Chris Brown to take over from Tim McLain as Oregon State Police superintendent

Chris Brown was a bit restless as the Douglas County Sheriff.

The agency was running fine, modernized with Brown’s push for technology.

“I hate being the Maytag repairman,” said Brown, who left Roseburg in 2008 to join the Oregon State Police.

“They were sort of under siege all the time,” Brown said of the statewide force. “I thought it’d be a wonderful opportunity.”

In two weeks, Brown will step up as superintendent, the 11th in OSP’s history.

He takes over from Tim McLain, retiring after 31 years wearing a State Police badge.

Brown faces a round of budget cuts that will again cripple the agency’s drive to restore round-the-clock patrols on Oregon’s major highways.

“We’re in a catastrophic environment,” said Brown, whose promotion from deputy superintendent was announced Monday by Gov. Ted Kulongoski. Brown’s appointment must be confirmed by the Oregon State.

As deputy superintendent, Brown has had day-to-day charge of the State Police, with a $350 million biennial budget and 1,200 employees.

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A long and difficult path

On Sunday, I joined my friend Tony Longobardo in Saratoga for a 5K run to benefit the families of fallen New York State Troopers.

In 2006, I was Tony’s teammate on a softball team that won our league’s championship. Tony pitched and I played outfield. Tony missed the end of the season after his son Joey, a state trooper, was ambushed and murdered by an escaped convict in western NY.

I grieved for Tony and his family. I also worried that my work against the death penalty might ruin our friendship. But Tony soothed my anxiety by telling me that he’d never supported the death penalty – but even if he did, it wouldn’t change his feelings toward me. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me.

After the run, I got a chance to meet Don Baker, Joey’s friend and sidekick, who was nearly killed in the same ambush by a bullet that penetrated his body armor. Trooper Baker looked great. From early reports, Tony said, it had appeared that Don was more seriously injured than Joey, who was “only” struck in the leg. But yesterday, Trooper Baker was able to run the 3.1 miles with apparent ease and share a warm greeting with the father of his fallen friend.

“Life is strange,” Tony commented. “Things never turn out like you expect them to.”

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The horse behind the badge

What is white, stands at 17 hands, weighs 400 lbs shy of a ton and wears designer shoes? The answer is Bismark, one of three horses that make up the mounted unit of N.C. State’s Campus Police.

Started in 2006 when officer Lillian Moore donated her horse to the program, the most recent additions came from an outside source. The Fayetteville Police Department donated two horses from their disbanded mounted unit, one of which being Bismark and the other his friend Cowboy.

When asked why the department chose the name Bismark, Director of Campus Police Tom Younce laughed a little, said to “wait and see,” and shortly thereafter an imperial white giant trotted through the trees.

According to Younce, Bismark is named after the mammoth World War II battleship USS Bismarck. His dedicated service to the N.C. State community has earned him a badge of his own. He is a good tempered horse, but his size is truly intimidating.

Bismark’s rider, Officer Fitzpatrick, is training him to handle crowds and loud noises, including sirens and helicopter noise. It is important that the horses are accustomed to these sorts of alarming conditions so they do not spook and throw their riders, or kick in a crowd, Fitzpatrick said. While Bismark is quite gentlemanly and calm, he is very energetic.

“He’s a big boy, and the trouble is, he knows it,” Fitzpatrick said.

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Blinded Raoul Moat PC David Rathband’s mission to inspire cops

The policeman blinded by crazed gun killer Raoul Moat is to go back to work as a motivational speaker.

Pc David Rathband hopes to travel the country giving inspirational talks to fellow bobbies about his ordeal.

Just four weeks ago doctors told the officer his sight cannot be saved. But the dad-of-two is determined to go back to policing.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/24/blinded-raoul-moat-pc-david-rathband-s-mission-to-inspire-cops-115875-22509589/#ixzz0xZ57ee4i

R.I.P., Dan

An 8 yr-old German shepherd named Dan served as an explosive detection K-9 for the Halifax County Sheriff’s office for the past 5 years. Dan died on Monday and a memorial will be held this morning in his honor at the Hockaday Funeral and Cremation Service.

Dan was found under the car port of citizen, Joe Thomas on Tuesday. Thomas took the dog to Roanoke Animal Hospital where veterinarians confirmed that he was dead. The dog died from a blunt force trauma – possibly from being struck by a vehicle.

The dog had apparently been either let out of his kennel, or had somehow escaped. When his handler, Corp. Mike Almendarez, went to let Dan out on Monday, he discovered that the dog was missing.

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DEA wants to hire Ebonics translators

Wanted by the Drug Enforcement Administration: Ebonics translators.

It might sound like a punch line, as “Ebonics” — the common name for what linguists call African-American English — has long been the butt of jokes, as well as the subject of controversy.

But the agency is serious about needing nine people to translate conversations picked up on wiretaps during investigations, Special Agent Michael Sanders said Tuesday. A solicitation was sent to contractors as part of a request to companies to provide hundreds of translators in 114 languages.

“DEA’s position is, it’s a language form we have a need for,” Sanders said. “I think it’s a language form that DEA recognizes a need to have someone versed in to conduct investigations.”

The translators, being hired in the agency’s Southeast Region — which includes Atlanta, Georgia; Washington; New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Florida; and the Caribbean — would listen to wiretaps, translate what was said and be able to testify in court if necessary, he said.

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