Suspended Onondaga County Sheriff’s deputy says Tasering woman was justified
Love the slant of the Today Show story, which begins by describing Harmon as “law abiding”, and yet she defied the officer when he was giving her instructions to stay in the vehicle.
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Onondaga County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Andrews says he did nothing wrong in Tasering Audra Harmon during a traffic stop in Salina in January, and that Sheriff Kevin Walsh was playing politics when he suspended Andrews for 30 days without pay a week after the story was reported in The Post-Standard and on syracuse.com.
Deputy Andrews wrote a lengthy e-mail to his friends and family giving his side of Harmon’s arrest on Jan. 31. The story of the arrest and video from Andrews’ dashboard camera drew a national attention and was featured on NBC’s “Today” show, CNN and CBS.
Dragon to get Patrol cycle unit
Motorcyclists on some of Western North Carolina’s most popular biking destinations can expect to soon see state troopers riding alongside them.
The patrolmen’s purpose, however, isn’t so much to crack down on riders Labor Day weekend as it is to remind motorcyclists to ride safely. There have been five fatal motorcycle crashes in Swain and Graham counties on mountain roads near and leading up to the world-famous “Tail of the Dragon” so far this year. Those roads include N.C. 28 and the Cherohala Skyway.
“Compared to last year, that’s a lot more,” N.C. Highway Patrol trooper Sgt. Todd Norville said. “For 2008, we didn’t have any fatalities in Graham County.”
Officially designated as U.S. 129, the Dragon starts in Blount County, Tenn., and packs 318 curves in 11 miles. Although most of the road is in Tennessee, at least two people in a typical year are killed on the North Carolina side of the road .
The Highway Patrol has been requested to send its Charlotte-based motorcycle unit to the mountains for the past three years, but hasn’t done so yet this year because of state budget cuts, Norville said. There are usually about four troopers whot come to the mountains on their BMW motorcycles.
“A lot of it is about public relations,” Norville said of using the motorcycle unit in the mountains. “We just try to explain to (motorcyclists) that this is not the road that they’re used to because most of them are coming here from Illinois or Ohio where there are no curves or hills.
“They come to the mountains and they’re not used to these curvy roads, and they get themselves in a bad situation quick.”
Most of the serious accidents on U.S. 129 happen in Graham County, according to N.C. Highway Patrol records.
Troopers last year responded to four wrecks involving injuries on U.S. 129 in Swain County and 20 in Graham County. Troopers wrote one speeding ticket in Swain County and 91 in Graham County.
The Highway Patrol participated in a safety awareness event earlier this month at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, located one mile south of the Tennessee-North Carolina state line along the Dragon. The event, which drew more than 1,000 people, is planned again for next year, resort owner Brad Talbott said.
Risk of unfamiliarity
Talbott said many accidents on the Dragon and other nearby roads aren’t related to speeding or reckless riding. They are caused by riders who aren’t used to the roads and might be riding beyond their skill level.
“We just really focused on folks coming to Western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee having a good, enjoyable time and to come back next year because they didn’t have a problem,” Talbott said.
In past years, Talbott said he would see the Highway Patrol motorcycle unit about one weekend a month during the summer.
“They get a very positive reaction because their focus is not to see how many tickets they can write or how much money they can generate for the state. Their focus is the same as ours, which is they want people to come here and not endanger themselves,” Talbott said.
“We always love to see the motorcycle guys. They always have a very positive impact on the area, for motorcycling especially.”
Baby Born on I-295
New Jersey State Trooper Jorge Recalde was already busy at work early Sunday morning — stopping a driver for a traffic violation on Interstate 295 — when Patrick Parker approached him to tell him his wife was having a baby.
“I told him, I just want to let you know my wife’s in labor, so I am going to be rushing to the hospital. He told me ‘go, go, go!’” Parker told NBC Philadelphia.
Parker, of Wenonah, jumped back in his car — with his wife, Holly, in the back seat — hoping to race to Virtua Hospital in Voorhes before the delivery. But within minutes their plans changed.
“We went a little further and just before exit 29, she told me ‘pull over I am having the baby,’ ” he said. “I was amazed and a little scared.”
Parker pulled over to the shoulder of the highway and jumped in the back seat only to find his wife had already started giving birth. Their new baby girl’s head started to emerge. Trooper Recalde, who noticed Parker’s car parked on the shoulder, pulled over, quickly offered help and called for back up.
“He was just phenomenal. I was the catcher and he was the umpire. Between him and the 9-1-1 operator they really calmed me and talked me through the process,” said Parker.
Within minutes, Vivian Leigh Parker was born. Medics arrived a short time after the birth and transported mom and the baby girl to the hospital where both were doing very well.
This is the second baby born on a local interstate this month. Another woman gave birth to a baby girl on I-95 three weeks ago.
Officer Cletus, K-9 For Cookeville Police, Will Find You!
The Cookeville Police Department’s dogs manifest multiple talents.
Cletus, the dog we’re looking at today, makes tracking a complicated scent child’s play (or maybe that should be, ‘puppy play.’)
Instructor Dennis Guzlas, explained to notorious jewelry robber, Christy, that Cletus would be able to track her down by her scent.
So, being a very cooperative “jewelry robber,” Christy volunteered to rub a piece of gauze against her neck, and place it in an evidence bag.
(Cletus had to stay out of sight the whole time.)
Then Christy scampered several hundred yards down the road, a fleeing robber who knew Cletus would be on her trail, and darted and jigged to try to throw the poor hound off the scent.
Christy then hid behind a big pile of bricks.
Cletus was then brought to the start point in the parking lot from where the robber-ette departed.
The evidence bag, with the robber’s scent, was held in front of Cletus’s nose for about 1 second, while Cletus’s handler said, “Find ‘em!”
Cletus started off at a gentle lope, and ignoring all of the zigs and zags the jewel robber took, just followed a straight trail, only pausing to sniff around a little when the robber had made a few circles near the end.
In under 5 seconds, Cletus determined the proper trail, and cheerfully went over to uncover the little jewel thief behind the pile of bricks.
Walking back with “prisoner” in tow, Instructor Guzlas explained that thousands of cells fall off the human body every second.
He said imagine that he held a ketchup bottle full of talcum powder and as he walked along, he just sprayed the powder out.
That’s what it was like to Cletus when he was tracking Christy. And since most of the scent was carried by the wind anyway, Cletus just stayed with the main trail of human cell scent.
He explained that Cletus could have tracked her just as easily had she been on a bicycle or even a horse.
Just one more talented member of the Cookeville Police Department, we salute Good Ole Cletus, The Amazing Bloodhound.
Officers’ best friend: Police, Petland show off K9s, raise funds
Iowa City police officer Matt Hansen wears a special protective arm brace as he's attacked by Axel, a University of Iowa police dog controlled by Lt. Mike Smith, during a public demonstration Saturday in the parking lot in front of Petland in Iowa City.
Axel would sit on his haunches, stare and drool endlessly if University of Iowa police officer Mike Smith didn’t give the cue to stop.
The 3-year-old European German shepherd thinks he has found a bomb. Axel has been trained to locate it and then wait, Smith said.
“He’ll keep doing that until I give him this tennis ball,” said Smith, shielding a ball.
Police dogs are rewarded with balls, rather than snacks, Smith said. What Axel found was actually a prop that was part of a K9 officer demonstration on Saturday at Petland, 1851 Lower Muscatine Road.
Axel gets called into action frequently, Smith said. He routinely puts his sniffer to work at Kinnick Stadium and Carver-Hawkeye Arena, and within the past few months he has been called in for bomb scares and to locate bullet shells stemming from recent shootings in Iowa City.
“He gets a lot of use around town,” Smith said.
Patrons at Petland also got the chance to meet Becky, a 3-year-old Dutch shepherd from the Iowa City police squad.
“She’s a very sweet dog, but she can turn it on and off,” officer Matt Hansen told a young girl. “You have to be careful with police dogs.”
Mike Kline of Iowa City visited to Petland with his daughter, Sarah, 10. They just wanted to play with a puppy, Sarah Kline said, but they also go to meet the police dogs.
“She’s sweet. She can be kind of aggressive sometimes, but she’s sweet,” Sarah said of Becky.
Police dogs are trained to find drugs, apprehend suspects, track suspects, clothing or objects. They respond to commands in Dutch.
There are four police dogs in the area, two with UI and two with Iowa City police.
Ron Solsrud, the owner of Petland, has been hosting the event for a few years in conjunction with a fundraiser. Petland buys dog food for all four of the dogs year-round, and money from the fundraiser could go toward something else, such as a bullet proof vest for the dogs, Solsrud said.
“It’s an honor to support the K9 units,” Solsrud said.
Bosco deserves support, respect, thanks
Bosco is a special dog.
The K-9 officer with the Zanesville Police Department is getting special care, too, from the doctors at Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital.
Bosco and his partner, Officer Mike Schiele, were shot Sunday evening in the line of duty. Schiele was shot once in the upper left leg and is recovering at home. Bosco was shot twice, once in the neck which shattered his spinal column and once in the chest. Initially paralyzed after the shooting, Bosco is making limited progress, and the next few weeks are critical.
The outpouring of support and offers to help Bosco over the past several days has been staggering. People are donating money for his medical bills, offering to care for him should he make it through this ordeal, and sending him cards and gifts to the hospital.
Yes, Bosco is special, but he’s so much more.
He’s Schiele’s friend, companion and partner, but he’s our dog, too. A little piece of Bosco belongs to each resident in this community. And a huge part of him belongs to the Armstrong family.
Bosco was purchased after Cpl. David Armstrong was killed Feb. 2, 2007, in Iraq. David’s family knew how important the K-9 units were in Iraq to the soldiers and how David dreamed of being a K-9 officer at a police department when he returned.
Through the Armstrongs’ efforts, David’s dream was realized when Bosco was purchased from community donations.
Bosco not only went through 800 hours of intense training in detecting narcotics and tracking suspects, but he also had an additional 80 hours of training just with Schiele.
Those hours not only bonded Schiele and Bosco for life, but Bosco has been bonded to the community for life.
Each year, the Armstrong family conducts a fundraiser for the K-9 unit, and the response is always amazing.
Bosco is not just a dog who rode in the back of a patrol car. He was, and still is, a great ambassador for the police department.
Bosco has gone into our schools, allowing the children to pet him and get to know him. Bosco, as the other K-9 units in the county and city, has been a valuable tool in letting children see the police are there to help, not just to arrest those breaking the law. If one of those children were lost, Bosco — with his unique tracking skills — would be leading the search party.
Bosco has attended a legion of community events, open houses and festivals, his tail always wagging as he greeted those coming and going.
Bosco is not paid, receives no benefits and asks for nothing from anyone. Yet he was willing to lay down his life to protect his partner.
Bosco has kept the dream of David’s alive for not just his family and fellow soldiers, but for our community.
For that, this special dog deserves our support, our respect and our thanks.
Police Pull Baby From Burning Car
Prince William County Police say one of their officers pulled a baby from a burning car Thursday morning, after the driver crashed while trying to speed away from a radar speed trap.
It happened about 5:45 a.m., when Officer Heath Oyler was running radar on Yorkshire Lane in Manassas and he saw a car approaching him at 40 miles an hour in a 25 mph zone. Police say when the speeding car made a right turn onto Bull Run Road, Officer Oyler activated his emergency equipment but the driver did not stop.
Police say the driver then turned onto West Rugby Road and began to rapidly accelerate. Police say Officer Oyler did not pursue the car and lost sight of it, but as he continued down West Rugby Road, Officer Oyler came upon the crashed vehicle.
According to a statement released by Prince William County Police, as Oyler approached the car, he noticed the car had begun to catch on fire and also observed the driver attempting to flee the scene. Oyler approached the driver who had run from the car, but had fallen down due to his injuries. The driver yelled to Oyler that his baby was in the car. Oyler then left the driver to return to the car to rescue the 8-month-old baby girl from the crashed vehicle.
The driver sustained injuries that required him to be transported to the hospital. The baby was also checked out at the hospital but was relatively unharmed and was treated and released to her mother. Police say the suspect, identified as Gustavo Adolfo Diaz-Bautista, 23, of Centreville, is still in the hospital in stable condition.
Police say Diaz-Bautista faces a variety of charges, including
Felony eluding, Felony child abuse/neglect, and driving on a revoked operator’s license. Diaz-Bautista was ordered held without bond, pending his next court date in mid-September.
New K-9 joins the force in Cheney
K-9 April
Thanks to a new police program in Cheney it’ll soon be easier and faster for officers to find missing people or track down criminals.
Members of the Cheney Police Department arrived at Spokane International Airport just before noon Friday to officially greet their newest rookie officer … April the bloodhound.
“It’s uncommon in the state of Washington, there’s only two agencies in the state that I know have done it so far, one in a suburb of Seattle, the other in Chelan County has done this,” Cheney Police Chief Jeff Sale said.
Chief Jeff Sale, Cheney PD
The Cheney Police Department has been knocking around the idea of adding a bloodhound to its force for about two years and thanks to the generosity of the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina the city of Cheney now has one more officer on the job.
April is the department’s first K-9 in a decade and as a bloodhound she’s specifically bred to track people, usually in a rural setting, so it’ll be an experience to have her training in a urban setting like a college town.
“The bloodhound is a non-aggressive animal. It wont bite, it just wants to find you and when it finds you it’s more likely to lick or get hair and slobber on you is the worst it’s gonna do so for our setting in a college down that’s more ideal for us, a non-aggressive dog,” Chief Sale said.
Chief Sale says April will stay in Cheney until she’s about one, then she’s be sent back to South Carolina to finalize her training after which she’ll be available any agency in Spokane County.
FOP Asks For Donations For Paralyzed K-9 Bosco
The local FOP has established a fund to help with an injured K-9’s medical care.K-9 Officer Bosco was shot in the line of duty Sunday, Aug. 23 as he was protecting his handler Zanesville officer Mike Schiele.
Schiele was attempting to arrest a Zanesville man on a misdemeanor warrant.
Schiele was shot in the leg and was treated and released from Grant Medical Center.
Bosco was shot through the neck and suffered multiple injuries.
Bosco currently is paralyzed, although he does have some movement in his back legs.
After several days of medical care and pain management, Bosco has shown some improvement.
Bosco has started daily rehabilitation sessions in hopes of regaining more movement as his body starts healing from its wounds.
Bosco is monitored 24 hours a day and is surrounded by dedicated caregivers at the Ohio State University Veterinarian Hospital in Columbus.
Capital City Lodge No. 9’s Fraternal Order of Police Foundation has established a fund to assist in defraying the costs of the medical care.
Bosco has received an outpouring of support from both the police and the public.
The Zanesville K-9 unit is paid for entirely by donations.
If you would like to contribute to Bosco’s care, make a cash donation to FOP Foundation’s “K9 BOSCO FOP Relief Fund” at any Central Ohio National City Bank location.
Atlantic City’s sidelined police dog controversy inspires county K-9 demonstration
Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford pulled K-9 patrol dogs off the streets pending the outcome of an investigation into citizen’s complaints that the dogs were being used improperly during the apprehension of suspects.
This has K-9 police officers concerned for their safety and the safety of the public. The highly trained animals are sitting at home on official suspension.
Citizens have also complained that they want the dogs back on the streets.
A kerfuffle has broken out between the mayor and Atlantic City Police Chief John Mooney over investigative reports on alleged police brutality and K-9 dogs.
The mayor wants the hard data on the reports and Mooney said he is working on delivering the reports in the manner it was requested.
Mooney also said he is waiting for a report from the prosecutor’s office regarding the release of internal documentation.
In the meantime, Police K-9 dogs are getting a bad rap.
Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson announced Friday that a Police K-9 demonstration will be hosted by the county. The county training academy comes under his jurisdiction. He wants to reassure the public the dogs are properly trained. The community is invited to the demo.
Atlantic County Public Safety Director Vince Jones directly oversees the K-9 police dog training academy. He strongly supports the use of well trained, well maintained police dogs in apprehension, bomb detection, search and rescue, and crowd control.
Jones’ academy graduates have won numerous national awards in competition. He added that officers and their dogs come from throughout New Jersey for the specialized training they receive, including the K-9 dogs in Atlantic City.
“Sgt. Kevin McKnight from Atlantic City is in my opinion the best K-9 instructor in the country,” Jones said. “Not all the dogs that come to the academy graduate. Some are too aggressive and if they are, they wash out and do not go on to become K-9s”
The Atlantic County K-9 Training Academy will hold the demonstration at the AnthonyCanaleTrainingCenter, 5033 English Creek Avenue, EggHarborTownship at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 4.
“These dogs are highly trained, disciplined and well maintained,” said Levinson. “They are a valuable law enforcement tool.”
Levinson said it is critically important that the public understands how the dogs are trained and how they are handled. He said he is particularly interested in the safety of the officers, who are often put in harm’s way.
“They are a valuable law enforcement tool”, Levinson said. “I believe that the citizens of Atlantic County are well served by having these dogs on the street and that the more they understand how the dogs are trained and deployed, the more they will respect and appreciate this resource.”
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