Bryant — had previously been 

charged in state and federal 

court in the case, including two 

counts of felony murder filed 

in state court against Goines. 

Another former officer, Lt. Robert 

Gonzales, was indicted last year. 

Prosecutors allege their investigation 

discovered that the 

indicted officers were part of a 

unit that falsified documentation 

about drug payments to confidential 

informants, routinely 

used false information to get 

search warrants, and lied in police 

reports. 

Prosecutors have accused 

Goines of lying to obtain the 

warrant to search the home 

belonging to Tuttle and Nicholas. 

Goines claimed a confidential 

informant had bought heroin at 

the home. But the informant told 

investigators no such drug buy 

ever happened, authorities said. 

Police found small amounts of 

marijuana and cocaine in the 

house, but no heroin. 

When officers entered the 

home using a “no-knock” warrant 

that didn’t require them to 

announce themselves before 

entering, they were met with 

gunfire. Friends of Tuttle and 

Nicholas say they were not criminals 

and have suggested that 

the couple might have thought 

they were being attacked by 

intruders. 

Five officers, including Goines, 

were injured in the raid. 

In a statement Monday, Houston 

Police Chief Art Acevedo 

blamed the faulty search warrant 

on Goines and Bryant and 

said the other officers, including 

Gallegos, “responded appropriately 

to the deadly threat posed 

to them during (the warrant’s) 

service.” 

A spokesman for the Houston 

Police Officers’ Union did not immediately 

return an email seeking 

comment Monday. The union 

has previously called the charges 

against the former officers a political 

ploy by Ogg. 

Attorneys for family members 

of Tuttle and Nicholas have conducted 

their own investigation of 

the raid and have been battling 

the city and police department 

in court over requests for documents 

and depositions of agency 

officials. 

“These latest indictments confirm 

some of the findings from 

the families’ independent investigation, 

and yet again raises 

two questions: how high does 

the corruption of (the narcotics 

squad) go and why has the city 

and (Houston police) fought so 

hard, still, to conceal the basic 

facts about what happened before, 

during and after the murderous 

raid?” Michael Doyle, one 

of the Nicholas family attorneys, 

said in a statement. 

Since the raid, prosecutors 

have been reviewing thousands 

of cases handled by the narcotics 

unit. 

More than 160 drug convictions 

tied to Goines have been 

dismissed by prosecutors. An 

audit made public in July of the 

narcotics unit found that officers 

often weren’t thorough in 

their investigations and overpaid 

informants for the seizure of minuscule 

amounts of drugs. 


Balcones Heights Sergeant in Critical Condition 

Sgt. Joe Sepulveda Shot at Apartments 

Balcones Heights police 

officer shot while responding 

to burglary call. The officer 

is in critical condition and 

suffered gunshots to his 

neck, shoulder, and possibly 

his arm. 

BALCONES HEIGHTS, Texas — 

Sgt. Joe Sepulveda, a Balcones 

Heights police officer, was critically 

injured Wednesday after a 

shootout with at least two men 

at an apartment complex, officials 

said. 

Sgt. Joe Sepulveda, an 18-year 

veteran of the department, was 

hospitalized after the exchange 

of gunfire, Balcones Heights 

Mayor Suzanne de Leon said. 

Bexar County Sheriff Javier 

Salazar said Sepulveda and a 

fellow officer, Edgard Ortiz, were 

called to the SOL Apartments for 

a report of suspicious persons 

and a possible vehicle burglary 

around 1:30 p.m. 

In the parking lot of the complex 

at 6945 West Interstate 10, 

Sepulveda made contact with 

at least two suspects in a white 

pickup. 

“Something in that truck may 

have made that sergeant feel 

threatened,” Salazar said. 

Sepulveda drew his weapon 

and exchanged fire with the 

people inside the truck. As 

he retreated, Sepulveda was 

shot and fell to the ground, 

the sheriff said. 

Ortiz returned fire while 

dragging his partner to safety, 

then drove him in their 

patrol vehicle to a nearby 

hospital. 

“That officer’s quick-thinking 

actions probably saved 

the sergeant’s life,” Salazar 

said. 

BCSO said on social media 

that it was searching for a man 

and a white pickup in connection 

with the shooting. The post 

included a photo of the man 

wearing what appears to be a 

white sports jersey and a black 

baseball cap. 

Salazar said they have since 

recovered the pickup. 

De Leon described Sepulveda 

as an “amazing person,” and that 

he is expected to have a long 

recovery. 

“I believe because of the quick 

action of officer Ortiz, he’s going 

to pull through,” de Leon said, 

adding that Ortiz has five years 

of EMS experience. “We’re very 

lucky to have him. I call him the 

‘hero’ of the day.” 

More than 20 law enforcement 

vehicles representing multiple 

agencies converged at the location 

after the shootout. Leon 

Valley Police Chief Joe Salvagio 

has his officers help patrol the 

municipality, the sheriff said. 

The suspects may still be 

armed and dangerous, Salazar 

warned. He encouraged anyone 

who sees the suspects to be the 

best witnesses they can be when 

taking down details of the suspects, 

but to not approach any of 

them. People with tips may call 

210-335-6000. 

Laura Laborico, an employee 

of the nearby Howard Johnson 

hotel, heard sirens and police 

speeding to the scene shortly 

after 1:30 p.m. 

Balcones Heights officers often 

make rounds at the hotel, she 

said. 

“We’re very close with all the 

officers in Balcones Heights. 

We know them. It concerns us,” 

Laborico said. 


Two Agents Dead, Three Agents Wounded 

Bloodiest Day in Decades for FBI 

Gunman ambushed slain FBI 

agents with doorbell camera, 

police say Authorities are investigating 

how the operation 

went so wrong, leaving 2 agents 

dead, and three wounded. 

BY MICHELLE MARCHANTE, 

SARAH BLASKEY 

SUNRISE, Fla. — In the bloodiest 

day for the FBI in decades, two 

veteran agents were shot to death 

and three others wounded Tuesday 

morning when a gunman opened 

fire from inside his home as they 

attempted to serve a search warrant 

at an apartment in Sunrise as 

part of a child pornography probe. 

The gunman, not yet identified 

by the FBI, is believed to have 

monitored the approach of the 

agents with a doorbell camera 

and ambushed them through the 

unopened door with a hail of 

bullets from an assault-style rifle, 

law enforcement sources told the 

Miami Herald. 

Two FBI agents were shot and 

killed in a Sunrise, Florida, neighborhood 

attempting to serve a 

warrant on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021. 

(Joe Cavaretta) 

“There are several huge holes in 

the door going outward,” one law 

enforcement official said. 

The murders of agents Daniel 

Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger 

left the FBI reeling, as investiga- 

tors began 

piecing together 

what 

went wrong 

in the type 

of raid that 

usually unfolds 

with 

little attention 

but is 

also fraught 

with danger 

for law 

enforcement. 

Such 

raids are 

commonly 

conducted 

in conjunction with heavily armed 

tactical officers, although Tuesday’s 

operation was not. 

FBI Special Agent in Charge 

George Piro, in a statement read 

Tuesday evening at the FBI’s Miramar 

field office, did not address 

why the FBI’s tactical unit was not 

initially called in to assist before 

the raid. 

“FBI Miami conducts search 

warrants almost daily,” Piro said. 

“They are an essential and important 

part of what we do and we 

thoroughly research and meticulously 

plan for any threats or dangers. 

The vast majority of these 

warrants occur without incident.” 

Piro also said the gunman, 

believed to have taken his own 

life after barricading himself in 

the first-floor apartment, would 

not be identified publicly until his 

family is notified of his death. 

Gunfire exploded just before 

6 a.m. Eastern time on Tuesday 

at the Water Terrace apartment 

complex in Sunrise in a neighborhood 

about five miles northeast of 

the Sawgrass Mills mall. 

The FBI had not provided details 

of the case against the gunman, 

other than to say he was suspected 

of possessing illegal graphic 

images of children. The case was 

being investigated by the FBI’s 

Internet Crimes against Children 

task force and supervised by prosecutors 

based in Fort Lauderdale. 

The FBI obtained the internet 

protocol address for the suspect’s 

computer from an internet service 

provider and then matched that 

with the suspect’s physical address. 

Depending on the evidence 

found in the suspect’s home, the 

FBI and federal prosecutors would 

have likely filed a criminal complaint 

charging him with some 

type of child pornography offense, 

sources said. 

After shooting the agents, the 

suspect barricaded himself inside 

the apartment, while the FBI 

agents called for backup help 

from a heavily armed tactical 

SWAT unit. Coincidentally, there 

was a Broward sheriff’s office 

SWAT unit in the area Tuesday 

morning assisting in the arrest of 

another child porn suspect — but 

one not targeted in the FBI operation. 

The unit rushed to the scene, 

sources said, and was able to extract 

at least one of the wounded 

agents. 

Officers and agents, along with 

paramedics, swarmed the scene, 

as traffic was shut down on nearby 

Nob Hill Road in both directions. 

One agent who was wounded 

was not hospitalized. Two others 

were “transported to the hospital 

and are in stable condition,” the 

FBI said in a statement. 

The victims were taken to the 

trauma unit at Broward Health 

Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale 

as dozens of police officers from 

area agencies gathered to pay 

their respects. President Joseph 

Biden was among many other 

leaders who paid tribute to the 

agents. 

“My heart aches for the families,” 

Biden said in a press briefing 

on Tuesday evening. “I have not 

had an opportunity, nor will I try 

today to contact them, but they 

put their lives on the line, and it’s 

a hell of a price to pay.” 

“Every day, FBI special agents 

put themselves in harm’s way to 

keep the American people safe. 

Special Agent Alfin and Special 

Agent Schwartzenberger exemplified 

heroism today in defense 

of their country. The FBI will 

always honor their ultimate sacrifice 

and will be forever grateful 

for their bravery,” FBI Director 

Christopher Wray wrote in a 

statement. 

Tuesday’s shootings of the FBI 

agents may rival the deadliest in 

the bureau’s history — a bloody 

shootout between a group of 

agents and a pair of bank robbers 

in South Miami-Dade nearly 

35 years ago. 

Killed in that confrontation 

were special agents Ben Grogan 

and Jerry Dove. Grogan, 

*PAGE 29 


Deputy PMs Another Deputy “I’ll f---ing kill them all” 

Polk County Florida Deputy Arrested for 

Threatening to Kill Federal LEOs after Capitol Attack 

BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE 

THE LEDGER, LAKELAND, FLA. 

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — One day 

before Joe Biden was slated to be 

sworn in as the 46th president of 

the United States under the tightest 

inaugural security in the nation’s 

history, a Polk County sheriff’s deputy 

was arrested for written threats 

the deputy allegedly made relating 

to the violence that occurred Jan. 

6 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington 

D.C., according to the Sheriff’s 

Office. 

Deputies arrested 29-year-old 

Peter Heneen, a six-year veteran of 

the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, on 

charges of making threats to kill 

federal law enforcement officers 

and those he deemed “tyrants.” He 

is charged with “written threats 

to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct 

a mass shooting or an act of terrorism,” 

which is a second-degree 

felony. 

“I am angry beyond words,” Polk 

County Sheriff Grady Judd said 

during a Tuesday evening press 

conference. “Having him arrested 

was important. Having him arrested 

before Inauguration Day was even 

more important.” 

Judd said Heneen was communicating 

with another deputy the 

night of Jan. 6, talking about the 

riot of Trump supporters who had 

stormed into the Capitol building, 

leading to the deaths of five people, 

including a Capitol Police officer. 

That’s when Heneen allegedly made 

the threatening comments via Facebook 

private messenger, according 

to the Sheriff’s Office. It was the 

other deputy who turned in Heneen, 

reporting the threats to his commanding 

officer and saying he was 

worried about his friend’s mental 

state. 

“Our deputy who reported this 

is a hero. That deputy did the right 

thing — he gave us information on a 

written threat of a mass shooting or 

act of terrorism,” Judd said, praising 

the informant, whom he would not 

name. Judd did not know his age or 

how long he has worked at PCSO. 

“It’s important to understand 

that words matter and threatening 

words to hurt, to kill, are not acceptable,” 

Judd said. 

[READ: Public employee speech 

and consequence of unlawful action] 

Among Heneen’s statements: 

“Need to make D.C. streets run red 

with the blood of these tyrants — 

should have drug those tyrants out 

in the street and executed them.” 

“I’ll f---ing kill these people. F--- 

the federal government. The FBI 

are corrupt. They’re all corrupt...I’ll 

f---ing kill them all... I have my s--- 

next to my bed ready to go.” 

The other deputy tried to talk him 

down from his anger, warning that 

the authorities may be listening to 

his conversations. 

“I’ll slit their throats if they touch 

any of my family,” Heneen reportedly 

said, adding that he would “take 

the fight to them...me and all the 

other patriots and militias. Any cop 

or military who stands in the way is 

the enemy.” 

Judd said the informant was investigated 

as well, and nothing was 

found in any of his communications 

that indicated he had threatened 

anyone. 

Judd said there was no evidence 

to show Heneen belonged to any 

hate groups or that he had any 

plans to go to Washington, D.C., 

this week, although there has been 

chatter on the internet that another 

riot is planned during the inauguration. 

Heneen had minor infractions on 

his record, including several traffic 

accidents in which he was at fault. 

He received counseling for those. 

He was also ordered at one point to 

shine his shoes and, when he didn’t, 

FBI 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 

he was suspended for eight hours 

for defying his commanding officer. 

Conspiracy theorists have said, 

without any evidence, that the 2020 

presidential election was rigged, 

and votes were changed from 

President Donald Trump to Biden. 

That rumor has enraged those who 

believe it, although dozens of court 

cases challenging election results 

have been dismissed by both Democrat 

and Republican judges at all 

levels, some of whom were appointed 

by the outgoing president. 

“When you have 320 million 

people in a country, you’re always 

going to have conspiracy theorists, 

you’re always going to have people 

who don’t’ agree with the outcome 

of the horse race, the football game 

or the election,” Judd said. “It’s clear 

who won the election and that is 

President-elect Biden, who is taking 

office tomorrow.” 

Judd said the country and law 

enforcement officials didn’t have to 

worry about crazy theories until the 

advent of social media and 24-hour 

news cycles. 

“We are far afield when we take 

these radical comments and say 

that all 320 million people believe 

that. Let’s get away from this 

fringe on the far right and far left 

and get back to the middle of this 

bell curve,” Judd said. “The overwhelming 

majority of people are 

right of center, left of center and 

are God-fearing, good people. I love 

the people of this county, of this 

state, of this nation and there will 

always be white noise and radical 

opposition. And I’m just sorry in this 

environment that we just choose to 

put all this out there.” 

Heneen will be eligible for bail 

following a first appearance before 

a judge. 

53, a two-decade veteran nicknamed 

The Doctor, was one year 

shy of retirement when he died. 

The “Miami Shootout” — which 

left five other agents wounded 

and the two suspects dead the 

morning of April 11, 1986 — was 

a defining moment in the FBI’s 

history. It prompted the bureau to 

make sure all agents were better 

armed, replacing .38-caliber revolvers 

with 9mm semiautomatic 

handguns. 

Tuesday morning’s raid was 

also reminiscent of the 2011 fatal 

shootings of two Miami-Dade 

police detectives while serving 

a warrant at a home in Miami. 

A murder suspect named Johnny 

Simms fatally shot detectives 

Amanda Haworth and Roger Castillo, 

before he was shot dead by 

another officer. 

In 2004, Broward Sheriff’s Detective 

Todd Fatta was fatally 

shot when a task force of officers 

was attempting to serve 

a child porn search warrant 

at a home in Fort Lauderdale. 

His family later sued the police 

agency, saying Fatta would not 

have been shot had the department 

deployed the better-armed 

tactical SWAT unit. 

Tuesday’s shooting shocked 

law enforcement officials at the 

highest levels. 

“Our thoughts are with their 

families and loved ones and 

with their three colleagues who 

were shot in today’s devastating 

events,” acting U.S. Attorney 

General Monty Wilkinson said in 

a statement. “On this dark day, 

we pay tribute to the brave men 

and women of the FBI who put 

their lives on the line every day 

in support of our mission. We 

will never forget the ultimate 

sacrifice made by these special 

agents.” 

Larry Cosme, the national president 

of the Federal Law Enforcement 

Officers Association, said in 

a statement: “This horrible attack 

was a reflection of the violent 

individuals law enforcement officers 

encounter every day. However, 

the coordinated response and 

outpouring of support the news 

has brought, is also a reflection of 

the strength of our law enforcement 

community.” 





San Juan County Deputy Recognized for 

Making 338 DWI Arrests in 2020 

NEW MEXICO NEWS 

BY: KRQE STAFF 

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The San Juan County Sheriff is honoring one of his deputies for 

his work against drunk driving. Deputy Anthony Sanchez received the department’s DWI 

Deputy of the Year. Sanchez has the most DWI arrests last year with 338 and the Sheriff’s 

Office says he’s made drunk driving enforcement a major priority. 

get your 





WORDS BY MICHAEL BARRON 

The final hours of Shop 5152 

It was the early 80’s when I 

finally left the jail and headed 

to patrol. Somehow, I landed on 

the dayshift at District 2. It was 

short-lived. Once I started the 

BLUES, the sheriff promptly moved 

me to nights. Anyhow, as my Sergeant 

will attest, Sundays were 

my day to get into pursuits. Don’t 

know why, but it just seemed to 

happen on a regular basis. 

Maybe it was related to my age. 

I was in my 20’s and every deputy 

on the dayshift was twice my 

age. I’m pretty sure those old day 

heads paid their snitches to run 

from me just to see what I’d do. 

Being the rookie also meant getting 

the oldest car in the fleet – a 

1979 Plymouth Grand Fury with a 

440 Hemi and no damn brakes. 

That was the fastest police car 

I have ever driven but seriously 

after the third or fourth turn, the 

brakes faded into nothing. With 

over 160,000 miles the “Greek” 

would constantly remind me 

“she’s just getting broken in” and 

“treat her with kindness.” Uh-huh. 

Everyone called her the “Beast.” 

So, after 2 plus years of driving 

the “Beast” and watching 

damn near every deputy get a 

new car, I was determined to 

part ways with this old gal one 

way or another. Which brings 

me back to the chases. Most cars 

of the 80’s sucked. They had no 

power and when a crook decided 

to run, there was no way they 

were outrunning a 440 Hemi. So 

even though there were chases, 

they didn’t last long. I had a 99% 

success rate in stopping and 

apprehending crooks that chose 

to be stupid and run. Most of the 

time it involved a minor collision 

with their vehicle due to the lack 

of stopping power of the Beast. I 

was pitting cars long before pitting 

became a thing. 

So, all of this introduction is 

to say, on one beautiful Sunday 

afternoon in October about 

1:35pm, I was headed north on the 

Eastex Freeway to the station to 

turn in some reports. And just as 

I was about to exit at FM1960, I 

see this red Camaro passing cars 

on the inside shoulder doing well 

over 100mph. When he sees me, 

he tapped the brakes, started to 

slow down and then took one 

look at my beat-up old county 

car and said F-it, and off he went. 

By the time we passed Kingwood, 

we were both doing well over 

130mph. 

Now the fastest I had driven 

the Beast was 120, so we were 

in uncharted territory here as to 

how fast she would actually go. 

Obviously, this damn Camaro was 

an SS packing a small block v8 

because no six cylinder would be 

passing 130mph in search of 140. 

In no time at all we were approaching 

FM1314 in Porter and I asked 

dispatch to notify Montgomery 

County I was headed their way, 

and if they had any units available 

on US59 to assist. I might add that 

when Mikie Barron got into a pursuit, 

rarely did the dispatcher hold 

traffic on the radio. Something 

about it occurring so often noone 

would be able to use the 

radio or some such non-sense. 

My arrogance was getting the 

better of me as we approached 

New Caney because the Camaro 

was obviously faster, and he was 

putting a lot of distance between 

us. Oh, hell tell it like it was, I 

could barely see the guy. And 

about that time, I started to smell 

burning oil. That pungent smell 

that fills the air of an accident 

scene when the front half of a 

vehicle is ripped to shreds and the 

engine is all busted up. I looked 

down and the oil pressure was 

falling, and the water temp was 

rising. Oh shit! I knew the old girl 

couldn’t keep this up for long before 

something was going to give. 

About that time, I saw a highway 

patrol coming up from the rear 

and thought aww hell, not letting 

some damn trooper win this race. 

So, I kept my foot to the floor and 

kept on going. Well, kept on going 

another 5 miles or so, and just as 

we approached the county line, 

I heard this high pitched whining 

noise followed by a thunderous 

explosion under the hood, lots 

of smoke and steam and then 

nothing. I coasted to the side of 

the road and I’m pretty sure my 

eyes were starting to water. For 

two years, the first two years of 

my patrol career, the Beast was 

my baby and now she was DOA. 

Man the “Greek” was going to be 

pissed. About this time the trooper 

pulled up behind me and it was 

Ken Tuck, a former deputy turned 

Trooper which seemed more and 

more common back then. He was 

laughing so damn hard. 

“Barron, what the hell did you 

do.” 

Well I guess I decided today 

was the day I’d finally get a new 

car. She was a great ride, but it 

was time to let her go. 

Tuck still laughing says “Did you 

even notice that the guy you were 

chasing exited a couple of miles 

back.? Apparently, he ran out of 

gas and a Montgomery SO deputy 

arrested him. 

No shit. I said Blew up a car AND 

got my man. Uhhhh, you think I 

can get a ride back to Humble? 

“I guess so, and by the way Barron, 

I think your car is on fire” 

Oh shit, all of our stuff is in the 

trunk. 

After we put out the fire, I called 

for a wrecker and sat on the side 

of the highway, reminiscing about 

all the good times we both had 

driving those old Dodges and Plymouths. 

All the chases we started 

and ended with the bad guys 

always asking, “Damn officer! 

What the hell kind of engine does 

that thing have?” 

Not long after that, Tuck got a 

Mustang and he was chasing bad 

guys at Mach 2. Yep those were 

the good ole days. By the way, 

I DID NOT GET A NEW CAR. The 

captain was pissed I blew up the 

fastest car we had and gave me a 

ratty old LTD to drive for the next 

few months. 

I did finally get a new Crown 

Vic – and on the way home I hit 

a deer on FM1960…… but that’s a 

whole other story. 


WORDS BY SGT (RET.) JAKE SF 

Defunded Police, Part II 

Last October I wrote a story for 

The BLUES about the first day our 

city elected to defund our police 

department and replace what 

would have been two academy 

classes with civilian replacements. 

If you read my first story 

recounting that first 12 hours, 

then you already know this city 

was headed for deep shit. Well, 

it’s one giant cesspool now and 

my wife and I are moving to 

Texas. Here’s some of what has 

transpired the past four months. 

If you’ll recall, last September 

our city decided that a non-violent 

social alternative to law 

enforcement was the right thing 

to do in 2020. So, they voted 

and succeeded in defunding the 

police department and replaced 

officers with civilians who supposedly 

were better suited to 

policing than the actual police. 

These replacements were known 

as “Crime Prevention Specialists.” 

If you call 911 and say you need 

the police, a Crime Prevention 

Specialists or CPS Team Member 

would be dispatched. (I swear 

that’s what they call each other, 

Team Members) CPS reports 

to the Civilian Crime Bureau or 

CCB. Now I’m sure you’re asking, 

“what about crimes in progress?” 

Who is going to respond 

to a man with a gun or a robbery 

in progress? Why COP’s of 

course – that’s “CIVILIANS ON 

PATROL.” They are supposedly 

trained to intervene in a non-violent, 

non-lethal interaction 

with citizens to maintain peace 

within the community. I swear 

that’s what they train their “Team 

Members” to do. I have no damn 

idea what that even means. 

What I can tell you is what 

happens when you try that crap 

with a man robbing a convenience 

store at 2am. The “COPs” 

and the “CPS Team Members” 

attempted to “interact” with the 

suspect, excuse me the “troubled 

individual” and he shot all three 

of them plus the store manager 

and made off with the cash 

and scratch off lottery tickets. 

Luckily, the “troubled individual” 

was a terrible shot and all three 

CCB employees lived as did the 

store manager. The “troubled 

individual” was arrested a short 

time later by the REAL COPS one 

town over and charged with four 

counts of attempted murder 

and aggravated robbery. A CCB 

spokesman said if they would 

have had more time to reason 

with the “troubled individual” a 

different outcome might have 

been possible. I swear you cannot 

make this shit up. 

Another interesting side effect 

of hiring civilians to do police 

work, is accidents. I don’t mean 

the slip and fall kind; I’m referring 

to traffic accidents. I witnessed 

first-hand how a minor 

traffic collision turned into 10- 

car pileup with multiple injuries 

and a huge fire. Seems that when 

the CCB was formed, the mayor 

and city council just assumed 

that State Troopers or the Sheriff’s 

Department would work all 

the accidents. Well, the troopers 

did work accidents on the state 

highways but stayed out of the 

city. The local sheriff, who now 

referred to the city as “Whoville” 

declared the city off limits 

and told his deputies to stay the 

hell out of the town and let the 

“Town Clowns” handle all traffic 

accidents. 

So, when the first minor accident 

occurred on CCB’s first day, 

a two-car minor accident on 

Main Street became the talk of 

the town. You see, CCBs Team 

Members didn’t receive any 

training in accident investigation 

much less directing traffic. So, 

when the CPS and COPs arrived 

on the scene, they just flipped 

on the ole Blues Lights on them 

Prius’ and blocked all traffic. 

What they didn’t count on was 

the accident was just beyond a 

curve in the road and oncoming 

traffic couldn’t see those Prius’ 

until it was too late. So, within 

minutes of blocking the road, an 

18-wheeler rounded the bend 

and slammed into two of the 

Prius’, pushing those into the two 

cars involved in the fender bender. 

While a Prius won’t normally 

catch fire, when you destroy the 

car with a semi, expose the battery 

pack which causes sparks, 

which ignites gasoline now leaking 

from one of the cars involved 

in the original accident, you have 

one hell of a fire. And because 

this is all on a hill and the gasoline 

is flowing down hill, on fire, 

and ignites another CPS Prius as 

well as a couple of other cars 

that had been stopped by the accident. 

When it was all said and 

done, 10 cars plus an 18-wheeler 

were destroyed by fire. All 

on their FIRST accident scene. 

Eventually the State was called 

in to work the accident since it 

involved city vehicles. 

I could go on, but I think you 

get the idea. Privatizing a police 

force with inexperienced civilians 

is a recipe for disaster. It 

would be hilarious if it wasn’t 

so tragic. So, we say goodbye to 

Whoville and hello Texas. 

EDITOR: We decided to reprint 

Jake’s first recollection of 

the CCB’s first 12 hours back in 

October of 2020. We think you’ll 

laugh as much as we did. 

On September 4, 2020, our 

city council voted to defund the 

police department I just retired 

from. Effective October 1, 2020, 

the start of the city’s fiscal year, 

the police department and its 

officers was replaced by what 

the city called ‘a non-violent social 

alternative to law enforcement’ 

What you’re about to read 

is what happened in just ONE 

PATROL DISTRICT in the first 12 

hours without a police force. 

October 1, 2020 

012:01 am – Just after midnight, 

I stepped outside to see 

if anything was happening and 

it seemed like a quite night. I 

expected the worse but didn’t 


heard any sirens. No screams for 

help. So, I walked back inside 

and went to sleep. All was well. 

02:20 am – I woke up to the 

sound of my neighbor’s car 

alarm going off next to our bedroom 

window. I looked outside 

and saw several people standing 

by his new black BMW. I grabbed 

my new conceal-carry Glock and 

ran outside and started yelling 

at the men to get out of the car. 

My neighbor was already on the 

front lawn with a golf club (he 

despises guns and says he is a 

non-violent person) and he too 

was yelling at the men to get 

out of his car. One of the men, 

teenagers actually, pointed a gun 

out of the driver’s side and fired 

a shot at my neighbor. Luckily, 

he missed, but my neighbor 

ran inside to get his phone. The 

three boys smoked the tires and 

left the cul-de-sac in a cloud of 

smoke. By this time my wife was 

outside with me. 

“I called 911” she said. 

What did they say? We don’t 

have police, who are they sending? 

“No one, they advised me to try 

and reason with the young men.” 

“Do what? Reason with them?” 

My neighbor re-emerged from 

his house screaming into the 

phone, saying they took his car 

and tried to kill him. The 911 

operator said a Crime Prevention 

Specialist would come out after 

8am to speak with him if he 

liked. He threw the phone across 

the driveway. 

I did my best to calm my 

neighbor and went back inside 

and turned on the citywide scanner. 

For the next 10 hours I was 

glued to the computer and could 

not believe what was happening 

in my city. 

02:50 am – Two blocks away, 

three men in a black BMW 

walked into the corner convenience 

store, pointed a gun at 

the clerk and demanded all the 

money. On the way out the door 

with $45 in cash, an armful of 

beer and cigarettes, they fired 

two shots at the clerk. One hit 

him in the upper arm. A customer 

saw what happened and 

called 911. 911 dispatched an 

ambulance but they waited two 

blocks away for the scene to be 

cleared by police. There were no 

local police, so they had to wait 

30 minutes for a State Trooper 

to arrive. The clerk lost so much 

blood they didn’t know if he 

would survive. 

03:55am – A major accident 

on the Interstate with people 

trapped in a car that was on fire 

was dispatched on the intercity 

radio band. That’s what the 911 

operators were told to do given 

the local agency was now defunct. 

The trooper handling the 

robbery was the closest unit to 

the accident, so he left the crime 

scene and headed to the accident. 

Since there were no detectives 

or crime scene units to be 

called, he turned the scene over 

to a manager the alarm company 

had called. 

04:11am – The trooper arrived 

on the scene of the accident and 

immediately called for backup 

for traffic control. The dispatcher 

said all the units were tied up 

on other city calls. No one was 

coming. The trooper asked one 

of the witnesses what happened, 

and she said the white car that 

was on fire was run off the road 

by a black car that looked like a 

BMW (wait is that my neighbor’s 

car?) The white car struck the 

bridge support and burst into 

flames, while the black car with 

the 3 males inside took off at a 

high rate of speed. 

04:20am – Two more cars 

slammed into the burning vehicle 

on the Freeway. The trooper 

was lucky to be alive. He jumped 

over the guardrail, just before 

the first car slammed into the 

burning hulk of a car. When the 

accident was all said and done. 

One person was dead, and three 

more went to the hospital. 

05:01am - According to 911 

call records, sixty-five calls for 

police service were now holding. 

Twenty-five were in progress 

calls. 

05:16am – A citizen called 911 

to say that he saw a wrecker 

driving at a high rate of speed 

down Main Street. And he was 

dragging what appeared to be 

an ATM machine with sparks 

flying everywhere. Make that 26 

in-progress calls. 

05:25am – A report of a minor 

accident, Main and 33rd Avenue. 

A UPS truck reports his van was 

struck by an object being towed 

behind a wrecker - an ATM I 

assume. 

05:26am – A man walking his 

dog in the 2500 block of 33rd, 

reports a wrecker has struck a 

fire hydrant and water is flooding 

the street. While 911 is talking 

to the gentlemen, the operator 

hears tires squealing and 

the man says a car spun out of 

control on the flooded street 

and has struck his dog. Please, 

please send help. The 911 operator 

calls animal control and the 

wastewater department. Both 

departments are closed and 

don’t open until 8am. 

05:55am Reports come into 

911 that a man is sitting on the 

overpass on the Interstate threatening 

to jump. Troopers are still 

tied up and the 911 operator calls 

the emergency number for the 

county health dept for a social 

worker. Sorry they don’t get in 

until 8am. The Health Dept transfers 

the call to a Suicide Help 

Line. “Can you pass the phone 

to the gentlemen in distress 

please.” What? 

06:10am - Another major accident 

was reported on the feeder 

of the Interstate and Barker Rd. 

The reportee says a black BMW 

ran the red light and slammed 

into a green Honda Civic. Two, 

possible three men crawled out 

of the BMW and car jacked a 

red Toyota that was stopped at 

the light. The lady of the Toyota 

needs an ambulance, she is 

bleeding from the head. The Toyota 

was last seen southbound 

on Barker from the freeway. (I 

called my neighbor. “Hey Fred, 

I think your car is at Barker Rd. 

and the Interstate. It’s been in an 

accident.”) 

06:17am – Reports of shots 

fired at a 24-hr check cashing 

store at the 24,000 Block of 

Interstate 55. Subjects left West 

bound on the feeder headed 

towards Barker driving a black 

4-door car. 

06:35am – A silent alarm at the 

North Side Bank & Trust on 45th 

Avenue. 

06:45am – Citizen reports 

hearing glass breaking in the 

2600 Block of 45th Avenue. 

06:50am – Reports of a wrecker 

driving at a high rate of speed 

on 45th pulling a square piece of 

metal making lots of sparks. And 

same reportee says there is glass 

all over the road and someone 

should get it cleaned up before 

cars get flats. 

07:01am – Alarm company 

calls back says there is glass 

breakage and movement inside 

the bank. A bank representative 

has been notified. 

07:10am – Several motorists 

have called 911 to report flat tires 

caused by what appears to be 

broken glass and metal on 45th 

Street. 

07:35am – 911 receives a call 

from the manager of the North 

Side Bank & Trust asking for a 

police unit. The front of the bank 

has been smashed in and the 

front door is missing. 911 advised 

that a Crime Prevention Specialist 

will be dispatched to his 

location, but they don’t come in 

until 8:00am. The bank manager 

wasn’t happy. 

07:44am – The manager of 

the Corner Convenience Store 

called 911 to ask when a police 

unit was coming to his store to 

take a report. Yes sir, we have 

dispatched a Crime Prevention 

Specialist to your location, they 

should arrive sometime after 

8am. “But I don’t a Crime PRE- 

VENTION specialist, the crime 

has already been committed. We 

know sir, but all crime reports 

are now handled by the Civilian 

Crime Bureau.” The manager, 

now beside himself says, “what 

the hell is the Civilian Crime 

Bureau?” They are the ones dispatched 

to your location sir. 

8:01am – County Health Dept., 

Mental Health Division & Suicide 

Help Line, opens for business. 

“You have 33 new calls for 

service – Press 1 to hear the first 

call.” 

08:05am - Civilian Crime 

Bureau is now open for business. 

“You have 115 new calls for 

service – Press 1 to hear the first 

call.” 

08:35am – MHD-SU is dispatched 

to a call of a man on a 

bridge threatening suicide. When 

MHD-SU arrives, they advise 

there is no one on the bridge. 

They do report a large backup 

on the Interstate just north of 

the bridge where the jumper 

was supposed to be. They hear 

reports of debris on the roadway 

below. (By the way, MHD-SU 

stands for Mental Health Department 

– Suicide Unit.) 

09:00am – CPS (Crime Prevention 

Specialist) Unit 33 is 

dispatched to a report of a car 

burglary in progress at 2409 

Walker Street. The vehicle is a 

2019 Black BMW. The reportee 

will meet you in the driveway. 

Hey that’s next door. Fred CPS are 

on the way...LOL) 

09:05am – CPS Unit 143 can 

you check for a man reported to 

be bleeding from an unknown 

type of injury at the Corner Convenience 

store at Walker and 

Elm. 

09:15am – Any CPS unit clear 

to take a call. We have 85 calls 

holding. 

09:35am – CPS Unit 143 arrives 

at the Corner Convenience and 

is met by the manger. “Yes sir, 

we received a report about a 

man bleeding from an unknown 

injury.” 

“My employee was shot by a 

robber. Are you hear to investigate?” 

“Aw no sir, that’s handled by a 

CPSS unit.” 

“What the hell is that?” asks 

the manager. 

“That a Crime Prevention Spe- 

36 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 37

cialist Supervisory unit sir.” 

09:44am – 911 Dispatch to CPS 

Unit 143. Can you check by with 

CPS33 about two blocks from 

you? He’s requesting backup on 

a reported car break-in and an 

angry man threatening him with 

a golf club. 

09:46am – CPS Unit 143 advises 

the store manager a CPSS unit 

will be dispatched to his location 

within the next 24-48 hours. 

Please don’t touch anything sir 

until they arrive. I have to leave 

sir, there is a situation a couple 

of blocks from here. 

09:50am – CPS Unit 143 to 

dispatch. I’ve arrived with CPS 

Unit 33 and ma’am there’s a man 

beating CPS Unit 33’s Prius with 

a golf club. Is there a CPSS unit 

in the area? Or can you dispatch 

a POLICE unit from a neighboring 

city to assist us? 

09:55am – Dispatch to CPS Unit 

143, CPSS Unit 02 advises that he 

is unavailable to assist but has 

requested a Mental Health Advisory 

Unit to head your way, ETA 

is 45 minutes. 

10:44am – MHA Unit 22 show 

me arrived with CPS Unit 143 and 

CPS Unit 33. Can you dispatch a 

wrecker to our scene for a disabled 

CPS Prius Unit please? 

11:05am – MHA Unit 22 to dispatch, 

we have a CODE 12 at our 

location, can you please dispatch 

an MHA Supervisor to my location? 

11:08am - MHA Unit 22, be 

advised MHA Supervisor Unit 11 

is in route to your location with 

an ETA of 55 minutes. Also, can 

you advise CPS Units 143 and 33 

I need them back in service? We 

are now holding over 200 calls 

for service in the district. 

12:01pm – MHA Unit 11 is on the 

scene with MHA Unit 22, CPS 143, 

and CPS 33. Dispatch, it would 

appear that there has been some 

type of accident at this location. 

I have two damaged CPS Prius 

units and one damaged MHA 

minivan. Can you please dispatch 

a city wrecker and a Municipal 

Damage Assessment Supervisor 

to this location. 

12:30pm. – Well, I’ve heard 

enough, and I need a nap. This 

night shift is kicking my butt. 

I’d better get some rest before 

tonight’s shift starts. I don’t want 

to miss anything. And they said 

retirement was going to be boring. 

* * * 

If you don’t think stupidity can’t 

happen in your city, just defund 

your PD and sit back and watch. 

By the way, MHA, CPS, MDAA and 

MHD are all hiring in our city. 

NOW OPEN BY APPT. ONLY 


Panic & Hysteria in Washington D.C. 

Sometimes current events 

compel me to recall events from 

history. It’s why I like history. 

Most things aren’t unique, so one 

can learn from the past. That is 

exactly why history is taught in 

schools around the world. Some 

people nowadays like “revisionist” 

history where they attempt 

to change how we view persons 

and events from our past, however, 

they can’t undo what was 

done, so we can learn from it, 

nonetheless. 

Recent events led me to consider 

a sweltering day in July 

1864. It was the fourth summer 

of the war. The heat and blood 

overwhelmed the nation in this, 

an election year. There was no 

accurate polling in those days, so 

candidates relied on anecdotal 

information from local newspapers 

to determine their standing 

with voters. According to these 

“polls”, President Abraham Lincoln 

had no reason to believe he 

could win the election in November. 

The country simply was too 

tired to endure the struggle. 

Fatigue is a very real affliction. 

It affects everything, including 

elections. The Confederacy was 

hanging on with the hope that 

the Union would tire of the conflict 

and grant the South independence. 

This was a very real 

possibility as Lincoln’s opponents 

were running on that very 

platform. The election would determine 

the outcome of the Civil 

War. After years of trying to find 

the right general with the right 

plan, Lincoln had his man: U.S. 

Grant. After years of fatigue, rest 

was in sight if the people could 

persevere a bit longer. 

General Grant’s plan differed 

from his predecessors’ due to 

its main ingredients of violence 

and devastation. He believed that 

the Confederacy had to be utterly 

destroyed, including farms, 

towns, houses, roads, livestock, 

crops, and bridges. His overall 

strategy was to fight a war of 

attrition which meant that he 

would sacrifice large numbers 

of men in the effort to annihilate 

the Confederate army. His own 

generals protested vehemently 

when it came time to sacrifice 

their men en masse. As Grant 

moved farther into Virginia, he 

called on his reserves to deliver 

the sledgehammer blows that 

would ultimately defeat his stubborn 

enemy. 

General Robert E. Lee was inflicting 

casualties to the federal 

army on a scale that he hoped 

would swing the Fall election 

in his favor. He was a genius 

tactician trying to avoid Grant’s 

excessive force and the old gray 

fox still had a few tricks up his 

sleeve. Lieutenant General Jubal 

Early was one of them. 

Lee sent Early on a mission to 

take about a third of the army 

and run the federal army out of 

the Shenandoah Valley, which 

he did. Lee had to reconquer the 

breadbasket of the South. On 

his way back to Lee, Early found 

himself between Grant and 

Washington. As he was in camp 

in Maryland, his scouts reported 

that the defenses around Washington 

had changed. The fact 

that a large portion of the federal 

army was used in the defense 

of Washington basically guaranteed 

that the capital would be 

safe. However, Early discovered 

that Grant had cannibalized 

those defenses and took those 

18,000 men south in an effort to 

eradicate Lee’s army. Washington 

was being defended by elderly 

militia and others not fit for front 

line duty. 

General Early had 4,000 cavalry 

and 10,000 infantry troops 

looking down on the Capitol 

dome from the heights of 

the Maryland hills. He couldn’t 

believe that Grant would leave 

the city practically defenseless 

against a Confederate army that 

was not defeated. Early gathered 

his staff to plan Washington’s 

sack. The main things he wanted 

were the warehouses of supplies 

and to capture the bonds, notes, 

and cash located in the U.S. Treasury 

Department. It would be a 

disaster for the Union. 

General Early’s presence did 

not go unnoticed. The citizens 

of Washington and the federal 

employees generally panicked 

and went “berserk” according to 

accounts of the day. The army 

staff officers were thumping 

their chests and putting out distress 

calls wanting Grant to return 

and save them from a force 

of “50,000” that had the capital 

“surrounded.” Grant did not want 

to be distracted from his job of 

wiping out General Lee, but he 

did send some troops via riverboat 

to support the capital. 

General Early was very competent 

and so was his colleague 

and subordinate, General Breckinridge. 

Early was a graduate 

of West Point and Breckinridge 

was actually the youngest person 

ever elected Vice-President 

of the United States at the age 

of thirty-six. These men did not 

want to destroy the city, but 

their very presence was inciting 

panic. The stock market in New 

York learned of the possible loss 

of the US Treasury and stocks 

plummeted. Everybody seemed 

to be operating out of a hysteria 

that was causing mass chaos 

and confusion. That is, everybody 

but one. 

President Lincoln was not 

hysterical. He wasn’t shouting 

orders or running around like a 

headless chicken. He correctly 

surmised that if the Confederate 

troops could have taken the city 

they would have already done 

so. He further surmised that the 

infantry was probably too tired 

to walk even the short distance 

to the city after their long march 

from the west in the summer 

heat and humidity. President 

Lincoln walked out to the outskirts 

of town where the river 

wharves are located to view the 

rebels looking down on him. He 

came under fire. He was the only 

president to come under enemy 

fire while in office. One federal 

officer seeing an unknown civilian 

standing upright in the field 

of fire shouted at the “old fool” 

to get down. He didn’t recognize 

the president. The officer would 

later in life become a justice 

of the Supreme Court (Oliver 

Wendell Holmes). The citizens 

of Baltimore were now petrified. 

The panic was spreading. Lincoln 

knew reinforcements from Grant 

would be arriving soon. He was 

thoughtful about his response. 

Early’s cavalry officers, knowing 

the infantry couldn’t make 

the march before Grant’s reinforcements 

arrived, wanted to 

ride through the panic-stricken 

city as a show of defiance that 

would cause delirium to reign. 

Early was tempted to grant his 

junior officers’ request, but he 

reasoned that somebody had to 

be the “adult in the room.” The 

military objectives had slipped 

through his fingers due to timing. 

He was not about to risk good 

men and horses in a ridiculous 

display of bravado with no military 

objective. Furthermore, such 

conduct might inflame and motivate 

the North. When remembering 

the day years later, he 

said such a display would have 

scared the pants off “old Abe 

Lincoln.” I don’t think it would 

have. 

The old rail splitter from 

Illinois really wasn’t all that 

concerned. He had a hunch that 

the generals on the other side 

of the river were professionals. 

He figured that their troops 

were exhausted, and they had 

no orders or plans to engage in 

another major battle. Rather than 

capitulate to turmoil, he reflected 

on how to calmly assess his 

situation. He didn’t want rumors 

and scuttlebutt to define the day 

so he crafted a brief telegram 

to the citizens of Baltimore who 

believed their city would be occupied 

in short order. The words 

of his telegram to the people 

of Baltimore should be chiseled 

in imperishable granite. They 

should be located among the 

soundest of all advice we receive 

from our elders. They should 

be hidden in our hearts like his 

beloved Gettysburg Address. 

They should admonish us when 

our emotions run away with us. 

Lincoln telegraphed, “Let us be 

vigilant, but keep cool.” 

Seriously? Keep cool? 

Lincoln kept cool and Early 

withdrew. Lincoln’s refusal to 

give up his composure so he 

could think clearly and assess 

events led to his re-election and 

buttressed his country’s resolve 

to complete the task before 

it. Early, too, kept cool and 

marched his beleaguered force 

back to its home ground where it 

would continue to engage its 

enemies for the better part of 

a year. Cool heads and professionalism 

from men on opposite 

sides won the day. These lessons 

from history are there for anyone 

to learn. “Let us be vigilant, but 

keep cool.” 


JANUARY 6, 2021 

WASHINGTON D.C. 

WORDS BY MICHAEL BARRON 

The calm before the storm ... 


Getting information on what 

took place at the Capitol on 

January 6, 2021 is harder than 

gathering intel from the CIA. The 

Capitol Police have released 

very little information and when 

we asked for an interview, they 

politely declined. What we have 

been able to learn is that the 

Capitol Police Department’s top 

brass screwed the pooch and left 

their front-line troops understaffed 

and unprepared for the 

onslaught of protestors turned 

angry mob that stormed the 

Capitol on January 6th. 

One officer that agreed to 

speak on the condition of anonymity, 

citing his department’s 

policy on no speak to the media 

under any circumstances, 

blamed the departments leadership 

for leaving the force understaffed 

and with no clear plan to 

handle the massive amounts of 

protestors. 

He said he was working the 

night shift the night before 

and found it “puzzling” that he 

and his colleagues were sent 

home earlier than expected on 

Wednesday January 6th. And he 

also said nobody asked him to 

come back after the attack. He 

had packed a backpack full of 

protein bars and coffee, expecting 

to work into the afternoon 

after his regular shift ended at 

7 a.m. But instead, he said, top 

brass sent his entire shift home 

at 10 a.m. 

The officer said everybody in 

the department knew in advance 

about the pro-Trump march 

and thought it would be an allhands-on-deck 

situation. 

“Naively, I thought, well, they 

must know something that we 

don’t. Maybe they have intel 

showing they’re not going to 

come up on the Hill,” or “they 

don’t think they’re that violent,” 

he said. 

“I trusted that they knew what 

they were doing by letting us go 

home,” he said. 

“Then, of course, I woke up in 

the afternoon to my wife telling 

me they breached the Capitol,” 

the officer said. 

The officer said he checked 

his phone, expecting to find a 

bunch of missed calls asking 

him to come into work, but was 

shocked to find none at all. 

“They didn’t even try to recall 

us,” he said. 

The officer said he thought 

it was especially odd that his 

bosses would turn down extra 

officers given that many of his 

colleagues were out sick because 

of the coronavirus. 

“Lack of manpower caused the 

entire freaking disaster,” he said. 

“We just didn’t have the numbers.” 

The officer was clear that he 

thought the people ultimately to 

blame for what happened were 

the rioters. 

But he said senior officers 

shared part of that responsibility 

for the low staffing levels and for 

not having other agencies quickly 

on hand to help. He said that 

he wasn’t sure why help was 

declined but that a lot of agencies 

didn’t like to accept outside 

help because “they’re reluctant 

to admit they need it.” 

He said it was the “right call” 

for Capitol Police Chief Steven 

Sund to resign in the wake of the 

siege, as the situation could “absolutely” 

have been avoided. 

“If we had every hand on deck 

and accepted outside help, I do 

believe we could have stopped 

them from getting in,” the officer 

... all hell breaks loose ... 


said. 

Sund told The Washington Post 

that he called for reinforcements 

six times on Wednesday but was 

blocked and ended up getting 

little help. 

The officer said he saw a big 

difference in how his department 

prepared for this summer’s 

Black Lives Matter protests and 

how it tackled the pro-Trump 

demonstration. 

“I worked the George Floyd 

protests over the summer, and 

that was an all-hands-on-deck 

kind of situation. We were all up 

for that. They didn’t send anyone 

home for that,” the officer said. 

“Why wasn’t this taken as 

seriously as they took the potential 

of violence from the George 

Floyd protests? Because they 

took that pretty f---ing seriously,” 

he said. 

The Capitol Police have also 

been criticized over the smaller 

number of arrests made during 

the Capitol siege on Wednesday 

than in BLM protests and anti-Trump 

marches in Washington, 

DC. 

The officer said he could see 

why more arrests weren’t made 

in the moment, because every 

arrest occupies an officer who 

could otherwise help secure the 

area. He gave a possible explanation 

for why more arrests 

were made at other protests. 

He said that some marches had 

“mass-arrest teams” but that he 

didn’t think any were working on 

Wednesday. He said these teams 

were built for situations in which 

a demonstration is peaceful, and 

protesters are trying to get arrested 

“to make a point.” He said 

he wasn’t sure they would have 

been appropriate on Wednesday, 

when every officer was needed 

to defend the Capitol. 

The Capitol Police did not respond 

to The BLUES request for 

confirmation that no mass-arrest 

teams were working on 

Wednesday. The officer said it 

wasn’t clear to him why officers 

didn’t make more arrests when 

the rioters started to retreat. 

“It sort of baffled me for a second, 

but I’m sure the goal was to 

keep as many officers in the field 

as possible,” he said. 

“I’m sure the thinking was ‘We 

got them on camera. We can go 

through and look them up later 

and get them after the fact,’” he 

said. 

He said the disparity in the 

treatment of the Trump mob and 

the BLM protesters could be seen 

as tacit support for the rioters. 

“It looks like we’re favoring 

white nationalists over peaceful 

protesters protesting unlawful 

shootings,” he said. “I get that it 

looks terrible.” 

The officer also addressed two 

videos that appeared to show 

some officers opening barricades 

and ushering people into the 

Capitol complex and one officer 

taking selfies with some Trump 

supporters. Both videos led many 

to question whether the department 

or some of the officers 

were complicit in the breach. 

The officer said that he worked 

with a lot of Trump supporters 

but that none were so fanatical 

as to risk their jobs in aiding an 

insurrection. The officer said that 

he didn’t recognize the cop who 

posed for a selfie with the Trump 

supporters but that he hoped he 

wasn’t inviting that attention. He 

also said he had “no idea” why 

some officers were caught on 

video opening gates and waving 

people through. 

... on top of two officers. 


“Maybe there’s a tactical reason 

for that,” he said. “I don’t 

know of any officer that would 

willingly just stand aside and let 

these guys through. If they did 

it, it’s because they were either 

ordered to or forced to.” 

Since the nightshift was sent 

home at 10am, we can assume 

that both Eugene Goodman 

and Brian Sicknick were both 

assigned to dayshift. Their day 

began at 6:30am with a very 

short briefing on what was taking 

place that day with Trumps 

speech and the protestors. According 

to another officer that 

worked dayshift with Goodman 

and Sicknick, their supervisors 

and top brass were counting on 

the Trump protestors not causing 

a lot of problems. The officer 

asked if additional manpower 

from other agencies would be 

helping out and his supervisor 

said “no.” Most left that morning 

with a sense that someone must 

know something because under 

any other circumstances, other 

agencies and the National Guard 

would already be on-sight. 

The officer went on to say that 

when BLM lead protests in DC, 

specially near the Capitol or 

Whitehouse, tons of officers and 

the National Guard were deployed 

all over DC. Why this was 

different was anyone’s guess. 

When asked where Goodman 

and Sicknick were stationed, no 

one seemed to know or want 

to say. One thing is clear from 

photos taken throughout the day, 

neither officer was wearing riot 

gear. Both had been stationed 

near the entrance to the Capitol 

and were some of the first officers 

to try and hold back the 

crowds. At some point the top 

brass managed to summon additional 

manpower from Metro 

PD and they came equipped with 

riot gear, tear gas and flash grenades. 

With the assistance of several 

officers and others on the scene, 

here is a timeline of what transpired 

leading up to the intrusion 

of the Capitol and the death of 

Officer Sicknick. 

The Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. 

Capitol was a security failure, an 

intelligence failure — or both. 

How could security forces in 

the nation’s capital be so swiftly 

and completely overwhelmed 

by rioters who stated their plans 

openly on a range of social media 

sites? President Trump had 

even tweeted on Dec. 19: “Big 

protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be 

there, will be wild!” 

Washington, D.C., is known for 

its multitude of law enforcement 

agencies — a fact reflected in 

the agencies involved in security 

on Jan. 6. The Metropolitan 

Police Department has jurisdiction 

on city streets; the U.S. 

Park Police on the Ellipse, where 

Trump’s rally took place; the U.S. 

Secret Service in the vicinity of 

the White House; and the U.S. 

Capitol Police on the Capitol 

complex. 

And then there is the National 

Guard. In the 50 states and 

Puerto Rico, the Guard is under 

the command of the governor. 

In Washington, D.C., however, 

the Guard is under the command 

of the president, though orders 

to deploy are typically issued 

by the secretary of the Army at 

the request of the mayor. Others 

weighed in on the use of the 

Guard on Jan. 6 — but exactly 

how that decision was made is 

the subject of debate. 

Here is a timeline of events before, 

during and after the insurrection 

at the Capitol. 

Fall 2020 

The Department of Homeland 

Security produces a threat 

assessment — but it is an overview, 

a DHS spokesperson told 

NPR, focusing on the “heightened 

threat environment during 

the 2020-2021 election season, 

including the extent to which the 

political transition and political 

polarization are contributing to 

the mobilization of individuals to 

commit violence.” 

Late December 

The New York Police Department 

sends a packet of material 

to the U.S. Capitol Police and 

the Washington Field Office of 


the FBI. This raw intelligence — 

bits and pieces of information 

scraped from various social media 

sites — indicates that there 

will likely be violence when 

lawmakers certify the presidential 

election results on Jan. 6. 

But the DHS and the FBI do 

not create an intelligence report 

focused specifically on the 

upcoming pro-Trump rally. That’s 

important because these reports 

go beyond raw intelligence — 

they validate information and put 

it into context that would help 

local law enforcement develop 

a plan. These threat assessments 

or intelligence bulletins 

are typically written as a matter 

of course ahead of high-profile 

events. It’s not clear why this 

didn’t happen. 

Monday, Jan. 4 

The Metropolitan Police Department 

arrests Enrique Tarrio, 

leader of the far-right Proud 

Boys group. He is charged with 

destruction of property and possession 

of high-capacity firearm 

magazines. He’s released the 

next day and told to leave Washington. 

The police had noted that 

D.C. law prohibits anyone from 

carrying a firearm within 1,000 

feet of any First Amendment 

activity. 

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven 

Sund asks permission from 

House and Senate security officials 

to request that the D.C. 

National Guard be placed on 

standby in case the protest gets 

out of control. The Washington 

Post reports: “House Sergeant at 

Arms Paul Irving said he wasn’t 

comfortable with the ‘optics’ of 

formally declaring an emergency 

ahead of the demonstration, 

Sund said. Meanwhile, Senate 

Sergeant at Arms Michael 

Stenger suggested that Sund 

should informally seek out his 

Guard contacts, asking them to 

‘lean forward’ and be on alert in 

case Capitol Police needed their 

help.” 

Tuesday, Jan. 5 

The FBI Field Office in Norfolk, 

Va., issues an explicit warning 

that extremists have plans for 

violence the next day, as first reported 

by the Post. It releases its 

advisory report after FBI analysts 

find a roster of troubling information 

including specific threats 

against members of Congress, an 

exchange of maps of the tunnel 

system under the Capitol complex 

and organizational plans 

like setting up gathering places 

in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and 

South Carolina so extremists can 

meet to convoy to Washington. 

FBI Norfolk officials share 

what they have discovered with 

counterparts in D.C. The head 

of the FBI’s Washington Field 

Office, Steven D’Antuono, later 

says that information is shared 

with the FBI’s “law enforcement 

partners” through the bureau’s 

Joint Terrorism Task Force. That 

includes the U.S. Capitol Police, 

U.S. Park Police, D.C.’s Metropolitan 

Police Department (MPD) 

and other agencies. Officials 

convene a conference call with 

local law enforcement to discuss 

the Norfolk warning. The NYPD 

and Norfolk information contains 

raw intelligence that isn’t yet 

validated or analyzed. Sources 

say the information was worrisome 

because of its specificity 

but was based on one or two 

sources — generally not enough 

to start deploying police or the 

National Guard. 

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel 

Bowser announces that the MPD 

will be the lead law enforcement 

agency and will coordinate with 

the Capitol Police, Park Police 

and Secret Service. “To be clear, 

the District of Columbia is not 

requesting other federal law 

enforcement personnel and discourages 

any additional deployment 

without immediate notification 

to, and consultation with, 


MPD if such plans are underway,” 

Bowser tweets. 

In a letter to the Justice Department, 

Bowser says “we 

are mindful” of events in 2020 

— likely referencing the June 1 

clearing of peaceful protesters 

in Lafayette Square by Park 

Police and other federal law 

enforcement not answerable to 

the city. Police advanced through 

the crowd with little warning, 

firing tear gas and smoke canisters 

shortly before President 

Trump appeared outside for a 

photograph in front of St. John’s 

Episcopal Church. It was later 

reported that the military police 

asked the National Guard if it had 

a “heat ray” weapon the police 

could deploy. The National Guard 

said no. 

That day appears to have profoundly 

influenced the mayor’s 

approach to the Jan. 6 events. In 

her letter, Bowser describes the 

difficulty and confusion of policing 

large crowds while working 

around other law enforcement 

personnel without proper coordination 

and identification. 

Bowser requests, and receives, 

a limited force from the D.C. 

National Guard. The soldiers’ 

number 340, though they are 

unarmed, and their job is to 

help with traffic flow — not law 

enforcement — which is to be 

handled by D.C. police. 

Officials including Chief Sund 

of the Capitol Police brief U.S. 

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., the 

chair of the House Administration 

Committee. “I was told by the 

police chief and the sergeantat-arms 

that everything is under 

control and they had provided 

for every contingency,” Lofgren 

later told The New York Times. 

“That turned out to be completely 

false.” 

Wednesday, Jan. 6 

Just before noon Trump begins 

to address the crowd at the 

Ellipse, behind the White House. 

He claims that “this election was 

stolen from you, from me, from 

the country.” Trump calls on his 

supporters at the rally to march 

on the U.S. Capitol, saying he 

will walk with them. Instead, he 

returns to the White House. 

Around 1 p.m. “We see this 

huge crush of people coming 

down Pennsylvania Ave. toward 

the Capitol,” reports NPR’s 

Hannah Allam. “We follow the 

crowd as it goes up to the Hill, 

toward the Capitol. There’s scaffolding 

set up for the inauguration 

already,” she adds. “But as 

far as protection, all we really 

saw were some mesh barriers, 

some metal fencing and only a 

small contingent of Capitol Police. 

And we watched them being 

quickly overwhelmed.” 

The FBI says multiple law 

enforcement agencies receive 

reports of a suspected pipe 

bomb at the headquarters of the 

Republican National Committee. 

Fifteen minutes later, there are 

reports of a similar device at the 

Democratic National Committee 

headquarters. The agency is 

offering a $50,000 reward for 

information. 

1:11 p.m. Trump finishes his 

remarks. 

1:34 p.m. Mayor Bowser asks 

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy 

for additional Guard forces, according 

to a Pentagon timeline. 

1:49 p.m. Capitol Police Chief 

Sund speaks with the commanding 

general of the D.C. National 

Guard Maj. Gen. William Walker 

by phone and requests immediate 

assistance. 

2-2:30 p.m. Reporter Tom 

Bowman and his producer Graham 

Smith watch from the 

Capitol lawn as D.C. police in 

riot gear move in and out of 


the crowds. Moving to the Senate 

terrace, they see protesters 

smashing the door of the Capitol 

to gain entry, as Capitol Police 

inside work to push them back. 

2:10 p.m. Capitol Police send 

an alert that all buildings in the 

Capitol complex are on lockdown 

due to “an external security 

threat located on the West 

Front of the U.S. Capitol Building. 

... Stay away from exterior windows 

and doors. If you are outside, 

seek cover.” 

The House and Senate abruptly 

go into recess. 

2:14 p.m. Demonstrators arrive 

close to the Senate chamber, as 

seen on video captured by Huffington 

Post reporter Igor Bobic. 

Capitol Police Officer Eugene 

Goodman redirects them to another 

hall where there are additional 

officers. 

2:22 p.m. On a conference call 

with Pentagon officials, D.C. 

Mayor Bowser requests National 

Guard support and Capitol Police 

Chief Sund pleads for backup. 

“I am making an urgent, urgent 

immediate request for National 

Guard assistance,” Sund told The 

Washington Post he said on the 

call. “I have got to get boots on 

the ground.” 

D.C. officials on the call told 

the Post they heard director of 

the Army Staff Lt. Gen. Walter 

Piatt say that he could not recommend 

that his boss, Army 

Secretary McCarthy, approve the 

request and that he did not like 

“the visual” of a line of National 

Guard soldiers in front of the 

Capitol. Piatt disputes this. He 

says that McCarthy ran to the office 

of Acting Defense Secretary 

Christopher Miller for approval 

as soon as he had a specific 

request for assistance from the 

Capitol Police. Piatt says he told 

the others on the call that he 

was not the approval authority 

and that they needed to make a 

plan for how to use the National 

Guard troops if approved. 

2:24 p.m. Trump tweets criticism 

of Vice President Pence: 

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage 

to do what should have been 

done to protect our Country and 

our Constitution, giving States a 

chance to certify a corrected set 

of facts, not the fraudulent or 

inaccurate ones which they were 

asked to previously certify. USA 

demands the truth!” 

2:30 p.m. Acting Defense Secretary 

Miller, Chairman of the 

Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark 

Milley and Army Secretary McCarthy 

meet to discuss the requests 

from Capitol Police Chief Sund 

and Mayor Bowser. 

2:31 p.m. Bowser orders a citywide 

curfew beginning at 6 p.m. 

2:44 p.m. From inside the 

House chamber come reports of 

an armed standoff at the door 

to the chamber. Police officers 

have their guns drawn on someone 

trying to get in. A gunshot 

is heard. A Capitol police officer 

shoots rioter Ashli Babbitt, an 

Air Force veteran from the San 

Diego area, who later dies. 

Three other protesters die in 

the riot from medical emergencies. 

Capitol Police Officer Brian 

Sicknick later dies from injuries 

suffered when he was attacked 

by rioters. Four days later, Capitol 

Police Officer Howard Liebengood, 

who was at the Capitol 

during the riot, dies by suicide. 

3 p.m. Acting Defense Secretary 

Miller determines that all available 

forces of the D.C. National 

Guard are required to reestablish 

security of the Capitol complex. 

Guardsmen are moved from traffic 

points and Metro stations to 

the D.C. Armory and refitted for 

a crowd control mission. Army 

Secretary McCarthy directs the 

National Guard to prepare soldiers 

to move from the Armory 

to the Capitol complex. 

3:04 p.m. Miller provides verbal 

approval for the full activation of 

the D.C. National Guard — 1,100 

members. McCarthy directs the 

D.C. National Guard to initiate full 

mobilization. 

3:26 p.m. McCarthy tells Bowser 

and D.C. Police Chief Robert 

Contee that their request was 

approved. 

3:29 p.m. Virginia Gov. Ralph 

Northam tweets that his team 

is working closely with Mayor 

Bowser, House Speaker Nancy 

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader 

Chuck Schumer to respond 

to the situation. Northam says 

that at the mayor’s request, he is 

sending Virginia National Guard 

members and 200 Virginia State 

Police troopers to Washington. 

3:36 p.m. White House press 

secretary Kayleigh McEnany 

says on Twitter that the National 

Guard is on its way at Trump’s 

direction. 

4:17 p.m. Trump tweets a video 

downplaying the events of the 

day, repeating false claims that 

the election was stolen and 

sympathizing with his followers, 

saying: “I know your pain, I know 

you’re hurt. We had an election 

that was stolen from us. It was a 

landslide election, and everyone 

knows it, especially the other 

side. But you have to go home 

now. We have to have peace. ... 

You’re very special. You’ve seen 

what happens. You see the way 

others are treated that are so 

bad and so evil. I know how you 

feel, but go home, and go home 

in peace.” 

5:02 p.m. One hundred fifty-four 

members of the D.C. 

National Guard depart the D.C. 

Armory. 

5:21 p.m. In a video statement, 

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says, 

“I never thought I’d see a day like 

this in America. All Americans 

should be outraged by this attack 

on our Nation’s Capital.” Hogan 

gives orders to mobilize 200 

Maryland State Police troopers 

and 500 National Guard troops. 

5:40 p.m. NPR’s Tom Bowman 

and Graham Smith see the D.C. 

National Guard arrive at the East 

Front of the Capitol with helmets 

and shields. The area is 

now lined with D.C. police, Prince 

George’s County (Md.) Police and 

other law enforcement. 

6 p.m. Acting Defense Secretary 


Miller authorizes the mobilization 

of up to 6,200 National Guard 

troops from Maryland, Virginia, 

New York, New Jersey, Delaware 

and Pennsylvania, according to 

the Pentagon. 

A curfew begins in Washington. 

6:01 p.m. Trump tweets a message 

to his supporters. “These 

are the things and events that 

happen when a sacred landslide 

election victory is so unceremoniously 

& viciously stripped away 

from great patriots who have 

been badly & unfairly treated for 

so long. Go home with love & in 

peace. Remember this day forever!” 

6:14 p.m. Capitol Police, MPD 

and the D.C. National Guard establish 

a perimeter on the west 

side of the Capitol. 

By 7:15 p.m. “Both chambers 

and leadership offices were 

cleared, and members were 

able to return to business, and 

we began the planning for the 

following day,” Army Secretary 

McCarthy later says. 

8 p.m. The Capitol is declared 

secure. Members of Congress 

return to complete the opening 

and counting of the Electoral 

College votes. 

Thursday, Jan. 7 

3:45 a.m. Pence affirms that 

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris 

have won the Electoral College: 

“Joseph R. Biden Jr. of the state 

of Delaware has received for 

president of the United States, 

306 votes. Donald J. Trump of the 

state of Florida has received 232 

votes.” 

Later that day: Sund resigns. So 

do Michael Stenger, the Senate 

sergeant-at-arms, and Paul 

Irving, sergeant-at-arms for the 

House of Representatives. 

Acting U.S. Attorney for the 

District of Columbia Michael 

Sherwin and the FBI begin to 

announce a series of arrests 

and a variety of federal criminal 

charges against people involved 

in the Capitol attack. 

Sunday, Jan. 10 

The FBI formally warns local 

law enforcement that armed 

protests are being planned for 

all 50 statehouses and the U.S. 

Capitol. The warning says an unidentified 

group is calling on others 

to help it “storm” state, local 

and federal courthouses, should 

Trump be removed as president 

before Inauguration Day. 

Monday, Jan. 11 

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, says 

two Capitol Police officers have 

been suspended. One of the 

suspended officers took a selfie 

with a rioter. The other put on a 

MAGA hat “and started directing 

people around,” says Ryan. He 

chairs the House subcommittee 

investigating police response to 

the riot and says 10 to 15 other 

Capitol Police officers are under 

investigation. Chad Wolf, acting 

secretary of the Department of 

Homeland Security, announces 

he is stepping down. DHS includes 

the Secret Service, which 

will be in charge of security for 

the inauguration. 

Tuesday, Jan. 12 

The U.S. Justice Department 

says it has received more than 

100,000 pieces of digital information 

in response to its call for 

tips about those responsible for 

the Capitol riot. 


U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER 

EUGENE GOODMAN 

Hailed as a Hero on Capitol Hill 

Eugene Goodman, a Capitol 

Police officer who was captured 

on video facing down members 

of the mob that breached the 

Capitol on Jan. 6 and diverting 

them from entering the Senate 

chamber and potentially saving 

lives, was elevated to serve as 

the No. 2 security official in the 

Senate for the inaugural events 

on January 20th. 

As the acting deputy Senate 

sergeant-at-arms, Officer Goodman 

was part of the official 

escort accompanying Vice President 

Kamala Harris to the platform 

outside the Capitol where 

she was sworn into the nation’s 

second-highest office. 

The mention of his name was 

greeted with loud applause 

as he appeared at the arched 

entranceway where rioters 

breached the building exactly 

two weeks earlier. 

Officer Goodman, who was 

filmed and photographed luring 

the mob away from the unguarded 

doors to the Senate chamber 

a minute before they were 

locked, has been hailed as a hero 

on Capitol Hill for preventing 

the invaders from breaching the 

chamber while senators were 

still inside. Officer Goodman’s 

actions gave the lawmakers time 

to evacuate to a secure location 

before the rioters could enter. 

It was a video clip that captured 

not only the terror of the 

day, but the values at stake: a 

lone police officer in the marble 

halls of the U.S. Capitol building, 

facing down a mob of rioters 

who had stormed in bearing 

Confederate flags, weapons and 

vows to reclaim a lost election. 

The footage captured by Huff- 

Post political reporter Igor Bobic 

has gone viral spurring people 

across the world to hail the officer 

as a hero. The U.S. Capitol 

Police have not publicly identified 

him, nor released any information 

about the incident or the 

officer involved. But the world 

knows Officer Eugene Goodman 

as the hero of the day. 

Last month, a bipartisan group 

of lawmakers said they would 

introduce a bill to award Goodman 

the Congressional Gold 

Medal, one of the highest awards 

a civilian can receive in the United 

States. 

For 85 tense seconds on Jan. 

6, Goodman tried to hold back 

dozens of rioters, according to 

the video, twice retreating up a 

flight of stairs. Police experts 

say he wasn’t fleeing, but luring 

the mob away from the Sen- 

ate chambers, where lawmakers 

were sheltering and armed 

officers — including one with a 

semiautomatic weapon — were 

securing the doors. His actions 

likely preempted what could 

have been a violent confrontation, 

Kirk D. Burkhalter, a professor 

at New York Law School and 

a former New York City police 

officer, said in an interview. 

The toll from the attack — five 

deaths, including a Capitol Police 

officer, a protester shot by police 

and three who died of medical 

emergencies — could have been 

far higher if Goodman had made 

different choices, said Burkhalter. 

“These folks had zip ties,” he 

said, referencing images of the 

rioters holding zip-tie handcuffs 

that have emerged since the 

attack. “It’s not unreasonable to 

say that they were ready to take 

hostages. Officer Goodman really 

helped to avoid a tremendous 

tragedy.” 

Friends who have talked to 

Goodman since the riot, including 

two fellow officers and a 

former colleague, said he has 

been ambivalent about the 

limelight. Generally private and 

reserved, the D.C. native has 

started to worry about becoming 

a potential target of far- 


ight extremist groups that have 

vowed to return to D.C. to “even 

the score.” 

“He said he’d do the same thing 

again. He’s not looking for any 

accolades,” said one friend, a 

Capitol Police officer who spoke 

on the condition of anonymity 

because he had not been authorized 

to speak on the issue. “But 

the attention is a little scary for 

him.” 

Neither Goodman nor a Capitol 

Police spokeswoman responded 

to requests for an interview. 

Goodman, 40, grew up in 

Southeast Washington and 

served in the Army from 2002 

to 2006, deploying with the 

101st Airborne Division to Iraq 

for a year, said Cynthia Smith, 

a service spokeswoman. His 

awards include a combat infantryman 

badge, indicating he was 

in ground combat. Those who 

know Goodman said his decision 

to lead the rioters away instead 

of directly engaging them reflects 

his military experience. 

“He was diverting people from 

getting on the Senate floor and 

getting hostages. It was the 

smartest thing that he could 

have ever done,” his colleague 

said. “I don’t know that many 

people who can think on their 

feet like that. His quick thinking 

enabled those senators to get to 

safety.” 

A close friend of Goodman’s, 

who asked to be identified by 

his first name, Terry, out of fear 

of being targeted by far-right 

extremists, said the officer has a 

reputation for being a calm leader 

during emergencies. 

“I’ve always said, if bullets 

start ripping through, I’m finding 

Goodman,” said the friend, who 

has spoken to Goodman several 

times since the incident. “He’s 

been in hostile firefights, so he 

knows how to keep his head.” 

Burkhalter said Goodman 

appears in the video to be doing 

three tactical things simultaneously: 

leading rioters away from 

the Senate chambers, coordinating 

for backup on the second-floor 

landing, and exercising 

extreme restraint to prevent 

injury or loss of life. 

In the first part of the video, 

when Goodman retreats up a 

flight of stairs, he only briefly 

turns his back to the rioters, 

Burkhalter notes. Most of the 

time, he’s backing away with his 

eyes toward the mob, suggesting 

that he is not running away from 

them but attempting to lead 

them somewhere. When Goodman 

reaches the second-floor 

landing, he glances to his left, 

where the entrance to the Senate 

chambers is located. 

At this point, he makes a risky 

decision, Burkhalter said. He 

opens his collapsible baton — 

which had fallen on the floor 

earlier — and lightly pushes the 

man leading the mob of rioters, 

later identified as Douglas 

A. Jensen, 41, from Des Moines. 

Jensen briefly looks toward the 

Senate chambers, then follows 

Goodman, who is walking in 

the other direction and toward 

backup. In an indictment unsealed 

last month, prosecutors 

said Jensen told investigators he 

positioned himself at the front 

of the mob because he wanted 

his T-shirt, promoting the rightwing 

conspiracy-theory group 

QAnon, to be visible. He faces 

charges including trespassing, 

obstructing police during a civil 

disorder and resisting officers. 

“In pushing him, the lead rioter, 

he’s attempting to get him to 

follow along,” Burkhalter said 

of Goodman. “He’s trying to bait 

them.” 

Bobic, the reporter who filmed 

the video, said he realized days 

after the attack that the Senate 

doors were sealed just minutes 

before Goodman had lured the 

rioters away. “If they had just 

gone right instead of left,” Bobic 

said in an interview, the intruders 

might have reached the 

lawmakers. 

Keith Taylor, a professor at 

John Jay College of Criminal 

Justice and another former New 

York City police officer who reviewed 

the video, said Goodman 

showed significant situational 

awareness. Even as he spoke and 

beckoned to the rioters, he was 

communicating with co-workers 

through a radio attached to 

his uniform, Taylor said, giving 

them updates on where he was 

and where he was headed. By 

the end of the video, he appears 

to have led the rioters to another 

area, where several other 

officers were prepared for a 

standoff. The mob can be heard 

yelling at Goodman and the 

other officers and calling them 

“traitors.” 

Goodman’s restraint is also 

notable, Burkhalter said, given 

the intruders had broken into the 

Capitol building, were predominantly 

white and bore symbols 

of the Confederacy. Many have 

since been identified as members 

of white-nationalist organizations 

and militant right-wing 

organizations, such as the Proud 

Boys. Usually, Burkhalter said, 

when Black people are being 

stalked by White people with 

Confederate flags, it “doesn’t end 

up well for the Black folks.” 

Terry, who is white, said he 

and Goodman have talked about 

race, and about the conflicts 

Goodman feels as a Black law 

enforcement officer. “For him, 

it’s always like, ‘I’m too Black for 

the badge, but too blue for the 

brothers,” Terry said. 

The video has drawn waves 

of praise for Goodman online. 

Ben Crump, the attorney for the 

families of George Floyd and 

Breonna Taylor, tweeted that 

Goodman should be awarded 

the Public Safety Officer Medal 

of Valor. Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. 

(D-Pa.) said Congress “owes him 

a debt of gratitude.” And former 

Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, 

who challenged Sen. Lindsey O. 

Graham (R) in South Carolina, 

declared that Goodman’s “judgment 

& heroism may have saved 

our Republic.” 

Bobic said that if he gets to 

meet Goodman, he’d like to convey 

the hundreds of thousands of 

messages he has received from 

people worldwide about the 

video. But he’d also like to thank 

him personally. 

“If he wasn’t there,” Bobic said, 

“I would have run flat-footed 

into the mob.” 

Goodman’s attitude toward 

his job has remained the same 

despite his newfound fame, his 

friends said, adding that during 

the attack, he was focused on 

defusing the threat to lawmakers, 

not his own safety. 

“My job is to protect and 

serve,” he told co-workers after 

the video of him went viral. “And 

on that day, I was protecting.” 


U.S. CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER 

BRIAN SICKNICK 

Protected the lives of others when it counted the most. 


Fallen Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, 

to be Layed to Rest at Arlington Cemetery 

The Officers of the United 

States Capitol Police (USCP) are 

deeply saddened by the loss of 

fellow Officer Brian D. Sicknick 

who died from injuries sustained 

while protecting the U.S. Capitol 

on January 6th. 

We extend our deepest sympathies 

to Officer Sicknick’s family 

and we mourn the loss of a 

friend and colleague who stood 

up to protect the lives of others 

when it counted most. 

Officer Sicknick was a member 

of the First Responder’s Unit and 

as such, was a front-line officer 

willing to put the safety of the 

Members of Congress and all 

those who serve at the U.S. Capitol 

before his own well-being. 

We pay tribute to his service 

and to his selfless courage. 

Union Chairman, Gus Papathanasiou 

says, “This is a sad day 

for America. We should all be 

deeply grateful for the men and 

women prepared to put their 

lives on the line to protect the 

heart of our country’s Democracy, 

the U.S. Capitol and the representatives 

sent to serve there by 

the American people.” 

Gus Papathanasiou, FOP Chairman, 

USCP Labor Committee 

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021 

42-year-old Brian Sicknick left 

his house and headed for work 

as a U.S. Capitol Police officer, 

knowing the day ahead was going 

to be anything but normal. He 

knew that Trump was scheduled 

to speak to a crowd of thousands 

of his supporters and like 

any protest in D.C. there would 

be troublemakers. What he 

didn’t know was that hundreds in 

the crowds would not only rally 

at Capitol Hill, but force their 

way inside and attempt to take 

over Congress. 

Sicknick was a native of South 

River, New Jersey, and served 

in the New Jersey Air National 

Guard who served in Operation 

Desert Shield and Operation Enduring 

Freedom. In 2008, Sicknick 

fulfilled his lifelong dream 

of a career in law enforcement 

when he joined the Capitol Police. 

He was reported to have often 

written letters to the editor of 

Central New Jersey Home News, 

according to tweets by Marcus 

Baram, a New York City-based 

investigative journalist. Sicknick, 

whose letters said he lived in the 

New Jersey borough of South 

River, criticized the Iraq War and 

the George W. Bush administration 

in a 2003 letter published by 

the local newspaper. 

“With an unnecessary war 

taking place and other major 

problems going on in this country, 

there is no room for blatantly 

partisan politics,” he wrote, 

according to Baram. 

“This is just another poor example 

of the Bush administration 

that has its hands grasped firmly 

on the puppet strings of conservative 

senators,” Sicknick wrote. 

In another letter to the editor, 

Sicknick denounced the government’s 

lack of support for veterans, 

stating: “I am no longer 

going to risk my life in hostile 

environments around the globe 

for a government that does not 

care about the troops,” according 

to Baram. 

When he arrived for work 

early that Wednesday morning, 

he fully expected that the upper 

brass had changed their minds 

about calling in reinforcements 

and see officers from DC Metro, 

SWAT and maybe even the National 

Guard. But he was met by 

his coworkers who had the same 

thoughts. 

They were briefed on what to 

expect on the Hill and according 

to other officers, the entire event 

was downplayed to “just another 

protest.” Sicknick joined his team 

with the First Responders Unit 

and began what would ultimately 

be his last shift. 

When reports started to come 

in that thousands of protesters 

had begun leaving Trumps 

speech at the Eclipse and started 

marching towards the Capitol, 

Sicknick and his team stationed 

themselves at the entrance to 

the Capitol. The First Responder 

Team attempted to hold the 

crowd back, but once they broke 

down the barricades and advanced 

up the steps, the Team 

immediately knew they were 

outnumbered and unprepared for 

such a violent crowd. 

Capitol officers reported that a 

large number of protestors were 

armed with all types of Chemical 

weapons and Flash Grenades 

and dressed in SWAT gear. One 

officer said they looked like they 

were going to war. 

At some point while he was 

physically engaging with protesters, 

Sicknick was struck in 

the head with a fire extinguisher. 

A video of the event showed a 

man throwing a fire extinguisher 

into the crowd of officers and 

that man has since been arrested. 

As of January 31, 2021, no one 

had been charged with Sicknicks 

murder and all were continuing 

to investigate. 

After being struck, Sicknick 

continued to fight the protestors 

but ultimately returned to his division 

office where he collapsed. 


He was taken to a local hospital 

and placed on life support. 

When his family arrived, they 

were informed Sicknick was on 

a ventilator with a blood clot on 

his brain. 

His brother, Craig Sicknick 

said they doctors told him and 

his family that “it did not look 

good.” According to a statement 

issued by U.S. Capitol Police and 

the hospital, Sicknick was taken 

off life support at approximately 

9:30 Thursday, January 7 and 

passed away. 

Officer Sicknick’s brother issued 

the following statement to 

ABC News: 

“After a day of fighting for his 

life, he passed away a hero. I 

would like to thank all of his 

brothers and sisters in law enforcement 

for the incredible 

compassion and support they 

have shown my family. My family 

and I hope that our privacy 

can be respected as we grieve. 

Thank you.” 

His family said they did not 

want to make Sicknick’s death a 

“political issue” as many questions 

remain about what happened. 

A statement made to the 

Associated Press says, “Brian is a 

hero and that is what we would 

like people to remember.” 

“The entire USCP Department 

expresses its deepest sympathies 

to Officer Sicknick’s family and 

friends on their loss, and mourns 

the loss of a friend and colleague,” 

the department said. 

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser 

expressed her condolences on 

Twitter, saying, “May he rest in 

peace, and we will work tirelessly 

to honor his service to the 

Congress and our nation.” 

Officer Sicknick, whose body 

was to lie in state at the U.S. 

Capitol Rotunda, was scheduled 

to arrive on Feb. 2. A viewing for 

members of the U.S. Capitol Police 

set for 10 p.m. and the next 

morning, members of Congress 

could attend a viewing from 7 

a.m. to 9 a.m. Officer Sicknick 

was buried at Arlington National 

Cemetery following a Congressional 

tribute on Feb. 3. 

He supported Donald Trump. 

She supported Hillary Clinton. 

But in the midst of the 2016 

election, Brian D. Sicknick, an officer 

with the U.S. Capitol Police, 

and Caroline Behringer, an adviser 

for a liberal congresswoman, 

found common ground. 

They met mornings at an entrance 

to the Capitol, she heading 

to her office, he protecting 

those doing the people’s work. 

They chatted about unwinding 

in the outdoors and joked about 

being on opposite sides of the 

political divide tearing the nation 

apart. 

“There was a shared humanity,” 

Behringer said, noting, “My 

job was very much dependent 

on him keeping me safe.” 

Sicknick, a 12-year veteran, 

died Thursday night, a day after 

police said he physically engaged 

with the riotous mob that 

broke into the Capitol trying to 

overturn the November election 

President Trump had lost. 

The 42-year-old from South 

River, N.J., was the sixth U.S. 

Capitol Police officer to die in 

the line of duty since 1952, and 

the fourth to be a victim of an 

attack on the Capitol grounds. 

Police did not provide details 

of how Sicknick was injured. 

His cause of death has not been 

determined, though homicide 

detectives from the D.C. police 

department have taken charge 

of the investigation. 

Acting attorney general Jeffrey 

A. Rosen said in a statement that 

Sicknick died of “the injuries he 

suffered defending the U.S. Capitol, 

against the violent mob who 

stormed it on January 6th.” Rosen 

added the FBI and D.C. police 

“will jointly investigate the case 

and the Department of Justice 


will spare no resources in investigating 

and holding accountable 

those responsible.” 

In a statement, Sicknick’s family 

said, “Many details regarding 

Wednesday’s events and the 

direct causes of Brian’s injuries 

remain unknown and our family 

asks the public and the press to 

respect our wishes in not making 

Brian’s passing a political 

issue.” 

The statement added, “Brian 

is a hero and that is what we 

would like people to remember.” 

Trump, who has often boasted 

of his support for law enforcement, 

did not publicly acknowledge 

Sicknick’s death in the 

hours after it was announced. 

The White House issued a statement 

Thursday, before the officer 

died, saying it “grieves the loss 

of life” at the Capitol and prays 

for the recovery of others. Three 

people died in what police have 

called “medical emergencies” 

and one woman was fatally shot 

by a Capitol Police officer. 

In response to a query on 

Friday evening, a White House 

spokesman said Trump and 

his administration “extend our 

prayers to Capitol Police Officer 

Brian Sicknick’s family as we all 

grieve the loss of this American 

hero.” 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 

(D-Calif.) ordered flags at the 

U.S. Capitol to be flown at halfstaff. 

Thursday night, officers 

lined up in front of the Capitol 

in silence to honor their fallen 

colleague. 

“The violent and deadly act of 

insurrection targeting the Capitol, 

our temple of American 

Democracy, and its workers was 

a profound tragedy and stain on 

our nation’s history,” Pelosi said 

in a statement. “But because of 

the heroism of our first responders 

and the determination of the 

Congress, we were not, and we 

will never be, diverted from our 

duty to the Constitution and the 

American people.” 

A family statement says Sicknick 

was the youngest of three 

brothers who grew up in a 

borough along the I-95 corridor 

south of New Brunswick, and 

earned a bachelor’s degree in 

criminal justice from the University 

of Phoenix. He rescued 

dachshunds and loved the New 

Jersey Devils hockey team. 

He is survived by his parents, 

Charles and Gladys Sicknick, 

brothers Ken and Craig, and 

his girlfriend of 11 years, Sandra 

Garza. Relatives and close 

friends did not speak publicly on 

Friday. 


Former Houston Police Officer 

Tam Pham 

Curiosity Cost Him His Job 

It’s now known that dozens of 

current and former LEOs from 

across the country traveled 

to DC and participated in the 

Trump rally last month. Some, 

but not all, were seen on videos 

or social media posts inside the 

capital. The FBI has been sorting 

through hundreds of thousands 

of digital media submitted in 

tips from citizens as well as 

video from news photographers 

present during the siege at the 

Capitol. 

Among those identified in the 

crowd “inside” the Capitol was 

veteran Houston Police Officer 

Tam Pham. Houston Police Chief 

Art Acevedo, acting on a tip from 

another Houston officer, notified 

the FBI that one of his officers 

may have been involved in 

storming the Capitol. 

An affidavit revealed the 

48-year-old Tam Pham was interviewed 

at his home in Richmond 

last month by agents of 

the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task 

Force. In the document, Pham 

initially told agents he was in 

Washington for business reasons 

between Jan. 5 and 7, but denied 

taking part in the incident. 

After the agents reminded 

Pham that it’s illegal to lie to the 

FBI and presented photos showing 

Pham both inside and outside 

the Capitol during the siege the 

documents state he admitted to 

entering the Capitol when others 

had stormed it, but denied any 

involvement in the violence. 

Pham agreed to hand over his 

cell phone to investigators who 

found no photos for Jan. 6. Court 

documents stated the agents 

asked to look in his “Deleted 

Items” folder where they found 

multiple pictures and videos of 

him inside the Capitol building. 

Pham claimed he followed 

people heading to the Capitol, 

climbed over some fences that 

had already been knocked over, 

walked around some barriers, 

and never engaged with any officers 

present at the Capitol. 

Pham told agents he went into 

the Capitol rotunda to look at 

the art on the walls and take 

photos, remained there for 10-15 

minutes, and then left and didn’t 

return. 

The FBI affidavit stated there 

was probable cause to charge 

Pham with engaging in disorderly 

conduct to disrupt government 

business in a restricted building 

and engaging in disorderly 

conduct to disrupt a session of 

Congress. 

Last month, Pham resigned 

from the Houston Police Department 

after 18 years on the 

job and hired defense attorney 

Nicole DeBorde to represent him 

in any potential criminal proceedings. 

“It was more curiosity to see 

the President’s speech with a 

large group of people,” said 

DeBorde. “He was curious what 

the President had to say. It’s 

something that spun out of control. 

He’s not an individual who 

desires to be seen at a violent 

protest, or an avid Trump supporter 

willing to stop at nothing 

to create a change in the election. 

That’s not his goal at all.” 

Initially Pham told Acevedo 

he traveled alone to Washington, 

but the FBI affidavit stated 

Pham told agents he went to the 

nation’s capital with his wife and 

her friend. All three attended the 

rally that preceded the storming 

of the Capitol, but Pham told 

investigators his travel companions 

were not with him when he 

followed the crowd. 

Pham was taken into custody 

on Wednesday, January 20 and 

charged with trespassing and 

disorderly conduct and, according 

to his lawyer, had to spend 

the night in holding due to closures 

in the midst of the inauguration. 

On Thursday January 21, Tam 

Pham made his first appearance 

in a federal court where the 

judge also ordered Pham to surrender 

his passports. 

After the proceedings, DeBorde 

said while her client isn’t accused 

of anything violent related 

to the riots, the former officer 

is typically subdued and didn’t 

want any of the attention that 

came of his involvement in the 

chaos in Washington. 

“Mr. Pham doesn’t want any of 

this attention. He’s a very quiet, 

peaceable man,” said DeBorde. 

“This has been a very distressing 

event for him.” 

DeBorde also reiterated Pham 

has been forthcoming and cooperative 

with the investigation. 

In an FBI affidavit, investigators 

stated he allowed them to examine 

his phone, where multiple 

photos and video of him inside 

the Capitol were located. 

“Mr. Pham hasn’t kept anything 

back from the government. The 

minute the government asked 

for information, he provided 

his phone. He provided answers 

to their questions. We weren’t 

surprised to see the pictures,” 

DeBorde said. “The real question 

was whether or not he was allowed 

to be where he was.” 

Pham is due to appear in U.S. 

District Court on Feb. 11. In the 

meantime, a Houston Police 

Department audit of Pham’s past 

arrests is underway. Hours after 

Pham’s arrest, Chief Art Acevedo 

said the review was ordered to 

make sure there were no irregularities. 

During his time with HPD, 

Pham had no disciplinary problems, 

according to Acevedo. 


Off-Duty Virginia Police Officers 

Arrested, Accused of Storming US Capitol 

Two Virginia police officers, 

including one who bragged on 

social media that he didn’t do 

anything illegal by storming the 

U.S. Capitol, now face charges 

from the Department of Justice 

for their roles in the riot. 

Jacob Fracker and Thomas 

Robertson, who work for the 

Rocky Mount Police Department, 

were arrested Wednesday, the 

Justice Department said. Both 

were charged with violent entry 

and disorderly conduct on 

Capitol grounds and knowingly 

entering or remaining in any 

restricted building or grounds 

without lawful authority. 

The two men, who were 

off-duty at the time, were photographed 

inside the Capitol in 

front of a statue of John Stark, a 

major general in the Continental 

Army during the American Revolution. 

At least one of the men 

made an obscene gesture in 

the photo, which was included 

in the DOJ’s statement of facts. 

The men then posted about the 

riot on social media, the federal 

agency said. 

Jacob Fracker and Thomas 

Robertson, two off-duty police 

officers with the city of Rocky 

Mount, Virginia, are pictured 

inside the U.S. Capitol during the 

deadly Jan. 6 riot, in this photo 

released by the U.S. Department 

of Justice. 

Robertson, in a statement to 

Newsweek, admitted that he and 

Fracker sent the photo to their 

colleagues and that he posted 

on his own Facebook after it 

leaked to social media, Vincent 

Veloz, a special agent with the 

U.S. Capitol Police Office, wrote 

in a statement with the arrest 

warrant. 

“CNN and the Left are just mad 

because we actually attacked the 

government who is the problem 

and not some random small 

business … The right IN ONE 

DAY took the f****** U.S. Capitol. 

Keep poking us,” Robertson is 

quoted as saying on Facebook. 

Veloz also pointed to Robertson’s 

statement in an Instagram 

post that he was “proud” of the 

photo because he was “willing 

to put skin in the game.” 

Fracker also posted on Facebook: 

“Lol to anyone who’s possibly 

concerned about the picture 

of me going around … Sorry 

I hate freedom? … Not like I did 

anything illegal.” 

The Associated Press reported 

Sunday that the city had placed 

both officers on leave. The two 

men were among at least five 

people arrested on Wednesday. 

The agency has charged dozens 

in the week since the riot 

that claimed five lives. Michael 

Sherwin, the acting U.S. Attorney 

for the District of Columbia, said 

the 170 subject files they’d already 

opened were just the “tip 

of the iceberg.” 

For the two Virginia police 

officers the reckoning has been 

swift and public: They were 

identified, charged with crimes 

and arrested. 

But for five Seattle officers 

the outcome is less clear. Their 

identities still secret, two are 

on leave and three continue to 

work while a police watchdog 

investigates whether their actions 

in the contrasting cases 

highlight the dilemma faced by 

police departments nationwide 

as they review the behavior of 

dozens of officers who were in 

Washington the day of the riot 

by supporters of President Donald 

Trump. Officials and experts 

agree that officers who were 

involved in the melee should be 

fired and charged for their role. 

But what about those officers 

who attended only the Trump 

rally before the riot? How does a 

department balance an officer’s 

free speech rights with the blow 

to public trust that comes from 

the attendance of law enforcement 

at an event with far-right 

militants and white nationalists 

who went on to assault the seat 

of American democracy? 

An Associated Press survey 

of law enforcement agencies 

nationwide found that at least 

31 officers in 12 states are being 

scrutinized by their supervisors 

for their behavior in the District 

of Columbia or face criminal 

charges for participating in the 

riot. Officials are looking into 

whether the officers violated any 

laws or policies or participated 

in the violence while in Washington. 

Most of the officers have not 

been publicly identified; only a 

few have been charged. Some 

were identified by online sleuths. 

Others were reported by their 

colleagues or turned themselves 

in. 

They come from some of the 

country’s largest cities — three 

Los Angeles officers and a sheriff’s 

deputy, for instance — as 

well as state agencies and a 

Pennsylvania police department 

with nine officers. Among them 

are an Oklahoma sheriff and 

New Hampshire police chief who 

have acknowledged being at the 

rally, but denied entering the 

Capitol or breaking the law. 

“If they were off-duty, it’s 

totally free speech,” said Will 

Aitchison, a lawyer in Portland, 

Oregon, who represents law enforcement 

officers. “People have 

the right to express their political 

views regardless of who’s 

standing next to them. You just 

don’t get guilt by association.” 

But Ayesha Bell Hardaway, 

a professor at Case Western 

Reserve University law school, 

said an officer’s presence at the 


ally creates a credibility issue as 

law enforcement agencies work 

to repair community trust, especially 

what they were doing. Three 

others told supervisors that they 

went to Washington for the 

going to reflect on what they 

do when they’re working, when 

they’re testifying in court.” 

after last summer’s protests events and are being investigated Through the summer and fall, 

against police brutality sparked 

by the police killings of George 

Floyd and Breonna Taylor. 

Communities will question the 

integrity of officers who attended 

the rally along with “individuals 

who proudly profess racist and 

divisive viewpoints,” she said. “It 

calls into question whether those 

for what they did while there. 

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz 

said his department supports 

officers’ freedom of speech and 

that those who were in the nation’s 

capital will be fired if they 

“were directly involved in the 

insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.” 

But police leaders need to evaluate 

Seattle police — along with officers 

elsewhere — came under 

criticism for their handling of 

mass protests against police 

brutality following the death of 

George Floyd. The city received 

more than 19,000 complaints 

against officers, most for excessive 

use of force and improper 

more than just clear crimi- 

officers are interested in engaging 

use of pepper spray. 

in policing in a way that builds 

trust and legitimacy in all communities, 

including communities 

of color.” 

On the other side of the country, 

five Seattle officers are under 

nal behavior, according to Chuck 

Wexler, executive director of the 

Police Executive Research Forum, 

a policing research and policy 

group. They must also consider 

how their actions affect a department’s 

Andrew Myerberg, director 

of the Seattle Office of Police 

Accountability, said none of the 

officers now under investigation 

were involved in those cases. 

But Sakara Remmu, cofound- 

credibility, he said. investigation by the city’s Office of 

er of Black Lives Matter Seattle/ 

Police Accountability. Two officers 

posted photos of themselves on 

social media while in the district 

and officials are investigating to 

determine where they were and 

Officers’ First Amendment 

rights “don’t extend to expressing 

words that may be violent or 

maybe express some prejudice,” 

Wexler said, “because that’s 

King County, said the officers 

should be fired regardless. Their 

public declarations of solidarity 

with Trump fosters not just 

community distrust, but terror of 

the entire department, she said. 

“It absolutely does matter 

when the decorum of racial 

peace cracks and racial hatred 

comes through, because we already 

have a documented history 

and legacy of what that means 

in this country,” Remmu said. 

In Houston, the police chief 

decried an officer who resigned 

and was later charged in the riot. 

A lawyer for Officer Tam Pham 

said the 18-year veteran of the 

force “very much regrets” being 

at the rally and was “deeply 

remorseful.” 

But many chiefs have said their 

officers committed no crimes. 

“The Arkansas State Police 

respects the rights and freedom 

of an employee to use their 

leave time as the employee may 

choose,” department spokesman 

who attended the Trump rally. 

Malik Aziz, the former chair 

and executive director of the National 

Black Police Association, 

compared condemning all officers 

who were in Washington 

took to streets after the killing 

of George Floyd with the violent 

and destructive acts of some. 

A major with the Dallas Police 

Department, Aziz said police 

acting privately have the same 

that knowingly going to a bigoted 

event should be disqualifying 

for an officer. 

“There’s no place in law enforcement 

for that individual,” 

Aziz said. 

Bill Sadler said of two officers 

to tarring all the protesters who rights as other Americans, but 


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emembering my hero ... 

... Deputy Shane Bennett. 

Concerns of Police Survivors is an Organization whose mission is to help rebuild the 

shattered lives of those family members and co-workers of law enforcement officers 

that are killed in the line of duty. On June 12, 2002, Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy 

Shane Bennett was shot and killed answering a call at a home invasion. His family 

relives that tragic day for us. 

WORDS & PHOTOS BY ANNETTE BENNETT 

Although it’s been eighteen 

years, June 12, 2002 changed 

my family forever. I was a Reading 

Specialist working for Klein 

ISD. The school year had just 

ended two weeks earlier, so I 

was looking forward to summer 

break. Professional development 

has always been a part of my 

career, so I was registered to attend 

a two-day reading training 

in Galveston on June 12th and 

13th. I had convinced my husband, 

Ron, to go with me so that 

we could spend the next couple 

evenings together near the 

beach. I would go to my training 

during the day while Ron made 

business calls and then we 

could have some quiet, relaxing 

time together in the evenings. 

We let our son, Shane Bennett, 

a Harris County Sheriff’s 

Deputy, know of our plans, since 

he usually stopped by our house 

each evening about 9:30 p.m. to 

check on us before starting his 

night shift. Our younger son was 

away at the time, so Shane was 

the only one who knew about 

our plans to go to Galveston. Before 

Shane walked out the door 

each evening, we always told 

him to be careful, stay safe and 

we loved him. 

We checked into our hotel 

on the afternoon of June 11th 

and had a wonderful dinner 

consisting of a multitude of 

fresh seafood and then took a 

quiet stroll along the Seawall. 

We then returned to the hotel 

to relax a bit before retiring for 

the evening. 

Then came the early morning 

call on my cellphone about 

5am on the morning of June 

12th. I had only had my cellphone 

a short time and only a 

few people had my number. I 

couldn’t understand who would 

be calling me so early in the morning. 

A male voice on the other end 

of the phone line told me that Shane 

had been involved in an incident and 

was at Memorial Hermann Hospital 

in downtown Houston. He asked 

where we were and if someone 

could come and pick us up. Taken totally 

off guard and still half asleep, I 

immediately told him no one needed 

to come 

get us. 

We 

would 

drive ourselves 

to 

the hospital. 

That 

unknown 

voice 

then told 

me that 

a deputy 

would 

be waiting at the Galveston/Harris 

County line to escort us into town. 

So, frantically dressing and leaving 

everything behind, we ran out of 

the hotel, got our key from the valet 

attendant, jumped in our truck and 

sped out of the 

parking lot on our way to Houston. 

After connecting with the waiting 

Harris County Deputy, it felt like we 

“flew” into town during morning rush 

hour, following his car with lights 

and sirens, with all sorts of scenarios 

in our minds. One vehicle almost hit 

us as he pulled in between the deputy’s 

patrol car and our vehicle. When 

we arrived at the hospital and pulled 

into the parking lot that seemed to be 

filled with a massive sea of deputies 

and patrol cars, we just knew that 

“the incident” had permanently taken 

our son from us. One of the deputies 

met us as we exited our vehicle. We 

took one look at his face and knew 

automatically. My knees felt weak and 

non-supportive, but I knew I had to get 

inside. We needed to be with our son. 

We were escorted inside the hospital 

and joined our daughter-in-law, some 

of her family, and other deputies who 

were Shane’s friends and co-workers 

in a small 

family 

room. We 

were then 

given time 

to spend 

with Shane 

to say a 

final goodbye. 

We 

had not 

only lost 

our oldest 

son, 

but our youngest son had lost a brother 

and role model, and our daughterin-law 

had lost a husband and father 

of their 20-month-old child. We were 

all totally devastated and in shock. 

Earlier that morning, about 1:15 am, 

Shane was the first Deputy to enter a 

residence in response to a home disturbance 

call. The call ended up actually 

being a home invasion/hostage situation. 

Being of a smaller stature, Shane 

was able to quickly maneuver his way 

up and over a mattress barricade 

into the pitch-black house. 

Once there, he was confronted 

by two armed perpetrators. One 

assailant, when confronted, dove 

over a couch and received two 

bullets from Shane’s gun, severing 

both his femoral arteries. 

A second assailant fired, hitting 

Shane in the pelvic area. Shane 

returned fire, striking that assailant 

first in his chest. His second 

shot passed over the assailant’s 

shoulder as he slid down the 


face of the door. That second 

round passed through the door, 

striking a young child being held 

by its mother, in the back of his 

hand and penetrated the mother’s 

shoulder. As that happened, 

Shane took a knee and called 

out that he 

was hit. 

A third 

young man 

had been in 

the home but 

slipped out 

unseen before 

the initial 

gunfire. 

There was 

also a fourth 

individual, 

designated 

the “getaway 

driver”. 

A fifth 

man who 

was labeled 

“the master 

mind” of the 

plan was not 

at the scene. 

Come to find 

out, they had 

mistaken this 

home for 

another with 

the intent to 

confiscate 

drugs. 

Shane 

had the situation under control 

when his two backup deputies 

worked their way into the room. 

One deputy said he did not have 

a clear shot, so he withheld firing 

his weapon. The other deputy 

entered and automatically began 

firing. One of his shots was later 

determined to be the one that 

inadvertently struck Shane in the 

head. Shane was transported by 

Life Flight to Memorial Hermann 

Hospital in downtown Houston 

where he succumbed to his 

wounds. It was said that he was 

killed “by friendly fire”. 

The two men who had left 

the scene and the “mastermind” 

were all captured in the next 24 

hours. They have each served 

time in prison with the mastermind 

currently serving 40 years 

with no chance of early release. 

At the hospital, my head was 

spinning, trying desperately to 

understand how all this could 

happen. I just wanted to scream 

and make all this just go away. 

I felt like I was dreaming and 

needed to just wake up. But that 

didn’t happen. I felt so terrible 

and somehow guilty that 

we hadn’t 

been home, 

and no 

one could 

find us for 

several 

hours. All 

that time, 

our daughter-in-law, 

Teresa, had 

been sitting 

at the 

hospital 

and going 

through 

‘hell’ without 

us there 

to help 

support 

her. Once 

the family 

had all 

been notified, 

information 

was 

released to 

the press. 

When 

Teresa 

decided to 

leave, other 

family and friends also began 

to leave. We had left the hotel 

in such a rush, without any of 

our belongings. So, we drove 

back to the hotel in Galveston to 

gather our clothes and suitcases 

and then went to Shane and 

Teresa’s house in Conroe. Seeing 

and holding our 20-month-old 

granddaughter helped 

bring us back to reality. 

We spent the next days, 

mostly in a fog, traveling 

back and forth between 

our home in Spring and 

Shane’s home in Conroe 

doing whatever we could 

do to support Teresa and 

the baby, contacting family 

from out of state and trying 

to prepare for a funeral. 

How were we all going 

to get through this? Our 

family was devastated and 

broken. 

We were introduced to 

several members of C.O.P.S. 

at the funeral home but 

all that was mostly a blur. 

One of the HCSO deputies, 

Chaplain Don Savell, who 

had helped transport our 

out of state family members to 

and from the airport, invited us 

to a Greater Houston Chapter of 

C.O.P.S. meeting several months 

after Shane passed away. Reluctantly, 

we went to a lunch 

meeting and met some other 

survivors who were or had been 

in the same boat as we were. 

We learned that they truly knew 

what we were going through 

because they had already experienced 

the same pain and loss. 

We felt this could be an organization 

that could help us, so 

we became involved and helped 

with lots of activities, often 

working behind the scenes. Ron 

eventually served as President 

and now, I am currently serving 

as Vice President. 

So, eighteen years later, my 

husband and I are on the other 

side of the fence where we now 

try to help and support new 

survivors as they begin their 

journey to a “new normal” just 

as we were helped. We have 

attended National Police Week 

at least eight times, serving as 

a volunteer there and at our 

Texas Peace Officers’ Memorial. 

We also attend Parents’ Retreat 

where we have met and become 

friends with so many other 

amazing survivors. It was there 

where I was able to personally 

deal with the guilt that I carried 

for so long. We also attempt to 

have monthly parent’s dinners 

where we just get together, talk, 

laugh and support other parents 

in any way possible. Through 

the C.O.P.S. organization, we 

have learned how to cope with 

our loss, move forward and give 

others the hope they need to do 

the same. 

We try to stay involved and 

keep a connection with our 

agency, especially supporting the 

officers that protect the district 

we live in. We continually 

meet people who knew Shane 

or worked with him and hear 

stories of how he touched their 

lives. 

He was a very professional 

Sheriff’s deputy, devoted husband, 

loving father, caring son 

and wonderful brother and uncle 

who was loved and admired by 

so many. Shane’s memory is kept 

alive through continually sharing 

stories, the Wall of Honor 

and the Memorial Garden at the 

District II substation and also at 

Sam Houston State University 

where scholarships in Criminal 

Justice are awarded yearly in 

his name. He will always be our 

Hero. A Hero Remembered is 

Never Forgotten. 

“If Love Could Have Saved You, 

You Would Have Lived Forever.” 



BY SAMANTHA HORWITZ 

Imagine waking up every day 

wondering: 

Why don’t the citizens in my 

community want me to protect 

them anymore? 

Why does my mayor/city council 

want to get rid of me? 

Why do people hate me? 

Why doesn’t my Chief stand up 

for us? 

Will we be defunded? 

If I do my job will I be fired? 

Will I get COVID? 

Will I bring COVID home to my 

family? 

The list goes on and on. The 

results? Self-doubt, low morale, 

a record number of early retirements, 

extreme stress, and officer 

suicide. The month of January 

2021 has recorded thirteen police 

officers who have died by suicide 

(B.L.U.E. Help). Some police 

departments across the nation 

have already seen their budgets 

slashed or have called for major 

changes (Knight & Hart, Axios. 

com) 

New York City, Baltimore, Seattle, 

Minneapolis, Portland, Hartford, 

CT, Philadelphia, Chicago, 

Denver, Durham and Winston-Salem, 

NC, Milwaukee, WI, Oakland, 

San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, 

CA, Washington, DC, Dallas 

and Austin, TX. 

As officers, what can you do? 

How do you battle some of the 

“inner voices” saying, “What’s the 

use?” “I should quit.” “No 

one cares.” “I’m scared.” 

How do you deal with 

the anger, the rage, at 

feeling betrayed by those you 

have sworn to protect? How do 

you show up and stand on that 

Thin Blue Line united with your 

brothers and sisters? 

Train your mind. Your mind, 

and its messages that come are 

a powerful moving force used 

to combat the “Voice of defeat” 

and high levels of stress. Think 

O.O.D.A loop. 

The O.O.D.A. loop is the cycle 

observe–orient–decide–act, developed 

by military strategist and 

United States Air Force Colonel 

John Boyd. The O.O.D.A. loop has 

become an important concept 

in litigation, business, law enforcement, 

and military strategy. 

According to Boyd, decision-making 

occurs in a recurring cycle of 

observe–orient–decide–act. An 

entity that can process this cycle 

quickly, observing and reacting 

to unfolding events more rapidly 

than an opponent, can thereby 

“get inside” the opponent’s decision 

cycle and gain the advantage. 

(Wikipedia) 

Focus on that last sentence, “An 

entity that can process this cycle 

quickly, observing and reacting 

to unfolding events more rapidly 

than an opponent, can thereby 

“get inside” the opponent’s decision 

cycle and gain the advantage. 

Could “getting inside” your own 

mind be a key strategic advantage 

to you showing up every 

day with a more positive mindset 

despite the opponents (voices of 

defeat) attempts to take you out? 

Here is a closer look at the 

O.O.D.A. loop and how you can 

apply it to better your mindset. 

Observe. 

Observe is the first step. It is 

where you gather information 

and start to evaluate. Is it good? 

Is it bad? Am I missing information? 

The Observe stage for 

mindset may simply ask a broad 

question like, “How do I feel?” Answer.” 

I feel burned out.” Following 

the broad question of, “How 

do I feel?” And the answer, “I feel 

burned out.” 

Orient. 

The second step is Orient. Have 

I felt this way before? What was 

the situation that created the 

feeling? “I have felt burned out 

before. It was one year ago when 

we went to mandatory twelve 

hour shifts and I got assigned to 

the midnight shift, something I 

had never worked before.” 

Decide. 

Step three is Decide. What are 

my next steps based on Orient? 

If I have recognized the situation 

that created the feelings I am 

having now, what did I do last 

time? Did it help or did 

create more stress? 

Since Decide is based 

on Orient, what you do 

next is not about being 

perfect, it is about 

deciding what is best 

for you to bolster your 

mindset. 

“The last time, I started 

drinking a bunch of 

energy drinks to help 

me make it through my 

shifts. I was so wired, I 

needed three beers just 

to calm myself down so 

I could sleep. I stopped 

working out and I 

gained ten pounds very 

quickly. I constantly felt 

frustrated. I don’t want 

to do that again.” 

“I read recently that walking 

can help with stress and burnout. 

I’ll go for a walk instead of drinking 

to help calm me down.” 

Side note. If you are in a department 

that has the “push it 

down and move on” way of dealing 

with stress and trauma, you 

may not have the ability or recognize 

better choices in the Observe, 

Orient, and Decide steps. It 

is going to take you, independent 

of your department, learning to 

create a positive mindset. On the 

other hand, if your department 

encourages training mindset and 

resiliency, your recognition of and 

decision-making process in the 

Observe, Orient, and Decide steps 

may be better. 

Act. 

The final step is Act. Nothing 

matters without action. “I will 

walk when I get home after my 

shift ends in the morning.” 

As a result of this O.O.D.A. loop, 

you stop feeling burned out. You 

get the sleep you need, and you 

are better able to focus on work, 

thus creating a positive mindset 

out of the original feeling of 

being burned out. You mentioned 

what you did to another officer - 

your personal O.O.D.A. loop, after 

she noticed that you seemed less 

stressed. That officer decided to 

start practicing her own O.O.D.A. 

loop, increasing her resiliency 

and building a positive mindset. 

We cannot better ourselves, 

our decisions, and our mindset 

without recognizing whether the 

action resulted in the outcome 

we wanted. In this case, the officer 

did not feel burned out. By 

working through the O.O.D.A. loop 

steps, he recognized the feeling 

of being burned out before, when 

it happened, and the negative 

effects it had on him. Consequently, 

he chose to act differently. 

He built a stronger mindset 

and passed on what he learned to 

another officer. 

In an ideal world, the second 

officer passed what she learned 

onto another, and another, until 

the training Sergeant decided to 

create a training course 

utilizing O.O.D.A. loop to 

improve mindset. Until 

that ideal world presents 

itself, most of us will go 

through our days being 

yanked around by life’s 

events of the day which 

causes incredible stress. 

But if we can observe, 

evaluate, assess, and 

utilize the O.O.D.A. loop, 

we might be able to get 

in front of the stress, the 

burn out, the negative 

“voices of defeat,” thereby 

creating an outcome 

which may produce a 

more positive mindset. 

An officer who can 

create a positive mindset 

amid one of the most 

turbulent times in America is able 

to positively affect their overall 

health and wellbeing. That officer 

will be a better partner, leader, 

mom, dad, spouse, and even a 

role model to others. 

Samantha Horwitz has been 

featured in Police Blues Magazine 

before. She is a 9/11 first responder, 

former United States Secret 

Service Agent, speaker, and 

author. Her book The Silent Fall: 

A Secret Service Agents Story of 

Tragedy and Triumph after 9/11 

has helped many first responders 

navigate through their own journeys 

with post-traumatic stress. 

She and her business partner, 

Ret. NYPD detective John Salerno 

created A Badge of Honor, a 

post-traumatic stress and suicide 

prevention program for first 

responders. 

John and Sam host MAD (Making 

a Difference) Radio each Wednesday 

7pm central live on FB @Makingadifferencetx. 

For more about 

Sam visit SamanthaHorwitz.com 

or ABadgeofHonor.com 


unning 4 heroes 

Zechariah 

ZZechariah’s 2021 Run Tracker and Sponsors: 

TTotal Miles Run in 2021: (as of 2/5/21): 37 

Total Miles Run in 2020: 401 

Total Miles Run in 2019: 376 

Overall Miles Run: 814 

2021 Run Stats: 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen LEO’s (Non COVID-19): 18 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen Firefighters (Non COVID-19): 2 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen COVID-19 Heroes: 0 

Total Miles Run for 2021 Non Line of Duty Deaths: 0 

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen LEO’s: 11 

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen Firefighters: 6 

Total Miles Run for 2020/2021 Fallen K9’s: 0 

Total Tribute Runs by State for 2021: 0 

- - - - - - - - - - 

States Zechariah has run in: Florida, New York, Georgia, South Carolina 

(3), Pennsylvania, Illinois (2), Texas (4), Kentucky, Arkansas, Nevada, 

California, Arizona, North Carolina 

Cartledge: 

a True American Hero 

Sponsors: 

Shoes - Honor And Respect LLC 

Stickers - Powercall Sirens 

Lights - Guardian Angel Device 

Food - MISSION BBQ; Marco’s Pizza; Rock & Brews Oviedo30 

Games - ZagBag Board 


unning 4 heroes 

The Running 4 Heroes / Mike Harmon Racing 

Chevy driven by Bayley Currey will run at Daytona 

in the Xfinity race on Saturday, Feb. 13th. This 

car will also be co-sponsored by Honor and Respect, 

Support 1, GRESCO, ZagBag Board, Nella’s 

Cottage and The T-shirt Shop. On the car will be the names and 

badges of all 393 First Responders lost in the line of duty in 2020 

and honored by Zechariah with a 1-mile run. 

The names were handwritten on the race car by fallen Houston PD 

Officer Jason Knox’s wife who also helped place the badges on 

the car. Zechariah went to Charlotte on Wednesday to place the 

final few badges on the car and meet with Mrs. Knox as well as 

driver Bayley Currey and the race team. 

BEYOND WORDS... 

Now that we are safely back at our home, I wanted to share what may be the most powerful photo 

from today... 

On Saturday, May 2nd of 2020, Pilot Chase Cormier and Officer Jason Knox were conducting a search 

in their Houston Police Helicopter when tragically, the helicopter went down. 

Pilot Chase Cormier was critically injured in the incident, and would go on to be the May recipient of 

the Running 4 Heroes Injured First Responder Grant. Tragically, the accident claimed the life of Pilot 

Jason Knox. Zechariah would run for this hero just a couple days after the accident. 

The name badges on the #74 car represent every fallen First Responder lost in the Line of Duty in 

2020 that Zechariah ran to honor. What you might have noticed is that the names were hand written 

on the badges, and the individual who wrote a large amount of the names and also helped place them 

on the car was Mrs. Knox, the wife of fallen Pilot Jason Knox. 

Today, she welcomed Zechariah to the Mike Harmon Racing garage and was there as Zechariah 

placed the final few badges on the car, and took her photo with Zechariah pointing at none other than 

the badge of her fallen husband. Knowing a surviving spouse helped to hand write the names of these 

fallen heroes and also helped place these name badges on this car is something that we can’t put 

much into words... It was powerful. 

Once again, thank you everyone who followed Zechariah throughout his journey the last 24-hours. 

We hope it was inspiring for all of you to witness. 


Wis. University Police Chief Bans ‘Thin Blue Line’ Flag. 

Police Chief Kristen Roman said the flag has been 

“co-opted” by extremists with “hateful ideologies.” 

MADISON — After backlash from 

a November social media photo 

that showed a “thin blue line” flag 

displayed in the UW-Madison Police 

Department’s office, Police Chief 

Kristen Roman has banned officers 

from using thin blue line imagery 

while acting in an official police 

capacity. 

Some see the controversial flag as 

a symbol of solidarity with police, 

but it has also been flown by white 

supremacists, including those who 

stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 in an 

attempt to overturn the legitimate 

election defeat of former President 

Donald Trump. Five people, including 

a U.S. Capitol Police officer, died 

in the riot. 

In an email to UW-Madison Police 

staff that was released Tuesday, Roman 

said the flag has been “co-opted” 

by extremists with “hateful 

ideologies.” She said her department 

needs to distance itself from 

thin blue line imagery to build trust 

with the community. 

“We must consider the cost of 

clinging to a symbol that is undeniably 

and inextricably linked to 

actions and beliefs antithetical to 

UWPD’s values,” she said in the Jan. 

15 email. 

Roman said public displays of the 

blue line imagery — including flags, 

pins, bracelets, notebooks, coffee 

mugs and more — are now prohibited. 

Visible tattoos with the flag are 

the exception and are still allowed. 

Roman said she also may make 

some exceptions for displays during 

certain events, such as funerals for 

those who have died during the line 

of duty. 

The outright ban is a contrast to 

Roman’s initial response back in November 

when her department was 

criticized for its use of the flag. 

UW police posted a photo to its 

Twitter page Nov. 15 of a group of 

officers in the department’s office. 

The flag is seen up on the wall in 

the background. 

The post was met with backlash 

from UW-Madison student activists, 

who denounced the display of 

the flag and called for its removal, 

Madison365 reported. The students 

said university police were effectively 

endorsing white supremacy 

and ignoring the Black Lives Matter 

protests of the summer, which 

called for an end to racism and 

police brutality, as well as police 

accountability. 

In recent years, the thin blue line 

flag has become a prominent part 

of “Blue Lives Matter,” a pro-police 

movement that has risen in opposition 

to the Black Lives Matter 

movement. It has also been flown 

alongside the Confederate flag. 

In a Nov. 17 statement, Roman said 

her department condemned the use 

of the flag when it was “intended 

to defend hate” or “invalidate social 

justice movements advocating for 

meaningful police reform.” 

But she also defended the flag in 

some contexts, explaining that to 

police, the flag symbolizes officers’ 

commitment to public service and 

their willingness to sacrifice their 

own lives to protect others. The line 

is meant to symbolize police as 

the “thin line” that protects society 

from chaos. She acknowledged that 

it has recently been used to support 

white supremacy and “dishonor the 

police profession.” 

At the time, Roman did not commit 

to removing the flag, nor another 

thin blue line “installation” at the 

Police Department’s office. She did 

commit to “including this concern 

as part of our ongoing discussions 

both internally and externally.” 

In her recent email to staff, Roman 

said her past efforts to explain 

what the flag means to some 

officers while also denouncing the 

hateful acts committed under the 

banner of the thin blue line “continue 

to fall short in ways I can’t 

simply ignore.’ 

“I understand that this decision 

may cause emotional responses, 

even anger from some,” Roman 

said. “I, too, feel hurt and disappointed 

as we confront our current 

reality. I know this is hard. I know 

this issue is complicated.” 

She told officers that their commitment 

to serving the community 

has to come before their affinity for 

a particular symbol. 

The BLUES disagrees with your 

reasoning and believes you are an 

excellent candidate for the Light 

Bulb Award. And we voted and 

Good News, you are in fact the 

winner of the LB Award for February 

2021. 


Turning Trauma into a Calling 

I have been fortunate to work 

in a field in which I have observed 

extraordinary individuals 

brought to their knees by the 

challenges of trauma, only to 

then stand and turn their pain 

into a path of healing for others. 

For this month’s article I 

am continuing to highlight our 

unsung Texas heroes who have 

chosen to do just that. I recently 

connected with an amazing 

mental health advocate, Tempa 

Sherrill, who is the spouse of 

Marine Corps and Army Reserves 

veteran, AJ Sherrill. AJ served in 

Afghanistan during 2008-2009 

performing tactical psychological 

operations. At the time of 

deployment, AJ had previously 

served 18 years as a police 

officer. When he returned home 

after being away for 15 months, 

his spouse and three children 

knew something was wrong. 

This was not the husband and 

father that committed to fight for 

our country. Someone else came 

home. He only had two weeks 

of leave before returning to his 

police duties in Dallas, which 

compounded his issues, and it 

took six months for the family 

to convince him to go to the VA 

for help. He was fortunate to 

be assigned a psychiatrist who 

seemed to genuinely care for his 

welfare, and put him on medication 

to help relieve his symptoms. 

Group counseling was 

offered for AJ, but his anxiety 

was so overwhelming that he 

could not bring himself to speak 

in a group about his experiences. 

Many issues were experienced 

by the family in this post-war 

battle, including rage, emotional 

detachment, memory loss, 

anxiety, and depression. No 

longer could the family go to 

dinner, have friends over, or do 

the things they once loved to do 

pre-deployment. After an arduous 

year-long wait, the VA was 

able to get AJ into individual 

therapy. The family tried several 

community counselors who 

were unable to understand the 

uniqueness of the military culture 

or deployment experience. 

Finding help felt hopeless at 

times. Tempa and her children 

had no idea how to deal with 

this new reality and the loss of 

the husband and father they once 

knew. Through her own individual 

counseling and struggle, 

Tempa felt a call for action. She 

left an 18-year teaching career 

to pursue her master’s degree in 

counseling and psychology with 

the dream of helping veterans 

and families. 

Three years into this process, 

AJ’s career as a police officer 

ended when his employer found 

out about his posttraumatic 

stress diagnosis, and he was 

terminated. This was a huge setback 

for AJ and the family, but 

Tempa was more determined 

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

than ever to continue her mission. 

While still a student, she 

was hired at a local non-profit 

where she spearheaded the development 

of a veteran focused 

program through collaborations 

with the clinical director 

on grants for providing veteran 

specific services – a demographic 

not previously targeted by the 

organization. Tempa and AJ lost 

thousands of dollars of personal 

income during this time and 

were financially devastated, but 

the mission was too important 

to give up on. 

After six years of therapy, family 

healing, and a new career for 

AJ, he chose to donate his police 

retirement funds as seed money 

for the launch of a stand-alone 

non-profit organization - Stay 

the Course Veteran Services 

(STC). This was the realization 

of Tempa’s dream to exclusively 

serve Veterans, First Responders, 

and their families in a safe, culturally 

competent environment 

using trauma-informed, evidence-based 

therapies through 

individualized combinations of 

individual, couples, and family 

counseling sessions. Currently, 

Tempa is the Chief Operating 

Officer of 22Kill, providing leadership, 

management, and vision 

over 22Kill’s programs and operations 

after merging the Stay the 

Course program with 22Kill. As 

the spouse of not only a veteran, 

but also a police officer, 

Tempa understands first-hand 

the difficulties public servants 

experience and the invisible 

wounds that so often are ignored 

due to the stigma around asking 

for help. She is also aware of the 

trauma that the family members 

endure, and the importance of 

inclusion in the process as a crucial 

element in healing for the 

family. Tempa believes that those 

who risk their lives for others 

are owed our service in order to 

help them heal as individuals 

and families. 

Stay the Course is a program 

of 22Kill has now been rebranded 

as One Tribe Foundation 

(OTF) and continues the mission 

to create a community that 

raises awareness and combats 

suicide by empowering veterans, 

first responders, and their 

families through traditional and 

non-traditional therapies. OTF 

offers traditional inpatient and 

outpatient counseling services, 

including telehealth, as well as 

the following non-traditional 

services: Wind Therapy encourages 

connection amongst 

motorcycle enthusiasts (learn 

to ride programs, annual group 

ride); Forge is designed to foster 

camaraderie and a sense of 

purpose through participation 

in outdoor events and activities 

outdoor adventure (hunting, 

fishing, hiking, and more); 

Tribal Council offers connection 

through participation in 

weekly support groups, with 

multiple group offerings available, 

including Veterans, First 

Responders, Women In Service, 

Surviving Family Members, 

etc.; and W.A.T.C.H. (We Are the 

Children of Heroes) provides 

unique opportunities for children 

and family members of fallen 

military and first responders to 

create lasting bonds through 

shared experiences, and encour- 

ALAN HELFMAN 

ages post-traumatic growth. The 

non-profit is located in the Dallas/ 

Ft. Worth area. 

Tempa offered the following 

valuable insight. “It is imperative 

that agencies stop labeling officers 

as broken To or unable to perform 

just because they seek help. 

Due to the fear of losing their 

jobs, many are actually losing 

their lives as a result. Until we 

create a culture that normalizes 

self-care and mental, physical, 

and emotional wellness, we will 

continue to fight this stigma”. 

PROUD SUPPORTER OF THE BLUES 

FOR OVER 36 YEARS 

HELFMAN’S 

RIVER OAKS CHRYSLER 

JEEP • DODGE • FORD CHRYSLER • 

FIAT 

ALFA ROMEO • MASERATI 


Could this be the end of 

proactive policing? 

Most of you know me and 

know that I have been a proactive 

officer my entire career. 

This is the first time I have ever 

felt that we could be seeing the 

death of proactive policing. 

Like most of you, I was astounded 

by the indictment of 

Officer Gallegos for Murder 

relating to the Harding Street 

raid from Jan. 28, 2019. Make no 

mistake about it, this is nothing 

more than TV justice for this 

district attorney. 

I find it a little odd that she 

would bring this charge three 

days before the time limit for 

the family to file a wrongful 

death lawsuit. I also find it suspect 

that the attorney for the 

family is the same attorney that 

DA Ogg hired to work on the 

Arkima case, which was another 

case she filed for political 

reasons – and lost! 

As I stated in my press conference, 

Officer Gallegos should 

be receiving an award for valor 

but instead had to post a large 

bond that no real criminal 

would receive — $150,000. A 

judge realized the disparity in 

that bond and lowered it to a 

$50000 PR bond. 

This brings me back to my 

point. Why would anyone do 

proactive police work in this 

climate? 

It’s bad enough that we are 

scrutinized with everything 

we do on our body cameras, 

but now we can be indicted 

for engaging a suspect who is 

actively shooting others. I want 

all members to know that we 

will not back down. We will do 

everything possible to secure 

a not guilty verdict for Officer 

Gallegos. We are also proud 

to have Rusty Harden and his 

staff on board and cannot wait 

to see him in action. Remember, 

Rusty earned a reputation 

as a rock-solid Harris County 

prosecutor before he went into 

private practice. 

We want to move forward on 

this case as soon as possible 

and get Officer Gallegos back 

to work where he belongs. 

We must also remember that 

Officer Gallegos was completely 

cleared by investigators and 

this was supported by the Chief 

of Police. 

The other officers involved 

in this incident were charged 

with aggregate theft by a public 

servant, falsifying a government 

document, and to top 

it off, they were indicted for 

engaging in organized crime as 

a co-conspirator to this case. 

The DA claimed that the phone 

DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

records did not match up with 

the overtime slip. We all know 

that we may be working overtime 

but not at the location of 

the overtime slip. 

Investigators will work overtime 

to interview a suspect, but 

the overtime slip will show the 

location of the incident. This 

is just one example of many, 

and I look forward to our day 

in court. The grand jury would 

have realized this had the DA 

not conducted such a shotty 

investigation. 

We will continue to monitor 

these cases and I will be on the 

front row when they go to trial. 

Please keep all these officers 

in your prayers and if you know 

them, check on them from time 

to time. 

I ask all members to be careful, 

watch your back, and remember 

that we are our brother’s 

and sister’s keeper. 


Police Officer 

Jay Hughes 

Kalispel Tribal Police Department, Tribal Police 

End of Watch Wednesday, January 6, 2021 

Age 64 Tour #44 Years Badge #N/A 

Master Corporal 

Brian Roy LaVigne 

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida 

End of Watch Monday, January 11, 2021 

Age 54 Tour 33 Years Badge #N/A 

Police Officer Jay Hughes suffered a fatal heart attack while he and two 

other officers responded to an altercation on the gaming floor of the 

Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Spokane, Washington. They were 

detaining one of the subjects when Officer Hughes suddenly collapsed. 

The other officers immediately started CPR. Officer Hughes was transported 

to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center where he passed away 

two days later. 

Officer Hughes had served with the Kalispel Tribal Police Department for 

4-1/2 years and had previously served with the Spokane County Sheriff’s 

Office for 40 years. He also served as a volunteer firefighter for Spokane 

County Fire District 4. He is survived by his wife, four children, 12 grandchildren, 

and one great-grandson. 

Master Corporal Brian LaVigne was killed when his patrol car was intentionally 

rammed by another vehicle on West Lumsden Road, near South 

King’s Avenue, in Brandon. Deputies had responded to an apartment 

complex nearby after a man started throwing furniture and clothing off 

his balcony. Attempts to stop the attack with electric control weapons 

failed. The subject broke free, got into a car, and drove through a closed 

gate.The man intentionally drove across multiple lanes of traffic and 

struck Corporal LaVigne’s patrol car on the driver’s door at a high rate of 

speed. Deputies were unable to free Corporal LaVigne, and he had to be extricated 

by rescue units. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital, 

where he succumbed to his injuries. 

Corporal LaVigne had served with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office 

for thirty years and was killed the day before his last scheduled shift 

before retirement. He is survived by his wife and two children. 

Agent 

Luis A. Marrero-Diaz 

Puerto Rico Police Department, Puerto Rico 


Age 43 Tour 19 Years Badge #28835 

Agent Luis Marrero-Díaz and Agent Eliezer Hernández-Cartagena, of the 

Carolina Municipal Police Department, were murdered while attempting to 

arrest a man who had just murdered Agent Luis Salamán-Conde, of the 

Carolina Municipal Police Department. The subject opened fire again, fatally 

wounding Agent Luis Marrero-Díaz. As he attempted to flee he fatally 

struck Agent Eliezer Hernández-Cartagena. He was able to flee into a 

nearby residential area where he remained at large. He was found fatally 

shot on Jan. 12 with a cardboard sign on his chest declaring him responsible 

for the officers’ deaths. Agent Marrero-Díaz had served with the 

Puerto Rico Police Department for 19 years. 

Agent 

Luis-X. Salaman-Conde 

Carolina Municipal Police Department, Puerto Rico 


Age N/A Tour 30 years Badge # N/A 

Agent Luis Salamán-Conde was shot and killed after responding to the 

scene of an accident on Avenida Roberto Clemente in Carolina.The subject 

opened fire again, fatally wounding Agent Luis Marrero-Díaz of the Puerto 

Rico Police Department. As he attempted to flee in the car a second time 

he fatally struck Agent Eliezer Hernández-Cartagena. He was able to flee 

into a nearby residential area where he remained at large. He was found 

fatally shot on Jan. 12 with a cardboard sign on his chest declaring him 

responsible for the officers’ deaths. Agent Salamán-Conde had served 

with the Carolina Municipal Police Department for 30 years. 


Agent 

Eliezer Hernández-Cartagena 

Carolina Municipal Police Department, Puerto Rico 


Age N/A Tour N/A Badge #400 

Agent Eliezer Hernández-Cartagena and Agent Luis Marrero-Díaz, of 

the Puerto Rico Police Department, were murdered while attempting 

to arrest a man who had just murdered Agent Luis Salamán-Conde, of 

the Carolina Municipal Police Department. The subject opened fire again, 

fatally wounding Agent Luis Marrero-Díaz. As he attempted to flee in the 

car a second time he fatally struck Agent Eliezer Hernández-Cartagena. 


Melton “Fox” Gore 

Horry County Police Department, South Carolina 

End of Watch Tuesday, January 12, 2021 

Age 57 Tour 23 years Badge # 500 

Police Officer Melton Gore was struck and killed by a vehicle while clearing 

debris from the roadway near the interchange of Highway 22 and Highway 

31. 

Officer Gore had served with the Horry County Police Department for 23 

years and was assigned to the Environmental Services Unit. 

Deputy Sheriff 

Adam Gibson 

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, California 

Corporal 

Christine Peters 

Greenbelt Police Department, Maryland 

End of Watch Thursday, January 14, 2021 


Corporal Christine Peters succumbed to injuries sustained 12 days earlier 

when she was struck by a vehicle on Edmonston Road, north of Cherrywood 

Lane, while assisting officers from the United States Park Police at 

the scene of a crash at about 10:00 pm. Another vehicle struck Officer 

Peters while she was outside of her vehicle. She was flown to a local hospital 

where she remained until succumbing to her injuries. 

Corporal Peters had served with the Greenbelt Police Department for 22 

years and had previously served with the University of Maryland Police 

Department for five years. She was posthumously promoted to the rank 

of Corporal. She is survived by her husband, daughter, and son. 



Military Veteran 

Deputy Sheriff Adam Gibson and K9 Riley were shot and killed in the parking 

lot of the Cal Expo and State Fair facility following a vehicle pursuit of 

a parolee. Deputies noticed the subject and vehicle, in a parking lot near 

Arden Way and Avondale Avenue. The deputies contacted the occupant 

and learned that he was on active parole. As they prepared to search the 

vehicle the man fled, leading deputies on a pursuit. The vehicle became disabled 

when it entered the state fair parking lot at 1600 Exposition Boulevard 

and the man remained inside. K9 Riley was then deployed through 

the window by his handler in an attempt to apprehend the subject. When 

K9 Riley was inside of the vehicle the man opened fire, fatally wounding 

both K9 Riley and Deputy Gibson. A second deputy was also shot and 

wounded. Other deputies on scene returned fire and killed the subject. 

Deputy Gibson was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the 

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for six years. He is survived by 

his wife and 9-month-old child. 



Brandon M. Stalker 

Toledo Police Department, Ohio 

End of Watch Monday , January 18, 2021 

Age 24 Tour 2 years 6 months Badge # 514 

Police Officer Brandon Stalker was shot and killed at about 6:30 pm 

during a barricade involving an arson suspect. At approximately 2:20 am 

the front doors of the historic Rosary Cathedral had been set on fire and 

racial statements were spray painted onto the walls. At approximately 

3:30 pm officers spotted the suspect near his house in the 2300 block 

of Fulton Street and attempted to talk to him. The man drew a handgun 

and ran into a home where he barricaded himself inside. The department’s 

SWAT team responded to the scene and, after negotiations failed, fired 

a chemical irritant into the home in an attempt to force him outside. The 

man emerged from the home holding two handguns and opened fire. Officer 

Stalker, who was on a perimeter position, was struck in the head and 

fatally wounded. Other officers returned fire and killed the subject.Officer 

Stalker had served with the Toledo Police Department for 2-1/2 years. 

He is survived by his two children and fiancée. 

Special Agent 

Laura Ann Schwartzenberger 

United States Department of Justice - FBI 

End of Watch Tuesday, February 2, 2021 

Age 43 Tour 15 years Badge # N/A 

Lieutenant 

Michael Boutte 

Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi 

End of Watch Monday, February 1, 2021 

Age N/A Tour 8 years Badge # N/A 

Military Veteran 

Lieutenant Michael Boutte was shot and killed after responding to a call 

involving a subject attempting suicide on Caesar Necaise Road in the 

town of Necaise. Lieutenant Boutte was shot and critically wounded as 

he exited his patrol car. The subject was shot and wounded by another 

deputy who responded to the scene. Lieutenant Boutte was airlifted to a 

hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he died several hours later. 

Lieutenant Boutte was a U.S. Air Force veteran. He had served with the 

Hancock County Sheriff’s Office for eight years and had previously served 

with the United States Marine Corps Civilian Police. 

Special Agent 

Daniel Alfin 

United States Department of Justice - FBI 

End of Watch Tuesday, February 2, 2021 

Age 36 Tour 12 years 

Badge # N/A 

Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger and Special Agent Daniel Alfin 

were shot and killed while executing a search warrant in Sunrise, Florida, 

as part of an investigation involving child pornography and violent 

crimes against children. A team was making entry into the apartment at 

10100 Reflections Boulevard when a subject inside opened fire. Special 

Agent Schwartzenberger and Special Agent Alfin were fatally wounded, 

and three other agents suffered non-life-threatening wounds. The subject 

was found deceased inside of the apartment a short time later. 

Special Agent Schwartzenberger had served with the Federal Bureau of 

Investigation for 15 years and was assigned to the Miami Field Office 

Innocent Images National Initiative. 

Special Agent Daniel Alfin and Special Agent Laura Schwartzenberger 

were shot and killed while executing a search warrant in Sunrise, Florida, 

as part of an investigation involving child pornography and violent 

crimes against children. A team was making entry into the apartment at 

10100 Reflections Boulevard when a subject inside opened fire. Special 

Agent Schwartzenberger and Special Agent Alfin were fatally wounded, 

and three other agents suffered non-life-threatening wounds. The subject 

was found deceased inside of the apartment a short time later. 

Special Agent Alfin had served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation 

for 12 years. 


Remembering a truly great man 

Sergeant 

William Brautigam 

New York City Police Department, New York 

End of Watch Sunday , January 31, 2021 

Age 47 Tour 19 years Badge # N/A 

Sergeant William Brautigam died as the result of cancer that he developed 

following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the 

World Trade Center site following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. 

Sergeant Brautigam had served with the New York City Police Department 

for 19 years and was assigned to the Criminal Enterprise Investigative 

Section. He is survived by his wife and two children. 

Patrolman 

Darian Jarrott 

New Mexico State Police, New Mexico 

End of Watch Thursday, February 4, 2021 

Age 28 Tour 5 years 6 months Badge # N/A 

Patrolman Darian Jarrott was shot and killed while conducting a traffic 

stop of a known offender on I-10 near milepost 101 in Luna County. 

Detective Pedro “Pete” Mejia Jr. 

Pasadena Police Department 

It is with great sadness that we announce 

the passing of police detective 

and military veteran, Pedro “Pete” Mejia 

Jr., who perished on February 6, 2021, 

after a difficult battle with COVID-19. 

Prior to working in law enforcement, 

Pete served in the United States Army, 

where he was deployed on two different 

occasions. During his military service, he 

was awarded numerous certifications, 

badges, commendations, and medals for 

his outstanding performance while rising 

to the rank of First Sergeant. Pete 

began working for the Pasadena Police 

Department in 2005 when he graduated 

from the department’s 57th Basic Police 

Academy. After completing the academy, 

he served in a variety of roles, including 

uniformed patrol, DWI Task Force, and as 

an investigator in the Narcotics Division. 

Throughout his tenure, Pete displayed the 

highest of standards in professionalism, 

as he was known for the quality of his 

work and his willingness to help others. He 

had a friendly and polite bearing, which inspired 

everyone around him. His exceptional work ethic and informal leadership were founded on a great 

compassion for the community that he faithfully and selflessly served. His diplomatic and personal 

touch, along with his infectious smile, will stay with us always. Our hearts and prayers go out to the 

entire Mejia family as they mourn the loss of such an integral part of their lives. 

The driver of the vehicle was the subject of an ongoing narcotics investigation 

and was en route to Las Cruces to participate in a drug deal. Patrolman 

Jarrott was assisting members of the United States Homeland 

Security Investigations when he stopped the vehicle. The man opened fire 

on Patrolman Jarrott, fatally wounding him, before fleeing in the pickup 

truck. 

Patrolman Jarrott had served with the New Mexico State Police for 

5-1/2 years. He is survived by his expectant wife and three children. 

106 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 107

Pack and Plan for those 

“Add-on-Trips” when Traveling 

I have to admit, I am a gear junkie. 

I guess with experience I have 

learned that the right gear can make 

or break a trip. For this reason, I 

always try to throw in some of my 

favorite packable gear whenever I 

travel to a place where I can add an 

afternoon of fishing, hiking, or just 

getting out on the water for a few 

hours. This came up recently when 

one of my buddies was giving me 

grief about all the time I get to spend 

outdoors and was questioning how I 

find time to travel to all of these exotic 

fishing and hunting places. My 

secret is, because of my love for the 

outdoors, I try to add 

on trips every chance I 

get when I must travel 

for work. Now as 

I have written about 

before, I am not going 

to deny that with my 

position at Shell I get 

some great opportunities 

to spend time in 

the outdoors with our 

customers. However, 

for me, I am always 

thinking about the 

places I am traveling 

to and look for opportunities 

to break away 

for few hours and get 

outdoors. To be able 

to do this, you need to 

pack some gear that 

will make the most 

out of the few hours 

you might have. This 

is not meant to be one 

of those gear reviews 

where the companies 

provide me a lot of cool stuff to try 

and write about. These are simply 

just a few of some of my favorite 

pieces that I own and carry with me: 

Lightweight Waterproof Jacket: 

For cool mornings or overcast days, 

having a jacket to cut the wind or 

protect you from sudden showers is 

a must. I have owned a lot of jackets 

over the years, but by far my favorites 

are my Simms Fishing Jackets. 

Simms knows how to make a jacket 

waterproof and they have jackets 

for all budgets from $80 to $600 

that are worth every penny. My first 

Simms jacket was purchased out of 

necessity on a fishing trip out of Key 

West. I had brought a water-resistant 

jacket but quickly discovered 

the difference between ‘proof and 

resistant’ when the cold rain started 

to make its way into the seams, and 

I got chilled to the bone. The next 

morning, I was sporting a very nice 

completely waterproof Simms jacket 

and focused on catching fish, not 

on worrying about getting cold and 

wet. Now I own about 5 different 

Simms jackets at all levels and they 

are the go-to for my wife and I both 

for all of our trips. 

Lightweight Packable Pants: 

While a pair of jeans is always in 

my bag, I used to also carry a of pair 

of 511 pants because of their comfort, 

versatility, and function with 

all the cargo pockets. However, a 

couple of years ago, I discovered a 

brand of outdoor pants and shorts 

that I now always carry. The brand 

is called Kuhl and they truly live and 

innovate by their “Born in the Mountains” 

mentality. Not always easy to 

find in stores, but they have a great 

website where you will find lots of 

different styles; my favorites being 

the “Revolver” and the “Radikl” styles 

of pants and for shorts, their “Rhinotek”. 

These are lightweight, super 

comfortable, and rollup to almost 

nothing in my suitcase or duffle. 

Hiking Boots: When I am going on 

any trip besides a hunting trip, I prefer 

to take along hiking boots that 

can serve as a casual pair of shoes 

for a dinner or walk through town, 

but also can serve me well if I break 

away for a few hours to go hike a 

nearby trail in the woods or fish a 

local stream. For these reasons, I 

like having a good-looking pair of 

boots that are comfortable and waterproof. 

The best I have found are 

the “Renegade GTX” hiking boots 

by Lowa. They are lightweight for 

packing, waterproof, and so comfortable 

right out of the box. My last 

pair lasted almost 15 years and I just 

purchased my second pair. 

Packable Fishing Rod and Reel: 

Since I can find a fish almost anywhere 

I go, I try to always carry a 

rod/reel/lures when I travel. While 

there are a lot of options for takedown 

rods that can travel nicely, I 

love my St Croix 6’6” Medium Power, 

Fast Action Graphite Spinning Rod. 

It breaks down into 4 pieces and 

comes with a great soft-sided case 

that I simply put in my backpack that 

I carry on the plane. I match it with 

the “Smoke Inshore” reel by Quantum 

and find this works for most of 

trips, both big lakes and inshore saltwater. 

Outdoorsmen have a certain lifestyle 

that we all love to live and 

sometimes that involves the gear 

we carry with us wherever we go. 

Therefore, regardless of the reason 

for your next travel, I would encourage 

to pack some gear and add on a 

side trip to get outdoors, even it is 

just for a few hours. 



Austin County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace Officer 02/15/2021 - 5pm 

Ingram Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/17/2021 - 5pm 

Mont Belvieu Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/17/2021 - 5pm 

Cisco Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer & SRO 03/04/2021 - 5pm 

Schliecher County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 03/01/2021 - 5pm 

Jersey Village Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 03/04/2021 - 5pm 

Hitchcock Police Department Get Info Police Officer 04/01/2021 - 5pm 

San Augustine Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 02/15/2021 - 5pm 

Wise County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace Officer 03/04/2021 - 5pm 

Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office Get Info Hazardous Material Technician 04/04/2021 - 5pm 

League City Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/12/2021 - 4pm 

Montgomery Cnty Pct. 4 Constable’s Office Get Info Peace 03/08/2021 - 5pm 

Texas State University Police Department Get Info Captain 02/13/2021 - 5pm 

Denton County Constable Pct. 2 Get Info Peace Officer 02/15/2021 - 5pm 

College Station Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/31/2021 - 5pm 

College Station Police Department Get Info Entry Level Peace Officer 03/31/2021 - 5pm 

Bowie County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace Officer 02/15/2021 - 5pm 

Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace 02/15/2021 - 5pm 

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace Officer 02/13/2021 - 5pm 

Mineola Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/28/2021 - 5pm 

Bruceville-Eddy Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/15/2021 - 5pm 

Crowley Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/28/2021 - 5pm 

City of Snyder Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/12/2021 - 5pm 

Nassau Bay Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/19/2021 - 5pm 

La Porte Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/19/2021 - 5pm 

Leander Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/26/2021 - 5pm 

Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 03/20/2021 - 5pm 

City of Harker Heights Get Info Peace Officer 03/20/2021 - 5pm 

West Lake Hills Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/22/2021 - 5pm 

Somerville Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/25/2021 - 5pm 

Crowley ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/31/2021 - 5pm 

Cedar Hill ISD PD Get Info Peace Officer 03/31/2021 - 5pm 

Brady Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/28/2021 - 5pm 

Weatherford College Police Department Get Info Chief of Police 03/12/2021 - 5pm 

Elgin Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/29/2021 - 5pm 

Sherman ISD Get Info School Resource Officer 04/01/2021 - 5pm 

TJC Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 04/03/2021 - 5pm 

Chandler Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/01/2021 - 5pm 

City of Lockhart Get Info Peace Officer 02/23/2021 - 5pm 

Oyster Creek Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 03/01/2021 - 5pm 

BNSF Railway (El Paso) Get Info Peace Officer 02/10/2021 - 5pm 

D E P A R T M E N T 

$1,500 Signing Incentive 

SALARY (YEARLY) 

• Probationary Patrol Officer $65,044 

• 5 Year Patrol Officer $75,682 

• 9 Year Patrol Officer $90,525 

• Annual salary increases up to a max of 

$90,525 with longevity pay 

• Modified Lateral Pay Scale for Peace 

Officers 

CERTIFICATION PAY (MONTHLY) 

• Intermediate PO Certification $92.08 

• Advanced PO Certification $157.08 

• Master’s PO Certification $212.33 

EDUCATION PAY (MONTHLY) 

• Associates $50 

• Bachelors $100 

• Master $125 

PATROL OFFICER 

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS 

• Health Insurance 

• Dental Insurance 

• Vision Insurance 

• Life Insurance 

• Employee Wellness Center 

• Training and Fitness Facility 

• Retirement Plan (7% Mandatory with 

a 2:1 City match; 20 year retirement) 

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan 

• Tuition Reimbursement and Academy 

Tuition Reimbursement 

• City Vehicles Program 

2020-2021 

• Uniforms/Equipment Provided with 

Annual Allowances 

For additional information please use the 

QR code to go to our recruiting website 

281-420-5354 

281-420-6660 

281-420-5354 

www.bpdcareers.org 

www.baytown.org 

P A T R O L 

O F F I C E R S 

PAID LEAVE *Civil Service Status 

• 15 Vacation days accrued per year* 

• 10 City Holidays per year 

• 1 Personal day per year 

• 15 Sick days accrued per year 

• 15 days of Military Leave per year 

SPECIALTY / SKILL PAY 


(MONTHLY) 

• Bilingual in Spanish $50 

RELOCATION 

• Relocation Expenses Reimbursement 

Application Deadline 

April 2, 2021 

The application acceptance deadline 

is at 5:00 P.M. (central time) 

Written Examination 

Friday, April 16,2021 

Physical Agility Test 

Friday, April 16,2021

Montgomery 

County Pct. 4 

Constable's 

Office 

VACATION , HOLIDAY, & SICK LEAVE | MEDICAL, DENTAL, & VISION COVERAGE | TML RETIREMENT 

COLLEGE TUITION ASSISTANCE | TCOLE CERTIFICATE INCENTIVES | LONGEVITY PAY 

TAKE HOME VEHICLES | UNIFORMS & OUTER CARRIER BODY ARMOR PROVIDED | 8 HOUR SHIFTS 

REQUIRMENTS 

- TCOLE Basic Peace Officer Certification preferred* 

- Applicants must be 21 years of age or older 

- United States Citizen 

- Possess a High School Diploma or GED 

- Must have basic computer skills 

SALARY RANGE: 

$48,144 - $52,608 

FOR MORE INFORMATION SCAN THE CODE BELOW 

full-time 

& 

reserve 

COME JOIN US! 

great retirement & 

great insurance 

Advancement Opportunities: Criminal 

Investigations - Special Response Team - Honor 

Guard - Special Response Group - Swift Water 

Rescue Team - K9 - Mounted Patrol - Drone team 

overtime opportunities: step - dwi 

enforcement - special teams - evidence - jp 

security 

Stipend Pay: k9 - specialist - fto deputy 

paid time off: holiday - vacation - comp time - 

personal - paid training 

salary - step pay slotted based on tcole full-time years of 

service: 

Under 2 yrs - $48,755.20 9 Yrs - $59,508.80 

2 Yrs - $51,188.80 12 Yrs - $61,150.40 

4 Yrs - $53,726.40 15 Yrs - $65,270.40 

6 Yrs - $56,368.00 16+ Yrs - $68,536.0 

license certification (up to $3599) and longevity pay 

civil service protected 

MORE INFO: 

Constable Kenneth "Rowdy" Hayden 

Pickup and complete applicant questionnaire in person. 

1. 

OR VISIT WWW.CI.SNYDER.TX.US 

Pct. 4 Constable, Montgomery County, TX 

fitness assessment, written exam 

2. Firearms qualification, 

assessment scheduled. 

21130 Hwy 59 Ste. C New Caney, TX and 77357 

personality 

candidates will receive personal 

Successfully passing 3. 

PRIDE | HONOR | INTEGRITY | COMMUNITY | INNOVATION 

www.mcco4.org - 281.577.8985 - 

history book. 

114 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE Equal Opportunity Employer 

@mcconstablepct4 

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 115 

board. 

4. Oral

MAKE A 

DIFFERENCE 

IN YOUR 

COMMUNITY 

We are looking for outstanding individuals to 

join our team! As a Pearland Police Officer your 

mission will be to prevent crime and disorder, build 

partnerships within the community, and positively 

impact the quality of life for all our residents. 

CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS 

• Competitive Salary • Outstanding Training 

• Career Advancement • Exceptional Benefits 

The City of Pearland is one of the fastest growing 

communities within the region. Pearland is located 

approximately 20 minutes south of Downtown Houston 

and the current population is approximately 130,000 

residents. 

JOIN OUR TEAM 

HIRING POLICE OFFICERS AND CADETS 

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

Officers who qualify with at least 2 years of experience. 

TEST DATE: 

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

Register by: April 12. 

Pearland Recreation Center & Natatorium 

4141 Bailey Road, Pearland, TX 77584. 

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

Candidates must park in the north parking lot. 

SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES WILL APPLY 

• Attendance limited to first 150 arrivals 

• Mandatory temperature checks 

• Masks required, hand sanitizer available 

• Candidates seated 6 feet apart 

 

 

•Be a citizen of the nited tates able to read, 

write, and speak the English language 

• Have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate .E.. certified by 

the issuing agency with: 

0 credit hours with a cumulative PA of 2.0 or higher on a .0 scale from an accredited 

institute of higher learning or 

- Minimum 24 months of active duty service with an honorable discharge authenticated by 

a Member 2 or Member orm 21 or 

15 credit hours with a cumulative PA of 2.0 or higher on a .0 scale in addition to Basic 

Peace Officer Certification from TCOLE or 

An Intermediate Peace Officer Certification from TCOLE 

• Valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record 

• Must meet all legal requirements necessary to become a licensed Peace Officer by the Texas 

Commission on Law Enforcement TCOLE. 

• Be between 21 and 5 years of age at the time of the examination or 

• Be between 18 and 21 years of age if the applicant has received an associate’s degree or 60 

semester hours of credit from an accredited college or university or has received an honorable 

discharge from the armed forces of the nited tates after at least two years of active service. 

: Cadet $1. hourly Police Officer $2. hourly. 

 

 

 

 

 

April 12, 2021. Applications will not be accepted after this date. 

Submit applications online by visiting pearlandtx.gov/careers. 

THE CITY OF PEARLAND IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER 

pecial accommodations are available when necessary to aord equal opportunity to participate 

in testing. Please make request in writing, five business days prior to the test date to City of 

Pearland, HR Department, 3519 Liberty Drive, Pearland, TX 77581. 

or questions regarding the application process please contact Terene uddsohnson at 

281.652.1617 or hr@pearlandtx.gov. 

List will remain in eect for one 1 year or until exhausted, whichever is sooner. 

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

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 117 

pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers

Competitive pay 

scale 

____ 

Civil Service 

____ 

Hiring Incentive 

$5000 bonus 

____ 

JOIN THE LOCKHART 

POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Duty, Honor, Community 

Do you have what it takes to join the ranks of the LPD? We will be 

testing for multiple openings and look forward to seeing as many 

qualified applicants as possible. The Lockhart Police Department is 

community focused and operates with honor and respect to our 

citizens. We are looking for individuals who are duty and career 

driven. With focused leadership and the future ahead, we need 

individuals who can answer the high calling of being a Lockhart 

Police Officer. Ask yourself, are you ready? Visit 

www.lpdrecruiting.org for more information. 

Community Oriented 

Department 

____ 

You make a 

difference 

LOCKHART POLICE 

DEPARTMENT 

214 Bufkin Ln 

Lockhart TX 78644 

512-398-4401 

Testing February 27, 2021 

Apply by February 23, 2021 

www.lpdrecruiting.org 


POLICE 

NOW RECRUITING 

Seeking Certified Peace Officer through Texas Commission of Law Enforcement (TCOLE) 

CROWLEY ISD 

POLICE 

DEPARTMENT 

 

 

 

 

 

High School Diploma or GED 

Clear and valid Texas driver’s license 

Law Enforcement or related work experience 

Ability to pass required physical, psychiatric, and drug test 

Ability to work well with youth and adults 

COMPETITIVE BENEFITS COMPENSATION 

NOW HIRING 

CAMPUS 

POLICE 

OFFICER 

CISD Police Department 

Location: 

2205 N. Crowley Cleburne Rd 

Crowley, TX 76036 

Phone: 817-297-5345 

E-mail: Sarah.carter@crowley.k12.tx.us 

Insurance 

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, 

AD&D and Long Term Disability 

Leave Benefits 

Vacation, State/Local Sick Leave 

Retirement 

Teachers Retirement System of Texas 

Equipment 

Uniforms and equipment, 

(excluding boots) 

Highly Sought out Schedule 

226 Work Days 

Weekends & Holidays off 

Basic certification: $48,997 

Intermediate Certification: $50,986 

Advanced Certification: $53,987 

Master Certification: $55,903 

Overtime Opportunity! 

Health Insurance 

Basic Term Life Insurance 

Dependent Term Life Insurance 

Optional Term Life Insurance 

Dental Insurance 

Short Term Disability 

TRS Retirement 

Tax-Sheltered 403(b) Plans 

457 Deferred Compensation Plan 

Vacation 

Sick Leave 

Holidays 

Professional Development 

Fitness Facility Use 

and more! 

Campus Police provide valuable security 

to everyone on campus at TJC. Our 

officers seek to create a safe and secure 

campus environment in which the 

educational mission of the College can 

be realized free from the specter of 

crime. 

To apply go to 

TJC.edu/jobs 


Lift Kits 

Wheels 

Bed Covers 

Step Boards 

Bumpers 

Lights 

Winches 

10% OFF FOR ALL 

FIRST RESPONDERS 

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

122 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 

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