Page 22 - Demo

22|December 2021
Slippery rock Gazette
to him, probably ain’t going to work. Just sayin’...
We finished the evening with another domestic call, only this one was flagged as a homicidal/ suicidal-type call. An older man was holding two knives to his own throat. He evidently had eaten a bunch of pills and was drinking beer, too. So the Deputies (there ended up being over 10 of them, with two supervisors) basically just reassured the guy that every- thing would be alright. After a couple hours of this tense stand- off, they only had to wait until he passed out, allowing them to safely remove the knives. He was taken by ambulance to the hos- pital for his health, safety, and evaluation. Ultimately, they com- pleted another shift safely, along with everyone else involved that evening.
I can’t tell you how eye-open- ing this experience was for me. We were busy from the time we started and through the entire shift. Knox had even almost acclimated to me by the end of the shift. These men and women are consummate professionals at what they do. Their bravery, skill, and desire to serve the com- munity are a sight that everyone should be able to witness up close like I did. I would rate my experi- ence as out-freakin-standing!
As always, I recommend sub- mitting a test area to confirm both the results and the proce- dure prior to starting a stone or hard surface restoration or main- tenance project. Also the best way to help ensure success is by partnering with a good distrib- utor partner, like BB Industries, that knows the business. They can help with technical support, product purchase decisions, logis- tics, and other pertinent project information.
I pray you all stay safe and healthy.
Bob Murrell has worked in the natural stone industry for over 40 years and is well known for his expertise in natural stone, tile and decorative concrete resto- ration and maintenance. He helped develop some of the main products and processes which revolution- ized the industry, and is currently the Director of Operations for M3 Technologies.
Stone Restoration and Maintenance Corner
Continued from page 20
Nick gave Knox a firm talking-to, and as the evening wore on, the tension between Knox and me got a little better.
First stop: meet with the other northside evening shift team. We stopped for some quick spicy tacos before heading out to our shift. These men and women work very closely with one another and back each other up, so that no one unit is without sup- port from the others. I learned very quickly, this backup is very important for the security and safety of each Deputy. To say they have each other’s backs is an understatement.
After our late lunch, we were heading out to investigate some- one supposedly walking in the road erratically. Then we got a call from one of Nick’s team; he had a felony stop. So we whipped the cruiser around and off we sped to go support the other Deputy. (BTW, they use special apps on their phones as two-way radios so as to not tie up the official radio channels.)
We arrived at the scene within a minute or two. The other Deputy
already had one person in the back of his cruiser and was ques- tioning the other outside of the vehicle.
Nick immediately went into backup mode, and in a few sec- onds, the Deputies has retrieved a loaded 9mm, which was seen on the floor of the vehicle. The Deputies then asked for consent to search the vehicle and it was denied (since having a loaded weapon in your possession is not necessarily illegal in Tennessee). So that’s where Knox comes in handy. Nick took Knox around the vehicle and when Knox “alerted” he’d sniffed something (he is trained to smell narcotics), they now had probable cause to search the vehicle.
After a quick search, they had a tomahawk, machete, and drug paraphernalia sitting on top of the vehicle. I was blown away! This all started from a simple traffic stop where the license tag was improperly displayed. I got to go up close and see all of the stuff on the vehicle roof and thought to myself, this could have easily gone bad, fast. This is why time is of the essence when one of these brave Deputies makes a stop or
Knox Co. Deputy Nick Halsey and his rookie ride-along, Bob.
Patrol dog Knox applies his special training and alerts his partner something dangerous has been detected in the vehicle.
responds to a call. Quick backup is paramount to safety and ensur- ing success.
One of the persons was a pre- viously convicted felon, and it is a major violation when a loaded weapon is found in their imme- diate vicinity. He did cooper- ate with the Deputies and took responsibility for the weapon. He went to jail and the other guy was released to go on about his busi- ness, but without the vehicle I might add, as this was now evi- dence in the new felony charge.
One thing nice about hav- ing Knox with us was that we couldn’t transport any arrestees to the county detention center. Since the van or paddy wagon was not in service on this particular evening
shift, each person who ended up with a date to see the judge had to be transported to the facility by one of the evening shift Deputies.
After this stop, we went to a couple of domestic calls. Knox and I stayed in the cruiser for these. It was interesting to watch as the Deputies did their job. I would say these could easily go bad as well, because emotions are high.
Watching Nick amazed me. I mean when he was talking with the parties involved, I swear he was looking straight into their souls. I know that these Deputies are highly trained to know what to look for, what to say and what to expect. Nick has over 13 years of experience doing this, so lying
© MARK ANDERSON. www.andertoons.com