Danny R. Smith's Blog, page 10

Midland Officer Killed by Homeowner

Texans Mourn the Loss of an Officer From CBS7 News:

[image error]Midland Mayor Jerry Morales has identified the officer as 5-year veteran Nathan Hayden Heidelberg.

An internal email obtained by multiple media sources reports that Heidelberg, his probationary police officer, plus two additional officers responded to a burglar alarm at a Midland home on Tuesday morning. 

The email says the officer made a loud announcement of their being there at the front door, but the homeowner believed that his house was...

Old School Cop: Computers in the Car

In the last few months of my patrol career, the intrusion of Mobile Digital Terminals (MDTs) began eroding the sanctity of the radio car and, in my opinion, the relationships of the partners therein.

[image error]1st Generation Mobile Digital Terminal (LASD)

Many cops were immediately enthralled by the electronic “toy” they were provided, and they enjoyed the many tools it offered: running license plates without going through dispatch, checking the driver’s statuses of ex-whatevers, sending messages to ot...

The Roger Stone Arrest

“Here’s the deal, Lou: my partner and I have knocked on this guy’s door a half-dozen times and sat in his living room for hours asking him questions about his daughter’s death and helping ourselves to his M&Ms. He knows us by our first names, but he probably thinks we’re Dumb and Dumber, and doubts we’ll ever solve this case. Why would I suddenly need a SWAT team to arrest him when I can knock on his door, be invited in, have some M&Ms and then give him the bad news?”

Do we Need a SWAT Team?...

The Night Car

[image error]In the fall of 1991, I promoted to station detectives at Firestone Station. At first, I had difficulty embracing the new job.

However, like any new job, there was a lot to learn about the basics of being a detective. Not just interviewing witnesses and solving crimes, but all of the processes such as writing and executing search warrants, filing criminal complaints at the courthouse, and a whole new spectrum of paperwork that accompanied all of it.

The Firestone Family

The best part of the jo...

The Marina Brawl – Part II

From Part I of the Marina brawl:

A second blow hit me with even greater force. And then a third. My head rang like a gong. I was in trouble, losing consciousness and losing the fight, and I knew I had to act. No help had come. I was on my own, badly hurt, and I was being pushed and pulled while being punched and kicked and now beaten on the head.

I knew that in order to survive, I had to kill the man behind me.

Catch Part I here if you missed it

* * *

[image error] The Conclusion

I pushed away from the ma...

The Marina Brawl

Thirty years ago today, I was beaten unconscious while performing my duties as a Los Angeles County deputy sheriff.

Marina del Rey

I had volunteered to go on loan from Firestone Station to the Marina del Rey Station. The Marina is not known for high levels of criminal activity, and as such, their trainees are generally not well-rounded nor experienced when their six-month training program is completed. Because of this, there was a program in which trainees assigned to the Marina would be sent...

Regal Beagle

[image error]Sometimes it was the way a person looked at you that told you he was up to no good; other times, it was the way he didn’t. We used to call it getting small or being invisible, the way some criminals would strain to avoid looking your way, as if you couldn’t see them if they didn’t see you.

That “I’m invisible” look is how a particularly memorable arrest came one night on a P.M. shift in Firestone.

East Coast vs. West Coast

But first, let me tell you about my partner that night. His name is St...

Saving America, One Apple Pie at a Time

 

[image error]

Grandma was the type to poke the bear, stir the pot, kick the sleeping dog. To give an example, she’d be sure to mention it if you had picked up a few pounds or gray hairs.

Thanksgiving Past

Several years ago, my family sat scattered about in my parents’ home, capping a day of Thanksgiving celebration with slices of pie. My wife, Lesli, had been assigned to bring the pies, and she had done so.

[image error]A bit of background on Grandma: She was born at the start of the 20th century and spent most of h...

A Shooting on Elm Street – Part III

From Part I:

Duval announced, “He’s down. He’s down.”

Mac responded. “I’m hit!” At that time, the thought occurred to him to remain still since he had been hit near his spine. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Read it here: Part I of The Elm Street Shooting From Part II:

The gangster fired. Mac fired back. Flames erupted from his gun that he held low and tight to his body. He held his radio and a burning cigarette in his other hand.

Read it here: Part II of The Elm...

A Shooting on Elm Street – Part II

From Part I:

Duval announced, “He’s down. He’s down.”

Mac responded. “I’m hit!” At that time, the thought occurred to him to remain still since he had been hit near his spine; he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

If you missed part I: Part I of The Elm Street Shooting Continuing, Part II: Detective Ron Duval

Duval, like his partner, Alec MacArthur, was newly assigned to the gang unit, but he was also a seasoned patrol deputy on the streets of Firestone. He recalls tha...