Cop to Cop News - July Aug 2009

• • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • •

JULY • AUGUST 2009 Vol. 1 No. 4

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Distributed in 15 US States and 10 canadian provinces $3.50

More than three decades after a horrific crashPage 07

Harvest time for Vancouver Island’s outdoor grow ops7

2009 World Police and Fire GamesPage 10

Odd Squad music project brings big namesPage 14

The trials of Dan LovelaceA prosecutor that was overzealous and an investigation that was flawed fed a media frenzy against an officer who shot in self-defence.

Page 08

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PHOTO courtesy of Spokane County Sheriff’s Office

THe SPOkane COunTy SHerIFF’S OFFICe has credited a 15-year-old Spokane girl for saving a sheriff ’s patrol dog from heat exhaustion.

Lucky dogSpokane teen credited for saving police K-9

When police officers and sheriff ’s deputies are not using their patrol dogs, the officers leave their cars and air conditioners running to keep the animals cool. However when some of the patrol cars begin to overheat, a sensor kicks on the car’s interior heater to cool off the block. The feature can help save an engine, but can slowly kill a dog.

Fortunately when that happened to Spokane Police K-9 Ekko, his car had already been outfitted with a special cooling and alarm system manufactured by AceK9.com donated by 15-year-old Gonzaga Prep student Emily Thies. “It

will roll down the windows and turn a fan on if it gets too hot and send a page to whatever officer is on duty so the dog doesn’t get overheated,” explained Emily.

“From the Spokane County Sheriff ’s Office, we thank you for raising money that ultimately saved his life,” said Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich. Sheriff Knezovich thanked Emily for the pair of AceK9.com cooling

systems she donated to the K-9 program. Emily Thies, a 15-year-old high school student, has donated her pet-sitting money to help protect the K-9 dogs that work with Spokane County sheriff ’s deputies. “I love animals,” she said. Her $1,200 donation paid for two heat alarms that will help keep patrol dogs from overheating in parked patrol cars on hot days. Emiliy’s love of animals dates to grade school, when she began saving her money to buy a car when she went to college, said her mother, Betsy Thies. “I thought it would be cool to donate something that someone could use and that could help the dogs,” said Emily.

Emily’s first thought about helping the K-9 program by donating ballistic vests, but the vests don’t protect a dog’s head and according to deputies, that’s what crooks shoot for. It’s that reason why handlers say the new AceK9.com cooling systems are the preferred gift for police dogs.

K-9 Deputy John Cook said the device has already averted overheating his dog, Ekko, once before and again this time. “Without the AceK9.com heat alarm, Ekko could have suffered heat stroke or died.”

Betsy Thies said she is proud of her daughter’s generosity. “She just saw a need,” she said.

Thanks to a philanthropic, animal-loving teen, Spokane Police k-9 ekko’s cruiser had an emergency cooling and alarm system that kicked in to save his life.


2JULY • AUGUST 2009



Information in this publication has been compiled from sources deemed to be reliable. However the publishers may not be held liable for errors or omissions. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher and editor. Contents © copyright 2009 Cop to Cop News, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Published and printed in BritishColumbia, Canada.

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Police dog stabbed, robbery suspect shot

Alligator found at Applegate River

I was a cop for over 20 years. I watched Dragnet in both the black and white and color versions. I remember Sergeant Joe Friday saying to complainants, “Just the facts ma’am”. With that in mind, please tell me how a president of the United States, with all the intelligence agencies available to him, can’t get a copy of a police report from Cambridge Massachusetts that explains how a race baiting bigot managed to get himself arrested.

I have told people when they’ve asked me about arresting people, that I have seen many people who weren’t going to be arrested, talk their way into a night in the “Grey Bar Hotel”. Mouths go into overdrive and handcuffs come out.

All presidents of the United States depend

on the Secret Service for protection. Senators and Congressmen have US Capitol Police to protect them. State governors depend on State Police for protection. Local police supplement these dignitary protection details when they arrive in town. Now please tell me why, if you depended on these people, to step in front of you when danger is present and protect you from attack, why would you want to say something disparaging about their intelligence and professionalism before you know the facts.

Sergeant Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department has shown what a true professional he is. He is known and respected not only in the Cambridge Police Department, but in the community as well. Even at the Rose Garden Beer Fest he showed kindness when he helped the

professor down the steps. If you notice, the President was walking ahead of them, right into another photo op.

Police officers are like elephants – they don’t forget. They will remember that the President didn’t have the time on May 15,

2009 to honor fallen law enforcement heroes in Washington, D.C. After all he was busy congratulating the Philadelphia Phillies for winning the World Series 7 months earlier. Yes, he and his staff keep his priorities in order.

When protecting the president, the Secret

Service agents wear suits, police officers wear class A uniforms. I think if I were back on the job and assigned to protect Barack Obama I’d wear one of those tee shirts with the pointing hand on it and the caption that says “I’m With Stupid”.

PreSIDenT Harry TruMan had a sign on his desk, “The Buck Stops Here” President Obama should have a sign on his desk too. It should say “Open Mouth Insert Foot”.

Sign of the timesBy Keith Bettinger

PHOTO courtesy of Oregon State Police

Murphy, OR – An unusual find last weekend on Applegate River in southern Oregon is an example of the concern that Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and Oregon State Police Fish & Wildlife Division (OSP) have related to problems surrounding bringing in and then releasing non-native species in our State.

On August 8, 2009 at about 4:00 p.m. OSP Senior Trooper Marty Marchand responded to a report that two small children went down to the Applegate River near Murphy southeast of Grants Pass where they saw an alligator on a log. Senior Trooper Marchand confirmed

the report and felt the 3 1/2 foot alligator could not be captured alive before it may have got back into the water.

There were no homes in the area from where it may have come from, and it was not known if the alligator escaped from an unknown home or was intentionally released by its owner. Oregon state law prohibits the release of non-native species into the wild.

Due to safety concerns that may arise trying to capture the alligator before it returned to the water, the trooper shot and killed it before climbing out onto the log and retrieving it.

Tukwila, WA – Tukwila Police say a man who displayed a knife at a supermarket and later stabbed a police K-9 dog has been shot and wounded by a Tukwila officer in the south Seattle suburb. The man was treated at Harborview Medical Center for wounds, and the police dog is expected to recover. Spokesman Mike Murphy said the incident happened around 8 p.m. at the Tukwila Trading Co., employees called 911 after a man apparently attempted to shoplift from the market and threatened employees with a knife.

Tukwila Police say when they confronted the man, he ran. Officers and a K9 chased him through a motel parking lot and over a barbed-wire fence before catching him in a parking lot at a nearby housing complex. While police have not confirmed that the suspect stabbed the dog, they do say he had the knife, and several witnesses report that he was swinging his arm at the police dog. Police say the dog was stabbed around the neck. At that point, an officer opened fire. Witnesses say police had tried several other ways to subdue the man. Mimi Tekeste says it was her boyfriend who was shot by police. She says all this was over a rubber ball he took from the Tukwila market. “He was laying there on the floor with his leg shot,” she said. The suspect was treated for gunshot wounds at Harborview Medical Center, where he was recovering Tuesday.

Police say the K-9, a German shepherd named Gino, suffered a four-inch deep stab wound in his neck. Gino’s partner

and handler, Officer James Sturgill, immediately came to Gino’s aid when the dog was stabbed. “It’s like watching one of my kids get hurt,” said Sturgill. “I was just so concerned about him and his well-being, more so than my well-being. I was just trying to get him away.” Sturgill quickly took Gino to the Five Corners Animal Hospital in Burien, where he underwent intensive surgery. Veterinarian Dr. Paul Chauvin said the knife cut one of his neck muscles in half, but it missed his artery and throat. “It was thrust into his neck with a lot of force, so it could have killed him on the spot,” said Chauvin. After four layers of stitching and some pain medication, Gino was back on all

fours. Chauvin says although Gino will be sore and is at risk for infection, he was recovering remarkably well and is expected to make a full recovery.

Officer Sturgill picked Gino up from the clinic overnight to take him home for some rest and relaxation. “He’ll take a couple weeks off, maybe get pampered a little bit at home, and

then he’ll be back at work,” said Sturgill. “If the worse things that happens is we have a scar and two weeks out of work, we’ll take it.” Gino will rest for two weeks, be on light duty for another week and will be back on full duty at the end of the month. Gino has been on the police force about a year. The officer who shot the suspect is a Tukwila Police officer. He will be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting.

“It’s like watching one of my kIds

get hurt”

Harlan "Scott" Taylor is a Police O�cer at LAPD's Southeast Division. Scott and his wife, Jill, have been married for six years. They have a four-year-old daughter and a 17-month-old son.

Jill su�ers from Re�ex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) – a disease that can lie dormant and undetected in a person’s body, waiting to be set in motion by a seemingly inconsequential injury – in this case, Jill’s foot injury. Also known as Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome, this progressive condition has a direct a�ect on the circulation and if left untreated will have a devastating a�ect on the person's body. It causes extremities to die o� and causes many other serious problems. Some people will die from a heart attack or stroke as a result of this process. However, in a high percentage of cases, the pain from RSD is so intense and so unbearable that su�erers commit suicide.

But that’s not all... their 17-month-old son su�ers from constant severe acid re�ux and epilepsy. He has also been rushed to the emergency room on two recent occasions because he stopped breathing. Doctors are still looking into the cause and fear he may be su�ering from a far more serious condition.

In spite of working endless overtime, O�cer Taylor cannot keep up with the medical costs for his wife and his son, and the overtime he works makes it more impossible to be there for their daily needs. As a single-income family with massive medical bills, the Taylors are close to losing their home.

“It feels like someone has taken a piece of sand paper and they’re rubbing it on my exposed bones.”

— Jill, wife of LAPD Officer Taylor

You can help, donate today at: www.hopeforheroes.info/taylor

CarTOOn norisa anderson, Cop to Cop news





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LAPD eight hour stand-offLos Angeles, CA– On August 13, LAPD officers pulled a suspect from a red Volkswagen Bug after a eight-hour standoff in Westwood. LAPD and FBI agents used a device to remove the driver-side window. They then used a TASER to disable the suspect, pulled him out of the vehicle and took him into custody at around 6:45 p.m.

The suspect sustained some minor abrasions because of the broken glass, and was treated at UCLA Medical Center. He remains in police custody. “He is an individual that has some mental problems,” said LAPD Deputy Chief Terry Hara. “He’s had contact with law enforcement agencies in the past.”

The hours-long standoff began as a pursuit in the Westchester area at about 10 a.m. when LAPD tried to stop Moshe for a misdemeanor warrant. He was suspected of making threats against the White House, and the Secret Service wanted to talk to him.

A robot fired tear gas into the car through a hole that was broken in the rear passenger-side window at

about 5:30 p.m., and then again a few minutes later. When the driver rolled the windows down agents ran over to the vehicle and shot more tear gas into it. The man then rolled the window back up. The suspect was blocked by police vehicles at the parking lot of a federal building near Veteran and Wilshire Boulevard.

LAPD SWAT vehicles and officers surrounded the vehicle. The suspect had been sitting in the car smoking cigarettes since it was blocked in by police at about 10:30 a.m. Officers stood nearby with their guns pointed at the vehicle, and a police robot wheeled its way around the vehicle as the standoff continued. A red pickup truck and a black sedan that were in the driveway when the suspect drove alongside were also blocked in by police cruisers. The occupants of those vehicles were safely evacuated.

A police bomb squad responded to the scene. A four-wheeled robot circled the car and tried to hand over a communications device to the suspect, but he did not take it. A SWAT armored vehicle was also brought to the scene and

began pushing the Beetle back. It was eventually parked against the front of the vehicle, ensuring that the man inside could not drive away.

The suspect had been under surveillance since about 2 a.m. When officers tried to pull the man over in Westchester at about 10 a.m., the suspect drove off, heading north on the 405 Freeway, followed by multiple police cruisers and a helicopter. He exited and drove into the federal building parking lot, circled and tried to exit back onto Veteran, but he was blocked in by a police SUV, beginning the standoff. Late in the afternoon, local officers and FBI agents began searching the suspect’s Westchester home to determine if he might have bomb-making or other dangerous materials. K-9 units were also brought in. Police went through the trash, and checked the interior and exterior of the home.

Officials say Moshe was not carrying a weapon, but he will likely face a number of felony charges including resisting arrest and reckless driving.

www.coptocopnews.com

A

Data related to more than 130 million credit and debit cards allegedly stolenInternational hacker indicted for massive attack on U.S. retail and banking networks

aLberT GOnzaLez, 28, OF MIaMI, FLa., WaS InDICTeD for conspiring to hack into computer networks supporting major American retail and financial organizations, and stealing data relating to more than 130 million credit and debit cards, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Ralph J. Marra Jr. and U.S. Secret Service Assistant Director for Investigations Michael Merritt.

In a two-count indictment alleging conspiracy and conspiracy to engage in wire fraud, Gonzalez, AKA “segvec,” “soupnazi” and “j4guar17,” is charged, along with two unnamed co-conspirators, with using a sophisticated hacking technique called an “SQL injection attack,” which seeks to exploit computer networks by finding a way around the network’s firewall to steal credit and debit card information. Among the corporate victims named in the indictment are Heartland Payment Systems, a New Jersey-based card payment processor; 7-Eleven Inc., a Texas-based nationwide convenience store chain; and Hannaford Brothers Co. Inc., a Maine-based supermarket chain.

The indictment, which details the largest alleged credit and debit card data breach ever charged in the United States, alleges that beginning in October 2006, Gonzalez and his co-conspirators researched the credit and debit card systems used

by their victims; devised a sophisticated attack to penetrate their networks and steal credit and debit card data; and then sent that data to computer servers they operated in California, Illinois, Latvia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. The indictment also alleges Gonzalez and his co-conspirators also used sophisticated hacker techniques to cover their tracks and to avoid detection by anti-virus software used by their victims.

If convicted, Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud conspiracy charge and an additional five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, as well as a fine of $250,000 for each charge.

Gonzalez is currently in federal custody. In May 2008, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York charged Gonzalez for his alleged role in the hacking of a computer network run by a national restaurant chain. Trial on those charges is scheduled to begin in Long Island, N.Y.,

in September 2009.In August of 2008,

the Justice Department announced an additional series of indictments against Gonzalez and others for a number of retail hacks affecting eight major retailers and involving the theft of data related to 40 million credit cards. Those charges were filed in the District of Massachusetts. Gonzalez is scheduled for trial on those charges in 2010.

The charges announced today relate to a different pattern of hacking activity that targeted different corporate victims and involved different co-conspirators.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erez Lieberman and Seth Kosto for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and by Senior Trial Counsel Kimberly Kiefer Peretti of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.

World Police and Fire Games 2009Vancouver, BC – Over 10,500 athletes attended the World Police & Fire Games held in Vancouver from July 31st to August 09th in Vancouver. Making it the second best attended games in WPFG history next to Barcelona.

2,300 medals were handed out to competitors in 64 events at over 40 venues. Events were divided into men’s, women’s, open and novice categories. Ice hockey drew over 100 teams. Competitors came from all over the world as far away as Australia, Russia, Jamaica, China, India, Trinidad & Tobago, Greece, Estonia, Polynesia, Ukraine, Wales and Peru. The majority of the athletes were from Canada and the USA.

To put things in comparison the upcoming Winter Olympics also coming to Vancouver in Feb 2010 only has 3,500 athletes, a third of the WPFG. Admission to all events was free to the public and over 30,000 spectators attended the events.

Opening ceremonies began with a parade of athletes to GM Place where the crowd was entertained by singers Randy Bachman of BTO & The Guess Who fame and bluse singer Jim Byrnes to name a few. It culminated with the lighting of the torch.

As well as the games there was a trade show, a vendor area and beer garden with a stage for entertainers.

On a side note seven members of the Men’s Finnish Hockey Team intervened when they saw a bus driver being assaulted. The suspect ran but they chased him for two blocks and arrested him. When the suspect realized that they were not Canadian police he tried to tell them they couldn’t hold him and to let him go, screaming “you can’t hold me” Wrong! … a cop is a cop no matter where he goes in the world - the bad guy went to jail.

The next WPFG will be held in New York City in 2011.

See photosof the gameson page 10





M

H E R O

a bell 47-G5 helicopter. The LaPD air Support used these back in the 60s-70s as trainers and other light observation missions. Originally they were patrol aircraft, but were replaced by bell Jet rangers.

Crash site, in Griffith Park above the La zoo, near the I-5 and uS 101. The slope is 70 degrees and the helicopter tumbled 162 feet.

Scars of the HeartAfter a horrific crash claims the life of hispartner, a helicopter pilotmourns for more thanthree decades beforean unlikely event bringsa longed for closure

Many a COP HaS SaID THaT POLICe WOrk IS HOurS Or bOreDOM FOLLOWeD by MOMenTS OF SHeer TerrOr. It can also be followed by years of physical and emotional pains as well as physical and emotional scars that never heal. Ron Corbin is not only this type of police officer, but one of the strongest and bravest you will ever meet.

Ron served two tours in Viet Nam as a US Army helicopter pilot. He never turned down a mission that was assigned to him. Although he was never wounded, he lost 27 friends whose names are posted on the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington, D. C.

When he was discharged he tested for and was accepted by the Los Angeles Police Department. After doing time in street duty he was accepted into the department’s aviation unit.

In June of 1976, Ron and his partner, Student Pilot and Air Observer Jeffrey Lindenberg, prepared for a training flight in a Bell 47G-5 helicopter, the model you see in the television show MASH. They did a pre-flight safety inspection of the aircraft and prepared for takeoff.

Jeff flew the aircraft and they were airborne over Los Angeles. A short distance from the airport, near the large white Hollywood sign on top of the Hollywood Hills above the Los Angeles Zoo,

ScarsContinued on page 12

just east of the Griffith Observatory, they had a catastrophic mechanical failure while practicing a landing approach. They had no time or altitude to auto-rotate down to a landing pad on top of the mountain. One of the landing skids on the helicopter came down on the cement landing pad as it was supposed to. The other skid did not clear the cement. It hit the pad

Keith Bettinger Staff writer





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Recent Cases of Interest: Court refuses to reduce

damage award for cover officer who removed seatbelt to assist in apprehension

Officer in rammed police cruiser receives precedent-set-ting aggravated damage award against suspect

Off-duty RCMP officer injured in car accident and denied benefits by insurance company wins in court

Man who embezzled $300,000 from companyordered by court to repay victims

Court decides off-dutyofficer who found and turned in $1 million is entitled to the cash.

JOHN CAMERON: Lawyer and ex-police officer

for a chance to rebuild what was once a shining reputation in policing, Lovelace has pinned on a badge again and is seeing a glimmer of daylight.

Last month [7/09], after graduating from a 9-week academy, he started work at the age of 44 as a detention officer for the Pinal County SO in Florence, AZ. His job, in uniform but unarmed, is to help with “the care, safety, and control” of male and female inmates in the 1,650-bed county jail. His graduation from training came exactly 5 years and 1 day after he was found not guilty of criminal charges that could have sent him to prison for 24 years.

“Vindication was a long time coming,” he told Force Science News. “I’m glad to finally have somebody [Sheriff Paul Babeu] who saw my case for what it was and will allow me to prove myself. That’s all I ever wanted.”

Lovelace’s shooting made national headlines when it occurred in October 2002 in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler. Then a motor officer for Chandler PD with nearly five years on the job, Lovelace responded to a drive-up pharmacy window where an attractive young housewife with her infant in the backseat had tried to pass a forged prescription

for painkillers. In a desperate bid to escape, she peeled rubber, knocked over his parked bike, then turned and tried to run over Lovelace himself. He fired a single, fatal round that stopped her.

“It should have been cleared as a righteous shooting,” says Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director for the Force Science Research Center, who testified as an expert witness at the officer’s trial. “Instead, it became a classic example of a department and a prosecutor’s office hanging an officer out to dry in a politically charged atmosphere, fueled by media hysteria.”

Lovelace was charged with second-degree murder and abruptly terminated. A settlement of more than $1.94 million was hurriedly paid to the dead woman’s survivors even before his trial was held.

Today, his case is dissected during FSRC’s Force Science Certification Course for

“I took an oath...”Dan Lovelace’s battle back to law enforcement

I N J U S T I C E

Dan LOVeLaCe HaS been TO THe Dark SIDe OF THe LaW enFOrCeMenT MOOn. Targeted by a prescription drug abuser who tried to run him over. Swirled into a media frenzy when he shot and killed her. Fired by his agency and brought to trial for murder by a zealous prosecutor. Shunned like a leper by a seemingly endless chain of agencies when he tried to find work after being acquitted. Reduced to cutting grass at some points to help keep his family fed. Even haunted by thoughts of self-destruction at his lowest point.

Now after nearly seven nightmare years of struggling

its many investigative and prosecutorial shortcomings. “Errors were made that involved profound misunderstandings of human behavior in rapidly unfolding, high-stress encounters,” Lewinski declares. “It seemed as if conclusions about the shooting were made prematurely by the powers that be and then the facts were framed to conform to their view.”

One example was the prosecution’s dogged effort to discredit Lovelace’s version of the shooting, based of where the spent shell landed when ejected from his pistol. Tests by Lewinski and other FSRC researchers proved that the prosecution’s premise was bogus —and aided materially in Lovelace’s acquittal at a jury trial in 2004. [For details, see Force Science News Transmission #1, sent 9/17/04.] Lovelace characterizes the case as “wrongful prosecution. They had evidence of my innocence right before them,” he says. “They wanted me to take a plea. If I’d say it was an accidental shooting and plead to negligent homicide, there’d be no jail time – but I’d never work as a police officer again. I’d have to lie to protect myself. I wouldn’t do it.”

Despite his full exoneration in court, Chandler refused to rehire him after the trial and the prosecutor still kept him on a list of “police officers deemed to be untruthful.” The Arizona POST board, however, after conducting a thorough investigation of its own, maintained his peace officer certification. So he figured he’d be able to land somewhere as an LEO before long. After all, he had graduated first in his academy class, had been named Rookie Officer of the Year, and had racked up an impressive record of achievement as a hard-charging, 5%er professional since then during his career in Chandler.

His optimism was soon shaken, and a disheartening pattern of rejection set in. “When I applied to the Highway Patrol,” Lovelace says, “I passed the physical, a written test, a commanders’ review, a ride along, a polygraph exam, an IQ test, and a psych exam and I heard that I was at or near the top of the list to be hired. But then I got a letter that said I didn’t meet their requirements. No further explanation. I could reapply in 6 years.”

More applications...more rejections. At a major sheriff ’s office he was told that “the sheriff said not to hire fired officers,” even though there were already fired officers on his roster.

“I went to a whole bunch of smaller agencies, some in little mining towns,” he says. “Some told me to not even bother filling out an application, which violates equal opportunity employment laws.”

He tried departments out of state, tried departments on Indian reservations, even tried to volunteer as a reserve officer, thinking that might be a foot in the door. Nothing. “I told myself, ‘Just be patient, keep trying, and persevere. If you keep trying, someone will give you a chance.’ “

Meanwhile, he scrambled for whatever work he could get to bring in money. He bought a lawn mower and started cutting grass, “just like I’d done in high school” – and just as Karl Hettinger, the surviving officer in the infamous Onion Field case

had done in L.A. decades before. He hurried over with his chainsaw when he heard of people with dead trees. He taught history to “at-risk” kids on one of the reservations (but not until parents had skeptically ok’d his hiring in a special meeting). He put together safety and legal manuals for a repo company. He peddled services for cleaning cooking grease out of exhaust hoods in restaurant kitchens. He moved furniture, he painted, he fixed roofs.

Even with his wife working full time, it was a struggle. Ironically, she was employed then – as she still is – as a dispatcher for Chandler PD. “It was tough on her,” Lovelace says. Officers on the department tended to choose sides regarding the controversy that clung to him, with even some he considered close friends lining up against him.

“They’d tell her, ‘You should divorce him. How can you live with a man like that? He’s a killer, a rogue.’ She’d hear one thing at work, and I’d tell her another at home.

“She didn’t know how to deal with what I was going through. I was battling with emotions I didn’t even know I had. I was afraid for my family. What’s going to happen to us? Why don’t people believe me?” In one stretch of 38 days, he says, “I got no real sleep.”

In his darkest hour, Lovelace candidly admits that he considered taking his own life. He dug out old notes on suicide he’d

saved from his academy days and realized he fitted the symptoms. He mulled “ways and means” and says he could “easily have done the deed 10 times over. You want to just crumble to the ground and give up.”

But then, he says, in a supernatural moment “God talked to me. He said, ‘I love you. Stay the course. Stay tough.’ And I did.”

Given all that the job has cost him, why did Lovelace so fervently pursue reentry into law enforcement? Why not just “back off and hide?” as he puts it. He was so successful selling the hood-cleaning services, for example, that the owner of the company wanted to bring him into partnership. So it wasn’t a matter of money.

“I took an oath to serve and protect in November 1996 when I was first

sworn in as a police officer,” Lovelace explains. “When I took that oath, I meant it. It explains why I do what I do. No one should be astounded that I want to get back in. Criminals are still out there, and I’m a man of my word.

“If I give up, then the people who broke that oath for me win. They took something away from me that I treasure, when I didn’t do anything wrong. That has to be rectified. Good should always triumph over evil. And for good to win, you don’t give up, you don’t run away. You do what it takes to come out on top.”

The break Lovelace had longed for came at the ballot box last November. Paul Babeu, who’d been a new officer on Chandler PD at the time of Lovelace’s trial, was elected sheriff of nearby Pinal County, the fastest growing county in Arizona, with the motto “Wide open opportunity.”

Like Lovelace, Babeu is an achiever, voted #1 Overall Police Recruit in his academy class and eventually elected president of the Chandler Law Enforcement Assn., the police union. As candidate for sheriff, he campaigned on a platform of reforming the Office with “honest, independent, and accountable” service. He took command in January, and Lovelace

“good should always trIumph over evIl.

and for good to wIn, you don’t gIve up, you don’t run away.”

OathContinued on page 18

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• • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • •• • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • •


• • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • •• • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • • O F F I C E R • • D E P U T Y S H E R I F F • • C O N S T A B L E • • A G E N T • •


JULY 31 - AUGUST 9, Bc, cAnADA

Medalist from the London Met Police, Men’s and Women’s boxing Team, Sharna Wilds, Ian ness and Helen Smith

Men’s Open Heavyweight Division, Vancouver PD’s Lowrie brennan (blue) vs. ny Fire Dept’s Devin Powers (red). Lowrie who is 6’11”won the Gold Medal.

VPD’s Gold Medal winner Lowrie brennan and FDny’s Silver Medal winner Devin Powers pose after the heavyweight fight.

Mens under 200 lbs novice, Gold Medal winner Mike Sinatra nyPD (blue) and Silver Medal winner egger Philippe Geneva Police Corps

Three rCMP officers enjoy a soccer game. Vancouver PD Women’s Team (blue) scores a goal against Montreal PD Women’s Team (white), VPD won the game.

Vancouver PD Men’s Soccer Team Gold Medal winners, Vancouver PD Women’s Soccer Team scored 29 goals in five games and only allowed one goal against.

bC Transit Police Team Parade of athletes; the team from norway was in the spirit.

Vancouver PD Cst rob PhoenixrCMP Dog Handler Cst Stephanie Michaud and PD Snyper brought home 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 1 bronze WPFG Medals.

London Met Police Women’s boxing Team Silver Medal winner Hayley Webb poses with the ring Card Girl.

bC Sheriff’s Softball Jersey

WPFG Gold Medal WPFG Silver Medal WPFG bronze Medal

Mens Open a and b Mountain bike race at Whistler, bC

bobbies from the uk Team Canada

Canadian Mounties parade during opening ceremonies.





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Taken three weeks after the crash.

before his crash, ron Cobin lobbied his department for better equipment for the air crews, including fireproof flight suits and safety helmets.

ron Corbin now works as a crime prevention specialist for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

and sent the helicopter careening 162 feet down the side of the mountain in a ball of flames created by the exploding fuel tanks consuming their full load of fuel.

Two hikers removed Ron’s badly burned body from the burning helicopter. His non fire retardant suit had burned into his body and his eye protection melted over his eyes onto his face. Jeff could not be seen in the wreckage where he had become trapped by the flaming fuel tank. A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter transported Ron to the hospital where he was treated for burns over 70 percent of his body, 62 percent of the burns being second and third degree burns. People wondered would Ron survive the injuries, and if he did, would he survive the psychological aftermath. This was the start of the many types of pain he would have to endure for years to come.

At the hospital, the attending physician asked Ron’s wife Kathy if she was going to stay. When she said she would stay at the hospital, the doctor clarified his question with another; are you going to stay in the marriage?

Her response was, “I love him. Of course I’m

going to stay.”The doctor informed

Kathy that many spouses can’t deal with the trauma of burns and leave. Their statement sets the course of treatment both physically and psychologically.

Although Ron knew deep down that Jeff could not have survived the crash, it was still a devastating shock and pain to be told that Jeff was dead. What hurts more is years of survivor guilt. Why Jeff and not me? He has a wife and a baby daughter. Could I have done something different? The answer is always no, but a survivor will continue to ask the question over and over again looking for the answer he wants to hear.

Many times a survivor doesn’t understand that talking about the incident is a way of closing the incident. Explaining to others that one did all he could, helps the survivor realize he is correct, even though the outcome remains the same. Ron wanted to tell Lesa, Jeff ’s wife that Jeff did nothing wrong or caused the accident. Ron wanted to let her know that he too did everything he could do to avert the disaster. It simply was beyond anything humanly possible

The rebuff hurt. It was hard to understand from Ron’s point of view, but understandable if you’re a new widow.

Every department has strange retirement procedures. As badly injured and scarred as Ron was, it took three trips to the pension board during the course of five years to decide that Ron’s career as a police officer was over. All he asked of Workers Compensation was free medical treatment for life to deal with his injuries and future complications. They agreed. But, when

he learned he needed treatment for spinal injuries received in the crash, he found out that yes he did have free medical treatment for life, if the treatment was related only to burns. He was on his own for spinal problems.

Although physically limited, Ron continued to work. He never gave up on being a provider for his family. After retirement he continued his education, receiving degrees in interesting curriculums; a BA in Child Development, an MS in Elementary

Education, and a PhD in Security Administration. It took a lot of courage to go back to school as an “old timer” — a 30-year-old, compared to students recently out of high school. It also took a lot of courage to wear a JOBST burn suit to class, scars showing, being constantly in pain and being stared at by the campus population. However, Ron finished his education and achieved the goals he set for himself.

Ron eventually moved to Las Vegas, NV. He went to work as a civilian crime prevention

specialist for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Later he became training manager for the police academy, a job in which he excels. He also never gave up the hope of eventually talking to Lesa about that night.

After the 9/11 attacks on this country, Las Vegas

Police Sergeant Randy Sutton requested story submissions from police officers for a book – True Blue. The profit from the sales would go to the families of the police officers killed in the devastating attacks.

Ron had a story to share, not only with the readers but with Lesa. He wrote an open letter to Lesa, but instead of mailing it to her he published it in the book. Offers were made to deliver the letter

to Lesa, but Ron declined the offer; if Lesa was to read the letter, somehow Lesa and the story would come together.

If you at home have Google or other search engines, it’s fun to run your name through and see where it comes up. Lesa was on such an expedition

playing on the computer. Lo and behold, her name and Jeff ’s appeared on the screen connected to the book – True Blue and Ron’s open letter to Lesa.

Divine intervention had finally taken place. After reading the letter, Lesa was now ready to meet and talk to Ron. Time does not heal all wounds, but it helps ease some of the pain. After 33 years the two of them met and talked and talked and talked.

ScarsContinued from page 7

The next time they met, Kathy also met Lesa. They too talked and a sense of healing was happening for everyone. After all, healing is a family affair. Lesa’s daughter Tina, now a young woman, met Ron and asked questions about the father she never knew. She read the story in True Blue and wanted a copy of the book, but it was not available. Ron gave her one of his copies. She in turn gave the book as a gift on Father’s Day to her stepfather, the only father she really ever knew, also a Los Angeles Police Officer.

The psychological healing for Ron began and continues today. But it will never be a complete healing of the physical injuries. His skin feels sizes too small for his body when the scars constrict. It’s kind of like trying to put a size 11 foot into a size 9 shoe. Keeping scars

moist is difficult when you live in the desert. Internal organs are overworked from years of trying to clear the body of toxins breathed in or absorbed through burnt tissues. It certainly takes a toll on a person victimized by fate and mechanics so many years ago, but, it doesn’t slow Ron down. He smiles and laughs when he talks to you. He has a twinkle in his eyes when he shows photos of his lovely wife Kathy, his handsome sons, Jeff and Steve, and his beautiful daughter, Kim. He works hard to make sure that new recruits learn not only how to be police officers, but how to survive as police officers.

Ron no longer looks to the past with questions. He looks to the future with answers for himself and others.

“I love him. Of course I’m going to stay.”

Keith Bettinger is a retired Suffolk County NY police officer. He has a Master’s Degree in Human Relations with a major in clinical counseling from the New York Institute of Technology. Keith wrote the book of comedic short stories titled Fighting Crime With “Some” Day And Lenny. He has also contributed stories to anthologies in the books, Cop Tales 2000, Charity, True Blue – To Protect And Serve and My Father’s Bow Tie. He has written magazine articles and short stories that have appeared in approximately 200 magazines related to law enforcement, the fire service, pet and bereavement publications. He has won 11 awards for his writings. He is the secretary of the Public Safety Writers Association, and one of the founders of the Wednesday Warrior Writers Group. Keith lives in Las Vegas with his wife and best friend, Lynn. [email protected]

to prevent the disaster or change its outcome.

Lesa had more than she could handle at the moment. Jeff was dead. She was a widow. She had an infant daughter to raise alone. She had to deal with the department, the pension board, the press and an aching heart. She could not be part of Ron’s recovery. She had to struggle with her own.





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In 1998, a GrOuP OF VanCOuVer POLICe OFFICerS PurCHaSeD a VIDeO CaMera anD beGan CHrOnICLInG the lives of six hopelessly drug addicted residents on their Skid Road beat. The goal was to record the misery that drug and alcohol abuse brings and to share the stark reality-based images with youth. These visceral and high impact images are the core of their productions. They envisioned this information would encourage youth in particular, to consider positive choices regarding the use of harmful and addictive substances.

at the CD release party, Travis Grant and Det Chris Graham stand with Canadian Country music star ridley bent — who contributed a song called Suicidewinder to the CD project — and co-producer rick Grant.

This collection of songs features Charlie Major’s heartfelt but sardonic tribute, It Can’t Happen to Me, an original Harry Manx ballad entitled Nine Summers Lost, pertaining to nine boys under the age of 15 who were gunned down in the gang-infested neighbourhoods of Toronto in less than 30 days.

Barney Bentall’s previously unreleased song, The Unlucky Ones, recounts the physical and psychological abuse suffered by professional hockey player Sheldon Kennedy at the hands of his junior hockey coach. Paul Hyde’s reminiscent musings of a self destructive past, are evident the acoustic gem, I Miss My Mind the Most.

Colin James’ Speakeasy and Just a Pilgrim by Jim Byrnes offer relevant soulful blues melodies while legendary Canadian music icon, Randy Bachman contributes a jazz influenced number titled Two Trains Running. Leslie Alexander’s Garden in the Stones and John Mann’s Port Town are laden with graphic images of the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, while 54:40’s Oppenheimer Park and Craig Northey and the New Odds Breakthrough add a potent rock element to the album. Rising country music star Ridley Bent weighs in with Suicidewinder, a satirical ode to an undercover

On the Beat IIVancouver’s Odd Squad gets the message out with music Sgt. Steve Gibson

Editor/Publsiher Cop to Cop News

They partnered with the National Film Board of Canada to produce their first documentary, Through a Blue Lens (1999), which bolstered the reputation of the Odd Squad Productions Society. It can be seen on streaming video on-line at the National Film Board web site www.nfb.ca/film/through_a_blue_lens/

Other films include “Flipping the World”-2000, “Stolen Lives” -2006, “Scathed” -2006, “Tears for April” -2007. Most of the work continues to revolve around drug and alcohol abuse and the resulting loss of individual human potential. The Odd Squad

Productions Society is dedicated to producing multi media products and delivering this important information to schools, community centers and resource facilities across Canada and abroad.

In 2005, Odd Squad Productions Society teamed up with several musicians to produce their first CD entitled Odd Squad & Co., On the Beat. The motivation to produce this musical compilation arose when Odd Squad began to receive songs from musicians who had been inspired by the heartrending human suffering that was featured in the film work. What

seemed an odd union, between musicians and police, segued into a collection of songs to warn others about the perils of drug and substance abuse.

Chronic addiction issues and the resulting negative social impact are not limited to this locale, which makes this information meaningful to communities worldwide. This second album, On The Beat II, also features songs that spotlight an underworld others may want to look away from, namely, the derisory existence wrung from a cycle of addiction and poverty.

Bruce Springsteen’s demoralizing account of an anonymous girlfriend whose abusive upbringing relinquished her to a life of disillusionment and pain, fronts a series of tracks that struggle with a variety of complicated social issues. Point Blank, released on The River in 1980, could be the story of any young girl or woman

who has ever found herself consigned to a hellish environment akin to the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver.

Well I saw you last night down on the avenue

Your face was in the shadows but I knew that it was you

You were standin’ in the doorway out of the rain

You didn’t answer when I called out your name

You just turned and then you looked away

Like just another stranger waitin’ to get blown away

Point Blank, right between the eyes

— Bruce Springsteen

The song is dissonantly prophetic as several years later scores of marginalized women disappeared from the streets of Vancouver, victims to those who prey upon the most vulnerable members of our society.

drug cop, performed in his trademark “hick-hop” style.

The Barenaked Ladies pensive composition, War on Drugs, was written in response to the record number of citizens who were jumping off the Bloor Street viaduct in Toronto. Severe depression, at times due to mental health issues, but all to often arising from the moral retrogression of a life proscribed by drug and alcohol addiction, created a sense of despair and a yearning to escape which brought these people to their own end.

Several other notable songs include Cameron Latimer’s country lament Empty Saddle, Dustin Bentall’s Crash Hard, Leeroy Stagger’s Everything is Real, and Johnny De Marco’s uplifting rock anthem I’m Gonna Find My Way. Canadian roots super group, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings featuring Tom Wilson, Colin Linden and Steven Fearing appear with their rendition of Stoned. Contributions from two gifted female singer/songwriters round out the album. Newcomer Nat Jay sings Pick Up the Pieces and Issa (formerly known as Jane Siberry) adds the previously unreleased song Phoenix.

about Odd Squad Productions: The Odd Squad Productions Society is a not for profit organization committed to educating youth about the perils of drug abuse and other important social issues. Donations are not absorbed by bureaucratic overhead, but go directly back into film productions that have been some of the most urgent clarion calls for social change as well as drug and substance abuse education. Proceeds from this album and all other donations will assist the Odd Squad Productions Society in continuing this important work. For more information about the Odd Squad Productions Society please access our Website at www.oddsquad.com

A music video featuring Bocephus King, which was filmed in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, is also included with this CD. Jesus the Bookie is directed by Odd Squadder, Al Arsenault and produced by Odd Squad Productions Society.

All artists on this album are dedicated to a variety of community-based projects designed to effect positive social change. They shed light on important social issues through their work and have generously

allowed the Odd Squad Productions Society to profile their music on this album.

Long time VPD employee, Christine Corson, provided several contacts in the music industry, which inspired the Odd Squadder Chris Graham to forge ahead with this second CD project. Chris along with the help of local businessman Rick Grant were able to garner the support of several community minded citizens. Casey Cleland of

Canaccord Capital and a grant from the Peter and Joanne Brown Foundation financed the project. Much of the music on this CD will be used in the soundtracks of upcoming Odd Squad film projects.

On the beat II is Odd Squad’s all-star compilation CD

Jim byrnes performs “Just a Pilgrim” from the CD at the release party.

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“The boss” bruce Springsteen was the first of many artists who agreed to contribute to a benefit CD produced by Odd Squad Productions. In this undated photo he is with VPD Det Chris Graham.





Off BeatThanks to Obama, luxury cars are soon to be a thing of the past. They have always been beyond my means, but I took out a Cadillac Escalade last week for a test drive, just to drive that sucker before they become extinct. The salesman sat in the back seat describing the car and all it’s wonderful options. The seats were of particular interest. He explained the seats directed warm air to your butt in the winter and directed cool air to your butt in the summer heat. I said the car must be a Republican car. He asked why I thought it was a Republican car. I explained that if it were a Democratic car the seats would... blow smoke up your ass.

Texas Rangers factsAustin, TX – In 2008, a total of 4,624 investigations resulted in 1,517 felony arrests, 190 misdemeanor arrests. The Texas Rangers executed 454 search warrants and secured 3,263 statements-including 671 confessions to various crimes. Rangers recovered stolen property valued at $2,305,645 and seized contraband valued at $1,703,006. There were 1,701 convictions for various crimes investigated that resulted in 4 death sentences, 59 life sentences and a total of 7,457 years in penitentiary time being assessed. Rangers served 248 subpeonas and 834 warrants. Rangers conducted 17 hypnosis sessions on criminal investigations. The Texas Rangers made 17 separate traffic referrals to appropriate authorities for dangerous drivers or driving conditions.

AThe national Marine Fisheries Service confirmed this 12-foot shark found off the coast of Oregon to be a Great White.

Outdoor marihuana grow ops on british Columbia’s Vancouver Island are often sizable plantations requiring extensive farming practices in very remote locations.

aerial view of an outdoor grow op.

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M Y S T E R Y6’7”, 250 lb man accused of ringing doorbells in the buff pleads not guilty

Nebraska police arrest woman twice in one night in two different cars for DUI

Man arrested after riding bicycle with 3-foot-long alligator on his shoulders

FBI: Man gives teller his name, ID before robbing Alaska bank

Why is it...If you cross the North Korean border illegally you get 12 years hard labor... But if you cross the US border illegally you get a drivers license, Social Security Card, and free Health Care?Who’s bright idea was this?

Boutte, LA – The 3-foot-long alligator on a bicyclist’s shoulders was a real attention-getter. St. Charles Parish sheriff ’s deputies stopped the cyclist. He allegedly ran, leaving both wheels and his toothy little rider. Capt. Pat Yoes, a spokesman for the sheriff ’s office, said deputies booked 38-year-old Terron D. Ingram on Friday with resisting arrest, possessing drug paraphernalia, and cruelty to animals by abandonment.

Alligator Control Officer Kenny Schmill

said he released the gator into the marsh near Bayou Gauche. Ingram remained jailed in lieu of $15,000 bond Wednesday, five days after his arrest. Yoes said he didn’t know where Ingram got the gator or what he had planned to do with it.

“But, but, but, Officer,

he had a helmet on.”

Redwood, CA – A man suspected of appearing nude at homes and ringing doorbells is being held on $60,000 bail after pleading not guilty to a series of charges. Peter Allen Steele, who is 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 250 pounds, entered his not guilty pleas Tuesday after being charged with seven counts, including driving under the influence,

evading a peace officer, indecent exposure and entering a house without permission. Authorities say the 38-year-old Steele led San Mateo County sheriff ’s deputies on a car chase on July 11 that ended with him streaking into a home and then into woods near Redwood City. Deputies say it took a Taser and two shots from a bean bag gun to bring him down.

Lincoln, NB – Police arrested a woman twice in one night in two different cars for driving drunk. Police spokeswoman Katie Flood said the woman was pulled over at 1:13 a.m. Wednesday after she allegedly made an illegal turn and was spotted swerving down a south Lincoln street. The officer who stopped her said her blood-alcohol level was .19. That’s more than twice the legal limit. The

woman was cited on suspicion of driving under the influence and negligent driving and taken to a detoxification center. Flood said the same officer stopped the woman again about two hours later. This time she was driving her boyfriend’s car. She was arrested for driving under the influence and negligent driving and taken to jail. Her blood-alcohol level then tested at .154.

Anchorage, AK – A 34-year-old man is in custody after authorities say he gave a teller his account number and showed her his picture ID before robbing an Anchorage bank. The FBI says Jarell Paul Arnold of Anchorage is being held on federal bank robbery charges. The FBI alleges Arnold walked into an Alaska USA Federal Credit Union branch Friday and inquired about the balance on his account. The teller asked for his name,

account number and ID. Authorities say he complied, and then handed over a receipt with a note on the back that said he had a gun and demanded money. The FBI says he got away with about $600. Authorities arrested Arnold on Monday. A message left after business hours Wednesday with Arnold’s public defender, Michael Dieni, was not immediately returned. Court records say Arnold was sentenced to 57 months in prison for bank robbery in 2004.

Look up...It’s Harvest Time!

Great White shark found on Oregon CoastDepoe Bay, OR – Oregon State Police (OSP) Fish & Wildlife Division is continuing the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the possession of what is confirmed as a 12-foot Great White Shark in the Depoe Bay area. According to OSP Sergeant Todd Thompson, on August 8, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. an OSP Fish & Wildlife Division trooper was working on the Depoe Bay docks when a shark was brought in by a recreational tuna boat. The trooper contacted the boat occupants after they had already gutted the shark.

They indicated the shark had become entangled in their crab gear and was pulled to the surface when they pulled in a crab pot.

The shark was tentatively believed to be a Great White Shark and was seized. On August 9, the shark was released to the Hatfield Marine Science Center and positively identified as a Great White by the National Marine Fisheries Service and ODFW.

Under State and Federal law, it is unlawful to take or possess Great White Sharks. The investigation is continuing.

PHOTO submitted PHOTO courstesy of Oregon State Police

an InTeGraTeD TeaM OF POLICe OFFICerS FrOM THe rCMP, VICTOrIa PD anD CanaDIan FOrCeS eradicate tens of thousands of marihuana plants.

This annual project, led by the RCMP Federal Drug Enforcement Branch, will see police officers hoisted from helicopters onto Crown Lands, where they will destroy outdoor marihuana grow operations on Vancouver Island. “The locations of these outdoor marihuana grow operations are often remote, and pose unique challenges for our officers. The terrain can be difficult and dangerous to cross, and access by ground is both timely and difficult. Through our partnership with the Canadian Military, we are able to utilize their expertise and equipment, to gain safe access to these locations”, says Cpl. Darren Lagan, spokesperson for the project.

Over the coming days, Officers will visit multiple pre-determined sites across Vancouver Island, where they will

destroy tens of thousands of mature marihuana plants. “These are not small pot grows. These are operations averaging 200 plants in size, to as large as 900 plants. That size of grow operation takes significant start up funding, physical labor, and dedication to cultivate. By destroying them, we are disrupting the flow of illegal drugs to the streets of our communities, and in turn, disrupting the flow of funding to organized crime

groups in the province”, states Cpl. Lagan.

Beyond the team of airborne officers, others on the ground work from local Detachments across Vancouver Island, eradicating sites that are easily accessible by land. “It’s harvest season for Vancouver Island police”, says Lagan.

The project end date and locations of active grow sites will not be made public, in the interest of police officer safety, and investigational integrity.

The sign, dated 1980, says, “The captain told me to leave my motorcycle stuff on your desk when I retired. I did.”





applied for a job. He’s lost count of how many applications he’d submitted to law enforcement agencies across the years before that.

With slots open for detention officers, Babeu was more than willing to give him a shot. Out of curiosity and support, he had attended portions of Lovelace’s trial and as the evidence unfolded, he’d become convinced that the case “resulted from a prosecutor that was overzealous and an investigation that was clearly flawed. The department’s command staff, the prosecutor, and the media were all singing in a chorus that was contrary to the evidence. It was a train wreck from Day One.”

He told Force Science News: “I tried to take out all the emotion and just look at the facts, and I believe if I was in the same place as Dan Lovelace in that shooting I may have reacted in the very same way he did.”

In giving Lovelace the nod, Babeu told him that he expected him to graduate at the top of his corrections academy class. The first day of firearms training, Lovelace shot at the expert level. He scored highest in the class on

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OathContinued from page 8

VicPD and the Township of Esquimalt present:The Anti Graffitti SymposiumTAGS 2009October 21 & 22, 2009Victoria, bC, CanadaDelta Victoria Ocean Pointe resort

Connect, educate and inspire with law enforcement, local government, community organizations and businesses in the fight against graffiti in our neighbourhoods.

Topics include:• Covert Technology with a Volunteer Army• Volunteers: The key to your Success• Five types of Graffiti and their cultures• Building an Anti Graffiti Unit• 10 Steps to a Graffiti-Free City, “ Painted Problems”

For conference details and how to register:www.togetheragainstgraffiti.ca • 250-412-8500Law enforcement rep: Chantal [email protected] • 250-995-7502 Municipal rep: Mike [email protected] • 250-414-7154

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The 2010 Public Safety Writers Conference is going to be held at the ORLEANS Hotel and Casino on West Tropicana Avenue in Las Vegas, Nevada, from June 17-20, 2010. The 20th is Father’s Day, and a trip to Las Vegas as a Father’s Day gift is wonderful present.

Marilyn Meredith is once again organizing the conference speakers and panels. If you check our website at www.policewriter.com you can see who we have early commitments from, who our guest speaker is, and while you’re there, fill out the application and either mail it in along with your check or sign up electronically and use PayPal and take advantage of the early bird special.

Why Las Vegas you might ask? Well, Las Vegas is one of the easiest and cost effective locations to get to. McCarran Airport is home to many airlines, and others use it as a hub. Also, you can’t be bored in Las Vegas. If you want to gamble,

our hotel has plenty of different gambling venues. If gambling isn’t for you, take in a show, either a live performance in the showroom or in the multiplex movie theater. Oh did I tell you, they also have a sports arena attached to the hotel. If you like to bowl, they have 60+ bowling alleys for you to try. If all you care about is eating, the ORLEANS has that as well, from Seattle’s Best Coffee, to Ice Cream, Subway, other snack bars, a coffee shop, a buffet for 3 different meals a day, and let’s not forget the gourmet restaurants. There is an assortment of locations in the hotel where you can sit down and indulge yourself in some liquid libation. For all of this you don’t even have to leave the hotel.

Do you want to see more of Las Vegas, well let me tell you what the hotel is doing for us. They have reserved a block of rooms for our attendees at very reasonable prices. They have done so for three days either side of

1. “Don’t assume that your department is looking out for your best interests” in a controversial situation. Study your rights, know them well, and take a proactive role in defending yourself.

2. “Excel in everything you can, so when your time comes your reputation precedes you. When the jury heard me testify, my word still carried some weight, even with everything that had been done to discredit me.”

3. Be prepared to find out who your true friends are. “It really hurt to see some officers turn their backs on me. I’d been to their weddings, visited their wives in the hospital when they had babies, backed them up on calls. On the other hand, there were some friends who stuck with my wife and me from the very beginning up to this moment. I could never put into words what that has meant to us.”

4. “It’s important to have a life outside of law enforcement. When you come home at the end of your shift and take off that uniform, be a husband, be a father, not a cop. Some people attach themselves to the badge so fanatically that if they have to leave it, it takes their life with it.”

Have faith. “When my career failed me, some friends failed me, I still had God and my family. If I had had to go to prison, God would have gone with me and my family would have helped me do whatever I had to do to survive.”

When asked what he would like to share with other officers, in terms of lessons learned from his long ordeal, Dan Lovelace offers these suggestions:

DT. He won honors for physical fitness. He was selected to be class speaker at commencement. And he missed graduating as valedictorian by 1 percentage point; he came in second.

At this writing, his assignment is in the maximum security section of the jail, overseeing homicide arrestees and other violent offenders. “It’s a slower pace than I’m used to,” he says, “but I like it. I’m serving the public by preventing escapes, and I’m a police officer per se in the facility by preventing crimes between inmates.” Even so, he would welcome the opportunity eventually to get back to his first love, uniformed patrol.

Predictably, the media have caught up with him. Arizona papers have run worrisome stories about his “controversial” hiring, with concerns expressed about his liability and reliability. “It’s old hat to me,” Lovelace says. Babeu is prepared to withstand the heat. “Dan will do an exemplary job,” he says. “I know in my heart and mind that hiring him was the best thing to do. I hope his worst days are behind him.”

Reprinted with permission from Force Science Institute.

For a free subscription to the Force Science News e-newsletter, visit www.forcescience.org or e-mail [email protected]

our conference dates. That allows you to combine a conference with a wonderful vacation. The hotel provides shuttle service to the Las Vegas Strip. From where they let you off, you can walk the entire strip and enjoy the water shows, free shows along the strip, souvenir shopping, and sampling the food and beverages along the way. When you’re done visiting the “strip” either wait for the shuttle bus to pick you up, or take a cab back to the hotel.

If you’re into sightseeing like I am, Red Rock

Canyon, Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and Mt. Charleston to name a few attractions are all nearby. If you don’t have a car, tours are available. One that I have seen is the “Pink Jeep” tours. They even stop at a park on the way to Hoover Dam and introduce you to a herd of Long Horned Mountain Sheep who graze in the park. Ghost tours and Mob tours are available at night. There are even helicopter tours of Las Vegas and surrounding areas.

If you are a firefighter

or interested in fire trucks, the Clark County Fire Academy is right across the street from the ORLEANS. You can always stop by and watch the instructors torture the recruits. If you go to the fire academy, or anywhere else, please be careful crossing the street, many drivers make up the rules of the road as they drive.

Now you are probably wondering what should I wear? At our conferences we hope you will consider the other attendees and wear clothes. The type of clothes you should bring –

casual, the more casual the better. Remember to bring your bathing suit along the hotel has a beautiful pool.

Realize we have 4 seasons in Las Vegas; winter, spring, summer and fall, just like other places. In winter we even get snow on occasion. Spring and fall it only goes from the 70s to the 90s, but it’s a dry heat. Even though summer doesn’t officially start until the day after the conference it will be pushing the mercury to 100. July and August is when you hear, “Oh my God, my shoes

www.coptocopnews.com

THE 2010 public safety writers conferenceKeith BettingerStaff Writer Cop to Cop News

Autumn is fast approaching and the 2009 Public Safety Writers Association conference in Las Vegas is over for this year. However, if you want to learn about writing, see your name as a byline in publications like this one, don’t worry, plans are already being made for the 2010 conference.

have melted and I’m stuck to the sidewalk.” Don’t complain about the little inconvenience of the daytime heat, evenings are fantastic and feel cool, and the ‘Strip” must be seen at night to enjoy all the lights and festivities. Besides, Phoenix is always at least 10 degrees warmer.

If you want to learn to write or improve your writing come to our conference. If you are interested in meeting people in the writing field, here’s where you want to be. Do you want to be an award winning

writer? Submit articles, stories, books, screenplays, poetry or whatever you’re working on to our annual contest. Nothing looks better on a resume than seeing that you’re an award winning writer. If you don’t see a category that covers your writing, let us know. We might have just overlooked that genre. Submission guidelines and membership benefits are listed in our website. Take a few moments to visit with us and consider joining us for lots of fun and a great learning experience.



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Cop to Cop News - July Aug 2009

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