DATE: Friday, September 26, 1997            TAG: 9709240109

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 04   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: THUMBS UP! 

SOURCE: BY SUSAN W. SMITH, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   62 lines

OFFICER CITED FOR RESPONSE TO DANGEROUS DOMESTIC CALL

THERE ARE NO ordinary tasks, and there are no routine days at work for James J. Brown. Like most law-enforcement personal, Brown knows almost any assignment has the potential to escalate into a life-threatening situation.

This proved true last spring when Chesapeake Police Officer Brown, 37, checked out a domestic complaint, only to discover a scenario that involved children, an angry couple and a gun. For his quick response and safe handling of the situation, Brown was awarded last month the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Award for Valor.

``Officer Brown exemplifies the officers who continually perform day-in and day-out and are put at risk countless times the public is never made aware of,'' Police Chief R.A. Justice said.

In a ceremony at police headquarters, Justice presented the award, which recognizes an officer, who in the line of duty and at personal risk, performs an act of heroism while facing an adversary.

Every day as part of his job, Brown deals with traffic stops and accidents, drug related incidents, fights and disturbances and domestic disputes.

``You never know when you get a call, stop a car or check out a complaint what to expect,'' Brown said. ``And staying aware or beware is the best way to stay safe.''

Brown said that in every incident he is always taking in the actions, attitude and body language of those involved.

``It gets to be like a sixth sense or a special language that indicates there could be a problem,'' Brown said. ``Or sometimes, it's like all the pieces you see or hear don't fit the puzzle.''

Brown used his skills May 1 when he was the first officer to respond to a domestic dispute in Midway Trailer Court on Campostella Road. When he and his partner, Mark Cilento, arrived, he took in the tight quarters, children and a couple who had been fighting.

Brown said the woman had bruises, a bleeding mouth and strangle marks around her neck. As Brown started to make an arrest, the irate ex-husband flashed a handgun. But he did not try to shoot the officers; the man pointed the gun at his own chest.

``When there's a loaded gun anything can happen, and of course we did not want the man to hurt himself, either,'' Brown said.

As he yelled ``gun'' to warn the others, he wrestled the weapon away.

After the arrest, Brown did his paperwork, and returned to his duty watching over South Norfolk and Deep Creek as he has for almost eight years.

Before manning a patrol car, Brown spent 12 years in the Navy as a submarine mechanic. When his military days were over, his wife, Susan, who is from Great Bridge, encouraged him to make Chesapeake their home. Since several of his New York State relatives have been police officers, Brown followed the family tradition and applied with the Chesapeake Police Department. Now, he is a field training officer and a member of the S.W.A.T. team.

The Browns, with their children, Patrick, 8, Elizabeth, 6, and Michael, 4, and their pound puppy, Bozo, live in Hickory, which Brown described as . . . ``a pretty routine family life.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by CHARLIE MEADS

With children and a battered woman nearby, Chesapeake Police Officer

James J. Brown, 37, disarmed an ex-husband threatening to kill

himself.

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