NOV 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 11

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 1

NOVEMBER 2021 

FEATURES 

On the Cover: 

FEATURE: The Rise & Fall of 

Former Police Chief Art Acevedo, 

chronicles his journey 

beginning as a rookie at CHP 

in California to his final days 

at Miami PD. 

36 Remembering Those We’ve Lost 

Deputy Constable Kareem Atkins 

40 Remembering Those We’ve Lost to COVID 

44 Remembering Those We’ve Lost to LOD Deaths 

54 The Rise & Fall of Art Acevedo 

84 Who Wants To Be A Cop Part 7 

DEPARTMENTS 

6 Publisher’s Thoughts 

10 Editor’s Thoughts 

16 Guest Editorial w/Daniel Rivero 

20 Your Thoughts 

24 News Around the US 

44 Products & Services -Alternative Ballistics 

52 Honoring our Fallen Heroes 

98 War Stories 

102 Aftermath 

104 Open Road-Mustang Mach E Goes to Patrol 

108 Healing Our Heroes 

110 Daryl’s Deliberations 

112 HPOU-From the President, Douglas Griffith 

114 Light Bulb Award 

116 Running 4 Heroes 

118 Blue Mental Health with Tina Jaeckle 

120 Off Duty with Rusty Barron 

124 Parting Shots 

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

156 Back Page -Let’s Go Brandon 

OUR TEAM 

MICHAEL BARRON 

founder & publisher 


editor-n-chief 

REX EVANS 

contributing editor 

DIANE TRYKOWSKI 

creative editor 

RUSTY BARRON 

outdoor editor 

TINA JAECKLE 


DARYL LOTT 


SAM HORWITZ & JOHN SALERNO 

contributing editors 

DOUGLAS GRIFFITH 

HPOU contributing editor 

DIANE TRYKOWSKI 

sales manager 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

T. EDISON 

contributing writer / light bulb 

DANIEL RIVERO 

guest editorial 

SGT BOB WILLIAMS 

warstory/aftermath 

LANE DEGREGORY 

contributing writer 

COVER STORY 


feature writer 

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY 


A BADGE OF HONOR 

108 

98 102 

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 su 

2 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 3

Coming next month: A Special Insert 

HONORING ALL FALLEN OFFICERS IN 2021 • YOUR BUSINESS CAN PAY TRIBUTE FOR ONLY $375 FOR A FULL PAGE 


PART I - Another Tragic Loss 

October was another tragic 

month for our Blue Family here 

in Texas. On Saturday October 

16, at 2am, a cold hearted, lowlife 

killer ambushed three deputy 

constables working an extra 

job on Houston’s north side. Two 

survived and one did not. On 

that cool Houston night, we lost 

Deputy Kareem Atkins from the 

Harris County Constable Precinct 

Four Office. Deputy Atkins was 

only 30 years old. He had been 

with the department since January 

2019 and recently returned 

from paternity 

leave. He 

leaves behind 

his 6-monthold 

son, 

2-year-old 

daughter and 

his wife. 

That night, 

Atkins was 

working 

with his two 

best friends. 

Deputy Darryl 

Garrett, 

28 and Deputy Juqaim Barthen, 

26. They were truly the best of 

friends. Deputy Garrett was shot 

in the back multiple times and 

remains in critical condition at 

Hermann Hospital. According 

to his fiancé, he has undergone 

multiple surgeries to remove 

a bullet that damaged several 

organs, and needs a kidney 

transplant. 

Deputy Juqaim Barthen was 

released from the hospital on 

October 20, and was emotional 

as he was rolled out of the front 

of Hermann Hospital in a wheelchair. 

His brothers and sisters 

in blue lined the outside of the 

hospital and cheered loudly as 

Barthen made his way to his car. 

He continues to recover at home 

and says he can’t wait to get 

back to work. 

Deputy Atkins was remembered 

at a Memorial Service 

at Champions Forest Baptist 

Church on Monday, October 

24th. Hundreds of officers from 

around the country came to pay 

their respects. Everyone here at 

the BLUES sends their thoughts 

and prayers to the Atkins family 

and Constable Mark Herman and 

his entire department during 

this trying time. 

Someone asked me the other 

day, is there anything I would 


change about the BLUES if I had 

to do it all over again? The answer 

is yes. There 

is one thing I’d love 

to see changed. 

The staggering 

number of fallen 

officers we honor 

in each issue. Last 

month we had 17 

Line of Duty deaths 

due to Covid and 

16 due to other 

means. That’s 33 

in just one month. 

Since January of 

2021, the number 

totals 383. 

We all want this to stop. We 

all say, “Enough is Enough.” But 

when will it stop? When will 

enough truly be enough? What 

is it going to take to put an end 

to the senseless killing of our 

brothers and sisters in Blue? 

I truly wish I knew, and I pray 

to God that it will stop sooner 

than later. 

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PART II - Our Feature Story, 

Rise & Fall of Acevedo 

Who cares! That’s one of the 

remarks posted to social media 

when we shared the upcoming 

November cover. Hard to say how 

many really cared that he was 

fired from Miami, or cared that we 

were featuring him on the cover. 

Apparently, a lot of people have 

some interest in the subject. Over 

83,600 people interacted with the 

posts, over 6,000 left comments, 

4,300 shared it and 5,876 liked it. 

The BLUES owes it to our readers 

to follow Acevedo’s path through 

Texas as he made significant impacts 

on the Austin PD and Houston 

PD – some good, some not so 

good. 

Many, including myself, weren’t 

surprised that he didn’t make it 

a year in Miami. He made it six 

months. Acevedo is a “bull-in-a- 

China-shop” to just about everything. 

He’s the happiest when 

there’s a microphone and an 

audience to listen to his rants and 

raves about gun control and how 

he’s not going to stand still while 

“his people” are being killed. 

You would think by “his people” 

he meant his cops, his brothers 

and sisters in BLUE. But he said 

that after George Floyd was killed 

and he was shoulder to shoulder 

with protestors walking through 

downtown Houston. He often 

claimed gun control was a problem 

in Houston and across America, 

but knew full well that not 

one suspect arrested in Houston 

obtained a gun through legal 

means. 

So, when he arrived in Miami, he 

went to work shouting, screaming, 

and firing people. He let go 

the top half of his command staff 

and brought in Heather Morris 

from Houston to be his Deputy 

Police Chief. She didn’t last long, 

as the City Commissioners cut the 

budget and cut her loose. But she 

didn’t go quietly. She went off on 

the entire command staff, saying 

they should have had her back. 

Acevedo also fired a top-ranking 

couple in the department for failing 

to report damages to their department 

Tahoe and then Acevedo 

does the same thing a month later 

when his Shop was damaged. Do 

as I say, not as I do. 

The nail in the coffin was telling 

his men in a roll call that the 

department was being run by the 

Cuban Mafia and he was going 

to right the wrongs and set the 

department straight. Not even six 

months into this new gig, Acevedo 

was calling department heads 

crooked. WTF. 

So, his firing was no surprise. 

But it’s interesting to look back on 

Acevedo’s career in law enforcement 

and see how he climbed 

the ladder starting in California, 

then Austin, Houston and ending 

in Miami. 

His supporters will ask, why 

drag up old news? You just have it 

in for him and you’re dragging his 

name and reputation through the 

mud. 

First, there is no such thing as 

“old news” when it comes to politicians 

and high-ranking officials 

of any municipal agency. What 

you’ve done in your past is just as 

relevant today as it was the day 

you did what you did. Good or 

bad. 

Second, I have no hidden agenda 

or dislike for Acevedo. And I 

certainly don’t have it “out for 

him.” Acevedo creates his own 

noise just being himself. All I do 

is report his actions and let our 

readers decide what kind of job 

he’s doing. 

Finally, Acevedo’s reputation is 

what it is. My personal opinion is 

that his leap frogging from department 

to department is his 

path to a political future. I also 

think he’ll be back in Houston 

and running for Mayor with the 

full support of Houston’s current 

mayor, Sylvester Turner. That is, 

if he isn’t chosen for the new ICE 

director by Biden. 

Time will tell what the future 

holds for him. Until then, enjoy the 

essay on “The Rise & Fall of Art 

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Part I A Letter to Kareem 

Kareem, 

I’ve thought about you Darryl and 

Juqaim a lot lately. Though almost 

ten days has passed since you 

three were ambushed and brutally, 

ruthlessly gunned down. The pain 

and sense of profound loss has not 

lessened, nor shall it ever. 

In about twenty-four hours hundreds, 

if not thousands of law enforcement 

officers from all across 

Texas and the country will gather 

together and celebrate the life, 

legacy, and career you led, in your 

short time here with us. 

The indignity dealt unto you 

three Brothers in Blue, your families, 

friends, and the entire city 

of Houston/Harris County shall be 

rectified. Revenge is not what we 

seek: it is a reckoning. We seek a 

righteous and just reckoning for 

the ruthless brutality committed. 

Though you and I only briefly met 

a couple of times, I found you to be 

a consummate professional and a 

gentleman. While on a motor vehicle 

accident scene once, I can still 

clearly see your smile and saying 

“No worries, Chief. We got this.” 

I believe with all my heart that’s 

exactly who you were, not only 

as a law enforcement officer, but 

as a man. You were a good husband 

and father to your children, 

a steadfast friend to those who, 

more often than not, needed your 

friendship more than anything else 

on this Earth. 

Throughout your life Kareem, you 

worked hard. Struggling through 

all the obstacles placed before you. 

With absolute character, compassion, 

and faith. 

You may have struggled but you 

never stopped trying. Ultimately, 

realizing your dream of becoming 

a Police Officer. Sharing that 

calling deep within your heart with 

Darryl, Juqaim and the rest of the 

Precinct 4 Constable’s Office. 

While your accomplishments in 

your career should be recognized, 

I find I’m even more proud of the 

man you were off duty. Family was 

number one to you, and rightfully 

so. We could all learn a lesson or 

two from your life, in that respect. 

Darryl and Juqaim are still physically 

recovering from their gunshot 

wounds. Their struggle to return is 

far from over. As for their hearts, 

with the loss of you, I do not know 

how a man, any man, gets through 

such profound loss. I can only offer; 

they’ll not be alone. 

I know what happened that fateful 

night has unequivocally, galvanized 

the greater Houston/Harris 

County law enforcement community. 

We shall always be looking in 

and after your family. Always. 

Before I finish, I’ll share with you 

about the loss of my daughter. 

Years ago, she was in a tragic accident. 

She’s probably already found 

you up in Heaven and she is talking 

your ears off right about now. 

I’ve no doubt she’s been talking 

all about the Astros winning and 

heading to the World Series. She 

loved baseball and she loved the 

Astros. 

Though we are all broken hearted 

with this tragedy and the loss of 

your life, I just cannot stop thinking 

of and admiring the life you 

lived. Your legacy is one of being a 

good man, who gave everything he 

REX EVANS 

had to his family and friends. 

Ultimately, you’ll also be remembered 

as that one good man 

among three good men who laid 

down his life so that others might 

live. 

I truly believe when you heard 

the voice of our Father in Heaven 

calling, “Whom shall I send? Who 

will go for us?” You, being the man 

so many knew you to be, simply 

stood up and quietly said “Here am 

I, Lord. Send me.” 

You’ll always be the very definition 

of the word “Hero” to me. Such 

men like you, Darryl and Juqaim 

are few and far between. It was the 

privilege of a lifetime to have ever 

met you. 

Please try to rest easy, brother. 

We’ve got it from here. The 

calls for service, your friends and 

above all, your family. We’ve got 

it. You’ve done your part. You gave 

everything you had. No one, I mean 

no one, could’ve ever asked for or 

expected more. 

God’s speed, Kareem. May our Father’s 

grace and mercy be with you 

always. Your life, your legacy, shall 

never be forgotten. 

Most sincerely, 

Your Friend 

Rex Evans 

10 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 11

Part II To the Shooter of Kareem Atkins 

As of yet, no one officially or 

positively knows who you are or 

why you were in the shadows 

outside that club with a semi-automatic 

rifle. 

In the early morning hours of 

October 16th, you, and you alone, 

made the decision to repeatedly 

pull the trigger of your weapon, 

striking the first two of three Harris 

County Pct. 4 Deputy Constables 

who were just doing their job. 

Not only did you make this decision, 

but like the complete and utter 

coward you are, you opened fire 

on them from behind their backs. 

As the third uniformed Deputy 

ran towards his grievously injured 

partners, you turned and opened 

fire on him, striking him as well. 

While Deputy Kareem Atkins laid 

mortally wounded, Deputy Juqaim 

Barthen was down right beside 

Kareem. Deputy Darrell Garrett 

though shot and seriously injured, 

made his way to his fallen brothers. 

You, being the true coward you 

are, fled deep into the night, leaving 

three good, honest, and heroic 

men laying on the ground bleeding 

from the wounds you caused. 

What you didn’t factor into your 

intentional and murderous act was 

that these men were not just cops. 

They were best friends. They were 

sons, husbands, fathers, friends, 

and part of one of the largest fraternities 

ever known unto mankind, 

the Fraternity of Law Enforcement. 

There’s no place on God’s green 

Earth you can hide. There’s no 

number of miles you could run. 

One day, you’re going to know 

we’ve found you and we’ve come to 

get you. 

We will place you before a 

court and we will ensure justice 

is served. Justice for the honorable 

and noble life you so violently 

took. Justice for that man’s wife 

and two very small children. Justice 

for the two remaining honorable 

and dedicated men you so 

grievously injured. Justice for all 

of their families, friends, members 

of their department and finally, for 

the entire Houston/Harris County 

community you alone, with absolute 

indignity, have so violently 

wronged. 

Someone somewhere knows who 

and where you are. As the reward 

for information keeps on growing, 

that person(s) will start talking. 

Money talks. And you, you’ll be 

taking a walk, right into the Harris 

County jail and eventually, a Harris 

County courtroom. 

Remember, no one likes or 

respects a coward, especially one 

who guns down three good and 

honorable men. Men who had 

sworn an oath to serve, protect 

and defend our community. Your 

time free and you being on the run 

will not last much longer. 

We’re coming, and we’re coming 

for you. You’re going to face 

up to and answer for the violence 

you’ve done to these men, their 

families, and our entire community. 

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ACEVEDO: From high praise to the hot seat: How 

Miami's police chief saga became political theater 

The ongoing conflict has captivated the public and escalated very quickly. 

EDITOR: The following Editorial 

was published before Acevedo 

was fired as Miami’s Police Chief. 

Rivero provides another prospective 

on the subject as a reporter 

from WLRN in Miami and a former 

investigative reporter for the television 

series “The Naked Truth.” 

The ongoing conflict has captivated 

the public and escalated 

very quickly. What led up to it 

and where does it go from here? 

The city of Miami government 

has been gripped by a circular 

firing squad of explicit accusations 

of misconduct, possible 

corruption, and incompetence. 

On one side of the squad are 

three sitting Cuban American city 

commissioners. On the other, a 

Cuban American police chief and, 

nominally, the Cuban American 

mayor and city manager who 

helped bring him to the city. 

Residents of the city are in the 

middle of the melee, shielding 

their eyes from the carnage and 

ducking for cover to avoid the 

crossfire. No one can say with 

certainty what the total damages 

will be once the attacks come to 

a halt. 

The unfolding situation has high 

stakes for the city, bringing national 

media attention and calling 

the viability and stability of the 

city government into question. 

And now, the escalating battle 

has reached new heights: A related 

federal lawsuit against the 

city has been filed by businesses 

in Little Havana, alleging that 

the city “weaponized the very 

tools of government” in order 

to shut them down. The police 

chief has called on the Department 

of Justice to investigate the 

actions of sitting members of the 

city commission, and the FBI has 

acknowledged it is aware of the 

situation. 

That same police chief has also 

faced public hearings entirely 

aimed at discrediting his actions 

in both the recent past, up to 

decades ago. The hearings are intended 

to push him out of office. 

All of this happened within a 

very short time period — but how 

did it happen? And how did we 

get here? 

The drama began with the arrival 

of police chief Art Acevedo 

in March. Acevedo was the police 

chief in Austin, Texas for nine 

years, and most recently was the 

top cop in Houston for nearly five 

years. 

But the political intrigue started 

with questions about how Cuban-born 

Acevedo was recruited 

to Miami. 

“Obviously, the mayor has a relationship 

with the current mayor 

in Houston,” said city manager 

Art Noriega. “He connected us. 

The mayor spoke to him, I spoke 

to him. And he had nothing but 

positive things to say about the 

chief.” 

The city manager technically 

made the hire, but the chief was 

really recruited by Miami Mayor 

Francis Suarez. 

“The chief is someone who was 

recruited and hired because of 

his record. And his record is one 

where he was chosen by all the 

chiefs in the United States, all the 

big city chiefs, as their leader,” 

Suarez told WLRN in mid-September. 

He pointed to the fact that Acevedo 

was elected by police chiefs 

across the country to serve as 

the current president of the Major 

Cities Chiefs Association, a national 

group of police chiefs. 

“So, I mean, you’re getting the 

chief of chiefs,” said Suarez. 

City of Miami’s incoming police 

chief Art Acevedo speaks during 

a press conference at Miami City 

Hall in Coconut Grove, Florida on 

Monday, March 15, 2021. 

The controversy was that a 

formal interview process was 

underway in the Miami Police 

Department, a process that could 

have promoted someone from 

within. Three city commissioners 

— Joe Carollo, Alex Diaz De 

La Portilla and Manolo Reyes, 

the three Cuban Americans on 

the commission — took issue 

with the mayor and city manager 

sidestepping the process. The hire 

of Acevedo came as unexpected 

Sunday night news to many in the 

city government. 

“You had people from the area 

who were interested, applied for 

the position, went through the 

interviews, and it comes across 

as — they were not taken seriously,” 

explained Alexis Piquero, 

a criminologist and chair of the 

University of Miami’s department 

of sociology and arts & sciences. 

“Whether that’s true or not, those 

are the optics.” 

Noriega has said an outside hire 

was needed in order to institute 

needed reforms to the department. 

In response to the surprise hire, 

the city commission passed a 

resolution in July that called for 

a ballot referendum asking city 

of Miami voters to give the elected 

commission more oversight 

of the hiring process for both the 

chief of the police and the chief 

of the fire department positions. 

Mayor Suarez vetoed that resolution, 

saying it would put top 

candidates from other cities in 

a precarious position. In his veto 

message Suarez wrote: “What 

would happen with his/her current 

employer if everyone knows 

that he/she is applying for a new 

job, and what would happen if 

he/she fails to land the new job?” 

“I don’t know what he’s afraid 

of,” Commissioner Reyes told the 

Miami Herald at the time. “Let’s 

have a very transparent process 

where we will be able to recruit 

the best candidates within our 

department and in the U.S.” 

The question will not be on 

the November ballot, but it is not 

dead. Depending on the action of 

commissioners, it could still end 

up on the ballot in 2022. 

The Shake Up 

The actions of Chief Acevedo 

have also rattled the city police 

department. The chief came on 

board as a self-described reformer, 

with the stated goal of 

issuing sweeping changes to the 

internal culture of the department. 

Just after coming on, Acevedo 

spoke with WLRN and shared 

that he immediately intended to 

fire an estimated ten officers. 

“I’ve now put internal affairs as 

of yesterday directly reporting to 

me as the chief of police,” Acevedo 

said in April. “We have cases 

that are languishing there that we 

want to fire people but apparently 

the cases are there for upwards 

to a year or longer, and these 

people, these officers are on the 

payroll.” 

Chief Acevedo was brought 

here to institute reform and he 

deserves the opportunity to do 

so. Reform isn’t pretty to police 

officers because it goes against 

the blue wall of silence and some 

of the friends of the family will 

have to be held accountable. 

Miami Police Major Dana Carr 

During his short tenure so far, 

the police chief has repeatedly 

found himself in hot water over 

his outspoken demeanor and 

public persona. He angered the 

police union and some rank-andfile 

officers after saying officers 

might be fired if they don’t get 

vaccines for COVID-19, and was 

forced to issue a self-reprimand 

after being caught on camera 

cursing at a member of the Proud 

Boys. 

The Miami Police Department 

was under sweeping federal 

oversight from 2016 through early 

2021, due to a string of police 

shooting incidents dating back 

to 2010 and 2011. All of the people 

shot and killed by the police 

during that eight-month stretch 

were black and several were 

unarmed, according to a findings 

report issued by the Department 

of Justice in 2013. Acevedo came 

on board after the federal oversight 

was lifted, but said cultural 

reforms within the department 

were still needed. 

“It’s a balance and I’m fine with 

someone else taking over and 

conducting an independent investigation, 

but it has to be timely, 

and if it’s not timely I’m going 

to act in those instances when I 

believe people need to be fired,” 

said Acevedo. 

Within months the chief relieved 

the city’s sergeant-atarms, 

Luis Camacho, of duty, 

citing an ongoing internal affairs 

investigation. He demoted four 

majors without explanation, and 

brought in an old colleague from 

Houston, Heather Morris, to serve 

as a deputy police chief. The 

chief fired a high-ranking police 

couple for not properly reporting 

a minor car accident. 

The shakeup ruffled feathers in 

the department, and in an August 

meeting when he was addressing 

staff, Chief Acevedo made a 


comment about the pushback he 

was receiving that would change 

everything. 

He reportedly said: “Miami is 

run by the Cuban mafia.” 

Backlash Against Chief’s Comments 

The comment angered the 

Fraternal Order of Police and 

Cuban-American members of the 

city of Miami commission. They 

said the comments echoed attacks 

Cuban dictator Fidel Castro 

would lob at the Cuban exile 

community in an effort to discredit 

them. 

The police chief issued an apology, 

saying he was not aware of 

the history of the “Cuban Mafia” 

being used as a slur. 

But the comment was enough. 

A series of city commission 

meetings was soon called, entirely 

aimed at scrutinizing the 

police chief — and possibly pressuring 

the city manager to fire 

him. 

In the days leading up to the 

first meeting, the police chief 

issued a scathing memo in which 

he accused the three Cuban 

American commissioners of misconduct, 

interfering in internal 

affairs investigations, and possible 

corruption. He called on the 

FBI to investigate the commissioners, 

who make up three-fifths 

of the commission, and painted 

the criticism against him as a 

political witch hunt of the sort 

practiced by the Cuban dictatorship. 

“If I or MPD give in to the improper 

actions described herein, 

as a Cuban immigrant, I and 

my family might as well have 

remained in communist Cuba, 

because Miami and MPD would 

be no better than the oppressive 

regime and the police state we 

left behind,” Acevedo wrote in the 

memo. 

The commissioners categorically 

say all of the accusations of 

misconduct and possible corruption 

are false. 

The FBI has acknowledged it 

is aware of the allegations in 

the memo, but the nature of any 

potential ongoing investigation, if 

any, are not known. 

The memo and the “Cuban Mafia” 

comment loomed large over 

the commission meetings. 

“If he had used the same adjective 

to any, any — think about 

any ethnic group — any. And said 

this is the “whatever mafia” and 

said they are similar to the people 

who oppress them,” said Commissioner 

Reyes. 

“He would have been long 

gone,” interrupted Commissioner 

Diaz De La Portilla. 

“Oh, hell yes,” said Reyes. 

The commissioners voiced frustration 

that the police chief only 

issued an apology over Twitter, 

and that he did not do Spanish 

language radio interviews to 

apologize for his comments. 

Commissioner Joe Carollo led 

the meetings and he called the 

police chief’s Cuban roots into 

question. The chief was born in 

Havana but moved to the United 

Stated at four years old. 

Unlike the commissioners, Acevedo’s 

family moved to Los Angeles 

shortly after arriving in the U.S. 

He is not a Miami Cuban, a 

point Carollo drove home at the 

meetings. 

“He says he is Cuban but I still 

haven’t seen anything about his 

past, not even his college transcripts, 

there hasn’t been any 

investigation,” Carollo told reporters 

in Spanish. “That he says 

he is Cuban and that he acts like 

a Cuban are different things. 

Because this man has never cared 

about Cuba until he got here.” 

EVOKING THE M-WORD? 

Cuban American Miami City 

Commissioner Joe Carollo holding 

forth against new Miami 

Police Chief Art Acevedo during 

a special commission meeting on 

Monday. 

Referring to comments that 

the chief made at a Patria y Vida 

event in July that were critical of 

the Cuban regime, Carollo said 

the chief only then decided to act 

like a “real Cuban.” 

“He was born in Cuba, but 

then because he’s Cuban, he was 

born in Cuba, he has the right to 

offend us like that?” asked commissioner 

Reyes, referring to the 

“Cuban Mafia” comment. “I mean 

Castro was Cuban too. Fidel 

Castro was born in Cuba, and the 

people that are oppressing the 

Cuban people, they were born in 

Cuba, too.” 

A Reformer or Not a Reformer? 

The in-fighting, ethnic undertones 

to the ongoing dispute conceal 

another potential motivation 

for going after the police chief, 

said Stephen Hunter Johnson, the 

chair of the Black Affairs Advisory 

Board of Miami-Dade County. 

Johnson was on the hiring 

committee that interviewed potential 

police chiefs and said he 

was unhappy about the way the 

chief was directly recruited and 

hired, but he broadly approves of 

the actions taken by the chief to 

restructure the leadership of the 

department. 

“To the extent that he made a 

comment about the ‘Cuban Mafia’ 

and he found himself in hot water 

— not necessarily because there is 

no such thing, but because Fidel 

used that term to describe Miami 

Cubans — takes away from what 

it was that he was identifying,” 

said Johnson. “Which is: There’s 

a homogeneous clique of people 

who have exercised inordinate 

control in decision making within 

the Miami PD, and I think it has 

to stop. And I bet you there were 

hosts of Black officers and white 

officers who were in their heads 

clapping.” 

“The chief’s offense is literally 

bucking the good old boy network 

in place. That’s his offense,” 

Johnson said. 

Notably, members of the Miami 

Community Police Benevolent 

Association — a black police 

union — support the police chief. 

Dana Carr is a major in the police 

department, and secretary of the 

union, and said the department 

has a long “history of allowing 

corrupt behavior” and of alienating 

any officers who try to break 

the mold. 

“These practices were allowed 

by senior leadership,” she said. 

“Chief Acevedo was brought here 

to institute reform and he deserves 

the opportunity to do so. 

Reform isn’t pretty to police officers 

because it goes against the 

blue wall of silence and some of 

the friends of the family will have 

to be held accountable. Which 

may include up and to termination. 

But reform is necessary.” 

Stanley Jean-Poix, the union 

president, told commissioners the 

chief has started much-needed 

reforms within the police department. 

“When he came into the department, 

he was the first chief 

I ever saw conduct a department-wide 

survey to give our 

opinions on what we thought 

was important. He brought the 

interview process back to specialized 

units. Before that it was 

the chief and his friends pick and 

choose whoever they wanted, 

there was no chance of advancement 

if you weren’t in the clique,” 

said Jean-Poix. “He formed 

committees talking about what 

are the right qualifications if you 

want to move up to become a 

staff member — what can you do 

to make yourself a better candidate? 

Before, no one ever told us 

that.” 

“He brought diversity as you can 

see. We have now white females 

in certain positions, white males, 

we have blacks,” he said. 

An internal poll released by the 

Fraternal Order of Police, however, 

shows that a majority of 

officers do not have confidence 

in the police chief. The Fraternal 

Order of Police is the union that 

handles contract negotiations for 

the police department. 

Commissioner Carollo says the 

police chief is guilty of hypocrisy 

and that he is in fact protecting 

bad officers. 

Minor damage to the chief of 

police’s vehicle recently went 

unreported, the same offense 

for which he previously fired the 

police couple. In a commission 

meeting, photos of the vehicle 

damage were shown and the 

city manager acknowledged the 

proper paperwork was not filed 

in a timely manner, as required. 

And Carollo pointed to one 

notorious officer who has cost 

taxpayers hundreds of thousands 

of dollars in settlements for excessive 

use of force. That officer 

was previously on desk duty but 

has been let back onto the street 

and has recently been raking in 

money on overtime on the police 

chief’s watch, Carollo said. 

“This chief was the one that 

got him out, got him a five percent 

raise and look at all the 

overtime,” said Carollo, raising 

his voice. “The fake reformer. Mr. 

Acevedo — the fake reformer.” 

The Chief’s Past, And Future, In 

Question 

A central focus of the two commission 

meetings was Chief Acevedo’s 

history in law enforcement 

prior to joining the Miami Police 

Department. 

Commissioner Carollo spent 

hours reading a laundry list of 

scandals and accusations from 

the chief’s past, dating back to 

the 1980s when he was with the 

California Highway Patrol. For 

example, the commissioner cited 

a scandal involving the mistreatment 

of rape test kits when 

Acevedo was the chief of police 

in Austin, Texas. 

In a surreal moment, he showed 

video of a pair of fundraisers the 

chief participated in, dating from 

2008. Carollo froze the image 

to comment on the bulge in the 

chief’s pants, calling his character 

into question. 

“That he would go out publicly 

with pants like that, in that fashion, 

where his midsection are in 

pants so tight like this — is this 

something that you would believe 

is appropriate for a police chief?” 

Carollo rhetorically asked the city 

manager. “The only time that you 

would see me like that is when 

I played football, but that’s because 

I had a jock strap.” 

Some of the accusations and 

scandals read into the record 

were either unsubstantiated or 

lacking full context. One scandal 

cited by Commissioner Carollo 

dating back to the 1980s was over 

the chief allegedly showing nude 

pictures of a subordinate to other 

officers. However, Acevedo won 


a nearly $1 million settlement 

in a lawsuit with the California 

Highway Patrol over that incident, 

saying that he was the victim of 

a retaliation campaign aimed at 

discrediting him. 

Art Acevedo during his tenure 

as Houston police chief 

Still, scrutiny of Chief Acevedo’s 

past was news to many in Miami. 

City Manager Noriega admitted 

to the commission that he did not 

perform a full vetting of Acevedo 

before bringing him on board as 

the top cop. 

“Did we do an in-depth vetting 

of him? No,” Noriega said. 

Noriega said he mostly took the 

word of Houston Mayor Sylvester 

Turner that Acevedo was good for 

the job upon hiring him. 

However, using the chief’s past 

against him now in Miami is not 

proper, said Piquero, the criminologist. 

“Most of that material was 

available for people to see. If they 

chose not to look for it, the onus 

is on them for not looking for it, 

not on the chief,” said Piquero. 

Eyes On the Commission? 

The other main factor at play 

for the chief’s future in Miami is 

the accusations of misconduct he 

lobbied against the three Cuban 

American commissioners. 

In particular, Acevedo wrote in 

his memo sent before the commission 

meetings that commissioners 

Carollo and Diaz De La 

Portilla had pressured police to 

conduct code enforcement investigations 

into businesses in one 

another’s districts. 

Similar allegations are not new. 

The owners of the Little Havana 

bar Ball & Chain have long 

charged that Carollo has directed 

code enforcement against the 

business for political reasons, 

charges that Carollo denies. The 

popular bar has been closed for 

business due to the ongoing enforcement 

actions. 

On the heels of the Acevedo 

memo, Ball & Chain and another 

Little Havana restaurant filed 

a $28 million federal lawsuit 

against the city of Miami, alleging 

that the city has “weaponized 

the very tools of government” for 

political reasons. 

The lawsuit cited the Acevedo 

memo as corroboration. 

But Miami’s city manager said 

the police chief has not provided 

evidence to support his claims of 

misconduct. The targeted commissioners 

categorically deny 

any truth to the allegations in the 

memo or the lawsuit. 

The Missing Mayor 

Commissioners voted last week 

to create an investigative body 

that would look into all the allegations 

of misconduct, which 

would be overseen by the commission 

itself. The investigation 

would look into any potential 

misconduct by the police chief, 

the sitting commissioners, or any 

other city of Miami employee involved 

in the ongoing dispute. 

The commission took a vote to 

cut some funding to senior staff 

members, which were expanded 

by Acevedo, and to use that funding 

to hire new patrol officers. 

They cut funding for the deputy 

police chief — the position occupied 

by Acevedo’s former Houston 

colleague Heather Morris — from 

the city budget. 

Two City Hall sources told 

WLRN the chief is unlikely to last 

much longer in the position. Publicly 

accusing three sitting commissioners 

of misconduct and 

inviting a federal investigation 

was one step too far for him to 

walk back from, they said. 

Noticeably absent for the intrigue? 

Miami Mayor Francis 

Suarez. He attended neither of the 

commission meetings, despite 

personally recruiting the police 

chief to the position. The mayor 

recently said he places full faith 

in the city manager, who would 

technically be the one to retain or 

fire the chief, but he has otherwise 

stopped commenting on the 

drama. 

When he was brought on 

board, Suarez referred to Acevedo 

as the “Michael Jordan of 

police chiefs.” He told WLRN in 

mid-September that he still supported 

the police chief. 

“In a city as complex as Miami 

can be, there are all kinds of subplots 

— some that are public and 

some that are not completely — 

that motivate some of the things 

that we see,” he said at the time. 

“I support the chief and I also 

support the commission’s desire 

to create accountability at that 

position, and we’ll all see how it 

plays out.” 

Daniel Rivero is a reporter and producer 

for WLRN, covering Latino and 

criminal justice issues. Before joining 

the team, he was an investigative 

reporter and producer on the television 

series “The Naked Truth,” and a 

digital reporter for Fusion. 


KINDNESS JUST POURED IN 

OVER THIS UPCOMING ARTICLE 

Texas suffered too long. 

MÆGO SCHRÖ 

Mægo Schrö sorry but I feel like 

our union just rolls over on everything. 

No one fights. We need 

people in their who are fighting 

for us. 

RYAN RICH 

i thought Austin lost a great 

chief, certainly one who gave a 

lot for this town. 

JAMES BUECHLER 

Go to Hollywood you loved the 

camera when you were in Austin! 

RUBY HEAVNER 

Don’t come back to Houston !!!!!!!!! 

You are not wanted !!!!!! 

PATRICIA CURRY HAZLEWOOD 

Can we do OpEds in the magazine? 

TRAVIS DOE 

He never arose to the occasion. 

MITCHELL FROMHOLZ 

You are FIRED... Remember that? 

DEEPAK S RAI 

His name is Hubert. 

MÆGO SCHRÖ 

He is a CNN liberal media loving 

chief. Not surprised he failed in 

Florida. 

TOM CASEY 

Christmas came early for the 

poor officers forced to work 

under this idiot Don’t let the door 

hit you in the butt as you leave. 

KATHRYN RECTOR 

Should do an 30 for 30 on him at 

this point. 

DUCKY WILLIAMS 

He’s a turd that won’t flush. Some 

desperate failed liberal city will 

buy his BS and hire him. 

RH NEWBURN 

Got him out of Houston and it 

looks like they’re fixing to get rid 

of him in Miami.. He should have 

never been a police officer and 

certainly should have never been 

a police chief. 

TIM LOYD 

Karma 

Love it!! 

MANUEL MOLINA 

RONNIE RECTOR 

You misspelled Assavedo 

C WES LEROY 

He is the epitome of. You don’t 

sh** were you eat. Straight up 

liberal fool. 

ANNIE JONES 

He got out liberalled 

JOHNNY PRICE 

Thought it was Avacado ! 

MICHAEL W. JANECEK 

Assavedo! 

THOMAS RICHARDSON 

Is it just me or do most LEO’s in 

Texas really dislike him….. 

STEVE OU 

Steve Ou - Pretty much all of us 

can’t stand that guy 

KEVIN WILKIE 

Every person not a DSA BLM loving 

crazy hates him 

MIKE HOGAN 

Cant stand him! 

ML MEL HOFFMAN 

He’s a real turd 

ROY CARTER 

The guy is a fraud and a conman 

to law enforcement everywhere. 

DAVID J VESELY SR. 

He’s an anti-constitutional tyrant. 

FRANK SHANKS 

Steve Ou not just the ones that 

worked for him! A disgrace to 

law enforcement everywhere! 

ANDY CHESTER 


Can’t wait to read this. 

CHRIS SCHROEDER 

This guy 

MORENO V. SANDLUZ 

What a waste of air!! 

ML MEL HOFFMAN 

Politician with a badge and gun. 

YVETTE ROLAND LERMA 

A disgrace to law enforcement. 

CHRIS HILL 

The fall of micromanaging. 

PAUL R DIAZ 

We hate the SOB 

MATT WINGO 

One of my best friends is in west 

palm beach... we talked about 

him when he moved there, and 

he called me to tell me all about 

this douche canoe 

STEVE DRUMM 

Ass invader 

HERMAN GERMAN 

When you make that many 

career moves, it can’t always 

be that someone else was the 

problem 

ERNIE MCCRACKEN 

Couldn’t happen to a nicer fella. 

Hit the bricks, you liberal puppet! 

DAVID NUNN 

RIP SERGEANT SHERRILL 

Words fail us on days like this. 

On behalf of the NHPA, my heartfelt 

condolences to the family 

and loved ones of NH State Police 

Sergeant Jesse Sherrill. Early this 

am, his cruiser was struck by a 

tractor trailer on I-95 and was 

killed. 

This was a tragedy that highlights 

the dangers of our profession 

and reminds everyone about 

the need to travel with care and 

safety in mind. 

Our best wishes go out to our 

brothers and sisters in the NH 

State Police during this difficult 

time. Sgt. Sherrill, we honor you 

and thank you for your service. 

COLLEEN SUZANNE PERRY 

So incredibly sorry for your 

loss and his family’s loss…what 

a tragedy 

LIANE BARKER 

HEAVENLY FATHER 

As we finish out the week we 

have a thankful heart filled with 

hope and peace. Even though it 

has been difficult the last several 

months for many, we can look 

forward to the future with hope. 

Some of Your people are hurting 

financially, and physically because 

of the difficult days we’ve 

gone through this past year and 

need a miracle. For those, I ask 

that You would lift their spirits 

today and give them hope as You 

meet their needs. To those who 

are sick in body. Bring them the 

healing touch they’ve been praying 

for as You give them peace. 

Draw all of us closer to You today, 

as the Holy Spirit continues 

to lead our way. In Jesus name 

we pray, amen... 

ALLEN FRENCH 

I NEED YOUR HELP 

Officer Capri has been a follower 

of mine and Backs The Blue. 

Now she needs us to watch her 

six. She is $1700 short of her 

goal on GoFundMe. Will you 

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Capri has dedicated her life to 

the law enforcement community. 

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up and hits the streets all across 

Arizona. She attends pro law 

enforcement events, memorial 

services, raises money, brings 

lunch, attends rallies and much 

more. She always wanted to be a 

police officer. 

Capri is very sick and needs our 

prayers. Capri began to lose 

vision in one eye. Scans show 

swelling in her brain and hemorrhaging 

behind her eyes. They do 

not know what is causing it. She 

lost vision in one eye, they are 

trying to save the other. 

Donate here on GoFundMe: 

https://tinyurl.com/uhb9au2r 

COUNCILMAN SAL DICICCIO 

Got something to say? 

Send your comments to: 

bluespdmag@gmail.com 

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Deputy Kareem Atkins, 30 leaves behind a wife and 2-month-old baby 

1 deputy killed, 2 wounded in ambush at 

Northside Houston bar 

HOUSTON — A unidentified male 

with an AR-15-style rifle ambushed 

three constable deputies 

outside a northside Houston bar 

early Saturday, October 16, killing 

one deputy and injuring two 

others. 

Officers detained one person 

near the scene but was later 

released, according to the Houston 

Police Department which is 

investigating the shooting. 

The constable deputies were 

working extra security jobs at the 

45 Norte Sports Bar when two 

of them responded to a witness’ 

report of a suspected robbery 

outside the business around 2:15 

a.m., according to Harris County 

Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman. 

While the two deputies were 

trying to detain a suspect they 

had on the ground, another 

person “came from around a car 

with a rifle and basically shot 

them right there.” The shooter 

“came out of nowhere,” Herman 

said. The third deputy “heard the 

gunshots ... runs out there, and 

when he does, he doesn’t even 

draw a gun -- he’s shot,” Herman 

said. 

One of the first deputies who 

was shot, Kareem Atkins, died 

from his wounds, according to 

the constable’s office. Atkins, 30, 

recently returned 

to work 

after parental 

leave and 

leaves behind 

a wife and 

2-month-old 

baby. 

The constable’s 

office 

identified the 

other deputies 

as Darrell Garrett, 

28, and 

Juqaim Barthen, 

26. Garrett 

was shot in 

the back and 

remains in 

intensive care 

after undergoing 

surgery. 

Barthen was 

treated a gunshot 

wound 

to the foot and has since been 

released. 

“Our entire department is 

heartbroken,” said Herman. 

Deputy Atkins was a husband, 

father of two children and a 

friend to many. Herman said that 

on the night of the shooting, one 

of the first deputies who arrived 

at the scene performed CPR on 

Atkins in an attempt to revive 

him. 

“We are working with him and 

we have three agencies we are 

using for personnel should they 

need to speak with someone or 

have some counseling, things of 

that nature,” said Herman. 

On October 20, HPD and HCSO 

Pct. 4 held a press conference 

to announce an increase in the 

reward for information leading to 

the arrest of the gunman. 

With assistance from billionaire 

Tillman Fertitta and an 

anonymous private citizen, the 

reward has been increased to 

$75,000, up from Houston Crime 

Stopper’s $10,000 reward. 

Fertitta contributed $40,000, 

while the anonymous doner 

contributed $25,000. 

The department, along with 

hundreds of officers from 

around the country, attended 

the funeral for Deputy Atkins on 

Monday October 25th. 

In a press conference held 

ahead of the funeral service, 

Deputy Atkins’s wife, Nadia 

Aweineh and his father, Cecil Atkins, 

said Kareem loved his job. 

“It meant everything to him,” 

Atkins said. 

Atkins joined the Harris County 

Precinct 4 Constable’s Office in 

January 2019. 

“It was something he always 

wanted to do, since he was a 

kid,” Aweineh said. “That’s all 

I ever heard about -- That he 

couldn’t wait and that he’d do 

anything to get there. He made 

it.” 

Atkins said he wanted the 

community to remember his son 

not only as a dedicated deputy 

but also as a loving father and 

husband. 

“I hope they remember him 

as a good deputy,” Atkins said. 

“Someone who’s always done 

what it takes to protect our 

citizens, does whatever it takes 

to protect his family, his kids, 

wife.” 

Deputy Atkins had recently 

returned from paternity leave 

when he was shot and killed on 

October 16. His wife had given 

birth to their child several weeks 

prior. Aweineh said they had just 

purchased a new home for their 

growing family. 


Thousands Gather in DC 

for Police Weekend 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This year, 701 new names of fallen law enforcement officers 

were formally dedicated during the 33rd Annual Candlelight Vigil. Those 

names include 434 who died in 2019 and 2020, according to a press release 

from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). 

The annual vigil, part of Police Weekend 2021, was held on the National Mall 

in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. ET. 

“The stories behind each of the 701 new names are so special,” said Marcia 

Ferranto, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. “To pay 

them proper tribute, each of their names was read as a part of the ceremony 

and was forever etched on the walls of the Memorial and in the hearts of an 

eternally grateful nation. To them and the families that they represent, and to all 

law enforcement professionals who serve each day to protect us, thank you.” 

Attorney General Merrick Garland led the candle lighting and reading of the 

fallen officers’ names. Guest speakers included: Rev. Markel Hutchins, leader of 

the National Faith & Blue Weekend; Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland 

Security; Emilio Miyares, the former president of the non-profit C.O.P.S.; and 

Lori Sharpe Day, an NLEOMF board member. 


National Police Week 

FBI Director Wray Draws Attention to Dangers Facing Law Enforcement 

As part of an 

annual week 

honoring police 

who have died in 

the line of duty, 

the FBI honored its 

own fallen, including 

seven whose 

names were added 

to the Bureau’s 

Wall of Honor this 

year. Among those 

remembered were 

two FBI Miami 

special agents 

who were ambushed 

and killed 

as they tried to 

search a home of 

a suspect in February. 

Typically held in May annually, 

several in-person events 

surrounding Police Week were 

postponed until fall this year, 

including a motorcycle tour, candlelight 

vigil, wreath laying ceremony, 

and Blue Mass service. 

In an interview during Police 

Week events last week, FBI Director 

Christopher Wray reflected 

on the sacrifices of the Bureau’s 

law enforcement partners, 

who risk their safety to protect 

the public. 

“I want the men and women of 

law enforcement, the heroes in 

law enforcement, to know how 

grateful I am for their work, for 

their courage, for their service— 

in some cases, for their sacrifice,” 

Wray said. 

Today, the FBI released statistics 

on law enforcement officers 

assaulted in the line of duty in 

2020. 

Statistics released earlier this 

year show 93 law enforcement 

officers died in the line of duty in 

2020, and that number is expected 

to increase for 2021. 

Director Wray attended the 

candlelight vigil on October 14, 

2021, along with hundreds of 

law enforcement officers from 

around the country. 

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy 

designated May 15 as Peace 

Officers Memorial Day and the 

week in which it falls as National 

Police Week. Multiple corresponding 

events are held in the 

nation’s capital each year in the 

days leading up to and during the 

week, including the candlelight 

vigil, a Blue Mass at St. Patrick’s 

Catholic Church, a wreath-laying 

ceremony at the National Law 

Enforcement Officers Memorial, 

and several others. This year, 

however, the in-person events 

were held in September and 

October. 

Mementos left at the National 

Law Enforcement Officers Memorial 

included cards displaying 

the names of fallen FBI personnel 

and flowers for all the fallen. 


Chicago PD: Most cops put on no-pay status 

over vaccine changed their minds. 

The city’s mandate required officers to report their vaccine status by 

Friday, October 15. 

By Stephanie Casanova 

CHICAGO — Despite an ongoing 

standoff between Chicago’s 

police union and City Hall over 

the COVID-19 vaccine mandate 

for city employees, many Chicago 

police officers are choosing 

to comply rather than go on a 

no-pay status, Police Department 

officials said Tuesday. 

As of Tuesday October 19, 21 

officers were on no-pay status 

because they refused to report 

their vaccine status in a city portal, 

police Superintendent David 

Brown said at a news conference. 

Department leaders have processed 

hundreds of officers and 

employees since Monday, many 

of whom have decided to comply 

with the city mandate after 

getting more information, Brown 

said. 

Of the more than 12,000 department 

employees, a number 

that includes sworn officers and 

civilian employees, almost 68% 

have entered their information to 

the portal, Brown said. Of those 

employees, 82% are vaccinated, 

he said. 

Officers were supposed to report 

their vaccine status by Friday 

October 15, which previously was 

the deadline for city workers to 

be fully vaccinated until Mayor 

Lori Lightfoot agreed to allow 

those not yet vaccinated the option 

of twice-weekly testing for 

COVID-19 for the remainder of the 

year. 

Despite that concession, the 

local Fraternal Order of Police 

president, John Catanzara, openly 

encouraged his members to 

refuse to comply — until a judge 

issued a gag order against him 

Friday. 

Employees who have not entered 

their vaccine information 

are being called into a counseling 

meeting where police leaders 

verify that it’s not an error that 

they weren’t found in the portal. 

Those who still refuse to comply 

are given a direct order to 

enter the portal, giving them a 

third chance to comply with the 

mandate, Brown said. 

“So even though we’ve tried 

to inform our employees of the 

vaccine mandate, many are misinformed 

through various sources 

they listen to,” Brown said. “And 

officers should be able to rely on 

some of their union leadership for 

accurate information. And many 

have been misinformed.” 

At one point 45 officers were on 

no-pay status but many changed 

their mind and decided to comply 

with the mandate, said Don Terry, 

a spokesperson for the Police 

Department. 

“This process has been obviously 

very emotional,” Brown 

said. “Going into a no-pay status 

or receiving a direct order is a 

very difficult conversation to have 

with employees. We’ve given 

them the time; we’ve given them 

the explanation as best we can 

on the serious nature of violating 

the vaccination mandate.” 

Brown said getting officers either 

vaccinated or getting tested 

twice a week is the department’s 

number one priority. 

“This is about officer safety,” he 

said, adding that getting officers 

in the portal will save the lives 

of officers, their families, their 

co-workers, and community 

members who officers have to 

come in contact with when answering 

a 911 call. 

Brown said the department 

isn’t rushing through the process 

and that his leadership expects 

to process hundreds if not thousands 

more in the coming weeks. 

Brown isn’t worried the process 

will lead to a shortage in officers, 

and said besides the 21 officers on 

no-pay status, everyone else has 

continued to work and there has 

been no officer shortage so far. 

A call that went out for possible 

help from suburban law-enforcement 

agencies was merely 

contingency planning, he said. 

The FOP, meanwhile, released a 

new video Tuesday telling officers 

they don’t have to agree to 

participate in what Brown called 

counseling sessions over the vaccine 

mandate. 

Keeping officers, their families, 

and the community safe from the 

spread of COVID-19 is important 

for both personal and professional 

reasons, Brown said, referencing 

the four CPD officers who 

died of COVID-19 last year. 

Former local FOP President 

Dean Angelo Sr. died of COVID-19 

complications last week. 

Brown also said he had an 

“anti-vaxxer” cousin and that she, 

her husband, and their daughter 

contracted COVID-19 and died 

from the virus last month. He said 

many people have similar stories 

where they’ve been personally affected 

and lost a family member 

to the virus. 

“The virus is the number one 

killer of police officers,” Brown 

said. “More than any other reason, 

officers have been struck by this 

virus and passed, and died from 

this virus.” 

Attention 

Recruiters 

Run your 

Recruiting Ad in 

The BLUES for a 

One Time Fee of 

ONLY $250. 

POLICE OFFICER 

Bryan, Texas 

The Bryan Police Department, a Civil Service Department, is currently accepting applications for Police Officer (Non- 

Certified or Certified). We are seeking individuals with integrity who are committed to public service, dedicated and 

professional, with a willingness and compassion to work together with the citizens of Bryan to maintain a healthy 

and safe community. 

Starting Salary: 

$57,000 (as non-certified Cadet) up to $82,762 (depending on certification) 

*Range pending approval 10/4/21 

Application Deadline: 

Friday, October 8, 2021 

Written Exam Date: 


(For those who successfully pass the written exam, the physical fitness assessment will be immediately following.) 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• U.S. Citizen; 

• High School Diploma or have a high school equivalency certificate/GED; 

• At least 21 years of age and not more than 44 years of age at the time of hire; 

• Valid Texas driver’s license with good driving record at the time of hire; 

• Good moral character, stable employment record and no history of any conduct which may affect suitability for 

law enforcement work; 

• If applicable, military service discharge must be under honorable conditions as stipulated on DD-214 form; 

• No felony or Class A misdemeanor convictions; no Class B misdemeanor convictions within the past (10) years. 

Application Instructions: 

To apply and/or to view more information regarding the application and testing process click here and follow the 

instructions provided. You will receive an online confirmation number upon successfully submitting your application. 

You will also receive a confirmation email from Human Resources within a week of submitting your application. 

The City of Bryan is an Equal Opportunity Employer 


Gov. DeSantis Wants to Offer $5,000 Bonuses to 

Law Enforcement Officers Who Come to Florida. 

TTALLAHASSEE (CBS Miami/CNN) 

– Governor Ron DeSantis is clarifying 

remarks he made about a bonus 

he hopes to offer out of state law 

enforcement who want to relocate 

to Florida. 

While DeSantis said the $5,000 

sign-on bonus is not because of 

vaccine mandates, he added that 

law enforcement officers should 

not be forced into that position. 

“I don’t think police officers 

should be fired over shots. I don’t 

think that’s correct,” he said. 

Low morale among law enforcement 

is at the heart of the proposed 

legislation, the governor said. He 

added that Florida is a state which 

has openly “backed the blue” since 

the summer of 2020 when the nation 

saw protests that sometimes 

turned violent over racial injustice. 

“We are 100 percent excited about 

saying anyone that’s being mistreated, 

if the morale is low, if you can’t 

take that environment, and we have 

openings here, you are going to get 

an environment where people are 

going to support you,” he said. 

DeSantis explained the state is 

looking to take advantage of what 

he views as missteps by other cities 

such as New York City and San 

Francisco. 

“We are looking to capitalize off 

a lot of communities across our 

county who have turned their back 

on law enforcement, who aren’t 

providing them the support,” De- 

Santis. 

Police unions from Seattle to Chicago 

to Baltimore have all resisted 

vaccine mandates or the required 

reporting of vaccine status. Some 

unionized firefighters and other city 

employees are also opposed to 

mandates. 

The bill that would provide the 

bonuses is set to be introduced 

during an upcoming special session 

of the legislature. 

DeSantis announced last week 

he was calling the legislature back 

because he wanted to add more 

“protections” for Floridians from 

federal vaccine mandates. 

“We’re going to have a special 

session and we’re going to say nobody 

should lose their job based off 

these injections. 

It’s a choice you can make but we 

want to make sure we are protecting 

your jobs and your livelihood,” 

DeSantis said. 

DeSantis previously announced he 

and his administration will continue 

to fight the federal Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration’s 

(OSHA) proposed new vaccine rule 

for large employers, an emergency 

standard announced by President 

Joe Biden last month. 

DeSantis said last month, he 

believes Biden’s vaccine mandate 

is unconstitutional and will likely 

cause “huge disruptions in medical, 

in logistics, in law enforcement.” 

“These people we’ve been hailing 

as heroes, the nurses we’ve said 

have been heroes, this whole time, 

they’ve been working day in and day 

out,” he said. “They couldn’t do their 

job on Zoom. They had to be there 

and they did it, and they did it with 

honor and integrity. Now you have 

people that want to kick them out 

of their job over this shot, which is 

basically a personal decision.” 

DeSantis said he will continue to 

oppose mandates imposed by local 

governments in the state as well. 


Morgan Freeman interviews police 

recruits in Alabama town. 

The actor was part of a seven-member panel that interviewed 

nine potential officers for the Gulf Shores Police Department. 

GULF SHORES, Ala. — The latest 

batch of police recruits in an 

Alabama beach town faced an 

interview board that included 

law enforcement experts and a 

civilian who was recognizable 

by his voice if not by his face: 

Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman. 

Freeman, a Mississippi native 

who owns property in Gulf 

Shores and spends time in the 

town of 12,000, was part of a 

seven-member panel that interviewed 

nine potential officers for 

the Gulf Shores Police Department 

last month, Deputy Chief 

Dan Netemeyer said October 20. 

The department sometimes 

asks residents to participate 

in such screening committees, 

Netemeyer said. Freeman knows 

some people who have helped 

and volunteered to serve. 

“It was kind of a last-minute 

thing, but he was an active participant,” 

Netemeyer said. 

Freeman sat at a table asking 

questions with other interviewers 

including Netemeyer, the 

police chief, a criminal justice 

professor and others. 

“He had a hat on, and he was 

kind of sitting back. When he 

introduced himself, it was almost 

like an old ‘Candid Camera’ 

scene,” Netemeyer said. 

Even if someone did not recognize 

Freeman’s face, he said, 

there was no mistake once he 

spoke. “It was that voice, the 

same one you hear in the movies,” 

he said. 

The hiring process is not complete, 

Netemeyer said, but at 

least some of the recruits likely 

will be offered jobs. 

Freeman and Linda Keena, a 

University of Mississippi professor, 

also helped with the 

interviews, recently donated $1 

million to establish the Center 

of Evidence-Based Policing and 

Reform at the university. 


REMEMBERING KAREEM ATKINS 

Miss Me But Let Me Go 

When I come to the end of the day, 

And the sun has set for me. 

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room. 

Why cry for a soul already set free? 

Miss me a little, but not too long, 

And not with your head bowed low. 

Remember the love we once shared, 

Miss me, but let me go. 

For this is a journey we all must take, 

And each must go alone. 

It’s all part of God’s plan, 

A step on the road home. 

When you are lonely and sick at heart, 

Go to the friends we both know. 

And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds, 

Miss me, but let me go. 

Harris County Deputy Constable 

Kareem Arkins 

End of Watch: Saturday, Oct. 16,2021 

Kareem Atkins 

36 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 37

REMEMBERING KAREEM ATKINS 


REMEMBERING THOSE WE’VE LOST 

Officers Lost Due to COVID in October 2021 

SERGEANT 

MICHAEL TODD THOMAS 

SERGEANT 

DONALD WILLIAM RAMEY 

DEPUTY SHERIFF 

TERESA H. FULLER 

CAPTAIN 

JAMES ANTHONY SISK 

CORRECTIONS OFFICER 

MELISSA MALDONADO 


VASSAR RICHMOND 


THOMAS SCOTT COLLORA 

OFFICER 

VICTOR DONATE 

CORPORAL 

TIMOTHY MICHAEL TANKSLEY 

MASTER DEPUTY 

WILLIAM EDWARD MARSH 



Officers Lost Due to COVID in October 2021 

DETENTION OFFICER 

ANTHONY NICOLETTI 

LIEUTENANT 

WILLIAM OSCAR MCMURTRAY, III 

DEPORTATION OFFICER 

BRADLEY K. KAM 


TY ALAN POWELL 


OLIVER LITTLE 

SERGEANT 

RAQUAL VIRGINA SAUNDERS 


ANDREW ROBERT MACDONALD 

CORPORAL 

MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ 


JOSHUA J. WELGE 

SERGEANT 

MICHAEL DAVID DUNN 



Lost in the Line of Duty 

Senior Inspector Jared Keyworth 

United States Marshals Service, U.S. Government 

End of Watch Friday, October 1, 2021 

Age 42 Tour 11 Years Badge # N/A Veteran 

Senior Inspector Jared Keyworth succumbed to injuries sustained in a vehicle 

crash three days earlier in Mississippi while participating in an enforcement 

mission. His vehicle collided with another vehicle near the intersection of U.S. 

Route 49 and Monmouth Road in Florence. He was flown to the University of 

Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson where he remained until succumbing to 

his injuries. 

Senior Inspector Keyworth was a U.S. Army veteran. He had served with the 

United States Marshals Service for 11 years and was assigned to the Investigative 

Operations Division in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

Police Officer Darrell Dewayne Adams 

Memphis Police Department, Tennessee 

End of Watch Saturday, October 2, 2021 

Age 34 Tour 5 Years 6 Months Badge # N/A 

Police Officer Darrell Adams was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer on I-40 

near North Watkins Street shortly after 11:00 am. 

He and other officers were investigating a vehicle accident when he was struck 

and killed. 

Officer Adams served with the Memphis Police Department for 5-1/2 years. 

Sergeant Nick Risner 

Sheffield Police Department, Alabama 


Age N/A Tour 8 Years Badge # N/A Veteran 

Sergeant Nick Risner succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day 

when he was critically wounded during a shootout with an auto theft suspect in 

Muscle Shoals.The suspect had shot the passenger of a vehicle he was riding 

in and pushed them out of the vehicle in the 800 block of Avalon Avenue in 

Muscle Shoals. Sergeant Risner was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital where he 

succumbed to his wounds the next day. The second officer was saved by his 

bullet-resistant vest. 

Sergeant Risner was a United States Army Reserve veteran and had served with 

the Sheffield Police Department for eight years. 

Group Supervisor Michael G. Garbo 

Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Government 

End of Watch Monday, October 4, 2021 

Age N/A Tour 16 Years Badge # N/A 

Group Supervisor Mike Garbo was shot and killed while he and other regional 

task force members conducted an inspection of an Amtrak train at the Amtrak 

Station in Tucson, Arizona. He and other task force members boarded the train, 

which was traveling from Los Angeles, California, to New Orleans, Louisiana, to 

conduct an inspection for narcotics. They had detained one subject and were 

escorting him from the train when another man opened fire on them, fatally 

wounding Group Supervisor Garbo and another DEA agent. The subject then 

wounded another task force officer as the two exchanged fire.Group Supervisor 

Garbo was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

Group Supervisor Garbo had served with the Drug Enforcement Administration 

for 16 years and had previously served with the Metro Nashville Police Department 

in Tennessee. 




Deputy Sheriff Dale L. Wyman 

Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office, Tennessee 

End of Watch Wednesday, October 6, 2021 

Age 56 Tour 13 Years Badge # 715 Veteran 

Deputy Sheriff Dale Wyman succumbed to injuries sustained while he was 

responding to a vehicle crash on August 10th, 2012. 

His patrol car left the roadway and overturned in a ditch on Highway 100 near 

Lake Lajoie Road. The crash left him paralyzed from the chest down and he 

continued to receive constant medical care until succumbing to his injuries on 

October 6th, 2021. 

Deputy Wyman was a U.S. Army veteran. He had served with the Hardeman 

County Sheriff’s Office for three years. He is survived by his wife, two sons, 

Master Trooper Adam Gaubert 

Louisiana State Police, Louisiana 


Age N/A Tour 19 Years Badge # N/A Veteran 

Master Trooper Adam Gaubert was shot and killed from ambush in Prairieville. 

The suspect had shot and wounded two of his neighbors in French Settlement 

before stealing a pickup truck shortly after midnight. The man then drove to his 

half-sister’s home on Dutton Road in Prairieville where he murdered her and 

wounded her husband. A short time the man opened fire on a Louisiana State 

Police trooper who attempted to pull over the truck. At some point during the incident, 

Trooper Gaubert was shot and killed from ambush as he sat in his patrol 

car near the intersection of Airline Highway and Old Jefferson Highway. 

Trooper Gaubert was a United States Army and Louisiana National Guard veteran. 

He had served with the Louisiana State Police for 19 years. He is survived by 

his parents, two sisters, and two children. 

Police Officer Dylan McCauley Harrison 

Alamo Police Department, Georgia 


Age 26 Tour 3 Years Badge # 3331 

Police Officer Dylan Harrison was shot and killed outside of the Alamo Police 

Department at about 1:00 am. 

The subject fled the scene and was arrested the following day. 

Officer Harrison was working his first shift as a part-time officer with the Alamo 

Police Department. He had served in law enforcement for three years and had 

previously served with the Middle Georgia State University Police Department, 

Cochran Police Department, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oconee Drug 

Task Force. He is survived by his wife and 6-month-old son. 

Sergeant Michael D. Rudd 

La Paz County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona 

End of Watch Monday, October 11, 2021 

Age 38 Tour 8 Years Badge # 554 Veteran 

Sergeant Michael Rudd was struck and killed by a commercial vehicle during 

the pursuit of a fraud suspect on I-10 at about 1:00 am. The suspect was 

being pursued by members of the Quartzite Police Department and the Arizona 

Department of Public Safety. Sergeant Rudd had exited his vehicle on I-10, 

near mile marker 37, when he was struck by a commercial vehicle that was not 

involved in the pursuit. The driver of the suspect was taken into custody a short 

time later after his vehicle was immobilized by spike strips. 

Sergeant Rudd was a United States Air Force and Army National Guard veteran. 

He had served with the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office for eight years. Sergeant 

Rudd is survived by his wife and six children. 




Deputy Sheriff Juan Miguel Ruiz 

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona 

End of Watch Monday, October 11, 2021 

Age 45 Tour 3 Years Badge # S2212 

Deputy Sheriff Johnny Ruiz succumbed to injuries sustained two days earlier 

when he was assaulted by a prisoner inside of the District 2 station at 920 E 

Van Buren Street in Avondale. He and other deputies had arrested a subject who 

was wanted for violating parole. Deputy Ruiz transported the man to the district 

station to book him. As he removed the handcuffs to place him in a holding cell 

the man suddenly attacked him. A violent struggle ensued during which Deputy 

Ruiz unsuccessfully attempted to use his radio to request assistance. The 

subject beat Deputy Ruiz unconscious. 

Deputy Ruiz had served with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for three 

years. 

Command Sergeant Richard Arnold McMahan 

Columbus Police Department, Georgia 


Age 59 Tour 40 Years Badge # N/A 

Sergeant Rick McMahan suffered a fatal heart attack while running on a treadmill 

in the department gym at 510 E 10th Street. 

He was participating in the department’s wellness program in preparation for 

his annual physical fitness test. 

Sergeant McMahan had served with the Columbus Police Department for over 

40 years. He is survived by his wife, two children, and four grandchildren. 

Correctional Officer IV Toamalama Scanlan 

Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, California 

End of Watch Tuesday, October 12, 2021 


Correctional Officer IV Toamalama Scanlan succumbed to gunshot wounds 

sustained on September 3rd, 2016, while responding to an active shooter inside 

of the lobby of the Main Jail. A subject had entered the lobby and attempted 

to cut to the front of the visitation line. Officer Davila and another officer, who 

were both unarmed, attempted to get the man to sit down. The man produced 

a handgun and shot both officers in the head before being subdued by other 

responding officers. Officer Scanlan suffered severe wounds during the shootout 

and remained hospitalized until passing away on October 12th, 2021. Officer 

Scanlan had served with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for 10 years and had 

previously served with the Fresno County Probation Department. He is survived 

by his wife and six children. 

Deputy Constable Kareem Atkins 

Harris County Constable’s Office - Precinct 4, Texas 


Age 30 Tour 2 Years 9 Months Badge # N/A Military 

Deputy Constable Kareem Atkins was shot and killed from ambush while arresting 

a robbery suspect in the parking lot of a sports bar at 4477 North Freeway 

in Houston. He and two other deputy constables were working a secondary 

employment assignment at the restaurant when a patron informed them of a 

robbery in the parking lot. Deputy Atkins and one of the other deputies responded 

to the location and were taking a suspect into custody when another man 

opened fire on them from behind with an AR-15 rifle. Deputy Atkins was struck 

in the head and fatally wounded while the second deputy was shot in the back 

and seriously wounded. The third deputy heard the shots and was wounded as 

he rushed to assist the others. Deputy Atkins was transported to a Memorial 

Hermann Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Deputy Constable Atkins has 

served with the Harris County Constable’s Office - Precinct 4 for 2-1/2 years. He 

is survived by his wife and two children. 




Police Officer Yandy Chirino 

Hollywood Police Department, Florida 

End of Watch Sunday, October 17, 2021 


Police Officer Yandy Chirino was shot and killed after responding to reports of a 

suspicious person pulling on door handles in the 4000 block of North Hills Drive 

at about 10:30 pm. The man began struggling with officers when they attempted 

to detain him. He drew a concealed handgun and shot Officer Chirino during 

the struggle. Other officers were able to take him into custody and then rendered 

aid to Officer Chirino. He was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital 

in a police car but succumbed to his wounds a short time later. 

Officer Chirino had served with the Hollywood Police Department for four years. 

He had been the recipient of five supervisor’s commendations and had been 

recognized as Officer of the Month in June 2020. 

Trooper Ted L. Benda 

Iowa State Patrol, Iowa 


Age 37 Tour 16 Years Badge # 313 

Trooper Ted Benda succumbed to injuries sustained six days earlier when he 

was involved in a single-vehicle crash. 

He was responding to assist deputies from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office 

with a wanted subject at about 11:30 pm when his patrol car left the roadway 

on Iowa Highway 51 six miles north of Postville. He was flown to Gunderson 

Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he remained until succumbing 

to his injuries. 

Trooper Benda had served with the Iowa State Patrol for five years and had 

previously served with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation for 11 years. 

He is survived by his wife, four children, parents, and siblings. 

Police Officer Ryan Andrew Hayworth 

Knightdale Police Department, North Carolina 

End of Watch Sunday, October 17, 2021 

Age 23 Tour 3 Months Badge # N/A Veteran 

Police Officer Ryan Hayworth was killed when his patrol car was struck from 

behind by a suspected drunk driver at about 2:40 am. Officer Hayworth, along 

with his training officer, were at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on I-540, 

near mile marker 22, when their patrol car was struck by the other vehicle, 

which failed to move over or reduce its speed. Officer Hayworth suffered fatal 

injuries in the collision. His training officer, as well as the original accident victim 

and the suspected drunk driver, were seriously injured. 

Officer Hayworth was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Knightdale 

Police Department for only three months. He is survived by his father, mother, 

brother, and two step-brothers. His father was a retired Police Chief of the Zebulon 

Police Department. 

Police Officer Stephen Evans 

Burns Police Department, Kansas 

End of Watch Monday, October 25, 2021 

Age 44 Tour 16 Years 4 Months Badge # 32 

Police Officer Stephen Evans was killed in a vehicle crash in the 5000 block of 

U.S. Highway 77 at about 5:00 pm. 

He was attempting to make a U-turn when his patrol car was struck by an oncoming 

vehicle. Officer Evans succumbed to his injuries at the scene. 

Officer Evans served as a part-time officer with the Burns Police Department 

and as a full-time deputy with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for 16 months. 

He was the Burns Police Department’s only officer. He had previously served 

with the Kansas Department of Corrections for 15 years. He is survived by his 

wife, three children, parents, and brother. 




Police Officer Tyler Timmins 

Pontoon Beach Police Department, Illinois 

End of Watch Tuesday, October 26, 2021 

Age 36 Tour 15 Years 6 Months Badge # N/A 

Police Officer Tyler Timmins was shot and killed while investigating a stolen 

vehicle in the parking lot of a Speedway gas station at the intersection of Illinois 

111 and Chains of Rocks Road at about 8:00 am. He was approaching the pickup 

truck when a subject opened fire on him, fatally wounding him. The subject 

who shot him was arrested by other officers at the scene. Officer Timmins was 

taken to a local hospital before being transferred to SSM Health St. Louis University 

Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He died a short time later. 

Officer Timmins had served with the Pontoon Beach Police Department for 18 

months. He had previously served with the Roxana Police Department, Wordon 

Police Department, and Hartford Police Department for 14 years. He is survived 

by his wife and stepdaughter. 

Staff Sergeant Jesse Sherrill 

New Hampshire State Police, New Hampshire 

End of Watch Thursday, October 28, 2021 

Age 44 Tour 20 Years Badge # N/A 

Staff Sergeant Jesse Sherrill was killed in a vehicle crash on I-95 in Portsmouth 

at about 12:30 am. 

He was providing police assistance to a work crew that was installing rumble 

strips on the shoulder of I-95 when his patrol car was struck from behind by 

a tractor trailer. He was transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital where he 

succumbed to his injuries. 

Sergeant Sherrill had served with the New Hampshire State Police for 19 years 

and was the assistant commander of Troop A. He had previously served with the 

Hooksett Police Department for one year. 

When one falls, 

We all fall. 


The Michael Jordan of Police Chiefs 

The New York Times called Art Acevedo a “celebrity police chief.” Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, 

once praised Acevedo as “the Michael Jordan of police chiefs and possibly the best police chief in 

America.” National publications painted his rise from a Cuban immigrant to police chief of several 

major cities in the U.S., as “the rising star in American policing.” 

His eagerness to jump in front of news cameras earned him national attention when he 

marched with Black Lives Matter demonstrations after George Floyd was killed. That coupled 

with his proclivity for getting into Twitter spats with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Sen. Ted 

Cruz, and former President Donald Trump, led many to guess he’d eventually jump into the political 

spotlight full-time. 

In fact, many say Acevedo seemed to be always priming himself for the next big gig — during 

the nine years he spent as Austin’s head cop and prior to joining the Houston Police Department, 

he openly showed interest in police chief openings in San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth, all 

larger cities than Austin. He even parlayed his interest in the San Antonio gig into a nice 5 percent 

pay raise back in 2015 at APD. 

So, when he announced he was leaving HPD for the top cop position in Miami no one was surprised. 

But many of the regular members of those departments disagree with the characterization 

that their former boss was some kind of “super cop.” 

And when the news broke late last month that Miami was firing him as police chief after only 

six months, none of his former employees were surprised by that either. Miami City Manager, Art 

Noriega, said in a statement that the relationship between Acevedo and the Miami Police Department 

had “deteriorated beyond repair” and “needed to be resolved promptly.” He wrote that “unfortunately, 

Chief Acevedo is not the right fit for this organization.” 

Later that week, Miami’s City Commissioners met to discuss Acevedo’s future with the city. In 

a day-long meeting prior to his actual dismissal, one of Miami’s Commissioners said, “In some 

ways, the issues with Chief Acevedo started before he actually did anything at all. There [were] 

issues that the commissioners had with the process in which he was hired. Our mayor, Francis Suarez, 

kind of brought Acevedo in and sidestepped the hiring committee that was supposed to be 

hiring the next police chief. So right when he came in, he was already in hot water in some ways. 

And then he did a kind of a series of things that angered the commissioners and also some people 

in the police department. He [demoted several officers], he referred to some members of the 

city government as the “Cuban Mafia,” which a lot of people here in the Cuban American community 

were very angered about. So, it kind of escalated quickly.” 

But before we look at Acevedo’s fall from grace in Miami, let’s start at the beginning and follow 

Acevedo’s “rise and fall” in law enforcement which all began in sunny California. 

The Rise & Fall 

of 

ART ACEVEDO 

BY MICHAEL BARRON 



In the Beginning : 

Cuba, California & the CHP Academy 

Hubert Arturo Acevedo was born on July 31, 1964, 

in Havana Cuba. His mother was a stay-at-home 

mom, his dad was a Havana Police Officer before 

Fidel Castro and the communist took over in 1965. 

In December 1968, only 4½ years old, Acevedo arrived 

with his family in Miami, where he spent two 

weeks at the House of Liberty, a World War II barracks 

site at the Miami airport, while his family was 

processed as political refugees. On New Year’s Eve, 

the family flew to Los Angeles, settling near relatives 

in the small, working-class city of El Monte, 

east of downtown L.A. 

His family was tight-knit, and Acevedo had a particularly 

close relationship with his now-deceased 

father, whom Acevedo says instilled in him a sense 

of civic duty that eventually led him to police work. 

“I was raised with a real sense of patriotism,” Acevedo 

says of his dad, who moved the family to California 

in part to help them to assimilate outside 

the dominant Cuban culture of South Florida. “My 

dad would tell us that there was no better place 

on Earth than in the United States and that this 

country gave us the greatest gift of all, and that’s 

freedom.” His father was a one-man construction 

company, and the family lived modestly in the city, 

a rough-edged place where Acevedo was first 

exposed to the gang culture that would become a 

major focus early in his policing career. “He comes 

from a pretty poor area in El Monte. He knew local 

gang members; he’d play basketball with them, 

but he wouldn’t take any crap from them,” says 

Paul Golonski, a friend and former colleague of 

Acevedo’s in the California Highway Patrol. 

After high school, he enrolled at Rio Hondo 

College and graduated in in 1986 with an associate 

degree in communications. (A few years later, 

Acevedo enrolled in the University of La Verne and 

graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s in public administration.) 

Acevedo knew early in life that he wanted to 

serve his country, and he considered three ways to 

do it: go to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 

Acevedo’s Dad 

become a cop, or become a deputy district attorney. 

It wasn’t until he was nearly finished with his 

first year in college that he decided instead to become 

a cop. “California had like 150,000 attorneys, 

and I asked myself, ‘Do they really need another 

attorney? Or do they need good police officers 

who want to go out and serve people?’” he recalls. 

“And when you really ask yourself that, I think the 

Acevedo & His Big Sister in Cuba 

answer is that we need good police officers.” So, 

in 1986, after graduating Rio Hondo, Acevedo applied 

to the L.A. Police Department, the L.A. County 

Sheriff’s Department, and the California Highway 

Patrol. He was accepted by all three; he joined the 

CHP in part because of its “world-class reputation,” 

he says, and in part because the CHP academy 

started a month before the other two. 

The Streets were tough in the 60’s 

E l Monte California in the 60’s 

Acevedo & His Mom-CHP Graduation 


Acevedo rises through the ranks at CHP 

Fresh out of the academy in late 1986, Acevedo 

was assigned to patrol in East L.A., a densely populated 

area dominated in those days by gang culture 

and violence. It was his first choice of assignment. 

“Because if you want to be the best, you’ve 

got to expose yourself to the most challenging 

environment possible, and East Los Angeles had 

a reputation of being one of the most challenging 

police environments in the United States,” he says. 

It was on those streets that he impressed Golonski, 

then a sergeant with the CHP. In 1991, Acevedo began 

his rise to the top of the CHP, scoring a “plum 

job” in recruiting. Still, the young and ambitious 

Acevedo would make a point of getting out to 

work the streets in order to keep his skills sharp. 

Golonski recalled, “He was very much a crime 

buster but also very community-oriented.” When 

the pair would meet for coffee, it seemed that 

Acevedo knew everyone, Golonski said. “He knew 

the dishwasher, he knew the mayor, and he knew 

everyone’s first name.” 

Golonski recalls a time when the pair was patrolling 

a particularly rough neighborhood and 

were approached by a gang member. “What are 

y’all doing down here?” Golonski recalls the man 

asking; “I thought you were afraid to patrol here,” 

he told them. Golonski and Acevedo “looked at 

each other. ‘I guess we know what area we’re 

going to be flooding with cops over the next few 

weeks!’ We went back one month later, and that 

same guy came up to us – ‘OK! OK! That’s enough! 

The homies are coming down on me!’ We kind of 

laughed about it.” 

Acevedo rose quickly through the CHP ranks. His 

friends were also impressed by his fearlessness in 

standing up to superiors when he felt that a bad 

cop under his supervision was being protected 

by the brass, and they saw him as someone who 

would push through the “glass ceiling [for Hispanics] 

at the CHP,” 

says friend and 

former L.A. 

Sheriff’s Deputy 

Hank Aguilar. 

But Acevedo’s 

career advancement 

with the 

CHP came to 

a grinding halt 

when a story 

in the LA Times 

detailed his relationship 

with 

a female CHP 

officer and the 

sexual harassment 

claims 

that followed. 

The article stated 

Acevedo was a top candidate to replace retiring 

California Highway Patrol Commissioner D.O. 

“Spike” Helmick, when the investigation became 

the number one talking point. It was made public 

that Acevedo had been investigated for allegedly 

showing nude photographs of a fellow CHP officer 

to other high-ranking officers while on duty. 

Acevedo, who was an Assistant Chief at the time, 

was the subject of a $5-million civil claim involving 

the woman with whom he allegedly had an 

affair with in 1995. Acevedo said the probe was an 

attempt to derail his chances to become the CHP’s 

top officer. He accused Helmick of disclosing the 

details, a charge that Helmick denied. 

Claims filed with three state agencies allege 

that Acevedo kept sexually explicit Polaroid photographs 

of the woman in the glove box of his 

state-issued car and showed them to other supervisors 

after the affair ended. 

Early Days at CHP - Acevedo & His Partner Mike Wheatley 

Even in his early days, Acevedo loved to be in front of the media 


Acevedo fails to capture top spot 

amid probe into harrassment 

Acevedo, who was an internal affairs sergeant 

at the time of the affair, was one of four assistant 

chiefs over the Los Angeles area when he applied 

for the #1 position at CHP. Acevedo’s attorney, in a 

letter to the CHP’s general counsel, demanded that 

Helmick stop “disseminating defamatory information 

which was obtained during a confidential CHP 

investigation ... [which] appears to be an attempt 

on the part of Commissioner Helmick to interfere 

with Assistant Chief Acevedo’s intent to seek appointment.” 

Acevedo told the Sacramento Bee that 

he did not display the photos, and Helmick said he 

has stayed out of the process to choose his successor. 

The harassment claims say the woman is a 

36-year-old officer from Southern California who 

had a six- or seven-month affair with Acevedo. 

She says she posed for the photographs at Acevedo’s 

suggestion, but didn’t learn they had been 

shown to anyone until she was approached by two 

CHP internal affairs investigators. 

The woman, a 13-year department veteran, says 

in one claim that she was “absolutely horrified and 

humiliated” when she found out. “I feel that my 

reputation has been irreparably tarnished, and my 

career as a CHP officer is essentially over.” 

Two CHP captains allegedly have said Acevedo 

showed them the pictures, including one in which 

the woman is performing a sexual act on him. 

The woman, who has since married another CHP 

officer and has two children, says she couldn’t 

return to work because rumors and the potential 

damage to Acevedo’s promotion have created a 

sexually hostile work environment. She has been 

granted a state disability claim on the grounds 

that she suffered a stress injury because she was 

victimized in “a high-profile sexual harassment 

investigation.” The California Department of Fair 

Employment and Housing issued the woman a 

“right to sue” letter, said Director Jacqueline 

Wagner. The woman’s attorney, Craig Ackerman, 

sent a letter to the CHP, Acevedo and Gov. Arnold 

Schwarzenegger seeking $5 million in damages. 

“All of California would undoubtedly find Assistant 

Chief Acevedo’s and the CHP’s conduct in this 

matter utterly appalling,” Ackerman wrote. 

“To make matters worse, CHP had taken no disciplinary 

action against Acevedo,” Ackerman’s letter 

continued. “Instead of CHP immediately terminating 

[his] employment for, among other things, 

egregious violations of its sexual harassment policy, 

the governor’s office is apparently still considering 

his promotion to commissioner.” 

Ackerman said the CHP rejected his settlement 

offer. The state Board of Control also rejected the 

woman’s $5-million claim, a prerequisite to filing 

a lawsuit against the state, though no suit has 

been filed at the time of the Times article. She also 

filed a harassment claim with the U.S. Equal Employment 

Opportunity Commission. In 2008, Acevedo 

received a settlement of almost $1 million 

from the California Highway Patrol, in connection 

to the harassment lawsuit. 

Acevedo filed a whistleblower suit against the 

department, and in December 2007, the CSPB filed 

a lengthy report excoriating the actions of the former 

commissioner and his staff and agreeing that 

Acevedo had been retaliated against. Eventually, 

after Acevedo had already arrived in Austin, the 

CHP settled the suit for nearly $1 million. 


Acevedo’s next stop, Austin Texas 

In the middle of the stress generated by his 

whistleblower action, Acevedo found the APD job 

posting. He was scrolling through the job board for 

the International Association of Chiefs of Police 

when he came across the notice that Austin was in 

search of a new chief – it’s a story he’s told numerous 

times, including at his swearing in at City 

Hall on July 19, 2007. “I’m sitting there reading, and 

all of a sudden I see this opening, and when I read 

what they were looking for, I felt like they were 

talking to me,” he recalled recently. “I looked over 

at my wife and said: ‘Holy shit! This was written 

for me – they’re describing me to a T.’” The posting 

described a person who believed in community 

policing, media relations, and department transparency. 

“If you looked at the job bulletin and what 

they were looking for ... it really spoke to me.” 

Acevedo certainly impressed city officials and 

community members when he landed in Austin 

as one of the finalists for the chief position, vacated 

by the 2006 resignation of Chief Stan Knee. 

Knee was a buttoned-down old-schooler who 

had an inability – or reluctance – to communicate 

effectively either within the APD’s rank-and-file 

or more broadly to members of the media and 

the community at large. Acevedo cut a strikingly 

different figure. He was young, outgoing, and 

ready to give his personal mobile phone number 

to anyone who asked for it. He was the only finalist 

to sit for questions with the board of the Austin 

Police Association (the city’s largest cop union), 

and he personally organized a Q&A at Threadgill’s 

with local activists and advocates. He had done his 

homework; he read everything he could about the 

department before he got there, compiling information 

in a several-inches-thick binder he called 

his APD briefing book; he was ready for any question 

thrown at him. “I knew more about the department 

than the department knew about itself, I 

think,” he said. 

When the activists asked him pointed questions 

about the 2002 officer-involved shooting death 

of Sophia King, a woman with mental disabilities 

who had been shot and killed by Officer 

John Coffey as she advanced on a city housing 

authority employee with a knife – an incident 

controversial with many department critics and 

civil libertarians – he did not stumble. “What I 

told them was, ‘Look, I don’t have a stake in this 

fight ... but from the outside looking in, from 

everything I see, that was probably one of the 

cleanest use-of-force incidents I had seen.’” It 

was not the answer they were likely hoping for, 

but nonetheless Acevedo won points with those 

who were encouraged by his willingness to 

interact with everyone in the community – department 

boosters and critics alike. “He raised 

the charm level of the police department,” acknowledges 

Jim Harrington, executive director 

of the Texas Civil Rights Project, who early on 

was among the advocates who saw Acevedo as 

having the potential to transform the previously 

unresponsive APD. 

Acevedo certainly charmed department 

friends and foes, but he did far more than that, 

said many city officials and police officers, including 

his direct supervisor, Assistant City Manager 

Mike McDonald, who is himself a retired 

APD assistant chief. “Early on, when we interviewed 

him, I could just tell he was going to be 

a success,” he says. Acevedo demonstrated that 

he was a “very balanced chief,” adds McDonald 

– one able to forge and maintain a personal 

connection to the community, but who also 

demonstrates that he knows “what he needs to 

do tactically, to fight crime.” 

Acevedo’s supporters say he’s done that. Shortly 

after joining APD, he announced the end of 

so-called “80% staffing,” an across-the-city 

method of staffing patrol operations that did not 

rely on actual need – and that consumed millions 

in overtime pay, at times nearly doubling 

The Art Acevedo Lovefest Officially began in Austin 

Sworn in at Austin 


Austin turns out to be a rocky road. 

some officers’ salaries. It didn’t make fiscal sense, 

and it didn’t keep the city safer – but abolishing 

it took some political finesse, since officers were 

both accustomed to it and rewarded by it. 

In its place, Acevedo implemented “need based” 

staffing that relies on intelligence gathering, notably 

through the introduction of CompStat, a data 

collection system that can help police recognize 

crime trends and hotspots. Combined with the 

Real Time Crime Center that monitors information 

from cameras placed around the city – for example, 

at longtime crime hotspot Rundberg Lane and 

I-35 – the department has moved toward more 

proactive policing. “What I’d like to see is [police 

being able] to disrupt and prevent crime,” says 

Acevedo. “Once a crime is committed, I think we’ve 

failed everyone. The most effective way to prevent 

and disrupt crime is to have a highly visible, proactive 

police department.” 

Under Acevedo, the APD has certainly developed 

its public face, which was one of the things the 

city had hoped the new chief would accomplish. 

Acevedo set a standard of public interaction for 

a department that desperately needed to forge a 

deeper public connection. “He tries to bond with 

the people he’s talking to,” says Council Member 

Bill Spelman, whose research and practice at the 

LBJ School of Public Affairs focuses in part on police 

training and better crime prevention. “I think 

he’s a very emotional guy, and I think he tries to 

feel an emotional connection with everyone he’s 

talking with,” Spelman continues. “I feel an emotional 

connection whenever I’m talking to Art, in 

a way that I hardly ever feel with police chiefs. 

Police chiefs, as a general rule, are not emotional 

people.” 

Acevedo’s emotional nature was certainly on 

display in the aftermath of the Padron shooting 

– he wept publicly several times – and it has 

also been evident during other critical incidents 

when officers have shot and killed a member of 

the public. Regardless of whether he’s felt that the 

use of force was justified, he has tried to reach out 

to the family of the slain person to acknowledge 

that they are in mourning for a lost child. “I don’t 

care if the person is Jeffrey Dahmer,” Acevedo 

told reporters at a press conference after the April 

officer-involved shooting death of Ahmede Jabbar 

Bradley, who was killed after fleeing on foot from 

Officer Eric Copeland during a routine traffic stop. 

“The pain of a mother and father is real.” Acevedo’s 

personal relationship with the community “is 

unprecedented,” says McDonald. “And that works 

its way down” to the rest of the department. Leffingwell 

agrees. “There’s been a basic reinvigoration 

within the esprit de corps of the department. 

Officers look up to him, and his leadership is very 

important,” he says. “More important may be what 

he’s done with the community.” 

Acevedo had occasionally released misinformation. 

In October 2010, Officer Derrick Bowman shot 

and killed 16-year-old Devin Contreras during a 

botched break-in at a South Austin Big Lots. Shortly 

after the early morning incident, Acevedo told 

reporters that Bowman shot Contreras after the 

teen fired two rounds at him; Bowman had seen 

the muzzle flash, Acevedo had said, based on Bowman’s 

first statements. It turns out that was not 

true; Contreras did point a gun at Bowman, but he 

never fired. 

Acevedo says that he corrected the mistake 

quickly and argues that his handling of the incident 

in fact reflects APD’s credibility and openness. 

Had the department wanted to cover the mistake 

and sustain the initial story, it would’ve been easy 

enough to take the .38 Contreras carried to the lab 

and fire a couple shots. The initial mistake, he says, 

reflects “the spirit of transparency and the spirit of 

giving people as much information as possible.” 

But despite all the accolades Acevedo received in 

Austin, he has also been criticized for how he ran 

APD. 

An article in The Texas Scorecard said Acevedo 

was a police chief with a history of problems who 

was always being recycled from one cushy job to 

another. 

Acevedo left the Capital City as yet another milestone 

in his legacy of disgrace. He was pressured 

to leave the California Highway Patrol in 2007 

following a sexual harassment lawsuit from a 

woman who allegedly had an affair with him. Afterwards, 

he was snatched up by the City of Austin 

and hired as Police Chief. 

In his nearly decade-long tenure in Austin, Acevedo 

had been pockmarked with rocky relationships 

and controversies. It is well known that Acevedo 

had a difficult working relationship with City Manager 

Marc Ott – Acevedo has been reprimanded 

several times for disobeying orders, including having 

his pay docked for speaking out about ongoing 

investigations to officers when told not to. 

In 2014, he exacerbated community relations for 

a tone-deaf comment in which he defended his 

officers for slamming a 19-year-old woman on the 

pavement for jaywalking, saying that sexual abuse 

by officers in other cities made his officers look 

good by comparison. 

Hmm. How can I spin this? 

Despite his tendency to constantly put his foot 

in his mouth, Acevedo has not shied away from 

the public spotlight, and frequently grandstands 

for liberal causes. In the past, he testified against 

both open carry and campus carry. He caught flak 

for his comments on the latter, in which he stated 

that it would be better for a sexual assault victim 

to undergo counseling following an incident than 

have had the ability to defend oneself in the first 

place. 

Acevedo did briefly voice support for ridesharing 

companies such as Uber and Lyft, testifying at an 

Austin City Council meeting on how the services 

led to a substantial decrease in DWI offenses. 

However, during the Prop 1 campaign over ridesharing 

regulations Acevedo forced organizers 

supporting the measure to remove any reference 

to his statements on the issue. 

Further underscoring his liberal inconsistency 

when it comes to public safety, Acevedo has also 

publicly opposed measures that would strengthen 

cooperation with federal authorities on matters 

pertaining to illegal immigration, such as a ban on 

sanctuary cities. 

In June of 2018, Acevedo was named in a law- 


After a decade, it was time to go. 

suit over Austin PD’s alleged mishandling of sexual 

assault cases while he was in charge; The suit 

accuses Acevedo of not taking assault allegations 

from female Austin cops against their male colleagues 

seriously, and claims he said they may 

have just regretted “bad sex.” 

He also drew the ire of Austin police-defenders 

and some of his own commanders when he quickly 

fired the officer who shot and killed David Joseph, 

a Black 17-year-old who was unarmed and 

naked when he was shot to death in 2016. 

In November 2016 when Acevedo announced 

he was leaving for Houston, Austin’s Mayor Steve 

Adler was quoted as saying “Houston is getting a 

world-class police chief. Chief Acevedo has made 

our community safer and closer, he is trusted and 

much loved by so many. Austin is losing a moral 

and joyous leader, and I’m losing a friend.” 

“Losing Art Acevedo is a huge deal, and replacing 

him will be a daunting task in part because he 

gave so much of himself to his job and his community,” 

he added. 

So, with that Austin said goodbye and Acevedo 

moved 160 miles to the Southeast to take up residence 

in Houston and become the cities first Hispanic 

police chief. 

“Man I was a handsome dude back in the day” 

I’d love to stay, but I gotta go. 


Acevedo says HELLO HOUSTON 

Not sure how much Acevedo paid Austin’s mayor 

to say, “Houston is getting a world-class police 

chief,” but if his time in Houston proved anything, it 

was he was everything BUT a “world-class police 

chief.” 

At a press conference on March 23, 2018, Art 

Acevedo, the Houston police chief, announced an 

aggravated assault charge against Philadelphia 

Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett. Acevedo 

alleged that the Eagles star had pushed an elderly 

paraplegic security guard at Houston’s NRG Stadium 

as he rushed to celebrate on the field with his 

brother Martellus, whose New England Patriots 

had just won the 2017 Super Bowl. At the half-hour 

press conference, held more than a year after the 

game—Acevedo explained the HPD had prioritized 

“serious crimes”—the police chief was in 

his element, bantering with reporters and issuing 

soundbite-worthy quips. He worked himself into a 

righteous lather over someone “putting hands on 

a little old lady” in a motorized wheelchair and 

called Bennett “pathetic” and “morally bankrupt.” 

But, as Acevedo admitted, there was no video of 

the alleged assault. Given the number of people 

trying to access the field after the Patriots’ Super 

Bowl victory, it was unclear how the elderly security 

guard, and the police officer who allegedly 

witnessed the incident, could clearly identify Bennett, 

who strenuously denied the charge. One year 

after the press conference, in April 2019, the Harris 

County District Attorney’s Office dropped the case 

after determining that “a crime could not be proven 

beyond a reasonable doubt.” Acevedo said he 

stood by the assessment that an assault had occurred, 

but agreed there wasn’t enough evidence 

to proceed with the case. 

In January 2019, undercover narcotics officers 

executed a no-knock warrant on the southeast 

Houston home of Rhogena Nicholas and Dennis 

Tuttle. A gunfight broke out during which Nicholas 

and Tuttle died and several HPD officers were 

injured. The narcotics officers believed the couple 

was dealing heroin, but found only small amounts 

of cocaine and marijuana. Months after the raid, 

Acevedo refused to release the results of the investigation 

despite multiple requested by The BLUES 

as well as dozens of other local and nations news 

organizations. 


Who’s side are you on? 

LISTEN AS ACEVEDO STIRS THE CROWD 

When he did finally release the report, it showed 

the entire raid was based on an unlawful warrant 

written up by HPD officers Gerald Goines and 

Steven Bryant. Goines and Bryant retired after the 

incident. Goines was charged with murder, and 

Bryant was charged with tampering with a government 

document. The Harris County District 

Attorney’s Office anticipates it will dismiss more 

than 150 drug cases handled by Goines, and their 

review is ongoing. 

A Houston Chronicle investigation revealed that 

Goines spent much of his undercover time busting 

low-level street dealers. In 2004, he arrested 

George Floyd for allegedly selling him less than 

a gram of cocaine. Floyd pleaded guilty and was 

sentenced to ten months in state jail. In March 

2019, the district attorney’s office sent Floyd a letter 

notifying him that Goines was under criminal 

investigation. 

Acevedo’s handling of the case has followed a 

predictable arc, from defending his officers to the 

hilt in January of 2019, to issuing an apology for 

Goines’s and Bryant’s actions in November 2019, to 

positioning himself as the hero of the whole affair 

by claiming credit for discovering the malfeasance. 

“It would have been a tragedy for Rhogena and the 

Tuttles if we had not uncovered [Goines’s alleged 

misconduct],” Acevedo told Texas Monthly in February. 

“That would be an even greater tragedy and 

injustice.” In February, Acevedo announced a series 

of reforms including more scrutiny of “no-knock” 

raids and tighter supervision of narcotics operations. 

This kind of grandstanding and moralistic posturing 

from Acevedo has always drawn heat from 

local activists as well as his own police officers. 

Ever since he took over as Houston’s police chief in 

2016, Acevedo always excelled at self-promotion. 

But Acevedo’s record is one of a police chief 

reluctant to make fundamental reforms. Consider 

the issue of bail reform. Acevedo has called for 

reform of the cash bail system, saying the decision 

to release suspects accused of a crime before 

trial “should be based on [their] public safety risk 


Grandstanding & Moralistic Postering. 

rather than how rich [they] are.” Yet he, along with 

many in the criminal justice establishment, opposed 

Harris County’s historic 2019 settlement of 

a lawsuit about how it sets bail, which eliminated 

cash bail for most misdemeanor defendants. 

He regularly takes to Twitter to slam judges for 

granting bail to defendants he thinks belong in jail. 

Not even the coronavirus softened his opposition. 

In March of 2020, when Sheriff Ed Gonzalez proposed 

waiving bail for a significant percentage of 

the eight thousand inmates in Harris County jail 

to reduce the risk of an outbreak, Acevedo pushed 

back. He argued that anyone considered for release 

should be subjected to an individualized risk 

assessment—a time-consuming process. Between 

Acevedo’s intransigence and a series of court orders 

blocking the sheriff’s plan, only about three 

hundred inmates have been let out, and by mid- 

May, more than one thousand inmates and jail staff 

had contracted the virus. 

In June 2020, Acevedo tried selling himself to the 

nation as a pro-reform police chief by changing 

his Twitter profile picture to an image of George 

Floyd. Floyd, longtime Houston resident who was 

choked to death by police in Minneapolis, sparked 

nationwide protests included many in Houston. A 

video of Acevedo standing with protesters, speaking 

of his anger over Floyd’s killing, went viral. He 

also appeared on the Today show and penned an 

op-ed for the Washington Post calling for more 

police accountability. 

In the June 2020 issue of The BLUES, Acevedo 

won the magazines Light Bulb Award hands down 

over his handling of the George Floyd Protests in 

Houston. In that article we wrote: 

It’s a no brainer for this month’s LB Award. Hands 

down it’s HOUSTON POLICE CHIEF ART ACEVE- 

DO!!! If you haven’t caught his antics in the past 

few days Acevedo said, “He built this country and 

he ain’t going nowhere!!” Well sir, you need to 

go anywhere but Houston. You are an insult and 

a slap in the face of the officers and the city you 

serve. As the protests turn more violent, officers 

AND citizens are being hurt. And like the left wing 

radical that you are, you stand with the protesters 

and ENCOURAGE to do harm to you own officers. 

What is wrong with you? 

You don’t just represent YOUR people; you’re 

supposed to represent ALL people. The protesters 

aren’t the problem, the instigators are the problem 

and they are in our city. They were paid to be here. 

So instead of walking with protesters and stirring 

them up, how about you investigate who’s behind 

the hiring of these thugs that are terrorizing our 

cities? How about you do your job to protect your 

officers? How about for once you just shut your 

mouth and at least at like the professional you 

were hired to be? 

And if you think you represent all the police 

chiefs in this country, you’re insane. See, they support 

their officers and they support their President. 

For a police chief representing one of the finest 

police departments in the country, with the hardest 

working men and women in law enforcement 

today, you sir, are a disgrace. Whether or not you 

support Trump is your personal choice. But he IS 

the President and as a leader of the largest police 

department in the State of Texas, you have a duty 

to respect the office he represents. 

When the current situation is over, and the protesters 

have left our city, we can only hope and 

pray that the leadership of the Police Union will 

consider holding a vote of no-confidence and ask 

the mayor to replace you. Send you packing to a 

left-wing state that deserves you. The officers of 

this city deserve better. The citizens deserve better. 

The following month, The BLUES discovered 

that an audit of the entire narcotics division had 

been completed, but neither Acevedo nor Houston’s 

mayor Sylvester Turner would release it to 

the public, earning them both ANOTHER Light Bulb 

award. 

Together they fought, deceived, and manipulated 

as much as possible to extend out as long as 

Total Cluster on Raid got two people killed! 

possible the audits findings. The District Attorney 

acknowledged the existence of the report and said, 

“I have no problem releasing it to the public.” 

No more, No Knock Warrants! 

Shortly after The BLUES article was published, 

Acevedo and Turner released the report to the 

public. 


..and then there was Miami. 

In March 2021, Acevedo announced that he would 

leave HPD to become chief of police of the Miami 

Police Department. Francis X. Suarez, the mayor of 

Miami, compared the hiring of Acevedo to “getting 

the Tom Brady or the Michael Jordan of police 

chiefs.” Acevedo was sworn into the position in 

Miami on April 5. 

Speaking to reporters in Miami, Acevedo said his 

decision was partly based on the fact that Houston’s 

Mayor, Sylvester Turner was currently in his 

final term. Acevedo said he had opportunities in 

California and even within the Biden administration, 

but decided to continue police work in Miami. 

“Service is in my heart, and making a difference 

is in my heart,” he said. “When you look (at) the 

influence of this city, and the vision of the leadership 

with the city manager and the mayor, and the 

council – Miami is a city on the move.” 

Acevedo was joined by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, 

who praised the new chief’s arrival, calling 

him “the best chief in America.” 

“We’re very blessed to have someone in Art, who 

not only has resided over three large departments, 

but is someone who brings a tremendous ability, 

personality, and has the right frame of mind to 

come in here and make this the best department 

(on) the planet,” Suarez said. 

Little did they know that this welcoming party 

would only last six months and the local press in 

Miami would refer to Acevedo as a “brash and outspoken 

personality who clashed with fellow cops, 

elected officials and other city leaders.” 


“If you can’t understand why I came to Miami, 

then I don’t know what planet you’ve been on. 

You might not’ve been to Miami.” — Art Acevedo 

Meanwhile back in Houston, Mayor Turner congratulated 

Acevedo and thanked him for more than 

four years of service. “He performed at an exceptional 

level and he will be missed by many of us 

in this city,” he said. “I wish him well, he and his 

family, and I know he will do an excellent job in 

Miami with Mayor Suarez.” 

But for someone pegged as a ladder-climber 

early on in his Texas law enforcement career, Acevedo’s 

new job seemed to be a demotion, at least 

in terms of the gig’s profile. 

Acevedo left the nation’s fourth most populous 

city for its 42nd in Miami. At HPD, where he led a 

force of around 5,300 officers in a city that’s 671 

square miles large. His new force would be less 

than half that big — around 1,300 officers — and 

polices a relatively scant 35 square mile radius. 

One thing that wasn’t smaller was Acevedo’s 

new paycheck. Miami’s CBS4 News reported that 

Acevedo’s new salary was $315,000 a year, a solid 

bump from the $295,000 he made annually at HPD. 

But while an extra $20,000 a year is a nice chunk 

of change, it’s hard to believe that was all it took 

to attract an ambitious leader like Acevedo to an 

objectively lower-profile job. At 56-years-old, he 

wasn’t exactly in feet-up retirement mode either. 

Maybe he was drawn to the Miami because the 

city seemed to be looking for a police leader who 

would actively reach out to the city’s minority 

communities as Acevedo tried to do during his 

four and a half years in Houston. After a summer 

of racial unrest and accusations from Miami’s 

black police union that former MPD Chief Jorge 

Colina used the N-word on the job, Acevedo may 

have been drawn to the challenge of building trust 

between Black Miamians and the local police. 


“It’s like the Cuban Mafia runs Miami PD” 

Art Acevedo 

But less than 5 months later, members of the Miami 

Police Union would be calling for a vote of no 

confidence in Acevedo due to his actions over those 

five short months. 

Acevedo said that he wanted to reform policing 

in Miami, but when mouthed off at a rollcall that 

the “Cuban mafia” was controlling the city, the Miami 

City commissioners took offense to the comment 

and ignited a feud between the Commissioners 

and Acevedo. A feud that would ultimately cost 

Acevedo his job 

On October 12, 2021, Acevedo was suspended by 

City Manager Art Noriega. “Relationships between 

employers and employees come down to fit and 

leadership style and unfortunately, Chief Acevedo 

is not the right fit for this organization”, Noriega 

elaborated. Two days later, on October 14, 2021, 

Acevedo was fired by the city commission after 

a unanimous vote was taken. Thus, ending the 

shortest tenure for a Miami Police chief. 

Commissioners sat as judges, Noriega served as 

the prosecution and Acevedo was the defendant. 

Much of the hearing focused on Noriega’s arguments 

for why the chief deserved to be dismissed, 

which included cursing at a person in public, 

strongly implying during a radio interview that 

the city would force cops to get vaccinated and 

a statement to police where he used the phrase 

“Cuban Mafia” — an offensive term to Miami’s exile 

community. 

Noriega also said that Acevedo, who gave up his 

job in Houston to come to Miami this spring, failed 

to properly develop a comprehensive policing plan 

that the city manager had demanded this month. 

Noriega said when he read the start of Acevedo’s 

policing plan where the chief said he’d improved 

morale, he “almost didn’t need to read the rest of 

it.” He said the plan showed “a tremendous disconnect,” 

adding “it was all I needed to get me to a 

point where I felt it was time to move on.” 


The Party’s Over, 

Acevedo’s final 

days in Miami. 

“The chief, unfortunately — this I think is a critical 

part of it — never allowed himself as someone 

not from this community to come in and earn the 

trust,” Noriega said. 

The chief stood silent during the four-hour trial 

before commissioners. This coming after several 

contentious weeks, including a pair of meetings 

led by commissioners, to discuss a series of missteps 

and controversies by Acevedo. 

Tensions heightened after Acevedo fired off a 

blistering eight-page memo in which he accused 

some commissioners of interfering with internal 

police investigations — a memo his attorney asserted 

was the reason for his firing. 

It was a one-sided proceeding — Acevedo’s team 

didn’t put on a defense. Acevedo’s attorney, John 

Byrne, said his team didn’t have enough time to 

prepare and the hearing should have been held on 

Monday, October 18, according to his interpretation 

of city rules. Byrne spent a brief amount of time 

taking aim at the credibility of Noriega’s witnesses. 

Hours of testimony from Noriega’s witnesses examined 

a series of Acevedo’s known gaffes, controversial 

public statements, and feelings from his 

top deputies that the chief had lost the confidence 

of the police department. 

One new incident that hadn’t been fully explained 

publicly was brought out into the limelight. 

Manny Morales, a high-ranking officer who 

was sworn in as interim police chief right after 

Acevedo’s dismissal, described a recent blowup 

where one of Acevedo’s protégés cursed and 

screamed at police executives. 

In a second-floor conference room at City Hall, 

Heather Morris — brought in from Houston as deputy 

chief, and whose job had been eliminated by 

commissioners during a budget hearing — hurled 

expletives and wagged her finger at senior staff 

for not defending her enough during the meeting, 

Morales said. 

Morales said Acevedo was in the room, heard 

everything and chastised his officers instead of 

shutting down Morris. 

“Guys, that wasn’t right,” Acevedo told his staff, 

according to Morales. “You should’ve done more to 

fight for her job.” 

Some of the most devastating comments made 

against Acevedo came from those closest to him in 

rank. They stood feet away from the chief as they 

said the department no longer had confidence in 

him. 

The entire department, from the rank-and-file to 

the executive staff, has lost confidence in the chief, 

Morales said. 

Morales recalled Acevedo telling the police leadership 

that the department was “full of backstabbers 

and snakes.” 

Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar echoed Morales, 

explaining Acevedo quickly became a pariah and 

alienated cops. 


“The perception among the rank-and-file is that 

disciplinary action is very heavy-handed,” Aguilar 

said. “The negative media attention really just 

weighs down on every member of the rank-andfile.” 

Senior officers painted an ugly picture of the 

chief’s first days at the helm, when they said he 

pitted them against each other. They testified that 

he met one-on-one with senior officers, questioned 

their loyalties, and shared their reactions 

with one another in an attempt to sow discord 

right out of the gate. 

At one point, the hearing grew contentious when 

commissioners, who were clearly angry at Acevedo 

for interrupting the flow of the proceeding. 

Commissioner Joe Carollo repeatedly urged Acevedo 

to speak — an opportunity that Carollo said 

was not offered to Miami officers Acevedo had 

fired. 

Right after Acevedo’s firing, commissioners and 

other city staffers gathered in a City Hall conference 

room away from the media frenzy, where 

Morales was sworn in as the city’s interim police 

chief. Morales had sought to become police chief 

before Acevedo’s hire, and he became the acting 

top cop after Acevedo’s suspension. 

“We are going to get back to serving the public,” 

Morales said. 

After the hearing, Acevedo finally broke weeks 

of silence by reading from a prepared statement 

outside City Hall after the vote. He said he came to 

Miami with the best of intentions and this wasn’t 

the outcome he and his family had hoped for. 

He thanked the city’s Black police union and 

residents and officers who supported him. And in 

a sometimes-quivering voice he said there is still 

work to be done. 

“From day one I made it clear the Miami Police 

Department had to be committed to constitutional 

policing,” Acevedo said. “The department was and 

continues to be, in need of reform. I lament the 

fact that I do not have the opportunity to continue 

serving.” 

Acevedo also said he followed through on his 

threat to forward his allegations of corruption to 

“the proper government authorities,” referring to 

the controversial memo he sent Noriega and Mayor 

Francis Suarez. 

Suarez, who championed Acevedo’s hire and 

helped recruit him, did not attend the hearing. 

It’s unknown where Acevedo will go from here. I 

speculate he’ll return to Houston and run for mayor. 

Or perhaps he’ll end up in Washington working 

for the Biden administration. One thing is for certain, 

we haven’t heard the last of Art Acevedo. 

CITY OF MIAMI: YOU’RE FIRED 

I’ll be Back! 

*This feature story was written with information and articles 

supplied by the following news organizations: Associated Press, 

Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, El Monte News, Los Angeles Daily 

News, Houston Chronicle, Blues Police Magazine, HPOU-Badge 

& Gun, Houston Press, The Texas Scorecards, Austin American-Statesman, 

Austin Chronicle, Daily Texan, Austin Citizen, 

Miami Herald, The Miami News, Police1, NPR as well as various 

FaceBook pages. 

“I’m going to recharge for the next few weeks and 

then I’m going to see what is my path forward” 

Art Acevedo 


WHO WANTS TO BE A COP? 

New series takes deep dive into St. Petersburg Police Academy 


PART 71 

BLOODY FRIDAY 

“You change when you become a cop.” 

On a gravelly patch of grass behind the shoot 

house, Coach Joe Saponare is sprawled on his 

side, wearing a Bud Light T-shirt. His eyes are 

closed. A rubber tube is wrapped around his left 

arm, which stretches above his head. In his right 

hand, there’s an empty syringe. 

“Is he dead?” a cadet asks. 

“You don’t know,” says another coach. “A passerby 

in a car called in a suspicious person beside a 

building, looks like he might be drunk or on drugs. 

That’s all they told dispatch.” 

The recruits are in teams of three. On this January 

morning at the St. Petersburg police academy, 

Brittany “Mama” Moody takes the lead. She kicks 

the syringe out of Coach Sap’s reach, then kneels 

by his head. KeVonn Mabon pulls on blue gloves 

from his medic bag. Hannah Anhalt stands over 

him and says, “I’d call EMS right away.” 

“Yes!” shouts another coach. “There’s no Narcan 

for you guys. But EMS has it. Watch out, though. 

When you hit ’em with Narcan, they go from coma 

to freak out. As soon as they’re alert, they might 

want to stab you with that needle.” 

Anhalt kneels by Coach Sap and starts doing 

chest compressions. Moody leans over his face and 

pretends to blow air into his mouth. Mabon fake 

calls for emergency medical assistance. Another 

coach hands him a dummy with red and yellow 

wires streaming from two flat panels: a training 

model of a defibrillator. 

“Prepare to shock!” shouts that coach. “It’s like 

jumping a car battery.” 

Coach Sap pops up from the ground. 

“You guys did awesome!” says one coach. “Good 

team dynamic.” 


But Coach Sap has a few 

corrections. They didn’t 

secure the scene. Someone 

could have been in that alley, 

out to get the guy who 

overdosed — or them. One 

of them should have been a 

lookout. 

And they should have put 

the syringe in a plastic bag. 

That’s evidence. 

“After we make sure you’re 

okay, do we arrest you?” 

Mabon asks. 

Coach Sap laughs. “Not 

unless I have a kilo on me.” 

He loves these scenarios, 

seeing how the recruits will 

respond. 

For months, they’ve been 

focused on saving themselves. 

This week, they’re 

learning how to save others. 

Police are often first on the 

scene, so they have to know 

basic life-saving skills and 

when to call an ambulance. 

They carry bandages, gauze, 

and a wool blanket. 

By LANE DeGREGORY, 

Times Staff Writer 

They practice dislodging 

an object from a baby’s 

throat, checking for some- 

They can’t get over the wall. 

one’s It’s 6-feet pulse, tall, made giving of CPR: smooth 30 

wood. Nothing to hold or stand 

chest compressions, two 

on. 

breaths. Even the Coach tallest men Sap are taught struggling. 

of 

“Run 

Stayin’ 

at it. 

Alive, 

Get a grip. 

but 

Haul 

the 

yourself 

up,” shouts a coach in a red 

cadets 

shirt. “Don’t 

didn’t 

give 

know 

them 

that 

a huge 

song 

from target.” the ’70s. 

This You never afternoon know when is “Bloody you’re 

going to have to chase a suspect 

Friday.” 

over a wall. 

Coach It’s a drizzly Sap day is about in late September. 

The police recruits are 

to get 

lined 

them to count to the rhythm 

caught on a fence, stabbed 

in the leg, shot in the arm. 

Saponare is 49, in better 

shape now than when he 

was on the force. He’s proud 

he can keep up with the cadets 

and feels lucky that he 

gets to wear gym shorts to 

the office. He slicks back his 

dark hair, walks fast, and 

talks quickly, with a slight 

Jersey accent often punctuated 

by a laugh. 

“In this job,” Coach Sap 

tells recruits, “you got to 

remember to laugh.” 

At the academy, he runs 

four law enforcement 

classes, an average of 120 

students per year. He tells 

them he has an evil twin. 

One minute, he’s offering 

advice and encouragement. 

The next, he’s “smoking” 

them for not shining their 

shoes, making them write 

an essay or run an extra 

mile. His mission is to push 

the meek ones to be more 

forceful, and dial back the 

up behind St. Petersburg College’s 

military guys’ gusto. 

Allstate Center, between the rifle 

range As the and public shoot house. safety department 

Three weeks coordinator, into training, he 

they’ve 

also oversees 

learned to 

training 

keep their 

for 

eyes 

on the door, do push-ups on cadence, 

correctional 

tell reasonable 

officers 

suspicion 

and 

from cops probable from other cause, states frisk someone, 

want search to work a car in and Florida. carry coffee He 

who 

in their left hand so they can grab 

orders equipment for the 

their gun with their right. 

gym, Brittany mat Moody room, is the rifle first range, woman 

interviews her class new to conquer cadets, the 

obstacle tracks their course. test She scores, played five and 

sports growing up and works out 

supervises the instructors. 

every morning. 

This Coach morning, Sap’s they’re first-floor starting the 

obstacle course that’s designed to 

office is obsessively neat: 

stacks of papers all perfectly 

squared. Taped around 

his desk are quotes like: 

predict their perils: crawl under a 

fence, slither through a tube, hoist 

yourself into a make-shift attic. 

They’re slick with sweat, covered 

in dirt, cheering each other on. 

“You got it! Come on! Keep going!” 

There’s 

If you 

a 

fall, 

life-size 

you have 

poster 

to start 

over. 

“You have three chances,” the 

coach says. 

In the real world, you might only 

get one. 

Class 219 is mostly white and 

male, but it is the most diverse 

yet, said Joe Saponare, who oversees 

recruit training at St. Peters- 

His most prized possession 

burg College’s Law Enforcement 

Academy: seven women, five Black 

“Embrace the Suck,” and “Be 

Polite. Be Professional, but 

Have a Plan to Kill Everybody 

You Meet.” 

of Chase Utley, his favorite 

Phillies player; a plaque 

from when his SWAT team 

won unit of the year; three 

flags, gifted to him by his 

three favorite classes. 

hangs by the door: A framed 

newspaper article featuring 

photos of four generations 

of his family under the 

headline: True Blue: Why 

Police Tradition Runs in 

Families. 

“My great-grandfather 

came over from Italy, became 

a Camden cop. He 

was so good he could retrieve 

a fingerprint from an 

orange,” said Coach Sap. 

“He always told my dad, ‘Everyone 

struggled during the 

Depression, but I had a job.’ 

My grandfather was a firefighter. 

Dad also was a cop 

for 43 years. He’d take me 

to the station, to the shooting 

range, on inspections. 

I thought that was cool. I 

people, two Latinos. Half went to 

loved Starsky & Hutch.” 

college. Six were in the military. 

The youngest, In high school, age 19, lives he played with 

his parents. One of the oldest is 

raising a son. She’s already earned 

a nickname, Mama Moody. 

good,” he said, “but not 

Some registered for the academy 

last good spring, enough.” before George Floyd 

was His killed, dad before made people him took go to 

the 

college: 

streets demanding 

Rutgers, 

that 

political 

governments 

defund the police. They 

decided 

science. 

to attend 

Afterward, 

anyway. 

inevitably, 

applied he enrolled because in of the those 

Others 

outcries. 

They know they will be insulted, 

targeted, hated — some critics 

are openly hostile. But 30 young 

people signed up for the first class 

football and hockey, hoped 

to go pro in baseball. “I was 

police academy. Back then, 

coaches didn’t run scenarios. 

Training lasted 16 weeks 

— six weeks fewer than his 

cadets get now. Few women 

applied. 

He met his wife while he 

since the pandemic closed the 

academy. 

Saponare, who cadets call 

Coach Sap, expected applications 

to plummet after the protests last 

year. Instead, he said, more people 

than ever applied. 

No agency tracks how many 

people apply to U.S. police academies, 

according to the National 

Police Foundation. Anecdotal evidence 

from the country’s 18,000 

law enforcement agencies is 

contradictory. Some departments 

are struggling to fill vacancies. 

And officers are quitting at record 

rates, many after only a few years. 

In September 2019, even before 

was a patrolman, “working 

8-hour shifts and you’re 

done,” he said. He’s not sure 

she knew what she was 

getting into but says she 

never complained. “At least 

not to me,” he said. “Maybe 

she’d vent to other cops’ 

wives, but she always stood 

by me.” Even though he 

worked 6 p.m. until 4 a.m. 

and almost never was home 

to put their two daughters 

to bed, even when they 

88 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 


were at parties and he’d 

have to leave, when they’d 

go looking at Christmas 

lights and he’d be so distracted, 

waiting for a call, 

that he wouldn’t remember 

their drive. 

For 12 years, he carried a 

shield for the SWAT team, 

the Special Weapons and 

Tactics Unit. He says it 

stands for: Sit, wait, and 

talk. He loved the trenches, 

the camaraderie, the action. 

“Bringing people to safety,” 

he said. “You can’t beat 

that.” 

He watched a couple 

friends get stabbed and 

shot. But he never really got 

hurt, never thought about 

quitting, always enjoyed 

the rush of showing up at a 

scene. 

In 2011-2012, he was inspector 

of Camden police, 

overseeing 300 uniformed 

officers, when the city set a 

record for murders: 67. Citizens 

complained about the 

crime rate, open-air drug 

markets, police corruption. 

Lawsuits alleged that officers 

planted evidence, fabricated 

reports, lied. 

“There were officers infamous 

for pinning drugs and 

guns on people,” he said. 

“One whole squad, six of 

them went rogue, and went 

to jail. But not my guys. We 

were the good guys. We got 

thank-you notes. One woman 

baked me a sweet potato 

pie.” 

He was never accused of 

wrongdoing, instead honored 

for his service. But by 

the next year, public outcry 

had convinced officials to 

obliterate the entire department 

— the largest city to 

date to have done that. 

The county took over 

policing, hired half of the 

city officers and asked Saponare 

to help retrain them. 

“We broke the barrier with 

the community, got out of 

our cars and went back to 

walking beats, riding bikes,” 

he said. “We put ‘eye in the 

sky’ cameras all over, so 

the community could help 

watch the streets, help us 

police. We started to turn 

the public support around.” 

Officers went from having 

a “warrior mindset,” he 

said, to thinking of themselves 

as “guardians of the 

city.” Crime rates declined. 

“You can’t just defund the 

police,” he said. Instead, 

officers need more training 

and tools, recruits need to 

learn how to engage with 

people. He makes cadets 

give daily presentations on 

some aspect of law enforcement, 

so they’ll get 

more comfortable with 

public speaking. 

In 2013, he worked for the 

county. The next year, he’d 

put in 20 years, so he retired. 

He taught at a vocational 

school, did security for 

a while, hated both jobs. 

When his wife wanted to 

move to Florida, he called a 

friend who worked at the St. 

Petersburg police academy. 

When that friend retired in 

2018, he became Coach Sap. 

He is nostalgic for the days 

when cops got more respect. 

But he knows police 

have long struggled with 

public perception. 

In 1829, almost two centuries 

before last summer’s 

protests, a British officer 

named Sir Robert Peel became 

known as the “Father 

of Modern Policing.” His 

vision for law enforcement 

foreshadows the recent 

demands for reform, and 

influenced the changes in 

Camden, N.J. 

The goal of law enforcement, 

Peel said, should be 

to prevent crime, not catch 

criminals. “The test of police 

efficiency is the absence 

of crime and disorder,” he 

wrote. 

He recognized that, for 

police to do their jobs, the 

public has to trust them. 

That is earned, he said, by 

enforcing laws impartially, 

by hiring officers who represent 

and understand their 

community and by using 

force only as a last resort. 

For Coach Sap, the biggest 

shift in public opinion 

came in 1991, after Los Angeles 

officers beat Rodney 



King, someone recorded 

it, and the world watched. 

Now that everyone has a 

cell phone, he tells cadets, 

everything you do could be 

captured on video. 

And the current class will 

be among the first whose 

agencies require them to 

wear body cameras — 

which could protect them 

from false accusations, or 

record them incriminating 

themselves. “They hold 

police accountable, which 

is good,” Coach Sap said. 

“But videos the public sees 

only show snippets of what 

happened. If you’re going to 

judge on that, you have to 

see the whole scene unravelling.” 

He worries that new officers 

will hesitate, afraid to 

be judged or accused. 

“In my time, you didn’t resist 

police,” he said. “If you 

did, there was a set course 

of action. Now, instead of 

forcing them into handcuffs, 

you have to talk them into 

letting you put them on.” 

When he was on SWAT, 

he helped set perimeters 

before storming into an 

active shooting scene. Now, 

someone on the team runs 

in right away — “rapid deployment” 

— to minimize 

lives lost. 

“In my day, if you had to 

shoot someone, you went 

right back to your job,” he 

said. “Now you get 72 hours 

and have to go see a psychologist.” 

Instead of arresting people 

raging with mental illness, 

cops are supposed to help 

calm them down. 

Some agencies now have 

a no-strike rule, meant 

to avoid physical contact. 

Some give officers pepper 

spray, tasers, or batons, so 

they can reach for something 

other than a gun. 

The biggest improvement 

in training, Coach Sap said, 

has been running recruits 

through the scenarios. This 

is also the first class that 

gets to practice in virtual 

reality. 

A state grant helped 

the academy purchase a 

$250,000 VirTra — which 

immerses recruits in 

300-degrees of 3D, IMAXlike 

action. Using a laptop, 

coaches can simulate 300 

situations the cadets might 

face and make them happen 

in real time. 

A recruit stands in the 

middle of five towering 

screens, gun holstered. 

Soon, a virtual homeless 

woman charges with a 

knife. In other scenarios, 

a man with an automatic 

weapon storms a state 



capitol and bleeding students 

race through a school 

library, screaming for help. 

When the cadets draw 

their guns and fire just right, 

the “bad guy” on the screen 

crumples to the ground. If 

they miss, he keeps coming. 

Sometimes, they get shot 

— a zap from their gun belt 

that leaves a red welp on 

their hip. 

Only one other academy 

in Florida has the technology, 

which was made for 

military training. “We can 

expose them to so much 

more,” Coach Sap said. 

His oldest daughter is 22, 

the same age as some of his 

recruits. But he would never 

want his kids to become 

cops. Especially now. “The 

perception of law enforcement 

is so negative now. It’s 

more dangerous,” he said, 

shaking his head. “Besides, 

they’re both such girly girls.” 

What about him? Would 

he join now? 

“That’s a tough question. I 

have such a passion for it,” 

he said, pausing. “But I don’t 

know if these recent events 

would quash my passion.” 

Envision this, Coach Sap 

told the cadets: A Camden 

woman decapitated her 

2-year-old son, then called 

911. By the time police got 

there, she had put the toddler’s 

head in the freezer — 

and fatally stabbed herself. 

He showed them the crime 

scene on YouTube. Two of 

the recruits looked away. 

“We try to prepare you for 

everything,” Coach Sap said. 

“But how can we prepare 

you for that?” 

He let the silence linger. 

Coach Sap seldom teaches 

in the classroom, preferring 

to lead physical activities. 

But one afternoon, he told 

them about some of his 

worst calls, then walked 

them through a PowerPoint 

called The Law Enforcement 

Culture. 

Another video, another 

crime he was called to in 

Camden: A man was raping 

a 12-year-old girl and 

her younger brother, who 

was 6, tried to stop him. 

The man slashed the boy’s 

throat, then ran. 

“We had a manhunt for 

that guy from 4 a.m. until 

noon,” Coach Sap said. 

“We kept searching empty 

buildings, finally found him 

in a rental house. He got 110 

years.” 

He asked how many cadets 

were married: Four. 

“Well 70 percent of officers’ 

first marriages end in divorce,” 

he said. For second 

marriages, the failure rate is 

85 percent. 

“You change when you become 

a cop,” he said. “You 

have to be able to turn that 

switch off and be normal, 

find outlets.” 

He fired off statistics. 

“In the U.S., every 22 hours, 

a cop commits suicide,” he 

told them — a higher percentage 

than the rest of the 

population. 

“You can care, but you 

can’t save the whole world,” 

he said. “You’re going to get 

frustrated, stressed, fed up 

with the criminal justice 

system. Don’t start drinking. 

That only makes things 

worse.” 

The cadets looked stoic, 

not visibly reacting. But 

Coach Sap hoped the message 

sank in. He wants them 

to know what they’re signing 

up for, to scare them. 

No one knows how they’re 

going to respond to trauma, 

Coach Sap said. “I 

had one friend who used 

deadly force and wanted to 

come back the next day,” 

he said. “Another just shot 

at someone, didn’t kill him, 

but he couldn’t come back. 

It shook him to his core. 

He started drinking, doing 

drugs, weed, coke. He became 

someone else. Now, 

he moves furniture.” 

He wants them to learn 

from the mistakes of others. 

He remembers every time 

he screwed up and enjoys 

cautionary tales. 

August 2004: He and his 

partner had arrested a guy, 

put him in handcuffs and 

threw him in the back of 

the cruiser. They didn’t get 

in the car with him. “We 

were joking and smoking,” 

Coach Sap told the cadets. 

All of a sudden, the cop car 

sped past them. “The suspect 

slipped the handcuffs, 

crawled through the partition 

and drove away,” he 

said. “Don’t relax too soon. 

It’s not over until he’s in a 

cell.” 

In a parking lot beside the 

shoot house, Coach Sap is 

on his back beside an old 

school bus, his legs bent 

to one side, holding a gun, 


screaming, covered in fake 

blood. 

“Officer needs assistance. 

He just got attacked by a 

dog. He can’t walk. He’s 

bleeding,” a coach calls. “He 

shot the dog.” 

Mabon kneels beside 

Coach Sap. Anhalt gently 

asks for his gun. Moody 

calls EMS. Again, no one 

secures the scene. 

The whole time, Coach 

Sap is moaning, blood 

spurting from his thigh. It 

looks real, dark, and viscous, 

running down his leg 

and pooling on the pavement. 

No one tries to put 

pressure on the wound, or 

bandage it. 

Suddenly, Coach Sap goes 

quiet, closes his eyes. 

“What are you doing? 

Do something. You’re letting 

one of your own fellas 

bleed to death!” shouts a 

coach. “It only takes 90 seconds 

to bleed out. Hurry!” 

Mabon pulls a tourniquet 

from his medic bag, slides 

it over Coach Sap’s thigh. 

“Check his pulse!” he yells. 

“He has a weak pulse,” the 

coach says. 

“Sir,” says Anhalt. “Sir, are 

you okay? Can you open 

your eyes?” She’s the only 

one who talks to Coach Sap. 

When he doesn’t answer, 

she starts CPR. 

“What are you doing?” 

yells a coach. “Why are you 

doing CPR?” 

He’s not having trouble 

breathing, just losing a lot 

of blood. 

“Prop up his feet,” says 

Mabon, tightening the tourniquet. 

Moody does. 

“Okay, I’m EMS now. What 

do you got?” asks the coach. 

“Okay, I see the injury to the 

leg. What else?” 

The three cadets look at 

each other. Mabon finally 

says: “Nothing. Well, nothing 

that I know of.” 

“Did you check?” screams 

the coach. 

Mabon says softly, “Nooo 

… ” 

“Well check! You gotta 

check! Talk and move at the 

same time. Roll him over. Be 

careful. That blood is slippery.” 

The imaginary ambulance 

gets there too late. 

As the three cadets walk 

back to the shoot house, 

the next group gears up for 

their scenario. Coach Sap 

stands up, grinning, gravel 

caked on his arms and legs. 

He’s ready for more blood. 

And he wonders: What else 

can he do to get these recruits 

ready? 

Graduation is only a month 

away. 


WORDS BY SGT BOB WILLIAMS 

Worst Night of My Life. 

They say that grief comes in 

stages. Five of them to be exact. 

It would be safe to say, it took 

two years after my wife was 

killed in the line of duty, for me 

to pass through all five. I guess 

the toughest part for me was 

that I was there when it happened. 

I blamed myself, because for 

all practical purposes it should 

have been me that died that 

night, not my beautiful wife. 

I was a Sergeant on the night 

shift and my wife worked evenings. 

We both worked nights 

for almost 5 years and that’s 

where we met. Once we started 

dating, we were allowed to 

stay on the same shift, we just 

couldn’t ride together. As soon 

as I made Sergeant and we got 

married, one of us had to change 

shifts. 

The timing was actually perfect 

because not 3 months after 

we got back from our honeymoon, 

we found out Amy was 

pregnant. So, the Captain transferred 

her to days until she took 

left for maternity leave. 

Fast forward a year and Amy 

wanted to go back to work. 

Her mom lived in the area and 

agreed to watch our son Jacob 

who had just turned one, so she 

could go back to days. It worked 

out perfect. I was still on nights 

and we passed each other at 

the station each morning. I went 

home, slept a few hours, and 

woke up just in time to pick up 

my son and Amy at work. All 

was perfect in the world, until it 

wasn’t. 

Amy had only been back to 

work for 2 months when a major 

accident dropped at 5:50am. 

Once I arrived on the scene, I 

confirmed we had a fatality and 

asked the dispatcher to notify the 

state since it was out on the interstate, 

and send me some units 

for traffic control. Amy and her 

partner arrived on the scene at 

6:20am and offered to work the 

accident, but I sent them both up 

to the highway to block traffic 

and divert it to the feeder road. 

The state arrived at 6:45am 

and as I was handing over all the 

DLs and insurance information to 

the trooper, we both heard the 

sound on screeching tires and 

looked up to see an 18-wheeler 

sliding down the highway. The 

truck was almost totally jackknifed 

when it hit two of our 

patrol cars, one of the trooper’s 

cars and a wrecker. At that moment, 

neither of us knew that my 

wife and the trooper’s partner 

were struck by the 18-wheeler. 

As we ran towards the pileup, 

one of the cars struck by the 

truck burst into flames. Now we 

had a driver trapped inside as 

well as two injured cops on the 

ground. Thank God EMS and the 

fire department were still on the 

scene and were just behind us. 

I helped the FD extricate a 

woman from the burning car 

while the trooper checked on his 

partner and the other officer. At 

the time, I had no idea the other 

officer was my wife. I thought 

she was 2-miles up the highway 

diverting traffic. I was sure it 

was one of my night shift officers 

but at that moment, saving 

this woman’s life was my only 

goal. 

Once she was safely out, I 

heard the trooper calling for 

Care Flight and advising he had 

two officers down, both in critical 

condition. As I walked up on 

the injured officers, one of my 

officers came running up to me 

and put his hand across my chest 

to stop me and said, “Boss it’s 

Amy and Trooper Smith. She’s 

hurt really bad and Smitty isn’t 

breathing. Care Flight is 3 minutes 

out.” 

I immediately ran over to her 

and saw blood everywhere. The 

truck had hit them both before 

smashing into the stopped cars. 

They never had a chance to get 

out of the way. I held her hand 

as the EMTs worked on her. The 

sound was deafening as the two 

Care Flight helicopters landed 

almost simultaneously in the 

middle of the highway. 

I’ve worked with these Care 

Flight crews almost every night. 

They are like family. I looked up 

saw flight nurse Stevens kneel 

beside me. For a split second our 

eyes made contact and I could 

see that she was as terrified as 

I was that we might lose Amy. 

But she went to work trying to 

stabilize her and get her loaded 

into the helicopter. Once she was 

in, I jumped in beside her. 

I looked out the window and 

saw Care Flight 2 taking off 

with Smitty which at the time 

I thought was a good thing. He 

must be okay or they wouldn’t 

have transported him. I put a 

crew headset on and suddenly 

everything became so quiet. All 

I could hear was Stevens talking 

to Med, giving vitals, and saying 

they were en-route and with an 

officer down from a TA, with 

severe head injuries. 

The flight seemed to go on forever, 

when in actuality it lasted 

only 9 minutes. As we flew over 

the city, I remembered the first 

time I took Amy up in a police 

chopper. She was so excited to 

see all the lights and how different 

the city looked from 500 

feet. What I didn’t know was this 

would be her last trip in a helicopter 

at night, in fact forever. 

As we landed, I noticed Care 

Flight 2 had already shut down 

and the crews had taken Smitty 

inside. I prayed he was okay 

and knew as soon as Amy was 

stabilized, I needed to go check 

on him. I jumped out and helped 

the crew get Amy out of the ship. 

A team of trauma doctors and 

nurses met us at the door and 

rushed her into the express elevator 

that led to the Hybrid Operating 

Room on the floor below. 

I knew there wasn’t room for 

me, so the pilot, Bill White and 

I took the two flights of stairs 

that led to the flight office and 

the Trauma Surgical Suite. Ironically, 

Bill and I had gone to flight 

school together and he was 

Jacob’s godfather. It wasn’t until 


we landed that I even knew he 

was our pilot. 

As soon as we reached the 

hallway outside the OR, another 

flight nurse and a trauma doctor 

walked over to me and hugged 

me and said, “I’m sorry but 

Trooper Smith didn’t make it.” 

“He had been down for over 30 

minutes and we did everything 

we could to bring him back, but 

his injuries were just too severe.” 

My immediate thoughts were 

to Amy. She was standing next to 

Smitty when they were struck. 

I looked inside the OR and there 

must have been a dozen people 

working on her. One of the ER 

nurses that knew us both, came 

over and had me sit in their 

office. It was at that moment 

that it all be so real. I just put 

my head down and realized that 

I had lost one of our troopers 

and my wife was barely alive. My 

world had been turned upside 

down in a matter of minutes. In 

the 20 something years I’d been 

a cop, I learned to handle tragedy, 

and death and put it out of 

my mind. Otherwise, I could have 

never lasted as long as I did. 

When I looked up, the entire 

staff were in tears and Dr. Owens, 

the head of the trauma department 

walked over and knelt 

down in front of me. He too had 

tears in his eyes and whispered, 

“Bob we did everything we could 

to save Amy. But her head injuries 

were just too severe. I’m 

so sorry, we’re all just so sorry. 

We are all here for you and your 

department.” 

It was at that moment that I 

encountered the first step ….Denial. 

CONTINUED IN AFTERMATH 

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WORDS BY SGT BOB WILLIAMS & MICHAEL BARRON 

The Five Steps of Grief 

DENIAL 

The first stage you experience 

when you lose someone is denial 

- supposedly it helps minimize 

the overwhelming pain of loss. 

And as we process the reality of 

our loss, we are also trying to 

survive the emotional pain. It’s 

hard to believe she’s gone. The 

love of my life, the loving mother 

of our baby boy is gone forever, 

and I didn’t even get to say 

good-bye. 

When you lose someone, your 

reality shifts completely and it 

can take your mind some time 

to adjust to this new reality. You 

find yourself reflecting on the 

experiences you shared together 

and how in the hell am I going to 

move forward in life without her. 

This is a lot of information 

to explore and a lot of painful 

imagery to process. Denial 

attempts to slow this process 

down and take us through it all 

one step at a time, rather than 

risk the potential of feeling overwhelmed 

by our emotions. Denial 

is not only an attempt to pretend 

that the loss does not exist, but 

we are also trying to absorb and 

understand what is happening. 

ANGER 

The second stage is ANGER 

and I was angry at myself. I 

blamed myself for both their 

deaths. I was the supervisor on 

duty and on the scene and it was 

job, my responsibility to protect 

them and keep them safe. And I 

failed them. I failed everyone. 

The experts say “anger tends 

to be the first thing we feel 

when we start to release emotions 

related to loss. This can 

leave you feeling isolated in 

your experience and perceived 

as unapproachable by others in 

moments when we could benefit 

from comfort, connection, and 

reassurance.” 

Of course, no one blamed me. 

In fact, it was 100% the truck 

drivers fault. He had a BAC of 

.11 at the time of the accident 

and was charged with DWI; two 

counts of vehicular homicide 

and was sentenced to 20 years 

in prison. 

But that did little to comfort 

me. My wife was gone. My 

child’s mom was gone. One of 

our troopers was gone. And now 

I had to bury them both. Yes, I 

was very, very, angry. 

BARGAINING 

The next phase is bargaining. 

When coping with loss, it isn’t 

unusual to feel so desperate 

that you are willing to do almost 

anything to alleviate or minimize 

the pain. Losing a loved one can 

cause us to consider any way we 

can avoid the current pain or the 

pain we are anticipating from 

loss. There are many ways we 

may try to bargain. 

Bargaining can come in a variety 

of promises including: 

• “God, if you can heal this person, 

I will turn my life around.” 

• “I promise to be better if you 

will let this person live.” 

• “I’ll never get angry again if 

you can stop him/her from dying 

or leaving me.” 

For me, it was asking for God 

to repeat that night so I could 

get them both off that highway. 

When bargaining starts to take 

place, we are often directing our 

requests to a higher power, or 

something bigger than we are 

that may be able to influence a 

different outcome. There is an 

acute awareness of our humanness 

in these moments when we 

realize there is nothing we can 

do to influence change or have a 

better result. 

This feeling of helplessness 

can cause us to react in protest 

by bargaining, which gives us a 

perceived sense of control over 

something that feels so out of 

control. While bargaining we 

also tend to focus on our personal 

faults or regrets. We might 

look back at our interactions 

with the ones we lost and think, 

could I have acted differently? 

We also tend to make the drastic 

assumption that if things had 

played out differently, we would 

not be in such an emotionally 

painful place in our lives. 

DEPRESSION 

Next was depression and that 

hit me the worst. 

As we process grief, there 

comes a time when our imaginations 

calm down and we slowly 

start to look at the reality of our 

present situation. Bargaining no 

longer feels like an option and 

we are faced with the reality of 

what is happening. 

I felt Amy and Smitty’s loss 

more abundantly. The panic of it 

all began to subside, and as the 

emotional fog began to clear, 

the loss turned into a state of 

depression. I hardly wanted to 

get out of bed, much less go to 

work. If it weren’t for my mother-in-law, 

I have no idea how 

I would have survived. Eventually 

it was my son that got me 

through it all. When I looked in 

his eyes, I saw Amy. I saw the 

warmth and kindness in Jacob 

that made me fall in love with 

Amy in the first place. 

I knew I had to get my act 

together, be a dad and a Sergeant. 

My son was depending 

on me and so were my guys at 

work. It wasn’t just me that lost 

someone, they lost a brother and 

sister in blue and that was just 

as devasting to them. They needed 

me to lead them forward and 

honor the ones they lost. 

ACCEPTANCE 

All this led me to the final 

stage, acceptance. 

When we come to a place of 

acceptance, it is not that we no 

longer feel the pain of loss, but 

that we accept the reality of the 

situation and accept it. The sadness 

is still there, but the emotional 

survival tactics of denial, 

bargaining, and anger have all 

faded into the past. 

Not a day goes by that I don’t 

think of that night. Not a second 

passes that I don’t wish my 

wife and one of my best friends 

were both still here. And every 

single day, I stop by that place 

along the highway where two 

crosses mark the spot that God 

welcomed two new angels into 

heaven. I ask God to watch over 

them and pray that one day I’ll 

see them both again. 

Until then, I’ll continue to raise 

my son to be man his mother 

would be proud of and serve the 

citizens of my community. 

I wish Godspeed to all my 

brothers and sisters in BLUE. 

May God keep you safe each and 

every day that you put on that 

uniform. 

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CLICK TO WATCH 

THE OPEN ROAD 

by Michael Barron 

Is the Crown Vic Coming Back? 

2022 Ford Crown Victoria: Return of an Iconic Police Interceptor 

One of the most famous cop 

cars could make a comeback. 

The 2022 Ford Crown Victoria is 

reportedly making a huge return. 

This time, with numerous upgrades. 

Unfortunately, the Ford 

Crown Victoria was discounted 

some time ago, and the final 

Crown Victoria Police Interceptors 

left on the road are starting 

to thin out in retirement. 

It truly is the end of an era and 

a sad fact in our SUV and crossover-obsessed 

society. However, 

Ford could revive its famous 

nameplate, but not in the United 

States, unfortunately. Still, it is 

great to hear that the iconic police 

car will go on sale in some 

parts of the world. Without further 

ado, here’s everything you 

need to know about Crown Vic. 

Surprisingly, the rendering images 

are based on the last-generation 

Ford Taurus rather than a 

Crown Victoria. Of course, this is 

not a reliable source of information. 

However, it gives us an idea 

of how the new 2022 Ford Crown 

Victoria could look. It comes 

with all standard Police Interceptor 

extras, such as recognizable 

wheels, a push bar, and 

blue and red lighting elements. 

However, rather than blacking 

out all of the chrome, part of 

it remains. The front and back 

doors are unique, along with the 

coupe-inspired roof. Still, this is 

a modern sedan with a thicker 

rear pillar. New Crown Vic will 

wear cameras and plenty of 

modern systems. Anyway, it is 

a massive departure from the 

previous generation. 

Under the Hood 

As for the performances, the 

2022 Ford Crown Victoria is a 

complete mystery. The previous 

version only had one engine option. 

Blue Oval now boasts Eco- 

Boost technology and a handful 

of fantastic engine options. The 

majority of Ford’s engines might 

be used in the 2022MY. Some 

speculate that bigger V8 engines 

will be used. That is doubtful, 

and Blue Oval will very certainly 

choose the smaller and more 

efficient output. 

Furthermore, the turbocharged 

engine should be reserved for 

upper trim levels or some sort 

of a Crown Vic special edition. 

For the time being, the most 

likely contender is a 2.0-liter 

EcoBoost engine with 240 

horsepower. For instance, 

Ford is unlikely to build a 

whole new powerplant. 

An eight-speed automatic 

gearbox is in use and 

Crown Victoria will use 

a standard front-wheeldrive 

configuration. 

Interior Details 

The previous second-generation 

model 

has a stunning interior 

design. Now, the 2022 

Ford Crown Victoria will 

be the third-generation 

model, and it will introduce 

a comprehensive interior 

redesign. We can only hope 

that the 2022MY will take some 

lessons from the previous generation. 

Overall, we all anticipate 

quality interiors and excellent 

design. 

According to recent sources, a 

new and more simplistic interior 

design is in the works. Blue Oval 

will provide a cabin that is comparable 

to that seen in the company’s 

most recent crossovers. 

Comfort is not an issue, and Ford 

will almost certainly add a couple 

of trim levels. However, specifics 

are yet to be announced. 

As before, there will be room for 

five people inside the cabin. 

At this moment, we don’t know 

if the 2022 Ford Crown Victoria 

will be available for purchase. 

Reportedly, it won’t and the new 

police sedan will be used in 

some European countries. Still, 

this is far from official. More 

details will become later in 2021, 

and the new Crown Vic will arrive 

at some point during 2022. 




Practice Like You Play 

Firearms…Check. 

Building entry…Check. 

Control/defensive tactics…Check. 

Physical training…Check. 

Report writing…Check. 

Driving…Check. 

Rendering first aid…Check. 

Mental wellness and resiliency training…crickets chirping. 

We do such a fantastic job 

practicing the skills that help us 

win against the bad guys. We 

practice until it is second nature, 

which increases our survivability 

rate. But what happens when 

we return home each night after 

our shift, and we are unable to 

sleep? Maybe we are constantly 

thinking about the bad accident 

call we went on or the facts 

surrounding a murder investigation. 

Maybe we find ourselves 

easily angered by the little stuff, 

like who did not replace the 

paper in the copy machine – true 

story. Let’s face it, the reality 

is police work is tough. It is 

stressful and mentally draining 

at times. Sometimes we can 

rely on our training to pull us 

through. Sometimes it is our grit 

and sheer will power. When it 

comes to our brain health however, 

we are sometimes left to 

figure it out. There are no skills 

we practiced in training to help 

us navigate. 

In the Secret Service we have 

a saying, “We practice like we 

play.” Long hours and lots of 

work to establish the muscle 

memory which saves lives. When 

it is time to act, we do. When 

people ask, “How did you do 

that?” we respond, “We trained 

for it.” 

In 2019, when the research revealed 

that more officers die by 

suicide then in the line of duty, 

some departments responded 

by creating a budget for mental 

health. The overwhelming majority 

however continue to let officers 

figure out their brain health 

themselves. Some have gone 

to a one time forty-hour block 

as part of their recruit training. 

Sure, it is something, but with a 

career that could last decades, 

how is an officer going to remember 

what he/she learned in 

one class? 

Preserving your mental health 

and wellness takes training and 

practice. The longer we stay 

on the job the more trauma to 

which we are exposed. That is 

not to say that all officers will 

experience traumas which require 

help from a mental health 

expert, but the facts about how 

the job affects us both psychologically 

and physically are not 

on our side. According to John 

Volanti, Professor of Epidemiology 

and Environmental Health, 

University at Buffalo, “Psychological 

health often affects physical 

health among officers as well. In 

our studies, we have found that 

the average age of death among 

police is 66 years of age, some 

10 years sooner than the general 

U.S. population. Many police 

deaths attributed to causes such 

as cardiovascular disease are 

associated with stress.” He goes 

on to conclude, “police organizations 

had better start to pay 

more attention to the psychological 

health of these men and 

women who serve. Negative 

public image, chronic stress, 

trauma, and physical health outcomes 

can only exacerbate this 

situation. 

Almost every chief or assistant 

chief I have met over the 

last few years have told me 

they want a great performing 

department over the long term. 

When I ask what their brain 

health budget is, most of the 

time I am told. “We don’t have 

one.” 

How do we combat the effects 

of chronic stress and trauma if 

our departments do not provide 

training or support? First, recognize 

that the stress experienced 

on the job is real. Second, create 

a plan. Who the heck wants to 

live an average of 10 years less 

than the average person in the 

U.S.? We did not choose to go 

into police work because we are 

average. 

After I was diagnosed with 

post-traumatic stress in 2003, I 

received EMDR (eye movement 

desensitization reprocessing) 

therapy. However, it was the 

stress reducing practices I performed 

off my therapist’s couch 

that helped me the most. Here 

are a few that I practice: 

• Sleep. The number one factor 

in reducing stress. It is more than 

just closing your eyes at night. 

Setting a sleep schedule that 

supports you is key, and we are 

all different. 

• Regular exercise. One of the 

most important ways to prevent 

stress and burnout. 

• Practice Gratitude. To quote 

retired lieutenant and police 

instructor Brian McKenna, “What 

helped me a lot was reminding 

myself of what a privilege it was 

to be a police officer—that people 

looked to me to help them. 

He explains that while a good 

bust is hard to match in terms of 

thrill, the best thing about being 

a police officer, in the end, are 

the people you help.” 

• Never stop learning. Especially 

about resiliency and how it 

can assist you. Resilience is the 

ability to handle adversity, cope 

with it, and grow from challenging 

experiences. 

You plan and train for the contingencies 

on the job. Choose to 

train and practice those that will 

assist you long term and help 

you be a better officer for you, 

your family, your community, 

and your department. I encourage 

you to produce your own 

plan when it comes to supporting 

your brain health and practice 

it. Do not be afraid to seek 

professional assistance when 

needed. Remember, it is okay not 

to be okay. 

Samantha Horwitz is a regular 

contributor to The Blues Police Magazine. 

She is a 9/11 first responder, 

former United States Secret Service 

Agent, speaker, and author. She and 

her business partner, ret. Firefighter 

and NYPD detective John Salerno 

created A Badge of Honor, a 501(c) 

(3), 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 and the wellness and resiliency 

workshops for first responders, visit 

ABadgeofHonor.com. 

CLICK OR SCAN HERE 


Dietrich Bonhoeffer & 

the Rainbow Bridge 

One Christian martyr of the 

Twentieth Century was the 

great German theologian, Dietrich 

Bonhoeffer. He is noted for 

authoring many Christian books 

such as “The Cost of Discipleship.” 

His central theme was for 

Christians not to fall for something 

he called “cheap grace.” 

Although we are saved by grace 

and not of works, Christ demands 

something of us. As the 

great English hymn writer Isaac 

Watts wrote, “Love so amazing, 

so Divine, Demands my Soul, 

my Life, my All.” This is basically 

Bonhoeffer’s thesis opposing 

“cheap grace.” 

As one can imagine, many of 

Bonhoeffer’s ideas were very 

complex and he taught them 

in a graduate level seminary 

in Germany, the home of Luther’s 

Reformation. Although Dr. 

Bonhoeffer was a learned professor 

who wrote and taught 

advanced theology, on Sunday mornings 

he did not teach such complex 

things. His first love was teaching 

children’s Sunday school. He 

could get down to basics and 

he loved the kids. He loved their 

natural inquisitiveness and curiosity. 

Children are uninhibited 

and they don’t hold back. 

One Sunday morning, a young 

lad was uncharacteristically 

somber. Something was bothering 

him. When pressed, the 

little fellow broke down and 

Dr. Bonhoeffer learned that the 

lad had lost his best friend—his 

dog. The professor offered his 

condolences to the little guy. 

Then he asked his little Bible 

student what his dog’s name 

was. The lad looked up with 

tears on his little cheeks and 

said, “Herr Wolf.” (Mr. Wolf in 

English). The boy said that “Mr. 

Wolf” was a German (what 

else?) Shepherd that kept him 

safe at all times. The boy had a 

question for the professor, “Is 

“Mr. Wolf” in Heaven?” 

There were no theological 

courses containing the Rainbow 

Bridge as the subject, but 

Dr. Bonhoeffer looked into the 

lad’s tear-filled eyes and knelt 

down to eye level. “The Bible 

does not actually say if dogs 

go to Heaven,” the professor 

explained. “We know that all 

God’s creatures will be in the 

Lord’s Kingdom on the new 

earth. Some will be changed as 

there will be no more predator 

and prey. We know that the 

Lord is pleased by all creatures 

and Heaven is designed for the 

Lord’s pleasure. I believe you 

will see “Mr. Wolf” in Heaven.” 

The lad lifted his eyes and 

they lit up. His countenance 

changed from despair to happiness. 

Dr. Bonhoeffer thought 

he would enjoy his beloved 

pet again someday in a place 

where God Himself would be 

the light of all. The thought of 

seeing “Mr. Wolf” again brought 

the youngster peace. 

When I read that account 

in Bonhoeffer’s biography, I 

thought of the hope that we all 

have of being reunited with our 

friends and loved ones someday. 

We are given precious 

little information about Heaven, 

but we know it’s all good 

all the time. We will see all the 

saints, prophets, apostles, and, 

of course, the King of Kings. 

Perhaps you’ll see a young 

fellow walking on the golden 

streets with his best friend 

at his heels. Maybe his Sunday 

School teacher will be at 

his side reaching down to pet 

“Mr. Wolf,” one of God’s many 

mongrels who gives pleasure 

to both God and man. 

110 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 111

JANUARY-MARCH, 2022 • IN THE BLUES 

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Philadelphia becomes first large city to 

ban stops for minor traffic violations. 

EEDITOR: Major “wokeism” is in 

full effect in Philadelphia when 

city council decided that a “disproportionate 

number of black 

drivers were being stopped for 

minor violations” and after running 

said “people of color” found 

they had warrants, thus, a ride to 

jail. So, to make this fairer, police 

will be banned from traffic stops, 

thus the “disproportionate number 

of black drivers” with warrants 

will continue to roam free in 

Philadelphia. Seems fair. 

PHILADELPHIA — A historic 

piece of legislation in Philadelphia 

is putting the brakes on 

police pulling over drivers for 

minor infractions. 

The city council passed a bill 

that bans traffic stops for minor 

violations, such as having 

a broken taillight or not having 

certain stickers displayed. Drivers 

who are guilty of those minor 

violations will instead receive a 

warning or a citation in the mail. 

“So that an expired license 

plate or fuzzy dice in the mirror 

isn’t a death sentence that it can 

be in some cases,” said Councilmember 

Curtis Jones Jr., who 

is a co-sponsor of the Driving 

Equality Bill. 

Jones said the city reviewed 

2.8 million stops and found that 

Philadelphia police pull over 

a disproportionate number of 

black drivers for minor violations. 

“People of color were found to 

be three times more likely to be 

stopped by police, and in particular 

ZIP codes, in areas, for 

traveling through non-minority 

areas,” Jones said. 

The bill now goes to Mayor Jim 

Kenney, who is expected to sign 

it into law. 

The police department will 

have 120 days for training and 

education before the changes 

begin. What training? You’re doing 

nothing. 


unning 4 heroes 

otal Miles Run in 2021: (as of 10/27/21): 265 

Total Miles Run in 2020: 401 

Total Miles Run in 2019: 376 

Overall Miles Run: 1,042 

2021 Run Stats: 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen LEO’s (Non COVID-19): 135 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen Firefighters (Non COVID-19): 57 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen COVID-19 Heroes: 27 

Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen Canada LEO’s: 2 

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

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen LEO’s: 24 

Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen Firefighters: 6 

Total Tribute Runs by State for 2021: 14 

States/Cities Zechariah has run in: 

Zechariah 

Cartledge: 

a True American Hero 

Florida - Winter Springs, Lake Mary, Clearwater, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Orlando, Temple Terrace, Blountstown, 

Cocoa, Lakeland, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach 

New York - New York City, Weedsport 

Georgia - Cumming, Augusta, Savannah 

South Carolina - North Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Sumter 

Pennsylvania - Monaca 

Illinois - Springfield, Naperville, Glen Ellyn 

Texas - Houston (2), Fort Worth, Midland, New Braunfels, Freeport, Madisonville, Irving, Sadler, San Antonio 

Kentucky - Nicholasville 

Arkansas - Bryant, Hot Springs 

Nevada - Henderson 

California - Mt. Vernon, La Jolla 

Arizona - Mesa 

North Carolina - Concord, Raleigh 

Virginia - Norton 

Tennessee - Bristol 

Delaware - Milford 

Minnesota - Arden Hills 

Indiana - Sullivan, Spencer 

Mississippi - Grenada, Olive Branch 

Missouri - Springfield 

Iowa - Independence, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids 


Politics, Misguided Justice, and the Impact 

on Officer Mental Health in Our Nation 

According to Neil Vigdor (October 

27, 2021) in his article in the 

New York Times, two Atlanta-area 

law enforcement officers 

were charged this week with 

felony murder for their roles 

in a confrontation in 2016 with 

an armed man who was shot 

nearly 60 times as they tried to 

arrest him, according to court 

documents. The officers were 

members of a fugitive task force 

that had been serving an arrest 

warrant for the man, Jamarion 

Robinson. The task force members 

told the Georgia Bureau of 

Investigation that Mr. Robinson 

had fired a handgun at them two 

or three times on August 5, 2016, 

after the officers broke through 

the door of his girlfriend’s apartment 

in East Point, Ga., a Fulton 

County suburb of Atlanta. Mr. 

Robinson, 26, had been wanted 

on charges of attempted arson 

and aggravated assault of a 

police officer, according to the 

officers, who said that he still 

refused to drop his gun after being 

shot. Three task force members 

shot at Mr. Robinson, state 

investigators said. The family of 

Mr. Robinson has contested law 

enforcement accounts of what 

happened that afternoon. The 

fatal shooting of Mr. Robinson, 

who was Black and whose family 

said he had schizophrenia, 

touched off protests over racial 

injustice and excessive force, 

straining relations between local 

law enforcement authorities and 

their federal partners. Mr. Robinson’s 

family credited Fani T. 

Willis, who last year became the 

first Black woman to be elected 

as Fulton County’s district attorney, 

for bringing the case to a 

grand jury. 

In another case in the same 

area, on June 12, 2020, at about 

10:30 PM, Atlanta police officers 

received a 911 call for service 

of a man sleeping in his 

car, blocking the drive-thru at a 

Wendy’s fast-food restaurant in 

Atlanta, Georgia. After an initial 

responding officer, Devon Brosnan, 

asked Mr. Brooks to wake 

up and remove his car from the 

drive-thru line, but after Brosnan 

walked away, Brooks went back 

to sleep. Brosnan asked Brooks 

a second time to move into a 

parking space, this time Brooks 

complied. When Brosnan called 

for a DUI specialist, Officer Garrett 

Rolfe responded. He was in 

full police uniform and equipped 

with a body worn camera. About 

40 minutes into the interaction, 

Brooks failed the sobriety test. 

Officers told Brooks he was 

under arrest and Brooks violently 

resisted handcuffing. During 

the struggle Brooks struck one 

officer. Rolfe discharged his 

Taser at Brooks. Brooks was able 

to wrestle a taser away from 

one of the officers, then fled on 

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

foot. Brooks ran about 100-200 

feet before reaching back with 

the Taser he was carrying in his 

right hand, pointing it at Rolfe 

and discharged the Taser. Rolfe 

discharged his firearm at Brooks, 

striking him twice in the back. 

Brooks later died. Without conducting 

a thorough, impartial 

investigation, DA Paul Howard 

announced murder charges 

against this decorated police 

officer just days after the shooting 

(Law Enforcement Legal 

Defense Fund). Officer Rolfe of 

the Atlanta Police Department 

was charged with Felony Murder 

and ten other charges by Howard, 

just days after Rolfe fatally 

shot Rayshard Brooks. The DA did 

so without consulting or cooperating 

with Georgia’s statewide 

investigative agency, the Georgia 

Bureau of Investigation. Politics, 

rather than faithful adherence 

to the law, led Mr. Howard to 

wrongfully pursue these charges 

against Officer Garrett Rolfe. 

Atlanta Police Department then 

terminated Rolfe shortly after 

and it was determined at a civil 

service hearing in May 2021 that 

his rights as an employee were 

violated and he was reinstated. 

Although I have highlighted 

only two recent high-profile 

cases for the purpose of this article, 

there are numerous examples 

throughout this nation that 

have followed a similar pattern. 

Politics has been creating a new 

threat to the mental health of our 

nation’s officers. As media coverage 

consistently perpetuates 

the false narrative of unjustified 

shootings, some officers are second 

guessing their training and 

skills out of apprehensiveness 

that they too will be utilized as 

the scapegoat and poster child 

for “bad cops.” This chilling effect 

is placing additional stressors 

on officers as they are under 

constant scrutiny and criticism. 

In the last few years, my consulting 

and counseling services have 

been increasingly requested to 

assist officers and their families 

through this difficult psychological 

journey to save their career, 

challenge criminal charges, and 

clear their name. I am not stating 

in any way that there are 

no bad cops in the field, in fact, 

no one dislikes them more than 

good cops. The vast majority, 

however, approach this highly 

challenging job and career with 

professionalism and dedication. 

Each misguided political decision 

to seek “justice” against 

officers who must justifiably 

utilize deadly force only serves 

to further divide law enforcement 

and the community they 

serve and protect. Every false 

accusation of wrongdoing by an 

officer has been described as an 

emotional death by a thousand 

cuts. The consequences have a 

ripple effect on all involved and 

seem never ending. Please reach 

out, you and your family do not 

have to go through this alone. I 

wrote this article not because I 

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Retirement Life: It’s all 

about Friends and Family 

August 1, 2021 was a big date 

in my life as it was the first 

day of retirement. Retirement 

means different things to different 

people. Some have visions 

of extensive travel to remote 

places around the world. Some 

want to start their own business. 

Some dream of fishing, hunting, 

boating, camping or whatever 

their passion is. The key is that 

most of us spend hours and 

even days of our working career 

dreaming about a life where you 

don’t have to work… and that is 

healthy. I am a firm believer that 

your retirement years should be 

spent on things that make you 

happy and I can say that I am living 

that life now. So maybe this 

quick peak into my retirement 

life will spark your thoughts and 

planning on what you want your 

retirement life to be like. 

First big change for me. No 

requirement to get up at 5:30 

a.m., check emails, and quickly 

connect into zoom calls. No 

jam-packed calendar to worry 

about. So now, I sleep in to about 

8:00 a.m., enjoy a cup of coffee 

outside on my porch and look at 

my digital news feed to catch up 

on the world around me. Immediate 

stress relief. The priorities 

of the day are still very much a 

reality, but they are my priorities. 

I am focused on getting our new 

beach house built and working 

on starting some new businesses 

with friends. Important yes, 

but not stressful like work was. 

We always work in some beach 

time. Sometimes a full day in a 

beach chair under an umbrella 

with some fishing built in, or 

sometimes it might be just a for 

a short walk on the beach or a 

glass of wine at sunset. Beautiful 

weather days might have 

us doing long bike rides or rainy 

days give us days to catch up on 

projects around the house. All 

days created by us for us and our 

plans can change quickly when 

a friend calls with another great 

idea on how to spend the day. 

My wife and I agreed that we 

wanted to spend our retirement 

with friends and family because 

that is where we are happiest. 

We love entertaining and sharing 

experiences with those we enjoy 

spending time with. So that has 

been at the core of our retirement 

thus far. We traveled to 

Colorado and for almost 3 weeks 

had different groups of family 

and friends come up and enjoy 

the mountains with us. We then 

traveled to Florida and did the 

same there enjoying the beaches 

and watersports. Since we 

had this idea of retirement some 

years ago, we started building 

this future life by investing in 

our mountain property and then 

most recently deciding to move 

from Texas to Florida to add the 

beach life. Just as important as 

envisioning what a stress-free 

day would be like is envisioning 

a stress-free life for retirement. 

That way you can start to build it 

even before you actually retire. 

Retirement doesn’t also mean 

that you stop dreaming about 

the future and learning new 

things. I can’t wait until March 

when my new boat arrives, and I 

can start learning all I can about 

offshore fishing in the Destin area 

and traveling adventures by boat. 

This dream was always there 

but suppressed back in my mind 

until I retired and then it just sort 

of hit me and I ran with it. I feel 

like these little spurts of energy 

and activities are not something 

you plan for. They come to you 

in the moment and because you 

now are free to act on them, you 

do. They may turn into a whole 

new passion for you or maybe 

just something you try for a 

few years until the next spark of 

energy comes along to redirect 

you. But be open to new things, 

either something that you want 

to try or something your spouse 

is excited about. 

So, if you are not retired yet, 

keep dreaming about those days 

when you don’t have to work. 

Think about how you want to 

spend your golden years and 

maybe start planning for it now. 

I can tell you, for me, it is even 

better than I imagined. 


ADS BACK IN THE DAY 




Texas State Technical College Get Info Police Officer 11/12/2021 - 5pm 

Texas State Technical College Police Dept. Get Info Peace Officer 11/12/2021 - 5pmm 

Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office Get Info Arson Investigator (Part Time) 12/08/2021 - 5pm 

Amarillo Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (Recruit & Lateral)12/07/2021 - 5pm 

Southwestern Baptist Police Department Get Info Peace officer 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Johnson City Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/13/2021 - 5pm 

Springbranch ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Garza County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Austin Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/14/2021 - 5pm 

Austin ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/17/2021 - 5pm 

Iowa Colony Police Department Get Info Investigator Sergeant 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Iowa Colony Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Rains ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Ochiltree County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Peace Officer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Meridian Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/23/2021 - 5pm 

Clifton Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Friendswood Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/15/2021 - 5pm 

Memorial Villages Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 10/23/2021 - 5pm 

Hollywood Park Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/20/2021 - 5pm 

Alief ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/23/2021 - 5pm 

Armstrong County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 11/27/2021 - 5pm 

College of the Mainland Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (PT) 11/26/2021 - 5pm 

Mainland Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (FT) 11/26/2021 - 5pm 

Sachse Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/23/2021 - 5pm 

TJC Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/26/2021 - 5pm 

Point Comfort Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/22/2021 - 5pm 

Azle Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/25/2021 - 5pm 

Blanco County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 11/26/2021 - 5pm 

City of Hurst Get Info Peace Officer 11/11/2021 - 5pm 

Lockney Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/30/2021 - 5pm 

Cisco Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/04/2021 - 5pm 

Town of Trophy Club Get Info Peace Officer 12/05/2021 - 5pm 

Horseshoe Bay Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm 

Cleveland ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/08/2021 - 5pm 

Southwestern Baptist Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/06/2021 - 5pm 

San Antonio ISD Police Department Get Info Chief of Police 11/07/2021 - 5pm 

Leonard Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/12/2021 - 5pm 

Cottonwood Shores Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/13/2021 - 5pm 

Cottonwood Shores Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (Reserve) 12/13/2021 - 5pm 

Somerville Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/13/2021 - 5pm 

Crowley Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/13/2021 - 5pm 

Dalhart Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/15/2021 - 5pm 

Highland Village Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/08/2021 - 5pm 

Bruceville-Eddy Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/12/2021 - 5pm 

Bullard ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

City of Harker Heights Get Info Peace Officer 11/08/2021 - 5pm 

Brown County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 12/14/2021 - 5pm 

Lee County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer (Cadet) 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Lee County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Dekalb Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/10/2021 - 5pm 

Farmers Branch Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (full time) 11/17/2021 - 5pm 

Farmers Branch Police Department Get Info Peace Officer (Lateral) 11/17/2021 - 5pm 

Killeen ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Cuero Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Oak Ridge North Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/15/2021 - 5pm 

City of Slaton Get Info Peace Officer 12/19/2021 - 5pm 

Brady Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/18/2021 - 5pm 

Texas Woman's University Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/19/2021 - 5pm 

Texas A&M (TEEX) Get Info Training Coordinator 11/17/2021 - 5pm 

Karnes City Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE)Get Info Investigator IV 12/20/2021 - 5pm 

216th District Attorney's Office Get Info Investigator (Full Time) 12/19/2021 - 5pm 

216th District Attorney's Office Get Info Investigator (Part Time) 12/19/2021 - 5pm 

Bangs Police Department Get Info Chief of Police 12/21/2021 - 5pm 

Swisher County Sheriff's Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/21/2021 - 5pm 

Hemphill County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 12/15/2021 - 5pm 

University of North Texas Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/01/2021 - 5pm 

Kaufman ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Levelland Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm 

Bedford Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/21/2021 - 5pm 

South San Antonio ISD Police Department Get Info Sergeant 11/25/2021 - 5pm 

University Park City Police Departmenty Get Info Officer-Motorcycle 11/27/2021 - 5pm 

Montgomery Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/24/2021 - 5pm 

Jeff Davis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 12/27/2021 - 5pm 

Richland Hills Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/30/2021 - 5pm 

Teague Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/27/2021 - 5pm 

Memorial Village Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/27/2021 - 5pm 

Johnson County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 11/28/2021 - 5pm 

North Richland Hills Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/28/2021 - 5pm 

Victoria Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 11/27/2021 - 5pm 

Richardson Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/27/2021 - 5pm 

Galena Park PD Get Info Peace Officer 11/26/2021 - 5pm 

West Lake Hills PD Get Info Peace Officer 12/15/2021 - 5pm 

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 11/30/2021 - 5pm 

Granite Shoals Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/01/2021 - 5pm 

Leon Valley Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 2/02/2021 - 5pm 

STATEWIDE VACANCIES FOR JAILERS 

Denton County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 12/20/2021 - 5pm 

Rockwall County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 01/04/2022 - 5pm 

Travis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 12/10/2021 - 5pm 

Ellis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

Lee County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 11/19/2021 - 5pm 

North Richland Hills Police Department Get Info Jailer 11/28/2021 - 5pm 

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm 


Must be at least 21 years of age with High School diploma or equivalent. 

Must meet physical, mental & educational standards set by the State and 

the department. 

Current Basic Peace Officer certification from TCOLE. 

https://www.huttotx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/780/Certifiedinitial-application-Police-Officer-2021?bidId= 

HUTTO POLICE 

DEPARTMENT 

BENEFITS 

We want YOU to 

join our team! 

PATROL 

STREET CRIMES 

CRASH 

RECONSTRUCTION 

HUTTO RESPONSE 

TEAM 

BIKE PATROL 


 

RETIREMENT—TMRS with City match ratio of 2 to 1 after 5-year 

vesting period. 

SIGN ON BONUS—$ 2,500.00 

SPECIALY/CERTIFICATION PAY : 

Intermediate Peace Officer—$ 50.00 per month 

Advanced Peace Officer—$ 100.00 per month 

Master Peace Officer—$ 150.00 per month 

Bilingual—$50.00 Level 1,$75.00 Level 2 per month (after testing) 

*Crash Reconstruction—$ 50.00 per month 

*EMT/Paramedic—$ 50.00 per month 

*Firearms Instructor—$ 50.00 per month 

*Field Training Officer—$ 130.00 bi-weekly 

*Hutto Response Team—$ 130.00 bi-weekly 

*Officer in Charge—$ 130.00 bi-weekly 

 

 

EDUCATION: 

Associates Degree—$ 50.00 per month 

Bachelors Degree—$ 125.00 per month 

Masters Degree—$1 75.00 per month 

UNIFORMS/EQUIPMENT—All necessary equipment, including 

AR-15, Shotgun, TASER and Body Armor. Also included is a 

$400.00 annual uniform allowance per officer. 

LEAVE ACCRUALS—12 paid Holidays, 80 hours of Vacation, 96 

hours of Sick Leave annually. 

 

 

TAKE HOME CAR—Upon completion of Field Training Program, 

officers living within 25 miles of Hutto, TX are authorized to 

take their police vehicle to their residence. 

STARTING SALARY—$ 58,880.00 (May vary based on experience.) 

*upon approval 

TRAINING UNIT 

INVESTIGATIONS 

COMMUNITY 

RESOURCE 

CRIME SCENE 

K9

The City of Victoria 

invites applications for the position of: 

Police Officer or Senior Police Officer 

Salary 

$48,045 - $68,500 Annually DOQ 

Location 

Victoria, TX 

Job Type 

Full-Time 

JOB SUMMARY 

The Victoria Police Department is hiring qualified police officer candidates to join our 

team and to help enhance the livability of our community. VPD sets the bar for 

professionalism, innovation and a progressive approach to our policing strategies. Our 

workforce of more than 115 officers and 32 civilian support personnel are a dedicated, 

enthusiastic group of professionals who proudly serve over 65,000 Victoria residents. 

The Victoria Police Department offers a competitive salary and retirement structure, 

great health benefits, and many other incentives such as paid time off and departmentissued 

uniforms and equipment. 

Officers have lateral and promotional opportunities. Regardless of the assignment, you 

will work in an environment that fosters leadership, teamwork and courteous service to 

our community. 

No prior law enforcement experience is required but must be certified as a TCOLE 

Peace Officer. Upon employment, you will participate in the City of Victoria Police 

Department Field Training Program. You will receive specialized training from some of 

the finest officers in law enforcement. 

Salary amount offered will depend on qualifications. Lateral pay scale recognized for 

Senior Police Officers. This is a non-exempt position. 

Applicants currently attending a TCOLE Academy are encouraged to apply. 

Employment eligibility will require successful completion of the Academy courses and 

certification as a TCOLE Peace Officer. 

To learn more about this exciting opportunity and to apply, visit 

www.victoriatx.gov 


we're 

Oak Ridge North Police 

Department 

Chief of Police 

27424 Robinson Rd. 

Tom Libby Conroe, Tx. 77385 

(281)292-4762 

The Oak Ridge North Police Department is currently accepting resumes for the position 

of Police Officer. The Department serves the City of Oak Ridge North 24 hours a day, 7 

days a week. The Police Department is comprised of 1 Chief, 1 Patrol Lieutenant, 1 

Administrative Lieutenant, 1 Detective Sergeant, 1 Administrative Sr. Officer, 2 Patrol 

Sergeants, 1 Environmental Sergeant and 8 Patrol Officers. 

Minimum Requirements: 

1. TCOLE certified as a Texas Peace Officer. 

2. 21 years of age or older. 

3. Possess a valid Texas Driver’s License. 

4. High School Diploma or G.E.D. certificate. 

5. United States Citizen. 

6. Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Armed Forces. 

7. Vision correctable to 20/20. 

8. Able to read, write and speak English language. 

9. No Felony convictions or Class B or above in the last 10 

years. 

hiring! 

Jailer/Corrections Officer 

Jailer/Corrections Officer 

Starting Pay $43,950 

Starting Pay $43,950 

Hiring Process: 

1. Submit resume to Lt. Barry, dbarry@oakridgenorthpdtx.us 

2. Physical Agility Test. 

3. Oral Board. 

4. Background Investigation. 

5. Firearms Qualification. 

6. Conditional Job Offer upon successfully passing the 

TCOLE mandated Medical/Drug Screening and 

Psychological Examination. 

For Questions, call 

For Questions, call 

Job Description: 

1. Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding 

to emergences, protecting people and property, enforcing 

motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good 

community relations. 

2. Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects of criminal acts. 

3. Prepare incident report, arrest reports and accident 

reports. 

4. Ability to work 12 hour shifts or other shifts. 

5. Enforce applicable traffic laws of The State of Texas. 

6. Enforce Ordinance Violations of the City of Oak Ridge 

North. 

Starting pay for an Oak Ridge North Police Officer is $59,073 annually. Additional pay 

is awarded depending on qualifications, TCOLE certifications, and college degrees. 

(817) 202. 2974 

(817) 202. 2974 

1800 Ridgemar Dr. 

1800 Ridgemar Dr. 

Cleburne, TX 76031 

Cleburne, TX 76031 

Oak Ridge North Police Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not 

discriminate on race, sex, religion, color, origin, or creed. 


The Reserve Peace Officer is a voluntary position with the Lockney Police Department. Each volunteer 

must be able to commit 24 hours a month and attend training as needed. The City of Lockney is located 

in Floyd County, northeast of Lubbock County. Lockney Police Department was re-established this year 

and looking fill Reserve Positions. 

Job Requirements 

• Must have TCOLE Basic Peace Officer's License. 

• All applicants must be a U.S. Citizen and 21 years of age. 

• Valid Texas Driver's License with acceptable driving record. 

• All qualified applicants MUST complete a Personal History Statement in order to be considered 

for the position. 

• Qualified applicants must submit to a pre employment written and physical agility test, drug 

test, psychological and physical examination as well as a criminal background check. 

• All qualified candidates must be of good moral character and able to communicate with the 

public, be available for shift work, weekends and holidays. 

* ALL EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS (EXCEPT 

FOOTWEAR) ARE PROVIDED TO RESERVES. 

Apply Today! 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12H129HNiSARhmikVbfhIX-tLd-NiGh1b/view?usp=sharing 

(806) 810-0500 

Email Personal History Statement to cfitzwater@cityoflockney.com or Mail to 305 N Main Street. 

Lockney, TX 79241 


making a 

difference 

HIGHLAND VILLAGE POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Apply at www.highlandvillage.org 

police Officer starting salary 

$29.35 - $32.29 hourly* 

minimum qualifications 

benefits 

High School Diploma or GED 

Basic Peace Officer License 

Excellent Health, Vision, and Dental 

CPR Training 

Insurance. City covers between 80% 

Valid State Driver’s License 

and 100% of premiums depending on 

Must be able to obtain Emergency Care 

plan selection. 

Attendant (ECA) certification within 18 months 

TMRS Retirement 7% with 2:1 City 

of hire date. 

match at retirement. 

Tuition reimbursement $1K per year. 

hiring process 

Deferred Compensation program with 

Certification for completed training. 

a 2% City match after six months. 

Ten holidays and two personal days 

Submit an Application 

Physical Assessment 

per year. 

Panel Interview 

Vacation and sick time after six 

months. 

Interview with Police Chief 

Background Investigation 

Psychological, Polygraph, Physical, and 

Drug Screen 

136 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 137 

* D E P E N D I N G O N Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S 

C I T Y O F H I G H L A N D V I L L A G E P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T 

1 0 0 0 H I G H L A N D V I L L A G E R O A D


Bryan, Texas 

The Bryan Police Department, a Civil Service Department, is currently accepting applications for Police Officer (Non- 

Certified or Certified). We are seeking individuals with integrity who are committed to public service, dedicated and 

professional, with a willingness and compassion to work together with the citizens of Bryan to maintain a healthy 

and safe community. 

Starting Salary: 

$57,000 (as non-certified Cadet) up to $82,762 (depending on certification) 

*Range pending approval 10/4/21 

Application Deadline: 


Written Exam Date: 


(For those who successfully pass the written exam, the physical fitness assessment will be immediately following.) 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• U.S. Citizen; 

• High School Diploma or have a high school equivalency certificate/GED; 

• At least 21 years of age and not more than 44 years of age at the time of hire; 

• Valid Texas driver’s license with good driving record at the time of hire; 

• Good moral character, stable employment record and no history of any conduct which may affect suitability for 

law enforcement work; 

• If applicable, military service discharge must be under honorable conditions as stipulated on DD-214 form; 

• No felony or Class A misdemeanor convictions; no Class B misdemeanor convictions within the past (10) years. 

Application Instructions: 

To apply and/or to view more information regarding the application and testing process click here and follow the 

instructions provided. You will receive an online confirmation number upon successfully submitting your application. 

You will also receive a confirmation email from Human Resources within a week of submitting your application. 

The City of Bryan is an Equal Opportunity Employer 


JOIN OUR TEAM 

WALKER COUNTY 

SHERIFF’S DEPT. 

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 

• Paid Vacation 

• Sick Leave 

• Paid Holidays 

• Personal Days 

• Compensatory Days 

• Certification Pay 

The Walker County Sheriff’s Department is now accepting applications for the position of Patrol Deputy. We are a family based department that is dedicated to 

preserving the lives and property of the citizens of Walker County which is currently around 73,000 residents. As a Patrol Deputy within our department, you would 

be patrolling over 800 square miles of small towns, national forest and East Texas countryside. Our county seat is the town of Huntsville, Texas which has many of 

the comforts and amenities of larger city while still providing a small town atmosphere. 

ALDINE ISD POLICE DEPT. 

now accepting applications for 

Full-Time Police Officers 

MUST HOLD A CURRENT TCOLE 

PEACE OFFICE CERTIFICATE 

Salary starting at $50,000 

with no experience 

TO APPLY VISIT 

WWW.ALDINEISD.ORG 

OR 

Contact the Personnel 

Department at 

281-985-7571 

OR 

Contact Sergeant R. Hall at 

281-442-4923 

HIRING PROCESS 

• Physical Agility Test 

• Written Exam 

• Oral Board Panel Interview 

• Complete Personal History Statement 

• Psychological Evaluation 

• Medical Examination 

• Interview with the Chief of Police 

Perks: 

• Starting Salary: $55,160.00 

• Retirement: Vested after 8 years in TCDRS. Every $1 invested in retirement is matched 210%. 

• Insurance provider: Blue Cross Blue Shield 

• Equipment: Uniforms & Patrol Equipment Provided. Currently issuing Glock 22’s and Colt SBR Rifles. 

• Vehicles: Take home Chevy Tahoe • Schedule: 12 hour shifts, every other weekend off. 

• Time Off: Paid Vacation / Holidays on a yearly basis. • Patrol Style: Proactive /Community Based Policing 

Requirements: Must be TCLOE Certified; Must have a valid Texas Drivers License; 

Must pass a written & physical test; Must complete a rigorous Field Training Program in a timely manner. 


APPLICATIONS CAN BE SUBMITTED ON THE WALKER COUNTY WEBSITE (WWW.CO.WALKER.TX.US) OR BY CONTACTING PATROL LT. JASON SULLIVAN (936) 435-2400.

Memorial Villages Police Department 

Bunker Hill • Piney Point• Hunters Creek 

Police Officer 

EOE/M/F/D 

5+ Years Patrol Experience Required 

The Memorial Villages Police Department (Located on the West Side of Houston) currently has 

openings for experienced officers who are self- motivated and enthusiastic about community 

policing. We have overwhelming support of our communities and encourage our officers to be 

proactive and innovative. 

$1500 Sign on Bonus 

Starting Salary Range 

$71,179 – $82,808 (DOQ) 

• Healthcare Insurance, DHMO Dental, Vision – 100% paid for employee, 50% for 

spouse/dependents. 

• Paid long-term disability and life insurance for employee, with additional life insurance 

available for spouse/dependents. 

• Health Savings Account with departmental contributions up to $4200 annually 

• TMRS Retirement 2 to 1 match, 7% Employee ,14% Employer Contribution. 

• 457 Plan with employer contribution of 2% of annual salary 

• Bi-Lingual Pay (2.5% of Base salary) 

• Shift Differential Pay $3600 annually 

• Tuition reimbursement 

• Longevity Pay up to a max of $2400 annually at 10 years of service. 

• College Education incentive up to $3000 for a master’s degree 

• LEMIT or FBI NA pay $1200 annually. 

• ECA (Emergency Care Assistant) $1300 Annually, training provided to each employee. 

• 12 hour shifts with every other Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. 

• Officer certification pay, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master up to 7.5% of Salary. 

LATERAL DEPUTY 

To learn more or apply, visit our website at www.mvpdtx.org 

Or contact Sgt. Owens 713-365-3711 or lowens@mvpdtx.org 

Or Commander E. Jones 713-365-3706 ejones@mvpdtx.org 

11981 Memorial Dr. Houston, Texas 77024 


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. 

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

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 145 

pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers


Washington County 911 

E-911 Director 

Responsibilities: 

• Directs and administers E-911 operations; 

• Supervises E-911 Dispatchers and other department personnel; 

• Prepares and maintains reports and files for federal, state, and local authorities; 

• Defines goals, sets expectations, and provides performance oversight and guidance to hiring and 

retention plans, quality assurance program(s), budget/purchasing, support service projects, 

department records management and Public Information Requests; 

• Provides administrative presence during emergency management situations. 

Education and Experience: 

• Requires High School graduation or graduate equivalent degree; 

• Valid Texas Driver’s License or acceptable alternative transportation method; 

• Five years of experience in emergency dispatching; 

• Five years progressively responsible experience in emergency communications management 

with broad exposure and practical application of emergency communications systems and 

associated software support systems; 

• Experience in a county governmental entity preferred; 

• Equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required 

knowledge, skills and abilities. 

Knowledge Skills and Abilities: 

• Must possess a working knowledge of current laws, operations, trends and overall management of a 

911 center; 

• Must be available for emergency call-ins on weekends, holidays, disasters and after hours to support 

mission critical 24/7/365 operations; 

• General management principles, Computer Aided Dispatch Systems, 911 call-taking and 

dispatching procedures; 

• Ability to perform as a telecommunications operator. 

Certifications and Licensure: 

• Certification as an operator of the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications system (TLETS) or 

ability to acquire within one year; 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications or a related field preferred; 

• Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Registered Public Safety Leader (APCO 

RPL), National Emergency Number Association Center Manager Certification Program (NENA 

CMCP), or NENA Emergency Number Professional (ENP) certification(s) preferred. 

APPLICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT AND RETURNABLE TO 

Human Resources Office 

Washington County Annex Building 

105 West Main, Suite 101 • Brenham, Texas 

hr@wacounty.com 

Equal Opportunity Employer 

Come join the Plano Police Department 

Plano Police Department currently employs over 414 peace officers, who are dedicated individuals that 

work with the community to create and maintain a safe, secure environment for our residents and visitors. 

We are a diverse department, which is a reflection of the various cultures within the community, and offering 

many different opportunities to promote the safety of the citizens which we serve. 

Registration Deadline: 

Friday, July 30, 2021 

Register at: 

https://www.plano.gov/1183/Employment 

The Plano Police Department will conduct 

a Civil Service Examination in order to 

establish an eligibility list for the position 

of Entry-level Police Officer. The eligibility 

list is created as a result of this examination 

and application process will remain in effect 

for a period of (6) months (beginning 

on date of test) or until the list has been 

exhausted, whichever occurs first. 

For more information: 

Contact the Plano Police recruiter 

Officer Andrae Smith at: 

andraes@plano.gov 

or go to our website at: 

ppdrecruiting@plano.gov 



Ochiltree County Sheriff's Office 

Terry L. Bouchard, Sheriff 

MILAM COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE 

WE’RE HIRING! 

Deputy Sheriff Position 

The Ochiltree County Sheriff’s Office is accepting applications for Deputy Sheriff. Applicants must be 

TCOLE certified and pass a ridged employment/background investigation. 

Ochiltree County is located at the top of the Texas Panhandle. It is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. 

We have an excellent school system and offer great benefits for employees and their families. In addition, we 

have a beautiful new state of the art Law Enforcement Center. Our salary range is extremely competitive, with 

many benefits others cannot offer. 

Benefits Include 

Take Home Units with MDT’s, Radar, and Department Issued Weapons 

Vest, Uniforms, Duty Gear, and Phone Allowance 

Employee Insurance is provided free, with Very Reasonable Family Coverage 

Retirement: 7% employee contribution matched at 11.3% by County 

Family Gym Membership, Including Racquetball, Pool and Weight Room 

Certificate Pay Increases for Intermediate, Advanced and Master Certificates 

Longevity Pay and Paid Overtime 

Contact 

Ochiltree County Sheriff's Office 

Attn: Sheriff Terry Bouchard 

511 S Ash 

Perryton, TX 79070 

(806)-435-8000 

txsheriff@ochiltree.net 

Application is available on website: 

http://www.co.ochiltree.tx.us/page/ochiltree.Sheriff 

It’s not just a job 

It’s a Career 

BENEFITS: 

PATROL DEPUTY AND 

MENTAL HEALTH DEPUTY 

OPENINGS! 

Health Insurance: 100% of premium paid ($9,947.04/yr). 

County Retirement benefits provided. 

Vacation, Holiday, Sick Leave. 

Longevity pay begins after 4 years. 

Vehicle: In County Take-home vehicle. 

Cell phone: County-provided cell phone 

APPLY IN PERSON OR AT WWW.MILAMCOUNTYTX.ORG 

Q U E S T I O N S ? C A L L: 254-697-7033 


PAY 

Patrol Deputy: $49,220/yr

Oldham County Sheriff's Office 

Deputy Position Available 

Competitive pay 

scale 

____ 

Civil Service 

____ 

Hiring Incentive 

$5000 bonus 

JOIN THE LOCKHART 

POLICE DEPARTMENT 

____ 

Community Oriented 

Department 

____ 

Career Benefits 

• Competitive Salary 

• Uniform Allowance 

• Longevity Pay 

• Paid Health Benefits 

• Retirement Package 

Experience preferred but 

not necessary. 

TCOLE License Required. 

____________________________________________________ 

Questions and More Info Contact 

Chief Deputy, Shawn Ballew 

806-267-2162 or shawn.ballew@co.oldham.tx.us 

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. 

You make a 

difference 

LOCKHART POLICE 

DEPARTMENT 

214 Bufkin Ln 

Lockhart TX 78644 

512-398-4401 

Testing December 11, 2021 

Apply by December 8, 2021 

www.lpdrecruiting.org 



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