Author: Street Cop Training

I’ve always wanted to join the military since I can remember. I grew up watching all the Vietnam war movies and was fascinated with military service and playing soldier. However, when I was 18, I had been dealing with a bad skin condition (Hidradenitis Suppurativa) that messed me up pretty bad. 

After High School, it got worse, and for about 4-5 years, I had to stop going to college. My whole life was put on hold for those years because I could barely walk, sleep, sit down or do anything physically that wasn’t exacerbated by the open wounds I had everywhere (underarms, face, ass, cheek, and groin). Frankly, I couldn’t do shit but watch as the rest of the people I knew went on with their lives, and I just withered away like some rotting piece of meat. 

God must’ve had different plans for me because, around 2017, after about five surgeries and my HS going into almost remission, I started showing a glimmer of improvement in my quality of life. My mind was still set on wanting to join the military, but I was still far from that realization since my HS was still not completely gone. Finally, after so many years, I was able to work out again, which gave me back my sanity, drive, and hopes of fulfilling my dream to join the service.

Come 2018, while still going to community college, I applied for a union job to do trade skills for the conventions here in Vegas. I told myself that I would continue to go to school and do this new job while I waited for my HS to go away forever, somehow wholly, so I could join the military and do what I wanted. 

While training for this new job, I found myself unsatisfied and bored to all Hell! I kept feeling that I shouldn’t be here and needed to be doing something else. Finally, I got this union job was an excellent job with incredible benefits and retirement. However, I knew I wasn’t meant for this and had a calling for something much more, something bigger than myself. At the time, I thought that something in my mind was 100% the military, but my path went in a different direction.

During my union apprenticeship, I met this “dude” who kept boasting about how he was in the background process for one of the local police departments. Not to be rude, but “This dude” was obese and could barely move to save his life. This had my gears spinning, and I thought, “If this fat dude is trying to be a cop, what the hell am I doing with myself right now.” I thought, “I’m no extreme athlete or anything, but I’m not that guy.” 

That same day I had self-talk with myself and decided to apply because I realized that being a cop would be way better and more satisfying than what I was doing. 

That day marked the moment in my life that I will never forget because I made the best decision. I went on to pass backgrounds, the academy, and then field training. Since then, I’ve been working regular patrol on graveyards and having a blast. 

To this day, even though I was set on joining the military, being a cop for me was the next best thing. It has given me purpose, goals, and a profession to be excited and proud of. With not being able to join the military, I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. 

This job has been everything and more because I thrive on being in an operational environment where my decisions matter which could affect the lives of my partners, civilians, and myself. 

But let’s be honest, being a cop is fantastic, and I get paid to do extraordinary things in my mind. So I take it seriously and practice to be proficient in shooting, tactics, law, and jiu-jitsu because jiu-jitsu is life. Lol.

Sometimes we don’t know what life has in store for us, but we make the best of it.

A program in Los Angeles designed to keep homeless adults, addicts, and the mentally ill out of jail is seeing little to no success, according to statistics provided by police.

The problem – is little to no interest in the program. Out of 283 people deemed eligible for the Alternatives to Incarceration Diversion Program (AIDP), only 17 people have completed the program. Moreover, nearly three-quarters of the 283 declined to participate in AIDP at all.

The program works because people arrested for misdemeanor offenses – such as simple drug possession, prostitution, or petty theft – are given the option to enter into the program. They are paired with one of the multiple community organizations for various services, including treatment and housing. Misdemeanors require the person to remain in the program for 90 days, while felony charges require 180 days. Those in the program are monitored by police and the prosecutor’s office with the option to file charges should the person fail to adhere to the program. 

LAPD Deputy Chief Kris Pitcher, who oversees AIDP for the department, told the Los Angeles Times efforts to help people with the program have been hampered mainly by policies put in place by court officials and the district attorney’s office. “For many people eligible for diversion, a quick release is more attractive than entering a month-long treatment program, even if it leaves criminal charges hanging over their heads. The arrested and brought-in individuals believe they will be released very quickly.” And they most certainly are due to the court’s pandemic-related decision, which did away with cash bail for people charged with minor offenses, like the ones in AIDP.

Deputy Chief Pitcher stated people who have turned down AIDP had expressed doubt that the prosecutor’s office would even file charges against them on the minor offense. They won’t seek bail following the office’s more lenient policies under District Attorney Gascon if they do file.

The struggle to help people suffering from mental health issues is not only being discussed regarding AIDP. California Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a controversial plan which would allow judges to compel people with serious mental illnesses and addictions to receive treatment. Families of people who have a mental illness and policy makers agree that something needs to be done with the families calling for a more proactive effort from the state instead of just waiting for the people who need help the most to commit a crime and get arrested.

What do you think? Do you believe AIDP is a good idea? Do you have any other solutions which might benefit those suffering from mental illness and addiction?

Across the nation, law enforcement agencies are hurting for staff. However, some of these agencies have what most of us would consider good policies. They allow proactive policing, the pay is good, the benefits are pretty outstanding, and in some of these areas, the people support their police. I have been seeking employment and have looked across the country. The biggest reason behind not moving yet is finding an affordable home. 

When it comes to relocating for a job in 2022, housing is undoubtedly one of the most significant hurdles. Most agencies require that officers live within a certain radius or within city/county limits. This is not just a problem facing law enforcement. Firefighters, Medics, and teachers also live off average salaries and are often required to live within their work areas. Again, this isn’t a problem for those in the more rural areas, but when you start talking about major metropolitan areas, the skyrocketing cost of housing makes that virtually impossible. 

Finding an affordable place to rent is not any easier. In many areas, people who once were paying $700 a month for their rent are now spending three to four times as much. In many cases, it is far less expensive to own a home than it is to rent one. Not only is a home an investment, but if you are paying $2,000 a month on rent, you are essentially paying for a $720,000 home with nothing to show. (Based on a 30-year mortgage and not factoring in interest rates)

In the spring of 2021, Marco Rubio drafted a bill called “The Helper Act.” “The Helper Act” aims to help state-funded employees secure affordable housing. In tone, the bill is similar to loans offered to military veterans. They allow state-funded employees, including law enforcement, to qualify for low-interest housing loans. In addition, you will receive a one-time offer to secure a $0 down payment as well. It is estimated that this bill would save home buyers approximately $35,000. 

There is still much work to be done before this bill can be approved and passed into law. Currently, there are 66 cosponsors for the bill, which include support from both sides of the aisle. 37 Democrats and 29 Republicans have signed on to support “The Helper Act.” This bi-partisan bill has had almost no opposition, and once it is fleshed out, it is believed this will pass into law. 

What are your thoughts on this bill? Is this another predatory mortgage lending practice aimed at state wage earners, or is this a blessing for those hometown heroes? I, for one, will be keeping a close eye on “The Helper Act” and will keep an open mind.

Technology is advancing every single day, even in the law enforcement profession. Officers who patrolled the streets in the 90s will tell you that they didn’t have half the tools at our disposal today. Some of the technology we have at our disposal today has made the law enforcement profession safer and helped officers solve tough cases.

For example, what if you could tell that a person was lying to you just by looking at their eyes? Well, that is a problem tech company Converus claims to solve with their revolutionary EyeDetect technology. Converus claims that research has shown lying to cause involuntary changes in the eyes because lying is more cognitively demanding than telling the truth.

With the EyeDetect technology, a job candidate, criminal suspect, or anyone who takes the exam will sit in front of a computer and answer true or false questions. The EyeDetect software will monitor changes in eye behavior of the test taker with a high-definition camera. The test is non-invasive, which means there are no cables or sensors attached to the exam subject. Upon completing the test, an algorithm analyzes the data from the person taking the test. This classifies them as either “truthful” or “deceptive” in as little as 5 minutes with 90% accuracy. 

There are different options for the software. For example, the Directed Lie Comparison (DLC) test used in criminal investigations allows law enforcement to use EyeDetect in many cases such as sexual assault, murder, sexual abuse of a child, domestic abuse, drug use, espionage, terrorism, and any other criminal behavior.

Even better, in 2018, EyeDetect was used in a jury trial as evidence in a sexual assault case in New Mexico. With polygraph and voice stress tests being inadmissible in court, EyeDetect has a precedent of admission into evidence, which speaks volumes about the EyeDetect software, especially when considering the severity of the crimes investigated.

Maybe Converus is correct, and eyes are the windows to the soul after all.

Feel free to check out Converus at the link below and read more about it.

On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on the anniversary of George Floyd’s death. The “Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing, and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety .”Biden stated that this Executive Order “Is a measure of what we can do to heal the very soul of this nation.” 

The Executive Order is mainly directed at Federal Law Enforcement Agencies; however, some of the measures included will involve local and state agencies. 

The included measures are separated to show what affects federal agencies and local/state agencies. Here are just a few of the measures included in the bill.

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies:

• Creates a new national database of police misconduct
• Mandates the adoption of body-worn camera policies
• Bans the use of chokeholds and carotid restraints unless deadly force is authorized and restricts the use of no-knock entries
• Requires new standards that limit the use of force and require de-escalation for all federal agencies
• Requires an updated approach to recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of law enforcement officers

State/Local Law Enforcement Agencies 

• Restores and expands upon the Obama-Biden Administration’s restrictions on the transfer of military equipment
• Requires new standards for accreditation and for accrediting bodies

Generally speaking, this EO involves reform across the board for all Federal Law Enforcement Agencies. However, what impacts us at the local level is still significant. For example, the National Sheriff’s Association President, Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, had this to say:

“There are potentially elements of this Order that make sense and could be beneficial to all law enforcement. However, Sheriffs are disappointed that the President chose opaqueness over transparency in drafting this Order.” He went on to add, “By choosing not to listen to elected law enforcement, the President missed hearing from the rest of the country.”

While this Executive Order is aimed at federal agencies, some discontent appears at the state and local levels. Will these reforms trickle down and become mandated to our local agencies? Many of these reforms are not overtly wrong but having them attached to policies that will put officers at risk (removal of carotid restraints, for one) is where the problems seem to lay. Another similar measure is the changes to getting “hand-me-down” equipment from the military to law enforcement agencies. As we all know, smaller agencies at the state and local levels do not have the funding for equipment. Having this measure will put a monetary strain on these agencies. 

There is a lot to unpack from this, and only time will tell exactly how this will fair for us at the local levels. There will be some division because of this measure. The irony, however, is not lost on me that this EO was signed the day after an active shooter. The responding officers would have significantly benefited from having military body armor and equipment. 

The tragedy, which took place Tuesday, May 24, 2022, will forever be etched into the minds of citizens and families across the country. Unfortunately, another senseless act of violence against children occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Here is what we know.

Early Tuesday morning, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos posted on Facebook a series of posts detailing what the day would become. Ramos stated, “I’m going to shoot my grandmother in the first post.” Shortly after, an alleged domestic disturbance took place in which Ramos shot his grandmother in the face and seriously injured her. Ramos then posted, “I’ve shot my grandmother,” followed by “I’m going to shoot an elementary school.”

Ramos then left in his vehicle to carry out that threat. He crashed into the ditch near Robb Elementary School, where he exited his vehicle with, allegedly, a pistol and rifle and made his way towards the school. Uvalde Police received a 911 call about a “crashed vehicle with an individual armed with a rifle making his way to the school,” according to Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.

Ramos then entered the school, where he encountered a school resource officer, and a gunfight took place. The officer who engaged Ramos was injured by gunfire, allowing Ramos to barricade himself in a fourth-grade classroom – the first classroom that he was able to gain access to – where he subsequently opened fire on the teachers and students inside.

According to law enforcement, Uvalde Police Department Officers attempted to breach the classroom doors but found themselves repelled by gunfire from Ramos, which left multiple officers shot and injured. The Border Patrol Tactical Unit was later able to enter the classroom, and one of the agents fatally shot Ramos.

Witnesses to the horror allegedly urged officers to enter the building. Witness Juan Carranza (24), who lives across the street from Robb Elementary School, told Fox News, “There were more of them. There was just one of him.” Javier Cazares, the father of one of the victims in the shooting, suggested a group of civilians. “Rush in because the cops are not doing anything like they’re supposed to. More could have been done. They were unprepared.”

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steve McGraw stated Ramos could have been in the school for 40 minutes to an hour. However, the Actions taken by local law enforcement engaged Ramos almost immediately and resulted in Ramos being contained in one classroom preventing further loss of life.

What do you think? Was local law enforcement not prepared? Do you think there needs to be more active shooter training?

So there have been a lot of talks involving the shooting in Texas. I have seen people lashing out on both sides of the same argument. Everyone is angry and wants answers. What is alarming is the number of law enforcement I see so quick to judge with limited facts being presented. I suppose I have fallen into that same trap of a discussion. The only people that know what happened are the people that were present. Most of us drawing conclusions about the event have not been there. 

We are basing our opinions on information passed onto us from multiple sources. Most of these sources are secondary at best. The primary sources are still tight-lipped since its part of an ongoing investigation. Why is this an alien concept to law enforcement officers? We know better. We simply do not know enough to make the rash judgments that I see being made. 

I am not suggesting that we do not dig and consider lessons learned. If mistakes were made then those involved need to be tarred and feathered. But, until we know for a fact what happened we are just yelling into a void. We are cops. We are supposed to be unbiased third parties that draw conclusions based on the totality of the circumstances. We then use the findings we have gathered to decide if we need to make a law enforcement actio; a citation, an arrest, a warning, or we let folks go on about their day.

We don’t jump to conclusions based on what we THINK or “KNOW.” It is based entirely on what we can prove. That is what the law is all about. Even when we decide a legal action needs to be taken, the courts decide if people were at fault. We have a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Why is that not being extended right now?

We are so quick to knee jerk and let emotions take over. The problem is we are professionals that are trained and expected NOT to make knee-jerk-based calls based on emotions. Instead, it is expected of us to use the facts and circumstances surrounding a situation and make a decision based on our training and experience. 

So take a breath. Look at the situation for what it is and consider that it is still too early to know precisely what happened. Save your judgments for after you have the facts in front of you. Let the dust settle a bit, and let the people involved report what they remember. This was a traumatic event for everyone involved. They are still unpacking mentally what happened. Be patient and give it some time for the truth to come out. 

This is not 1866, so save the lynch mob mentality for the movies.

In a stunning reversal the United States Court of Appeals for the Third District ruled that two Philadelphia Officers violated the 4^th amendment when they prolonged a traffic stop, which resulted in the arrest of Jamel Hurtt for illegally possessing a firearm.

On February 23, 2019 at around 2:00 a.m. Philadelphia Police Officers, Lance Cannon and Daniel Gonzalez, were on patrol in an area both officers described in court as “very violent” when they observed a 2-door pickup truck roll through a stop sign and fail to signal a turn. A traffic stop ensued with Cannon approaching on the driver’s side and Gonzalez approaching on the passenger side. 3 people were discovered inside the vehicle.

After smelling alcohol, the officers removed the driver from the vehicle to conduct standard field sobriety tests. While Gonzalez conducted field sobriety tests, Cannon entered the vehicle by kneeling on the driver’s seat and speaking to both passengers. After instructing both passengers to keep their hands visible 3 separate times, and the occupants failing to follow commands, Cannon exited the vehicle and walked around to the passenger side. While getting the passenger out Cannon observed the other passenger Hurtt turn his back to him and reach toward a tool bucket on the seat next to him. Hurtt was instructed to show his hands, which he did, but then for a second time Hurtt reached for the tool bucket. Cannon caught Hurtt’s arm and ordered him out of the vehicle where a search revealed a loaded handgun in Hurtt’s waistband. Hurtt is a convicted felon and was arrested for possessing the firearm.

The court of appeals cited Rodriguez v. United States in their decision which establishes a test for the lawfulness of an extension of a traffic stop. The court ruled the Rodriguez “moment” occurred when Gonzalez stopped the field sobriety testing in order to assist Cannon. The Rodriguez case reasoned that a safety precaution taken in order to facilitate an investigation of other crimes is not justified as part of a routine traffic stop.

The court came to the conclusion that Cannon created a safety concern while off-mission when he entered the vehicle, putting himself in a vulnerable position. Hurtt argued that the lawful mission of the stop was to investigate a traffic violation and possible DUI. The court agreed that the delay in field sobriety testing, although brief, improperly extended the traffic stop and the subsequent search of Hurtt was inconsistent with the limitations imposed by Rodriguez.

The court ruled, “Officer Cannon created a safety concern while off-mission from the purpose of the original traffic stop and thereby prolonged Hurtt’s detention. Since the disputed evidence was only uncovered after the officers went off mission, the officers wrongly extended the traffic stop and violated Hurtt’s 4th Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.”

What do you think of the ruling? The link to the full decision can be found below as well as the link to the Rodriguez V. United States case. Let us know in the comments what you think about this decision and how it might impact law enforcement nationwide.

My Sheriff asked me not long ago to deliver some doughnuts to the county courthouse, not for the deputies but the civilian employees. I have shied away from donuts, especially in uniform. I am someone that likes to avoid cliches if at all possible. So as I walked out of the donut shop with an assorted dozen, people stopped to have a chuckle. “Can you be more cliche?”, “Hey, a cop with donuts, never expected that!” and other utterances that I attempted to ignore. Honestly, I wanted to roll my eyes and toss the box, but instead, I thought, why are cops associated with donuts? 

Donut shops originated in densely populated cities just after World War One. Soldiers coming home had developed a taste for them after being exposed to the delicious fried goodness by the Salvation Army. They were affectionately referred to as “Donut Dollies.” The Donut Dollies would give the soldiers from the trenches a nice tasty treat to nibble on behind the lines. The intention was to lift their spirits and take their minds off the hell they were enduring. 

So post-war America saw shops that would open long before dawn. They would make batches of donuts for customers to grab in the morning, served with a steaming hot cup of Joe. 

Prior to that law enforcement officers working the late-night shifts had almost no options for meals after hours. 

“They could pack lunch, pray for an all-night diner on their beat, or fill up on doughnuts. Doughnuts usually won out. They were, to most palates, tasty, and they were cheap and convenient.” Michael Krondl The Donut: History, Recipes, and Lore from Boston to Berlin

Few 24-hour diners were available and only in major cities. So cops had meager options at their disposal for a late-night snack. Either they could pack their lunches and eat a limp, soggy sandwich or go hungry. That is until donut shops started to spring up all over the nation. 

Fast forward about thirty years to the end of World War II, and donut shops were popping up all over America. Major metropolitan cities and small country towns started to dabble in the art of circular fried dough. Keeping with the tradition, they would get up long before dawn to prepare their fried cake halos of goodness. But, the boys in blue had a new option to fill their hungry holes after hours. 

It was not uncommon for law enforcement officers to sit at the counter with a fresh cup of coffee while they waited for a nice glazed circle of joy. The officers would fill out the paperwork they accrued during their long shift beforehand as they waited. Giving birth to the familiar tune “Cops love donuts.” 

So the next time you want to be like me and avoid a cliche, remember that we come from a noble history of munching donuts. Be proud; embrace tradition. 

The act of debriefing a new informant is essentially having a conversation regarding the potential cases they can produce. A debrief differs substantially from a suspect interview, as informants are not being formally interrogated and therefore incriminating themselves. An informant debrief is a “make or break” moment in which the potential cooperator has an opportunity to prove their value to the police.  

Street cops must be familiar with the five most common red flags, a common theme in an unproductive debrief. As soon as one of these issues is presented, we must immediately assess and determine if the conversation should proceed. While informants will always find ways to test the police, the following will most frequently rear their ugly heads:     

1. Quid Pro Quo (This for That) – Every informant has a motivation, whether it is money, help with charges, or revenge, to name a few. They are not cooperating with police out of the goodness of their heart. Debriefs become dangerous, however, when an informant begins to make demands from the police in exchange for their information. “I’ll tell you who is burglarizing the convenience stores in town, but you have to promise me I’m not going to jail tonight.” While we rely on informants to be our eyes and ears on the street, we can never forget who is in the driver’s seat in this situation.  
2. Friend of a Friend Intel – If an informant only provides “whisper down the lane” intelligence or can only give information that they heard from someone else, the probability is low that they can do anything of value on their own.  
3. Not Forthcoming – People have different personalities. Not everyone will be ecstatic at the prospect of speaking with the police. However, you are probably right if you get the vibe that this potential informant is just sitting back and feeling you out.  
4. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is – Sometimes, people will tell you whatever they think you want to hear to get out of handcuffs. The “I’ll get you whatever you want” informant will offer to get a kilo of cocaine and a handgun delivered to the police department parking lot. Don’t take the bait.
5. Pulling Teeth – If the conversation is entirely one-sided or if you feel like you are on an episode of the First 48 interrogating a homicide suspect, walk out of the room. There is a vast difference between an initial hesitation to cooperate with the police and a complete disinterest in speaking to the street cops.  

REMEMBER, the streets are trying to get an education from street cops just as much as we are trying to get information from them. So if you experience one of these major red flags, take a hard look at what you are doing and reconsider moving forward with this informant. Never forget… today’s informant is tomorrow’s target.

We have all taken part in scenario training. No matter how hard we try to get into the scenario, it never fully immerses us. We are training and dealing with friends, coworkers, and actors. We know it is training, but we give it our best. We are still getting value from the exercise, but what could make the experience more immersive? What could get us involved more and feel like it is “real”? 

Virtual reality may be the answer for future law enforcement scenario training. The benefits are apparent for those of us who have experienced virtual reality. However, most of us have never donned a headset and seen it ourselves. VR is a fully-immersive visual environment that puts you directly in the simulation.

You are not looking at a screen. You are wherever the program has you in the virtual world. Instead of being in a classroom, you are standing in the middle of the street conducting a known risk traffic stop. Your physical body may be standing in the gym, but your brain thinks you are hunting an armed and dangerous felon in an apartment complex. 

According to Chris Brown, a Human Factors Psychologist, “It makes your brain believe that you’re there by stimulating your visual senses.” For example, you know you are in a headset and the gym. Your brain, however, reacts as though what you are seeing in the virtual world is happening. 

Within a few moments, with the headset on, officers become acclimated. They become fully immersed in the environment. The heart rate increases when the tempo increases and the scenario goes south. The brain at the moment considers this to be real, so officers react as if it was happening. This eliminates a lot of the problems with using role players and props. Being in a living, breathing, and seemingly natural environment makes the training come to life. 

You can complete dozens of scenarios in a relatively short amount of time. Go from active shooters to traffic stops. You can deal with mental health issues, visit the shooting range, or respond to a domestic violence call. Since the training is as dynamic as the real world, the scenarios can range from best case to absolute nightmare, allowing officers and trainers to conduct everyday calls for service with compliant subjects and then shift to life-threatening scenarios. As a result, they are making it a more realistic experience. 

Virtual reality might be the future of police training. However, there is still a lot of work needed to be accomplished so that it’s more accessible to agencies with tighter training budgets. The technology is there. It just needs to grow and mature more into the mainstream. I, for one, have experienced some Virtual Reality training, and it’s hard to go back to anything else. 

A few companies out there have made virtual reality training for law enforcement a reality. Look them up, consider the options and maybe present them to your agency. Then, request a demo and see for yourself. We live in the future. Embrace it! 

V-Armed V-ARMED creates custom 3D VR simulations for large-scale training. With multiplayer scenarios to enhance mission readiness and situational awareness for law enforcement..

Apex Officer Apex Officer provides police officers and law enforcement agencies with turnkey virtual reality force options training simulators and VR technology training solutions.

Wrap Reality A fully-immersive simulator unites the best of modern enterprise tech with law enforcement content to create a virtual training solution for a better future of policing.

The long arm of the law proves true once again. Alabama corrections officer Vicky White and capital murder suspect Casey White are now in custody. 

Based on a tip, a U.S. Marshal traveled to Evansville, Indiana where Vicky and Casey were spotted at a motel. A vehicle pursuit was initiated by the Marshals and after a brief chase, the pursuit resulted in a crash and apprehension of Casey White. Vicky White was located with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital where she was later pronounced dead. 

How It All Started. 

Like something you would see in a Netflix produced movie, this all began on April 29, 2022, when the Assistant Director of Corrections for the Lauderdale County Alabama Sheriff’s Office Vicky White, and capital murder suspect Casey White, disappeared. 

On Friday April 29, 2022, at 9:41 a.m., Vicky told jail employees, she was transporting Casey White to a court appearance for a mental health evaluation. According to Sheriff Rick Singleton there was no court appearance scheduled for Casey. It wasn’t until 3:30 p.m., almost 6 hours later that a jail employee reported to administration that she could not contact Vicky. 

By 5:30, almost 20 detectives were working the case sifting through security camera footage to figure out what happened. Through the investigation it was determined Vicky and Casey escaped in a 2007 Ford Edge SUV which was located at a tow yard in Williamson County, Tennessee, about two hours north of Florence. The tow truck driver who towed the abandoned vehicle recognized it on TV and alerted his supervisor, who in turn alerted authorities. 

In a news conference on Friday, Sheriff Rick Singleton addressed the vehicle being located stating, “It really doesn’t leave us a lot, we just know what direction they were headed, they headed north from here. After Friday afternoon, when they abandoned that car, which direction they went from there, we don’t know.”

By any metric Vicky was a decorated member of the Sheriff’s Office with Sheriff Singleton calling her an “exemplary employee.” In an interview with Birmingham TV station WBRC Sheriff Singleton said Vickey had turned in her retirement papers and the exact Friday she and Casey disappeared was to be her last day. Arrest warrants have been issued for Casey and Vicky with the Sheriff of Lauderdale County releasing a statement acknowledging that its possible Vicky was coerced or even threatened but there’s one thing they’re sure of, “Vicky participated in the escape.” 

Vicky’s mother Pat Davis told WAAY TV, “she’s never done anything. I bet she’s never even had a speeding ticket. But I mean, she’s always been a good person, this is all a shock.” The shock doesn’t stop at Vicky’s mother. Documents show Vicky sold her home on 4 acres just 12 days before she disappeared with Casey, for well below market value.

For years we heard the words of John Walsh at the end of America’s Most Wanted, “and remember, you CAN make a difference.” And with the tip received by the U.S. Marshals, that statement proved to be true once again. Sheriff Rick Singleton released a statement saying, “This has ended a very long and stressful and challenging week and a half. It ended the way that we knew it would. They are in custody.” 

What investigative techniques would be more beneficial in solving a case like this? Have you made discoveries utilizing unique methods in a similar case? Let us know in the comments below.