Ocean County Police Academy Graduates New Officers
Surrounded by family, friends and peers, Ocean County’s newest police officers were given a warm sendoff during two separate graduation ceremonies May 21 at Georgian Court University.
“You have chosen law enforcement as your profession because making a difference is your calling in life,” said Ocean County Freeholder Gerry P. Little, who addressed the morning graduates from the Ocean County Police Academy. “When you do have to enforce the law, be firm and fair, and remember that the community that you serve includes everyone.”
The recruits spent more than 750 hours at the Ocean County Police Academy located in Ocean County Park, receiving instruction in a host of areas including firearms, criminal law, traffic law, defensive tactics, forensics, domestic violence and physical fitness training.
Ocean County Sheriff William L. Polhemus, who oversees the academy, said the mission of the academy is to prepare police recruits mentally, physically, ethically and with a proficiency of skills to perform police duties at a high level of competency.
“This mission is carried out by the dedicated instructors that work with our recruits making certain they are provided the tools they need to best serve their communities,” Polhemus said.
Polhemus noted that of the 10 police recruits graduating from the Basic Police Class 92, seven would be joining the ranks of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.
“We are very proud of all the recruits who completed this training and we are especially pleased to have these new officers joining the county department,” Polhemus said.
Police academy classes that graduated were Basic Police Class No. 92, and Special Law Enforcement Officer II Classes No. 25 and 24.
“This is a very special day for the recruits and their families,” said Freeholder John P. Kelly, who serves as director of law and public safety. “On behalf of my colleagues on the board, I want to congratulate them for their hard work during their time at the Ocean County Police Academy.”
Two special presentations were made to recruits in Class 92. Kyle T. Pimm, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, received the James J. Tracey Leadership Award, sponsored by the Ocean County Emerald Society while John W. Bourke, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, received the George Haines Award, a special presentation by the 200 Club, a private citizens group formed to provide assistance to the families of police, fire, first aid personnel and state police in Ocean County who lost their lives or were seriously injured in the line of duty.
Recipients of the class awards for Class 92 were: Kyle T. Pimm, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, High Academic; John W. Bourke, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, the High Overall and High Physical Fitness; David H. Leonardi, New Jersey Human Services Police Department, High Marksmanship and Distinguished Expert Perfect Score.
The graduates of the Basic Police Class No. 92 and their respective police departments are: John W. Bourke, David J. DeLeeuw, Kevin S. Fennessy, Kyle T. Pimm, Douglas E. Schuler Jr., Charles A. Solimine, John R. Strodel, all Ocean County Sheriff’s Department; David H. Leonardi, New Jersey Human Services Police Department; Wallace T. Polhemus Jr. and Ryan C. Quinn, both Toms River Police Department.
Class 25 award recipients were: Steven A. Scerbo, Point Pleasant Beach Police Department, Police Training Commission Merit Award; Travis E. Seaman, Point Pleasant Beach Police Department, High Academic; Nicholas J. Castellano, Point Pleasant Beach Police Department, High Physical Fitness and High Overall; and Thomas D. Marks, Ship Bottom Police Department, High Marksmanship.
The graduates of the SLEO II Class No.25 and their respective police departments are: Timothy J. Baggs, Eric S. Berkoben Jr., Michael J. Dzienis, Anthony C. Mendoza, Richard Nikodem, William R. Resnyk III, Jeffley M. Roma, Michael J. Schaefer, Cory W. Sierchio, all Seaside Park Police Department; Stephen C. Baker, Joseph F. Bellavance, Todd C. DeVito, Gregory T. Edgecomb, Joseph M. Latif, Lawrence J. Mayberry, Gabriel J. Sommella, Edward M. Webb, all Seaside Heights Police Department; William L. Baldizzone, Nicholas B. Barber, Nicholas J. Castellano, Sean B. Clayton, Matthew T. Dorick, Robert Robinson IV, Steven A. Scerbo, Travis E. Seaman, all Point Pleasant Beach Police Department; Michael S. Cicero, Ocean Township Police Department; Kevin M. Connolly, James F. Golding Jr., Daniel A. Ivancich, all Beach Haven Police Department: Blake A. Johnson, Bay Head Police Department; and Thomas D. Marks, Ship Bottom Police Department.
Class 24 award recipients were: Andrew S. Anderson, Seaside Heights Police Department, Police Training Commission Merit Award and High Marksmanship Award; Richard B. Corbett, Point Pleasant Beach Police Department, High Academic; Christopher R. Clune, Point Pleasant Beach Police Department.
The graduates of the SLEO II Police Class 24 and their respective police departments are: Andrew S. Anderson, Matthew G. Antonucci, Benjamin C. Celano, Gary L. D’Alessio Jr., Ryan S. Dunne, Joseph M. Fastige, Christopher T. Foley, John R. Frey, Anthony E. Giacinti, Elvin R. Giordano IV, Ashley E. LeFevre, Kevin R. Licknack, Chrisovalandis Mageros, Robert E. Maritz III, John M. Provaznik, Joseph J. Regan, David A. Rodriguez, Richard J. Sasso Jr., Philip Scibetta, Eric S. Vega, all Seaside Heights Police Department; Christopher R. Anderson, Drew M. Blake, Brian J. Brunas, Christopher R. Clune, Richard B. Corbett, Nicola Costagliola, Jesse T. Dallago, Bryan M. Deily, Joseph M. Giacobbe, Joseph F. Gippetti, Michael N. Hidalgo, Michael J. McGowan, Jay Nye, Christopher J. Quackenbush, Eric C. Scamporino, Gary Siculietano, all Point Pleasant Beach Police Department; Gloria L. Atkinson, Shawn R. Blakely, both Mantoloking Police Department; Andrew M. Baldino, Andrew Pero, both Lavallette Police Department; Donald B. Haines, Daniel J. Petrone, both Long Beach Township Police Department; Gregory A. Lauretta Jr., Seaside Park Police Department; John Melassanos, Bay Head Police Department; Brian S. Smith, Little Egg Harbor Township Police Department; and Amanda J. Unkefer, Surf City Police Department.
Aiken County Sheriff’s Office honors staff
The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office honored its own Friday, thanking those who have pledged to serve and protect the residents of the area at an annual awards banquet.
Credited for his service to agency’s uniform patrol and his commitment to training new recruits, Brad Dyer was honored with this year’s Jason Sheppard Deputy of the Year award.
The award is given annually in the name of Sheppard, a former sergeant with the sheriff’s office who was killed in the line of duty in December 2006 while he was directing traffic on U.S. Highway 1. The late deputy’s brother, Danny Sheppard, and mother, Emily Brown, presented Dyer with the recognition.
Described as a seasoned deputy who pays attention to detail, Dyer’s colleagues rose to their feet as his name was called and gave the deputy a round of applause.
Having served for nearly a decade with the agency, Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt said Dyer is committed to his profession.
Hunt said the profession requires the commitment of dedicated professionals.
“Anyone of the employees deserves an award,” he said. “This is our way every year of taking the time to show them how much we appreciate their dedication.”
He said the deputies are running a high volume of calls and are willing to put their lives on the line.
One deputy honored for that commitment, Larry Cleveland, also received a standing ovation for the duties he performed the morning of Jan. 23 when he was shot by an armed robber who held up the Four Seasons convenience store on Whiskey Road.
The gunman was shot and killed but not before he was able to fire off several rounds at the deputies.
Cleveland, 56 at the time, was shot at three times as he and Deputy Michael Goodwin, 32, entered the store.
Cleveland was struck once in the right shoulder and once in the right hip before he fired off a single bullet that struck the gunman in the chest and killed him.
“He not only did his job, but he also saved the clerk’s life,” Hunt said.
The store’s manager, 37-year-old Sherry Doe of Jackson, was unharmed.
Goodwin, who was honored Friday at the banquet, was also unharmed.
Hunt said Cleveland has still has not fully recovered.
“These people are nominated and selected by their peers to be recognized for the work they do,” Hunt said.
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New Oklahoma state troopers get on the road to new career
After a 17-week stint at the Oklahoma Highway Patrol training academy, dreams became reality for 25 new troopers at a graduation ceremony Friday for the academy’s 59th edition.
“I felt like even in the academy, I was living a dream. I can’t help it, I still feel like it was a dream,” said trooper Trinity Simmons. “I feel like I’m going to have to wake up in the morning and pinch myself and say, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do it all over again,’ but it’s really an honor to be working with all these people.”
Simmons, a resident of Mangum, said she knew she wanted to be a trooper from a young age. She was picked up by a trooper as a youngster and got a ride home from school on her birthday, and “we stopped a couple of cars, and that was it. I was sold after that,” Simmons said.
She was the lone female in the graduating class.
For one man, being a state trooper seemed to be inevitable. Charles Smith, 40, spent more than 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps before fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a state trooper.
“I did my first four years and was thinking about getting out, and they approved my re-enlistment right after the first Gulf War, so I was still motivated about being a Marine,” Smith said. “Actually, the last part of my enlistment, I was doing the enrollment process (for becoming a state trooper).”
The physical toll of the academy wasn’t the toughest part, Smith said. It was being away from his family for several months.
“It was long,” he said, also reflecting on the difference in seasons between the start and end of the academy.
“It was spitting ice at us when we went, and it’s 101 degrees” now, Smith said.
But regardless of what the most difficult part of going through the academy was, there was a consensus on the best part: the prestige of becoming a state trooper.
“Everybody knows us. Everybody knows what we stand for,” Smith said. “I guess the title of being a state trooper pretty much speaks for itself. There’s a lot of respect that goes along with that.”
104 newest New Jersey state troopers graduate academy
150th State Police recruit training class completes intensive 26-week program
Governor Jon Corzine, Attorney General Anne Milgram and State Police Superintendent Colonel Joseph R. Fuentes Friday presented badges to New Jersey’s newest state troopers during graduation ceremonies at the Ritacco Center in Toms River.
The 150th New Jersey State Police class started with 144 recruits and graduated 104 troopers. This class is the most diverse State Police class in New Jersey’s history with a 30% minority makeup, including 22 Hispanic males, 5 African-American males and 5 Asian-Americans consisting of 4 males and 1 female.
Sixteen percent of the class has prior military service (Army, Navy, Marines, National Guard and Coast Guard). Of this graduating class, 62% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Five of the recruits were engaged, three were married and two had children born during their academy training.
“Congratulations to each of the 104 graduates of the 150th class of the New Jersey State Police. Today, you become the ultimate guardians of the citizens of the Garden State and we thank you for your commitment and service,” Governor Jon Corzine said. “As you embark on your new assignments, I am confident you will uphold the traditions of Honor, Duty and Fidelity of this great law enforcement organization.”
“You are part of a State Police organization that has undergone historic change and in the process, become a role model for the nation. But we did not get there simply by acquiring new technology or generating new policies. Ultimately, those are tools and tools are only as effective as the people who use them. That is where you, the graduates of the 150th State Police Class, come in. Ultimately, the success of the State Police mission is in your hands,” said Attorney General Milgram.
“This class is the most diverse in our rich history. Their backgrounds coupled with their highly effective training will equip them to enforce the laws of our state constitutionally, fairly and without bias. I have no doubt this training has prepared them for the demanding yet rewarding career of protecting the citizens of the State of New Jersey. We look forward to our new Troopers positive contribution to our organization,” said Colonel Fuentes.
“The troopers seated before you have endured twenty six weeks of intensive training. I have watched these men and women transform from recruits into troopers ready to enforce the laws of the state,” said New Jersey State Police Academy Commandant Captain Mark Muse.
The new troopers have been fully trained in the use of police computer systems and each will use a mobile data terminal from which police-related information can be quickly and accurately obtained and police reports entered directly into State Police systems.
The 150th class completed 26 weeks of strenuous physical and academic training consisting of exhaustive classroom and practical training scenarios involving legal search procedures. The recruits participated in extensive training and role-playing exercises which focused on responding to and handling domestic violence situations, human dignity and human relations exercises, cultural diversity and sensitivity training and the State Police initiative of community policing. In the area involving cultural diversity and minority instruction, the troopers received detailed instruction from experts outside of the State Police, including representatives from ethnic, cultural, community and professional organizations.
In commenting on the overall selection process for State Police recruit training classes, Colonel Fuentes reported that each applicant applying to the State Police is required to have a minimum of 60 college credits plus two years of work experience, a bachelor’s degree, or 30 college credits plus 2 years of active military service.
Colonel Fuentes said that the probationary troopers will be assigned to stations throughout the state and over the next 11 weeks, the new troopers will begin their careers under the watchful eye of their Trooper-Coaches and supervisors.
Colonel Fuentes recognized the Division of State Police members who have served in the military. Division members who are active in, or retired from military service, and that have been mobilized in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, Joint Task Force Guantanamo and other military deployments were in attendance.
Two of our graduates are Marine reservists who are scheduled to report to their Marine mobilization site on Monday June 29, 2009. They are Lance Corporal David Dabrowski, 24 from River Edge, N.J. and Corporal James A. Herne, also 24, from South Plainfield, N.J. Both Marines serve with the Marine Wing Support Squadron #472.
Bikers ride for injured Cape Coral motorcycle policeman
Black clothes and tattoos were the order of the day today as dozens of bikers gathered in North Fort Myers to make a fund-raising ride for a critically injured Cape Coral motorcycle policeman.
Officer Damien Garcia was injured on duty June 2 when he collided with an SUV that pulled in front of him at Cultural Park Boulevard and Southeast Van Loon Terrace.
Garcia was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital June 16 and remains in critical condition.
“Damien is a friend of mine, and the motorcycle community is like a brotherhood,” said repossession agent Dave Lawler, 52, who helped organize Saturday’s event. “We just want to do what we can for Damien and make sure his daughter is taken care of.”
The ride began at Victory Lane Cafe on Hancock Bridge Parkway with registration at 9 a.m.
By 8:45 a.m., motorcycles were rumbling into the cafe’s parking lot.
KSU (kick stands up) was a bit after 11 a.m., and the bikers headed for Geo’s Italian Restaurant on Ceitus Terrace in Cape Coral.
At Geo’s, live music was provided by Matter of Faith, and there were raffles, door prizes and vendors.
A Bike Night Block Party Fund-raiser for Garcia was scheduled for tonight at Sun Sports Cycle and Watercraft in Fort Myers.
That event included music by Capt. Jack and The Black Pearls, a Daisy Duke Shorts Contest for and a Boots-n-Briefs Contest for men, as well as a lawn-mower tug-of-war and watermelon-eating contest.
Collisions like Garcia’s can be avoided, said Kurt Berkholtz, 47, an events planner from Cape Coral said.
“It’s important that the community be aware of motorcycles and cops on motorcycles,” he said. “Pay attention on the road and realize that there are motorcycles out there.”
Drivers on cell phones are a threat to bikers, Berkholtz said.
Like Lawler, Miami Police Department motorcycle policeman Manny Cuquejo, 52, was among Garcia’s many friends participating in the motorcycle ride.
“Because of my police background, I can identify with Damien,” he said. “On a personal aspect, I know him. He went to school with my sons and daughters-in-law. I’m just proud to be here helping a fellow officer.”
For Gary Walker, 29, of Cape Coral, Garcia was more than a friend and neighbor: Garcia encouraged him to apply to the police academy.
Walker starts at the academy July 6.
“The first day we moved in, Damien came over and welcomed us to the neighborhood,” Walker said. “We trained together to get me in shape for the academy, and that was after his full day at work.
“He’s down-to-earth and has a big heart. He always thought that if you help others, it will come back to you. Guys like that are hard to come by.”
One Hundred Years Of Motorcycle Police Officers
An elite unit of the Pittsburgh Police force honored its history. They celebrated their 100 year anniversary on Friday.
The Pittsburgh Police began its motorcycle unit in 1909, buying 5 Harley Davidsons.
The new motorcycle officers immediately went into action, calming the crowds during a streetcar strike.At one point the department had 64 motorcycles. Today there are 27 cycles patrolling the streets.
“I was always proud to be a motorcycle police officer. I rode a bike like that for eight years and I still think that motorcycle police are the elite of the Pittsburgh Police,” said Cmdr. George Trosky.
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Dixon balances careers as police officer, boxer
Alfred Dixon found out quickly about the dedication it takes to be a boxer.
One of the first times the 26-year-old Abilene resident put on the gloves and stepped into the ring against an opponent, he found himself in a hospital soon afterward — the victim of dehydration, not a punch.
And that was after just three one-minute rounds in a practice bout.
“After that, I had doubts,” Dixon said. “I didn’t even know if I should be doing this. I didn’t go to the gym for a week, week and a half. My mom was like, ‘You should give it one more shot.’ Ever since then, I’ve been in the gym every day working on that. I told myself I would never get to that point again. I would make sure I was in shape.”
Now, after 30 amateur bouts in nearly two years, Dixon made his pro debut with a four-round unanimous decision over Freddie Juarez (0-2) on Saturday in Odessa.
But finding someone to fight hasn’t been easy.
“I had (a fight scheduled) back in April, and four people turned me down,” he said. “They backed off the fight.”
Dixon, who competes as a middleweight (160 pounds) or super middleweight (168 pounds), depending on his weight at the time, was scheduled to get to his first pro fight June 12, but he turned down the bout because of commitments to the Abilene Police Department. You see, he’s trying to balance a pro boxing career with his career as a police officer. The latter pays the bills, and it’s a better guarantee than pro boxing.
“My (police) career is the most important,” he said. “But this is my passion right here. I definitely fit this in. I put a lot of hours into this. It’s almost like a part-time job. But police work is No. 1.”
Dixon, a Hardin-Simmons graduate with a major in criminal justice, graduated from the Abilene Police Academy on May 11 and began work that same day.
Edward Rivas, his coach and manager, knows it won’t be easy for Dixon to balance the two careers.
“When you have to work full time to support yourself, and you’re trying to do professional boxing, it’s always difficult,” he said. “He’s going to have to have support from the police department, from his family. There’s a lot of people who have to get involved to help him accomplish his goals.”
It doesn’t help that Dixon has a tough road ahead of him in the boxing ring. Even though he’s 26-4 as an amateur, he doesn’t have credentials — nothing that would make him a big draw right away in the professional ranks.
“Starting off in pro boxing, you have guys that get the easy bouts, try to build their record up,” Rivas said. “Realistically, we know we don’t have that luxury. He doesn’t have a lot of amateur experience. He hasn’t won any national titles.”
Yet Rivas, who owns and operates the Abilene Boxing Club, believes Dixon can be successful as a pro.
“He’s a hard worker,” he said. “He has a good boxing mind. The conditioning is there, so he’ll be able to compete and do well. Now how well he does or how far he goes in professional boxing is really going to be dictated by how much support he has in the community. It works for everybody like that. If you have support, you’re going to succeed. He has the natural ability, the God-given talent, that he can do well in this sport. I do believe that 100 percent. He’ll do well, given the opportunity.”
Dixon picked up boxing relatively late. He played football at Burkburnett High School, mainly as an outside linebacker. He continued his football career at Southwestern Oklahoma University, playing both outside linebacker and tailback, before transferring to the University of Central Oklahoma. He switched colleges again, moving to HSU, where he passed on his last year of eligibility on the football field and focused on academics.
Football had always stood in the way of his trying boxing. But once he moved to Abilene and gave up football, he decided it was time to chase his dream.
“It’s just something I always wanted to do,” he said. “When I first tried it, I fell in love with it. I’ve been doing it ever since. I love the discipline. I like getting in the (ring). It’s like a game. It relaxes me, really, and I just love competing.”
Dixon believes boxing makes him a better police officer, too.
“It’s great actually,” he said. “I feel good when I’m out there. I feel like if I had to defend myself, I would be able to just because I’ve been trained and I’m in shape. As far as running, I think it helps me out a lot.”
He said his fellow officers are supportive, too.
“They always ask me, ‘When is your next fight? How is training going?’ he said. “Or they talk about how they’d like to come to the gym. I’ve never had anything negative.”
Rivas believes boxing and police work complement each other.
“With what he’s gone through in the police academy and now the police department, I’ve seen a change in him here in the gym, becoming more of a leader and taking a bigger role with the younger guys who come in,” he said. “I think it goes the other way around, too. As much effort and work he puts in here, he’s putting it into the police department also.”
Mineral sheriff praises performance of officers
KEYSER, W.Va. — After completing his first six months in office, Mineral County Sheriff Craig Fraley is “excited and pleased” with the performance of his officers as well as the civilian employees that comprise the department.
“Everybody in the department is doing an excellent job. I appreciate all of them. I couldn’t ask for better employees,” said Fraley, who said each of his officers routinely handles 10 to 15 calls for service per shift.
Ten officers are providing patrols throughout the county 20 or 21 hours every day under the direction of the sheriff and two corporals, Roy J. Wingler and Chris Leatherman.
“They are doing an excellent job supervising and scheduling and they have stepped up. I’ve added some extra duties on them and they have run with it,” said Fraley.
Some of those add-on duties were derived from the chief deputy position that has remained vacant since the sheriff took office.
“That position is still open. It is included in our new budget that has been submitted to the commissioners for approval. I’m looking for someone from the outside with past experience,” said Fraley, who also hopes to fill a sergeant position that has remained unfilled following the death of veteran Sgt. David Rolls in August 2008.
As with most smaller police departments, manpower levels are always a challenge, especially since some departments offer salaries that are up to $15,000 more than what Mineral deputies are paid.
“But we’re paying 100 percent of our officers’ health benefits here and that is a plus. The officers also each have their own take-home vehicle,” he said.
The department also now includes Officer Paul Karalewitz, a law enforcement veteran with more than three decades of experience. He will serve as the school resources officer at Keyser High School, a position formerly held by Fraley.
When school’s out, Karalewitz will assist with bailiff and prisoner transport duties in addition to compliance duties in the county’s assessment office to ensure vehicles have been properly registered in the county. Kam Jeffries is the department’s contractual school resources officer at Frankfort High School in Short Gap who is off duty when school is not in session.
“We have an influx of people who move here and are living here but have not legally registered their vehicles and obtained their West Virginia driver’s license. Last month, we had about 20 people come in to register and come into compliance. They have 15 days to comply once we send them a written notice. We are just making sure that everyone is in compliance and we are getting the assessments that the county is entitled to under the law,” he said.
Concerning the department’s fleet of police cruisers, the oldest is a 1999 model with about 140,000 miles on it. Fraley’s budget for the new fiscal year is $757,982 for law enforcement and includes funding for two new vehicles. A third vehicle may be forthcoming, pending approval of a grant application.
“My goal is to get three new vehicles in the new budget year. Our vehicles are still holding their own. We also have two vehicles for our deputy reserve unit,” said Fraley.
Those volunteer deputies in the reserve unit routinely provide security at county events, such as the Mineral County Fair the annual Strawberry Festival. The nine volunteers in the deputy reserve unit also may assist officers in prisoner transports.
On another note, Fraley said his office is also continuing to address a backlog of tax processing paperwork and record keeping.
“My goal was to have it done by July 1. I think we won’t be too far off. We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The girls in the tax office are working very hard to get caught up. The biggest thing is getting them trained on what they need to do,” he said. Five employees work in the office that is budgeted for $290,903 for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
In another development, the sheriff is anticipating completion of the department’s Web site in the near future.
“It’s a slower process than what I thought it would be. Basically, the shell is up and our e-mail addresses are up and running. It should be fully ready in a couple of weeks,” said Fraley, who is relying on the expertise of the Blue Penguin Co. of Keyser to develop the Web site.
“It’s going to be pretty neat. We are trying to include some historic photographs from the department, a memorial page for our deceased officers and a retirement page. There will also be e-mail for citizens to contact us through a tip-line.
“Blue Penquin with Leon Ravenscroft is doing a great job. He oversees all of our computers with monthly maintenance and is working on our countywide Internet system that will allow our officers to file their reports from laptops in their patrol vehicles. As much as I can give officers in the field, that is what i want to do,” said the sheriff.
Ongoing networking of the department’s computers will aid officers in accessing of concealed weapons permits, warrants and civil service documents and law enforcement records.
Another matter under review by the sheriff is the future of the department’s holding facility that is located next to the courthouse.
The building was constructed in the early 1970s as a jail to accommodate 36 inmates. However, formation of the regional jail system in 1989 eventually closed the jail, converting it to a holding facility where inmates are detained before being taken to the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta. The regional jail at Augusta opened in 1999.
The holding facility building was equiped with a new heating and air conditioning system earlier this year at a cost of about $17,000. But new duct work is now needed since the old duct work was not compatible with the new HVAC system.
“I anticipate future discussions with the commissioners about the holding facility. The county is looking at doing some remodeling. A lot of space is wasted and we can cut it down to hold up to 16 inmates. Five employees staff the facility but will require training if the facility continues to be used as a holding facility. Or should we just take prisoners directly to the regional jail? Right now we are operating as is but that could change.” The department is budgeted for $555,000 to house its county prisoners in the regional jail, an allocation that is $100,000 more than last year’s prisoner housing budget.
Fraley said he has enjoyed the dialogue with county officials. “I work well with the commissioners and the county coordinator. We can sit and discuss matters. We have questions and solutions at the same time,” he said.
Concerning crime in the county, Fraley said he has seen an increase in drug activity, including heroin and methamphetamine use.
However, Fraley said citizens tips and traffic stops by his officers have helped fight the increasing drug activity.
“The drug problems are creeping in more and more, but there is a lot of activity in our department and our officers are doing an excellent job,” said the sheriff.
San Diego K-9 Earp, retires due to on the job injury
Earp, the San Diego police dog nearly fatally slashed by a homicide suspect, is officially retired, police department officials said today.
Photo: Earp hours after emergency surgery. Credit: San Diego Union-Tribune
The 8-year-old German shepherd was assisting March 21 in the arrest of a man who said he had just killed his estranged wife. The suspect slashed Earp with a butcher knife as Earp and officers closed in.
The dog’s K-9 unit partner, Sgt. Jess Havin, rushed Earp to the department’s veterinarian, where emergency surgery prevented him from bleeding to death. A few minutes longer and the dog would have died, the veterinarian said.
Earp will be acknowledged at today’s luncheon of the San Diego Police Foundation, a private group that raises money for the K-9 unit, which has 34 dogs.
Earp was named for the legendary Wild West lawman Wyatt Earp, who operated saloons and gambling halls in downtown San Diego in the 1880s. In retirement, the dog, now fully recovered, will live at Havin’s home.
So long, Dash. Job well done!
The Cookeville Police Department recently lost a valuable member of the force to lymphoma who worked up to the day before he passed away. “Dash,” a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, was a narcotics dog who had been working with his partner, Officer Tony Branch, for about a year.
“He had a little knot come up on the backside. We went to the vet and they cut it off and diagnosed him then,” said Branch.
“The vet said, with these kind of cases, you’ll notice a little difference in them but they won’t be suffering. Then overnight it will just happen. And that’s pretty much what happened. I found him one day passed out in the yard in a thunderstorm. He couldn’t even get in his doghouse. I had to carry him to the truck.”
Dash had to be put down that same day.
In the short year that Branch worked with him, Dash helped find numerous traces of drugs and even helped in several significant drug busts in the community.
“In the year I had him, I can think of at least two search warrants I was able to write off of him and they resulted in a pretty good drug seizure. One was a meth lab, one was cocaine,” said Branch.
Dash was Branch’s third dog since he joined the police force in 2001. The first was a bloodhound who passed away. The second was a German Shepherd who was already advanced in age when Branch took him. The German Shepherd was retired after his hip went out.
Dash came from Thunderhawk Canine, a Cookeville business which trains dogs for the police force, in addition to the number of other canine services they provide. According to Christie Meyer, clinical behavior consultant and certified police K9 trainer for Thunderhawk Canine, though lymphoma is not extremely unusual for Dash’s breed, such a young dog developing cancer is uncommon.
According to Meyer, Thunderhawk Canine guarantees the health of dogs that are purchased at their facility for up to a year.
“Dash was maybe two or three months passed his warrantee, but we went ahead and replaced him,” she said.
“(Thunderhawk) has been really good to us,” Branch added.
Stepping up to try to follow in Dash’s pawprints is 18-month-old Titan who was born and raised at Thunderhawk.
Though Branch wasn’t sure he wanted a new dog so soon after Dash’s passing, he is quickly warming to his new partner-in-training.
“I haven’t really used him at work per-se yet,” said Branch. “We’re both still just getting to know each other.”
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