DEC 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 12

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 1

DECEMBER 2021
ON THE COVER
Police Chief of the Year for
2021, Houston Police Chief
Troy Finner.
FEATURES
36 The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t
40 Remembering Those We’ve Lost -
Sgt Richard Houston
42 Remembering Those We’ve Lost to COVID
46 Remembering Those We’ve Lost to LOD Deaths
52 Troy Finner - Police Chief of the Year 2021
62 Who Wants To Be A Cop Part 8 - Conclusion
DEPARTMENTS
8 Publisher’s Thoughts
12 Editor’s Thoughts
16 Guest Editorial w/Dave Smith
20 Your Thoughts
22 News Around the US
76 War Stories
80 Aftermath
84 Open Road-The Final Cop Sedan?
88 Healing Our Heroes
90 Daryl’s Deliberations
92 HPOU-From the President, Douglas Griffith
94 Light Bulb Award
96 Running 4 Heroes
98 Blue Mental Health with Tina Jaeckle
100 Off Duty with Rusty Barron
104 Parting Shots
106 Now Hiring - L.E.O. Positions Open in Texas
152 Back Page -School of Glock
SPECIAL INSERT
Holiday Gift Guide, The answer
to all those last minute
gift giving ideas. Starts after
Page 75.
76 80
2 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 3

OUR TEAM
MICHAEL BARRON
founder & publisher
MICHAEL BARRON
editor-n-chief
REX EVANS
contributing editor
DIANE TRYKOWSKI
creative editor
RUSTY BARRON
outdoor editor
TINA JAECKLE
contributing editor
DARYL LOTT
contributing editor
SAM HORWITZ & JOHN SALERNO
contributing editors
DOUGLAS GRIFFITH
HPOU contributing editor
DIANE TRYKOWSKI
sales manager
OUR CONTRIBUTORS
T. EDISON
contributing writer / light bulb
DAVE SMITH
guest editorial
SGT T.F. WOODS
OFFICER D. SULLIVAN
warstory/aftermath
LANE DEGREGORY
contributing writer
ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
contributing writer
JOHN SEEWER
contributing writer
VAL VAN BROCKLIN
contributing writer
DAVID GRIFFITH
contributing writer
The BLUES Police Magazine is published monthly by Kress-Barr, LLC, PO Box 2733, League City Texas 77574. The opinions
expressed in some articles, op-eds, and editorials are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of
The BLUES or its parent company. Rebuttals or submission of news articles and editorials may be submitted to: The
BLUES Police Magazine @ thebluespdmag@gmail.com. The entire contents of The BLUES are copyrighted and may
not be reprinted without the express permission of the publisher. The BLUES logo is a Trademark of Kress-Barr, LLC.
4 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 5

Coming next month: A Special Insert
HONORING ALL FALLEN OFFICERS IN 2021 • YOUR BUSINESS CAN PAY TRIBUTE FOR ONLY $375 FOR A FULL PAGE
6 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 7

More Milestones as The BLUES prepares
to enter it’s 38th Year. Nearly
95,000 Readers in November, can
we break 100K in December?
As we prepare for the holidays,
The BLUES has a lot to
celebrate. Thirty-Seven years
ago, a few young Sheriff’s
Deputies sat around a table at
The Humble Café and talked
about the Sheriff’s Union that
was being formed. One of its
organizers was Nat Gutierrez, a
longtime friend who lost his life
this past summer due to COVID.
Nat had this brilliant idea
that we should create a Union
newsletter and sell ads. We
could keep 50% of what we
sell and the Union would get
the other 50%. I had a better
idea, why don’t we create our
OWN Newspaper/Newsletter,
sell ads, and keep 100% of the
money. Wala, the County Blues
was born (for you rookies out
there, the name came from the
#1 Hit TV Show at the time, Hill
Street Blues https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill_Street_Blues).
The very first issue hit the
streets on Christmas Eve 1984.
We only printed 2000 copies
of the 8-page masterpiece (it
was a complete design disaster
typed on an IBM Selectric
III typewriter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Selectric_
typewriter). But it was the start
of something that would turn
out to be the most controversial
publication to ever see the light
of day at the Harris County Sheriffs
Dept. (Which also explains
why it was eventually delivered
in the middle of the night, sometimes
literally dropped on the
rooftops of some county jails).
Now all these years later, after
three name changes: County
Blues, The Blues Police Newspaper
and now The BLUES Police
Magazine, we have grown into
the largest independently owned
all-digital police magazine in
the U.S. Our page count has
grown by 168+% at an average
of 130-150 pages per issue, our
FREE Subscription has grown
to nearly 45,000 and on average
nearly 3000 people a day,
click on to one of seven servers
around the country to ‘Click-n-
View’ to read the current months
issue, not counting another 300-
500 who click on earlier issues.
All-in-all, not bad from an
idea concocted over lunch at the
Humble City Café in booth #2.
And yes, my friends, that fine
establishment is still there and
booth #2 is still there as well.
MICHAEL BARRON
But I’d be amiss, if I didn’t recognize
Retired HPD Sgt. Buddy
Williams who along with his
daughter as editor, published
The BLUES for over 25 years.
August of 2018 was the last official
year for the actual printed
version of the BLUES. Buddy
kept The BLUES alive and well
all those years and if it weren’t
for he and his family, I’m quite
sure it wouldn’t be here today.
Unfortunately, despite all our
efforts, we’ve been unable to
reach Buddy since our rebirth.
We can only hope that if he
does find us online one day,
he’ll be proud of what we’ve
both accomplished these past
37 years and welcome all the
new challenges that lie ahead
as we start our 38th Year in
2022.
Godspeed to all our brothers
and sisters in BLUE!
8 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 9

Congratulations to HPD Chief Troy Finner,
The BLUES Police Chief of the Year
Our cover this month marks
yet another first in the 37-year
history of The BLUES. Well, two
milestones actually. The first
being our newest tradition of
naming a Police Chief of the
Year for 2021- Houston Police
Chief Troy Finner, which also
marks the first time for someone
to be featured on a BLUES cover,
twice in a single year.
While the Chief and I have only
recently met, I have followed
his rise through the ranks of
HPD starting back in the 1990’s.
The BLUES was barely six years
young at the time Finner graduated
HPD Class #137, but nevertheless,
this young policeman
worked his ass off to get where
he is today.
Unlike the majority of Police
Chiefs hired to run big city police
departments in the US, Finner
worked his way up the ranks
at HPD and learned what being
a “street-cop” is all about. He
may not be known as the “Michael
Jordan” of police chiefs
as his former boss was sometimes
called, but I can attest
that he is 1000% better than his
predecessor and looks more like
Michael Jordan than Art Acevedo
(yes, I’m referring to him being
black.) And yes, I’m quite sure
I’m not offending him by saying
he’s black not a “person-of-col-
or.” Finner is
well aware of
his skin color but
treats every single
officer under
his command
as well as the
citizens of Houston
as if they
were HIS family.
Finner’s love for
his department
and the citizens
of Houston is
shown on his
face on any given
day in Houston.
And unfortunately,
you don’t
have to look hard
to see it either.
Since he was
sworn in April 2,
2021, Finner faced the cameras
almost on a daily basis to brief
Houstonians on yet another police
shooting where one of his
officers has been shot or possibly
killed. But it’s not only HIS
brothers and sisters in blue that
get his emotions high. He’s upset
every time someone is his city is
hurt or worse, killed.
His love and compassion to
the citizens of the fourth-largest
city in the country is undeniable.
His loyalty and compassion to
the approximately 5300 officers
and 1200 civilian support staff
that make up the fifth-largest
municipal police department in
the US, has been sorely missed
these past few years. Troy Finner
is man of his word, and a
true leader of law enforcement.
It’s an honor and a privilege to
name Houston Police Chief Troy
Finner as the Police Chief of
the Year for 2021. To learn more
about this amazing man and his
path to success, please turn to
page 52. Congratulations Troy
Finner.
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Santa - The Dream Job?
In my lifetime, my career, I have
been very fortunate in having several
really good jobs. I have worked
for some really amazing people and
in some of the best places on Earth.
Of all the jobs I have held though,
I can definitively say the one job
I have had required no badge, no
gun, no SCBA or specialized gear. It
only required my heart, my time and
a red and white suit with a big belt
and shiny boots.
If you guessed “Santa Claus,”
you’re right. For the
last twelve years, I have
donned the red and
white suit, complete
with the belt, buckle,
boots, hair, cap,
glasses and even a red
nose! Although I have
purchased many a suit
over the years, as they
don’t last but two or
three Christmas’s, each
suit has had its fair
share of “stories.”
Every year, no matter
where I have been,
no matter who I have
seen, hugged, laughed,
and even held, their
story with Santa, infused
itself within me.
For example, the little
boy who sat upon Santa’s
lap at the Atascocita
Fire Department
Headquarters one year
and only asked for one
thing….his mom. You
see that little eightyear-old
boy had lost
him mom earlier in
the year. I can tell you,
Santa called to the elves and told
them what had just happened and
old Santa had to get up and take a
break shortly thereafter.
Another year, at Southside Elementary
School in Cleveland, a
young student who was just 5 years
old, had NO idea I was the Chief
of Police for the School District,
jumped up into Santa’s lap and
explained how he had a gift for
Santa! His smile and his eyes were
so bright. Santa of course, asked
REX EVANS
him what he had and the little boy
handed Santa, a tiny Hot Wheels
Police Car…Some
would call the moment
a “coincidence.”
Others would say it’s
just “one of those
things that happen.”
I’d say, “Say what
you will, as for me, I
choose to believe the
spirit of what Santa
Clause and Christmas
brings to a child and
a family are immeasurable
and cannot
be, whimsically
explained away or
dismissed.”
Of all the moments
I have experienced
with the old red and
white suit, some of
the most powerful
brought about
the most tears….in
two different school
districts, Cleveland
and Splendora ISD’s, I
was privileged to be
the Chief of Police. I
was also afforded to
opportunity to fulfill
the role of Santa
12 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 13

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Clause throughout those respective
districts.
Some of the most incredible
moments I have ever experienced
in the role of Santa Clause was,
with our special needs students.
The light in their eyes when Santa
Clause walked into the room or
when he stepped of the Captain’s
Seat of a firetruck was heartwarming.
Seeing the light, which
brilliantly shone from within those
children so often overlooked or
forgotten would truly restore one’s
faith in humanity.
I also was humbled and grateful
for my years of being Santa at the
World-Famous Ranch Hand Restaurant
in Cleveland-Tarkington Prairie.
Every year, Ms. Tara Stoneburger
(recently passed away) and I, along
with her stellar family and staff,
orchestrate a sort of “Winter Wonderland”
in the lobby of this very
special place. As customers walked
in, there was a “Winter Village” full
of beautiful, collectable homes,
churches, schools, fire stations and
of course, people. And, just to the
left of the door was, you guessed it,
Santa.
People would come from miles
and miles around, they and their
children all dressed up for a picture
with Santa and a good old fashioned
home cooked meal. It was as
special as the story of Santa Clause
himself. Not because of one person
or thing. But, because of the genuine
and sincere love behind the effort
put forth. To simply bring families
together for a special moment in
time and a good, hot meal.
And then there were the “special
calls” for Santa. Those which
parents, relatives and friends would
call and present a special circumstance
whereby they really needed
Santa to somehow make an appearance.
One such
“special request”
came
from a family
whose
matriarch
was in her
final hours.
Her only
request, the
only thing
she wanted,
was to see
Santa…One.
More. Time.
Well, ole
Santa and
one of his
officers rode
as quickly as
they could
to the tiny home where this beautiful
woman lay, in her final hours
on this Earth. And Santa, quietly as
he could, stood by her bed and held
her hand. He listened to her faint
voice and after a time, it was time.
Santa quietly left the room and the
matriarch quietly left to go home
and to the waiting Angels above.
Another “special request” came
from the family of a young boy who
was fighting and struggling with
a terminal illness. With the help
of the local fire department, Santa
rode ride up to that families front
door on a big red fire truck loaded
with toys. Santa spent some time
just listening to the young boy and
all he had to say. All he dreamed,
wanted, and hoped for. The time
had come for ole Santa and the firefighters
to get back onto the truck
and head back from whence they
had come. Sometime later, a report
came from the family that young
man did eventually lose his heroic,
extremely brave battle with the disease
he had been fighting for years.
All that being said, every year I
am so grateful for the opportunity
to fulfill this special role. I sincerely
pray I can continue this effort for
many years to come. If for no other
reason, than to simply see the light
in a child’s eye and hear them say “I
love you, Santa!” After all the horrible
things I have seen in my role as a law
enforcement officer and firefighter,
believe me when I tell you, those few
words and that brilliant beacon are
truly, comforting to my very soul.
And I am very humbly and sincerely
grateful.
Before I go, there’s one more thing
to be said. None of what Santa has
done or will ever do, would be possible
without all the people who help
Santa get to where he needs to go.
And without question, to do whatever
Santa needs to do. Without these
beautiful, brilliant people….Santa just
couldn’t do what he does. For them,
I could never, ever convey enough
gratitude.
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14 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 15

Just How Do We Do This?
When “defund the police” starts to implode on itself.
With the “defund the police”
gang slowly losing the argument
around the country, as crime
runs rampant and “no cash bail”
reforms wreak havoc on communities
nationwide, a new
idiocy has raised its goofy head
in the name of “police reform;”
the limitations on police actions
when the officer only has “reasonable
suspicion” instead of
“probable cause.” In other words,
don’t pursue, detain, use force,
or interview unless you have
probable cause. For the non-police
folks reading this, it means
you have to tell me the ending of
the story before you can read the
book.
This new idea is based on no
actual reality in which any law
enforcement officer can function.
It means a fellow walking
down the street from a business
with a silent alarm going off,
who sees an approaching police
vehicle, turns, and runs, can’t be
detained until the officers have:
1. Determined a crime has been
committed; 2. Find evidence
linking that running fellow to the
crime; 3. Have enough evidence
to charge that runner with the
crime. Probable cause is very often
what an officer has after investigating,
not during an investigation.
Reasonable suspicion
is what guides the investigator
to find evidence, suspects, additional
victims, and witnesses,
and leads to the determination
of probable cause.
What is happening is that
bureaucrats, politicians, and
activists are finding new ways
to hinder basic police activities.
Citizens who don’t understand
the day-to-day common-sense
application of reasonable suspicion
may not be easily persuaded
that this ridiculous demand
creates an undue burden on
fighting crime. Worse, the effect
will be increased danger to the
very communities activists claim
to represent, not to mention the
hesitation created in the minds
of officers in those critical moments
of a deadly encounter
when anxiety skyrockets and the
intent of the suspect is ambiguous.
With officer ambushes up
around 148% over last year as I
write this, the one thing apparent
to me is the single-minded
intent of those who seek to
hinder crime fighting and my
sincere doubt as to their motive.
What are the consequences of
these types of reforms, and what
social, political, and statistical
data would drive this movement?
How do we get the citizens of
our communities to understand
how absurd these restrictions are
on law enforcement, and how
drastically and negatively will
they affect our ability to fight
crime?
First, our leaders need to speak
out about how wrong the restrictions
are and what intervening
during the commission of a
crime actually requires. Probable
cause is the result of, not the initiation
of criminal investigations,
which are often started by, and
sustained by, reasonable suspicion.
An officer’s use of force
has traditionally been judged
by what a “reasonable officer,”
not an untrained civilian, would
do; in the same way, reasonable
suspicion is based on the common
sense of the officer in the
moment, without the benefit of
hindsight. That is one of the key
points that the citizens of this
country need to understand:
hindsight and foresight are not
related in any way. In fact, we
often misremember our perceptions
in hindsight, forgetting the
nonrelevant issues that we paid
attention to during an event.
Police are constantly in high
threat, intense situations where
only in retrospect (hindsight) do
we know what was, and what
wasn’t, a threat, an ally, a weapon,
a phone, a suspect, a witness,
or a victim. It is extremely
difficult for humans to recall exactly
what happened in a crisis;
putting this additional burden
on police will serve no purpose
16 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 17

other than to further increase the
lack of proactive policing, which
is growing increasingly common
today.
In the end, the only winners in
this odd social experiment being
foisted on the American people
are the career criminals, the
gang bangers, and the extreme
social activists. Speak out when
you get a chance, explain these
things to citizens whenever you
can, write editorials, and keep
faith that we will collectively
come to our senses soon.
A positive note among all the
negatives is that the Fox show
“COPS” is returning to a TV
near you. It is a clue that, in this
bizarre time, corporate powers
are realizing that Americans love
their police, and watching us do
our daily activities further reinforces
the difficulty of the job
and reveals the mental gymnastics
required to do the job well
and “keep your head when all
about you are losing theirs,” to
quote Rudyard Kipling.
So, for all of you still on street
in the fight and keeping us safe,
have faith. I believe if we keep
our wits, keep speaking the
truth, hang tough, and never give
up, we will win.
18 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 19

TROY FINNER ON BE-
COMING POLICE CHIEF
OF THE YEAR
Over 30,000 people responded
to our social media
posts congratulating
Chief Finner. Here are but
just a few of those well
wishes.
Congratulations Chief!
JIMMIE DOTSON
Congratulations and
waaaay better than last
months cover!!!
MIA SHARONA
Congrats
HARRY THOMAS
Congratulations Chief!!!
ROSE MARY Y. HARP
Congratulations Chief
Finner!!!
JOE INOCENCIO
That’s awesome! Congratulations!
CHRIS BURNS FAISAL
BASHIR
Congratulations the
friendliest Chief I ever
met
ADRIAN GASPAR
Excellent and outstanding
in every way ! Continue
to make us proud !! Congratulations
to Our Police
Chief !!! Respect and
Salute !!! Cheers
JACK STEVEN FIELDS
Congratulations Chief
DWAYNE WRIGHT
Congratulations Chief!!
SUSIE BUCHANAN
Congratulations! Well
deserved!
SHERRY TEMPLE
Congratulations! Well
deserved!
FAROKH DEYHIM
Congratulations old
beechnut friend!
RICHARD LAVEQUE
That’s awesome! Congratulations!
VIC ARCHER
That’s great
ERNEST MCNICHOLS
Congratulations!!! CHIEF!!!
JEFF GALLARDO
Congratulations to our
Chief!
ALVIN GILLS
Congratulations! Well
deserved!
Chief Finner
JACQUELYN JONES
Congratulations
MAC MOORE
Finally, a Chief worthy of
being honored. Congrats
Chief!!!
JW MARCUS
Congratulations
SHARLOT DEDEAR
SUMNER
Awesome! Congratulations!!
VANETTA HALL
Very cool!
SHERI CORTEZ
Congratulations
SWANNAH GRIFFIN
WHEELER
CongratulationsAwesome
CAROLYN EAST
Big Congratulations!
KIM RICE
Congratulations my friend
SMOKIE PHILLIPS
Most deserving, Great job
Chief….
KATHY BUSH LEDET
Congrats my Brother
TERRY SALTER
Congrats Chief!!!
NON DAV
Congrats
SHERWIN JOHNSON
Congratulations
ROZ BULMAN
Congratulations
PAT KUMAR
Congratulations Chief!!! I
love it!
LAISHA LANDRY
Congratulations!!!!
LORETTA PETITT
Congratulations Chief Finner.
Great job
ERIC WOLFSHOHL
Congratulations Chief
KEVIN CLEMONS
Congratulations!!!
TROY NELMS
Definitely Deserving Congratulations
Chief
DION M CLOUD
Congratulations Chief Finner.
Truly Awesome!
LINDSEY JOHNSON
Congratulations Chief
KENNETH MCDONALD
Congratulations
TAMMY DAVIS
Congratulations Chief
Rachel Shannon
LUANNE GERSTNER
Congratulations
PHOEBIE CAST
Congratulations Chief!!!
That’s awesome!!!
Jacinda Beasley Gunter
Congratulations
Congratulations Chief!
SHELL BK
Congratulations
Betty Stzelecke Doss
Congratulations Sir.
REGINALD DIXON
Congratulations
LINDSAY SIRIKO
Congrats
RAMONA PARNELL
My Brother Forever
CURTIS MOBLEY
20 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 21

4 Killed, Including Officer and
Suspect, in Georgia Shooting
By Associated Press
ATLANTA — Four people are
dead, including a police officer,
after officers responded to a domestic
disturbance call Tuesday
in Clayton County, south of metro
Atlanta.
According to Clayton County
police, Field Training Officer Henry
Laxson was fatally shot, along
with two women and the suspected
shooter.
A child and another officer were
also shot, Clayton County Police
Chief Kevin Roberts said.
The child is in critical but stable
condition. The officer, identified
as Alex Chandler, is expected to
survive.
Police said on Tuesday night,
November 30th, they were called
to a domestic disturbance. It was
not immediately clear exactly
where the shooting had taken
place.
Police received another call
about a child shot at a second location.
By the time officers arrived,
they found the child and one of the
women in the yard. They said that
while they were trying to render
aid, someone started firing on the
officers from an unknown location.
The suspect was killed during
the exchange of gunfire with officers.
Police did not identify the victims
or the shooter.
GBI agents and Clayton County
police officers continue their
investigation Wednesday, December
1, 2021, into a shooting that
occurred in Clayton County, south
of Atlanta. Four people are dead,
including a police officer, after
officers responded to a domestic
disturbance call Tuesday.
GBI agents and Clayton County
police officers continued their investigation
Wednesday, December
1, 2021, into a shooting that occurred
in Clayton County, south of
Atlanta. Laxson is the third north
Georgia police officer killed in the
line of duty since November.
Henry County Officer Paramhans
Desai was shot as he attempted
to make an arrest on November
5th. He died from his injuries days
later.
Jackson County Deputy Lena
Marshall was also shot at a separate
call on November 5th when
she responded to a domestic incident.
She died from her injuries on
November 8th.
Dozens of Clayton County police
officers were currently lining the
streets near Grady Memorial Hospital
in Atlanta.
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22 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 23

Tragedy Strikes Mesquite
A Mesquite sergeant was shot and killed responding to a disturbance
at a local grocery store parking lot.
A Mesquite police officer died
Friday afternoon after being fatally
wounded in a shootout that
stemmed from a disturbance
outside a grocery store parking
lot, the department says.
Mesquite Police Chief David Gill
confirmed the wounded officer
died while undergoing treatment
at Baylor Scott & White Medical
Center in Dallas.
The shooting happened after
1:40 p.m. in the parking lot of
an Albertsons grocery store in
the 1500 block of South Beltline
Road, where the officer was
called to a report of a disturbance
involving two women,
said Mesquite Police Capt. Stephen
Biggs.
At some point a man got out a
gun, leading to a shootout with
the officer, Gill said.
The officer was struck twice,
Gill said. He was taken to Baylor
Medical Center where he succumbed
to his wounds.
“This is a senseless act of violence
that ripped a loving father
from his family,” Gill told reporters
in a news conference Friday
evening outside the hospital.
Sgt. Houston was a 21-year
veteran of the Mesquite Police
Department, Gill said.
“He was a good
man, a good friend
and a good officer.
Please keep his
family and our family
in your prayers,” he
said, fighting through
tears while dozens
of law enforcement
officers stood behind
him.
The man police
accused in the shooting
was last listed in
critical condition with
one gunshot wound.
His name has not yet
been made public.
Dallas Mayor Eric
Johnson was among
the North Texans
sharing their condolences
on social media. “My
heart goes out to the officer’s
family, friends, and colleagues
with @MesquitePD_TX. The people
of Dallas mourn with you,”
he wrote.
“Praying and mourning alongside
our brothers and sisters
from @MesquitePD_TX,” Dallas
Police Chief Eddie Garcia wrote.
“The @DallasPD also wears your
patch today, and for as long as
you need our assistance.”
“Our hearts are with the loved
ones of the @MesquitePD_TX
officer who passed away this
evening after being shot in the
line of duty. This tragedy is a
solemn reminder of the risks our
officers take every day by putting
their lives on the line to serve
and protect our communities.”
“All of us at @CarrolltonTX-
PD stand ready to support our
brothers and sisters at @MesquitePD_TX,”
Carrollton police
wrote.
Dozens of law enforcement officers gathered outside Baylor Medical Center to wait for news of the
wounded officer’s condition. Many more formed a motorcade to escort the officer’s body from the
hospital to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office.
Officers salute as Sgt. Houston’s body is loaded into a van outside Baylor University
Medical Center at Dallas on Friday December 3.
24 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 25

Parents charged with
Involuntary Manslaughter.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald on Friday charged James
and Jennifer Crumbley with four counts of involuntary manslaughter after
their son killed 4 students and injured 7 others at a Michigan high school.
Oakland County, Michigan,
prosecutor Karen McDonald on
Saturday December 4th, highlighted
text messages and a
social media post from James
and Jennifer Crumbley to their
son, suspected Oxford High
School shooter Ethan Crumbley,
during their arraignment
hearing.
McDonald said during the
hearing that the “likelihood of
conviction is strong” for the
parents, who pleaded not guilty
Saturday to four counts each
of involuntary manslaughter
after their son was accused of
shooting and killing four students
and injuring seven others
on Tuesday.
“Mr. Crumbley purchased this
weapon for his son, and…on
[November 27], Mrs. Crumbley…
went to the shooting range
with her son, posted on social
media that it was a mother-son
day, and that she…bought a
gun for her baby for Christmas.
It’s also clear from the facts
that he had total access to this
weapon and that it was it was
for him,” McDonald said.
Prosecutors disputed the
claim that Ethan Crumbley, 15,
had “free” access to the weapon,
saying the gun was “locked”
before he apparently accessed
it and took the weapon to
school.
On November 29, the Crumbleys
“were aware” that their
son “was searching for ammunition
on his phone at school,”
McDonald said. The prosecutor
previously said during a Friday
press conference that an Oxford
High School teacher noticed
Ethan Crumbley searching
for ammunition on his phone
during class. A teacher also
noticed disturbing drawings
that the 15-year-old created in
school.
“Instead of reacting to that as
a concerned parent and worried
about safety, Mrs. Crumbley
texted, ‘L.O.L, just I’m not
mad. Just next time don’t get
caught,’” McDonald said Saturday.
On Tuesday, when Ethan
Crumbley went to school with
the 9mm Sig Sauer pistol that
James Crumbley allegedly purchased
from a local firearms
store on Black Friday, November
26, James and Jennifer
Crumbley “were called to the
school about their son’s drawing,
which clearly depicted
threats and acts of violence,”
according to McDonald.
“Instead of disclosing to the
school that he had full access
to this weapon, they chose not
to take their son home. They
chose not to tell anybody that
he might be dangerous when
it was clear [there was] every
likelihood that he was. And instead,
they left,” she said.
After the Crumbleys left the
high school, their son returned
to class and pulled out the
Ethan Robert Crumbley and his parents Jennifer Crumbley and James Crumbley are pictured at the
Oakland County Jail in Pontiac, Michigan. (Oakland County Sheriff’s Office/Handout via REUTERS)
weapon.
“After the active shooting
announcement went out, Mrs.
Crumbley texted her son, Ethan,
‘Don’t do it.’ And Mr. Crumbley
went to his home purposely to
search for this weapon because
he was afraid his son had the
weapon and was in fact shooting
people and hurting them,
which, as we know, is exactly
what happened,” McDonald
continued.
Crumbley attorney Mariell
Lehman accused Karen McDonald
of creating a media “spectacle”
during Saturday’s hearing
after her clients did not appear
at an arraignment apparently
scheduled for Friday.
Instead, local law enforcement
officials sent out a “be on
the lookout” (BOLO) alert and
searched for the pair with help
from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Authorities eventually found
them in a commercial building
in Detroit early Saturday morning.
Their defense attorneys
argued that they were unaware
charges would be filed against
them on Friday and isolated
themselves for their safety.
“Unlike the prosecution, we
weren’t attempting to make this
a media ... spectacle. This case
is absolutely the saddest, most
tragic, worst case imaginable.
There is absolutely no doubt.
But our clients were absolutely
going to turn themselves in. It
was just a matter of logistics,
and all the prosecution had to
do was communicate with me
about it,” she said.
McDonald previously said that
defendant attorney Smith sent
a text message to her on Friday,
which she did not have an obligation
to respond to. The prosecutor
also said the Crumbleys
“didn’t need law enforcement
permission to go to the court
and turn themselves in.”
“The whole country knew
that these charges were coming.
And lastly, to suggest that
this anyone is somehow using
this incident to create press —
there’s a lot of attention here
because four children were
murdered, and seven others
were injured, and that is on the
mind of every single person in
this country.”
The four students who died
in the shooting are 16-year-old
Tate Myre, 14-year-old Hana St.
Juliana, 17-year-old Madisyn
Baldwin and 15-year-old Justin
Shilling.
26 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 27

FBI: Dayton Mass Shooter Fantasized About Killing for
Years with a Phenomenon Known as “Bystander Fatigue.”
By Andrew Welsh-Huggins and
John Seewer
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The man
who gunned down nine people in
Dayton, Ohio, two years ago had
fantasized about mass shootings,
serial killings, and murder-suicide
for at least a decade before
carrying out the August 4, 2019,
attack, the FBI said Monday as it
announced the conclusion of its
investigation.
Shooter Connor Betts didn’t
share specific details with
friends or family members about
his fantasies, underscoring the
importance of people being
attuned to subtle changes in an
individual, the agency said.
A phenomenon known as “bystander
fatigue” may account
for why no one reported Betts
to authorities before the shooting,
according to a two-page FBI
summary of its report.
Mourners visit a makeshift memorial
outside Ned Peppers bar
following a vigil at the scene of a
mass shooting, Sunday, August 4,
2019, in Dayton, Ohio.
Mourners visit a makeshift memorial
outside Ned Peppers bar
following a vigil at the scene of a
mass shooting, Sunday, August 4,
2019, in Dayton, Ohio. (AP Photo/
John Minchillo)
That term is used “to describe
the passivity, inaction, or inattention
to concerning behaviors observed
by individuals who have
a close, interpersonal relationship
to a person of concern due
to their prolonged exposure to
the person’s erratic or otherwise
troubling behavior over time,”
the FBI said.
Betts, 24, was killed by police
half a minute after he opened
fire in Dayton’s crowded Oregon
District entertainment area.
Armed with an AR-15 style rifle
and an extended ammunition
magazine, Betts killed nine
people, including his sister, and
wounded dozens more.
The FBI’s summary of its investigation
did not address whether
Betts intended to kill his sister,
Megan, or if her death was inadvertent.
After the shooting, high school
classmates said Betts was suspended
years ago for compiling
a “hit list” of fellow students
he wanted to harm. Two of the
classmates said Betts had also
been suspended after he came
to school with a list of female
students he wanted to sexually
assault.
Early on, police investigators
said Betts had a “history
of obsession with violent ideations
with mass shootings and
expressed a desire to commit
a mass shooting.” The FBI said
it uncovered evidence Betts
“looked into violent ideologies.”
A friend of Connor Betts told
investigators he bought body armor,
a 100-round magazine, and
a part for Betts’ gun. However,
they concluded there was no indication
he knew of Betts’ plans.
The friend, Ethan Kollie, pleaded
guilty to unrelated federal
firearms charges and was sentenced
to 2 1/2 years in prison.
In August, family members of
four victims sued the magazine
maker, Kyung Chang Industry
USA Inc., saying the device serves
no purpose other than allowing
for the killing of as many people
as possible. The magazine allowed
Betts to fire 41 rounds in
32 seconds.
28 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 29

Cop’s Career Ended by a $25 Online Donation and
‘Words of Encouragement’, Don’t Let This be You.
Val Van Brocklin
Cop Gumbo
Last spring, Norfolk Police Lt.
William Kelly, a 19-year veteran,
made a $25 donation to a
crowdfunding website for Kyle
Rittenhouse’s legal defense.
Rittenhouse was charged with
killing two people and wounding
a third with an AR-15 he carried
during racially charged protests
in Wisconsin following the police
shooting of Jacob Blake, a
Black man. Rittenhouse is white.
Kelly intended the donation to
be anonymous but a data breach
shared with journalists linked it
to his official email. Along with
his donation, Kelly posted, “God
bless. Thank you for your courage.
Keep your head up. You’ve
done nothing wrong. Every rankand-file
police officer supports
you. Don’t be discouraged by
actions of the political class of
law enforcement leadership.”
Kelly was transferred to patrol,
then placed on administrative
leave. An investigation concluded
his actions violated city and departmental
policies and he was
fired. He filed a grievance disputing
each of the policy violations
and making his own claims,
including that his dismissal violated
his right to free speech.
This article addresses the First
Amendment claim.
I have written about the U.S.
Supreme Court’s three-part
test for when public employees’
speech is protected. Kelly’s
lawyer acknowledged that test
in his grievance by claiming
Kelly’s online speech was made
as a “private citizen” (rather than
as a public employee) and was
about a matter of “public concern.”
His interest in the speech
outweighed any interest the
department had in regulating his
speech. In the hopes of helping
other officers avoid Lt. Kelly’s situation,
let’s discuss his case.
PRIVATE CITIZEN
The city contended that when
Kelly posted, “Every rank-andfile
police officer supports you,”
from his official email without
any disclaimer he was speaking
in a private capacity, he presented
the impression he was
representing, giving opinions, or
otherwise speaking on behalf of
the city.
In Graziosi v. City of Greenville
(2015), the city argued Graziosi
spoke as a public employee
because she invoked her status
as a police officer by using
words such as “we” and “our”
to identify herself as a police
officer. The U.S. Supreme Court
in Lane v. Franks (2014) said the
critical question was whether
the speech itself was ordinarily
within the scope of an employee’s
duties, not whether it merely
concerned those duties.
Because Graziosi’s statements
were not within the ordinary
scope of her duties, the Fifth
Circuit held they were made as a
private citizen. The same being
true of Lt. Kelly, he appears to
meet this test.
PUBLIC CONCERN
Courts haven’t provided clear
guidance on when speech is
about a “public concern.”
The U.S. Supreme Court stated
in Connick v. Myers (1983) that
matters of public concern are
those of ‘‘political, social or other
concern to the community.”
Factors to be considered include
content, form, and context of the
speech, as well as the manner,
time, and place of delivery. The
speaker’s motive alone is not
dispositive but may be a relevant
factor.
In Connick, the court held that
speech related to the efficient
functioning of government was
not a public concern because the
context revealed it was largely a
personal grievance. But in Rankin
v. McPherson (1987), an employee’s
statement to a coworker
about the attempted assassination
of President Reagan that
‘‘if they go for him again, I hope
they get him’’ met the test because
the speech was in the
context of a discussion on the
president’s policies.
Kelly has a colorable argument
his speech was about a “public
concern” – the prosecution of
a defendant in the high-profile
homicides of two people
and wounding of a third while
the victims were protesting the
police use of deadly force in
the shooting of a Black man. He
must still meet the third prong
for his speech to be protected.
THE BALANCING ACT
In his grievance, Kelly argued:
“The City of Norfolk had no legitimate
interest in dismissing me
because I engaged in this speech
and, to the extent it had any interest
in regulating that speech,
that interest was insufficient to
justify dismissal.”
Kelly’s own statements undercut
his argument. When Kelly
was transferred to patrol, he
told news media, “I was told that
they had to look out for the department.
I didn’t object to being
transferred – I understand that
public perception is very important
in the 21st century and public
trust is very important.”
Public perception and trust
were of significant concern to
the city. The city manager said,
“His egregious comments erode
the trust between the Norfolk
Police Department and those
they are sworn to serve. The City
of Norfolk has a standard of behavior
for all employees, and we
will hold staff accountable.”
The police chief stated, “A
police department cannot do
its job when the public loses
trust with those whose duty is
to serve and protect them. We
do not want perceptions of any
individual officer to undermine
the relations between the Norfolk
Police Department and the
community.”
Kelly argued he intended his
donation and comments to be
anonymous. As previously noted,
the speaker’s motive is not determinative.
Kelly’s donation and
statements did not remain anonymous
– a risk he took by posting
online, as other headlines
about hacked or investigated
websites attest. The department
must address Kelly’s actions to
maintain the public’s trust.
Kelly thanked, praised, and
donated to a criminal defendant
against whom there was
probable cause to charge with
two homicides and a wounding
during a racially charged protest
of police use of deadly force. He
contended he spoke for all “rank
and file” officers. The city manager’s
and chief’s concerns about
the public perception of whether
Kelly could be trusted to protect
and serve all citizens in a diverse
community equally and fairly
are compelling given the critical
30 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 31

mission of the department.
Two cases shed light on how
difficult it is for an officer to
meet this third prong. In Graziosi,
the Fifth Circuit found the
police department’s interest
in preserving loyalty and close
working relationships within the
department outweighed Graziosi’s
individual interest. Quoting
another Fifth Circuit case, Nixon
v. City of Houston, the court added,
“Because ‘police departments
function as paramilitary organizations
charged with maintaining
public safety and order, they
are given more latitude in their
decisions regarding discipline
and personnel regulations than
an ordinary government employer.’”
Kelly’s post pitted rank-andfile
officers against police
leadership. In Nixon, the court
also found the city’s interest
in promoting and maintaining
confidence in the department
outweighed the individual officer’s
interest in his speech. That
public confidence was important,
the court noted, because
“HPD often relies upon members
of the public to provide critical
information, to serve as witnesses,
to respect law enforcement
authority, and to provide financial
support.”
THE LESSON
Do you really want to go
through what Lt. Kelly is experiencing?
The internet is a BIG bulletin
board in the sky readable by
anyone with an internet connection.
Get real about anonymity.
Do you know how easy it is to
trace an IP address?
Communities are diverse. Citizens
have varied interactions
with and perceptions of their police
officers. Police must be perceived
as protecting and serving
all, without bias, to maintain
public trust. Without that, police
work is much more dangerous.
Please, think before you “click.”
About the author
As a state and federal prosecutor,
Val’s trial work was
featured on ABC’S PRIMETIME
LIVE, Discovery Channel’s Justice
Files, in USA Today, The
National Enquirer and RED-
BOOK. Val can be found flying
her airplane with her retriever,
a shotgun, a fly rod, and high
aspirations. Visit Val at www.
valvanbrocklin.com and info@
valvanbrocklin.com
32 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 33

Retired CA Officer Killed Guarding News Crew
at Smash and Grab Robbery
Kevin Nishita, who retired in 2018
after serving with the Hayward, San
Jose, and Colma police department,
was shot in the abdomen during an attempted
robbery of KRON-TV’s camera
equipment near downtown Oakland,
police said.
“He was rushed to a local hospital
for medical attention and, despite
the hospital staff’s best efforts, succumbed
to his injuries (Saturday)
morning,” the City of Colma said in a
statement.
The KRON crew was covering a recent
robbery where a group of thieves
broke in and stole from a clothing
store, the Associated Press reports.
A reward of $32,500 is being offered
for information that leads to an arrest
in Nishita’s killing.
NC Trooper Receives Congressional Badge of Bravery
A North Carolina Highway Patrol
Trooper who was seriously
wounded during a 2019 shooting
received the Congressional
Badge of Bravery Monday.
Trooper Daniel Harrell was
shot in the face and neck. A
suspect rammed his patrol car.
Still, he continued pursuit until
backup could arrive and make an
arrest, WRAL reports.
“He stopped. I stopped behind
him,” Harrell told the North Carolina
Department of Transportation
in 2019. “Just as I was about
to get out of my car, he leaned
out the window and fired approximately
four times, striking
me in the corner of the lip and
just above my eye.”
Congressman G.K. Butterfield
and Sen. Thom Tillis were on
hand. State troopers lined the
auditorium at Wilson Community
College.
John David Jones, the driver
of the car Harrell tried to pull
over, is serving a 10-year sentence
in federal prison, convicted
of unlawful possession of ammunition.
Two other men were
charged with possession of a
stolen motor vehicle in connection
with the crime.
The initial stop was for illegal
towing.
34 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 35

The following story is true.
No names were changed
because no innocent people
were involved.
My story takes place on
Christmas Eve many years
ago. I had been a cop for more
than 30 years and was a Lieutenant
assigned to nights.
With all the time I had in I
could have been on days with
weekends off and pushing
paper all day, but I’d spent my
entire life on the street.
It was where I felt more
comfortable. It was my
home, I guess. My kids were
all grown, and I had 4 failed
marriages behind me. Yeah,
I could retire but I had absolutely
nothing to retire to. The
streets were my home and I
couldn’t see myself anywhere
else….working or otherwise.
Hell, if I weren’t a cop, I’d
probably be homeless living
on the streets.
But despite my acceptance
of being here forever,
the weeks leading up to the
night of this story were what
seemed like the beginning of
the end for me. Sounds confusing,
I know, but let me start
from the beginning.
It was early December in
the late 80’s. Like I said I was
the lieutenant assigned to
nights and in our department
the nightshift lieutenant was
pretty much the night sheriff.
I was in charge of everybody
and everything. But I had been
doing it so long that it really
didn’t seem like that big of a
deal anymore.
BY LT. BOB EVANS
But more of all the ole heads
were retiring and every day
I had increased youngsters
showing up at roll call. The
sheriff decided that in order to
fill vacancies he would accept
lateral transfers from other
departments. Since we paid
more than the surrounding
departments these kids (actually
young men and women
in their late 20’s) came over
in droves. Everyday there was
someone new and of course
they all came to nights.
The latest transfer was this
young man from a PD up
north. A real go getter. Reminded
me of me at that age.
His name was Randy Jones.
Jones was married and had
just had a brand-new baby
girl. Wasn’t even 3 weeks old.
The boy posted pictures of
that girl all over the station.
He was the proud papa for
sure.
But he was from a PD and
this was the sheriff’s department.
We did things differently
and Jones had his own idea
about how it ‘should’ be done.
I had to sit that boy down
several times during those
first few weeks and just say
look, ‘If you want to stay here
and be successful you have to
follow the book. Otherwise,
I’m going to have to talk to the
sheriff and send you back to
the PD.” Broke my heart because
he was really a good
kid just stubborn. Reminded
me when I started. The dayshift
sergeant moved him to
days for a week, just to teach
him OUR ways.
Now here it was Christmas
Eve and Jones was back at
working the nightshift with
me again.
Anyway, it was about 3am
when a silent alarm dropped
in a warehouse on the
northside of the district. I was
only a couple blocks away and
Jones must have been sitting
in the parking lot because he
advised he was about to go
out on it. I advised dispatch I
was backing him up and was
a couple minutes out.
Jones arrived and advised
he had an open rear door, as
I was pulling up to the rear.
We agreed we would clear
the building starting towards
the right and work our way
to the front. This was one of
those flex space warehouse
with storage on the back and
offices in the front and they
weren’t really that large. As
soon as we stepped inside,
we heard movement near the
front. Other than our flashlights,
it was pitch black in the
damn place. Suddenly a bright
piercing light following by a
deafening boom appeared in
front of us….we were taking
fire from multiple locations.
I was literally firing into the
dark. I just kept firing in the
direction of the muzzle blast
until there weren’t anymore. I
stood there in the dark, shining
my flashlight to see what
or who was there and 20 feet
away I saw two bodies on the
ground, blood now running
across the bare concrete.
Unit 204 I have shots fired
and two suspects down. I
need EMS and backup.
Where is Jones? “Jones?”
“Unit 204 to Jones, where are
you?
“Jones where the fuck are
you? I began running all over
the warehouse to see where
he was and as soon as I
turned a corner, there he was.
Laying in a pool of blood.
“Officer down, officer down,
Unit 204 I have an officer
down.”
Jones? As soon as I knelt
down, I could see that a round
had hit him in the neck and
struck an artery. He had bled
out in seconds. The first round
those assholes fired went right
through the thin portion wall
and hit him. He was down
within seconds of us entering
that room. He never said a
word. He didn’t get a chance
to fire a single shot.
Somehow by the grace of
God, I hit both the suspects in
the dark and they both went
down as well. I was the lone
survivor. That’s a term I would
hear over and over again.
Within seconds, I had deputies
arriving from all over.
Sirens. I could hear sirens everywhere.
Ringing in my ears
and sirens. The scene was just
so surreal. Dust. Red and blue
lights bouncing off the walls.
Blood running across the bare
concrete floors. Bodies motionless
on the floor. And this
young deputy at my side. I just
sat there and waited for the
EMTs.
“Lieutenant…Lieutenant…
Lieutenant….?”
“What??”
“Sir you need to get up and
let them work on Jones.”
I stood up and watched the
EMTs from the firehouse squad
that was just blocks from
here begin working on him,
but they stopped really before
they started. There was
nothing they could do. He was
gone.
I notified dispatch to send
me detectives, crime scene
and notify the sheriff.
But I WAS the night sheriff
and I knew what I had to do. It
was my job to notify the next
of kin, spouses or parents of
36 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 37

a deputy killed in the line of
duty. In my 30+ years, I had
only had to do it once. But
this was different. This young
man was dead on my watch.
Standing 10 feet from me. It
was my responsibility to keep
him safe and I failed. I failed
him, his wife, and his baby
girl.
The truth is, I shouldn’t have
left the scene. I had just shot
and killed two suspects. I had
a dead deputy on the ground
20 feet from the dead crooks.
The DA shoot team would
be enroute and so would
the sheriff. Maybe the sheriff
should go to Jones’ and make
the notification?
Nope. It was my job and my
job alone, I had to do what I
had to do. Without realizing it,
I had pulled off the highway
and pulled up under an old
railroad crossing underpass.
I was trembling and crying
uncontrollably. It was at that
moment that I felt like my life
had ended. A young man was
dead because of me. I was his
supervisor; his backup and he
was dead. I was old and at the
end of my career and he was
just getting started. It should
be me on that floor. God got
this wrong. I should be dead. I
should be dead.
I found myself under that
bridge, with my gun in my
hand. I was praying that God
would forgive me for everything
that happened that night
and what I was about to do.
It was at that instant I heard a
voice say, “Mister are you ok?”
I turned around and standing
there before me was this
young couple holding a baby.
“What? Where did you two
come from? What are you doing
down here?”
“We have no other place
to be. We lost our home in a
fire and we’ve been camping
under this bridge for a while
now. What are you doing here
officer? Are we in trouble? Are
you hurt? You’re bleeding!”
“No, you’re not in trouble. I
just needed a minute to think.
I guess I ended up here. And
it’s not my blood.”
“Officer, maybe you should
sit down a minute. Let us get
you something hot to drink,
it’s freezing out here.”
As I sat down with them
under that bridge, I saw this
young couple that had to be
about the same age as Jones
and his wife. Here they were
on Christmas Eve living in
a tent under a bridge comforting
ME. Making ME take a
minute. I listened to their story
and how they ended up there
and when the young man
finished his story, he looked at
me and said, now tell us how
you ended up here …. with us.
For the next few minutes, I
shared what had transpired
that evening. That I was on
my way to tell a young mother
and wife, her husband
wasn’t coming home. And I
guess I stopped to gather my
thoughts and ended up here.
I didn’t tell them I was seconds
away from ending my
own life. I thanked them for
their kindness and asked them
if I could take them to a shelter
and they declined. They
said they were happy to be
together, be safe under that
bridge, and knew God would
keep them safe until they
could find a new home.
I left them there and drove
to Jones’ house. As I pulled
up the sheriff was just pulling
up as well. I walked up to
him and he hugged me said,
“You know you shouldn’t be
here. You have about a dozen
detectives and DA shoot team
looking for your ass.”
“Yes sir, I know. But this is
my job too, and he died on my
watch. Under my command.”
“Bob. I know. Let’s do this
together.”
The next few days were a
blur. The following week we
buried Deputy Jones. After the
funeral, I drove to that underpass
to make sure my young
new friends were ok, but the
tent was gone and so were
they. I guess God found them
that new home. As I was turning
around under the bridge, I
saw something where the tent
had been. I got out of my car
and picked up a cross that had
been formed from branches
and twigs. It had a red ribbon
tied around it and a small
piece of dirty paper tied to the
top with the words:
On this spot God saved us
from ourselves and gave us a
new beginning.
IS PROUD
TO SUPPORT
FOR HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL
38 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 39

REMEMBERING RICHARD HOUSTON
Mesquite Police Sergeant
When a Police Officer Dies
When a police officer dies, his family cries
and the world has lost a good friend.
Though he may have saved lives
and silenced young cries
by performing his duties each day,
there are those who will say he has passed away.
Then there are those who will know this is not
true, that his memory lives on in the good he has
done and the love he has left behind.
His body has passed but his spirit remains for
those who must continue his quest
as he goes to meet God, we pray as we nod and
wish him the very best.
Richard Houston
End of Watch: Friday, Dec. 3, 2021
Sgt. Richard Houston
40 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 41

REMEMBERING THOSE WE’VE LOST
Officers Lost Due to COVID in November 2021
OFFICER
JASON MICHAEL BELTON
BORDER PATROL AGENT
RAFAEL G. SANCHEZ
POLICE OFFICER
THOMAS KRISTOPHER HUTCHISON
SENIOR OFFICER
MATHEW L. LYONS
LIEUTENANT
DAVID FORMEZA
POLICE CHIEF
BUDDY CRABTREE
CORRECTIONAL OFFICER
JUAN CRUZ, JR.
SERGEANT
TIMOTHY WERNER
DETECTIVE SERGEANT
GARY R. TACCONE
DEPUTY SHERIFF
JOHN EDWARD MOON
42 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 43

REMEMBERING THOSE WE’VE LOST
Officers Lost Due to COVID in November 2021
BORDER PATROL AGENT
ANIBAL A. PEREZ
SERGEANT
SCOTT M. PATTON
CORRECTIONS OFFICER
V KEVIN DUPREE
MASTER TROOPER
DANIEL A. STAINBROOK
CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
ADAM RAY ARBOGAST
When one falls,
We all fall.
44 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 45

REMEMBERING THOSE WE’VE LOST
Lost in the Line of Duty
Senior Patrolman Sherman Otto Benys, Jr.
Kingsville Police Department, Texas
End of Watch Thursday, November 4, 2021
Age 58 Tour 20 Years Badge # 81
Senior Patrolman Sherman Benys succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained
three days earlier while responding to a domestic dispute on the 300 block of
South Wanda in Kingsville.
When Patrolman Benys and another officer arrived at the scene, the male
subject opened fire on them, striking Patrolman Benys and prompting the two
officers to return fire.
The subject fled the scene, was apprehended by officers, and taken into custody.
Police Officer Paramhans Desai
Henry County Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch Monday, November 8, 2021
Age 38 Tour N/A Badge # 7951
Police Officer Paramhans Desai succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained at
about 6:00 pm on November 4th, 2021, while responding to a domestic violence
call near the intersection of Keys Ferry Road and Floresta Drive in McDonough.
Officer Desai was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital where he remained
on life support until succumbing to his wounds on November 8th, 2021. He
continued to serve his community after his passing by having multiple organs
donated. The subject who shot Officer Desai fled the area and remained at large
for five days. He committed suicide after barricading himself inside of a home in
Clayton County as officers attempted to take him into custody.
Deputy Sheriff Lena Nicole Marshall
Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia
End of Watch Monday, November 8, 2021
Age 49 Tour 10 Years Badge # 4163
Deputy Sheriff Lena Marshall succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained three
days earlier while responding to a domestic disturbance call at 6416 Highway
124 in Hoschton. As she and another deputy contacted someone in the home,
a woman opened fire on them, wounding Deputy Marshall. Deputy Marshall’s
partner returned fire and killed the woman. Deputy Marshall was transported to
a local hospital, where she succumbed to her wounds.
Deputy Marshall had served with Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for almost two
years and had previously served with the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Habersham
Sheriff’s Office, Winder Police Department, and the Helen Police Department.
She is survived by her two daughters, son, two sisters, and two brothers.
Sergeant Dominic Guida
Bunnell Police Department, Florida
End of Watch Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Age 43 Tour 19 Years Badge # 5111
Sergeant Dominic Guida suffered a fatal heart attack while participating in a
multi-agency field force training exercise at the Relay Fire Tower in Bunnell.
He was participating in the training while wearing a gas mask when he suddenly
collapsed. He was immediately transported to the local hospital where he was
pronounced dead.
Sergeant Guida had served with the Bunnell Police Department for 19 years. He
is survived by his two sisters, brother, nieces, and nephews.
Officer Desai had previously served with the DeKalb County Police Department
and the Georgia Department of Corrections. He is survived by his wife and two
young children.
46 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 47

REMEMBERING THOSE WE’VE LOST
Lost in the Line of Duty
Lieutenant Chad Brackman
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Arizona
End of Watch Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Age 47 Tour 22 Years Badge # 7S1296
Lieutenant Chad Brackman was struck and killed by a vehicle while directing
traffic near the intersection of N 87th Street and N Pima Road in Scottsdale.
He was working an overtime assignment at about 11:00 am when he was
struck. He was transported to HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn where he succumbed
to his injuries a short time later.
Lieutenant Brackman had served with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for
22 years and was assigned to the Lake Patrol Division. He is survived by his
wife, two children, and two stepchildren, a daughter, and grandchildren.
Police Officer Michael D. Chandler
Big Stone Gap Police Department, Virginia
End of Watch Saturday, November 13, 2021
Age 29 Tour N/A Badge # 512
Police Officer Michael Chandler was shot and killed while performing a welfare
check at a vacant home in the 2500 block of Orr Street. Officer Chandler was
flagged down by a citizen at about 4:00 am who asked him to check on a person
who was inside of the home. When he arrived on the scene, he encountered
a subject and was shot. A deputy with the Wise County Sheriff’s Office located
Officer Chandler in a ditch along the home’s driveway. He was transported to
Norton Community Hospital and then flown to Johnson City Medical Center in
Tennessee where he succumbed to his wounds at about 7:00 pm.
The incident occurred on Officer Chandler’s 29th birthday. In addition to serving
with the Big Stone Gap Police Department, he also served as a volunteer with
the Big Stone Gap Fire Department.
Detective Michael J. Dion
Chicopee Police Department, Massachusetts
End of Watch Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Age 60 Tour 39 Years Badge # 1
Detective Michael Dion suffered a fatal heart attack while on traffic assignment
at 60 Fuller Road in Chicopee.
He had moved several large barricades as part of the road closure assignment
when he collapsed. He was transported to the hospital, where he was kept on
life support to donate his organs.
Detective Dion had served with the Chicopee Police Department for 39 years. He
is survived by his girlfriend and daughter.
Corrections Officer Rhonda Jean Russell
Blair County Prison, Pennsylvania
End of Watch Wednesday, November 17, 2021
Age 47 Tour 16 Years Badge # N/A
Corrections Officer Rhonda Russell was shot and killed after a struggle for her
firearm at the holding area of the Central Court building at 615 Fourth Street in
Altoona. A male inmate attacked and disarmed Officer Russell while waiting for
a court hearing. An Altoona police officer who was in the court building saw the
altercation between Officer Russell and the suspect. The suspect had restrained
Officer Russell and aimed the weapon at the officer. The officer shot at the
suspect, but the suspect moved Officer Russell into the line of fire. She was
transported to UPMC Altoona, where she succumbed to her wounds. The inmate
who attacked Officer Russell was charged with murder of the second degree
and murder of a law enforcement officer of the second degree.
Officer Russell had served 16 years with the Blair County Prison. She is survived
by her three sons, fiancé, and parents.
48 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 49

REMEMBERING THOSE WE’VE LOST
Lost in the Line of Duty
Deputy Sheriff Frank Ramirez, Jr.
Independence County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas
End of Watch Thursday, November 18, 2021
Age 29 Tour 2 Years 5 months Badge # 121
Deputy Sheriff Frank Ramirez was killed in a single-vehicle crash on State Highway
14 at about 12:50 am.
He was driving eastbound during a period of rain, responding to a call for assistance
when his vehicle left the roadway on a curve and became airborne.
Deputy Ramirez had served with the Independence County Sheriff’s Office for
five months and had previously served for two years with the Batesville Police
Department and the United States Border Patrol. He is survived by his wife, son,
and daughter.
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Madison “Skip” Nicholson
Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama
End of Watch Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Police Officer Henry Laxson
Clayton County Police Department, Georgia
End of Watch Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Age N/A Tour N/A Badge # N/A
Police Officer Henry Laxson was shot and killed as he and other officers responded
to a domestic violence and shooting call in the 3600 block of Jervis
Court in Rex at about 8:40 pm. The first officers to arrive on scene encountered
a 12-year-old boy who had been shot in the face. Despite his injuries, the boy
was able to lead officers to his house. As the officers approached the house,
a man opened fire from inside before retreating inside toward the back of the
home. Officer Laxson, along with other members of the Tactical Unit, were
approaching the home from the rear when they encountered the man at the rear
of the house. Both officers were transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, where
Officer Laxson succumbed to his wounds. Officer Laxson had been recognized
as the Clayton County Police Department’s Officer of the Quarter in October
2020. He is survived by his wife.
Detective Antonio Valentine
St. Louis County Police Department, Missouri
End of Watch Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Age 78 Tour 40 Years Badge # N/A
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Skip Nicholson was shot and killed while he and the chief
deputy responded to a domestic disturbance call on Shamburger Road in Yellow
Bluff at about 5:00 pm. A woman had reported that her estranged husband had
threatened to kill her and had left to retrieve a firearm. As Deputy Nicholson and
the chief deputy arrived at the home they encountered the man, who opened fire
and shot both deputies. Despite being wounded, the chief deputy returned fire and
killed the subject. Deputy Nicholson was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola,
Florida, where he succumbed to his wounds. Deputy Nicholson had served as
a law enforcement in Wilcox County for 40 years, have served as a reserve deputy,
a full-time deputy, and an elected constable. He was acting in the capacity of a
process server at the time of his shooting. He had previously been shot in the line
of duty while responding to a call for service in the 1990s. He is survived by his
wife, two sons, daughter, and eight grandchildren.
Age 42 Tour 14 Years Badge # N/A
Detective Antonio Valentine was killed in a vehicle crash near the intersection
of Bellefontaine Road and Crete Drive, in Bellefontaine Neighbors, at about 3:00
pm. The department vehicle he and his partner were in collided with another car
head-on. Both he and his partner were transported to Barnes-Jewish Hospital,
where Detective Valentine succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the other vehicle
was also killed in the crash. Detective Valentine was a United States Army
combat veteran and had retired from the Air Force Reserves. He had served with
the St. Louis County Police Department for 14 years.
Detective Valentine’s uncle is a police officer with the St. Louis Metropolitan
Police Department.
50 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 51

BY MICHAEL BARRON
the PROCESS
?
In the state of Texas there are
approximately 2700 law enforcement
agencies, 150 Federal
Agencies, 237 Sheriff’s Departments
and hundreds of police,
constables, and marshalls. The
BLUES has always maintained its
mission: we will cover what’s
happening in law enforcement
in Texas and share it with the
nearly 80,000 peace officers in
this state.
So naturally when we launched
our new digital version 2-years
ago, we reached out to as many
of those departments as possible
and said - keep us updated on
what your department’s doing
and we’ll cover it in The BLUES.
What we didn’t know, was that
we were signing up for an email
Armageddon. On an average day
we receive about 500 emails
from departments all across the
state. Some departments several
times a day, others once every
few months. My point is we get
to know intimately what some
departments endure on a daily
basis. The never-ending SWAT
calls, officer involved shootings
and God forbid a department
loses an officer.
During the course of selecting
cover topics for our upcoming
2022 issues, our Editorial Board
began discussing the possibility
of selecting an Officer of the
Year and perhaps a Police Chief
or Sheriff of the Year to feature
on the cover. We decided that
we’d let our 90,000+ readers
send in nominees for the Officer
of the Year and have our readers
vote for the winner in mid 2022.
But I liked the idea of choosing
a Police Chief of the Year. Now
as much as I’d like to tell you this
was all scientific and based on
this parameter and that statistic,
it wasn’t. The fact is each
of the board members selected
who ‘they’ thought deserved
to be recognized for doing an
outstanding job in 2021. Departments
large or small, big cities,
little towns - didn’t matter, everyone
picked who they thought
was #1. And then you had to tell
everyone WHY he or she deserved
this very special award,
the first of its kind in our 38th
year history.
Ironically, all of us chose Troy
Finner. Perhaps it’s because he’s
literally on the news or in one of
the thousands of emails we read
every day, that he would be the
first choice we would all consider.
Or perhaps it’s the man behind
the badge that each of us sees
that the public doesn’t.
To be honest, police chiefs of
big cities in America come and
go every day. A new mayor gets
elected, new city manager is
hired, new council elected, whatever,
they decide they don’t care
for the current chief’s policies
and next thing you know they are
on the hunt for new talent. And
most big cities don’t promote
from within, they recruit these
so-called “rock-star” police
chiefs from around the country
and parade them around their cities
like a King Cake at Mardi Gras.
But thankfully for those of us
here in Houston, Mayor Turner
only did that once with Art Ace-
52 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 53

TROY FINNER
HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
vedo. And when that ship sailed
to Miami, he made what turned
out to be an outstanding choice
for Houston’s new chief - Executive
Assistant Chief Troy Finner.
As Executive Assistant Chief,
Finner already had ALOT on his
plate. He oversaw one of the
largest divisions in the city and
literally had thousands of officers
and civilians reporting to
him daily. But Acevedo didn’t
leave him with this pie-in-thesky
department either. Finner
still had to deal with cleaning
up the mess in narcotics with
hundreds of cases on the line
after detectives lied their way
into countless cases and ended
up killing a couple in a no-knock
raid.
No to mention the city’s homicide
rate was on target to surpass
the past several years and a
few months after he was sworn
in as chief, he was on the scene
of an off-duty New Orleans officer
killed in the Galleria. Weeks
the WINNER.
later his own officer, William
Jeffries was killed in a shootout
with a felony suspect. But what
the public didn’t know and those
that have known Finner the past
31 years could plainly see, was
that each and every one of these
senseless killings was affecting
him personally. You could see
it in his face and hear it in his
voice. Doesn’t matter if it’s an
innocent 15-year-old boy shot in
his family’s backseat or his own
officer killed in the doorway of
a south-side apartment, Finner
takes it personally. He hurts and
bleeds for his city.
You don’t need to spend but
a few minutes with the man to
know he is something special.
That he comes from a place
you can’t find in a pre-packaged,
hyped up, ready-to-go,
super-hero police chief from
another-city kind of guy. He’s a
superhero alright, but in a completely
different kind of way. He’s
a superhero from the heart. He
cares about his department. The
men and women are his brothers
and sisters he’ll die protecting.
And most importantly, he cares
about the people in his city. If they
are hurt, he’s hurt. When they lose
a son or daughter, he suffers the
same loss. They are all his extended
family.
Quite frankly I don’t think you
could find a harder working police
chief if you tried. The pace Finner
keeps is hard to keep up with.
And I’m referring to the ‘dayshift’
side of the business. God knows
when this man sleeps. Although
he has assistant chiefs on duty
every night, if one of his people
get hurt, he is there. If another
innocent Houstonian is killed, he
is there comforting the family.
So yeah, selecting Police Chief
of the Year for 2021 was easy.
Hands down it was Houston Police
Chief, Troy Finner. Now let’s
look back at his 31 Years at HPD
and see how it all began and
what let to this moment in time.
54 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 55
54 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 55

in the BEGINNING.
Finner is a Houston native,
having been born in Houston’s
Fifth Ward. His mother and
father were both raised in the
Fifth Ward and at an early age,
the family moved to the Hiram
Clarke area of Houston. Finner
spent most of his childhood in
Hiram Clarke and graduated from
James Madison High School in
1985.
Even in high school, Finner was
a proven leader. He played safety
and running back for the Madison
Marlins and was a three-year
starter at safety and served as
the team’s captain. Because of
the example of discipline and
hard work set by his father,
coupled with the mentorship
and teachings of his high school
coaches, Finner was always
inspired to go the extra mile and
strive for the highest goals.
Finner enrolled at Sam Houston
State University, where he
discovered an interest in criminal
justice. He earned a Bachelor
of Science in Criminal Justice
from Sam Houston State and his
Master of Criminal Justice degree
from the University of Houston-Clear
Lake.
After graduating from Sam
Houston, Finner applied at the
Houston Police Department, was
accepted, and entered Class #
137 in 1989. When he graduated,
he was assigned to the old
Beechnut substation.
As he rose through the ranks,
Finner always had this mindset
of building relationships,
respecting people, and understanding
the differential aspects
of people. Those qualities were
things that he carried over in every
rank he held and led to him
rising higher and higher in the
department.
He worked in the Office of Public
Affairs, Southwest Division,
South Gessner Division, in the
Internal Investigation Command
and eventually as Assistant Chief
of the South Patrol Command.
When he promoted to Executive
Assistant Chief, he oversaw the
HPD Field & Support Operations,
which included responsibility for
three patrol region commands
and one support command encompassing
15 patrol divisions,
the Traffic Enforcement Division,
Emergency Communications
Division, Mental Health Division,
and the Gang Division.
Throughout his career, Chief
Finner has completed specialized
training through enrollment
in elite professional development
courses. He is a Senior Management
Institute for Police (SMIP)
graduate and attended the Police
Executive Leadership Institute
(PELI) and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation National Executive
Institute (NEI).
Outside of having a proven
track record, Finner has also
proven to be a true people person
and a real down to Earth
individual who isn’t afraid to talk
to anyone. He believes his upbringing
and his ability to relate
to everyone across the entire city
will help build stronger relationships
with the members of the
community.
56 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 57

Finner was interviewed by a
number of local magazines and
I found the following quotes
and responses truly indicative of
the true role model Finner has
become.
“Nobody has been a better
role model and mentor than my
parents,” said Finner. “My mother
showed me the art and blessings
of unconditional love and true
forgiveness. My father was a provider
and did whatever he had
to do to take care of his family.
My mother grew up in Kelly
Court projects in Fifth Ward, so
when I’m rolling through there,
I tell them that this is where my
mother was raised, so I have love
for the area because of the love I
have for my own mother.”
Finner says that he never
thought about being a member
of law enforcement as a young
person, but it eventually captured
his interest while in college.
“I never grew up thinking about
being a member of law enforcement
because I never had
a relationship with law enforcement
growing up,” said Finner. “I
really didn’t know a whole lot of
them and I am a first-generation
member of law enforcement, so
I had nobody in my family that
were police officers. It wasn’t
until I took a class in college tied
to criminal justice that it piqued
my interest and put me on the
path that I have been on relative
to my law enforcement career.”
true PURPOSE.
Finner spends time talking to
the younger generation about the
importance of learning about the
law enforcement profession, especially
speaking to young black
males.
“These young people, especially
our young brothers, should
stop looking past a career in
law enforcement. This is a great
job and you can help so many
people,” said Finner. “In this job,
you can really make a difference
and help people as part of your
career, and while I know a lot of
people tend to focus on many of
the negative aspects of the job
(and rightfully so sometimes), I
also know that the majority of
members of law enforcement do
great and wonderful things.”
Chief Finner says that God has
given him a unique ability to talk
to and build relationships with
everyone, regardless of their
status in life, and believes that is
what has helped him successfully
do his job and stay connected
to the community.
“I communicate with everybody,
which is a gift from God
and which is why I have been so
effective,” said Finner. “I want
to share an untold story with
you. During the large George
Floyd protest here in Houston,
I had members of the hip-hop
community and even some gang
members right there alongside
of me and HPD, when more than
about 5,000 people stayed back
to cause problems in our great
city. I told them I needed it to be
done the right way and didn’t
need anyone assaulted or any
other violence, and they said that
wouldn’t happen. They told me
that they just weren’t going to
let outsiders come into our city
and wreck our city. We often
hear the narratives of how our
young black males cause havoc
and chaos, but I want the story
to be told that we had young
black males who stood up, did
the right thing, and helped us
as members of law enforcement
protect our city. That’s the
strength and a true example of
what solid relationships between
police and the community
should look like. That is the story
I want told.”
58 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 59
58 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 59

TROY FINNER for the rest of his life.
With his left hand on the Holy Bible held by his
wife, Sherrian, Chief Finner took the oath of office
while his children, parents, and other family and
friends looked on. His ten-year-old son Wyatt took
top honors, as he was able to pin the official badge
of office on his father.
“It’s time to work,” said newly installed Houston
Police Chief Troy Finner at his swearing-in ceremony.
Coming into office very clearly aware of the
challenges that face him – a high homicide rate, an
increase in violent, lawsuits about the botch raid
that left a couple dead and other police misconduct
allegations hanging overhead. Finner also wants to
build trust in the community as well as address the
HPD reforms by directed by the mayor’s policing task
force.” Tough roads are ahead of us,” said Finner,
who added that he has never walked away from a
challenge.
As far as his top immediate focuses as the new
police chief of HPD, Finner stated that addressing
violent crime is at the top of the list, followed
by building trust with the community, focusing on
transparency, and ensuring that good police officers
are fully supported and appreciated.
As it relates to his legacy, Finner states that he
wants to be remembered as the man he has always
been…a man of his word.
“I’m Chief of Police for a short while, but I’m Troy
Finner for the rest of my life,” said Finner. “My word
and my family name means everything to me, so if
I don’t stand on my word and protect my family’s
name, then I have failed as a man. That is not something
I plan to do.”
60 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 61
60 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 61

WHO WANTS TO BE A COP?
New series takes deep dive into St. Petersburg Police Academy
62 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 63

PART 81
END OF WATCH
“One family! One Fight!”
BY LANE DEGREGORY
64 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 65

A van is driving in from the
west; a car is speeding from
the east; a school bus is coming
from the north, blinking its lights
to turn left.
Four lanes of traffic cross here
— and the light has been turned
off.
The only thing keeping the vehicles
from crashing is a cadet in
a neon yellow vest.
He blows his whistle, one long
blast, holds up his hand toward
the bus.
“Watch that van behind you!”
KeVonn Mabon shouts from the
curb. “Man, it’s confusing out
here. You got to have 360-degree
coverage and think like a stoplight.”
It’s the end of January, and the
recruits from the St. Petersburg
police academy are at the corner
of 22nd Avenue S and 22nd
Street, learning how to direct
traffic. Everyone has to stand in
the road for five minutes.
Putting them out there, a coach
says, “is terrifying.”
“Make sure they can see you,”
he calls to the cadet. “You got to
get out there in the center of the
intersection more.”
By LANE DeGREGORY,
Times
The instruction
Staff Writer
is brief: One
long whistle means stop. Two
short They tweets can’t get mean over go. the Get wall. the
drivers’ It’s 6-feet attention. tall, made Show of smooth them
what wood. you Nothing want to them hold to or do. stand Keep
your on. head on a swivel. Don’t
cause Even an the accident. tallest men Don’t are get struggling.
killed.
“Run “You’re at going it. Get to a grip. have Haul to address
yourself
up,”
each
shouts
car, because
a coach in
the
a red
shirt. “Don’t give them a huge
driver in the car behind it might
target.”
not
You
see
never
your
know
hand
when
signals,”
you’re
says
the going coach. to have to chase a suspect
over Wearing a wall. a green safety vest, a
cadet It’s a gestures drizzly day to in traffic. late September.
The The cadets police say recruits KeVonn are Mabon lined
looks like an NFL referee when
he directs traffic.
Mabon strides into the intersection,
adjusts his vest, plants
his feet shoulder-width apart.
For the first couple minutes, cars
only come from opposite directions;
he waves them straight
through.
Then someone driving in from
the east wants to turn left. “Exaggerate
your motions,” shouts
the coach.
Mabon waves with his right
hand, stops with his left. A tow
truck rolls by, then a car with
a dog. When two cars come in
from the south, side-by-side, he
stops the east-west traffic to
let them turn. “Nice!” shouts the
coach. “Good job keeping the
side streets moving.”
“Hey, Mabon!” calls one of the
recruits. “I hope to be like you
when I grow up!”
When it’s Brittany “Mama”
Moody’s turn, she slides on dark
sunglasses. She forgot her whistle,
which she had taken to her
son’s basketball game. She’s
coaching his team now.
“That’s okay, the whistle is optional,”
the coach says. “Now go
up behind St. Petersburg College’s predict their perils: crawl under a
Allstate get ’em.” Center, between the rifle fence, slither through a tube, hoist
range Wearing and shoot a green house. safety vest, a yourself into a make-shift attic.
Three cadet weeks gestures into to training, traffic. They’re slick with sweat, covered
they’ve Moody learned doesn’t to keep need their a whistle eyes in dirt, cheering each other on.
on to the direct door, traffic. do push-ups She’s confident
cadence,
in the tell intersection, reasonable suspicion using just her ing!” If you fall, you have to start
“You got it! Come on! Keep go-
from hands. probable cause, frisk someone,
Each search cadet a car develops and carry their coffee own “You have three chances,” the
over.
in their
style
left
in the
hand
street.
so they
Mabon
can grab
mimics
a referee’s motions. Instead
coach says.
their gun with their right.
In the real world, you might only
Brittany Moody is the first woman
in her class to conquer the Class 219 is mostly white and
get one.
of using her whole hand, Moody doesn’t mean they’re going to
obstacle points course. to drivers She with played two five fingers.
growing up and works out yet, said A Joe man Saponare, in a silver who Nissan over-
honks
male,
stop.”
but it is the most diverse
sports
every “Good morning. job! Great! But be careful!”
morning, calls the they’re coach. starting “Just be-
the burg College’s dan waves Law and Enforcement shouts, “Thanks
sees recruit at one training recruit. at A woman St. Peters-
in a se-
This
obstacle cause course you put that’s your designed hand up to Academy: for being seven here!” women, five Black
An hour later, traffic picks up.
Hannah Anhalt had wanted to
wait, watch her classmates,
build her confidence.
“You look scared,” Mabon tells
her. “Just go out there and get
it over with.” He fist-bumps her.
“You got this!”
She stands beneath the stoplight,
motions with her right arm
above her head, then swoops her
left hand across her waist, waving
on a pickup.
“Looking good out there!” calls
the coach.
Later, Anhalt admits, “It wasn’t
that bad.” Directing traffic, she
says, “will be the least of my
66 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 67

worries.”
Arm bumps between cadets.
Hannah Anhalt was nervous
about standing in the street
with cars coming at her from all
directions. Here, she celebrates
after taking her turn directing
traffic.
Graduation is only a couple of
weeks away. Then the recruits
have to pass the state test.
After that, they start training
with the agencies that hired
them. They’ll spend at least four
more months shadowing “field
training officers,” going to accidents
and incidents, working the
radio, and writing reports.
Even if all of them make it
through the academy, another
40 percent don’t make it
through that next phase, when
every day a senior officer rates
them on appearance, communication
skills, problem-solving,
reactions — 36 aspects of their
performance.
They really need a year of
training at the academy, says one
coach. The others agree. “That’s
why law enforcement officers
get in trouble. They under-train
and overreact, go for their guns.”
In Florida, basic training for
police officers was authorized by
the Legislature in 1967 and began
the next year. It then featured 5
weeks of sessions.
The state changes training
standards often but not the
length of the academy. As the
Legislature adds requirements,
there is “the possibility of an
increase in hours in the near
future,” said Jessica Cary of the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
This month, the state curriculum
will add 24 hours of communications
training and teach
recruits about using “emotional
intelligence and empathy as
tools … responding with professionalism
and empathy to people
who appear different from oneself”
and how to interact with
people who fear police.
The next class of cadets just
started — the biggest yet, with
32 recruits. The class includes
11 women, 5 minorities, people
from six countries and, surprisingly,
two men in their 50s.
When Coach Joe Saponare
asked why they enrolled, they
echoed the current cadet class:
To serve my community, be a
leader, because my dad was a
cop. Several had been in the military.
During the pandemic, some
wanted “an essential job.”
“I grew up in a household of
really terrible criminals and got
out at 18,” says a woman from
Largo. “I want to help people like
me.”
“I grew up watching a lot of
Robo Cop,” says a guy from
Clearwater. “I want to be part of
that.”
A man from Tarpon Springs
says, “If change is possible, I
want to be that change.”
Over the last year, the Minneapolis
City Council pledged to
dismantle its police department,
New York lawmakers opened
officers’ disciplinary records to
the public, and several states
banned chokeholds.
Florida legislators recently
approved new standards to limit
the use of chokeholds.
And around Tampa Bay, law
enforcement agencies changed
training and policies. Some
departments now make officers
wear body cameras; some send
social workers on non-violent
calls. Several added training on
defensive tactics, de-escalation,
and mental health.
The state now investigates all
officer-involved shootings in
Tampa and Hillsborough County.
In Pinellas County, a new task
force investigates any “use of
deadly force.”
And most agencies added a
“Duty to Intervene,” requiring
officers to prevent or report
wrongdoing by co-workers.
The recruits are quiet, for once.
It’s the day before graduation,
and they’re finishing lunch in
the classroom. Normally, they’d
be joking around, making the
youngest do push-ups.
Today, it’s starting to sink in
that they’re almost done. Some
will stay together: three in Clearwater,
four in St. Petersburg, 14
at the Pinellas County Sheriff’s
Office.
Their class started with 30
members. The 23 who stuck it
out bonded so well they chose
the slogan, “One family! One
fight!” for the flag they’ll leave as
a legacy.
Recruits seated in class sharing
a laugh.
“Mama” Moody is always
cleaning up after the cadets and
joking around during breaks.
“No tears,” Mabon tells a female
cadet, who is sniffling. “My
gun is hot, so don’t make me use
it!”
Over the last couple of weeks,
they learned to make traffic
stops, and that they’ll pull over
an average of 500 cars a year.
“Always touch the vehicle.” If the
driver races off, there will be
evidence for later.
They learned to investigate
accidents. “Measure the skid
marks, draw a diagram.”
They learned to test people for
drunken driving. “If the ladies
have heels on, let them take
68 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 69
68 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 69

them off before you make them
walk in a straight line.”
They reviewed for the final
exam, defining probable cause,
proof beyond reasonable doubt,
aggravated battery. They went
over voyeurism, molestation,
elder abuse. What to do when
you show up at a carjacking,
home invasion, dead baby. How
to deal with runaways, computer
crimes, meth labs, biological
weapons, Nigerian scams,
swarms of insects.
“If the subject is urinating
against a building, that’s disorderly
conduct. If he turns around
to face the street, it’s indecent
exposure.”
This afternoon, as they’re
cleaning up from lunch, the
academy director comes in and
stands by the podium. “Congratulations!”
Michael DiBuono tells
the cadets.
He asks about their experiences,
what they would change
about the academy.
“We need more tactical gear to
train in, sir,” says a former soldier.
“More ride-alongs in the field,”
says another.
More walkie-talkie training.
More driving. More days in the
mat room.
“Yeah, I want to add furniture
in there, too,” DiBuono says. “You
guys need to learn to fall over
couches, into glass coffee tables.”
Mabon wants more time
talking to strangers. “We go
through all these intense scenarios,
but that’s like 1 percent
of all we do,” he says. “We need
more interaction with real, random
people. Those 15 minutes at
Walmart weren’t nearly enough.”
As tough as the physical training
was, Mabon and Moody say
there should be more. Coaches,
they say, should be tougher on
slackers.
“I don’t want someone to be
my backup who barely skimmed
by in the PT here,” Moody says.
Cheaper, healthier food for the
cafeteria, someone says. Roaches
out of the locker room. Hot
water in the showers.
When everyone finishes their
suggestions, Moody raises her
hand. “Every suspect in the scenarios,”
she says, “was a Black
male.”
Flashlights illuminate a cadet
being helped into the back
seat of a police car by the other
recruits.
Mabon plays a “bad guy”
during a scenario about a traffic
stop.
The room falls silent. The
director looks at the ground,
then out at the cadets. “I don’t
take that lightly,” he says. “We
shouldn’t base crimes on someone’s
ethnicity. I’ll take care of
that.”
“One more thing,” says Moody.
“We could use a more diverse
group of instructors. More women,
people of color.”
The director stretches out his
arm. “Will you come back and
teach with us?”
Moody smiles. “Absolutely.”
On their last morning at the
academy, the recruits line up
outside, shoulder-to-shoulder
around the flagpole, like they always
do. A recorded bugle pipes
revelry through a speaker. The
sun shines low in a cloudless
sky.
Moody carries the Florida flag
and marches in step with four
classmates, one cradling an
American flag. While they raise
the banners, the cadets salute.
A broad-chested recruit calls
for a moment of silence, like he
always does, to honor an officer
killed somewhere in the country,
often years ago.
This time, though, it’s one of
their own.
“Now, let’s all bow our heads,”
says the cadet, “for the deputy
who lost his life in the line of
duty last night.”
Moody closes her eyes, imagines
her son waiting for her to
come home.
Two of the recruits bow their
heads in respect.
When the recruits bow their
heads to honor fallen Pinellas
County Deputy Michael Magli,
Moody thinks about coming
home to her son.
After the recruits march back
into the building, recite the levels
of force and code of ethics, she
walks to the front of the room
and unfolds a piece of paper.
She didn’t have to do this, but
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70 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 71

she wanted to. Looking out at
her classmates, she says, “End of
Watch.”
Tampa Bay Times headline
“Pinellas sheriff’s deputy killed
trying to stop drunken driver,
sheriff says”
Tampa Bay Times headline,
Feb. 17, 2021.
Then she clears her throat and
begins to read: “Pinellas County
Deputy Michael Magli was killed
by a drunk driver who fled at a
high rate of speed on East Lake
Road. The subject was passed
out inside his vehicle and when
paramedics broke the window,
he suddenly awoke, accelerated,
and crossed the median into oncoming
traffic. Deputy Magli was
preparing to deploy stop sticks
when the driver lost control,
overturned, and struck him.”
A week later, she would have
been working with Magli.
“He was 30 years old,” she says
shakily. Even younger than her.
She folds the paper, swallows,
lifts her glasses to wipe her eyes.
Her classmates have never seen
her cry. “He is survived by his
wife,” she says, choking on her
words. “And two young children,
including a daughter who isn’t
even a year old.”
A coach comes to her side.
“What happened yesterday
was tragic. But it happens. You
got to get back to work,” he tells
the recruits. And he offers perspective:
In 109 years, “that’s the
first deputy Pinellas County has
ever lost.”
Later, while a coach runs the
cadets through a review for the
final exam, Moody rushes from
the room, out of the building.
She lowers the flags to halfstaff.
Recruits in the hallway talk and
gesticulate.
On graduation day, the recruits
get to wear their new uniforms.
Mabon and Moody are both going
to be deputies for the Pinellas
County Sheriff’s Office.
“All right, everyone line up!
Time for the final fist-bump,”
Mabon calls a half-hour before
graduation.
“Why do you keep saying final?”
asks Moody. “This is really
the beginning.”
They’re in the classroom, taking
selfies and group shots, dressed
in new uniforms: Anhalt, in all
black for Clearwater; Moody
and Mabon wearing the sheriff’s
forest green.
The youngest recruit, who
barely passed the physical training,
still has on his academy
uniform. He’s the only one who
hasn’t been hired.
“I’m so nervous,” says Moody,
who seldom gets nervous.
Her classmates selected her
to be their graduation speaker.
She practiced her speech several
times but keeps thinking of more
to say.
In an auditorium at the dais,
a recruit holds her head as she
thinks about her speech.
The day before graduation,
Moody sweats every detail of
her speech. She is honored, and
stressed, to be chosen as her
class’s graduation speaker.
Over the last six months,
they’ve all learned so much —
about policing, the world and
themselves.
Mabon, the consummate team
player, says he now knows he
can’t trust everyone, not even all
his classmates. With his life on
the line out there, he says, “There
are certain people I wouldn’t
want to be paired with. You can’t
count on backup. You gotta be
able to fix things on your own.”
Anhalt, who initially doubted
she could do this, sees herself
differently now. “I don’t question
myself so much,” she says. “I’m
no Mabon. But I’m so much more
confident and capable than I
thought I was.”
For Moody, it’s all about her
son. Now, she’s so much more
scared that something might
happen to him. She shares the
biggest fear of all parents,
compounded by what she now
knows police face.
“I think about him all the time,
especially when we do stuff like
school shooting drills,” she says.
“Where should I tell him to hide?
How can I help him if he’s in
Hillsborough and I’m working in
Pinellas?”
They file into the hall and line
up in alphabetical order. One
cadet steps forward, salutes a
coach and barks: “23 signed, 23
present, sir! Forward, march!”
The cadets turn so their right
shoulders are against the wall
and, for the last time, fall into
step. “Left, left, left, right, left!”
Their boots thud heavily, new
guns bounce against their hips.
In the auditorium, Coach Sap
talks about their tenacity, willingness
to tackle new technology,
the way they came together.
“Family means you never give up
on each other,” he says.
Anhalt’s academic score ties for
second highest. Mabon wins the
coaches’ award for leadership
and athleticism.
Moody starts her speech
strong. “Today, we stand in front
of you as brothers and sisters,
united for a common purpose in
a time of too many injustices to
count.” Soon, she has to pause
because she can’t read through
her tears.
A row of seated, uniformed re-
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72 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 73

cruits, one brushing a tear from
her cheek.
Moody promised herself she
wouldn’t cry. But after giving her
speech, she did.
As they cross the stage to get
their certificates, their families
film them. Anhalt’s dad, stepmom
and fiancé are in the front row.
Moody’s mom, girlfriend and son
are a few chairs back. In the corner,
by the door, Mabon’s coach
from pee-wee football sits with
his wife, clapping.
They’re all proud of the recruits.
And terrified about what
they’re getting into.
A group of cadets exchange
hugs.
Anhalt, left, and Moody, right,
embrace classmates after their
final fallout. The 23 cadets
pledged to stay connected and
look out for each other on the
streets.
Afterward, officers from several
of the agencies shake their
hands and welcome the cadets
to the thin blue line. The Pinellas
sheriff couldn’t come, because of
the officer’s death the day before.
But he sent someone to give the
new deputies their badges.
Silver stars. Each bears a thick,
black band.
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74 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 75

2 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE
The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 3

Holiday Gift Ideas for Your
Law Enforcement Family
by Doug Wyllie
Well Black Friday and Cyber
Monday have come and gone —
it’s officially time to let the serious
shopping shenanigans commence.
Did you know there’s an entire
website devoted to tracking the
death toll and injury count in
shopping-related incidents on the
Friday following Thanksgiving?
I suppose it should have come
as no surprise that BlackFridayDeathCount.com
(which
currently gets my vote for best
ULR ever) was the third result
in an Internet search for “Crime
on Black Friday.” A blog post by
a bail bonds establishment and
another blog post from an attorney’s
office were one and two in
the search return, respectively—
seriously, I’m not kidding.
Wherever you patrol and
whatever your shift, there will
be mayhem and morons with
which to contend on Black Friday.
Among the most common violations
you’ll see are brandishing a
weapon, menacing, inciting riot,
assault/battery, and (obviously)
theft/shoplifting.
Hopefully, however, you will
also enjoy some downtime during
which you can get ahead on your
holiday shopping for family and
friends—here is handful of ideas
to get you started.
SWEET STOCKING STUFFERS
(UNDER $25)
5.11 Level I Duty Socks
The best things to put into a
cop’s stocking is, well, warm
stockings (socks). I’m a big fan
of the 5.11 Level I Duty Socks,
particularly of the 9” variety.
They stay up above the calf all
day long (few things are worse
than socks that end up bunched
up around your ankles all the
time), and they offer just enough
compression to be comfortable
and not constricting. They’re
available from the 5.11 website
and retailers like Galls and run
(pun intended) at $13 per pair.
Black Rifle COTUS 20oz 2.0
Coffee Tumbler
It’s really easy to get sucked
into the vortex that is the BRC
website (there’s a plethora of
stuff like t-shirts, coffee grinders,
clever mugs, and whatnot)
but a major favorite is the Constitution
of the United States coffee
tumbler. According to BRCC,
this vessel is “perfect for enacting
new tariffs and silencing
whistleblowers” but it also keeps
hot beverages hot for a really,
really long time. It’s components
are BPA-free components and
designed to fit in any standard
cup holder. Retail price is $20.
NICE BUT NOT TOO NICE (BE-
TWEEN $50 AND $100)
Gerber Highbrow Onyx Serrated
Edge Knife
This compact tactical knife has
a drop-point blade and eight
flat-top serrations near the hilt.
The sleek anodized aluminum
handle makes it a smooth draw
from a pocket, and the ambidextrous
clip can be mounted for either
left- or right-side carry. The
open-assist is ample but unobtrusive.
Not meant as a primary
duty knife, the Gerber Highbrow
Onyx Serrated Edge Knife makes
for an outstanding backup blade
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4 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 5

or an off-duty tool for everyday
jobs. Priced at $52, it’s an outstanding
value.
Leatherman Heritage Super-Tool
300 Multitool
Nothing says “I love you man”
quite like a top-quality multitool,
and the Gold Standard
belongs to Leatherman. The
Heritage Super-Tool 300 has
19 tools, including four screw
drivers, needle-nose pliers, a
nine-inch ruler, a wire stripper, a
couple of knives, and (of course),
the obligatory bottle opener. A
person can spend plenty of cash
on some of the items Leatherman
has on the market, but for me,
the sweet spot of the bat is this
handy device priced at an even
$100.
SANTA IS AWASH IN CASH
(WHAT PRICE TAG?)
reset is excellent, and although
there is no felt-recoil and no
slide action, this is probably
better than dry-fire practice with
a real gun because you can see
with the two lasers whether or
not you’re jerking the trigger. It’s
also great to practice changing
magazines (tactical reloads). It’s
pricey (at least for me) at between
$339 and $439 depending
on the model you choose, but
well worth the investment.
Force Science Certification
The best gift a person can give
another person is that of knowledge,
and while there are myriad
ways in which this valuable gift
may be bestowed, having a certification
in Force Science Analysis
is way up there on the list.
This weeklong seminar will hurt
your brain, but pain is weakness
leaving the body and when it’s
all said and done, there’s a tremendous
feeling of accomplishment.
Tuition is $1,650—no small
investment—and the participant
will have to travel to some location,
pay for hotel, meals, and all
the other accoutrement required
of such a trip, but as a FSI “Cert
Holder” holder I can attest to the
fact that it’s worth every penny.
FINAL WORDS
Over the years I’ve suggested a
whole host of other options, and
they merit mention in this space
(ICYM). I love the Battle Mug,
which is simultaneously frivolous
and indispensable. In my
opinion a person can never go
wrong giving books. The most
recent release I place in the “essential”
category is Street Survival
II: Tactics for Deadly Force
Encounters, by Lieutenant (ret)
Jim Glennon and Lieutenant (ret)
Dan Marcou.
Then there is a plethora of
non-police related gifts. For the
outdoorsman or woman in your
life, I challenge you to wander
around Bass Pro Shops or REI for
a half hour and not come away
with something perfect for them
and priced for you. Send a picture
of your partner to MyCustomBobbleHeads
and you’ll get
an amusing likeness of them they
will either love or hate (either of
which is a good outcome, in my
estimation). There are endless
options if your shopping list includes
someone who likes a funny
or ironic t-shirt (my current
favorite is the “Let’s Go Brandon”
shirt I got off Amazon).
In the end, it really is the
thought that counts. This Holiday
season has the potential to bring
with it some additional irritations
and inconveniences, and
there’s no getting around the fact
that those issues SUCK.
Make the most of what you
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8 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 9

Three Great Books
WRITTEN BY FORMER HPD SGT. DAVID COLE aka Deacon Blue
The Battle of Houston-Hezbollah Attacks
What would happen if a terrorist force numbering almost one thousand attacked a major American
city and conducted a series of coordinated terror attacks that lasted nearly a month? This
book will show the reader what could happen in the event of a major terror attack on a large U.S.
city and the effects of the terror on the population and the men and women of the police departments
who must fight them to the death. Veteran fighters from the wars in the Middle East are
sent to Houston by a malevolent country to strike terror into the citizens by killing and maiming as
many as possible with small arms, explosives, poison gas and finally an atomic bomb. The Houston
Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department and other local law enforcement
must battle on their own until the National Guard and the Texas Rangers arrive to join the fight
READ TODAY, CLICK HERE
The Battle of Houston-The Evil That Men Do
The Battle of Houston continues to its final devastating end when a malevolent country sends its best
fighters to Texas to cripple the petrochemical industry in the United States. Three oil tankers bearing
not crude oil but Quds Force fighters, attack helicopters and combat drones are sent against the Texas
gulf coast oil refineries and chemical plants for a knock out blow. With the help of the Israeli Mossad,
the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy must find and destroy those ships before they can launch their
attacks. When they do, sea battles, the likes not seen before off the coast of Texas ensue. Meanwhile,
the remnants of the thousand strong Hezbollah terrorists continue their attacks on the civilians and
police in the city of Houston. HPD Chief Marcus McDonald, Sgt. Mark Conway and his intrepid group
of officers, the Texas Rangers and the National Guard fight the terrorists to the death as they blow up
trains, police stations, power plants, fire stations and murder any civilian that gets in their way. The
Battle of Houston ends at the historic San Jacinto battlefield when officers, sheriff’s deputies, Texas
Rangers, National Guard Apache AH-64 helicopters and the U.S.. Coast Guard attempt to sink the last
remaining enemy ship that has an atom bomb deep in its cargo hold.
READ TODAY, CLICK HERE
The Battle of Houston-Mouton’s Revenge
The Battle of Houston continues as the Houston Police Department is joined by the Harris County
Sheriff’s Department, the National Guard and the Texas Rangers to fight the hundreds of terrorists
unleashed on the city by a malevolent country. Outgunned in every fight, the men and women of law
enforcement must overcome the forces sent to destroy their city. As each terrorist attack is fought to
the death, another attack explodes in another part of Houston. City buildings and critical infrastructure
are demolished with explosives and heavy ordnance used by the veteran fighters from the middle
eastern wars. Maurice Mouton, retired HPD SWAT marksman continues his mission to avenge the
death of his fellow marines from a truck bomb in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983. Sgt. Mark Conway leads
his small group of intrepid officers as they find themselves in fight after fight with veteran terrorists.
HPD Chief of Police Marcus McDonald must make critical decisions when he discovers an impending
poison gas attack. With heavy losses, his Department is losing the battle of attrition. With the help of
Sheriff Mark Holloway and his deputies, they hope to stop the attacks and save their city. Texas Ranger
Thomas Metcalf and Ranger Major Fuentes must stop an nuclear attack on NASA. The National Guard,
commanded by Lt. Colonel Nichols, use their Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Apache helicopters to bring
superior firepower to the fight. Even with their help, the outcome of the battle is in doubt.
READ TODAY, CLICK HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deacon Blue is the pen name of retired Sgt. David Cole. He was a Houston Police officer from 1981 to 2018. He started
in Southwest Patrol and then transferred to Homicide Division where he worked the desk for three years. He Continued was then on assigned Page 16 to the Homicide
Sex Crimes Unit where he investigated sexual assaults and other cases. He finally promoted to sergeant in 2007 and went back to patrol.
After six months as a patrol sergeant, he was assigned to the HPD Jail division. He escaped from the jail two years later and spent the last
10 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE
The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 11
nine years of his career in the Office of Planning. Now that he’s retired, he cuts the grass, drives his wife to the store and sometimes writes books.

WORDS BY OFFICER D. SULLIVAN
Marines Land at Precinct 8
Ever since COVID and the Pandemic
started, the night shift at
Pct. 8 has been pretty sparse.
The Desk Sergeant, Patrol Lieutenant,
and a handful of officers
and detectives that filtered
through all night. The only two
assigned to the desk were me
and Officer Tommy Wilson. For a
Thursday night it was fairly quiet
except for the protesters that
were still in the downtown area.
But from what we had been
told, they were several blocks
away and seemed to be loud but
peaceful.
All that changed at 10:55pm
when the front door burst open
and two black males came in
carrying a young white girl covered
in blood. One of the males
yelled she had been shot by an
unknown subject and then all
hell broke loose. They said as
soon as the shooting started the
protesters started throwing bottles
and rocks at the police, and
the police responded with rubber
bullets and tear gas. Somehow,
they managed to escape through
an alley and made their way here
to the Precinct.
I grabbed the first aid kit while
Tommy called dispatch to have
a bus dispatched to us forthwith.
The girl was in pretty bad shape,
she was awake and alert but obviously
in a lot of pain. The good
news was the bullet seemed
to be through and through her
thigh, and I did the best I could
to stop the bleeding. I asked the
two men if they knew the woman
and they said they didn’t. They
saw her get shot and knew she
needed help, so they brought her
here.
The Desk Sgt. for the night was
Sgt. Townsend, and after hearing
all the commotion, he came
down to see what was going on
and freaked the hell out when he
saw me covered in blood. “It’s ok
Sarge, it’s not my blood, we’ve
got a shooting victim that was
brought in from the protests up
the block.”
“Well, we’ve got bigger problems
than that,” he said “dispatch
just called me on my cell and
told me that the ambulance you
called is trapped on the other
side of the protest line and can’t
get through. Not only that, but
the group has also turned violent
and started torching buildings
and is making their way
towards us.”
Well, that’s great! We have
two cops, one sergeant, three
civilians, one of which has
a gun shot in her thigh, and
we’re about to be surrounded
by an angry mob. It was about
that time that I noticed the two
males had on shirts that said,
“Black Lives Matter.” Not that
that had any bearing on our situation,
but I looked them both
in the eyes and said, “Guys, I
don’t know whether you two
support the police or not, but
you did the honest thing by
bringing a complete stranger
here for help. But I’m afraid the
shit is about to get deep and
we need to barricade the doors
and do our best to protect this
building and this woman. I
understand if you guys need to
go.”
They both looked at each
other and back at me and said
“we’re not going anywhere.
We’re both ex-military, and
we’re here to do whatever you
ask us to do.” I wanted to hug
them both but that had to wait. I
grabbed a female clerk from the
bonding desk and had her keep
pressure on the girl’s leg and told
her to stay with her no matter
what.
Townsend and Wilson walked
back into the lobby and said,
“We need to move and move
fast. The crowd is only a couple
of blocks away and we need to
lock these doors and barricade
ourselves in. “Sarge, these guys
are ex-military and they want to
stay and help.”
He said, “Then let’s do this!”
I’m pretty sure at this point I
had seen all this shit in a movie
before. Not sure what the hell
the movie was, but this was
definitely a movie. And just like
in the movie, we used desks and
file cabinets to block the front
entrance and both side doors.
Knowing full well that buildings
were being torched all over
town, I had the Marines go and
gather up all the fire extinguishers
they could find.
“Sarge, have we called dispatch
to get us back up?” He
looked at me with that shit eating
smirk and said, “what do you
think, they have no one to send.
It’s just us.”
The Marines returned with
dozens of fire extinguishers and
as they were lining them up
near the front door, I asked, “By
any chance do either one of you
have “license to carry permits?”
and they both grinned and said,
“What do you think” and raised
their shirts at the same time
with what I assumed were .45’s
tucked in their waist bands.
Thank God for LTC. I glanced up
at the security monitors and noticed
two paramedics at the rear
entrance. “We got company at
the rear exit. I have no idea how
those EMTs got here, but let their
asses in.”
Both EMTs looked to be about
20 something and looked scared
as shit as they started working
on our girl.
“Guys I’m not even going to ask
how in the hell you got here, but
please do what you can with this
poor girl. She’s been in and out
and lost a lot of blood.”
“We walked 8 blocks behind
buildings and jumped fences”
said the younger of the two
EMTs, “but hell we’re firemen so
that’s what we do, save cops”
Uh huh, well save her ass, and
then you can save ours because
you have no idea what the hell
you just walked into.
It was about that time that we
heard rocks hitting the building
and glass breaking on the second
floor. Thankfully, there were
no shots fired, but several Molotov
cocktails were thrown at
the building, but quickly burned
themselves out. For the next hour
to hour and a half, I would guess
that nearly 300 people had surrounded
the precinct. They wrote
all over the sides of the building
and torched about a dozen police
cars parked along the curb.
There wasn’t a minute that went
by that every person in the building
didn’t think we could all burn
to death at any minute.
76 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 77
76 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 77

WORDS BY OFFICER D. SULLIVAN
Two Heroes Emerge from the Aftermath of Precinct 8
About 2am, officers from other
Precincts arrived and managed
to push the crowd back and setup
a perimeter around the building
and escorted an ambulance
and a squad of paramedics to us
and transported the girl to the
hospital. As they were leaving, I
told the two EMTs, “Hey, thanks
for saving our asses.”
They both laughed but we all
knew that we all saved each
other’s asses that night. It wasn’t
until 4am that the crowd had
dispersed, and it was safe to
step outside. As I walked out
into the sidewalk, the carnage
was unbelievable. The smell
of burning rubber and gasoline
filled the air and the remains of
burnt patrol cars lined the street.
The Marines were on my heals
as I turned back towards the
entrance, and the look on their
faces was unforgettable.
THE AFTERMATH:
You know, I don’t even know
your names, Marines.
“Ed Johnson and Robert Jones”
they both replied as they fist
bumped for social distancing,
which really didn’t seem to matter
considering all that the three
of us had been through that
night.
We all sat down on the front
steps and took it all in.
“You know we never wanted
all this” said Johnson “We just
wanted our side of the story to
be told and people to listen. We
wanted all people, not just cops,
to see that innocent people were
being hurt. No one ever said Blue
Lives didn’t matter. Hell, all lives
matter.”
I’m sure you both noticed that
young girl you brought in here
was wearing a THIN BLUE LINE
shirt and a Blues Lives Matter
arm band.
“Yes sir, we did”
But yet you both risked your
lives to bring her here, to safety
and to a police station no less!
“Yes sir, yes we did”
But why? Why did you bring
her here? And then why did you
stay?
“Because it was the right thing
to do,” said Johnson.
So, this is what everyone in this
damn country needs to understand.
It doesn’t matter what
color the lives are you’re trying
to protect. We are all AMERI-
CANS. We need to stand by and
protect each other. There are bad
cops, bad citizens, bad protestors,
bad everything. No one is
perfect and everyone makes
mistakes. But there’s a difference
in making mistakes and intentionally
taking one’s life or burning
down buildings and people’s
businesses.
There is a problem in this
country that isn’t going away.
One side is always blaming the
other side. The sides shouldn’t
by divided by color, they should
be divided by right and wrong.
What’s fair and just and what’s
not.
Cops have a right to defend
themselves, but not cross the
line to unjustly take someone’s
life. At the same time, just because
a white cop has to shoot
and even kill a person of color,
doesn’t mean that cop is racist. It
means that cop took the action
necessary to protect himself and
others.
Concurrently, there are a lot
of angry, hateful people in this
world and they are out to destroy
everything they can. They
use race as an excuse, but the
truth is, they would just as soon
shoot and kill a member of their
own race as that of another.
There are honest and just people
in this world. On this step, in
front of this hated building, sat
two black men and one white
cop. All three risked their lives
tonight to protect themselves
and the lives of people they
didn’t even know. They risked
their own lives to save the life of
a young women that was on the
street protesting against the very
thing they stood for. But yet they
looked past her beliefs to see
she was a human being that was
hurt and needed help. Why?
For one, they fought for their
country and know that Americans
don’t fight Americans. We
fight the enemy. This girl clearly
wasn’t the enemy. In fact, she
was just like them. An American
expressing her right to free
speech. She didn’t deserve to
get shot any more than anyone
else on that street did…cops or
protestors.
It’s time we joined hands in this
country and realized that regardless
of your skin color, we are
not enemies of each other. We
need to realize that bad people
are going to do bad things and it
doesn’t matter what color they
are, they need to be stopped and
pay for their sins. There is no
other answer other than this.
No one need be judged by the
color of their skin, but by their
actions whether they be good or
bad. I don’t know if this will ever
happen in my lifetime. But I do
know that there are good honest
people in this world that believe
as I do. I also know that I met
two of them tonight.
78 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 79

WORDS BY SGT. T.F. WOODS
View From Ground Zero
To begin with, I don’t live in
Texas and I’ve never heard of The
BLUES. But a law enforcement
friend of mine does live in Texas
and has read The BLUES for
the past 25 years. When he sent
me a link to last month’s issue, I
read it from cover to cover and
related immediately to the War
Story about Pct. 8. I was one of
the cops on the street that night.
I noticed the author didn’t use his
real name nor the real names of
the people involved. And I know
why. Because our mayor and
police commissioner have completely
lost their minds. Rather
than back the rank and file,
they have joined these left-wing
radicals in their quest to dismantle
not only our department but
cops in general everywhere. This
is what it’s like in my city, on my
shift, in this war zone.
Having served two tours in
Iraq, I know what a hot zone
looks like. I know the fog of war.
I know what death looks like. I
know that in battle, your goal is
to kill the enemy before they kill
you. And to protect the men and
women, that serve with you. Everybody
goes home. Nobody gets
left behind. Watch your six. I get
it and I understand it.
Tonight, as we gear up and get
ready to hit the streets, you can
see the uncertainty in the eyes of
my brother officers. For those of
us that served, the M4 a shorter
more compact version of the
M16 rifle used by most military,
feels comfortable. For those that
haven’t served, I see how nervous
they are carrying a rifle as their
primary weapon. What pisses
me off, we’re loaded with rubber
bullets and told not to fire at protesters
unless your life if threatened.
That goes against everything
the military or the police
academy teaches you.
If your life is in danger, your job
is to put the suspect or enemy
down. So, what the hell are
we doing here? I’m confused as
to why we are even lining up
against these violent thugs. Now
let me just say, getting hit with
a rubber bullet fired from an M4
will do more than leave a mark.
It’s going to hurt like hell. But
it isn’t going to kill you. And if
you are wearing body armor, its
barely going to leave a mark. But
it is what it is, and if faced with
an armed individual that threatens
me or my team, I have still a
Glock that will take them out.
While I won’t identify myself, I
will say that I’m a sergeant and
tonight I have 10 men and 2 women
officers assigned to my squad.
Our assignment is to go downtown
and keep several thousand
protesters from destroying our
city. Out of the thousands that
show up, only about 15% are what
I call ‘paid instigators.’ They are
being bused into our city, obviously
paid by some radical or
left-wing group, to infiltrate the
peaceful protestors and get them
to rally against the police.
And by that, I don’t mean yell
and scream, and shove “BLM”
or “I can’t breathe” signs in our
face. I mean they are providing
water bottles, hammers, wooden
stakes, and anything they
can find that will injure us to the
crowd. They are arming otherwise
unarmed protesters and
encouraging them to throw everything
they have at every cop
they can find. In some cases,
I’ve seen smoke and flashbang
grenades, as well as tear gas
and pepper spray cans being
used. They come prepared and
they come loaded. And our job?
Stand there and hold the line
and keep them from taking over
city hall, police headquarters,
and other prime targets I won’t
mention.
It’s now 12am, and my squad
and I have arrived downtown.
We met up the evening shift
commander and he advised me
of what’s transpired since this
‘event’ began at 1700 hours. Our
assignment, keep the crowd
contained between 8th and
9th Avenues and south of Main
Street. This area is only 2 miles
from a major interstate. Under
no circumstances are we to
allow the crowd to gain access
to that freeway.
“The command post is set up at
Congress and 7th. They have multiple
buses being used for temporary
holding and staff on hand
to handle the booking process.
Just zip up, walk them over and
drop ‘em off. EMT’s, paramedics
and a number of ambulances are
also staged behind the CP. Any of
your guys get hurt, get them their
ASAP.”
“And Sarge, tonight we’ve implemented
Operation T.A.G. We’ve
got SWAT snipers located on
rooftops all throughout the area.
They have UCs on the ground in
the crowd. Once they identify a
suspect inciting or arming, they
will pull them from the crowd,
zip ‘em and transport to the CP.”
Ok Lieutenant we’ve got it from
here. I briefed my team and we
fell in behind the troops already
on the front lines. The screaming
and yelling is so loud, it’s nearly
impossible to hear the radio in
your ear. In less than 5 minutes,
I’ve already been hit by several
dozen water bottles and God
knows what else. As I look out
over the crowd, I think to myself,
we’ll at least tonight they’re all
wearing face coverings. LOL. But
I’m assuming it’s not to protect
them from COVID, it’s so they can’t
be identified. And tonight’s crowd
isn’t protesters. These are 100%
troublemakers. Their mission is to
seek out and destroy everything
in their path: cops, patrol cars,
buildings, anything of value.
When you get up close to these
people, you can see one of two
things in their eyes: fear or rage.
Either they are scared shitless
to be here or they hate you and
want to kill you, or at least hurt
you. The ones that are scared,
probably came down here thinking
it’s just a calm protest, no big
deal. Then all hell broke loose
and suddenly they are in the middle
of a full-scale riot.
For the next few hours, we
80 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 81

move the crowd south, keeping
them as far away from city hall
and the freeway entrance as
possible. The T.A.G squads are
working their asses off, as I’m
seeing more assholes being jerked
backwards and then disappearing
behind the crowds. I hear
status reports every now and
then from the CP and they are
reporting over 100 in custody. The
Sheriff’s Department transport
vans are making regular runs
from the CP to Central and I hear
booking is a war zone.
By 0400 hours you’d think the
crowd would be thinning, but it
isn’t. Then again, we have boxed
them into an area 1/3 the size as
when we arrived so maybe it’s an
illusion. But I’m tired, I’m hungry,
I’m thirsty and I got to pee.
I’m thinking I’ll never bitch again
about it being on boring ass
nights in South District.
At 0445 the sound of gunshots
echo throughout the downtown
area. It’s impossible to tell from
the direction from which they are
coming. People are now running
in all directions and cops are
screaming in my ear. Reports
are that a young girl has been
shot on 8th Avenue but no officers
are hurt. I grabbed five of my
guys and headed in that direction.
Literally hundreds of people
are running in all directions. My
only thoughts are please, please
God let there be no sniper. All
throughout this entire ordeal,
that’s really what’s been in the
back of my mind. We don’t need
another Dallas here in my city.
I called the SWAT commander
and got an update from the
rooftop teams. NO evidence of a
sniper, just a random shooter. No
ID, no description. As I hung up,
we arrived at the scene where
the victim was supposed to be
and all that we found was blood.
Lots of blood. As we searched the
area, a man armed with a shotgun
over his shoulder approached
us and advised he was a local
merchant who was standing
guard inside his store when the
shooting occurred. He said the
victim was a young white woman
and she was carried off by two
black men he described as ‘military
types.’
“Where did they go?” I asked,
and he pointed north.
I called SWAT back and they
advised a team would search
the area and attempt to locate
the victim. I gathered my team
and headed towards the CP. We
needed water and a restroom
break. By 05:30 we were back
on the active line and I sent my
Corporal and the rest of my team
to the CP for a break. What was
left of the crowd was now just
random people milling around.
It looked like the bars had just
closed and here’s a bunch of
young people looking for rides
home. I guess UBER doesn’t do
riots.
At 06:30 the incident commander
dismissed our squad
and set us home. As we walked
back to the CP, I half expected
our patrol units to be torched, but
nope. All just where we left them.
My corporal joked, “Damn I was
hoping this piece of crap would
have fallen last night. I really
need a new shop Sarge.” “Sorry
Dan, maybe you’ll get lucky
tomorrow.” At least there was
some humor left in my people.
The sun was just starting to
come up as we tossed all our
gear in the backs of our units.
My small little group gathered
around as we began our new after-shift
tradition. In the past few
days, on the nights we had to go
to war, we formed a circle and
prayed. I usually took the lead
and started but tonight it was my
rookie that led us.
“Heavenly Father, we thank
you for keeping us safe tonight.
We thank you for keeping all our
brothers and sisters in Blue safe,
wherever they might be. We ask
that you not only watch over
us, but keep everyone safe, even
those that would do us harm.
Give them guidance and wisdom
to know when speak their minds
and when to walk away when
things turn bad. We also pray
Father that the young woman
who was injured tonight is safe
and in your arms. We ask that
you watch over her and heal her
wounds. And finally, Father, we
pray that someday we all can
stand and pray together and
that everyone sees that all lives
matter regardless of the color of
their skin. In God’s name we pray
for peace. Amen.” Amen.
82 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 83

CLICK TO WATCH
THE OPEN ROAD
by Michael Barron
DODGE CHARGER
Is this the Last Patrol Sedan?
by David Griffith
The pursuit-rated car—the
Caprice, the Crown Vic, the
Fury—was once the ever-present
symbol of American law enforcement.
Now the patrol “car”
is quickly becoming a thing of
the past, as more often than not,
agencies are fielding patrol SUVs
built on light truck platforms.
Currently, there is only one
pursuit-rated sedan still for sale
to law enforcement agencies,
the Dodge Charger. The Chrysler
muscle sedan is actually one of
the last four-door American cars
still available to consumers, as
well as police fleets and other
fleet customers. Increasingly,
the Big 3 American car makers
are dedicating their production
facilities to turning out
SUVs and light trucks and they
have dropped their car lines or
trimmed them down to a few
specialty models.
But the Charger has survived
the sedan purge and is still on
duty with police nationwide. It’s
been on duty with American police
since 2006.
Evolving Platform
For baby boomer car enthusiasts,
the late 1960s and early
1970s Dodge Chargers are legendary
machines, known for
their cool styling and Mopar
performance. The nostalgia for
these cars is even more powerful
with kids who watched the
1980’s TV show “Dukes of Hazard,”
which starred a 1969 Charger
race car. So, it’s little wonder
that Dodge decided to resurrect
the Charger brand during the
early 2000s era of American
muscle car rebirth that began
with the retro styling of the 2004
Ford Mustang.
The 2006 Dodge Charger did
not have the retro styling of the
2000s Mustangs and Camaros,
Dodge saved that for the Challenger.
But what that Charger did
have was the four-door performance
needed for a police
vehicle.
The Charger police pursuit vehicle
debuted at the 2005 International
Auto Show, and it was
a hit with a wide variety of law
enforcement agencies. Highway
patrol agencies were particularly
enamored of the Hemi V8 version
of the Charger, which boasted
a top speed of 152 mph at the
Michigan State Police evaluations
and just as importantly offered
heavy-duty brakes.
Since its debut, the Charger
patrol vehicle has gone through
several iterations. The 2011 version
was officially named the
Dodge Charger Pursuit. There
have also been a number of updates
to the body styling and the
features and options.
The Charger Pursuit has
evolved with the consumer version.
It’s also evolved with the
needs of law enforcement agencies
for different features and
different technologies. “I think
that one of the reasons the vehicle
has been such a mainstay
in law enforcement is that it is
constantly being improved,” says
David Callery, program manager
for Dodge Law Enforcement.
“The company is really supportive,
and we have dedicated engineering
support for the pursuit
program.”
300 HP AWD
For the 2021 model year, the
Dodge Charger Pursuit comes
in two versions, the 3.6-liter V6
with all-wheel drive and the
5.7-liter V8 Hemi with rearwheel
drive.
The 2021 V6 Charger offers
some serious performance. It’s
powered by a Pentastar engine
that produces 300 horsepower
and 264 pound-feet of torque.
That’s some serious get up and
go for a non-turbo V6. It gets
that punch from its dual overhead
cam 24-valve engine architecture.
At the 2020 Michigan State
Police testing, the 2021 3.6L V6
AWD Charger hit a top speed of
140 mph in 2.31 miles. Its acceleration
scores were 0 to 60 mph
in 7.41 seconds, 0 to 80 mph in
11.81 second, and 0 to 100 mph in
17.97 seconds.
Of course, there’s more to performance
than power. Braking is
equally important in emergency
vehicle operations. The MSP tested
the brakes of the V6 Charger
and found it can go from 60 mph
to dead stop in 127.2 feet. MSP
evaluators recorded no severe
fade to the brakes in their repeated
trials, and they also recorded
that the vehicle stopped
in a straight line.
All-wheel drive is one of the
big selling points of the 2021 V6
Charger. The system transitions
from rear-wheel drive to AWD
through an active transfer case
and front-axle disconnect, and it
adapts to environmental conditions.
The 2021 V6 Charger Pursuit
with AWD is turning some heads
among Charger customers. Catherine
Brown, director of the Fleet
and Facilities Division of the Missouri
State Highway Patrol, says
the agency’s 495 Chargers are
84 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 85

all V8s but it is now buying the
new V6. “We wanted to continue
with the AWD feature, given our
location in the Midwest and the
varying weather conditions we
experience,” she explains.
Still Gotta Hemi
There are few stock sedans
in the world that can match the
power and performance of the
Dodge Charger 5.7L. Its still “gotta
Hemi,” as the old TV ad touted,
and that Hemi V8 produces
370 hp and 395 foot-pounds of
torque.
That power pushes the
4,356-pound Charger 5.7L to
a top speed of 140 mph in 1.01
miles, according to the MSP testing.
At the same MSP testing the
Charger 5.7L accelerated from 0
to 60 mph in 5.91 seconds, from
0 to 80 mpg in 9.36 seconds, and
from 0 to 100 mph in 14.14 seconds.
Even with its powerful performance,
the Charger 5.7 boasts
excellent mileage thanks to fuel
saver technology that turns off
four cylinders of the eight when
they are not needed. The EPA
estimated mileage is 16 mpg
in the city and 25 mpg on the
highway. Under law enforcement
conditions with long idle times at
scenes, mileage is likely to vary.
The Charger 5.7L also decelerates
quickly. The MSP measured
its 60 mph to stop distance at
128.8 feet. Testers said the brakes
did not experience any severe
fading and the car stopped
straight.
Features and Options
Dodge Chargers now feature
the TorqueFlite automatic
8-speed overdrive transmission,
which offers better performance
than Dodge’s previous five-speed
auto transmission.
The gross vehicle weight rating
or GVWR of both models of the
Charger Pursuit was recently
increased to 5,500 pounds. “The
increased GVWR means that
much more payload for agencies
that need it,” says Callery.
Charger Pursuit models are
also available with a number
of officer safety features and
options. It comes standard with
multiple front and side and curtain
air bags.
Ballistic door protection for
the driver and passenger is also
available. “We offer NIJ Level III+
ballistic door protection,” Callery
says. “The ballistic material is
ballistic steel because it’s thinner
than other options. If you think
of the design of the Charger,
with the scalloped doors, there’s
not a lot of room in the doors to
add armor, so we needed a thin
option.” The armor adds about
38 pounds to each door, which
is not enough extra weight to
affect performance, according to
Callery.
On the Road
Chargers are particularly
well-suited to highway enforcement
duty. The handling and a
particular aspect of the performance
make the Charger a favorite
with troopers. “It’s not the
top speed, it’s the closing speed,”
Callery says. “The biggest concern
for highway patrols is how
quickly they turn on speeders and
get up to them so that the troopers
don’t get into a chase. No one
wants to get into a chase.”
Callery says highway patrols
want the closing speeds, but they
are less likely to want the muscle
car top speeds of the Charger
models. That’s why Dodge offers
to control the top speed. It
also offers Mopar service tools
that can be used to lower the top
speed even further. “Some police
fleet managers say, ‘I like the
acceleration and I like the closing
speed, but I don’t need my folks
going 130 mph.’ So, we give them
the option to dial it down.”
Speed is not the only reason
the Charger is so popular with
troopers. Missouri State Highway
Patrol’s Brown says MSHP
officers also like another aspect
of the rear-wheel-drive and
all-wheel-drive sedans. “One of
the things the troopers like is its
handling capabilities in almost
any condition.”
The Charger is also on duty in
many cities, according to Callery.
He says the V6 model is very
popular with some urban agencies,
and he expects the V6 AWD
model will be a hit with city
agencies, particularly those in
harsh winter climates.
One reason so many cities are
fielding Charger patrol sedans is
economics. And with the defund
the police movement and the
strain on tax bases from COVID’s
effects on businesses, Callery
expects demand for sedans to
be high. He estimates that sedans
can save agencies from $3,000 to
$4,000 per vehicle, depending on
numerous variables.
When Dodge announced the
2018 Durango Pursuit—its first
patrol SUV—there was speculation
that it spelled the end of
the Charger patrol car. Callery
says Chrysler’s Police Advisory
Board told the company not to
“abandon the sedan market” and
the company has no intention of
doing so. He believes the Charger
sedan and the Durango SUV pursuit
vehicles complement each
other.
“I think the Charger checks a lot
of boxes for what many agencies
need,” Callery says. “It’s durable,
reliable, offers excellent performance
and handling, and it’s a
good value.”
86 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 87

Photography
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Showing
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the
Climate Change: In the
“First Responder” World
Let us talk about climate change,
I am not referring to the melting ice
caps or the change in the tides, I am
referring to the nationwide change
in the support and value of our law
enforcement and first responder
community.
Our first responders, who are the
backbone of today’s society, must
battle climate changes every day
nationwide. Our heroes must endure
the social and political propaganda
spewed out by those who
have no clue what it takes to put on
a uniform and go out to protect and
serve the community.
A community of blatant disrespect
and ungratefulness for the
duties and jobs our heroes perform
day in and day out.
These words not only have caused
many to leave their chosen careers
but have caused distention in the
ranks, low morale, family breakups
and yes, suicide.
What many do not understand is,
our first responders have taken an
oath to protect and serve, aide and
rescue others. A calling that goes
way beyond what a normal day at
work is like for most Americans,
yet they will continue to judge us
on performance, actions, and ethics
based upon the actions of one or a
few bad apples.
Imagine if society painted our
Politicians, Teachers and Doctors
with the same broad brush they
continue to paint our law enforcement
with.
Back in my day as a police officer
on the streets of New York we worried,
but far less than what our first
responders of today must worry
about.
We worried about the next call;
will we survive it? And where will
we get our next good cup of coffee?
Today, our first responders not
only have to worry about surviving
the next radio run, but will their action
be captured on video, will their
training be called into question or
will some social media post from
across the nation cause a spontaneous
protest. Will some activist
group spread fake news causing
an ambush on them while they are
having lunch, or will a false 911 call
lure them into a dangerous situation?
The list goes on and on.
Yes, all these things happen back
in the day, but they were rare or
not a top mental priority. Today
these outside issues not only cause
increased stress levels but cause
slower judgement responses which
can lead to the officer losing his
life. Remember we are Human not
Robots.
Officers need to be sharp and
mentally prepared to be effective,
a slight deviation in mental judgement
can make a significant difference
in the outcome.
Just in the past year or so we
have seen many departments lose
experienced officers as the Defund
the Police movement grows, we
have seen the handcuffs placed
tighter on our officers as criminals
are set free and not held accountable.
Now a mandated vaccination will
risk a forced retirement or termination
in some cities.
How much more mental stress
is going to be placed on our heroes
who are already overworked,
understaffed, underpaid, overburdened,
and underfunded?
As the leaders, dreamers and others
dictate how law enforcement
officers should act and respond to
dangerous situations, they comfortably
sit behind their computers and
security gated walls with high-tech
alarm systems to keep themselves
protected.
These are the same people who
expect our Heroes to be at their
door in 2 minutes after placing a 911
call and will rally to indite, terminate,
and ruin your life if you make
the wrong split-second life or death
judgement call.
The pressure continues!
As I said “back in the day” as an
LEO when we worried, but we were
able to filter a lot of what we see
and do during our workday. Today,
our families, our spouses our children
might as well ride along in the
car with us as there is nothing to
filter for them.
Not only has the trauma of our
jobs affected us, now it affects our
families as well.
Our families now suffer from
vicarious trauma. Our children are
mentally torn on how they look at
dad and mom who don the uniform.
I remember my daughter was
so proud when the teacher asked,
“What do your parents do for a
living?”
“My dad’s a police officer” she
would say with enthusiasm. I do
not know if she would be as fast to
say the same thing today under extreme
pressure and liberal teacher
criticism.
Back in the day it was an honor to
have your mom or dad come in for
Career Day and speak in uniform.
Now a days, if classmates find
out that one or even both of your
parents are law enforcement they
are subjected to ridicule, harassment,
bullying and in some cases
total alienation from the group. The
stress now bleeds onto our loved
ones like an open artery.
Who is to blame for all this, well
it would be “politically incorrect”
for me to name anyone out right,
but let us look at the past, shall
we? Way back to 2014, when a
protest in Manhattan, New York
shouted words such as “What do
we want? Dead cops! When do we
want them? Now!” Our political administration
both local and Federal
did nothing to condemn the rhetoric
and those words caused a ripple
effect across the nation.
Headlines and protests span a
nation throughout 2015 into 2016
and a year later, a lone shooter decided
to act, and on July 7th, 2016,
ambushed 14 Dallas, Texas Police
Officers killing 5 and wounding 9
during the same type of protest just
a year and a half later. No outrage
or condemnation of the protest, just
a sorry about the loss.
The political narrative born, the
hate train had left the station and
many in power were fast to jump
on board.
Many calling for social changes
and demanding that heads will roll.
The Woke community loved it and
politicians knew they could score
more votes by condemning the heroes
of our society.
The next few years were rougher
than ever on our law enforcement
as assaults, murders and the suicide
rate soured. Many city politicians
were blind to these issues and
chose to ignore them and continue
with the hate speeches.
Our LEW community suffered
hard and the emotional and mental
burdens increased. Even many
commanders sided with the Woke
community giving almost no support
or concern to those under their
command who were placing their
lives on the line.
It is in this writer’s opinion that
until this “climate change” is corrected,
we will shortly see the fall
of more officers and their families.
There will always be criminals,
psychopaths, and haters in our society,
as LEOS we know and accept
that, it is one of the reasons why we
took the job.
But not until our own leaders,
commanders and community support
groups give our law enforcement
officers back the tools needed
to perform the job effectively,
safely, and mentally sharp, will we
see a demise of safety and mental
issues plaquing our heroes.
John Salerno. Co-Host Mad Radio
(Ret) NYPD (New York City Police
Department)
heelllloo nneeiighboor
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88 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 89

My Favorite Christmas Carol
What is your favorite Christmas
carol? Christmas songs are among
the first songs learned by youngsters
all across Christendom. The
first Christmas song you learned
as a preschooler may still be your
favorite. Listening to children sing
the old carols will delight anyone’s
heart. I missed the children’s programs
last year that we normally go
to in order to watch our grandchildren
sing. Covid robbed us of some
special times, so this year we won’t
take such a privilege as attending
a children’s Christmas program for
granted. We will be in our usual
seats with the parents and grandparents
of shepherds, wise men,
angels, and, of course, the Holy
Family.
Someone asked me what my
favorite carol was the other day. I
do love them all, but my favorite is
one that I appreciate because of the
pain it expresses. I am always concerned
when someone is offended
by a book, a poem, or a song
because it hurts to read or listen to
it. To those critics, I say that good
literature or lyrics are good precisely
because they elicit an emotional
response from the reader or listener.
Sometimes it hurts to read something.
The author has accomplished
their objective if you get emotional.
Any artist is really baring their soul
on canvas or paper in an invitation
for the audience to share the experience.
There was a great American poet
who could write lyrics about historical
events and love stories like no
other. He was actually quite famous
in his own time. He was from Maine
but moved around looking for a
literary community in which to participate.
He was a bright and handsome
young man who wooed his
beloved for years before she married
him. Their marriage was in its
19th year when tragedy struck. As
Frances, his wife, was sealing some
envelopes with wax, her candle
caught the drapes on fire. He rushed
in the room and battled the fire, but
Frances would die the next day of
her injuries. His face was disfigured
as a result of the fire and he sunk
into a deep depression with his loss.
When Christmas came around, he
vowed that he would never enjoy
another merry Christmas again.
His son, Charley, joined the army
against his father’s wishes. Charley
was his father’s pride and joy and
the thought of losing Charley after
the loss of Frances was too much
to bear. Charley said that he had
to join the fight to save his country
and he hoped that his father would
understand. His father understood,
but understanding and concern for
his son’s safety were two different
things. The Civil War was the
bloodiest conflict our country ever
suffered. Charley was marching
off into a conflagration that would
stagger the imagination in its intensity.
He was quite depressed and the
division of the country only added
to the misery that he felt in his soul.
Then he received word that Charley,
a young lieutenant, had been shot
and grievously wounded in Virginia.
His heart leapt in agony as a father’s
worry nearly overcame his capacity
to act. He gathered his wits
and traveled to Washington from
Massachusetts and met Charley at
the army hospital there. President
Lincoln was a frequent visitor at the
hospital and another poet friend,
Walt Whitman, served as an ambulance
attendant and nurse there.
He found Charley among the many
wounded soldiers. It was apparent
that the needs of the patients were
overwhelming the hospital’s ability
to care for the wounded, so he
packed Charley up and took him
back home to Cambridge. Charley
could barely recognize his father as
his father’s disfigured face was now
covered with a beard so as not to
alarm sensitive folk.
It was December 1863 when they
arrived in Cambridge. In spite of
the horrendous war being waged,
Christmas carols were being sung.
His depression was made worse by
his son’s suffering. He thought the
carols were unrealistic and they ignored
the real suffering that people
were enduring. He hated the songs
as they scorned his misery. He took
up his pen—the only weapon he
could use to discharge his feelings
and wrote. As he wrote, his feelings
went from rage and hurt to something
else. As he looked at his boy’s
face he saw not an injustice, but a
young man who wanted to right
a wrong even if that meant giving
his life. He wondered where God
was, but as he wrote, he knew the
answer. God is not dead, nor doth
He sleep. He penned those famous
words in my favorite Christmas
carol. It’s a good song for bad times.
When friends and family suffer, it
speaks of God who will right all
wrongs and reunite all who love
him one day. That’s what Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow saw as he
gazed into his son’s wounded face
and heard the bells on Christmas
Day.
I heard the bells on Christmas Day.
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”
90 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 91

You may be asking: What is involved
in contract negotiations?
Every time we work on a
contract, we do a survey of
what people would like to
see in the contract. In the last
survey in 2020 we only had 51
members who responded, and
it was obvious that most were
supervisors. Since that survey,
I have received about 40 more
emails regarding the writers’
“wish list” for the contract.
Overwhelmingly, pay was on
the top of the list for items in
the contract. Second was more
time off.
We are only in our second
meeting over the contract and
are bound by a confidentiality
agreement. So, discussing
issues is prohibited. But I wanted
everyone to know how the
process works as many do not
understand the intricacies of
meet and confer.
Being in a right-to-work
state, it is a process that seems
to work better than collective
bargaining. In northern states,
collective bargaining works because
of the binding arbitration,
which is not allowed in Texas,
which is why the firefighters are
having such a hard time. In the
meet and confer process it is
important that it be integrated
to the point that it is almost impossible
for the city to back out
of the deal. We are currently in
a perpetual evergreen portion
of the contract until we work
out another one. At this point,
neither side can end our last
contract until we have a new
one in place.
Speed is important when
negotiating a contract. Slow
and steady is best while working
through the process and
the details of any contract. But
once an agreement is made, it
is important to move as quickly
as possible. We only need
to look as far as Austin to see
how quick an agreement can
unravel with the wrong outside
influence.
Campaign Zero walked into
Austin City Hall and killed a
contract that had already been
ratified by the Austin Police
Association and the city within
one week. So once a tentative
deal is reached, we will be
moving very quickly to get it
ratified and before City Council.
Your responsibility in this process
is an important one.
First, I suggest that everyone
read the contract that we currently
have in place. The contract
is an easy read and can
be completed in a matter of a
few hours. The more you know
about the current contract, the
easier it will be to understand
the new one.
DOUGLAS GRIFFITH
Second, once it us ready and
released, read the proposed
contract and vote. Remember,
you will be voting on your
future and we believe it is very
important to have overwhelming
numbers when we take a
ratified contract to City Council.
We may have a contract
before the end of the year, but
more than likely we will go into
next year. Any pay raises would
go into effect the first full pay
period in July 2022, so a completed
contracted by May is our
goal.
I will keep you updated as
best I can but urge you to make
sure your email address is correct
with the HPOU by calling
832-200-3410, or download the
app as we send out information
regularly.
92 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 93

As we look back on our year of
Light Bulb Awards, we started off
the new year right and give credit
where credit is due. These two
morons (and I use that term lightly
and in utmost respect, because I
have a lot of titles much more fitting)
Nancy Pelosi and Mitch Mc-
Connell, who once again screwed
over the American public.
I know some you would say,
aren’t there plenty of Light Bulb
candidates right here in Texas that
deserve the distinct honor of being
the first out of the gate for 2021?
NOPE. None come anywhere close
to the low life scum of the earth
character of these two.
In February, we focused on Madison
WI, where backlash from a
November social media photo that
showed a “thin blue line” flag displayed
in the UW-Madison Police
Department’s office, Police Chief
Kristen Roman has banned officers
from using thin blue line imagery
while acting in an official police
capacity.
In an email to UW-Madison Police
staff that was released Tuesday, Roman
said the flag has been “co-opted”
by extremists with “hateful ideologies.”
She said her department
needs to distance itself from thin
blue line imagery to build trust with
Giving Biden and his White House
staff the Light Bulb Award seems
lame compared to the total disrespect
these people have towards
Police and those that fight to defend
this country.
Speaking of riots, The Seattle
Police Department needs to find a
better way to interact with anti-police
demonstrators, including allowing
officers to express solidarity
with protesters marching against
police brutality and racism, acthe
community. What a moron.
In March, Ithaca Mayor Svante
Myrick announced a plan to
replace the city’s police department
with a new Department of
Community Solutions and Public
Safety.
The proposal, part of a statewide
police reform effort, is
now up
for public
comment
and
requires
legislative
approval. If
passed, the
city would
install a
civilian department
leader to
oversee two divisions, an unarmed
force of “community
solution workers,” and an armed
division focused on responding
to and investigating crimes.
Officers would have to reapply
to keep jobs as armed “public
safety workers” with the city.
Another moron.
Ithaca Mayor
When Biden decided to invite the
family of George Floyd to the White
House and ten refused to lower
flags to half mast during Police
Week, you don’t deserve our respect.
Invite me to the White House
and let me bring some real damn
heroes for you to honor. Heroes
who have chosen to fight for and
save people they don’t even know.
Even your “people of color.” We
don’t see color, we see people. We
see right and wrong. Good vs Evil.
Not this feel good crap.
cording to the first in a series of
detailed critiques of the department’s
response to protests and
riots. Are they serious?
The city’s Office of Inspector
General for Public Safety report
on local demonstrations that
arose after the May 25 death of
George Floyd in custody of Minneapolis
police, said the department
needs to do more to ensure
officers at protests
don’t show contempt
for the people whose
rights they’re supposed
to be protecting, regardless
of fatigue and
stress.
Back in Houston We
hate to paint with a
wide brush but every
single liberal Democrat
judge that has released
charged felons with PR Bounds,
$100, $200, $1000, $2000 or any
other ridiculous bond amount,
are candidates for our Light Bulb
Award.
But rather than give them Light
Bulb awards, how about we pass
a law that says, “Any judge that
releases a previously charged or
convicted felon on bond and said
individual commits a capital
offense, said Judge shall be held
liable and charged along with
the suspect.” Countless crimes
have been committed in Harris
County by individuals out on
bond, all released by said Liberal
Judges that should have never
been elected in the first place.
But this month, lets focus on
one worthless Judge in particular
- the Honorable Abigail Anastasio,
judge of the 184th District
Court in Harris County. First
off, there is NOTHING ‘honorable’
about Abigail Anastasio. Time
and time again, Anastasio lets
convicted felons out on bond,
only to commit more felonies.
Which obviously doesn’t bother
her in the least.
Finally we ended up in DC
were 4 dumb ass cops decided
to “drag race” their Ford Interceptors
and ended up totaling
both cars.
Let’s start by saying WTF were
they thinking? Second, a damn
Ford Taurus turned Interceptor
is not a dragster. After the
story went viral, Officers from
the Sandy Springs PD, who by
the way drive Hellcats, said if
you want to drag race, come by
some day and we’ll show you
boys how it’s done – at our DRAG
STRIP. LOL
According to the main stream
“we make it up as we go along”
media (MSM), four D.C. cops are
now under investigation after
they totaled two patrol cars
while drag racing last month
through a DC neighborhood.
Their boss said in a memo released
to local TV Station WTTG:
“Yesterday two 6D scout cars
were totaled because officers
decided instead of fighting crime,
they would drag race each other”
94 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 95

unning 4 heroes
Total Miles Run in 2021: (as of 12/2/21): 304
Total Miles Run in 2020: 401
Total Miles Run in 2019: 376
Overall Miles Run: 1,081
2021 Run Stats:
Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen LEO’s (Non COVID-19): 149
Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen Firefighters (Non COVID-19): 64
Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen COVID-19 Heroes: 30
Total Miles Run for 2021 fallen Canada LEO’s: 2
Total Miles Run for 2021 Non Line of Duty Deaths: 13
Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen LEO’s: 24
Total Miles Run for 2020 Fallen Firefighters: 6
Total Tribute Runs by State for 2021: 16
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, Starke
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
96 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 97

Give Yourself the Gift of Hope
This Holiday Season.
Many of our nation’s law enforcement
officers have had a
challenging year in countless
ways. The 2021 statistics for
line of duty deaths (especially
by gunfire) and suicides in this
field are staggering and can be
overwhelming. The holidays are
also often a difficult time for LEO
families due to work schedules,
family conflict, financial constraints,
and at times, a sense of
helplessness due to depression
and lack of hope. We also live in
a world in which comparison of
our lives to others is commonplace
and frequently perpetuated
by social media and high
expectations for the “perfect”
holiday experience. It can place
a great deal of unnecessary
pressure on an LE family during
an already stressful time of the
year.
Instead of this month’s article
focusing solely on the negative, I
want to instead offer the gift of
hope through some basic approaches
that are designed to
reduce psychological stressors
and increase hope for the holiday
season. Amy Morgan, (Police1,
2019), offered the following
excellent suggestions and I encourage
to practice these often.
1. STOP COMPARING. If you find
yourself comparing your holiday
with others, stop and focus on
what matters to you, and then
DR. TINA JAECKLE
let that be enough. Be content
with where you are, who you are
and what you have. If you are
financially stressed, don’t worsen
the situation by giving gifts
to try to match the actions of
others. Instead, give of yourself
and work with what you have,
but don’t deplete yourself in the
process or let comparisons make
you feel unworthy.
2. SET REALISTIC EXPECTA-
TIONS. All the hype around the
holidays makes us feel like we
should ramp up our energy, our
home décor, our financial ability,
our time with friends and family,
and even our level of happiness.
Instead set your expectations
in line with the reality of your
own little piece of the world. If
you aren’t a cook, don’t expect
to present your family with a
golden holiday turkey and all the
fixings. Set realistic expectations
about how your own holiday
will, and should, look, for your
own life.
3. LET GO OF REGRET. Maybe
this wasn’t your best year.
If there’s something in your life
you wish was different, and you
still have the ability to change it,
start working on doing that. But
if you can’t change something,
try letting go of the feeling of regret
that’s eating away at you. If
you need to apologize to someone,
do it, genuinely and sincerely.
If you need to forgive someone,
do it, for your own sense of
peace. And then move on. Let go
of the regrets so you can start
the New Year free of stress and
anxiety.
4. ACCEPT YOUR STRUGGLES.
Life is hard sometimes, and
nobody is getting through it as
easily as they may make it seem.
Things may be hard for you for
many reasons – it is okay to
admit that things aren’t great.
Accept that all of us struggle
at different points in life with
different things. Don’t let the
season make you focus on the
struggles – remember that this
season and its challenges will
pass.
5. SET NEW YEAR GOALS.
Instead of pressure-filled resolutions,
set some goals. But don’t
set your expectations so high
you’ll never be able to follow
through. Name a few simple
things you’d like to be different
in your life – and then outline a
plan to achieve that change. This
year practice healthy approaches
and do what you need to do. If
you’re feeling down, depressed,
or alone, please reach out to
any number of law enforcement
mental health resources and
you’ll find a caring voice at the
other end of the line to help you
make it through the hard stuff.
The holiday season, just like your
life, is what you make it. Celebrate
the holiday for the reasons
you choose, in the way that fits
you and your life, and make the
very best of it that you can with
whatever you have to work with.
6. TAKE THE TIME TO EXER-
CISE. You do not have to jump
right into CrossFit if you have
not exercised regularly but get
out for at least a brisk walk and
break a sweat. You will feel and
think better. You can also do this
a couple of times a week, and
invite your spouse, partner, and/
or children to walk with you to
enjoy family time.
7. GIVE BACK TO OTHERS. A
local FOP hosts an “adopt a LE
retiree or survivor” each holiday
and encourages others to take
them to lunch or provide a gift
card or simply give the gift of
“presence.” There are numerous
charities and opportunities
available this time of year, including
for children. Giving to
others allows a mental shift of
perspective away from our own
struggles toward better understanding
and connecting with
others. Remember, we rise by
lifting others. Most importantly,
practice hope, even a little very
day. Happy holidays and Merry
Christmas to you all, blessings
always.
98 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 99

By Michael Barron
A year after I started The
BLUES, in 1986, my brother
Rusty graduated from Stephen
F. Austin and began writing a
column in The BLUES called
“off-duty.” The following year,
he started his own newspaper
“Barron’s Outdoor Update” and
moved into our offices in Humble.
For about six months or
so, I enjoyed working side by
side with my youngest brother.
Later that year, Rusty signed
on with Shell Oil as a rookie
salesperson and for the next
35 years he blazed a trail and
set records at Shell that will
be hard for anyone to top. On
August 1, 2021, he officially
retired from Shell as a senior
Vice-President of the largest
oil and natural gas producing
company in the world. And I
have to say, all
his family has
been along for
the journey of a
lifetime – myself
included.
Rusty was
the youngest
in a family of
four boys, and I
was the oldest.
After graduating
high school,
he worked for
my dad selling
specialized
parts for
Southwestern
Bell. Apparently,
he was
damn good at
it, because he
earned enough
money to pay
his way through
college. Even
on summer
breaks, he returned
to Houston
and worked
with my dad.
But on most
any day that he
wasn’t working,
you’d find him
outdoors. From
an early age,
Rusty was an
avid hunter and
fisherman (I
always thought
he’d become a
Game Warden.)
So, when he
decided to start
his own outdoor
magazine, it was
a perfect way to
blend work and
play into a paycheck.
And that my
friends, describes
my
brother’s 35
years with Shell.
Rusty has always
managed to find
a way to add
hunting or fishing
trip or both,
onto a business
trip. From fishing
with Jimmy
Houston and
doing deals with
Johnny Morris of
Bass Pro Shops,
to hanging out
with Roger
Penske, Helio
Castroneves, and
Joey Logano at
various racetracks,
Rusty has
had his share of
excitement all
in the name of
WORK.
To say I’m
proud of my
little brother is
an understatement. Rusty has
always excelled at virtually
anything he’s under-taken,
and his knowledge of marketing
and business is what has
driven his success at Shell.
And no matter what business
venture I’ve taken on, (some
successful and some not so
much) Rusty has always stood
by me with moral support and
guidance. To have him writing
once again for The BLUES,
well let’s just say, we’ve come
full circle.
So now that’s he retired,
what’s next for this world
traveler? He, and my beautiful
sister-in-law Kristi, will be
spending time between Colorado,
Florida and Texas. I’m
sure the adventures will continue
and hopefully Rusty will
take our readers along for the
ride. Can’t wait to see where
we go next.
100 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 101

ADS BACK IN THE DAY
102 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 103

104 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE
The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 105

Austin ISD Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/17/2021 - 5pm
Horseshoe Bay Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/31/2021 - 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
Dalhart Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/15/2021 - 5pm
Brown County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 12/14/2021 - 5pm
Dekalb Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/10/2021 - 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 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
Levelland Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm
Bedford Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/21/2021 - 5pm
Jeff Davis County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 12/27/2021 - 5pm
Richardson Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/27/2021 - 5pm
West Lake Hills PD Get Info Peace Officer 12/15/2021 - 5pm
Leon Valley Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 2/02/2021 - 5pm
Milam County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 12/28/2021 - 5pm
McLennan Community College Police Dept. Get Info Peace Officer 01/31/2022 - 5pm
Stanton Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 01/14/2022 - 5pm
Marlin Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/01/2022 - 5pm
Denton County Police Get Info Water District Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm
Lockhart Police Department Get Info Police Officer 12/08/2021 - 5pm
Mesquite Police Get Info Police Officer 12/09/2021 - 5pm
Ochiltree County Sheriff’s Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 12/17/2021 - 5pm
Angelina County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 12/10/2021 - 5pm
Port Aransas Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 01/10/2022 - 5pm
Alamo Colleges Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/10/2021 - 5pm
Ingram Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 01/01/2022 - 5pm
Brownswood Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 01/05/2022 - 5pm
Baytown Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 01/09/2022 - 5pm
Tyler Junior College Campus Police Get Info Police Lieutenant 12/10/2021 - 5pm
Snyder Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 01/15/2022 - 5pm
Pilot Point ISD Police Department Get Info Chief Of Police 12/15/2021 - 5pm
Jonestown Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/03/2022 - 5pm
San Jacinto College District PD Get Info Police Lieutenant 12/31/2021 - 5pm
Jarrell Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 01/15/2022 - 5pm
Coleman Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/15/2022 - 5pm
Jacksonville ISD Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/01/2022 - 5pm
Carrolton Police Department Get Info Police Officer 12/11/2021 - 5pm
Hutto Police Department Get Info Police Officer 12/17/2021 - 5pm
Ector County Sheriffs Office Get Info Deputy 01/17/2022 - 5pm
Bruceville-Eddy Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 01/14/2022 - 5pm
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi PD Get Info Police Officer 01/10/2022 - 5pm
Mathis Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 12/18/2021 - 5pm
Del Valle ISD Police Department Get Info Police Lieutenant 12/17/2021 - 5pm
Kennedale Police Department Get Info Police Officer 12/18/2021 - 5pm
Plano Police Department Get Info Police Officer 02/17/2022 - 5pm
Plano Police Department Get Info Detention Officer 02/17/2022 - 5pm
Greenville Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/21/2022 - 5pm
Rollingwood Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 01/22/2022 - 5pm
Lancaster Police Department Get Info Police Officer 12/22/2021 - 5pm
Grand Prairie Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/08/2022 - 5pm
Corsicana Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/22/2022 - 5pm
New Boston Police Department Get Info Police Officer 03/22/2022 - 5pm
Clifton Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/22/2022 - 5pm
League City Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/07/2022 - 5pm
Wilson County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy Sheriff 01/29/2022 - 5pm
Natalia Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/10/2021 - 5pm
Roanoke Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 12/30/2021 - 5pm
Kaufman County Sheriff's Office Get Info Peace Officer 01/30/2022 - 5pm
Stephens County Sheriff's Office Get Info Patrol Deputy 12/31/2021 - 5pm
Stagecoach Police Department Get Info Reserve Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm
Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy 01/17/2022 - 5pm
Bryan Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/14/2022 - 5pm
Galveston Police Department Get Info Police Cadet 02/03/2022 - 5pm
Galveston Police Department Get Info Police Chief 02/02/2022 - 5pm
Texas State Technical College Police Get Info Police Officer 02/02/2022 - 5pm
Shenandoah Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 01/09/2022 - 5pm
Parker Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/03/2022 - 5pm
Jones Couny Sheriff's Office Get Info Deputy Sheriff 03/30/2022 - 5pm
Prairie View A&M University Police Dept Get Info Police Officer 02/07/2022 - 5pm
Collin County Sheriff's Department Get Info Deputy Sheriff 12/13/2021 - 5pm
City of Lago Vista Get Info Chief of Police 01/17/2022 - 5pm
New Braunfels Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/07/2022 - 5pm
Victoria Police Department Get Info Peace Officer 02/02/2022 - 5pm
Pflugerville Police Department Get Info Patrol Officers 02/20/2022 - 5pm
Meridian Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/08/2022 - 5pm
Chandler Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/09/2022 - 5pm
Port Houston Police Department Get Info Police Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm
Marble Falls Police Department Get Info Patrol Officer 01/10/2022 - 5pm
Schertz Police Department Get Info Police Officer 01/15/2022 - 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
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pmDenton
Rockwall County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 01/04/2022 - 5pm
Rockwall County Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailer 03/04/2022 - 5pm
Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Get Info Detention Officer 12/31/2021 - 5pm
Hunt Co. Sheriff's Office Get Info Jailers 01/08/2022 - 5pm
106 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 107

Pay scale:
$57,000 (as a non-certified Cadet) up to $82,762, depending on certification
BENEFITS
• Supportive leadership and community
• Civil Service
• 12-hour shifts for patrol division
• 3-day weekend approximately twice a month
• Take-home vehicles
• Tattoos permitted
• Longevity Pay – $4/month for each year of
service; maximum of $1,200/year
• TCOLE certificate pay
• Paid sick leave with unlimited accumulation
• Vacation – 15 days/year
• Holidays – 10 paid and 2 additional floating
holidays/year
• On-duty fitness time provided
• Group health insurance with deductible, flexible
spending accounts, and Section 125 options
• Life insurance, long‐term disability and workers’
compensation
• Optional life insurance and deferred plans are
also available
• Retirement plan with the Texas Municipal
Retirement System
• Employee contributes 7%, city matches 2:1
• Opportunity to attend training schools
• Equipment and uniforms are furnished, including
regulation weapon
• Employee Assistance Program
• Post Police Academy pay - $58,469 @ 28.11/hour
Important
Information
Application Deadline:
January 14, 2022
Written exam:
January 21, 2022
To learn more about hiring details, qualifications, and application instructions, visit: Bryantx.gov/PDJobs
The City of Bryan is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
108 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 109

we're
hiring!
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.
Jailer/Corrections Officer
hiring!
Starting Pay $43,950
Starting Pay $43,950
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.
For Questions, call
For Questions, call
1800 Ridgemar Dr.
1800 Ridgemar Dr.
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
(817) 202. 2974
(817) 202. 2974
Cleburne, TX 76031
Cleburne, TX 76031
110 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 111

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:
Hiring Process:
Job Description:
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.
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.
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.
Oak Ridge North Police Department is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not
discriminate on race, sex, religion, color, origin, or creed.
112 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 113

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
114 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 115

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
116 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 117

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:
Dispatcher
Salary starting at $32,690,
no experience required.
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
• 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.
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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
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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.
122 The For BLUES additional POLICE information MAGAZINE and to register for an upcoming Civil Service Exam, visit
The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 123
pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers

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WE'RE
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.
Starting Officer Pay $57,690 - Top Out $81,840
HIRING
QUALIFICATIONS:
TCOLE Certified
21 Years of Age
High School
Diploma/ GED
Valid TX Drivers
License (at date of
hire)
US Citizen
*FOR A FULL LIST OF JOB
DETAILS AND QUALIFICATIONS
VISIT POLICEAPP.COM*
For more information:
Contact the Plano Police recruiter
Officer Andrae Smith at:
andraes@plano.gov
or go to our website at:
ppdrecruiting@plano.gov
Uniform Provided
City Issued Cell Phone
College Tuition/Book
Reimbursement
TCOLE Certification Incentive
Education Incentive
BENEFITS
Night Shift Differential
10 Paid Holidays
Longevity Pay
Employee Gun Buy Back
Program
& More!
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CITY OF CARROLLTON
Firefighters’ and Police Officers’
Civil Service Commission
Announces
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Entrance Examination Test Date: December 11, 2021
REGISTRATION ENDS ON:
December 11, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.
Examination Date: Saturday, December 11, 2021 at
9:00a.m. - Written Exam
To register go to: www.cityofcarrollton.com/police
Complete the online registration to be submitted electronically to:
Carrollton Police Department
2025 East Jackson Road
Carrollton, Texas 75006
Phone: 972 466 3028
Website: www.cityofcarrollton.com/police
Email: policedevelopment@cityofcarrollton.com
City of Carrollton is an Equal Opportunity Employer
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Job Posting for Full-Time Police Officer
Posted on November 23, 2021, Open Until Filled
The Clifton Police Department has an immediate opening for a full-time police officer.
Clifton is located 30 miles northwest of Waco on State Highway 6 in Bosque County.
Police Academy graduates and Basic Peace Officers are encouraged to apply!
The Clifton Police Department has a thorough field training program.
SALARY (Based on years of total police experience)
TCOLE CERTIFICATE PAY
1-4 years: $20.14 (per hour) Intermediate: $600 (annually)
4 to 8 years: $20.92 Advanced: $1,200
8 to 12 years: $21.83 Master: $1,800
12 plus years: $23.25.
OTHER BENEFITS OFFERED
Take-home patrol vehicle, paid in-service training, overtime, vacation, holiday pay (double-time), all
uniforms provided, paid medical insurance (for employee), retirement through the Texas Municipal
Retirement System (TMRS), 12-hour shifts with every other 3-day weekend off, city-issued handgun,
shotgun and patrol rifle.
WAYS TO APPLY
Call our office at (254) 675-6620, email us at cliftonpd@cliftontexas.us, or visit our office at
402 West 3rd Street, Clifton, Texas 76634.
ANY QUESTIONS?
Please feel free to call, email or visit us. This position is open until filled.
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Must be at least 21 years of age with High School diploma or equivalent.
Must meet physical, mental & educational standards set by the State and
the department.
Current Basic Peace Officer certification from TCOLE.
https://www.huttotx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/780/Certifiedinitial-application-Police-Officer-2021?bidId=
HUTTO POLICE
DEPARTMENT
BENEFITS
We want YOU to
join our team!
PATROL
STREET CRIMES
CRASH
RECONSTRUCTION
HUTTO RESPONSE
TEAM
BIKE PATROL
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RETIREMENT—TMRS with City match ratio of 2 to 1 after 5-year
vesting period.
SIGN ON BONUS—$ 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

Deputies
ARE YOU READY FOR A REWARDING CAREER?
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPLY TODAY!
*Full-Time Positions with Benefits * Experience Required
*Starting Salary is $27.28 + Stipend
Apply at www.co.ector.tx.us/page/ector.JobOpenings
*Must be a Certified Peace Officer
*Must be a United States Citizen
*No felony convictions
*Valid driver’s license
*Veterans must have an Honorable
Discharge
*Ability to work 12 hour shifts
*Ability to work some holidays
*Ability to work overtime (if necessary)
*21 or older
*Complete candidate exam
*Psychological exam
*Must pass a background investigation
*Must pass a drug screening
*Ability to multi-task and prioritize job duties
*Ability to work well with a team and
independently
*Provide excellent customer service while
maintaining a professional attitude.
*Must be able to work in inclement weather and
be able to walk, run, climb, crawl or sit for
extended periods of time.
* Must be able to effectively communicate with
the public; extensive communication (verbal and
written)
*Uniforms and Equipment provided upon employment
*Retirement
*13 Paid Holiday/Vacation/Sick Days
*Insurance
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life
If you have any questions or need assistance, contact:
Ector County Sheriff’s Office; Administrative Assistant Kareli “Kay” Santos at 432-335-3050 or
kareli.santos@ectorcountysheriff.us
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• NOW HIRING •
• TCOLE CERTIFIED OFFICERS •
Do you have what we are looking for?
TRUST • INTEGRITY • PURPOSE
*5-year lateral maximum starting salary- does not include certification pay or assignment pay
CURRENT PAY STRUCTURE
GENEROUS CERTIFICATION PAY ASSIGNMENT PAY
PLENTY OF PART-TIME WORK AVAILABLE
GREAT SUPPORT FROM OUR CITIZENS
To apply, go to https://www.cityofkennedale.com/813/Recruiting
For more information you can also visit-
The Kennedale Police Department at: www.cityofkennedale.com/99/Police
The City of Kennedale at: www.cityofkennedale.com
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WE’RE HIRING POLICE OFFICERS!
Competitive pay
scale
____
Starting Pay
$53,000
• Officers work 12 hour shifts and have every other 3 day weekend off
• Incentive pay for Intermediate, Advanced or Master TCOLE certifications
• Incentive pay for Field Training Officer certification
• Incentive pay for college degrees: Associates, Bachelors or Masters
• After 5 years of service, employees receive longevity pay
• City of Jonestown provides 11 paid holidays
• Vacation leave accrues at the end of the first 2 weeks of employment at a rate of 3.08 hours for each 2-week
pay period worked in a calendar year, totaling 10 working days each 12 months
• Sick leave accrues to total 12 days every 12 months
• Insurance: hospitalization, medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Retirement: Texas Municipal Retirement Systems, 7% with a 2:1 match by the City of Jonestown
Officers will be trained and certified as Marine Safety Enforcement Officers to patrol the north shores of Lake Travis.
JOIN THE LOCKHART
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Duty, Honor, Community
Do you have what it takes to join the ranks of the LPD? We will be
testing for multiple openings and look forward to seeing as many
qualified applicants as possible. The Lockhart Police Department is
community focused and operates with honor and respect to our
citizens. We are looking for individuals who are duty and career
driven. With focused leadership and the future ahead, we need
individuals who can answer the high calling of being a Lockhart
Police Officer. Ask yourself, are you ready? Visit
www.lpdrecruiting.org for more information.
Civil Service
____
Hiring Incentive
$5000 bonus
____
Community Oriented
Department
____
You make a
difference
LOCKHART POLICE
DEPARTMENT
214 Bufkin Ln
Lockhart TX 78644
512-398-4401
For more information
512-267-7007
policeinfo@jonestowntx.gov
www.jonestowntx.gov
Testing December 11, 2021
Apply by December 8, 2021
www.lpdrecruiting.org
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• LATERAL ENTRY WITH HIGHER STARTING SALARY
• TUITION REIMBURSMENT
• 8 HOUR ROTATING PATROL SHIFTS
• EMPLOYER PAID MEDICAL, DENTAL, VISION, AND LIFE INSURANCE
• EXCELLENT RETIREMENT PLAN WITH 2-1 MATCH
• NEWER MODEL ASSIGNED TAKE HOME VEHICLE
• CITY PAID SMARTPHONE
• $360 A YEAR IN UNIFORM & EQUIPMENT ALLOWANCE
• PROMOTIONAL OPPURTUNITIES
• ABLE TO LIVE ANYWHERE IN SCURRY COUNTY
• PAYROLL DEDUCTION PROGRAM FOR WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
• TATTOOS AND FACIAL HAIR ALLOWED
PRIDE | HONOR | INTEGRITY | COMMUNITY | INNOVATION
Equal Opportunity Employer
400 37TH STREET
Follow us @SnyderTexasPD
SNYDER, TX 79549
WWW.CI.SNYDER.TX.US
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Chief of Police - Kalon Rollins
811 Hwy 31 East
Chandler, TX 75758
903.849.6853
The Chandler Police Department is now accepting applications for the position of Police Officer.
INCREASED SALARY!!!
$42,000 - $45,000 (d.o.e.)
Chandler PD is seeking a diverse, highly motivated, community-oriented individual with integrity willing to
face a variety of challenges and responsibilities, one who is committed to working in partnership with the
residents of our growing community to provide a safe and secure environment to enhance the quality of
life. This is accomplished by patrolling, performing preliminary or follow-up criminal investigations, accident
investigation and traffic control while enforcing state laws as well as local municipal ordinances. The
Police Department is comprised of a Chief, 1-Lieutenant, 6-full-time patrol officers, 1-Fire Marshal/Code
Enforcement officer and 1-reserve officer who provide 24/7 police coverage to the City of Chandler. The
city offers a competitive salary for smaller towns, a standard (TML) employee covered benefit package
paid by the city, paid overtime, paid holiday time and TML retirement. Chandler PD patrol officers work 12
hour shifts that rotate every 3 months. Patrol shifts receive every other Friday, Saturday and Sunday off.
Chandler has a population over 3000 citizens; however, the city is currently undergoing extreme growth.
Chandler is located on State Highway 31 which is a main thoroughfare in and out of Tyler. Chandler
receives a daily traveler population much greater than it’s listed population. Chandler has a hometown
feel, a great school district and close proximity to Tyler which makes it a desired community for home
buyers. Chandler is a great place to work for police officers. You will not find another community, city
council or city administration that supports law enforcement like Chandler, Texas.
More information can be found at www.chandlertx.com
Requirements
Possess a current Texas Peace officer's License (preferred)
Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age.
High school graduate or equivalent.
Have no prior felony convictions, including some misdemeanors.
Applicants with prior military service must have an Honorable discharge provided on a DD214.
Must be able to work twelve (12) hour patrol shifts, weekends and holidays.
Applicants without a current peace officer's license may be considered for employment *to be enrolled in a
BPOC. These applicants will be required to sign a 2 year commitment to the city along with other
stipulations. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of BPOC academy and obtaining a
peace officer license. **Preference may be given to current certified officers depending on the needs of
the department.
CPD PERSONAL HISTORY STATEMENT MUST ACCOMPANY APPLICATIONS WHEN SUBMITTED
(applications without a PHS or incomplete applications will not be considered), Personal history
statements can be obtained at the Chandler City Hall or contact Lt. Stanbery (cstanbery@chandlertx.com)
or Chief Rollins (krollins@chandlertx.com) for a copy via email.
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"It's Not Just a Job, It's a Commitment"
The New Braunfels Police Department is accepting applications for Certified
Officers and Police Cadets.
Applications are available on the City’s Human Resources page:
https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/cityofnewbraunfels Search “police”
Applications closing date: January 7, 2022
Personal History Statement due: January 27, 2022
Test date: February 5, 2022
The first year starting annual base pay for certified police officers is $60,071 with
a $3,000 sign-on and retention incentive (paid out in three $1,000 annual lump
sum payments) *certified officers only*
Additional pay benefits are available for special assignments, bilingual ability, and
higher-level education and certification. Benefits include: Paid vacation/sick
leave/holidays, military leave, retirement, and tuition reimbursement.
To qualify for the Officer position, you must be at least 21 years old (but no older
than 44) and possess a valid TCOLE license. To qualify for the Cadet position,
you must meet the same age requirements listed above and also have a minimum
of 30 hours of college, and/or have two years of active military service and/or have
a minimum of six years of reserve status with the Armed Services of National
Guard. All applicants must be able to pass a medical/drug screen, a thorough
background check, a polygraph exam, psychological evaluation, and physical
agility tests.
Visit https://www.nbtexas.org/920/Employment to learn more. Questions?
joinnbpd@nbtexas.org or (830) 221-2139.
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$53,560 - $64,896
($25.75 - $31.20/hourly)
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