Cold Case In Ellyson

and if you doubt me, take a look at my face. My partner and I were playing people we didn’t know from another state, and in the second game of the match, while both of us were up at net, one of our opponents hit an overhead squarely at my face. I said overhead, not […]

One of the main characters in my book, “Joe,” is loosely based on my partner who worked the streets with me when we were on the force. He is now with the FBI working white collar cyber crime. “Joe” was a very good officer – smart, fast, strong – that it surprises me he’s content […]

Worn your bullet-proof vest lately? Probably not…At our department, we wore them on the job. The vests were low profile but definitely dense. Sitting at the ballpark (again) this weekend, feeling sweat drip down my back, I was reminded of a hot July night when I was pretty sure I was going to die. A […]

The director of the police academy I attended was one tough hombre. He really did scare me, probably because I was so out of my element there, but he was a make you or break you kind of man. Super smart, too. Witty with a deadpan delivery. I have already told you that I love […]

Of the funerals I’ve attended, one is most memorable: the service for a fellow police academy grad who was killed in a car accident off duty. Police funerals are full of strangers. Officers from neighboring counties, cities and sometimes states make the trek to honor one of their own. That was the case this spring […]

Part of police training, is, in fact, physical training. Dressed in dark blue sweats from head to tow, we would often run laps at night, high steps and all you would expect from a paramilitary organization. Nervous beyond words our first time outside, instructors barked out orders at us to run, jump and finally to […]

When partners are able to contribute their strengths equally, something special happens…whether that be at the house, on the court or on the streets…but as often the case in life, none of us are all-on always. The ebbs and flows affect how much and often we can share of ourselves. In tennis, particularly, the output […]

For a long time after I quit working for the police force, I continued to blade. Know what that means? It’s how an officer stands with his gun-side leg slightly behind the other, angled back, to keep the weapon shielded from the person you’re interviewing…so as I’m right handed, my left leg was always in […]

Texting while driving is dangerous. We all know that. But for a moment, consider what a cop has to manage on the road: obvoiusly driving at a sometimes high rate of speed, lights, sirens, MDT (multi-display terminal, or laptop), radio, spotlight, oh, and the person they’re pursuing…you can understand that dangers of managing so much. […]

As a police officer, a call about a family disturbance can mean many things from a verbal argument to a homicide. That’s why they’re considered one of the most dangerous calls – police officers have to be prepared for anything. One of the few times I had to draw my gun was at a family […]