Dec 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 12

The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 1

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VOL. 39 NO. 12 December 2023 

FEATURES 

DEPARTMENTS 

80 40 YEARS OF THE BLUES 

108 MEET The BLUES STAFF 

114 MEET THE BLUES SPONSORS 

120 HCSO - 7 SHERIFF’S IN 70 YEARS 

122 BUILDING A HOME WITH DR HORTON 

PUBLISHER’S THOUGHTS 

EDITOR REX EVANS THOUGHTS 

COMING NEXT MONTH 

GUEST COMMENTARY - DOUG GRIFFITH 

GUEST COMMENTARY - DANIEL CARR 

GUEST COMMENTARY - STEVEN OWSINSKI 

GUEST COMMENTARY - DAVE SMITH 

NEWS AROUND THE US 

SURVIVING THE STREETS - LOOSING A PARTNER 

ISD PD JOB LISTINGS 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES 

BEST OF WAR STORIES 

BEST OF AFTERMATH 

HEALING OUR HEROES 

160 

DR. TINA JAECKLE, SENIOR EDITOR 

BLUE MENTAL HEALTH 

DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS 

BLUE MENTAL HEALTH DR. 

LIGHT BULB AWARD 

OFF DUTY WITH RUSTY BARRON 

ADS BACK IN THE DAY 

PARTING SHOTS 

BUYERS GUIDE 

NOW HIRING 

BACK PAGE 

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16 

18 

22 

26 

30 

78 

128 

132 

134 

142 

148 

154 

156 

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COVER PHOTO 

PHOTOGRAPHY, 

BY SGT. DAVID RAMIREZ 

THANKS TO THE HOUSTON PO- 

LICE DEPARTMENT, CHIEF TROY 

FINNER, AND SGT. MCINTIRE FOR 

ALLOWING US THE USE OF THEIR 

FACILITY AND FOX HELICOPTERS. 

FANTASTIC GROUP OF OFFICERS 

AND CIVILIANS RUNNING THE 

HPD AVIATION UNIT. 

164 

OFF DUTY with 

Rusty Barron 

142 

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4 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue

FOUNDER, PUBLISHER, EDITOR-N-CHIEF 

Michael Barron 

OUR TEAM 

OUR CONTRIBUTORS 

EDITOR-AT-LARGE 

Chief Rex Evans 

SENIOR EDITOR 

Dr. Tina Jaeckle 

CREATIVE EDITOR 

Jessica Jones 

COPY EDITOR 

Lt. John King (Ret) 

OUTDOOR EDITOR 

Rusty Barron 

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 

Lt. Daryl Lott (Ret) 

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS 

Sam Horwitz & John Salerno 


Doug Griffith 


Art Woolery 


Daniel Carr 


Brandon Karr 

WARSTORY 

LT. Bob Evans 

AFTERMATH 

Officer Jason Jones 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Steven Owsinski 

Daisy Escaltel 

Joanna Putman 

James Powell 

Dave Sutor 

Liz Collin 

Garry Parker 

Dave Smith 

The Law Officer & Police 1 

The BLUES 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 @ bluespdmag@gmail.com. 

The entire contents of The BLUES IS copyrighted© and may not be reprinted without the express permission of the publisher. 

The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 5 5

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK 

Turning 40! 

It’s been a long journey, but 

we’ve finally made it. This month, 

we celebrate the founding of The 

County Blues, a small tabloid 

created to serve law enforcement 

in Texas. Forty years later, a new 

magazine was created called THE 

BLUES and become The Largest 

Police Magazine in the World. 

It all began in 1984 in a little 

town in Texas called Humble. 

(Pronounced Umble, the H is silent) 

I was just a rookie deputy 

with the Harris County Sheriff’s 

Office when a few fellow deputies 

and I met at the Humble City Café 

and discussed starting a newsletter 

for the department. One thing 

led to another and The County 

Blues was born on December 20, 

1984. The County Blues became 

simply The BLUES in 1987 and some 

years after that, Buddy Williams 

took over and changed the name 

to The BLUES Police Newspaper. 

Unfortunately in May of 2018, Williams 

made the decision to retire 

the Newspaper after a record 34 

years. A year later, a new chapter 

began as an all-new magazine 

was created. This new publication 

would simply be called “The 

BLUES.” The first issue was published 

on December 20, 2019, as 

an all-digital, full color, on-line 

magazine serving law enforcement 

across America. 

Our first issue had less than 

5,000 readers and was only 60 

pages in length. Four years later, 

we average 250 pages and have 

over 1.5 million readers 

per issue. We are 

humbled by the support 

we’ve received these 

past few years given the 

unprecedented worldwide 

epidemic that crippled our 

economy and took so many of our 

brothers and sisters in BLUE. But 

we stayed the course and provided 

support not only for our advertisers, 

but the families of those that 

paid the ultimate sacrifice. 

The statistics are humbling: 

480 issues; 8,240 pages; 480 war 

stories; and over 36.9 million 

readers. Over the years, hundreds 

of individuals have contributed 

their time and efforts to publish 

The Blues. Not to mention the 

hundreds of advertisers that have 

provided the income necessary 

to produce such a publication. In 

the following pages, we honor 

as many of these individuals and 

businesses as possible. I apologize 

in advance if we missed anyone, 

but know we appreciate your support 

and assistance. 

Our cover this month is especially 

noteworthy as well. In the 

40-year history of The BLUES 

and all its iterations, I have never 

personally appeared on the cover. 

I always felt it was more important 

to cover the news, not be the 

news. But this month, I broke with 

tradition and stand proud with 

two individuals that have been 

instrumental in the success of The 

BLUES. 

I’ll begin with our Senior Editor 

Dr. Tina Jaeckle, who joined the 

BLUES in 2020, writing a monthly 

column entitled “Blue Mental 

Health.” Not long after, she expanded 

her role to a contributing 

editor providing our readers with 

behind the scenes and in-depth 

stories of law enforcement leaders 

across the country. Dr. Jaeckle 

received a BS degree in criminology 

from Florida Southern 

College, completed a master’s in 

social work from the University 

of Houston, a master’s degree in 

criminal justice, with a specialty 

track in the behavioral sciences 

from Nova Southeastern University, 

and earned a Ph.D. in the humanities 

and social sciences, with 

an emphasis in conflict analysis 

and resolution (specialty in crisis 

management), from the same 

institution. 

Dr. Jaeckle has served the law 

enforcement community for 

nearly 25 years as a crisis and 

trauma counselor, consultant, and 

instructor and is a strong supporter 

of LEOs, their families, and 

the mission to serve and protect. 

Dr. Jaeckle’s feature stories have 

elevated The BLUES to a worldclass 

publication, and I am proud 

to have her join us on the cover. 


Chief Rex Evans, Pretends to fly a FOX! 

HOBBY AIRPORT 

Southwest Flight 

FL 2903 

MD 500 FOX Helicopter 

courtsey of The Houston Police 

Department, Aviation Division. 

Lt. John King, Retired HPD Pilot, 

can fly a FOX! 

Sgt. Michael Barron, 

Can’t hover worth a crap, 

but tries to fly a FOX. 

Dr. Tina Jaeckle, 

Rides in the back of a FOX. 

Carrier Vests provided courtesy 

of Rick Fernandez and Cop Stop 

in Pearland, Texas. 

Cover Photography by Sgt. David Ramirez, Alvin ISD Police Department! 


On my right is our Copy Editor, 

Retired Lt. John King from the 

Houston Police Department. Not 

only has John been instrumental 

in ensuring that each issue of The 

BLUES contains as few grammatical 

and spelling errors as possible, 

but the truth is John has been a 

life-long friend. We met in the 4th 

grade and have been best friends 

ever since. In fact, it was our 

participation in a long past tradition 

in grade school that perhaps 

set the stage for us both being 

cops in later life. Back in the day, 

elementary schools had School 

Safety Patrols. The patrols were 

comprised of 5th and 6th grade 

students that were responsible 

for getting students safely across 

the many streets that intersected 

with the school. And to answer 

your next question, no adults were 

involved in this program. 

John was a natural leader from 

an early age, and he was assigned 

as the leader of our Patrol and 

wore a gold badge of course. I 

was just an ordinary foot soldier 

under his command. But I think 

that experience provided just 

enough interest in our lives to 

want to be cops when we graduated 

high school. And just like 

in grade school, John was always 

a rank higher, and I was the foot 

soldier. But as we got older and 

became more involved in businesses 

outside of law enforcement, 

we always managed to find 

a way to help each other no matter 

what the endeavor. The same 

is true with John and the BLUES. 

He was always there to do whatever 

I needed and for that I am 

forever indebted to him and proud 

to have him join us on the cover. 

And finally for the one individual 

that wasn’t available the day 

of our photo shoot but every bit 

as valuable, is Chief Rex Evans of 

the Alabama-Coushatta Tribal 

Police Department. Unfortunately, 

Rex was on an assignment out of 

state when we gathered at HPD 

Helicopters for the photo. But his 

unwavering support and guidance 

has proved invaluable to our success. 

Fact is, it was Rex who encouraged 

me to revive the BLUES 

and continue the tradition to reach 

this unbelievable milestone. 

Rex not only provides his wit and 

humor each month in his editorial, 

but he also sits on our editorial 

board that grounds the magazine 

and keeps me on the straight and 

narrow. Without him, who knows 

what you’d be reading now. 

Rex has over 33 years of law 

enforcement experience, 15 years 

of that as a Chief of Police. His 

near-death experiences remind us 

of how fragile life is and we thank 

God he is still with us today. God 

Bless you sir for everything you do 

for us. 

Finally, I’d like to thank our longtime 

sponsors: Jacqueline Simper 

at Central Police Supply and Alan 

and Blake Helfman, at River Oaks 

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram for 

their years of support dating back 

to 1984; More recently, Rick Fernandez 

at COP STOP in Pearland 

for his unwavering support, as 

well as providing carrier vests 

used in our cover photo. Andrew 

Drague and the folks at Proforce 

Law Enforcement; Tom Pleasant 

at Planet Ford on I45; BK at Prison 

Break Tattoos; Theresa Elliott at 

Casa Del Mar in Galveston; Thad 

Olive at State Farm; John Cone 

at Cone Retirement Group; Christi 

Wharton at Cardinal Tracking; 

Scott Balke at Autofacelifts; Aaron 

Roesler at American Bike Patrol; 

Brandon Karr with Unmanned 

Tactical Group; and our newest 

sponsors – Lance Rousey at Top 

Brass; The folks at REELZ TV & 

FOX NATION; Paul Curtis at Sniff 

Industries and Aaron Slater at Relentless 

Defender Apparel. 

ED: It’s important to note, that we 

are celebrating the 40th Anniversary 

of the FOUNDING of The COUNTY 

BLUES. Michael Barron founded the 

company responsible for publishing 

the original County Blues and 

The Blues in 1984. Michael Barron, 

owned and operated the company 

from 1984 to 1995. In 1995 Barron 

sold the rights to publish THE 

BLUES POLICE NEWSPAPER to GL 

Buddy Williams and he continued 

to do so until the final issue was 

published in May of 2018. Barron 

created a new on-line all digital 

magazine entitled “The BLUES” in 

December of 2019 and that publication 

continues today. It should 

also be noted that no articles, 

or content was reprinted or used 

from any issues of The Blues Police 

Newspaper for this issue. 


Alan and Blake Helfman 

wish to congratulate 

Michael Barron 

& The BLUES 

on their 40th 

Anniversary. 


FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE 

Yes, he said 40! 

Forty years sounds like a 

mighty long time, doesn’t it? 

Well, until you’ve lived and 

worked that long, it is a long 

time. Then you’re like wait, 

what the hell happened here? 

We’re talking about the 40th 

anniversary of The Blues. Forty 

years of keeping Houston, 

Harris County, Texas and now 

the entire Country, informed on 

critical issues relating to law 

enforcement. Those 40 years 

have just flown by. 

Now for me personally, I remember 

The Blues back when I 

was just a kid. My old man used 

to let me go with him some 

mornings to the old Avenue 

Grill, located on the corner of 

Houston Avenue and Washington 

Avenue. As an extra treat, 

he’d let me go with him into 

the old “F-15” known today as 

Central Police Supply. 

The Blues had a magazine 

stand in each of those locations, 

so every time I was there, along 

with pretty much the entire 

Central Patrol, Crime Scene 

Units and Solo Units, all there 

all there drinking their coffee, 

eating breakfast, reading The 

Blues and waiting for the call to 

get to Court. (The Central Houston 

Police Station, Municipal 

Courts and County Courts were 

just blocks from these two former 

Houston Institutions. 

When I grew up and became 

a cop, I still read The Blues. I 

looked forward every month to 

the new issue, to read about the 

latest and greatest as they related 

to area Law Enforcement. 

Sometimes everything made 

sense, and sometimes I was left 

wondering “Who and why did 

they say that?” Of course, all the 

ads were cool and so were the 

special editorials along with 

the open police officer positions 

throughout the greater Houston-Conroe-Galveston 

regions. 

Fast forward to my regular 

extra job at a local Mexican 

Restaurant when low and behold 

walks in Michael Barron, 

the original fella who created 

The Blues. As we were reminiscing 

about the good ole 

days, the subject of The Blues 

came up. He explained why The 

Blues had disappeared and he 

was thinking about resurrecting 

the old Police Magazine. I was 

ELATED. I was like “DUDE! YOU 

HAVE TO!!! The Blues is an Institution!!! 

Like, literally. We must 

bring it back. Well, he had me. 

He was like “Good. That’s settled. 

Glad you volunteered to 

help.” 

Not everything The Blues reported 

or printed was popular 

with everyone. In fact, there’s 

CHIEF REX EVANS 

times when clear lines were 

drawn in the sand, with two 

different points of view on the 

same topic. And that was the 

real beauty of The Blues. We 

could agree to disagree. But at 

the end of the day, we were ALL 

blue and we all loved The Blues. 

Call me “Old Fashioned” or 

“Nostalgic”. I believe not everything 

from our past needs to be 

erased or eradicated. The Blues 

is one of those institutions we 

should all strive to keep alive 

no matter what. It continues to 

provide a huge service for our 

profession and all those who 

come after us. They deserve 

to have the same, if not better, 

version of The Blues Police 

Magazine. 

Some traditions are actually a 

good thing. The Blues is certainly 

one of those things. Merry 

Christmas and Happy New 

Year’s to all my friends and may 

we all see each other on the 

other side of this Holiday Season. 

Stay healthy, be safe and 

watch each other’s six. 


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The Blues 40th Anniversary The Issue BLUES 15

GUEST COMENTARY 

Doug Griffith 

Time to Focus 

It is that time of year that I like 

to reflect on the positive aspects 

of my life. December has always 

been a mixed bag of emotions 

for me. I lost my best friend (my 

grandfather) on December 19th, 

1976. My “pawpaw” and I were 

inseparable and when he passed 

right before Christmas it truly ruined 

my Christmas for years after. 

Oddly enough, on December 19th, 

1993, I was involved in a shooting 

in which a suspect wanted for a 

shooting pulled a gun on my partner. 

Yes, I do believe that it was 

divine intervention and that my 

grandfather was there watching 

over me. I have had many other 

incidents during my career and 

attribute my survival to a “higher 

power”. I am a firm believer that 

God puts you where he wants you 

when he wants you there! 

I saw this on full display again 

recently with our two officers 

who were shot in different incidents. 

The first being Officer 

Gibson who was shot by a robbery 

suspect on the Southwest 

freeway after a chase and crash. 

Officer Gibson was hit in the leg, 

and it broke a bone taking him 

down and making it impossible 

for him to stand. With the assistance 

of his fellow officers, he 

was pulled to safety and should 

make a full recovery. The second 

was Sergeant Valle, who was 

ambushed and shot 8 times while 

looking for a burglary suspect. It 

is only by the grace of God that 

these officers are still here with us 

right now. Both officers showed 

incredible bravery and the WILL 

TO SURVIVE. When you hear 

these officers tell their story, you 

can see how they do not consider 

themselves heroes, but to me, they 

are both heroes! 

I have stayed in contact with 

both officers and each of them 

are focused on returning to the 

job they love as soon as possible. 

They are both very thankful 

to those who helped them on 

the scene. The lifesaving efforts 

by their fellow officers made the 

difference. Many times, officers 

who made the scene and helped 

their brothers in blue do not get 

mentioned. But I think it is very 

important to acknowledge the roll 

that all of their brother and sister 

officers played in both scenes. 

We take it as part of the job, but 

to see our brothers and sisters, 

our friends, hurt or shot, it takes a 

toll. The care and concern that our 

people show for one another in 

times like these is very impressive. 

DOUG GRIFFITH, 

PRESIDENT, HPOU 

Now it’s time to focus. Focus 

on these officers and their recovery, 

focus on their families, and 

focus on the fact that we are part 

of one of the best police departments 

in the world. Not because 

of the city, the job, but because of 

the people. I am not a fan of One 

HPD, but I am very proud of our 

HPD family and how we always 

come together to support our 

family. Yes, there are things we 

can complain about within the 

department, but the brotherhood 

is strong. Please say a prayer for 

these officers and if possible, 

reach out to them over this holiday 

season. It is time to focus on 

the positive and remember the 

reason for the season! 

Merry Christmas. 

We are ready for 2024! 

Experience the only first responder owned 

and operated THEME studio in the Country! 

10 years strong! We are Family! 

We look forward to seeing you soon! 




police law news 

Daniel Carr 

Officer Involved: Jarrell Day. 

Cop Unjustly Facing Charges. 

A police officer in Naugatuck, 

Connecticut was arrested and 

charged with 3rd degree assault for 

the force he utilized during an effort 

to arrest an actively resistant felon. 

The force utilized by the officer 

was reasonable, necessary, and 

proportional to achieve the lawful 

objective and well within any rational 

department use of force policy. 

However, during the arrest the officer 

utilized colorful language and 

dishonest politicians (as well as the 

usual swath of anti-police activists) 

are refusing to separate the cursing 

from the actual force utilized. 

WHAT HAPPENED 

On October 14, 2023 Jarrell Day 

stole six packs of beer (totaling 

approximately $200) from a Stop 

& Shop in Naugatuck, CT. Since the 

merchandise was taken unlawfully 

under the threat of force - this was 

upgraded to a felony level Robbery 

offense. 

The store called police officers 

and Officer Nicholas Kehoss with 

the Naugatuck police department 

and his partner arrived on scene. 

Officers made contact with Mr. Day, 

who was in the driver’s seat of a 

vehicle, and gave him commands to 

“shut off” the car and exit. 

Mr. Day refused to comply with 

the lawful commands and instead 

of accepting responsibility for his 

criminal acts he accelerated forward 

- away from police officers. 

As the vehicle fled at a high rate of 

speed - it crashed into two police 

cars in an effort to evade law enforcement. 

At this point the officers had 

charges of: Robbery, Reckless driving, 

and Eluding an officer and a vehicle 

pursuit was initiated. Eventually, 

Mr. Day crashed the vehicle and 

ran on foot through an open field. 

CAUGHT 

Officer Kehoss engaged in a foot 

pursuit after Mr. Day and was able 

to catch up to him in a field. 

Officer Kehoss then gave Mr. Day 

commands to “Stop! Stop! Get on 

the ground!” 

Mr. Day refused to comply and 

remained in a standing position. 

USE OF FORCE 

Officer Kehoss then deployed a 

Taser at Mr. Day. This application of 

force did achieve the desired effect 

and Mr. Day fell to the ground. 

Once on the ground, Mr. Day was 

laying on his back. Officer Kehoss 

gave him multiple commands to, 

“Get on your stomach!” Mr. Day refused 

to roll onto his stomach and 

the Taser was deployed a second 

time. This application of force did 

achieve the desired effect - as it 

convinced Mr. Day to roll onto his 

stomach. 

Once on his stomach, Officer 

Kehoss holstered the Taser and 

gave Mr. Day several commands to, 

“Put your hands behind your back!” 

Mr. Day refused and kept his hands 

near his head. Officer Kehoss then 

grabbed Mr. Day’s right arm with 

both of his hands and tried to move 

it behind his back. Mr. Day actively 

resisted and pulled his arm away 

from Officer Kehoss. Officer Kehoss 

then warned Mr. Day that he would 

be “tased” if he did not comply 

and Officer Kehoss unholstered the 

Taser and deployed the device in 

“drive stun” mode on Mr. Day’s back. 

This application of force did achieve 

the desired effect - as it convinced 

Mr. Day to allow Officer Kehoss to 

handcuff him. 

POST-USE OF FORCE 

Mr. Day sustained no injuries - as 

the Taser is uncomfortable during 

deployment - but typically has zero 

negative after effects. 

Mr. Day was arrested and with 

charged with attempted second-degree 

assault, third-degree 

robbery, assault on police, illegal 

possession of a weapon in a vehicle, 

second-degree larceny, reckless 

driving, operating under suspension 

and evading responsibility. 

Officer Kehoss was arrested and 

charged with intentional cruelty to 

persons and third-degree assault. 

He is free after posting $50,000 bail 

and has been on paid administrative 

leave since October 23, 2023. 

ANALYSIS 

The use of force from Officer Kehoss 

- all three Taser deployments 

were not only within the law but 



were within the boundaries of any 

reasonable use of force policy. 

Each Taser deployment was precipitated 

by commands and force 

warnings. Each Taser deployment 

was to achieve a very specific action: 

1. Get on the ground. 

2. Roll onto stomach. 

3. Put hands behind back. 

Once Mr. Day complied - the use 

of force stopped. 

It seems that people have the 

most trouble with the third Taser 

deployment. However, the third Taser 

deployment is the most justifiable 

one. Here’s why: 

• The situation was not safe until 

Mr. Day was handcuffed. Therefore, 

it was reasonable for Officer Kehoss 

to try and achieve this. 

• After the second Taser deployment, 

Officer Kehoss holstered the 

Taser. This speaks volumes on his 

intent - that he did not plan on using 

the Taser again. 

• That changed when Mr. Day not 

only refused to put his hands behind 

his back but physically pulled his 

right arm away from Officer Kehoss 

during the handcuffing process. 

• This is the textbook definition of 

“active resistance”. 

• Officer Kehoss gave clear commands 

and several warnings that 

the Taser would be utilized a third 

time. Still, Mr. Day refused to comply. 

• After the third Taser deployment 

- Mr. Day complied and was handcuffed. 

And no additional force was 

utilized. 

• This is evidence that the force 

utilized by Officer Kehoss was only 

to achieve a lawful objective and 

was not excessive. 

INVESTIGATION OF OFFICER 

KEHOSS 

The Naugatuck Chief of Police (C. 

Colin McAllister) explained that a 

supervisor reviewed the body camera 

footage from this incident, had 

“concerns”, and sent the video to 

Waterbury State’s Attorney (Maureen 

Platt). Ms. Platt also had “concerns” 

about the conduct of Officer 

Kehoss and forwarded the case to 

the State Police to investigate. The 

charges against Officer Kehoss stem 

from the State Police investigation. 

If the actions of Officer Kehoss 

were truly criminal in nature the 

Naugatuck police department 

would have filed charges and not 

passed it on because they were 

unsure. Also, the State’s Attorney 

would have filed charges against 

Officer Kehoss if his actions were 

truly criminal and her office would 

have not passed the case for a third 

opinion. 

This case was shopped around 

to three different agencies before 

charges were filed. That speaks volumes 

about the merits of this case. 

MEDIA MALFEASANCE 

In virtually every local and national 

article that covered this case 

- the personal history of Officer Kehoss 

is criticized and exaggerated. 

Every aspect of his personnel file 

has been combed through and violations 

of department policy from 

years ago - are being connected to 

this incident. 

Those same journalists are not 

very interested in the criminal history 

of Jarrell Day. 

I promise - the criminal history 

of Mr. Day is far more extensive, 

serious, violent, and relevant than 

the past policy violations of Officer 

Kehoss. 

LANGUAGE 

During the arrest Officer Kehoss 

cursed and used foul language 

towards Mr. Day. Here are some 

examples: 

“You are a fucking idiot, you know 

that, you turned a larceny into a 

felony.” 

“Shut the fuck up!” 

“Start fucking complying asshole!” 

Alright. The language is not great. 

The language is likely a violation of 

department policy. That’s it. Give 

Officer Kehoss his letter of reprimand 

and we can all move on. 

The double standard is astounding. 

The media is far more concerned 

with the cursing from an 

officer instead of a violent crime 

committed by an offender. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Every deployment of the Taser 

from Officer Kehoss was in furtherance 

to achieve the lawful objective 

of arresting Mr. Day for a violent 

felony. Each deployment of the 

Taser was precipitated by commands 

and a warning that force 

would be utilized. Each deployment 

of the Taser was while Mr. Day was 

actively resisting arrest. 

Officer Kehoss arrested a violent 

felon without causing any injury. 

The fact that he is facing criminal 

charges should give all officers 

pause and seriously think twice 

about actively pursuing criminal 

offenders. 

The charges against Officer Kehoss 

should be immediately dismissed 

and he should be reinstated 

back to full duty. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

David Carr has over eighteen 

years experience as a police officer 

in a large city and also (while 

working the cop job) earned a 

Master’s degree in Criminal Justice 

and a Law Degree (J.D.). He 

has been featured on the popular 

Law Enforcement Today Radio 

Show and podcasts such as 

Courageous Leadership, Failure 

to Stop, and On Being a Police 

Officer. Find more informative 

articles on his substack page 

and join in on the conversation. 

https://policelawnews.substack. 

com/ 




Stephen Owsinski 

Troopers Brimming with Bravery 

Although there is a severe 

shortage of law enforcement 

officers, there is no deficiency 

in the requisite bravery of our 

troopers out there combatting 

crime amid perilous velocity of 

traffic…with the safety of everyone 

as the staple ingredient, despite 

the risk to their own lives. 

With several major holidays 

in the last quarter of 2023, 

safe-driving campaigns kick it 

up a few notches, with state police 

organizations and troopers 

trying to blanket the thoroughfares 

with cruisers to be seen 

and heeded. The visual reminder 

for all motorists: Driving, although 

heralding freedom and 

fun, is not to be taken lightly and 

ill-concentrated. 

With Florida’s burgeoning 

population of those who fled 

states that watered crops of 

anarchy, it is increasingly palpable 

and death-defying to go out 

and about in automobiles for the 

continuum of sustenance and 

life choices. In that regard, traffic 

crashes are a dime a dozen, each 

requiring a law enforcement 

officer to piece together a chain 

of events and map out the entire 

scene, thereafter documenting 

details in a police report. 

Every cadet selected to train at 

the police academy undergoes 

intense blocks of traffic crash 

investigations training, mandated 

by the respective state Criminal 

Justice Standards and Train- 

ing Commission (CJSTC). All 

the nuances in this form of law 

enforcement responsibility are 

studied until blue in the face. 

Once state-certified by the 

CJSTC and out there doing The 

Job, in-service courses are 

offered in advanced studies 

such as Traffic Fatality Investigations 

(formerly known as 

Traffic Homicide Investigation or 

THI). These specialized courses 

engender principles pertinent 

to automobile maneuverability 

—centripetal force and centrifugal 

force— and are convened 

for extraordinary traffic investigations 

involving the deaths of 

motor vehicle occupants and/or 

pedestrians. 

Although the advent of drones 

helps law enforcement by safeguarding 

investigators photographing/mapping 

scenes aerially, 

supplanting the former 

method of law enforcement 

officers physically standing in 

a traffic crash scene, they still 

largely exit police cruisers and 

risk getting bowled over by any 


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The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 23 

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of many moving vehicles. 

Traffic stops carry multiple 

dangers for LEOs: malice from 

armed motorists and injury from 

inattentive drivers, primarily. 

And there’s plenty of the latter 

to ruin lives… 

Any “local” trip I take nowadays 

is extraordinarily fraught with 

heavy traffic flow and invariable 

wrecks set in motion by some 

self-centered drivers operating 

tonnage without a care in the 

world—certainly not for anyone 

around them. All it takes is one 

person’s poor decision to cause a 

chain reaction resulting in a bad 

day for many. 

Wreckage 

Having served as a policeman, 

working wrecks is a typical part 

of The Job. Like everyone else 

on the pavement, I turtle-crawl 

forward until I see the blue 

lights, the telltale signs of troopers 

working yet another otherwise 

avoidable traffic crash, 

braving the open-air elements 

(hip-close cars and trucks) to 

gather everyone’s documents 

and testimonies, safely return 

to the office (cruiser), and piece 

it all together, finding fault(s), 

and distributing some bad-news 

docs requiring signatures. 

Yet even in the confines of a 

brightly lit, clearly marked police 

car, troopers working the wrecks 

epitomize the phrase “sitting 

ducks” (respectfully). 

But, but, but…the Move Over 

Law. 

We here at the National Police 

Association have covered 

the nuances of the Move Over 

Law several times. Although it 

is one among many laws relegated 

to keeping our nation’s 

road-borne cops safe while they 

lasso speeders, investigate traffic 

woes, and implement safety 

feats, it still seems to fall upon 

deaf ears (PSAs) and self-blind 

eyes (overhead marquees and 

a litany of signals to heed, all 

dismissed). 

The chronology of police cruisers 

smashed into accordion-like 

hunks of mostly metal is a dime 

a dozen, a telltale sign that some 

auto operators’ minds are on everything 

but driving carefully. 

Over the Thanksgiving Day 

week, I read several social media 

posts echoing how police families 

are typically unsettled when 

their sworn-to-serve loved one’s 

primary duty is enforcing traffic 

codes as a trooper, whose playing 

field is not the Indianapolis 

Speedway but a close replication. 

Spouses, children, and parents 

of troopers must be an unrested 

bunch, understandably so. 

In all of this, troopers uphold 

one another and carry on the 

fight against the aggressiveness 

of reckless drivers creating traffic 

tragedies resulting in fatalities 

on the asphalt, with troopers 

always in the crosshairs due to 

the very nature of their inherent 

duties and where they are performed. 

Some of the horrific fatalities 

are troopers whose lives were 

abruptly concluded while bravely 

serving in a space known for 

speed and inattentive motorists. 

In that extremely sad context, 

our cover photo today portrays 

troopers from various states 

standing shoulder to shoulder, 

attending Honor Guard training 

school, wearing their respective 

colors while also implementing 

cadence and cohesion, brimming 

with bravery in the face of 

chronic perils. 

Although any law enforcement 

agency Honor Guard contingent 

performs at various events — 

police academy graduations, 

promotions ceremonies, athletic 

events, dignitary presentations, 

to name a few— it is more commonly 

employed at law enforcement 

officer funerals. 

From state troopers to county 

sheriff’s deputies to city cops, 

Honor Guard cadres train the 

same and exhibit acute skills 

akin to solid soldiers marching 

without one iota of a misstep, all 

in reverence to the fallen whose 

bravery was maximized. 

The San Diego Police Department’s 

Honor Guard credo is to 

“keep the remembrance of fallen 

officers alive in the memories of 

all law enforcement personnel, 

their families, friends, and the 

communities they serve” and 

“will represent and honor the 

Department and its members 

with the highest degree of professionalism 

and integrity at all 

times” and whose training manual 

shall “constitute the nucleus 

for the conduct and operation of 

the Honor Guard.” 

Textbook directives translating 

to precision police training comprising 

agency tributes on behalf 

of those who forged forward 

bravely…for the final time. 

Troopers chronicling attendance 

at police funerals are thus 

starkly reminded of the myriad 

pitfalls and inexplicable carnage 

transpiring on America’s highways 

and byways, yet bravely 

suit up and step out of cruisers 

to pursue order in the torrents of 

traffic. 


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Dave Smith 

Hearing Voices. 

Oct. 25, 2023, a mentally ill 

subject entered a bowling alley 

in Lewiston, Maine, and opened 

fire with a Ruger semi-automatic 

.308 rifle; he then drove 

to a nearby bar and opened 

fire again. That is the sterile 

description of the horror that 

occurred that night. 

First responders spent the 

next two days searching the 

area with a seriously high 

pucker factor since the shooter 

was a military trained firearms 

instructor who had been institutionalized 

the previous summer 

after confessing at a training 

exercise that he had heard 

voices telling him to shoot up a 

military facility. Then, in September, 

a Sheriff’s Sergeant 

was dispatched to contact the 

obviously mentally ill fellow 

because some were concerned 

that “the reservist was going 

to snap and commit a mass 

shooting.” 

Wow, just wow. What the 

heck is going on? Eighteen 

people murdered, 13 others 

wounded, in a highly politicized 

tragedy. “Gun Control!” was the 

almost immediate and universal 

cry, but the deeper, more 

important issue is why have 

we failed to deal with mental 

illness in any effective way? 

Drive down any major urban 

street and you are not the least 

surprised to see a homeless 

person gesticulating and talking 

in an obvious intense debate 

with…nobody. At least nobody 

that you and I can see. 

Pick any newscast and a large 

number of stories often involve 

mental illness at some point. 

Children suffering depression, 

suicide, gender dysphoria, and 

other problems were further 

impacted by the efforts to control 

the COVID virus by forcing 

them into unnatural seclusion. 

Educators, physicians, psychologists, 

and counselors, seem to 

pander instead of treat, encourage 

instead of heal, and accept 

no other opinions on how to 

deal with these issues than their 

own, which have been ineffective. 

Mass shooters undergoing 

“transitioning” are not to be analyzed, 

much less their manifesto 

read, as in the instance of the 

Nashville shooting suspect. Law 

enforcement is constantly told, 

as is the general public, that the 

mentally ill are no more dangerous 

than the general population 

and need to be protected, not 

criticized, treated, or actually 

helped. 

There exists a national con job 

of pseudo-therapy programs, 

halfway houses, and other charities 

pretending to help the people 

in crisis, yet the only thing 

getting better is the charities’ 

bank accounts. I sit regularly at 

my county board of supervisors 

meeting and go over the grants 

and funds being expended on the 

variety of groups pretending to 

help the homeless (almost universally 

mentally ill and chemically 

dependent, illegal aliens, 

and the poor) and the magnitude 

is amazing. These programs are 

requiring more and more public 

funding with no feedback mechanism. 

We are caught in the 

futile cycle of, “spend a fortune - 

things get worse - ask for more 

of the public’s money.” And too 

often the mantra is, “Take funds 

from the police and give it to this 

or that social service group.” 

While defunding the police 

is no longer a credible option, 

too many politicians still “act” 

on that principle and allocate 

resources to the useless while 

denying the necessary. The police 

function is a basic principle 

of governing and is also a way to 

improve the lives of the common 

folk as well as the mentally ill. 

Too often, the only public servant 

that actually interacts effectively 

with the person suffering 

a mental crisis is the police 

officer. “Tough love” is not just 

a saying, it is an ancient wisdom 

that needs to be fully embraced. 

Forcing someone into a controlled 

environment is often the 

only way to treat many mental 

illnesses. Many former alcoholics 

and drug-addicted folks describe 

their arrest as the catalyst 

that forced them into the therapy 

that saved their lives. Yeppers, 

those nasty police actually 


save many lives by protecting the 

public, enforcing laws, and truly 

caring about their community. 

Frankly, American law enforcement 

has been begging the rest 

of the system to deal with mental 

illness for years. Prisons are 

literally filled with the complete 

catalog of mental illnesses. New 

Zealand estimates 90% of its 

inmates suffer from some form 

of these illnesses, while American 

researchers seem to try to 

minimize mental health’s impact 

on criminality. Some studies of 

American institutions come close 

to New Zealand’s number while 

others find it as low as 59% but, 

regardless of the number, mental 

health is the gorilla in the room 

when we talk about mass shootings, 

criminality, homelessness, 

drug abuse, domestic violence, 

and suicide. Time for a Dutch Uncle 

conversation with America 

Blaming inanimate objects 

like guns for a problem caused 

by mental illness is an exercise 

in futility that solves nothing, 

wont work and, worse, limits the 

freedoms of a free people. Laws 

need to be enacted, enforced, 

and followed that include treatment 

and follow-up for those 

who suffer from this growing 

crisis. The time for law enforcement 

leaders to stand silent is 

over. Demand action, demand 

solutions, demand safe streets, 

demand tools and training, and 

lead this country to safety. 

Dave Smith is an internationally 

recognized law enforcement 

trainer and is the creator of “JD 

Buck Savage.” You can follow 

Buck on Twitter at @thebucksavage 


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AROUND THE COUNTRY 

AUSTIN, TX. 

Senior Officer Jorge Pastore, a SWAT officer with the Austin 

Police Department, was shot and killed by a suspect as he 

attempted to rescue hostages. 

The Austin Police Department 

is reeling following a tragic 

weekend in which two officers 

died off duty, while one officer 

and three civilians were killed in 

a hostage situation Saturday. 

Austin Police Officer Jorge Pastore, 

38, was one of two officers 

shot during a SWAT standoff 

with the violent assailant. Pastore 

died from his wounds; the 

second officer was released 

from Dell Seton Medical Center 

Tuesday. On Wednesday, APD released 

the names of the suspect, 

Ahmed Mohamed Nassar, and 

two civilians killed at the scene: 

Eyman Elnemrnassar and Riad 

Nassar. 

The following day, retired APD 

Officer Ray Shillito died following 

a car crash in Leander. A 

third officer, Senior Officer Kristy 

Astran, a 15-year veteran of APD, 

also died off duty over the weekend 

of unknown causes. 

APD personnel are remembering 

Pastore as a brave, gregarious 

colleague who was devoted 

to the profession and eager to 

help his community. Pastore 

graduated from the Austin Police 

Academy in 2019, but before that, 

he worked as a paramedic in 

Florida. There, he became one of 

the people providing emergency 

care to victims shot during the 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High 

School shooting in Parkland, Fla., 

said Michael Bullock, an APD 

night shift patrol officer (and 

newly elected Austin Police Association 

president) who worked 

with Pastore on APD’s Counter 

Assault Strike Team. 

After becoming an Austin 

police officer, Pastore poured 

himself into training, investing 

many hours above the required 

amount studying police tactics. 

His training and experience as 

a medic led to him winning an 

assignment in the CAST unit, 

which was assembled to provide 

a response to active shooter 

situations or when someone is in 

immediate danger. Later, Pastore 

was assigned to APD’s SWAT 

team. 

APD Interim Chief Robin Henderson 

praised Pastore’s bravery 

in a Nov. 11 post on X. “Please 

help me and our APD family pay 

tribute to [Senior Police Officer] 

Jorge Pastore for his brave & heroic 

actions,” Henderson wrote. 

OFFICER JORGE PASTORE 

“Sir, we’ll take it from here.” 

Pastore is survived by his wife, 

two stepsons, parents, and two 

sisters. Pastore is the first APD 

officer killed in the line of duty 

since Officer Jaime Padron was 

fatally shot in 2012. 

The actions Henderson referenced 

in her post were undertaken 

during a 911 call that came 

in at 2:49am from a home in the 

9300 block of Bernoulli Drive; 

the caller said she was being 

stabbed. Minutes later, officers 

arrived. A third person escaped 

the home and told officers the 

assailant was still inside and 

armed with a knife. 

“He always had a smile on his 

face. That’s what I remember 


about him the most. No matter 

how horrible the situation was, 

he was just a really good officer 

who wanted to help.” – Former 

Austin Police Association President 

Ken Casaday 

An hour later, around 4am, 

officers with APD’s SWAT team 

arrived and forced their way into 

the home. A shoot-out ensued, 

resulting in the death of Pastore 

and the injury of the second 

officer. After the shooting, officers 

found the assailant and two 

hostages dead, but it is unclear 

if any were killed in the shootout. 

Sources told the Chronicle 

that both officers were shot by 

the assailant, who was wielding 

a rifle. (An APD spokesperson 

declined to comment on details 

about the incident beyond what 

has already been released publicly.) 

Bullock was among the officers 

who raced across town to make 

it to the scene after officers were 

shot at the first time. Bullock 

agreed there was a through line 

between Pastore’s experience 

as a medic in Parkland and as a 

SWAT officer in Austin. “It completely 

embodies what Pastore 

was all about,” Bullock told us 

Nov. 14. “Fighting for other people, 

protecting innocent lives, 

and stopping people who were 

hurting other people.” 

We do not yet know every detail 

of the incident, but it is believed 

that Pastore was the first 

officer to enter the home once 

SWAT forced their way into the 

residence. If that is how events 

transpired, Bullock said it would 

be completely unsurprising. “He 

was not the kind of guy to wait 

for something to happen,” Bullock 

said. “He wanted to run in 

there and help people.” 

Thousands of police officers 

from across the state and the 

country poured into the Circuit 

of the Americas amphitheater to 

honor the life of the fallen Austin 

police SWAT officer Jorge Pastore, 

who was killed in the line 

of duty last Saturday. 

Pastore’s casket, draped in the 

U.S. flag, was carried by members 

of the Austin Police Department 

honor guard. His casket 

was opened so those in attendance 

could pay their respects; 

many took off their caps and 

saluted him. 

The overcast, chilly morning 

seemed to reflect the mood of a 

city and the Police Department 

mourning the first Austin police 

officer to die by a shooting in 

the line of duty in more than a 

decade. 

But as the last of the officers 

made their way across the stage 

near the end of the visitation, the 

sun began to peek out from the 

clouds — fitting for the day, as 

multiple people have said Pastore 

was known to “light up” a 

room with his “vibrant” attitude. 



AUSTIN, TX. 

Tragedy struck again as Austin PD lost two more officers the 

same weekend as Officer Pastore. Retired Officer Ray Shillito and 

Officer Kristy Astran both lost their lives in separate incidents. 

AUSTIN, TX, – APD and the Cities 

of Austin and Leander, are both 

grappling with the loss of Ray 

Shillito Jr., a revered former Austin 

Police Officer, after a fatal collision 

Sunday, November 12th. 

Around 11:50 a.m. on RM 2243, 

Shillito’s Chevrolet Silverado was 

struck head-on by a Ford Excursion 

that had crossed the median 

due to a mechanical failure. 

Shillito, aged 51, died at the scene, 

leaving behind a legacy of public 

service. 

Despite the tragic circumstances, 

no charges have been filed 

against the Ford driver, who cooperated 

with law enforcement at 

the scene. The Leander Police Department 

(LPD) is conducting an 

in-depth investigation, led by the 

LPD Collision Reconstruction Team 

with Lt. Ben Girdler as the media’s 

point of contact. 

The Austin community, where 

Shillito had served on the Austin 

Police Department before retiring 

to join the City of Austin’s Development 

Services Department’s 

Code Compliance Team, is feeling 

the weight of this loss. His dedication 

to his community was significant 

and widely recognized. 

As the investigation continues, 

both the Leander and Austin com- 

32 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 

OFFICER RAY SHILLITO 

OFFICER KRISTY ASTRAN 

munities are honoring Shillito’s 

commitment to public service. His 

life touched many, and his contributions 

to law enforcement and 

community welfare will not be 

forgotten. 

Senior Officer Kristy Astran, a 

senior police officer with a 15- 

year career at the Austin Police 

Department, was known for her 

professionalism, integrity, and 

compassion. Her involvement in 

high-profile cases showcased her 

dedication to her job. However, 

her life came to a tragic end when 

she was found dead in her home. 

While the cause of her death remains 

undisclosed, reports suggest 

she was under investigation 

by the department and may have 

taken her own life. 

The Austin Police Department 

expressed their condolences and 

respect for Astran, highlighting 

her impact on the force. Astran’s 

legacy will be remembered 

through her service and the love 

she shared with her family and 

friends. 

The somber news follows the 

recent passing of APD Officer 

Jorge Pastore, and Officer Shillito, 

marking a challenging weekend 

for the law enforcement community 

in Austin and throughout 

Texas.



LOVELADY, TX. 

Texas Correctional Officer Jovian Motley dies while 

attempting to restrain an inmate at TDC. 

LOVELADY, TX (KTRK) - A 

family is demanding answers 

after a corrections officer died 

in a Lovelady, Texas, prison unit 

on Monday, November 13th. 

The Texas Department of 

Criminal Justice announced 

on Tuesday, November 14, that 

27-year-old Jovian Motley 

died at the Wainwright Unit in 

Houston County. 

Authorities said the incident 

happened while Motley was 

helping other officers restrain 

an inmate. 

Motley’s family wants to 

know what happened and is 

holding a news conference 

Tuesday evening. Family members 

say they did not get officially 

notified by TDCJ and have 

received no answers. 

The family says it demands 

that those responsible for Motley’s 

death be held accountable. 

The TDCJ says there is an 

ongoing criminal investigation 

and will not release any further 

information. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued 

a statement following Motley’s 

death: 

“Texas grieves for the loss 

of one of its brave correctional 

officers, who selflessly put 

his life on the line each day to 

protect his community, fellow 

officers, and Texans. We must 

never take for granted the service 

and sacrifice of our correctional 

officers. Cecilia and I pray 

for Officer Jovian Motley and 

his family and ask all Texans 

to keep his loved ones in their 

prayers during this heartbreaking 

time.” 

Officials said Motley had 

joined the agency in October 

2022. 

“Officer Motley was a hero 

DEPUTY TUCKER BLAKELY 

who tragically died while 

protecting his fellow officers 

and the public,” TDCJ Executive 

Director Bryan Collier said. “His 

courage and dedication will 

forever be remembered. We are 

praying for his family, friends 

and co-workers during this difficult 

time.” 


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TUCSON, AR. 

Border Patrol Agent Freddy Ortiz was killed in an ATV accident in Douglas 

Arizona while responding to reports of undocumented immigrants in the area. 

TUCSON, Ariz. — A U.S. Border 

Patrol agent was killed in a vehicle 

crash while responding to 

a call on Nov. 14, KOLD reported. 

According to the Officer Down 

Memorial Page, Ortiz was 44 

years old and had served in the 

U.S. Border Patrol for 13 years. 

He was a U.S. Navy veteran and 

is survived by his mother and 

stepfather. Ortiz was taken to a 

hospital where he succumbed to 

his injuries. 

“U.S. Border Patrol Agent 

Freddy Ortiz’s on-duty death is 

a tragedy and a stark reminder 

of the dangerous nature of our 

mission,” Chief Patrol Agent for 

Tucson Sector John Modlin told 

KOLD. “ I am grateful for all the 

Border Patrol Agents, first responders, 

and medical staff who 

attempted to save his life. My 

thoughts and prayers are with his 

family, friends, and loved ones.” 

“It is an incredibly sad day for 

our brothers and sisters in Border 

Patrol and we have only the 

highest level of respect for the 

job these brave souls do every 

single day,” Cochise County 

Sheriff Mark Dannels told KOLD. 

“God bless all of those in his 

work family and his home family, 

and know we are here if you 

need us.” 

BORDER PATROL AGENT 

FREDDY ORTIZ 


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AUSTIN, TX. 

Steve Westbrook, Executive Director of the Texas Sheriff’s Association, 

is accused of misappropriating association funds. 

By Daisy Escaltel 

AUSTIN, TX. – The executive director 

of the Sheriff’s Association 

of Texas has resigned in lieu of 

termination after being accused of 

misappropriation of funds. 

Smith County Sheriff and President 

of SAT Larry Smith announced 

on Thursday that Executive 

Director Steve Westbrook is 

accused of misappropriating the 

association’s funds after receiving 

two tips from employees on Nov. 

16. 

On Nov. 17, Smith received confirmation 

that the Texas Attorney 

General’s Office was investigating 

the case and secured documents. 

Smith said the association is fully 

cooperating. Once it was determined 

that the Attorney General’s 

Office had been in contact with 

Westbrook, the Board of Directors 

of the association unanimously 

decided to put Westbook on leave 

pending the outcome of the investigation. 

Based on additional information 

that the association received in 

the past several days, the association’s 

board of directors met in the 

Austin office and accepted Westbrook’s 

resignation effective noon 

on Wednesday. 

As part of his resignation, Westbrook 

was ordered to surrender 

his peace officer’s 

license to the Texas 

Commission on 

Law Enforcement, 

pay full restitution 

as decided by a 

forensic audit and 

all compensation 

to Westbrook will 

reportedly cease 

immediately. 

Smith said the 

association has 

retained an independent 

accounting 

firm and law firm to 

review the allegations. 

Westbrook began 

his career at the 

Henderson County 

Sheriff’s Department 

at the age of 18 as a 

deputy sheriff and since then has 

had an extensive history in law 

enforcement, serving with the SAT 

for more than 20 years. 

During the meeting on Wednesday, 

the board named Skylor 

Hearn as the Interim Executive 

Director. 

According to Smith, Hearn has 

been in the Texas Department 

of Public Safety for 26 years and 

graduated from the FBI National 

Academy. 

Smith said this incident “gives 

a black eye to the sheriff’s association.” 

Moving forward, he said 

he will put checks and balances 

in place to prevent future misappropriation, 

including having two 

people handle money instead of 

just one. 

“It’s a shame it went on for so 

long and wasn’t caught earlier, 

but we have a strong board in 

place at this time, thank God, and 

I think God had something to do 

with it,” Smith said. 


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LOVELAND, CO. 

Ex-Colorado Officer Dylan Miller was arrested and charged with four 

counts of sexual assault that occurred while he was on duty. 

LOVELAND, CO. — An ex-Colorado 

police officer has been 

charged with multiple crimes 

related to on-duty sexual assault 

allegations, according to authorities. 

On Monday, now-former officer 

Dylan Miller was arrested 

for suspicion of sexual assault, 

the Loveland Police Department 

and the Larimer County Sheriff’s 

Office announced. 

Chief Timothy Doran of the 

Loveland Police Department said 

Miller was taken into custody 

after police investigated sexual 

assault allegations brought forth 

by a 15-year-old girl last month, 

9News reported. 

The female teen told investigators 

that Miller initially contacted 

her during a traffic stop earlier 

in the year. The girl next saw the 

on-duty officer in July when she 

and a friend were at North Lake 

Park after hours, police said. 

According to the teen, Miller 

contacted the pair and told her 

friend to leave, authorities said. 

Once the victim’s friend left at 

the officer’s direction, Miller reportedly 

took her to a secluded 

area at the park where he sexually 

assaulted her, Larimer County 

Sheriff John Feyen 

said. 

When the girl made 

the allegations against 

the Loveland officer, 

the agency turned the 

investigation over to the 

Larimer County Sheriff’s 

Office. 

At the conclusion of 

LCSO’s investigation, 

they recommended that 

the 8th Judicial District 

Attorney’s Office file 

charges against Miller. 

Consequently, he was 

arrested Monday and 

faces the following charges: 

• First-degree kidnapping 

• Sexual assault on a child by a 

person in a position of trust 

• Official oppression 

• First-degree official misconduct 

Sheriff Feyen commented on 

his respect for the teen in bringing 

the allegations to the attention 

of law enforcement, 9News 

reported. 

“The respect that I have at this 

moment for this young woman 

and her family to come forward 

and make this known to us is beyond 

measure,” the sheriff said. 

The Larimer County Sheriff’s 

Office and the Loveland Police 

Department said there could be 

additional victims, and asked 

anyone who may have had such 

an encounter with the ex-officer 

to come forward. 

Miller was booked at the Larimer 

County Detention Center 

and is currently being held without 

bond. 

The Loveland Police Department 

hired Miller last year after 

he previously worked as an 

officer with the Durango Police 

Department from 2020 until early 

2022. 




TEXAS CITY, TX. 

The Texas City Police Department recently hosted the National 

Honor Guard Academy. 


The Texas City Police Department’s 

Training Academy hosted 

a week-long training program 

for Emergency Services 

Honor Guard Units that started 

on Sunday, November 5, 2023. 

A total of 69 Honor Guard Units 

from 21 different Law Enforcement, 

Fire and EMS Agencies 

from five different states have 

been assembling at the Doyle 

Convention Center in Texas City 

to sharpen the skills necessary 

to provide a fallen comrade the 

ultimate farewell. 

The full week course was 

expressly designed to teach 

fire service and public safety 

organizations how to develop 

and enhance their organization’s 

honor and color guard 

unit skills. Because of the 

varied organizational policies 

and procedures, this venue is 

intended to offer a one-ofa-kind 

national forum and 

unique training environment 

that will provide basic guidance 

for the standardization of 

training methods, instruction 

in proper drilling movement, 

proper techniques, leadership 

enhancement, and team confidence 

building. 

The focus of the week-long 

training deals with managing 

the traditions, protocols and 

planning to be utilized should 

an agency suffer an unfortunate 

line of duty death of one 

of its personnel. The curriculum 

is designed to cover all 

aspects of honor guard team 

development and functions to 

include basic drill and ceremony, 

church and casket 

protocols, flag etiquette, history 

and traditions as well as 

overall funeral planning. The 

instruction culminates with the 

students planning and executing 

a complete mock funeral 

to be held at a local funeral 

home and cemetery. 

The National Honor Guard 

Academy was established in 

2006 in an effort to develop 

and elevate the ceremonial 

knowledge of public safety 

honor guards. Focusing on the 

founding principles of honor, 

dignity and respect, the Academy 

Staff shares a passion 

for the traditions of emergency 

service and patriotic 

pride. Additional information 

regarding the National Honor 

Guard Academy can be found 

at www.nationalhonorguardacademy.com.

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OKARCHE, OK. 

The Okarche Police Department in Oklahoma recently shared 

a humorous traffic incident that has since gone viral, involving 

a 2-year-old girl who was caught “exceeding the speed limit.” 

OKARCHE, OK. – The Okarche 

Police Department in Oklahoma 

recently shared a humorous traffic 

incident that has since gone 

viral, involving a 2-year-old girl 

who was caught “exceeding the 

speed limit” in her toy car. 

The cute toddler, Rose Fern, 

was reportedly “speeding” down 

the street in her tiny pink convertible 

toy car when she caught 

the attention of law enforcement. 

Although the exact speed of 

the toddler’s joyride remains a 

mystery, Officer Maness detected 

the mini lawbreaker on Kansas 

Avenue and “took immediate action,” 

initiating a traffic stop on 

the young offender. 

To everyone’s surprise, Rose 

managed to talk her way out 

of a citation, receiving only a 

warning. The police department 

humorously speculated that her 

“cuteness” may have played a 

role in her favorable outcome. 

The entire incident was captured 

on video and shared by 

the Okarche Police Department 

on Facebook, where it quickly 

became a viral sensation. 

The video showed the fearless 

2-year-old brushing her teeth at 

the wheel of her hot pink, battery-operated 

mini car, seemingly 

oblivious to the flashing 

lights and blaring siren behind 

her. It’s unclear whether she was 

wearing a seatbelt during her 

daring escapade. 

Social media users found the 

adorable “speedster” both entertaining 

and amusing. 

“Good job, got to stop those 

speeders,” said one commenter. 

Another joked: “Only 2 years 

old and no license. Wonder how 

many points she’ll get.” 

Oklahoma’s absolute speed 

limits are clearly defined, with 

school zones restricted to 25 

miles per hour, highways in 

state parks and wildlife refuges 

capped at 35 miles per hour, 

and most county roads allowing 

speeds of up to 55 miles per 

hour. 


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HOUSTON, TX. 

“I GOT YOU!” A Houston man turned hero last month 

when he saw Houston Officer John Gibson get shot. 

By James Powel, USA Today 

A Houston man who said he “has 

been to jail a million times” became 

a hero when he helped pull 

a wounded police officer to safety 

during a highway shootout with a 

carjacking suspect. 

John Lally found himself caught 

in the crossfire of a shootout after 

police chased a carjacking suspect 

on U.S. 59 near Houston’s West Loop 

on Saturday. He began shooting a 

video on his phone and sprang into 

action when Officer John Gibson 

was wounded. 

Lally’s video, which he shared 

with USA TODAY on Thursday, 

captured how he pulled Gibson to 

safety even as the bullets flew. 

“I got you! Come on!” Lally yelled 

as he helped Gibson. “You’re OK, 

bro!” 

In an interview with USA TODAY 

on Thursday, Lally said he didn’t 

know there was a chase happening 

and thought he was being pulled 

over when he saw the sirens. 

Then he witnessed a car crash, 

which he later found out was the 

carjacking suspect hitting other 

vehicles. 

“When I saw the car crash happen, 

I thought I was going to take 

somebody out of one of the cars,” 

Lally said. “It was like an explosion 

because there was so much noise 

and vehicles involved. I thought that 


was going to be the extent of 

it.” 

Lally said that he started 

recording the incident so that 

he could show his boss why 

he was running late. 

The video shows how Lally 

pulled Gibson out of the chaos 

after the officer was shot. 

Gibson yells in pain as Lally 

repeatedly tells him he’s going 

to be OK. 

“I’m still here with you buddy, 

you hear me?” “I’ve been to 

jail a million times, man, and I 

love cops, too, bro.” 

During a press conference 

the day of the shooting, Houston 

police Chief Troy Finner 

said he wanted to celebrate 

Lally’s heroism and that of 

other citizens who helped. 

“People make mistakes,” he 

said of Lally’s past brushes 

with the law. “But a truly reformed 

individual is a person 

that we can use. He stepped 

up and other citizens stepped up, 

and I don’t want that to get lost.” 

Lally told USA TODAY what he was 

thinking when he decided to help 

Gibson. 

“As soon as I saw him get shot, 

I could immediately feel his pain,” 

he said, adding that he knew he 

needed to keep the wounded officer 

alert, having been shot in the leg 

himself. 

Lally pointed to time spent behind 

bars and working in the service industry 

for his ability to remain calm in the 

situation. 

“I’ve been through too many things 

to let (the moment) affect me,” he 

said. 

Lally said he has since spoken with 

Gibson’s family but not Gibson himself, 

though he is open to that when the 

time is right.

JOHN LALLY 

An American Hero 

“I got you!” 



MURFREESBORO, TN. 

A Murfreesboro officer was responding to a call about an attempted armored 

car robbery when the suspect charged at the officer with two knives. 

Associated Press 

MURFREESBORO, TN. — A police 

officer shot and killed a man 

who tried to rob an armored car 

employee in Tennessee and then 

charged at the officer with two 

knives, authorities said. 

Murfreesboro Police on Thursday 

released body camera 

footage of the shooting the day 

before, blurring out the face of 

Steven James Murphy and stopping 

the video just before he was 

shot. 

Police were called after Murphy, 

44, tried to rob a worker refilling 

cash in an ATM around 9:15 

a.m. Wednesday, Murfreesboro 

Police spokesman Larry Flowers 

said at a news conference. 

The worker pulled a gun on 

Murphy, who then ran inside a 

nearby deli, Flowers said. 

The body camera footage 

shows officer Adam Claiborne 

opening the door of the deli 

and say “hey” at Murphy, who is 

behind the counter. Murphy then 

turns and charges at the officer 

with knives in both hands above 

his head. 

Claiborne yells at Murphy to 

drop the knives before firing 

several times. Murphy died at the 

hospital a short time later, Flowers 

said. 

The officer, armored car worker 

and six employees in the deli 

were not injured. The Tennessee 

Bureau of Investigation is investigating 

the shooting. 


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LOUISVILLE, KY. 

Convicted felon points firearm at KY. Officers during foot pursuit. 

By Joanna Putman 

Police1 

LOUISVILLE, KY. — Newly released 

body camera footage shows the 

moment a man pointed an AR-style 

pistol at a Louisville Metro Police Department 

officer as he fled on foot. 

Officers were responding to a domestic 

violence incident after a 911 

call reported a woman running down 

the street and screaming for help, 

according to the report. 

Body camera footage shows officers 

approaching a parked vehicle. 

As they get closer, a gun-wielding 

man jumps out of the car and flees 

through residential yards, eventually 

running back to the street. 

Officers can be heard repeatedly 

commanding the suspect, now 

identified as Jaron Bobbitt, 38, to 

drop the gun. Bobbitt turns around 

to face officers while waving the 

gun, before continuing to run. 

Moments later, he turns around 

again and points the gun directly 

at the pursuing officers. Officer 

O’Sha Rogers then shot the man in 

the arm and abdomen. Officers administered 

medical aid to Bobbitt, 

who was then transported to a 

hospital, according to the report. 

LMPD Assistant Chief Paul Humphrey 

said the entire incident lasted 

less than a minute and defended 

Rogers’ split-second decision. 

“We start with our values that 

all life is sacred, and decisions 

must be made based upon who is 

in danger at the time and who has 

the ability to control the situation,” 

he told WFPL. 

Rogers graduated from the police 

academy and joined the LMPD 

in August. 


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TUCSON, AZ. 

Derek Chauvin stabbed in prison days after a 

documentary dropped revealing The Lies Told! 

By The Law Officer 

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis 

police officer convicted 

of murdering George Floyd, was 

stabbed Friday at a federal prison in 

Arizona, sources tell The Associated 

Press. 

The attack happened Friday, November 

24th, at around 12:30 p.m. at 

the Federal Correctional Institution 

in Tucson. 

In a statement obtained by the 

AP, the Bureau of Prisons said that 

employees who responded to the 

incident contained the area and 

performed “life-saving measures” 

prior to the inmate being taken to 

the hospital. 

The inmate was not named. 

The incident comes just days after 

the documentary, “The Fall of Minneapolis,” 

was released showing 

Chauvin following police department 

policy and training during the 

encounter with George Floyd. 

The documentary, by former reporter 

Liz Collin, also revealed that 

the medical examiner was pressured 

to change the autopsy report 

that said Floyd did not die from 

asphyxia and had a lethal amount 

of fentanyl in his system 

THE FALL OF MINNEAPOLIS 

The George Floyd case is tragic 

and interesting on a legal, political, 

and sociological level. There is 

no other case in the 25 years that I 

have been studying/working in law 

enforcement that has had this much 

systematic impact. 

It is easy to get stuck on the “knee 

on the neck” theory. 

It is equally as easy to get stuck 

on the “no sympathy for junkies” 

theory. 

The truth of the matter is often 

lost in the complex grey matter 

here. Some segment of that is 

telling the story of what happened 

to the City of Minneapolis and the 

honorable men and women who 

have sworn to protect it. 

When the Floyd incident occurred 

- Liz Collin was an anchor/journalist 

at WCCO in Minneapolis. Her husband 

(Bob Kroll) was the president 

of the Minneapolis Police Union. 

They became the target of anti-police 

maniacs who were looking for 

anyone to blame. Bob retired and 

Liz was forced out of the television 

station that she had worked at for 

fourteen years. Instead of going 

away - Liz has fought back in an 

impressive manner. 

Liz has written a book called, 

“They’re Lying” and recently released 

a movie called, “The Fall 

of Minneapolis”. Over the last two 

weeks I have read and watched 

both. I highly recommend both. 

Entertaining, informative, and they 

capture the madness that was the 

city of Minneapolis post-George 

Floyd. 




MINNEAPOLIS, MN. 

Chief Brian O’Hara Is The Reason Minneapolis Is Falling. 

BY The Law Officer 

There may not be a better 

definition for weak leadership 

than Minneapolis Police Chief 

Brian O’Hara. After being hired 

from Newark with significant 

ties to the Department of Justice, 

O’Hara didn’t waste time 

tightening his uniform sleeves 

and throwing cops under the 

bus in Minneapolis and around 

the country by saying their 

behavior earned Department of 

Justice Consent Decrees. 

O’Hara is all in with the DOJ 

despite thirty years of data 

showing the destruction of 

every city the DOJ has been in. 

O’Hara is a reform chief and 

he’s banking that no one pays 

attention to the violent crime 

and mass exodus in Minneapolis 

as he pads his resume for 

the next large city that wants 

to destroy itself with “reform.” 

His brilliant plan to hire cops 

was to give them money, which 

was quickly rejected by the city 

council and it’s laughable that 

anyone, including O’Hara, believes 

that money would make 

anyone go to work in Minneapolis. 

Their 72 page use of force 

policy that includes, among 

many crazy concepts, that “officers 

shall act in a manner that 

promotes trust between MPD 

and the communities it serves,” 

is just a small part of the problem 

in Minneapolis. 

The larger issue, and one that 

every leader is running from, 

is their lies in the George Floyd 

incident. 

In the aftermath of the new 

documentary by Liz Collin, “The 

Fall of Minneapolis,” you would 

have to be literally brain dead 

to not understand that leadership 

in Minneapolis lied to the 

world and knowingly sent four 

innocent cops to jail. 

O’Hara is not brain dead. 

The blood flow leaving his tailored 

sleeves likely improves his 

critical thinking skills so he is 

choosing to promulgate the lie. 

Four Minneapolis police officers 

are in prison because they 

followed Minneapolis Police 

Department policy and training. 

Rather than tell the truth that 

the tactics used had nothing 

to do with a man dying with 

a series of health conditions, 

including lethal amounts of 

fentanyl, Minneapolis leaders 

lied and they are continuing to 

lie today. 

After Derek Chauvin was 

stabbed in prison on Friday, 

O’Hara took a break from 

dumbbell curls to give a 

statement: 

“Violence is barbaric and 

tragic, and should never be 

cause for celebration. Derek 

Chauvin’s conduct on May 

25, 2020, was unequivocally 

criminal and resulted in death. 

Today’s news is cause for 

quiet reflection as the world 

continues to process, and 

Minneapolis tries to heal, from 

very open wounds.” 

Minneapolis has already lost 

almost 300 cops and there 

will be down another 100 in 

a few years. It’s only a matter 

of time that the complete and 

utter destruction comes to 

the city and when it does, we 

want everyone to know why. 

You cannot throw cops in 

jail for following policy and 

training and expect anyone 

to work in that agency. No 

sane person will ever hire on 

in Minneapolis and O’Hara’s 

statement today only solidifies 

that point. 

O’Hara and Minneapolis 

leaders have one choice if they 

want to save their city. 

Tell the truth. 




MINNEAPOLIS, MN. 

Give the Morons what they want. They hate the police and don’t want a 

new police station, then give them what they want. NO POLICE! 

Minneapolis (Alpha News) – As 

documented in the just-released 

movie “The Fall of Minneapolis,” 

during the riots following the death 

of George Floyd, protesters attacked 

and burned down the Third Precinct 

police station in Minneapolis. 

In the three years since, there has 

been continued debate about if, and 

where, to rebuild the station, with 

some community members saying 

they want no police station at all, 

and others saying they could be 

appeased with a mixed-use building 

that includes other public safety 

and social services as well. 

Last month, three City Council 

members attended a public safety 

meeting held by the Longfellow 

Community Council to answer 

questions and provide information 

about the city’s plan to rebuild the 

Third Precinct on Minnehaha Avenue. 

They met in a neighborhood 

community center and engaged 

with a vocal and energetic crowd of 

about 50 people. From the questions 

and comments, you could 

tell that calling this an anti-police 

crowd would be an understatement. 

It would be more accurate to say 

that every person in this room had 

an intense, visceral hatred of police, 

and most of them probably do not 

want police to exist at all. 

Reflecting that sentiment, a major 

part of this discussion centered 

around whether this new building 

is going to be a “Community Safe- 

ty Center” or a “Police Station,” or 

both. The city’s announcement of 

the plan says the building will include 

both, and will include “comprehensive 

safety services.” The 

meeting’s announcement advertised 

that it would help the public answer, 

“What is the difference between 

a Safety Center and a Police 

Station?” 

In one of the first comments 

during the Q&A session, a woman 

told the council members, “As 

someone whose property was 

destroyed the same night as the 

Third Precinct, I am very frustrated 

that this is happening before healing 

has been offered to people that 

were harmed by everything MPD 

has done.” One might have thought 

from her opening line that this is 

someone very concerned with safety 

and being protected from rioters 

by police, but that was not the case. 

Soon after, another attendee 

asked, “What data or clear outcomes 

can you point to that lead 

you to be certain that MPD won’t 

continue to be violent and brutalize 

and inflict racist practices on our 

residents?” To which another audience 

member replied, “I think you 

all are gambling with our lives, and 

that’s not fair!” This was just one of 

many interjections and comments 

that made it clear that the attendees 

generally do not want police 

around at all, or a police station in 

their neighborhood. 

One man who said he is a retired 

minister with experience in four 

medium-sized cities told the audience, 

“I can say from experience 

that the police have a vision of their 

service as based on their guns. It’s 

a violent force, and if you respect 

them, then you get service. But they 

also see community service as a 

non-equal. They are not equal to 

their power because community 

services are a soft power, and soft 

power is pushed around by guns … 

It’s like the crocodile carrying the 

bunny across the river. The bunny 

ain’t gonna make it.” 

Comments like these drew many 

affirmations, and also snaps from 

the audience. The more anti-police 

the comment was, the more hateful 

toward police the statement 

was, the more cheers, affirmations, 

and snaps they got. It sometimes 

seemed like each person was trying 

to one-up the last in their anti-police 

rhetoric and was being rewarded 

for it. 

There also seemed to be some 

level of cognitive dissonance about 

the distinction between a “safety 

center” and a police station. On one 

hand, the entire reason that Minneapolis 

has to balance placing some 

type of social services that fall 

under the umbrella of “safety” in a 

police precinct is that many community 

members and several City 

Council members have been very 

vocal that they object to a tradi- 


tional, stand-alone police station 

in their community. A rebuilt Third 

Precinct that simply recreates the 

previous police station has been 

met with substantial resistance for 

three years. 

On the other hand, you could tell 

from this meeting that the idea of 

having to go into a building that 

houses a police station, of being 

near and walking by police to access 

social services, is very upsetting 

to many people. That opinion 

seemed to be unanimous. One 

man in attendance told the panel 

of council members, “I wouldn’t 

go to get social services from a 

place where there’s cops. I wouldn’t 

feel safe.” Another said, “Some of 

you may want police. I imagine a 

future without them. I imagine a 

future where my neighbors who 

are houseless, who are dealing 

with chemical dependency, who 

are dealing with intergenerational 

poverty, will not have to walk into 

a police station [to get help].” Many 

snaps ensued. 

In response to a number of questions 

along these lines and to many 

people angrily asking why this 

building is even going to have police 

in it, the council members present 

made it clear that they sympathized 

and identified with the residents’ 

concerns, that they were skeptical 

of the value of a police precinct in 

the neighborhood, and that they are 

generally distrustful of the police. 

They shared the general reluctance 

of the audience regarding the very 

presence of a police station in their 

wards. 

Much of the discussion was led 

by Robin Wonsley, a Democratic 

Socialist who represents Ward 2. 

Council member Wonsley responded 

to several of the questions and 

comments that, unfortunately, the 

City Council’s “hands are tied” so 

they cannot simply eliminate police 

due to staffing mandates in the city 

charter. 

Perhaps the best representation 

of the tone of the evening was a 

man in his 50s who was wearing 

scrubs and told the panel that he 

had just gotten off work as a nurse. 

“I’ve been working in this town for 

over 20 f—in’ years, and nothing has 

changed. And let’s get really honest 

here: people say that the reason 

Chauvin’s in jail is because of the 

video. Bulls—t. There’s been video 

of cops murdering people all over 

this f—in’ country, and they didn’t 

get anybody arrested. The only f— 

in’ reason that Chauvin’s in jail is 

because of the f—in’ Third Precinct 

being burned down, and that’s the 

f—in’ truth!” This received heavy 

applause and snaps. 

The meeting adjourned by noting 

that this is just the first of many 

information sessions that city leaders 

will have with the public as the 

new Third Precinct and Community 

Safety Center are being built. 

Based on this meeting, the overall 

feeling among active community 

members is not one of relief or 

gratitude of finally having police officers 

present to ensure their safety, 

but rather one of deep resentment 

and bitterness that they are returning 

at all. If there are residents who 

feel differently, they appear to not 

be present, and their voices are not 

being heard. 

Reprinted from Alpha News. 



Off-duty Tarrant County Sheriff’s Deputy 

Brent Brown shot in East Fort Worth. 

TARRANT COUNTY, TX. - Tarrant 

County Sheriff’s Office deputy 

Brent Brown was shot Monday 

while working off-duty as a security 

guard at the Fort Worth Community 

Credit Union on Brentwood 

Stair Road. 

“It hits close to home when an 

officer is violently injured like this, 

so we ask for prayers from the 

public,” said Fort Worth Police 

Chief Neil Noakes. 

The shooting happened Nov. 

27 just before 4 p.m. and within 

minutes of officers arriving, they 

found the glass of the front door 

of the business shattered by bullets. 

MedStar emergency response 

workers also arrived, and discovered 

Brown suffering from 

a gunshot wound to his lower 


abdomen and another in his upper 

chest. They took him to JPS hospital, 

where he underwent surgery. 

Police later told CBS News Texas 

that Brown is expected to make a 

full recovery. 

Fort Worth police confirmed 

that Leland Williams, 35, was 

arrested in connection to the 

shooting. He was booked into the 

Tarrant County Jail on a capital 

murder charge. 

A man whose wife is a teller at 

the credit union told CBS News 

Texas reporter Jason Allen that 

she witnessed the shooting. 

“Brent stood his ground, did his 

duty, and the nobility of what he 

did today is what law enforcement 

expects out of all of our 

officers. But he did it well, and he 

rose to the nobility with courage 

and distinction,” shared Sheriff 

Bill Waybourn. “Evil walks boldly 

among us and we must not forget 

that.” 

While Brown’s brothers in blue 

showed their support at the hospital 

Monday night, others took 

to social media to express their 

thoughts about the shooting. 

Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare 

took to X, stating: “Please join me 

in praying for one of our Tarrant 

County Sheriff’s Deputies. He was 

shot twice today while working 

security off-duty. He is currently 

in surgery.” 

Brown has served with the sheriff’s 

office since 2011. He’s currently 

assigned to the warrant division. 

Williams’ bond is currently set 

at $1 million.


ACROSS THE US 

The Latest Breaking News as we go LIVE. 

HARRIS COUNTY DEPUTY 

INJURED IN ROLLOVER CRASH 

AFTER PATROL VEHICLE 

STRUCK BY SUV 

HOUSTON – A Harris County 

Precinct 2 Constable’s Office 

deputy was injured after his 

patrol vehicle was involved in a 

rollover crash while conducting 

a traffic stop in southeast Houston 

on Sunday, according to the 

Houston Police Department. 

HPD officers were called to 

the 11200 block of Beamer Road 

around 2:15 a.m. to respond to 

the crash. 

A deputy had been trying 

to conduct a traffic stop on a 

vehicle, then an SUV struck the 

patrol vehicle and caused it to 

rollover. 

The deputy was trapped in his 

vehicle and had to be rescued by 

Houston firefighters. He suffered 

neck and back injuries and possibly 

broke some bones. He was 

taken to a local hospital and is in 

stable condition. 

The other driver was checked 

out by paramedics and expected 

to be OK. Police did not say if 

the driver was intoxicated. The 

names of those involved were 

not released. 

This crash is still under investigation. 

HOUSTON POLICE OFFICER 

SHOT SEVERAL TIMES IN AM- 

BUSH; SUSPECT DIES AFTER 

SHOOTOUT WITH POLICE 

HOUSTON – A Houston police 

officer was shot at least three 

times while searching for a burglary 

suspect, and the suspect 

died after the officer fired back in 

southwest Houston on Saturday, 

according to the Houston Police 

Department. 

The officer was taken to the 

hospital and expected to be OK. 

Officers responded just after 

1 a.m. to the Harwin Drive and 

Parkersburg Drive. 

Three officers had found a man 

in his 20s, who was accused of 

committing burglaries and an 

aggravated assault/robbery, in 

his silver Honda. The suspect 

then drove to a Diamond Inn with 

a woman, and they began walking 

in the area. 

Police followed them in their 

vehicle to a shopping strip center 

on Harwin Drive. Then, law 

enforcement officers said the 

suspect ambushed an officer and 

shot at him through the passenger 

window of the patrol vehicle. 

The officer of 17 years was shot 

several times. He returned fire 

and struck the suspect multiple 

times. 

The suspect ran away from the 

scene and was found a short 

time later around the corner of a 

building. Officers and emergen- 


cy medical personnel administered 

first aid to the suspect, but 

he was pronounced dead at the 

scene. 

The wounded officer, identified 

as Sergeant Mauricio Valle, 38, 

was transported to Memorial 

Hermann - Texas Medical Center 

in stable condition. 

“(He’s) one of our top notch 

guys, thank God he’s going to be 

OK. (He) sustained multiple shots 

to his arms and legs, and his 

ballistic vest took on one shot. 

But, he’s in with the best doctors 

in the world, and they’re taking 

care of him,” HPD Chief Troy 

Finner said. 

The woman, who was with the 

suspect, was detained as well. 

Authorities said an internal 

investigation will be conducted 

because an officer was involved 

in the shooting. 

Finner said he was proud of 

how his officers responded once 

their team member had been 

shot, since they immediately 

made tourniquets for the officer. 

Finner said he spoke to the officer’s 

wife and is praying for his 

recovery. 

Finner said Sgt. Valle is alert 

and talking and was scheduled 

to have surgery today. Finner 

said doctors say Valle is expected 

to make a full recovery, despite 

suffering multiple wounds. 

“We are very grateful for this 

positive news and ask everyone 

to continue to pray for his recovery,” 

Finner said. 

QUICK THINKING FORKLIFT 

OPERATOR HOLDS THEFT 

SUSPECT IN AIR UNTIL POLICE 

ARRIVE 

by Law Officer 

AKRON, Ohio – A quick thinking 

forklift operator held a theft 

suspect about “20 feet off the 

ground” while the man was inside 

a vehicle he reportedly tried 

to steal from a wrecking yard 

as police responded to make the 

arrest, according to reports. 

When employees at Arlington 

Auto Wrecking in Akron, Ohio 

realized a man was inside one of 

their vehicles and stealing from 

the business, they raised the automobile 

in the air with a forklift 

and left it suspended off the 

ground until responding officers 

arrived. Their method of detention 

even had the 911 operator 

cracking up, 19 News Cleveland 

reported. 

“So, he’s still in the car about 

20 feet in the air in the loader,” 

the employee told a 911 dispatcher. 

“Wonderful, that is the greatest 

thing I’ve ever heard,” the dispatcher 

said with a laugh. “We, 

we will get somebody out to 

you.” 

Bodycam footage shows the 

SUV still suspended in the air before 

it was lowered after officers 

arrived to make the arrest. 

“What’s your name, man?” one 

of the officers could be heard 

asking the suspect. 

“None of your business, bro,” 

the man getting handcuffed replied. 

When told he was under arrest, 

the suspect asked for what 

and said he was running from 

someone, Fox News Digital reported. 

Employees told police they 

were fed up with thieves breaking 

into their shop and pilfering 

from them. So, when they caught 

a man who had broken into one 

of their cars for what they claim 

was the third time, they decided 

to take the unusual action and 

detain the suspect until officers 

arrived. 

The Akron Police Department 

released bodycam footage of the 

Oct. 17 encounter involving the 

suspect who was identified as 

26-year-old Alexander Funk. 

WATCH BODYCAM FOOTAGE 

“He broke into a car at the 

junkyard and before he could get 

out, they got like the forklift and 

they had him like I’m not kidding 

like 20 feet off the ground, 

so when we got there, he went 


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ight into custody,” an officer 

told other personnel when he 

returned to the station. 

Funk was charged with criminal 

trespassing and possessing 

criminal tools. 

‘ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPT- 

ABLE’: MAN RAMS INDIANAPO- 

LIS POLICE CRUISERS FOR THE 

SECOND TIME THIS YEAR 


Police1 

INDIANAPOLIS — A man was 

arrested for ramming Indianapolis 

Metro Police Department 

cruisers a second time this year, 

WTHR reported. 

George Leachman, 43, was 

arrested on Nov. 3 for ramming a 

cruiser that was pursuing him. 

Police said they tried to stop 

Leachman after they saw him 

driving a stolen truck with a license 

plate that expired in 2015. 

After initially stopping for the 

officer, Leachman used the truck 

to ram into the cruiser multiple 

times before fleeing the 

scene, according to the report. 

The officer was able to pursue 

Leachman despite damage to his 

cruiser. 

When the officer caught up to 

Leachman, the truck backed up 

to ram the cruiser one more time 

before it came to a stop. 

Leachman was arrested for 

battery of a law enforcement officer 

and resisting arrest, according 

to the report, but has been 

released on bond because of a 

clerical error. 

“Leachman has proven time 

and time again that he has no 

regard for the law, and should 

not have the ability to put our 

officers or the general public in 

any more danger,” Chief Randal 

Taylor said. “The fact that this 

individual has allegedly rammed 

multiple police cars, placing 

officers at risk of serious bodily 

harm or death, on separate 

incidents is absolutely unacceptable.” 

WTHR received a statement 

from Marion Superior Court 

about the suspect’s recent release. 

It said a $45,000 bond was 

set, but a “clerical error” led to 

it being a $4,500 bond, which 

Leachman paid on Nov. 4. 

Back in February, Leachman 

was released on bond after he 

allegedly rammed into multiple 

Indianapolis cruisers and injured 

two officers, the IndyStar reported. 

Given these prior actions, 

Doug Carter, the Superintendent 

of Indiana State Police, said the 

suspect should have been detained 

without bail relating to 

the incident on Nov. 3. 

“This guy had no business on 

the street,” Carter said. “If he’s 

out on bond and he got re-arrested, 

he should not have had 

a bond because he violated the 

first bond.” 

OFF-DUTY U.S. PARK OFFI- 

CER UNINTENTIONALLY KILLS 

FELLOW OFFICER 

Alexander Roy, 25, was charged 

with involuntary manslaughter 

for killing 22-year-old Jesse 

Brown Hernandez while they 

were at a gathering in an apartment 

in McLean, Virginia. 

An off-duty U.S. Park Police 

officer unintentionally shot and 

killed another off-duty officer 

over the weekend in Virginia 

while pulling a trigger on a gun 

he thought was unloaded, police 

said. 

Alexander Roy, 25, was charged 

with involuntary manslaughter 

for killing 22-year-old Jesse 

Brown Hernandez while they 

were at a gathering in an apartment 

in McLean, Virginia, about 

10 miles west of Washington, 

D.C., NBC reports. 

Police were called to the scene 

shortly after midnight on Sunday. 

Hernandez was found dead 

with a gunshot wound to the 

upper body. The investigation is 

ongoing by the Fairfax County 

Police Department. 

OFF-DUTY LAPD OFFICER 

KILLED IN CRASH WITH DUI 

SUSPECT 

An off-duty Los Angeles Police 

Department officer and his 

front-seat passenger were killed 

in a car crash early Saturday 

after a drunk driving suspect 

sped through a red light in the 

Northridge neighborhood and 

slammed into their vehicle, authorities 

said. 

Officer Darrell Cunningham 

Shamily, a four-year veteran 

of the department in his early 

30s, and the unidentified passenger 

were killed in the crash 

that occurred about 1:15 a.m. An 

off-duty San Bernardino County 

sheriff’s deputy, who was riding 

in the backseat of Cunningham 

Shamily’s car, was also injured 



and transported to a hospital, 

the Los Angeles Times reports. 

“These were all individuals 

who were known to each other 

as lifelong friends,” said LAPD 

Chief Michel Moore, who called 

the incident an act of “senseless 

violence” by the driver of the 

other vehicle. He said the department 

would do everything 

possible to support Cunningham 

Shamily’s “fiancée, two young 

boys, mom & two brothers.” 

FLA. DEPUTY INJURED WHEN 

PURSUED DRIVER HITS CRUIS- 

ER HEAD-ON WITH STOLEN 

U-HAUL 


Police1 

LEE COUNTY, Fla. — A deputy 

was injured after the driver of a 

stolen U-Haul drove in the wrong 

lane directly at cruisers, according 

to a Lee County Sheriff’s 

Office Facebook post. 

The pursuit began on Nov. 2 

when a license plate reader determined 

the U-Haul was stolen. 

When deputies approached the 

U-Haul at a gas station, the driver 

and one passenger fled. 

At one point, deputies, who 

were not a part of the initial 

pursuit, drove towards the fleeing 

vehicle while other cruisers 

pursued from behind, according 

to the post. 

The U-Haul crossed the road’s 

center line and drove at the 

cruisers in the wrong lane. It 

struck one cruiser, continued to 

drive recklessly and hit another 

cruiser head-on. 

The deputy involved in the 

head-on collision was injured by 

the impact and taken to the hospital, 

according to the post. 

The U-Haul came to a stop 

and the driver, Michael Kurpaska, 

was arrested on charges of 

aggravated battery, criminal 

mischief, hit and run with damage 

and felon in possession of 

ammunition. The passenger fled 

the scene and is still at large. 

ARIZ. OFFICER SHOT 8 TIMES 

IN 2021 DELIVERS WORLD SE- 

RIES GAME 5’S FIRST PITCH 

By Joanna Putman, Police1 

PHOENIX — Tyler Moldovan, a 

former officer who was severely 

wounded in the line of duty, 

received a standing ovation at 

the World Series after throwing 

Game 5’s first pitch, 12 News 

reported. 

After working for the Phoenix 

Police Department for only 

a few months, Moldovan was 

shot eight times, including in the 

head. 

He was not expected to survive 

his injuries, according to the 

report, but has made a “miraculous” 

recovery. He was released 

from the hospital and able to 

return home last summer. 

Moldovan also opened the 

Diamondbacks season in April, 



throwing the first pitch with the 

help of his wife, Chelsea Moldovan, 

and former Diamondbacks 

player Luis Gonzalez, according 

to the report. Gonzalez, Chelsea 

Moldovan, Phoenix Mayor Kate 

Gallego and Interim Police Chief 

Michael Sullivan all joined Moldovan 

on the field. 

Video from the World Series 

shows Moldovan was able 

to stand up with the help of a 

walker to deliver the pitch. 

FORMER MEMPHIS OFFICER 

AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY IN 

TYRE NICHOLS CASE 

One of five former Memphis 

police officers charged in the 

beating death of Tyre Nichols has 

agreed to change his not guilty 

plea in state and federal court 

on Thursday. 

Desmond Mills Jr. agreed to 

plead guilty to federal charges 

of excessive force and obstruction 

of justice, as well as related 

state charges related to death of 

Nichols in January, the Shelby 

County District Attorney’s Office 

said. 

As part of the plea deal, federal 

and state prosecutors will 

recommend a sentence of 15 

years, though U.S. District Judge 

Mark Norris will make the final 

decision at a later sentencing 

hearing. After Mills is sentenced 

in May on the federal charges, he 

will then plead guilty to the state 

charges, Fox News reports. 

Shelby County DA Steve Mulroy 

said the whole deal hinges 

on Mills’ full cooperation in both 

the state, federal criminal, and 

federal civil cases. 

Mills and four other officers – 

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, 

Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith 

– were charged 

with excessive 

force and failure 

to intervene, 

deliberate indifference 

after 

being caught on 

video kicking, 

punching and 

striking Nichols 

with a baton on 

Jan. 7. Nichols 

died three days 

later at a hospital. 

FLORIDA’S 

LAW ENFORCE- 

MENT RECRUITMENT EFFORTS 

SURPASS $22M IN BONUSES 

By Joanna Putman, Police1 

TALLAHASSEE, FL. — A law enforcement 

recruitment program 

is believed to have brought new 

officers to Florida from all 50 

states and two territories, Florida’s 

Voice reported. 

The Florida Law Enforcement 

Recruitment Bonus Program offered 

a $5,000 bonus to anyone 

who became a law enforcement 

officer in the state or transferred 

to Florida from another state. 

The state’s budget set aside $20 

million for the program during 

its legislative session, the Washington 

Examiner reported. 

The bonuses awarded have 

already surpassed that number, 

according to the Florida’s Voice 

report. The state has given out 

$22.5 million in more than 3,350 

bonuses to new or newly transferred 

officers since the program’s 

launch. 

Of the Florida officer recruits, 

915 transferred from out of 

state, according to the report. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has 

encouraged officers throughout 

the country to move to Florida 

if they feel unsatisfied with their 

departments, even putting up 

billboards near Chicago. 

Forty-seven officer transfers 

to Florida came from Illinois, 

according to the report. 

OFFICERS WHO STOPPED 

SCHOOL KILLER HONORED AT 

FOX NATION PATRIOT AWARDS 

Five police officers from the 

Metro Nashville Police Department 

were honored for saving 

others during the Covenant 

School shooting and immortalized 

in a portrait by American 

painter Steve Penley at the 2023 

Fox Nation Patriot Awards. 

Det. Michael Collazo, Officer 

Rex Engelbert, Det. Sgt. Jeff 

Mathes, Det. Ryan Cagle and Det. 

Zachary Plese were awarded 

the first-ever T2T (Tunnels to 

Towers) Stephen Siller Award 

for their heroic response to the 

school shooting in Nashville earlier 

this year, Fox News reports. 

On March 27, 2023, police responded 

after Audrey Elizabeth 

Hale began shooting at students 


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and teachers at the Covenant 

School. The killer murdered three 

9-year-olds and three adults and 

left a community reeling in the 

aftermath of the massacre. 

“On behalf of the Metro Nashville 

Police Department, there 

are patriots that I’ll accept this 

for, but patriots like our friend 

and detective on our team — 

Eric Wegner — he ran outside 

and was the stimulus of getting 

shot. He got shot at, and that’s 

what we needed to find what 

we needed and the work that we 

needed to do. So being a patriot 

is going for others, respecting 

each other, respecting your 

country and most importantly, 

putting your God first,” Det. Sgt. 

Jeff Mathes said on behalf of the 

other officers. 

PA. POLICE ACADEMY: CA- 

DETS HAVE MORE OPTIONS AS 

DEPARTMENT OFFERS POUR IN 

By Dave Sutor 

The Tribune-Democrat 

JOHNSTOWN, PA. — A notice 

from the North Las Vegas Police 

Department advertising a hiring 

bonus up to $40,000 for new 

officers is tacked to the Penn 

Highlands Police Academy’s bulletin 

board. 

Below it, there is a message 

from the Pittsburgh Bureau of 

Police offering to bring its own 

recruitment and civil service 

testing teams to the academy at 

Pennsylvania Highlands Community 

College in Richland Township. 

New job advertisements frequently 

arrive with starting pay 

in the range between $50,000 

and $100,000. Departments call 

to ask if any soon-to-be graduates 

are ready for jobs. 

And, of course, chiefs within 

the academy’s coverage area of 

Cambria, Somerset, Bedford and 

Blair counties often visit, hoping 

to convince cadets to pursue law 

enforcement careers close to 

home. 

That proactive nationwide 

recruitment is much different 

than the process Dennis Miller, 

the academy’s director, went 

through early in his three- decade 

law enforcement career. 

He remembers testing with 

more than a hundred other candidates, 

all hoping to land one of 

the handful of available openings 

for beginning pay that was, 

in his words, “not that great.” 

“The whole field has completely 

changed,” Miller said. 

Departments, both large and 

small, are trying to adapt to 

that transforming world of law 

enforcement in order to provide 

necessary protection to their 

communities. 

For example, the Johnstown 

Police Department is budgeted 

for 41 total officers this year, according 

to information provided 

by the city. But the department 

currently has only 31 active-duty 

officers, with another expected 

to leave by the end of the month. 



Even with four scheduled to join 

the force throughout November 

and December, the department 

will still be understaffed. 

Somerset Borough police Chief 

Randy Cox said his force should 

have around 20 officers. 

In the past, there would occasionally 

be one or two openings 

at a time, a situation he described 

as “completely manageable.” 

But Somerset is five officers 

short right now. 

“It’s close to being critical for 

us,” Cox said, “so what we’ve 

been attempting to do is visit 

and contact local academies in 

order to try to recruit officers for 

our vacancies.” 

All five of those vacant positions 

are uniformed patrol, 

meaning that administration officers 

and detectives must fill in, 

resulting in less time for them to 

do their regular duties. 

Cox called it “a vicious circle.” 

“The No. 1 problem it creates 

is that when you’re missing that 

many officers, we’re depending 

that much more on the officers 

that we do have,” Cox said. “Officers 

are working a lot of overtime, 

which means it’s costing 

us more money to operate the 

department. And probably even 

more importantly than that, officers 

tend to experience some 

level of burnout because they’re 

working more than they normally 

or historically would be.” 

The goal is to get approximately 

2,000 more full-time 

officers in the commonwealth. 

Shapiro also recently announced 

the elimination of the 

college credit requirement for 

residents who want to join the 

state police. Applicants previously 

needed at least 60 credits, 

per a rule that had been around 

since the 1990s. 

MIAMI-DADE OFFICER 

WOUNDED IN SHOOTING, 

SAVED BY VEST 

A Miami-Dade police officer 

was wounded in a shooting in 

Miami Gardens Monday morning, 

according to an agency spokesperson. 

Law enforcement sources reported 

to Local 10 News that the 

officer, a member of the department’s 

Crime Suppression Team, 

was looking for a suspect in 

connection with another shooting 

over the weekend. 

During the operation, a car 

pulled up and opened fire, sources 

said. The officer ultimately 

suffered a graze wound to the 

face. 

The 29-year-old officer has 

been on the force for seven years 

and was in good condition, Miami-Dade 

police Director Stephanie 

Daniels said during a news 

conference Monday afternoon. 

Daniels said the officer was 

likely saved by his body armor. 

ILLINOIS POLICE SERGEANT, 

WIFE DEAD IN APPARENT 

MURDER-SUICIDE 

HOMER GLEN, Ill. – A sergeant 

with the Glendale Heights Police 

Department and his wife are 

dead as a result of an apparent 

murder-suicide in Homer Glen, 

Illinois, law enforcement authorities 

confirmed. 

The Village of Glendale Heights 

said in a press release that Sgt. 

Michael Huff took his life and 

the life of his wife, Jackie Huff, 

inside their residence Sunday 

evening, CBS News Chicago reported. 

Deputies with the Will County 

Sheriff’s Office responded about 

5:46 p.m. to the 13600 block of 

Shannon Drive for a report of 

shots fired. The 911 caller heard 

the homeowners arguing, followed 

by the sound of gunshots 

coming from within the home. 

Upon arrival, deputies found 

the couple lying on the kitchen 

floor covered in blood. Both 

individuals sustained gunshot 

wounds and were pronounced 

dead at the scene by the Northwest 

Homer Fire Department. 

Investigators recovered a small 

caliber handgun close to the pair 

and concluded the murder-suicide 

was an isolated incident 

and the greater community was 

not in danger. 

Michael worked with GHPD for 

more than 20 years, and Jackie 

was a former employee with the 

Village of Glendale Heights. 

GHPD is working with the 

Will County Sheriff’s Office as it 

investigates the apparent murder-suicide. 

An autopsy for both individuals 

is pending, CBS News Chicago 

reported. 

If you or someone you know 

is struggling with mental health 

issues and thoughts of suicide, 

help can be found by calling the 

988 Lifeline. 

WOUNDED MISSOURI OFFI- 

CER HOME FROM REHAB HOS- 

PITAL 

A Hermann, Missouri, police 

officer who was wounded in 

a shooting that killed a fellow 

officer earlier this year will returned 

home Tuesday night after 

spending over seven months in a 

Colorado rehabilitation hospital, 

the Hermann Police Department 



announced. 

Officer Adam Sullentrup and 

Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith 

were dispatched to the Casey’s 

General Store in Hermann 

in March to arrest Kenneth Lee 

Simpson, 34, for multiple outstanding 

warrants from Franklin 

and Warren counties. Simpson 

allegedly opened fire on the 

two officers, killing Griffith and 

severely wounding Sullentrup. 

Sullentrup was shot in the head 

and side, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 

reports. 

Simpson was arrested following 

an hourslong standoff in a 

Hermann home. He was charged 

with first-degree murder, two 

counts of armed criminal action 

and first-degree assault. He has 

pleaded not guilty. Trial is scheduled 

for Jan. 20, 2026, KOMU 

reports. 

VA. STATE UNIVERSITY OF- 

FICER SHOT ON DUTY PAR- 

ALYZED FROM THE WAIST 

DOWN 


Police1 

PETERSBURG, Va. — A campus 

police officer at Virginia State 

University has been paralyzed 

from the waist down after being 

shot while responding to a disturbance, 

13News Now reported. 

The Nov. 12 shooting occurred 

when Officer Bruce Foster 

stopped and began talking 

with a group that was causing 

a disturbance, according to the 

report. After falsely identifying 

himself to Foster, one person, 

now identified as 21-year-old 

Reginald L. King Jr., ran away on 

foot. 

As Foster ran after King Jr., a 

second suspect, now identified 

as 21-year-old Deonta M. Blount, 

shot Foster in the back. Both suspects 

fled and Foster was taken 

to a hospital with life-threatening 

injuries, according to the 

report. 

Since the incident occurred, 

Foster’s condition has improved 

to stable and both suspects have 

been found and arrested, the 

Chesterfield County Police Department 

told 13News Now. 

An online fundraiser created by 

the Virginia Association of Chiefs 

of Police states that doctors have 

diagnosed Foster with paralysis 

from the waist down, according 

to the report. 

“As the wife of a police officer, 

you live with a constant undercurrent 

of worry, but Bruce’s 

strength and dedication always 

bring a sense of calm,” Foster’s 

wife, Diedra, wrote and posted 

on the fundraiser page. “That 

calm was shattered early Sunday 

morning when I received the 

call that Bruce had been shot 

while on duty at Virginia State 

University. The man who left our 

home, strong and full of resolve, 

was now fighting for his life in 

a hospital bed, with his family 

surrounding him, praying for returned 

sensation from the waist 

down.” 

FORMER POLICE CHIEF 

KILLED IN HOSPITAL SHOOTING 

Law Officer 

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire 

officials provided additional 

information Saturday about 

the fatal shooting at a Concord 



hospital that left a 63-year-old 

security officer dead. 

Investigators identified the man 

suspected of shooting and killing 

Bradley Haas, a New Hampshire 

Department of Safety security 

officer. 

Haas previously served as chief 

of police in Franklin and was 

working as a security officer for 

the hospital. 

John Madore, 33, shot and 

killed Haas as he tried to gain 

access to the psychiatric facility. 

Madore did not get past the 

metal detectors in the lobby of 

the hospital, where he encountered 

Haas. 

WCVB reported that law enforcement 

rushed to the New 

Hampshire Hospital off Clinton 

Street in the state capital city at 

3:38 p.m. 

“Upon entering the lobby, the 

suspect shot one individual,” Col. 

Mark Hall, director of the New 

Hampshire State Police, said. “A 

state trooper assigned to the 

hospital and in close proximity, 

immediately engaged, shot and 

killed the suspect.” 

JEWELRY STORE HEIST ENDS 

IN HIGH-SPEED CHASE AND 

MYSTIFYING RESPONSE FROM 

SUSPECT 

BOONE COUNTY, Ind. — An 

alleged jewelry thief led Boone 

County Sheriff’s deputies on a 

chase Saturday evening. 

The Boone County Sheriff’s 

Office reported that its deputies 

located a vehicle connected to a 

theft that occurred at a Kay Jewelers 

located at 2438 N Lebanon 

St. in Lebanon. 

Deputies tried to conduct a 

traffic stop with the vehicle. The 

driver, however, disregarded officers’ 

attempt to stop the vehicle, 

leading police on a pursuit. 

The driver eventually hit I-65 

northbound near mile marker 

141. The Boone County Sheriff’s 

Office terminated its pursuit of 

the individual at mile marker 170. 

Lebanon Police also pursued 

the driver, who was later identified 

as 34-year-old David Juarez 

of Chicago, Illinois. In a press release, 

LPD officials indicated that 

Juarez stuck his hand out of his 

vehicle’s window and gestured 

toward pursuing officers. 

LPD reported that Juarez also 

struck a Thorntown Police Department 

vehicle during the pursuit. 

The collision did not stop 

Juarez and the pursuit continued. 

With assistance from Indiana 

State Police, the Tippecanoe 

County Sheriff’s Office and the 

TPD, Juarez’s car was slowly 

boxed in by officers, bringing the 

pursuit to an end. LPD reported 

that Juarez complied with all 

police commands once he was 

stopped. 

Juarez was then taken into 

custody without further incident. 

LPD reported that Juarez 

told them he gestured at officers 

during the chase because he was 

trying to tell police they’re not 

supposed to pursue him. 

Juarez faces more than five 

preliminary charges, including 

criminal mischief, theft, resisting 

law enforcement, reckless 

driving, leaving the scene of an 

accident and operating a vehicle 

without a license. 

COLO. OFFICER KILLED AF- 

TER SUSPECT OPENS FIRE 

DURING TRAFFIC STOP. 

CORTEZ, Colo. — An officer and 

a suspect have both been killed 

after one suspect shot the officer 

during a traffic stop, KOAT reported. 

Sergeant Michael Moran 

stopped a vehicle on Nov. 28. 

Shots were fired from the vehicle, 

which then drove away. 

Moran was wounded and later 

succumbed to his injuries, according 

to the report. 

Sergeant Moran is survived by 

his two daughters. 

The two suspects inside the 


SUPPORT THE OFFICER 

DOWN MEMORIAL PAGE 

VIA THE 2023 CFC 

CHARITY # 62937 

Calling all federal employees, military personnel, and retirees – the Officer Down 

Memorial Page (ODMP) is participating in the 2023 Combined Federal Campaign 

(CFC) organized by OPM.Your support through the CFC can make a significant 

impact on our mission to honor and remember the over 26,000 brave men 

and women in law enforcement who have sacrificed their lives for our safety. To 

pledge your support to ODMP, follow these simple steps: 

1. Visit https://cfcgiving.opm.gov/offerings 

2. Search “Officer Down Memorial Page” or use CFC code 62937. 

3. Add us to your pledge by January 2023. 

Your pledge in CFC shows gratitude to those who protect us. Thank you for 

considering ODMP in the CFC 

Learn more at ODMP.org/info/cfc. 


vehicle exchanged gunfire with 

other responding officers. One 

suspect was killed by officers, 

and the other was taken into 

custody. 

Sergeant Moran was a Marine 

Corps veteran and had served 

the Cortez Police Department for 

11 years. He is survived by his two 

daughters. 

POLICE OFFICER, 61, RETIRES 

TO FOCUS ON ‘ONLYFANS’ CA- 

REER 

by Law Officer 

A 61-year-old Canadian woman, 

who ditched her job in law 

enforcement to become a bikini 

and OnlyFans model, said she is 

raking in nearly $2,000 a week 

and has built a massive following 

online. 

“I was very good at my job as 

a cop,” said social media influencer 

and model Bianca Jag, 

according to the Daily Star. “My 

main goal was to help people 

and I had a lot of duties.” 

Fox News reports that she has 

amassed more than 120,000 followers 

on Instagram and racked 

up more than 1 million views on 

her posts. She said that a large 

chunk of her income has gone 

to surgeries and treatments to 

maintain a slender physique and 

to look youthful. 

Jag’s Instagram page links to 

her website, which details her 

social media accounts on risqué 

sites such as OnlyFans page and 

Stripchat. If you would like to 

support a former officer, she can 

be found here: https://onlyfans. 

com/fitcougar50. 

Jag’s efforts are nothing new 

for law enforcement. 

A Minneapolis police officer 

was investigated last month 

after supervisors learned of her 

OnlyFans account. Her account 

was exposed after she pulled 

over a driver who turned out to 

be a subscriber to her account. 

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SURVIVING THE 

STREETS 


Partner of Fallen Minnesota 

Deputy explains how domestic 

call turned deadly in seconds. 

By Liz Collin 

Deputy Brody Merrill of the 

Pope County Sheriff’s Office is 

speaking out for the first time 

about the tragic night that took 

his partner and friend’s life. 

Deputy Merrill joined Liz Collin 

Reports after being named the 

Police Officer First Responder 

of the Year by the Minnesota 100 

Club. He was recognized for his 

heroic actions when a suspect 

opened fire on Deputy Merrill and 

two other officers on April 15. 

Deputy Merrill was wounded, but 

he rendered first aid to his partner, 

Deputy Josh Owen, who died 

from his injuries. 

It was Owen’s 44th birthday. 

Deputy Owen left behind a wife 

and young son. 

Merrill opened up about going 

back to the job and his ongoing 

commitment to keeping his community 

safe. 

Merrill was on the job with 

Pope County for four years and 

partners with Deputy Owen for 

three of those years on the night 

it all unfolded. 

“It was a Saturday night. We’d 

worked Friday night together. 

It was a routine, pretty lowkey 

night on Friday night and I 

checked on at 5 p.m. Josh was 

the six o’clock car. 

Josh had an evening 

routine. When 

he came to work, it 

was always check on, 

come in the office, 

have a cup of coffee, 

talk with the guys. 

Then, it was always 

home for lunch with 

Shannon and Rylan. 

Shortly after he 

had left, I was in the 

deputies’ room and 

got the call. It was a 

third-party call of a 

domestic, basically 

somebody else called 

it in, that they believed 

a domestic was 

occurring in Cyrus 

and I began heading that way,” 

Deputy Merrill recalled. 

“Starbuck’s officer, Alex Olson, 

acknowledged the call for service 

and he began heading to 

Cyrus as well. He was a couple 

of minutes ahead of me. I 

was running lights and sirens 

and then Josh was a couple of 

minutes behind me … and it’s a 

20-mile drive from Glenwood,” 

he added. 

Merrill said Officer Olson 

coded the call to mean that 

everything was basically fine, so 

Merrill cut his lights and sirens 

and walked into the apartment 

in Cyrus. 

“I saw Alex was in there talking 

with both of them, trying to 

figure out what’s going on. Then, 

I went in and asked the female 

party to come with me, and I 

went and interviewed her down 

the hallway, just in the utility 

room, and just got the basic 

facts, tried to figure out what 

happened, and ultimately de- 


termined that a crime that had 

been committed, and it was an 

arrestable offense. So I told her 

we’re going to take him into 

custody. At this point, Josh had 

been on scene for a few minutes 

and he was with the male party 

and in the apartment. So, I told 

her just to hang tight. I’ll be right 

back with her and get more of a 

story from her, and that’s when 

I walked into the apartment and 

told him he was under arrest,” 

Merrill said. 

“That’s when shots were fired. 

That whole call was very routine. 

I don’t like to use the word 

routine, but there were no red 

flags, it was just a routine call, 

a routine call that turned into a 

deadly-force situation in about 

two seconds,” he said. 

Brian Nygard has been identified 

as the man who killed Owen. 

Deputy Merrill was able to fire 

back as he was hit in the chest 

by gunfire and Officer Olson was 

struck in the ankle. 

“I never thought I’d be put into 

a situation like that, but yeah, 

you prepare for it in training. You 

know, we have good trainers 

where we work and they emphasize, 

you know, just kind of 

being alert, watching your surroundings 

and looking for signs, 

but there was none of that in this 

situation. It was just blink of an 

eye. You had to make that decision,” 

he said. 

Deputy Merrill then worked to 

save his partner’s life. 

“Me and Josh, we did have a 

special bond together. It was, 

you spend more 

time with the 

guys, you know, 

with him than 

you do your own 

family. So, yeah, 

me and Josh were 

super close,” he 

said. 

Deputy Merrill 

commented on 

how thankful he is 

for the outpouring 

of support he’s 

received in the 

community. 

“It’s nearly seven 

months out and 

I’ve been working 

night shifts 

the last six weeks 

and you still drive 

around in the 

night and you still 

see those blue lights out in the 

distance. You see a lot of flags,” 

he said. 

“It does give you that morale 

boost to kind of keep pushing 

forward,” he added. 

He said he knew he always 

wanted to go back to the job. 

“It was a calling. My mom 

worked at the local police department, 

and I knew a lot of 

them growing up and had some 

police officers in the family. It 

was something I always wanted 

to do, give back, and serve,” he 

said. 

But he had his doubts after the 

incident. 

“It crossed my mind. I was like, 

why am I doing this? Is it worth 

it? I have a fiancée I’m getting 

married to in the next couple of 

weeks. I questioned it, but ultimately, 

I was led back to, Josh 

wouldn’t want me to quit … I 

just didn’t want that incident to, 

you know, wreck two lives … It 

was hard to come back and kind 

of regain my footing and feel 

confident. You know, that took 

time,” Merrill said. 

The Minnesota 100 Club is a 

nonprofit that provides emergency 

financial assistance to 

first responders who are killed 

or critically injured in the line of 

duty. This year alone more than 

$200,000 has been given to the 

families of Minnesota’s first responders. 

This article originally appeared 

at Alpha News. 


40 years ago.. 

Founded by Michael Barron, 

Dedicated to Nat Gutierrez Jr. 


in Humble TX, 

the County Blues 

was born. 


The Early Years 

By Michael Barron 

The idea for the County Blues 

began in the winter of 1984. Nat 

Gutierrez, a deputy I worked 

with at the Harris County Sheriff’s 

Dept., approached me one 

Sunday and said the newly 

formed Harris County Deputy 

Sheriff’s Union need someone 

to write a newsletter for their 

members. And there’s money 

involved and would I be interested. 

Now anyone who knew me at 

the time, knew I was all about 

owning my own business as 

opposed to working extra jobs. My best 

friend John King and I had just opened 

one the first video rental stores in Houston, 

and I even created the first drive-up 

video store in an old Fox Photo booth in 

Humble. (You younger cops, ask your parents 

what a Fox Photo Booth was.) 

The idea of an extra job that didn’t 

involve sitting in a bank on my day off 

certainly intrigued me. So Nat and I met 

for lunch at the Humble City Café to talk 

about the details and see how this proposal 

would work. Nat’s ‘plan’ was to 

start a monthly newsletter for the Union, 

sell ads, and we could split the revenue 


The Humble City Cafe was the original meeting place where 

Michael Barron and Nat Gutierrez, Jr. came up with the idea for a 

Newsletter that would ultimately become The County Blues. 

with the Union – 60/40. With the union getting 

the 60%. 

Wait a minute. We’re doing all the work, 

selling all the ads, and the Union gets the 

largest share of the pie. Why is that Nat? 

“Well because we’re using THEIR name.” 

Uh Huh. I have a better idea, how about 

we start our own publication, publish all 

the Union news inside of it for a fee, and 

we keep 100% of the money. 

“Hmm, I’m not sure they will like that,” 

says Nat. 

Or we can just not include any Union 

news and do our own thing. 

“Ok well I’m sure they will agree to something 

or another.” 

Nat Gutierrez Jr. 


And that’s how the idea for a newsletter/newspaper 

was born. In the next few 

weeks, we discussed a lot of things including 

what the name should be. At the time, 

the most popular police show on TV was 

Hill Street Blues. Every cop in America was 

watching that show on Thursday nights. 

In fact, I was late to roll call on numerous 

occasions, not leaving for work until the 

show ended at 10pm, then racing to make 

roll call at 10:30pm. (No I didn’t have a VCR 

at the time. No one could afford one when 

they first came out in the late 70’s as they 

retailed for like $3000.) 

One day at lunch, someone was talking 

about the show and that’s when the idea hit 

me. Let’s call the newspaper, The County 

Blues. We even used the same type-style 

as Hill Street Blues – Bookman Bold, for 

the Logo. The very first issue was created 

just before Christmas in 1984. It was crude, 

had a million typos and was printed in blue 

ink on a letter-sized paper we collected 

from a defunct office supply my dad had 

purchased. That first issue was the one 

and only time the newspaper was printed 

on anything other than newsprint. But 

it was the beginning of something great. 

We didn’t have any idea at the time that 40 

years later, it would become the Largest 

Police Magazine in the World. 

Hill Street Blues was an American serial polic 

to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The sh 

unnamed large c 


e procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, 

ow chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station located on Hill Street in an 

ity. The “blues” are the police officers in their blue uniforms. 


Let’sBe Carefu 

By Garry Parker 

Anyone old enough to remember the Hill Street 

Blues series will remember Sgt. Esterhaus’s closing to 

the shift briefing…hey let’s be careful out there! This 

was the last thing said before the shift hit the streets. 

I attended shift briefings throughout my career. Some 

were worth it, but frankly many were nothing but 

the typical conversation you would hear at the bar or 

barber shop. 

I was in Laredo Texas teaching a class when the 

Lieutenant asked if he could use the training room for 

his shift briefing. I gave the class a break and stood 

in the room but what I saw was not the typical shift 

briefing. 

After greeting each officer, the Lieutenant called the 

meeting to order. He discussed the issues of the day, 

BOLO’s, close patrol requests, intelligence from an 

arrest that had been made the day before and he took 

a few minutes to discuss a recent court ruling. 

I was blown away by the passion he displayed for 

his troops. He spoke to them as if they were his siblings. 

He maximized the time with information, education, 

and support. I thought, 

I had never seen a briefing like that and I never had a 

leader like that, but what I saw at the end of the briefing 

leaves me affected to this day. 

Just before releasing the officers to the streets, that 

by the way are more dangerous today than ever, the 

Lieutenant prayed for the safety of the entire shift. 

What a leader…What a man… 

The reason I tell you this story is because we are 

approaching, what has historically been a very dangerous 

season for law enforcement…the holidays. In 

November 2022, seven police officers lost their lives in 

the line of duty. One officer was murdered by gunfire, 

one died of a heart attack, two COVID, and three killed 

in vehicle related events. In December 2022, seventeen 

officers lost their lives in the line of duty. One officer 

died from an animal attack, one died of COVID, six officers 

were murdered by gunfire, and nine officers lost 

their lives in vehicle related events. 

Could any of those deaths have been prevented? 

I want to challenge the profession! I want to challenge 

each individual law enforcement professional. 

I want to challenge everyone to be especially vigilant 

this time of year. Law Enforcement views the holidays 

as the time of the year that brings out the worst 

in people. Thefts, burglary, robbery, domestic calls, 

impaired drivers, and the list goes on. 

Meanwhile, their children view the season as one 

of great excitement and wonder. Their experiences 

involve attending family events, spending time with 

family and friends, eating food, watching football, 

and of course wondering what gifts Santa will bring 

them. 

However, this year there were empty seats at the 

Thanksgiving table for seven families. 

Christmas will not be a time of love and joy for 105 

families this year. 

I know what it is like to wake up without parents 

on Christmas morning. I was always so jealous of my 

friends that woke up on Christmas to a house full of 

love, joy, excitement, and family, none of which I ever 

experienced. 

My friends, 105 families will be trying to make the 

best of the holidays this year without their beloved 

law enforcement officer. 

Let’s make a commitment to each other that we will 

be vigilant in dealing with suspects, responding to 

calls, working on the side of the road, and end 2023 

without another family losing their law enforcement 

officer. 

The prayer by that Laredo Police Lieutenant affects 

me today. He prayed for the safety of his people before 

they took to the street and I believe that he felt 

some authority over those men and women, and that 

authority allowed him to intercede for his people. 

I’m am going to model that intercession and make 

this commitment to you. 

I will pray for each of you. 

I pray for your health, judgment, critical thinking, 

and protection. 

Greatest God, protect these men and women as they 

protect our communities! 

Until next time, keep the dirty side down, and let’s 

be careful out there. 

WATCH HERE 


l Out There! 


Producing a Tabloid 

Newspaper in the 80’s 

Designing and laying out a newspaper in the 

1980s was a labor-intensive process that required 

a combination of creativity, precision, and technical 

skill. The process typically involved several key 

steps: 

Planning: Before the actual design and layout 

process could begin, the newspaper’s editors (Mike 

Barron) would plan the content and organization 

of the paper. This involved deciding which stories 

would be featured on the front page, determining 

the prominence and placement of each article, and 

deciding on the overall layout and structure of the 

paper. 

Design: Once the planning was complete, the 

newspaper’s designers (again Mike Barron) would 

begin the process of creating the layout of the paper. 

This involved selecting fonts, deciding on column 

widths and spacing, and choosing the placement 

of photographs and graphics. The designers 

(yes Mike Barron) would also work on creating 

headlines and captions that were both informative 

and visually appealing. In that first year, all 

the stories had to be handwritten and then typed 

on a typewriter. If typo’s were found or changes 

had to be made, it meant either retyping the entire 

article, or typing small paragraphs and pasting 

them over the original type. It was labor intensive 

and involved a lot of yelling from the typists (Betty 

Carroll and Brenda Inocencio) who claimed I 

couldn’t write or spell worth a crap. They were 

right, I couldn’t. 

Paste-Up: In the 1980s, the layout of the newspaper 

was typically created using a process called 

“paste-up.” This involved creating a physical 

mock-up of each page of the newspaper, with text 

and images pasted onto a large board. The designers(yes 

Barron) would use a variety of tools, 

including X-Acto knives, rulers, and adhesive, to 

carefully position each element on the page. Believe 

it or not, in the beginning we had to use rub- 


The County Blues first office was located at 1036 East 1st. Street, in Humble Texas. 

County Blues Vol. 1 No.1, 

Published December 20, 1984 

County Blues Vol. 1 No.2, 

Published January 31, 1985 


The Introduction of the MacIntosh in 1984 and the Apple LaserWriter in 1985, 

were both a game changer for small publishers like The BLUES. 

on letters for the headlines. 

Proofing: Once the paste-up was complete, the 

newspaper’s editors would review the layout and 

make any necessary changes or corrections. This 

might involve adjusting the placement of text or 

images, reworking headlines or captions, or making 

other changes to improve the overall design 

and readability of the paper. In other words, more 

yelling from the front office. 

Printing: After the proofing process was complete, 

the paste-up pages would be sent to the 

printing press at the Conroe Courier. The production 

staff would use a large process camera to 

create negatives, which would be used to create 

printing plates, that would be used to print the 

newspaper. This was typically done using large, 

specialized printing presses that could print thousands 

of copies of the newspaper at a time. 

Overall, designing and laying out a newspaper 

in the 1980s was a complex and time-consuming 

process that required a high level of skill and attention 

to detail. It was a critical part of the newspaper 

production process, as it played a key role in 

determining the overall look and feel of the paper 

and in ensuring that the content was presented in 

an engaging and visually appealing way. 

All of this changed in late 1985 when Apple 

introduced the Macintosh computer. This single 

computer revolutionized the newspaper and print 

industry. Now you could type the articles in a program 

called “MacWrite” edit the stories, and then 

print the articles in 2” columns and paste them like 

before. Then in 1986, a new program called Page- 

Maker was created and OMG the planets aligned, 

and you could ‘design’ the entire tabloid using this 

program and print one single page. Then all you 

did was paste this 11 x 17 page onto the layout 

sheets. Imagine doing all this on a 9” screen. 

Now unless you have a passion for the way 

things used to be done, none of this may interest 

you at all. But way before there was an internet 

and or digital anything, this was the process one 

used to create printed publications. For years, we 

assembled these layout sheets and carried them to 

the printer every month. It was just the way it was 

done. 


The Conroe Courier building in the 70’s & 80’s. 

Yes, I still have 

our first Mac 

from 1985. 

I hear it’s 

worth in the 

thousands, 

but to me, it’s 

priceless. 


Back in the day, we hand delivered the 

newspaper to all the police departments 

around Houston. As our circulation grew, 

we eventually boxed them up and had UPS 

deliver them to departments across Texas. 

Almost every cop who’s been around 20 

years or more, will tell you they remember 

The BLUES being dropped off and copies 

laying around the squad rooms. The BLUES 

was an institution back in the day, and officers 

eagerly waited for the next issue to 

drop. 

Here are just some of those early issues. 

92 The BLUES Blues 40th 40th Anniversary Anniversary Issue Issue

The Blues The 40th BLUES 40th Anniversary Issue 93

Transition To a New 

Name - The Blues 

In 1987 with distribution exceeding 30,000 a 

month, The COUNTY BLUES was no longer a local 

newspaper for Harris County employees, but had 

become a state-wide law enforcement publication. 

It seemed appropriate to change the name to 

simply “The BLUES.” 

To launch the name change, I invited Dennis 

Franz, who played Lt. Norman Buntz on the then 

popular cop TV show, “Hill Street Blues,” to join us 

at the Wild Game Cook Off, which was held at the 

Farm & Ranch Club in Houston. 

Dennis spent the entire weekend with us, drinking, 

eating and have a good ole Texas time. We 

stayed in touch over the years and he went on to 

star in the very successful ABC television series 

NYPD Blue, as NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz, a 

role that earned him a Golden Globe Award, three 

Screen Actors Guild Awards and four Primetime 

Emmy Awards. 

94 The BLUES Blues 40th 40th Anniversary Issue Issue

The Blues The 40th BLUES 40th Anniversary The BLUES Issue 95

During all those years, the news of the day may 

have changed but the one constant was that 

cops were always complaining about something. 

Their new sergeant was a jerk. The new captain 

changed everyone’s days off. Or the new sheriff is 

changing EVERYTHING. Our cars are crap, and we 

need new ones. The new cars suck and don’t have 

half the power the old ones did. Bring back the 

Hemi’s. The BLUES covered it all. Good and Bad. Every 

single month without fail. Yes, those were the 

good ole days for sure. 

But in January of 1988, after three years of telling 

it like it was, my boss Johnny Klevehagen decided 

he had enough of Michael Barron’s BLUES crap and 

was going to put an end to it once and for all. 

He summoned me to his office and said I was to 

cease and desist with the newspaper, if I wanted 

to keep my job that is. I excused myself from his 

office and called the union attorney who said to 

keep my mouth shut until he got there. 

After several minutes of them screaming at each 

other, I was told not to deliver papers ‘inside’ any 

county buildings and if I was “caught” working on 

The Blues during my shift I would be fired. 

Thinking I dodged a bullet I returned to the Humble 

Substation to learn I had been transferred to 

the night shift and oh yeah, your new days off are 

Monday and Wednesday. I was told in the history 

of the Harris County SO, no one had ever had 

non-consecutive days off ... EVER ! 

96 The The BLUES Blues 40th 40th Anniversary Anniversary Issue Issue

In the summer of 1995, I sold The Blues newspaper 

to GL “Buddy” Williams, a former Sergeant 

with the Houston Police Department, who was 

also the newspaper’s editor at the time. Buddy and 

later his daughter, were the perfect custodians of 

The BLUES. They continued the tradition for another 

22 years until May of 2018 when Buddy announced 

they had published their last issue of The 

BLUES Police Newspaper. By the time the last page 

rolled off the press, 397 issues had been produced 

and read an estimated 8 million times by cops 

throughout Texas. Dozens and dozens of tributes 

had been written for fallen officers, and hundreds 

of war stories had been published recounting the 

everyday lives of cops, just doing their jobs, day in 

and day out. 

May 2018, the final printed issue of 

The Blues Police Newspaper, 


A New Beginning 

In 2019, The BLUES would have 

been 35 years old. I received 

a phone call one afternoon 

from a friend that hosted a 

local morning show on TV. She 

wanted to do a story about The 

BLUES Police Newspaper and 

it’s upcoming 35th Anniversary. 

Well, I hadn’t 

talked to Buddy Williams 

in years and had no idea 

where he was living or 

what his number was. I 

told her I’d have to get 

back to her once I found 

him. But after searching 

high and low, I didn’t find 

Buddy, but I did find a 

copy of the August 2018 

issue of The BLUES Police 

Newspaper, and it was 

tagged “Final Issue.” 

I downloaded it and 

read it cover to cover 

with tears in eyes. I 

couldn’t believe a 35- 

year tradition had gone 

silently into the night 

without so much as a 

whimper. I can’t blame Buddy 

or his daughter for wrapping 

it up after 22 years. They did a 

fantastic job all those years and 

the age of printed publications 

was quickly fading. So that was 

that. The BLUES had one amazing 

ride and now it was over. Or 

was it. 

For the next few days, I 

couldn’t stop thinking about 

all the accomplishments the 

newspaper had made over the 

years and was it even possible 

to bring it back. Certainly not 

as anything printed, but Digital 

publications were the rage, 

and that possibility was real. 

So, I reached out to my buddy 

Rex Evans and ran the idea 

past him, and he thought it 

was great idea. One thing led 

to another and on December 

20, 2019, almost 35 years to 

the date of the original 

County Blues, the new 

BLUES was published online 

and the rest as they 

say, is history, 

In the past four years, 

The BLUES has grown 

from 60 pages to over 

250. Our circulation has 

exploded from less than 

5,000 in that first issue to 

over 1.5 million a month 

in 2023. The BLUES is now 

read all over the world. In 

fact, The BLUES is one of 

the oldest police magazine 

still in existence and 

has gained the reputation 

of being the Largest 

Police Magazine in the 

World. 

We hope you’ve enjoyed 

our trip down memory 

lane and look forward to serving 

law enforcement for many 

years to come. God Bless you 

all and Be Safe Out There. 

98 The BLUES Blues 40th 40th Anniversary Issue Issue


2020: Our First 

Year Back 

CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF SERVICE TO TEXAS LAW ENFORCEMENT 

APRIL 2020 • VOL. 36 NO. 4 

SURVIVING COVID 19 

a first responders nightmare 

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 1 

Click to Read 2020 Issues 




2021: Year Two 

NATION’S LARGEST ALL DIGITAL POLICE MAGAZINE 

MAY 2021 • VOL. 37 NO. 5 

“I’m always with you Mom” 





2022: Year Three 

The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 1 





2023: Year Four 

The BLUES 1 



The BLUES 1 

Click to Read 2023Issues 


Our Staff 

Founder & Publisher: Sgt. Michael Barron, RET 

“When I started The 

County Blues in 1984, I had 

no idea how to publish or 

edit a newspaper. Hell I 

couldn’t even type” 

When I started The County Blues in 1984, I had no idea 

how to publish or edit a newspaper. I didn’t have a degree in 

journalism, and I couldn’t even type. But I did have some experience 

running a business. In 1982, John King and I opened 

one of the first Video Rental Stores in Houston called “National 

Video.” Two years later, I bought a vacant Fox Photo 

booth in Humble and opened the first drive-up video store in 

North America called “That’s Video.” 

When I joined the Harris County SO in 1978, I quickly realized 

that being a cop wasn’t the most lucrative job on the 

planet. And while I wasn’t opposed to working extra jobs 

and did my share of working bank security, my real passion 

was being an entrepreneur. So, when the opportunity presented 

itself to become a newspaper publisher, I jumped at 

the chance. Not that I had any damn idea what I was doing. 

In 1989, I left Harris County to accept a position with the 

Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. Moving to Galveston was 

the best move of my life at the time as it led to next BIG thing 

in my life. Well three things. Marriage, having my first child, 

and getting my pilot’s license. Taking my first ride with John 

King in an HPD helicopter in the early 80’s sealed the deal 

for me. I wanted to be a pilot and a police pilot was even 

better. Not only did I have a chance to fly for Galveston, but I 

also “flew” into a Flight School and Aviation business purely 

by accident. It was that move that prompted me to sell The 

BLUES Police Newspaper to Buddy Williams. 

Over the next few years, I had the opportunity to log a ton 

of hours flying for a variety of companies, as well as the 

government. Thanks to Lt. King and HPD Helicopters, I learned 

to fly a helicopter and become an Observer, or a Tactical 

Flight Officer as they are called today. In 2003, I decided to 

retire from law enforcement and went to work for Shell Aviation 

as a pilot and marketing rep. I crisscrossed the US every 

month, logging even more hours. The pace was hectic, but 

the pay was awesome. 

Ten years later, I left the Aviation Business to develop electric 

indoor go kart tracks. Another business I knew nothing 

about and learned it was not as glamorous as I thought. In 

2019, I made the decision it was time for something new. I 

was still flying and assigned to a Task Force in Texas that 

flew experts to disaster scenes. One evening, I had the 

chance to stop by and visit my old friend Rex Evans at his 

extra job in Porter Texas. Our reminiscing always led back to 

the good ole days of the BLUES. Ironically a local TV station 

had called me the week before asking what ever happened 

to the newspaper. To tell the truth, I had no idea. So, the next 

week I did some research and low and behold I found the last 

issue had been published in May of 2018. 

I called Rex the next day and after some brainstorming, we 

decided it was time to start an all-new BLUES as an on-line 

digital magazine. And as they say, the rest is history. 

While I’m proud of what the magazine has accomplished, 

I’m equally proud of my two sons, daughter and two grandchildren, 

Olivia and Layne. They are my everything. 

MICHAEL BARRON 


Editor-at-Large: Chief Rex Evans 

Senior Editor: Dr. Tina Jaeckle 

I’ve been around law enforcement my entire life. I’m a 

fourth generation first responder. While I’ve worked at many 

agencies in my career, most of my time has been spent right 

here in the Houston / Harris County area of Texas. 

I’ve worked the streets as a Deputy for the Harris County 

Sheriff’s Office and Constable’s Office, been a Captain at 

the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and eventually served as 

Chief of Police for several different agencies. Like all law enforcement 

officers, I’ve had some really great times and some 

bad days as well. 

All that aside, the great times or the not so great are one 

thing. But the people I have met along the way, will always 

mean the most. I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside 

some of the best, brightest, and bravest men and women 

in Law Enforcement, and that has been the privilege of a 

lifetime. 

Throughout all these years, there has always been a “constant” 

in my life. Like an old friend of sorts. And that constant 

was The BLUES. I can remember looking forward to the 

new issue every month for the latest stories and information 

about our profession. The war stories touched your heart and 

the Light Bulb Awards were equally entertaining. 

Fast forward to today. I never imagined that I would one 

day be involved in a magazine that has meant so much to me 

over the years. Not only do I enjoy the writing, I’ve had the 

opportunity to work alongside Michael Barron and the unbelievable 

team at The BLUES. Together we have grown the 

little newspaper that could, into the largest police magazine 

in the world. It has been a wild ride, and one I am eternally 

grateful for. Long live The BLUES. 

REX EVANS 

I had the blessing to serve as a licensed clinical social 

worker in Florida and Georgia, with over two decades of 

mental health experience with law enforcement and first 

responders. I have presented nationally on issues of crisis, 

trauma, stress, critical incidents, officer-involved shootings, 

resiliency, and LE suicide. I am currently the primary EAP 

counselor for police and corrections for the Jacksonville 

(Florida) Sheriff’s Office and have extensive experience in 

the development, coordination, and training of law enforcement 

and fire rescue critical incident stress management 

programs. I am board-certified in emergency crisis response 

and bereavement trauma through the American Academy of 

Experts in Traumatic Stress; a member of American Board 

of Critical Incident Professionals; a Fellow with the National 

Center for Crisis Management; a former visiting professor at 

the FBI Academy (Behavioral Science Unit/National Academy) 

in Quantico, Virginia; a past instructor the US DOJ; and 

certified in force science analysis (Force Science Institute). I 

was fortunate to complete a fellowship as the FBI’s Futurist 

in Residence for 2008–2009 and researched illegal immigration, 

culture, and future policing implications. I was selected 

for the Distinguished Alumni Award for the Criminal Justice 

Institute at Nova Southeastern University, the Commitment 

to Social Change Award from Walden University for raising 

awareness on PTSD issues for first responders, and the Bernard 

L. Turner Award (Walden) for committee work on the 

distinguished student dissertation. I additionally serve as the 

National Education and Outreach Coordinator for Responder 

Support Services in Asheville, North Carolina, and am a 

senior editor and writer for the BLUES Police Magazine. I am 

deeply grateful to continue to walk the journey with our first 

responders and provide support as needed. 

TINA JAECKLE 


Copy Editor: Lt. John King, RET 

Outdoor Editor: Rusty Barron 

Hello, my name is John M. King. I was born and raised in 

Houston, Texas. I graduated from Waltrip High School in 1975, 

however prior to high school I attended Garden Oaks Elementary, 

which is where I met Michael Barron, Founder and 

Publisher of The BLUES. Michael and I became and remain 

life-long friends. 

In high school I received training as an auto mechanic and 

in February 1976 went to work in the Houston Police Garage. 

The exposure to police officers combined with a life-long 

interest in becoming a police officer led me to apply for and 

be accepted to the Houston Police Academy in January 1977. 

After completing the academy in May 1977, I was assigned to 

evening shift patrol out of the Northeast Substation. In December 

1980 the opportunity arose for me to transfer to the 

Helicopter Patrol Division. (now known as Air Support) While 

in Helicopters I served as an Observer the first four years. 

In 1985 I successfully completed the in-house pilot training 

program and became a pilot. In 1987 I passed the sergeant’s 

exam and was promoted to sergeant in January 1988. I was 

assigned to a new telephone report unit known as Teleserve. 

In 1991 I passed the lieutenant’s exam and was promoted to 

lieutenant. I was assigned to Emergency Communications 

Division (Dispatch). In February 1994 I had the opportunity to 

return to Helicopter Patrol, where I remained until my retirement 

in September 2006. 

I have been happily married to my wife, Mary, for forty-one 

plus years. We have three grown children, two daughters-inlaw, 

and eight grandchildren. I enjoy reading and taking trips 

in our RV. And finally, but most important of all, I thank and 

praise my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his protection and 

blessings during my life and career. 

JOHN KING 

Russell “Rusty” Barron’s first venture after his graduation 

from college was to partner with his brother, Michael Barron 

in the publishing business back in 1986. Michael had recently 

started The County Blues and Rusty produced an outdoor 

section within The Blues and then founded his own outdoor 

publication called Barron’s Outdoor Update. However, after 

only a year, Shell Oil Company offered Rusty a job in their 

gasoline retailing division and he sold the outdoor newspaper 

and started a new career in the oil business. Rusty is 

now retired from Shell after 34 years as senior executive in 

the Retail Gasoline and Lubricants industry. His vast experience 

with Shell included Sales, Marketing, Strategy, Business 

Development, Store Operations, as well as Commercial Real 

Estate. He was Vice President of Marketing for Lubricants 

North America, where he managed some of the largest 

lubricants brands in the US, such as Pennzoil, Quaker State, 

and Rotella. He last assignment before retirement was 

Vice President and General Manager of Shell’s Fleet Solutions 

Business for the Americas. His gained his Bachelor of 

Business Administration Degree from Stephen F. Austin State 

University in Texas and throughout his career he continued 

his education with Shell’s leadership programs, including 

senior executive programs through the Wharton School of 

Business. His personal passions involve all outdoor related 

activities like hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, skiing and 

worth mentioning is that fact that his family hand built a 

custom log cabin and barn on their 50-acre property in the 

mountains of Colorado. In his first year of retirement, he has 

earned his US Coast Guard Captain’s license, his Florida Real 

Estate license, and serves as chairman of The Retreat’s Design 

Review Board in Blue Mountain Beach Florida. Rusty and 

his wife Kristi have been married for over 37 years and have 3 

adult children and 3 grandchildren back in Texas. 

RUSTY BARRON 


Contributing Editor: Lt. Daryl Lott, RET 

Contributing Editor: Sam Horwitz, 

Former Secret Service Agent 

After three years and nearly forty essays, I suppose it’s 

time to introduce myself. Anyone who reads The BLUES 

can find my column under the title, “Daryl’s Deliberations.” 

I began writing the column as a response to the 

multifaceted attacks on active police officers across our 

nation. It seemed to me that our police officers were 

the subject of well-orchestrated and well-financed 

media driven attacks from the radical Left. Since my 

initial involvement in The BLUES, I appreciated a reasonable 

platform to defend our police and their value 

system to a public being misled by Left-wing sources. I 

want to thank Michael Barron for providing a resource 

to counter even more misinformation from anti-police 

voices. 

I am a retired Houston PD patrol lieutenant who had 

the great privilege and honor to lead some of the finest 

women and men to ever wear a badge. I also taught 

history and literature at Pasadena High School. I am a 

certified Texas teacher with the degrees in those fields. 

I try to comment on current events through the lens of 

Texas and American History with the hope my readers 

can see that our ancestors struggled with many of the 

same issues we do. 

I recently started a Texas history blog at faithfultexasfootprints.com 

and I’m proud to say the first newsletter 

earned a place at the Galveston Historical Society 

as a resource for the “Battle of Galveston.” Readers may 

sign up for the newsletter at the website. 

Sam is a 9/11 First Responder, former United States 

Secret Service Agent, and author. 

With her B.S. in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 

her J.D. from the Howard University School of Law, 

and experience as a Law Enforcement Officer, she has 

become an expert in handling stress and managing 

post-traumatic stress (PTS). She has spoken nationally 

to Law Enforcement, Veteran, business, and faith-based 

communities on how to recognize and combat the 

effects of PTS, how to minimize the damage stress can 

cause in the workplace, and how to support those who 

have PTS. 

Sam’s been featured in People Magazine, on FOX, 

ABC, CBS, Blaze TV with Glenn Beck and in other local 

and national media. She is the author of The Silent Fall: 

A Secret Service Agent’s Story of Tragedy and Triumph 

After 9/11. Sam is the Co-Founder of A Badge of Honor. 

A non-profit, which provides post-traumatic stress 

awareness and suicide prevention to first responders. 

Sam serves on the board of Heroes on the Water and is 

the co-host of A Badge of Honor Podcast and a regular 

contributor to The BLUES Police Magazine. 

SAM HORWITZ 

DARYL LOTT 

DarylLott.Texas@gmail.com 


Contributing Editor: Detective John Salerno, 

Retired NYPD 

Contributing Editor: Douglas Griffith, President 

Houston Police Officers Union 

John Salerno is a 9/11 first responder, a retired 

NYPD Detective turned Comedian (aka- The Comedy 

Cop) and the host of A Badge of Honor Podcast. 

Growing up in Long Island, John has spent most of 

his life as a first responder working as a Fire Fighter/EMT 

and retiring from the NYPD as a Detective. 

Working the rough streets of Brooklyn, John has 

seen his fair share of how bad things can get. But 

he has also seen and recognized the good. Since 

his diagnosis of PTSD, he decided not to allow 

his condition to stop him from making a difference 

in others’ lives. John is dedicated to bringing 

awareness to the suicide epidemic plaguing our 

first responder community as the Co-Founder of A 

Badge of Honor, a non-profit organization working 

to offer solutions to the stress and burnout our 

first responders and their families face every day. 

John is a regular contributor to The BLUES Police 

Magazine. 

JOHN SALERNO 

Senior Police Officer Douglas Griffith is a Native 

Houstonian and a graduate of North Shore High 

School. He graduated Academy Class 142 and was 

assigned to the Southeast Command Station in 

1991. During his twenty-nine years of service he 

was assigned to XForce and the Divisional Gang 

Unit. He also served four years as a member of the 

Southeast Tactical Operations D.G.U. He earned 

a Masters in Law Enforcement Executive Leadership 

from California Southern in 2016. Doug was 

elected to Position 11 in 2008, and in 2012 Doug 

was appointed to the position of Vice President to 

succeed retired Senior Police Officer J. J. Berry. 

DOUG GRIFFITH 

112 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue

Contributing Editor: Detective Daniel Carr, 

Creator of Police Law News 

Contributing Editor: Detective Art Woolery, 

Retired Jersey Village, HCSO 

Detective Daniel Carr who has been in law 

enforcement for more than 17 years with a large 

agency in the southwestern United States. Daniel 

holds a Master’s Degree in criminal justice and a 

law degree, both of which he earned while being 

a full-time police officer. Many of you know Daniel 

as the creator of Police Law News – video and 

written content that honestly examines police 

incidents, police policy, law, culture and, in my 

opinion, addresses civilian misconceptions of law 

enforcement. All of it is thought provoking, well 

researched and insightful. You can find his video 

content on all social media platforms and his 

very well-written articles on Substack. His videos 

on TikTok alone have garnered him more than 

135,000 followers. Daniel is a regular contributer 

to The BLUES. 

DANIEL CARR 

I got a request from Michael Barron to write a 

biography of myself for the 40th Anniversary of 

“The BLUES.” So here goes, what many of us with 

39 plus years of service have seen, heard, or done. 

I started my career in law enforcement at age 10 

when my dad went to work for the police department 

at the University of Houston. He asked and 

received the OK for me to ride with him all night in 

his patrol car. Things were much different in 1956 

But I wasn’t in that patrol car for long before I was 

hooked and from that time on, all I wanted was to 

be a police officer. Eventually, I went to work at 

the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. I worked in the 

jail (of course), dispatch, patrol until I was promoted 

to Detective. It was there, I had the opportunity 

to serve as the department ‘s representative 

to the Harris County Medical Society. I also served 

on Governor Ann Richards task force on violent 

and abusive behavior and served on the board of 

advisors to Senator J.E. “Buster” Brown. I hold a 

Master Peace Officer rating, instructor, and firearms 

instructor rating with T.C.O.L.E. I also worked 

for Continental Airlines Corporate Security as Director 

of Security for Latin America, the Caribbean 

and Southwest U.S. 

ART WOOLERY 


Our Sponsors 

Alan & Blake Helfman at River Oaks, 

have supported The BLUES for 40 years 

and are our Named Sponsor. 

Ray Simper and Jacqueline Simper, the owners of 

Central Police Supply, were the Blues’ First Advertiser in 1984. 

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Your support through the CFC can make a significant 

o honor and remember the over 26,000 brave men 

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port to ODMP, follow these simple steps: 

m.gov/offerings 

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by January 2023. 

s gratitude to those who protect us. Thank you for 

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40 YEARS AGO 

Seven men in seventy years, have served as 

Harris County Sheriff. 

By Detective Art Woolery, RET 

SHERIFF CLAIRVILLE 

“BUSTER” KERN 

1949-1972 

SHERIFF JACK HEARD 

1972-1985 

SHERIFF JOHNNY 

KLEVENHAGEN 

1985-1995 

SHERIFF TOMMY 

THOMAS 

1995-2008 

SHERIFF ADRIAN 

GARCIA 

2008-2015 

SHERIFF RON 

HICKMAN 

2015-2017 

SHERIFF ED 

GONZALEZ 

2017-PRESENT 

120 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue

HARRIS COUNTY 

SHERIFF’S OFFICE 

Two things I’d like to point out 

before moving on to 1985 and 

the Sheriff Johnny Klevenhagen 

Administration. First, it wasn’t all 

work and no play. The HCSO had 

the “Heard’s Herd” men’s softball 

team and “Heard’s Honey’s “ladies 

softball team. Second, and 

certainly one of the most significant 

changes the Harris County 

Sheriff’s office ever encountered, 

was the creation of Civil Service. 

With the support of Sheriff 

Jack Heard, State Representative 

Tony Polumbo and Senator Craig 

Washington drafted the bill, it 

passed, and became Law that 

same legislative session. The 

871 Sheriff’s Office employees 

now had Civil Service protection. 

Credit should also go to Lt. Grace 

Hefner, the late Lt. John Armstrong, 

and Sgt. Debbie Dana. All 

worked countless hours to make 

Civil Service possible. 

Sheriff Johnny Klevenhagen 

took office January 1, 1985, and 

as was tradition with all new 

Sheriffs at the time, came new 

uniforms, badges, and new paint 

on patrol cars. Once again, the 

HCSO had a new look. Uniforms 

were dark blue shirts and 

taupe-colored pants. Badges 

were 7-point stars, silver for 

deputies and gold for supervisors. 

Vehicles assigned to patrol 

divisions were black with white 

striping. At some point MDTs 

were installed in patrol units. 

Another thing common with new 

Sheriffs, was a change in upper 

management. Per Civil Service 

rules, positions thru the rank 

of Captain were protected. The 

Sheriff’s command staff worked 

at the pleasure of the Sheriff and 

had no Civil Service protection. 

Since 1948, when C.V. “Buster 

Kern” became Harris County 

Sheriff, and through the first 2 

terms of Johnny Klevenhagen’s 

tenure, the Sheriffs had mostly 

been Democrats. However, 

during Ronald Reagan’s two 

terms as a Republican President 

and then George Bush in 1988, the 

Republican party had a strong 

influence in local races. After his 

re-election in 1992, Klevenhagen 

switched parties and became a 

Republican. In 1995, Klevenhagen 

announced his early retirement, 

and Commissioners Court appointed 

Chief Deputy Tommy 

Thomas to fill the unexpired term 

of Klevenhagen. Sheriff Thomas 

served as Sheriff until December 

of 2008. 

Adrian Garcia, a former HPD 

Officer and Houston City Councilman, 

ran against incumbent 

Sheriff Thomas in the 2008 election 

and won the election. Garcia 

took office January 1, 2009, and 

served until he announced on 

May 6, 2015, that he would be 

resigning his elected position 

as Sheriff to run for Mayor of 

the City of Houston. As a result, 

Harris County Commissioners 

appointed Republican PCT. 4 

Constable Ron Hickman, as Sheriff 

to finish the unexpired term of 

Sheriff Adrian Garcia. 

Hickman served as Sheriff from 

May 2015 to November 2016. 

Following Sheriff Ron Hickman, 

is the current Sheriff of Harris 

County, Ed Gonzalez. Gonzalez 

was also a former HPD Officer 

and a Houston City Councilman. 

To the credit of Sheriff’s Thomas, 

Garcia, Hickman, and current 

Sheriff Gonzalez, the badges, 

uniforms, color scheme of the 

vehicles haven’t changed in 25 

years. 

In summary, Harris County has 

seen seven men in seventy years, 

take the helm as High Sheriff of 

Harris County. I salute them all. 

Art Woolery, Detective 

HCSO, JVPD Retired 

The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 121 121

IS A NEW HOME IN 

YOUR FUTURE? 

Follow along as we take you through the entire process of 

purchasing a new home from DR Horton. 

PART ONE: The Build Begins. 

Last month we introduced you 

to DR Horton Homes and promised 

to take you step by step 

through the process of purchasing 

a new home. We’ll assume 

you’ve selected the neighborhood 

you’d like to live in, toured 

the model homes and chosen a 

builder you want to work with. 

The next step is choosing the 

floor plan and price that meets 

your budget and lifestyle. 

By lifestyle, I mean are you an 

outside person that prefers a 

huge backyard with room for a 

pool and outdoor kitchen, or less 

yard and more indoor space. Do 

you want a one-story or two, 

rooms all on one floor or master 

down and others up. These are 

all choices you probably should 

decided on BEFORE you talk to a 

builder. 

INVENTORY vs NEW BUILD 

Once you’ve selected the floor 

plan you like, now it’s time to 

decide, do you want a ‘inventory’ 

home that’s nearing completion 

with a move in date of 

30-60 days, or do you have time 

to choose a lot and wait 4-6 

months for a home to be built. 

If you’re in a hurry to move in, 

an inventory home may be just 

what you’re looking for, but be 

aware that the design choices 

may be limited depending on 

what stage of build the home is 

in. The builder may have already 

chosen all the options which 

means they’ve selected the tile, 

carpet, counter tops and cabinet 

colors. And their choices may not 

coincide with yours. In touring 

some of these homes myself, my 

first impression was “who the 

hell picks these colors?” 

On the flip side. If you find a 

finished home you like, you may 

find that the home has been 

discounted, especially if it’s 

been completed and sitting for a 

month or two. The builder wants 

to recoup their investment and 

many times offer incentives for 

financing as well as knocking 

several thousand off the price of 

the home. So, take the time to 

look at all the options and see if 

what they have in stock works 

for you. If not, do what I did and 

start from scratch and design 

a home that fits your taste and 

your budget. 

CHOOSE THE PLAN AND THE 

LOT 

When I first visited DR Horton, 

I had decided the CHLOE Plan 

was what I wanted. Since there 

weren’t any inventory homes 

available with that plan, I asked 

the salesman to show me what 

lots were available with that 

plan. We looked at a map of the 

subdivision and there were 3 lots 

still available that were spec’d 

for CHLOE. (Most developments 

have already been permitted 

with the city or county they are 

in, specifying what build plan 

will be on each lot. If the development 

has an HOA, the builder 

will submit the design elements 

for approval and once those are 

completed, each lot must be 

built with that home.) 

Unless the lot you choose is 

in the middle of a block with 

dozens of other homes and it’s 

a standard size, you most likely 

122 The BLUES Blues POLICE 40th MAGAZINE Anniversary Issue

The Blues 40th Anniversary The BLUES Issue 123

are going to pay a “premium lot 

fee” or upgrade cost. I selected 

a small cul-de-sac with only 7 

homes and my lot is at the end. 

My home sits at an angle on the 

lot, is larger than any other lot 

on the street and one side of the 

house backs up to a green space 

with no neighbors. The price was 

an additional $6000. 

When searching for homes, 

you’ve probably seen advertisements 

that say 45’,55’,65’ lots. 

This refers to the width and size 

of the lot. If you don’t want your 

home to be 10’ from the adjacent 

home, you’re probably not going 

to want a 45’ lot. Especially if 

you intend on building a pool or 

want a large backyard. 

THE DESIGN BEGINS 

While you may have choices on 

the interior of the home, the only 

real choice you have on the exterior 

is the Elevation, or what the 

design of the home looks like. 

And once you’ve selected the lot 

you want, you most likely won’t 

be able to change the elevation 

either, as it’s already been decided 

based on the lot location. 

Depending on the builder, the 

interior choices may occur one 

of two ways. Some builders will 

have you choose a floor plan, lot 

location and elevation plan, and 

then have you sign a contract on 

the base price of the home, plus 

any lot upgrades, less any incentives 

available at the time. Then 

you’ll make an appointment at 

their design center, to select the 

interior choices such as counter 

tops, types of cabinets, flooring, 

tile, paint etc. You’ll also have 

options like fireplaces, outdoor 

kitchens, media rooms, additional 

bedrooms or office space. 

Some builders have preselected 

packages to choose from and 

others have you select everything 

in the home from cabinet hardware 

to light fixtures. And since 

you are essentially designing 

the interior of the home to suit 

YOUR likes and needs, you’ll be 

expected to write them a check 

for anything not included in the 

base price of the home. Yes, you 

heard correctly. If your upgrades 

and choices add up to $65,000, 

you’ll be expected to pay that in 

advance. So be prepared to do 

this and know what your budget 

is BEFORE you walk through the 

Design Center Door. 

Not all builder’s use Design 

Centers. DR Horton, in some of 

their developments, have moved 

to preselected options that offer 

you color choices in a number 

of packages. For instance, you 

choose the color of the cabinets 

you want in the kitchen and 

bathrooms, and the color of the 

counter top is preselected to 

match that color. It also chooses 

the carpet and tile that match 

the colors as well. In my situation, 

I chose white cabinets in 

the kitchen and Cappuccino in 

the baths. The kitchen counters 

were white Silestone and the 

bath counters were white marble. 

This option triggered white 

tile in the kitchen as well as the 

baths. The truth is, I probably 

would have chosen these colors 

had I had the opportunity to do it 

at a design center. 

The upside is, all your options 

are added into the cost of the 

home and financed together. No 

writing a check at Design Center. 

The downside is you don’t have 

a lot of choices. You have to pick 

one of the packages and you get 

what’s included. You can’t make 

changes. 

I also added a Media Room, 

Fireplace, 42” Extra White 

Cabinets, and an Office vs Dining 

Room. In the end, with the 

lot upgrade, my options totaled 

about $26,000. I’m sure had I 

gone to a design center, that 

price would have doubled. 

MEET THE BUILDER 

Once I signed the contract the 

next step was to meet my builder 

or the construction superintendent. 

My builder was Michael 

LaFoy. He and I met at the model 

home and went over all the 

options and color choices, as 

well as reviewed the construction 

plans of the home. Now this 

isn’t my first home build and I’ve 

met dozens of supers not only 

in business builds, but home 

builds as well. So I at least knew 

what I was looking at when 

Mike brought out the plans. He 

began by telling me about his 

background, with over 20 years 

experience in home building. At 

one point even owned his own 

construction company. Needless 

to say, he was very knowledgeable 

and took the time at go over 

every single detail of the build, 

room by room. He wasn’t in a 

hurry and answered all my questions 

regardless of how insignificant 

they might have seemed. It 

was obvious from the start; he 

took pride in his work and the 

homes he built. And in his words, 

“I build every single home as if it 

was my home.” 

The quality of the homes he 

built for DR Horton are probably 

some of the best in the neighborhood. 

You won’t find serious 

defects in workmanship in any of 

his homes. Now are they perfect 

when you do your first 


The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 125 

The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 125

walk-through? NO. But no home 

is today. As long as they correct 

any problems and fine tune the 

finishes, you’ll be satisfied that 

you have the best home for the 

money. Remember, these aren’t 

custom homes for $1 million 

plus. You’re buying a tract home 

priced from $300-$800. But the 

difference between a crappy 

home and a well-built home is 

all up to the man in charge. And 

in this case, I’m damn glad it’s 

Mike LaFoy.. 

At the conclusion of our meeting, 

he said it would take 90-120 

days to build the home. The lot 

had already been cleared and 

stabilized fill had been added 

to the area where the foundation 

would be. Within the next 

two weeks, the plumbing would 

be completed and inspected, 

and then the prep-work for the 

foundation would follow. The 

concrete pour for the foundation 

was tentatively scheduled for the 

Wednesday before Thanksgiving 

and sure enough that’s exactly 

when it took place. I might add, 

that on the day of the pour, Mike 

was there overseeing every inch 

of new concrete. 

I’ve added photos of the progress 

so far. Next month, we’ll 

discuss in detail the options you 

have for financing as well as 

follow the progress of the build. 

I’d like to thank my sales rep, 

Rhett Mellina and my builder 

Michael LaFoy for taking the time 

to make this article possible and 

building great homes for first 

responders in the Houston area. 


BREAKDOWN OF 

CONSTRUCTION 

STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE 

STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE STAGE 

00 PERMIT/PLANNING 

01 

FOUNDATION LAYOUT/TRENCH 

02 

03 FRAME 

04 

05 

FOUNDATION POURED 

EXTERIOR FINISH 

MECHANICALS ROUGH 

06 INSULATION/DRYWALL 

07 

08 

09 

10 

INTERIOR FINISH 

MECHANICALS FINAL 

FLOORING/FINAL TOUCHES 

FINAL INSPECTION READY 

11 

CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY RECEIVED 

12 

13 

QUALITY WALK PERFORMED 

BUYER WALK-THOUGH/ORIENTATION 

rices, products, features and specifications are subject to change The without Blues notification 40th Anniversary date any time. Issue Additional 127 127 

restric 

ions may apply. Square footages are approximate. Homes are subject to availability. Estimated times are subject to 

hange based on weather, availability of materials, workload, or issues outside of D.R. Horton’s control. D.R. Horton, Inc

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The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 129

NOW HIRING 

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Ample overtime opportunities 

Apply online today. springbranchisd.com/join-our-team 


DECEMBER 

5-9 Death and Homicide Investigation *BY PATC Thornton, CO 

5-9 Event Data Recorder Use in Traffic Crash Reconstruction Noblesville, IN 

1 High Performance Leadership - By Leading Blue Cincinnati, OH 

5-9 Hostage Negotiations and Crisis Intervention, Parmus, NJ 

4-6 Advanced Homicide Investigation by IPTM Jacksonville, FL 

5-9 Hostage Negotiations and Crisis Intervention, Lansing, MI 

4-6 Effective Strategies for Staff Inspections by IPTM Altamonte Sp., FL 

5-9 Internal Affairs Conference and Certification *BY PATC Phoenix, AZ 

4-6 Officer Involved Shooting-3 Day *BY PATC Columbus, OH 

5-9 Mastering the Leadership Challenges of Law Enforcement New Braunfels, TX 

4-6 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Billings, MT 

5-9 New Detective and Criminal Investigator *BY PATC Shawnee, OK 

4-6 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Lafayette, LA 

5-9 Officer-Involved Shooting and Use-of-Force *BY PATC Greer, SC 

4-6 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Marysville, WA 

6-7 PREA *BY PATC Massillon, OH 

4-6 Penn State - Grant Writing - Virtual University Park, PA 

6-8 Criminal/Drug Interdiction Techniques and Concealment Angleton, TX 

4-6 Recovery of Human Remains by Suncoast Forensics St. Cloud, FL 

6-8 Supervising and Managing the FTO Unit - by LLRMI Noblesville, IN 

4-6 Tactical Breaching Instructor Course Warrensburg, MO 

6-8 WZ Criminal Level I Investigative Interviewing Techniques Lake Forest Pk, WA 

4-7 PRW Police Sniper BASIC Nunn, CO 

7-8 Child Death and Homicide Investigation *BY PATC Bentonville, AR 

4-8 Advanced Undercover Techniques and Survival Westminster, CO 

7-9 Social Media, Open Source & Geofence Investigations Ruston, LA 

4-8 Covert Entry Specialist I & II Course (5-Days) San Marcos, TX 

12 Marijuana Impaired Driving Detection for Law Enforcement Largo, FL 

4-8 Criminal Investigations Using Cellular Technologies SME 40 hour Palm Beach, FL 

12 SLR15 1911 Pistol Armorer Course Ottumwa, IA 

4-8 Death and Homicide Investigation *BY PATC Corpus Christi, TX 

12-13 Covert Surveillance *BY PATC Ontario, OH 

4-8 Detective and New Criminal Investigator *BY PATC Baytown, TX 

12-13 Force Encounters: Investigation, Somerton, AZ 

4-8 Force Science Certification Course Sacramento, CA 

12-13 Supervising the Toxic Officer *BY PATC Middleton, ID 

4-8 Hostage Negotiations, Phase III *BY PATC Pearland, TX 

12-14 3 Day UAS “Drone” Search and Rescue & Thermal Imaging Trophy Club, TX 

4-8 Methods of Instruction - Training Practical Professional Policing Skills Sanford, FL 

12-14 Burglary/Robbery Investigations by IPTM Altamonte Sp., FL 

28-1 Reid Investigative Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation San Antonio, TX 

12-14 Effective Supervision & Leadership (meets TCOLE 3737) Georgetown , TX 

JANUARY 

12-14 Hands-On Vehicle Fire/Arson Investigation - by LLRMI Pharr, TX 

12-14 Major Case Management by IPTM Myrtle Beach, SC 

9-11 Interview and Interrogation for Investigators *BY PATC Texas City, TX 

12-16 40 Hour Criminal Investigations Using Cellular Technologies Largo, FL 

16-18 Supervising and Managing the Drug Unit *BY PATC Angleton, TX 

12-16 Advanced Field Training Officer Course Savannah, GA 

16-19 Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing Pharr, TX 

12-16 Bones Bones & more Bones I&DI by Citgroup Miami, FL 

17-19 First Responder to Death, Injury and Sexual Violence Scene Texas City, TX 

12-16 Commercial Vehicle Crash Investigation - Level I by IPTM Jacksonville, FL 

22-24 IALEFI Complete Rangemaster Course www.ialefi.com Pharr, TX 

12-16 Criminal Investigations Using Cellular Technologies 40 Hour Peachtree City, GA 

22-24 3 Day UAS “Drone” Search and Rescue & Thermal Imaging Trophy Club, TX 

12-16 Event Data Recorder Use in Traffic Crash Reconstruction - Humble, TX 

22-26 5 Day Use of Force and Officer Involved Shooting by LLRMI New Braunfels 

12-16 Hostage Negotiations, Phase III *BY PATC Hoover, AL 

22-26 Covert Entry Specialist I & II Course Dallas, TX 

12-16 Injury & Death Investigations (MIAMI) Miami, FL 

22-26 Covert Entry Specialist I & II Course Dallas , TX 

12-16 Internal Affairs Conference and Certification *BY PATC Franklin, IN 

22-26 Death and Homicide Investigation *BY PATC Texas City, TX 

12-16 Training Practical Professional Policing Skills Chandler, AZ 

23-26 Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing Angleton, TX 

12-23 At-Scene Traffic Crash/Traffic Homicide Investigation Albany, OR 

FEBRUARY 

12-23 SSGT Vanguard Defensive Tactics Instructor Certification Hoover , AL 

13 Advanced Marijuana Impaired Driving Detection Largo, FL 

1 Women in Command by Calibre Press Webinar 

13 Mastering Search & Seizure by Blue to Gold Marion, OHnar 

1-2 Negotiating Team Leadership *BY PATC Lansing, MI 

13-14 Managing the Property and Evidence Room *BY PATC Hutchinson, KS 

1-2 SLR15 Law Enforcement Shotgun Armorer Course Defiance, MO 

13-14 SLR15 AR15 / M16 / M4 / AR308 Armorer Course Ottumwa, IA 

1-2 Tactical Debrief: Intelligence gathering for law enforcement Texas City, TX 

13-15 Fugitive Mission Planning & Cellular Investigative Techniques Sacramento, CA 

2 Geofence Investigations St. Charles, MO 

13-15 Inside the Tape Investigation & Crime Scene Management League City, TX 

5-6 Homicide Investigations Seminar Las Vegas , NV 

13-15 Investigating Basic Sex Crimes *BY PATC Des Moines, IA 

5-6 SLR15 AR15 / M16 / M4 / AR308 Armorer Course Lake Zurich, IL 

13-15 Crimes Against Children: Non-Confrontational Interviewing Brighton , MI 

5-6 Tactical Street Enforcement & Violence Wheeling, WV 

13-16 Reid Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation Columbus, OH 

5-7 Detecting Deception- 2.5 Days *BY PATC Lawrenceville, GA 

13-16 Reid Investigative Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation Curtis, NE 

5-7 Field Training Officer by IPTM Jacksonville, FL 

13-16 Reid Investigative Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation Oakdale , PA 

5-7 FTO Certification and Program Managers course Little Rock, AR 

14 Advanced Criminal Investigations by Blue to Gold Marion, OH 

5-7 Real World Training for the Real Police Mt. Washington, KY 

14 Bulletproof Report Writing by Blue to Gold Castle Rock, CO 

5-7 Real World Training for the Real Police South Bend, IN 

14 Probable Cause Deep Dive by Blue to Gold Webinar 

5-8 Force Science Certification Course Dallas, TX 

15 Advanced Search & Seizure by Blue to Gold Castle Rock, CO 

5-8 Mobile Phone Investigations & Cellular Record Analysis Bowling Green, OH 

15 Bulletproof Report Writing Blue to Gold Marion, OH 

5-9 40 Hour Cellular Technologies Course Gilbert, AZ 

15-16 SLR15 Advanced AR15 / M16 / M4 / AR308 Armorer Course Ottumwa, IA 

132 The BLUES 


The BLUES 133 


HONORING OUR 

SERGEANT JON ARDEN JENSON 

FORT WORTH POLICE DEPARTMENT, TEXAS 

END OF WATCH SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2023 

AGE: 57 TOUR: 26 YEARS BADGE: 3005 

Sergeant Jon Jenson died as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty. 

Sergeant Jenson was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Fort Worth 

Police Department for 26 years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, son, and sister. 

134 134 The The BLUES Blues POLICE 40th MAGAZINE Anniversary Issue

FALLEN HEROES 

DETECTIVE JAMES MICHAEL “MIKE” LETT 

BENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, ARKANSAS 

END OF WATCH WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2023 

AGE: 35 TOUR: 13 YEARS BADGE: N/A 

BDetective Mike Lett succumbed to critical injuries he received in a vehicle crash on October 28, 2023. At 

11:00 a.m., Detective Lett hydroplaned on Interstate 430 while responding to a service-to-assist with the 

Benton Police Department’s Drug Take Back Program and struck a guardrail. He was transported to Baptist 

Hospital in Little Rock, where he died from his injuries. 

Detective Lett was a United States Air Force veteran and had served in law enforcement for over 30 years, 

serving with the Benton Police Department, Saline County Sheriff’s Department, Pulaski County Sheriff’s 

Department, Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, Maumelle Police Department, and the Salt Lake City (Utah) 

Police Department. He is survived by his four daughters, a son, two sisters, adopted parents, and two grandchildren. 


HONORING OUR 

SENIOR POLICE OFFICER JORGE PASTORE 

Senior Police Officer Jorge Pastore was shot and killed during a hostage barricade at 9308 Bernoulli Drive 

at about 4:10 am. Patrol officers had initially responded to the residence for a domestic violence call involving 

a stabbing shortly before 3:00 am. Arriving officers located an injured victim outside of the home and 

learned there were two more injured victims inside. As the officers attempted to enter the home to rescue the 

victims the subject inside opened fire, causing the officers to retreat. The agency’s SWAT team arrived at the 

scene and attempted a hostage rescue at about 4:30 am. The subject opened fire on the SWAT team, fatally 

wounding Officer Pastore and wounding a second officer. The officers returned fire, killing him. 

Officer Pastore had served with the Austin Police Department for four years. He is survived by his wife, two 

stepsons, and parents. 

136 The BLUES Blues POLICE 40th MAGAZINE Anniversary Issue 

AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, TEXAS 

END OF WATCH SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2023 

AGE: 38 TOUR: 4 YEARS BADGE: 9097

FALLEN HEROES 

CORRECTIONAL OFFICER III JOVIAN MOTLEY 

Correctional Officer III Jovian Motley died while helping restrain a combative inmate at the J. Dale Wainwright 

Unit at 2665 Prison Road 1 in Lovelady. 

The cause of death is under investigation. 

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2023 


Officer Motley had served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division for 

over one year. He is survived by his mother and father. 


HONORING OUR 

BORDER PATROL AGENT FREDDY ORTIZ 

CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION 

END OF WATCH TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023 


Border Patrol Agent Freddy Ortiz was killed in an ATV crash in Douglas, Arizona, while responding to reports of 

undocumented immigrants in the area of Chino Road and 5th Street. 

His ATV left the roadway and struck a utility pole as he drove along International Drive while searching the area 

at about 7:00 pm. The collision caused the ATV to overturn and he suffered fatal injuries. 

Border Patrol Agent Ortiz was a U.S. Navy veteran. He had served with the United States Border Patrol for 13 

years and was assigned to the Douglas Station, Tucson Sector. He is survived by his mother and stepfather. 

138 138 The The BLUES Blues POLICE 40th MAGAZINE Anniversary Issue

FALLEN HEROES 

SERGEANT MICHAEL MORAN 

CORTEZ POLICE DEPARTMENT, COLORADO 

END OF WATCH WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2023 

AGE: N/A TOUR: 11 YEARS BADGE: N/A 

Sergeant Michael Moran was shot and killed while making a traffic stop near the intersection of South 

Broadway and San Juan Drive at about 11:25 am. An occupant of the car shot Sergeant Moran before the 

suspects fled in the vehicle. Other officers located the two suspects approximately 1-1/2 miles south of the 

original shooting. One subject was shot and killed after opening fire on officers. A second subject was taken 

into custody. 

Sergeant Moran was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served with the Cortez Police Department for 11 

years. He is survived by his two daughters. 

The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 139

HONORING OUR 

TROOPER ALBERTO FELIX 

NEVADA HIGHWAY PATROL, NEVADA 

END OF WATCH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2023 

AGE: N/A TOUR: 4 YEARS BADGE: 502 

Trooper Alberto Felix and Sergeant Michael Abbate were struck and killed by a drunk driver at 3:23 a.m. off 

Interstate 15 near D Street in Las Vegas. Sergeant Abbate and Trooper Felix had stopped to check on a driver 

who appeared to be sleeping in his car. Another vehicle hit them and fled the scene. One officer died at the 

scene. The other officer was transported to UMC Trauma Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The 

subject was apprehended six hours later and was charged with two counts of each charge: reckless driving 

resulting in death, driving under the influence resulting in death, and duty to stop at the scene of an accident 

involving death. Trooper Feix was a United States Air Force veteran and had served with the Nevada Department 

of Public Safety - Nevada Highway Patrol for four years. 


FALLEN HEROES 

SERGEANT MICHAEL ABBATE 

NEVADA HIGHWAY PATROL, NEVADA 

END OF WATCH THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2023 

AGE: N/A TOUR: 12 YEARS BADGE: 304 

Sergeant Michael Abbate and Trooper Alberto Felix were struck and killed by a drunk driver at 3:23 a.m. off 

Interstate 15 near D Street in Las Vegas. Sergeant Abbate and Trooper Felix had stopped to check on a driver 

who appeared to be sleeping in his car. Another vehicle hit them and fled the scene. One officer died at the 

scene. The other officer was transported to UMC Trauma Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The 

subject was apprehended six hours later and was charged with two counts of each charge: reckless driving 

resulting in death, driving under the influence resulting in death, and duty to stop at the scene of an accident 

involving death. Sergeant Abbate had served with the Nevada Department of Public Safety - Nevada Highway 

Patrol for almost 11 years. 


WORDS BY SGT. MICHAEL BARRON, RET. 

100,000 words? Are you kidding me? 

If you’re a regular reader, you 

know I’m working on a book that 

was supposed to come out this 

past summer. If you don’t know, 

it’s a collection of forty years of 

war stories. Some of which are 

my own and over a hundred from 

nearly 40 years of publishing The 

BLUES and telling your war stories. 

So, when the editor says, “send 

me what you got, and we’ll go 

from there.” I just gathered them 

all together, put breaks between 

each story, saved it and hit send. 

Easy peasy right? 

Nope. He calls me back and 

says, “do you realize that you sent 

me over 100,000 words?” Ah well 

no. Is that a problem? You need 

to go through and prioritize the 

stories. Put the most important 

or significant ones in the beginning, 

and the less interesting ones 

towards the back. 

OK, I’m on it. 

So, as I began the process, I 

realized they were all significant 

because they were in fact a part 

of someone’s life. The officer that 

wrote it and the people involved in 

the actual event itself. To everyone 

involved, regardless of how insignificant 

or boring it may seem, it 

wasn’t. 

So, if it were you that had to 

prioritize forty years of storytelling, 

whose story would you send 

to the back? 

What would it be about? How 

about a local woman fought with 

her boyfriend every weekend. 

Moved in and out of their apartment 

so many times that the officers 

responding to the disturbance 

calls knew all the players by first 

names. That is until one night they 

arrived and found the female half 

of the disturbance dead on the 

sidewalk? 

Or the time I got into a chase 

that lasted so long, I had time 

to stop, get gas, go to the bathroom, 

get a coke, jump back on 

the freeway only to discover I was 

now the number one unit behind 

the suspect vehicle in a chase that 

had gone on for hours. 

Maybe the story about a young 

female that worked at an apartment 

complex that was harassed 

by a cop that refused to leave her 

alone. The cop stalked her until 

one day she just disappeared? 

Vanished without a trace and to 

this day remains a missing person. 

Or the story about a girl who 

showed up at a Stop-n-Go at 6am 

in the morning, saw a cop drinking 

coffee and said she and her 

boyfriend had been kidnapped by 

drug dealers. She managed to escape, 

but he was still tied to a bed 

frame and being tortured. 

Getting shot always makes for 

a great story, and there were lots 

of them. Our editor Rex Evans 

recounts his brush with death – 

twice. My encounter with a truck 

driver that left me and the truck 

driver in the ER with gun shot 

wounds. My partners tragic death 

in the middle of I-45. The minute-by-minute 

recollection of a 

cop’s efforts to save his partners 

life in the middle of a riot. Plus, 

there are literally four dozen or 

more just like these. 

Speaking of riots. The past few 

years, the streets of our cities 

have become war zones. One story, 

that actually became 4 stories, 

takes us along for the ride of a 

lifetime as officers get pinned 

down and manage to save their 

own lives as well as the citizens 

that relied on them to save them. 

Ordinary citizens, actually former 

marines, join the story to assist 

cops in the fight of their lives. 

And who can forget about 

the morons in city governments 

across the country that decided 


to “de-fund” their police departments. 

Several stories recount the 

effects of such decisions and the 

results are horrific and sometimes 

hilarious. An entire city council 

board was saved from a burning 

van by a cop that no idea these 

same individuals had just voted to 

end his job. 

Reading about a cop’s decision 

to take his own life is hard to read. 

But in a Christmas Eve story, a 

cop who lost his rookie partner 

to gunfire, ends up under a bridge 

with his gun in his hand. Suddenly 

a young family of three living 

under that same bridge, have an 

encounter with the officer that not 

only saves his life, but changes the 

lives of hundreds more. 

Saving a life is an experience 

you will never forget. When a 

mom flags you down to say her 

house is on fire and her kids are 

inside, what would you do? Of 

course you call for Fire and tell 

the dispatcher you’re going in the 

house. Go inside a burning house? 

In hindsight, I guess that was a 

pretty stupid thing to do. After all. 

we’re cops and they are firemen 

trained to search for people in 

burning buildings. But try standing 

next to a mom while her kids 

are burning up in a house waiting 

on fire trucks that’s minutes away. 

Nope. You go in and get them. I 

coughed up black shit for days 

after that. Fire Chief said I was an 

idiot and NEVER do that again. 

Yes, I received a 100-club award 

for it. But the real reward was 

seeing those boys grow up and 

knowing that me being an ‘idiot’ 

made that happen. And my first 

time being on the front page of 

the local paper. 

MY second appearance on that 

local rag, was with an 18-month 

little girl named Rosa who had 

been sexually assaulted by her 

step uncle and thrown like a piece 

of garbage into a bayou. After 

hours of searching and some 

come to Jesus’ intervention by my 

lieutenant, the suspect gave up 

the location. My Lt. told me to go 

bring her home. I found her under 

a bridge and carried her lifeless 

body to a waiting life flight helicopter. 

I had no idea the news 

media were taking my picture and 

I didn’t care. I rode with her to the 

hospital and watched that flight 

crew bring her back to life. The 

second I felt her squeeze my hand 

and she opened her eyes; I knew 

God was on that helicopter with 

us. God choose to save Rosa and 

I was just his servant. That very 

event changed my life and hundreds 

more. It was heartbreaking 

and magical at the same time. I 

never knew what happened to 

that precious child. I heard she 

moved back to Mexico with her 

family. But one thing I do know, is 

that God wanted her here on this 

earth and for as long as she lived, 

He would be there watching over 

her. 

It’s these stories that move us 

and make us realize that being a 

cop, a fireman or first responder 

is more than a job, it’s a calling. 

It’s truly Gods work. Children of 

God & Peacemakers. So how can 

you rate one story over another. 

Every story is just as important 

and meaningful as the one before 

it and the one after it. There is no 

way to prioritize God’s work. 


BY LT. BOB EVANS 

The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t 

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 and 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 at 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 night shift lieutenant was 

pretty much the night sheriff. I 

oversaw everybody and everything. 

But I had been doing 

it so long that it really didn’t 

seem like that big of a deal 

anymore. 

But more of the old guys 

were retiring and every day I 

had more and more youngsters 

showing up at roll call. 

The sheriff decided that 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 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 must 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 day 

shift sergeant moved him to 

days for a week just to teach 

him OUR ways. 

Now here it was Christmas 

Eve and Jones was back 

working the night shift with 

me again. 

Anyway, it was about 3am 

when a silent alarm dropped 

in a warehouse on the north 

side 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 warehouses with 

storage in 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 wall and hit 

him. He was down within seconds 

of us entering that room. 

He never said a word and 

didn’t 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 heard 

deputies arriving from all 

over. Sirens. I could hear sirens 

everywhere. Sirens echoing 

throughout the building. 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 and parents of 

any 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 there. 

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 made 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. 


WORDS BY A RETIRED OFFICER 

A Cop, a Flight Nurse and Two Endings 

I just read your war story, “the 

Christmas that almost wasn’t” 

(reprinted in this month’s War 

Story) and it brought me back 

almost 20 years when I had 

nearly the same experience. 

I too had lost a partner who 

was standing less than five feet 

from me when a sniper’s bullet 

ripped through his vest and 

killed him instantly. It was the 

single worst moment of my life. 

The emotions from that day still 

haunt me, but thankfully I’ve 

been able to move past it and 

live a somewhat normal life. 

It wasn’t Christmas Eve, but 

rather New Year’s Eve 1999. Yes, 

the new millennium was upon us 

and we expected it to be a busy 

night. I had been on the force at 

the time for nearly 20 years and 

worked the night shift by choice. 

My kids were all grown and I 

was at the end of a third failed 

marriage. Working nights for me 

was my way of coping with the 

emptiness I had in my life at the 

time. 

On this night and for the previous 

30 days, I had a rookie riding 

with me after his FTO was injured 

in an off-duty car accident. 

And truthfully, I didn’t mind. After 

20 years of riding by myself, I 

kind of enjoyed the company and 

I also liked the idea of imparting 

my knowledge into this young 

officer’s mind. 

But the FTO program of 1999 

isn’t like what you probably have 

today. It wasn’t that regimented, 

it was more like, ‘ride with 

me kid and I’ll show you how it’s 

done’ kind of thing. But this kid, I 

say kid he was 24, was actually 

doing a great job. He had spent 

almost 4 months on the evening 

shift with his FTO and was about 

to be cut loose. So, thirty days 

with me and he was ready to go 

solo. I’ll dispense with his last 

name in case his family might 

read this magazine and just use 

his first name, Randy. 

On the night of the shooting, 

Randy and I were answering 

one disturbance after another. 

As you can imagine on this New 

Years, everyone was drunk and 

getting rowdy. One by one we 

were clearing calls. I guess after 

the 10th one or so, we became 

complacent and weren’t paying 

as much attention as we should 

have been. 

We were dispatched to a call 

on our city’s far east side that 

was on the extreme east side 

of our assigned district. All the 

district cars on that side were 

tied up and we took the call to 

help them out. Same call as all 

the rest. Neighbor called in to 

report loud noises, fireworks and 

unknown persons possibly firing 

guns into the air. More people 

are killed on New Years from 

falling bullets than any other day 

of the year. 

We arrived at the complainant’s 

house and didn’t see 

activity outside nor did we hear 

any fireworks or guns being 

discharged. As we walked to the 


front door, a man in his fifties 

opened the door and began 

telling us about the neighbors 

across the street and how they 

had been outside earlier and 

were firing guns into the air 

and raising all kinds of hell. 

It was at that moment that 

a single gunshot rang out and 

Randy fell forward onto the 

man’s porch. I grabbed him by 

his vest and drug him behind 

a car that was parked in the 

driveway less than twenty feet 

away. I yelled at the man to go 

back inside and go to the back 

of the house. 

“Unit 10E50 shots fired, officer 

down, officer down, I need 

backup and EMS NOW…. NO 

send me Care Flight he’s not 

breathing.” 

“All units, assist the officer, 

officer down, I repeat officer 

down at 103 East Third, all units 

Code 3 Officer Down.” 

“Unit 10E50 Care Flight has 

been dispatched” 

In the seconds, maybe minutes 

following that first shot, 

the suspect fired several more 

rounds towards us hitting the car 

we were behind, as well as the 

sides of the complainant’s house. 

It was surreal in that you could 

hear the rounds hitting near us 

and seconds later you heard the 

rifle shot. I fired several shots 

towards the suspect, but he was 

over 50 yards away and it was 

pointless to keep firing. I focused 

my attention on trying to stop 

Randy’s bleeding and trying CPR. 

But the rounds kept ricocheting 

off the concrete and unless 

I moved into a better position, I 

was going to take a round myself. 

I heard the sirens in the distance 

and knew help would be 

here soon. But we had to survive 

NOW. 

I fired two more rounds towards 

the house and dragged 

Randy farther up the driveway 

to another vehicle parked beside 

the house. Seconds later, units 

started arriving and the suspect 

fired several rounds at their cars. 

Then he ran in the house and that 

was the last I saw of him and the 

end of the shooting. He barricaded 

himself in the house and after 

a 4-hour standoff with SWAT, 

shot himself in the head with a 

9mm. 

Care Flight arrived and they 

worked on Randy all the way to 

hospital, but I knew he was gone. 

I had rode in the helicopter with 


him and was there when his 

wife arrived. She and I had met 

a few days prior at a Christmas 

luncheon, and she ran up to me 

in the ER. I didn’t realize it, but I 

was covered in blood, and said 

I’m so sorry but they did everything 

they could. I’m sooooo 

sorry. She fell to the floor, and I 

sat on the floor holding her. My 

life, her life, would never be the 

same. 

It was late afternoon before 

I finally got a ride home. My 

house was as empty as my 

heart. My kids had all gone 

back to their respective homes 

in other states. I was alone with 

my thoughts and sense of failure. 

Here was this rookie counting on 

me and he was dead. Because 

I didn’t do my job of protecting 

him. I was ready to give 

up. It wasn’t the first time I had 

thought about ending my life but 

today was different. The thought 

of attending another funeral, 

having everyone look at me with 

glaring eyes thinking ‘he’s responsible 

for Randy’s death’ was 

more than I could bare. 

I had my gun in my hand. No 

notes. No final goodbyes. Just 

ready to end it. Then the doorbell 

rang. At first, I sat in the dark and 

hoped whoever it was would go 

away. But they kept ringing and 

knocking and calling my name. 

I didn’t recognize the voice, but 

it was obviously a female. So I 

put the gun down and opened 

the door. It was the Flight Nurse 

from Care Flight. 

“What are you doing here 

Amy?” 

“I knew you would need someone 

to be with. I have been 

where you are dozens of times 

in the past year. Officers gunned 

down, involved in accidents or 

whatever and I couldn’t save 

them no matter how hard I tried. 

So, I know what you’re going 

through, and I knew I had to 


come see you. Can I come in?” 

We sat and talked for hours. 

She held me and I held her. She 

cried and I cried, and we cried 

together. Not only did we spend 

that New Year’s Day together, but 

we’ve also spent 20 more after 

that. Amy and I have been married 

for 20 years. She saved my 

life. Now we are both retired and 

travel the country. If this story 

changes just one life, saves just 

one officer from taking his or her 

life, then recounting my story 

was worth it. 

I’ve left my name off the email. 

Who I am isn’t important, my 

story is. I hope you’ll run it in 

your magazine to make a difference 

in someone else’s life. 

Got a story you want to share? 

Send it to: bluespdmag.com 

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WORDS BY OFFICER JASON JONES, RETIRED 

MY WORST DAY started on my 

5th day in the academy. It wasn’t 

unusual to see the Captain walk 

into the classroom, as he had 

made an appearance each day 

that week to offer his insight into 

what lay ahead for the 79 cadets 

in my class. But this day would be 

anything but normal as he walked 

up behind me, put his hand on my 

shoulder and said, “Jones, I need to 

see you a minute outside please.” 

Well hell, I didn’t even make it 

a week and already I’m getting 

kicked out. As I made my way to 

the door, I could tell every eye in 

the room was on me and I’m sure I 

was white as a ghost. 

Once in the hallway, the captain 

once again put has hand on my 

shoulder and said in a comforting 

voice, “Jones this is Detective Miller, 

you’ll need to go with him. He’ll 

explain once you get outside and 

I’ll be here when you return.” Return? 

Where the hell was I going? 

My mind was racing trying to figure 

out what was going on. 

Miller shook my hand, opened 

the front door and escorted me 

out to the parking lot. “I’m sorry 

to have to drag you out like that. 

I know it’s your first week and all, 

but my Lt. asked me to bring you to 

him ASAP.” 

“Uh, OK what’s this about? Where 

are we going exactly? I asked.” 

Miller shrugged his shoulders 

and said “12000 block of West 

Main. That’s all I know.” 

“Unit 610 I’ll be back in from the 

academy and en route to the scene 

with Cadet Jones. Advise Unit 60 

our ETA is 30 minutes.” 

UNIT 610 THAT’S AFFIRMATIVE I’LL 

ADVISE THE LT. 

For the next 30 minutes, the detective 

didn’t say much. Asked me 

if I liked the academy so far and the 

obligatory ‘why do you want to be 

a cop’ stuff. 

As we turned onto Main Street, 

there were several units parked 

outside a nightclub along with a 

crime scene unit and the ME’s van. 

“Unit 610 show us out with Unit 60’” 

SHOW YOU OUT. 

As I got out, I could see Lt. Smith 

walking towards us with a blank 

look on his face as well. What is it 

with everyone today? “Jones I’m Lt. 

Smith from Homicide. Thanks for 

coming down and I apologize for 

breaking you out of class.” 

“I wish it was under better circumstances, 

but we’ll walk you 

through this as best we can.” 

“LT, what the hell is going on?” 

“I need you to come with me.” 

I followed him through the side 

door of this club and could barely 

see anything it was so dark. We 

walked towards the back of the 

building, down a hallway to the 

restrooms. Once we got outside 

the women’s restroom, they were 

several uniformed cops, a couple 

of detectives and the crime scene 

guys. Everyone seemed to be waiting 

on something, and once we 

turned the corner it became obvious 

they were waiting on me. They 

all stopped talking, seemed to bow 

their heads, and all backed away 

from the tiny hallway. 

The LT turned around, looked me 

straight in the eye and said “Jones, 

as a cop you’ll be faced with the 

unfortunate task of telling families 

their loved ones have been victims 

of crimes, accident victims, and 

God knows what else. The bottom 

line, it’s the worst damn part of the 

job. For me it’s even worse that I 

have to share this with you.” 

“Early this morning, a cleaning 

crew found a young lady in one of 

the stalls. Somehow the night shift 

that closed the bar didn’t know she 

was in here. They called 911, and 

the paramedics found no pulse and 

declared her DOA. Son, the woman’s 

ID says she is your wife. I’m so 

sorry, but I need to take you inside 

to ID her and verify that she is in 

152 The BLUES Blues POLICE 40th MAGAZINE Anniversary Issue

fact your wife.” 

“There has to be some mistake, 

sir. I’m sure someone stole her ID. 

There’s just no way it can be...” As 

we stepped inside, there laying on 

the floor was the love of my life. 

I fell down to my knees and the 

tears flowed like rivers. I wanted to 

be strong. I wanted to be the brave 

cop I signed up to be. I didn’t want 

to break down in front of all these 

cops. But I looked up and they were 

all weeping and crying too. How? 

Why? So Many questions. 

“Yes, yes sir ... yes that’s her.” The 

LT. wrapped his arms around me 

and lifted me off the floor and held 

on to me as he escorted me out the 

door. “Jones, we have no idea how 

she got here, but we’re pretty sure 

its an OD.” 

As we sat down in a booth near 

the dance floor, I looked at the LT 

and said, “I’m 99% sure I know how 

she got here and I’m pretty damn 

sure you are right, it was drugs.” 

Laura and I had met back when 

I was in high school. She was two 

years younger than me but looked 

much older than she was. Those 

blue eyes and blonde hair swept 

me off my feet the minute I first 

laid eyes on her. I knew from that 

minute on, she was the one and 

I would spend the rest of my life 

with her. We dated for two years 

before we got married at the JP’s 

office. My family never approved of 

the marriage and the only family 

she had in Texas was her older 

sister. That sister unfortunately, 

was a drug dealing piece of crap. 

When she found out I was going 

to be a cop, she immediately tried 

to convince my wife to divorce me 

and leave town with her. 

Unlike her sister, my wife wasn’t 

into drugs. Oh, she might have 

smoked weed a few times and 

occasionally got drunk, but nothing 

like the shit head her sister was. A 

week before I started the academy, 

I came home from work and found 

my sister-in-law snorting a line 

of coke on our coffee table. I went 

fucking nuts. I drug her ass literally 

out of the apartment and kicked 

the shit out of her. My wife, who 

had been in the bathroom, came 

screaming into the courtyard. 

“What the hell are you doing?” 

I told her to get her fucked up 

piece of shit sister out of my sight 

and for both of them to get the hell 

out of my house. She packed a bag 

and left with her sister. 

“That’s the last time I saw her LT.” 

That was last Monday. That was 

the last time I saw her alive. 

I had called her multiple times 

since then and begged her to come 

home and break off any relationship 

with her sister. “I’m a cop 

now Laura. I’ll get fired if they find 

out she’s doing drugs inside our 

house.” 

I should have tried harder. I 

should not have thrown her out. 

What the hell did I do LT? What the 

hell have I done? 

We drove to the detective’s office 

downtown and I had to write down 

everything that had happened the 

previous week. They pulled video 

from the club and saw my wife and 

her sister in the club just before 

1am. They issued a warrant for 

her sister and arrested her a few 

days later. (Of course, she was in 

possession of all kinds of drugs. 

The DA threw the book at her and 

she got 14 years. At her first parole 

hearing I showed up in uniform 

and told the parole board my story. 

They all cried. I also told them 

that if she walked out that door, I 

would take her ass out. Luckily, that 

never happened. She served nearly 

all of her 14 year sentence.) 

After we finished all the paperwork, 

the LT. drove me back to the 

academy. It was late when we got 

back and I was surprised to see 

the parking lot full of cars. As we 

walked inside, every member of 

the academy staff along with every 

cadet from my class were lined up 

along the hallway and standing at 

attention. As I approached them, I 

heard the Sgt. give the command 

“present arms” and everyone stood 

there at full attention saluting me. 

I broke down again. Here was my 

new family. My Blue Family. My 

brothers and sisters in Blue. 

There I was, only 22 years of age 

and a widower. I had no idea how 

to plan a funeral, or what to do. 

Surely, I was about to be thrown 

out of the class, but that was hardly 

what happened. Every single 

person that day helped in some 

way. They raised money for the 

funeral and helped me with all the 

arrangements. We held the service 

on Saturday, so no one would miss 

class. After the funeral, the Captain 

took me aside and said, “No one 

will ever speak of this week again 

unless you mention it first. No one 

should start their career with such 

a burden on their shoulders, but 

no one ever said police work was 

easy. There will be hundreds of ups 

and downs, but I’m sure you’ll be 

just fine. We are all here for you.” 

That was NO DOUBT THE WORST 

DAY I have ever had on the job. I 

had lost the love of my life, but I 

found a new love. The love of a 

new family that would always be 

there for me no matter how bad 

things got. It’s been over 40 years 

since I lost my Laura, but not a day 

goes by that I don’t think about her. 

I retired many years ago. During my 

career, I lost many of my friends. 

Some of them killed in the line of 

duty, many for medical reasons or 

just old age. One thing I am sure 

of is that they are all together with 

my Laura waiting for me, just like 

they did that horrible day back at 

the academy. All standing at attention, 

waiting to salute me when I 

walk through those pearly gates. 

The Blues The 40th BLUES Anniversary POLICE MAGAZINE Issue 153

A BADGE OF HONOR 

healing our heroes 

Congrats on Forty Years 

Let me start by wishing The 

BLUES Magazine a Very Happy 40th 

Anniversary. Forty Years of bringing 

so much valuable information to 

our Law Enforcement Community. 

The BLUES Magazine has been 

proactive as it grew over the years 

with the changing times and generational 

growth. Beginning back 

in 1984 which most of us know as 

the “Suck it Up or Get Over It” or 

“Drink Our Mental Health Visual 

Memories Away” era. The BLUES 

Magazine provided some of the 

most groundbreaking and factually 

correct Mental Health Information 

which has no doubt saved numerous 

lives over the years. 

The Mental Health community 

has grown with Peer Support 

programs, Training and Awareness 

and as well as the many different 

Mental Health modalities which are 

now available. We have gone from 

drinking ourselves into a coma, to 

visiting gym and yoga studios to 

help release the stress. We have 

evolved from one of the highest 

divorce rates, to somewhat stable 

family settings. 

The stress of for Law Enforcement 

officers today far exceeds 

what many of us have encounter 

years ago. Many of the visual traumas 

remain the same, verbal, and 

emotional stresses have increased, 

and continue to weigh heavy on 

many of our officers. 

Throughout time, officers have 

raised their hands to take the oath 

to protect and serve the public. 

They go out on the streets to 

protect their respective communities 

from criminals who terrorize 

the law-abiding public. They risk 

their lives and place themselves 

in danger for a nation, that at one 

time, had respect for the person 

wearing the uniform. But times 

have changed. Officers today must 

endure the continued decline in the 

LEOS social climate that restricts 

them from doing their job to the 

best of their ability. 

The public and many of its community 

leaders, including a number 

of cities and states, have devalued, 

restricted, and sometimes condemned, 

the Officers who place 

their lives on the line each day 

just to accommodate the social 

outrage. The mental stress of not 

being able to perform your job the 

way you were trained, or restricting 

the rule of law as they see fit, 

can cause any officer to plummet. 

When we remove the Officer’s 

sworn purpose to uphold the law, 

or place limitations on his training 

skills, it causes mental stress far 

worse than any visual trauma they 

may encounter. This is the reason 

for mass exodus and early retirements, 

a record low number of 

recruits, and sad to say, one of the 

highest in Suicide rates. 

It is only through the wide range 

of available Mental Health resources; 

do we have officers able 

to cope with the job at hand. The 

number of Officers utilizing mental 

health services has grown substantially 

and continues to grow each 

day, as it has become a tool for 

survival both on and off the job. 

We now have a program to fit 

SAMANTHA HORWITZ & 

JOHN SALERNO 

almost every LEO’s mental health 

concerns. The list is endless and 

the research behind each program 

is intense, to make sure the Officer 

is receiving the very best in treatment. 

There are no limitations today 

in what an officer can do to lower 

his job stress levels. Long ago, we 

only had drinking or basic couch 

therapy. Today, we have everything 

from trail hiking to clay shooting, 

from rafting and canoing to yoga 

stretching. The development of 

EMDR, Mindfulness breathing, and 

Meditation have proved positive. 

Many of the programs now include 

the family, bringing understanding, 

compassion, and spousal interaction 

to the home. 

The BLUES Magazine has become 

one of the most supportive Mental 

Health Advocates, by raising awareness 

to all the Men and Women 

who serve this great Nation. Forty-years 

of continued service and 

growing. 

A Badge of Honor we will never 

stop giving our all and supporting 

our Heroes who support us every 

day. 

Thank You, Ret. NYPD Detective, 

John Salerno 


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DARYL LOTT 

daryl’s deliberations 

A Little Help From The Idf 

I was in Jerusalem a while 

back. While there, I went with 

friends from church to see the 

stained glass windows in the 

Hadassah Medical Center. The 

medical center was not as big 

as the Texas Medical Center, 

but it was a sizable place. 

There was a shopping mall 

embedded in the complex 

and I went to the drug store 

there to get some toothpaste. 

At least I hoped it was toothpaste. 

I don’t read Hebrew so 

I got a tube of something that 

looked like it was probably 

toothpaste. Meanwhile, I got 

separated 

from 

my 

little 

group 

of 

friends. 

If you 

can 

imagine 

the 

underground 

hallways 

and elevators in Houston’s 

medical center, that was 

kinda like it was. 

The stained windows I was 

looking for were designed by 

a Jewish artist named Marc 

Chagall. There were twelve 

windows representing Israel’s 

twelve tribes. They were in 

a synagogue in the hospital 

somewhere. I walked down 

one corridor that ended at 

a restricted entry. I began 

to notice nothing was in a 

straight line. It was as if the 

designers and architects didn’t 

want to offer clear fields of 

fire for terrorists. So I doubled 

back and saw more restricted 

areas. I wondered where my 

friends were. I did have my 

toothpaste, so I had that going 

for me. I was walking in this 

maze-like fortress or hospital 

or whatever it was, for a long 

time. I felt like one of Pavlov’s 

dogs and I was looking for a 

bell to ring. 

I guess I looked like I was 

DARYL LOTT 

lost and didn’t belong. It was 

crowded and the foot traffic 

was brisk. Everybody looked 

like they 

were efficiently 

accomplishing 

tasks. 

I was 

accomplishing 

nothing. I 

did have 

my toothpaste. 

A 

young 

man 

walked 

up to me and asked if I was 

lost. A genius in residence! 

I nodded, afraid to reveal a 

Texas accent to go with my 

Texas sized screw up. “Where 

do you want to go?” I told 


him I was trying to get to the 

synagogue chapel to see the 

famous windows. I asked for 

directions, but he told me he 

would take me there since the 

directions were complicated 

and it wasn’t close. 

We walked through the 

tunnels and hallways and he 

noticed my Houston Texans 

hat. Maybe that’s why he felt 

sorry for me! We chatted and 

walked for a while. Finally, 

we arrived at the synagogue 

and he showed me the door 

to the chapel. The young man 

was wearing the uniform of 

an IDF soldier. He pointed to 

the windows and showed me 

a hole in one where an Arab 

fired into the hospital during 

a previous war. I thanked him 

for escorting me to the chapel. 

As he was leaving I took his 

hand and told him to be careful. 

The hatred some people 

have for Jews is palpable. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever 

had to stick your head in an 

attic or a tunnel or some other 

dark place where someone 

could be lurking to blow your 

brains out. I have. All of my 

police officer friends have as 

well. Have you ever had to 

make a forced entry to get a 

couple of killers out of a back 

bedroom? I have. I know what 

that feels like, and I wonder 

if the young IDF soldier who 

showed me the Chagall windows 

is preparing to enter 

those long black corridors 

of booby trapped horrors to 

find hostages and baby killing 

terrorists. I suppose he is. No 

matter how much training one 

has, the hostages add an incredibly 

difficult aspect to the 

operation. IDF soldiers will die 

in those pits of depraved evil. 

By the way, I found out 

what those restricted areas 

in the Hadassah Medical Center 

sub levels were. It’s public 

knowledge—not a secret. They 

are for IDF mass casualties. 


The area has been converted 

to a huge emergency surgical 

facility. I hope lives will 

be saved. I hope Hamas is 

destroyed and all the killing 

stops. I hope peace will reign 

In Jerusalem. 

It would be naive of me to 

think that significant numbers 

of people would stop hating 

Jews. “Kristalnacht” was 

nothing compared to October 

7th. It sickens me that legitimate 

governments side with 

Hamas in vowing destruction 

of the Jews. It sickens me that 

Jews are threatened in college 

libraries and on airport tarmacs. 

The only thing I can do 

is to ask the G-d of Abraham, 

Isaac, and Jacob to protect the 

young soldier who took me 

to the chapel and all of his 

brothers and sisters. I will do 

that. Selah. 

For more info, go to: www. 

faithfultexasfootprints.com 

Photos: IDF soldier, Hadassah 

Medical Center, Chagall 

Windows 



DR. TINA JAECKLE 

blue mental health 

Survivors of LODD: 

We Honor Your Journey to Healing 

I have had the blessing to 

meet countless inspirational 

survivors throughout my long 

career and their stories have 

deeply touched my heart. Given 

that this monthly column 

focuses on mental health and 

law enforcement, I believe it 

is essential to hear directly 

from those who have walked 

this incredibly difficult journey. 

We can learn powerful 

life lessons and 

gain perspective, appreciation, 

and respect for 

those who continue to 

serve every day, and for 

those who have made 

the ultimate sacrifice. 

We should also never 

forget those left behind 

in the aftermath. There is 

a true difference between 

the concepts of 

“victim” and “survivor”, 

and it often involves ongoing 

introspection and 

reaching out for professional 

assistance as 

needed. This story is the 

first in a series in which I 

will highlight these long 

roads to reconciliation 

and healing through the 

words of those who have lived 

it. We at the BLUES Police 

Magazine continue to send our 

love and prayers for peace and 

comfort to all survivors this 

holiday season and beyond. 

“Line of Duty Death (LODD)”. 

This phrase is commonly 

spoken in the law enforcement 

profession. In a police 

academy, officers and their 

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

families are encouraged to 

have a plan, in the event the 

worst day imaginable rears 

its painful head. No matter 

how well your will is 

written, how much life 

insurance you have, or 

how many times you 

told your loved one “I 

love you”, you are never 

prepared for the LODD 

of your loved one. We 

know the moment Micah 

took his last breath 

that he immediately 

entered the presence of 

Jesus. While we lived 

with the hope of seeing 

Micah again, our lives 

on this earth had been 

shattered. 

Our family will never 

forget February 5, 2018, 

when we all received 

word, that Micah gave 

his life while protecting 

his community and the 


officers he was serving with. 

For our family, it was a day 

like any other, but ended with 

all of us in a police processional 

a mile long, escorting 

Micah to the coroner’s office. 

The days, weeks, and months 

that followed are still blurred 

at times. They were filled with 

bagpipes, three-gun salutes, 

tributes, flowers and stories 

of how he had impacted so 

many. Micah deserved every 

honor has and continues to 

receive. 

Almost six years later, we 

still feel the pain of Micah’s 

unfair departure from our 

lives. Every friend, co-worker 

and family member grieve and 

processes differently. Grief is 

always messy, but one thing 

we have learned is we MUST 

make time to process the 

weight of our loss through 

mediums that foster healing 

at the emotional, physical, and 

psychological levels. 

Our family has pursued 

healing in a variety of different 

ways. We have spent 

many hours on our knees, 

begging for healing from God. 

Some of us have confided in 

close friends, mentors, pastors, 

and professional therapists. 

I spent years burying 

my grief, which eventually 

lead to crippling despair and 

anxiety. Thanks to my wife, 

and the prayers of many, I was 

able to obtain healing through 

intense and intentional trauma 

therapy. 

Therapy is a battle. A battle 

within your mind, heart, and 

soul. It isn’t easy. It’s painful 

and it’s messy. You will make 

mistakes along the way. But 

healing will come if you truly 

desire it, and diligently pursue 

it. 

I needed a therapist; it 

doesn’t mean everyone does. 

My therapist was a gift from 

God. Not only was I provided 

the tools to understand 

and manage my trauma, but I 

was able to experience healing 

in many areas of my life. 

My ability to be present for 

my family has increased. My 

communication with my wife 

has improved significantly; and 

my ability to empathize with 

others going through traumatic 

events has been invaluable. 

Our family prays for the safety 

of our law enforcement every 

day. We pray no one ever experiences 

the pain of their LEO 

giving their life for another. If 

you do, please be intentional 

on your pursuit for healing. 

Don’t procrastinate, your life 

matters and your loved ones 

are counting on you! 

-Chris Brown, Brother-in- 

Law of Micah Flick 


NOT SO BRIGHT AWARD 

Light Bulb Award 

SLEEPY & OLD JOE 

BY Michael Barron, 

Over the years, we have recognized 

a lot of folks for their contribution 

towards this award. Some 

local, and some spread across the 

United States. Far and wide, as 

they say. But I must admit, the one 

person who just keeps making the 

same mistakes repeatedly, is our 

aging President. 

If Biden were my grandfather, I 

would protect his dignity and keep 

him out of the public’s eye. I get it, 

he wanted to be President. Well, he 

was elected, he’s serving his four 

years, now let him go spend the rest 

of his days at his many residences. 

I mean, that’s what he’s doing now 

anyway. He hides most weekends. 

More than any other President in 

history. Let him do ANYTHING but 

run for president AGAIN. 

This country can’t stand another 

4 years of an administration that is 

seen as weak by damn near every 

country on earth. Whether you’re 

a fan or Trump or not, you must 

admit that during his term in office, 

he had the world in check. Perhaps 

it was for fear he would nuke them 

if they pissed him off. Whatever the 

reason, it worked. Maybe you didn’t 

like his angry tweets in the middle 

of the night or his constant name 

calling. But he got the job done. And 

with the lowest interest rates in 

several decades, not to mention our 

energy dominance and the lowest 

gas prices in years. 

I know some folks will argue 

with me saying Trump was the 

worst President in the history of 

this country, but the facts just don’t 

support that. He may have been 

the most disliked, but he certainly 

wasn’t the worst by any stretch of 

the imagination. Hell, even those 

that hated Trump, realize Sleepy Ole 

Joe can’t make it another term. 

So, for God sakes Dems, find 

someone else to run and let Joe go. 

••• 

As for the rest of the LB recipients 

over the past 40 years, please take 

our lighthearted finger pointing as a 

friendly reminder, if you hold public 

office every move you make is being 

watched. You’re expected to be held 

to a higher standard than the rest of 

us. That’s the deal. And if you screw 

up, you will be judged. Doesn’t 

mean you aren’t entitled to another 

chance to make things right. But if 

you’re arrogant and think the rules 

or laws don’t apply to you, then you 

will be seen over and over again on 

these pages until the angry public 

votes you out of office. That’s our 

rules. 

Finally, on behalf of our entire 

staff here at The BLUES, we want to 

thank you for supporting our magazine 

for 40 years and making us 

the Largest Police Magazine on the 

Planet. Light Bulb awards and all. 


CHICAGO COFFEE CITY, TX. – MAYOR, 

Residents of 

STILL A MORON 

a small Texas town that is famous 

mostly for a robust speed trap 

operation are worried after the city 

council disbanded the entire police 

force. 



The mass firing came after an 

investigation by KHOU, a Houston-based 

CBS affiliate, which found 





600+ BRANDS 


that the Coffee City Police Department 

was employing 50 police 

officers, many with questionable 

backgrounds, to police the town of 

just 250 residents. 

The force brought in more than $1 

• HOLSTERS 

million in court fees from more than 

• 5,100 DUTY traffic citations GEAR last year, which 

• is the FLASHLIGHTS 

most citations for any town 

• in Texas PLATE the size of CARRIERS 

Coffee City, the 

report says. 

According to the outlet, the city’s 

now-fired police chief, John Jay Portillo, 

who was hired in 2021, quadrupled 

the size of the police department 

in a span of just two years. 

And a lot of those officers had 

troubled pasts. 

More than half of Coffee City’s cops 

had been either suspended, demoted, 

fired, or dishonorably discharged 

from their previous jobs in law 

enforcement, according to personnel 

documents obtained by the outlet. 

And at least a dozen Coffee City officers 

had previously faced criminal 

charges, ranging from aggravated 

assault with a deadly weapon to endangering 

a child, KHOU reported. 

Jeff Blackstone, the mayor of Coffee 

City, said in a September 1 press 

release that the city council had put 

Portillo on a 30-day suspension and 

would be conducting an internal 

investigation into his conduct. 

Following that investigation, the 

city council on Monday voted to fire 

Portillo and temporarily “deactivate” 

the entire police department, according 

to a local CBS station. The 

city’s investigation confirmed allegations 

that Portillo had received a DUI 

prior to being hired as police chief, 

which he did not disclose in his job 

Lorem Ipsum 

RETAIL LOCATIONS IN TEXAS: 

SAN ANTONIO & HOUSTON 





• IFAK KITS 


• OPTICS 


RUSTY B 

D 

Rock 

off duty & outdoors 


ARRON 

reams & Reality of a 

y Mountain Elk Hunt 

For months I had daydreams of my upcoming Rocky Mountain elk hunt in the 

mountains of Colorado. Ten of us riding horses from our beautiful log cabin into 

the adjoining Routt National Forest and hunt an area that has produced many 5X5s 

and 6X6s in the past. Images of crisp mornings, beautiful mountain skies, and just 

enough snow to be able to get the Elk moving so we can track their movements. 

When it finally arrived, it was everything I thought it was going to be, and at the 

same time, it was filled with more “mishaps & adventures” than I cared to have to 

work through. 


RUSTY B 


My travel day was perfect, 

flights on time and weather was 

crisp and cool for my drive from 

Denver to Steamboat. I stopped 

at my favorite coffee shop, Big 

Shooters, in Kremling before 

heading over Rabbit Ears Pass. 

Snow was forecast for the next 

day, but it showed up early and 

I soon hit a small whiteout at 

the top of the pass with already 

about 6 inches of accumulation. 

No problem as it only took 

a quick turn of a knob and the 

4WD on the upgraded rental 

truck kicked in and it steadily 

continued to the cabin. Upon 

arrival, all my hunting buddies 

were filled with optimism as we 

spent the rest of the afternoon 

cutting firewood and getting all 

our gear ready for the horse ride 

the next day. We were all sure 

we would have a successful 

hunt. The evening was awesome 

as we enjoyed a great dinner, 

a roaring fire, a traditional late 

night poker game, and way too 

much wine and whiskey. 

Day 1 of the hunt played out 

like this. At 4:00 a.m., we were 

up and eating a gourmet breakfast, 

however, I am not sure 

homemade green-chili, egg and 

potato burritos were the best 

choice before headed out to the 

woods, but they sure were good 

at the time. Our opening day 

plan was to load the horses into 

the trailer at 4:30 a.m. and drive 

a short distance down the road 

closer to the mountain we were 

going to hunt rather than ride 

them down the snowy, icy, road. 

However, as we stepped outside, 

we noticed we got more snow 

than expected and it appeared 

that there was definitely an ice 

layer down first and then snow 

on top. Unfortunately, it took 

from 4:30 until 8:00 a.m. to get 

the horse trailer unstuck from 

the icy turnaround down by the 

barn and it was 9:00 a.m. by the 

time we got the horses loaded 

up. But we worked through the 

morning troubles and with only 

a short haul down to the trailhead, 

we made our way up the 

trail for about an hour to the 

beautiful Aspen meadows mixed 

with the dark timber that the elk 

love. At noon, myself and one of 

the Army’s newest Special Forces 

recruits left the larger group 

to ride off to a valley we have 

had success in the past. At 12:30 

p.m. we tied up our horses and 

walked to our hunting area for 

the rest of the afternoon. 

All afternoon, I sat on a hillside 

overlooking a beautiful ravine 

and saw lots of snow, but no elk. 

By 5:45 p.m., it was dark, and 

the temperature had dropped 

to a freezing, 20 degrees. It 

was 6:30 p.m. when I found out 

that beautiful Paint Horse, I had 

tied up hours ago, had pulled a 

Houdini move and somehow got 

that knot untied and left. With 

no choice after unsuccessfully 

searching for the horse, ten 

hunters but only nine trail horses 

headed off that mountain and 

back to the cabin. The owner 

of the horses tried to settle me 

down and tell me that we would 

find the horse and that she was 

probably already back at the 

barn. Well once off the mountain, 

we loaded up the horses in 

the trailer for a very slip-sliding 

icy drive back to our barn. By 

10:00 p.m. all nine horses put 

away and temperatures now 

around 7 degrees, it was time for 


ARRON 

a hot meal. A long and cold first 

day with no one seeing any elk, 

and unfortunately one lost horse. 

During my end of the night call 

back to my wife to tell her we 

were safely back at the cabin, 

she simply said, “I am glad that 

you made it back safe…. did you 

even get a picture of the horse 

you just bought?”. I didn’t find it 

funny. 

Day 2 we decided to hunt the 

forest around the cabin, so it 

was a hike in and hunt morning, 

which was another beautiful 

snowy morning hunt, but no 

elk sighted. I continued to hunt 

the woods behind our cabin all 

afternoon. I didn’t see much sign 

of elk movement but did have a 

great afternoon of checking all 

of my game cameras that I leave 

out year-round. I got great pictures 

of black bear, moose, elk, 

deer, foxes, coyotes, and for the 

first time ever, a wolf captured 

twice on different cameras. Two 


RUSTY B 


of our most experienced horsemen, 

rode back to our area from 

the first day to hunt and look for 

the lost horse. They hunted hard, 

saw plenty of fresh tracks in the 

snow, but no elk sighted. However, 

to my extreme pleasure, 

they did find the horse, or should 

I say the horse found them just 

before dark as she probably did 

not want to spend another cold 

night on that mountain. 

Day 3, I couldn’t help but notice 

that at 4:00 a.m., the moon was 

the brightest, fullest moon, I had 

ever seen. As a matter of fact, 

I witnessed the most beautiful 

scene as we continued through 

the dark morning ride to our 

hunting area. With the full moon 

shining bright, the aspens with 

frost and snow on the branches 

blowing in a slight breeze, the 

forest looked like someone had 

wrapped all the trees with little 

white lights as the trees twinkled. 

I had never in my life seen 

such a beautiful sight, which I 

tried to capture on video, but it 

didn’t do it justice. Unfortunately, 

the hunt that day was a repeat 

of the previous days. Hunt all 

day and see lots of sign but no 

elk sighted during the hunt. Our 

mishap with this day was that 

one of the guys left the area at 

lunch but it wasn’t clear to the 

others, that was the plan. So, 

two of us waited an extra hour 

after dark on the mountain before 

we wrote a message in the 

snow and left, only to learn latter 

that the person we were waiting 

for was already back at the cabin 

in front of the fire with a cold 

drink in hand. 

Day 4, Discouraged, but not 

giving up, we all agreed that 

despite the full moon working 

against us, we would be up on 

the mountain at sunrise again. 

The morning was beautiful but 

again no elk were moving. At 

lunch we all met up and were 

convinced at this point, the elk 

must be moving at night and our 

only chance was to hunt the afternoon 

and hope right at dark, 

they would come out of the dark 

timber. I banked on this plan and 

decided to come off the fields 

I had been hunting and move 

down to where the elk come out 

of the big evergreens and cross a 

creek to enter a ravine that leads 

to the fields. Well about an hour 

before dark, I heard what sounded 

like a cattle stampede coming 

from behind me. It was a small 

herd of cow elk, all running at 

full speed from the fields high 

above me and down the hillside, 

crossed the creek, and ran into 

the heavy stand of evergreens 

I was hunting. I learned later, 

someone else in our group was 

hunting the field above me and 

this small group of cows got 

close enough to him to catch his 

scent and they took off for safety 

across the field. That was the 

only elk I saw during the entire 

trip. 

So, while my dreams of taking 

a big bull elk didn’t materialize 

this season, the magic of hunting 

the mountains of Colorado did 

not disappoint. I cannot express 

in words, nor pictures, what 

these trips mean to someone like 

me who loves the outdoors, and 


ARRON 

those “mishaps and adventures”, 

well they just add to the stories. 

If you have experienced such a 

trip, you know what I mean. If 

you have not, place this on your 

bucket list and start daydreaming. 

It will be the hunting trip of 

a lifetime. 
















THERE ARE 

parting shots... 


NO WORDS 

... pardon our humor 



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and adapt to the evolving needs 

of modern policing, one company has 

taken a giant leap forward in creating 

a purpose-built solution. Introducing 

the ATR 528 Law Enforcement eBike, by 

American Bike Patrol Services—a remarkable 

two-wheeled marvel meticulously 

crafted over 18 months with an 

unwavering focus on delivering unrivaled 

performance, tactical attributes, 

and reliability. With its groundbreaking 

features and cutting-edge design, the 

ATR 528 sets a new standard for police 

eBikes worldwide. 

Public Safety Software 

“Protection... Revolutionized” Law 

enforcement agencies need ballistically 

capable products that offer mobility and 

maneuverability. In tactical situations, 

your agency likely utilizes an armored 

vehicle. Do you consider it to be ‘fast’ 

and ‘maneuverable’? TC Burton offers 

the LD-1, which will change the face of 

law enforcement and security forever. 

The LD-1 is a patented, lightweight, 

ballistic armor kit for a single-rider ATV 

that utilizes a laser cut steel exoskeleton 

integrated with NIJ III capable ballistic 

panels that can stop up to a 7.62x51mm 

round, which includes AR-15 and AK-47. 

It is the next generation of ballistically 

capable kits for vehicle protection; 

offering law enforcement protected maneuverability 

and speed in all outdoor 

terrain, but also including tight indoor 

spaces such as school corridors, malls, 

freight elevators and warehouses. 

To learn more, visit us at www.tcburton.com 


POLICE SUPPLIES 

GUNS/AMMO 

Starting in 2003, Cop Stop Inc. 

Opened with a vision and goal to 

service first responders; “Our everyday 

heroes.” Catering mainly to Police, 

Fire, Military and EMS, but also open to 

the public, Cop Stop offers a variety of 

products, gear and apparel. Open and 

operated by Rick Fernandez, a former 

officer of 10 years, he prides himself 

on maintaining the highest standards 

of customer service. Cop Stop understands 

its our customers who drive 

our success, and we strive to offer the 

best service to everyone who walks 

through our doors. At Cop Stop we 

offer quality products at great low 

prices. With access to over hundreds 

of brands and products, and constantly 

adding more, we are confident we can 

fulfill your needs. 

“If you provide good service and 

a fair price, customers will talk 

about you and come back. It’s that 

simple!” Rick Fernandez 

Supporting Law 

Enforcement in 

TEXAS 

ProForce’s commitment to providing excellent customer 

service is a key element in the company’s success 

throughout the western United States. As a relative newcomer 

in the state of TEXAS ProForce has been welcomed with open 

arms by the law enforcement community. 

ProForce’s relationships with top industry manufacturers 

and vendors, as well as their sales volume, allows them 

to negotiate better pricing to meet the budgetary needs 

of law enforcement agencies. While some vendors may 

not always have product availability in a timely manner. 

ProForce’s industry relationships and direct contact through 

vendor representatives, the sales team is able to suggest 

and provide alternatives to meet specific requirements of 

agencies, ensuring that the agency’s needs are always met. 

“ 

Working with PROFORCE through the 

bidding and purchasing of the M&P 2.0’s was 

very easy and simple. We added the ACRO red 

dot along with the holster and the light. This 

purchase was simple and easy. 

The troops love the improvement to the 2.0 

and the red dot. 

Lt. Socha. Austin PD. 

“ 

#X300U-A #13353 #200691 

customer service and quality products. 

CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is 

located at 1410 Washington Ave, near 

downtown Houston, but you can 

purchase everything you need online 

at: https://www.centralpolice.com/ 

Inset: Dan Rooney ProForce President 

The company features an excellent selection of high demand 

law enforcement firearms, equipment and accessories from 

great manufacturers such as: 

Axon/Taser, Aimpoint, Beretta, Colt, H&K, Bola Wrap, 

Bianchi, Smith & Wesson, Eotech, Daniel Defense, 

NightStick, Sig Sauer, Kimber, Otis, Defense Technology, 

Shadow Systems, Magpul, L3 Harris, Burris, Mossberg, 

Ruger, Streamlight, Safariland, Springfield, Blackhawk, 

Holosun, Trijicon, Vortex, Surefire, Us Peacekeeper ,OSS, 

Nightstick, FNH USA and UTM. 

Proforce takes great pride in distributing high quality public 

safety products from top tier manufacturers and this 

transaction has set a trend for many other law enforcement 

agencies in the State of Texas. 

Agency demonstrations, test and evaluation 

of products is available upon request. Ask us 

about trade-ins! We will buy your agency duty or 

confiscated firearms, any model and condition! 

First class customer support and quality service 

makes PROFORCE the number one choice for first 

responder equipment and accessories! 

Call (800) 367-5855 

Email: sales@proforceonline.com or 

visit our website 

www.proforceonline.com 

SEND US AN EMAIL 

SCAN THE QR CODE 

CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY is 

your source for the best in police 

equipment. Based in Houston, 

we supply law enforcement 

with the equipment they need.” 

CENTRAL POLICE SUPPLY has been 

serving Houston law enforcement for 

nearly 50 years with the absolute best 


NOW HIRING 

LE job positions 

TEXAS STATE WIDE VACANCIES FOR PEACE OFFICER 

NOTICE: Normally you would find listings from the TCOLE 

website here. Unfortunately their website has not been updated 

in the past 90-days and therefore we are unable to update 

this page. We are working on alternatives and in the meantime, 

we suggest departments place display ads for only 

$250 FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR. 

PLACE YOUR DEPARTMENT’S AD TODAY FOR ONLY 

$250 FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR 




JOIN OUR TEAM! 

ARANSAS PASS POLICE DEPARTMENT 

IS HIRING FOR 

TCOLE CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICERS 

The Aransas Pass Police Department is a progressive agency, employing some of the sharpest 

minds and equipping them with some of the best technology available. We continue to seek 

applications from those desiring to become part of our law enforcement family. 

Making a positive dierence in our community is what APPD is all about! Are you in? 

Opportunities 

Bike Patrol 

Crisis Intervention Team 

DEA Task Force 


Gang/Narcotics Investigations 

Criminal Investigations Div. 

Marine Patrol & Dive Team 


School Resource Officer 

TCOLE Training Instructor 

Salary 

Annual Salary: 

$44,200.00 Base 

$6,600 Retention Stipend 

Hourly Incentives: 

$1.50 Max for College Degree 

$0.50 Per TCOLE License Step 

$0.50 Bi-Lingual 

$0.50 Special Assignment 

Benefits 

Paid Bereavement Leave 

Cell Phone 

Holiday Pay/Leave 

Longevity Pay 

Paid Personal Leave 

Sick Leave 

TMRS Retirement (2:1 at 6%) 

Tuition Reimbursement 

Vacation Leave 

Weapon Purchase Program 

Point of contact: Administrative Captain Troy Poe (361) 758-5224 ext. 2421 or tpoe@aptx.gov 

For an application or more information visit: police.aptx.gov/jobs 


The City of Aransas Pass is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability.

ALDINE ISD 


JOIN OUR TEAMAPPLY AT 

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS 


• Paid Vacation 

• Paid Holidays 

• Personal Days 

• Teacher Retirement System 

TCOLE CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE 

• Intermediate PO: $2,400 

• Advanced PO: $4,800 

• Master PO: $7,200 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be 21 Years Of Age 

• Must Hold an Active Tcole Peace Officer License 

• Must Complete the Following: 

• Pass Physical Agility Test 

• Background Investigation 

• 188 Psychological The Blues Evaluation 40th Anniversary Issue 

• Drug Screening 

ALDINEISD.ORG 

STARTING SALARY $55,000 WITH NO EXPERIENCE 

UP TO $85,000 DEPENDING ON EXPERIENCE 

ALDINE ISD PD OFFERS 

DEPARTMENT BENEFITS 

• Uniforms Provided, Including Duty Weapon 

• Department Provided Training 

• Starting Pay Depends on 

Qualifications / Experience 

• TCOLE Certification / Education Pay 

• Most Officers work Day Shift with Weekends Off 

(INCENTIVE PAY FOR DETECTIVES, K-9 HANDLERS, AND 

FIREARM INSTRUCTORS.) 

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT 

SGT. HALL AT 281.442.4923 

OR VISIT ALDINEISD.ORG 

SPECIALIZED DIVISIONS 

• Criminal Investigations 

• Emergency Response Team 

• Honor Guard 

• Gang Task Force 

• Community Outreach Division 

• K-9 Division 

• Firearm Instructor 

$1,000 SIGNING BONUS






NOW 

HIRING 

BIG SPRING PD IS NOW HIRING POLICE OFFICERS 

• 100% PAID ACADEMY TRAINING FOR 

NON-CERTIFIED CADETS 

• EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS ARE PROVIDED 

INCLUDING TAKE HOME VEHICLES 

• TMRS RETIREMENT (2:1 CITY MATCH) 

• 100% EMPLOYEE MEDICAL AND LIFE 

INSURANCE PREMIUM PAID BY THE CITY 

• PAID VACATION AND HOLIDAYS 

• PAID SICK LEAVE 


• LONGEVITY PAY FOR YEARS OF SERVICE 

• EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM 

• PROGRESSIVE ANNUAL IN-SERVICE 

TRAINING AND EXTERNAL TRAINING 

OPPORTUNITIES. 

• OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIVERSE 

EXPERIENCE IN ASSIGNMENTS SUCH AS 

SWAT, NARCOTICS, TRAFFIC, AND CRIMINAL 

INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION 

• $1500 ACADEMY REIMBURSEMENT AND 

$2400 RELOCATION PAY FOR CERTIFIED 

OFFICERS 

$55,900 STARTING ANNUAL SALARY FOR CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICERS. 

ENTRY LEVEL TESTING ON AUGUST 1, 2023 

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JULY 26, 2023 

APPLY NOW AT WWW.MYBIGSPRING.COM 

THE CITY OF BIG SPRING IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER



Welcome Colony Police Department 


Montgomery County’s 3 rd Largest Law Enforcement Agency 

FULL-TIME POLICE OFFICER 

• $50,363 minimum starting salary 

• Certification pay: 

Int - $1,600, Adv - $2,400, Mstr - $3,700 

• Competitive insurance & benefits 

• Teacher Retirement System (TRS) 

• 20 paid leave days & 12 paid holidays 

Opportunity 

multiple divisions including 

Investigations, Patrol, and 

K-9 services 

Growth 

100+ annual training hours, 

promotion opportunities, 


Balance 

overtime pay, comp time, 

most weekends off, prior LE 

experience pay 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT 

HTTPS://POLICE.CONROEISD.NET/DEPARTMENT/ADMINISTRATION/EMPLOYMENT/ 

198 The Blues police.conroeisd.net 

40th Anniversary Issue 

CISDPolice 

@CISDPolice

October 15 

WATCH FOR NEW TEST DATES 



Cuero Police Department 

Now Hiring for Patrol Officer Position 

Department Benefits 

14 Paid Holidays 

2 Weeks Paid Vacation 

Certification Pay 

100% Insurance Paid for Employees 

Retirement 2 to 1 match (20yr Retirement) 

FSA for Employees 

Longevity Pay 

Equipment & Uniforms Provided Including Duty Weapon w/ Red Dot Sight 

Take Home Vehicle Within Surrounding Counties 

10 Hour Work Shifts 

Membership Paid to Local Gym 

Department Provided Training 

Off-duty Security Opportunities 

Cell Phone Stipend 

Starting Pay Depends on Qualifications 

Requirements: Must be TCOLE Certified or currently enrolled in an accredited Police 

Academy and pass a background investigation. 

Email TCOLE Personal History Statement to sellis@cityofcuero.com 



Paid academy up to 

$70,560 

Lateral pay up to 

$81,321.70 

Additional Pay 

Education Pay 

Bachelor's 

Intermediate Cert. 

Advanced Cert. 


Shift Differential 

FTO Pay 

Language Pay 

WE'RE 

HIRING 

300+ NEW OFFICERS 

$2,880/yr 

$3,600/yr 

$600/yr 

$4,800/yr 

$7,200/yr 

3.5%-6.5% 

$1,200/yr 

$1,800/yr 

Benefits 


Pension plan 

Compensation plan 

15 paid vacation days 

12 paid holidays 

15 days military leave 

Additional 6 weeks paid 

parental leave 

Health/ Vision/Dental/ Life 

Insurance 

21-44 YEARS OLD 

45 COLLEGE 

CREDIT HOURS 

MUST MEET ONE REQUIREMENT 

19.5-21 YEARS 

OLD 

60 COLLEGE 

CREDIT HOURS 

ACTIVE TCOLE 

LICENSE 

MUST HAVE VALID 

TEXAS PEACE 

OFFICER LICENSE 

3 YEARS 

ACTIVE MILITARY 

HONORABLE 

DISCHARGE 

dallaspolice.net/join-dpd 214-671-4409 


Civilian positions available: (Apply at www.Dallascityhall.com)


GALVESTON 

COUNTY 

SHERIFF’S OFFICE 

Seeking Individuals Who Are Interested in a Rewarding Career in Corrections 

Begin Your Career Today! 

GALVESTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ESTABLISHMENT OF ELIGIBILITY 

Position: Corrections Deputy I 

Bureau/Division: Corrections/Jail 

Title/Rank: Corrections Deputy/Deputy I 

Reports to: Sergeant - Corrections 

Starting Salary: $51,250.00 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES 

Maintains the security of the facility by conducting security checks, settling disputes, and performing cell searches and 

inspections; conducts outside perimeter checks. 

Preparation and proper completion in the documentation of inmate records. 

Issues inmate meals, clothing, linens, and personal items. 

Supervise inmate programs (recreational, legal, health care, visitation and religious services) 

Prepares reports on jail and inmate activities, enforce inmate handbook rules. 

Supervises inmates performing such assignments as cleaning and maintaining the jail facility and continuously observe 

locations and activities of inmates. 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

• High School / GED Certificate and must be at least 18 years of age. 

• Must be a U.S. Citizen and resident of the contiguous United States for a period of time sufficient to conduct a 

background investigation. 

• Must be able to work days, nights, weekends, holidays and mandatory shifts when needed. 

• Must be able to work during natural disasters and or under declarations. 

• Must possess a valid Texas driver's license and an acceptable driving record as determined by the Galveston County 

Sheriff's Office in effect at the time of application. 

• Must have favorable employment history. All information given regarding past employment will be thoroughly checked. 

• Must have a stable credit history. 

• Must possess good computer skills and demonstrate comprehensive reading and comprehension skills. 

• No conviction above a Class B Misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last 10 years nor have been on or 

currently on court-ordered community supervision or probation for any criminal offense and no Family Violence 

convictions of any level. 

• Applicant must pass all phases of the required testing. 

• Must be eligible for licensing by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) for the position applied for, if not 

presently licensed. 

TO APPLY 

An applicant interested in any of GCSO position shall first download, complete and return 

the Application Packet, per the instructions on the downloadable form. 

The Application Packet can be found at SHERIFF.GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV 

JOIN US 

VISIT SHERIFF.GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV TO APPLY! 

The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer 

CONTACT US 

409.763.7585 : SO.EMPLOYMENT@GALVESTONCOUNTYTX.GOV 






ARE WE 

HIRING 

Criminal Background 

Pass 

proficiently 

Type 

Nights, Weekends & Holidays 

Work 

Speaking Preferred 

Spanish 

11th Street 

1015 

Texas 

Hempstead, 

Hour work schedule 

12- 

every other weekend 

off 

THE CITY OF 

TELECOMMUNICATIONS DIVISION 

HEMPSTEAD POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Dispatchers 

QUALIFICATIONS 

18 years of age 

Minimum 

Starting Salary: $41,600 

B E N E F I T S 

BlueCross Blue Shield 

Vision & Dental Insurance 

Longevity Pay > 1 year 

Certificate Pay 

Uniform Shirts Provided 

77445 


www.hempsteadcitytx.gov (job opportunities)

JOIN OUR TEAM 

Place your department’s recruiting ad 

in The BLUES for only $250 for an 

BECOME entire A HEMPSTEAD year, only $20 a POLICE month. OFFICER 

Hempstead's Finest 

Starting Salary: $57,750 

- BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD 

- VISION & DENTAL INS 

- CERTIFICATE PAY 

- WEAPONS ISSUED 

- OFF EVERY OTHER WEEKEND 

- CONTINUING TRAINING 

NOW HIRING 3 POLICE OFFICERS 

HPD BOASTS: 

- Training Provider 

- Canine Program 

- Narcotics Investigation 

- Crash Investigators 

- Telecommunications 

Division 

1015 11th St Hempstead, TX 

hpdrecruing@hempsteadcitytx.gov 

Or call us at: (979) 826-3332 


212 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue

LATERAL DEPUTY 








WE ARE 

HIRING! 

BENEFITS 

• Free basic Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance for 

employee 

• Free basic Life insurance 

• Long Term Disability (LTD) 

• Affordable Medical, Dental and Vision benefits for 

eligible family members 

• Flexible Spending Accounts 

• 10 paid holidays per year 

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) including 10 vacation 

days and 13 sick days per year accrued biweekly 

• Paid Parental Leave 

RETIREMENT 

• Harris County matches your investment at 225% 

• 7% of your salary is invested pre-tax in your 

retirement account 

• Retirement Vesting after 8 years 

• Eligible upon earning 75 points (age+years of service) 

SALARY SCALE 

INCENTIVE PAY 

CLASSIFICATION SERVICE HOURLY ANNUAL 

DEPUTY I 0-47 $26.23 $54,558 

DEPUTY II 48-83 $28.07 $58,386 

DEPUTY III 84-119 $29.73 $61,838 

DEPUTY IV 120-155 $31.23 $64,958 

DEPUTY V 156+ $32.78 $68,182 

TCOLE CERTIFICATION 

ANNUAL 

Intermediate $1,560 

Advanced $3,420 

Master $6,000 

EDUCATION 

ANNUAL 

Associate Degree $1,320 

Bachelor Degree $3,180 

Master/Doctorate $4,500 

LATERAL DEPUTY 

REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be a licensed Peace Officer by the Texas Commission on Law 

Enforcement (TCOLE) in good standing 

• Must be currently employed as a Peace Officer (any break in service 

will be considered on a case-by-case basis) 

• Must have a minimum of 12 consecutive months experience as a 

Peace Office at any one agency 

• Must successfully pass the HCSO Physical Abilities Test (PAT) 

• Meet HCSO firearms qualification standard 

• Must pass a thorough background investigation (criminal 

background check, fingerprinting, personal interview, etc.) as 

required by TCOLE 

• Must pass a physical and psychological evaluation as required by 

TCOLE 

• Valid driver’s license and liability insurance (Texas by start date) 

• Eyesight must be correctable to 20/20, normal color, and peripheral 

vision 

• Correctable normal audible range in both ears 

• A two (2) year minimum commitment to Patrol before being eligible 

to transfer to other Bureaus 

TO APPLY 

Bilingual Pay $1,800 


Receive up to fourteen (14) years of credit for time served! (Restrictions apply) SCAN THIS CODE 

For additional information contact 

Harris County Sheriff’s Office Recruitment Unit 

(713) 877-5250 

@HCSOTexas 

Harris County 

Sheriff’s Office 

HCSOTexas HCSOTexas @HCSOTexas

FLOYD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE 

125 East California Street Floydada, Texas 79235 

SHERIFF PAUL RAISSEZ 

paul.raissez@co.floyd.tx.us 

THE FLOYD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS A VACANCY FOR- 

PATROL DEPUTY 

Annual Pay: $55,000 Hourly Rate: 24.74 Monthly Pay: $4,583.33 

Duties: Patrol Deputies are responsible for responding to all types of law enforcement-related 

incidents and requests for service within the 993 square miles of Floyd County. The Sheriff’s 

Office also provides law enforcement services to the City of Lockney. 

Schedule and Payday: Patrol Deputies work 12-hour Shifts with every other weekend off. 

Patrol Deputies will work either 5:00 AM – 5:00 PM or 5:00 PM – 5:00 AM. Nights and Days 

switch every six months. Paid Overtime. Employees get paid Once a month. 

License Required: Applicants for Deputy Sheriff positions with Floyd County Sheriff’s Office 

must already be licensed as a Peace Officer with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement 

(TCOLE) or have already completed a TCOLE-approved Basic Peace Officer Academy, including 

having successfully passed the state peace officer licensing exam, and must meet all 

requirements to become fully licensed as a Texas Peace Officer. 

Equipment: The Sheriff’s Office provides all uniforms, duty weapon-Sig P320, duty belt, ballistic 

vest, portable radio, cell phone, and a well-equipped take-home fleet vehicle. 

Residency: Floyd County Patrol Deputies are not required to reside within the boundaries of 

Floyd County but are preferred. However, this will affect the take-home vehicle program for 

those deputies wishing to live outside the boundaries of Floyd County. 

Health, Dental, and Life Insurance: Excellent major medical health insurance (currently Blue 

Cross/Blue Shield) is provided for the employee at no cost. Dental insurance coverage is also 

provided for the employee, as well as a $10,000 life insurance policy. Dependent health and 

dental coverages are available with monthly premiums paid by the employee. 

Leave Time: 

80 hours of vacation annually. 14 paid holidays annually. 8 hours of sick leave accumulated per 

month up to a maximum of 480 hours. 

Retirement: County Contribution: 2 to 1 (TCDRS) Texas County and District Retirement System 

An application can be requested from: 

Sheriff’s Admin. Assistant Heather Raissez @ heather.raissez@co.floyd.tx.us or 

Patrol Sergeant Ruben De Leon @ rdeleon@co.floyd.tx.us 




THE KILLEEN POLICE DEPARTMENT 

IS NOW 

Hiring 

FOR THE POSITION OF 

Police Officer 

Online Applications 

will open: 

July 31, 2023 

Application Deadline: 

September 15, 2023 

Civil Service Exam will 

be: 

September 24, 2023 

To apply, go to: 

www.killeentexas.gov/16 

8/Job-Opportunities 

Wear The Badge, 

Make a Difference 

D 

b 

th 

a 

Officer De'Vonte Johnson 

Recruiter 

254-200-7987 

DJohnson@killeentexas.gov 

The Killeen Police Department is an 

224 

Equal 

The Blues 

Opportunity 

40th Anniversary 

Employer 

Issue

Starting pay - $57,889 

Paid: Vacation, Holiday & Sick Leave 

$15K Sign-on incentive for TCOLE 

certified Peace Officers 

College Degree pay incentive 

7% retirement plan through TMRS 

with a 2:1 match ratio 

Comprehensive Benefits Package 

Opportunity to work in various 

specialized units 

The Killeen Police 

epartment is dedicated to 

uilding a partnership with 

e community to fight crime 

nd improve every citizen's 

quality of life. 

Follow us at: 

KilleenPD 

KilleenPolice 

JoinKilleenPD 

Visit www.KilleenPD.com The for Blues further 40th Anniversary details Issue 225

L A P O R T E 

P O L I C E D E P A R T M E N T 

Lateral Police Officer 

Starting Pay $ 62,416. to $73,775. 

Effective October 1, 2022 

No prior experience required. High School diploma or GED required. 

Possession of Class C Texas Driver License. 

Must possess a TCOLE License or be enrolled in accredited Basic Peace Officer Academy. 

Certification Pay (bi-weekly): 

$46.15 - Intermediate Peace Officer 

$69.23 - Advanced Peace Officer 

$92.31 - Master Peace Officer 

Education Pay (bi-weekly): 

$46.15 - Associates Degree 

$69.23 - Bachelors Degree 

$92.31 - Masters Degree 

Employee Benefits: 

Medical / Dental / Vision Insurance 

Longevity Pay 


TMRS Retirement (2 to 1 match) 

ICMA Deferred Compensation/Roth IRA 

$1,000 Physical Fitness Program 

Weapon Purchase Program 

Take-home Vehicles 

Specialized Divisions: 

SWAT / Bomb Squad 

Bike Patrol 

Criminal Investigative Division 

Crime Scene Unit 

Drone Pilots 

School Resource Officers 

Traffic/DOT Officers 

Police Area Representatives 

Apply online at 

www.laportetx.gov/jobs 

Paid Leave Benefits 

15 days vacation (Civil Service) 

15 days sick leave 

Military Leave 

9 observed holidays per year 

2 employee holidays per year 

Bereavement Leave 

Comp Time 


PLACE YOUR 

DEPARTMENT’S AD 

HERE FOR ONLY 

$250 



Welcome Aboard Schulenburg PD 



LEWISVILL 

E 

Benefits and Additional Pay: 

• $2500 Sign - On Bonus 

• Lateral Entry Program 

• Take - Home Vehicle 

$77,314 - $97,679 

• Cross Fit G ym 

• 24 /7 Private Indoor/Outdoor Range 

• Load Bearing Vests 

• Tattoos and Beards 

• Tuition Reimbursement 

• 20 Year TMRS Retirement 7% , 2:1 match 

• 457 Deferred Compensation p lan with 3.76% city match 

• 3 Weeks Paid Vacation 

• 15 Days Paid Sick Leave 

• 9 Paid Holidays 

• Field Training Officer 

• Bilingual 

• Longevity 

• Education /Certification 

GET PAID FOR YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A CERTIFIED OFFICER 

• 1 YEAR $83,566 

• 2 YEARS $86,877 

• 3 YEARS $90,373 

Specialized Units : 

• SWAT 

• Street Crimes 

• K - 9 

• Narcotics 

• UAS Drone 

• Bicycle Patrol 

• Criminal In vestigations 

• Traffic 

• DWI 

• Commercial Vehicle Enforcement 

• Training 

• School Resource Officer 

• Neighborhood Resource Officer 

• Co - Care Crisis Team 

www .PROTECTLEWISVILLE. com 

• 4 YEARS $93,677 

• 5 YEARS $97,679 


community theatre, museums, shopping and much more, Lockhart has a community feel that can’t be beat. We have several 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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• 

 

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• 

• 

$75, master’s $100 per 

 

• 

 

• 

 

• 

 

• 

 

• 

 

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• 

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• 

• 

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232 

 

The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue


LONGVIEW POLICE DEPARTMENT 

JOIN OUR 

TEAM 

2-TIER HIRING 

INCENTIVE 

STARTING SALARY 

$60,085 

$3,000 

Insurance 

120 Hours Vacation 

11 Paid Holidays 

80 Hours Sick Leave 

20-Year Retirement Plan 

2/1 City Match TMRS 


Beards & Tattoos Allowed 

Academy Pay 

Equipment Provided 

Excellent Training Provided 

Speciality/Cerification Pay 

Community Support 

Plentiful Outdoor Activities

$65,709-$67,685 

Based on Population and Experience 

25 YEAR STEP PLAN 

$60,085 - $84,308 

STEP INTO YOUR FUTURE 

NEW POLICE STATION 

COMING 2023 


Patrol Officer 

The City of Manvel Police Department is looking to find qualified candidates to fill the ranks of the patrol 

division. 

The City of Manvel is a rapidly growing and diverse community. The current population is estimated at a 

little over 16000 and is located in the northern part of Brazoria County along the State Highway 288 

corridor approximately 4 miles South of the City of Houston. 

The Manvel Police Department has a competitive pay structure for cities of the same size. Salary is based 

on experience and certification levels. 

Requirements: 

High school diploma or GED 

Valid Texas Driver’s License 

with good driving record 

TCOLE certified OR currently 

enrolled in Academy 

program 

Preference for LE experience 

Hiring Process Includes : 

Written test 

Oral board interview 

Physical agility test 

Thorough background 

investigation 

Accelerated Field Training 

Program for experienced officers 

One year probationary period 

Pay and Benefits: 

Competitive pay with an employment 

improvement step program 

TMRS retirement up to 7% with 2:1 match 

by city 

Retirement vested after 5 years of service 

Medical Insurance covered 100% for 

employees and 100% paid for employees 

and dependent by the city after 3 years 

12 hour shifts (DuPont Schedule) 

Personal time off - Vacation and Holiday 

accruals 

Paid sick time 

Lateral transfers 

For more information you can contact 

The City of Manvel Police Department at 

281-489-1212 

236 Rochelle The Blues Carr-Lacy 40th Anniversary Issue 

rcarrlacy@manvelpd.org

MEMORIAL VILLAGES POLICE DEPARTMENT 

Serving the Villages of Bunker Hill, Piney Point and Hunters Creek 

POLICE OFFICER 

The Memorial Villages Police Department is currently looking for experienced officers who are 

self-motivated, innovative, enthusiastic and love working for a community that supports them. 

5+ Years Patrol Experience Required 

Hiring Bonus $1,500 

Night Shift Differential $3,600 

E.C.A $1300 

Bi-lingual Pay 

Education Pay 

Intermediate, Advanced, Master 

Peace Officer Certification Pay 

Healthcare, Dental and Vision Insurance 

100% paid for employee, 75% for 

spouse/dependents. 

Paid long-term disability and Life Insurance 

for employee, additional life insurance 

available for spouse/dependents. 

Health Savings Account with Department 

contributions up to $4,200 annually. 

TMRS Retirement 7% w/ 2:1 match (20 yr). 

457 Deferred Compensation Plan with 

employer contribution of 2.5% of annual 

salary. 


Longevity Pay up to a max of $2,400 

annually at 10 years of service. 

12 Hour shifts with every other Friday, 

Starting at $83,459 up to $94,164 

Scan for more 

information 

W W W . M V P D T X . O R G 

11981 Memorial Drive – Houston, Tx 77024 

713.365.3700 The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 237


____________________________________________________________________________

WE’RE HIRING 

Join our team and receive: 

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance 

• Paid vacation, employee days, well days, 

sick days and holidays 

• Competitive pay (including bilingual pay incentive) 

AND MUCH MORE! 

APPLY NOW 

Scan here or visit 

RideMETRO.org/Careers 

Call 713-739-4953 or email JoinMPD@RideMETRO.org 

for additional information. 

METRO I S AN EQU A L O PPOR TUNIT Y E M P L O YER. 

The Blues 40th Anniversary Issue 239




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 

For additional information and to register for an upcoming Civil Service Exam, visit 

pearlandtx.gov/PDCareers 


PORT HOUSTON 


WE ARE 

HIRING 

SIGN UP TODAY! www.porthouston.com/career 

Are you looking for a career with meaning? 

Do you want to make a difference in a highly 

supportive community? 

Join our team at Port Houston! 

STARTING PAY* 

$60,000 up to $71,000 

* Salary depends on experience 


REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be 21 years old 

• Must have 2+ years of police officer 

experience 

• Must have valid Texas Driver’s License 

• Must be a U.S. Citizen 

• Must have an honorable discharge 

from the military (if applicable) 

• Must never have been convicted of a 

Class A Misdemeanor or above 

• Not been convicted of a Class B 

misdemeanor within the last 10 years 

• Must have a GED or high school diploma

s-2 

BENEFITS: 

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance 

eligible first day of employment 

• Wellness Program 

(can earn up to $600 credit per year if requirements met) 

• Enrollment with Calm App for Wellbeing 

• Defined contribution plan (401a) 

– Employer Sponsored 

• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan) 

– Employee Contributions 

• Vacation 


• Paid Holiday 12 days/year 

• Life and Accidental Death and 

Dismemberment Insurance 

• Short Term and Long-Term Disability Benefits 

• Flexible spending account (FSA) 

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 

• Pet Insurance 

• Legal and Identity Theft Protection 

• Tuition Reimbursement 

Up to the IRS annual limit and a maximum lifetime 

reimbursement of $25,000 

• Onsite Credit Union – Port of Houston Credit Union 

EMPLOYMENT 

TESTING 

Employment is contingent on passing 

any post-offer pre-employment 

screening as listed below: 

• Criminal background check 

• Motor Vehicle Record check 

• Drug screening 

• Physical exam 

• Psychological exam 

• Additional as required 

SCAN 

QR CODE 

TO APPLY 



Welcome Aboard 

Rowlett Police Department 


Provide Exceptional 

Service to All! 

CONTACT 

US NOW 

NOW HIRING 

972-412-6240 

kharrelson@rowlett.com 

4401 Rowlett Rd., 

Rowlett, TX 75088 

Accepting Lateral 

Police Officers. 

Get paid for your 

experience! 

CURRENT SALARY 

Starting salary is $65,554 

Top Out Police Officer salary is $90,861 

Lateral Transfer - May be eligible for a starting 

salary of up to $75,221 

UNITS/ DIVISIONS 

Containment Team 

SWAT 

Bike Unit 

Community Services 

School Resource Officer 


Criminal Investigations Division 

Traffic 

Crisis Assistance Team 

Crisis Negotiation Team 

BENEFITS 

TMRS Pension 7/14 

Medical Insurance 

Dental Insurance 

Vision Insurance 

10 paid vacation days during 

first year & 10 Paid Holidays 

Paid Sick 

Beards and tattoos are 

authorized 

Longevity Pay 

Long Term Disability 

Life Insurance 

Dry cleaning 

Three department issued 

firearms 


GROW WITH US!


SPRING BRANCH ISD POLICE DEPARTMENT 

WE’RE 

HIRING 

DEPARTMENT 

HIGHLIGHTS 

55 officer department 

44 square mile district 

47 schools 

35,000 population 

24/7 Patrol 

We want you to preserve, protect, and defend our future. 

Starting Pay $63,000 (TCOLE Basic Peace Officer certification with no experience) 

Patrol & Onsite Officers (HS/MS) 

Gang Officer 


Community Relations Officer 

Emergency Management 

Criminal Investigations 

K-9 programs 

Language pay 

Shift differential pay 

Intermediate, Advanced and 


certificate pay 

Paid time off 

Ample overtime opportunities 

*All equipment provided including duty weapon 

**Training opportunities available 

Apply online today. springbranchisd.com/join-our-team 







VAN ALSTYNE POLICE DEPARTMENT 

JOIN OUR TEAM 

Van Alstyne Police is seeking motivated Certified Police Officers who are 

dedicated to making a difference in the community they serve! In exchange, 

VAPD offers a great opportunity for advancement in a fast-growing city! VAPD 

also offers the following incentives: 

▪ Excellent Salary $68,000 - $90,800 plus Certificate Pay 

▪ The City pays the employee’s Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance. The City also pays 

for 50% of dependent cost for medical insurance 

▪ TMRS 7% (City matches 2 to 1). Vested in five years 

▪ Twelve Paid Holidays 

▪ Generous Vacation, Sick, and Personal Leave 

▪ Twelve hours shifts 

▪ VAPD issues all uniforms, duty gear, body armor, duty weapon, patrol rifles, etc. 

▪ New state of the art Public Safety Complex currently in the design phase. Construction is slated 

to begin later Q4 2023 

For more information, contact Lt. Hayslip 903.482.5251 shayslip@vanalstynepolice.com 

Applications available at https://cityofvanalstyne.us/departments/human-resources/ 


PLACE YOUR 

DEPARTMENT’S AD 

HERE FOR ONLY 

$250 


We are hiring 

Police 

Officers 

now. 

Join the Waco ISD 

Police Department team! 

Pay Grade: 310 

Days: 207 and 226 

Salary: $42,228 to $55,542* 

*Depending on workday calendar 

and years of experience. 

Sign-on Bonus: $5,000 

Qualifications: 

Education/Certification: 

• High School Diploma or GED 

• Texas Peace Officer License issued by TCOLE 

• Current valid Texas class “C” drivers license 

To learn more or 

apply, please visit 

Wacoisd.org/apply 

Waco ISD Police Department 




HUNTER BIDEN

Dec 2023. Blues Vol 39 No. 12

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