Archives for June 2018

Do Police Have A Duty To Protect?

In the early morning hours of March 16, 1975, appellants Carolyn Warren, Joan Taliaferro, and Miriam Douglas were asleep in their rooming house at 1112 Lamont Street, N.W. Warren and Taliaferro shared a room on the third floor of the house; Douglas shared a room on the second floor with her four-year-old daughter. The women were awakened by the sound of the back door being broken down by two men later identified as Marvin Kent and James Morse. The men entered Douglas’ second floor room, where Kent forced Douglas to sodomize him and Morse raped her.

Warren and Taliaferro heard Douglas’ screams from the floor below. Warren telephoned the police, told the officer on duty that the house was being burglarized, and requested immediate assistance. The department employee told her to remain quiet and assured her that police assistance would be dispatched promptly. Warren’s call was received at Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters at 6:23 a.m., and was recorded as a burglary in progress. At 6:26 a.m., a call was dispatched to officers on the street as a “Code 2” assignment, although calls of a crime in progress should be given priority and designated as “Code 1.” Four police cruisers responded to the broadcast; three to the Lamont Street address and one to another address to investigate a possible suspect.

Meanwhile, Warren and Taliaferro crawled from their window onto an adjoining roof and waited for the police to arrive. While there, they saw one policeman drive through the alley behind their house and proceed to the front of the residence without stopping, leaning out the window, or getting out of the car to check the back entrance of the house. A second officer apparently knocked on the door in front of the residence, but left when he received no answer. The three officers departed the scene at 6:33 a.m., five minutes after they arrived.

Warren and Taliaferro crawled back inside their room. They again heard Douglas’ continuing screams; again called the police; told the officer that the intruders had entered the home, and requested immediate assistance. Once again, a police officer assured them that help was on the way. This second call was received at 6:42 a.m. and recorded merely as “investigate the trouble”it was never dispatched to any police officers.

Believing the police might be in the house, Warren and Taliaferro called down to Douglas, thereby alerting Kent to their presence. Kent and Morse then forced all three women, at knifepoint, to accompany them to Kent’s apartment. For the next fourteen hours the women were held captive, raped, robbed, beaten, forced to commit sexual acts upon each other, and made to submit to the sexual demands of Kent and Morse.

Appellants’ claims of negligence included: the dispatcher’s failure to forward the 6:23 a.m. call with the proper degree of urgency; *3 the responding officers’ failure to follow standard police investigative procedures, specifically their failure to check the rear entrance and position themselves properly near the doors and windows to ascertain whether there was any activity inside; and the dispatcher’s failure to dispatch the 6:42 a.m. call.

The courts have consistently ruled that the police do not have an obligation to protect individuals. In Warren vs District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, the court stated; courts have without exception concluded that when a municipality or other governmental entity undertakes to furnish police services, it assumes a duty only to the public at large and not to individual members of the community.

The Calling Of EMS Providers

By Tim Holman Leave a Comment

Ever wonder what your local EMS team does? Here is a true story that may answer your question.

It was a warm humid summer night. Medic 1 had just transported a male patient to the Emergency Room. As we were replacing our supplies the dispatch tones set off our radio. “ Medic 1, Engine 1 and Rescue 1, motorcycle accident, 3145 Ontario Street, Law Enforcement is in route. Time out 2137.

We placed our supplies in the medic unit headed towards the accident scene. It will be about a six minute response and the engine and rescue will most likely arrive ahead of us. The accident is on a road with several sharp curves and we have seen a fair amount of accidents in this area.

Engine 1 and Rescue 1 marked on scene. Immediately the crew called us and asked for us to step it up. We arrive about three minutes later and noted the motorcyclist had missed the curve and ran through a chain linked fence.

Our assessment found a 22 year old male who was wrapped in part of the fence. In addition, the 3 inch pipe that was attached to the fencing had penetrated both legs laterally. As the pipe passed through the legs it lacerated his scrotum. The blood streak on the pipe was seventeen feet long. Which means the victim was impaled and he slid seventeen feet downed the pipe.

The victim appeared to have been drinking and was less than cooperative. He called us several names that I can’t repeat, one of which I had to look up the meaning.

With the mechanism of injury we expected the victim may have fractured his femurs or fractured his hip or pelvis. His vitals were stable but if he had any of the injuries we suspected, he could lose a fair amount of blood. For this reason we start two IV lines to keep him hemodynamically stable.

Next we must determine how we will extricate him. Obviously we cannot transport him with twenty feet of pipe. We decide to cut the pipe on both sides. This had to be done carefully to prevent further injuries. We used an electric rescue saw to cut the pipe while someone held the pipe. This prevented movement, thus reducing a chance for further injury.

Since the victim was face down we needed to turn him over. It is never a good idea to transport a patient face down. If his condition would deteriorate it would be difficult to resuscitate him. Remember the victim has about six inches of pipe still protruding out of both legs. This makes log rolling the victim on while the ground impossible.

A second medic unit had responded to the scene for extra help. So we decided to place the stretchers side by side. We then positioned the victim on one of the stretchers face down. We then log rolled him to the second stretcher. As we rolled him the protruding pipe went between the stretchers and now he was face up on the second stretcher.

During transport we notified the ER that we were coming in with a victim of a motorcycle crash, with a 3” pipe through both legs. Nurses and doctors met us on arrival and began evaluating the young man. The interesting thing was every nurse and every doctor that entered the room, looked through the pipe. Not sure what they were looking for, but I just had to look too.

Once we were in better light we found the pipe was bent. This indicated that he hit the pipe so hard that it bent on impact. It takes a tremendous amount of force to bend a 3” inch galvanized pipe. Which could cause some very serious injuries.

The patient was then taken to surgery. The laceration to the scrotum was cleaned and sutured. It turned out he had no serious injuries. The pipe passed in front of the left femur and behind the right femur. The surgeon administered a muscle relaxer and pulled the pipe out. The victim was walking the next day.

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16

Enhancing School Safety

By Tim Holman Leave a Comment

There have been many suggestions on how to keep our schools safe. So I thought I would give an overview of my plan. It is simple and I believe most schools could implement it easily. It is a seven step system.

Limit the number of entrances during the morning arrival of students.
Provide an armed Resource Office at each entrance.
Visitors can only enter through one entrance.
Visitors are escorted to their location.
Students are taught situational awareness.
Arm SPECIFIC staff members.
Create an evacuation alarm specifically for active shooter situations.

Limiting the number of entrances as students are arriving allows better control and monitoring as to who is entering the school. For example, if an individual is wearing a long trench coat or looks somewhat suspicious, they can be questioned or detained. Placing an armed Resource Officer at the entry points provides them with more visibility as well as developing relationships with the students.

Visitors should be limited to one entrance and should be identified through a visual intercom system. This allows staff to talk to the visitor and identify them before being allowed to enter the school.

Once inside the school, visitors should be escorted to their desired location. This provides additional security and prevents people from wondering around the school. This also assures the individual has a purpose for being there.

Situational awareness is something everyone should learn. There is no better place to start than our schools. Situational awareness teaches the student to be aware of their surroundings. It helps them to detect something is out of the ordinary. It is not meant to make them paranoid but to simply make them aware.

Armed guards, police officers and body guards are taught to carry guns safe and effectively. Citizens are taught how to conceal and carry a gun safely. The same can be done with key staff members in schools. There is such a negative stigma about guns some feel this is a terrible idea. But the fact is a gun is a tool and is used for good more than it is used for bad. Arming key staff member can make our children safer.

The fire alarm system is not an effective tool for the evacuation of students during a shooting event. We train students to evacuate in a specific way during a fire. An active shooter evacuation is different. Students should be able to distinguish between a fire alarm and a shooter situation when leaving the school. This allows them to respond to the specific threat.

But remember that no amount of planning can eliminate the threat of an active shooter. The steps outlined above can reduce the threat but not eliminate it. An evil person wanting to kill will find a way to accomplish their goal. That’s why we must stay diligent in countering their evil ways.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Proverbs 21:5

Three Basic Gun Safety Rules

By Tim Holman Leave a Comment

Gun safety is imperative in our society. There are three key aspects of gun safety. These rules provide basic safety skills for owning and operating a gun of any type.

Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction.
Keep the gun unloaded until ready to use.

These three rules, if followed, can prevent any accidental shootings. States that have CCW laws that require classes in order to carry a gun, see fewer accidental shootings than states that do not allow conceal carry. This is due to the training required to obtain a carry license. Every accidental shooting involves one or more of these rules being violated.

We responded to a reported shooting at a residence. The 911 call indicated that a man had been shot in the leg. On arrival we found a middle aged man with a bullet wound to left leg. The wound was bleeding heavily. The bleeding was controlled and the patient was transported to the hospital.

When asked how the gun shot happened, he stated he was cleaning his gun. Strange, because there was no gun cleaning equipment in the area. We still don’t know exactly what happened but I can assure you one of the three basic rules was not followed.

These rules are also relevant for recreational shooting, hunting and sport shooting. Anytime a gun is to be used these three mandatory rules must be followed by the shooter.

Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger

In my CCW classes, this seems to be the hardest rule for the student to follow. We teach the student to “index” the gun, which mean the index finger should be on the side of the gun when picking it up, drawing it from the holster or merely holding the gun. It only takes a half a second to position your finger on the trigger to shoot. Practice indexing with an empty gun to develop muscle memory.

Always Keep The Gun Pointed In Safe Direction

At the shooting range, keeping the gun pointed down range is appropriate and safe. In your home pointing the gun up may not be appropriate if you live in two story home and someone is upstairs. Pointing the gun down when standing on concrete may not be safe. Your location and your environment will indicate the safest direction to point your gun.

Keep The Gun Unloaded Until Ready To Use

If you use you gun for hunting or recreational shooting, the gun should not be loaded until ready to use it. If you are using your gun for self defense the gun must be loaded at all times. Self defense requires the gun to be ready for use at all times. No matter how you use your gun always act as if it were loaded.

If you carry your gun for self defense, follow the law and the safety rules at all times. Always respect the weapon for what it is.

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.

Titus 3:1

Medical Help Denied At Parkland Shooting

By Tim Holman Leave a Comment

As more and more information is distributed about the Parkland shooting, it becomes evident that those blaming the NRA, were incompetent in their response to mitigate the situation. By blaming the NRA it takes the heat off those who were inept.

Today the Firehouse Magazine reported that “Paramedics asked six times and were denied permission to enter the Parkland High School where students lay wounded and dying on February 14.”

Every time Michael McNally, deputy chief for Coral Springs Fire Rescue asked to deploy the two Rescue Task Force teams, the Broward Sheriff’s Office captain in charge of the scene, Jan Jordan, said no. Even after the shooter had been arrested, the rescue team was denied entry.

(And it is not acceptable to say the scene was not safe. For fire and Ems there is no such thing as a safe scene. Any scene can go bad. We train for bad situations. If you are not willing to be aggressive in the care of the patient then stay in the station. Our world has changed and we need to change with it.)

How many students could have been saved? Statistics indicate that over 50% of the victims of an active shooter die due to blood loss. Two rescue team are ready to enter the scene to do their best to save lives and the inept incident commander refuses to allow them to do that which they are trained.

So now we know the resource officer and the incident commander failed to act. It will never be known if the paramedics would have changed the outcome. But they were never given the opportunity to try.

The accusations against Dana Loesch and the NRA are clearly used to take the heat off the incompetent way this scene was managed. It’s easy to blame the gun, the NRA and the government. The credibility of the accusers is certainly suspect given the negligence shown in their handling of this crisis.

The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invite ruin.

Proverbs 10:19