Jan 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 1

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
64 The Blues - January ‘24