Officer Quickfire Weekly Recap: First Week of August

Aug. 9, 2013
Here are some of the stories you may have missed that ran on our site during the week.

It can be hard to keep up with all of the news that occurs on daily basis.

Because of this, the Officer.com staff presents the "Quickfire Weekly Recap." Here are some of the stories you may have missed that ran on our site this week:

Weekend (Aug. 2-4)

A St. Charles Parish, La. deputy died in a four-vehicle crash while on duty Sunday night.

Deputy Jeff Watson was responding to a call for assistance from another officer when a motorist crossed into his path, causing another vehicle and a motorcycle to crash as well. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A probationary Coal City, Ill. police officer was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Saturday as she was leaving training.

Officer Heather Katherine Wandt, who was appointed on July and was attending the Police Training Institute in Champaign, died at the scene.

In another tragic incident in the same state on the same day, a Peru, Ill. police dog died following a cruiser crash while responding to an armed robbery.

K-9 Kali and handler Officer Art Smith drove through a red light with the cruiser's lights and siren activated when another vehicle struck the vehicle on the passenger side.

Kali was ejected from the vehicle and later succumbed to its injuries.

Police on Sunday arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a driver plowed into crowds at a Los Angeles boardwalk earlier in the day.

Nathan Louis Campbell walked into a Santa Monica police station about two hours after he allegedly crashed into pedestrians, killing one and injuring 11 others, before driving away.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused to delay the early release of nearly 10,000 inmates by the year's end.

The justices dismissed an emergency request by the Gov. Jerry Brown to halt a lower court's directive for the early release.

Monday (Aug. 5)

A Charlotte County, Fla. deputy was fatally shot at an apartment complex in Port Charlotte.

Cpl. Michael Wilson was responding to a domestic disturbance call at the Lakes of Tuscana Apartments on Veterans Boulevard when the incident occurred. The suspected gunman was found dead inside one of the units by SWAT Team members shortly after midnight.

A man blasted his way into a Ross Township municipal building and killed three people before being tackled and shot with his own gun.

Police say 59-year-old Rockne Newell opened fire as he barged into a meeting before being taken down and shot with his own gun.

A vigil was held for the six victims killed in a rampage at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis. on the one-year anniversary of the tragic incident.

The candlelight vigil was held next to the very parking lot where two of the victims.

The Minneapolis Police Department plans to review its training and hiring practices following two incidents in which white officers allegedly used racial slurs and got into fights with black men while off duty.

Chief Janee Harteau said that most of her officers conduct themselves appropriately when dealing with the public.

Tuesday (Aug. 6)

A McCracken County, Ky. deputy died after collapsing while assisting at a school.

Deputy Chad Shaw was at the Community Christian Academy helping the faculty and staff prepare for their meet and greet that was scheduled to kick off the new school year.

The 47-year-old was transported to a local hospital after collapsing and was pronounced dead.

A Waupun, Wis. police officer was arrested one day after leading police on a high-speed pursuit.

Officer Bradley Young, a 22-year veteran of the department, allegedly stole a vehicle and committed a burglary before the chase ensued.

A Parsippany police officer who stopped at a convenience store to use the bathroom got an unexpected surprise when he opened the door.

Officer Michael Spring saw a man breaking up marijuana on a $100 bill and arrested him on the spot.

MBTA police are getting creative to cut crime at a subway stop in Cambridge, Mass.

A cardboard cutout of an office in the bicycle cage has cut thefts by 67 percent. Officials estimate it would cost $200,000 a year to have a real-life officer watch over the cage full-time.

Wednesday (Aug. 7)

Two veteran Boston plainclothes officers were shot and the suspected gunman was killed in a daylight shootout in the Dorchester neighborhood.

Officers Harry Jean and Terry Cotton both suffered non life-threatening injuries. A second suspect is still on the loose and is being sought by police.

The NYPD will no longer store the names and addresses of those whose cases are dismissed after a police stop under an agreement settling a lawsuit over "Stop-and-Frisk."

The deal resulted from a May 2010 lawsuit brought in state court in Manhattan by the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The Cleveland house where three women were held captive and raped by Ariel Castro for a decade was demolished.

The house was reduced to rubble as part of the plea deal that spared Castro, who was sentenced last week to life in prison plus 1,000 years, a possible death sentence.

A man driving a truck with police lights on top while posing as an officer picked the wrong guys to pull over in northern New Mexico.

Officials say 26-year-old John Shelton pulled over what turned out to be an unmarked State Police vehicle carrying two agents.

Thursday (Aug. 8)

Maricopa County, Ariz. Sheriff Joe Arpaio has ordered all of his deputies to be armed 24 hours a day so that they are prepared for anything.

Arpaio spoke at the press conference, which also included the announcement that all deputies are now carrying AR-15 rifles, on the same day one a detention officer was killed while off-duty in the driveway of his Phoenix home.

A Rochester, N.H. detective returned to duty for the first time in 16 months after being wounded during a standoff last year that took the life of a neighboring police chief.

Detective Jeremiah Murphy was shot in the chest when suspected drug dealer Cullen Mutrie opened fire on officers attempting to serve a search warrant in April 2012. Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney was killed in the shooting.

A South Miami, Fla. man posted a photo to Facebook of his wife's body slumped on the floor after he allegedly killed her before turning himself in to police.

Derek Medina told police that he and wife Jennifer Alfonso had a heated argument that resulted in him shooting her several times.

Friday (Aug. 9)

Officials say a car belonging to the suspect in the disappearance of a teenage girl in California has been found in Idaho.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore also said that horseback riders reported seeing two people matching the description of suspect James Lee DiMaggio and Hannah Anderson, the girl he is accused of abducting.

The bodies of the Anderson's mother and an unidentified child were found on Aug. 4 at DiMaggio's burned home near San Diego.

A former teacher has been charged with fatally shooting four people and wounding four others in separate attacks in the Dallas area two days earlier.

Erbie Lee Bowser allegedly killed his girlfriend and her daughter in one attack while killing his estranged wife and her daughter.

The Ohio Highway Patrol and the troopers' union are stomping it out in a dispute over footwear.

The troopers association contends that the new shoes being issued are slick, leading to slips and falls, and come off too easily while wrestling suspects or chasing them on foot.

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