This just in…

Hey guys, I just got this in today from one of my favorite LEO wives:

 

On Monday July 28th, 2008 at approximately 11:00 Deputy Hockman of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office discovered an Ace of Hearts playing card lying in the center of his driveway. Deputy Hockman resides in Martinsburg, WV. Inquiries were made into the meaning of an Ace of Hearts being left in a driveway. The earliest feedback revealed that the Ace of Hearts is used by a gang known as the DAMU. DAMU is Swahili for “Blood”. The Ace of Hearts is used by the DAMU’s to identify where a Law Enforcement Officer lives.

The Ace is worth 11 points in the game of Blackjack; the eleventh letter in the alphabet is “K” which is known to stand for Kill.

Deputy Hockman has been employed and working the road as a patrol deputy for just over a year. Deputy Hockman is the son of a retired West Virginia State Police LT.

Until such a time we can discredit this as a threat, I believe this information needs to be disseminated to as many LEO’s to be aware of and cautious of in the event they run across this type of labeling.

TROOPER OF THE YEAR

CONGRATS TO OUR TROOPER OF THE YEAR!

 AAST announces National Trooper of the Year

Arkansas State Police Corporal Blake Wilson, 51, of Russellville, Ark., has been named the recipient of the American Association of State Troopers (AAST) 2008 Trooper of the Year award.  He will be presented with the award and a check for $1,000 at the AAST national board meeting on Friday, June 13, at a noon luncheon to be held at the Renaissance Charleston Hotel Historic District, Charleston, S.C.

The AAST Trooper of the Year award is sponsored by Ken Underwood, founder, president, and CEO of the National Safety Commission (http://www.nationalsafetycommission.com/), one of the nations’ leading providers of driver education services.  The company provides a variety of online driver education courses in all 50 states and has been recognized as America’s second fastest growing education company.

Wilson, a 29-year veteran of the department, is assigned to the Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol Division, Troop J.

Wilson was selected as the national AAST Trooper of the Year from a pool of candidates from across the country.  The award was based on his skillful negotiations during a prolonged hostage standoff which began during the early morning hours of Oct. 31, 2007, outside the Choctaw, Ark. (Van Buren County) Post Office.

For more than 10 hours, without sitting or stopping for food, water, or any other necessities, Wilson negotiated with a man holding a knife to the chest of the suspect’s 4-year-old daughter.  The suspect was holding the child and her mother hostage inside a pick-up truck, and at times during the negotiations, the suspect used the child as a shield to protect himself from possible action by police snipers.

Shortly before nightfall as the suspect began to fatigue, Wilson was able to take advantage of an opportunity to disarm the man, as an ASP SWAT officer moved in and applied a Taser shock to the suspect.

For his actions, Wilson was also named the Arkansas State Police 2007 Trooper of the Year in April 2008 and was one of two Arkansas state troopers to recently receive the department’s Medal of Valor Award.

“We are privileged to honor Corporal Wilson with this distinguished award for his selfless and unyielding efforts during the 10-hour negotiation process,” AAST President Tommy Moore said.  “His dedication to duty during this tense standoff was exemplary, and he is most deserving of this special recognition.”

As Trooper of the Year, Wilson and his wife will be treated by AAST and the National Safety Commission to an all expense paid trip to Charleston to receive his award. 

1949 Raymond Diehl Rd. ● Tallahassee, FL 32308 ● www.statetroopers.org ● 800-765-5456 ● 850-385-7904

 

Footysites.com

We received a great letter with a request to view a site called Footysites.com.  Check it out!

Here’s an idea of what it’s about:

http://footysites.com/

At Footy, Inc., we believe that the men and women that make up our military and safety forces are some of the most important people in our society.We are saddened by the fact that our protectors never receive enough recognition and praise that they so richly deserve.We admire an individual who takes up a weapon and confronts an enemy in a foreign land in order to protect his homeland. We admire an individual who runs into a burning building when everyone else is running out. We admire an individual who confronts a criminal face to face and puts themselves at risk to protect the citizens they serve. We admire an individual who goes off to duty every day knowing that they may not return alive. We admire the family members of our military and safety forces who live every day with the knowledge that their loved ones are confronting evil and are constantly in harms way. We believe that there is no greater gift that mankind can offer than to sacrifice their own life to protect the citizens they are entrusted to protect. John chapter 15 and verse 13 says this, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” At Footy, Inc., we are dedicated to recognizing the hard work and sacrifice made by our military personnel, our law enforcement officers, and our firefighters. At Footy, Inc., we are determined to provide a venue for our military and safety forces to show what a great job they are doing by providing a site where their videos and pictures can be uploaded and viewed by the entire world. May God bless our military and safety forces.

 Let us know what you think!

Retired Officers

If you know and/or love a Retired Officer, please refer to our Sister Page:

Leaving the Badge Behind

What’s Your Secret?

 

I’ve seen lately that there are many police families breaking apart.  I know it’s becoming an epidemic, almost! If you are like me (99% nosey) you have to be wondering what it is that is pulling our police families apart.    Okay, there are a lot of things.  Too many to talk about in just one paragraph.  Bad things.  Misunderstandings.  Differences of opinion.  Jealousy.  Sometimes even violence. 

But let’s do this instead:  What’s your Secret?  Let’s hear from you, one or two special things you do to keep your marriage from becoming a statistic. Write to us at STOPSpouses@aol.com, with a phrase of “Strong Spouses” in the RE: section.  You may remain anonymous or change your name.  If we use your “secret”, we will use first names only.

 Your helpful thoughts and positive comments could literally save a life, or a family.    Please help us help others.  Can’t wait to hear from you!

 Hugs.  Take Care!

De-Briefing

Some of us hate "the Job". 

Just today we got an e-mail from a concerned girlfriend, worried that her man might be keeping secrets and leading a double-life, thanks to his current undercover assignment. 

He can't talk to her about the assignment, and sometimes can't talk to her at all…and she is worried.  She is suspicious.  Who can blame her?  It's a hard life, loving a police officer.

They don't always want to talk about their job, and sometimes they just can't discuss it.  Sometimes they want to just forget about it.  We have to be mind-readers sometimes to know, or…

My very favorite Police Officer's wife does this…

When her Hero gets home, they put his things away together.  They tell the kids not to interrupt them for 30 minutes unless someone is bleeding or the house is on fire.  (I know what you're thinking and that is NOT it – ha)

They go into the back yard and, him first, they discuss the day's events.  This is DE-BRIEFING.

It's a set period of time for him to vent, scream, cry, unload the stress, and for her to know he loves her and he needs her and that any mood he presents has somewhat of a valid reason behind it, and it's not her fault if he's in a bad mood.

She listens, she helps, and she hugs.  Sometimes she cries with him.  And she knows that some days he will have nothing to say, or nothing he can share because of the need for secrecy.  Sometimes he talks in circles, and she just tries to understand.  But she's there for him and he knows that.  She's listening.   Not talking.  Not judging.  Not demanding anything.  Just listening.  And it's important for him to have her… a safe place, and someone to hear him and love him and understand him.

After his day's events are laid out and discussed, she begins to tell of her day's journeys…  and sometimes she decides to save sharing the days problems for another day…  maybe she'll carry those things until a day comes when his day was not so bad. 

My point is this:  Even if you hate his job, do your best to be there for him when he needs you.  And understand those times when he can't talk about it.  Give him the time and the space, but ALWAYS make him know that you are there for him when he is ready to talk.  He needs a safe place to come home to, and you should be that safe place. 

We may not always understand the job, but if you love that Officer, you'll do your best to try.  Until then, try to BE that SAFE PLACE they need to come home to.  Be there when they need to talk, and understand when they don't want to, or if they just can't. 

It's not easy.  But it's worth it.