Thoughts: From the Writings of Dr. John Lofland, The Milford Bard

Oh! Liberty, how lovely are thy charms,

Thus to call forth embattling bands to arms!

T’ avenge his country’s wrongs, her rights to save,

To win a glorious garland, or a grave;

To rend the chains of cheerless slavery,

To give unborn millions liberty;

To dash the sceptre from the despot’s hand,

Heroes have nobly bled, and patriots plann’d…

Oh! War, what horrors follow in thy train,

What scenes of grief, of dark despair and pain?

Methinks I see the dying and the dead,

Adown this hill, upon their grassy bed;

I hear the cry of wounded men, in vain,

Calling on wives and children, o’er the main;

Calling on wives and children, they no more

Shall see on life’s now fast receding shore;

I see forms of those who died, that we

Might live and long enjoy liberty…

Dr. John Lofland, The Milford Bard

Oregon Coast

 

Oregon has some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country, and I’m awestruck each time I visit. So I was really pleased when Mary Quinlisk offered to send us some photos of the Oregon coast. Looking at these sort makes me homesick for the top left corner of the country and all our friends we left behind when we migrated east. I hope everyone enjoys the photos as much as I have. Thanks again, Mary!

* We’d love it if you’d like to share photos of your own weekend road trips with us. If so, please contact me at lofland32@msn.com.

* Don’t forget to stop by our Facebook page to see a photo of the author of the day!

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of each of these brave officers.

Officer Thomas E. Wortham IV, 30

Chicago Police Department

May 19, 2010 – Officer Thomas E. Wortham IV was shot and killed outside his parent’s home when three men approached him and attempted to steal his motorcycle. Wortham promptly announced that he was a police officer and drew his service weapon. One of the men shot the officer in the head but the officer managed to return fire. Wortham’s father, a retired police sergeant, also returned fire, killing one of the suspects and wounded another. Officer Wortham died at the hospital. He had recently returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq.

Paris McGee and Toyious Taylor have been charged with the murder of Officer Thomas Wortham.

Border Patrol Agent Mark Van Doren, 40

United States Department of Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection

Brooks County, Texas

May 23, 2010 – Agent Mark Van Doren was killed and his partner critically injured when their patrol car struck a bovine bull and then veered off the road and struck a tree. Agent Van Doren died at the scene. His partner was flown to the hospital via helicopter.

Officer Travis P. Murphy, 29

Phoenix Arizona Police Department

May 26, 2010 – Officer Travis Murphy was responding to a shots-fired call when he encountered the suspect who immediately opened fire. Officer Murphy’s fellow officers took him to the hospital where he died. The suspect, Danny Martinez, was later located hiding in a shed. Officers fired rubber bullets to subdue him.

Officer Murphy is survived by his wife, two year-old daughter, and a two-week-old son.

Officer Murphy’s sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and firefighter cousin.

Accused cop killer Danny Martinez is escorted to jail by Phoenix officers.

Suspected cop killer Danny Martinez.

*Thanbks to ODMP. Azcentral photos.

Shoot To Wound? No Way!

We’ve all seen it on TV and in movies, and we’ve read it in books. You know the scene, the one where the good guy draws his trusty six-shooter and shoots the gun from bad guy’s hand. Great shooting, huh? Well, darn near impossible shooting is what it is, especially when the good guy is in a stressful situation and must make a split-second decision. Like when his life may be ending at any moment!

However, two New York Assembly members, Annette Robinson and Darryl Towns, (neither of the two have a second of police experience), have introduced a “Shoot To Wound” bill. This dangerous piece of legislation would require law enforcement officers who are faced with life or death situations, such as being involved in a shootout, to shoot the suspects in the arms or legs, or maybe even perform the old movie trick of shooting the gun out of the criminal’s hand. The idea of the bill is to prevent the death of the suspect who is trying his best to gun down a police officer.

First of all, only the best of the best marksmen could come remotely close to shooting with such precise accuracy. It takes a lot of practice to become an expert sharpshooter, and practice is not something many cops have the opportunity to do. Ammunition is expensive. In fact, with shrinking  department budgets many agencies supply only enough rounds for annual mandatory in-service firearms qualification. SWAT teams and other special teams may be allowed extra ammunition for training, but not patrol officers and investigators, the cops on the front lines day in and day out. And then there’s the time thing. Officers work odd, long hours, sometimes for a couple days at a time if they’re working on a particularly time-sensitive case. But they have to sleep sometime. If not, fatigue can also be a huge factor in an officer’s reaction time during deadly incidents, as well as affecting the officer’s accuracy with shot placement. Therefore, heading to the range in lieu of grabbing a few hours sleep before working the graveyard shift just ain’t gonna happen.

Police officers are trained to shoot center mass. The center mass of a human, the torso, which is the largest target on the body and, obviously, the largest target would be the easiest target to hit when having to return fire in a shootout. Taking aim and shooting a suspect in the hand, arm, or leg while dodging bullets as they zip by your ears is simply not practical. At least shooting center mass gives the officer a fighting chance to stay alive.

Hands, arms, and feet are the fastest moving parts of a body, and attempting to hit one of those greatly decreases the officer’s chances of hitting her target. Actually, hitting anything that’s moving, on purpose, would involve some pretty good shooting. Add the fact that the officer could also be moving at the time of the shooting and you further decrease the chance of hitting a hand or arm.

Now, suppose the officer did manage to hit the approved target, a hand. So what. The suspect may be so intent on completing his goal of killing the cop that he switches hands to continue firing. Or, a shot in the leg would probably do nothing to deter a suspect who’s intent on killing a cop. How about the shooters who are high on meth? Those folks do some crazy, unexpected things.

I remember a guy who pulled a gun on police and was shot 33 times. He survived. In fact, he continued walking toward the officers. The shootout I was in with the bank robber is another good example. I shot the suspect 5 times, once in the head and four times in the chest (all were center mass shots—center mass of what I could see). Yet he still got up and made a final charge. A sheriff’s captain and I tackled him during his run at other officers. When we rolled him over he still had the gun in his hand. I can assure you that shooting the robber in the hand or foot was not an option. He was shooting at us and there was no time to take aim at a trigger finger.

What about the rounds that miss the hand and foot targets? I believe the percentage of hitting center mass targets during shootouts is below 20%. So that means there are already some stray bullets floating around neighborhoods and city streets during firefights. The number of missed shots would greatly increase if officers were forced to aim for much smaller targets. Besides, there are large arteries in the arms and legs. A single round to the femoral artery could cause a pretty rapid death. Dead is dead, no matter where the wound is located.

I think Vice President Biden best described this ridiculous bill best when he named it the “John Wayne” bill.

Hmm…that’s probably not what the VP meant…

I’ll say it again, no one can know what it’s like unless you’ve been cursed at, hit, slapped, stabbed, cut, spit on, and shot at. Ah, a cop’s life. It’s all glitz and glamor.

A few days ago we learned the horrific news that father and son had shot and killed two police officers. The two cop killers, Jerry Kane and son Joseph, were later killed by police in a second shootout where the pair of murders had wounded a local sheriff and his chief deputy.

Joseph and Jerry Kane

Sheriff Gene Kelly of Clarke County, Ohio (I spent a few days with Sheriff Kelly and members of his department while researching a book) says he’d warned his deputies to use caution if they ever had to deal with the elder Kane.

Sheriff Kelly also said, “I had my first confrontation with him (Jerry Kane) when he tried to come to a foreclosure sale and write me a check on a piece of paper indicating that he was a free man and he only believed in silver and gold and that he didn’t believe in banks,”

Sheriff Kelly continued with, “He (Kane) believed that would enslave him and he was demanding $100,000 in silver and gold,” Kelly said. “This man has been having confrontations with authorities for years. And finally, the ultimate result is, law enforcement officers paid the ultimate price for that.” (source TV10News)

It’s now believed that Kane’s son, Joseph, may have fired the first shots.

Sadly, according to one of Jerry Kane’s closest friends, William Ligiu Ionescu, this cop-killing incident is only the beginning. Ionescu told reporters from myEyewitnessNews.com that more cop killings are on the way, but not in that department. He went on to say that carrying a gun is a right for Americans, but not for police officers. For them it’s a privilege, and they’re not properly trained to deal with law-abiding citizens like Jerry Kane. Ionescu also stated that Jerry Kane knew more about being a police officer than police officers do.

Well, if that portion of the story isn’t weird enough, there’s more.

Jerry Kane’s daughter, Heather Michelle Kane, has just been sentenced to 13 years in prison for attempted murder and first degree kidnapping. In 2007, Heather Kane hired someone to kill her former boyfriend’s female roommate. As it turns out, the person she hired was an undercover detective. Kane had offered $1,000—$500 up front with the balance to paid after the victim was shot in the head. She’d asked the potential “killer” to bring a photograph of the dead woman as proof of the murder.

Heather Kane learned of her boyfriend’s roommate from his MySpace page.

Source – www.springfieldnewssun.com

You know, I’ve always heard that apples really don’t fall far from the tree…

Apples don’t fall far from the tree
Hey, honey come sit on my knee
Apples don’t fall far from the tree
And I remember Mama’s tears
When they said in a few years
I’d be something to see – Cher

Thanks to Lt. Dave Swords for today’s topic idea and information. Remember, he’d once arrested Jerry Kane.

* Don’t forget to check out our new Facebook page!

Suppressors are often associated with gangster-type hit men, especially in television and film, and in books. However, these sound-suppressing devices have other, more legitimate, purposes, such as protecting a shooter’s hearing (hunters and target shooters), and increasing the accuracy of the shot.

Accuracy is enhanced when using a suppressor due to the reduction in recoil that’s normally caused by escaping gases. A suppressor quite effectively strips away most of those gases as they exit the weapon after a round has been discharged. It’s the suppression of those gases that also reduces the sound of gunfire, much like what a muffler does on an automobile.

The military uses suppressors to confuse the enemy by deceiving the location of the shooter. However, there are devices available that can pinpoint those locations even when a suppressor is used.

Suppressors are often called silencers by laypeople, however, the term silencer is not an accurate one. The explosion caused when a bullet is fired cannot be totally silenced, so suppressor is a much more appropriate term. Actually, many shooters call the devices a “can.”

A “silenced” weapon has a unique sound, especially an automatic weapon. The clacking and clanging of the metal parts are pretty much all that’s heard by bystanders.

Uzi .45 with suppressor

Here’s a shooter firing a .22 AR-15 with a suppressor attached. There’s no sound other than the mechanical parts of the weapon.

Suppressors are normally attached to the barrel of a weapon by threading the barrel (male end) and then screwing the suppressor (female end) to it.

Weapons with threaded barrels (male threads).

Threaded suppressor (female threads).

Weapon with suppressor attached.

Brief History of Suppressor Use

1909 – Suppressors first introduced in the U.S.

1910 – Black Jack Pershing used rifles equipped with suppressors when attempting to capture Poncho Villa.

WWII – A suppressor-equipped High Standard .22 was developed for operatives of the Office of Strategic Services.

The German army equipped their 9mm lugers, Mauser sniper rifles, and Walther P-38’s with suppressors.

Machine guns, including the Thompson, were equipped with suppressors.

1998 –  U.S. Special Operations Command began equipping the M-4A1’s with quick detach flash/noise suppressors.

Citizens may legally own and use suppressors in many areas of the U.S. However, it is illegal to do so in certain areas.

 

There’s an old joke that’s been circulating among male shooters for years. It’s the top ten reasons why men prefer guns over women. Remember, I’m just the messenger. Please don’t shoot!

#10. You can trade an old 44 for a new 22.

#9. You can keep one gun at home and have another for when you’re on the road.

#8. If you admire a friend’s gun and tell him so, he will probably let you try it out a few times.

#7. Your primary gun doesn’t mind if you keep another gun for a backup.

#6. Your gun will stay with you even if you run out of ammo.

#5. A gun doesn’t take up a lot of closet space.

#4. Guns function normally every day of the month.

#3. A gun doesn’t ask , “Do these new grips make me look fat?”

#2. A gun doesn’t mind if you go to sleep after you use it.

And the number one reason a gun is favored over a woman….

#1. YOU CAN BUY A SILENCER FOR A GUN

Integral suppressor

After being cuffed

“He’s running!” A bag of cocaine is tossed to the ground along with a small handgun. The bad guy takes off. He’s prepared for the run—tennis shoes, loose clothing, and he has a small head start…and he’s younger. Much younger. A kid. It’s difficult to chase someone, especially while wearing a suit and dress shoes, but that’s the nature of the beast. So detectives don’t complain, they just do it. Sure, they’ll hear the teasing from the uniforms, later… “Who taught you how to run, your grandma?” Slowest chase I’ve ever seen.” “You got weights tied to your ankles?” “You put your feet on backward this morning?”

In spite of the awkward, wingtip-clad feet, the investigator almost always catches the thug, wrestles to get the cuffs on his sweaty wrists, and stands him upright for the walk back to the unmarked police car. Then it’s back to the police station for processing, which includes mugshot photos, fingerprinting, and normally the the prisoner’s phone call to his wife, mother, attorney, or bail bondsman (sometimes, there’s a list of local bail/bond folks beside the jail/lockup phone).

Signs like this one are reminders for the officers who sometimes have a tendency to forget the details.

Officers must lock their weapons inside a lockbox before entering the booking area. This is to prevent prisoners from gaining control of a weapon. The officer locks the box and takes the key with him.

The arrestees are often seated and handcuffed to benches while waiting for processing. Notice the handcuffs attached to the second rail from the left.

Prisoners are fingerprinted for both in-house records and for the FBI national database, AFIS. Many departments now use automated fingerprinting devices, such as this LiveScan terminal.

Capturing a suspect’s fingerprints on a LiveScan terminal

The prints are transferred to a computer terminal where the suspect’s personal information is entered.

Digital images replace ten-print cards (cards used for capturing inked fingerprints).

booking111.jpg

Some departments still use the old ink and ten-print card method of fingerprinting (LiveScan terminals are expensive).

Then, with the processing complete, prisoners are placed into a holding cell until they post bond, or until they are transferred to the county jail to await their first court appearance, usually an arraignment.

Police department holding cell. Those of you who attended the Writers’ Police Academy last year may remember seeing this cell as part of your police department tour.

Steel plates mounted on the walls serve as beds

Combination sink and toilet

In-cell telephone

After processing, the cycle begins again…

Last Week In England With Paul Beecroft

Our friend Paul Beecroft, a coroner’s investigator in England, has taken us on some fascinating journeys in the past. Today he’s invited us to join him for a sneak peek at one of his favorite places in the English countryside, a farm in the Village of Hurst in Berkshire. This is the place where Paul can free his mind of a week of dealing with criminals, grief, and from seeing dead people. It is here, on this farm, where Paul walks his dog, flies his falcon, and leaves murder investigations to someone else, even if it’s only for a short time. Thank you, Paul, for sharing this portion of your life.

Golden Lace Orpington Cockerel

Piglet

Loddon Lily Leucojum aestivum Sometimes known as the Summer Snowflake. Named after the River Loddon. A fairly rare plant. This is the only one on the whole of the Farm.

Dog Rose Rosa cania

‘Dax’ My black Labrador having a swim

Dax the Hurdler

Farmyard geese

Spring Lambs with Mum who has just been sheared

Tadpoles. The black mass is 100’s if not 1000’s of Tadpoles

English Oak

Another pond

Public footpath


Paul Beecroft, an avid falconer, has spent a good deal of his life in law enforcement, in England. He’s worked Foot Patrol, Area Car, Instant Response Car and also as a Police Motorcyclist. He’s currently a coroner’s investigator and has traveled all over England, Wales, Scotland and even Germany to investigate crimes.

Friday's Heroes - Remembering the fallen officers

The Graveyard Shift extends our condolences to the families of each of these brave officers.

Officer Tauveve Vivao, 42

United States Department of Defense – Marine Corps Base Hawaii

May 11, 2010 – Officer Tauveve Vivao suffered a fatal heart attack during routine physical fitness training. He is survived by his wife and eight children.

Trooper Patrick Ambroise, 35

Florida Highway Patrol

May 15, 2010 – Trooper Patrick Ambroise was killed when a car veered off the road and struck his parked patrol car, trapping him inside. Trooper Ambroise’s vehicle burst into flames upon impact.

He leaves behind his wife, two young daughters, mother, and five siblings.

The scene of the fiery crash that killed Trooper Ambroise.

Officer Eydelmen Mani, 30

Houston Texas Police Department

May 18, 2010 – Officer Eydelman Mani was responding to a call when his patrol car struck a guardrail and overturned. Officer Mani was killed in the accident. He is survived by his wife and three-year-old son.

Officer Mani during his 2003 police academy training.

Officer Mani’s patrol car.

Houston officers after the news conference announcing the death of Officer Mani.

Officer Bill Evans

West Memphis Arkansas Police Department

Sergeant Brandon Paudert, 39

West Memphis Arkansas Police Department

May 20, 2010 – Sergeant Brandon Paudert, son of Police Chief Bob Paudert, and Officer Bill Evans were shot and killed during a traffic stop shortly before noon on I-40. The suspects fled the scene but were located by officers in a nearby Walmart parking lot, where a second shootout took place. Crittenden County Sheriff Dick Busby and Chief Deputy W.A. Wren were both seriously wounded in that exchange of gunfire. The two suspects were killed.

Paudert and Evans had been assigned to the drug interdiction unit.

Sergeant Paudert is survived by his three children.

Officer Evans is survived by his two children.

* Warning. The images below are graphic and may be upsetting.

Scene of the first deadly shooting.

Officers approach the van driven by the suspects (Walmart parking lot).

 

One of the suspects shown beside the van. The second suspect is on the other side of the vehicle.

*Thanks to ODMP, the Hinterland Gazette, and MyEyewitness.

The Commercial Appeal photos.

** UPDATE **

The two suspects in the shooting death of officers Paudert and Evans were driving a van registered to the House of God’s Prayer, a church with connections to the Jesus Christ Christian Church once led by a self-proclaimed white supremacist. That Aryan Nation church and its leader Ray Redfairn made headlines 13 years ago.

The suspects, Jerry Kane, 45, and his 16-year-old son Joseph had been traveling the country holding seminars on debt consolidation and foreclosure rescue that were heavy on anti-government sentiment.

Video of police shootout with Jerry and Joseph Kane.

Visit this link to hear cop killer Jerry Kane speak about his recent traffic stop in New Mexico. Then scroll down to the podcast dated 05/06/2010 09:00 PM EDT.

* Note – Lt. David Swords (ret.) of the Springfield Ohio Police Department (Dave is a regular contributor to this blog) is familiar with Jerry Kane. Dave had once arrested the eighteen-year-old future cop killer.

Plymouth, Ind. – A new state law of evidence requires electronic video and audio recording of all statements by criminal suspects charged with a felony. Written statements alone will no longer be admissible in court. The law states that the recording must include the image and voice of the suspect, and the voices of the officers conducting the interview. The cost of the new equipment that’s required to satisfy the law…around $7,000.

Adams Mass. – A police sergeant, Alan C. Vigiard, faces child pornography charges after being caught in a rather embarrassing position in the department evidence room. He was discovered viewing pornographic images of children while…let’s just say he was alone doing what it normally takes two to do. Vigiard has since received two new child pornography charges for posing children in a state of nudity. These images were discovered as part of the original investigation. Vigiard is listed on the Adams Police Department’s website as a member of their Sexual Assault Unit. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in June.

DeKalb County, Ga. – A 5′-3″, 350lb woman ran through her apartment complex frantically screaming that someone was trying to kill her. She attempted to steal a car and was apprehended by police during the act. The officers attempted to calm the struggling woman but were unsuccessful, so they shot her with a Taser, twice. She died a short time later.

This was the second death in the area within a week involving a Taser. On May 9th, officers tased Audreacus Davis five times during a struggle. Paramedics had been attempting to treat the man for a possible drug overdose when he became violent. That’s when police arrived and found the 6′-4″, 375lb man foaming from the nose and mouth and defecating all over the room.

Three Taser-involved deaths in the county jail have also occurred since officers began using Tasers as part of their non-lethal toolbox.

Seven-Year-Old Aiyana Jones Killed By Police Gunfire

Detroit – Police raided a home searching for a murder suspect. They gained entry to the residence after deploying a distraction device (a flash-bang grenade).

Window broken by flash-bang device during raid of Jones home

During the raid a 7-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by a police officer. Officers say a member of the raid team collided with a family member during the entry, causing his gun to accidentally discharge. The family’s attorney tells a different story. He says a video of the raid clearly shows the grenade being deployed, and the officer firing a shot into the home while standing on the front porch.

The attorney also says the child’s body was severely burned as a result of the flash bang either landing on, or near the child when it came through the window.

The truth will surely come out since a camera crew from the TV show The First 48 videotaped the event.

Source – Associated Press report

Charles Jones, father of 7-year-old Aiyana

Aiyana’s mother

The murder suspect was later located in an upstairs apartment.

*Attendees of the Writers’ Police Academy will have a first hand look at the use of flash bangs. We will be deploying the devices during the academy.