Police dog teams compete in Des Moines
Around 100 police K-9 teams from around the country are in central Iowa this week to determine who has the “top dog.” The 2009 United States Police Canine Association’s National Trials opened Monday in West Des Moines. Office Brent Kock with the West Des Moines Police Department says the dogs and handlers are tested in activities that are similar to what they might encounter on the job.
“Which includes tracking, criminal apprehension…if you get in car or foot chases and the dog is deployed, the dog will know which person to go after and how to detain the person until officers can get there,” Kock said. That means the dogs need to show skill in picking up scents, climbing ladders and jumping fences.
“Those are all things that we encounter when we’re out going through back yards. When somebody is jumping over fences, we don’t want to stop and lift the dog up over every fence that we come to,” Kock said. “So, you want the dog to be able to jump over the fence, pick up the scent again and keep going. We try and keep it as realistic as possible with all of our testing.” When West Des Moines added a K-9 team to its force, Kock spent six weeks at a training school in Indiana and now handles a dog named Ronnie. Like most police K-9 dogs, Ronnie’s a German Shepherd.
“They’re great around people. They have a very good nose, not necessarily the best nose out of any dog, but they’re good at tracking. They’re strong dogs, so they can apprehend people and you don’t have to worry about too many injuries,” Kock said. This week’s competition will conclude with a free public demonstration from 6:00 to 7:30 Thursday night at Principal Park in Des Moines.
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NS, Jewett City get new resident troopers
Jewett City and North Stonington have some new “residents” coming to town.State police Lt. Michael Darcy, the commanding officer of Troop E in Montville, announced today the new resident state troopers that will be assigned to the borough and town.
Troopers Thomas Fabian, Steven Rief and David Abely were assigned to North Stonington.
Troopers John Saucier and Jeffrey McDermott were assigned to Jewett City.
Fabian, a 19-year veteran, was a temporary replacement in North Stonington before his permanent assignment. He also served as the town’s resident trooper from 1999 to 2004.
Rief, a 20-year veteran, previously served as a detective with the Eastern District Major Crime Squad.
Abely, an 11-year veteran, was a former iron worker before becoming a patrol trooper with Troop E in Montville.
Saucier, a nine-year veteran, served as a patrol trooper in Troop E and also worked as a Capitol police officer in Washington, D.C. for two years.
McDermott, also a nine-year veteran, was a patrol trooper in troops E and H in Hartford. He also served as a K-9 officer for five years.
Jewett City and North Stonington were left without permanent resident troopers since July when the state’s retirement program resulted in the retirement and reassignment of the former resident state troopers.
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Off-duty cops act fast to save young girl
As Sara Murphy finished an impromptu hike down Stone Mountain, Ruth Stringer was set to begin a five-mile run.
Patrick Leithead was there, too, lurking near the restrooms. They were among the few people at Stone Mountain on this dreary Sunday afternoon, Sept. 20.
“Something was off about [Leithead],” said Murphy, a GBI agent based in Athens. “He was acting very strangely.”
Stringer, a lieutenant with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, also noticed the hulking stranger. “He was just sitting there on the bench,” she said. “I probably wouldn’t have paid him any mind had there been more people around.”
As Stringer finished stretching, Murphy continued tracking Leithead. “He was checking out everyone who walked by,” she said. She briefly lost sight of him, but not for long.
At about the same time, Stringer had stepped into the restroom, unaware that Leithead had already snuck inside. She spotted male feet sticking out from under one of the stalls, “as if he was kneeling.”
“I thought maybe it was a couple making out, or a father helping a child,” Stringer said.
Then she heard the muffled cries of a child.
“I knew I could handle myself,” said the unarmed ex-Marine, “but at the same time I didn’t know what would be coming out at me.”
In her most commanding voice, Stringer ordered the man to release the child. She repeated the command. And again. Finally, a teary-eyed 13-year-old girl emerged.
“There’s a man inside there,” she told Stringer.
The off-duty lieutenant escorted her outside. Standing at the door, she yelled for someone to call 911.
Murphy was already heading her way, looking for Leithead.
“I was glad to see Sara coming,” Stringer said. By then the 36-year-old suspect had emerged from the bathroom.
“I should’ve run,” he told Murphy. Armed with the Glock she retrieved from her vehicle, Murphy held him down until park police arrived. Leithead, arrested and charged with aggravated child molestation, remains jailed without bond in DeKalb County.
“He admitted he had gone there with the intention to rape,” Murphy said. Fortunately, he didn’t get that far.
Fate played a hand.
Murphy said she wouldn’t have been at Stone Mountain had I-85 not been clogged by traffic.
“We figured why not hike?” she said. “I really feel like God put us there.”
Stringer said she was compelled to act.
“You’re on-duty 24 hours a day,” she said.
Murphy agreed: “There’s no such thing,” as being off the clock.
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‘Wild About Harry’ Profiles Beloved Jefferson Sheriff
A documentary is set to premiere this week, detailing one of Jefferson Parish’s most notable officials.
Harry Lee served as Jefferson Parish’s larger-than-life sheriff for 28 years before his death in 2007.
He left behind quite a legacy and plenty of memories after battling leukemia.
The documentary called “Wild About Harry — The Harry Lee Story” includes interviews with Lee shot just two weeks before his death, and memories from 62 people who knew him well.
Lee’s story has been told through various mediums over the years, but never like this. Longtime Lee supporter and local businessman John Georges came up with the idea for the documentary.
“I thought we needed to do this to document a very important person and share Harry Lee with future generations,” Georges said.
The beginning of the film chronicles what is arguably Lee’s finest hour: His actions after Hurricane Katrina.
When then-superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department, Eddie Compass, asked for help, Lee sent 200 semiautomatic pistols and 10,000 rounds of ammunition.”They were devastated. They had no equipment they had no weapons,” Lee said.
The sheriff then got on the radio and asked people around Louisiana to bring in boats to help rescue people.
“He immediately said, ‘If you see (Federal Emergency Management Agency) people attempting to block them, arrest them on the spot and haul them away,” Jefferson Parish sheriff’s Col. Robert Woods said.
Lee was passionate and tough, but he knew how to have a good time. His Fais Do Do fundraiser was on one of the nation’s largest annual fundraising events.
“The beer flowed and the best-looking women in the world attended that party,” Lee said.
The SWAT team attack on Jefferson Parish’s Nutria population made headlines.
“We’ve killed something like 14,000 nutria,” Lee said.Lee’s famous straight-shooting speaking style often got him in trouble.
“For a long time, I didn’t know what politically incorrect meant,” Lee
Ultimately, people were wild about Lee.
“People would always come up to him and say, ‘I didn’t vote for you, sheriff, but I like you.’
There’s not a lot of people you can say that about,” said Cynthia Lee-Sheng, Lee’s daughter.
The film’s release coincides with the second commemoration of Lee’s death.”Wild About Harry — The Harry Lee Story” premieres Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Loyola University. Tickets to the viewing cost $25, the proceeds from which the will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
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Sheriff’s office using hearse as educational tool
You usually see a hearse during a funeral procession, transporting a casket from one location to another.
One Valley sheriff’s office, though, is using a hearse to deter troubled youth from a life of drug addiction.
The hearse is meant to grab your attention. The traditional funeral vehicle is wrapped with words to trigger a reality check. It says things like “Meth your highway to death” and “Don’t let meth make this your last ride.”
Inside the hearse is a coffin. Marshall County Sheriff Scott Walls hopes people will visualize that it could be them in that coffin sooner than they would like if they use meth.
Scott said, “We want kids to realize where meth will lead you. It’s one of those things, a visual aid, it’s attractive to kids, they see it and it’s interest to them.”
The sheriff’s office got the idea from a neighboring department, but never had the funds to put it in place.
That was until a few weeks ago, when someone, wishing to remain anonymous, donated a hearse to the sheriff’s office.
Now the hearse will be brought to schools and events to bring awareness of the dangers of meth.
“I’m a recovering meth addict I’ve used meth for 14 years. I’ve been clean 8 years,” said Kim Kirkland.
She works in the House for Hope, which is a half-way house for meth addicts. She said this hearse will bring the right message to troubled youth.
“The message needs to be really strong because a lot of kids in our community are growing up with parents using meth,” said Kirkland.
“The bottom line is: If you chose to use meth, this is your reality. This is where you can end up,” said Sheriff Scott Walls.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s office knows the best way to prevention is education. They hope this hearse will be a reality check for the younger generation.
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Anderson police officer wins tickets to Dallas Cowboys game
Sgt. Christine Cauthen of the Anderson Police Department went to Monday night’s football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers with tickets she won from a drawing.
The game was played in Cowboys’ Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Cauthen has been with the department for six years and recently has been helping to support the police department’s effort to become accredited with the state of South Carolina, said Randall Williams, a spokesman for the department. She won two tickets for the game from LeadsOnline, which is an online database that helps the police recover stolen property.
“She is a good employee,” Williams said. “We are proud of her accomplishments. We are excited that she was able to take this trip to see the football game.”
Officials of LeadsOnline said officers from Anderson and Henderson, N.C., won tickets to the game. LeadsOnline purchased tickets to the game and will invite officers in Dallas and from around the country to go to the games this year.
“We’re thrilled that the detectives are going to get to join us for the game,” said Dave Finley, president and CEO of LeadsOnline, in a statement. “The game will of course be a lot of fun, but more than anything, we get to use this as an opportunity to thank these officers for the hard work they do in their communities every day.”
Officers can use the LeadsOnline online database to search all of the items sold in second-hand stores and pawn shops throughout the country. It is used by more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies and is the nation’s largest online investigative system, according to LeadsOnline officials.
Millions of items are added to the LeadsOnline database every day in all 50 states, according to LeadsOnline officials. The Web site is www.leadsonline.com.
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Miami police officers support deal to save jobs
Miami police voted overwhelmingly Monday in favor of a host of concessions that would fulfill their end in helping Miami commissioners set the city’s $511.4 million budget.
Fraternal Order of Police members voted 512-62 to defer a 3 percent pay raise — due in October — for six months. They will also give up new uniforms, physicals and the cashing in of unused vacation time for at least a year.
The concessions could save Miami close to $9 million, a long way toward the commission’s attempt to fill a $118 million hole. Voting against the plan could have meant the department losing 177 positions — including up to 106 sworn-in, working police officers.
“We’re extremely happy with the fact that I think it was a fair deal on both sides,” said Armando Aguilar, president of the police union.
The vote should end the lengthy and sometimes tense negotiations between the city and union.
Earlier this month, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz forwarded his budget proposal to commissioners with a $118 million gap. His plan called for the city’s three main unions to give in to about $28 million worth of concessions — or face the loss of 500 jobs. There are 3,500 people in the city workforce.
Diaz proposed filling the remaining gap of $90 million through tiered salary reductions for non-union members, department cuts and some layoffs. A hiring and purchasing freeze has been in place since mid-summer, and car allowances and city cellphones have been reduced or taken away.
BAILING OUT
Police union president Aguilar’s biggest gripe with the proposal was that it would force salary cuts for police officers, elevating the risk that officers would leave the city and lessening the incentive for new officers to join the department. “We were being asked to bail out politicians who spent too much money,” Aguilar said on Monday.
The city commission could have voted to lay off the union employees last Thursday. Instead, they decided to hold the final vote until Tuesday in order to give union officials more time to strike deals with the city.
The International Association of Firefighters has made a tentative agreement that includes slashing salaries and giving up a pay raise in October, which would save the city more than $10 million. Its 600 members are expected to vote Tuesday.
And Miami’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — with a workforce of nearly 2,000 that fill civilian positions in police and fire, and serve mainly in public works and parks — also has a tentative agreement in place. It includes a temporary early-retirement plan that could save the city about $8 million.
MAIN TARGET
But police have been the main target of the administration, especially Mayor Diaz, who has feuded publicly with Aguilar. Two weeks ago, City Manager Pete Hernandez and Police Chief John Timoney sent out letters to more than 130 sworn officers thanking them for their service. The letter stated their jobs would be lost if an agreement wasn’t made by month’s end.
Hundreds of officers on Thursday filled commission chambers to argue against layoffs or cuts. During the meeting, Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones ordered the city manager and Aguilar to a back room to work out a settlement. Spence-Jones implored Aguilar to “dig deeper, man.”
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Firemen and Swat Teams Conquer YMCA Stair Climb
“The Stair Climb was on Friday. I cover it every year. The most interesting part happened toward the end of the event.
“I got escorted by the publicist to the top, the 75th floor. The publicist left, but I wanted to stay. I saw things I’d never seen before. The fire fighters put on 60 pounds of equipment to go up the 75 flights! When you see them afterward they look like they’ve been fighting a fire. You also have swat teams that go full equipment.
“You don’t get to hang out with firemen. There they are on the roof and they have taken off all the gear and they are as exhausted as exhausted can be. These jackets they wear, you can’t breathe in them! And their clothes have to be like that, not breathable, because they are made for fighting a fire. You’re sweating if you’re wearing shorts, and they’re wearing their fire fighting equipment! I asked them if they can practice on 75-story buildings and they said no, they usually practice on 10-story buildings.
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State trooper honored for “brave act” while on the job
A Stevens Point law enforcement officer received for his role in catching a murder suspect.
Gary Czlapinski, a trooper with the Wisconsin State Patrol, received the Meritorious Service Award. Thirty-three honors, including special awards and length-of-service awards, were given recently at the State Capitol.
Czlapinski, 55, of Stevens Point has worked with the State Patrol for 34 years and is stationed in Wausau. He is a Lincoln High School graduate and former Wisconsin Rapids resident.
The State Patrol was helping find the suspect in the shooting deaths of three teenagers Aug. 1, 2008, in northern Wisconsin near the Michigan border. Czlapinski said he got a call around 3 a.m. and arrived at the location about 7 a.m.
Before 9 a.m., he saw a person matching the suspect’s description moving slowly across the road with a rifle. Czlapinski ordered the man to stop.
Instead of hiding behind his squad car, Czlapinski took the opportunity to get closer to the suspect in order to apprehend him, he said.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident. Czlapinski did what he was trained to do, he said.
“You go up there, and a lot of times you feel that nothing’s going to happen,” Czlapinski said.
Scott J. Johnson of Kingsford, Mich., pleaded no contest and was convicted of 10 felonies, including three counts of first-degree-intentional homicide. He was sentenced in May to life in prison.
Sgt. Paul Wolfe, staff sergeant for the Bureau of Field Operations with the Wisconsin State Patrol, said the award given to Czlapinski is for troopers who exceed expectations and place themselves at risk of injury.
For Czlapinski, it was someone armed with a rifle in a situation where a crime had been committed, and he had to approach the person in the interest of public safety, Wolfe said.
“It’s an unknown, essentially,” he said. “It’s not something that happens every day, either.”
It was a brave act, Wolfe said.
Czlapinski credits his State Patrol training; he had just finished active shooter training that week.
He said he finds it strange to be recognized for doing his job, but also said he is thankful that the State Patrol appreciates what he did.
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