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An armed suspect occupied the house we surrounded. Federal authorities wanted him on a long list of weapons charges, and they asked us to go get him. Our plan involved the use of tear gas and a K9 Unit bite dog. So, we donned our gas masks, breached the door, and ordered him to come…
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10-00–Given as “double zero”. Officer needs all possible assistance. The “double zero” code isn’t called very often. I have only heard it used a few times in my entire career. It is the sacred all-call of police code. Say it on the radio, and cops will show up from other planets. Double zero means you…
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10-5—Relay: receive and pass on (information or a message) The attached photo is a pre-cellphone “selfie” from 1985. On February 27 of that year, while dispatching at my campus Police Department, I brought along my Canon AE1 35mm camera. I placed the camera on the desk, set the timer, and pretended to dispatch. When the…
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Rick was my friend growing up. Our wild lifestyles naturally drew us together. On the weekends, we cruised around, sowing the oats of our rebellious youth. Rick was carefree and fun. I was troubled and looking for escape. Somewhere along the path, God stepped in and changed my direction. He brought me to a decision…
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Early in my law enforcement career, we investigated cases without much of the technology available today. There was no internet, no computers, no cell phones, no digital cameras, and no digitized jail records. To create a simple photo lineup, I went to the Jail and thumbed through dozens of inmate transcripts until I found five…
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If you stay in law enforcement long enough, you start to see patterns. The cause/effect relationship between poor life choices and ruined lives becomes painfully clear. Observing this play out in people’s lives is like watching the same rerun over and over, except with different characters. Nobody seems to learn from the mistakes of others.…
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As the KLM jet took off from the Atlanta airport, I gazed up the aisle from the back of the plane. A feeling of claustrophobia crept in as I realized I was trapped in this hollow tube for the next nine hours. No turning back now, I thought. I tried to relax, but the previous…
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Five hundred years ago, not too far from my current home, a small-framed Spaniard led an expedition through the New World. Along the way, he met many Native American tribes, often employing a brutal tactic in his interactions with them. Holding their leader hostage, he demanded that the tribe provide men for porters and women…
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A few years ago, our special weapons team responded to a neighboring county to assist with a domestic violence call. A guy assaulted his wife, then barricaded himself inside when the police showed up. Since he was possibly armed, we used an armored vehicle to approach the residence. After several minutes of addressing the suspect…
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The photo above was taken in Bessemer, Alabama, around 1912. Annie is pictured standing front and center with her adoptive family. At the tender age of seven, Annie was one of nine children orphaned by family tragedy. Her mother died of consumption in May of 1909, and Annie’s father was murdered two months later in…