Officer Quickfire Recap: Fourth Week of February

Feb. 28, 2014
Here are some of the news 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 (Feb. 21-23)

Mexican authorities captured the world's most powerful drug lord in a resort city Saturday after a massive search.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Marshals Service were heavily involved in the apprehension of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.

As Detroit tries to rebound from bankruptcy few groups have been feeling the pain of the city's financial collapse more than the police.

Worry, frustration and anger exist among the rank and file despite some recent positive changes including a new chief, new cruisers and new plans.

The leader of the BART Police Department responded to critics questioning the agency's training and oversight in the wake of the fatal shooting of a police sergeant by a fellow detective.

In a bulletin sent last week to employees, Police Chief Kenton Rainey suggested that a "few individuals" were undermining long-term efforts to improve the force's reputation.

A small-town Pennsylvania police chief, who gained notoriety for his profanity-laced video tirades about the Second Amendment and liberals, "voluntarily retired" on Friday.

Former Gilberton Police Chief Mark Kessler has left the department and is considering the possibility of starring in his own reality TV show.

Monday (Feb. 24)

Thousands of mourners attended a memorial service for two fallen California Highway Patrol officers at the Save Mart Center on the Fresno State University campus.

Officers Juan Gonzalez and Brian Law, who died in a car crash on Feb. 17 as they responded to a multi-car accident, are the first CHP officers in the Fresno area to die in the line of duty in more than 50 years.

Detroit's police chief issued a warning to a gang member who made a threat on his life over social media.

Police Chief James Craig said the threat will not deter the work that has been done to curtail crime in the city and promised to find the suspect and dismantle his criminal enterprise.

With possibly hundreds of thousands of rape kits untested across the country, states are proposing legislation to address the backlogs.

At least 17 states have proposals that range from requiring law enforcement agencies to inventory their rape kits to analyzing them in a certain amount of time.

A 9-year-old boy battling cancer who was recently named Detroit's police chief for a day died.

Jayvon Felton, who had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, wore a big smile Jan. 31 as police officials arranged for him to get star treatment as the city's honorary police chief.

Tuesday (Feb. 25)

A man was convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a Michigan state trooper during a traffic stop last year.

Eric Knysz was found guilty in the September shooting death of Trooper Paul Butterfield II.

A Douglas County, Minn. Sheriff's Deputy was recovering after he was shot and two people were killed during a shootout at a barn.

The deputy responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle with two people inside when one of the occupants fired a gun, hitting the deputy who was wearing a bulletproof vest, in the chest.

The Supreme Court ruled that police may search a home without a warrant when two occupants disagree about allowing officers to enter.

The justices declined to extend an earlier ruling denying entry to police when the occupants disagree and both are present.

Pennsylvania State Police are investigating allegations of cheating by more than 30 municipal police officers on annual recertification tests.

Most of the officers under investigation by the state police Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission participated in a January recertification course.

Wednesday (Feb. 26)

A man convicted of killing a Florida Highway Patrol trooper with a gift-wrapped pipe bomb meant for two potential murder witnesses was executed.

Paul Augustus Howell was condemned for the death of Trooper Jimmy Fulford on Feb. 1, 1992, when the package exploded during a traffic stop.

A rookie NYPD officer was wounded in a Brooklyn parking lot after being shot multiple times in the leg, groin and thigh by a gunman.

Police say that Rashaun Robinson opened fire on Officer James Li when police pulled the 28-year-old and another man off of an MTA bus after boarding without paying.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Department announced this week that officers will no longer respond to non-injury fender-bender accidents.

Officials say that officers have been stretched too thin trying to get the low-priority crashes and that an average of 250 man-hours per week is spent on fender-bender investigations.

Thursday (Feb. 27)

Officials are crediting a bulletproof vest with saving the life of a Franklin County, Ky. deputy who was nearly killed after his cruiser crashed Monday night.

Deputy Ronald Lalumandier was responding to an emergency call when his cruiser plowed through a wooden plank fence, causing one of the planks to go through the front windshield, hitting him straight in the chest.

The Associated Press has uncovered failures in the phone system at the Los Angeles International Airport after a gunman opened fire last year.

An LAX police dispatcher who received a call seconds after the shooting began reportedly didn't know where to send officers because no one was on the line and the airport communications system didn't identify that the call was coming from a security checkpoint emergency phone.

The Borough of Gilberton, Pa. voted to begin the process to abolish its police department.

The move comes exactly one week after the settlement agreement was signed between the borough and former Police Chief Mark Kessler, who gained national attention for his profanity-laced videos.

Two Midland, Texas police officers have been disciplined for spending weeks competing to see who could take the most cardboard signs away from homeless people.

The officers were suspended for three days without pay following an internal affairs investigation.

Friday (Feb. 28)

The man charged with shooting a rookie NYPD officer this week admitted that he wanted to kill a cop.

Rashaun Robinson was arrested Wednesday for allegedly shooting Officer James Li in both legs three times.

The Los Angeles Times game an inside look at an academy classes' struggles in both training and on the streets after graduation.

The class was a mix of people from different backgrounds working together to make it through while learning the ropes.

The Fairfax County, Va. Police Department's newest cruiser is sure to demand drivers' attention.

The 2013 Ford Taurus completely wrapped in safety messages will be on the lookout for those who are distracted, intoxicated or fail to move over for emergency vehicles.

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