With the passing of the first few weeks of January, already three police officers across the nation have been killed. One of those perished in an on-duty car accident. The other two were murdered, one in Utah and one in Ohio. The nature of these two deaths is disturbing, and officers should take note.
Officer Douglas Barney, of Salt Lake City, had responded to an automobile accident that occurred on a city road at ten in the morning. Broad daylight! As the officer arrived, one of the drivers and a passenger began walking away. As the officer approached to ask for the driver's information, the driver shot the officer in the head. He and the female companion fled.
Assisting officers arrived a short time later and located the suspect. A gunfight followed in which the killer was shot dead and a police officer was wounded. During the confusion the female slipped away. The killer turned out to be a wanted felon, with both state and federal warrants out for his arrest.
So police officers need to approach all situations with one eye on danger, even as simple a call as a minor accident. I have personally arrested several felons in the process of working car accidents. I was luckier than Officer Barney, because I did not pay for a similar mistake with my life. On that particular day the felon tried to "play it cool" until he realized that I was about to learn he was wanted. He acted in a similar manner as Officer Barney's killer, by "edging" toward the back of the crowd as I was running his name through TLETS. I saw what he was doing at that point, but during the previous fifteen or so minutes he could have done something worse. Luckily he was unarmed, and I survived, a much smarter officer in just a couple minutes.
In Ohio, Officer Thomas Cottrell, Danville Police, was simply shot out of ambush. Someone hid in the shadows outside the city building and just waited for a police officer to come to the building on business. As the officer got out of his car and walked toward the back of the building, he was shot by a local man who had some minor run-ins with police over the years, although not necessarily with Officer Cottrell. The killer took the slain officer's weapon and also stole the patrol vehicle. As is most often the case, the killer was later confronted head on by two officers and meekly surrendered, as the press often says. This killer, like the man who shot the off-duty deputy in Houston a couple of months ago, wanted to kill a police officer, but was a coward when it came time to look into gun barrels himself. Those police officers, still saddened and angry at the murder of their friend, took the high road and gave the killer an opportunity to surrender...an offer the killer himself did not make to his victim.
In Midland this week an officer going above and beyond the call of duty to help out a cold and penniless "homeless" person also found out the person was a wanted felon. The officer was prepared to spend money out of his own pocket to help this man. In the end the officer found out the person's right name and checked him. The man indeed was running from a felony charge. The officer's vigilance kept the this situation from ending badly for all concerned.
So to all police officers, please stay safe, trust your gut, act on those "feeling" when you believe something is just "not right" with a person. I hope and pray for a safer year for police officers as 2016 moves forward...
And God Bless America
Officer Douglas Barney, of Salt Lake City, had responded to an automobile accident that occurred on a city road at ten in the morning. Broad daylight! As the officer arrived, one of the drivers and a passenger began walking away. As the officer approached to ask for the driver's information, the driver shot the officer in the head. He and the female companion fled.
Assisting officers arrived a short time later and located the suspect. A gunfight followed in which the killer was shot dead and a police officer was wounded. During the confusion the female slipped away. The killer turned out to be a wanted felon, with both state and federal warrants out for his arrest.
So police officers need to approach all situations with one eye on danger, even as simple a call as a minor accident. I have personally arrested several felons in the process of working car accidents. I was luckier than Officer Barney, because I did not pay for a similar mistake with my life. On that particular day the felon tried to "play it cool" until he realized that I was about to learn he was wanted. He acted in a similar manner as Officer Barney's killer, by "edging" toward the back of the crowd as I was running his name through TLETS. I saw what he was doing at that point, but during the previous fifteen or so minutes he could have done something worse. Luckily he was unarmed, and I survived, a much smarter officer in just a couple minutes.
In Ohio, Officer Thomas Cottrell, Danville Police, was simply shot out of ambush. Someone hid in the shadows outside the city building and just waited for a police officer to come to the building on business. As the officer got out of his car and walked toward the back of the building, he was shot by a local man who had some minor run-ins with police over the years, although not necessarily with Officer Cottrell. The killer took the slain officer's weapon and also stole the patrol vehicle. As is most often the case, the killer was later confronted head on by two officers and meekly surrendered, as the press often says. This killer, like the man who shot the off-duty deputy in Houston a couple of months ago, wanted to kill a police officer, but was a coward when it came time to look into gun barrels himself. Those police officers, still saddened and angry at the murder of their friend, took the high road and gave the killer an opportunity to surrender...an offer the killer himself did not make to his victim.
In Midland this week an officer going above and beyond the call of duty to help out a cold and penniless "homeless" person also found out the person was a wanted felon. The officer was prepared to spend money out of his own pocket to help this man. In the end the officer found out the person's right name and checked him. The man indeed was running from a felony charge. The officer's vigilance kept the this situation from ending badly for all concerned.
So to all police officers, please stay safe, trust your gut, act on those "feeling" when you believe something is just "not right" with a person. I hope and pray for a safer year for police officers as 2016 moves forward...
And God Bless America
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