Protecting the Protectors

I was in Robin’s Roost this week. A clerk told me about a couple of fights that had occurred in a local bar the past few nights. Apparently a couple of visitors from the flat decided to raise a little hell, requiring responses from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and ISP.  

The incidents brought back memories of my time as a Pocatello Police officer. My first fight occurred when I was a rookie. I confronted a man who had been prying open coin mechanisms at a car wash. As I approached, he started to walk off.  I grabbed his arm and the fight was on! He grabbed for my holstered pistol and I found myself fighting for my life. After some wrestling, I threw him to the ground and cuffed him. Looking up after the arrest, I saw a man standing at a pay phone not 30 feet from me! I remember thinking that as my life flashed before my eyes; he had been standing there, watching the show. I tossed him a quarter and asked him to call the department for backup.

I decided then that I would cultivate relationships with the citizens to help me survive in the field. I responded to numerous of bar fights. While it was a rush to mix it up, patrons and bouncers kept others from jumping in while I subdued a suspect. I appreciated those who helped me make it home at the end of my shift.

Island Park can be a dark and isolated place for a patrolling officer. 

A routine traffic stop or disturbance can suddenly deteriorate into a struggle for survival. Backup can be miles away. It is not uncommon to see someone pulled over on a dark stretch of Highway 20. Do you slow to see if the officer is safe?

While it is the officer’s job to enforce the law, it is the community’s job to help ensure their safety. Be attentive to dangerous situations and offer assistance when necessary. Island Park is blessed with a great group of law enforcement professionals. We should do what we can to make sure that they make it home at the end of each shift.