the Hot Sheet

Washington State Retired Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers Association

  P.O. Box 13265

Spokane, WA 99212 

 Website: www.wsrdspoa.org

 October 2019

Happy Thanksgiving

President

Joe Dawson, King Co SO

Vice Presidents

West: Ronnie Johnston Tukwila PD

East: Don McCabe, Spokane Co SO

Secretary

Dawn Morrow, Spokane Co SO

Treasurer

Jim Hill, Spokane Co SO

Members at Large

West Members At Large:  Zbig Kasprzyk, King Co SO; Brent Beden, King Co SO

East Members At Large: Dennis Hooper, Spokane PD; Doug Partlow, Tukwila PD

Meeting Schedules

Puget Sound Area 1st Tuesday of the Month

Johnny’s At Fife Restaurant

5211 20 ST. E.

Fife, WA. 98424

11:00 AM

Spokane County

Retired Sheriff Deputies, Employees and Spouses Association

1st Monday of the Month at 11:30AM 

 Darcy’s Restaurant

10502 E Sprague Ave.

Spokane Valley, WA 99206

**!!DATE CHANGE!!**

2020 SUMMER CONVENTION DATES HAVE CHANGED TO, SEPTEMBER 17-19. MAKE SURE TO CHANGE YOUR RESERVATIONS IF YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE THEM.

PRESIDENT’S  MESSAGE

Fellow Members,

There was a good time had by all at the Annual Convention.  Good food at the pot luck dinner and a good time at the Banquet.  The speaker told of the 555^th  African American Paratrooper unit formed in World War Two.  They were never used in combat because of the prejudices of the time, but instead were sent to the west coast to disarm Japanese balloon bombs and to fight forest fires.  The presentation was both entertaining and educational

The general meeting discussed the new association insurance policy changes that will save our funds. The donations we will make to Team Rubicon were also discussed.  We will donate $200 per year to Rubicon allowing us to fulfill our obligation and to keep our investments and accounts at an operational level and sufficient to defend our retirement system if another challenge should be made.

YIKES!  I got hacked on my email site.  So maddening, but it was my own fault.  I received a notification for an update to one of my programs that requested my password.  Not thinking I shared it.  Next thing I knew my friends were receiving requests for money via cash cards to me.  I’m sure most of you know these types of requests are untrue but there are those who (like me) are not always thinking about the sad part of the Internet.  I have also been informed that my social security number has been cancelled, that there’s been a warrant issued for failure to appear for jury duty, and the police are on their way to arrest me unless I go to a supermarket to buy a cash card and to phone the information from the card to a phone number.  I also received a phone call from my own phone number.  This all happened in two weeks.  So I changed my password.  I use my phone ID and will not answer the phone unless I know who is calling.  Please do the same.  If you call and I don’t answer leave a message.  If you do get a phony message from me, let me know.

Joe Dawson

President

WSRDSPOA

EARLY REMINDER: 2020 DUES

Your annual WSRDSPOA Dues are NOW $30.00 per year.

Please send your $30 check to:

W S R D S P O A

  P.O. Box 13265

Spokane, WA 99212 

Your Dues need to be updated starting in January. As of April 1, 2020, if your Dues have not been paid since 2018, you will be removed from our membership.

THE OLYMPIA REPORT

The good news is there is nothing to report. The better news is the legislature has been on their summer break and have not tried stealing any of our hard earned money lately. The bad news is they will be in session again, so stay tuned to email updates and our next Hot Sheet as we keep you informed to what is going on in our state capital.

The Triple Nickles

Joe Dawson mentioned in his President’s Message about our guest speaker at the convention, Dr. Robert L. (Bob) Bartlett. Bob is a Sociology professor at Eastern Washington University. He is a Vietnam vet and known expert of the history of The Triple Nickles. The following article is taken from www.triplenickle.com. It is a brief history of this little known WWII parachute infantry battalion.

The History Of The Triple Nickles 555^th Parachute Infantry Battalion

The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion was nicknamed the “Triple Nickles” because of its numerical designation and the selection of 17 of the original 20-member “colored test platoon” from the 92nd Infantry (Buffalo) Division. Hence, the origin of the term Buffalo Nickles; the spelling derives from old English. Three buffalo nickels joined in a triangle or pyramid is the identifying symbol. Many years before “Black Pride” became a popular slogan, a small group of Black American soldiers gave life and meaning to those words.   Born within an army that had traditionally relegated Blacks to menial jobs and programmed them for failure, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, or “Triple Nickles,” succeeded in becoming the nation’s first All-Black parachute infantry test platoon, company, and battalion.

This Is Their Story

In the frosty Georgia winter of 1943-44, soldiers and officer candidates traveling to and from Fort Benning often saw the sky filled with white parachutes. Most of them assumed that the faces beneath the chutes were also white. The black soldiers they knew drove their trucks, waited on them in mess halls, or hauled their ammunition; they rode in the back of the bus to and from Columbus; they gathered at their own separate clubs on the fort. Some of the faces beneath those chutes, however, were black. As such they were also pioneers, blazing new trails for countless black soldiers to follow. It wasn’t easy. A proud black lieutenant, sergeant, or private, with polished boots and paratrooper wings, still had to use the “colored” toilets and drinking fountains in the rail-road stations, sit in segregated sections of theatres, and go out of his way to avoid confrontations with racist police. Black officers continued to find post officers’ club closed to them. But they endured, and proved themselves as airborne troopers–“as fine a group of soldiers as I have ever seen,” in the words of the notoriously fussy General Ben Lear.

These Black pioneers were exceptional men, specially selected for the task. They were former university students and professional athletes, top-notch and veteran non-coms. A major element in their success was that, unlike other Black infantry units officered by Whites, they were entirely Black, from commanding officer down to the newest private. In fathering the 3rd Battalion, 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment, the 80th Airborne Anti-aircraft Battalion, the 503rd Airborne Artillery Battalion, and the 2nd Airborne Ranger Company, and serving in the 82nd, 101st, 11th and 13th Airborne Divisions, the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, the 188th and 511th Airborne Infantry Regiments, the Airborne Center and Special Forces, the Triple Nickles served in more airborne units, in peace and war, than any other parachute group in history. Though combat-ready and alerted for European duty in late 1944, the changing tides of the war resulted in a different assignment–jumping over the blazing forests of the American Northwest searching for Japanese balloon bombs, a job requiring exact skills and special courage. In this unusual role, the 555th also confronted a new dimension in warfare involving the use of biological agents that could destroy woodlands and crops, but not humans. These men soon became known as the. . . . . . . “SmokeJumpers”

The History Of The Smokejumpers

In early 1945 the “Triple Nickles” received secret orders for a permanent change of station. They were sent to Pendleton, Oregon & assigned to the 9th Services Command, trained by the U.S. Forest Service, and became history’s first military smokejumpers. There were two reasons for this assignment, the first being that major commanders in Europe were leery of having highly trained colored paratroopers coming into contact with racist white elements of the time. There were two reasons for this assignment, the first being that major commanders in Europe were leery of having highly trained colored paratroopers coming into contact with racist white elements of the time. Second, the Japanese were at the time floating incendiary devices attached to balloons across the Pacific Ocean, taking advantage of the jet stream’s easterly flow, in an attempt to start forest fires in the northwestern United States.  The Forest Service asked the military for help and the “Triple Nickle” was ready, willing and able. The battalion answered some 36 fire calls with more than 1,200 individual jumps during the summer of 1945, operating from Pendleton and Chico, Calif. The operation covered all of the north-western states including Montana. During fire operations the battalion suffered numerous injuries but only one fatality. Malvin L. Brown, a medic assigned to the battalion’s headquarters company, died on Aug.6, 1945 after falling during a let-down from a tree in the Siskiyou National Forest near Roseburg, Ore. His death is the first recorded smoke jumper fatality during a fire jump.

BRUCE’S BOOK REVIEW

Rise and Kill First

The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted  Assassinations

By Rone Bergman

The title, from the Jewish Talmud, is the two thousand year old version of “Do unto others before they do unto you”.  The rather grizzly title notwithstanding, this book provides a thoroughly researched, comprehensive insight into the government sanctioned assassinations conducted by the state of Israel from its birth in 1948 up to just a few years ago.  As such, it is as much about the political, both internal and external, ramifications of Israel’s policies as it is about the actual assassination missions. That being said, the various missions authorized by the highest level of the Israeli government, and a couple that weren’t, are examined in detail in both the planning and execution (pun intended) phases. We’ve all heard of the Mossad and its legendary successes, but I was surprised to learn that the Mossad was only one of many Israeli Defense Force, Naval Force or Internal Security Forces that were involved in conducting these operations.  And while the Israelis have had some spectacular successes, they have also had some spectacular failures. In addition, the author, a journalist and military analyst, provides some interesting perspective on whether even the ‘success’ left Israel in a more secure position than it had been.

Mr Bergman seems to have had an unusual degree of access to former and, in some cases, current Israeli government officials up to and including Prime Ministers, and they are liberally quoted.  So, in many respects, this is a book about the history of the nation of Israel, or at least one very important aspect of that history.  On a side note, it was heartening to see that there are other countries that have as much or more political infighting as we do.

This book is not a light read.  But if you are at all interested in the history of Israel’s nearly constant seventy one year struggle for survival, you will find in a worthwhile read.

RBO

Lawsuit

The following article is from the Tacoma News Tribune. Reported by Alexis Krell. 9/20/2019. This lawsuit will be interesting to follow as it pertains to LEOSA.

Retired officer who wasn’t allowed to bring his firearm into the Tacoma Dome sues

 A retired Federal Way police officer who said he was not allowed to bring his firearm into the Tacoma Dome earlier this month has sued the city.

John Stray, 57, argues that Tacoma’s policy preventing people from carrying concealed firearms in the venue violates municipal code and state law.

A spokesperson said Thursday that the city does not comment on pending litigation.

Stray’s attorney, Mark Knapp, said they’re seeking a declaratory judgment and attorneys fees, but no monetary damages.

“Plaintiff is challenging the City of Tacoma’s municipal policy that violates the Washington State Firearms Preemption Law by unlawfully preventing concealed carry within the Tacoma Dome,” Stray’s complaint says.

The lawsuit and supporting documents, filed Sept. 6 in Pierce County Superior Court, give this account of what happened:

Stray was denied entry to the Tacoma Dome Sept. 5 when he arrived hours before a concert and identified himself as a retired officer who was carrying a firearm under the federal Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. That law exempts qualified former officers from state laws against carrying concealed handguns.

Iron Maiden was playing the venue that night, according to the Dome’s website.

Stray says the city advertises that the only guns allowed in the Tacoma Dome are those carried by uniformed law enforcement as part of their official duties.

Sept. 5 wasn’t the first time he had trouble with those restrictions.

While he was still working as a school resource officer for Federal Way on June 11, 2016, the police department dispatched him to the Dome to work at a high school graduation ceremony.

He was wearing a two-piece suit and carrying a pistol in an ankle holster when he arrived and identified himself as an on-duty officer.

Security told him he had to put his weapon in his vehicle and searched him when he returned.

“They searched him right in front of all the kids that he’s supposed to be protecting,” Knapp said. “It doesn’t seem like the best image for the school resource officer to be searched right in front of the kids.”

After that incident Stray returned a different day and allegedly determined that the metal detectors weren’t working.

“Plaintiff has gone to the Tacoma Dome and tested the metal detectors to see whether they worked,” the lawsuit says. “He was able to proceed through the metal detectors and ascertained that they were not operating.

“Thus, the only individuals who were likely to be denied access to the event were plain clothes officers identifying themselves as armed law enforcement officers or others who chose to disclose that they were carrying weapons.”

The lawsuit goes on to say: “The fact that some members of the public have been denied their lawful right to carry a weapon on the premises while those with the intent to conceal their weapons with malicious intent can easily do so raises grave issues of public safety and policy concerns.”

Asked if Stray ended up going to the concert Sept. 5, Knapp said: “The main purpose to go there was to get standing for this case … . They told him, no, there was no way that they were going to let him go in, which we pretty much knew that anyway.”

He said Stray was a police officer for 35 years.

“The City of Tacoma has continued to enforce its unlawful policy against Plaintiff and the public, as well as law enforcement officers who are off-duty or out of uniform, when it is leased to third parties or for any other purposes, according to the City’s posted announcements, published policies and online communications with the public,” the lawsuit says.

AROUND THE BEAT

Deaths

Eugene “Gene” Foster. Gene retired from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. He passed away on July 6, 2019. Gene was past President of WSRDSPOA.

Homer L. “Bud” Killian. Bud began his career with the Washington State Patrol on November 7, 1958.  He was commissioned on January 15, 1962.  On July 16, 1977, Bud graduated from the Backster School of Lie Detection becoming the first polygraph examiner employed by the Washington State Patrol.  He is preceded in death by his wife, Sharon and is survived by his 2 sons, Retired Detective Sergeant Eric Killian, and Chris.  He is also survived by his niece, Judy O’Neill and her father, Retired Trooper Danny O’Neill.

Donna Nelson. Donna L Nelson passed away comfortably at the age of 82, on Friday, July 5, 2019 at Bee Hive Homes in Yuma, AZ  She married Sgt. Eldred (Charlie) Nelson Ret. KCSO and together they raised 6 children in Kirkland, Washington.
Donna was well known for her vibrant personality, comic humor which often made her the life of the party. Donna was an active member of Red Hats and years of Bowling with the ladies of KCSO, an activity coordinator on tours around the world and excursions to her favorite Casino’s to finally retiring in Yuma, Arizona. Donna left a bright spot in the hearts of many who loved her.

She earned the nickname of ‘PITA’ for her scooter Licenses plate (Pain In The Ass) and was happily escorted by Little Dude through her and Charlie’s daily life, during their residency at Emerald Springs in Yuma AZ.

Donna was preceded in death by her husband Charlie and her son Gary Dale McAdam. She is survived by Little Dude, her daughter and son in law Debbie and Ronnie Murdock, Son Doug and wife Nadine Nelson, Grandson Alex McAdam, as well as adoptive children Charleen Gentry, Patty Castro and Gary O’Dougherty, and 5 great grandchildren.

Tony Bamonte. Tony worked as  a police officer for the  Spokane Police Department from 5/15/1966 until 6/12/1974, and was on the original SWAT Team, also rode motors. He was then elected as Sheriff of the Pend Oreille County Sheriffs Dept for the next 12 years.

He also was responsible for co-authoring/publishing the first volume of “Life Behind the Badge – Spokane Police Department’s Founding Years 1881-1903, and mentored the committee through the fifth and final volume ending in 2000. He guided us through the 10 years it took to publish the “Photo Chronicles – Spokane Police Department’s 130th Anniversary Edition 1881-2011” yearbook. He left a legacy of history books documenting local and Pacific Northwest History, and we are all grateful! He will be missed.

Jerry L. Burk. Jerry L. Burk died on June 17 2019. He was 81 years old and was married to his best friend Sharon for over 50 years. Their son Gregory was his joy throughout his life, and he was so proud of the good man he became and delighted in the grandchildren, Fiona and Dublin who he loved so very much.

He grew up in Roswell New Mexico during WWll where he was neighbors with Col. Tibbits’ (he flew the Enola Gay) kids, who had the Walker Air Force airplane bone yard as their playground. He had great times “flying” these relics and enjoyed the life of a kid on an army base. He joined the Navy in 1956. He was aircrew in an anti submarine squadron on several aircraft carriers traveling all over the world. During the Lebanon crisis the carrier spent time in the Mediterranean where he fell in love with Lisbon. Later in life he and Sharon spent over 245 days cruising on Holland America and docked at Lisbon twice, a port he never thought he would return to.

Following the Navy, he worked at Boeing and his electronics skills translated into quality control of the minuteman missile in Vandenburg Air force base in Ca. They were fond of calling it the inter-county ballistic missile because it took quite an effort to get it out of the county let alone the continent.

The military had set the stage for his dream job which he soon discovered was to be a cop for his career. He Joined the King County Sheriff’s Reserve and in 1963 ,he became a full time deputy.and never looked back. He rose through the ranks by exams to Captain, then was appointed Major and Chief, a position he held until his retirement in 1988. During that time he was either responsible for or participated in the development of the 911 system, the K-9 unit, establishing command officers on weekend call, and the promotion of minorities and women in police work. He had many arguments with other command staff and the then King County council over his insistence in calling women Police Officers (not Police women) and putting them in regular uniforms instead of the skirts and purses that was being proposed. He did his best to mentor good officers and NEVER forgot his first line patrol. Often as Chief he would be out at night backing up any officer as needed as Car 2. He was often referred to as “a cop’s cop”, and was humbled by the affection shown for his involvement and leadership.

After retirement he briefly joined the upcoming Good Will Games in charge of security, while he continued his education. At that time he had the opportunity to become the 47th person in the USA to be a bone marrow donor to a non related person and had the surgery done at Fred Hutchinson.. After receiving 2 BA degrees at CWU in Ellensburg he was accepted to Law School at UPS/Seattle University where he graduated with honors.

In his “next life’ as an attorney, he was a prosecutor in King County under Norm Maleng until Jeff Sullivan in Yakima offered him a position. He soon became the supervisor of the District Court unit. As traveling with Sharon became more important, he became a Judge Pro-Tem for Yakima County, where he could take extra time for himself.

He fell in love with cruising, often commenting that you never had chocolates on your pillow on an aircraft carrier. With a condo in Hawaii, a camper that always headed to the Southwest and the many cruises, he truly enjoyed the diversity of this world.

Ray Vandelac. Ray Vandelac, Retired King County Sheriff’s Dept.– Passed away Sept 8, 2019

Ray was assigned to Patrol, Marine Patrol, Traffic.  Ray fought a valiant battle with cancer for several years, always with a good outlook with the support of “Punkie”, his wife and retired friends in Yuma.  Ray supported his church by assisting in the needed maintenance.  Ray will be missed by all who knew him.

Harvey Thacker. It is with great sadness we announce the passing of retired Major Harvey G. Thacker on August 17, 2019, due to a sudden illness. Major Thacker began his career with the Washington State Patrol on October 31, 1955. He was commissioned on September 9, 1957 assigned to Ellensburg.  Major Thacker served as the Commander of the Office of Professional Standards from February 27, 1987, until he retired on April 16, 1990, after serving 35 years with the patrol.

Mr. Thacker is survived by his wife, Jacki, son, Donald, and daughter’s Jeri Taige and Jayne Granlund. He is also survived by his granddaughter Sarah Cooley, and grandsons Nicholus Cooley, and Ian Thacker, as well as his two great grandsons, Joshua and Tyler Cooley.

Al Teeples. Ret. Lt. Al Teeples, passed away on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. He had Parkinsons, and died following a fall. He served on the Spokane Police Department from April 1, 1961, leaving the department on November 26, 1974 as a Lieutenant. Al served in  Ellensburg as their Chief of Police from 1979-1980, then served as the Chief of Police in Normandy Park (north of Seattle) from 1989-1995, during which time he attended the FBI Academy in 1990. Joyce said he had 34 years in law enforcement. They retired to Arizona after that.

Mary Anne (Palmer) McCabe (1943-2019)  Annie passed away peacefully on September 6, 2019 at Kootenai Memorial Hospital in Coeur d’Alene, ID after a short battle with cancer. She was born March 25, 1943 to Chester F. and Eileen E. Palmer. She attended Marycliff High School, Sacred Heart School of Nursing and Spokane Community College Nursing School. She attained her Registered Nursing license. She worked at Valley Hospital and Medical Center, Sacred Heart Medical Center on the Cancer floor and later at Cancer Care Northwest in Spokane Valley. She retired in December 2004. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Donald; four legged friend Smokey; son David (Jennifer) McCabe of Greenacres, WA, son Kevin (Marsha) McCabe of Sammamish, WA and son Christopher (Amiee) McCabe of Liberty Lake, WA; granddaughter Alexandra (Jacob) Brammer of Greenacres, WA, grandson Jace McCabe of Greenacres, WA, granddaughter Hannah McCabe of Liberty Lake, WA, grandson Jacob McCabe of Spokane Valley, WA, two granddaughters Lauren McCabe and Katelyn McCabe both of Sammamish, WA; two great-granddaughters, Emery and Willow Brammer of Greenacres, WA; and seven siblings, Judith Palmer-deceased, Kenneth Palmer of Kent, WA, Joseph Palmer of Spokane, WA, Margaret Henson Spokane, WA, Stephen Palmer of Spokane, WA, Richard Palmer of Spokane, WA and Michael Palmer-deceased. She enjoyed camping with the Lilac City Sam’s RV Club, playing cards and games and all of her friends she met along the way. She enjoyed sitting on the patio admiring her garden, the birds and little bunnies. A Vigil Rosary service will be held Friday, September 13, 2019 at 7pm at St. Mary Catholic Church, 304 S. Adams Rd., Spokane Valley, WA. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 11 am at St. Mary Catholic Church. Inurnment will be at 2pm at St Joseph’s Cemetery, 17825 E. Trent Avenue, Spokane Valley, WA 99216. Donations may be made to the Spokane Humane Society in her name.

Welcome to our newest members.

Stephen Nelson                    Ventura County Sheriff’s Office

Stephen retired in 1992 and now lives in Mossy rock, WA. He was voted in as an Associate Member at the summer convention.

Donald “Don” and Mary Dart    Tuckwila Police Dept.

Don retired from Tukwila and now they enjoy RVing. Don also like music and motorcycling. They now live in Richland, WA

CONTACT INFORMATION

Joe Dawson, President: jsdawson@comcast.net  (425) 392-4361 (C) (206) 817-8376

Ronnie Johnston, West Side Vice President: r7t9@aol.com  (206) 595-6819

Don McCabe, Vice President East Side & Website Administrator: don.mccabe41@gmail.com  (509) 951-0399

Dawn Morrow, Secretary: queencat13@aol.com (509) 928-7182 (C) 509 464-9773

Jim Hill, Treasurer: christopher1987@truevine.net (509) 362-2025

Zbig Kasprzyk, West Side Executive Board Member: zkkasprzyk@gmail.com  (206) 818-7476

Brent Beden, West Side Executive Board Member: brent.beden@comcast.net (C)  (206) 550-2809

Dennis Hooper, East Side Executive Board Member: derickson024@gmail.com (509) 991-8259 (C) (509) 255-9156

Doug Partlow, East  Side Executive Board Member: dougpart@aol.com (C) (509) 406-1017

Zbig Kasprzyk, Hot Sheet Editor: zkkasprzyk@gmail.com (206) 818-7476