Do you remember the first time you played with fire? I mean, literally played with fire. Chances are it involved matches or your parents lighter? Because as kids, those were the likely, most accessible firestarters. And for us middle-aged or older, one or both of our parents probably smoked back in the day. There were always matches or lighters kids could pilfer or lift from dad’s pants pocket or mom’s purse. Remember that very first sensation of extreme heat on your fingertips, whoa, son of a bitch, that got your attention. And unless you were a complete imbecile as a kid, you didn’t go back for a repeat performance. Nowadays, kids can show off in other ways, like ramming their skateboard into a brick wall. Continue reading Podcast: Burned Fingers
Is it now better to be carried by six than judged by 12? | Police Podcast
A story I posted today read that, “Alabama police arrested a suspect for assaulting an officer after he allegedly pulled a gun on police and got into an altercation with officers during an early morning traffic stop”. Keep listening. The vehicle had been stopped for traffic violations and pulled into a gas station. The officer called for backup, which arrived, but a passenger was noncompliant with officer’s instructions. He broke free, started running, pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at one of the officers. Notice I said pointed it at one of the officers. Did any of the officers under totally righteous circumstances, shoot to stop the threat? Nooo
A second officer used a distraction strike and was able to get the asshole to drop the gun. A second gun was found in the lowlife’s waistband. If the distraction strike had missed or been ineffective, then what…one cop shot, two cops shot, or maybe he could have gone for a three-bie. Continue reading Is it now better to be carried by six than judged by 12? | Police Podcast
Podcast: Thumbs Up To The Passenger-side Approach
Recently, I made a lengthy motoring journey to visit my elderly aunt for her 95th birthday anniversary. It encompassed about seven and a half hours on the road from St. Louis to Wichita. Now, long drives are second on my bucket list of all-time, most fun activities only to getting my teeth ground down. All by my lonesome, too, which made the trip even more fun-filled. To pass the time, I listened to old radio classics on my satellite radio, and, I kept an eye out for law enforcement. Not to avoid them, but rather to see what I could glean in the few seconds I could eyeball officers while barreling down the highway.
Other than a Missouri trooper directing traffic after a horrid accident on I-70, I didn’t see a single cop until I crossed the state line into Kansas. THAT was very much another story. In relatively quick succession. I encountered four officers, either state troopers or local deputies, who had stopped vehicles in the beautiful Flint Hills of Eastern Kansas for various infractions. It really gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling, too, to see that in every instance the officers had made a passenger side approach. In one case, a young officer almost ran from his cruiser to the passenger side while he also touched the driver’s trunk for identification purposes. I could only presume he was so speedy because he didn’t want the driver to notice he was making a passenger-side approach. Don’t know, for sure. In any case, it gratified me to see that every cop along the way had adopted an approach that I have long, long advocated for many reasons for officer’s safety. Continue reading Podcast: Thumbs Up To The Passenger-side Approach
Don’t Put a Target on Your Back | Police Podcast
In November, 1942, a gentleman named Fridolph Trieman took his imposing German shepherd and a neighbor’s equally fierce looking dog for a rump in the grass of New York’s Central Park. Bear with me here, because I’m gonna make a hell of a point, which all cops, paramedics, firefighters, and first responders need to hear. You international listeners to this podcast as well.
Hassa, the German shepherd, soon came back barking and tugging at Mr. Trieman’s trouser cuff. He followed the dog to a ditch, where he spotted the body of a young woman. Her skirt was pulled up, exposing her legs and panties and a sleeve had been ripped off her coat. Four welts around her throat hinted at a cause of death, strangulation.
Ultimately, the 24 year-old woman’s estranged husband was nailed for the brutal slaying. You can read it for yourself in the archives of the New York Daily News, just Google Louise Almodovar. That tragedy, however, is not why I have produced this podcast. Continue reading Don’t Put a Target on Your Back | Police Podcast
Kyle Dinkheller’s Dad Doesn’t Give Up
When I first saw the cruiser cam video of Deputy Kyle Dinkheller’s murder, I had tears in my eyes. In fact, it was some years before I was able to watch the video without teary emotions and anguish. So, I will never understand how those closest to Kyle have been able to keep it together over these last two decades.
KYLE DINKHELLER’S DAD STILL TRYING TO HELP COPS
Kyle Dinkheller came from a wonderful family. I know, because I interviewed several of them and was glad to call his grandfather and his dad friends. His granddad is gone now, but his father, Kirk Dinkheller, is still beating the drums as hard as he can in support of officer safety.
Kirk was kind enough to respond to my request that he address several questions I had looking back on the 20 years since the murder of his son.
I am pleased to share Kirk’s answers to my questions.
Kirk Dinkheller – Father
1. From your perspective, what changes have you seen that have been implemented by law enforcement since Kyle’s death?
One of the changes I have seen is a lot more training on the use of force. All the officers I have talked to tell me they take Kyle’s video and break it down frame-by-frame and learn from it. Kyle’s video is a great training aid.
2. What misconceptions have been discovered about Kyle that are important and should be noted?
The biggest misconceptions are that Kyle got in trouble a lot for pulling his weapon on stops and for being disrespectful. Everyone I have talked to said that never happened. I have watched all of Kyle’s traffic stops, and I can tell you the same thing. He was always courteous and respectful.
One situation came to light regarding a stop Kyle made when he was working a bad car accident on I-16 in Laurens County. He stopped a car that did not pull over for law enforcement going to the accident, for driving too fast for conditions and for disregarding the safety of the first responders. Kyle reprimanded the driver for his actions and wrote a ticket. Apparently the driver knew the sheriff and voiced a complaint. The sheriff required Kyle to write a letter of apology and hand deliver it to the driver in question. Kyle felt he had handled the situation correctly, and he had an issue with being required to apologize. Kyle reluctantly complied with the order to keep the peace and to protect his job. Some people, including myself, wonder if that situation may have caused Kyle to hesitate that day.
3. What would you as Kyle’s dad like the long-term impact of Kyle Dinkheller’s death to have on law enforcement?
I would hope the long term impact would be that all officers, new and old, watch Kyle’s video every six months, and (they) learn something new each time. Also, I would like officers to take training to heart, and remember to do their job right and go home at the end of their shift. That is all that matters. I want them to remember that no two traffic stops are the same. Even if one seems routine, officers need to approach all stops with the worst case scenario in mind.
4. Have you any stories from cops who have viewed the dash cam video of the murder of Deputy Kyle Dinkheller and, perhaps, and adjusted their own tactical approaches? Has the dash came video saved officers’ lives in your opinion?
I know Kyle’s video has saved a lot of officers’ lives. Re-training and re-watching the video can save lives. I have heard from many officers who have viewed the video and later been on a stop where something brought Kyle’s video to mind. Some officers have told me they encountered people who were out of the car and wanted to go back to their vehicle. Because of the Dinkheller video, they stopped the person from returning to the vehicle. One officer I talked to went back to the car for the person and found a gun. I have heard this kind of thing often through the years.
5. What do you feel are/should be the most important lessons as a result of Kyle Dinkheller’s murder?
I feel the most important lessons to learn (come) from Kyle’s mistakes on this stop. There is so much to learn. I know Kyle never thought this stop would turn out the way it did, and he was giving the guy every opportunity to give up and go on with life. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I would love for everyone to take training to heart and remember this video. Kyle met the devil that day, and he wasn’t ready to meet the devil. I hope everyone learns from the video so when they meet the devil, they are ready. I will continue to go around the country showing Kyle’s video and talking about him in hopes that it help law enforcement officers stay safe and go home at night.
Thanks to his dad, friends and family, thanks to great trainers and teachers, Kyle Dinkheller
continues to give back in death much, much more than most do in a lifetime.
A bittersweet, yet powerful truth imho.
For those of you unfamiliar with our training program on ‘The Murder of Deputy Dinkheller’, here’s a preview. Order via our online store, or e-mail us at sales@lineofduty.com.
Be looking for my upcoming blog on a high-risk felony stop of a suspected mass killer
that turned out to be more like a scene from Smokey and the Bandit.
Thanks for joining me!
Ron Barber | Line Of Duty