Good Cops

[Law Enforcement] Between Taser happy troopers and cop unions shutting down civilian review boards, sometimes the police are a pretty easy target for us media folks. Of course police abuse of power is one thing alot of people complain about, and is always worth shedding light on-- its just a shame it blights out the amazing and heroic things many of our friends in law enforcement do on a regular basis.

This past weekend I saw something that scared the ever-loving shit out of me! And also one of the most inspiring things I've ever seen as well. Driving down 3300 south at about 1 am last Friday me and a friend came across a motorcycle accident. It was not pretty. The man did not have a helmet was bleeding from the head and was totally unconscious. Some people gathered around and we called 911 and waited. Soon at least five police cars blocked off one end of the road and cleared us all out of the street and onto the sidewalk. Every one's adrenaline was pumping already just seeing the guy splayed out on the street in a pool of his own blood, and just when things seemed under control is when things actually got really crazy.

Out of nowhere a truck came roaring down the street and decided not to worry about the five police cars with light flashing. Not slowing down the truck decided to weave through the blockade by cutting a path down the middle lane and around all the cars. The middle lane is also where the injured motorcyclist and several police officers happened to be. In a split second this truck was a moment away from running over one officer and the injured biker, when the officer reached down and pulled the injured man and himself out of harms way.

I shit a brick! Ive never seen anything so simultaneously heroic (the cop pulling a man who could already have been half gone, out of harms way) and so insane (the driver of the truck who decided five cops was not enough to slow him down).

Luckily they caught the guy later on down the road and the ambulance took away the biker. I hadn't heard if he was OK and hadn't seen it in the news. But to the officers I saw that night and especially the one who pulled the biker out of the way of certain death, mad props to you officers. You deserve thanks from me, from everyone there, from the injured biker and even the idiot driver who thanks to your heroics will only be facing reckless driving charges instead of manslaughter. Thank you. (Eric S. Peterson)

Breaking News: Dog Shit Terror!

[News-ish] So, are we glad to report that former KCPW 88.3 news director Lara Jones' first on-camera appearance as the Minister of Information for the Salt Lake Police Department was for a KUTV 2 story titled "Dog Poop Dispute Ends in Stabbing"? Uh, sure ...


(Bill Frost)

Cancer claims J.J.

[Police Dog Obit] J.J., the first bloodhound to work for the Salt Lake City Police Department, died early Thursday after a year-long fight against cancer.

SLPD spokesman Det. Jeff Bedard announced J.J.'s death earlier today in a news release to local media. J.J. was diagnosed with a malignant cancerous growth in his mouth one year ago, and had undergone aggressive treatment in New York City.

J.J.'s handler was K9 Officer Mike Serio, who worked with the dog for almost nine years.

J.J. and Serio are responsible for the apprehension of nearly 300 suspects during the dog's long career. Even after his cancer diagnosis, J.J. apprehended some 50 suspects, Bedard said.

Serio, along with J.J. and two other bloodhounds, pioneered the bloodhound urban tracking program in Utah. Other Salt Lake Valley police agencies have since added bloodhounds to their established K9 programs.

J.J.'s superior record includes his longest track in following a supect: three miles.

Rest in peace, J.J. (Holly Mullen)

Do Not Go Gently

[Attitude] Yay! After a bit of a hiatus, the SLPD has added City Weekly as a regular e-mail recipient again of its crime log. Just like a member of the grown-up media!

The just-released weekend log from Salt Lake's Finest includes predictable mayhem outside a couple of bars, a vehicular hit and run, and a home invasion by who else--a raging meth-head. I like the following report best of all:

1615 Robbery (that's 4:15 p.m. Sunday)
876 W. 800 S. (Pueblitos Joyeria)
Case number: 07-191583
"The victim was working at this store when the suspect, a male white adult in his 20s, 5’ tall and very thin, entered the store. The suspect sprayed the victim with lighter fluid, pulled out a lighter and threatened to light the victim on fire if he didn’t give him the jewelry. The victim picked up a large chair and threatened to beat the suspect. The suspect ran from the store and got into a blue Dodge van and fled the scene."

Let's hear it for the desk clerk who wouldn't let a little threat of massive third-degree burns take him down ... (Holly Mullen)