LawOfficer.com Senior Editor Tim Dees interviews Chuck Deakins of FAAC at their booth at IACP 2008. Tim drives the police driving simulator in a ...
End of Watch: October 2011 - News - LawOfficer.com
During October, seven officers in this country lost their lives in the line of duty. As tragic as the loss of these seven officers is, this is the lowest level of loss we have had in any month this year. In fact, it’s also lower than any month during all of 2010. Any loss is devastating and should never be deemed acceptable, but I’m thankful that we have a break from a seemingly endless string of months with double digit losses.
As of Nov. 1, 2011, our line of duty deaths total 138 according to our partners at the Officer Down Memorial Page . This is down 1% compared to the same time last year. Although the LODD total is essentially equal to the previous year, there are some very significant differences. Deaths attributable to gunfire are notably higher, up 13% compared to last year, and deaths attributable to vehicle incidents are markedly lower, down 20% compared to the same period in 2010....
Heroic Save by CHP Officer - News - LawOfficer.com
Joe Heightman is a California Highway Patrol motor officer. I’m very, very proud to say he’s also one of our contributors. This past Sunday, Officer Heightman performed at a level that is nothing short of heroic. I want to share it with you because this story deserves to be told.
After experiencing some type of seizure, a driver lost control of his vehicle on the freeway and was seriously injured when his car struck both a tree and a wall before coming to rest. Heightman came upon the vehicle and found that the driver was unconscious and having difficulty breathing. Heightman positioned himself to keep the man’s cervical spine immobile while keeping the airway open. Despite smoke pouring into the passenger compartment, he held the man in this position until flames burst through the center console.
Faced with the imminent threat of fire, Heightman knew he had to extricate the victim. He tried to release the seatbelt but it had jammed. So he pulled a knife from his boot and cut the driver loose. When Heightman tried to move the driver from the car, he realized the driver’s legs were pinned. So he reached through the thick smoke, found the steering column adjustment and moved the wheel enough to complete the rescue.
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