PEACE KEEPERS ARE SEEKERS..
Seeking that which is a danger to life and peace..
Seeking the threats and the perpetrators..
Seeking.. Hunting.. Stopping.. Restoring.. Keeping!
Law Enforcers are interspersed throughout the society of which they are part.. yet
separate.. They come from the herd or flock but are not like the herd nor flock..
Commandos among the populace.. guards within the herd or flock.. usually work
alone or in pairs except in extremely threatening circumstances.. working within
jurisdictional boundaries.. yet part of a larger mutual aid composed of many
jurisdictions prepared and ready to assist when the need arises.
Military are separated from the herd or flock.. they come from the herd or flock..
but are not like the herd nor flock.. They stand ready to repel invaders of our
Nation.. and to seek and destroy threats to our National well being wherever the
threat is raised.. usually work in teams ranging from small groups to task force in
size except for snipers.. all branches of the military have specific areas of expertise
but work together to defeat any common foe.
=================================================================
PoliceOne.com, 03/18/05
PoliceOne Officer Safety Tip:
Save Time Exiting Your Vehicle After gathering documentation from a violator
on a traffic stop and while you are in your car writing a citation or running NCIC
checks, start shutting the driver door but do not let it latch .. Full Story
(Secure - Login Required)
The Lessons of Atlanta:
Former Cop's Letter Warned of Lax Security Two Years Before Courthouse
Rampage
A PoliceOne Exclusive by Chuck Remsberg, Senior Contributor Almost two years to the
day before that Fulton County courtroom in Atlanta became a bloody killing field, an ex-cop-turned-defense-attorney cried out in a letter to the editor of a lawyers'
newspaper for the "sleepy heads" responsible for protecting people in the
courthouse to "wake up, wake up" .. Full Story
Related Story:
Atlanta Police Concede Missteps After Courthouse Shooting, Say Suspect
Spent Hours Near Mall
al-Qaeda Groups in Asia Working Together To Train Militants For Seaborne
Terror Attacks
Chris Howel -- 'Go-to guy' of Wylie, Tex. Police -- Dies - 03/18/2005
Chris Howell - [Wylie, TX]
Jackson, MS Officer Killed After Citizen Flag Down - 03/17/2005
Thomas Catchings - [Jackson, Mississippi]
Seattle Police Officer Killed After Falling Into Ship Canal - 03/16/2005
Jackson Lone - [Seattle, Washington]
==============================================================
POLICE MAGAZINE, 03/18/05
Nationwide Crackdown Nabs Alleged MS-13 Members
Government officials have arrested 103 people believed to be members of the
widespread violent street gang Mara Salvatrucha, often called MS-13 as a part of
“Operation Community Shield.”
Not Enough Marshals for Witness Protection
Nearly 25 percent of the U.S. Marshals assigned to the federal witness protection
program have been cut in the past eight years, despite a growing number of
witnesses being added to the program, according to a report from the Justice
Department inspector general.
New Law to Add Immigration Duties for Arizona Cops
A new Arizona law allows the state to charge a person with felony human smuggling,
formerly only a federal charge. Now Arizona law enforcement officers will be expected
to take over some of the duties reserved for federal officers in the past, without any
additional funding for local law enforcement.
===============================================================
CHAPLAIN DAVID COCHRAN, VBPD CHAPLAIN SUPERVISOR, 4TH PRECINCT
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and fellow officers………
A Suffolk (Virginia) police officer is dead after collapsing following a foot pursuit Friday night.
Authorities say several officers were on patrol along the 300 block of Webb Street around 11:30pm
when they noticed some suspicious activity and went to check it out.
A foot pursuit ensued and an arrest was made, but shortly after the pursuit, one officer collapsed at
the scene.
Officer William A. Henley, 33, was rushed to Obici Hospital where he died early Saturday morning.
It is unknown at this time whether Henley collapsed as a result of an injury or a medical condition.
The incident is currently under investigation.
Officer Henley has been with the Suffolk Police Department since October of 2002. He is survived by
his wife and four children.
===================================================
LNC, CH. 5, NORFOLK, VA., 03/16/05
230 SECURITY CONTRACTORS REPORTED KILLED TO DATE IN IRAQ..
10 BLACKWATER PERSONNEL ARE IN THAT TOTAL INCLUDING THE TWO KILLED
THIS WEEK.
====================================================
VIRGINIAN-PILOT, NORFOLK, VA., 03/19/05
IRAQ
U.S. TROOPS KILLED - 7
COALITION TROOPS KILLED - 1 ITALIAN
U.S. TROOPS WOUNDED - 59
TOTAL U.S. TROOPS KILLED SINCE 03/03 - 1519
TOTAL U.S. TROOPS WOUNDED SINCE 03/03 - 11,285
IRAQI POLICE IN MOSUL RECEIVE E-MAIL AND PHONE TIPS ABOUT INSURGENTS'
ACTIVITIES FROM RESIDENTS IN THE CITY. THE SUCCESS IN THE ELECTION HELPED
BOOST THE FREQUENCY OF THE CALLS.
========================================================================
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE..
ROANOKE TIMES HEADLINES
TOY GUN SCARES ROBBER USING TOY GUN.
POLICE ARRESTED A TOY-GUN-TOTING ROBBER WHO WAS SCARED OFF BY THE TOY
GUN OF ONE OF HIS VICTIMS AND THEN HIT ON THE HEAD BY A BAT-WIELDING NEIGHBOR.
YOUNG BUNGLERS TRY TO STEAL A VAN FILLED WITH POLICEMEN.
OF ALL THE CARS AND TRUCKS IN A MALL PARKING LOT ON ONE OF THE YEAR'S BUSIEST
SHOPPING DAYS, A QUARTET OF WOULD-BE CAR THIEVES PICKED ON A POLICE
SURVEILLANCE VAN. THREE OFFICERS WERE HIDING IN THE BACK OF THE VAN WHEN
ONE OF THE GROUP CLIMBED INSIDE AND TURNED THE KEY. "IT WAS HARD TO KEEP
FROM LAUGHING," QUOTED ONE OFFICER.
========================================================================
Sometimes we forget that all of our duty is on a battlefield.. or in preparation for a battlefield. In
my instruction to law enforcement and chaplains on the subject of Death Notification I warn them
about the possibility of being attacked by grief stricken relatives. On Thursday I had a full day of
dealing with death in two cases which each took a good bit of time. No two are ever the same.
One of those was very, very different than any I have experienced before. This case involved the
death of a beautiful seven week old preemie.. a tiny little girl.. my second case of the day. The
first was an eighty nine year old woman.. and it too, was very different than any other case.
When I arrived at the hospital ER the tiny little girl was surrounded by 10-12 medical personnel
trying to restore breathing and heart beat with no success. The mother was in the quiet room
with a hospital staff member. I was in the ER when the father arrived and managed to get him to
go with me to his wife in the quiet room. He was very distraught and sat down with his wife.
They embraced and then he sat back. I could see him begin to seethe with anger, fear for his child
and frustration.
I took a stand by the door because I could see where this was headed.. and in a few moments he
charged the door raving that he had to get to his child. He was large and strong and even stronger
because of adrenaline. With my foot against the door and facing him I managed to contain him and
keep the door shut.. calming him in the process without any further violence or injury. The staff
member became very frightened and left the room. I told her to call security.
Security came and stationed themselves in the hallway outside the door and a fellow officer came
into the room with me. The staff member went to the ER and gained permission to bring the parents
in while they worked on the tiny little girl.. and we took them to the ER cubicle filled with personnel
and activity. All the parents could do was to touch a tiny foot and try to stay out of the way.
Tragedy became reality when the Doctor called the time of death in the presence of the parents..
and they started disconnecting tubes and wires.
UPSET, ANGRY AND FRIGHTENED, THE FATHER STILL HAD TREMENDOUS
STRENGTH.. I HAD MY HANDS FULL. AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND OVER
AN HOUR OF TRYING TO GET HEART BEAT AND BREATHING THEY HAD TO
PRONOUNCE THE BABY DEAD WITH BOTH PARENTS RIGHT THERE. AS THEY
STARTED REMOVING THE WIRES AND TUBES BOTH PARENTS FREAKED. I
THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO ATTACK SOMEONE AS HE BEGGED THEM NOT
TO STOP.. FINALLY THEY CALMED AND I SPENT MOST OF THE NEXT TWO
AND ONE HALF HOURS WITH THEM AND THEIR DEAD BABY AS THEY
CUDDLED HER AND WEPT.
FINALLY AS THEY BEGAN TO ACCEPT THE REALITY, THEY ASKED ABOUT
PICTURES AND I HAD MY POLAROID CAMERA AND WAS ABLE TO
ACCOMMODATE THEIR REQUEST WITH SOME CLEAR PICTURES. IN THE END
OF OUR TIME TOGETHER THEY ASKED FOR PRAYER FOR THEM AND THEIR
BABY. AFTER PRAYER HE APOLOGIZED FOR HIS PREVIOUS BEHAVIOR. WE
EMBRACED AND SHOOK HANDS SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THEY LEFT THEIR
BABY WITH ER ATTENDANTS AND LEFT THE HOSPITAL. THAT BABY WAS A
BEAUTIFUL, TINY, BLACK GIRL. I CANNOT DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE OF
THESE SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS TO YOU.. I HAVE NOT THE WORDS.. BUT THE
LORD IS ALWAYS SUFFICIENT AND MORE.. HE CARRIES ME THROUGH ALL
SITUATIONS.
This afternoon I did a wedding at the Little Creek Base Chapel. Old and young.. two
extremes.. and then a wedding. Chaplain duty is like other Peace Keeper duty.. sometimes
we don't know what is coming.. sometime we do.
Why do I share such experiences with you??? It is to illustrate to you that if He does it for me
He can and will do it for you. Some will say, "Ah, but you are a Chaplain." as if to say He is
more concerned for me than He is for YOU. THAT IS NOT TRUE!!!
Remember that I have been a law enforcement officer for a much longer time than I have been
a chaplain. I tried all the ways I learned to keep peace and enforce law before He gained my
attention and put me into contact with a man who could answer my questions and tell me how
to connect with the ONE who is now my COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. I patrolled a lot of
miles alone.. handled multiple fatalities involving up to eight deaths.. issued thousands of
summons for law violations.. made many arrests and spent a lot of time in court. I handled
everything from traffic enforcement to murder investigations before I came here to be an officer
and a chaplain.
In Peace Keeping, first you learn the foundation of knowledge necessary for the job..
secondly.. you learn how to apply that education in on the job training under the supervision
of superior officers and supervisors until you gain the experience to work independently of
direct supervision. Then you become a seeker.. a hunter.. a guardian.. looking for threats to
peace and safety.. protecting when you have opportunity.. and apprehending or stopping
those who break the peace and tranquility of the society we are sworn to protect and defend.
All of us in law enforcement, military, corrections, security, judicial, prosecutors and all of the
support systems for all of us are vital to the way of life we all have sworn to protect and defend.
Take away any cog from a gear and the gear cannot perform its function. Each branch of
Peace Keepers is like a cog on a gear. Together the whole system functions. Chip or crack
a tooth on a gear and it is like taking away one of us here and there. The gear will still function
for a time but every revolution puts more strain on the place where the piece is missing.. and
the cog defect begins to open up.. and eventually fail. Take away too many personnel from
any system and it will function for a time but it will begin to fail.. and then it just breaks down
altogether.
Is there ever enough of us? I do not think so. Do we scrape by with what we have? Usually.
Does the system fail? Sometimes. Will it ever completely breakdown? I don't think we will
allow that to happen.. but it takes all of us.. ALL OF US.
THANK YOU, EACH OF YOU AND ALL OF YOU, FOR WHO YOU ARE AND FOR
WHAT YOU DO. THIS WORLD WOULD BE A TERRIBLE PLACE IN WHICH TO
LIVE IF IT WERE NOT FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU. MY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
AND I ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR GIVING.. AND GIVING..
AND GIVING STILL MORE.
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE. BE ALERT, WATCHFUL, SUSPICIOUS AND WARY.
TAKE GREAT CARE OF YOU.. EVERY FACET OF YOU.. PHYSICAL,
EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL. YOU NEED THEM ALL.. ALL OF THE TIME.
WHEN YOU ARE COMPLETE YOU DO WELL. WHEN YOUR PERSONAL
SYSTEMS FAIL, ANY ONE OF THEM, YOU BEGIN TO FAIL.. AND
EVENTUALLY ALL OF YOUR SYSTEMS BREAK DOWN.. DUMPING YOU
INTO A HOLE THAT IS DIFFICULT TO CLIMB OUT OF.. SOMETIMES THE
FAILURE IS COMPLETE AND WE ARE GONE FROM THE SYSTEM.. AND
SOMETIMES EVEN FROM LIFE ITSELF..
AS IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN IT STILL IS..
"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST..
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST..
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN." Sun tzu
ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT..
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)..
BE SUCCESSFUL.. BE SAFE..
Chaplain D. R. Staton (Don - C1) VBPD, VSP ALUMNI,
Officer, Instructor, Senior Chaplain, Director of Chaplains
757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452