End of Watch, March 2017

During the month of March, nine American Police Officers and three K9s sacrificed their lives in service to their communities and fellow citizens.  Below is a list of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in March 2017.

Deputy Sheriff Curtis Allen Bartlett, 32, of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, lost his life on March 9 in a vehicle collision.  Deputy Bartlett was joining other Police Officers in a pursuit when his vehicle collided with another, killing him.  The driver of the vehicle being chased was later arrested.  Curtis Allen Bartlett was a U.S. Army veteran with previous law enforcement experience who had served the people of Carroll County, North Carolina, for three-and-a-half years.  He is survived by his parents and siblings.

Police Officer Houston James Largo, 27, of the Navajo Division of Public Safety (Tribal Police), lost his life on March 12 in a shootout.  Officer Largo was responding to a domestic disturbance on March 11 off of a county road when he was shot.  Officer Largo died the next day.  The suspect was arrested.  Houston James Largo had served the people of New Mexico for five years.  He is survived by his family.

Police Officer Michael Hance, 44, of the New York City Police Department, lost his life on March 12 from an illness he had received following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  When the towers went down, Officer Hance went to Ground Zero and helped in evacuating victims from the area.  He assisted in recovery and clean-up efforts at Ground Zero for several more months.  Officer Hance eventually became ill from exposure to toxic materials present in the air after the attack and lost his life.  Michael Hance had served the people of New York, New York, for seventeen years.  He is survived by his daughters.

Trooper Brian S. Falb, 47, of the New York State Police, lost his life on March 13 from an illness he had received following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  When the towers went down, Trooper Falb went to Ground Zero and helped in evacuating victims from the area.  He assisted in recovery and clean-up efforts at Ground Zero for several more months.  Trooper Falb eventually became ill from exposure to toxic materials present in the air after the attack and lost his life.  Brian S. Falb had served the people of New York for eighteen years.  He is survived by his wife and four children.

Sergeant Shawn T. Anderson, 43, of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, lost his life on March 18 in a shootout.  Sergeant Anderson and another Officer were conducting an interview when the suspect drew a weapon and fatally shot Sergeant Anderson.  The suspect was later killed by Police.  Shawn T. Anderson was a U.S. Army veteran who had served the people of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, for eighteen years.  He is survived by his family.

Detective Jason T. Weiland, 40, of the Everest Metropolitan Police Department, lost his life on March 22 in a shootout.  After killing three people in two separate occurrences, a suspect barricaded himself in an apartment complex and began shooting at Police.  In the exchange of gunfire, Detective Weiland was shot and killed.  The suspect was later arrested.  Jason T. Weiland had previous law enforcement experience and had served the people of Everest, Wisconsin, for fifteen years.  He is survived by his wife and children.

Sergeant Curtis Blackbird, 59, of the Omaha Nation Law Enforcement Services (Tribal Police), lost his life on March 26 in a vehicle collision.  Sergeant Blackbird was responding to a call when his vehicle collided with a construction crane, killing him.  Curtis Blackbird had served the people of Nebraska for thirty years.  He is survived by his wife, sisters, and grandsons.

Police Officer Justin Terney, 22, of the Tecumseh Police Department, lost his life on March 27 in a shootout.  Officer Terney was conducting a traffic stop when the suspect ran.  While chasing him, Officer Terney attempted to use his taser, which failed to subdue the suspect.  The suspect then drew a weapon and shot him.  Officer Terney was able to return fire before he was killed.  The wounded suspect was later arrested.  Justin Terney had served the people of Tecumseh, Oklahoma, for one year.  He is survived by his family.

Police Officer Nicholas Rodman, 30, of the Louisville Metro Police Department, lost his life on March 29 during a vehicle pursuit.  Officer Rodman and other officers were pursuing a suspect after a domestic disturbance in which shots were fired.  As Officer Rodman crossed an intersection his vehicle was struck and caught fire.  Police pulled Officer Rodman from the wreckage and transported him to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.  The suspect was arrested.  Nicholas Rodman had served the people of Louisville, Kentucky, for three years.  He is survived by his wife and two children.

*K9 Ranger, 9, of the Forest Lake Police Department, lost his life on February 8 from a heart attack.  The German Shepherd and his human counterparts had just apprehended a suspect when K9 Ranger suffered a fatal heart attack.  Ranger had served the people of Forest Lake, Minnesota, for seven years.

K9 Rooster, 5, of the Wichita Police Department, lost his life on March 18 in a shootout.  The Belgian Malinois and his human counterparts were responding to a domestic disturbance when the suspect drew a firearm.  The suspect shot and killed K9 Rooster when he attempted to apprehend him.  The suspect was later killed by Police.  Rooster had served the people of Wichita, Kansas, for five years.

K9 Roscoe, 2, of the Crowley Police Department, lost his life on March 22.  The Belgian Malinois and his human counterparts were responding after a man killed two women.  The suspect opened fire on the Police Officers when they arrived, wounding an Officer and killing K9 Roscoe.  The suspect was later killed by Police.  Roscoe had served the people of Crowley, Louisiana, for six months.

K9 Rico, 3, of the Alaska State Troopers, lost his life on March 26 while attempting to apprehend a suspect.  The Dutch Shepherd and his human counterparts were pursuing a suspect on foot after a vehicle pursuit.  The suspect shot and killed K9 Rico after he was deployed to apprehend him.  The suspect was then killed by Police.  K9 Rico had served the people of Alaska for six months.

Police Officers have attended the funerals of their colleagues and walked past memorials of their fallen lawmen daily, conscious of the risk that comes with dedicating their lives to the defense of their community and service to their neighbors.  Law enforcement in the United States is comprised of ordinary citizens who make extraordinary sacrifices.  The commitment to making their neighborhoods safer places is what fuels regular people to take on a lifestyle that exists not for themselves, but for others.  As John Wayne once said, “Courage is being scared to death…but saddling up anyway.”

*K9 Ranger lost his life in February, but was inadvertently not mentioned in the End of Watch article for that month.

Statistics from: Officer Down Memorial Page

https://www.odmp.org/