Sergeant Dulan Earl Murray, Jr., 48

Nags Head North Carolina Police Department

Sergeant Dulan Earl Murray, Jr was killed in an automobile accident on May 15, 2009. He was responding to burglary-in-progress call when he lost control of his patrol car on a rain-slickened highway. Sergeant Murray leaves behind his wife and two daughters.

Deputy Sheriff Tom Wilson, 39

Warren County Mississippi Sheriff’s Department

Deputy Sheriff Tom Wilson was killed in an automobile accident on May 17, 2009. He was responding to a call when he lost control of his patrol car. Deputy Wilson leaves behind his wife, son, and stepson.

Trooper Kyle P. Barber, 46

North Caroline Highway Patrol

In January 2007, Trooper Kyle Barber was struck by a vehicle during a traffic stop. On May 19, 2009, he succumbed to complications received in the earlier accident. Trooper Barber is survived by his wife and three children.

Conservation Officer Nathan Mims, 30

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Officer Nathan Mims suffered a fatal heart attack after performing extremely strenuous activities during an undercover operation. Officer Mims is survived by his wife and two children.

*Thanks to ODMP

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– Today, on Terry Odell’s blog, Detective Mark Hussey offers his real-life memories of Fallen Brothers and Sisters.

– Please take a moment to watch the video.

Officer Dexter Hammond, 38

Headland Alabama Police Department

Officer Dexter Hammond was shot and killed on April 24, 2009, when he responded to an officer down call. He had arrived at the scene to assist a deputy sheriff when the suspect opened fire with a rifle. Officer Hammond leaves behind a wife and a son.

Deputy Sheriff Burton (Burt) Lopez, 44

Deputy Sheriff Warren (Skip) York, 44

Okaloosa County Florida Sheriff’s Office

Deputies Burt Lopez and Skip York had responded to domestic call earlier in the evening on April 25, 2009, and as a follow up to the case they found the suspect at a local gun club. The suspect became so uncooperative and violent the deputies had to deploy a Taser on him. When the electricity cycle ended the man pulled a gun and fired at the officers. During a brief gun battle, both deputies were shot and killed. The suspect was later killed in a second shootout with deputies from a neighboring county.

Deputy Lopez is survived by his wife and children.

Deputy York is survived by his wife and children.

Deputy Sheriff Brandon Scott Coker, 27

Vance County North Carolina Sheriff’s Office

Deputy Brandon Coker was killed in an automobile accident on April 25, 2009, while attempting to stop a reckless driver. Deputy Coker leaves behind his wife, parents, and four brothers.

Deputy Sheriff D. Robert Harvey

Lubbock County Texas Sheriff’s Department

On April 26, 2009, Deputy Robert Harvey was killed in an automobile accident while responding to a fight in progress call. A driver made a left turn in front of the officer, which caused the deadly head on collision. Deputy Harvey leaves behind a wife and children.

* Thanks to ODMP

Trooper Mike Haynes, 28

Montana Highway Patrol

On March 27, 2009, Trooper Mike Haynes succumbed to injuries he received on March 23, 2009, when his patrol car was hit head on by a drunk driver.

Trooper Haynes is survived by his wife and two small children.

Sergeant Randy White, 32

Bridgeport Texas Police Department

Sergeant Randy White was killed on April 2, 2009, when his patrol car was struck in the rear by a criminal suspect who was attempting to elude other police officers.

Sergeant White leaves behind a wife and a five-year-old daughter.

Pittsburgh Police Department

Officers Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo, and Stephen Mayhle were each killed by gunfire on April 4, 2009. The officers were responding to a domestic dispute when they were ambushed by the shooter.

Officer Kelly leaves behind his wife and daughter.

Officer Mayle leaves behind a wife and two daughters.

Detective Allen Pearson, 29

Lenoir County North Carolina sheriffs Deparment

Detective Allen Pearson was shot and killed on April 7, 2009, while attempting to apprehend a criminal suspect.

Detective Pearson is survived by his wife.

Deputy Sheriff Richard J. Stiles, Jr., 37

East Feliciana Louisiana Parrish Police Department

On April 7, 2009, Deputy Richard Stiles succumbed to injuries he received in a head on collision on April 3, 2009.

*Thanks to ODMP

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The following was submitted by Lt. David Swords, one of the police experts here on The Graveyard Shift.

As most are painfully aware, Philadelphia Police Officer John Pawlowski fell in the line of duty on February 13, 2009. He was killed by gunfire after responding to a disturbance cal.

The night John was murdered; he was designated as “359” for the purposes of radio dispatching. It was as Unit 359 that he and his partner were dispatched to the disturbance call that ultimately ended in John’s death.

The “35” represents the 35th Police District of Philadelphia.

The Last Call is a Law Enforcement tradition, and is conducted during the funeral ceremony. You will hear the dispatcher attempt to contact the fallen officer via the police radio. Hearing no response, they will report to the police supervisor that they are unable to reach him. Police command will ask that the time be marked, and that the badge number of the fallen officer be removed from service for the last time.

The attached audio file is from the funeral of Police Officer John Pawlowski. The dispatcher marks the time of Friday February 13, 2009 at 8:44pm, which is the moment John gave his life in service to the people of Philadelphia and to the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

http://blog.hanrahanconsulting.us/files/105405-98178/Pawlowski.mp3

Sergeant Greg Hernandez, 50

Tulare California Sheriffs Office

On January 29, 2009, Sergeant Hernadez was responding to back up another deputy when he was involved in a collision with a tractor trailer. He succumbed to his injuries on February 6, 2006. Sergeant Hernandez was a 24 year veteran.

The Graveyard Shift has been online for nearly one year and this is the first week we’re been able to report a safe week for police officers in U.S. There are NO deaths to report. Let’s hope for many more safe weeks to come!

The Bulletin Board

Police News

Associated Press – WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Police in New Zealand nabbed a man who was trying to crack a bar’s safe after posting security camera footage of the act on the Internet networking site Facebook.

Washington Times – WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Bush on Tuesday declared the District a federal emergency area, clearing the way for the city to receive federal money to help cover the overwhelming cost of providing security for official inauguration events.

Knoxville News-Sentinel – KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville Police Department officer has been credited with saving the life of a man with diabetes whom he pulled out of a burning car.

The Associated Press – NAPA, Calif. — About 50 people were evacuated from their homes after the parents of a former transit police officer charged with shooting an unarmed man found two suspicious packages on their porch.

Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Police Department fingerprint examiners who falsely implicated at least two people in crimes have been linked to nearly 1,000 other criminal cases that authorities say must now be reviewed to ensure that similar errors weren’t made.

Chicago Tribune – CHICAGO — A Bellwood police officer shot in 1999 headed for Springfield in his squad car on Wednesday — with several other law-enforcement and public officials also making the trip — to try to halt an early release from prison for the man convicted of shooting him.

Daily Camera – BOULDER, Colo. — A foot pursuit that began Monday night with a sushi chef chasing a dine-and-dasher ended with a dog pulling a man soaked in pepper spray from under a car.

San Francisco Chronicle – OAKLAND — Johannes Mehserle, the former BART police officer arrested on suspicion of murdering an unarmed passenger on an Oakland train platform early New Year’s Day, waived extradition at a Nevada hearing and will be returned to Alameda County sometime today.

San Jose Mercury News – PALO ALTO, Calif. — Palo Alto police expect to become a lot more efficient at busting parking scofflaws and finding stolen vehicles, thanks to automatic license plate readers that instantly scan, record and cross-check the plates of every car an officer passes on the street.

Breaking News

Mystery Writers of America has just announced the 2009 Edgar nominees. Congratulations to you all!

BEST NOVEL

Missing by Karin Alvtegen (Felony & Mayhem Press)
Blue Heaven by C.J. Box (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
Sins of the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno (Simon & Schuster – Scribner)
The Price of Blood by Declan Hughes (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
The Night Following by Morag Joss (Random House – Delacorte Press)
Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Simon & Schuster)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

The Kind One by Tom Epperson (Five Star, div of Cengage)
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (Hyperion)
The Foreigner by Francie Lin (Picador)
Calumet City by Charlie Newton (Simon & Schuster – Touchstone)
A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock (Random House – Doubleday)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Prince of Bagram by Alex Carr (Random House Trade)
Money Shot by Christa Faust (Hard Case Crime)
Enemy Combatant by Ed Gaffney (Random House – Dell)
China Lake by Meg Gardiner (New American Library – Obsidian Mysteries)
The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli (Random House – Bantam)

BEST FACT CRIME

For The Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder that Shocked Chicago by Simon Baatz (HarperCollins)
American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum (Crown Publishers)
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It To The Revolution by T.J. English (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Hans van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez (Harcourt)
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale (Walker & Company)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey (McFarland & Company)
Hard-Boiled Sentimentality: The Secret History of American Crime Stories by Leonard Cassuto (Columbia University Press)
Scene of the Crime: The Importance of Place in Crime and Mystery Fiction by David Geherin (McFarland & Company)
The Rise of True Crime by Jean Murley (Greenwood Publishing – Praeger)
Edgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories by Dr. Harry Lee Poe (Sterling Publishing – Metro Books)

BEST SHORT STORY

“A Sleep Not Unlike Death” – Hardcore Hardboiled by Sean Chercover (Kensington Publishing)
“Skin and Bones” – Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine by David Edgerley Gates (Dell Magazines)
“Scratch of a Woman” – Hardly Knew Her by Laura Lippman (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
“La Vie en Rose” – Paris Noir by Dominique Mainard (Akashic Books
“Skinhead Central” – The Blue Religion by T. Jefferson Parker (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company)

BEST JUVENILE

The Postcard by Tony Abbott (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Enigma: A Magical Mystery by Graeme Base (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff (Random House Children’s Books – Wendy Lamb Books)
The Witches of Dredmoore Hollow by Riford McKenzie (Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books)
Cemetary Street by Brenda Seabrooke (Holiday House)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd (Random House Children’s Books – David Fickling Books)
The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo (Harry N. Abrams Books – Amulet Books)
Paper Towns by John Green (Penguin Young Readers Group – Dutton Children’s Books)
Getting the Girl by Susan Juby (HarperCollins Children’s Books – HarperTeen)
Torn to Pieces by Margo McDonnell (Random House Children’s Books – Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

BEST PLAY

The Ballad of Emmett Till by Ifa Bayeza (Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on the story by Robert Lewis Stevenson (Arizona Theatre Company)
Cell by Judy Klass (International Mystery Writers’ Festival)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Streetwise” – Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Paul Grellong (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
“Prayer of the Bone” – Wire in the Blood, Teleplay by Patrick Harbinson (BBC America)
“Signature” – Law & Order: SVU, Teleplay by Judith McCreary (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)
“You May Now Kill the Bride” – CSI: Miami, Teleplay by Barry O’Brien (CBS)
“Burn Card” – Law & Order, Teleplay by David Wilcox (Wolf Films/NBC Universal)

BEST MOTION PICTURE SCREENPLAY

The Bank Job, Screenplay by Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (Lionsgate)
Burn After Reading, Screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (Focus Features)
In Bruges, Screenplay by Martin McDonagh (Focus Features)
Tell No One, Screenplay by Guillaume Canet, based on the book by Harlan Coben (Music Box Films)
Transsiberian, Screenplay by Brad Anderson & Will Conroy (First Look International)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

“Buckner’s Error” – Queens Noir by Joseph Guglielmelli (Akashic Books)

GRAND MASTERS

James Lee Burke
Sue Grafton

RAVEN AWARDS

Edgar Allan Poe Society, Baltimore, Maryland
Poe House, Baltimore, Maryland

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER – MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD

Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
The Killer’s Wife by Bill Floyd (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer (Random House – Doubleday)
A Song for You by Betsy Thornton (St. Martin’s Minotaur)
The Fault Tree by Louise Ure (St. Martin’s Minotaur)

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* Do you have news or announcements you’d like to post on The Graveyard Shift? Drop me a line with the information and we’ll get the word out. All news items must be related to police, forensics, CSI, or writing.

* Would you like to be a guest blogger on the site? Contact me and we’ll see what we can work out. All guest posts must be related to police, forensics, or CSI.