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This one not completely positive but he was doing the right thing.

Iowa officer critically injured after attack by teen
By Jeff Raasch
The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Three hours of surgery on Monday attempted to repair the damage done to Cedar Rapids police Officer Tim Davis after he was apparently beaten unconscious.

Davis, 30, was in guarded condition at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City as of Monday afternoon after being assaulted while stopped suspects in an armed robbery late Sunday. Two suspects in the robbery and assault were arrested Monday.

Davis and Officer Tracy Brumbaugh were the first officers to arrive after the robbery near 1630 First Ave. NE was reported at 10:56 p.m. The officers pulled in front of three men fitting the description of the suspects.

Read full story here: Second Cedar Rapids teen arrested for assault on officer

Within my department:

Two officers, on seperate incidents, went into burning houses to save people. One of the houses was habitual alcoholic who causes nothing but problems for her neighbors and complains on officers.

Another officer pulled a suicidal male from a burning car.


freddy

Officer Brian Bobick
District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department

Nashville, Tenn. - November 9, 2008 - THE FORCE®, a leading public safety uniform brand, announced that it has named Officer Brian Bobick of the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department as the recipient of the 4th annual Positive Force Award. Officer Bobick will be recognized at an award ceremony that will take place in THE FORCE® exhibit at the 115th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in San Diego, Ca., November 9.

Without a second thought, Officer Bobick selflessly pushed his partner out of the way of a speeding car taking the full impact himself. Later it was found that the vehicle was driven by a 15-year-old who was specifically targeting the officers because of his disdain for law enforcement.

Officer Bobick was selected from nominations from around the country by an independent and esteemed committee of law enforcement leaders and industry luminaries. Nominees were evaluated on their professional conduct, extreme acts of valor and bravery, dedication to their community and other notable achievements.

"The Force® is committed to tell the stories of our law enforcement heroes. The Positive Force Award is our way of recognizing public safety professionals who distinguish themselves by going above and beyond the call of duty," said Aimee Say, marketing manager for The Force® . "Law enforcement officers put their lives in danger every time they put on their uniforms. The sacrifices they make enable us to live better lives, and the Positive Force Award is The Force® brand's commitment to recognizing these officers as heroes."

On December 13, 2007, Brian Bobick and Michael Architzel, Bike Patrol Unit Officers from the Sixth District (6-D), were responding to a missing person call when they stopped near an elementary school to speak with a young woman and her daughter. Instantly a double-parked black sedan got their attention. After the driver excessively revved the engine, it sped toward the officers.

Without a second thought, Officer Bobick pushed his partner out of the vehicle's path and took the full impact himself. Officer Bobick was critically injured and taken by helicopter to a local hospital. Fortunately, he is almost completed a full recovery and is eager to get back to work.

An investigation found that the driver of the vehicle was a juvenile with a lengthy criminal record. In his statement to the police, the suspect admitted his intent was to run down Officer Architzel because of prior altercation with the juvenile.

As an officer, you dedicate your life to protecting and serving the citizens of your community. Officers put their lives on the line everyday to save others. The way Officer Bobick responded to the situation was simply instinctive to law enforcement professionals. In this case, however, the "citizen" he was protecting happened to be a fellow officer.

Officer Bobick began his law enforcement career in 1997 as a Deputy Sheriff with the Geauga County (OH) Sheriff's Office. In 2001, he relocated to the nation's capital and joined the ranks of the Metropolitan Police Department. After the recruit training, he was assigned to the Sixth Police District.

At 6D, Officer Bobick volunteered to supervise the community-oriented Bike Patrol Unit for Police Service Area 601. His leadership of the unit resulted in the successful training of other officers and in creating a bond of trust and respect with members of the community. He has worked tirelessly to make PSA 601 safer and more habitable for residents and visitors on his beat.

At IACP, Bobick will be presented with a check for $5,000 for personal use and $5,000 for the charity of his choice, Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at booth #5019.

Here's on off duty incident:

On Feb. 12, 2007, Officer Hammond took his pregnant wife out for an early Valentine’s Day dinner at the Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah. While resting outside the restaurant, they heard gunshots. Officer Hammond immediately instructed his wife to return to the restaurant, lock it down and call 911. Despite the fact that he was in civilian clothes, without a protective vest and armed with only 8 rounds, Officer Hammond sprung into action.

He ran down the mall corridor shouting to the patrons, “Ogden City Police! OPD! Get Down! Get Back!” Gun drawn and in plain clothes, he wanted the patrons in the mall to know he was not a threat.

After observing a number of seriously injured people on the ground level of the mall, Hammond saw the suspect with a shotgun and .38-caliber pistol. The officer attracted the attention of the suspect and exchanged shots with him until back-up arrived. At that point, Officer Hammond worked with the Salt Lake City Police and SWAT departments to take the suspect down.

Although five lives were taken and several injured by the suspect prior to Officer Hammond’s involvement, his quick response and action undoubtedly saved the lives of many others.

“Going in and engaging a suspect without having the benefit of a uniform, extra equipment or magazines for his firearm is truly heroic,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank of Officer Hammond’s actions.

At IACP, Hammond will be presented with a check for $5,000 for personal use and $5,000 for the charity of his choice, Primary Children's Center in Salt Lake City. The ceremony will take place at 2:00-3:00p.m. at booth #4629. go above and beyond the call of duty.

Freddy - for what it is worth ....

I think almost everybody greatly honors and respects police officers for the job they do. The same way we respect any person whose job gives to others more than it does to serve their own self interest. When we read of stories like the ones you have posted or see other such stories on TV, you cannot help but be thankful.

At the same time, I can understand the reluctance of some persons to be on the side of the police because of historical events or sociological patterns that have placed them in groups or situations that make them and the police potential adversaries.

We need more programs to build bridges between differing communities and groups. We need more services for police officers to deal with the stress of their job so its not taken out on innocent people from time to time. And we need more honest communication. I would hope that is what this thread can contribute to.

sauronsfinger wrote:

We need more services for police officers to deal with the stress of their job so its not taken out on innocent people from time to time.

SF, for the most part, your post was very conciliatory. Thank you. This one sentence leaps out. Actually, all sorts of people deal with the stresses of their lives by taking it out on innocent people, especially in their own families. A hundred people could be beating their spouses right now, And a hundred kids could be living with alcoholic, verbally abusive, or neglectful parents, but the one policeman hitting a kid on the street is the one you will hear about. We need more services to help all of them.

Non-violent behavior is hard to quantify in terms of results. I could shoot one deranged person and save several lives immediately (the people he was about to kill). Or I could work at a crisis hotline (which I do) for years, and thereby defuse situations and support several people who might otherwise have gone on to try to kill people. I will never know. Which is why I must work on non-violence daily. Being conciliatory in all of my dealings, to the best of my ability, adds to the net worth of non-violence in our community. If, on the other hand, I am always sniping and arguing, there is a chance that the ripples I start in the pond will eventually cause someone to snap - perhaps a policeman in Peoria. Perhaps me.

SF, Thanks for the kind words. This thread really isn't about me or my feelings, it's about balance. If I continue to post to allow CG to post about negative things that police officers do then I am doing no justice to the thousands of others who are doing the right thing. We lose too many officers each year as they do their job selflessly.

You are right there is a great amount of support for officers and there are many things police can do to make things better. Talking with their community is the first step.

freddy

Thanks for the kind words from both Freddy and Laureanna. One of the programs I have always liked are police sponsored athletic programs for children. In Detroit we have something called the Police Athletic League - PAL - which sponsors baseball and basketball leagues around the city. They try to get the kids when they are young and make a positive impression on them. Now I have no idea if there is any research saying that such things work. All I know is that they sound like they make sense.

In our area the youth athletics are all done by the local cities. What we have done with success is implementing a made to fit "community oriented policing" (COP).

Our officers work pretty much the same area all the time. Each street sergeant is assigned an area that he is responsible for. I make sure I am the contact person for any citizen that has a neighborhood problem. I then assign an officer to address the problem based on the time of day it is happening. It gives people someone to talk with and it is up to me to make sure things are handled.

We have one officer that was so good about working this stuff he was able to gain entry into a residence without a warrant at any time. This was requested BY THE HOMEOWNER because he was at work and his kids were terrorizing the neighborhood. It took about two weeks before the kids finally figured out that we were going to come in when there was any sign of problems. Once things were under control then we never entered the residence. Could this have been abused? Sure, but there was so much trust with the homeowner and us he knew we would not abuse it.

I can go on and on to give more examples.

freddy

Freddy - is that a similar system to what is used in Japan in many cities? I have read where they use a system and each officer is require do actually visit each home in the area a certain number of times each year.

Your story about the officer rminds me of something that happened to me over thirty years ago. I lived across from the city nursery where they grew the trees and plants for the entire city of Detroit. There were no fences around it and it looked like a park. One night two plainclothes detectives knock on the door with badges and asked if they could search my yard and detached garage. They said that they found a severed head in the nursery and a man ran into the neighborhood and started jumping fences from one yard to another. I was more than happy to have them search.

Any action that will build trust between the public at large and the police is a good action.

I don't know about in the States, but with the RCMP for most of its existence the last thing they wanted was any genuine interaction with the public. This was particularly so in the North and in other remote areas where the Mounties were "the law" and kept completely apart from the community. The idea was that they couldn't possibly be part of the community, people would "abuse" the friendships, etc. The upshot was that the Indians and Inuit hate the Mounties and the Mounties were mostly racist jerks. I can't even repeat the stuff I've heard coming out of the mouths of RCMP officers.

Most large cities have their own police forces, but the RCMP is the police force for many other cities, they work under contract. Surrey is one example, and Richmond is another. When I was a kid, there was a provincial police force and there are mutterings that it might be a good idea. And some cities have gone away from the RCMP to their own city police.

Since the RCMP members are "parachuted in" and have no ties to the areas where they are deployed, they never really build any community connections. There are those who argue that this is a good preventative for corruption, pointing out that a few large city police forces have recently been famously found to be corrupt. But then, the head honcho of the RCMP was recently found to have been doing funny stuff with the pension funds, so the anti-corruption argument doesn't thrill me.

I think local police forces, where the officers live in the community, are the best. And I think that any programs that show the public the "other face" of the police are always good programs. Most cops are really nice guys, and some of them seem to have real knack for connecting with troubled kids - this is something that should be exploited to the fullest. A lot of troubled boys don't have a good father figure, and a good cop is a good substitute, in some ways.

SF, I am not sure about Japan.

Vison, I disagree with living in the community they work. I can give several incidents of vandalism because the local kids knew it was a cop that they deal with. On a personal level, I lived in my city for about four years but never felt like I was off work and never relaxed. Not because of my neighbors but because I was where I worked.

freddy

Freddy
found this on wikipdeia and it seems to confirm what I had heard elsewhere about strong local policing.

Police Boxes

Officer providing assistance at a police station in Hiroshima, near HondoriBelow these stations, police boxes (koban)—substations near major transportation hubs and shopping areas and in residential districts—form the first line of police response to the public. About 20 percent of the total police force is assigned to koban. Staffed by three or more officers working in eight-hour shifts, they serve as a base for foot patrols and usually have both sleeping and eating facilities for officers on duty but not on watch. In rural areas, residential offices usually are staffed by one police officer who resides in adjacent family quarters. These officers endeavor to become a part of the community, and their families often aid in performing official tasks.

Officers assigned to koban have intimate knowledge of their jurisdictions. One of their primary tasks is to conduct twice-yearly house-by-house residential surveys of homes in their areas, at which time the head of the household at each address fills out a residence information card detailing the names, ages, occupations, business addresses, and vehicle registration numbers of household occupants and the names of relatives living elsewhere. Police take special note of names of the aged or those living alone who might need special attention in an emergency. They conduct surveys of local businesses and record employee names and addresses, in addition to such data as which establishments stay open late and which employees might be expected to work late. Participation in the survey is voluntary, and most citizens cooperate, but an increasing segment of the population has come to regard the surveys as invasions of privacy.

Information elicited through the surveys is not centralized but is stored in each police box, where it is used primarily as an aid to locating people. When a crime occurs or an investigation is under way, however, these files are invaluable in establishing background data for a case. Specialists from district police stations spend considerable time culling through the usually poorly filed data maintained in the police boxes

Obviously a nation as different as Japan does many thing differently than we do here. But it does show the same relationship as you have mentioned with being connected with the neighborhood that you patrol.

Freddy
found this on wikipdeia and it seems to confirm what I had heard elsewhere about strong local policing.

Quote:

Police Boxes

Officer providing assistance at a police station in Hiroshima, near HondoriBelow these stations, police boxes (koban)—substations near major transportation hubs and shopping areas and in residential districts—form the first line of police response to the public. About 20 percent of the total police force is assigned to koban. Staffed by three or more officers working in eight-hour shifts, they serve as a base for foot patrols and usually have both sleeping and eating facilities for officers on duty but not on watch. In rural areas, residential offices usually are staffed by one police officer who resides in adjacent family quarters. These officers endeavor to become a part of the community, and their families often aid in performing official tasks.

Officers assigned to koban have intimate knowledge of their jurisdictions. One of their primary tasks is to conduct twice-yearly house-by-house residential surveys of homes in their areas, at which time the head of the household at each address fills out a residence information card detailing the names, ages, occupations, business addresses, and vehicle registration numbers of household occupants and the names of relatives living elsewhere. Police take special note of names of the aged or those living alone who might need special attention in an emergency. They conduct surveys of local businesses and record employee names and addresses, in addition to such data as which establishments stay open late and which employees might be expected to work late. Participation in the survey is voluntary, and most citizens cooperate, but an increasing segment of the population has come to regard the surveys as invasions of privacy.

Information elicited through the surveys is not centralized but is stored in each police box, where it is used primarily as an aid to locating people. When a crime occurs or an investigation is under way, however, these files are invaluable in establishing background data for a case. Specialists from district police stations spend considerable time culling through the usually poorly filed data maintained in the police boxes

Obviously a nation as different as Japan does many thing differently than we do here. But it does show the same relationship as you have mentioned with being connected with the neighborhood that you patrol.

Very similar. I think a little over reaching for our country but similar. I worked the same beat for 8 years and new where every car was parked and what belonged and did not. We received a call about a suspicious male in the area and the first thing I noticed was the car that did not belong. Turns out they were breaking into a construction trailer and we caught both of them. Know your area and know your people, it really works.


freddy

Police officers in my town growing up always carried baseball cards and handed them out to us kids. We always loved it when the officers came to school because we knew we'd get cards.


Anyway, reading and enjoying the stories, Freddy!

The police in our area do the shop with a cop program. An officer will come to your house a few weeks before Christmas, pick up your child in their cruiser, take them out to breakfast, and then, with $100, take the child shopping at the local Walmart. My children have been the benefactors of this, and they loved every minute of it.

We also do the shop with cops. The kids get $200 to buy for their family and themselves. Almost all of the kids buy for their family first and then if they have money left over then the buy for themselves.

We do a cops and kids camp where we have cops, trouble older youth as counselors, and the 4-5graders play sports all day.

For National Night Out this year I will be heading up an open house for the public to come see what their PD has to offer. We display the SWAT team, bike team, Accident Investigators, K-9, Evidence Crews, Honor Guard, and a tour of the PD. Last year we had over 200 people attend. Along with all of this we cook hot dogs and provide pop/water.

This is a small sampling of what our COP projects are.

freddy

This happened the other night:

An officer of mine was monitoring another jurisdiction and heard that they were checking their bridges for a suicidal male. He went directly to our only bridge a found the male straddling the railing. He called it out and engaged the male in conversation.

Two other officers arrived and approached the male, still straddling the railing. While the male was distracted they grabbed him and pulled him off the rail. He was secured and taken to the local hospital for evaluation.


freddy

Freddy, why do the police have to say "male" when they could just say "man"? This is a nitpicking complaint of mine, but it just drives me bloody crazy. "Male" sounds like they're talking about a dog. He's a Man.

Or, they go to the other extreme and call the man a "gentleman".