Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 21, 1994 TAG: 9412210072
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Christiansburg Officer Terry L. Griffith was killed in mid-September as he arrested a suspected shoplifter. Wythe County Deputy Cliff Dicker was killed as he tried to take a teen-age boy into custody.
But Pulaski authorities say these three high-risk confrontations are not isolated incidents. Rather, they say, officers daily encounter situations that could just as easily escalate into life-threatening confrontations like the recent highly publicized cases.
Ed Hogston, a commander with the Pulaski Police Department, said he routinely reviews reports from officers that detail situations where officers were confronted by armed people or discovered weapons during an arrest or search.
"The only ones you ever read about are the ones that get to this point," Hogston said. "I read all the reports and I see all this stuff."
Maj. Jim Davis of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office said his department has been fortunate in avoiding serious injury. One of the worst incidents he could recall was a deputy who was stabbed in the shoulder and neck several years ago by a woman with mental problems.
More recently, a deputy was sprayed with Mace by a teen-ager during a routine traffic stop.
"It's not unusual for us ... as far as facing the weapons, we do that [routinely]," Davis said.
"We face various and diverse amount of weapons routinely. Basically, we rely on professional training and strict police procedures to get through the incidents," Davis said. "The only thing that separates us from the citizens is that we are trained" to respond to high-risk situations.
"There's a different me besides what's in the uniform," Goad said. "I've got a life besides here."
by CNB