Lubbock Police Department gains 10 new officers

The force of the Lubbock Police Department got a little stronger on Friday.

In a graduation ceremony, Lubbock Police welcomed ten new officers. They are part of the 2010 Bravo class and completed 23 weeks of training.

“My dad was prior law enforcement and I can’t think of a better way to serve my community than to literally risk my life for it,” said Philip Standefer, Lubbock Police Officer.

The new graduates will spend the next twenty weeks in field training before they hit the streets on their own.

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Lacey police officer never missed a day on job in 30 years

Lacey police Sgt. Rick Monk’s 30 years of protecting and serving the community ended Friday with a remarkable achievement: He never once took a sick day during his entire career on the force.

To mark his perfect work record, the command staff at Lacey Police Department on Friday presented Monk with a special gift in the Lacey City Council chambers. In front of a room packed with Lacey officers and police from other Thurston County agencies, Monk received a framed, autographed photo of baseball’s “iron man,” Cal Ripken Jr., who set a major-league baseball record by playing in 2,632 games in a row for the Baltimore Orioles.

Lacey police Cmdr. John Suessman said Monk worked 7,120 days, averaging a 10 ½-hour shift each day. That averages out to 240 shifts each year for 30 years — weekends, holidays and vacations excluded.

“It is your dedication to service that we will never forget,” Suessman said.

Ripken signed the photo: “Here’s to a real iron man, enjoy your retirement.”

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Salt Lake police dog makes first bust on second day

It’s all still a big game to Otto. For him, finding hidden items means lots of attention.

But when Otto, a Belgian Malinois, helped police officers find meth inside a car Thursday night, he proved he could handle his new job.

“I was so excited last night. I called my wife right away; she was sleeping. I called my dad, and he was getting ready for bed,” said Nick Pearce, a K-9 officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Otto is Pearce’s dog, who was certified earlier this week after training with Pierce for six weeks.

Only two days later, Otto made his first bust. It was also a first for Pearce.

“I was ecstatic. I haven’t smiled like that in a long time,” said Pearce, a five-year veteran of the Salt Lake City Police Department who recently joined the K-9 unit.

The call for K-9 assistance came from West Valley police officers who had chased a suspect’s car into Salt Lake City. Once Otto started scratching at the center console inside the car, officers started looking and found a half ounce of meth and two guns — one of which was stolen.

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Two wounded officers, others, get law enforcement honors

Hill police Officer Matt Crosby and St. Louis Officer Joseph Haman humbly held plaques and posed for pictures from their wheelchairs this week during a ceremony at the attorney general’s office.

They were among seven local officers to receive the first Justice Awards from Attorney General Chris Koster, in what he plans to be a yearly event.

Koster reflected upon his annual appearances during a fallen officer memorial service behind the capital building, where the names of dead officers are etched on a memorial.

“When I see men like Joe and Matt, I think about the incredible sacrifice they have made,” Koster said. “In a lot of ways, their names deserve the same recognition, because what they’ve gone through will be with them forever, and it’s important that we remember them.”

Crosby and his partner, Lt. Jorden Lewis, were responding to a domestic violence call in April. When they confronted the suspect, George Jones, 36, he opened fire on the officers inside the stairwell of his apartment complex, officials said. Crosby and Lewis returned fire, striking Jones twice. He was charged in the attack. Crosby was shot and paralyzed from his waist down.

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Drug dog, new to Liberty Lake police, making a difference

J.J., the new drug dog at Liberty Lake Police Department, is rewarded by handler Mark Van Hyning after finding a hidden target in an office at the police department. The dog’s reward for finding hidden drugs is a ball attached to a cord, which he usually destroys.

Calling J.J. energetic does not do the word justice.

The Liberty Lake Police Department’s new drug dog is constantly in motion, whether he’s chewing on a tennis ball, greeting people or sniffing for drugs. The only time he is still is when he locates hidden drugs, points his nose at them and then abruptly sits down, gazing expectantly at handler Officer Mark Van Hyning and waiting for his tennis ball and a nice game of tug-of-war.

J.J. is a 4-year-old black Labrador retriever mix. “He’s pretty unique looking,” said Van Hyning. “He’s cute.”

The dog previously worked for the Spokane Valley Police Department after he was rescued from a local shelter. His handler was retiring and he needed a new home and a new handler. Van Hyning had always wanted to become a K9 officer. “It’s been one of my ultimate goals throughout my career,” he said.

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6 K9 Officers Sent Out To Serve And Protect

Man’s best friend can also be man’s best helper.  On Thursday six officers and their K-9′s graduated a ten-week drug detection class in Hagerstown.

Officials say one of the dogs named Ginger, is the youngest dog to ever graduate this course in the state of Maryland.

A lot of the dogs are bred and trained through Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

The K9′s even have the specialized skill of detecting cell phones which have been put to international use.

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K-9 fundraiser gets hairy boost

In Alpine and Highland, cops are getting hairy — for a cause.

A monthlong fundraiser held in August to raise $10,000 to purchase a drug-sniffing dog fell short, and no new donations came in during the month of September.

Now, to revive the effort, the joint police department is holding an internal campaign called “Cops with Beards.”

In order to raise awareness and money, the grooming standards for the police department have been temporarily amended to allow officers to grow neatly trimmed beards until Jan. 2, 2011, according to police chief Kip Botkin. Each officer who wants to grow a beard pays $20 per month for the privilege.

In addition, Highland Councilman Tom Butler confirmed to the Daily Herald that Councilman Larry Mendenhall has offered to donate $100 to the K-9 fund if Butler shaves his beard.

“I’ve agreed,” Butler said, noting that he hasn’t decided when to shave yet.

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It’s not too late to be a state trooper!

James Dean Morton has a movie star name and a middle-aged body.

That’s not to suggest he’s in poor physical shape.

Quite the contrary — the 54-year-old from Chesapeake is days into a grueling 42-week course to become a state police trooper, gutting it out alongside dozens of other recruits, some of whom are about half his age.

The days are long and start early. Academy trainers put prospective troopers through a paramilitary program stressing discipline, order and physical and scholastic achievement to prepare them for the rigors of patrolling Virginia’s highways and protecting the public.

The combination of mental and physical demands and the lack of sleep have given Morton a new appreciation for that extra 15 minutes of rest he used to get in the morning.

Sgt. A.J. Puckett, one of the academy instructors, said: “We’re very hard on them. We want to induce stress on them here,” so troopers can handle it in the field.

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Pleasanton police chief to retire after 30 years in Pleasanton law enforcement

After being a fixture in the city’s police department for the past 30 years, Chief Michael Fraser has decided to retire.

Fraser was appointed to the city’s top police spot in 2007 and held numerous positions from beat officer to SWAT to detective and was one of the city’s first motorcycle officers. His last day is Nov. 12.

“You name it, he has done it,” said Nelson Fialho, Pleasanton’s city manager who appointed Fraser to the position in 2007.

“He was promoted through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant to captain …,” Fialho said. “That is a very rare to be with the city that long. … We have a well trained police force and that is in large part due to his stability.”

Fraser oversaw a department of 84 officers that policed a population of just over 67,000. When Fraser began his career as a beat officer in 1980, the department had 29 officers. Fraser was out of the office on Thursday and unavailable for comment.

Fialho said that the city’s search for a new chief would begin in November and that Capt. Eric Finn and Capt. David Spiller would act as interim chiefs. The position is expected to be filled by March or April, Fialho said.

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TV’s Dallas police fixation turns to the women in blue

National television audiences have watched armored Dallas SWAT members bust down doors in search of criminals. They’ve seen homicide detectives interrogate killers until they hold their hands and weep.

Now comes trash-talking yet tender crime-fighting women who can wrestle combative men to the ground more easily than they can manage the attitude of a stubborn teenage daughter.

It’s just another episode of the Dallas Police Department’s latest reality television program featuring five women – a demographic police officials have historically struggled to attract to the profession. Department brass hope Police Women of Dallas, which premieres tonight on TLC, will draw more female applicants while also portraying a positive image of the organization to a national audience.

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