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The Blues - January ‘24 1

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VOL. 40 NO. 1 January 2024 

FEATURES 

DEPARTMENTS 

70 CHIEF BRADLEY TAYLOR, 

HAZEN POLICE DEPT. 

POLICING THROUGH MERCY 

AND GRACE 

90 SPECIAL INSERT - 

WSA @ THE SHOT SHOW iN VEGAS 

96 BUILDING A HOME WITH DR HORTON 

PUBLISHER’S THOUGHTS 

EDITOR REX EVANS THOUGHTS 

COMING NEXT MONTH 

GUEST COMMENTARY - DANIEL CARR 

GUEST COMMENTARY - MELANIE JOHNSON 

GUEST COMMENTARY - CHIEF JOEL SHUTTS 

LETTERS 

NEWS AROUND THE US 

SURVIVING THE STREETS 

ISD PD JOB LISTINGS 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 

REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES 

WAR STORIES 

AFTERMATH 

HEALING OUR HEROES 

128 

DR. TINA JAECKLE, SENIOR EDITOR 

BLUE MENTAL HEALTH 

DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS 

BLUE MENTAL HEALTH DR. 

LIGHT BULB AWARD 

ADS BACK IN THE DAY 

PARTING SHOTS 

BUYERS GUIDE 

NOW HIRING 

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COVER PHOTO 

MEET HAZEN POLICE CHIEF, 

BRADLEY TAYLOR. THE MOST 

DOWN TO EARTH POLICE 

OFFICER YOU’VE EVER MET, 

NOT TO MENTION A GREAT 

POLICE CHIEF. 

124 

DARYL LOTT 

“DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS” 

116 

120 


4 The Blues - January ‘24

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 

Sgt. Michael Barron 

AFTERMATH 

A Retired Sheriff 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

Joanna Putman 

Melanie Johnson 

Chief Joel Shutts 

Rio Yamat 

Justin Betti 

Debra Worley 

Valerie Gonzalez 

Paul Weber 

Patrick Malone 

Alex Yoon-Hendricks 

Kirsti Knolle 

Bethany Blankley 

Dirk Snadd 

Tony Marrero 

Yuval Barnea 

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. 


FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK 

SHERIFF’S FINAL WORDS 

I had the honor of receiving 

and retyping a letter from a 

legendary Texas Sheriff who 

served back in the 50’s and 

60’s. His granddaughter Samantha, 

found the letter he 

had handwritten only days before 

he passed away at the age 

of 101. The letter is both heartbreaking 

and inspirational. See 

the Sheriff was all alone in a 

nursing home when he wrote 

it. He spent his days watching 

one resident after another 

being carried away in ambulances 

to never return. One by 

one they were passing away. 

And he was just waiting for his 

turn to take the ride. 

His message to ‘all you 

youngins’ was to spend more 

time with your family and less 

time at work. Because in the 

end, unless you change your 

ways, you’d end up in a nursing 

home watching and waiting 

your turn for a ride to a new 

home – a funeral home. 

I’m sure we can all relate to 

his message. At some time in 

our lives, we spent more time 

at work than with our families. 

Missed holidays and maybe 

some birthdays all seemed 

trivial at the time. After all 

there would be more Christmas’ 

and there is always next 

year’s birthday party. Unless of 

course, something 

happens and that 

“next year” comes 

and you’re all alone. 

Or maybe it’s your 

family that’s all 

alone because you’re 

not there anymore. 

One thing all of us learn from 

our very first days as a cop, is 

that life is extremely short and 

can literally end at any second. 

We see people dying in 

front of us almost every day. 

To think it can’t happen to you 

or your family is foolish. So I 

think we can all learn a thing 

or two from the Sheriff’s final 

words. Live everyday like it’s 

your last. Because it may just 

be your final day here on earth. 

First. Don’t put your work 

ahead of your family. Family 

should always come first. 

Spend as much time as you 

can, not only with your wife 

and kids, but with all your relatives, 

especially your grandparents. 

If they are alone and 

in a nursing home, they need 

you more than ever. They love 

to tell you about what it was 

like growing up in the 50’s, 60’s 

or whenever. I wish my grandfather 

were still alive today so 

I could hear all his war stories 

about working under Sheriff 

Buster Kern. 

Second. Be there for others 

when no one else is. By that, I 

mean when you see someone 

suffering all alone, reach out 

to them and comfort them. Listen 

to their story and at least 

act like you care. The standard 

reason most give for becoming 

a cop is to help people. 

Perhaps the best way to ‘help’ 

people is to just listen to what 

they have to say. Even in his 

final days, the Sheriff took 

time to comfort a young man 

who had lost his grandfather. 

He had spent his entire life 

helping people and he wasn’t 

about to stop now just because 

he was in a wheelchair. 

Samantha, your grandfather 

was a legend back in the day 

and a true hero even today. He 

understood his role in our lives 

and continued that mission until 

the day he left this world for 

another. We should all strive 

to be just half the man he was. 

Be safe in your job and thanks 

for sharing your grandfather’s 

story with all of us. 


START SHOPPING 


FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE 

Hello 2024 

Well, it’s the New Year. Which 

in and of itself, brings about new 

opportunities. One of those new 

opportunities is the new TCOLE web 

site. Its up and running!!! Now to be 

fair, there’s still some “under construction” 

going on and I am OK with 

that. 

The fact that they finally got the 

darn thing back up and running is a 

huge help in more ways than one. 

For example, finding your account 

and information is critical to ensure 

you’re staying up to date on 

all the required courses the TCOLE 

Board continues to administer. 

Equally, there is a lot of information 

that helps officers understand how 

TCOLE works and gives an officer an 

opportunity to see what’s happening 

around the state. 

One of the critical features of this 

site is the Job Listings. This feature 

helps all kinds of people in our state 

who are looking for a job in the Law 

Enforcement / Criminal Justice field. 

Telecommunicators, Jailors, Peace 

Officers, and more, can all find 

the most up to date postings from 

across Texas. And as difficult as it is 

to fill those open positions, it’s just 

as welcome by Department Heads, 

as it is those seeking employment. 

To be able to point and click on 

one web page for all statewide job 

vacancies, is critical to the overall 

health of our profession. It cannot 

be denied or understated just how 

critical hiring personnel is. Our ranks 

have diminished considerably over 

the past few years. Since the George 

Floyd fiasco and COVID, finding 

people to even apply for a career in 

law enforcement hasn’t exactly been 

easy. 

The Job Postings section on the 

TCOLE web site is critical for both 

Departments and Persons looking 

for employment, alike! To see this 

critical area continue, should be a 

huge relief to everyone. 

A one stop shop for recruiting is a 

good thing for all Texans and their 

Law Enforcement Agencies. 

• • • 

So, a young lady sent the BLUES 

a copy of a letter her Grandpa had 

recently written. He intended to 

send it to her, but passed away 

before that could happen. I had the 

opportunity to read her words and 

his letter, and I got to tell you by 

the time I was done, my eyes were 

definitely leaking. 

I honestly believe any Veteran 

Officer would probably tell their 

children or grandchildren much the 

same as this man did. You see by the 

time you get 20 plus years; you’ve 

seen, heard, smelled and endured 

pretty much anything and everything 

imaginable. And then, you realize 

you’ve endured all those moments 

at a great cost to you and your 

family. 

Speaking from my own experience, 

I was gone way too much. I 

saw way too much. And when I was 

home, I was probably not what anyone 

could have ever considered “a 

good husband” or “a good dad.” In 

fact, I pretty much failed miserably 

at both. 

However, not all was lost. My son 

is now healthy and moving at incredible 

speed with his own business. 

He broke the cycle of our family 

being cops and or firefighters. I for 

one am grateful. He is a successful 

self-made businessman. He’s a great 

husband to my daughter-in-law and 

an amazing father to my grandkids. I 

don’t know how he did all that with 

me as a role model. I can only surmise 

he learned what not to be and 

took it from there. 

Police work is hard work. The 

hours, the incidents, the trauma, the 

pressure, the well, you get the idea. 

This profession can kill you. Literally. 

I believe the old Sheriff meant every 

word he wrote. I believe in his heart 

that given the chance; he would 

have done things differently. But I’ve 

been around long enough to know 

there are just some days, you had 

no choice in the matter, and you did 

what you had to do. 

And then many years later, we 

discover that maybe we could have 

and should have done a lot of things 

differently. I am so grateful to this 

young lady for sharing what was a 

very personal letter from her Grandpa. 

It needs to be shared so that 

many others, on both side of the pen 

and paper, can see we are not nearly 

as alone as we might think we are. 

That loneliness is just another 

symptom of this business. It’ll hurt 

your heart every damn time if you 

let it, so don’t let it. 

God bless. Stay safe. Have a great 

and happy 2024, y’all!!! 






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GUEST COMENTARY 

police law news 

Daniel Carr 

Officer Involved: Alivia Schwab 

The case for more Taser Training. 

This is a case where even the 

most aggressive anti-police 

activists would have a difficult 

time criticizing the decision that 

the officer made as he pulled the 

trigger and utilized deadly force. 

Also, this is a case where (under 

the review of an objective 

lens) there was very simple path 

to avoid the use of deadly force. 

The fault does not lie with the 

officer who utilized deadly force 

- but the other officer on scene 

who’s obvious missteps were a 

major contributing cause to an 

Officer-Involved-Shooting (OIS). 

This incident occurred on Sept 

28, 2023 in Morris, Illinois (which 

is a small town approximately 

an hour southwest of Chicago) 

and it involved a woman named 

Alivia Schwab (40). 

Ms. Schwab had been suffering 

with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia 

and had been living in 

a residential treatment facility. 

She had just been released from 

a mental health facility and was 

living in an apartment trying to 

get her life back together. 

THE CALL 

This incident began when Ms. 

Schwab’s mental health providers 

called 911 and reported that 

she had threatened to kill herself 

with a knife. 

This prompted the operator to 

dispatch officers from the Morris, 

Illinois police department. 

ARRIVAL ON SCENE 

Two officers with the Morris 

Police Department arrived 

on scene (Nick Pampinella and 

Casie Price). 

The officers arrived, exited 

their cars, and started walking 

towards the apartment of Ms. 

Schwab. 

As officers approached the 

apartment, Ms. Schwab emerged 

from her apartment and stood 

near the front door. At this point 

she was armed with a 9” knife 

in her left hand and had a cell 

phone in her right hand that was 

up to her ear. 

Officer Pampinella stated to 

Officer Price “you go non-lethal”. 

Officer Price then looked at 

Officer Pampinella and acknowledged 

this plan/force array. 

COMMANDS 

Ms. Schwab then (without saying 

a word) started to walk towards 

Officer Pampinella and he 

gave the following commands, 

“Hi, miss. Miss, drop the knife, 

drop the knife.” “Drop, stop coming 

towards me! Stop coming 

towards me!” 

As the knife-wielding woman 

was bearing down on Officer 

Pampinella (who was quickly 

walking backwards) - Officer 

Price just stood there - off to 

the side - doing nothing. Officer 

Price’s hands were empty. 

She did not even have the Taser 

drawn. 

An obviously frustrated Officer 

Pampinella then yelled, “Casie! 

Tase her!” (to Officer Price). 

It was at that point that Officer 

Price snapped back to planet 




earth and started fumbling while 

trying to unholster and turn on 

the Taser - as well as trying to 

catch up to where Ms. Schwab 

was. 

Officer Pampinella then yelled, 

“Stop” and “Stop! Or you are going 

to get shot!”. 

OIS 

Ms. Schwab then started to run 

towards Officer Pampinella. She 

took approximately three to four 

“running strides” and got within 

8-10 feet of Officer Pampinella. 

It was at that point that he 

utilized deadly force and fired 

three rounds at Ms. Schwab. Ms. 

Schwab sustained fatal injuries. 

Mental Health Response 

There has been some criticism 

and question as to why police 

officers were dispatched to this 

call and not mental health professionals. 

First, any issue, criticism, or 

problem that you have with who 

is dispatched to a call for service 

lies with the politicians who 

manage police departments - 

not the men and women who 

suit up and respond to the calls 

they are sent. 

There are police departments 

that have “mobile crisis teams”. 

These teams are typically made 

up of an officer (who has CIT 

or ECIT training) and a mental 

health clinician. I am a fan of this 

model. 

But. Even in agencies that have 

these “mobile crisis teams” - the 

mental health clinicians are not 

in play until the call is deemed 

“safe”. A situation where someone 

was still armed with a knife 

would always dictate that armed 

police officers respond first and 

then call the mental health professionals 

once the individual is 

in custody and the knife is secured. 

TASER 

I do not know where the breakdown 

occurred here, but the 

police managers in Morris better 

figure it out. 

Officer Pampinella told Officer 

Price to go “non lethal”. If she 

did not know what to do - her 

partner gave her the answer. All 

she had to do was follow directions. 

Once Officer Price made the 

decision to finally draw the Taser 

- she had difficulty unholstering 

the weapon and turning it on. 

If she had this much trouble 

with basic manipulations - my 

guess - if she had deployed the 

Taser - it would have missed Ms. 

Schwab. 

JUSTIFIED 

Ms. Schwab was advancing on 

Officer Pampinella (who was 

backing up) while armed with 

a 9” knife. If anything Officer 

Pampinella likely let her get too 

close before firing his weapon. 

This is obviously an objectively 

reasonable and lawful use of 

deadly force. 

The Grundy County District 

Attorney has also stated that the 

use of deadly force was within 

the law. 

A plaintiff’s attorney (working 

behalf of the Schwab) family 

said that the officers were in no 

danger because the knife was 

“pointed downward in a nonthreatening 

manner”. 

It is impossible for a 9” knife 

to be held in “non-threatening 

manner” when you are chasing 

someone with it. 

This is an easy statement to 

make from the safety of a law 

office. Only those that hold the 

dishonest privilege of viewing 

everything through 20/20 hindsight 

make such idiotic comments. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

Think about this. There was 

a point in this incident where 

Ms. Schwab was advancing on 

Officer Pampinella with a 9 inch 

knife. And Officer Price stood 

back, watched, and allowed this 

to happen without drawing her 

Taser or firearm. This is unacceptable. 

We are ready for 2024! 

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Melanie Johnson 

Christmas Eve @ the Gas Station 

An old man sat in his gas 

station on a cold Christmas Eve. 

He hadn’t been anywhere in 

years since his wife had passed 

away. It was just another day to 

him. He didn’t hate Christmas, 

just couldn’t find a reason to 

celebrate. He was sitting there 

looking at the snow that had 

been falling for the last hour and 

wondering what it was all about 

when the door opened and a 

homeless man stepped through. 

Instead of throwing the man 

out, Old George as he was 

known by his customers, told the 

man to come and sit by the heater 

and warm up. “Thank you, but 

I don’t mean to intrude,” said the 

stranger. “I see you’re busy, I’ll 

just go.” “Not without something 

hot in your belly,” George said. 

He turned and opened a wide 

mouth Thermos and handed it to 

the stranger. “It ain’t much, but 

it’s hot and tasty. Stew ... made 

it myself. When you’re done, 

there’s coffee and it’s fresh.” 

Just at that moment he heard 

the “ding” of the driveway bell. 

“Excuse me, be right back,” 

George said. There in the driveway 

was an old ‘53 Chevy. Steam 

was rolling out of the front. The 

driver was panicked. “Mister 

can you help me!” said the driver, 

with a deep Spanish accent. 

“My wife is with child and my 

car is broken.” George opened 

the hood. It was bad. The block 

looked cracked from the cold, 

the car was dead. “You ain’t going 

in this thing,” George said as 

he turned away. 

“But Mister, please help ...” The 

door of the office closed behind 

George as he went inside. He 

went to the office wall and got 

the keys to his old truck, and 

went back outside. He walked 

around the building, opened the 

garage, started the truck and 

drove it around to where the 

couple was waiting. “Here, take 

my truck,” he said. “She ain’t the 

best thing you ever looked at, but 

she runs real good.” 

George helped put the woman 

in the truck and watched as it 

sped off into the night. He turned 

and walked back inside the office. 

“Glad I gave ‘em the truck, 

their tires were shot too. That 

‘ol truck has brand new ones.” 

George thought he was talking 

to the stranger, but the man had 

gone. The Thermos was on the 

desk, empty, with a used coffee 

cup beside it. “Well, at least 

he got something in his belly,” 

George thought. 

George went back outside to 

see if the old Chevy would start. 

It cranked slowly, but it started. 

He pulled it into the garage 

where the truck had been. He 

thought he would tinker with it 

for something to do. Christmas 

Eve meant no customers. He discovered 

the block hadn’t cracked, 

it was just the bottom hose on 

the radiator. “Well, shoot, I can 

fix this,” he said to himself. So he 

put a new one on. 

“Those tires ain’t gonna get ‘em 

through the winter either.” He 

took the snow treads off of his 

wife’s old Lincoln. They were like 

new and he wasn’t going to drive 

the car anyway. 

As he was working, he heard 

shots being fired. He ran outside 

and beside a police car an officer 

lay on the cold ground. Bleeding 

from the left shoulder, the officer 

moaned, “Please help me.” 

George helped the officer 

inside as he remembered the 

training he had received in the 

Army as a medic. He knew the 

wound needed attention. “Pressure 

to stop the bleeding,” he 

thought. The uniform company 

had been there that morning and 

had left clean shop towels. He 

used those and duct tape to bind 

the wound. “Hey, they say duct 

tape can fix anythin’,” he said, 

trying to make the policeman 

feel at ease. 

“Something for pain,” George 

thought. All he had was the pills 

he used for his back. “These 

ought to work.” He put some 

water in a cup and gave the 

policeman the pills. “You hang 

in there, I’m going to get you an 

ambulance.” 

The phone was dead. “Maybe I 

can get one of your buddies on 


that there talk box out in your 

car.” He went out only to find 

that a bullet had gone into the 

dashboard destroying the two 

way radio. 

He went back in to find the policeman 

sitting up. “Thanks,” said 

the officer. “You could have left 

me there. The guy that shot me is 

still in the area.” 

George sat down beside him, 

“I would never leave an injured 

man in the Army and I ain’t 

gonna leave you.” George pulled 

back the bandage to check for 

bleeding. “Looks worse than 

what it is. Bullet passed right 

through ‘ya. Good thing it missed 

the important stuff though. I 

think with time your gonna be 

right as rain.” 

George got up and poured a 

cup of coffee. “How do you take 

it?” he asked. “None for me,” said 

the officer. “Oh, yer gonna drink 

this. Best in the city. Too bad I 

ain’t got no donuts.” The officer 

laughed and winced at the same 

time. 

The front door of the office 

flew open. In burst a young man 

with a gun. “Give me all your 

cash! Do it now!” the young man 

yelled. His hand was shaking 

and George could tell that he 

had never done anything like this 

before. 

“That’s the guy that shot me!” 

exclaimed the officer. 

“Son, why are you doing this?” 

asked George, “You need to put 

the cannon away. Somebody else 

might get hurt.” 

The young man was confused. 

“Shut up old man, or I’ll shoot 

you, too. Now give me the cash!” 

The cop was reaching for 

his gun. “Put that thing away,” 

George said to the cop, “we got 

one too many in here now.” 

He turned his attention to the 

young man. “Son, it’s Christmas 

Eve. If you need money, well 

then, here. It ain’t much but it’s 

all I got. Now put that pea shooter 

away.” 

George pulled $150 out of 

his pocket and handed it to the 

young man, reaching for the barrel 

of the gun at the same time. 

The young man released his grip 

on the gun, fell to his knees and 

began to cry. “I’m not very good 

at this am I? All I wanted was to 

buy something for my wife and 

son,” he went on. “I’ve lost my 

job, my rent is due, my car got 

repossessed last week.” 

George handed the gun to the 

cop. “Son, we all get in a bit 

of squeeze now and then. The 

road gets hard sometimes, but 


we make it through the best we 

can.” 

He got the young man to 

his feet, and sat him down 

on a chair across from the 

cop. “Sometimes we do stupid 

things.” George handed the 

young man a cup of coffee. 

“Bein’ stupid is one of the things 

that makes us human. Comin’ in 

here with a gun ain’t the answer. 

Now sit there and get warm and 

we’ll sort this thing out.” 

The young man had stopped 

crying. He looked over to the cop. 

“Sorry I shot you. It just went off. 

I’m sorry officer.” “Shut up and 

drink your coffee “ the cop said. 

George could hear the sounds 

of sirens outside. A police car 

and an ambulance skidded to a 

halt. Two cops came through the 

door, guns drawn. “Chuck! You 

ok?” one of the cops asked the 

wounded officer. 

“Not bad for a guy who took a 

bullet. How did you find me?” 

“GPS locator in the car. Best 

thing since sliced bread. Who did 

this?” the other cop asked as he 

approached the young man. 

Chuck answered him, “I don’t 

know. The guy ran off into the 

dark. Just dropped his gun and 

ran.” 

George and the young man 

both looked puzzled at each 

other. 

“That guy work here?” the 

wounded cop continued. “Yep,” 

George said, “just hired him this 

morning. Boy lost his job.” 

The paramedics came in and 

loaded Chuck onto the stretcher. 

The young man leaned over the 

wounded cop and whispered, 

“Why?” 

Chuck just said, “Merry Christmas 

boy ... and you too, George, 

and thanks for everything.” 

“Well, looks like you got one 

doozy of a break there. That 

ought to solve some of your 

problems.” 

George went into the back 

room and came out with a box. 

He pulled out a ring box. “Here 

you go, something for the little 

woman. I don’t think Martha 

would mind. She said it would 

come in handy some day.” 

The young man looked inside 

to see the biggest diamond ring 

he ever saw. “I can’t take this,” 

said the young man. “It means 

something to you.” 

“And now it means something 

to you,” replied George. “I got my 

memories. That’s all I need.” 

George reached into the box 

again. An airplane, a car and 

a truck appeared next. They 

were toys that the oil company 

had left for him to sell. “Here’s 

something for that little man of 

yours.” 

The young man began to cry 

again as he handed back the 

$150 that the old man had handed 

him earlier. 

“And what are you supposed 

to buy Christmas dinner with? 

You keep that too,” George said. 

“Now git home to your family.” 

The young man turned with 

tears streaming down his face. 

“I’ll be here in the morning for 

work, if that job offer is still 

good.” 

“Nope. I’m closed Christmas 

day,” George said. “See ya the 

day after.” 

George turned around to find 

that the stranger had returned. 

“Where’d you come from? I 

thought you left?” 

“I have been here. I have always 

been here,” said the stranger. 

“You say you don’t celebrate 

Christmas. Why?” 

“Well, after my wife passed 

away, I just couldn’t see what 

all the bother was. Puttin’ up a 

tree and all seemed a waste of 

a good pine tree. Bakin’ cookies 

like I used to with Martha 

just wasn’t the same by myself 

and besides I was gettin’ a little 

chubby.” 

The stranger put his hand on 

George’s shoulder. “But you do 

celebrate the holiday, George. 

You gave me food and drink and 

warmed me when I was cold 

and hungry. The woman with 

child will bear a son and he will 

become a great doctor. 

The policeman you helped will 

go on to save 19 people from 

being killed by terrorists. The 

young man who tried to rob you 

will make you a rich man and 

not take any for himself. “That is 

the spirit of the season and you 

keep it as good as any man.” 

George was taken aback by all 

this stranger had said. “And how 

do you know all this?” asked the 

old man. 

“Trust me, George. I have the 

inside track on this sort of thing. 

And when your days are done 

you will be with Martha again.” 

The stranger moved toward 

the door. “If you will excuse me, 

George, I have to go now. I have 

to go home where there is a big 

celebration planned.” 

George watched as the old 

leather jacket and the torn pants 

that the stranger was wearing 

turned into a white robe. A golden 

light began to fill the room. 

“You see, George ... it’s My 

birthday. Merry Christmas.” 

George fell to his knees and 

replied, “Happy Birthday, Lord 

Jesus” 

Merry Christmas!! 


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Chief Joel f. Shutts 

The Compliance Crisis 

Compliance is a dirty word to 

Americans. We want to hold to our 

rebellious ancestry and our modern 

narcissism. Add to this the oft-repeated 

narrative that the police will kill 

you for having a license plate light 

burned out and the message that if 

the cops fight you they’ll have to fight 

everyone in the riots to follow and 

it is no mystery why resisting lawful 

commands is an epidemic. 

I’m not sure if there are any research 

statistics on the matter, but I 

guarantee if you ask any law enforcement 

officer who has worked 

patrol for at least ten years if 

non-compliance and disrespect have 

dramatically increased, they’ll tell 

you that it is more frequent than ever. 

Disrespect is a Constitutional right, 

but non-compliance with a lawful 

order is not. State laws and well-settled 

court cases define when a citizen 

is required to do what a police officer 

orders them to do. It is part of our 

social contract with others that we 

accept limitations on otherwise unbridled 

liberty for the good of all. We 

can debate the extent and philosophy 

of that idea forever, but we all know 

that if we don’t allow momentary 

inconvenience to promote an orderly 

society in a complex world chaos and 

criminality will follow. If the reader 

disagrees with that foundational 

statement, please read your newspaper. 

When I first started, my mere appearance 

in uniform usually brought 

a pause in the disturbance, like the 

bell at a boxing match telling combatants 

to go to their corners where 

they could bounce and snarl all 

they wanted, but the fighting had to 

stop. Granted, that was not always 

the case, but even in my rookie days 

at 5’10” 140 pounds, and cherubic 

21-year-old face, most folks had 

enough fear or enough respect to 

pause and pay attention. We’ve lost 

much of that in the current state of 

things. 

Although there have been many 

graphic representations in police 

training to teach police officers how 

to gain compliance when enforcing 

the laws, a foundational framework 

is known as The Use of Force Continuum 

(UFC) which has been used 

for decades. The UFC is often visualized 

as a stairway with each level 

of resistance and officer response 

one step at a time. For a variety of 

reasons, this framework has been 

modified and even rejected as more 

helpful models have been developed 

represented by a ladder, a wheel, a 

triangle, a Venn diagram, and other 

illustrations. In recent years, the concept 

of de-escalation has been more 

fully integrated into these models, 

but de-escalation has been implied 

and practiced since the first person to 

ever wear a badge realized that no 

use of force in gaining compliance is 

optimal. 

In most of these models, including 

the UFC, the first level of gaining 

compliance is known as officer 

presence. The very appearance of an 

officer of the law should remind a 

citizen that the law and social convention 

require submission to lawful 

authority. When a citizen accepts this 

legal and moral requirement, further 

use of persuasion and physical force 

is not needed. 

An essential component of officer 

presence is not merely showing up, 

but doing so with a degree of gravity 

in attitude and appearance. It is 

easier to respect authority when all 

of the symbols afforded to peace 

officers are present. This includes 

posture, confidence, patience, and 

physical appearance enhanced by 

a uniform worn in such a way that 

the officer himself shows respect 

for their appearance. While there is 

a balance between an authoritative 

appearance and an authoritarian 

attitude, an officer should project 

the expectation that things are to be 

brought under control and handled 

efficiently and professionally, just as 

other professions, whether a doctor, 

lawyer, or plumber should project the 

confidence that the business at hand 

will be handled well. 

If officer presence fails, then verbal 

commands follow, then hands-on 

techniques from joint locks to pressure 

points to strikes, then stepping 

up to impact weapons, and ultimately 

the last resort of deadly force. This 

is why officer presence and citizen 

compliance are so critical in avoiding 

physical force. This is also why 

non-compliance after a pedestrian 

contact or traffic stop can escalate 

– not due to the officer doing their 

job, but due to the citizen’s refusal to 

obey the law regarding compliance. 

The increasing problem of 

non-compliance and false narratives 

(driver shot for broken taillight!) has 

resulted in some prohibitions on traffic 

enforcement and the reluctance 

of many officers to make a contact at 

all. This spiral is a contributing factor 

to the rise in crime as police officers 

are, by policy or by fear of reprisal, 

deciding it just isn’t worth the battle. 

This article originally appeared at 

the National Police Association and 

was reprinted with permission. 



READERS SPEAK OUT 

THANK YOU FOR READING THE 

ARTICLES FROM POLICE LAW NEWS 

HERE IN THE BLUES. 

I started Police Law News as a 

way to not only explore these complex 

and interesting issues in a more 

substantial and complete way than 

I could in the short videos I create 

for Tik Tok, YouTube, and IG - but I 

wanted a space where debate and 

discussion could be held - without a 

200 character count limit. 

I will be retiring from my police department 

within the next few weeks 

and will be writing more - as there is 

an endless amount of both justified 

and controversial police incidents 

to discuss. Also, the misinformation 

from the army of anti-police activists 

grows and the response from those 

on this side must be constant and 

aggressive. 

We appreciate any support to this 

mission. 

2023 Top Stories, 

Most Entertaining 

The sex scandal that the La Vergne, 

TN police department went through. 

Former Officer Megan Hall was at the 

center of this scandal. The memes 

alone made this the most entertaining 

story of the year. Also, when this 

story broke - there were undoubtedly 

hundreds of cops from dozens 

of agencies hoping that their similar 

ongoing scandals did not become 

public. Hall has filed a lawsuit against 

the city -claiming she was “groomed” 

and taken advantage of by supervisors 

within the police department. 

Best Policing 

This one is not close. The heroes 

of the Nashville, TN police department 

and their response to the active 

shooter at the Covenant School. If 

Uvalde was an example of cowardice 

and poor police management in 

2022. Then Nashville was an example 

of excellent policing in 2023. 

The response from these officers set 

the standard for how active shooter 

incidents should be responded to by 

police. Incidents like this remind us 

that there is still a place for the “warrior 

culture” in policing - because 

no one calls a social worker to kill a 

monster. 

Good News from 2023 

Former Huntsville, AL officer (Ben 

Darby) won his appeal and was freed 

from prison. He subsequently reached 

a plea deal with prosecutors for 

“credit time served” and 3 years of 

probation. Follow Ben and his wife’s 

(Keelin) journey (StandWithDarby). 

Kim Potter was released after serving 

a little over two years in prison 

for the shooting of Daunte Wright in 

Brooklyn Center, MN. Kim clearly did 

not intend to use deadly force against 

Mr. Wright. But, Mr. Wright did intend 

to resist arrest, fight with police officers, 

and behave in an illegal manner 

that set this entire set of circumstances 

into motion. Enjoy retirement 

Kim. 

Best Entertainment of 2023 

The Fall of Minneapolis - Liz Collin, 

Dr. JC. Chaix. Watch it! This is a side 

of this saga that you will not hear in 

many places. Entertaining, informative, 

and important. 

We all are aware of the most popular 

podcasts, but here are some of 

my favorite less popular shows that 

are interesting - On Being a Police 

Officer, The Com. Center, The Glenn 

Show, Courageous Leadership, and 

Street Cop Podcast. 

Cases I am following going into 

2024. 

The Daniel Penny case. Daniel Penny 

subdued Jordan Neely on a New 

York City subway after Neely threatened 

to kill random people. Neely 

died while being restrained. Daniel 

Penny is facing Manslaughter charges. 

Presley Eze resisted a lawful arrest, 

fought with police, and gained 

control of Officer Brad Lundsford’s 

Taser in Las Cruces, NM. Deadly force 

was utilized. Officer Lunsford is facing 

Voluntary Manslaughter charges. 

Patrick Lyoya resisted a lawful 

arrest, fought with a police officer, 

and gained control of Officer Christopher 

Schurr’s Taser. Deadly force was 

utilized. Officer Schurr is facing 2nd 

degree murder. StandWithSchurr 

Thank you for the support. 

Have a happy and safe New Years. 

Daniel 

POLICE ARE NOT THE PROBLEM 

AND I CAN PROVE IT 

Just because you do not like police, 

do not want to be held accountable 

for your unlawful actions, or profit 

off of the lie that police officers are 

“systematically racist” or aggressively 

heavy handed - does not make it 

reality. 

What occurs in the real world 

between humans still matters to objective 

adults. 

Anyone who glances just past the 

dishonest narratives from anti-police 

activists will undoubtedly stumble 

upon concrete data that proves - police 

are not the problem. 

Accountability Database 

Last week the Biden Administration 

launched the “National Law Enforcement 

Accountability Database”. 

This database will “track records 

of law enforcement misconduct” and 

“ensure that federal agencies have 

ready access to records of serious 

misconduct when hiring federal law 

enforcement officers.” 

The official public statement by the 

White House also took this opportunity 

to urge Congress to pass the 

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. 

Pointless 

This “accountability database” is 

almost as meaningless as the pandering 

press conference where it was 

announced. 


Here’s why 

Law enforcement agencies conduct 

thorough and comprehensive background 

investigations on applicants 

as part of a multi-level hiring process. 

Prior misconduct and problematic 

behavior of applicants should be 

easily uncovered during this process. 

The larger issue is that the number 

of reasonable people applying 

for police jobs is low. Recruitment 

and retention of police officers is a 

serious issue that nearly every law 

enforcement agency faces heading 

into 2024. The cause of this crisis - is 

the demonization and scapegoating 

of police officers. 

The Biden Administration is pushing 

policies that make working conditions 

far worse for police officers - then 

they ponder aloud quizzically about 

the quality of applicants for police 

departments. 

When politicians make the job of 

policing so awful that no reasonable 

person would ever choose do 

it - predictably, no reasonable people 

will be left to patrol the streets and 

answer emergency calls for service. 

Homicide 

The definition of “homicide” is: the 

killing of one person by another. 

Homicide statistics therefore include 

not only unlawful killings but 

incidents of “self defense” and otherwise 

lawful killings. 

The Numbers 

In 2021 there were 26,031 homicides 

in the United States (per the CDC). 

In 2021 there were 1048 fatal officer-involved-shootings 

(OIS) (Statista). 

We know that the vast majority of 

OIS are justified. Meaning: 

• Within department policy. 

• In accordance with relevant training. 

• Within the law. 

• “Objectively Reasonable” 

With that in consideration - the 

total number of fatal OIS incidents 

accounted for 4% of all homicides in 

2021. 

Local and federal prosecutors who 

investigate police shootings believe 

that each year between 1 and 2% of 

OIS cases are unlawful. 

That would be approximately 15 OIS 

incidents in 2021. 

Those 15 (possibly) “unlawful” 

police shootings would account for 

.057% of homicides. 

Let’s take this a little further 

According to the Bureau of Justice 

Statistics there are approximately fifty 

million individuals who report having 

contact with a police officer each 

year (some people have more than 1 

contact). 

So, we are talking about 15 (possibly) 

unlawful police shootings out 

of 50 million police-citizen contacts. 

This means that well over 99.99999% 

of all police-citizen contacts are incidents 

where police are not unlawfully 

killing people. 

Missing the point 

Those at the highest ranks of the 

U.S. government are not very worried 

about the violent maniacs slaughtering 

each other in the street - but 

instead, are deeply concerned about 

the selfless men and women who 

respond to those incidents. 

If the goal was to save lives and 

restore communities to a basic level 

of normalcy - “accountability” would 

start with the 99.5% of homicides that 

do not involve possible police misconduct. 

Final Thoughts 

Police are not the problem. 


is Proud to Announce its Endorsement 

of 

JIMMY FULLEN 

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in 2024 



AROUND THE COUNTRY 

LAS VEGAS, NV. 

Driver arrested after 2 troopers were killed on a Las Vegas 

freeway who had stopped to assist a motorist. 

By Rio Yamat 

LAS VEGAS, NV. — Two Nevada 

state troopers in Las Vegas who 

had stopped to help a driver on the 

state’s busiest freeway were killed 

in the pre-dawn hours Thursday 

when an impaired driver struck 

them, authorities said. 

Las Vegas police Undersheriff 

Andrew Walsh said at a mid-day 

news conference that they had 

arrested the driver, who fled after 

hitting the two officers and evaded 

authorities for hours before the car 

involved in the hit-and-run crash 

was found at a nearby apartment 

complex. 

“Right now during this very tragic 

time, the Nevada State Police is 

going to need that love and support 

from the community more than 

ever,” Walsh said. 

The state police on Thursday 

identified the officers as Sgt. Michael 

Abbate, who joined the 

agency in December 2013 and was 

recently promoted to sergeant, and 

Trooper Alberto Felix, who joined 

in 2019 after service in the U.S. Air 

Force. 

Police identified the driver as 

Jemarcus Williams, 46. Court and 

jail records did not list on Thursday 

night an attorney for Williams who 

could speak on his behalf. 

Williams faces charges of reckless 

driving, DUI and failing to stop 

TROOPER ALBERTO FELIX 

at the scene of the crash, according 

to court records. Because the alleged 

crimes left two people dead, 

the charges include a sentencing 

enhancement that could add decades 

to Williams’ punishment if he 

is convicted. 

Around 3:30 a.m., the two officers 

had stopped to check on a driver 

who was asleep behind the wheel 

on Interstate 15 near downtown Las 

Vegas when a white Chevrolet HHR 

struck them both, police said. 

The driver did not stop, said Deputy 

Police Chief Branden Clarkson. 

But he said investigators found the 

car unoccupied at an apartment 

complex around 8 a.m. He did not 

say how the suspect was found. 

One trooper was pronounced 

SGT. MICHAEL ABBATE 

dead at a hospital. The other died at 

the scene. 

Video released by the police 

department showed the bodies of 

both troopers being escorted to the 

coroner’s office by about two dozen 

officers on motorcycles, their blueand-red 

police lights flashing. 

Gov. Joe Lombardo, who said he 

was “profoundly saddened” by the 

deaths, ordered all U.S. flags in Nevada 

to be flown at half-staff until 

the troopers’ funerals. 

“This is a devastating loss for 

Nevada law enforcement, the city 

of Las Vegas, and our entire state,” 

Lombardo said in a statement. “As 

we mourn these troopers, we will 

never forget their bravery, courage, 

and sacrifice.” 


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WALTHAM, MA. 

Hundreds of officers from across the country gathered to pay tribute 

to Officer Paul Tracey killed in a crash at a construction site. 

WALTHAM, MA. — Services 

were held Thursday, Dec. 14th. 

for a Waltham police officer 

who was killed while working a 

construction detail in the Massachusetts 

city. 

Officer Paul Tracey, 58, was 

fatally struck on the night of Dec. 

6, while working a detail on Totten 

Pond Road. A utility worker 

was also killed in the incident. 

Tracey, a 28-year veteran of 

the Waltham Police Department, 

was married to fellow Waltham 

police Officer Kristin Tracey, who 

is the school resource officer at 

Waltham High School. The couple 

had two children, Danika and 

Tyler. 

A procession carried Tracey 

from the Brasco & Son Memorial 

Funeral Home to Our Lady of 

Comforter of the Afflicted Parish 

at 920 Trapelo Road in Waltham. 

Thousands of police formed 

ranks outside the church ahead 

of a visitation for law enforcement 

at 2 p.m. followed by a 

public visitation from 3 p.m. to 8 

p.m. 

A funeral Mass was scheduled 

for 10 a.m. Friday at Our Lady 

Comforter. 

Roderick Jackson, a 36-yearold 

National Grid worker, was 

also fatally struck in the crash 

that killed Tracey. 

Peter Simon, 54, of Woodsville, 

New Hampshire, was arrested 

Wednesday night on several 

charges, including two counts 

of manslaughter and one count 

of armed robbery in connection 

with the crash. 

Waltham and State Police 

continue to investigate the crash 

OFFICER PAUL TRACEY 

that claimed the lives of the two 

men. Detectives want to speak 

with anyone who drove by, or 

might have video of the crash or 

the moments leading up to the 

incident. 

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MERCER COUNTY, ND. 

Mercer County Deputy Paul Martin was struck and 

killed while attempting to deploy stop sticks to a fleeing 

suspect, who was a US Senator’s son. 

by Justin Betti & Debra Worley 

MERCER COUNTY, N.D. (KVLY/ 

KFYR/Gray News) - A deputy in 

North Dakota was killed during 

the pursuit of a stolen vehicle 

Wednesday. 

The North Dakota Highway says 

53-year-old Paul Martin was the 

deputy killed during the pursuit. 

He was an 18-year veteran with 

the Mercer County Sheriff’s office 

and is survived by his wife and 

three children. 

“Our entire community has 

suffered the tragic loss of Deputy 

Paul Martin. He is our beloved 

brother in law enforcement, 

a husband, father, and grandpa. 

Our wound is raw, and our 

hearts are broken,” the sheriff’s 

office wrote in a post on Facebook. 

“We will put one foot 

in front of the other and move 

forward slowly, honoring all the 

wishes humanly possible of his 

wife and family.” 

The Bismarck Police Department 

received reports of a 

stolen SUV being driven by Ian 

Cramer of Bismarck. Sen. Kevin 

Cramer has since confirmed that 

is his son. 

The Mercer County Sheriff’s 

Office found Cramer and the stolen 

SUV, but he drove off when 

authorities approached, and a 

pursuit began. 

According to Highway Patrol, 

Cramer veered the SUV during 

the pursuit and crashed headon 

into an unoccupied Mercer 

County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle 

that was parked on the side 

of the road with its emergency 

lights on. 

Highway Patrol said Martin 

was standing behind the patrol 

vehicle when it was hit, and the 

impact of the crash pushed the 

DEPUTY PAUL MARTIN 

patrol vehicle into the deputy, 

killing him. 

At the time, Martin was preparing 

to deploy stop sticks to try 

to end the pursuit. Cramer was 

taken into custody, taken to the 

hospital for treatment, and then 

taken to the Mercer County Jail. 

This crash remains under investigation 

by the North Dakota 

Highway Patrol, and charges are 

pending. 


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GLEN ROSE, TX. 

Somervell County Investigator Sergeant Stephen Gibson, was killed in a crash 

when a 16-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle that hit Gibson head on. 

GLEN ROSE, TX. — The 

Somervell County Sheriff’s Department 

confirms Sgt. Stephen 

Gibson died in a traffic crash 

while on duty Wednesday morning. 

Texas State Troopers responded 

to a call for the crash around 

6:45 a.m. on State Highway 144 

about four miles south of Glen 

Rose, according to the Texas Department 

of Public Safety. 

Officials say, Sgt. Gibson was 

traveling north on SH 144 when 

a white Ford F-150 pickup truck 

lost control traveling southbound 

and hit Sgt. Gibson’s investigator 

truck. 

Sgt. Gibson was killed in the 

crash, according to Texas DPS. 

He served as a Peace Officer for 

more than 25 years. 

“Sgt. Gibson’s unwavering 

commitment to serving and protecting 

the community and distinguished 

career will be forever 

remembered. During this difficult 

time, the family, and this office 

request privacy as we grieve 

the loss of this dedicated public 

servant,” the department said in 

a statement. 

The accident remains under 

investigation by Texas DPS. No 

further information was available. 

SERGEANT STEPHEN GIBSON 


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EAST FISHKILL, NY. 

Officer Daniel P. DiDato, of the Town of East Fishkill Police 

Dept., was killed in a one-car crash on Monday, Dec. 18. 

Officer Daniel P. DiDato of the 

Town of East Fishkill Police Department, 

was killed in a onecar 

crash on Monday, Dec. 18, en 

route to investigate a separate 

car-pedestrian crash, served the 

community for 19 years, and was 

fondly remembered Friday by his 

friends and colleagues. 

Officer DiDato had served as a 

police officer with the Town of 

East Fishkill Police Department 

since Jan. 2, 2005. However, his 

career began at the NYC Department 

of Environmental Protection 

in 2001. 

“Officer DiDato was everything 

that encompassed a great police 

officer and friend; he was genuine, 

smart, courageous, tough 

and witty,” the Town of East 

Fishkill Police Department said 

in a statement. 

Daniel P. DiDato was remembered 

as a fun, caring individual 

and devoted officer 

People who knew Officer Di- 

Dato couldn’t say enough about 

his work ethic and dedication to 

the Town of Fishkill Police Department, 

as well as his ability 

to make anyone’s day a little 

brighter. 

Bruce White, the school resource 

officer for the Town of 

East Fishkill Police Department, 

said Officer DiDato was not only 

a self-proclaimed pizza connoisseur, 

but a big Marvel Comics 

fan. 

“We would talk at length about 

collecting comics,” he wrote. “He 

even grabbed me a few new rare 

editions of Spider-Man, which 

Dan knew was my favorite Marvel 

character.” 

Even though Officer White and 

Officer DiDato were on different 

squads, DiDato would make 

an effort to connect with him, 

sending over old-school ’90s 

music to listen to ranging from 

house music to R&B and hip hop. 

In comments emailed to the 

Poughkeepsie Journal, Officer 

White wrote it “was his way of 

saying hello.” 

“Dan was the definition of a 

brother, a cop, and a friend,” 

White wrote. “I will truly miss 

my East Fishkill brother.” 

Jessica Deschesne, senior 

police assistant for the Town of 


said Officer DiDato was a fun 

and caring individual. 

“His spot-on impressions of 

people could turn any bad day 

into a good one,” she wrote. 

Deschesne said she will always 

OFFICER DANIEL P. DIDATO 

keep the memory of him alive in 

her heart. 

Even for those who didn’t 

know Officer DiDato for long, 

he managed to make a tremendous 

impact. Angelina Santiago, 

police assistant for the Town of 


might have only known him for 

a short period, but she wouldn’t 

be where she is today without 

him. 

“He had a great impact on the 

start of my career,” she wrote. 

“Dan was the first officer I had 

spoken to about my interest in 

police work and the police department.” 

She also mentioned his enthu- 


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OAKLAND, CA. 

Oakland Police Officer Tuan Le was shot and killed as he and his 

partner were responding to a burglary call at a cannabis store. 

OAKLAND, CA. – Oakland Police 

Officer Tuan Le was killed in the 

line of duty early Friday December 

29th, the department said. 

The officer, who was working 

undercover, was taken to Highland 

Hospital, where he died 

from his wounds. 

Mercury News reported that 

the shooting happened a little 

before 5 a.m. in the 400 block of 

Embarcadero near 5th Avenue. 

Sgt. Barry Donelan, the president 

of the police officer union, 

said officers were responding 

to a burglary in progress when 

the officer “was ambushed and 

shot.” Fellow officers drove their 

wounded colleague in a patrol 

car to the hospital, where the 

officer died at 8:44 a.m. with his 

family and fellow officers by his 

side, Donelan said. 

“It is with a heavy heart that 

we come together to share the 

devastating news of the passing 

of our colleague and friend, who 

was killed in the line of duty today,” 

the Oakland Police Department 

said on social media. 

On June 1, 1987, Officer Le was 

born in Saigon Vietnam, before 

later moving to Oakland and 

being naturalized on September 

11, 2001. 

On February 21, 2020, Officer Le 

graduated from the 183rd Police 

Academy, beginning a journey of 

public service to his community 

that lasted nearly four years. 

For the past two years, Officer 

Le served as the Community 

Resource Officer (CRO) in West 

Oakland, where he devoted himself 

to strengthening the bond 

between law enforcement and 

the residents of Oakland. His 

tireless efforts in fostering positive 

relationships made a lasting 

impact. 

Officer Le was a devoted husband 

to his wife. His passing 

leaves a void in the law enforcement 

community, the city 

OFFICER TUAN LE 

of Oakland, and in the hearts of 

those who knew him. He will be 

remembered for his kindness, his 

smile, and the positive change 

he brought to the lives of those 

around him. He is a true hero 

who dedicated his life to making 

our community safer. 

Officer Le is the 54th Oakland 

Police Officer killed in the line of 

duty. 

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GRIFFIN, GA. 

Sergeant Marc McIntyre of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office was shot 

and killed from a ambush while responding to a domestic disturbance. 

GRIFFIN, GA. – Spalding County 

Sergeant Marc McIntyre was 

killed after being shot in the 

head on Friday morning at a residence 

on Deason Street in Griffin 

Georgia. 

According to the Spalding 

County Sheriff’s Office, deputies 

were responding to a domestic 

call when the sergeant was shot. 

He and another deputy were 

walking across the home’s yard 

when a male subject opened fire 

with a shotgun from an upstairs 

window. Sergeant McIntyre was 

killed and the other deputy was 

wounded. Other responding 

deputies were able to rescue 

Sergeant McIntyre from the front 

yard. He was transported to a 

local hospital where he was pronounced 

dead. 

The suspected shooter refused 

to come out of the home for 

several hours. Eventually, entry 

was made into the home and the 

suspect was dragged out from 

underneath a bed. 

The suspect is 57-year-old 

Todd Lamont Harper, according 

to Spalding County Sheriff Darrell 

Dix. 

The sheriff said Sgt. McIntyre 

was a veteran and had served in 

Iraq before becoming a sheriff’s 

deputy. The sheriff also said that 

McIntyre was the type of person 

who lit up a room when he 

walked into it and that he was a 

deputy who led by example. The 

sheriff said he had been with 

the sheriff’s office for at least 11 

SERGEANT MARC MCINTYRE 

years. 

Another deputy was injured 

during the incident. The deputy 

suffered some sort of injury to 

his hand but was not shot. 

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HOUSTON, TX. 

Houston Police Sergeant M. Valle fatally shot a suspected burglar after 

being severely wounded by multiple gunshots at point-blank range. 

HOUSTON, TX. - A Houston 

police sergeant was shot multiple 

times in an “ambush-style 

attack” early Saturday morning, 

and the suspect is dead, the police 

chief says. 

Chief Troy Finner says Sergeant 

M. Valle, a 17-year veteran 

of the department, was taken to 

the hospital and is expected to 

survive his injuries. 

The incident began shortly 

after 1 a.m. in the 7000 block of 

Harwin. That’s where, the chief 

says, the sergeant and two other 

officers on the Crime Suppression 

Team spotted a man suspected 

in multiple burglaries and 

an aggravated assault who was 

driving a silver car. 

Chief Finner says the suspect 

then drove to the 5800 block of 

Parkersburg, where he and a 

female got out of the car and 

started casing businesses. 

The sergeant drove up to the 

7000 block of Harwin looking 

for the suspect. At some point, 

Chief Finner says, there was an 

“ambush-style attack” and the 

suspect fired multiple shots into 

the sergeant’s passenger side 

window. 

The sergeant managed to get 

out his car and return fire, striking 

the suspect, the chief says. 

HPD says the suspect ran from 

the scene and was found a short 

time later around the corner of 

a building. Police administered 

first aid, but he was pronounced 

dead at the scene. 

The sergeant was shot multiple 

times in the arms and legs, and 

Chief Finner says the sergeant’s 

ballistic vest took a bullet. Other 

officers applied tourniquets to 

the sergeant’s injuries, and he 

was then taken to the hospital. 

Per policy, the police department 

will conduct a criminal 

and administrative investigation, 

and the Harris County District Attorney’s 

Office will also investigate. 




BROWNSVILLE, TX. 

Texas governor signs bill that lets police arrest migrants who 

enter the US illegally. 

By Valerie Gonzalez and Paul J. 

Weber, Associated Press 

BROWNSVILLE, TX.— Republican 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on 

Monday approved sweeping new 

powers that allow police to arrest 

migrants who illegally cross 

the U.S. border and give local 

judges authority to order them 

to leave the country, testing the 

limits of how far a state can go 

to enforce immigration laws. 

Opponents have called the 

measure the most dramatic attempt 

by a state to police immigration 

since a 2010 Arizona 

law — denounced by critics as 

the “Show Me Your Papers” bill 

— that was largely struck down 

by the U.S. Supreme Court. Immigration 

enforcement is a federal 

responsibility, and Texas’ law 

is also likely to face swift legal 

challenges. 

The law, which takes effect in 

March, allows any Texas law enforcement 

officer to arrest people 

who are suspected of entering 

the country illegally. Once in 

custody, they could either agree 

to a Texas judge’s order to leave 

the U.S. or be prosecuted on 

misdemeanor charges of illegal 

entry. Migrants who don’t leave 

could face arrest again under 

more serious felony charges. 

Abbott, who signed the law 

in front of a section of border 

fence in Brownsville, predicted 

the number of people crossing 

illegally into Texas would drop 

by “well over 50%, maybe 75%.” 

“The consequences of it are so 

extreme that the people being 

smuggled by the cartels, they 

will not want to be coming into 

the state of Texas,” he said. 

The U.S. government on Monday 

temporarily shut down two 

railroad border crossings in 

Texas, a move that rail operators 

said would hamper trade ahead 

of Christmas. Troy Miller, U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection’s 

acting commissioner, said the 

closures at Eagle Pass and El 

Paso were a response to more 

migrants traveling on freight 

trains, particularly over the last 

week. 

Miller said authorities are seeing 

“unprecedented” arrivals at 

the border, topping 10,000 crossings 

on some days this month. 

Shortly after Abbott signed 

the new law, the American Civil 

Liberties Union of Texas said it 

would challenge the measure 

in court. More than 20 congressional 

Democrats also signed a 

letter urging the U.S. Justice Department 

to sue to stop the law, 

known as Senate Bill 4. 

Mexico’s government also 

has rebuked the measure. Under 

bilateral and international 

agreements, Mexico is required 

to accept deportations of its own 

citizens, but not those of other 

countries. 


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COMMERCE CITY, CO. 

“This has to stop”: Drunk driver injures four first responders in Commerce 

Colorado working an accident on I-76. 

A tragic collision on Interstate 

76 in Adams County, Colorado, 

on the night of December 7, in 

which four first responders were 

struck and injured by a suspected 

drunk driver, has caused an 

uproar in the community surrounding 

responsible driving. 

The first responders — two 

Commerce City police officers 

and two South Adams County 

firefighters — were hit by the DUI 

driver while ironically attending 

to a separate DUI crash investigation. 

The incident has since 

prompted a fervent plea from 

law enforcement and firefighting 

agencies for the public to abstain 

from driving under the influence. 

According to police officials, 

the suspected drunk driver, 

identified as 24-year-old Benjamin 

Winters of Brighton, drove 

through barricades and struck 

the four responders who were 

working outside their vehicles at 

the scene. 

The first responders had set up 

a traffic accident management 

zone on I-76, with a fire truck 

blocking two lanes of traffic and 

other vehicles directing drivers 

to pass on the right shoulder. 

Despite these safety measures, 

Winters reportedly drove around 

the left side of the fire truck and 

into the closed lanes. 

Commerce City Police Chief 

Darrel Guadnola expressed frustration 

during a news conference 

the following day. 

“This driver, for whatever 

reason, found a small opening 

between the left shoulder and 

the back of the fire apparatus 

and decided to go around the 

left instead of the right, at which 

time he struck the four individuals 

who were working,” the chief 

stated. 

The injured first responders 

were rushed to the hospital by 

their colleagues. One firefighter 

underwent surgery, while the 

other three sustained injuries of 

varying degrees. 

“This has to stop,” Commerce 

City Manager Jason Rogers said 

during the news conference. “We 

as a community have to come 

together. We have to make the 

wise decisions. We have to be 

vocal. We have to be present. 

And we need to make sure we’re 

thinking about the safety of all 

of our members of our community 

at all times.” 

Colorado State Patrol Master 

Sergeant Gary Cutler noted the 

persistent issue of drunk driving 

across the state: “We’ve talked, 

we’ve talked and we’ve talked, 

and nobody’s listening here. It 

comes down to laziness and 

being self-absorbed. There’s no 

reason that anybody needs to be 

drinking and driving.” 


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TACOMA, WA. 

Three Tacoma Washington police officers were acquitted 

of charges in Manuel Ellis’ death. 

By Patrick Malone and Alex 

Yoon-Hendricks 

The Seattle Times 

TACOMA, WA.— A Pierce County 

jury Thursday acquitted three 

Tacoma police officers charged 

in the death of Manuel Ellis, concluding 

a grueling, historic trial 

that tested the state’s new police 

accountability law. 

The jury considered second-degree 

murder charges 

against officers Matthew Collins, 

40, and Christopher “Shane” 

Burbank, 38, and manslaughter 

charges against Officer Timothy 

Rankine, 35, as well as Collins 

and Burbank. 

The acquittal marked the 

dramatic conclusion of a nearly 

four-year saga that began March 

3, 2020, when Ellis, a 33-yearold 

Black man, died in a south 

Tacoma intersection after struggling 

with and repeatedly telling 

police he couldn’t breathe. 

In the turbulent summer of 

2020, Ellis’ name was invoked 

alongside George Floyd’s during 

sustained protests in the Pacific 

Northwest demanding more 

equitable policing. 

In the courtroom, the officers 

hugged their lawyers after the 

verdict was read, while Ellis’ 

family quickly left the courthouse. 

When Collins’ lawyer 

asked Pierce County Superior 

Court Judge Bryan Chushcoff if 

they could leave, the judge said, 

“I would just be careful. A lot of 

emotions are running high right 

now.” 

The Pierce County medical 

examiner ruled Ellis’ death a 

homicide caused by oxygen 

deprivation from physical restraint. 

Lawyers for the officers 

argued at trial that the high level 

of methamphetamine in Ellis’ 

system combined with a heart 

condition killed him and that the 

officers were justified in aggressively 

subduing Ellis because he 

fought them with what they described 

as extraordinary strength. 

The jury, with seven men and 

five women, deliberated for a total 

of three days before alerting the 

court of their verdict Thursday, 

although the composition of the 

jury changed twice this week as 

alternates were swapped in. Nine 

jurors are white, two are Black 

and one identifies as mixed-race, 

Asian and white. 

Only six deaths at the hands of 

law enforcement have resulted 

in charges against police officers 

in the state over the past century. 

The last time three police officers 

were charged in Washington for a 

death was 85 years ago. 


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LA COUNTY. NV. 

Deputy Arturo Atilano-Valdezs’ Widow files $20 million claim alleging L.A. 

Sheriff’s overtime policies led to deputy suicides. 

LAS ANGELES, CA. – The widow 

of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s 

Department (LASD) Deputy Arturo 

Atilano-Valadez, who was one of 

four department members to die by 

suicide in a single day, is filing a $20 

million damages claim against the 

department, alleging that mandatory 

overtime policies contributed 

to the mental health struggles that 

ultimately led to the suicides. 

Michele Atilano spoke at a news 

conference, revealing the toll that 

excessive overtime took on her 

husband and calling for changes to 

department policies. 

“My husband was present but he 

was walking like a zombie,” Atilano 

said, pointing to the department’s 

indifference to the deputies’ working 

hours and calling for a shift in 

their approach. 

Atilano-Valadez had reportedly 

spent over a decade working grueling 

12-hour shifts in county jails, 

facing mandatory overtime, and 

was denied requests for transfer. 

According to the claim, these conditions 

contributed to his growing 

depression, ultimately leading to his 

tragic decision to take his own life. 

Atilano addressed Sheriff Robert 

Luna directly, recounting a conversation 

with him after her husband’s 

death. 

“He doesn’t even know how much 

overtime he gives them. I want to 

know how many have committed 

suicide this year, because my husband 

was just one 

of many.” 

The department 

issued a statement 

expressing condolences 

and stating 

its commitment to 

the well-being and 

safety of its employees. 

Following the suicides, 

Sheriff Luna 

promised to address 

the stressful working 

conditions. 

“Our profession 

has become even 

more challenging 

throughout 

the years, and we 

are all human 

with emotions and 

struggles that don’t disappear when 

you take off your duty belt or leave 

work,” he wrote in a statement. 

“I recognize the increased workload 

and long hours can take a toll 

on you and amplify challenges. I 

have the deepest concern for your 

well-being, and I’m committed to 

developing a healthier plan to reduce 

work stress factors to support 

our employees.” 

However, the claim comes amid 

a broader pattern of deputy suicides 

linked to mandatory overtime, 

prompting calls for urgent action. 

Atilano’s attorney, Brad Gage, 

argues that additional factors such 

as discrimination against the deputy 

may present exceptions to the 

immunity. 

Additionally, Gage said the department 

has not taken steps to protect 

deputies. 

“The department is well aware of 

the health problems the deputies are 

going through because of the overtime,” 

Gage said of the situation. 

“The board of supervisors acknowledged 

it. Sheriff Luna acknowledged 

it. But the department has not replenished 

their ranks or taken other 

actions to protect deputies from 

the harm of being overworked and 

overburdened.” 




FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. 

Deputy Scot Peterson was sued over failure to act in Parkland 

shooting, but claims he had no legal duty to confront gunman. 


FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. — A former 

Florida sheriff’s deputy is claiming 

he had no legal duty to confront the 

gunman who murdered 17 people 

and wounded 17 others at Parkland’s 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High 

School nearly six years ago, his attorney 

argued Monday. 

The legal team representing Broward 

County Deputy Scot Peterson 

asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit 

brought by the victims’ families and 

survivors, even though the decision 

would likely be derided by the public. 

Attorney Michael Piper told Circuit 

Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips that under 

the law, his client cannot be sued for 

anything he did or didn’t do during 

the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre. He cited 

appellate court cases that say police 

officers don’t have a legal obligation 

to protect others from third-party 

harm and cannot be sued for decisions 

they make during a crisis. 

Piper said that while it might not 

be a popular decision, the judge 

must uphold the law and throw out 

the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified 

damages. There are also suits filed 

against Broward Sheriff’s Office and 

two school security guards. 

Gunman Nikolas Cruz, a 25-yearold 

former Stoneman Douglas 

student, is serving a life sentence for 

the murders and attempted murders. 

“There is a difference between 

legal duty and what I guess I’ll call 

societal expectations,” the attorney 

for the sheriff’s deputy 

argued. All the public will 

hear is that Peterson was in 

uniform and had a gun, he 

said, yet “When faced with 

this murderous rampage 

going on in this three-story 

building, he doesn’t have a 

duty to stop it?” 

“People are outraged,” 

Piper said, of the notion that 

a law enforcement officer 

doesn’t have a duty. “Yes, 

that is exactly what we are 

saying. That is exactly what 

the law is.” 

But attorneys David Brill and Joel 

Perwin, representing the families 

and survivors, told the judge that 

Peterson’s actions both during and 

before the shooting fall outside 

the law’s protections because they 

were made in bad faith and with 

willful negligence. 

Perwin said that according to 

Piper’s argument, Florida police 

officers could not be sued if they 

kept walking when they witnessed 

a robber attacking a liquor store 

clerk. Piper countered that while 

that might be unpalatable to the 

public, that is legally correct. 

Brill said Peterson knew that 

Cruz was nicknamed “Crazy Boy” 

by campus security guards when 

he was a student two years before 

the shooting — and that he was 

considered by school staff to be 

the one person who could shoot up 

the school. 

Yet, he did not have Cruz committed 

for mental treatment before 

the shooting, Brill argued. And just 

before the shooting — when Peterson 

learned Cruz had been spotted 

back on campus carrying a bag and 

backpack — the deputy didn’t order 

an immediate lock down. 

“His primary reason for being 

there was for the safety, health and 

welfare of the students and the faculty,” 

Brill said of Peterson. “He had 

a duty to protect the administration, 

the teachers and students to a variety 

of unreasonable risks, including 

active shooters.” 

Judge Phillips took the arguments 

under advisement and said she 

would rule soon. The trial is expected 

to start next year, if it goes 

forward.

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HOUSTON, TX. 

Harris County Sheriff’s SWAT Team used their armored vehicle to rip apart 

an 18-wheeler to arrest a driver after an hours long pursuit. 

Associated Press 

CHANNELVIEW, TX. — A Harris County Sheriff’s SWAT team ripped apart the cab of a tractor trailer and 

pulled the truck’s driver out after pursuing him in a slow highway chase that shut down the Interstate 10 

for over 3 hours. 

The dramatic confrontation on a stretch of I-10 east of Houston came hours after sheriff’s deputies 

began trying to pull over the truck, which could be seen on television news footage crawling along the 

interstate. The driver’s arrest left questions about what prompted his behavior and the heavy police response. 

Deputies finally brought the 18-wheeler to a stop on the shoulder of I-10 using spike strips to puncture 

its tires. The SWAT team eventually used a bulldozer-like vehicle to pulverize the cab before sending a 

dog into the truck and then pulling the driver out at around 4 p.m. In live TV footage, officers could be 

seen walking the man to a stretcher, his face bloodied. 

Gonzalez said the driver continued to press the gas and hold on inside the cab as officers tried to drag 

him out. He said the driver appeared to be suffering from “heavy impairment” but that authorities don’t 

know what was behind his behavior. 

The driver, Trinidad Cutshall, was charged with evading arrest and detention in a motor vehicle. 




AUSTRIA 

Gaston Glock, the man behind the famous gun line, dies 

at age 94. 

By Kirsti Knolle 

AUSTRIA - Gaston Glock, the 

reclusive engineer and tycoon 

who developed one of the 

world’s best-selling handguns, 

died on Wednesday at age 94, 

Austrian news agency APA said. 

The Austrian won loyal followings 

among police and military 

across the world with the weapons 

that bore his name. Forbes 

estimated his and his family’s 

fortune at $1.1 billion in 2021. 

His rise began in the 1980s 

when the Austrian military was 

looking for a new, innovative 

weapon. 

Up until then, the Glock company 

had made military knives 

and consumer goods including 

curtain rods. But he assembled 

a team of firearms experts and 

came up with the Glock 17, a 

lightweight semi-automatic gun 

largely made of plastic. 

The revolutionary design - 

with a frame made of a highstrength, 

nylon-based polymer 

and only the slide made of metal 

- beat several other companies’ 

blueprints and secured his upstart 

outfit to fill the contract. 

Soon the easily assembled 

weapon became a global hit. 

“Get yourself a Glock and lose 

that nickel-plated sissy pistol,” 

Tommy Lee Jones said in the 1998 

movie “U.S. Marshals.” 

Many U.S. police officers used 

them and U.S. rappers worked 

them into their rhymes, among 

them Snoop Dogg’s “Protocol” 

and Wu-Tang Clan’s “Da Glock”. 

U.S. soldiers found toppled Iraqi 

President Saddam Hussein hiding 

with a Glock in a hole in the 

ground in 2003. They later presented 

that weapon to U.S. President 

George W. Bush, according 

to the New York Times. 

Gun-control advocates criticized 

Glock for popularizing 

powerful guns that they said 

were easy to conceal and could 

hold more ammunition than 

other guns. 

A former U.S. Marine combat 

veteran armed with what police 

described as a .45 caliber Glock 

with a high-capacity magazine 

killed 12 people in a bar in 

Thousand Oaks, California, in 

November 2018. 

White supremacist Dylann 

Roof used a Glock pistol to kill 

nine African-American people 

during a Bible study session at 

a church in Charleston, South 

Carolina, in June, 2015. 

Glock himself rarely responded 

to criticism from activists, 

shunned public debate and, 

in 2000, refused to join other 

weapons manufacturers in sign- 



ing a voluntary gun control deal 

with the U.S. government. 

He made few comments of any 

kind to the press, but the public 

got glimpses of a sometimes 

tempestuous private life through 

the courts. 

At the age of 70, in July 1999, 

he survived an attempt on his 

life when an investment broker 

who managed his assets hired 

a former wrestler to attack him 

with a rubber hammer, a court 

heard. 

Glock had grown suspicious 

of how the broker was managing 

his affairs and had flown to 

Luxembourg to confront him, 

lawyers said. He suffered seven 

blows to the head but fended off 

the assault. The broker, Charles 

Ewert, and the attacker, Jacques 

Pecheur, were both jailed. 

His 49-year-old marriage with 

Helga Glock ended in divorce in 

2011 and the pair embarked on a 

lengthy legal battle over alimony. 

Soon after, he married his second 

wife, Kathrin, more than 50 

years his junior. 

He owned a lakefront mansion 

and a state-of-the-art equestrian 

sport centre in the province 

of Carinthia, where celebrities 

showed up for parties. 

He is survived by his wife, a 

daughter and two sons. 


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ACROSS THE US 

The Latest Breaking News as we go LIVE. 

COLO. DEPUTY KILLED IN 

CRASH ON THE WAY TO WORK 

ON CHRISTMAS EVE 

By Joanna Putman, Police1 

ADAMS COUNTY, CO. — A deputy 

died in a vehicle crash while 

on his way to work, Gray News 

reported. 

The Adams County Sheriff’s 

Office stated that Deputy Joshua 

Maloy was in a traffic collision 

on the way to start his Dec. 24 

shift, according to the report. He 

did not survive the incident. 

Maloy had served with the 

sheriff’s office for more than two 

years. Before working in law enforcement, 

he served as a United 

States Marine for nine years, 

according to the report. 

The sheriff’s office stated that 

Maloy was a beloved husband 

and father. 

“Our thoughts are with all 

those affected by this devastating 

incident,” the sheriff’s office 

said. 

NEW CALIFORNIA LAW PRO- 

HIBITS OFFICERS FROM ASK- 

ING THIS IMPORTANT QUES- 

TION 

Sacramento, CA. – Just when 

you thought California couldn’t 

mess with cops any more, Governor 

Newsome signed AB 2773, 

which is designed to end “pretextual 

stops.” A pretextual stop 

is when a violator is stopped for 

a crime but the officer is looking 

for a more serious crime. 

Before the world was made to 

believe this was a bad thing, this 

was also called “police work.” 

From the Oklahoma City Bombing 

suspect to the Unabomber, 

you guessed it, a stop for something 

minor resulted in something 

much bigger. 

Starting January 1, 2024, California 

cops will no longer be 

able to as drivers, “Do you know 

why I pulled you over?” 

Specifically, the law says this: 

This bill would, beginning on 

January 1, 2024, require a peace 

officer making a traffic or pedestrian 

stop, before engaging in 

questioning related to a criminal 

investigation or traffic violation, 

to state the reason for the stop, 

unless the officer reasonably 

believes that withholding the 

reason for the stop is necessary 

to protect life or property from 

imminent threat. The bill would, 

beginning on January 1, 2024, 

require the officer to document 

the reason for the stop on any 

citation or police report resulting 


from the stop. 

This is a pretty silly law, designed 

to make others feel better 

but in reality it will do very little. 

Cops will still stop cars but instead 

of a friendly “slow down” 

next time, this law requires them 

to state the reason for the stop 

and to document it. 

If Governor Newsome wants 

robot cops, that’s exactly what 

we recommend and we would 

make sure that every driver is 

aware of why. 

Here is a suggested script: 

“Hello, my name is —— 

and I stopped you today for 

___________. In the past, I 

think you would have been responsible 

enough to accept my 

warning and we would both 

move on to our important day 

but Governor Newsome recently 

passed a law that mandates 

that I tell you why I stopped you 

and that I document that reason 

on any citation or police report. 

Since I don’t do police reports for 

traffic stops, I will have to issue 

you a citation to comply with this 

law.” 

TEXAS CONGRESSMAN WHO 

CHAMPIONED DE-FUNDING 

POLICE REQUESTS PATROL FOR 

HIS HOUSE 

A progressive congressman 

who proudly voted to defund the 

Austin Police Department as a 

city council member and blasted 

the department just last week 

for alleged racist practices is 

under fire after requesting a police 

patrol at his home from the 

same department. 

“It’s come to our attention that 

Anti police king of the defund 

movement in Austin @GregCasar 

who only last week called APD 

an agency with racist practices 

has requested enhanced patrols 

around his house for the next 

week,” the Austin Police Retired 

Officers Association posted on X 

Tuesday. 

“We want everyone in Austin to 

feel safe,” the post added. “But 

this seems to us as the height of 

hypocrisy from the congressman. 

Maybe he should hire private 

security like his fellow squad 

members do. Sure seems like he 

wants the police in his neighborhood 

just not yours.” 

Casar’s request was made 

through the United States Capitol 

Police in Washington, D.C., 

which forwarded the request to 

the Austin Police Department, 

Fox News reports. 

Casar was perhaps the most 

vocal driver of defunding the 

Austin Police Department in 2020 

while he was a member of the 

city council. 

“We did it!!” Casar posted on X 

in August 2020. “Austin City Council 

just reduced APD’s budget by 

over $100 million *and* reinvested 

resources into our community’s 

safety and well-being.” 

DOJ TO SUE TEXAS OVER 

BORDER BILL THAT MAKES IL- 

LEGAL ENTRY A STATE CRIME 

By Bethany Blankley 

(The Center Square) — The U.S. 

Department of Justice says it 

will sue Texas over a new law 

that makes illegal entry into 

Texas from a foreign country 

between ports of entry a state 

crime. 

Gov. Greg Abbott signed SB 4 

into law on Dec. 18, saying its 

goal is to “stop the tidal wave of 

illegal entry into Texas.” It creates 

a new state criminal offense 

for illegal entry into Texas from 

a foreign nation. Repeat offenders 

who illegally reenter Texas 

can face a prison sentence of up 

to 20 years, according to the new 

law. 

Although the law is slated to 

go into effect March 5, it will 

likely be halted, held up by two 

lawsuits. 

Within less than 24 hours of 

Abbott signing the bill into law, 

El Paso County and several 

groups sued. Their lawsuit argues 

SB 4 created Texas’ “own 

immigration entry and re-entry 

crimes; state police arrest noncitizens 

for alleged violations of 

these crimes; state prosecutors 

bring charges in state courts; 

state judges order deportation; 

and state officers carry out those 

orders. The federal government 

has no role in, and no control 

over, Texas’s scheme.” 

One of their attorneys said, 

“Governor Abbott’s efforts to 

circumvent the federal immigration 

system and deny people the 

right to due process is not only 

unconstitutional, but also dangerously 

prone to error, and will 

disproportionately harm Black 

and Brown people regardless of 

their immigration status.” 

The U.S. Justice Department 

agrees. 

Principal Deputy Assistant 

Attorney General Brian Boynton 

on Thursday sent a letter to 

Abbott that states SB 4 is unconstitutional 

and will disrupt 

federal government operations. 

CBS News published the letter, 

which constitutes notice that the 

DOJ intends to bring a lawsuit to 

enforce the supremacy of federal 

law and enjoin the enforcement 

of SB 4. 


Texas has until Jan. 3 to “confirm” 

that SB 4 will not be enforced. 

If it doesn’t, he said, the 

DOJ “will pursue all appropriate 

legal remedies to ensure that 

Texas does not interfere with the 

functions of the federal government.” 

In response to the letter, Abbott 

posted a statement on social 

media, stating, “The Biden Administration 

not only refuses to 

enforce current U.S. immigration 

laws, they now want to stop Texas 

from enforcing laws against 

illegal immigration. I’ve never 

seen such hostility to the rule of 

law in America. Biden is destroying 

America. Texas is trying to 

save it.” 

Abbott has said he intends 

to take all legal challenges on 

Texas border bills to the U.S. Supreme 

Court. 

Boynton says the Texas law 

preempts and violates the U.S. 

Constitution and conflicts with 

various provisions of the Immigration 

and Nationality Act. It 

also “improperly regulates the 

movement of persons across 

an international boundary and 

undermines the United States’ 

foreign relations.” 

It notes that the U.S. Constitution 

“tasks the federal government 

with regulating immigration 

and controlling the 

international borders.” 

When signing SB 4 into law, 

Abbott said President Joe Biden’s 

“deliberate inaction has left 

Texas to fend for itself,” pointing 

to Article 1 Section 10 of the U.S. 

Constitution, which empowers 

states “to take action to defend 

themselves and that is exactly 

what Texas is doing.” 

Lawsuits filed over SB 4 and 

others currently before the Fifth 

Circuit over Texas’ concertina 

and marine barriers are expected 

to be decided by the nation’s 

highest court. 

The Texas legislature has allocated 

more than $11.5 billion 

in taxpayer money toward state 

border security efforts. Texas’ 

actions were implemented as 

more than 1.9 million foreign nationals 

illegally crossed into the 

state from Jan. 1, 2021, to Sept. 

30, 2023, The Center Square first 

reported. 

Thousands continue to pour 

in a day, with roughly 50 Texas 

counties declaring an invasion 

and more than 60 issuing disaster 

declarations, citing the border 

crisis. 

PORTLAND PD SHIFTS POLI- 

CY TO EASE RESTRICTIONS ON 

VEHICLE PURSUITS 

PORTLAND, OR. — Police officers 

will have more freedom to 

initiate car chases in Portland, 

the police bureau announced 

Friday. 

The policy changes, which go 

into effect Jan. 14, also offer 

clearer guidelines for officers 

behind the wheel, police said. 

“Part of the reasoning for this 

policy change is to give us a little 

bit more flexibility to be able 

to pursue suspects we maybe 

haven’t pursued in the past,” Police 

Chief Bob Day said in a press 

conference Friday. 

Portland police policy on vehicle 

pursuits has been evolving in 

recent years. In 2017, the bureau 

sought to protect the general 

public from the “inherent safety 

risks” involved when police 

pursue suspects by limiting them 

to when a suspect fleeing in a 

car had allegedly committed a 

violent felony or a driver was 

already putting people in serious 

danger with their conduct behind 

the wheel, police said. 

Since that change, Portland 

police said people have figured 

out that officers are now less 

likely to chase them, and so 

there has been an increase in 

suspects eluding traffic stops 

and driving dangerously to avoid 

arrest. 

The bureau referred as an 

example to video of a recent 

incident where a driver in a car 

suspected of being stolen drove 

at high speed in Northeast Portland, 

weaving in and out of traf- 


fic and driving on the wrong side 

of the road even when no officers 

were pursuing them. Police 

said the current policy “impeded 

officers’ efforts to quickly intervene 

and end the suspect’s dangerous 

driving behavior.” It was 

not until the driver stopped and 

left the car that police captured 

him, the video shows. 

In most circumstances, the updated 

policy won’t change police 

activity, according to Captain 

Franz Schoening. The rule remains 

that police can only chase 

someone if a violent crime was 

committed, a driver is putting 

people in danger or in “extraordinary 

circumstances.” 

The policy also lessens barriers 

to using established tools, like 

spike strips, to stop a car during 

a chase. 

Police are required to stand 

down if they are pursuing a 

known suspect who they believe 

they can safely arrest later, according 

to current rules. The new 

pursuit policy will allow officers 

to go after a suspect when they 

believe “deferring attempts at 

apprehension would be more 

dangerous,” police said. 

The updates also remove speed 

requirements for police using 

maneuvers to stop a vehicle, like 

ramming, police said. 

MAN ATTEMPTS TO BURN A 

“POSSESSED” 9-YEAR-OLD 

BOY ALIVE 

The Sacramento Bee 

SEBRING, FL. — A frenzied 

attempt to burn a “possessed” 

9-year-old boy alive came to 

an abrupt end when a Florida 

deputy killed one of the adults 

involved, according to investigators. 

The fatally shot man was identified 

as Richard Myron Ham, 39, 

and witnesses say he is the one 

who placed the boy in the fire, 

the Highlands County Sheriff’s 

Office said in a news release. 

It happened at about 4 p.m. 

Tuesday, Dec. 19, in Sebring, and 

the boy escaped serious burns 

after refusing to stay in the 

flames, officials said. Sebring 

is about 95 miles southeast of 

Tampa. 

Investigators say it was the fire 

department that first confronted 

Ham, after receiving calls about 

“several people burning piles of 

debris on the side of Bay Blossom 

Drive .” 

“Deputies quickly arrived on 

scene and found Ham armed 

with two metal rods. Ham refused 

to follow deputies’ orders 

and a taser was deployed. The 

taser did not appear to have an 

effect,” the sheriff’s office said. 

“Ham pulled the taser probes 

from his body and re-armed 

himself with one of the bars. He 

then swung the bar and struck a 

deputy in the head. At that point 

... one of the deputies fired his 

agency issued firearm.” 

Both Ham and the deputy were 

taken to hospitals. Ham was 

pronounced dead, and the deputy 

was treated and released, officials 

said. 

Detectives say Ham and the 

boy’s mother Lakenya Lavonn 

Phillips were in the process 

of burning the boy’s possessions 

when the fire department 

showed up, officials said. 

“They believed he was possessed 

by a demon,” the sheriff’s 

office said. “At one point, witnesses 

said, Ham put the child 

into the fire and covered him 

with a blanket that was also on 

fire. The child was able to escape.” 

An investigation into the shooting 

will be handled by the 10th 

Judicial Circuit Officer Involved 

Deadly Incident Task Force , officials 

said. 

The deputies involved in the 

incident will be on paid administrative 

leave during the investigation. 


FLA. DEPUTY INTENTIONAL- 

LY STRUCK BY SUSPECT RE- 

LEASED FROM REHAB FACILITY 

By Dirk Shadd, Tony Marrero 

LARGO, FL. — A Hillsborough 

County Sheriff’s Office deputy 

who was seriously injured when 

a man intentionally ran into 

him with a car last month was 

released from a rehabilitation 

center Tuesday just in time for 

the holidays. 

Cpl. Carlos Brito wiped away 

tears as hospital staff and fellow 

members of law enforcement 

cheered as he exited Encompass 

Health Rehabilitation Hospital of 

Largo in a wheelchair. 

According to information 

previously released by the Hillsborough 

County Sheriff’s Office, 

Ralph Bouzy’s mother called 911 

on Nov. 9 and said her son was 

acting violent and irrational at 

their Brandon home. Fearing for 

her safety, she asked that deputies 

be sent. 

When Brito and Deputy Manuel 

“Manny” Santos arrived outside 

the home, they found Bouzy in 

the driver’s seat of a parked Nissan 

Altima. 

Sheriff Chad Chronister said 

the deputies tried to deescalate 

the situation, but Bouzy ignored 

them and drove away. Bouzy 

returned and nearly hit two 

additional deputies who arrived 

at the scene, then sped up and 

aimed his car at Santos and 

Brito, who stood next to a sheriff’s 

SUV, according to the sheriff’s 

office. 

Brito was pinned between the 

Nissan and sheriff’s SUV. Both 

deputies suffered serious leg injuries 

and were rushed to Tampa 

General Hospital. 

Santos was released from the 

hospital on Nov. 11 . Brito was released 

on Dec. 5 and admitted to 

the Largo rehabilitation facility. 

The next day, a Tampa judge 

ruled that Bouzy was mentally 

incompetent to stand trial. 

‘IT IS HISTORIC’: U.S. SEES 

DRAMATIC DROP IN HOMI- 

CIDES, VIOLENT CRIME IN 2023 

By Joanna Putman, Police1 

WASHINGTON — The national 

homicide rate has fallen nearly 

13% since 2022, and local law 

enforcement agencies are also 

reporting drops in violent crime, 

ABC News reported. 

The homicide drop is the most 

dramatic decrease on record 

with nearly 2,000 less people 

killed in homicide incidents than 

in 2022, according to a report by 

National Crime Analyst Jeff Asher, 

which was comprised of data 

from 180 different law enforcement 

agencies. 

Cities stated the 2023 drop 

in homicides and other violent 

crimes can be attributed to expanded 

efforts to prevent crime, 

according to the report. Community 

volunteers and officers on 

foot and bike patrols were listed 

as means of reducing crime. 

“It is historic. It’s the largest 

one-year decline,” said Asher, 

who is the co-founder of AH 

Datalytics and a former crime 

analyst for the CIA and the New 

Orleans Police Department. 

“It’s cities of every size, it’s the 

suburbs, it’s rural counties, tiny 

cities, it’s large cities. It’s really a 

national decline.” 

U.S. Deputy Attorney General 

Lisa Monaco stated that the 

federal government has acted as 

a “force multiplier” in assisting 

local law enforcement to reduce 

the country’s homicide rate. This 

has been achieved by identifying 

and taking the most persistent 

shooters and violent criminals 

off the streets. 

CONNECTICUT K-9 KILLED 

DURING WARRANT OPERATION 

A Connecticut State Police K-9 

was killed in the line of duty 

during a warrant service operation 

in Pawcatuck Thursday 



night. 

The State police said K-9 Broko 

gave his life protecting his handler, 

fellow troopers and the 

community. 

State police said they arrived 

at a home on Mechanic Street 

to serve a felony arrest warrant 

held by Norwich police at 7:33 

p.m. on Thursday. 

“An officer-involved shooting 

occurred as troopers attempted 

to serve these warrants, and serious 

injuries have been reported,” 

state police said in a news 

release. 

“K9 Broko was a graduate of 

the 218th Connecticut State Police 

Patrol K9 Class in January 

2021 and was a very well-respected 

member of the Connecticut 

State Police Search and 

Rescue team. K9 Broko and his 

handler were assigned to Troop 

A in Southbury and most recently 

to the Connecticut State Police 

K9 Unit. K9 Broko heroically 

served with unwavering dedication, 

saving lives by locating 

missing individuals, apprehending 

dangerous suspects, and 

providing a steadfast shield to 

his handler. K9 Broko ultimately 

sacrificed his life doing what he 

was known best for,” CSP said in 

a press release. 

MICHIGAN OFFICER PULLS 

ELDERLY WOMAN FROM BURN- 

ING PICKUP TRUCK 

A Fraser (Michigan) Public 

Safety Officer is being commended 

for his quick, brave 

actions in rescuing an elderly 

woman from her burning vehicle. 

Officer Cameron Rieper pulled 

the woman from the driver’s seat 

of a GMC Sierra at about 10 p.m. 

Saturday as the vehicle was fully 

engulfed in a ditch, the Macomb 

Daily reports. 

Rieper said he didn’t think 

twice about it. “The way we look 

at it, it’s part of our job,” he said. 

“It was a life or death situation. 

I knew if I didn’t pull her out 

immediately she would burn. My 

instincts kicked in right away.” 

“It was heroic,” Hoppe said. 

“That’s exactly what you want 

your officers to do. He’s always 

out there hustling, but this time 

he saved a life.” 

Rieper said the initial call from 

dispatch was for a vehicle in a 

ditch. But enroute, he learned the 

vehicle was on fire, so he was 

ready to pounce. 

He said as he approached the 

vehicle, the woman, who said 

appeared to be “in her 80s,” 

rolled up the window. 

He opened the door and she 

was buckled in while clutching 

the steering wheel. 

“She was holding onto the 

steering wheel so I had to fight 

with her a little bit to get her 

hands off of the steering wheel,” 

he said. “I unbuckled her and got 

her out and pulled her to safety.” 

He said the woman appeared 

disoriented and may have been 

experiencing a medical emergency. 

She was conscious and 

talking but confused, he said. 

She was transported by ambulance, 

accompanied by Rieper, 

to McLaren Macomb hospital 

in Mount Clemens. He said she 

may have suffered some smoke 

inhalation. 

Rieper said he doesn’t know 

the circumstances of how the 

vehicle ended up in the ditch. 

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SURVIVING THE 


STREETS 

“The Weight of the Crown” Documentary 

Premieres January 5 

Film features Arik Matson, the 

former Waseca police officer 

shot on duty in early 2020, and 

his unique story of recovery and 

perseverance – aided by successfully 

hunting one of the rarest 

ducks in North America 

STILLWATER, MN. – Hometown 

Hero Outdoors (HHO), the 

Twin Cities-based nonprofit that 

facilitates therapeutic outdoor 

adventures for veterans and first 

responders, today announced the 

upcoming premiere of its new 

documentary film “The Weight 

of the Crown.” The 65-minute 

film tells the unforgettable story 

of Arik Matson, the Waseca, 

Minn. police officer shot in the 

head while on duty in January 

2020, and his recovery. That process 

was aided by a HHO-organized 

Alaskan waterfowl hunting 

trip, during which Matson successfully 

harvested one of the 

rarest ducks in North America: 

the King Eider. 

The film will premiere at a private 

showing on Friday, Jan. 5 at 

5:30 p.m., at Northwoods Cinema 

10 in Owatonna, Minn. The 

next day, at the same theater, a 

few public screenings will be 

offered starting at 10 a.m. Additional 

screenings will take place 

on January 13 at Stillwater Area 

High School in Stillwater, Minn. 

More information on all planned 

screenings is available at https:// 

documentary.hometownherooutdoors.org/. 

After the premiere, the film 

will be available for download 

on YouTube. To see a trailer of 

the film, visit https://documentary.hometownherooutdoors.org/. 

“The HHO, and the King Eider 

hunt they arranged, kept me 

motivated to recover from my 

injuries as fast as I could,” said 

Matson. “It was a dream trip, so 

I worked as hard as I could to be 

as ready as possible. Along the 

way, we met people that became 

lifelong friends. I’ll be forever 

grateful for what they’ve done 

for me and my family, and I look 

forward to helping other veterans 

and first responders accomplish 

their loftiest goals and 

experience similar thrills.” 

Matson was shot in the head 

on January 6, 2020, while on 

duty and responding to a call 

in Waseca. He was airlifted 

to North Memorial Hospital in 

Robbinsdale, Minn., for immediate 

brain surgery and ongoing 

treatment. Four months and 

three Twin Cities hospitals later, 

he moved temporarily to a neurological 

rehabilitation facility in 

Omaha, Neb., where he worked 

to relearn how to use the left 

side of his body under COVID 

restrictions that kept him from 

seeing his family. Seven months 

later, he returned home – and 

ever since, just like before, 

progress in his recovery has been 

slow but steady. 

Meanwhile, the HHO created 

a program called The Legacy 

Trip to provide especially 

distinguished veterans or first 

responders a once-in-a-life- 


time outdoor adventure of their 

choosing. Matson was selected 

as the first recipient of a Legacy 

Trip, and chose to hunt the King 

Eider in Alaska with his uncle 

and best friend. HHO and several 

others planned the trip over the 

course of two years – an arduous 

process due to delays and obstacles 

related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Finally, the traveling party 

visited Alaska’s St. Paul Island 

in January 2023, and everyone 

on the trip found and harvested 

a King Eider – including Matson 

himself. 

Matson and HHO recently 

selected the second Legacy Trip 

recipient, and HHO is currently 

planning that outdoor adventure. 

Going forward, all Legacy Trip 

recipients will help select future 

awardees; HHO hopes this will 

help foster an ultimate sense of 

community among servicemen 

and women. 

“From the depths of despair 

to the heights of adventure, this 

documentary perfectly captures 

Arik’s unbreakable spirit,” said 

Chris Tetrault, co-founder and 

president of Hometown Hero 

Outdoors. “The film follows 

the Matson family’s years-long 

journey from injury to triumph. 

It was HHO’s honor and privilege 

to be a part of telling this story – 

Arik is an inspiration to everyone 

he meets.” 

The documentary was filmed 

and produced by Dale Mord and 

the team at Rogue Productions, 

based in St. Paul, Minn. 

The HHO welcomes donations 

of time, money or other resources 

to its general fund, its Legacy 

Trip program and everything 

else it does. To contribute, or for 

more information, visit https:// 

hometownherooutdoors.org/. 

About Hometown Hero Outdoors 

Hometown Hero Outdoors 

(HHO), based in Stillwater, Minn., 

is a 501(c)(3) organization with 

two primary goals: 1) to connect 

with as many first responders, 

military service members and 

veterans as possible, and 2) offer 

them opportunities to temporarily 

escape the daily stress of civilian 

life through safe outdoor adventures. 

HHO has facilitated activities 

such as hunting in Alaska, 

camping in the Pacific Northwest, 

fishing off the coast of Florida 

and more as a form of recreational 

therapy. Through it all, 

HHO helps everyday heroes: connect 

with individuals who have 

experienced similar situations; 

begin the mental healing process 

through outdoor fun and relaxation; 

build a strong and positive 

support system; and conquer 

challenges of civilian life. 

For more information, or to 

support the cause, visit https:// 

hometownherooutdoors.org/. 

Help us reach our goal of 100,000 subscribers. 

CLICK OR SCAN THE QR CODE for your FREE SUBSCRIPTION. 

Please share with all your friends and co-workers. 


Chief Bradley Taylor 

Policing Through Mercy and Grace 


HAZEN ARKANSAS 

The Importance of Small-Town Police 

Departments in America 

BY DR. TINA JAECKLE, SENIOR EDITOR 

There is often attention and interest given to larger police departments 

across the nation. We are fascinated with their resources and how these are 

utilized, and they are also frequently mentioned in the media. However, the 

reality is that small departments comprise most of the agencies in the United 

States. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there are more than 

18,000 police departments in our country. The majority are small town police 

departments that employ ten or fewer officers. These departments are subject 

to different state, county, city laws and codes, with varying policies, practices, 

and officer training programs. While excellent policing occurs at all levels, we 

would like to highlight one of our small-town law enforcement heroes in our 

cover story this month. 

The Blues -- January ‘24 71 71

In December 2023, I traveled to Hazen, 

Arkansas to spend the day and 

ride along with Bradley Taylor, the 

city’s Chief of Police. Due to Hazen’s 

featured role as one of the departments 

on the highly popular REELZ 

television program On Patrol Live, 

Chief Taylor has quickly become a 

celebrity figure of sorts, both locally 

and nationally. His compassionate and 

common-sense approach to policing 

has captured the interest and praise 

of those who regularly watch the 

show. 

It is also clear that Chief Taylor, age 

46, is a hometown favorite as indicated 

by the reception given to him 

at the small, home style restaurant 

where we agreed to meet. The Hurley 

House Café in Hazen is a local hot 

spot and gathering place for many 

who have resided in this tiny town 

their entire lives. As I waited for him 

to arrive, I sat at his “designated” table 

and observed him taking the time 

to greet all the locals and catch up 

on all the happenings around town. 

From the moment we met to the time 

I needed to leave, Chief Taylor remained 

gracious, approachable, and 

humorous, all with that distinctive 

Arkansas accent. 

The town of Hazen recalls the image 

of a modern-day Mayberry, the fictional 

community in the Andy Griffith 

Show. But Hazen is unquestionably 

real and thriving. Everyone knows 

everybody here and of course, all 

their business. According to the United 

States Census Bureau, the city has 


a total area of 3.7 square miles. This 

land includes a 0.25-mile wide strip 

of annexed land along Interstate 40, 

from Prairie County’s western border 

to the White River. The 2020 census 

population is estimated at approximately 

1500. Hazen’s Police Department 

works closely with other local 

and state agencies to address potential 

crime issues on the interstate, and 

this has become a central focus with 

the On Patrol Live camera crew. 


THE HAZEN POLIC 

Currently, the Hazen 

Police Department is 

comprised of the following 

officers: 

• Chief Bradley Taylor 

• Assistant Chief Arlin VanHouten 

• Sgt. Clayton Dillion 

• School Resource Officer 

Teddy Walker 

• K9 Officer Dillion Cook 

• K9 BOSCO 

• Officer Colton Felts 

• Part Time Officers: 

• Officer Joe Mills 

• Officer Josh Middleton 

• Officer Tanner White 

• Malitta Walker-Secretary 

(and a ton of other duty’s lately) 

• Annette Felts-Court Clerk 

• Shannon Moore- Deputy Court Clerk 

Hazen Police Department has no jail facilities, 

and all individuals are transported 

to the Prairie County Sheriff’s Office for 

detention which has limited space. 


E DEPARTMENT 

The Blues - - January ‘24 75 75

An Established Family History 

in Law Enforcement 

Chief Taylor has deep historical roots 

in the law enforcement community. The 

Chief’s grandmother’s brother Morris Greenwalt, 

a 51-year-old Hazen Police Officer, 

died in the line of duty on April 29, 1974. According 

to the Officer Down Memorial Page 

(December 2023), Patrolman Greenwalt 

was shot and killed after stopping three 

female robbery suspects on Interstate 40, 

wanted in Brinkley, Arkansas, for the armed 

robbery of a grocery store. One of the suspects 

shot him after stopping them in a 

pick-up truck they had stolen in Nashville, 

Tennessee. Then another one took Patrolman 

Greenwalt’s service weapon and fired 

all its rounds into him as he lay helpless on 

the ground. All three suspects, 19, 23, and 

24, were arrested later the same day. All 

three had escaped from the Kentucky Correctional 

Institution for Women two days 

earlier. The two older suspects blamed the 

19-year-old for killing Patrolman Greenwalt, 

but a chemical test on their hands 

showed that they both had fired a weapon, 

and the 19-year-old had not. Both were 

convicted of murder and sentenced to life. 

The 19-year-old was convicted of accessory 

to murder and sentenced to 11 years. 

As of December 2022, both murderers were 

in McPherson Prison. Patrolman Greenwalt 

had served with the Hazen Police Department 

for six years. He was survived by his 

wife and two children. 

Chief Taylor shared that his father, Terry 

Taylor, was a radio dispatcher for the Hazen 

Police Department at this time and he 

closed the office and jumped in the ambulance 

to try and save Patrolman Greenwalt. 

Later that year, in 1974, Terry was appointed 

Chief of Police at 18 years of age. Bradley 

ultimately became Chief of Police at Hazen 

in November of 2010 after the previous 

Chief retired. Chief Taylor also served previously 

as Chief of Police in De Valls Bluff 

for 6 years. He is the proud father of two 

adult sons who currently serve in law enforcement. 

Cutler is a local sergeant for the 

Prairie County Sheriff’s Office, and Chance 

is a decorated Arkansas State Trooper. It 

is not uncommon to see him and his sons 

working together, both behind and in front 

of the camera. Chief Taylor is married, has 

two minor children, and has been in law enforcement 

for twenty-six years. 

76 The Blues 40th - January Anniversary ‘24 Issue

Taylor is the proud 

father of two adult 

sons who currently 

serve in law enforcement. 

Cutler is a 

local sergeant for 

the Prairie County 

Sheriff’s Office, and 

Chance is a 

Decorated Arkansas 

State Trooper. 

The Blues The 40th Blues Anniversary - - January ‘24 Issue 77

The Journey to ‘On P 


atrol Live’ 

I inquired how Chief Taylor, and his 

department, initially became involved 

with On Patrol Live. He explained that 

it has been a “crazy journey.” Some 

of the department’s YouTube videos 

were sent to On Patrol Live and 

he was contacted by a producer for 

more information and a friendship 

was born. Approximately two or three 

months later following a meeting in 

which the producer flew from New 

York City to Hazen to complete a 

ride along, an agreement to feature 

the agency was made. The producer 

wanted to show the nation a true 

example of small-town community 

policing. A few months later, On Patrol 

Live showed up for the 100th anniversary 

episode and the rest is history. 

Since this time, Chief Taylor has 

traveled to New York City and the On 

Patrol Live studio as a featured guest 

law enforcement officer and host. It 

was a huge success and an exciting 

first-time trip to NYC for him and his 

wife, Michelle. They enjoyed some of 

the best the city has to offer and have 

high hopes that they will visit again 

soon. 

Chief Taylor remains a bit amazed at 

his popularity, “It’s been a big surprise 

because I’m just being me. I know 

there’s a ton of law enforcement officers 

just like me out there just doing 

what I do. I just be me. Being who I 

am daily is what got me here, don’t 

change.” 


A Day on Patrol 

Although On Patrol Live has captured 

some of the most exciting pursuits in Hazen, 

I had the blessing of spending a few 

hours riding with the Chief to observe his 

everyday interactions with the citizens of 

this small town. As we enjoyed breakfast 

at the Hurley House Café, he received a 

call from a local residence, approximately 

two minutes down the road. As Chief Taylor 

approached the house, there were three 

men in the driveway changing a tire and an 

older woman who was standing inside at 

an open window on the front of the home. 

The woman addressed the Chief by his first 

name, Bradley, and they spoke for a few, 

and he appeared to calm her concerns. It 

was clear that he is well-respected and 

well-known in his town and trusted for his 

ability to resolve disputes. We then returned 

to Hurley House Café to finish our 

breakfast. 

The second call came shortly after and 

sadly, a long-haul trucker had passed in 

his vehicle at the truck stop near the interstate. 

Chief Taylor spoke with the man’s 

colleague to gain more information and 

then called two of his officers to the scene 

to assist with removing the man’s body. It 

is important to note that the department 

is so small that these officers will often 

respond to calls even when off duty. Their 

dedication and commitment are apparent. 

As the call was concluding, another trucker 

walked toward the Chief for a photo opportunity 

with the now famous local leader 

and he gladly agreed. 

The third call was about a possible stolen 

vehicle, and we sped down the highway 

in the Chief’s now infamous and incredibly 

fast Charger as seen in On Patrol Live. The 

potential pursuit did not materialize and to 

say I was thankful was an understatement! 


with the Chief 

I grew up in a small town and understand 

the importance of breaking bread 

with others and the fellowship it can provide. 

We once again returned to the Hurley 

House Café and joined a few Arkansas 

Fish and Wildlife Officers for lunch. As 

we finished our meals, another local citizen 

approached the Chief to request a photo 

opportunity for his wife. The Chief invited 

them both to stop by the station to make it 

happen. 


A Mission and a 

It has been said by many officers 

that policing is a mission and a calling, 

and the Hazen Police Department 

is a prime example. Few Chiefs patrol 

their own towns daily or employ parttime 

officers. Many of Hazen’s officers 

have other occupations, such as the 

pastor of a local church or as part of 

other law enforcement teams. The 

Chief himself delivers the occasional 

sermon. He shared that he dedicated 

himself to becoming a Christian 

eight years ago and it now serves as a 

strong foundation for all realms of his 

life. 

In the Chief’s office, he proudly displays 

old photographs of his time 

as a coach for the local high school 

football team, the Hazen Hornets. 

He points out that two of his former 

players in the photo are now officers 

with his department and the turnover 

here is nearly non-existent. In 

Hazen, policing is without a doubt an 

around-the-clock responsibility and 

the people have known each other 

for generations. Chief Taylor elaborated 

on the emotional challenges of 

responding to the tragedies of those 

he has known all his life. He recalled 

a time in which he had to share the 

devastating news of the loss of the 

child of one of his closest friends. 

There is no question that it impacted 

the Chief in many ways and touched 

his heart. These moments have in part 

shaped the man he is today. 

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM BRADLEY 

PLAY VIDEO / TAP OR CLICK HERE 


Calling 


Mercy and Grace 

Chief Taylor offered additional insight 

into his approach to policing. He 

explained that two central values in 

his life are granting others mercy and 

grace. He defines mercy as the compassion 

shown toward someone whom 

it is within one’s power to punish and 

grace as under served favor towards 

another person. In his interactions on 

camera in On Patrol Live, we have observed 

countless times his innate ability 

to talk to people, de-escalate potential 

increasing conflict, and encourage 

others to tell the truth. He pointed out 

that conflict can first begin when the 

lights are activated. His down-to-earth, 

calm, but no-nonsense demeanor has 

received countless praise throughout 

the nation. However, there has also 

been some criticism from policing professionals 

who are concerned about 

his and his officers’ safety when they 

approach a vehicle or detain a possible 

suspect. The Chief clarified that safety 

is first and foremost and that at no time 

are their guards let down. Make no mistake, 

one of the reasons for the Chief’s 

popularity is that he can still effectively 

police but can also treat people with 

respect and dignity when appropriate. 

He and his officers have been very successful 

in traffic stops that have resulted 

in high dollar seizures of significant 

amounts of illegal drugs and countless 

arrests. 

Time to Hunt and Reflect 

Chief Taylor is unquestionably an avid 

hunter. As we sat in his office, I noticed 

numerous mounted animal trophies, 

including deer and various game birds. 

Perhaps the most striking is the rattlesnake 

on the filing cabinet! Several 

pictures hang on the walls commemorating 

past hunting trips with family 

and friends. Recently, the Chief and his 

family traveled to Texas to spend quality 

time hunting and to take a few to reflect 

on the year and life’s blessings. This is 

his “down time” and a much-needed 

break from a busy career. As I read some 

of the comments during this period of 

absence in the On Patrol Live Facebook 

forum, it was clear that the Chief and 

his officers were greatly missed by the 

viewers. 




Advice to New Of 

Lastly, I was interested in the Chief’s 

advice for new officers now entering 

the field. He shared his own initial 

struggles as a young officer who was 

overly influenced by the power and 

authority of the badge and had to learn 

over time the need for discretionary 

balance, dignity, and respect. He encouraged 

new officers to understand 

the difference between the letter of the 

law and the spirit of the law. To obey the 

letter of the law is to follow the literal 

reading of the words of the law, while 

following the spirit of the law is to examine 

the intention of why the law was 

enforced. In other words, respect the 

power you have in the lives of others and 

pick your battles carefully. Chief Taylor 

offered numerous excellent examples of 

this during our time together. 

A Special Thank You from The BLUES Police Magazine 

We at the BLUES Police Magazine 

extend a special thank you to Chief 

Bradley Taylor, the dedicated officers 

with the Hazen Police Department, 

and the wonderful citizens of 

Hazen, Arkansas for allowing us to 

visit and offer a small window into 

your lives and community. Please 

know it has been our honor to collaborate 

with you. Best wishes for 

the New Year and keep up the excellent 

work! 


ficers 


WATCH 

ON PATROL LIVE 

ON FRIDAY & 

SATURDAY NIGHTS 

ON THE REELZ 

CHANNEL 

88 The The BLUES Blues 40th - January Anniversary ‘24 

Issue

The BLUES Blues 40th - January Anniversary ‘24 Issue 89

SPECIAL INSERT 

WSA - SMARTRACK 

















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 TWO: Framing & Roof Complete, Drywall & Brick Next 

Construction of a new home 

can be overwhelming and 

stressful whether you’re building 

your own custom 4-level 

$5 million home on beach front 

property or simply following 

the construction of your own 1/2 

million-dollar track home. 

Why? Because one trade crew 

could care less what the other 

crew is doing, should be doing, 

or is going to do. If you’d built 

your own home or doing what 

I’m doing and that’s following 

DR Horton along as they build 

our new home, you know what 

I’m talking about. If not, let me 

explain. 

In last month’s article, my 

builder had just poured the slab 

and began framing the house. 

Now 30-days later, the house is 

completely framed, the roof has 

been installed (at least most of it 

anyway) and within days of this 

writing, they will begin installing 

insulation and drywall. 

Outside, the brick has arrived, 

and the brick masons will start 

laying brick, while the drywall 

guys do their thing. But before 

any of this began, my builder 

Mike and I walked the entire 

house again, going over every 

detail of what was to come. 

Most in the industry called this a 

pre-drywall inspection. It’s your 

opportunity to inspect every 

inch of the framing, electrical 

and plumbing to spot any irregularities 

that might become BIG 

problems later. 

Before I met with Mike, I had 

my friend Marc walk the property 

with me the day before. Marc 

has over 20 years’ experience 

building everything from large 

steel buildings, to strip shopping 

centers, to stick homes just like 

mine. His experience is invaluable 

when inspecting a build prior 

to drywall and brick. It’s not 

impossible to find problems after 

your house has been built, but it 

sure isn’t the same as seeing it 

‘naked’ before it’s all covered up. 

Marc’s assessment of the build 

so far, was DR Horton had built 

a well-constructed home. Given 

this home is in a windstorm area, 

Horton’s engineers have followed 

the code to a T and installed all 

the required strapping, brackets 

and securing to keep your home 

from blowing away in a Cat 4 or 

5 hurricane. (see pics) 

In addition to the windstorm 

requirements, DR Horton also 

builds the home to meet HERS 

energy standards. This means 

foam sealing all the windows, 

adding a seal barrier around the 

top of the framing to prevent 

air from the unconditioned attic 

from penetrating the drywall 

layers of the home. (see pics) 

Of course this is in addition to 

the double-pane windows, R-13 

insulation in the walls and R-30 

in the attic and R-19 insulation 

in the sloped areas of the ceiling. 

Also, every opening that has 

been created in either the framing 

or sheeting to the outside, 

has been sealed in foam as well. 

In other words, DR Horton does 

a great job of keeping the hot 

96 96 The BLUES The Blues POLICE - January MAGAZINE 

‘24

The The Blues - - January The ‘24 ‘24 BLUES 97 97

or cold out in a well-insulated 

home. 

After the walk-thru’s with both 

Marc and Mike, we did find some 

issues that needed to be corrected. 

Gas lines that needed to 

be connected, and AC lines that 

needed to be secured and tucked 

properly in the framed walls to 

insure they do not contact interior 

walls. (This is an extremely 

important issue in new homes. 

The main condensate cooling 

line that runs from your outside 

compressor to the AC unit in the 

attic must be properly wrapped 

in insulation to prevent moisture 

from forming inside your walls. 

Improperly insulated pipe, or 

pipe that has contact with the inside 

of drywall, can lead to mold 

growing inside these walls.) 

Mike assured me this would 

be addressed, and we’ll be sure 

and follow-up on that in future 

inspections. 

While there is certainly nothing 

wrong with buying a new home 

after it has been constructed, it 

is certainly more reassuring to 

see the home progress through 

the various stages and ask 

questions along the way. This is 

an excellent opportunity to see 

where all the electrical plugs 

are going and, in my case, add 

a plug or two here and there. 

(For a few extra bucks, but well 

worth it). 

Seems pretty straight forward, 

so why the stress? My 

experience building-out interior 

lease spaces for the various 

projects I’ve been involved in 

over the years, there is a correct 

sequence of installations that 

need to take place before the 

next crew comes in. Installing a 

Straps and anchors are required by Texas Windstorm 

regulations in Galveston County. 

Sealant applied along upper sides of drywall 


sprinkler system first and then 

having HVAC installed, could and 

has resulted in broken water 

lines that can flood a building in 

seconds. But home building is all 

about turning the house around 

as quickly as possible to get it 

sold and move on to the next 

one. Hence the need for trades 

to do their respective jobs and 

not be concerned that another 

trade may have not completed 

their assigned tasks. Like drywall 

over a gas pipe that hasn’t been 

connected. No big deal, you just 

rip a piece of drywall out and 

connect the pipe. Seems like a 

waste of time and materials, but 

that’s the process and it’s best to 

just let them do what they do. 

My point, take notes, take 

photos, walk the property with 

your builder and point out any 

concerns you might have. In the 

end, if you have a quality builder 

like Mike working with you, all 

these issues will be corrected in 

due time, and you end up with a 

well built home. Next month, the 

inside comes together. 

Make sure the HVAC Coolant line doesn’t make contact with any interior 

drywalls. The condensation will result in mold growth. 


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The Blues -- January ‘24 101

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The Blues - - January ‘24 103

JANUARY 

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8 Team One Network - Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Armorer Buzzards Bay, MA 

8 West Virginia Case Law That All Cops Need to Know. Wheeling, WV 

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10-11 Drafting a “Bullet Proof” Affidavit *BY PATC Woodstock, VA 

11-12 Law Enforcement Grant Writing 101 Houston, TX 

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12 Dark Web Investigations Fort Worth, TX 

12 Team One Network - Smith & Wesson M&P 15Armorer Doral, FL 

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16-18 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Austell, GA 

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

16-18 WZ Criminal Level I Investigative Interviewing Techniques Columbus , IN 

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16-18 WZ Criminal Level I Investigative Interviewing Techniques Myrtle Beach , SC 

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16-19 Reid Technique of Investigative Interviewing & Advanced Interrogation Green Bay, WI 

17 Advanced Criminal Investigations by Blue to Gold Golden, CO 

17 Advanced Traffic Stops by Blue to Gold Harriman, TN 

17 Officer Safety for Corrections by Calibre Press Harrisburg, PA 

17-18 Managing the Property and Evidence Room *BY PATC Omaha, NE 

17-18 SLR15 Law Enforcement Shotgun Armorer Course Madison, WI 

17-19 Death, Injury & Sexual Violence Scene for the First Responder Texas City, TX 

17-19 Homicide Investigations, Tactics and Procedures - by LLRMI Saint Albans, WV 

17-19 Police Background Investigations by ProFirst Training Bladensburg, MD 

18 Advanced Patrol Tactics by Calibre Press Lansing, MI 

18 Leadership in Corrections by Calibre Press Harrisburg, PA 

18 Team One Network - Benelli M1, 2, &4 Series Armorer Wauwatosa, WI 

18-19 Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement by IPTM Clearwater, FL 

18-19 Certified Search & Seizure Instructor by Blue to Gold Golden, CO 

18-19 FOCUS - Red Dot Handgun Instructor Tulsa, OK 

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21-23 Team One Network - Pistol Mounted Optics Instructor Buckeye, AZ 

22 Livestream: Patrol Response to Violent Crime Scenes by DOLAN Webinar 

22 Marijuana Impaired Driving Detection for Law Enforcement by IPTM Lauderhill, FL 

22-23 Scenarios & Tactics for the Field Training Officer by Calibre Press Portland, OR 

22-23 SLR15 AR15 / M16 / M4 / AR308 Armorer Course Coppell, TX 

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

22-24 Cellular Technology, Records, and Analysis (CTRA) Kent, WA 

22-24 DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) by IPTM Titusville, FL 

22-24 First Line Supervision and Management Training *BY PATC Provo, UT 

22-24 Investigative Statement Analysis *BY PATC Franklin, IN 

22-24 Leadership for Troubling Times *BY PATC Wheeling, WV 

22-24 Narcotics and Gangs Financial Investigations Nashville, TN 

22-24 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Crestview, FL 

22-24 Pat McCarthy’s Street Crimes - Real World Training for the Real Police Derby, KS 

22-24 Team One Network - Pistol Mounted Optics Instructor Kenosha, WI 

22-26 5 Day New Detective and New Criminal Investigator - by LLRMI Denton, TX 

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

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

22-26 Covert Entry Specialist I & II Course (Basic, Intermediate & Advanced) Dallas , TX 

22-26 Criminal Investigations Using Cellular Technologies 40 Hour Course Gulfport, MS 

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

22-26 Fit to Enforce Fitness Instructor Overland Pk., KS 

22-26 Hostage Negotiations, Phase III *BY PATC Olive Branch, MS 

22-26 Leadership Institute for First Line and New Supervisors *BY PATC Lee’s Summit, MO 



HONORING OUR 

POLICE OFFICER PAUL TRACEY 

106 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 


WALTHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, MASSACHUSETTS 

END OF WATCH WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2023 

AGE: 58 TOUR: 28 YEARS BADGE: N/A 

Police Officer Paul Tracey was struck and killed by a vehicle while he was working a construction 

detail near 158 Totten Pond Road in Waltham. The subject was driving east on 

Totten Pond Road at 4:15 p.m. when he attempted to make a U-turn and collided with 

another vehicle. He drove away from the crash and struck Officer Tracey and three National 

Grid utility workers about a quarter mile from the initial collision. Officer Tracey and one of 

the utility workers died from their injuries. 

Officer Tracey had served with the Waltham Police Department for 28 years. He is survived 

by his wife, who is also a law enforcement officer, and two children.

FALLEN HEROES 

SERGEANT RUSSELL EARL LAVARL JONES 

PAMLICO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, NC. 



Sergeant Russell Jones suffered a fatal heart attack after responding to a disruptive inmate at the Pamlico 

County Detention Center in Bayboro. 

While trying to subdue the inmate at 8:33 p.m., Sergeant Jones was punched in the face. Fifteen minutes 

later, Sergeant Jones collapsed. Despite life-saving measures, he was unable to be resuscitated. 

Sergeant Jones had served with the Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office for four years. He is survived by his mother 

and two sisters. 

The Blues -- January ‘24 107

HONORING OUR 

DEPUTY SHERIFF PAUL MARTIN 

MERCER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, NORTH DAKOTA 


AGE: 53 TOUR: 18 YEARS BADGE: 3446 

Deputy Sheriff Paul Martin was struck and killed while deploying spike strips in an attempt to stop the pursuit 

of a stolen vehicle on Highway 200. Authorities were notified of a stolen vehicle that crashed through the door 

of an ambulance bay from Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck. When Mercer County deputies located the 

SUV in Hazen, the driver fled, and a pursuit began. Five miles west of Hazen, the driver crashed into a Mercer 

County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle with its emergency lights activated. The impact propelled the patrol 

vehicle into Deputy Martin, who was deploying stop sticks. 

Deputy Martin had served with the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office for 18 years. He is survived by his wife, 

three children, and four grandchildren. 


FALLEN HEROES 

CHIEF OF POLICE CHRISTOPHER BYARD CUMMINGS 

SAMBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT, TENNESSEE 

END OF WATCH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2023 


Chief of Police Christopher Cummings suffered a fatal heart attack after assisting with the dismantling of a 

beaver dam. The beaver dam was obstructing roads and causing flooding. Chief Cummings worked with other 

officers to tear down the structure, which was solid and difficult to tear apart. He stated that he did not feel well 

and was going back to the station. An hour later, when officers returned to the station, they found Chief Cummings 

unresponsive. Despite resuscitation efforts, he was pronounced deceased. Chief of Police Cummings 

was a United States Army and Tennessee National Guard Iraq War veteran. He had served with the Samburg 

Police Department for two years and previously served with the Obion Sheriff’s Office for three years and the 

Union City Police Department for 24 years. He is survived by his son, mother, father, girlfriend, and stepson. 


HONORING OUR 

SERGEANT STEPHEN GIBSON 

SOMERVELL COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, TEXAS 



Sergeant Stephen Gibson was killed in a vehicle crash on Texas State Highway 144. 

At 6:30 a.m., Sergeant Gibson was traveling northbound when a southbound truck lost control on the wet 

highway. The truck struck Sergeant Gibson’s patrol vehicle head-on. Sergeant Gibson was pronounced deceased 

at the scene. The other driver was not injured. 

Sergeant Gibson had served with the Somervell County Sheriff’s Office for 26 years. He is survived by his wife, 

two children, and grandchildren. 

110 

110 The The 

BLUES Blues 

POLICE MAGAZINE 

-- January ‘24

FALLEN HEROES 

POLICE OFFICER DANIEL P. DIDATO 

EAST FISHKILL POLICE DEPARTMENT, NEW YORK 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023 


Police Officer Dan DiDato was killed in a vehicle crash near Mile Marker 36.2 on southbound Taconic State 

Parkway at about 6:00 pm. He was en route to the Westchester Medical Center to interview a pedestrian who 

had been struck by a vehicle near the East Fishkill police station. Officer DiDato’s patrol car left the roadway 

and struck a tree as he drove along the parkway. He was transported to Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital where 

he succumbed to his injuries. 

Officer DiDato had served with the East Fishkill Police Department for 18 years and previously served with the 

New York City Department of Environmental Protection for four years. 


HONORING OUR 

DEPUTY SHERIFF JOSHUA HAMILTON 

PREBLE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, OHIO 

END OF WATCH MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2023 

AGE: 34 TOUR: 1 YEAR 7 MONTHS BADGE: N/A 

Deputy Sheriff Joshua Hamilton died in a vehicle crash on Ohio State Route 503 at 4:00 a.m. Deputy Hamilton, 

traveling southbound, and a vehicle traveling northbound collided head-on. He was transported to the 

Kettering Preble ER Campus, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the other car was also killed. 

Deputy Hamilton was a United States Navy Reserve and Army National Guard veteran and had served with the 

Preble County Sheriff’s Office for over 1 1/2 years. He is survived by his daughter and parents. 

112 The The Blues - - January ‘24

FALLEN HEROES 

POLICE OFFICER TUAN LE 

OAKLAND POLICE DEPARTMENT, CALIFORNIA 

END OF WATCH FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2023 


Police Officer Tuan Le was shot and killed while responding to a burglary call at a cannabis store in the 400 

block of Embarcadero at about 4:45 am. The store had already been burglarized one time before earlier in 

the night. As officers arrived at the scene following the second burglary several suspects fled. Officer Le and 

his partner were in plainclothes when they were ambushed by a subject who was concealed nearby. The subject 

opened fire on the officers before they exited their vehicle. Officer Le was transported to a local hospital 

where he succumbed to his wounds several hours later. The suspects fled the scene and remain at large. 

Officer Le had served with the Oakland Police Dept. for four years. He is survived by his wife and mother. 


HONORING OUR 

SERGEANT MARC MCINTYRE 

SPALDING COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, GEORGIA 

END OF WATCH FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2023 


Sergeant Marc McIntyre was shot and killed from ambush while responding to a domestic disturbance call on 

Vineyard Road, near Deason Street, in Griffin. He and another deputy were walking across the home’s yard 

when a male subject opened fire with a shotgun from an upstairs window. Sergeant McIntyre was killed and 

the other deputy was wounded. Other responding deputies were able to rescue Sergeant McIntyre from the 

front yard. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The man barricaded himself 

inside the home for several hours. He was eventually taken into custody by members of a regional SWAT 

team. Sergeant McIntyre was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office for 

11 years. 

114 The Blues -- January ‘24

FALLEN HEROES 

SERGEANT PHILIP DALE NIX 

GREENSBORO POLICE DEPARTMENT, NC 

END OF WATCH SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2023 

AGE: N/A TOUR: N/A BADGE: N/A 

Sergeant Philip Nix was off duty when he was shot and killed when he attempted to intervene in a crime that 

he witnessed while at a gas station at 3202 Sandy Ridge Road in Colfax. One of the subjects involved in 

the crime shot Sergeant Nix before all the subjects fled in a vehicle to the nearby interstate. Another off-duty 

officer and an off-duty paramedic who were also at the gas station immediately rendered aid to Sergeant Nix 

but he succumbed to his wounds. 

Sergeant Nix had served with the Greensboro Police Department for 23 years and was assigned to the Family 

Victims Unit. He is survived by his wife, children, and parents. 


WORDS BY SGT. MICHAEL BARRON, RET. 

Final Flight of 1999 - Y2K Fizzle 

Twenty-five years ago, New 

Year’s Eve was anticipated to be 

a disaster in the making. It was 

1999 and when the clock struck 

midnight, all hell was supposed 

to break loose. If you were too 

young to remember what Y2K 

was, let me refresh your memory. 

(no computer pun intended) 

The term “Y2K” stands for the 

“Year 2000.” It refers to a potential 

computer bug that was 

expected to cause widespread 

issues when the calendar rolled 

over from December 31, 1999, 

to January 1, 2000. The concern 

was rooted in the way dates 

were represented in computer 

systems. 

In the early days of computing, 

many computer systems and 

software programs represented 

years using only the last two 

digits. For example, the year 1998 

would be stored as “98.” This 

abbreviated date format posed 

a problem as the year 2000 

approached because there was 

a fear that computers would 

interpret the year 2000 as “00,” 

potentially causing errors in calculations 

and data processing. 

The concern was that many 

systems and applications relied 

on date calculations for various 

functions, and if they couldn’t 

correctly interpret the year 2000, 

it might lead to errors, system 

failures, or data corruption. 

There were fears that essential 

systems, such as those used in 

finance, telecommunications, and 

utilities, could malfunction, leading 

to widespread disruptions. 

In the world of policing, dispatch 

computers were expected 

to crash, 911 systems would 

go off line, traffic lights would 

cease to work, there would 

be mass blackouts as the grid 

would crash, and speaking of 

crashing, it was possible that 

planes could crash when Air 

Traffic Control computers quit. 

Given the extreme nature of 

this Armageddon event, most 

every police agency in world 

was on high alert and as a result, 

canceled days off and vacations 

and called everyone in. No one 

really knew what was going to 

happen at midnight. It was just a 

wait and see attitude across the 

country. 

A couple of weeks before 

Christmas that year, I got a call 

from Lt. John King at HPD Helicopters 

and asked if I wanted to 

get on the flight roster for New 

Year’s Eve and help them out as 

an observer. Sheriff Joe Max was 

more than willing to give up one 

Sgt. on the street to gain access 

to a helicopter if all hell broke 

loose in Galveston. I called the LT 

and asked what time the party 

started, and 4pm it was. 

Their captain at the time was 

not thrilled to have to work New 

Years and in fact, I don’t think he 

had worked ANY Christmas holiday 

for the past ten years. That 

was his set ‘vacation’ time and 

he’d be damned if he was going 

to work. But apparently the 

Chief said it was all hands-on 

deck and yes Captain that meant 

you too. So, he made a party out 

of it, brought his wife and they 

made chili and all kinds of side 

dishes. “If the world was going 

to end, by damn we were going 

to eat well before we all die,” 

he said as I walked in the door. 

Die. No-one said anything about 

dying. 


I was scheduled to fly twice, 

8pm-10pm with Lt. King and 

11pm-1pm with another pilot 

we’ll just call Bob. The first flight 

was fairly routine. Alarm calls, 

a couple of chases and an assist 

the officer call. I think everyone 

was pretty chill waiting to see 

what the hell was going to happen 

at midnight. And oh yeah, 

we circled my brother’s house a 

few times. 

And I got to admit, climbing 

into that FOX helicopter at 11pm, 

I was more than a little apprehensive. 

But it sure beat riding in 

a patrol car not knowing what 

was coming at midnight. Once 

airborne we headed to a couple 

of calls up north and eventually 

made our way out west to 

the Brown and Root complex on 

Highway 6. There was plenty 

of open space to land and wait 

out the minutes until the stroke 

of midnight. And that’s exactly 

what we did. We set down in a 

clearing that was surrounded by 

trees. No one could see us and 

really couldn’t see anyone either. 

Just a lot of darkness. 

So, we sat and waited. Surprisingly 

there was very little radio 

traffic. I think everyone was 

holed up like us, just waiting. At 

midnight, nothing happened. The 

radios still worked. Air Traffic 

Control was still working traffic 

at Hobby. And it was just 

like any other New Years Eve. 

At 12:05am, we picked up to a 

hover just above the tree line and 

I will never forget what happened 

next. The skies over Houston 

looked like airstrikes over 

Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of 

fireworks filled the sky in every 

direction. We sat in one spot and 

turned 360º and everywhere you 

looked it was the same. Streaks 

of light flying in every direction. 

Like the entire city was under 

attack. It took a few seconds to 

realize what we were looking at. 

Bob and I were speechless. That 

is until I heard the dispatcher say 

“we need a Fox on Northeast, 

Fox on Northeast, assist the officer.” 

I punched up the Northeast 

dispatcher and advised we were 

en route from West Houston. 

As we crossed the city, I 

thought about all the people on 

the ground that must be relieved 

that nothing catastrophic 

had happened and they must 

be shooting all kinds of guns 

in the air. Uhh, Bob I think we 

need to climb. Like NOW. I guess 

he had been thinking the same 

thing, because we were already 

at 2000 ft. and steady gaining 

altitude. By the time we got to 

the east side of US59 in the Fifth- 

Ward, we were pushing 4000ft. 

Of course, you couldn’t see shit 

from that altitude, but as we 

began to descend they called us 

off, saying the suspect was in 

custody and the officer was OK. 

We headed downtown to see 

what the crowds were doing, 

and it looked like Times Square. 

There were people everywhere. 

Celebrating the fact, the world 

didn’t end and tomorrow would 

just be another day. By now it 


was 12:45am and we headed 

back to Hobby and set down 

right on time at 1:0Oam. Y2K 

turned out to be a non-event. 

But it was incredible night for 

Bob and I, witnessing what an air 

strike over Houston would look 

like. Just crazy is the only words 

that I can think of. 

The following day, I went by 

the airport in Galveston to check 

on things and one of younger pilots 

was hanging out in the pilot 

lounge. What’s the deal son, why 

are you hanging out at the airport 

on News Years Day? 

“Well Sarge, it’s like this. I was 

convinced that the world was 

probably going to end last night, 

and I spent every penny I had 

partying it up. Now I’m broke and 

don’t have money for rent much 

less food.” Ahh to be young 

again. Happy New Year everyone. 

118 The Blues 40th - January Anniversary ‘24 

Issue

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. 

The Blues The 40th Blues Anniversary - January ‘24 Issue 119

WORDS BY A RETIRED SHERIFF 

Words of Wisdom from a Retired Texas Sheriff 

ED: The following story was 

submitted by a retired Sheriff 

who recently passed away at 

the age of 101. He was living in a 

retirement home and his daughter, 

a cop herself, found this letter 

in his things. She mailed it to us 

and asked that we run it as it 

was written, “in his words.” She 

asked that his name be withheld, 

although many will recognize his 

words and his story. Samantha, 

in honor of your father, here is his 

story in “his words.” 

First off, I apologize for my 

handwritin’. I hope you’re not 

one of those young ins who can’t 

read script writin’ and if you 

are, find someone old enough to 

read it to you. My name is Samuel, 

I’m 100 years old and livin’ 

in a home. An old folks home. 

People around here just call me 

Sheriff. Cause I was a Sheriff in 

Texas back in the 50’s and 60’s. I 

was just a youngin’ then myself. 

My dad was a lawman and so 

was his father. It was something 

our family just did. And now my 

granddaughter is a fourth generation 

lawman….well lawwoman 

I guess you’d say. Anyhow, I’m so 

proud of her for carrying on the 

family tradition. 

I know in my heart; I don’t 

have much time left in this here 

world. And it’s just as well. 

When you get to be my age, 

you really don’t have anyone 

left. All your friends and 

co-workers have long passed 

as have all your relatives. When 

my wife passed over ten years 

ago, I realized I was all alone. 

All my kids are gone too and all 

I have left is my granddaughter. 

But she’s so busy with work, I 

hardly get to see her anymore 

either. The truth is, when you 

get to be 100, the only people 

you have left are the ones 

you’re livin with at the home. 

And every day, they are carrying 

one of them out on a stretcher. 

So, I’m just here waitin. Waitin 

for them to carry me out of 

here just like the rest. But until 

that happens, I decided to write 

down something for younger 

folks to read and hopefully 

learn something from an old 

lawman. 

All you young cops need to 

listen to what I have to say. 

When you’re young and green 

behind the ears you only think 

about your job, getting laid 

and movin up. Always trying to 

impress your boss and makin it 

to the next grade. Get promoted 

to make more money. And in the 

process, you forget about your 

woman at home and ignorin 

your youngins. You miss their 

birthday parties, Christmas and 

such. In other words, you’re just 

not there. Your wife, she gets 

lonely and starts messin around, 

and maybe you do the same with 

someone at work. Next thing you 

know you’re breakin up and the 

kids pay the price. 

Family and friends are the 

most important thing in your 

life. Not the job. The job will 

always be there, your family may 

not be. Do your job the best you 

can. Make your parents, your 

wife and your kids proud of you 

for servin. But don’t make them 

suffer because of it. Do you get 

what I’m sayin? This is important 

and you need to hear me. 

If I could do it all over again, I 

would be home more and less 

at work. I wouldn’t miss Christmas 

or New Years and damn 

sure none of my kids’ birthdays. I 

would have been a better hus- 


and, father, and friend. But it 

doesn’t matter now. All that’s in 

the past. You can’t go back and 

change nothin. That’s why I’m 

hopin you learn by my mistakes 

and do better than I did. 

A few weeks ago, a young man 

came to visit his grandfather 

here at the home. Unfortunately, 

the man had passed a few days 

earlier and no one bothered to 

tell his grandson. I could tell he 

was upset and I rolled up in my 

chair to say how sorry I was. And 

that his grandfather was a good 

man that loved him and missed 

him greatly. Now I have no idea 

whether he missed him or not, 

but I knew it was what this 

young man needed to hear. He 

told me his grandfather served 

in Germany in the war and was 

a war hero. Earned all kinds of 

medals for bravery. He was so 

proud of him. Fact is, I had no 

idea that he had served much 

less was a war hero. I always 

thought he was just like me, just 

waiting for the day he was carried 

out like all the rest. 

And then the young man asked 

me what I did when I was young. 

Was I in the war. Yes, I was 

an airman in the Korean war. 

I served my country and then 

went home to serve the people 

of my county. First as a deputy 

sheriff and later as their Sheriff. 

He wanted to know more and 

for the next couple of hours, he 

listened to all my old tales. What 

it was like to be the only lawman 

around for miles and dealing 

with good guys and bad guys 

all by yourself. And of course, I 

told him about my granddaughter 

and how she was now a cop, 

carryin on the family legacy. To 

tell you the truth, it was best day 

I had in the longest time. I was 

sad to see him leave, especially 

since I knew I would never see 

that young man again. When he 

left, I went back to waiting. I’m 

still here, just waiting. 

From Samantha. 

When I went to pick up Grandpa’s 

things, I found this letter 

written on an old tablet in his 

room. I cried when I read it ‘cause 

I knew he was all alone and I 

barely came to visit him. He’s always 

been my hero, and I became 

a cop to be just like him. He was 

a great man and one who served 

his community with pride for 

over 45 years. But once my Nana 

passed, he couldn’t take care of 

himself and he wound up in this 

home with hundreds of other seniors, 

who had no one either. I’m 

truly sorry I didn’t visit him more 

often. As I was about to leave, I 

ran into a man named Daniel. He 

was there to see my Grandpa. I 

asked him how he knew him, and 

he said he really didn’t, but met 

him the week before when his 

grandfather passed away and 

was collecting his things. Believe 

it or not, Daniel and I are now 

seeing each other. Our grandfathers 

would be so proud of us. 

God Bless everyone who reads 

this and understands what loneliness 

is all about. 


A BADGE OF HONOR 

healing our heroes 

Thirty Minutes 

of Tactical Brain Tools 

By John Salerno 

Gearing up. What does this 

mean to you? 

Gun, Vest, Taser, Cuffs. Check! 

We all make sure, that all 

our safety equipment we use 

each day, is in proper working 

order. We wouldn’t go out on 

shift without our gun or vest, 

that would be crazy. The Boss 

wouldn’t allow such a thing to 

happen, they would stop you 

at the door! But what about the 

most important piece of equipment? 

Which is not located on 

your gun belt. 

Our Brain. If our brain is not 

properly working during the 

shift, it can be as deadly as 

going out without a vest or an 

empty clip in our firearm. How 

many Bosses check your brain 

health prior to you going out on 

patrol? 

So what does it look like 

when you are getting ready 

for a shift? It’s how you begin 

your day that plays a vital role 

in how the day will most likely 

end, and vice versa, how you 

end your day is how the next 

Day will begin. This cycle is 

critical in your career. 

Your days are full of stressful 

SAMANTHA HORWITZ & 

JOHN SALERNO 

events, and you don’t need to 

add any extra baggage. 

Most of us start the day 

wrong! Rushing around, shoving 

an unhealthy breakfast down 

our throats, and speeding to 

work. This is because we stay 

up late, eat a late dinner, and 

deal with all the stressors of 

our daily life. 

When we finally get to bed, 

we toss and turn before finally 

falling asleep. The reason for 

this is we didn’t fully decompress 

from shift or before bed. 

When we get home from a 

long day, we tend to follow the 

same patterns which for each 

person, may vary depending on 

lifestyle. 

We need to break some of the 

toxic habits that have become 

the norm in our lives. Taking a 

few steps each day will help in 

a longer and healthier career. 

First, our new day should 

start the night before. What 

does that mean? It means we 

need to adapt to any de-stressing 

activity which works best 

for you after we get off shift. 

This can include breathing 

exercises, a short walk, meditation 

yoga, or anything to get 

your mind out of a hypervigilance 

state and slow down the 

chemical dump and place it 

back into healthy balance 

Remember the 5 Ps? Proper 

Planning Prevents Poor Performance. 

Proper nutrition and a good 

night’s rest is a great place to 

start and will make a world of 

difference in how we react on 

our next shift. So how to we 

achieve this. 

Plan on at least 15-30 minutes 

of activity to get your 

mind back in balance. We cannot 

carry the weight of the day 

into the night. When our brain 

is full of the day’s activities, It 

places us in a state of Hypervigilance, 

causing disruption in 

sleeping and poor eating habits. 

Eating an early dinner will 

allow your body to properly 

digest food before bed. 

To get a good night’s rest, all 

our bodies’ internal systems, 

which include our digestion, 

need to slow down. 

Prepare the night before. 

Make sure you have everything 

ready before you go to bed. 


Rushing around in the morning 

also places your brain into a 

hyper vigilance state. 

It’s the little things we forget, 

like having gas in your car for 

the next day. If you are running 

late and must stop for gas, this 

leads to more unneeded stress. 

Turn off the gaming, social 

media, and news at least 2 

hours before bed. Gaming, social 

media and the news place 

your brain into further hyper 

vigilance. 

Remember, although your 

body may not feel tired, your 

brain is exhausted. The motor 

is always at high RPMs after a 

shift. It has been making life 

and death decisions all day, and 

it needs proper rest. 

When you wake up, stretch, 

bend, and loosen up. Drink a 

glass of water (Before Coffee) 

to rehydrate your body. Eat a 

light breakfast and do a slow 

10 seconds before you walk out 

to your car to begin your day. 

This will allow your brain to 

settle down and prepare. 

Our Bodies and Mind must be 

in top working order to perform 

at the best of our ability. 

Changing a few habits will 

help bring our body back into a 

healthier balance. You will see 

and feel noticeable change by 

just adjusting these few things. 

John Salerno 

Co-Founder -Badge of Honor 

Ret. NYPD Detective 

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DARYL LOTT 

daryl’s deliberations 

Time, God’s Most Precious Creation 

“In the beginning, God created 

the heaven and the earth.” The 

phrase “In the beginning” reveals 

God created the physical universe 

with a “when” to start the 

cosmic clock ticking. God is outside 

creation and, therefore, outside 

of time, a created dimension. 

Time, in real life, not sci-fi, 

flows like a river in linear fashion 

from the past to the future. 

The river of time leaves in its 

wake a great sea that we call 

“history.” In that great sea, there 

are islands which crave our 

attention. Mystery shrouds some 

islands because their former inhabitants 

left no written records 

of their societies. Historians call 

the era before written language 

“prehistoric.” That era varied 

from island to island. Other islands 

in the great sea left remarkable 

written records to tell 

of their long-gone inhabitants’ 

exploits. Regardless of their 

ability to read 

and write, our 

ancestors seemed 

preoccupied by 

time and the preservation 

of their 

memories. 

Some of the 

earth’s greatest 

enigmas are 

presently entreating 

us to explain 

them. We study 

the Salisbury 

Plain in England 

and its great stone monuments 

we call “Stonehenge.” There are 

many competing claims about 

its purpose, but all claims agree 

that the structure marks time. 

The same can be said of the Pyramid 

of the Sun in Teotihuacan, 

Mexico. The Pyramids of Giza are 

connected to the immortality of 

the pharaohs and the nighttime 

skies. Apparently, nobody wants 

to be forgotten. 

Which brings us to our own 

little timeless islands of remembrance. 

The last year and a 

half has been a journey for my 

grandson, Lincoln, and me. We 

visited more memorials than I 

could count. We visited museums, 

libraries, battlefields, and 

archives in a bid to research and 

explore some of history’s islands. 

Lincoln is only eleven years old, 

but he can read and retain college 

level history textbooks. He 

learns about our connections 

DARYL LOTT 

to the past and how the past 

is relevant to the present. One 

thing we wanted to do was visit 

cemeteries as these places of 

memory are common. We visited 

multiple cemeteries, but there 

was one that included a nightly 

salute to the honored dead. 

Gettysburg National Cemetery 

is one of our nation’s primary 

focal points in time. The cemetery 

served the little town for 

decades when 

two massive 

armies collided 

there for 

three bloody 

days in 1863. 

Musket shots 

and artillery 

damaged the 

cemetery, 

then one army 

retreated to 

the South after 

losing an infantry 

charge 


on a nearby slope. The other 

army was too damaged and 

ill-supplied to give chase, but 

it did bury its dead. The United 

States Army had over 3,100 

troops killed outright with thousands 

more missing or maimed 

for life. The population of Gettysburg 

in 1863 was about 2,400. 

The Army buried its dead in the 

local burial ground. 

Four months later, the federal 

government acquired the 

cemetery and designated it as 

a national cemetery. President 

Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg 

to make a “few appropriate 

remarks.” The president, a selftaught 

man of books, relied on 

his memory of an ancient funeral 

oration to flavor his speech. 

The Greeks, thousands of years 

before, wrote down the eulogy 

of their greatest citizen, Pericles, 

so people would remember him, 

and by extension, them. Lincoln 

remembered those Greeks as he 

was awash in one of history’s 

bloodiest seas. To bury the casualties 

of one battle in a place 

where the dead now outnumbered 

the living must have been 

a humbling experience, but he 

dedicated himself and the suffering 

nation to finish the task 

they started. 

When we were there, my 

grandson and I participated in 

the taps ceremony to honor the 

hundreds of unknown soldiers 

on the grounds. The officials visit 

one soldier known but to God 

each evening and invite Americans 

to participate in this gesture 

of ultimate patriotism. As 

we walked over the sacred soil, 

we observed a monument to 

President Lincoln and his dedication 

speech. We inspected 

the monument and saw graves 

behind it. The graves were American 

soldiers, but they were 

from December 1944. The Army 

transported these heroes across 

the sea from the town where 

they fell, Bastogne in Belgium. 

Then we saw others from Korea, 

Vietnam, and any other place our 

country put boots on the ground. 

Time moves onward in an 

unrelenting march. Every day, 

historians find more evidence 

from our distant past that often 

puts forth more questions than 

answers. Literacy, man’s greatest 

invention, helps in our quest of 

remembrance. Indeed, we etched 

Lincoln’s speech in stone on his 

memorial that by design appears 

as a Greek temple. 

I often wonder at our own 

hubris in the quest to be remembered 

for all time. In 1818, Percy 

Bysshe Shelley published a sonnet 

entitled “Ozymandias.” That 

is the Greek word for Egypt’s 

Pharaoh. The poem reflects on 

man’s unattainable pursuit of 

time’s commodity of immortality. 

The desert traveler of the poem 

happens upon Pharaoh’s statue 


amid the shifting desert sands 

and marvels at the inscription, 

“Look on my works, ye Mighty, 

and despair!” 

Deists like our own Thomas 

Jefferson believe a divine 

power concocted the universe. 

They liken that godly power to a 

clockmaker. Deism’s god created 

the universe and then started the 

great clock as a disinterested 

party never more to take part in 

creation. Jefferson cut out any 

references to miraculous events 

from his copy of the New Testament. 

He thought Jesus of Nazareth 

was a moral philosopher 

and teacher, but nothing more. 

Christians, on the other 

hand, praise God, not only for 

the indescribable gift of time, 

but for our brain’s capacity to 

sense the passing of time. We 

are God’s only creatures who 

know that we exist and know 

we will pass away. Technically, 

the definitions of these attributes 

are self-awareness and 

death-awareness. Time is our 

gift. In the New Testament (not 

Jefferson’s) Jesus Christ is the 

Alpha and Omega. He started 

time and He will end it in His 

own way. 

We stand on the banks of 

time’s great river and consider 

our places. Rather than trying to 

outfox time, we should treasure 

it and spend it wisely with the 

people who mean the most to 

us. Like time itself, they are inestimable 

gifts of a loving Creator 

who takes an active interest in 

everything we do. 

Questions or Thoughts? Daryl- 

Lott.Texas@gmail.com 

get your 






DR. TINA JAECKLE 

blue mental health 

Survivors of LODD: 

We Honor Your Journey to Healing 

Beginning in December 

2023, I began dedicating this 

monthly mental health column 

to sharing the first-person 

journeys of those who 

have been deeply impacted 

by a line of duty death and 

will continue until Police 

Week 2024. We 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. 

This story is the second 

in the series. Matt Hanlin, 

a co-worker of Detective 

David White, graciously 

agreed to offer his insight 

and road to recovery in 

his own words. 

“On February 16th, 2012, 

I was part of a nine-man 

team that was conducting 

an investigation into a 

methamphetamine lab in 

our county. While attempting 

to make contact 

with the subjects inside, 

a male subject opened 

fire towards the front 

door with a .357 magnum 

handgun. One of 

the rounds struck me in the left 

upper arm, severed my brachial 

artery and was stopped by 

my ballistic vest. Another round 

struck our co-worker and friend, 

Detective David White, in the 

head. Unfortunately, Dave paid 

the ultimate sacrifice that night. 

Our agency had not suffered a 

felonious law enforcement death 

in almost 100 years. 

DR. TINA JAECKLE 

The tragedy of Dave’s death affected 

our agency and community 

severely. We were 

unprepared for the 

event as an agency and 

our Narcotics members 

ultimately suffered 

for this. We knew that 

the proper thing to do 

was to care for Dave’s 

family and embrace 

their loss, so that’s 

what we did. Meanwhile, 

I feel as if the 

agency members were 

left to suffer in silence, 

myself included. I was 

dealing with survivor’s 

guilt, although at the 

time I had no idea what 

that was. I just know 

that I was depressed 

and felt terrible guilt 

that I had survived, and 

that Dave was taken 

from us. I had already 

experienced the joys 

of watching my two 


daughters grow to teenagers. I 

certainly wasn’t ready to leave 

my family, but I knew Dave had 

a 3-year-old daughter and a 

newborn son and deserved a life 

with them. 

Fortunately, after about a year 

I was introduced to an organization 

called Concerns of Police 

Survivors. They offer many 

services for family members 

and co-workers of fallen law 

enforcement officers. I attended 

a co-worker’s retreat, where 

I was with others from across 

the country that have experienced 

similar incidents. They 

provide counseling and many 

other resources to help rebuild 

the shattered lives of co-workers 

and family members who 

have lost loved ones in the line 

of duty. The retreats helped me 

tremendously and the following 

year I was able to encourage six 

additional co-workers to attend. 

My wife and I still attend 

the Co-workers couple’s retreat. 

This has also helped with mending 

our relationship that was 

strained due to the effects of the 

trauma. 

Trauma affects everyone so 

differently. I don’t feel that there 

is a single given roadmap for everyone 

in approaching it. There 

are many organizations and 

counselors that are experienced 

in dealing with first responders 

experiencing traumatic events. 

I feel that it is important to get 

those suffering in silence from 

trauma to utilize one of those 

outlets. Never give up on trying 

to get your family members 

or co-workers to seek help for 

themselves. Some people in my 

life never gave up on me and I 

know I am much better off today 

for getting the help that was 

available to me. I have a constant 

reminder from that day. My injury 

from the events left me with 

permanent nerve damage and 

pain, both physically and emotionally. 

I don’t feel you can ever 

fully recover from an incident 

like this. However, I do feel like 

you can learn to smile, love, and 

have fun in your life again. It just 

takes time and the right outlets 

to continue the healing. I will 

never forget the sacrifices that 

Dave made that day and I try 

to live a life that would make 

him proud to be my friend and 

honor his legacy”. -Matt Hanlin 

Retired, Clay County Sheriff’s 

Office For more information 

on the wonderful services and 

resources offered by Concerns 

of Police Survivors, please visit 

Concerns of Police Survivors 

(C.O.P.S.) 


NOT SO BRIGHT AWARD 

Light Bulb Award 

STOCKING STUFFER 

Senate staffer fired after sex tape scandal, shows 

explicit acts in Senate building. 

By Yuval Barnea 

Over the weekend a new scandal 

developed in the US Senate, 

as a video began circulating 

which allegedly shows a senator’s 

former staffer having sex in 

a senate hearing room. 

The video was published on 

Friday night on the Daily Caller. 

It had been initially shared in a 

private group chat for gay men 

in politics, according to the conservative 

media website. 

The video purports to show 

a senate staffer having sex in a 

senate hearing room in the Hart 

Senate Office Building, which the 

Daily Caller claims is Room 216. 

The storied room played host to 

many historic events from Supreme 

Court nominations to the 

9/11 Commission to former FBI 

Director James Comey’s testimony 

against former President 

Donald Trump in 2017. 

The alleged staffer can be 

seen receiving anal sex from his 

partner while bent over a desk in 

the room, before the video pans 

to show the Seal of the United 

States Senate hanging on the 

back wall of the room. 

The Daily Caller did not iden- 

tify the staffer, although he was 

later identified due to a series of 

photos he himself had shared on 

X (formerly Twitter). 

Several American publications 

identified the staffer as a legislative 

aide to Sen. Ben Cardin 

(D-Maryland). Cardin announced 

his retirement from politics earlier 

this year, after a long career 

in both Houses of Congress. 

Cardin’s office told Politico 

on Friday night that “Aidan 

Maese-Czeropski is no longer 

employed by the US Senate. We 

will have no further comment on 

this personnel matter.” 

Maese-Czeropski seemed to 

deny the accusations in a LinkedIn 

post saying: “This has been 

a difficult time for me, as I have 

been attacked for who I love to 

pursue a political agenda. While 

some of my actions in the past 

have shown poor judgment, I 

love my job and would never 

disrespect my workplace. Any 

attempts to characterize my 

actions otherwise are fabricated 

and I will be exploring what 

legal options are available to me 

in these matters.” 

In the same post, he denied a 

separate allegation of yelling 

“Free Palestine” at Jewish Rep. 

Max Miller (R-Ohio, 7th District) 

in a government building on 

Wednesday. 


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. 

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More than half of Coffee City’s cops 

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Jeff Blackstone, the mayor of Coffee 

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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” 

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city’s investigation confirmed allegations 

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prior to being hired as police chief, 

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parting shots... 

136 The Blues - - January ‘24

NO WORDS 

CHRISTMAS LEFTOVERS 


138 138 The The Blues - January - ‘24 ‘24

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Starting in 2003, Cop Stop Inc. 

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up to 250 word to describe your business 

The Blues - - January ‘24 139

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SAN DIMAS, CA – As law enforcement 

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140 The Blues - - January ‘24

POLICE SUPPLIES 

GUNS/AMMO 

Starting in 2003, Cop Stop Inc. 

Opened with a vision and goal to 

service first responders; “Our everyday 

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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 

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prices. With access to over hundreds 

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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 

146 • Psychological The Blues Evaluation - January ‘24 

• 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



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/ 

police.conroeisd.net 

CISDPoliceThe Blues -@CISDPolice 

January ‘24 155

October 15 

WATCH FOR NEW TEST DATES 



Cuero Police Department 

Now Hiring for Patrol Officer Position 

Email TCOLE Personal History Statement to sellis@cityofcuero.com 


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.


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 



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 

Bilingual Pay $1,800 

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

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 

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






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 

180 

Equal 

The Blues 

Opportunity 

- January 

Employer 

‘24

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 for The further Blues - January details ‘24 181



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 




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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• 

$75, master’s $100 per 

 

• 

 

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188 

 

The Blues - January ‘24


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 

192 Rochelle The Blues Carr-Lacy - January ‘24 

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 - January ‘24 193

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.




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/careers-2 

STARTING PAY* 

$60,000 up to $71,000 

* Salary depends on experience 

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! 

REQUIREMENTS 

• Must be 21 years old 

• Must have 2+ years of po 

experience 

• Must have valid Texas Dr 

• Must be a U.S. Citizen 

• Must have an honorable 

from the military (if applic 

• Must never have been co 

Class A Misdemeanor or 

• Not been convicted of a C 

misdemeanor within the l 

• Must have a GED or high 


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 

lice officer 

iver’s License 

discharge 

able) 

nvicted of a 

above 

lass B 

ast 10 years 

school diploma 

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 



Provide Exceptional 

Service to All! 

CONTACT 

US NOW 

972-412-6240 

Welcome Aboard 

Rowlett Police Department 

NOW HIRING 

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 

The Blues GROW - January WITH US! ‘24 203



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

Jan 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 1

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