SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

Transcription

1 November 2012 A Message From Your Sheriff SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR has been a tough year for the Okaloosa County Sheriff s Office due to budget cuts which led to forced lay-offs involving dedicated deputies and civilian employees. During this time, we are thankful for their years of service to the agency and our community, and to those here who continue our daily mission to protect and serve. We are thankful to live in a county blessed by scenic beauty, a family-friendly atmosphere, and a strong military presence. We also want to express gratitude to those many citizens who continually provide support and encouragement to the OCSO. Happy Thanksgiving! This Thanksgiving, we want to share an article by Timothy Roufa from About.com Please take time to read: A Day in the Life of a Police Officer - From Heartwarming to Hardship, Learn What It s Like to Work as Police Officer. Working as a police officer brings on a range of emotions. It can leave you feeling satisfied, rewarded, sad, disgruntled, lonely and fulfilled, all in the same shift. If you ve ever wondered what it s like to work in law enforcement, take a look at a day in the life of a police officer. (Continued on Next Page )

2 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A POLICE OFFICER BY TIMOTHY ROUFA Time to Make the Doughnuts The alarm wakes you up from your long sleep or your nap, depending on what shift you re on. You grab a quick shower to get the sleep out and give yourself a thorough shave so your Sergeant doesn t ding you on your inspection. As you get dressed, your whole demeanor changes. You become quiet, stern, and thoughtful as you prepare yourself mentally for whatever the day is going to bring. You stop being you. Slowly, as you strap on your ballistic vest, tie your boots and zip up your uniform shirt, you become officer you. As you wrap your utility belt around your waist, the transformation is complete. 10-8, In Service and Ready for Duty You kiss your kids and your husband or wife goodbye or goodnight, again depending on what shift you re on, and step outside and into just another day on the job. You sit down in your patrol car, turn the ignition, and reach for your police radio. You key the microphone and advise your dispatcher that you're 10-8, in service and ready for duty. Traffic Stop As you pull out of your driveway and onto the main road, you spot a car with a headlight missing. You pull the vehicle over, get out of your car and cautiously approach. You wonder whether this will be your last traffic stop ever as you get closer to the violator s car. You introduce yourself and inform the driver that you pulled him over because his headlight is out. You let him know that it s a potential safety hazard because it affects not only his ability to see, but other drivers ability to see his car. You issue him a warning or faulty equipment notice to remind him to get it fixed and wish him a safe day. Crash with Injuries Back in your patrol car, your dispatcher advises you that there s a serious traffic crash with injuries and entrapment near your location. You inform him that you re 10-51, 10-18, en route with lights and sirens. When you arrive on the scene, you see chaos. Two vehicles appear to be welded together. The coolant and oil that was spilled in the crash is burning and boiling off of the still-hot engines, transforming what was once two distinct vehicles into one massive, steaming pile of twisted metal. Though you re trained to give first aid and basic life support, you are silently thankful that an ambulance is already on scene. You see paramedics talking to a bloodied driver in one of the vehicles while firefighters work fervently to cut a way into the vehicle to get her out. There s a driver in the other car as well, but he s not moving. No one s trying to help him either. A crowd is gathering as you talk to one of the paramedics and confirm what you already knew, that the crash involved a fatality. You call for a traffic homicide investigator and begin to cordon off the scene with crime scene tape. Out of respect for the deceased, you grab a fire blanket out of your first aid bag and drape it over the dead person s car.

3 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A POLICE OFFICER Page Two You gather witnesses, take statements, and work to identify the drivers. When the traffic homicide investigator arrives, you brief her and provide the information you ve obtained so far. She takes over the investigation and you offer to provide whatever assistance she needs. Notifying Next of Kin Relieved of investigative responsibilities, the task falls to you to inform the deceased s next of kin. In this case, it s a wife who stays home to care for two small children. You show up at her door and ring the doorbell. She answers the door and stares at you as you stand there with your hat in the your hand. She knows why you re there and you know she knows. There s no easy way o tell her, so you rip the band aid off. Ma am, I m very sorry to tell you that your husband has been killed in a car crash. Naturally she cries, while you do your best not to. You offer to make phone calls for her and to stay with her until a family member, minister, or friend can get there. Back on Patrol After you ve made sure that the new widow has been cared for, you get back into your patrol car and inform dispatch of the time you made notification. You advise that you re 10-98, task completed and that you re back Worn out and thirsty from the day so far, you stop at a gas station to get a cup of coffee. You avoid doughnut shops at all cost so you don t play into the stereotype. You drive through the parking lot and scope the place out one time to make sure you re not walking blindly into a robbery. As soon as you walk in the door, the clerk greets you and asks you to deal with some teenagers who are causing a disturbance in the store. You never do get your coffee. Real Police Work: Report Writing After you leave the gas station, you find a vacant parking lot to catch up on reports. You park someplace where people can see you if they need help, and it doesn t take long before someone does. As they approach, you get out of your car so they can t surprise you while you re sitting down. You re always thinking tactically. As it turns out, they just need directions, which you re happy to provide. You just get back to your report writing when another car pulls up. You get back out of your car and meet an elderly woman who s frightened because her door was open when she got home, and she remember shutting it and locking it. She asks you to come to her house and make sure it s safe and that no one broke in. Burglary and House Clearing When you get to the house, you ask her to stay outside by her car as you check the doors for any signs of breaking in. You notice scrape marks on the rear door and it appears someone tampered with the lock. You draw your handgun and enter the house to clear it, wondering if it will be the last thing you do. Finding no one in the house, you ask the woman to come in and see if anything is missing. You caution her not to touch anything as you process the scene, and call for a crime scene technician. She gives you a list of

4 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A POLICE OFFICER (Page Three) what she is missing. You tell her you ll do everything you can to help her get her things back and make sure she s safe and secure before you leave the scene to enter evidence into the property room at the station and write your report. She offers you $20 for your trouble, which you decline. She insists in paying you for your services despite the fact that you tell her you re already getting paid. She continues to press the issue, so you ask her to donate it to a charity of her choice instead. You drop off the evidence at the station and realize that it s almost time for your shift to end. After you finish the required paperwork, you get back in your car and start your way home. You Never Get Home on Time As you re pulling into your neighborhood, you notice a car in front of you is weaving within it s lane, slowing down, speeding up, and braking erratically. You become concerned that the driver is either impaired, tired, or sick. Whatever the case, you know it requires further investigation. Despite the fact that your shift ended 15 minutes ago, you pull the car over. When you approach the vehicle, you re greeted by the strong and distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage. The driver s eyes are bloodshot and watery, and his speech is slurred. Even though you re already late getting home and even though it will take another three hours before you re finished with the paperwork, you know your job and your duty so, after the driver performs poorly on the field sobriety exercises you offered, you make the arrest. One More Day Down After you ve left your paperwork at the jail, you make your way home. Fortunately this time you don t come across any other issues. You walk in your front door four hours later than you were supposed to. Depending on your shift, our dinner s long gone cold or your family has already had breakfast and left to start their days. You take off your uniform and slowly transform back into yourself. Tired from a long day, you lay down to go to sleep. Your last thoughts are about how happy you are to have the opportunity to be a police officer, and how thankful you are that you made it home safely for one more day.

5 TWO OCSO DEPUTIES EARN LIFESAVING AWARD Sheriff Larry Ashley presented Lifesaving Awards to two Okaloosa County Sheriff s Deputies who went to the aid of an unconscious individual at Destin Commons October 7 th. Sheriff Ashley said the quick actions of Deputy Richard White and Deputy Tom Henry were critical in preventing the death of a man who had collapsed at a kiosk and was not breathing when they arrived. Deputy White, along with an unknown Good Samaritan, started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. Deputy Thomas got Deputy White s AED (automated external defibrillator) from his patrol car and successfully delivered a shock to the man, who was then treated by an ambulance crew. He was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast, recovered, and is reportedly doing well. An AED is a portable electronic device that can help treat someone suffering from potentially life-threatening heart arrhythmias.

6 TAKE A LOOK CATCH A CROOK! The Okaloosa County Sheriff s Office launched a new program designed to let the public view surveillance photos typically seen only by investigators in crimes ranging from shoplifting to scams. The photos on the Sheriff s Office website under the new Take a Look, Catch a Crook program shows people of interest, witnesses, or potential suspects connected to various crimes around Okaloosa County. All crimes, including misdemeanors, deserve attention and this increases the odds that suspects will be identified and charged accordingly when they have victimized an individual or business, said Sheriff Larry Ashley. The best crime-solving methods involve a partnership between law enforcement and the public. This new information-sharing initiative gives the public a chance to view images that, for the most part, only law enforcement would have viewed in the past. This in turn gives us the potential for thousands of people to help identify the individuals shown, added Captain Arnold Brown, head of the OCSO Investigation Services Division. The web page allows residents to link in to Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers to leave their information. They can then be eligible for a cash reward if their information leads to an arrest. With some exceptions, most crimes profiled on Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers are high-profile felonies. Take a Look Catch a Crook will showcase any crime that has an image that could be used to develop leads. The two programs in fact complement each other, said Emerald Coast Crime Stoppers Coordinator Nicole Wagner. We have used citizen input successfully for many years and Take a Look Catch a Crook will capitalize on the same methodology to expand the number of crimes available for the public to help solve. The page will be updated weekly.

7 GETTING INVOLVED & GIVING BACK

8 NOVEMBER PHOTO COLLAGE

9 CHAPLAIN S CORNER APPRECIATING WHAT WE HAVE THANKSGIVING: I love this time of year. I look at all the things I am thankful for, even the difficult times. They make us stronger as we go through them. During this time of year, take a few moments and reflect on all your blessings. Whenever I start to get down I look at all the good in my life and realize it could be much worse. Next, I try to see where I might be able to help someone in need. There are always others around us who are in need of some help. As deputies you see the needs and are there to help in very serious times. You may not get any thanks at the time, but know you have helped in a time of crisis. We are thankful for our deputies, Sheriff, support staff and all who make this a better place to live. Enjoy this Thanksgiving season and know you are prayed for and appreciated. OCSO Chaplain Dennis Walker

10 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! TRAVEL SAFETY TIPS Allow Extra Time for Road Congestion Drive with Lights ON Even in Daytime. Buckle Up Don t Text and Drive or Drink and Drive Hit the Road Well-Rested