January 2023 Hot Sheet
the Hot Sheet
Washington State Retired Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers Association
P.O. Box 13265 Spokane Valley, WA 99213
Website: www.wsrdspoa.org
January 2023
President
Joe Dawson, King Co SO
Vice Presidents
West: Ronnie Johnston, Tukwila PD
East: Don McCabe, Spokane Co SO
Secretary
Brent Beden, King Co SO
Treasurer
Jim Hill, Spokane, Co SO
Members at Large
West Members At Large: Zbig Kasprzyk, King Co SO; Jim Juchmes, King Co SO
East Members At Large: Dennis Hooper, Spokane PD; Doug Partlow, Tukwila PD
Meeting Schedules
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
Westside Luncheons
1st Tuesday of the Month at 11 AM
Golden Steer Restaurant
23826 104 Ave. SE
Kent, WA 98031
Annual Old Cops Party and Potluck
March 7, 2013 1500 HRS (3PM)
14828 E. 40th PL
Yuma, AZ 85367
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Your WSRDSPOA Board would like to wish all of you the very best in the coming New Year. We hope you had a blessed Christmas and that the New Year brings much happiness to you and your loved ones.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
2022 President’s Message
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays. Whatever you celebrate during this season make it a good holiday with friends and family.
First, please keep your eyes on your telephone and mail as well as computers for thieves attempting to get into your LEOFF one time distribution. I have received reports of attempts by mail, telephone, and email with all kinds of ridiculous claims and attempts to gain your personal information. Don’t ever give anyone who calls you your full name, social security number, date of birth or any information about yourself. If you have any questions, contact DRS, (Washington State Department of Retirement Systems). Their phone number is; 800-547-6657 Don’t use the number the caller or writer provides. I know I repeat this type of information but it’s about your money and it’s continuing to happen
The Retired Fire Fighters of Washington (RFFOW) is considering opening their membership to Law Enforcement Officers. I have in the past encouraged our membership to join other LEOFF organizations and still feel the same way however I personally feel that the LEOFF I Coalition represents us well enough. All of the LEOFF organizations seem to agree that in times of negative legislation or any interference with our retirement system that we will meet and resist together. The Washington State Retired Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers is a social organization. We are listed as a non profit organization with IRS that forbids us to donate funds to any political candidate or party. Our membership has members that are privately supporting the candidates of their choice.
We’ve had our Association election and the results are in this newsletter. I would encourage everyone to continue to vote in all elections both local and national. It’s the only way our voices are heard by the government.
The western Washington Christmas party was successfully held in Burien at a local restaurant. Lots of members attended and had a good time. Members Dave and Betty Blum scheduled the event and kept a guest list and we thank them for their efforts.
The Old Cops Party in Yuma is announced in this issue. Hopefully some of us will be able to make the trip.
It’s Dues Time! Don’t forget. I’d hate to have you miss the newsletter. I’m pretty sure there will be events that will affect our retirement this year. You will need to be informed. Start telling other non-members about the issues that come up. They need to be informed. I know you meet for coffee with groups of retirees. You might be their only source of vital information.
Joe Dawson,
WSRDSPOA President
2023 DUES ARE DUE
Yes folks, it’s that time again. Our Association’s annual dues are due. Dues are only $30 per year and also include your loving spouse. Please send them to:
Washington State Retired Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers Association
P.O. Box 13265 Spokane Valley, WA 99213
ANNUAL OLD COPS PARTY AND POTLUCK
This year’s party will be March 7th, 2023 at 1500 (3PM) at Tom Pritchart’s house; 14828 E. 40th Pl. Yuma, AZ 85367. Steve Wandel and crew will be taking over the hosting this year. Please RSVP by February 20th, 2023 send email to, wandelsa@msn.com, or by phone, 425-765-8447.
Directions to Tom’s house are: From US HWY 8 take exit 14E to Foothills Blvd., From Foothills Blvd., turn left on S. Frontage RD East to County RD 15E. Turn right at 15E (if it turns to gravel you’ve gone too far), Take the first right, 40th ST., this is the entrance to Las Barrancas Home Community, then take the first left, S. Drucilla LN. Take another quick left on 40th PL. Tom’s house is on the left at the curve.
We will provide chicken, ham, margaritas, beer, pop, water, ice and of course, Lee Hahn’s slideshow of past events.
Please bring a side dish or dessert and a new friend or two. Just let us know ahead of time so we can order enough food.
Old Cops Golf Playday
If you are interested in golfing the day before, (March 6), please RSVP your intentions ASAP. If there is enough interest, Steve Wandel will set something up.
WSRDSPOA Election Results
This year’s election results are in and there is no change in leadership as no-one ran against the current leadership. Joe Dawson remains as President, Don McCabe-Eastside VP, Ron Johnston- Westside VP, Brent Beden-Secretary, Jim Hill-Treasurer, Dennis Hooper and Doug Partlow-At-Large Eastside, Zbig Kasprzyk and Jim Juchmes- At-Large Westside.
WA Dems responsible as 41,330 cars stolen, now try to ban police traffic stops.
The following article from MYNorthwest was written by radio talk show host Jason Rantz (KTTH radio). 12/14/2022.
According to the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force, Washingtonians reported 41,330 vehicles stolen between January and November of this year. You can thank Washington Democrats for the state’s culture of lawlessness. Everyone saw this coming.
Every day, roughly 123 vehicles are stolen after Democrats passed a law banning vehicular pursuit. The stolen cars and trucks are often used in smash-and-grab crimes as criminals take advantage of defunded, demoralized, and understaffed police departments and a law that guarantees police won’t chase them.
The only time police can pursue a vehicle is if they suspect impaired driving or have established probable cause – a much higher standard than reasonable suspicion – that the driver committed a violent crime, sex offense, or are an escaped felon. In cases where this standard is met, they must still determine whether a chase outweighs the risk to the public should their pursuit cause an accident.
There’s little doubt that this law has directly led to the recent surges in car theft and quick robberies where the criminal can quickly drive away, knowing even if an officer happens to arrive in time, they can’t chase. In Gig Harbor recently, there was yet another example of the law’s consequences.
Police responded to a burglary as an SUV and U-Haul truck were speeding away. An officer briefly followed the truck and attempted to “light it up”; with sirens on, the officer hoped the driver would pull over. Of course, the driver did not because the suspect didn’t have to. The officers was forced to stop the pursuit.
Gig Harbor Police chief Kelley Busey told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH that these incidents aren’t unique.
“We have people that as long as they can get from the store into their car, they’re kind of home safe. They take off. Sometimes they’ll even give us an obscene gesture on the way, and they know that we can’t stop them,” Busey explained.
Busey directly blames the vehicular pursuit ban. “I think the 2021 police reform movement went a bit too far. I think that there needs to be some reasonableness. We need to go back to a place where police officers can weigh the risk of the pursuit versus the reward in catching that suspect. People are frustrated … And I think people largely want us to be able to chase them [suspects] at 3:30 in the morning with no other vehicles on the road.”
Will Democrats change their anti-police posture? While there may be enough pressure to change this law, it may be replaced with an equally dangerous plan to ban nearly all traffic stops.
The Tacoma News Tribune reports that State Senate Joe Nguyen (D-West Seattle) is sponsoring a bill to “end low-level traffic stops for expired tabs, broken tail lights and similar violations that don’t have safety ramifications.” In partnership with the anti-cop Washington Coalition for Police Accountability (WCPA), Nguyen is pushing a dangerous claim that cops pose risks to black and Latino drivers. Per the TNT, the WCPA claims this bill would “reduce disproportionate impacts on communities of color and low-income people.” What are those impacts? Murder.
At a press conference announcing their plans to continue to dismantle police departments, activists with the WCPA made their hateful views on cops clear.
“If they [black drivers] get pulled over, are they going to make it back home?” activist Tonya Isabell. “Because if they reach in the glove department to get their insurance paper, or if they reach for their wallet, are they (the police) going to say they have a weapon and they end up dead? To me, it’s very important that we get these laws in place to protect the lives of the children that are coming up in this world behind us.”
The TNT notes that Isabell’s cousin, Charleena Lyles, was shot and killed by two cops. The reporter leaves out the details leading up to Lyles’ death: She falsely reported a burglary and, when police arrived, tried to murder them with a knife. But to some activists, all police use of force is wrong, and it’s better to have a dead cop than a dead would-be criminal.
That these activists have the ears of so many Democrat lawmakers is alarming. That they’ll move forward pushing even more legislation that will hurt Washingtonians is disturbing. That they all refuse to see what their policies are doing to this state suggests delusion or ambivalence.
SB5034
Senate Bill 5034, once again, tries to undo the current Law Enforcement Pursuit Policy enacted by Washington’s legislature 2 years ago. The bill, as currently written, will make pursuits possible with “reasonable suspicion”. Currently they are only allowed with ‘probable cause”.
The following are sponsors of this bill, Senators Padden, Fortunato, Short, Holy, L. Wilson, King, , TOR, Braun, Warnick, Muzzall, Schoesler, J. Wilson, Dozier, and Wagoner.
Please contact your state Senators and let them know that you strongly support this legislation.
Ed. Note: I read through the bill, as written right now, and am not sure if it allows pursuits for non violent crimes, like vehicle theft. I wrote an email to one of the sponsors for clarification, and am waiting for a reply.
BRUCE’S BOOK REVIEW
1876 the Year of the Gun
by Steve Wiegand
The cover of this book promised “the year Bat (Masterson), Wyatt (Earp), (General George) Custer, and the two Bills (Buffalo and Wild) created the Wild West, and why it’s still with us.” I had my doubts that the creation of the Wild West could be narrowed down to just one year (spoiler alert, it wasn’t). The last part, however, why our country still seems to hold many of the attitudes, values and traditions that appear to be directly descended from this era, has been a question that I have pursued for some time.
Even though I had some reservations that this book could deliver what it promised, I figured that for eight bucks for the Kindle version I’d take a chance. I’m glad I did.
First, the author begins by providing the context. Mr Wiegand defines the beginning of the Wild West era as just after the American Civil War. Our now begrudgingly re-united nation was awash with unemployed soldiers (some of whom had functioned as little more than bands of murderers before and during the war) at a time when opportunities for making good, if not necessarily easy, money opened up.
First was the demand for buffalo hides and the seemingly endless supply of the animals. Next were the herds of cattle that had been abandoned in Texas during the war and only had to be rounded up and driven north to the rail heads in Kansas to meet the demand for beef on the east coast. Gold and silver strikes in Colorado and Arizona contributed to the melee. Finally, with all this money in circulation and little to no law, gamblers, pimps, and con men were eager to get in on the profit. Oh, and the Native Americans whose territory all this was occurring on frequently took exception to their lands and livelihood being taken away. So, there was what might be described as a perfect storm that lasted until the buffalo were gone, the railroads extended to the stockyards of Fort Worth, and the mines either petered out or became large scale industrial operations.
Against this background were the lawmen and Indian fighters. I’ve studied many of the figures, such as Bat Masterson, the Earp brothers, and Wild Bill Hickok before, but this book described them a little differently. Not as mythical heroes, nor criminals with badges as others have, but rather simply as men of their time. Very interesting men of their time. But when the times changed so did the men, at least the ones who survived. Masterson moved to New York and became a sportswriter. Wyatt Earp moved to Los Angeles and dabbled in Real Estate. What was interesting was just how many of the changes occurred around the year 1876 and just how much influence an era that lasted roughly twenty years has had.
If the 18 pages of bibliography are any indication, the author did his research. While many, if not most, of the details he presented have been presented before, Steve Wiegand has related them in a way that provides a more complete picture than others. His writing style is engaging and he has a dry sense of humor that keeps you entertained. I’m very glad that I took the chance on this book.
RBO
P.S. Did he answer the question of why the Wild West is still with us? Well, not in so many words. But he certainly gives us a perspective that will let us figure it out on our own.
AROUND THE BEAT
Officer Jordan Jackson, Bellevue Police Department, EOW 21 November 2022
Police Officer Jordan Jackson was killed in a motorcycle crash in the 500 block of Bellevue Way SE.
He was traveling northbound when a vehicle pulled out of a parking lot and into his path, causing a collision. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries several hours later.
Officer Jackson had served with the Bellevue Police Department for 4-1/2 years and was assigned to the Motor Unit. He had previously served as an EMT and as a volunteer with the King County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Unit. He is survived by his wife and children.
Charles Edward Robbins, retired Sheriff of Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. Chuck hired on with the Sheriff’s Office in 1962. Chuck was the first Pierce County deputy to rise through the ranks and become Sheriff. Prior to his career with Pierce County, Chuck was an outstanding baseball player in high school and at Pacific Lutheran College. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians, his dream of playing professional baseball ended with a broken wrist suffered in an auto accident. In 1956, Chuck joined the United States Army Reserves. After retiring from the Sheriff’s Office, Chuck did four more years with the Pierce County Executive’s Office serving as the Executive Director of Public Safety. Chuck retired from that position in 2000. Chuck passed away on July 29, 2022.
Ronald Ritter, Retired WSP Detective passed away October 15, 2022. Ron was with WSP for 25 years, retiring in 1999.
Fred Minker, retired as Chief from Sequim Police Department. Fred worked for Sequim PD for 20 years. He then worked for the 7 Cedars Casino as security where he retired, after 22 years, as director of the TribalGaming Agency. Fred passed away in October 2022.
James Waltz, retired WSP Detective Sgt., passed away on December 1, 2022.
Max Osburn, retired King County Captain passed away on December 7, 2022 after a long bout with Alzheimers. In 2018 Max’s wife, Mickey, passed away after a ten year battle with Lymphoma. Due to all the medical expenses, for Mickey’s cancer battle, the family is struggling financially to pay for funeral costs. Max and Mickey’s daughter, Kelly, has set up a Go Fund Me page to help pay for funeral expenses. Please go to; https://gofund.me/45f34474 for details.
Bryce Storseth, retired KCSO Detective Bryce Storseth passed away earlier this month. He was hired on July 23rd, 1979, and spent most of his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a detective. Bryce worked both Precinct 4 and Burien until May of 2004, where he was then assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division. He worked in the Criminal Intelligence Unit for almost 4 years before moving to the Special Assault Unit in May of 2008. Bryce retired on December 31st, 2009, with over 30 years of service to King County.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Joe Dawson, President: jsdawson@comcast.net (C) 206-817-8376 (H) 425-392-4361
Ronnie Johnston, West Side Vice President: ronjohnston2009@gmail.com 206-595-6819
Don McCabe, East Side Vice President, Website Administrator: don@wsrdspoa.org 509-951-0399
Brent Beden, Secretary: wsrdspoasecretary@gmail.com 206-550-2809
Jim Hill, Treasurer: wsrdspoa@gmail.com 509-362-2025
Zbig Kasprzyk, At Large West Side, Hot Sheet Editor: zkkasprzyk@gmail.com 206-818-7476
Jim Juchmes, At Large West Side: jmjuchmes@comcast.net 253-508-2417
Dennis Hooper, At Large East Side: derickson0242gmail.com (C) 509-496-0110
(H) 509-443-3687
Doug Partlow, At Large East Side: dougpart@aol.com 509-406-1017