As I indicated in my last post, I have started to contribute to a site called The Crime Report.  I was reading their interview with International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Michael Carroll and fell off my chair.

According to Carroll, 60 percent of police chiefs do not require their officers to wear bullet resistant vests.  If this is accurate, then all of them should be fired.  Today.  There is no excuse.

I have heard all the arguments:

“Its not comfortable”

“Its too hot”

“I can’t move in it, so in fact it is less safe.”

“They are so expensive”

Please, cut me a freakin break.  Thousands of lives have been saved by vests.  Officers in the Arizona desert wear them, and countless officers have been involved in hand-to-hand encounters wearing them and survived.  There is no excuse.

Now, the money thing is interesting.  A good vest costs close to $1000.00.  So I can see a small town struggling with that budget reality.  The fact is there are grant programs to buy them, and if your department has even one car, one radio, and one jail cell, then you can make cuts to get a vest for your one cop.  There is no excuse.

If any of you are working right now and do not have a vest on, please go get it.  If you are not provided one, please make some noise.  And please write back and let me know what your department / chief thinks of wearing a vest…

From WTAE:

“Moffatt said Crawshaw was responding to a call that went to county 911 about someone inside a house with a gun. Crawshaw properly followed protocol by parking his car a few doors away from the scene and calling for backup, according to his department chief, Howard Burton.

While Crawshaw was on his radio, police said, Robinson walked up to the car and fired a number of times into the left side of Crawshaw’s vehicle, hitting the officer several times, including a fatal wound to the head.

“He didn’t have a chance. He was ambushed,” said witness Nancy Salera. “It was rapid gunfire. Semi-automatic machine gun. And I heard a lot of screaming, a lot of yelling.”

Pitt police chief Tim Delaney fondly rememberes Crawshaw

“He was an excellent officer, but he was a better person,” Delaney said.
“He was always smiling … no matter what was going on, he had a natural smile. His parents did a good job raising him.”

Image credit to WTAE

WTAE is offering friends and relatives of Michael a place to post their memories. That place is the comment section of their website, here:

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/allegheny/21885697/detail.html

Their article mentions:
“Crawshaw is the first Penn Hills police officer to be killed on the job in 37 years.”

I’m actually very surprised by this. Penn Hills is a fairly dangerous area, though not as bad as other Pittsburgh neighborhoods such as Homewood…

From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Officer Crawshaw graduated in 2001 from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor of science degree in social work and a minor in psychology, Edinboro spokesman Jeff Pinski said. He later attended an 11-month program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Criminal Justice Training Academythat led to a certificate of completion in February 2004. The academy offers the program in various locations, and Officer Crawshaw attended the session at Carnegie Mellon University, said IUP spokeswoman Michelle Fryling.

Officer Crawshaw had been with the Penn Hills force for 2 1/2 years and had previously worked for the University of Pittsburgh force.

Our condolences to the Crawshaw family

Cook County Correctional Officer Jacob Cano was wounded in a shooting during a robbery, September 23, 2009, when leaving his home in the 4600 block of West 82nd Street when men approached and tried to rob him, according to Cook County Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Patterson. Ofc. Cano was apparently stabilized before being transported to hospital after being shot in the back. He apparently was conscious after being shot. He works in Division 1 at the Cook County Jail.

Update 9/26/09 – It is reported he is in an ICU in serious but stable condition. Sounds like he’ll be OK.

OFFICER DOWN..FLORIDA www.privateofficer.com

OFFICER DOWN

POLICE OFFICER ANDREW WIDMAN

FT. MYERS FLA. POLICE DEPARTMENT

Police Officer Andrew Widman

Fort Myers Police DepartmentFlorida

End of Watch: Friday, July 18, 2008

Biographical InfoAge: 30

Tour of Duty: 1 year, 3 months

Incident Details Cause of Death: Gunfire

Date of Incident: Friday, July 18, 2008

Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type

Suspect Info: Shot and killed

Officer Andrew Widman was shot and killed after he and other officers responded to a domestic dispute outside of a restaurant on Hendry Street at 2:00 am.As the officers attempted to breakup the fight the male subject produced a gun and opened fire, fatally wounding Officer Widman.

Four other officers on the scene returned fire and killed the suspect.

Officer Widman had served with the agency for just over 1 year.

He is survived by his wife and three children.

Agency Contact Information Fort Myers Police Department

2210 Peck Street Fort Myers, FL 33901

Phone: (239) 338-2128

Please contact the Fort Myers Police Department for funeral arrangements or for survivor benefit fund information.

Security officer shot 4 times www.privateofficer.com

MIAMI DADE FLA May 28 2008

By: Rick McCann

Ntl. Assoc. Private Officers

www.privateofficer.com A violent close to the Memorial Day holiday weekend as a security officer is shot outside of a popular club in northwest Miami Dade.

Witnesses told police the shooting happened around 3 a.m. Tuesday in front of Coco’s Lounge on Northwest 119th Street and 14th Avenue after the club’s bouncers tossed man from the club.

A fight then broke out in front of the club until the angry ousted patron returned with a gun and shot the security officer four times.

He was rushed to the hospital in stable condition. “I heard about 7 or 8 shots,” said Bobby Miller, “I was in the back of the parking lot and then I came to the front to see what was going on.

As I was approaching the front of the club I saw a bunch of people scattering, a lot of excitement, a lot of activity.

At that point I saw that there was a brawl going on with somebody firing bullets and the security guard got shot.

Club officials told police it was the man’s first night on the job.

Police are searching for a silver four door Buick that gunman drove away in immediately after the shooting.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Miami Dade Crime stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

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I received a comment asking me to spread the word on officer Mike Kralicek.  He was shot in the line of duty, declared a “lost cause” by doctors and nurses, and only his wife held out hope.  When he survived, they said he would be a quadriplegic.  Wrong again.  He now walks and talks…and has become a motivational speaker.  I have copied the comment below.  Stop by the link and tell me what you feel  -  it brought tears to my eyes.

I was hoping to spread the word about the incredibly inspirational story of Mike Kralicek. He was shot LOD, became a paraplegic, and is now a motivational speaker. I was hoping to share his story with as many brothers in blue as possible.
Here’s the video:

http://www.policeone.com/policeonetv/clip/1670391/

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

OFF DUTY HOUSTON OFFICER SHOT MAKING ARREST www.privateofficer.com

Houston TX. Oct. 30, 2007

A man suspected of shooting a Houston police officer while he was being arrested was found dead in a field Sunday, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Police said Officer Victor Hill, who was not in uniform, arrested Eric Titov, 22, on suspicion of breaking into cars at the complex in the 18600 block of South Park View Drive near West Park View Drive at about 12:30 a.m.
Investigators said Titov, who was handcuffed, pulled out a gun and shot Hill in the chest.
Hill called for backup and was taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital in critical condition.
Titov ran from the scene, detectives said. He was found dead in a field on Barker Cypress Road near Saums Road on Sunday afternoon. Police have not said how he died.
Titov had several credit cards and driver’s licenses that did not belong to him, detectives said. Hill has been with the Houston Police Department for 14 years.

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Miracle Deputy Ready To Go To Work www.privateofficer.com

HOLLYWOOD FLA. Oct. 25, 2007 – Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Maury Hernandez walked into a news conference at Memorial Regional Hospital on Thursday, his left leg shaking, his right hand clutching a cane and his left arm in a sling.Wearing his uniform and his badge, Hernandez drew applause from fellow law enforcement officers with each inspirational step.Hernandez was shot in the head during a traffic stop in Pembroke Park 80 days ago and, from the start, was not expected to survive. Thursday morning, in his first public comments since the Aug. 6 shooting, he talked about getting back to work.
I would like to go back to my regular job as soon as possible,” said Hernandez, smiling and surrounded by family and doctors who laughed and clapped and wiped away tears of joy. The deputy seemed almost embarrassed at all the attention.”I’m very honored. I don’t think I deserve all this,” he said.His brother, Hallandale Beach Police Officer Josue Hernandez, said he expects the deputy to be released from the hospital as early as Friday.Maury Hernandez returning to work is a very real possibility, according to his doctors and acting Sheriff Al Lamberti.Dr. Luis Rodriguez, a neurosurgeon who treated Hernandez, said the deputy’s recovery has gone so well that, although pieces of the bullet are still lodged in his head and he remains partially paralyzed on his left side, a 100 percent recovery is possible.”I’m sure there’s some medical explanation for what happened here,” Lamberti said.Still, he and others felt compelled to call the recovery “miraculous.”Hernandez and his family thanked colleagues and others for their prayers and financial assistance since the shooting that nearly took his life.
The alleged gunman, David Maldonado, 24, remains in custody at the Broward Main Jail, charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.

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