March 2026. Blues Vol 42 No.3

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2 The BLUES MARCH ‘26


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VOL. 42 NO. 3 MARCH 2026

FEATURES/COVER

90 TEXAS GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT

102 HOUSTON WE HAVE CONTACT:

IF ALIENS ARRIVE, WHO DO WE CALL?

DEPARTMENTS

PUBLISHER’S THOUGHTS

EDITOR REX EVANS THOUGHTS

WEST COAST EDITOR - JESSICA

WORDS OF FAITH - JOHN KING

OFFICER INVOLVED - DANIEL CARR

GUEST COMMENTARY - CHIEF CHARLES E. HUMES

GUEST COMMENTARY - VINCENT BOVE

GUEST COMMENTARY - TREVOR BACHMAN

NEWS AROUND THE US

BREAKING NEWS

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN HEROES

WAR STORIES

AFTERMATH

NEW** BLUEPRINTS OF RESILIENCE

HEALING OUR HEROES

DARYL’S DELIBERATIONS

BLUE MENTAL HEALTH DR.

LIGHT BULB AWARD

ADS BACK IN THE DAY

PARTING SHOTS

NOW HIRING

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FOUNDER, PUBLISHER, EDITOR-N-CHIEF

MICHAEL BARRON

OUR TEAM

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Chief Rex Evans(Ret)

SENIOR EDITOR

Dr. Tina Jaeckle

WEST COAST EDITOR

Jessica "JJ" Jones

COPY EDITOR

Lt. John King (Ret)

OUTDOOR EDITOR

Rusty Barron

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Lt. Daryl Lott (Ret)

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Sam Horwitz & Det. John Salerno (Ret)

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Doug Griffith

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Art Woolery

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Daniel Carr

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Emmanuel Gonzalez Sosa

FEATURE STORIES

Michael Barron, Nick Pope

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

WAR STORY

W,D. Ford, Retired NM Trooper

AFTERMATH

Captain R.L. Smith

GUEST COMMENTARY

CHIEF CHARLES E. HUMES

VINCENT BOVE, TREVOR BACHMAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Joanna Putman, Police 1

Jenna Curren, Law Enforcement Today

Greg Hoyt, Law Enforcement Today

Sara Roebuck, Police1

Mead Gruver, Pat Droney

Liz Collins, Oliver Holmes

Lucy Swan, Alex Nguyen

Dylan Goetz, George Hunter

Greg Hoyt, Justin Muszynski

Cheval Pryce, Cleo Westin, Lauren Girgis

Bryan Horwath, Chris Rickert

Jackie Smith, Jeff Goldman

Our Thanks to:

Fox News, Associated Press,

Police Magazine

The Law Officer, Police 1.com

& Law Enforcement Today

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 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MISSING PERSON &

TWO KINDS OF ALIENS

As we go live with the March

Issue, there was so much happening

in the US, it was difficult

to choose a topic for this month’s

editorial. So, let’s just touch on a

few of the major items.

I suppose Nancie Guthrie’s

disappearance would be top of

the list. Suffice to say, that this

entire case is just bizarre. From

the doorbell camera footage, to

the masked suspect that looked

like he was dressed for a WWE

wrestling match, and the TMZ

supposed ransom notes. All just

too weird. None of it makes any

sense and my first inclination was

it was a relative. This was a money

grab, and Nancy was hold up

somewhere waiting on the bitcoin

to transfer to a wallet. But that

theory seems to fade with each

days passing. The Sheriff of Pima

County seems overwhelmed

and ill-prepared for his sudden

thrust into the National spotlight.

One thing for sure, each day that

passes, the likelihood of Nancy

returning home safely, diminishes.

***

Then, just a week before this

writing, President Trump calls

out President Obama for outing

the existence of aliens and now

DJT has instructed his cabinet to

declassify everything on ALIENS

and tell the American public

the truth. What do you want to

bet that when these documents

are released, they look like the

Epstein docs with black boxes

covering half of the page. Can’t

wait to see where this goes. Until

then, check out our War Stories

and Aftermath columns for our

readers’ chance encounters with

ET and a story from Nick Pope:

If We Made Contact with Aliens,

Then What?

***

Last month I made the suggestion

to Tom Homan’s people on

the ground in Minnesota, to think

tactically and stop fighting these

morons in the street. Leave a few

agents for the news to follow and

protesters to rally around, while

the majority of the troops sneak

out in the middle of the night and

hit an unsuspecting city halfway

across the country. When the

news media catches on, rinse

and repeat. Guess who took my

advice. Good job Tom Homan.

***

And there’s the mid-term primary

that should have wrapped

by the time you’re reading this. I

hope the pollsters were wrong

and that Republicans didn’t stay

home and rallied on election

day. The last thing we need are

more crazy-ass left-wing nutjobs

elected to office. Any office.

These people are certifiably

nuts. And before I get a thousand

emails, not ALL Democrats are

crazy nut jobs. Some are actually

decent human beings who

want to do the right thing, they

just picked the wrong party in my

opinion.

***

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone

who had a hand in the publishing

of my new book THIN BLUE

LINE: LIFE BEHIND THE BADGE.

Anyone that ever said writing a

book was easy, never wrote a

book. When you hear someone

say, “…wow, you should write a

book,” just walk away. Although I

will say this, the day you receive

an advance copy in the mail and

you are actually holding a copy

of a book with your name on

the cover, well that’s a feeling of

accomplishment that’s hard to

describe. The book will officially

launch on March 31, but I hear

you can go HERE and order a

autographed limited edition copy

for your very own. Better hurry

though, only 12 of the limited

editions were available as we

went live. Of course, on March 31,

you’ll be able to order on Amazon,

Barnes-Noble, and here at

the BLUES.



FROM THE EDITOR-AT-LARGE

HALO LAW

More states need to follow Florida on this one.

By now, many of you in

law enforcement have heard

about Florida’s new “Halo

Law,” which went into effect

in January 2026. Florida SB

184 is the statute that establishes

a twenty-five (25) foot

buffer zone between individuals

recording first responders

in the performance of

their duties. This includes law

enforcement, fire, and EMS

personnel. The law not only

creates the 25-foot boundary

but also criminalizes threats,

intimidation, and interference

within the designated “Halo

Zone” after a verbal warning

to move back has been given.

Violations of this law can

result in a $500 fine and/or up

to sixty days in the local jail.

Either way, it serves as an effective

deterrent, encouraging

people to simply stand back

a little and film from 25 feet

away. With today’s electronic

devices, that distance is still

more than reasonable. You

can still stand there calling us

everything but a human being,

zoom in, and record anything

and everything you want.


Meanwhile, the first responder

can continue doing their job

in a relatively less threatening

environment.

Now, I’m sure there are many

people both for and against

this law. Some will say it’s

their God-given right to get in

the face of any cop, firefighter,

or medic who is simply doing

their job. They will argue it’s

their right to intimidate and

interfere in any way possible.

Of course, most of us with

some semblance of common

sense would disagree. Case in

point — the recent civil unrest

in Minneapolis. A 25-foot

separation could have provided

both the protesters and the

law enforcement officers a

“reactionary gap” — valuable

time to assess and reassess

potential threats versus mere

noise and distraction.

Perhaps more states — maybe

even something at the

federal level — could at least

consider similar legislation.

No one here, myself included,

is saying people can’t film

first responders or yell at us,

cuss at us, and talk all kinds

of trash. All I’m suggesting is

that everyone on both sides

be given a small safety gap

— 25 feet — to ensure there’s

time to take a breath instead

of reacting out of perceived or

actual imminent danger.

Everyone has been scrambling

to find a “compromise”

between the First Amendment

rights of every American

citizen and the protection of

those charged with enforcing

the laws of this country and

state. All I’m doing with my

little column here is offering

one more possible solution:

Give everyone involved a

little bit of space. Twenty-five

feet of space, to be exact.

Take a deep breath. And above

all — maybe, just maybe — no

one gets hurt or worse. Because

no matter which side

of the argument, you’re on, if

you go home alive and in one

piece, you win.

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FROM THE WEST COAST

TBL is a ROLLER COASTER

Living in Los Angeles, there is

always some kind of bat shit

crazy stuff going on especially

when we have a bat-shit crazy

Mayor and Governor. But this

past month, I took a break from

all that chaos, to help my boss

promote his new book, THIN

BLUE LINE: LIFE BEHIND THE

BADGE. I had the opportunity

a few months ago to read an

advance copy and it was amazing

to say the least. If I had to

sum up the book in one word, it

would be ‘roller coaster.’ I was

so impressed by my first reading;

I wrote this intro to promote the

book:

THIN BLUE LINE: LIFE BEHIND

THE BADGE, retired Sergeant

Michael Barron pulls back the

curtain on a profession few truly

understand and even fewer survive

unchanged. Drawing from

his own career and the firsthand

accounts of dozens of officers,

Barron delivers an unfiltered

look at life on the street—where

split-second decisions carry

life-or-death consequences and

the line between order and chaos

is razor thin.

For more than 42 years, The

BLUES published monthly “war

stories” from law enforcement

officers across the country.

Now, Barron—founder and editor-in-chief

of The BLUES—has

assembled the most powerful,

haunting, and unforgettable of


those stories into one riveting

volume. Thin Blue Line takes

readers behind the scenes of real

officer-involved shootings, volatile

domestic disturbances, close

calls, and the devastating loss of

fellow officers killed in the line

of duty.

Barron writes not only as a

journalist and editor, but as a

survivor. A veteran officer who

himself was involved in not one,

but two officer-involved shootings,

he brings a raw authenticity

to every page. His voice captures

the fear, adrenaline, guilt, camaraderie,

and resilience that

define the profession—along with

the dark, often misunderstood

humor cops use to cope with the

job’s relentless stress.

At times intense, at times

heartbreaking, and at times

unexpectedly funny, THIN BLUE

LINE: LIFE BEHIND THE BADGE

is more than a collection of stories—it

is a testament to the men

and women who hold the line

between society and chaos – in

their world it’s called the Thin

Blue Line. And the cost to hold

that line is personal and many

times deadly.

Michael has been working on

this book for the past 15 years,

although he says the dream of

being a published author started

with a chance meeting with

the famous police writer, Joseph

Wambaugh. To be honest,

I’ve never heard of him, much

less read his books or watched

any of his movies. (Read about

Michael's chance encounter in

February’s War Story)

I was however, excited to see

my 'review' and 'about the author'

land on the inside flaps of

the dust cover.

To order your copy of THIN

BLUE LINE: LIFE BEHIND THE

BADGE, Click on this link. ORDER

YOUR COPY HERE.

Until next month, stay safe my

friends.


WORDS OF FAITH

Chaplain's Corner

Spring Break,

a Time to Rest?

Greetings fellow Blues readers.

As we all know, the month

of March brings the first day of

Spring and of course, Spring

Break. Now, even if you are not

directly affected by Spring Break,

we must recognize that it has

an affect on our communities.

School age children are out of

school for a week, many parents

take off work, and many grandparents

have youngsters in their

homes for a week or so. A lot of

travel occurs during the week of

Spring Break. The word, “break”

implies rest, but do we really get

much rest? Let’s look at a few

Scriptures that speak about rest.

First, let’s look at Genesis 2:2:

“And on the seventh day God

ended his work which he had

made; and he rested on the seventh

day from all his work which

he had made.” (KJV) The day

after God created everything, and

I mean EVERYTHING, He rested.

Now, if the Holy God of our world

and indeed the entire universe

purposed that He Himself should

rest, that tells us that not only is

rest okay, but it is needed.

But you say, “John, you don’t

know all the things I have going

on right now. There’s just

no time to rest.” And you are

correct, I don’t know what all is


going on in the lives of everyone,

or anyone who may read

these words. But I can tell you

that current and former First

Responders typically have servant’s

hearts and that means it’s

hard for us to say, “No,” when

someone asks for help. Trust me,

I speak from experience. However,

we are not alone. In Psalm

55:6, David, the penman of this

Psalm, was moved to write these

words: “Oh, I wish I had wings

like a dove. I would fly away and

find a place to rest.” (ERV) If

David, whom God described as

a man after His own heart found

himself feeling as if he needed

to escape his current circumstances

to find rest then it is no

surprise that we sometimes feel

the same way.

So you may ask, what is the

answer? Glad you asked! As

always we find our answer in

Christ Jesus. In Matthew 11:28-

30 Jesus is speaking and He

says these words: “Come unto

me, all ye that labour and are

heavy laden, and I will give you

rest. Take my yoke upon you,

and learn of me; for I am meek

and lowly in heart: and ye shall

find rest unto your souls. For my

yoke is easy, and my burden is

light. (KJV) Christ is always the

answer. This may sound like an

over simplification but for those

who know Christ in a very real

and personal way we know that

He is our all-in-all. The world

offers many forms of so called

rest: vacations, various substances

that bring temporary

relaxation, and all sorts of other

ways to attempt to find “rest.”

But true and lasting rest for our

minds, our bodies, and our souls

is found only in the Lord Jesus

Christ. My sincere prayer for you

and your families this Spring

Break is that you find genuine

rest in our Lord, Jesus Christ.

"The LORD bless you, and keep

you: the LORD make his face

shine upon you, and be gracious

unto you: the LORD lift up his

countenance upon you, and give

you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26

UKJV)

If you are a Chaplain for your

department, or know a Chaplain

who would like to contribute an

article for The Chaplain’s Corner

please contact our office at:

bluespdmag@gmail.com

ORDER YOURS TODAY - CLICK HERE


GUEST COMMENTARY Y

Police Law News

Daniel Carr

$29-MILLION SETTLEMENT

Mocking or Misunderstanding


glected to turn off.

What was captured on that

one-sided phone call that

caused more national outrage

from anti-police activists than

the deadly crash itself.

Officer Auderer can then be

heard saying: “She is dead,” before

laughing.

He then continued, “No, it’s a

regular person – yeah, yeah, just

write a check, just, yeah,” before

laughing again.

“$11,000. She was 26 anyway,

she had limited value,” he finished,

before turning off the

body camera.

MOCKING OR MISUNDER-

STANDING?

It sounds bad. And it is easy to

apply malintent to things that

On January 23, 2023, Seattle,

WA police officer Kevin Dave

was dispatched to an emergency

call in reference to a “drug

overdose”. Officer Dave rushed

to provide assistance with the

intent to preserve life. In doing

so, he traveled to the call at 74

mph in a 25-mph zone. While

speeding at nearly fifty miles per

hour above the posted speed

limit - he struck and killed a

23-year-old pedestrian (Jaahnavi

Kandura).

The city settled the case. Another

officer, unrelated to the

crash, was fired for inappropriate/crass

comments about the

incident. And away we go….

POST-CRASH

After the crash a DRE Officer

(drug recognition expert) was

dispatched to assess the sobriety

of Officer Dave. The DRE

Officer (Officer Daniel Auderer)

completed the investigation and

found that Officer Dave was not

impaired.

PHONE CALL

After leaving the scene, Officer

Auderer (who is Vice President

of the Seattle Police Officers

Guild) called the President (Mike

Sloan). That conversation was

captured on Officer Auderer’s

body camera - that he had nesound

bad.

Anti-police activists immediately

claimed that Officer Auderer

was speaking callously about

the lost life of Ms. Kandura. They

claim that these few sentences,

that lack context, are an example

of the problem in policing.

Officer Auderer claimed that

he was not mocking the death

of Ms. Kandura. He stated that he

was lamenting the process. That

he was criticizing the attorneys

that were undoubtedly going to

turn this tragic loss of life into a

fight over money.

DARK HUMOR

Police officers often utilize

dark and/or inappropriate humor

as a defense mechanism.

This is often the only way that

humans can compartmentalize

the horror of what cops see on

a daily basis - from the other

parts of their lives. This may

not be healthy, but it may be a

necessary band aid that our first

responders cling to.

SETTLEMENT

The City of Seattle just settled

with the Kandula family for

$29,011,000. The $11,000 was a

swipe at Officer Auderer. The

city’s insurance will be responsible

for paying nearly 25 million

of the settlement.

Officer Dave (the officer who

caused the crash) was terminated.

That was likely appropriate.

Officer Auderer was also

terminated. He has a pending

lawsuit against the city.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have no idea if Officer Auderer

was employing dark humor

to cover the open wound of a

recent tragedy, if he was truly

expressing frustration with the

legal system, or if he was mocking

the death of a young woman

to simply pass the time. I am not

a psychic, and neither are the

anti-police activists who have

lazily assumed that Officer Auderer’s

worst possible motive was

his only possible motive.

Perhaps Officer Auderer is

amongst the tens of thousands

of police officers who would

benefit from a “wellness” program,

stress counselor, or some

time off. If so, that was the landing

place for this investigation -

assistance with stress management.

Even if the remarks are proven

to be insensitive locker room

banter - it was speech between

two police officers, outside the

presence of any members of the

public. Officer Auderer should

not have been terminated for

that offense.

If we recorded every conversation

that every police officer, fire

fighter, or paramedic had while

at work and made it public…

then investigated, disciplined,

or fired them for inappropriate

remarks - we would have no

emergency personnel to respond

or answer 911 calls. That I am

absolutely sure of.

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GUEST COMMENTARY

THE PUNISHER:

A Quick & Easy Test to Protect Yourself?

Chief Charles E. Humes, Jr.

The Punisher originated as

a Marvel Comic book character

created during my adolescent

years in the 1970’s. Having

read many of the comics in

my youth, and I think I’ve seen

all the versions of the movie,

the character has always had

one constant, recurring motivation:

dishing out “justice” as

he sees fit. While serving as a

self-appointed judge, jury, and

executioner, he often violently

punished those who had broken

the law.

This premise and plot line

makes for good comic books

and movies. However, in the

real world, trying to follow his

example can and will land you

in your Internal Affairs Office,

in civil and/or criminal court,

and even in prison.

Arguably, the biggest danger

is succumbing to the novelty

of the punisher name, and

adopting the mindset that being

a punisher works in the real

world. There was a group of

young officers in a Midwest department

in the mid 2000’s that

openly called themselves the

Punishers. While I don’t have

all the facts, I do know this.

They ended up in a melee at a

party and used brutally unreasonable

force to punish their


perceived

offender.

Their

punisher

mindsets

and persona

crushed

them in

Federal

court.

Introduced

in the evidence was one ex-officer

had a punisher tattoo, and

another had a punisher decal

on his car. In total, seven ex-officers

were convicted on Federal

Charges and their prison

sentences ranged from two to

fifteen years.

In one of Dave Grossman’s

outstanding presentations that I

saw probably thirty + years ago,

he made a very profound statement

that will hold true until

the end of time. While the years

have faded his exact wording,

the message he conveyed is still

rock solid. He stated something

to the effect of: If there ever

was a time where it was a policeman’s

job to dispense street

justice, that time has passed.

Being 30+ years later, “that

time” has passed even further.

Which brings us to a simple

test to help you determine if

the force you are about to use

is lawful. While it doesn’t address

all facets of the justifiable

use of force, it does address a

prevailing factor that’s guaranteed

to jam you up if the answer

is wrong. Ask yourself this

question before using any level

of force. Am I going to do this

to control an otherwise uncontrollable

person, or am I doing

this to punish the offender?

If you’re using reasonable

force to control, within the law

and your agencies policies,

you’ll be OK. If you’re using any

level of force to punish, you’re

committing an unlawful act

which may be subject you to

severe penalties under your Department

Policies, State Statutes,

and Federal Civil Rights

laws.

It’s our job to arrest criminal

suspects and bring them before

the court, preferably with their

cooperation. If they resist, pur-

suant to Graham v. Connor, it’s

our job to control and apprehend

them through the use of

reasonable force. In the Graham

case, the United States Supreme

Court noted that: “

“Our Fourth Amendment

jurisprudence has long recognized

that the right to make

an arrest or investigatory stop

necessarily carries with it the

right to use some degree of

physical coercion or threat

thereof to effect it. See Terry

v. Ohio… ” They also specified

within the case that force used

must be objectively reasonable.

To clarify, the US Supreme

court states that reasonable

physical coercion, or threat

thereof, may be used to effect

the arrest.

However, no matter what an

offender did or how much they

truly “deserve” it in anyone’s

opinion, it is never our job to

punish an offender. If you know

that the force you are about to

use is intended to punish the

offender rather than to establish

control, don’t you think

that your superiors, the public,

and/or a jury will know that as

well?

It’s my best guess that most

officers that read this already

understand and adhere to my

advice. Nevertheless, a few

departments have “that guy”

that just doesn’t get it. If you

know “that guy,” do us all a

favor. Print a copy of this article

and place it in his mailbox.

And if you found the copy of

this article you’re reading in

your mailbox, you might want

to heed this advice before you

do something that ruins your

life, and tarnishes your department’s

reputation.

About the Author : Chief

Charles E. Humes, Jr. (Ret) IICI

A 40-year veteran of law enforcement,

Charles E. Humes, Jr.

served over 3 decades on a large

urban Police Department, as a

Special Deputy with two Sheriff’s

Departments; and ultimately

retired as the Chief of Police of a

small rural agency. Humes was

the recipient of the 2016 Ohio Attorney

General’s Law Enforcement

Distinguished Training Award. A

2018 inductee into the National

Law Enforcement Officer Hall

of Fame; he is also an IADLEST

International Certified Instructor.

Chief Humes can be contacted

through: NoDonuts.com


GUEST COMMENTARY Y

Vincent Bove

OPERATION SACRED SHIELD :

Protecting America’s Houses of Worship in a Vulnerable World

America’s houses of worship

are sacred spaces where people

seek solace, community, and

spiritual nourishment. Yet, in

today’s world, these spaces face

real threats — from vandalism,

theft, and desecration to targeted

acts of violence.

These security and safety

principles apply to all houses

of worship — churches, synagogues,

temples, and mosques

— and emphasize collaboration

through Police-Community

Partnerships (PCP) to protect

sacred spaces across diverse

faith communities. They honor

the sacredness of all traditions

and, in accordance with the

First Amendment’s guarantee of

freedom of religion, ensure that

vigilance and protection extend

equally to every congregation,

regardless of denomination or

religious practice.

Even sacred spaces are inherently

vulnerable. Through

vigilant leadership, proactive

planning, and Police-Community

Partnerships (PCP), clergy, volunteers,

congregants, law enforcement,

and first responders

work together to deter threats,

safeguard people and property,

and ensure that worship remains

safe, welcoming, and resilient —

for today and for generations to

come.

NYPD counterterrorism officer on post at Temple Emanu-El,

5th Avenue (NYPD) Photo from Law Officer

Despite these protective efforts,

the risks are real. Tragic attacks

at houses of worship, such as the

mass shooting at the Tree of Life

Synagogue in Pittsburgh and the

deadly attack at the First Baptist

Church in Sutherland Springs —

which will be detailed later in

this article — remind us that no

sacred space is immune.

From small rural congregations

to world-renowned landmarks

like St. Patrick’s Cathedral in

New York, safeguarding sacred

spaces requires foresight, preparation,

and collaboration tailored

proportionally and professionally

to each community’s size, location,

and threat environment.

THE SECURITY MINDSET

A security mindset is essential

for every house of worship, but

its scope and intensity should be

proportional and professionally


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assessed according to each community’s

size, location, and threat

environment. Small congregations

might focus on simple

procedural controls and situational

awareness, while larger

institutions may require layered,

“defense in depth” measures.

The Four D’s of Crime Prevention

— Deter, Detect, Delay, Deny

— form a sequential, layered

defense: discouraging attempts,

identifying breaches early, slowing

intruders, and ultimately

blocking access to assets. Key

tactics include lighting, signage,

alarms, cameras, barriers, locks,

and secure storage.

Crime Prevention Through

Environmental Design (CPTED)

principles — such as controlled

sight lines, lighting, signage, and

secure access points — further

strengthen protective measures.

All leaders, clergy, volunteers,

and first responders must understand

that being welcoming does

not mean being naive. A prudent,

proactive approach, guided by

Operation Sacred Shield principles,

ensures sacred spaces

remain safe, accessible, and

protected.

OPERATION SACRED SHIELD:

CORE PRINCIPLES

Operation Sacred Shield draws

on decades of experience in law

enforcement, security consulting,

and public safety. It integrates

physical, personnel, procedural,

and cyber measures into a

cohesive, professionally assessed

strategy tailored to each house

of worship’s size, location, and

threat environment.

Proactive Threat Assessments:

Conducted by board-certified

professionals to identify vulnerabilities

before they can be


exploited. Assessments should

be proportional to the specific

risks and operational realities of

the congregation.

Comprehensive Enhancements:

Implement physical barriers,

personnel assignments, procedural

protocols, and cybersecurity

layers to harden “soft

targets” against vandalism, theft,

and violence.

Ongoing Training:

Security staff, clergy, ushers,

and volunteers should receive

continuous, scenario-based

training in situational awareness,

first aid, CPR, emergency

evacuation, and active shooter

response (FBI/DHS RUN, HIDE,

FIGHT guidance), along with

broader crisis management

skills.

Community Vigilance:

Encourage all attendees to

remain observant. The mantra

“If you see something, say something”

empowers every member

of the congregation to be a catalyst

for safety and ensures the

entire community contributes to

proactive protection.

Police-Community Partnerships

(PCP):

Develop strong, collaborative

relationships with local law

enforcement. Seamless communication,

coordinated response

planning, and engagement of

first responders (including fire

and EMS personnel) are essential

for effective security tailored to

the community’s unique needs.

PROPORTIONAL SECURITY

FOR ALL CONGREGATION SIZES

Security measures should be

proportional and professionally

assessed based on each congregation’s

size, location, and risk

environment.

Small Congregations:

• Single, monitored point of

entry

• Trained ushers or greeters for

volunteer surveillance

• Cost-effective wireless surveillance

systems

• Enhanced exterior lighting

and clear signage

• Simple internal communications

(smartphones, secure

messaging apps, or push-to-talk

devices)

Large Congregations / Campuses:

• Perimeter hardening: bollards,

fencing, lockable gates

• Advanced access control (card

access, biometric scanners, electronic

locks)

• Certified professional security

officers or off-duty law enforcement

presence

• High-resolution, AI-enabled

surveillance systems

• Building-wide mass communication

systems

• Bag checks and screening

procedures, as appropriate to

threat level

Universal Recommendations:

All congregations, regardless

of size, should align procedures

with local fire and police department

guidance, ensuring security

measures are practical, proportionate,

and consistent with

community-specific needs.

PROCEDURAL SECURITY AND

DRILLS

• Establish written protocols

for lock down, lockout, and shelter-in-place.

• Conduct tabletop exercises

and partial or full-scale drills,

proportional to the facility’s size,

location, and assessed threat

level.

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• Engage law enforcement, private

security professionals, and

first responders in planning and

execution.

• Train all personnel on active

shooter response (FBI/DHS RUN,

HIDE, FIGHT), evacuation procedures,

and emergency medical

scenarios.

• Procedures should follow

guidance from local police and

fire departments, as well as

reputable private security professionals.

PROTECTING FINANCIAL AND

MATERIAL ASSETS

Thefts, embezzlement, and

fraud are serious risks for religious

institutions. Nationally,

estimates suggest that roughly

one-third of congregations experience

some form of financial

victimization each year. Preventive

measures include:

• Separate financial duties:

Ensure no single individual

controls an entire transaction;

at least two unrelated people

should handle collections, disbursements,

and check-signing.

• Regular audits: Engage qualified

CPAs to review financial

practices and ensure compliance

with official policies.

• Require original documentation:

All reimbursements and

credit card statements must be

verified against original receipts.

• Prompt reporting: Immediately

notify authorities of suspicious

activity to prevent further loss.

Recent high-profile cases illustrate

the scope of the threat:

• House of Prayer Christian

Churches (2025): $23.5 million

fraud scheme exploiting military

veterans and real estate transactions.

• Joshua Media Ministries International

(2025): $50 million

embezzlement and money laundering

to fund luxury lifestyles.

• Church of St. Leo the Great

(2025) / Diocese of Trenton New

Jersey: $1.5 million stolen by a

former finance director for personal

luxuries.

Safeguarding both sacred and

financial assets is essential to

protect congregants, preserve

trust, and maintain the integrity

of houses of worship.

A CULTURE OF SAFETY AND

AWARENESS

Houses of worship are more

than spiritual sanctuaries—they

are public spaces where people

gather in close proximity. Safety

measures should address not

only security threats but also

medical emergencies, slips,

falls, and other everyday incidents.

First aid kits, automated external

defibrillators (AEDs),

and trained personnel should

be readily available. Ushers and

volunteers must be empowered

and trained to respond quickly

and effectively to both security

and health-related situations,

ensuring the well-being of all

congregants.

FINAL REFLECTIONS

It is hard to imagine that in

21st-century America, our sacred

spaces—long regarded as

inviolate—are now at risk of

egregious desecration, and violence.

Yet, tragically, this is the

reality we face.

Operation Sacred Shield embodies

a proactive, practical, and

spiritually informed framework

to safeguard America’s houses of

worship.

Security is not the sole responsibility

of clergy or law enforcement.

It is a collective duty, executed

by local communities in

partnership with police through

Police-Community Partnerships

(PCP).

Leadership demands vigilance,

preparation, and collaboration.

Our houses of worship are the

bedrock of America’s freedom

of religion, and they merit protection

through foresight, unity

of effort, and steadfast commitment.

Effective security requires:

• Proactive threat assessments

conducted by certified professionals

• Comprehensive enhancements

across physical, personnel, procedural,

and cyber domains

• Ongoing training and professional

certification

• Recognition of warning signs

and prompt, effective response

• Strong partnerships with law

enforcement, private security,

first responders, and congregants

By embracing these principles,

leaders, volunteers, and communities

ensure that all who

enter sacred spaces—whether

for prayer, solace, or community—can

do so safely, now and for

generations to come.

Article Reprinted From The Law

Officer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vincent J. Bove is the NYPD Honorary

Law Enforcement Motivational Speaker,

a role authorized at the highest levels

of the department and unprecedented in

its history. Vincent is the author of 330

published works focusing on principled

leadership, ethical decision-making,

crisis management, and public-safety

resilience. He is the recipient of the

FBI Director’s Community Leadership

Award and the founder of Reawakening

America, LLC, an initiative dedicated to

strengthening moral clarity, leadership

integrity, and trust in public service.

Appointed by

President Trump

Christian

Conservative

Grew Up in Local

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GUEST COMMENTARY

Trevor Bachman

Veteran IRS Investigator Says Agency

Punished Him for Speaking Up.

William Hathaway, a 21-year IRS

veteran and former special agent

with IRS Criminal Investigations

(IRS-CI), alleges he was wrongfully

terminated after reporting

discrimination and questioning

leadership decisions.

His case, currently pending

before the Merit Systems Protection

Board, raises larger concerns

about what he describes as a

“culture of retaliation” and ongoing

selective enforcement within

federal law enforcement.

Hathaway began his federal service

in the U.S. Navy before moving

to the civil side of the IRS in

2004. He joined IRS-CI in 2010 and,

in the time since, has served for

more than 15 years as a criminal

investigator. He completed leadership

development programs,

served in acting supervisory roles,

and coordinated use-of-force

responsibilities in the Tampa Field

Office.

In other words, he did everything

right.

Hathaway alleges that while

serving in an acting supervisory

detail in Nashville, he was removed

early from the assignment

after requesting accommodations

related to his wife’s high-risk

pregnancy. He says he reported

discriminatory treatment toward

him to his permanent chain of

command in April 2023.

Three weeks later, according to


Hathaway, allegations were filed

against him with the Treasury

Inspector General for Tax Administration

(TIGTA).

Hathaway was then investigated

for what IRS-CI later characterized

as “lack of candor.” He

maintains that two separate TIGTA

investigations failed to substantiate

claims that he made false

statements. Despite that, he was

placed on temporary restricted

duty in April 2025, stripped of his

firearm, cases, and government

vehicle, and ultimately terminated

in September 2025.

According to the TIGTA, the basis

for termination was “conduct

unbecoming of an employee,”

tied to the aforementioned lack of

candor. His appeal is now scheduled

for a hearing before the Merit

Systems Protection Board in April.

As Hathaway points out, “lack

of candor” does not appear as a

standalone offense in the IRS penalty

policy. He argues it has been

used as a catch-all justification in

disciplinary actions, used selectively

to retaliate and discriminate

against specific individuals.

Hathaway contends his case is

not isolated, alleging that IRS-CI

management promotes individuals

accused of discrimination

while disciplining those who challenge

leadership. He also points to

what he describes as inconsistent

enforcement of relocation and

hardship transfer policies.

According to Hathaway, IRS-CI

policy generally requires agents

to serve a minimum period before

requesting voluntary relocation.

He claims that in at least one

instance, an agent was allowed to

transfer under circumstances that

conflicted with internal policy

based on favoritism from leadership.

Hathaway also references

what he calls a “one voice” culture

within IRS-CI, alleging that

employees who deviate from

management narratives or raise

internal concerns risk retaliation.

He says many current agents are

reluctant to speak publicly for fear

of professional consequences.

As Hathaway notes, the IRS-CI

division has already faced scrutiny

in recent years, including

controversy involving supervisory

officials tied to high-profile investigations

and internal disputes.

Hathaway argues his experience

reflects a systemic issue, not a

personal grievance.

Hathaway’s case represents

what agents across America

have been echoing for years: that

favoritism and selective enforcement

are making a mockery of

our once-esteemed agencies and

creating the perfect environment

for corruption to fester.


AROUND THE COUNTRY

GWINNETT CNTY, GA

Police Officer Senior Pradeep Tamang was shot and killed responding to a fraud

and forgery call at the Holiday Inn in Stone Mountain.

ATLANTA, GA. (Atlanta News

First) — The Gwinnett County

police officers struck by gunfire

Sunday morning have been

identified.

Officer Pradeep Tamang, 25,

was killed in the line of duty and

Cpl. David Reed was seriously injured

after responding to a fraud

call at a hotel in Stone Mountain.

According to Gwinnett County

police, Tamang and Reed

responded to a hotel located

on 1790 E. Park Place Blvd. at

around 7:30 a.m. When they arrived,

they confronted the suspect,

35-year-old Kevin Andrews,

inside a room police believe was

“rented fraudulently.”

Gwinnett County Police Chief

J.D. McClure said the officers

were invited into the room.

After learning Andrews had

an active warrant for failure to

appear out of DeKalb County,

Tamang and Reed attempted to

arrest him according to the GBI.

“The suspect produced a handgun

and in an unprovoked attack,

fired at our Gwinnett County

police officers,” McClure said.

Both officers were struck and

fired back at Andrews, who

sustained non-life-threatening

injuries, according to police. All


three were taken to the hospital.

Officer Tamang did not survive

his injuries and Cpl. Reed was

seriously injured.

Tamang, who is originally

from Nepal, joined the Gwinnett

County Police Department in the

spring of 2025.

“To the Gwinnett community,

we, as a police department will

not be deterred. We will continue

to provide for the safety

of this community. We ask the

community to continue to support

us,” Police Chief McClure

said.

“These officers are heroes.

They go out to the road every

OFFICER PRADEEP TAMANG

day and face uncertainty. They

also understand that at the end of

the day they provide a very valuable

service and that is safety,”

McClure added.

Tamang was engaged to be

married.

Charges are still pending for

Andrews, who police said had a

lengthy criminal history “including

multiple felony convictions for

violent crimes, gun crimes and

narcotics.”

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation

is leading the investigation.


AROUND THE COUNTRY

LEE COUNTY, MS.

Deputy Sheriff Rick Haggard was struck and killed while directing

traffic in front of Shannon Elementary School in Shannon.

LEE COUNTY, MS. (WMC/

WTVA) - A Lee County school resource

officer (SRO) was struck

and killed while directing traffic

on Monday afternoon.

The incident happened in front

of Shannon Elementary School.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson

identified the deputy as 52-yearold

Rick Haggard, the SRO assigned

to the school.

The sheriff said two vehicles

were involved. Haggard was

not in a patrol car, but directing

traffic.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol

and Shannon Police Department

are investigating the crash.

A similar incident happened in

January 2022 in front of Shannon

Primary School, where SRO

Johnny Patterson, 59, was struck

and killed.

Thursday would have been

Haggards birthday.

Students, parents, law enforcement

officers, family and

friends all participated in Thursday’s

event.

"He loved y’all,” his wife, Jana

Haggard, told the students. “And

him protecting y'all was his

number one mission through

the day, and I want y'all to know

that, OK?

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson

said, "This is what makes serving

this community enjoyable, even

in times like this. You see how

much the community cares. You

see the impact that Deputy Haggard

had on not only the school

but the community and all these

kids. And it’s encouraging to

know that his life and his memory

will continue. These kids will

DEPUTY RICK HAGGARD

always remember Deputy Haggard,

and that's something we

are thankful for.”


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AROUND THE COUNTRY

FLAGSTAFF, AZ.

Trooper Hunter Bennett was killed in a helicopter crash while assisting

the Flagstaff Police Department with an active shooter.

By Mead Gruver

Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, AZ. — Arizona law

enforcement officers mourned a veteran

U.S. Marine pilot and a trooper/

paramedic Friday while the cause of

a helicopter crash that killed them

during a police shootout with a domestic

violence suspect in Flagstaff

remained under investigation.

Trooper Hunter Bennett, 28, and

pilot Robert Skankey, 61, were killed.

The suspect, whose identity has

not been released, fired on officers

from multiple rooftops in Flagstaff

over almost two hours Wednesday

night. He was captured at about the

same time as the helicopter crash.

The helicopter crew had been

playing a common role, helping officers

on the ground, Arizona Department

of Public Safety Director Col.

Jeffrey Glover said.

What caused the helicopter to

crash was “under active investigation”

by agencies including the National

Transportation Safety Board,

Glover said.

No one on the helicopter had

opened fire, Glover said. The Bell 407

helicopter was “functioning just fine”

when it was most recently inspected

on Jan. 29, Glover said.

Glover declined to say more about

possible causes, such as whether

gunfire or a drone may have struck it.

“It would be just really irresponsible

for us to speculate at this time.

We have to allow for NTSB to conduct

their investigation to figure out

exactly what has occurred,” Glover

said.

The confrontation began when law

enforcement officers responded to a

domestic violence call, said Flagstaff

Police Chief Sean Connolly.

As the officers spoke with the

victim in the front yard, the suspect

opened fire on them from the back of

the residence with a semiautomatic

long rifle.

A protracted gun battle ensued,

with the unidentified suspect “hopping

from roof to roof” in the neighborhood

while shooting at officers.

The police chief described the

neighborhood as “under siege” while

the suspect shot on officers and into

homes.

Connolly indicated three Flagstaff

TROOPER HUNTER BENNETT

police officers and one Department

of Public Safety employee fired their

weapons during the altercation.

Skankey was a longtime resident

of Kingman, Arizona, city officials

said in a statement. He had been

hired by the Arizona Department of

Public Safety in May 2021 and previously

served in the U.S. Marine Corps.

He was married and had four children,

Glover said.

Bennett was an honors graduate

of Arizona State University and the

top graduate of his 2023 Arizona

Law Enforcement Academy class.

He transferred to an air rescue unit

in 2024 and months later married

his high school sweetheart, officials

said.


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AROUND THE COUNTRY

BEACH GROVE, IN.

Police Officer Brian Elliott was shot and killed while responding to a

domestic disturbance call at an apartment in Beech Grove.

BEECH GROVE, IN. — Police

Officer Brian Elliott was shot

and killed while responding to a

domestic disturbance call at an

apartment on Diplomat Court in

Beech Grove.

The shooting happened in the

100 block of Diplomat Court,

near Emerson and Hornet avenues,

next to Beech Grove High

School, around 5:45 p.m. Feb. 16

as two officers were responding

to a report of a domestic disturbance.

According to Beech Grove PD,

when both officers arrived, they

could hear conversation from

outside of the apartment, which

included a man threatening to

kill a woman.

They say Elliott knocked on the

apartment door, to which a man

responded, "Who is it?" Elliott

replied, "Police!" That's when the

woman was then heard yelling

"Help me!" and "Please come in!"

According to court documents,

the second officer tried to open

the apartment door with the

door handle. Then, Elliott kicked

in the door, which is when shots

were fired from inside the apartment.

Court documents say Elliott

collapsed to the floor after

being shot outside of the apartment,

and the second officer was

shot in the leg.

The second officer moved back

away from the apartment door

to the corner of the wall in the

hallway and fired shots into the

apartment.

A third Beech Grove police sergeant

arrived at the scene shortly

after both officers had been

shot. At that time, the sergeant

and second officer pulled Elliott

down the sets of stairs, and

other Beech Grove police officers

took him to Eskenazi Hospital,

where he was pronounced dead.

The Marion County Coroner's

Office performed an autopsy Feb.

17, determining Elliott's cause

of death was multiple gunshot

wounds, and the manner of

death was homicide.

Maurice said the second officer,

who was not named, is said

to be in "stable" condition and is

OFFICER BRIAN ELLIOTT

expected to survive his injuries.

Court documents say the second

officer was shot in one of his

legs.

In an update Tuesday, Feb. 17,

Maurice said the second officer

who was shot has been released

from the hospital.

Perrine identified the suspect

in the shooting as 47-year-old

Kenneth Johnson. Perrine said

Johnson was taken into custody

by IMPD SWAT officers around

10:30 p.m. Monday.

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fallen, telling the story of American Law Enforcement and making it safer for those

who serve. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Memorial Fund built and

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The National Law Enforcement

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AROUND THE COUNTRY

FLORIDA HWY PATROL, FL

Trooper Michael Diego passed away after suffering a medical emergency

while training at the Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy.

TALLAHASSEE, FL. — The Florida

Highway Patrol honors the life

and service of Trooper Michael

Diego, who tragically passed

away in the line of duty on February

18, 2026. While participating

in a competitive process for

the Patrol’s Criminal Interdiction

Unit at the FHP Training Academy,

Trooper Diego suffered

a medical emergency. Despite

lifesaving efforts, he tragically

passed away with his loved ones

at his side at Tallahassee Memorial

Hospital.

Trooper Diego began his career

with the Florida Highway

Patrol in 2021 as part of the

149th Recruit Class. During his

career, he served the Florida

Highway Patrol and the residents

of Florida for more than

four years, with assignments in

Troop L – Fort Pierce District and

Troop F – Fort Myers District. He

TROOPER MICHAEL DIEGO

is survived by his mother, sister,

and fiancé.

On behalf of the Florida Highway

Patrol, Executive Director

Dave Kerner and Colonel Gary

Howze issued the following

statement:

“Florida State Trooper Michael

Diego exemplifies what it means

to be an American and one of

Florida’s Finest. He lived his life

in service and protection to others.

Trooper Diego passed away

in the line of duty surrounded by

his family and his fellow State

Troopers. Our hearts grieve his

untimely passing and for the

pain his family is experiencing.

We are deeply thankful for the

rescue efforts of his fellow State

Troopers, EMS First Responders,

the pilots and medics of Survival

Flight, and the medical professionals

of Gadsden Memorial

Hospital and Tallahassee Memorial

Hospital.”

We extend our deepest condolences

to the Diego family, his

friends, and fellow Troopers, and our

thoughts remain with them as they

navigate this loss.


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There really is no way to put into

words the devastation left behind

by the floods in the Texas Hill

County. The loss of life, especially

those lost from the camps along

what was the peaceful Guadalupe

River, is just incomprehensible. If

you’re the sheriff or police chief

of the town in the center of the

disaster, you are obligated to hold

daily press conferences. You share

what you know and when you

knew it. That’s what Kerr County

Sheriff Larry L. Leitha tried to do.

But each time he stood in front of

the cameras, the idiots from the

mainstream media, launched into

their blame-game questions.

Owning a police magazine

means you must wear two hats,

one of a First Responder and

another as a representative of the

media. While I am proud to be a

member of the first, I am embarrassed

to admit I have anything

to do with the latter. The outright

disrespect I witnessed from the

media towards the officials in Kerrville,

just trying to do their jobs

in unimaginable circumstances,

was unbelievable.

Sheriff Leitha showed great

restraint in dealing with these

lowlife reporters. Most I assume

were not from Texas. His job was

hard enough without Monday

Morning Quarterbacks criticizing

him for his every move. I wish my

good friend Sheriff Grady Judd

from Florida could spend a day


SPECIAL MEMORIAL ON PAGE 229


AROUND THE COUNTRY

HAHIRA, GA.

Police Officer Caleb Abney was struck and killed during a traffic stop

on Interstate 75 near Hahira.

HAHIRA, GA. (WALB) - According

to the Georgia State

Patrol (GSP) a Hahira police officer

died early Thursday morning

when a Chevrolet Camaro

struck his patrol car during

a traffic stop on Interstate 75

northbound in Lowndes County.

Officials identified the officer

killed as Caleb Abney.

The crash occurred at approximately

12:09 a.m.

Officials say Abney had pulled

over a Nissan on the east shoulder

of I-75 and was sitting in

his marked patrol car with

emergency lights on when the

Camaro driver left the northbound

lane and struck the rear

of the patrol vehicle, GSP said.

The impact pushed the patrol

car into the rear of the Nissan,

according to investigators. The

crash sent all three vehicles off

the highway.

Abney died from his injuries

and was declared dead at the

scene. The Camaro driver also

died from injuries and was

declared dead at South Georgia

Medical Center.

GSP’s Specialized Collision

Reconstruction Team is investigating

the crash.

OFFICER CALEB ABNEY

The officer’s family has been

notified.


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AROUND THE COUNTRY

ROBESON COUNTY, N.C.

Master Trooper Stien Davis was killed in a single-vehicle crash on

North Carolina Highway 130.

ROBESON COUNTY, N.C.

(WTVD) -- An on-duty North

Carolina trooper died in a single-vehicle

crash early Sunday

morning.

The incident occurred shortly

after midnight on NC-130

when Master Trooper Stien

Davis, Jr. lost control of his

patrol car, veered off the road,

and overturned in a swampy

area.

The crash details are currently

under investigation.

Master Trooper Davis, a

graduate of the 141st Basic

Patrol School, served with

distinction in Robeson County

and across the state.

Governor Josh Stein said

on X: "My heart goes out this

morning to the family of Master

Trooper Stien Davis, the

NC State Highway Patrol, and

the entire law enforcement

community mourning the loss

of a son, a friend, and a colleague."

TROOPER STIEN DAVIS


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Morning Quarterbacks criticizing





SPECIAL MEMORIAL ON PAGE 229


AROUND THE COUNTRY

FORT BEND COUNTY, TX.

Deputy Sheriff Kenneth Lewis succumbed to injuries he received when he

was struck by a vehicle while helping a stranded motorist on Interstate 10.

HOUSTON, TX (KTRK) -- A Fort

Bend County deputy has died after

a car hit him while helping a

stranded driver in West Houston

Saturday morning, according to

the sheriff's office.

Officials said that the incident

occurred at about 3:40 a.m. on

Saturday on I-10 near Eldridge

Road. He was transported to a

local hospital, where medical

staff worked tirelessly to save

him.

According to the Fort Bend

County Sheriff's Office, Deputy

Kenneth Lewis was in his personal

car when he pulled over

to help the driver and was hit by

a passing vehicle that fled the

scene, authorities said.

It is with profound sadness that

the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s

Office announces that Deputy

Lewis has succumbed to the

injuries he sustained in the early

morning accident on I-10 near

Eldridge Road in Houston on Saturday,

February 21, 2026.

Deputy Lewis demonstrated the

very best of law enforcement.

His selflessness, dedication, and

commitment to serving others

reflect the core values of our office

and the profession he proudly

served.

We ask that you continue

to keep Deputy Lewis’ family,

friends, and our FBCSO family in

your thoughts and prayers during

this incredibly difficult time.

The incident remains under

investigation by the Houston

DEPUTY SHERIFF KENNETH LEWIS

Police Department. Additional

information, including service

arrangements, will be shared

when appropriate.


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AROUND THE COUNTRY

BERNALILLO CNTY, NM.

Sergeant Michael Schlattman was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer

during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Carnuel.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A Bernalillo

County Sheriff’s Office

sergeant has died after a crash

traffic stop on eastbound I-40

near Carnuel.

Sheriff John Allen confirmed

Sgt. Michael Schlattman died

Monday after a semi-truck hit his

vehicle and pinned him beneath

it. Schlattman was conducting a

traffic stop he had been called

to just before 5 p.m.

According to BCSO, the semitruck

driver was treated at UNM

Hospital. It is unclear if they

released them.

Authorities completely shut

down I-40 to investigate the

incident.

The Rio Rancho Police Department

is leading the investigation.

Sheriff Allen said this would be

done to prevent any bias.

BCSO hired Schlattman on

April 16, 2012, and promoted him

to Sergeant on July 13, 2024. He

served as a Special Investigations

and Auto Theft detective

and as a task force officer with

the United States Marshals Service

and the Drug Enforcement

Administration.

At the time of his death, BCSO

assigned him to the East Mountains.

“This is every agency’s worst

nightmare, and tonight it is

ours,” said Sheriff John Allen.

“Sergeant Schlattman was a

servant leader and a protector in

the truest sense. He was the kind

of supervisor who never asked

a deputy to do something he

would not do himself. Our hearts

are broken, and we are asking

our community to carry this

family, and this agency, in your

prayers.”

SGT. MICHAEL SCHLATTMAN

Allen added he was consistently

out in the field, finding

the work, backing his deputies,

answering calls for service and

pushing to be proactive. He also

described him as the steady

voice and the steady presence

that made everyone around him

better.


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Morning Quarterbacks

SPECIAL

criticizing

MEMORIAL ON PAGE 229





AROUND THE COUNTRY

CHRISTIAN COUNTY, MO.

Deputies Gabriel Ramirez and Michael Hislope died in the line of

after a traffic stop and a shootout south of Highlandville.

NEAR REEDS SPRING, MO. (KY3)

— Two Christian County Sheriff’s

deputies died in the line of duty

Monday and Tuesday after a traffic

stop south of Highlandville

triggered a manhunt that ended

in a shootout near Reeds Spring.

The Christian County Sheriff’s

Office identified the two killed in

the line of duty as Deputy Michael

Hislope, 40, and Deputy

Gabriel Ramirez, 30. Deputy Hislope

had been with the sheriff’s

office since October 2019. Deputy

Ramirez had been with the sheriff’s

office since March 2025.

Deputy Gabriel Ramirez was

shot and killed during a traffic

stop south of Highlandville on

Monday afternoon. The Christian

County Sheriff identified the

shooter as Richard Bird, who

fled the scene after shooting

Ramirez.

A manhunt followed. A Missouri

State Highway Patrol helicopter

detected a moving heat

signature in a wooded area in

Stone County. Law enforcement

surrounded the area along State

Highway 160 near Reeds Spring,

where Bird died in a late-night

shootout. Deputy Hislope died in

the shootout.

A third Christian County deputy


DEPUTY GABRIEL RAMIREZ

and one deputy from the Webster

County Sheriff’s Office were

injured. Both were treated for

non-life-threatening injuries.

Dennis Pritchard, who witnessed

the end of the manhunt

from inside a nearby home, described

what he heard and saw.

“I’d actually heard a police officer

say, on the loudspeaker, ‘We

got you surrounded, come out

with your hands up,’” Pritchard

said. “We were watching that

all unfold from inside the house.

We were already locked down,

and we were just really worried

about where this — we thought,

well, this guy could break into

our house. Anything can happen.”

DEPUTY MICHAEL HISLOPE

Richard Bird has a history of

criminal activity. In 2016, he was

convicted of charges including

aggravated battery on a law enforcement

officer, theft, and drug

possession for an incident in

Johnson County, Kan. The judge

ordered him to prison for more

than eight years. Stone County

prosecutors charged him with

two separate property theft cases

in February 2026. Authorities

served him a warrant on Saturday.

He later posted bail.

State Highway 160, which had

been closed during the manhunt,

reopened after the scene was

cleared. Investigators returned to

the area around 8 a.m. Tuesday

to continue the investigation.



AROUND THE COUNTRY

EL PASO, TX.

Drone threats cause FFA to close El Paso airspace, first for 10 days, then just 24hrs.

By Pat Droney

law Enforcement Today

EL PASO, TX. - Last month, the

Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) issued a Terminal Flight

Restriction, or TFR, for El Paso,

Texas, and the surrounding airspace,

The New York Post reported.

The initial announcement

was scheduled to last 10 days for

“special security reasons,” only

to be lifted hours later. Needless

to say, the announcement of the

TFR surprised a lot of people,

from pilots to airline executives

and lawmakers.

An initial explanation from the

Trump administration official

said the shutdown was implemented

after “Mexican cartel

drones breached US airspace,”

however didn’t mention where,

when, or what kind of drones

were involved, The Post reported.

“The Department of War took

action to disable the drones,”

the official added. “The FAA and

DOW have determined there is

no threat to commercial travel.”

WFAA in Dallas said that

air traffic control audio from

El Paso International Airport

showed confusion among pilots

flying into the airport overnight.

The restriction was implemented


at approximately 1:00 a.m. CST

on Wednesday.

A surprised Southwest Airlines

pilot was taken off guard when

informed by the control tower of

the closure, according to LiveATC.

net

“So the airport’s totally

closed?” the pilot asked.

“Apparently,” ATC responded.

“So for 10 days, you guys are

not open?” the pilot asked.

“Well, maybe, we’ll be here,

but no air traffic,” the controller

responded, drawing a laugh

from the Southwest pilot.

“Thanks for the heads up.”

Similarly, an American Airlines

pilot expressed surprise when

informed of the closure.

“What is this we’re hearing…

about a TFR?” the AA pilot asked.

“Say it again,” ATC responded.

“Uh, we heard something about

a TFR, about no flying. What’s

uh, the last guy tried to tell us

what was going on, but we were

on final,” the pilot responded.

“Oh yes, there’s a TFR going

into effect right now in one

hour…and it’s until the 21st, a

ground stop basically, um, no air

traffic,” ATC responded.

“Uh, very interesting. OK,” the

American pilot replied.

Additional tower communications

are available here.

The drone story seems to be

somewhat of a stretch, at least

according to a “source familiar

with the incident, speaking to

The Post, who said it was DHS

special forces personnel who

fired a laser at what was believed

to be cartel drones, but

in fact was at least one mylar

balloon.

Fox News Digital reported a

similar account, citing an unnamed

U.S. official who said

the Pentagon recently rented a

high-energy laser to Customs

and Border Protection (CBP).

The Post reached out to DHS,

DOW, and the White House for

comment, however did not receive

an immediate response.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 11,

the FAA posted on X: The temporary

closure of airspace over

El Paso has been lifted. There is

no threat to commercial aviation.

All flights will resume as normal.”

The ground stop was the first

such incident since after the

Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in

New York City and Washington,

D.C. where airspace was closed

and flights restricted from landing

and taking off.

The administration has not

confirmed the report of a laser

being fired at mylar balloons. As

to the original story coming out

about Mexican cartel drones,

the Trump administration official

didn’t say how the Pentagon

downed the drones, although the

Department of War has jamming

technology capable of disabling

drones in addition to laser

weaponry.

El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson

expressed his displeasure over

the TFR and surrounding confusion.

“You cannot restrict airspace

over a major city without coordinating

with the city, the airport,

hospitals, and community leadership.

That failure to communicate

is unacceptable,” he said

in a statement. “This decision

had real consequences. Medical

evacuation flights were forced

to divert to Las Cruces. All aviation

operations were grounded,

including emergency flights and

even drones.”

“This is not a minor disruption.

That is a public safety issue,” he

added.

The initial report of Mexican

drug cartels using drones was

not a surprise, since they have

been using drones in increasing

numbers over the years, mostly

in a surveillance capacity.

In 2024, approximately 1,000

drone incursions per month were

reported at the US-Mexico border,

the head of the military’s

Northern Command told Congress.


AROUND THE COUNTRY

ST. PAUL, MN.

Border Czar Tom Homan says ICE remains committed to Operation Metro Surge in

Minnesota despite attacks, "Our officers don't create these laws they just enforce them."

By Liz Collin, Alpha News

While Border Czar Tom Homan

said that most of the 3,000

federal agents involved in Operation

Metro Surge will be leaving

Minnesota, some officers will remain

amid the lingering anti-ICE

unrest — including those investigating

fraud and the storming

of a St. Paul church by anti-ICE

agitators.

Alpha News has been the only

Minnesota media organization

granted a behind-the-scenes

look at the work ICE officers do

in the state.

Alpha News senior reporter

Liz Collin first rode along with

officers in September 2025. This

week, Collin and her crew were

back at the Whipple Federal

Building to see how things have

changed.

This time, they were asked to

wear bulletproof vests and face

coverings. And it’s easy to understand

why, least of all since

there are now barricades outside

spray-painted with “F–k ICE”

— along with anti-ICE agitators

shouting obscenities at just

about anyone going in or out of

the federal building.

About 150 officers are stationed

at the St. Paul field office.


The office covers Minnesota,

North and South Dakota, Iowa,

and Nebraska.

Despite the chaos in the

streets, Sam Olson, who serves

as the field office director, told

Collin that the surge has helped

improve public safety in Minnesota.

“Just from the arrests that we

made — and I see some of the

reports — the arrests that had

criminal histories were very significant.

There’s people that have

been convicted for sex crimes,

significant assaults, manslaughter,

all of these things and that

we were able to take into our

custody and some we’re going to

be able to remove from the U.S.,”

Olson explained.

This follows the evidence that

Homan detailed, including how

in just 10 weeks, more than

4,000 illegal aliens were arrested,

and more than 3,300 missing,

unaccompanied children were

located in Minnesota.

Back in September, Olson told

Collin that the lack of cooperation

from some county jails

makes everyone less safe. But

now, unhinged public interference

has made the already dangerous

situation even worse.

“I remember when I first started,

I would just every morning

go to Hennepin County and then



Ramsey County and interview

aliens right at the jail … Now, we

don’t have any space at the jail.

There’s really no communication.

If somebody is booked in that’s

here illegally, they don’t contact

us,” Olson said in September.

“We’re out here on the street

sitting and waiting with seven or

eight officers just for one person.

We could flip that around, we

could have seven or eight people

at Hennepin County jail that

we’re assuming custody of with

two of our officers.”

Now, however, things have

changed.

“I think the biggest thing has

changed is that those lines of

communication are open. We’re

having conversations with a lot

of the sheriffs, a lot of the police

departments. And I think that’s

the biggest thing that we’ve

asked for,” Olson said.

Olson also pointed out that

cooperation with local law enforcement

outside of jails has

been another game changer.

“When there’s a call for help

when there’s people … violating

a state or local ordinance and

that has helped. When Hennepin

County was here and they

helped with putting up some of

the fencing out there, keeping

some of the the agitators out of

the street, that was a big help

and when people did violate the

local laws, they took an action

and that was very helpful. After

the lines of communication got

opened up and we talk almost

daily with a lot of the area law

enforcement, I think that has

been very helpful,” said Olson.

What has not been helpful,

Olson said, has been the sometimes

shocking rhetoric that has


gone on for months.

For example, Gov. Tim Walz

previously referred to ICE agents

as the “Gestapo” and made a reference

about being at war with

the federal government.

Walz also encouraged people

to “witness” and record ICE officers

so they could be prosecuted

for “atrocities.”

Likewise, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan

made public comments on

social media telling protesters

to put their bodies on the line in

taking action against ICE.

In response, Olson said, “That

is tough. I try to remain apolitical

in this. I try to remain like

we have a job to do. These laws

were passed by Congress. We

have to do them.”

“It is tough when you have

some people that do have a

platform to say stuff that make

it more difficult to do the job.

Again, our officers don’t create

these laws. Our officers are just

here to enforce the laws that

were created by the legislative

branch. And so when we hear

people making it that much

harder, that is tough and it’s hard

on the officers as well,” Olson

added.

He also pointed out how such

rhetoric has had an impact on

ICE officers who live and work in

Minnesota.

“While there was a big surge

in resources here, we have an

office of people that live here

and work here and are constituents

here, their families are here.

I think like seeing that and when

they hear some of their leaders

say that … it’s difficult for them

because they’re here saying, ‘Hey,

I signed up for this job. I took an

oath to defend the Constitution

and enforce immigration law and

this is what I’m doing and now

somehow I’m getting vilified for

doing that.’ I think that’s tough

for some people to square,” Olson

explained.

In pointing out the anti-ICE activity

right outside the building,

Olson said, “Today, already when

I pulled in, I must have been told

to kill myself three or four times.

And then just like the other

obscenities, you know what I

mean? And it’s constant.”

“We’ve always had people

videotaping us, so we’re used to

that but we really didn’t experience

people actually trying to

stop us from doing the job by

either standing in front of us,

assaulting our officers, grabbing

the people that we arrested and

trying to pull them away. We’ve

never seen that. Since I’ve been

back here, like that’s what we’re

seeing almost on nearly every

arrest that we’re on we’re seeing

people come and impede us,” he

said.

“It’s just kind of sheer madness

out there,” Olson said.

“There were times that the

agitators got in pounding on

vehicles, breaking off the mirrors,

throwing stuff at the vehicles,

getting vehicles spit on,”

Olson added. “The threats have

increased, I think the number’s

like over 8,000%. Just something

kind of wild. It’s hard to even

fathom that percentage increase.

But it’s happening and it’s happening

daily,” Olson said.

Despite the politics and the

protesters, Olson says there is

no doubt that Minnesota is safer

now and that nevertheless, ICE

remains committed to its mission

in Minnesota.


AROUND THE COUNTRY

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO.

Violence in Mexico after military kills notorious drug cartel boss "EL Mencho."

By Oliver Holmes, Lucy Swan,

Harvey Symons and Laure

Boulinier

Mexico is on alert after cartel

gunmen went on a violent rampage

of revenge in response to

federal forces killing their leader,

a notorious mob boss known as

“El Mencho”.

Authorities had attempted to

capture Nemesio Rubén Oseguera

Cervantes in the western

state of Jalisco on Sunday but

the raid led to a firefight that

fatally wounded the infamous

leader and killed six of his accomplices,

according to officials.

Retaliatory cartel attacks since

the raid have killed 25 members

of the National Guard and

one security guard, according to

Mexico’s security minister, Omar

García Harfuch. He said 30 cartel

operatives were killed as well as

one bystander.

El Mencho, 59, was one of the

world’s most wanted drug traffickers.

He led the heavily armed

Jalisco New Generation Cartel

(CJNG), which had become

the country’s most powerful

criminal organization. The defenSe

minister, Ricardo Trevilla

said information leading to the

capture and death of Mexico’s

most-wanted man stemmed

from a romantic partner.


In the country’s west, schools

were closed and international

travelers left stranded, as cartel

foot soldiers blocked roads by

torching cars and buses. Several

foreign governments issued travel

warnings.

The president, Claudia Sheinbaum,

urged calm and authorities

said all of the more than

250 cartel roadblocks across 20

states had been cleared.

Mexican cartels have set up

roadblocks across the country

It is unclear if the violence will

continue. Previous operations to

kill or capture organized crime

bosses have led to eruptions of

bloodshed and chaos, as cartels

retaliate against the government.

Efforts to remove kingpins

have also often left dangerous

power vacuums which

provoke more bloodshed as

rival factions fight for control.

David Mora, Mexico analyst

for International Crisis Group,

said he expected to see violence

spike. “El Mencho was a

very powerful figure who ran a

very centralized organization.

There is no clear direct heir or

successor,” he said. This could

create a struggle for control

within the group, he added,

while other cartels may seize

the moment to launch turf

wars.

NEW RELEASE


AROUND THE COUNTRY

TEXAS BORDER, TX.

Gov. Greg Abbott deploys DPS to Texas border to “prevent spillover”

of Mexican cartel violence.

By Alex Nguyen

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday

directed the Texas Department

of Public Safety to ramp up

public safety and security operations

along the southern border

after violence erupted in Mexico

following the killing of the country’s

most powerful cartel leader.

DPS will increase operations by

the Texas Highway Patrol, Texas

Rangers, Criminal Investigations

Division, Special Operations

Group as well as its Tactical Marine

Unit and Aircraft Operations

Division in the region to counter

criminal acts and “prevent spillover

activity from transnational

threats,” Abbott said in a statement.

DPS also is coordinating

with the federal government to

monitor security concerns out of

Mexico.

On Sunday, the U.S. embassy

issued a security alert urging

American citizens in several

states in Mexico to shelter in

place due to security operations,

related road blockages and

criminal activities.

The warning came shortly after

the Mexican army killed Jalisco

New Generation Cartel leader

Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes,

prompting violence from

cartel members. Known as “El

Mencho,” he was also one of

the United States’ most wanted

fugitives.

“Texans’ safety is my top priority,

whether they are here

at home or traveling abroad,”

Abbott said Sunday. “I urge all

Texans in Mexico to follow the

guidance of U.S. officials, stay

alert, and ensure they are in

contact with the U.S. Embassy or

nearest U.S. Consulate. Situations

on the ground can change quickly,

and staying informed can save

lives.”

Mexico President Claudia

Sheinbaum on Sunday urged

people to stay informed and

calm. Sheinbaum then said in a

Monday morning news conference

that roadblocks had been

cleared and that she expects

canceled flights to resume by

Tuesday.



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ACROSS THE US

The Latest Breaking News as we go LIVE.

MAN LURES WASH. OFFICERS

WITH FAKE 911 CALL, SLASH-

ES ONE ACROSS THE FACE IN

KNIFE AMBUSH

By Joanna Putman

BELLEVUE, WA. — Newly released

video shows a man ambushing

Bellevue police officers

with a knife after allegedly luring

them to a transit center with a

false 911 call, KOMO reported.

Prosecutors say the suspect

called 911 on Dec. 12, 2025, reporting

a domestic violence

dispute at the Bellevue Transit

Center. Two officers responded

within minutes and contacted the

suspect at the scene.

Body camera footage shows

the suspect speaking with officers

before pulling a knife from

his jacket pocket and charging

at them. Police say he slashed

one officer across the face

and stabbed him twice in the

back after the officer fell to the

ground.

A second officer fired three

shots, striking the suspect. He

survived and was taken to Harborview

Medical Center for

treatment, according to the

report.

The injured officer was also

transported to Harborview with a


significant facial laceration.

The suspect was later released

from the hospital and booked

into the King County Jail on $5

million bail. He is charged with

first-degree assault and second-degree

assault, both with

deadly weapon enhancements,

which carry mandatory prison

time if convicted.

Prosecutors said the attack

was deliberate, noting the suspect

allegedly made the false

911 call to draw officers to the

location.

Court records show the suspect

had prior contact with

Bellevue police, including a

September 2025 arrest related

to threats made during a dispute

with a security guard, according

to the report. He had also recently

attempted to file a complaint

against an officer.

The suspect is currently awaiting

a competency evaluation.

MICH. PD TO SWITCH FROM

SIG P320 TO GLOCK GEN 6,

CHIEF CITES SAFETY CON-

CERNS

By Dylan Goetz

mlive.com

GRAND BLANC TWP, MI. — After

reports of handgun malfunctions

involving the Sig P320 nationwide,

Grand Blanc Township

police will transition to Glock


pistols.

The Grand Blanc Township

board approved a motion this

month to purchase 50 Glock Gen

6 9MM handguns with Aimpoint

sights, three magazines and Safariland

holsters for $48,256.50.

Renye said the push for new

handguns was driven by a rise

in incidents where pistols fired

while holstered.

He recommended the board

approve the purchase to avoid

litigation and keep the township’s

employees safe.

Renye said the department

went from using the Sig 226 to

the Sig P320 seven years ago.

The department’s 60 Sig P320

handguns could be sold back to

the same company, CMP Distributors,

to help offset the costs,

Renye said.

He mentioned the class action

lawsuit against the manufacturer,

Sig Sauer, in New Jersey,

which if successful, could allow

the department a full refund

after further litigation.

A New Jersey local law enforcement

officer was killed

after the P320 unintentionally

discharged, according to New

Jersey Attorney General Jennifer

Davenport.

Renye said a Michigan State

Police officer experienced an

accidental discharge with the

same weapon, but nobody was

injured.

“The manufacturer has yet to

admit that there’s an issue, and

so that’s part of the problem,

but the chief and I talked about

this last year during our capital

planning, and I just don’t think

this is something that we can

wait on,” said township Superintendent

Dennis Liimatta.


Sig Sauer released a statement

about the P320 in March 2025,

saying the weapon cannot discharge

without a trigger pull.

“The allegations against the

P320 are nothing more than

individuals seeking to profit or

avoid personal responsibility,”

the company wrote.

The Glock Gen 6 is approximately

the same size as the Sig

P320, but the handguns require

new holsters, Renye said. Both

weapons are chambered in

9mm.

Each officer will have to be

trained in the new firearm, which

will take a couple of months,

Renye said.

DETROIT PD CHIEF WALKS

BACK DECISION TO FIRE 2

OFFICERS FOR CALLING BOR-

DER PATROL DURING TRAFFIC

STOPS

By George Hunter

The Detroit News

DETROIT – After threatening

to fire two Detroit Police Officers

for cooperating with federal

immigration authorities during

traffic stops, Detroit Police Chief

Todd Bettison said Friday that

he’d changed his mind.

The decision came a day after

the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners

voted 10-0 to approve

Bettison’s recommendation to

place Sgt. Denise Wallet and Officer

James Corsi on administrative

leave for 30 days. The suspended

officers will not receive

pay during the suspensions but

will continue to receive benefits.

Also Thursday, Wallet’s attorney

filed a lawsuit in U.S. District

Court of the Eastern District of

Michigan, claiming she hadn’t

violated Detroit Police policy,

and seeking to prevent her

firing. Michigan House Speaker

Matt Hall also told reporters

that firing officers for working

with federal immigration agents

could prompt a review of whether

DPD’s policies conflict with

House rules that prohibit earmarks

for sanctuary cities.

Bettison had already suspended

the officers with pay after

learning of the two incidents. He

said Friday he was satisfied with

the police board’s decision to

suspend the officers without pay,

and that he would not fire them.

Wallet’s attorney Solomon

Radner said Friday his client

didn’t violate any policies.

“We appreciate that (the chief

isn’t firing Wallet), but now he

needs to rescind the suspension,”

Radner said. “There’s no basis

for it; and if there is a basis for

it, I’d like the chief to answer one

question: Which policy did she

violate?”

BLADEN COUNTY DEPUTY

SHOT, VEST SAVES HIS LIFE

White Oak, N.C. — A Bladen

County deputy was wounded

Friday morning during an attempted

arrest in the White Oak

community. Authorities said the

deputy was struck in his protective

vest during gunfire that

erupted after a struggle with

a suspect who was wanted on

multiple outstanding warrants.

According to the sheriff’s office,

the Bladen County 911 Call

Center received an anonymous

report at about 7:40 a.m. that a

person with multiple warrants

was seen near the 600 block of

Pine Acres Road. Deputies responded

to the area to locate

and arrest the suspect.

Authorities said that when

deputies attempted to take the

suspect into custody, a confrontation

turned into a struggle, and

shots were fired. The sheriff’s

office reported that the deputy’s

vest was hit by gunfire during

the exchange. Deputies returned

fire, and the suspect was wounded,

officials said.

WWAY reported the suspect

was 46-year-old William Antonio

Bright.

Both the deputy and the suspect

were transported to hospitals

for treatment, and officials

reported no life-threatening

injuries.

The North Carolina State Bureau

of Investigation was called

in to investigate the shooting,

which is standard practice for

officer-involved shootings in the

state. The sheriff’s office also

said the involved deputies would

be placed on administrative duty

pending an internal review.

HANCEVILLE POLICE DEPART-

MENT DISBANDED

Hanceville, AL. – Hanceville

city leaders voted February 12 to

dissolve the city’s police department

and abolish the municipal

court, describing the action as a

procedural step toward rebuilding

after the department had already

been effectively shut down

for about a year.

The decision followed a series

of ordinances approved by the

Hanceville City Council. Mayor

Noland Bradford, who was

appointed that night, said the

city’s goal is to make the dissolution

legally clean so evidence,

records, and department property

can be transferred or reassigned

as the city works toward

a restart.

According to The Cullman

Times, the council approved ordinances

to abolish the municipal

court, dissolve the Hanceville

Police Department, and reassign

police vehicles. City officials said

the move was largely procedural

because the department had

not been operating since late

February 2025, when remaining

employees were placed on

administrative leave and policing

functions were turned over

to the Cullman County Sheriff’s

Office.

City leaders said dissolving the

department does not prevent

Hanceville from rebuilding it later.

Bradford told council members

the city needed to formally

unwind the department’s structure

to transfer items and correct

administrative issues, then

restart with new policies and

oversight.

The department’s collapse

traces back to a state investigation

and grand jury findings that

described widespread misconduct.

In 2025, Hanceville’s police

chief, multiple officers, and the

spouse of an officer were indicted

on felony charges related

to evidence handling and other

misconduct, and the entire

department was placed on leave

while the county sheriff’s office

assumed law enforcement responsibilities.

The grand jury scrutiny followed

the death of a city dispatcher

who was found dead at

work from an overdose, with investigators

later describing serious

failures in evidence security

and chain of custody, according

to reporting and court-related

summaries.

Operationally, residents have

already been relying on the Cullman

County Sheriff’s Office for

law enforcement coverage since

February 2025, after the city

announced the transition and

routed calls accordingly.


WEST VIRGINIA DEATH

THREATS AGAINST ICE AGENTS

SPARK FEDERAL PROBE

by Greg Hoyt

CLARKSBURG, W.V. – Immigration

and Customs Enforcement

(ICE), alongside additional

federal and state law enforcement

agencies in West Virginia,

arrested a 20-year-old man this

past January after the suspect

allegedly threatened to murder

ICE agents in the Clarksburg

area.

Cody Lee Smith is currently

facing charges of making terroristic

threats after authorities say

social media posts in tandem

with an allegedly incriminating

phone call led to federal authorities

executing a search warrant

at his home in late January.

According to local reports

regarding Smith’s arrest, Smith

seemingly attached himself to

the broader social media phenomenon

of making antagonistic

posts and videos online

regarding ICE agents as well as

“Trump supporters and/or war

supporters and/or service members

willing to ‘bootlick,’” per the

charging documents in the case.

However, authorities say the

content Smith posted online

stepped over the line of mere

antagonism and crossed into

criminal territory, alleging the

suspect called up the ICE Tip

Line on January 16th and “threatened

to kill any ICE agents he

saw in Clarksburg,” according to

a press release from the agency.

U.S. Secret Service reportedly

identified Smith’s Instagram page

which allegedly featured a video

recording of the incriminating

phone call made to the ICE Tip


Line, with a search warrant being

executed at Smith’s home on

January 22nd. Smith was subsequently

taken into custody while

also having his cellphone taken

into evidence.

On February 3rd, a preliminary

hearing was held at the Harrison

County Magistrate Court where

Judge Warren Davis found probable

cause in the matter and

sent the case to circuit court.

Homeland Security Investigations

D.C. Special Agent in

Charge Eric Weindorf issued

a statement regarding Smith’s

arrest, saying, “HSI is committed

to actively pursuing anyone who

threatens the brave agents and

officers who protect our communities.

We will work tirelessly

to investigate these threats and

ensure those responsible are

brought to justice.”

Smith is currently being held

on a $75,000 bond while he

awaits trial.

EX-CONN. PD CHIEF ARREST-

ED, CHARGED WITH STEALING

$85K OF DEPARTMENT FUNDS

By Justin Muszynski

Hartford Courant

NEW HAVEN, CT. — Former

New Haven police Chief Karl

Jacobson has been arrested by

Connecticut State Police and accused

of stealing about $85,000

worth of funds from his former

department.

Jacobson, 55, of Branford

turned himself in on Friday in

connection with accusations that

he admitted to stealing funds

from a program used to pay

confidential informants, according

Connecticut State Police and

the state Department of Criminal

Ex-Chief Karl Jacobson

Justice. He faces two counts of

first-degree larceny by defrauding

a public community and is

free on $150,000 bond.

“I have yet to receive any

discovery from the state so I

cannot respond to the specific

allegations, but I will remind

everyone that an arrest is not

evidence of guilt and allegations

are not proof,” Jacobson’s attorney,

Gregory Cerritelli , said in a

statement. “This is the beginning

of a very long process. I urge

everyone to keep an open mind

and avoid a rush to judgment.”

In January, New Haven Mayor

Justin Elicker said Jacobson

abruptly filed his retirement paperwork

after irregularities were

discovered in the confidential

informant program funds. According

to Elicker, Jacobson was

confronted about the irregularities

by three assistant chiefs and

he allegedly admitted to stealing

the funds.

Elicker said he had summoned

Jacobson to his office so he

could put him on administrative

leave, but he filed his retirement

paperwork before they could

-escalate

smarter.

.

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meet. His retirement took effect

immediately, Elicker said.

According to the DCJ, investigators

allege that $81,500 was

unaccounted for or misappropriated

from the New Haven Police

Department Narcotic Enforcement

Program Fund . Authorities

believe the misappropriations

happened between January 2024

and this past January.

This fund is supported by the

city’s general fund and is used

to pay confidential informants

who help with narcotics investigations.

Jacobson previously

had access to the fund as an

assistant chief and, after being

promoted to chief, never turned

over control, officials allege.

An investigation of bank records

found that checks made

out from the narcotics program

were allegedly deposited into

Jacobson’s personal checking account,

DCJ officials said. Investigators

also allegedly found that

two checks totaling $4,000 were

embezzled from the New Haven

Police Activity League Fund in

the two days before Christmas

2025 and were allegedly tied to

Jacobson’s checking account,

according to the DCJ.

“It’s a sad day for the city of

New Haven,” Elicker said in a

statement Friday. “Former Police

Chief Jacobson was someone

whom many in our city deeply

respected and who dedicated his

life to helping keep our community

safe. However, no one is

above the law and that includes

the chief of police. The theft

and misuse of taxpayer funds

was not only a crime, but also a

breach of public trust for which

former Chief Jacobson must be

held accountable.”


CLICK TO WATCH

DCJ officials said authorities

conducted an “extensive review”

and found that no one else from

the police department was involved.

Assistant Police Chief David

Zannelli was appointed as acting

chief in light of Jacobson’s retirement.

Jacobson was sworn in

as police chief in July 2022, and

his four-year contract was set to

expire this year.

14-YEAR-OLDS STRIKE BAL-

TIMORE OFFICER WITH VEHI-

CLE, FLEE SCENE

By Chevall Pryce

BALTIMORE, MD. — Three

14-year-olds were arrested this

week after allegedly striking

a Baltimore Police officer with

a stolen vehicle days earlier,

leading the officer to discharge

his weapon, according to the

department. One of the teens,

a 14-year-old girl police said

was the driver, had what police

believed to be a bullet graze

wound when arrested, possibly a

result of the incident.

According to police, a Baltimore

officer on patrol, William

Cole, responded On Sunday at

12:05 a.m. to a call about armed

individuals breaking into the

caller’s home on the 800 block

of West Lombard Street.

When Cole arrived, he saw a

Kia sedan with multiple people

in it. The driver put the vehicle

into reverse and struck a parked

car, police said in a Thursday

news release.

As seen in a video released by

the police department, Cole exited

his patrol vehicle and drew

his weapon as he walked toward

the Kia. Cole issued verbal

commands for the occupants to

leave the vehicle.

The Kia reversed again and

struck Cole, injuring his ankle,

police said. Cole fired his weapon

one time at the Kia before it

fled in reverse, striking Cole’s

patrol vehicle and another vehicle.

A man suffering from injuries

then approached Cole from

across the street before collapsing.

Cole asked the man whether

he was OK before administering

aid. The man said, “I got set up,”

as he collapsed to the ground.

It’s unclear if his injuries were

related to the incident with the

car.

Shortly after, officers found

the Kia unoccupied on the 100

block of South Arlington Avenue

after it struck another

parked car, police said. The car

was reported stolen on Saturday

on the 600 block of East

Chase Street.

An investigation using electronic

monitoring identified two

14-year-old boys who were

allegedly in the Kia at the time

of the incident. Electronic monitoring

is a surveillance tool,

like an ankle monitor, used by

law enforcement. Typically,

individuals under electronic

monitoring also have curfews.

Both boys had previously been

charged with robbery and auto

theft. They were arrested Monday.

On Tuesday, officers identified

a 14-year-old girl as the driver

of the stolen Kia sedan, the department

said. Officers discovered

that the girl had a wound

on her right wrist, which she

was treated for at a hospital

Sunday. Detectives determined,

after speaking with the girl’s

mother, that the wound was a

gunshot graze possibly caused

by Cole shooting at the vehicle.

The girl was arrested Tuesday

and charged with aggravated

assault and auto theft. She was

taken to juvenile booking before

she was released on electronic

monitoring.

The two boys were charged

with aggravated assault and

auto theft. Both were taken to

juvenile booking and detained.

Cole was treated for the injury

to his ankle before he was

released from the hospital.

NAKED WIS. MAN STEALS

AMBULANCE WITH PATIENT IN-

SIDE, SPARKS 18-MILE PURSUIT

By Sarah Roebuck

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI. — A

man is facing multiple charges

after he stole an ambulance with

a patient secured in the back and

led officers on an 18-mile pursuit

across central Wisconsin, according

to the Wisconsin Rapids

Police Department.

The incident began around 5:37

p.m. on Feb. 17 while Wisconsin

Rapids Fire Department personnel

were providing medical care

at a residence in the 1400 block

of 22nd Avenue South.

The ambulance was parked

nearby with two paramedics

and the patient inside when an

unidentified, nude man entered

the cab and took control of the

vehicle.

One medic exited in an attempt

to intervene. The second tried

to prevent the ambulance from

being moved but was ultimately

forced to exit as well when the

situation became unsafe, police

said.

The suspect fled in the ambulance

with the patient still

secured on a gurney in the rear

compartment.

CLICK TO WATCH

Wisconsin Rapids police then

initiated a pursuit that spanned

approximately 18.2 miles and

lasted about 40 minutes, ending

near Highway 73/80 in Pittsville.

Multiple agencies attempted to

safely stop the ambulance using

a tire deflation device. Pittsville

Police ultimately disabled one of

the front tires, after which the

suspect drove into a muddy field

and became stuck.

Body camera video shows the

suspect refusing multiple commands

to exit the vehicle.

Due to concerns for the patient’s

safety in the rear compartment,

officers deployed a

drone to monitor the situation

before making contact. A coordinated

team then approached and

safely took the suspect, identified

as Benjamin L. Feltz, into custody.

Both the patient and the suspect

were reported uninjured

during the incident. Pittsville

EMS transported them to Aspirus

Wisconsin Rapids Hospital for

evaluation and treatment.

Minor damage to the ambulance

was reported.

Feltz was booked into the

Wood County Jail. Charges

being requested include oper-


ating a motor vehicle without

the owner’s consent, obstructing

emergency personnel, recklessly

endangering safety and operating

while intoxicated (third offense),

among others, according

to police.

Police thanked assisting agencies,

including the Wood County

Sheriff’s Office, Pittsville Police

Department, Port Edwards Police

Department and the Wisconsin

State Patrol.

‘SHE’S GETTING A GUN!':

BWC SHOWS COLO. OFFICERS

SHOOT WOMAN WHO CLIMBED

INTO CRUISER

By Cleo Westin,

The Gazette

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO. —

Colorado Springs police officers

shot a woman about 15 seconds

after she entered a CSPD vehicle

and allegedly reached for a firearm

on Delaware Drive, limited

body camera footage released

Friday by the department shows.

Officers began pursuing Micaela

Pasillas, 30, on Jan. 31 after a

report of a disturbance involving

a weapon and it is unclear what

prompted her to get into the

vehicle.

Pasillas allegedly swung a

knife six times a few feet from a

victim in his vehicle, hitting the

door, according to the arrest affidavit

obtained by The Gazette.

The victim told police that he

would have been stabbed if the

car door “had not been there.”

The body camera footage

begins with Pasillas in between

the police vehicle and a person

referred to as “Officer One” in

the significant event briefing,

who warned Pasillas as she

approached the vehicle that she


would be tased.

When she entered the officer

said, “Oh hell no,” before pointing

the taser in her face and

commanding her to exit.

“Officer One” then opened the

driver’s side door where Pasillas

was sitting and attempted to

pull her out by her feet.

Two seconds after “Officer

One” said, “Guys, we need to

grab her,” Officer James Mckinstry

yelled that Pasillas was

“getting a gun” and fired at her

three times, hitting her “at least”

twice.

After the shots were fired, Pasillas

can momentarily be seen

lying on the road as a third officer

asks if she is OK before the

footage ends.

Pasillas survived the shooting

with serious but non-life-threatening

injuries and has since

been released from the hospital,

according to the briefing.

Police later recovered a knife

Pasillas dropped during the foot

pursuit.

Under Colorado law, the El

Paso County Sheriff’s Office took

over the investigation of the

shooting because a police officer

CLICK TO WATCH

fired their weapon and struck

Pasillas.

Colorado Springs police submitted

an arrest affidavit for

Pasillas on the charge of menacing

on Feb. 4, but it does not

mention the shooting or Pasillas

entering the police vehicle.

Charges of second-degree

assault on a police officer, motor

vehicle theft, resisting arrest and

obstructing a police officer were

filed from the Sheriff’s Office

investigation against Pasillas on

Feb. 12, according to court records.

The use of force investigation

by the Sheriff’s Office will be

sent to the 4th Judicial District

Attorney’s Office to determine

whether the shooting was justified.

41 DUI ARRESTS BY SINGLE

TENNESSEE TROOPER DIS-

MISSED

By Law Officer

Bedford County, TN – A local

records review and analysis revealed

a striking pattern: 41 DUI

arrests made by a single Tennessee

Highway Patrol trooper

were later dismissed. The arrests

took place between 2021 and

2024 and were all attributed

to Trooper Asa Pearl. The dismissed

cases raise urgent questions

about how roadside DUI

investigations were conducted

and how many people were

wrongfully processed through

the criminal justice system.

Prosecutors in Bedford County

compiled a spreadsheet outlining

the reasons each DUI was

dismissed. That breakdown

shows two concerning clusters:

• 22 cases involved drivers

who either had no alcohol or

drugs in their system, or whose

blood alcohol concentration

(BAC) was within legal limits.

Specifically:

• 8 cases showed neither

drugs nor alcohol present.

• 14 cases showed BAC within

legal limits and no drugs detected.

• 19 other dismissals were

attributed to procedural and

evidential problems, including

the arresting trooper being unavailable

for court or unable to

recall details of the stop.

What does all this mean?

At least 22 people were arrested,

processed, and charged

with DUI despite laboratory

results that did not support

impairment. In many of the remaining

cases, the legal process

faltered because crucial

testimony or documentation

was missing. Either situation

can lead to wrongful arrest, lost

time, legal expenses, and emotional

distress for the accused.

The dismissals were not visible

in personnel files. A search

of court records and an open

records request with the Bedford

County Clerk uncovered the

dismissed DUI cases. The Bedford

County district attorney’s office,

upon request, produced a spreadsheet

explaining the reasons for

dismissal in each case.

Attempts to obtain answers

directly from Trooper Asa Pearl

were unsuccessful. He did not respond

to interview requests, and

his personnel file simply notes

that he resigned from the Tennessee

Highway Patrol in 2024, with

no reason listed. The Department

of Safety did not provide a comment

on the findings when contacted.

MAN RAISES GUN, FIRES

SHOTS AT SEATTLE OFFICERS

BEFORE OIS

By Lauren Girgis,

The Seattle Times

Seattle. WA. — A 62-year-old

Kansas man has been charged

with assaulting law enforcement

officers in connection with a police

shootout Thursday evening in

Ballard.

Christopher Michael Bowman

is charged with first- and second-degree

assault for allegedly

shooting at Seattle police Officers

Jonathan Lupastean and Bailey

CLICK TO WATCH

Person. One of the officers was

treated for a graze wound to the

leg.

Bowman was in the hospital in

critical condition on Friday. He

was allegedly following his exwife

who called 911, reporting he

likely had a weapon, according

to charging documents. Officers

arrived and noted the suspect

had a hand in his pocket, prosecutors

allege.

Seattle police Chief Shon

Barnes said Thursday evening

the man exchanged gunfire with

police officers who responded

to a call from a woman who

reported he was following her.

The shooting, at Northwest 62nd

Street and 28th Avenue Northwest,

was right by Adams Elementary

School and the Ballard

Community Center.

One of the officers told the

suspect to raise his hands and

Bowman allegedly pointed his

weapon and began firing, according

to court documents.

Charging documents state

Bowman has out-of-state convictions

for rape, attempted

aggravated robbery, aggravated

kidnapping, criminal possession



of a firearm, tracking contraband

in prison and more from the

1990s. He also has a misdemeanor

conviction of assault on law

enforcement. He had an active

warrant for his arrest out of Kansas

for several crimes, according

to the police report.

Prosecutors note in a filing

decision that Bowman is almost

certainly not eligible to possess

a gun” due to his criminal history.

Prosecutors were requesting $3

million bail.

Kirkland police, who investigated

the case as part of the

King County Independent Force

Investigation Team, referred the

case for first-degree attempted

aggravated murder, second-degree

attempted murder and

first-degree assault. Prosecuting

attorney’s office spokesperson

Casey McNerthney said in

a statement that the charging

decision was “made with limited

evidence.

Additional information from

the investigation may lead to

additional or amended charges,

McNerthney said.

According to the Kirkland police

report, Bowman’s ex-wife

went inside the QFC on 24th Avenue

Northwest to hide from him.

A witness had picked up his

kids and was walking up 62nd

Street when he saw the shooting,

according to the police

report. The witness said a man

passed him after police cars

pulled up, and he heard a police

officer tell the man to get

his hands out of his pockets.

The witness saw the man pull a

pistol and aim it at officers, the

report said, and the officers and

man began shooting at each other.

The witness grabbed his kids

and ran, the police report states.

Bowman’s arraignment was

scheduled for Feb. 19 in King

County Superior Court.

SUSPECTED BANK ROBBER

POINTS REPLICA GUN AT CALIF.

OFFICERS BEFORE FATAL OIS

By Joanna Putman

SACRAMENTO, CA. — The

Sacramento Police Department

released body camera footage

showing an officer-involved

shooting of a man suspected of

robbing a bank.

The Jan. 29 incident unfolded

when the Sacramento Police

Department received a report of

a bank robbery in progress. The

release included surveillance

footage

Body camera video from a

responding officer shows witnesses

describing the suspect

and where he went, telling the

officer the suspect had a gun.

Dash and body camera footage

shows officers locating the

suspect running away on foot,

pulling what appeared to be a

handgun from his waistband.

Officers issued instructions for

the man to drop the gun, but he

did not comply.

CLICK TO WATCH

The man can be seen pointing

the gun at officers, prompting

them to fire shots.

Officers rendered medical

aid to the suspect until the fire

department arrived at the scene,

according to the release. The

suspect was transported to the

hospital, where he was pronounced

dead. The gun the man

was using was later found to be

a replica.

BOMB DETONATES DURING

EVIDENCE PROCESSING, 2

COLO. BOMB SQUAD OFFICERS

BURNED

By Joanna Putman

PUEBLO, CO. — Two members

of the Pueblo Police Department’s

Metro Bomb Squad were

injured when an explosive device

detonated during an evidence-processing

operation at

the department’s bomb range,

KOAA reported.

The Feb. 12 explosion occurred

around 10:35 a.m. on while technicians

were attempting to render

the device safe as part of an

ongoing criminal investigation.

One officer sustained first- and

second-degree burns and was

treated and released, according

to the report. The second offi-

cer suffered first-, second- and

third-degree burns and was

transported to a Denver burn

unit, where he remains hospitalized.

The injuries are considered

non-life-threatening.

No other injuries were reported.

The investigation remains

ongoing.

FELON ARRESTED AT MARDI

GRAS CARRYING ALLIGATOR

AND GUN

New Orleans, LA, – Louisiana

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries

enforcement agents say

they arrested a New Roads man

early Saturday after spotting him

carrying a live alligator through

Mardi Gras crowds on Bourbon

Street and then finding a firearm

and marijuana during the contact.

According to agents, they were

patrolling the French Quarter

around 1:30 a.m. on February 14

when they observed a man in

the 400 block of Bourbon Street

carrying an approximately three

to four-foot live alligator. Agents

identified the suspect as Eurell D.

Johnson, 25, of New Roads.

Agents said they had contacted

Johnson and seized the alligator

during Mardis Gras festivities.

Agents also found Johnson in

possession of a pistol and marijuana

and learned he is a convicted

felon who is prohibited

from possessing a firearm.

The enforcement contact began

as agents noticed the live

alligator being carried through a

crowded entertainment corridor

during peak Mardi Gras foot traffic

hours. Agents described the

scene as Bourbon Street Carnival

crowds, which typically include

dense pedestrian congestion and

high noise levels.

Agents seized the live alligator

and turned it over to the on-call

biologist. The agency did not

release additional details about

the animal’s condition or its

transport after the seizure.

Agents also seized the pistol

and marijuana and booked Johnson

into jail on charges of being

a convicted felon in possession

of a firearm, possession of marijuana,

and possession of a live

alligator.

SUSPECT ATTACKS RENO OF-

FICERS WITH TOW CHAIN

Reno, NV. — On February 3,

2026, just before 4 p.m., Reno

police responded to multiple

calls reporting a man lingering

on a bridge, prompting what authorities

described as a welfare

check. When officers arrived,

they found 27-year-old Michael

J. Johnson in the roadway. Police

shut down southbound traffic

and called in a Mobile Outreach

Safety Team to de-escalate and

resolve the situation without

force.

For more than 15 minutes,

officers attempted to persuade

Johnson to move to a safer

location and accept assistance.

Authorities say the encounter

escalated as Johnson walked

toward the bottom of the bridge,

where additional officers were

positioned. One officer advised

others that Johnson had previously

been armed during an

earlier contact.

Authorities allege Johnson then

advanced toward officers with

his hands concealed, pulled a

heavy metal chain from his jacket,

and rushed forward. Multiple

officers fired, striking Johnson.

Officers immediately began

rendering medical aid, but Johnson

was pronounced dead at the

scene. During the exchange, an

officer was struck by gunfire and

was later treated and released.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s


Office is leading the investigation,

which officials described as

standard procedure in officer-involved

shootings.

SUSPECT FIRES SHOTS

DURING BALTIMORE PD AR-

REST BEFORE FATAL OIS

BALTIMORE, MD. — Police

released body camera footage

showing a Southeast Baltimore

encounter last month that ended

with officers fatally shooting

a man on an Interstate 95 onramp.

The footage, released following

a Thursday news conference,

shows Baltimore Police pursuing

Jamarl Muse, 40, on Eastern Avenue

on Jan. 20 and attempting

to take him into custody before

his gun fires. Two officers, identified

as Sgt. Carlos Arias and

Officer Edwin Ruiz, then fired at

Muse, who died at the scene.

“What you’re going to see in

this video could have been completely

avoided had the suspect

just complied with the demands

of the officers,” Police Commissioner

Richard Worley told

reporters on Thursday, before

showing the footage. The Maryland

attorney general’s office is

investigating the matter alongside

the department. The office’s

Independent Investigations

Division probes all fatal civilian

encounters with police in Maryland.

Deputy Police Commissioner

Brian Nadeau said the fatal

encounter stemmed from a

“dispute at a residence” in the

nearby Eastwood neighborhood.

A woman was trying to get her

daughter and her daughter’s

husband out of a house on the

6800 block of Bank Street, and


CLICK TO WATCH

CLICK TO WATCH

Muse “pulled out a firearm on

them to get them to leave the

residence,” Nadeau said. They

then called the police, and Muse

fled on his bike. His relationship

to anyone in the home is unclear.

The footage shows Officer

Jhosean Ramos Cortes pursuing

Muse and locating him, still on

the bike, in front of a McDonald’s

restaurant on the 6500 block of

Eastern Avenue . Police pursue

him down a nearby ramp leading

to I-95 North. Frias then pulls

Muse off the bike and attempts

to take him into custody.

“What’d I do?” Muse asks.

“Stop,” Frias said, repeatedly,

while taking Muse to the ground.

“No, get off of me,” he responds.

Frias said that he has Muse’s

hand. Then, a loud “bang” is

heard as a flash lights up the

grassy area next to the on-ramp.

Frias and Ruiz then fire at Muse

and back away. Police would later

recover a Taurus revolver.

“It’s very hard to accidentally

shoot off a revolver,” Nadeau

said. He said that the gun was

not in “a position where it could

have accidentally gone off unless

he actually pulled the trigger.”

The shooting happened one

day after police shot a woman at

a Bolton Hill apartment complex

as she appeared to be experiencing

a mental health crisis and

threatened officers with a knife.

The woman, as well as another

man shot by Baltimore Police

on Jan. 7 during a traffic stop in

Mount Vernon, survived.

‘I WILL SHOOT': BWC SHOWS

WOMAN POINT GUN AT NEV.

STATE POLICE TROOPERS BE-

FORE OIS

By Bryan Horwath

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Las Vegas — A Nevada Highway

Patrol trooper fired a shot

into a woman’s vehicle after she

pointed a gun and said “I will

shoot” during a traffic stop in

Las Vegas, a Highway Patrol official

said Wednesday while also

showing body camera footage of

the confrontation.

Barbara Lu, 51, of Montana, was

taken into custody just before 1

a.m. Sunday on an Interstate 15

on-ramp at St. Rose Parkway,

Highway Patrol Col. Michael Edgell

said in a news conference.

She had been pulled over after

running a red light, Edgell said.

Trooper body camera footage

played at the news conference

showed the shooting as well as

moments leading up to and after

it. The bullet fired by the trooper

went through the driver’s side

window and the vehicle’s windshield.

The video showed a dog from

Lu’s vehicle lunging at one of the

troopers as Lu — who is heard

screaming in the footage — refused

to get out of her vehicle,

Edgell said.

Moments later, a trooper dash

cam video showed two troopers

outside Lu’s closed driver’s side

door as one attempted to break

the window.

In body camera footage from

another trooper, that trooper can

be heard saying “she’s got a gun”

before he darted to the back

area of the vehicle.

Seconds later, a trooper identified

by Edgell as Kenneth Ducut

fired one round. Video clearly

showed the flash from Ducut’s

shot. Lu then dropped what she

had been holding and raised both

empty hands.

Edgell said he was proud of

how the troopers handled the

situation.

“We never fire a warning shot

whatsoever and I don’t think any

police department will,” Edgell

said. “We train our people that

you only shoot to stop the threat.

She had a gun in her hand and

she pointed it at a trooper. She

had a gun in her hand when he

fired that shot.”

Edgell said Lu, who was taken

to a local hospital before being

taken into custody, was not seriously

injured, but she did have

some scratches on her neck.

“In a perfect world, she would

have gotten out of the car and

we would have conducted business

on the side of the road,”

CLICK TO WATCH

Edgell said.

According to Las Vegas Justice

Court records, Lu was charged

with assault on a protected person

with use of a deadly weapon

and resisting with a firearm, both

felonies, along with misdemeanor

counts of DUI, failing to obey

a red light, and parking a vehicle

on the highway.

A Clark County Detention

Center online jail roster showed

Lu listed as an inmate as of

Wednesday afternoon. Lu is

scheduled for a preliminary

court hearing on Feb. 25, according

to online records.

When they searched Lu’s vehicle,

troopers found a loaded Sig

Sauer 9 mm pistol, Edgell said.

In addition to the dog seen

lunging at troopers, Lu also had

another dog in her vehicle, Edgell

said. The dogs were taken

by animal control workers who

later arrived at the scene, Edgell

said.

The Metropolitan Police Department

was investigating the

incident, and Edgell said the ongoing

probe would probably last

several months.


WIS. PD REQUIRES PLAIN-

CLOTHES COPS TO WEAR

BADGES, UNMARKED CRUISERS

TO DISPLAY PLACARDS

By Chris Rickert

The Wisconsin State Journal

MADISON, WI. — Madison

police are now requiring plainclothes

officers to wear jackets

identifying them as police and

unmarked police vehicles to display

placards identifying them as

police vehicles.

The moves began taking effect

last week, police spokesperson

Stephanie Fryer said, and come

in response to local concerns

about the kinds of robust federal

immigration enforcement seen

in the Twin Cities and elsewhere

that involve masked immigration

officials operating out of unmarked

vehicles.

Madison police posted a video

on Facebook Tuesday of Chief

John Patterson explaining the

new approach.

“We’ve been getting a lot of

questions lately given the events

occurring across our nation

about how to identify Madison

police staff versus other law enforcement

agencies,” Patterson

said.

Patterson then goes on to say

that plainclothes officers such as

detectives or detective supervisors

will, “effective immediately,”

be required to wear jackets

with either a Madison police

patch or the words “Madison police”

on them.

The department’s unmarked

police vehicles also now are

coming with placards placed

in their front windows that say

“official Madison police vehicle”

in English and Spanish and have


CLICK TO WATCH

images of the Madison police

patch.

Madison police can still conduct

undercover operations,

according to Fryer, but any deviations

from the new policy “must

be reviewed and approved by a

commander.”

Patterson said residents who

see law enforcement personnel

from outside jurisdictions, including

federal law enforcement,

can call 911 and Madison police

will try to help identify them.

On Wednesday, Monona police

issued a press release saying it

was the Dane County Sheriff’s

Office, and not federal Homeland

Security or Immigration and

Customs Enforcement, that executed

a search warrant Wednesday

morning at a residence in

Monona. The warrant was related

to a narcotics investigation,

the police department said.

FLORIDA OFFICER SAVES

TRAPPED DRIVER AS PURSUIT

OF CARJACKING, KIDNAPPING

SUSPECT ENDS IN FIERY CRASH

By Joanna Putman

JACKSONVILLE, FL. — A carjacking

and child abduction ended

with a dramatic rescue after

the suspect crashed into another

vehicle during a police pursuit,

First Coast News reported.

According to the Jacksonville

Sheriff’s Office, a woman reported

that a man forcibly removed

her from her vehicle before

driving off with her 1-year-old

daughter still inside.

Officers quickly located the

stolen vehicle and initiated a

pursuit. During the pursuit, the

suspect crashed into another

car just a few streets away. A

14-year-old in the struck vehicle

escaped, but an adult woman

remained trapped as the vehicle

caught fire.

Body camera footage shows

Officer Almin Residovic pulling

the injured woman from the

burning car and extinguishing

flames in her hair.

“I got to her just in time,”

Residovic told a fellow officer.

The woman was hospitalized

and is recovering.

Police arrested the suspect at

the scene. The kidnapped child

was found unharmed in her car

seat and reunited with her mother,

according to the report.

The suspect is facing multiple

charges, including carjacking

and false imprisonment of a

child. He is scheduled to be arraigned

on March 3.

The sheriff’s office praised

Residovic’s actions, saying the

rescued woman is “incredibly

grateful to be alive.”

LA. FTO WHO LOST LEG AF-

TER BEING STRUCK BY SUS-

PECT’S ATV NOW ABLE TO

WALK WITHOUT CANE

By Joanna Putman

NEW ORLEANS — A Plaquemines

Parish Sheriff’s lieutenant

who lost his leg more than three

years ago after being struck by a

fleeing ATV driver has reached a

major recovery milestone: walking

without a cane.

Lt. Edmund Fisher, an 18-year

veteran of the department, was

critically injured in May 2022

while deploying spike strips

during a pursuit in Belle Chasse,

FOX 8 reported. One of the

fleeing drivers hit Fisher at high

speed, causing life-threatening

injuries.

“While I was trying to get the

spike strips out of the back of

my car you know he was coming

at me so fast I turned around and

looked and he was already on

me,” Fisher said. “So my natural

reaction was just kind of throw

up my hands in the air and yell

at him and that’s when he kind

of swerved and hit me.”

Fisher’s pelvis was shattered,

and he suffered massive internal

bleeding. He underwent multiple

surgeries and received continuous

blood transfusions for weeks

at University Medical Center

before doctors ultimately amputated

his right leg.

“You know, it was either take

the leg or die, basically. And

death wasn’t an option,” Fisher

told FOX 8.

The suspect, 18 at the time,

pleaded guilty to aggravated

second-degree battery as part of

a plea deal, after originally facing

an attempted murder charge.

Fisher supported the reduction,

citing the emotional toll on his

family.

Now serving as a field training

officer, Fisher helps manage the

department’s drone program and

holds an FAA license, according

to the report. He continues physical

therapy twice a week and

has gone through three prosthetic

legs during his recovery.

Fisher credited his wife, medical

staff, and the Tunnel to

Towers Foundation, which paid

off his mortgage, for supporting

his recovery.

BWC SHOWS MOMENTS

LEADING UP TO BORDER PA-

TROL SHOOTING IN CHICAGO

By Joanna Putman

CHICAGO, IL. — A U.S. Customs

and Border Protection agent who

shot a Chicago woman five times

during an immigration protest

in October has been placed on

administrative leave, CBS News

reported.

The confirmation comes as

newly released body camera

footage, surveillance video, and

internal messages detail the

events leading up to the Oct. 4,

2025, shooting of 30-year-old

Marimar Martinez. Martinez was

initially accused of ramming a

federal agent’s vehicle during an

anti-ICE protest, but those claims

were later retracted by federal

prosecutors, who dropped all

charges against her, according to

the report.

The agent, identified as Charles

Exum, said at the time he opened

fire because Martinez posed a

threat. The footage appears to

show Exum steering into Martinez’s

car before opening fire. The

shooting itself was not captured

due to Exum’s camera being

turned off during the incident.

Martinez’s attorney, Chris Parente,

said the evidence supports

their claim that the shooting

was unjustified, according to the

report.

Text messages released in the

case show Exum joking about

the shooting, including one that

read, “I fired 5 round and she had

7 holes. Put that in your book

boys.” A fellow agent responded,

“good shootin, lol.”

Exum was praised in an email

sent hours after the shooting by

Border Patrol Commander Gregory

Bovino, who said Exum had


“much yet left to do” following

his “excellent service.”

Martinez has filed a formal

complaint against the government

and plans to seek tens of

millions of dollars in damages.

Her legal team alleges DHS officials

spread false information,

including labeling her a “domestic

terrorist.”

A CBP spokesperson confirmed

the shooting is under review by

the National Use of Force Review

Board. The agency said it is

committed to transparency and

accountability.

MICH. PD CHIEF FENDS OFF

AX-WIELDING ATTACKER

WITH SNOW SHOVEL

By Jackie Smith

mlive.com

KINGSTON, MI. — A Michigan

police chief reportedly defended

himself and other officials

against an attack from an

axe-wielding suspect earlier this

month with a snow shovel.

Now, the subject faces multiple

felonies and 16 counts of assaulting,

resisting or obstructing

a police officer.

Kingston Police Chief Albert

Pearsall was responding to a

local residence on Wednesday,

Feb. 4, WJRT-TV reported, over

complaints of a subject driving

away a motor vehicle and an

illegal burn when the suspect

began to swing an axe at the

entrance of the home.

Although accompanied by

other police officers, the village

chief picked up a nearby snow

shovel to fend of the attack.

The Tuscola County Advertiser

reported the incident occurred

around 2:30 p.m., attributing the

attack to 34-year-old Dale A.


Ford.

Authorities quickly retreated

after the attack, according

to WJRT, while Ford remained

inside the residence. A standoff

later ended peacefully and with

no injuries.

According to the local district

court, Ford was arraigned on

a host of charges Feb. 6. Those

also include individual counts of

assault with intent to do great

bodily harm less than murder;

carrying a dangerous weapon

with unlawful intent; assault

with a dangerous weapon or felonious

assault; and assault with

intent to murder, which is punishable

by up to life in prison.

Bond for Ford was set at

$250,000. He remained in custody

at the Tuscola County Jail.

DOG LEADS KY. OFFICERS TO

MISSING 3-YEAR-OLD BOY

By Joanna Putman

LOUISVILLE, KY. — A dog is

being credited with helping

Louisville police locate a missing

3-year-old boy, video released

by LVMPD shows.

Officer Josh Thompson of the

Louisville Metro Police Department’s

7th Division said that the

search led officers through multiple

yards before they encountered

a barking dog that began

following him.

“He’s barking, chirping at me

a little bit, and then continues

to follow me back to the front

porch,” Thompson said.

Thompson decided to follow

the dog, which led officers to a

garage. Outside, they found the

missing child sitting in the passenger

seat of a car.

The boy was safely reunited

with his family.

“Outstanding work by our officers,

and a four-legged friend

who reminded us that heroes

come in all forms,” the department

said in the post.

FEDERAL OFFICER SHOOTS

OUT TIRES OF SUSPECT VEHI-

CLE THAT RAMMED CRUISER

AS MAN TRIED TO STRIKE LEOS

By Jeff Goldman | NJ.com

nj.com

ROXBURY, N.J. — A U.S. Immigration

and Customs Enforcement

officer shot out the tires of

a car driven by a wanted man

on Tuesday in Roxbury after his

pickup truck struck a law enforcement

vehicle and tried to


run over the officer, according to

federal officials.

ICE was attempting to arrest

Honduras resident Jesus Fabian

Lopez-Banegas when the incident

took place. No one was

injured and Lopez-Banegas was

taken into custody, the federal

agency said in an emailed statement.

Lopez-Banegas has been

wanted since 2021, when a judge

signed an order of removal. His

criminal history includes drug

trafficking charges, drug possession

and driving under the influence,

according to ICE.

Lopez-Banegas, who is scheduled

to be sentenced March 19,

turns 25 this year and resides in

Dover, according to court records.

Roxbury police said Landing

Road was closed from Shippenport

Road to Lakeside Boulevard

at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. The department

provided no further

updates.

ICE said the officer followed

protocol in firing at the tires of

Lopez-Banegas’s vehicle.

“Our officers are facing a

3,200% increase in vehicle attacks

and a more than 1,300%

increase in assaults against them

as they put their lives on the line

to arrest vicious criminal illegal

aliens,” ICE said in a statement.

ICE didn’t provide context for

the statistics.

At a regularly scheduled township

council meeting on Tuesday

night, some residents questioned

ICE’s version of events

and expressed concern about the

shooting.

Tensions have been high in

Roxbury since news broke late


last year that ICE is considering

converting a vacant warehouse

in the township into an immigrant

detention facility. Township

officials have expressed

their opposition to an ICE facility

in the Morris County community.

PA. OFFICER CHARGED AF-

TER STRIKING NAKED MAN IN

ROADWAY WITH VEHICLE

By Rudy Miller

The Express-Times

NORRISTOWN, PA. — A Norristown,

Pa., police sergeant who

drove into a naked man and

launched him into the air was

charged Tuesday with aggravated

assault, prosecutors announced.

Daniel DeOrzio , 52, shouldn’t

have used that level of force to

subdue the man, District Attorney

Kevin R. Steele said in a

news release. The confrontation

was Feb. 4, at West Airy and

Stanbridge streets in Norristown.

Steele said the unarmed, naked

man was screaming and damaging

cars.

The naked man was standing

with his hands on his hips when

DeOrzio accelerated and struck

him, according to Steele. The

man went airborne, landing several

feet away in the road, Steele

said.

The man was treated at Main

Line Health Paoli Hospital and

discharged Friday, Feb. 6, the DA

said.

DeOrzio could have used verbal

commands, tactical coordination,

or less-than-lethal weapons

to subdue someone committing

misdemeanor offenses,

rather than put the man’s life in

jeopardy, Steele said.

“The investigation found that

this was not a necessary use of

deadly force,” Steele said.

DeOrzio doesn’t have an attorney

listed online. He didn’t return

a message left at a publicly

listed number for him.

The officer is charged with aggravated

assault, simple assault,

official oppression and recklessly

endangering another person,

court records say.

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FREE SUBSCRIPTION


4 MASS. STATE POLICE ACAD-

EMY STAFF INDICTED IN RE-

CRUIT’S 2024 DEATH

By Colleen Cronin

Boston Herald

BOSTON, MA — Four state

troopers attached to the Massachusetts

State Police Academy

will face involuntary manslaughter

charges over the death

of trooper trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia.

Sergeant Jennifer Penton,

Trooper Edwin Rodriguez,

Trooper David Montanez, and

Trooper Casey LaMonte also

face charges of causing serious

bodily injury while participating

in a training program involving

physical exercise, according to

the Attorney General’s Office.

In addition, Penton is facing a

charge of perjury.

The charges were announced

at a joint press conference Monday

between Attorney General

Andrea Joy Campbell and Attorney

David Meier, who was hired

to complete an independent

investigation into Delgado-Garcia’s

death.

The four members of the State

Police were a part of the Academy’s

Defensive Tactics Unit.

“Factually and legally each of

these individuals owed a duty of

care to Enrique Delgado-Garcia

and to his fellow trainees,” Meier

said.

Delgado-Garcia was knocked

unconscious during a boxing exercise

at the State Police Academy

on Sept. 12, 2024 and died the

following day.

During the press conference,

Meier said that Delgado-Garcia

had been exhibiting concussion

symptoms from a boxing match

the day before he was knocked


out, on Sept. 11.

“Reckless conduct resulted in

Enrique Delgado-Garcia suffering

concussion like symptoms

as the result of unauthorized,

unapproved and unsupervised

boxing-related sparring exercises

that occurred during academy

training activities,” Meier said.

Penton, the supervisor of the

unit, will also face a perjury

charge for allegedly providing

false statements to a grand jury

about when she initially knew

of Delgado-Garcia’s concussion

symptoms.

Meier said that a special statewide

grand jury indicted the

state police officers, who have

not been arrested but will be

issued summons to be arraigned

at a later date.

The grand jury heard from

150 witnesses, the vast majority

state police officers, and examined

350 exhibits.

While the grand jury evidence

concluded with charges for the

four officers, it did not show

that charges should be brought

against the academy’s command

staff, Meier said.

“There is no evidence that

Enrique Delgado-Garcia was

targeted in any way,” he added.

“There is no evidence that

anyone — academy staff, fellow

trainees, or any others — harbored

any personal animosity

towards Delgado-Garcia.”

Meier acknowledged that

through the investigation, he has

not made any public comments.

“The silence has been purposeful,”

he said.

Both he and Campbell explained

that it was because of

the nature of the case and the

need for a thorough investigation

and proper grand jury process.

“I know to some that this process

has felt long and opaque,”

Campbell said. “Confidentiality is

by design to ensure fairness for

everyone involved.”

Enrique’s memory, and committed

to the highest standards

of professionalism, leadership,


and training,” he said.

“Enrique Delgado-Garcia’s

death was a terrible tragedy. I’ve

said from the start that there

needed to be a thorough investigation

to fully understand

how this happened and to make

sure something like this never

happens again,” Governor Maura

Healey said in a statement.

“Colonel Noble and his team also

didn’t wait for the results of this

investigation to make changes to

the Academy to ensure the safety

and success of all recruits, and

I know they will continue this

important work. My heart is with

Enrique’s family and his brothers

and sisters in the Massachusetts

State Police, today and every

day.”

ARIZ. OFFICER FATALLY

SHOOTS MAN WHO PINNED

DOWN ARMED INTRUDER

PHOENIX — A Phoenix Police

officer fatally shot a man who

had disarmed a home invasion

suspect before officers arrived

at a residence, according to the

Phoenix Police Department.

According to police, multiple

911 calls reported a man firing

shots at a home where children

were present. Dispatchers could

hear gunfire during the calls and

relayed the information to responding

officers.

When the first officer arrived,

community members directed

him toward a nearby home,

reporting an active shooting,

according to the department. Police

said the officer approached

an open front door and saw a

struggle inside. He ordered the

men to show their hands, but

neither fully complied, and the


CLICK TO WATCH

officer opened fire.

Inside the home, officers found

two men with gunshot wounds.

One was pronounced dead at the

scene, and another was taken to

a hospital with non-life-threatening

injuries. A third person

was hospitalized for injuries not

related to the shooting.

Police later determined that

the man who was killed was not

the original suspect but had disarmed

the individual who fired

shots at the home and family

members.

The officer involved, a five-year

department veteran assigned to

the Maryvale Estrella Mountain

Precinct, has not been identified.

The home invasion suspect has

since been indicted on multiple

felony charges, including

first-degree murder under Arizona’s

felony murder statute,

which allows a murder charge if

a death occurs during the commission

of a dangerous felony,

according to FOX 10 Phoenix

The officer-involved shooting is

under investigation by the Arizona

Department of Public Safety’s

Major Incident Division and will

be reviewed by the Maricopa

County Attorney’s Office. Police

said no conclusions will be

reached until the investigation is

complete.

MAN WHO FATALLY STRUCK

D.C. OFFICER HAD BAC TWICE

THE LEGAL LIMIT

By Joanna Putman

WASHINGTON — A man

charged with murder in the December

crash that killed a D.C.

police officer had a blood-alcohol

level twice the legal limit,

WTOP reported.

Jerrold Coates, 47, of Northwest

D.C., is charged with second-degree

murder and other

offenses in connection with the

death of Officer Terry Bennett,

32, according to the report.

Bennett was assisting a stranded

motorist on Interstate 695 on

Dec. 23 when he was struck. He

later died from his injuries.

According to evidence presented

on Feb. 9 during a probable

cause hearing in D.C. Superior

Court, Coates was driving erratically

and at high speeds, with

video showing him swerving

through traffic. A blood test

following the crash revealed a

blood-alcohol concentration

twice the legal limit of 0.08,


Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie

Carter stated.

Judge Rainey Brandt ordered

Coates held without bond.

Coates, a paraplegic who uses

hand controls to drive, told

officers the controls sometimes

malfunction, according to the report.

He also reportedly admitted

to drinking alcohol and smoking

marijuana before driving.

MAN SUSPECTED OF HAR-

BORING 15-YEAR-OLD RUN-

AWAY IN HOME POINTS GUN

AT TENN. OFFICERS BEFORE

FATAL OIS

By Joanna Putman

KNOXVILLE, TN. — The Knoxville

Police Department released

body-camera footage from an

officer-involved shooting at an

apartment that resulted in the

death of a 46-year-old man

during the recovery of a missing

15-year-old girl.

According to the release,

Special Crimes detectives were

attempting to locate the girl,

who had been reported missing

and endangered. An Endangered

Child Alert was issued by the

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

on Jan. 27.

Officers approached the apartment

around 10:25 a.m. on Jan.

28, acting on credible information

that the girl was inside with

a man who was not related to

her. Warrants had been issued

for Melendez on charges of harboring

a runaway, contributing

to the delinquency of a minor

and theft of a firearm.

Police entered the apartment

with the consent of the resident.

Inside, officers found the man

and the girl in a small bedroom.


According to KPD, Melendez retrieved

a handgun and pointed it

at officers. Two members of the

Special Operations Squad fired

in response. The man was struck

multiple times and died at the

scene.

Moments after the shooting,

the juvenile allegedly struck

an officer in the head with a

large knife. That officer, who

was wearing a helmet, was not

injured. The girl was safely taken

into custody, evaluated at UT

Medical Center and charged with

assault.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

is leading the investigation,

while the KPD Office of

Professional Standards is conducting

an internal review. Two

officers were placed on routine

administrative leave.

NYPD COP CONVICTED OF

MANSLAUGHTER IN COOLER

THROWING DEATH

By Philip Marcelo

Associated Press

NEW YORK — A New York City

police officer was convicted

Friday of second-degree manslaughter

after he tossed a picnic

cooler filled with drinks at a

fleeing suspect, causing the man

to fatally crash his motorized

scooter.

Judge Guy Mitchell handed

down the guilty verdict Friday in

Bronx criminal court in the case

against Sgt. Erik Duran in the

2023 death of Eric Duprey.

“The fact that the defendant

was a police officer makes no

difference,” the judge said before

reading out his verdict in a brief

hearing. “He was treated as any

other defendant.”

Duran didn’t appear to react

when the decision was handed

down, but members of Duprey’s

family cried. He faces up to 15

years in prison and will be sentenced

March 19.

The 38-year-old, who is the

first New York Police Department

officer in years to be tried for

killing someone while on duty,

also faced an assault charge.

But Mitchell dismissed the count

earlier, saying prosecutors failed

to show he intended to hurt

Duprey.

Duran had pleaded not guilty

and opted for a bench trial,

meaning the judge, not a jury,

would render the verdict.

Authorities say that on Aug. 23,

2023, Duprey sold drugs to an undercover

officer in the Bronx and

then fled.

Duran, who had been part of a

narcotics unit conducting the operation,

is seen in security footage

grabbing a nearby red cooler

and quickly hurling it at Duprey in

an attempt to stop him.

The container full of ice, water

and sodas struck Duprey,

who lost control of the scooter,

slammed into a tree and crashed

onto the pavement before landing

under a parked car.

Prosecutors said the 30-yearold,

who was not wearing a helmet,

sustained fatal head injuries

and died almost instantaneously.

Duran, testifying in his own defense

this week, said he only had

seconds to react and was trying

to protect other officers from

Duprey as he sped towards them.

He told the court he immediately

tried to render aid after seeing

the extent of Duprey’s injuries.

“He was gonna crash into us,”

Duran said in court. “I didn’t have

time. All I had time for was to try

again to stop or to try to get him

to change directions. That’s all I

had the time to think of.”

But prosecutors maintained

Duprey didn’t pose a threat and

that his death wasn’t accidental

but the result of Duran’s reckless,

negligent and intentional actions.

They suggested the officer had

enough time to warn others to

move, but instead tossed the

cooler in anger and frustration.

Duprey was a Bronx resident

and father of three who worked

as a delivery driver. He had come

to New York from Puerto Rico

as a teen.

State Attorney General Letitia

James’ office, which investigates

civilian deaths during encounters

with law enforcement,

prosecuted the case.

Duran is currently suspended

with pay pending the outcome

of the trial, according to the

police department.

MAN FIRES SHOTS AT N.J.

OFFICERS BEFORE FATAL OIS

By Chris Sheldon

nj.com

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A man

who was fatally shot by a Jersey

City police officer last year

was identified Friday by investigators.

Teshawn Rogers, 27, of Jersey

City, was shot and killed by

the officer, identified Friday as

Jersey City Police Officer Lance

Jackson, on Oct. 21, according

to a statement from the New

Jersey Attorney General’s Office.

The incident involved officers

from the department’s street

crimes unit, a group that consists

of plainclothes officers

that utilizes unmarked vehicles,

the office said.

Officers from the unit encountered

Rogers in the area of Bergen

and Virginia avenues shortly

after 1 a.m. , investigators said.

He was walking northbound on

Bergen Avenue and two officers

in an unmarked vehicle pulled

to the side of the road ahead of

him.

Rogers immediately discharged

a gun and ran south, the office

said. The officers in the first

vehicle did not discharge their

weapons.

A separate police vehicle with

additional unit members pulled

to the side of the road as Rogers

was running south and Jackson

got out on the passenger side

of that vehicle and fired his gun

multiple times, striking Rogers.

Surveillance footage released

by the office shows a gun falling

from Rogers’ body as he was

running and about one second

before he is shot by Jackson. The

officers later located the gun

behind a fence.

Emergency medical aid was

provided to Rogers before he

was transported to a local hospital,

where he was pronounced

dead at approximately 1:44 a.m.


The shooting is still under investigation

by the office, which

handles incidents where a person

dies during an encounter

with police.

The findings will be presented

to a grand jury to determine if

the evidence supports the return

of an indictment against the officers

involved in the incident.

PERSON WIELDING KNIFE,

ELECTRIC SHOCK DEVICE RUNS

AT BALTIMORE OFFICERS BE-

FORE OIS

By Joanna Putman

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore

Police Department released

body worn camera footage

showing an officer involved

shooting of a knife-wielding

person in an apartment building,

WBFF reported.

Officers were responding to

multiple 911 calls on Jan. 19, including

a welfare check, a disorderly

person report and a report

of an armed individual, according

to the report. Upon arrival

at an apartment complex, they

found residents outside due to a

fire alarm.

Inside a hallway, officers encountered

a screaming person

armed with a large knife. After

the officers identified themselves

as police, the individual retreated

into an apartment. Officers

saw blood in the hallway and

attempted to enter. Additional

units arrived and attempted to

de escalate by ordering the suspect

to exit and drop the knife.

The individual emerged holding

both the knife and an electrical

stun stick and failed to

comply with commands. Officers

deployed TASERs, which were

ineffective. After the suspect ran


toward officers with the weapons

raised, an officer fired his

service weapon, striking the

suspect.

Despite the gunshot wounds,

the individual continued to

ignore commands to drop the

weapons as officers worked to

secure the knife. After continued

commands and de-escalation

efforts, the person ultimately

dropped the weapons and was

taken into custody.

The individual was transported

to a hospital with two gunshot

wounds, according to the report.

She now faces assault and

weapons charges.

The department’s Special

CLICK TO WATCH

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handling the ongoing probe.

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ICE ARRESTS NEW ORLEANS

POLICE RECRUIT WHO WAS

ISSUED FIREARM

New Orleans, LA. – New Orleans

police officials are disputing the

circumstances surrounding the

hiring of a police academy recruit

who ICE says was living in

the United States illegally under

an active deportation order.

ICE announced that agents arrested

Larry Temah, 46, a Cameroonian

national, at his home

last week, just a week prior to

his academy graduation.

Homeland Security Assistant

Secretary Tricia McLaughlin

alleged the New Orleans Police

Department (NOPD) hired Temah

and issued him a firearm despite

what ICE described as his unlawful

immigration status and

an existing removal order.

According to ICE, Temah first

entered the United States legally

on a visitor visa in 2015. The

agency said he later received

conditional residency in 2016

after marrying a U.S. citizen. ICE

claims his green card application

was denied in 2022 after federal

authorities raised concerns that

the marriage was fraudulent. ICE

further alleged that Temah was

ordered to appear in immigration

court but failed to show up

on three occasions, after which

an immigration judge issued a

deportation order.

The Trump administration has

since accused NOPD of recruiting

Temah and providing him a

firearm despite his alleged status

and removal order. However,

NOPD pushed back, calling ICE’s

characterization misleading.

In a statement, a police department

spokesperson said


NOPD verified Temah’s employment

eligibility using ICE’s

E-Verify system prior to hiring

and was never informed of an

ICE detainer. The spokesperson

also said New Orleans is not a

sanctuary city and noted that jail

operations and detainer decisions

fall under the Sheriff’s Office,

not the police department.

“Any claim that NOPD knowingly

violated the law is false,”

the spokesperson added.

TEXAS STATE TROOPER

SHOT DURING BIG SPRING

TRAFFIC STOP; 1 SUSPECT

DEAD

A Texas state trooper was shot

during a traffic stop that ended

with one suspect dead late last

month in Big Spring, officials

reported.

The wounded officer was

airlifted to a Lubbock hospital

in stable condition. West Texas

authorities are now searching for

a second person who escaped

on foot.

The incident began around

12:40 a.m. when a Department

of Public Safety trooper attempted

a traffic stop on Westover

Road. When the vehicle

failed to stop, the trooper executed

a PIT maneuver, causing

the car to crash into bushes.

Two people fled the wrecked

vehicle on foot. During the chase,

one suspect opened fire, striking

the trooper before the officer

returned fire, killing the shooter.

The Texas Rangers have taken

over the investigation with assistance

from Big Spring police

and Howard County sheriff’s

deputies. Neither the trooper nor

the deceased suspect has been

identified.

Law enforcement continues

searching for the second suspect

who fled the scene. Authorities

urge anyone with information

to contact Big Spring Police at

432-264-2550 or DPS at 432-

498-2130.


BACK THE BLUE

TEXAS GOVERNOR

GREG ABBOTT

BY MICHAEL BARRON

“States and communities need

law enforcement and leaders

who are committed to the cause

of public safety,” Governor Abbott

told the audience. “You represent

the very best of our great

state, and Texas is better today

because of what you do every

day. I just want you to know you

have a governor who has your

back, and together, we will keep

Texas safe and secure.”

Governor Abbott

Assist the Officer Foundation’s,

32nd Annual Cops’ Cop Banquet


The BLUES The - BLUES MARCH MARCH ‘26 ‘26 91 91

Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott appeared

before a room filled with police officers,

their families, and the survivors of fallen

heroes at the Dallas Police Department Assist

the Officer Foundation’s 32nd Annual Cops’

Cop Banquet. It was not a campaign speech,

nor was it a routine political appearance. It

was, instead, a message directed squarely at

the men and women who put on the badge

every day.

“You represent the very best of our great

state, and Texas is better today because of

what you do every day. I just want you to

know you have a governor who has your back,

and together, we will keep Texas safe and

secure.”

For those in attendance, the statement was

more than applause-worthy — it was personal.

In an era when policing across much of the

country has become politicized and, in some

places, openly criticized, the message carried

weight. In Texas, the relationship between the

governor’s office and law enforcement has

followed a very different path over the past

decade.

This month, The BLUES revisits the “Back

the Blue” initiative launched by Governor

Abbott in 2020, as well as the public safety

and bail reform legislation he has championed

and signed into law in recent sessions.

The reforms were designed to address what

many officers had long described as a revolving-door

criminal justice system — violent repeat

offenders quickly cycling through arrest,

release, and re-offense. The new measures focused

on keeping violent offenders in custody,

strengthening penalties for crimes against police

officers, and reinforcing support systems

for law enforcement agencies across Texas.

Readers who have followed The BLUES over

the past four decades may remember that

Abbott’s connection to law enforcement did

not begin when he was sworn in as governor.

Long before his time in the Governor’s Mansion,

Greg Abbott served as the Attorney Gen-


The BLUES The - BLUES MARCH MARCH ‘26 93 ‘26 93

eral of Texas from 2002 to 2015. During those

years, he maintained an unusually direct relationship

with working officers. At the time, The

Blues Police Newspaper — the predecessor to

this magazine — regularly published a monthly

column from the Attorney General’s office

outlining legal developments, officer-safety

issues, and court decisions that affected patrol

officers on the street. It was practical information,

written not for political audiences but for

cops.

That history matters. For many Texas officers,

Abbott has not simply been a political figure

who later embraced law enforcement; rather,

he has been a familiar and consistent presence

in public safety policy for more than two

decades. From his time as a Texas Supreme

Court Justice, to Attorney General, to Governor,

his policies have repeatedly centered on

strengthening criminal enforcement, supporting

victims, and providing legal and legislative

backing to the profession.

Throughout his career, Abbott has consistently

emphasized a philosophy shared by

many officers: public safety begins with em-

powering the people responsible for enforcing

the law. That has translated into expanded

training programs, legal protections for officers,

support for fallen-officer families, and

legislative efforts aimed at deterring violent crime.

If reelected, Governor Abbott would also

become the longest-serving governor in Texas

history, surpassing the 12-year record set by

Governor Rick Perry — a milestone that underscores

not only political longevity, but also

the continuity of a public-safety agenda that

has remained a central feature of Texas governance

for over a decade.

As debates over policing continue nationwide,

Texas has charted its own course. The

policies, partnerships, and legislation developed

during Abbott’s tenure have shaped how

the state approaches crime, accountability,

and officer protection. Whether viewed from

the Capitol in Austin or from the driver’s seat

of a patrol car on a midnight shift, the impact

of those decisions is being measured not

in political rhetoric, but in daily police work

across the state.


The BLUES The - BLUES MARCH MARCH ‘26 95 ‘26 95

THE “BACK THE BLUE” LEGISLATION:

TURNING POLICY INTO PRACTICE

When Governor Greg Abbott first unveiled

Texas’ “Back the Blue” initiative in 2020, it

came at a time when law enforcement agencies

across the country were facing unprecedented

pressure. Departments in many major

American cities were experiencing retirements,

recruiting collapses, shrinking budgets,

and rising violent crime. Texas chose a different

direction. Rather than scaling back policing,

state leadership moved to reinforce it —

legislatively, financially, and operationally.

The Governor’s proposal was not a single bill,

but a coordinated legislative effort designed

to strengthen criminal penalties, protect officers,

stabilize police staffing, and prevent local

governments from weakening their own law

enforcement capabilities.

At the center of the effort was a clear premise:

public safety depends on the ability of

police officers to do their jobs, and the state

would intervene when local policies threatened

that ability.

PROTECTING OFFICERS UNDER THE LAW

One of the earliest components of the initiative

addressed crimes committed directly

against police officers. Texas lawmakers increased

penalties for assaults against peace

officers and expanded legal protections recognizing

the unique risks officers face.

The legislation created enhanced criminal

consequences for individuals who knowingly

target officers performing official duties. It

also clarified existing statutes so prosecutors

would have stronger tools when presenting

cases involving assaults, ambushes, or interference

with officers.

For working officers, the importance was

immediate and practical. Across the country,

agencies had reported rising assaults on police,

including ambush-style attacks. Texas

sought to deter that behavior through sentencing

enhancements and clear statutory

backing for prosecution.

Equally important was the legal message:

attacks on law enforcement would be treated

not as ordinary offenses, but as threats to

public order.

THE ANTI-DEFUNDING LAW

Perhaps the most consequential piece of the

initiative was the state’s response to the national

“defund the police” movement.

Texas enacted legislation prohibiting large

municipalities from cutting police department

budgets below certain thresholds without voter

approval. Cities that attempted to defund or

significantly reduce law enforcement funding

could face serious consequences, including:

• Loss of state grant funding,

• Limits on property tax revenue growth,

• And potential state intervention.

The law effectively ensured that police protection

would not fluctuate based solely on

shifting local political pressures. Officers in

Texas would not face sudden layoffs, patrol

reductions, or the elimination of specialized

units because of short-term political decisions.

For chiefs and sheriffs, the measure also provided

stability in long-term planning. Recruiting

academies, training programs, and equipment

purchases require years of forecasting.

Predictable funding allowed agencies to plan

staffing levels and operational capabilities

with far greater confidence.

BAIL REFORM AND THE “REVOLVING DOOR”

A second major pillar of Abbott’s public

safety agenda addressed a long-standing

complaint from patrol officers: repeat violent

offenders cycling rapidly through the jail system.

In recent legislative sessions, Texas passed

sweeping bail reform measures focusing on

violent crime. The new laws placed limits on

the use of low-cost personal bonds for suspects

charged with violent offenses and re-



quired more judicial oversight when serious

offenders were released.

For officers, the change addressed a familiar

frustration — arresting the same violent

offender multiple times in short periods. The

goal of the reform was simple: individuals accused

of violent crimes should not be quickly

released without meaningful review of risk to

the public.

The legislation also required more detailed

reporting and transparency within the bail system,

allowing courts and the public to better

track repeat offenders and judicial decisions.

SUPPORT FOR FALLEN OFFICERS

AND THEIR FAMILIES

The “Back the Blue” initiative also expanded

assistance for the families of officers killed

or seriously injured in the line of duty. Texas

strengthened survivor benefits and increased

financial support available through state programs.

These provisions included:

• Expanded death benefits,

• Educational assistance for surviving

children

• long-term support for spouses.

For many officers, these measures carry

significance beyond financial value. They represent

a commitment that the state recognizes

the risks inherent in policing and will stand

behind families when tragedy occurs.


RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND TRAINING

Departments nationwide have struggled with

recruiting, but Texas moved to make policing

a more stable and viable career. Funding was

directed toward training academies, mental

health programs for officers, and recruitment

efforts targeting new candidates.

Resources were also allocated for equipment

and specialized training, including crisis response,

de-escalation, and tactical preparedness.

The objective was not only to hire more

officers, but to better prepare them for modern

policing challenges.

The state also expanded mental health resources

for first responders, acknowledging

cumulative stress, trauma exposure, and the

long-term effects of the profession — an area

law enforcement advocates had urged lawmakers

to address for years.

PARTNERSHIP WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT

ORGANIZATIONS

The initiative was not developed in isolation.

Texas worked closely with major law enforcement

partners throughout the state, including:

• The Texas Department of Public Safety

• The Texas Municipal Police Association

• The Combined Law Enforcement

Associations of Texas (CLEAT)

• The Texas Police Chiefs Association

• The Sheriffs’ Association of Texas

• Numerous local police departments

& sheriff’s offices

Input from working officers and command

staff helped shape practical aspects of the legislation,

ensuring the measures addressed real

operational problems rather than theoretical

ones.

A STATEWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY STRATEGY

Taken together, the “Back the Blue” legislation

formed a comprehensive public safety strategy:

protect officers legally, prevent funding instability,

keep violent offenders in custody, and

support the families of those who make the

ultimate sacrifice.

Whether one views the program politically

or operationally, its intent was clear — Texas

would not follow the national trend of reducing

police capacity. Instead, the state sought to

reinforce law enforcement as a cornerstone of

community safety.

For officers on patrol, the impact is measured

less in legislative language and more in daily

reality: whether backup arrives, whether repeat

violent offenders remain in custody, and

whether their families will be cared for if they

do not come home.

In Texas, the “Back the Blue” initiative was

designed to answer those questions before

officers ever key the microphone and announce

they are out on a call.



CLICK HERE TO SIGN ONLINE


HOUSTON

WE HAVE CONTACT

BY NICK POPE

If we made contact with

aliens, what would happen?

UFO defense expert reveals

how prepared we really are.


The BLUES The BLUES - MARCH MARCH ‘26 ‘26 103 103

If we made contact with aliens tomorrow,

what would happen? Is there an Alien contact

playbook? If not, maybe its time we create

one. A real-life alien defense expert reveals

the truth about how prepared we really are.

Numerous movies and TV shows feature humanity

encountering extraterrestrials.

In films such as Independence Day and War

of the Worlds, the scenario is an alien invasion.

Elsewhere, encounters are more ambiguous

and the extraterrestrials more enigmatic, as

we see in movies such as Contact or Arrival.

But what if any of this happened for real?

Over the past few years in the US, the subject

of UFOs (or UAPs – unidentified anomalous

phenomena – as they're officially designated)

has transitioned from fringe to mainstream.

This resulted from the release of photos and

videos of UAP taken from various military platforms,

and led to classified briefings and public

hearings in Congress.

The Pentagon set up a unit to investigate

UAP called the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution

Office (AARO), and the subject is now being

treated as a defense and national security

issue.

BUT ARE WE REALLY PREPARED?

All this brings into focus the question of

what would happen if we actually found

aliens – or if they found us.

It would be the biggest scientific discovery in

history, and would likely have profound – but

difficult to predict – effects on every aspect of

society, from politics and religion, through to

science, technology, the economy and philosophy.

Individuals would probably react in different

ways, some with fear and panic; others with

awe and wonder.

Surprisingly perhaps, there doesn't seem to

be a co-ordinated, overall plan for an eventuality

like this.

While the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

(SETI) Institute authored a document

titled the Declaration of Principles Concerning

the Conduct of the Search for Extraterrestrial

Intelligence, these protocols only cover what

to do if a radio signal from another civilization

is detected, and the document isn't legally

binding on nation states.

Beyond this, it's theoretically possible that

there's a highly classified government plan, the

existence of which is known only to a few key

personnel.

However, I got no hint as to the existence of

any such document when I handled the UAP

issue for the British Ministry of Defense in the

1990s, and neither has such a plan been mentioned

in any of the Congressional hearings on

UAP.

The nearest Britain came to a plan for making

contact with aliens was in 2023, when the

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

(DSIT) produced an outline report titled

‘UK readiness for black swan scientific events:

Case Study – The discovery of life beyond

Earth’.

DSIT's Ideas Lab wrote an eight-page draft

before the study was indefinitely paused in

2024.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ALIEN?

A key problem in devising any plan is the

wide range of variables when it comes to alien

life.

Discovering microbial life in our Solar System,

for example, would raise the issue of

planetary protection – we don't want to be

wiped out by the Venusian flu.

Detecting a radio signal from another civilization

would raise very different issues: could

we decipher a message from aliens; should

we reply; what should we say; and who should

reply?


Will they be nice...


The last question raises the issue of who

could truly speak for Planet Earth.

No political or religious leader could speak

for everyone, and while a scientist or an academic

might be a better choice, what about

the billions of people who effectively have no

voice? Who speaks for them?

These issues were explored during two

meetings at Britain’s Royal Society, held in

2010.

The first was titled, ‘The detection of extra-terrestrial

life and the consequences for

science and society’ and the second, ‘Towards

a scientific and societal agenda on extra-terrestrial

life’.

These were multidisciplinary events with

participation not only from astronomers and

astrophysicists, but also from psychologists,

anthropologists and theologians.

It was apparent that the religious implications

of finding alien life would be profound

and potentially controversial in terms of the

possible challenges posed to faith and doctrine.

Some senior theologians are already thinking

about how to incorporate alien life into their

belief systems.

Father José Gabriel Funes, a Jesuit priest

who served as director of the Vatican Observatory,

has stated: "How can we rule out that life

may have developed elsewhere?

"Just as we consider Earthly creatures as

‘brother’ and ‘sister’, why should we not talk

about an ‘extraterrestrial brother’? It would

still be part of creation."

But what if aliens don't come in peace? Stephen

Hawking once warned: "If aliens visit us,

the outcome would be much as when Columbus

landed in America, which didn't turn out

well for the Native Americans."

This ties in with the Dark Forest hypothesis,

which suggests alien civilizations generally

remain silent, for fear of encountering a more

advanced hostile civilization.

As Cambridge University palaeontology professor

Simon Conway Morris said at the first

of the Royal Society meetings: "If the cosmic

phone rings, don't answer."

It's a sobering thought that in a Universe

nearly 14 billion years old there might be civilizations

a billion years ahead of us.

Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke said

that "any sufficiently advanced technology is

indistinguishable from magic."

So, we can forget about those Hollywood

movies where Earth defeats an alien invasion,

because one of the few good assumptions we

can make about extraterrestrials is that, if they

arrive here, having mastered interstellar travel,

their technology will be orders of magnitude

above anything we have.

The idea that we might encounter hostile extraterrestrials

was raised by President Ronald

Reagan in a 1987 address to the United Nations

General Assembly.

Towards the end of his speech, he remarked:

"I occasionally think how quickly our differences

worldwide would vanish if we were facing

an alien threat from outside this world."

And returning to the question of who speaks

for Planet Earth, it's the United Nations that

many believe should take a lead role in formulating

policy on this issue.

The United Nations Office for Outer Space

Affairs (UNOOSA) would be the logical focal

point but, speaking at the second of the Royal

Society meetings held in 2010, UNOOSA's then

director, Dr Mazlan Othman, was lukewarm.

Understandable, perhaps, as this followed

light-hearted media speculation that she was

to be appointed as an ‘alien ambassador’.

DANGERS TO AVOID

If a plan was drawn up, it would have to cover

the different possible scenarios, then identify

and address risks and opportunities.

Risks include the danger of contaminating

the biosphere with alien germs, or alerting a

super-predator civilization to our existence by

sending a targeted radio signal.


... or here to kill us?


Opportunities include discovering what science

writer Timothy Ferris calls a ‘galactic internet’

– a repository of knowledge from other

civilizations.

This might include information that could

solve terrestrial problems such as hunger, disease

and energy needs, though there are risks

here too, as advanced technologies might be

capable of being weaponized.

Contingency planners would probably regard

finding alien life as a ‘low probability, high

impact’ event, where even if the chances of it

occurring are judged to be small, the consequences

would be immense – and potentially

catastrophic.

So, let's start a conversation about such a

plan. After all, it's better to have one and not

need it, than need one and not have it.

Do you have thoughts on an alien-life contingency

plan? Share your thoughts with us by

emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Pope

Ex-MoD UFO investigator

Nick Pope worked for the Ministry of Defense

for 21 years. From 1991 to 1994 his duties

included investigating UFO sightings to assess

national security implications.



The BLUES MARCH ‘26 109


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An Official Event of the Officer

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For 20 years, the Officer Down Memorial Page has produced the National Police Week 5K

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Held each May in Washington, D.C., the event brings participants together in a shared act of

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national police week 2026 schedule of events

National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring America’s law enforcement community.

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2026

• Annual Blue Mass

SATURDAY, MAY 9, 2026

• The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) National

Police Week 5K

MONDAY, MAY 11, 2026

• National Police K-9 Memorial Service

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2026

• Annual Candlelight Vigil

• Police Week Tent City (through the 15th)

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2026

• Annual Steve Young National Honor Guard and Pipe

Band Tribute

• Police Vehicle Display and Shine

• C.O.P.S. National Police Survivors’ Conference Day 1

• C.O.P.S. Blue Honor Gala

FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026

• Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2026

• C.O.P.S. National Police Survivors Conference Day 2

Beyond the events listed here, all are welcome at the Memorial which remains open to the public 24/7. If you are interested in attending

the museum, you can get more information at nleomf.org/museum/.


HONORING OUR

POLICE OFFICER SENIOR PRADEEP TAMANG


GWINNETT COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, GEORGIA

END OF WATCH: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2026

AGE: 25 TOUR: 2 YEARS BADGE: 2751

Police Officer Senior Pradeep Tamang was shot and killed responding to a fraud and forgery call at the Holiday Inn at

the 1700 block of East Park Place Boulevard in Stone Mountain. When Officer Tamang and another officer arrived at the

hotel around 7:30 a.m., the subject invited them into his hotel room. While inside, the subject pulled out a gun and fired

at both officers. One of the officers returned fire, striking the shooter. Additional officers arrived on scene and rendered

aid to the officers and the shooter. One officer remains in critical but stable condition. Officer Tamang was transported to

Northside Gwinnett Hospital, where he died from his wounds.

Officer Tamang had served with the Gwinnett County Police Department for almost one year and previously served as a

Correctional officer with the Dauphin County Prison in Pennsylvania. Survivors include a brother and fiancée.

FALLEN HEROES

DEPUTY SHERIFF RICHARD A. HAGGARD

LEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT, MISSISSIPPI

END OF WATCH: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2026

AGE:52 TOUR: 23 YEARS BADGE 73

Deputy Sheriff Rick Haggard was struck and killed while directing traffic in front of Shannon Elementary School at 695

Romie Hille Avenue in Shannon. Around 3:00 p.m., two vehicles were involved in a collision, and Deputy Haggard, who

was directing traffic, was struck.

Deputy Haggard had served with the Lee County Sheriff's Department for six years and was the School Resource Officer

for Shannon Elementary School. He had previously served with the Clay County Sheriff's Department for 12 years.

Survivors include his wife and two daughters.

The BLUES The BLUES - MARCH MARCH ‘26 ‘26125125

3

HONORING OUR

TROOPER HUNTER R. BENNETT

ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, ARIZONA

END OF WATCH: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026

AGE: 28 TOUR: 4 YEARS BADGE:11215

Trooper Hunter Bennett was killed in a helicopter crash while assisting the Flagstaff Police Department

with an active shooter. Around 8:30 p.m., Flagstaff Police officers were responding to a domestic

violence call when a subject began shooting at officers with a long rifle. The subject continued to fire

at officers as he ran from rooftop to rooftop in the neighborhood. After 9:00 p.m., Trooper Bennett

and Aviation Supervisor Robert Skankey responded with tactical support. At 10:17, the Ranger 56

helicopter crashed, killing Trooper Bennett and the pilot. The suspect was apprehended and is in the

hospital with non-life-threatening wounds. Trooper Bennett had served with the Arizona Department of

Public Safety for over three years. Survivors include his wife.


FALLEN HEROES

POLICE OFFICER BRIAN ELLIOTT

BEECH GROVE POLICE DEPARTMENT, INDIANA


AGE: 33 TOUR: 5 YEARS BADGE: N/A

Police Officer Brian Elliott was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance call at an apartment on Diplomat

Court in Beech Grove. Around 6:00 p.m., Officer Elliott and another officer approached the subjects. A man from

inside the apartment fired shots at both officers before fleeing. Both officers were transported to Sidney and Lois Eskenazi

Hospital. Officer Elliot succumbed to his wounds a few hours later. Responding SWAT team officers took the suspect

into custody around 10:17 p.m.

Officer Elliott had served with the Beech Grove Police Department for over a year and previously served with the Marion

County Sheriff's Office for four years. Survivors include his wife and parents.


HONORING OUR

TROOPER MICHAEL DIEGO

FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL, FLORIDA

END OF WATCH: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2026

AGE: 28 TOUR: 4 YEARS BADGE: 1529

Trooper Michael Diego passed away after suffering a medical emergency at 12:30 p.m. while training for the Patrol

Criminal Interdiction Unit at the Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy at 75 College Drive in Havana. Despite life-saving

measures by troopers and EMS first responders, Trooper Diego passed away at the Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Trooper Diego had served with the Florida Highway Patrol for over four years, assigned to the Fort Pierce and Fort Myers

districts. Survivors include his mother, sister, and fiancée.


FALLEN HEROES

POLICE OFFICER CALEB ABNEY

HAHIRA POLICE DEPARTMENT, GEORGIA

END OF WATCH: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026

AGE: 25 TOUR: N/A BADGE: N/A

Police Officer Caleb Abney was struck and killed during a traffic stop on Interstate 75 at 12:09 a.m. Officer Abney had

pulled over a car on the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 near mile marker 31. While he was sitting in his patrol vehicle

with his emergency lights activated, the driver of a car traveling at speeds of 100 mph crashed into the rear of his vehicle,

pushing it into the rear of the car he had pulled over. The collision caused all three vehicles to leave the highway.

Officer Abney died of his injuries at the scene.

Officer Abney had served with the Lowndes County Fire Rescue before becoming an officer with the Hahira Police

Department.


129

HONORING OUR

MASTER TROOPER STIEN DAVIS, JR.

NORTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY PATROL, NORTH CAROLINA

END OF WATCH: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2026

AGE: N/A TOUR: 10 1/2 YEARS BADGE: 8754

Master Trooper Stien Davis was killed in a single-vehicle crash on North Carolina Highway 130 shortly after midnight.

Trooper Davis lost control of his patrol vehicle, swerved off the road, and his vehicle landed upside down on the roadside.

Trooper Davis had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for over ten years, assigned to Troop B, District 7 in

Robeson County.


FALLEN HEROES

DEPUTY SHERIFF KENNETH LEWIS

FORT BEND COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, TEXAS



Deputy Sheriff Kenneth Lewis succumbed to injuries he received when he was struck by a vehicle while helping a stranded

motorist on Interstate 10 in Houston on February 21, 2026.

Around 3:40 a.m., Deputy Lewis stopped on I-10 near Eldridge Road to help a motorist on the side of the highway.

While he was outside his vehicle, a passing vehicle struck him and kept driving.

Deputy Lewis was transported to the hospital, where he passed away on February 23, 2026.


HONORING OUR

SERGEANT MICHAEL SCHLATTMAN

BERNALILLO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, NEW MEXICO


AGE: N/A TOUR: 14 YEARS BADGE: S-24

Sergeant Michael Schlattman was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer during a traffic stop on Interstate 40 near Carnuel.

Around 5:00 p.m., Sergeant Schlattman had pulled over a vehicle near mile marker 170. While he was outside of his

patrol vehicle, a semi-truck hit his vehicle, pinning him between the two vehicles. Sergeant Schlattman died at the scene.

The driver was injured and released.

Sergeant Schlattman had served with the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office for over 13 years. Survivors include his wife.


FALLEN HEROES

DEPUTY SHERIFF GABRIEL RAMIREZ

CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, MISSOURI


AGE: 30 TOUR: 11 MONTHS BADGE: N/A

Deputy Sheriff Gabriel Ramirez was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on State Highway 160 and Route HH

near Highlandville around 4:00 p.m. The suspect fled, and a manhunt ensued. Responding officers found the suspect's

truck abandoned near Reeds Spring on State Highway 160. Using the suspect's heat signature, the Missouri Highway

Patrol tracked the suspect in the woods. When they approached the suspect, he fired at officers, striking and killing another

deputy with the Christian County Sheriff's Office and wounding two deputies, one with the Christian County Sheriff's

Office and the other with the Webster County Sheriff's Office. The suspect was killed in return fire.

Deputy Ramirez had served with the Christian County Sheriff's Office for less than one year.


HONORING OUR

DEPUTY SHERIFF MICHAEL HISLOPE

CHRISTIAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, MISSOURI



Deputy Sheriff Michael Hislope was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend the suspect who had killed Deputy

Sheriff Gabriel Ramirez. Around 4:00 p.m., a man shot and killed Deputy Ramirez during a traffic stop before fleeing.

Responding officers found the suspect's truck abandoned near Reeds Spring on State Highway 160. Using the suspect's

heat signature, the Missouri State Highway Patrol tracked the suspect in the woods. When they approached the

suspect, he fired at officers, striking and killing Deputy Hislope and wounding two deputies, one with the Christian County

Sheriff's Office and the other with the Webster County Sheriff's Office. The suspect was killed in return fire.

Deputy Hislope was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Christian County Sheriff's Office for over six

years.


FALLEN HEROES

CORRECTIONAL OFFICER DUSTIN PEDIGO

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION

END OF WATCH: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2026

AGE: 35 TOUR: 10 MONTHS BADGE: N/A

Correctional Officer Dustin Pedigo was stabbed and killed by an inmate at the Morgan County Correctional Complex at

541 Wayne Cotton Morgan Drive in Wartburg.

The suspect was serving a sentence for aggravated assault and attempted voluntary manslaughter. He has been moved

to another facility.

Officer Pedigo had served with the Tennessee Department of Correction for 10 months.


135

WORDS BY W.D. FORD, RETIRED TROOPER

NEW MEXICO HIGHWAY PATROL

Obama says aliens are real.

My grandfather saw one in 1947.

I heard that President Trump has

ordered the DOD and War Department

to release all the info they

have on UFO’s. I wonder if the story

my grandfather told me years

ago will be included in their data

dump.

My grandfather worked for the

New Mexico Highway Patrol and he

always told us grandkids about the

time he saw a spaceship crash in

the desert some 79 years ago. Here

is the story as best I can remember:

Gramps, tell me about the time

aliens crashed in the desert.

“Well sonny, alright. It was my

first night on highway duty by myself.

It was June of 1947. I remember

’cause I was drivin’ a spankin’

new ’47 Ford, and it was hotter

than hell in that thing.

Anyhow, I was driving out on

Route 8, about 30 miles northwest

of Roswell, when I saw what I

thought was some kind of airplane

flying low across the sky, and it

looked like it was on fire. Now

back then, the military was always

flying experimental this or that,


and them crashing was a regular

thing. But for some reason, I paid

more attention to this plane ’cause

it was flying all crazy around the

sky before I saw it go out of sight

near the old Foster ranch.

I headed that way, and no sooner

had I turned onto the old ranch

road than I met up with my old

friend Bill Brazel, who was a foreman

for the Fosters. I said, “Bill,

did them Air Force fly boys crash

another plane out y’all’s ranch?”

He said, “I saw that too, but I

don’t know what it was.” So Bill

jumped in the cruiser and we

headed up that old dusty road

about five miles or so from the

highway. There up on the hill, we

saw something burning. The closer

we got, we noticed it wasn’t the

kind of fire you regularly see from

a plane crash — it was all blue

and green kinda flame.

There really wasn’t that much

fire, but there were a lot of debris

scattered all over the place.

When we got to what was left of

the plane, Bill said, “What in God’s

name is that? I’ve never seen anything

like it.”

Having been raised in this part

of New Mexico, you see a lot of

planes being tested for the Army,

and some are kinda strange. But I

had never seen a round one before.

Bill and I got out and ran up to

what we assumed was the front of

the plane and found a huge gaping

hole in the side of that whateverthe-hell-it-was.

And just outside

that hole was something or someone—

and it was hurt bad. The

closer we got… well, let’s just say

neither one of us could tell what

it was. I guess it was right about

that time Bill and I realized what

was going on. We had come upon

something — or someone — that

surely wasn’t from Earth.

Now I know what you’re thinking.

“Was Bill and I drinking that

night?” Naw, sir. We were as sober

as your Aunt Betty in church on

Sunday.

But anyway, as we were trying

to see what we could do for that

man — or whatever it was — I

looked up, and there were a dozen

Army trucks and Jeeps coming up

the ranch road. As soon as they

pulled up, there were soldiers all

over the place carrying rifles and

shotguns, yelling for us to get

away. Now I might have been a

rookie lawman, but I was smart

enough to know when a man is

outgunned, and we were outgunned

for sure. So we got up,

backed away, and watched them

guys grab that feller and load him

up in the back of a truck.

The soldier doing all the talking

and shouting commands walked

up to Bill and me and said, “Officer,

we got this from here. Take

this man and go back up to the

highway and make sure nobody

comes down this road. Now get on

down there… this is our mess, and

we gotta clean it up.”

So with that, we got back in

the cruiser and headed back up

to the highway. For the next few

hours, there must have been over

a hundred trucks, Jeeps, flatbeds,

and helicopters heading up the

ranch road. Bill and I didn’t quite

know what to say. We just sat and

watched all them come and go for

hours.

I walked into the Highway Patrol

office the next morning, and the

place was crawling with reporters

and news people. The sergeant

grabbed me by the arm as soon

as I walked through the door and

dragged me into his office.

“Have you seen the paper?” he

asked. “They say a weather balloon

crashed out in the desert. Did

you see that?”

“I can tell you that wasn’t no

weather balloon. It was a damn

spacecraft.”

“What the hell are you talkin’

about, buddy? What the hell

went on here last night? I got the

damn governor calling me wanting

an explanation. News people

are crawling all up my ass with

folks saying a flying saucer thing

crashed out in the desert and there

are dead aliens from Mars or some

such shit up there. What the hell

happened?”

So I told him what Bill and I saw.

“What did he say when you told

him Gramps?”

Hell, he asked me if I was drunk

on duty.

But once he talked to Bill and he

told the same story, he made us

wait until someone from the governor’s

office came to talk to us.

A couple of hours later, a bunch

of government men, all dressed in

suits and ties, came walking in and

sat us down in the office. The one

man who seemed to be in charge

asked me if I had written a report

on what I’d seen, and I said, “Yes,

sir. I got it right here.” I handed it

to him, and he went right ahead

and ripped it to pieces.

He looked at me and Bill and

said, “Gentlemen, what you saw

last night was a crashed weather

balloon. There weren’t no green

men, no aliens or Martians. Just

a dummy we loaded up into that

weather balloon. So forget everything

you hear. Forget everything

you saw. Do you understand?”

Bill and I got up out of there and

never talked about that day again.

Sonny, there’s been a lot of

things happen in my life — both

good and bad. But I’m almost 93,

and to this day, I’ve never seen or

heard anything about aliens coming

back here. But I’ll tell you one

thing: if they do come back and

them G-men don’t cover it up,

heaven help you and your sister.

Cause from what I’m seeing on the

TV set with this here beer virus or

whatever it is — if people are gonna

grab all the food and toilet paper

over something they can’t even

see… what in God’s name are they

gonna do if a damn outer space

fella shows up on Main Street?

Or maybe they’re already here,

and just ain’t nobody saying for

that very reason.

People are crazy, son. They

crazzzzyyy.

Now get on up outta here. It’s

time for my nap.


WORDS BY POLICE PILOT,

CAPTAIN R.L. SMITH

TIME TRAVEL? IS IT REAL?

The following story is real although quite unbelievable. But the

truth is, not believing it, could end life as we know it.

I knew 2020 was most likely the

year I would retire from flying. It’s

been a long and rewarding twenty-five

years, but it’s time for the

younger generation to take over.

My eyesight and health are just not

what they used to be, and every

pilot knows there will come a day

when he must move to the right

seat and just enjoy the ride.

With all the COVID chaos going

on, this final year wouldn’t mean

much flying for anyone in my

group. So when the opportunity

to fly a night shift cross-country

training mission came across my

desk, I told the boss, “Count me in.”

We launched out of CXO at 2100

hours, and I punched the autopilot

to climb to 12,000 feet and head

northwest to Waco. While the

mission was classified and I can’t

share the details, let’s just say it

was as routine as you can get. We

made several stops, carried out the

objective of the mission, and made

it back to base well before sunrise.

In fact, I was in my Jeep and headed

home well before 0500 hours.

Because of the early morning


hour, I knew traffic would be a

nightmare if I took the main roads,

so I decided to head south out of

the airport and take the scenic

route instead of the freeway. As I

had learned in my weather brief

the night before, the dew point

was falling, and fog was beginning

to roll in from the south. A

fine, cloudy mist was forming just

above the roadway, and my headlights

were reflecting off the fog,

making it harder to see the twisting

turns in the road.

I reached down to turn on the fog

lights, and when I looked up, there

was a deer standing in the middle

of the road less than forty feet

away. I slammed on the brakes,

and the Jeep started sliding sideways

down the wet road. The last

thing I remember was mud from

the ditch hitting the windshield,

making it impossible to see where

I was or what condition the Jeep

was in. I guess the impact of the

airbag must have knocked me out

because when I came to, there was

a man in a pilot’s uniform helping

me out of the Jeep.

It was hard to see anything down

the road. There was a blinding

light and what sounded like a jet

engine—but unlike any jet I had

ever heard before. The pilot helped

me across the roadway and led me

to the aircraft. I must have hit my

head harder than I thought because

I didn’t recognize the aircraft at

all. It wasn’t a helicopter, and it

sure as hell wasn’t an airplane. I

couldn’t comprehend what was

happening. It was like I was in a

fog—no pun intended.

Since we were basically on a

back road in the middle of nowhere,

there were no cars or people

around for miles. Had this man,

in whatever the hell he was flying,

not shown up, I could have been

stuck in that ditch until daylight.

Once we got inside and strapped

in, the gentleman introduced himself

as Major Littleton.

“Captain Smith, my name is

Major Littleton. I’m a pilot with the

122nd Division of Police Alliance.

Please brace yourself. This craft

will accelerate faster than anything

you’ve experienced before. I’ll

explain more once we’re airborne

and in transition.”

What the hell is the Division of

Police Alliance? And what does

transition mean? Airborne?

Suddenly I was pinned in my

seat with what had to have been

no less than 8 Gs, and the view

forward can only be described as

the scenes in Star Trek when they

went to warp speed. Just a blur

of white streaks and a deafening

noise. The cockpit was unlike anything

I had ever seen before. The

entire panel was glass (that’s glass

gauges to non-aviation readers),

but the gauges weren’t aviation

types. I can’t really describe what

they were.

Suddenly the acceleration

stopped, and we were high—like

50,000 feet high—above some city

that I didn’t recognize.

Littleton punched some buttons

on the panel, which I assumed was

some type of autopilot that put the

craft into a sort of hover, and he

looked at me and said, “Captain,

let me explain.”

Please do, because I must be out

cold and imagining all this, right?

“Not exactly. I’ll explain where

we are and why we are here.

Please know you were chosen for

this mission because of your experience

and openness to changes

that are sure to come. We believe

you are capable of understanding

the evolution of flight and what

the future holds for aviation and

policing.”

I’m not sure what the hell you’re

saying. What is happening? And

are we hovering? Because it

doesn’t seem like we are moving

forward any longer. I’m sorry, but

I’m so confused. I guess I’m intrigued

by whatever the hell it is

we’re flying in. I’ve never seen a

cockpit like this and, outside an

F-16, never experienced G-forces

like that. And did you say mission?

“Yes, sir. In some respects we’re

hovering, and yes, I said mission.

Like I said, this may be a lot to

comprehend, but please let me

explain. Then you can ask all the

questions you like. I’m sure you’ve

seen movies about time travel, and

yes, it’s possible. If you think about

it, when time travel became possible,

at some point people from the

future arrived in your time period.

Most likely you never knew when

they arrived or departed because

any changes in the time continuum

are extremely dangerous. I know—

it’s just like in the movies—but it’s

true to the extent that the future,

as you know it, is always in flux.

The expected future is the line time

follows, but it can be altered by

slight deviations caused by man.

Are you following me?”

Uh huh. Not really, but let’s say I

do. Are you saying you’re from the

future?

“Yes. I was born in 2080, and

in my time period it’s 2111. It’s the

22nd century.”

Sooooo, you just hopped over

to the 21st, kidnapped me, and

brought me back to the future?

Like Back to the Future Part IV?

“I know it sounds crazy, and I assume

that’s a vintage movie you’re

referring to, but please let me continue.

Time travel wasn’t invented

until the 23rd century.”

I thought you said you were from

the 22nd?

“Yes, but around 2203 a scientist

named Sampson developed


a spacecraft that could travel at

thirty times the speed of light. By

traveling this fast within Earth’s

atmosphere, either with or counter

to the Earth’s revolution, they

accidentally discovered they could

travel outside the time continuum,

either forward or backward in

time. But they also discovered that

landing in any time element other

than their own could have devastating

effects on the future.”

So wait, if time travel wasn’t invented

until 2203, how did you end

up with their time machine in 2111?

“They abandoned it here a few

years ago when their pilot died.

Listen, I can’t explain any more

than I have. Learning about the

future and acting on it in your

timeline can be catastrophic. Our

Council of Elders has gone to great

pains to make sure only certain

things from our past can be

changed to alter our present and

future. That’s why you are here.

We need your help to make changes

that will save our world from a

technology invented by someone

in your world. Do you understand

some of what I’m saying?”

I’m not sure this is even real, but

let’s say I do. What’s happening in

your time that’s so bad?

“It’s better if I show you.”

Suddenly we were moving forward

and losing altitude at a rate

of at least 10,000 feet per minute.

Just as fast as it started, it ended,

and again we were hovering above

a city. It was unlike anything I had

ever seen—yet exactly like what

I’d seen in the movies. The buildings

were lit up in neon light, and

there were drones flying everywhere.

Thousands and thousands

of them, of all sizes, like swarms

of insects so thick it was amazing

they weren’t running into each

other. And yes, there were larger

ones that I assumed were manned

or autonomous, no doubt carrying


people.

Why are there so many drones? I

assume that’s what these are. And

why aren’t they crashing?

“This is why you are here. In your

time, a man named Cal Fisher

developed a program that could

assign a drone to monitor anything—a

person, a piece of equipment,

a place on Earth, anything.

For years, governments dropped

drones into the skies over enemy

targets, and with solar batteries

they could remain on station for

months at a time, some even for

years.

“In the late 21st century, cities

lost control of policing within their

jurisdictions, and the only way they

could regain control was to implement

a monitoring system of

drones assigned to every citizen.

Everywhere you went, no matter

what you did, a micro-drone followed

you. Your movements were

monitored by the city’s ‘Authority.’

In your time, it would be called

AI—a giant computer system. The

Authority decided whether your

actions or day-to-day activities

were a threat to the city, and if it

declared you a threat, it eliminated

that threat, thereby keeping peace

within its jurisdiction.”

“Wait. What do you mean,

eliminated the threat? These micro-drones

killed people?”

“Yes—but not in any way you

would recognize. The end result

was that they no longer existed or

remained a threat. Today, entire

cities are run by the Authority.

There are no elected officials,

mayors, or governors. It’s all controlled

by computers, and the software

that runs those computers…”

“Let me guess—was originally

written by Fisher in the 21st century?”

“You catch on quickly. We need

you to convince him that his

ideas—and the ultimate software

he will create—will cause the

deaths of millions upon millions of

people. Ultimately, the Earth will

be run by the Authority.”

“Are we going to land? I want to

see what the 22nd century looks

like.”

“Unfortunately, we can’t. Like I

said, you knowing too many details

about the future could cause

even more problems than what

we have now. But our Elders are

willing to take the risk to stop the

technological evolution that will

ultimately wipe out humanity as

we know it. They also understand

that changing your timeline—and

the years between yours and

ours—could result in devastating

events. But without intervention,

life as we know it won’t exist in the

future.”

“So why did you come to me?

You were already in 2021. Why

didn’t you just take this guy out?

Isn’t that what happens in the

movies? A time traveler from the

future goes back in time, erases

the bad guy, and everyone lives

happily ever after?”

“Because he is a ten-year-old

child, and we don’t kill children. At

least humans don’t. The Authority

does, if it determines they are

a threat. Listen, I’ve already told

you more than I was supposed to.

I hope I’ve shown you enough of

the future to understand that this

software cannot be developed.

Not by this kid, his kids, or anyone

who comes after them. We learned

from someone in our future what

happens to humanity. Now you

have the knowledge to save it. We

need your help, Captain.”

“So why didn’t these travelers

from your future come to my timeline

instead of yours?”

“I can’t divulge that. I’ve told you

all I can. I will give you one last

look at my world, and then we

have to go back.”

We descended to maybe five

hundred feet above the city. It

was just like movies I’d seen of

the future. Flying cars and drones

filled the skies. Some were taking

off and landing on buildings. Giant

images were projected onto the

sides of skyscrapers like massive

holographic billboards. It was

exactly as I had imagined it would

be—except for the millions of insect-sized

drones filling the night

sky with blinking LED lights like

tiny airplanes. They would have

been impressive if I hadn’t known

what they were for.

“So Major, how am I supposed

to convince a ten-year-old kid in

2021 that he’ll be responsible for

all this? And how in the world am I

going to find him?”

Suddenly I was thrust back into

my seat, and the warp-speed light

show filled the windscreen again.

The G-forces were more than I

could take. At some point, I must

have blacked out.

“Captain Smith? Captain Smith,

can you hear me? Captain Smith,

you passed out. Are you okay? Can

you hear me now?”

I opened my eyes, and I was

blinded by bright lights. The thrust

had stopped, and I could feel that

we were no longer moving.

“Are we hovering again, Major?

And why is it so bright in here? I

can’t see anything.”

The lights dimmed, and I could

make out a man bending over me.

He was wearing a uniform—but it

was a different kind of uniform,

and it wasn’t Major Littleton.

I wasn’t in an aircraft.

I was lying in an ambulance.

“Ah, there we go… good to have

you back, Captain. I’m Sergeant

Fisher with the Highway Patrol.

You took quite a trip back there.

We found your Jeep two hundred

feet off the road in a muddy ditch.

The fog is so bad this morning we

almost didn’t find you. If it hadn’t

been for a major with the military,

we wouldn’t have known where

you were.”

“Wait—what? Was his name

Littleton?”

The EMTs had me connected to

all kinds of equipment, and they

were speaking to someone on the

radio. I could hear the heartbeat

monitor beeping in the background.

My heart rate must have

been 150 beats per minute.

“Captain Smith, we need to get

rolling to the hospital. Sergeant,

did you have any more questions

for the captain?”

“No, I think I’m good.”

“Sergeant… the man who called

this in—was his name Major Littleton?”

“Yes, I believe it was. Listen, you

get on to the hospital. I’ll see you

up there.”

“Wait—one more thing. Sarge, do

you have a son named Cal?”

“How did you know that? His

name is Calvin, but we just call

him Cal. Do you know my son? He’s

only ten, but he’s an aviation buff.

We take him to all the airshows—

you must have met him at one

of them. He’s a real airplane nut

when he’s not buried in his laptop.

And he’s gone crazy playing with

all these little drone things lately.

Listen, you take care. I’ll see you at

the hospital in a bit.”

The door closed. I heard him tap

on the back glass, and the ambulance

started to move.

What the hell just happened?


BLUEPRINTS OF RESILIENCE

Emmanual Gonzalez Sosa

Alone Under the Streetlights:

Confronting Loneliness on the Night Patrol

At 2:41 a.m., the county feels

like it belongs to someone else.

The traffic is gone. Storefronts

are dark. Porch lights glow over

empty sidewalks. Even the radio,

so relentless during the day, slows

to long stretches of static. For

the officer on night patrol, this is

familiar territory: a cruiser idling

at a red light with no other cars in

sight, the hum of the engine filling

the silence and the awareness

that while most of the community

sleeps, you are responsible for

what happens next.

Policing has always required

independence, but night work intensifies

it. During the day, supervisors

are nearby, detectives are

reachable and backup often feels

close. At night, resources can be

thinner. A simple traffic stop may

be several minutes from assistance.

A domestic disturbance at 3

a.m. might unfold in near-total silence

before another unit arrives.

Even in well-staffed departments,

the perception can settle in: it’s

just me out here.

That perception carries weight.

Human beings are wired for

connection. We regulate stress

through interaction, conversation,

shared experience. Night patrol

interrupts that rhythm. Circadian

cycles are flipped. Officers head

to work as family members wind

down for the evening. They sleep

while the rest of the world gathers

for school events, birthdays


and dinners. Over time, this social

inversion creates a subtle but persistent

disconnection. You begin

to feel out of sync, not only with

your schedule, but with society

itself.

Sleep disruption compounds the

problem. Fatigue affects mood,

patience and resilience. Research

consistently shows that chronic

sleep disturbance increases vulnerability

to anxiety and depressive

symptoms. For night officers,

that means the emotional buffer

against loneliness can be thinner.

What might feel like manageable

quiet on a well-rested day can

feel heavier after a string of short,

interrupted sleep cycles.

There is also the emotional

containment inherent in the job.

Officers respond to trauma, conflict

and crisis. They project calm

when others are not. After clearing

a difficult call (a fatal crash, a

volatile argument, a mental health

crisis) there is rarely time for

extended processing. The cruiser

door closes, the engine starts and

the silence returns. Without intentional

release, those experiences

accumulate in the quiet hours

between calls.

Loneliness in this context does

not look dramatic. It doesn’t announce

itself loudly. It shows up

as emotional numbness, growing

cynicism, irritability at home or

the quiet habit of withdrawing

from others. Some officers begin

relying on unhealthy coping,

alcohol to fall asleep, isolation on

days off, excessive screen time to

fill the gaps. None of this reflects

weakness. It reflects a normal

human response to sustained isolation

combined with high responsibility.

The good news is that loneliness

on night patrol can be managed.

The first step is intentional

connection. Even brief, informal

contact with squad mates can

disrupt isolation. Parking together

for ten minutes between calls.

Conducting a simple “You good?”

check-in over the radio. Sharing

a quick cup of coffee at a 24-

hour convenience store. These

micro-connections matter. They

remind officers that they are part

of a team, even when physically

alone.

Supervisors play a critical role

as well. A field visit during the

quietest part of the shift communicates

more than oversight, it

communicates presence. Encouraging

team-based deployment

when possible, creating informal

meet-up points and conducting

proactive wellness check-ins all

reduce the sense of being forgotten

after dark.

Another powerful tool is

self-awareness. During slow periods,

officers can conduct mental

check-ins: What am I feeling right

now? Is this boredom, fatigue,

stress or something deeper? Have

I eaten? Hydrated? Spoken to anyone

meaningfully tonight? Naming

emotions reduces their intensity.

It transforms a vague heaviness

into something identifiable and

manageable. Some officers use

voice memos after difficult calls

to process thoughts. Others jot

quick notes during meal breaks.

Externalizing internal dialogue

prevents it from echoing endlessly

in the cruiser.

Rituals are equally important.

Predictability anchors the nervous

system. A consistent pre-shift

routine (stretching, reviewing

goals, a brief breathing exercise)

signals readiness. A designated

meal break without scrolling

through negative news creates

mental pause. Even a short decompression

ritual before going

home (sitting quietly in the driveway

for a few minutes) helps

separate the shift from personal

life. These habits create structure

in an otherwise unpredictable

environment.

Sleep protection is not optional;

it is operational readiness. Blackout

curtains, white noise, consistent

sleep schedules and clear

communication with family about

protected rest hours all improve

emotional stability. Exhaustion

amplifies loneliness. Rest restores

resilience.

Technology, used wisely, can

also reduce isolation. Secure

group chats allow squads to stay

connected beyond radio traffic.

Short video messages to family

before shift maintain relational

closeness. Educational or leadership

podcasts during low-call periods

turn empty patrol time into

professional growth. The key is

intention. Endless doom-scrolling

through negative headlines will

deepen cynicism. Purposeful use

of technology builds connection

and competence.

Physical fitness remains one of

the most reliable mood stabilizers

available. Exercise reduces

stress hormones and increases

chemicals linked to well-being.

For night officers, 24-hour gyms

or informal squad workouts can

become social anchors. Shared

effort builds camaraderie that

carries onto the street.

Equally important is maintaining

identity beyond the badge. Night

schedules can narrow life until

policing feels like the only defining

feature. Investing in off-duty

roles (parent, coach, volunteer,

student, musician) protects perspective.

When a shift feels

isolating, those other identities

remind you that you are more than

your assignment.

Peer support and counseling

should be normalized, not reserved

for crisis. Talking with a

trusted colleague after a difficult

week is professional maintenance,

not vulnerability. The most resilient

officers are not those who

never feel alone; they are those

who address it early.

There is another side to night

patrol that deserves recognition.

In the stillness, many officers

sharpen their instincts. The quiet

teaches patience. Decision-making

often improves when distractions

are reduced. Some of

the strongest tactical awareness

and self-reflection develop under

streetlights and empty intersections.

Loneliness, managed well,

can become productive solitude.

As dawn approaches, the county

slowly wakes. Delivery trucks

reappear. Lights flick on in kitchen

windows. The night officer finishes

reports and heads home as

commuters begin their day. The

work accomplished overnight

rarely receives applause. There are

no crowds for the doors checked

at 3 a.m., no headlines for the

silent patrol that deterred crime

simply by being present.

Yet the work matters.

Loneliness on night patrol is

real. It is human. And it is manageable.

Through intentional connection,

structured self-awareness,

protected sleep, healthy

routines, physical fitness and

strong off-duty identities, officers

can guard not only the community,

but their own well-being.

Under the streetlights, you may

be alone in the cruiser. But you are

not alone in the profession.

About the Author

Emmanuel Gonzalez Sosa holds

a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

from the University of Puerto Rico,

along with a Master’s degree in

Criminal Justice with a concentration

in Criminology and Investigation

from Eastern University

of Puerto Rico. In addition, he

coursed a Master’s degree in Psychology

from the Inter-American

University of Puerto Rico. E. Gonzalez

Sosa currently is completing

a Ph.D. at Keiser University in Florida,

further strengthening an academic

foundation that integrates

social sciences, psychology, and

criminal justice. E. Gonzalez Sosa

is a Deputy Sheriff in Harris County

Sheriff’s Department assigned to

Patrol Division.


A BADGE OF HONOR

Healing Our Heroes

One More Move

As First Responders, the

physical and visual memories

we store over the course of our

careers can have damaging

effects. These buried traumas,

hidden beneath the surface, can

change the way we see and approach

life. The way they alter

our coping mechanisms may

differ from person to person,

but the dark road they can lead

us down often feels the same.

We have all reached a point

where there seems to be no

hope and no escape — a place

where everything feels lost and

moving forward appears fruitless.

It’s game over… or checkmate.

Life is like a game of chess.

We are placed into positions

and roles, surrounded by

pawns, knights, bishops, rooks,

and kings. We develop strategies

and outlooks that we hope

will lead us to a successful finish.

Like chess, one single move

or moment in time can cause a

major disruption in our path.

When this happens, we feel

trapped. We can’t think logically,

and every viable solution

seems bleak.

We are First Responders; we

are not supposed to be cornered.

It goes against all the

training ingrained in us. Our


brain’s muscle memory either

takes over or begins to lose

hope. Sometimes, however, we

need to set our training aside

and look at things from a different

perspective.

We are conditioned to make

split-second decisions under

intense pressure. But we must

also learn to condition our

minds to evaluate certain situations

more objectively.

A painting in Paris titled

“Checkmate,” depicting the

Devil and a King playing chess,

has been the subject of controversy

for over a century. The

stories surrounding the painting

have been debated by some and

embraced by many. It shows the

Devil smiling in triumph while

the King holds his head in despair.

He believes he has lost to

the Devil’s demand. The moves

he made, he thinks, have cost

him the victory.

It is said that after carefully

studying the board, a chess

scholar evaluated the painting.

He took his time reviewing

each move, examining it from

a different perspective than the

King. What he discovered was

that there was one more move.

This move would free the King

from checkmate, allowing him

to continue the game — and

SAMANTHA HORWITZ &

JOHN SALERNO

possibly go on to win.

The moral of the story is this:

Demons are often the first to

declare checkmate, convincing

us that we have no alternatives.

Sometimes it takes someone on

the outside to look at our situation

from a different angle and

remind us that there is always

another path forward.

We have spent most of our

lives caring for others. We

wear our strength like a suit of

armor, believing it to be unbreakable.

We do this to ease

the pain of those impacted by

trauma. But we must not forget

to allow others to help relieve

the pain we ourselves have

endured.

Accepting or asking for help is

not a sign that we have lost. It

is proof that checkmate has not

been called.

THERE IS ALWAYS ONE MORE

MOVE

Retiredf NYPD Detective,

John Salerno


DARYL'S DELIBERATIONS

When the Letter Arrived:

Texas Chose its Fate

Early March of 1836 did not feel

like a celebration.

It felt like waiting.

In San Antonio, inside the

crumbling walls of the Alamo,

fewer than 200 Texian defenders

faced an advancing Mexican

army under General Santa Anna.

Reinforcements uncertain. The

future unclear. Conflicting orders

plenty.

Nearly 150 miles away, at

Washington-on-the-Brazos,

delegates gathered in a drafty

settlement to debate a decision

that would alter the course of

North American history: whether

Texas should formally declare

independence from Mexico.

They did not know how quickly

events would overtake them.

On February 24, Colonel William

B. Travis wrote what would

become one of the most famous

letters in American history. Addressed

“To the People of Texas

& All Americans in the World,” it

began with urgency:

“I am besieged by a thousand

or more of the Mexicans…”

Travis did not soften the situation.

He did not promise survival.

He asked for aid, yes—but he

also made a declaration of his

own.

“I shall never surrender or

retreat.”


He closed with the immortal

line: “Victory or Death.”

That letter left the Alamo and

rode east.

When it reached the delegates

at Washington-on-the-Brazos,

it sharpened everything. The war

was no longer distant. It was

personal. Immediate. Bleeding.

On March 2, 1836, those delegates

signed the Texas Declaration

of Independence.

Four days later, as dawn broke

on March 6, the Alamo fell, its

defenders never knowing about

independence.

Texas was born in the shadow

of sacrifice.

Independence in the Middle of

Uncertainty

Texas Independence Day often

feels triumphant in hindsight.

We know what followed. We

know about the Battle of San

Jacinto. We know the cry “Remember

the Alamo” would rally

an army to victory in the next

month.

But in early March, no one

standing in that drafty hall could

see the end of the story.

They signed a declaration of

independence while a garrison

was under siege. They cast their

lot for freedom knowing the Alamo

would fall. They chose a future

that might cost everything.

DARYL LOTT

That is what gives March its

weight.

Freedom was not declared

from a position of comfort. It

was declared from a position of

extreme risk.

The men inside the Alamo understood

the cost. The delegates

at Washington-on-the-Brazos

understood it too. Independence

would demand blood, property,

exile, and hardship. Many would

lose homes. Some would lose

families. Some would lose their

lives.

And yet, they signed.

The Power of a Letter

Travis’ letter did more than

report a siege. It crystallized

resolve.

It reminded those scattered

settlements that they were not

merely defending territory. They

were deciding what kind of people

they would be.

Would they retreat into fear?

Or would they step forward

into uncertainty?

The letter connected the Alamo

to the convention hall. It joined

the defenders’ courage to the

delegates’ decision. In a very real

sense, the Republic of Texas was

forged not only by muskets and

cannon fire, but by words carried

across muddy roads on horseback.

Words matter.

They steady hearts. They demand

clarity. They force choices.

The story of Texas is not simply

one of victory. It is one of resolve

under pressure. It is a story of

ordinary men and women caught

in extraordinary circumstances,

forced to choose whether conviction

is worth the cost.

That is what continues to move

me about this season in Texas

history.

Not the myth.

Not the legend.

But the human tension inside it.

Where Story Meets History

In my new novel Isobel’s Song,

I place fictional characters inside

these very days. The protagonist

is a young woman. This in and

of itself is unusual because the

story is not a romance, Hallmark

movie formula, or “chick lit.”

The story springs from my own

family’s history as well as yours.

Our female ancestors were not

who we think they were. They

were much stronger. They did

not adhere to tropes and modern-day

stereotypes. They didn’t

have time for such nonsense.

They were too busy trying to

survive. We stand on the shoulders

of giants.

Most of the characters are actual

historical figures, including

the females of the era.

Another thing about so many

of our ancestors is that they

relied on their Christian faith to

guide them through the hazards

of life.

The novel launches in March

due to the importance of the

month to Texas history. It is

available in printed book form

and audiobook now (Amazon

& Audible). The Kindle e-book

launches on March 31. We are not

trying to sell a book so much as

we are trying to get a message

out that our ancestors sacrificed

much to leave Texas to us. Regardless

of our race or gender,

we can be proud of Texas and

the First Texans.

Comments? DarylLott.Texas@

gmail.com


ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY



BLUE METAL HEALTH

Law Enforcement Mental Health and the

“Second Incident” of Negative Media After a

Deadly Shooting

A deadly officer-involved shooting

(OIS) can be psychologically

destabilizing even when the officer’s

actions are later judged

lawful and policy-compliant. In

the immediate aftermath, officers

often face acute stress reactions

(e.g., intrusive memories, physiological

arousal, sleep disruption,

irritability, and emotional numbing)

that resemble posttraumatic

stress symptoms and may evolve

into longer-term impairment if

not addressed early and effectively.

A large body of police-stress

scholarship has documented how

repeated operational trauma exposure,

combined with organizational

stressors, contributes to elevated

risk for PTSD symptoms, depression,

anxiety, substance misuse,

and burnout among officers.

After a deadly shooting, however,

many officers describe a

“two-layer” recovery process: (1)

coping with the life-threat and

the use-of-force event itself, and

(2) coping with the prolonged

investigative, administrative, and

public-facing aftermath. Federal

guidance for agencies notes that

departments should have relationships

with culturally competent,

licensed mental health professionals

because involved officers may

need structured support to process

emotions and trauma associated

with shooting incidents. This second

layer—often experienced as

scrutiny, isolation, and uncertainty—can

be intensified by negative

or sensational media coverage,

viral social media commentary,

and the perception that the officer’s

identity and career are being

judged in real time.

Why negative media can

uniquely disrupt post-shooting

adjustment

Negative media attention functions

as a sustained social-evaluative

threat: it signals public disapproval,

reputational damage, and

potential danger to the officer and

their family (e.g., doxxing concerns,

harassment, or fear of being

recognized). Even without direct

threats, the constant presence of

commentary can keep the nervous

system in a state of hyperarousal

and inhibit the natural “downshift”

that supports recovery. Research

on organizational and operational

police stress consistently emphasizes

that stress is not only about

the critical incident itself; it also

includes the downstream pressures

that shape how officers interpret,

relive, and integrate the event.

Media negativity may also amplify

moral injury dynamics. Moral

injury—psychological distress that

arises when experiences violate

one’s moral beliefs, or when one

feels betrayed by systems expected

to be fair—has been shown to

significantly predict PTSD symptom

clusters among law enforcement

officers. Following a deadly

shooting, an officer may already

DR. TINA JAECKLE

be grappling with grief, guilt, or

spiritual conflict (even when force

was necessary). Hostile narratives

can intensify shame, self-condemnation,

rumination (“Did I have

another option?”), and perceived

betrayal (“The community/administration

abandoned me”), all of

which are linked to worse posttraumatic

outcomes and slower

functional recovery.

Common mental health impacts

linked to high-scrutiny

post-shooting environments

1) Prolonged hypervigilance

and sleep disruption. Officers may

become preoccupied with what

is being said publicly, repeatedly

checking news and social media—

behavior that can reinforce arousal

and reduce restorative sleep. Sleep

disruption is a well-established

pathway from stress exposure to

mood symptoms, impaired concentration,

and irritability, and is

frequently noted in police stress

research.

2) Avoidance, withdrawal, and

social isolation. Officers may

avoid public spaces, disengage

from peers, or limit disclosure to


protect family members from secondary

exposure. This withdrawal

can reduce access to protective

factors (peer connection, routine,

meaning making). Literature on

critical incidents and secondary

traumatic stress in policing highlights

that post-incident stress

processes—beyond the initial

event—can mirror PTSD-like symptoms

and interfere with coping.

3) Anxiety, depression, and occupational

disengagement. Persistent

public scrutiny can erode

motivation, increase cynicism, and

contribute to burnout. Broader

organizational-stressor research

indicates that stressors outside the

immediate threat (e.g., administrative

pressures, public scrutiny) are

physiologically and psychologically

consequential. Related work on

“depolicing” suggests that public

scrutiny is associated with officers

pulling back from proactive activity—an

occupational adaptation

that can co-occur with stress and

reduced morale.

4) Family strain and “contagion”

of stress. When the officer

fears reputational harm or community

backlash, family systems

can become mobilized around

safety and secrecy. That protective

stance can unintentionally reduce

emotional support and increase

relationship tension during a period

when the officer most needs

steady connection.

What helps: protective practices

for agencies and clinicians

Because media negativity can

act like a chronic stressor that

repeatedly reactivates the incident,

recovery planning should address

both trauma exposure and the information

environment surrounding

the officer.

Agency-level supports

• Early, structured, culturally

competent mental health contact

(not just “here’s a number”) and

proactive follow-up over weeks

and months. Federal guidance and

professional policing resources

emphasize the importance of qualified

mental health partners familiar

with law enforcement culture.

• Peer support and family-informed

support options (e.g.,

family briefings about common

stress reactions, safe media practices).

• Clear communication and

procedural justice during investigations

(predictability reduces

helplessness).

• Media strategy that protects

privacy and reduces rumor-driven

escalation (timely, factual updates

within legal limits).

Clinical supports (individual-level)

• Evidence-based trauma care

(e.g., CBT-based trauma interventions,

skills for sleep, rumination,

and physiological downregulation).

• Moral injury–informed work

when shame, betrayal, or identity

conflict is central—supporting

meaning-making without minimizing

accountability or community

harm concerns.

• Boundary planning for media

exposure (e.g., scheduled checkins,

limiting doom-scrolling, delegating

information monitoring).

• Reconnection to values and

roles (parent/partner/community

member) to prevent the shooting

from becoming the officer’s entire

identity.

Conclusion

A deadly shooting can be a

life-altering traumatic event for

officers, but the public narrative

that follows—especially when

experienced as hostile, viral, or

dehumanizing—can become a

“second incident” that complicates

adjustment. The best outcomes

occur when agencies anticipate

this reality, provide sustained,

culturally competent mental

health and peer supports, and help

officers and families manage the

information environment while

evidence-based recovery work

proceeds.

References

Bonnan-White, J., et al. (2022).

Officer trust towards community

members and critical incidents (includes

OIS-related context). Frontiers

in Psychology.

Conn, S. M., & Butterfield, N. (2013).

Coping with secondary traumatic

stress by general duty police officers.

Journal of Community Safety

and Well-Being.

Di Nota, P. M., et al. (2024). Physiological

responses to organizational

stressors among police officers.

Frontiers in Psychology.

Foster, J. T., et al. (2024). An

empirical analysis of depolicing

behavior (public scrutiny as a predictor).

Policing and Society.

Papazoglou, K., Blumberg, D. M.,

& Collins, P. I. (2020). The role of

moral injury in PTSD among law

enforcement officers. Frontiers in

Psychology.

Papazoglou, K. (2019). Moral injury

in police work. FBI Law Enforcement

Bulletin.

Solis, B. (2021). The psychological

effect on law enforcement officers

involved in officer-involved shootings

(agency and post-incident

stressors). Florida Department of

Law Enforcement.

U.S. Department of Justice, Office

of Community Oriented Policing

Services. (2018). Officer-Involved

Shootings: A guide for law enforcement

leaders.

Violanti, J. M., et al. (2017). Police

stressors and health: A state-ofthe-art

review. Policing: An International

Journal.


NOT SO BRIGHT AWARD

Light Bulb

Isn't that a shame?

You should be

ashamed of yourself

not standing up,"

Trump said.

REFUSED TO

STAND

REFUSED TO

SIT!!

HE'S A

MORON

EJECTED

AGAIN


My eyebrows? I paid a lot of money for them.


ADS BACK IN THE DAY



ADS BACK IN THE DAY



THERE ARE

parting shots...


NO WORDS


THERE ARE

parting shots...


NO WORDS


NOW HIRING

LE job positions

Breckenridge Police Department Police Officer 03/02/2026

Fort Stockton Police Department Patrol Officer 1 03/06/2026

Tyler Junior College Police Department Police Officer 03/06/2026

Tyler Junior College Police Department Sergeant-Campus Police 03/06/2026

Gunter ISD Police Department Police Officer 03/02/2026

Somervell County Sheriff's Office Patrol Deputy 03/07/2026

Bexar County Constable’s Office Precinct 3 Deputy Constable 02/27/2026

Ector County ISD Police Department Police Officer 03/08/2026

Blanco County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office Reserve | Part Time Patrol Deputy Constables 03/15/2026

Godley Police Department Police Officers 03/16/2026

Marlin Police Department Police officer | Recruit 03/20/2026

Jack County Sheriff's Office Patrol Deputies 03/21/2026

SMU Police Department Police Officer 03/27/2026

Three Rivers Police Department Patrol Officer 03/26/2026

Tom Green County Precinct 3 Constable's Reserve Deputy Constable 03/26/2026

Texas A&M University-Galveston Police Officer II 03/20/2026

City of Keller Police Officer 03/07/2026

Moody Police Department Reserve Police Officer 03/09/2026

Lometa Police Department Get Info Police Officers (Full/Reserve) 03/27/2026

Trophy Club Police Department Police Officer 03/15/2026

Amarillo Police Department Police Recruit 03/27/2026

Amarillo Police Department In-State Lateral Entry Officer 03/27/2026

Amarillo Police Department Out of State Lateral Entry 03/27/2026

Methodist Health System Police Department Police Officer 03/31/2026

Town of Lakeside Police Officer 04/03/2026

City of Frost Police Department Police Chief 03/05/2026

Clyde Police Department Patrol Officer 04/03/2026

University of Texas at Arlington Police Police Officers and Cadets 03/06/2026

Grand Prairie Police Department Police Officer 03/28/2026

Corsicana Police Department Police Officer 04/12/2026

Cisco Police Department Patrol Officer 04/13/2026

City of Lewisville Police Department Police Officer 04/14/2026

University of Houston-Clear Lake Police Officer (2 vacancies) 03/13/2026

Sugar Land Police Department Peace Officer 03/13/2026

Sugar Land Police Department Recruit 03/13/2026

Thorndale Police Department Police Officer 04/17/2026

Highland Park DPS Public Safety Officer 03/27/2026

City of Hutto Peace Officers 04/17/2026

City of Starbase Police Department Public Safety Director/ Future Chief of Police 04/19/2026

Lone Star College Police Department Police Officer 04/09/2026

Bee County Sheriff's Office Patrol Deputy 3/15/2026

Lone Star College Police Department Public Safety Officer 04/09/2026

Lakeway Police Department Police Officer 04/24/2026

Round Rock ISD Police Department Police Officer 04/24/2026

Tarleton State University Police Department Police Officer 04/24/2026

River Oaks Police Department Police Officer 04/25/2026

San Saba County Sheriff's Office Lateral Deputy Sheriff 04/24/2026

Joshua Police Department Police Officer (Multiple Positions) 04/29/2026

Lancaster Police Department Police Officer 04/02/2026

Bruceville-Eddy Police Department Police Officer 04/26/2026

Bruceville-Eddy Police Department School Resource Officer (Full-Time) 04/27/2026

Elgin Police Department Certified Peace Officer 04/28/2026

Bee County Sheriff's Office Patrol Deputy 03/15/2026


NOW HIRING

WELCOME OUR NEWEST DEPARTMENT

LE job positions

WELCOME ABOARD PASADENA PD


NOW HIRING


job positions





NOW

HIRING

BIG SPRING PD IS NOW HIRING POLICE OFFICERS

• 100% PAID ACADEMY TRAINING FOR NON-

CERTIFIED CADETS

• LATERAL POLICE OFFICER RECRUIT PROGRAM

• EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS ARE PROVIDED

• TAKE HOME VEHICLES WITH A ONE HOUR

RESPONSE TIME

• 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

• TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM


• PROGRESSIVE ANNUAL IN-SERVICE TRAINING AND

EXTERNAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES.

• DIVERSE ASSIGNMENTS SUCH AS SWAT, NARCOTICS,

TRAFFIC, AND CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION

• $5,000 ACADEMY REIMBURSEMENT AND

$4,500 RELOCATION PAY FOR CERTIFIED OFFICERS

• CERTIFIED OFFICERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR $800

MONTHLY HOUSING ALLOWANCE FOR ONE YEAR

• FREE DORMITORY HOUSING FOR NON-CERTIFIED

CADETS IN THE ACADEMY

• LATERAL RECRUIT PROGRAM FOR EXPERIENCED

OFFICERS

Cadet Pay: $54,109/year ~ Certified Officer Pay: $65,538/year

ENTRY LEVEL TESTING ON MARCH 5, 2026

The application deadline is March 2, 2026

Testing for Certified Police Officers is scheduled as needed. Certified

Police Officers are strongly encouraged to apply at anytime.

APPLY TODAY AT WWW.MYBIGSPRING.COM


BIG SPRING POLICE DEPARTMENT

JOIN OUR TEAM!

LATERAL ENTRY POLICE OFFICER

POSITIONS AVAILABLE

BENEFITS

• Health/Vision/Dental Insurance

• Paid Life and AD&D Insurance

• TMRS (2 to 1 match)

• Deferred Compensation with a

6.7% match

• Vacation Buy Back (up to 68

hours annually)

• 12-hour shift schedule, every

other Friday, Saturday, and

Sunday off

• Longevity Service Pay

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Uniforms & Equipment Supplied

• Upfront vacation leave:

• 5yrs—80 hours

• 5 to 10 yrs—120 hours

• 10+yrs—160 hours

3 YEARS EXPERIENCE

$70,578

5 YEARS EXPERIENCE

$72,989

7 YEARS EXPERIENCE

$75,479

10+ YEARS EXPERIENCE

$81,282

• Take home patrol car within one hour response radius

INCENTIVE PAYS

Relocation Pay $4,500

1 yr. Housing Allowance $800/mo

Academy Reimbursement $5,000

Firearm Allowance $800

Associate Degree

Bachelor Degree

Shift Differential

FTO Pay

$1,200/yr.

$2,400/yr.

5% Increase

$50 daily

*The BSPD lateral pay scale pays

for 2 to 10+ years of experience.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Subject to the same hiring process as all other police officer applicants.

• Must have 12 months certified, full-time, law enforcement experience from a comparable size agency.

• Must not have pending disciplinary actions or investigations for misconduct.

APPLY TODAY

www.mybigspring.com

BIG SPRING POLICE DEPARTMENT

3613 West Highway 80, Big Spring, TX 79720

432-264-2347 ▪ sking@mybigspring.com


PATHWAYS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Law Enforcement Career Fair Series

Explore careers in public safety at the Pathways in Criminal Justice Career Fair, with two

opportunities to attend. The Career Fairs connect aspiring law enforcement professionals with

local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Enjoy free admission to the Museum and

engage with officers through interactive programs.

Live Programs

In addition to speaking with prospective employers and

enjoying the Museum, join the local community in the

theater for special law enforcement career programs:

9:30am – 10:30am: Coffee and Conversations, with activeduty

officers sharing their lived experiences and honest

reflections from the field.

10:45am – 12:00pm: Forged in Struggle, Empowered

by Strength, Defining Our Future: Celebrating NOBLE’s

50-Year Legacy, celebrating the achievements of

black Americans who have shaped the profession and

commemorates NOBLE’s five decades of leadership and

advocacy.

February 18 and March 18, 2026

9:30am – 4:00pm

National Law Enforcement Museum

444 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

Admission is free but registration is highly

encouraged as space is limited!

REGISTER NOW nleomf.org

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Tradition Meets Transformation, a panel

discussion with law enforcement and young adults about

the future of the profession.

2:30pm – 3:15pm: Community Town Hall, a public forum

about community concerns and lived experiences.


ADCRR is Hiring

Correctional Officers

1-888-545-RUSH






WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO

Make a DIFFERENCE

Provide SERVICE to YOUR community!

MEANINGFUL careers

Growing Organization

Career DEVELOPMENT

*Our agency is a certified OJT training agency for qualified Veterans


BUDA POLICE DEPARTMENT

NOW HIRING - POLICE OFFICER

Starting Salary

$64.5K to $74.8K

*TCOLE Licensed Only

We are proud to be one of the safest cities in the State of Texas

and have tremendous support from our community.

Benefits

Retirement

2-1 City Match with TMRS

Medical/Dental/Vision

100% Medical Coverage

Offsetting Copays

Educational Pay

$50- $150 Per Month

Incentive Pay

$75-$150(max) per Month for

assignments such as:

FTO, Bike Patrol, SWAT

Annual Leave Accruals

15 Paid Holidays

80 Hours Vacation

120 Hours Sick Leave

Bilingual Pay

Shift Differential Pay

Lateral Entry Program

On-site Gym

Officer Wellness Program

www.budatx.gov/92/Employment




Your Department's

Recruiting Ad

could be right here!

email us today at



BRAZORIA COUNTY

CONSTABLE PCT 3

2436 S. GRAND BLVD. PEARLAND TEXAS 77581

Recruiting

deputy constables

Full & Part Time Positions

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Must be 21 years of age

Must hold an active TCOLE Peace Officer License

Pass Background Investigation

Psychological Evaluation

Drug Screen

EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Pension & Retirement Benefits (401k)

County Alternate Retirement (SSN Alternate)

TCDRS Transfer

Healthcare, Dental, Vision and other Benefits (+ AFLAC)

Take Home Vehicle Program (If within Brazoria County)

Uniform Allowance

Certification Pay

A Career that Gives You

a lot of Pride & Benefits


Hiring

Police Officers

Annual Salary $57,592 - $62,899 range + Benefits | Certification Pay | Longevity Pay | Bilingual

Certification by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE)

Pay 12 Hour Shift Schedule - Alternating weekends off and good life/work balance

All equipment/uniform provided | Take home patrol car program | Visible tattoo & beard policy

Benefits at NO COST TO EMPLOYEE:

• Education Reimbursement Program

• 80 hours of Vacation (accrued annually)

• 96 hours of sick leave annually (accrued annually)

• 14 Paid Holidays

• Life Insurance 2x annual base salary

• Employee Assistance Program

• Paid Training Opportunities

Additional Benefits

• TMRS retirement system - 5% employee

contribution - City matches 2:1 at retirement

• Medical Insurance: - United Health Care

† Ask about our Lateral Transfer Program

requirements

Questions? Contact Lt. Kelvin Raven at kraven@cityofbrenham.org | 979-337-7363


jobs.cityofbrenham.org


$

U

T

S

v

e

b

o

w

FRIENDSWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT

PRIDE DEDICATION PROFESSIONALISM

UP

TO

$ 15,000

* FOR QUALIFIED TCOLE-CERTIFIED OFFICERS

HIRING

INCENTIVE

C

AVAILABLE PROGRAMS

• Special Weapons & Tactics Team

• Crisis Negotiation Team

• K-9 Program

• Drone Pilot Program

• D.O.T. & Traffic Safety Unit

• School Resource Officers

• Bicycle Patrol

• Marine Patrol

• Honor Guard








Place your department’s recruiting ad

in The BLUES for only $250 for an

entire year, only $20 a month.



LATERAL DEPUTY


WE ARE

HIRING!

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

For additional information contact

Harris County Sheriff’s Office

Recruitment Unit

(713) 877-5250


TO APPLY

www.harriscountyso.org | www.hcsojobs.com

SCAN

THIS CODE Harris County

@HCSOTexas

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

198 Equal The BLUES Opportunity MARCH ‘26 Employer

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 further The BLUES details

- MARCH ‘26 199


NOW HIRING

LEAGUE CITY POLICE

ositions

D E P A R T M E N T

RECRUITING

LATERAL OFFICERS

LATERAL INCENTIVES:

Salary Equal to Years of Service (3 - 7 yrs)

$5,000 Hiring Bonus

REQUIREMENTS:

To be Considered as a Lateral Applicant, You Must Meet the Following Qualifications:

Lateral Pay Credit Will be Granted Only for Whole Years of Qualified Experience.

Cannot Have a Break of Service More Than 180 Days to Qualify for Experience Credit.

Must Have at Least Three Years of Qualified Law Enforcement Experience (Commissioned,

Full-time, Paid).

TCOLE Licensed Peace Officer or Equivalent Out-of-State Certification Accepted by TCOLE

will Qualify.

WATCH HERE FOR NEW DATES

3 YEAR PAY --

4 YEAR PAY --

5 YEAR PAY --

6 YEAR PAY --

7 YEAR PAY --

VISIT LCPDJOBS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION!



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

Rochelle Carr-Lacy

rcarrlacy@manvelpd.org






Serving Bunker Hill, Piney Point, and Hunters Creek Villages

Opportunity for Experienced Police

Officers

Benefits:

$89,432 - $108,585

Starting Salary Range DOQ

Requirements:

Strong Community and Department Support

5 Years Patrol Experience

Hiring Bonus $1500

(Night Shift Differential $12,000)

Bi-Lingual Pay

Educational / Certification / Longevity Pay

Health care Insurance 100% for Employee, 75%

for Spouse/Dependents

TMRS Retirement 7% 2:1 match, 20-year

retirement. COLA 50% of retirement

TCOLE Certified

Valid TX Driver’s License

US Citizen

Positive Attitude

Strong Work Ethic

Problem Solver

Desire to Succeed

Department Funded 457 Deferred Compensation

Plan with employer contribution of 2.5% annual

salary

Tuition Reimbursement

Work life balance with 12 Hour shifts every other

weekend off

WWW.MVPDTX.ORG

EOE/M/F/D

11981 Memorial Dr.

Houston, Tx 77024


713.365.3700


SALARY RANGE

$79,201 - $105,716

ADDITIONAL PAY

(MONTHLY)

ASSOCIATES DEGREE

$99-$250

BACHELOR’S DEGREE

$180-$400

MASTER’S DEGREE

$230-$500

TCOLE CERTIFICATES

$60-$150

OTHER INCENTIVES

FIELD TRAINING OFFICER

$700

FIELD TRAINING SERGEANT

$600

TACTICAL UNIT ASSIGNMENT

$200

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

$200

HONOR GUARD

$200

W W W . M I D L A N D T E X A S . G O V / 1 3 1 7 / L A T E R A L - O F F I C E R S


NOW HIRING

ositions



STARTING SALARY $66,497.60 WITH NO EXPERIENCE

BENEFITS

• Competitive pay with scheduled increases every 2 years

• Friday/Saturday or Sunday/Monday days off

• Flexible work schedules

• Overtime available

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Tuition Reimbursement - $5000/yr

• Paid vacation, employee days, well day, sick days, and holidays

• Uniforms and Equipment

• Department Provided Training

TCOLE CERTIFIED POLICE OFFICER POSITIONS

FULL TIME

INCENTIVE PAY

• Bilingual

• TCOLE Certificate

Intermediate $1,560

Advanced $3,420

Master $6,000

• Education

Associate $1,320

Bachelor $3,180

Master $4,500

$8,000.00 HIRING INCENTIVE*

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

21 YEARS OF AGE

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR GED

MUST HOLD AN ACTIVE TCOLE PEACE OFFICER LICENSE

VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE

MUST PASS BACKGROUND CHECK, PSYCHOLOGICAL,

DRUG AND MEDICAL SCREENING

*$2000.00 after 3 months, $2000.00 after 6 months, $4000.00 after 1 year


Your Department's

Recruiting Ad


email us today at





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

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Thinking of retiring?

Want a change but still want to serve?

Put on a NEW uniform and JOIN US!

YOUR CAREER

OUR PORT

ONE MISSION

NEW!

• No BMI Requirements

• No Polygraph Required

• No Physical Agility

STARTING PAY*

$71,000 up to $81,000

* Salary depends on experience

EMPLOYMENT

TESTING

Employment is contingent on pass

any post-offer pre-employment

screening as listed below:

• Criminal background check

• Motor vehicle record check

• Drug screening

• Physical exam

• Psychological exam


BENEFITS:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

eligible first day of employment

• Vacation & Sick Leave, PLUS Paid Holidays.

(12 days/year).

• 401a & 457 Plans

• Tuition Reimbursement

(Up to the IRS annual limit and a maximum lifetime

reimbursement $25,000)

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be 21 years old

• Must have 2+ years of police officer

experience

• Must have valid Texas Driver’s

• License & be a U.S. Citizen

• Must have an honorable discharge from the

military (if applicable)

• Must never have been convicted of a

• Class A Misdemeanor or above

• Not been convicted of a Class B

misdemeanor within the last 10 years

• Must have a GED or high school diploma

ing

SIGN UP TODAY!

www.porthouston.com/careers-2


SEGUIN PD

NOW

HIRING

POLICE OFFICER

STARTING PAY IS $67,012

LATERAL: UP TO $73,968

UP TO $3,000 SIGN ON BONUS

INCENTIVE PAY FOR TCOLE CERTIFICATION,

BILINGUAL SPEAKERS, & EDUCATIONAL PAY.

100% EMPLOYEE MEDICAL/DENTAL PREMIUM

COVERED BY CITY

EQUIPMENT AND UNIFORMS ARE PROVIDED

INCLUDING TAKE HOME VEHICLES, HANDGUN

WITH RED DOT SIGHT & SUPPRESSED PATROL

RIFLE

TMRS RETIREMENT (2:1 CITY MATCH)

PROGRESSIVE IN-SERVICE AND EXTERNAL

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CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION

APPLY NOW AT:

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March 2026. Blues Vol 42 No.3

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