A Discussion of Criminal Justice Issues and Other Things

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Officer Memorial

Police Officer Stanley Cornell Reaves, 33, of the Norfolk, Virginia Police Department was shot and killed after being flagged down by a citizen. The shooter remains at large. Officer Reaves had served his department for 1 year. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Rosa Parks

I was just over a year old when Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955. It was noted in the newspapers Tuesday morning that Ms. Parks had passed at age 92. Ms. Parks' action is credited with inspiring a nationwide movement for equal rights lead by a then young and relatively unknown minister by the name of Martin Luther King Jr.

U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) said "Rosa Parks, the mother of the modern civil rights movement, was an advocate for non-violence at a time when violence penetrated every level of our society."

About a year later, on December 21, 1956, King and others were the first to board a city bus as equals with whites.

Ms. Parks showed us all that one person can make a difference.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Officer Memorial

Sergeant Jonathan Dragus, 32, of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Police Department was killed in an automobile while pursuing a motorcycle. Sergeant Dragus had served his department for 10 years. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Officer Memorial

Sergeant Michael Davis, 40, of the Clayton County, Georgia Police Department died in an automobile accident on October 18th. Sergeant Davis had served his department for 17 years.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Officer Memorial

Patrolman John Wheeler, 41, of the San Antonio, TX Police Department was killed in an automobile accident on October 14th when his vehicle was rear-ended by a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. The vehicles burst into flames upon contact. Patrolman Wheeler's wife was the dispatcher on duty at the time her husband was trapped in his burning squad.

Patrolman Wheeler had served his department for 12 years. He had been shot and wounded in the line of duty two years earlier responding to a robbery call. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Officer Memorial

Deputy Sheriff Daniel Lobo, 35, of the San Bernardino County California Sheriff's Department was killed in a motorcycle accident on October 11th.

Deputy Lobo served his department for 11 years. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Officer Memorial

Police Officer Matt Redding, 29, of the Rocklin, California Police Department was struck and killed by a vehicle being operated by an intoxicated driver. Officer Redding had served his department for four years. He is survived by his parents and a brother.

Keeping it Centered

Last weekend was a particularly hectic and busy weekend. In the midst of paperwork and phone calls, I took some time to sit outside to get some fresh air and enjoy the precious, remaining quantities of summer sunshine. As I sat there reading a book, I heard a familiar yet long forgotten sound. About that time, two neighbor kids rounded the corner on their bikes and I noticed the sound came from the bikes. Oh yeah, rigid paper clipped on the bike frame rubbing against the spokes of the week to give a "vroom" sound.

I was transported back to a long time ago when I remember using old playing cards my folks gave us to use by taking a clothes pin and clipping the card on the bike fork so the cards would rub against the wheel spokes. It gave us the feeling of a motorized vehicle and best of all, everyone else thought it was really cool.

As much as technology has changed our lives, it's sometimes reassuring that some of the simple things still live on....

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Officer Memorial

Officer Michael Kevin Saffran, 45, of the Chesapeake, Virginia Police Department was shot and killed after responding to a bank robbery at a local bank. Officer Saffran was a US Navy veteran and had served his department for 11 months. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Officer Memorial

Patrolman Jose Diaz, 37, of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida Police Department died after he fell from a highway overpass while assisting other police officers on a felony traffic stop. Patrolman Diaz served his department for four years and had previously served the New York City Police Department for 14 years.

Officer Memorial

Deputy Sheriff Kevin Elium, 34, of the Tulare County, California Sheriff's Office died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident on October 7th. Deputy Elium had served his department for five years.

Deputy Shad Bassett, 34, of the Pulaski County, Indiana Sheriff's Department was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a call. Deputy Bassett had served his department for two years. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Post Traumatic Stress & Hurricane Aftermath

A posting in LexisNexis talks about how the U.S. Alliance on Mental Illness creates a dedicated fund to help those hit by the hurricane disasters.

Although attention has been given to the condition of those who survived the terror of the recent hurricanes, I would also remind you that those relief workers going into those areas are also subject to the impact of their surroundings and will also need to be seen once they return back to their communities. I've received a number of emails from folks I know in some of the hardest hit areas that have compared conditions to be some of the most difficult they have ever experienced.

Traditional response organizations like the Red Cross and federal response agencies as well as the military make provisions for their workers. There are many independent organizations involved in this effort as well. As the focus moves forward toward helping others, please remember those who go to help.

Officer Memorial

Commander Dale Bernock of the Dearborn, Michigan Police Department died October 3rd of a heart attacked during a required physical fitness exam. Commander Bernock had served his department for 22 years. He is survived by his wife, son and parents.

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Officer Memorial

Deputy Sheriff Christopher B. Matthews, 26, of the Cumberland County, North Carolina Sheriff's Office was killed in an automobile accident on September 30th. Deputy Matthews served his department 8 months as a deputy and 2 years as a corrections officer.

Deputy Sheriff James Timothy White of the Hall County, Georgia Sheriff's Office succumbed to injuries on October 3rd from injuries suffered two days earlier in a car accident while responding to a 911 call. Deputy White served his department for 10 years. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Police Robin Vogel
of the Decatur, Illinois Police Department died October 4th from injuries sustained four days earlier from a car accident. Officer Vogel had served her department for 8 years. She is survived by her son, parents and two sisters.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Officer Memorial

Police Chief Dion R. Nelson, 34, of the York, Alabama Police Department was killed in an automobile accident while responding to another accident call during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita. Chief Nelson was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died September 24th.

Corporal James C. Walker, 32, of the Waynesboro, Mississippi Police Department was shot and killed while making a traffic stop on a stole vehicle in the city. Corporal Walker had served his department for 2.5 years. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

I've been to this fine community and I know the community mourns the loss of this fine officer.

Police Officer Brian Steven Gregg, 46, of the Newton Borough, Pennsylvania Police Department was shot and killed on September 29th after a prisoner was able to gain possession of Officer Gregg's partner's firearm. Officer Gregg has served his department for 1 year. Officer Gregg is survived by his wife and 4-year old son.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

It Should Not Happen Anywhere

Last week a child was assaulted up in the cities simply because he was wearing the wrong color apparently. Nick Coleman writes this article in the Star Trib. I suggest you read it.

It would be easy for us here to say that it could never happen here. That stuff only happens in Minneapolis or St. Paul. Do you suppose that there was a time when residents there said it would never happen in their city too? You betcha.

Prevention and an engaged community helps to stop and prevent senseless acts of violence such as this one. Keeping kids interested in and staying in school is a start. Mentoring programs and activities help. What it really takes are actively involved adults in the lives of kids who hold them accountable for their actions when necessary and praise them when they do well.

It also takes a system that will identify troubled kids and deal with them. This is expensive and labor intensive. Even if they find the person who assaulted the kid in this incident, it won't make it easier for him to snap out of the comma or to get back to a normal life, if he lives.