Honors for heroism show that even in a difficult year, officers haven't wavered in their duty to protect and serve

Friday, Nov. 13, will be the 49^th Annual Metropolitan Chiefs and Sheriffs Association Awards for Valor. This event honors officers across the metro area for acts of bravery and heroism, and many KCPD members will be recognized. While this event has happened for nearly 50 years, the year during which these officers performed these acts has been anything but ordinary. We are under more scrutiny than ever before, but still, these officers did not hesitate to run toward danger and put themselves at great risk of harm.

The ceremony will stream live on KCPD’s YouTube Channel. Missouri awards will be presented at 10 a.m., followed by Kansas awards at 11:30 a.m. (The ceremony had to be split this year to accommodate social distancing.)

Some of these incidents you may have heard about, like the officers who stopped a vehicle on the Super Bowl parade route in February. Others, you may have heard a little about – such as our officers getting shot – but didn’t realize all of the heroism behind the scenes. Here are just a few of the Kansas City Missouri Police officers who will be receiving awards and what they did:

Domestic Violence Rescue

Officers Jared Littleton, Devin Jackson and Dakota Stone were all dispatched at 1:30 a.m. July 3, 2019, to an address in the East Patrol Division area, in regard to an armed man. As they neared the address, three children came running towards their police vehicles and told the officers their step-father was cutting their mother with a knife.

 

As they approached the doorway to enter the home, they announced themselves and saw a man with his back to the officers, pinning a woman against the wall. The officers heard a woman scream, “Help me, he is going to kill me!” 

 

The officers immediately gave verbal commands to the man to drop the knife and get on the ground. After a few tense moments, the man finally complied, dropped the knife and laid on the ground where he was taken into custody.

 

The woman was safe from the threat, but she had a severe cut on her left thumb from where the man had cut her with the knife. She told officers the man was her husband and this was not the first time he had threatened to kill her. During this particular incident, she was standing in the living room when her husband grabbed a knife from the kitchen and told her to go the bedroom. She did and the man followed her, but he stopped at her daughter’s room, pointed the knife at her and demanded her cell phone so she couldn’t call the police. During the confrontation, the woman’s son came out of his room yelling, “No daddy, don’t kill my mom!” The man said he didn’t care, he knew the police were coming and he was going to kill her tonight and began to attack her.

 

Thankfully, the officers arrived quickly and made decisive actions, saving the woman and her children from a potentially life-threatening situation, while keeping themselves and the man safe from injuries.

 

Triple-Homicide Suspects Caught Red-Handed

Officers Cody Halterman and Levi Plaschka had been concentrating their patrol efforts on the area of 45^th and Benton in October 2019 because a great deal of shootings and narcotics activity were taking place there. On the night of October 17, 2019, they were in that area and heard two groups of gunshots on the same block where they were. They saw a woman carrying a rifle enter a parked car and another man standing nearby. Then they saw a man lying in the street behind the car.

They ordered the woman out of the car, and Officer Plaschka took her into custody. As he was doing so, Officer Halterman heard footsteps and turned to see the man standing by the car running away. Officer Halterman ran after him and eventually caught him in the backyard of a home in the 4500 block of Chestnut.

Meanwhile, Officer Plaschka looked in the car the woman had been in and saw the rifle in the front passenger seat. He then checked on the man lying on the street and found him dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

Once additional officers arrived, Officer Plaschka did a canvass of the immediate area to check for any other possible victims. He found a house with the front door hanging open. He discovered two more victims inside, dead from gunshot wounds. He cleared the rest of the house, finding no one else inside.

Subsequent investigation revealed the woman with the rifle and the man Officer Halterman chased down were responsible for the killing of all three victims, and the rifle was the murder weapon. Because the officers immediately caught both suspects “red-handed,” both suspects were quickly charged with first-degree murder and multiple other charges in the triple homicide.

Officers Stop Bus Shooter

A Kansas City Missouri Police officer who was injured in a shooting on July 2 of this year thankfully survived.

The call started mid-morning with a distress signal from a Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) bus operator. She had just witnessed a stealing at Independence Avenue and Wilson Avenue and the suspect had just entered her bus after committing the theft. The driver stopped the bus at Independence Ave. and Hardesty Ave., where her supervisor met her. To avoid drawing the attention of the suspect, the bus driver told the supervisor there was a problem with the bus.

As suspect got up to question the bus driver about the stop, two marked police vehicles pulled up behind the bus. Officer Sticken was alerted to the distress signal because of his unique assignment as a liaison to the KCATA. Officers Cruz and Gemell were dispatched to the call, as well. Officer Sticken got out of his vehicle and walked alongside the bus toward the front door as Officers Cruz and Gemmell followed from a distance.

The suspect noticed the officers approaching and reached into a bag he was carrying. He pulled out a handgun and began shooting at Officer Sticken from inside the bus. Officer Sticken was shot in the shoulder, after which he retreated to nearby cover and fell to the ground.

The suspect exited the bus and continued shooting at Officer Sticken as he lay on the ground. Officer Sticken recalls hearing the handgun click three times. The suspect then ran to the front of the bus and shot through the windshield, striking the bus operator. He then began to pace near the corner of the intersection, still holding the gun, as Officers Cruz and Gemmell approached him. As he saw the officers coming toward him, he shot at them, but they were able to return fire, causing the suspect to fall to the ground. He was taken into custody, and they promptly rendered aid until paramedics arrived.

Officer Sticken suffered an abrasion to his shoulder that resulted from the shots being fired at him. The bus driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect also had non-life-threatening injuries. The officer was treated and released from an area hospital the same day. The suspect was charged with multiple counts relating to the shootings.

Officer Seriously Wounded, Rescued by Fellow Officers

 

The same day KCPD Officer Sticken was shot, July 2, 2020, another KCPD officer was also shot, placing him in a fight for his life.

 

A call came into dispatch of a man pointing a gun at citizens at a fast food drive-through near 31st and Van Brunt. In the middle of the call, the caller said the suspect had just tried to carjack someone and was acting erratically. Dispatch sent Officers Nathan Anderson and Tyler Webster to the location, and on their way, they made phone contact with the 911 caller. The caller told them the armed suspect was walking south from the location, which the officers relayed to other responding officers. Due to the nature of the call, Sergeant Justin Palmer also responded. Officers Tyler Moss and Mark Diviak also responded to assist.

 

As Officers Diviak and Moss arrived to the scene, an individual began shooting at their police vehicle. They quickly turned their vehicle around and relayed the information to other officers. An “assist the officer” was ‘toned’ out by dispatch. The tone is very distinctive and unforgettable.

 

After shooting at the officers, the suspect ran towards a building in the 3300 block of Stadium Drive. Officers Moss and Diviak exited their vehicle and began to walk in the direction the suspect ran. They were quickly joined by Officers Levi Plaschka and Landon Hartley. Sergeant Palmer and Officers Anderson and Webster also responded. Sergeant Palmer advised all officers to slow down and to move as safely as possible while searching for the suspect.

 

Officers Moss, Diviak, Hartley and Plaschka were already moving one direction, so Sergeant Palmer and Officers Anderson and Webster began to look for the suspect in the other direction. Officer Jamison Raines arrived on the scene and joined the officers. Officers Moss and Plaschka saw the suspect first and gave orders to show his hands. The suspect immediately began shooting at the officers, striking Officer Moss in the head.

 

Officer Moss dropped to the ground. Without hesitation, Officer Plaschka stood over Officer Moss and shot the suspect. Officers Diviak, Hartley, and Anderson quickly grabbed Officer Moss and carried him to safety while Officer Plaschka maintained the safety of the other officers.

 

After hearing the assist the officer tone and then the fateful “officer down” radio transmission, Sergeant Jason Childers immediately responded to the location near where Officer Moss was with the other officers. Sergeant Childers was at the station when the tone went out, having just left the first officer-involved shooting scene from earlier that day. Officer Alisha Shockley also responded to the assist call. With the scene still not safe or secure, Sergeant Childers drove to where the officers had Moss, and they put him into the back of the sergeant’s vehicle. Officer Alisha Shockley jumped into the vehicle and immediately applied pressure to the injury, while Officer Diviak stayed by Officer Moss’ side the entire drive to the hospital. The decision to take Officer Moss in their own vehicle was a matter of life or death. One of Moss’ doctors said at a later press conference. “If his colleagues waited for EMS – and that’s no knock on EMS – but this type of injury, minutes and seconds are vital,”

 

At the scene, Sergeant Palmer maintained his composure over the radio and continued to clear the location with the remaining officers. There was information from the original call indicating there was another armed individual with the suspect. After a thorough search, it was determined that there was only one suspect involved. The suspect died as a result of his injuries.

 

Officer Moss was rushed into surgery and remained in critical condition. His coworkers and many on the Department were at the hospital supporting him and his family the entire time. After two weeks of ICU care, miraculously he no longer needed breathing assistance and had become more alert. He started physical therapy and was able to stand with assistance. On July 23, just three weeks after doctors gave him just a 1% chance of survival, he was released from the hospital to continue his healing at a rehabilitation facility out of state. The facility focused on brain injury and neurological rehabilitation and recovery. He was able to come home to Kansas City a few weeks ago.

 

All the officers involved displayed courage and bravery, and each played a vital role in saving the life of Officer Moss and the keeping the people of Kansas City safe.

These are just a few of the extraordinary acts officers have performed, and they are only the ones from KCPD. Many more from other metro-area agencies will be recognized on Friday. At a time when many people question every move officers make, your metro-area officers still do not hesitate to lay their lives on the line to save others.

 

Our dedication to duty is unwavering. We have answered and will continue to answer every call for help, no matter the person’s politics, beliefs, socioeconomic status, race or even COVID-19 diagnosis. In a pandemic, in civil unrest, or on just an otherwise unremarkable day, KCPD and our metro-area partners will be there when you need help, no matter what.

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Child and the officer who saved his life reunite

I wanted to share with you another tale of heroism and an awesome reunion from our award ceremony last week. Officer Jason Cramblit saved the life of a toddler in May 2011, and the boy and his family reunited with Officer Cramblit for the first time since the incident at last week’s ceremony. They are pictured above. Here’s the story of what happened:

One child will get to live out the life he was meant to after one frightening car ride to Children’s Mercy Urgent Care and the actions that Officer Jason Cramblit took.

On May 13, 2011, Allison Willman was en-route to Children’s Mercy Urgent Care to take her young son, Esher Willman, who had been suffering from a high fever. As they were driving, Esher began to have a seizure due to his high fever and vomited. The seizure prevented Esher from opening his mouth and he began to choke on his vomit.

Allison immediately pulled the car over, took her son out of the car, and attempted to force open his mouth in an effort to clear his airway, but she was unable to do so. She then noticed Esher turned blue and was not able to breathe. “I remember several people around me but no one was able to help,” Allison said, “until Officer Jason Cramblit arrived.”

Officer Cramblit walked over to where Esher was laying and applied pressure to either side of his jaw. He was able to stick his finger in his mouth to sweep out the vomit. On the third finger sweep, Esher took a large gasp and began to breathe again. Another officer immediately called for an ambulance to take him to the hospital to be treated. Esher is now doing well, and he and his family came to the award ceremony to reconnect with the man who saved Esher’s life. Officer Cramblit received the Life-Saving Award.

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Honoring a (very) young hero

I had the privilege last night of meeting Jason J. Smith II. Jason has personally witnessed more tragedy in his nine years than most adults ever will. In the face of that tragedy, he acted courageously, and we honored him with a Life-Saving Certificate last night - an award normally reserved for police officers. Here is his story:

An unlikely hero emerged from a tragic double homicide on July 28, 2011: 9-year-old Jason J. Smith II.

A little before 1:30 a.m. that night, Jason was asleep next to his grandmother and 2-year-old brother, Zion. His mother was asleep in another room. His mother’s ex-boyfriend came into the home and shot Jason’s grandmother as he lay next to her. She was holding the 2-year-old when she was murdered. The suspect left the room, and Jason grabbed his baby brother, put him on his back, and ran next door to a neighbor’s house. As he ran, he heard more gunshots. The ex-boyfriend had just killed his mother, as well. Jason told the neighbor his grandmother had been shot and needed help. The neighbor saw that Zion had blood on his clothes and quickly called police.

Homicide Unit Detective Brent Taney said, “Jason showed a tremendous amount of bravery and courage while acting in a selfless manner that probably saved his younger brother’s life, as well as his own.”

But his bravery didn’t stop there. Shortly after the homicides and in the face of the trauma he’d just experienced, Jason gave a detailed statement of what happened and an accurate description of the suspect. This led police to the suspect very quickly. Detective Taney said Jason’s quick identification of the suspect likely protected other family members from harm, as well.

Two weeks after the murders, Jason ran into a KCPD officer working security for a grocery store and told her he dreams of being a police officer when he grows up.

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Officer honored for stopping man who tried to kill his mother

To say Officer Toby Sicks is a good shot would be an understatement. He is such a good shot that he was able to save an innocent woman's life when her son was threatening to kill her, and today I presented him with the Distinguished Service Medal for his efforts.

On Feb. 28, 2010, officers from the Tactical Response Team were planning to arrest a man for robbery in a carjacking. Members of the team were setting up the area as another officer conducted surveillance in plain clothes from an undercover vehicle. Not long after starting surveillance, the suspect left his home and walked in the under-cover officer's direction, not knowing he was a police officer. The suspect reached into his pants to retrieve what looked to be a weapon. The under-cover officer believed he was going to be the victim of a carjacking and called in the tactical unit. As the suspect saw the tactical team approaching, he ran into his house and began arguing with a woman. Shortly after, the woman, identified as his mother, attempted to run out of the house but was restrained by the suspect.

Knowing that there was a victim in danger, Officer Toby Sicks acted as team leader and directed members of the tactical team into their positions. The suspect refused to leave the residence, and the argument with his mother escalated. The suspect attempted to flee out of the back door and realized he was surrounded by officers. He retreated into the house and moments later re-emerged with his mother, holding a knife to her throat. Officer Sicks, a police sniper, saw that he was the only one in the correct position to disarm the suspect and save the woman’s life. Police asked the suspect multiple times to drop his weapon, but he ignored the officers' direction. With little room to fail, Officer Sicks discharged his weapon, fatally wounding the suspect and saving the mother’s life.

No police officer ever wants to kill another human being, but sometimes they must make the split-second decision to do so in order to save the innocent. That's what Officer Sicks did, and he did it with precision. An inch or two one way or the other, and the mother could have been harmed instead. It was a pleasure to present him the Distinguished Service Medal.

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Sergeant honored for saving man from burning truck

I presented Sergeant Thomas Clark with a Life-Saving Award on Tuesday, and it was well-deserved. Along with a DEA investigator (who received a Certificate of Appreciation) who stopped to help, Sergeant Clark was off-duty when he pulled a man from a burning truck just before it burst into flames.

On the night of December 23, 2010, Sergeant Thomas Clark was on his way home from an off-duty job traveling northbound on 169 Highway near the Wheeler Downtown Airport, when he saw a large orange glow. As he approached the glow, it became apparent that a white Chevrolet truck had been involved in an accident and the whole front end was on fire.

Sergeant Clark stopped and ran to the vehicle, opened the driver’s door and found the driver lying with his feet in the driver’s seat, his head on the floorboard of the passenger side, not moving, face covered in blood, and he appeared unconscious. To create distance in case of an explosion, Sergeant Clark quickly pulled the driver away from the burning truck with the assistance of DEA Agent Jon Ciarletta, who was also off-duty and who arrived shortly after Sgt. Clark.

Within moments of removing the driver to safety, the passenger compartment of the truck became fully engulfed in flames. Shortly after that the driver of the truck regained consciousness, they found out he was intoxicated.

Agent Ciarletta stayed with the driver while Sgt. Clark immediately notified the Fire Department, Ambulance and on-duty officers to handle the scene because the accident occurred within fifty yards of the Wheeler Downtown Airport aviation fuel tanks. The driver was taken to North Kansas City Hospital and was charged with careless driving and a DUI but recovered from his injuries.

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Officer honored for saving woman trapped in car

I presented a Certificate of Commendation today to Officer Brian Wilkerson. He did a very brave thing, and here's his story:

Officer Brian Wilkerson wasn’t even on duty when he risked his own life to save a woman hurt in a bad car wreck.

Just before 3 a.m. Nov. 25, 2010, Officer Wilkerson was on his way home from his shift when he saw a car turned over on its side at 31^st and Michigan. He stopped and heard a woman inside screaming for help. He saw fuel leaking onto the ground and pooling by the driver’s side door and was concerned that it could ignite at any moment. He also saw the driver trapped inside the vehicle. Officer Wilkerson climbed onto the car and broke out the passenger window to get inside. He climbed through the vehicle and pulled the woman out of the car. He then helped her get a good distance away from the car in case it caught fire. He had her lie down and started precautionary medical procedures while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The woman recovered from her injuries.

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Officer saves boy from drowning

Here's another officer with a great story that we honored at our Sept. 23 ceremony. Officer Eric De Valkenaere received the Life-Saving Award for actions he took while he was off duty. The night was really special because Officer DeValkenaere was reunited at the ceremony with the little boy he saved, Levi Martin (they're pictured above). Here's their story:

Officer DeValkenaere was enjoying an afternoon with his children at a neighborhood swimming pool on May 28, 2010, when someone noticed a child at the bottom of the pool.

The unconscious boy was quickly pulled from the water, and Officer DeValkenaere located the boy’s pulse and determined he was not breathing. Officer DeValkenaere then used rescue breathing until the boy spit up water and began shallow breathing.

When officers responded to the scene, they found Officer DeValkenaere holding the boy so he was laying on his side and keeping the boy’s airways open. He continued to talk to the boy and encouraged him to breathe until the boy gained consciousness. The boy was taken to the hospital and discharged with no permanent injury.

Police Officer Michael Wells, who had responded to the call, said Officer DeValkenaere displayed the ability to remain calm during the crisis and perform the actions required to save the boy’s life.

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Officer earns medal for rescuing child, dogs from fire

On Sept. 23, we had a large award ceremony at the Police Academy to honor the bravery, leadership and ingenuity of some of KCPD's finest. I'll be posting about several of those awards in the coming days (I was, unfortunately, out of town for the ceremony itself, and Deputy Chief Cy Ritter filled in for me. But I knew all about these stories of courage, and I just had to share them with you.)

I'll start with Officer Timothy Hiner. He earned the Distinguished Service Medal - one of our department's highest honors - for his actions at the beginning of this year. Above, he and Deputy Chief Ritter salute after his medal was bestowed on him. Below is his story:

Officer Tim Hiner was working on a police report in his patrol car just after 3 a.m. January 28, 2010, when he saw car a whizzing down Northeast 45th Terrace near North Brighton. When the driver saw Officer Hiner, he frantically informed him a house was on fire nearby. Officer Hiner went to the house in the 5200 block of Northeast 45th Terrace and saw fire in the northeast corner of the home and power lines arcing above it. He asked dispatchers to send the fire department.

Then, he contacted a woman standing in the front yard. She spoke little English, but Officer Hiner heard her say that her “babies” were still inside. Officer Hiner immediately ran into the burning house. He found a small child in the back bedroom and picked him up but couldn’t find any other children. He took the child to his mother, and asked her about the other “babies” she mentioned. She was able to explain two small dogs were still in the house. So Officer Hiner went back inside again and found both dogs hiding under a large, heavy, sleigh-style bed in another bedroom. The dogs wouldn’t come out, so Officer Hiner lifted the bed himself, grabbed them and took them outside. With the family reunited, Officer Hiner asked the woman again if everyone was out of the house, and she said yes.

Officer Hiner then ushered everyone into his patrol car to get them out of the cold. Even with the language barrier, he asked what he could do to help them, and he notified the Red Cross that the family needed assistance. Once the fire was out, it was clear it was mostly contained to the kitchen area, but there was dangerous smoke damage throughout the house.

Sergeant John Failer said Officer Hiner’s quick actions prevented a tragedy, and he has the courageous and selfless qualities that are instrumental to being a good police officer.

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Recognizing a brave man who saved another's life

On Tuesday, I presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Greg Cork, a man who did something extraordinarily brave to save the life of a stranger. Here's his story:

Main Street Community Improvement District maintenance attendant Greg Cork literally threw himself under the bus to save a stranger’s life on November 1, 2009.


A Metro bus had just let passengers off at about 3:30 p.m. that day on Main at 39th Street. One of the men who got off was wearing a bicycle helmet because he was prone to seizures. Mr. Cork saw that man stumble and fall beneath the rear wheel of the bus, but the driver did not see this and began to pull forward. With no regard for his own welfare, Mr. Cork dove under the bus and pulled out the man who had fallen. He pulled the man out of his helmet, and as soon as he did, it was crushed by the wheel of the bus. Passengers on the bus then realized what was happening and began screaming for the driver to stop.

The man suffered a severely fractured jaw but was treated and eventually released from an area hospital. Mr. Cork came out unscathed. Sergeant Greg Manning said Mr. Cork’s extraordinarily brave actions saved the life of the man who fell under the bus that day, and he took them even though he was putting himself in jeopardy.

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KCPD detention officer to give gift of life to Southern Missouri police chief

Some amazing people work at the Kansas City Missouri Police Department. I've told you many stories of the heroic and selfless things they do, and there's another one I want to tell you about today. But her heroism is different than many of the split-second decisions of bravery officers make in the field. Hers is a thought-out, premeditated and painful act to save someone else's life.


Tricia Wadell is one of our civilian detention facility officers. She works the PM shift in our jail here at police headquarters. I learned about what she is about to do when I got an e-mail from Carthage, Mo., Police Chief Greg Dagnan a couple of weeks ago. Their story will be be published in our Informant newsletter next week, but I couldn't keep this quiet any longer. So to start your holiday weekend off with a warm feeling in your heart, read about what Tricia is going to do for a police chief she didn't even know that well:

A KCPD detention facility officer is making a major sacrifice to save the life of a southern Missouri police chief.

D.F.O. Tricia Wadell, 23, will be giving one of her kidneys to 40-year-old Chief Greg Dagnan of the Carthage, Mo., Police Department in a tandem surgery on July 29 in St. Louis. The operation has a greater-than-95 percent success rate.

“I’m helping out a good person,” D.F.O. Wadell said. “To me, it’s not a big deal.”

Wadell and Chief Dagnan first met in Joplin when Tricia joined that police department’s Explorers program and attended Missouri Southern State University. At the time, Dagnan was working as a reserve officer for Joplin and teaching full time at the college. Wadell had Dagnan for a few classes and ran into him during occasional Explorers work, like at DUI checkpoints. Neither said they knew the other all that well.

Wadell moved to Kansas City in 2007 and transferred her credits to Grantham University. She wanted to enter the Police Academy but was too young, so she went to work in the Detention Unit, which is her current assignment. When she heard Dagnan made chief in Carthage, a town of about 15,000 people roughly 15 minutes east of Joplin, she congratulated him, but that was the extent of her communication with him until an e-mail arrived about a year and a half ago from her mother.

Wadell’s mother goes to a church that is the same denomination as Dagnan’s. Word made it from his church’s prayer chain to the other’s that Dagnan’s polycystic kidney disease (PKD) was destroying his kidneys, and he would soon be in need of a transplant.

“We told folks at our church, and that was it,” Dagnan said. “It’s not something you like bragging about, especially at work. You have that tough-guy image in law enforcement.”

Dagnan had no idea that Wadell had received the prayer chain e-mail about him. Nor did he know that she went and got tested to see if she would be a match.

“I saw an e-mail from her one day, and I thought, ‘Oh, I haven’t heard from her in a while; she must be on the street or something in your department now, and she’s sending me an update,’” he said. “But instead she said, ‘Just letting you know I heard about you. I went and got tested, and I’m the match.’”

Dagnan said he was astonished. He was also humbled because he found out so many people got tested to help him that the hospital asked them to stop coming in because they were overloaded. Dagnan’s kidneys are now functioning at about 10 percent each. With Wadell’s healthy kidney and because he has no other major health problems, doctors have told him he can be back to light duty six weeks after the operation, and full duty at eight weeks. Wadell’s remaining kidney will enlarge to take over for her absent one, and she faces a similar recovery time. 

For her part, Wadell is frightened, but she won’t be deterred.

“I’m scared to death,” she said. “… But I have so much respect for him and his family.”

When she recovers, she’d like another stab at a spot in the Police Academy.

Though both said they weren’t particularly close before, Dagnan said Wadell has become like part of his family now. His wife and four daughters, ages 19, 14, 11 and 8, have embraced Wadell as one of their own, and they all keep in constant contact. Because PKD is genetic, Dagnan fears that two of his girls also could have it, and he asked his wife and healthy daughters not to get tested for him so they could help out his other two daughters if need be. So Dagnan said Wadell is not only sacrificing for him, she’s sacrificing for his whole family.

“That’s probably the biggest gift she has given me – not only to be around for them but to feel good enough that I can be part of the family and be a dad to them,” he said. “… Her selflessness amazes me.”

Detention Officer Tricia Wadell and Carthage, Mo. Police Chief Greg Dagnan

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Medals of Valor

For the second time this year, I presented the department's highest honor to three very brave officers: (from left to right above) Travis Hennegin, Michael Merino and Brandon Pegg. Here's what they did:

At about 5 p.m. July 8, 2008, a car struck a tree at Oldham and Hillcrest roads in Swope Park. An off-duty officer in plain clothes went to see if she could help, only to be met by a 55-year-old man standing outside the wrecked sedan holding an assault rifle. She pointed her handgun at him and ordered him to drop his rifle.

Instead, the man took off southeast down Oldham, and he fired at at least three cars driving through the park. Fortunately, no one in the cars was hit, though all three vehicles had been struck by bullets. The off-duty officer called for back-up. Officers Travis Hennegin and Brandon Pegg soon arrived in one car, and Officer Michael Merino in another. They knew the man was shooting at random vehicles and that they could be putting themselves in the line of fire. When they got to the scene, they saw the suspect walking in the middle of Oldham with his gun.

Officers Hennegin and Pegg got out and took cover behind some trees. Officer Merino arrived and took cover west of them, being careful to avoid any potential crossfire situations. The officers converged on the suspect and ordered him to drop his weapon. After telling him to drop the gun several times, the suspect turned and fired a shot at Officer Hennegin. The bullet barely missed Officer Hennegin’s head and instead struck a tree he used for cover. All three officers immediately fired back at the suspect, fatally wounding him.

Sergeant John Blomquist said, “All three officers acted immediately and without hesitation when they were aware of an imminent threat of personal danger. They risked their lives knowing the suspect was armed and was an active shooter.”

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Officer recognized for catching bank robbers

Officer Kevin Growney has a knack for catching bank robbers, which is why I gave him a Certificate of Commendation last week.

The most recent incident took place on March 28, 2009, when a man walked into a bank in Brookside and handed over a business card with a written demand for all of the $100-, $50- and $20-dollar bills the teller had. He took off with $1,780. The teller reported the suspect’s appearance and what he was wearing, including a black raincoat.

Officer Kevin Growney was nearby when the call went out and immediately began canvassing the area for the suspect. A resident told Officer Growney that a man had been running through backyards near 65th and Wyandotte. He went to that area and observed a man walking down the street who was suspiciously dry, despite the heavy rain. When Officer Growney approached the man, he was very nervous and acted as though he had just physically exerted himself. Although he wasn’t wearing a raincoat, the rest of the description matched, and Officer Growney took him into custody on a traffic warrant. When officer Growney searched the suspect, he found $1,780 in his pants pocket. A subsequent canvass of the area found the man’s rain jacket and hat as well as a box cutter ditched behind a house in the 6400 block of Wyandotte. The suspect is now in federal prison awaiting trial.

But that wasn’t the first time Officer Growney tracked down a bank robbery suspect right after the robbery took place. Just 10 months earlier, on May 28, 2008, the Kansas City Fire Department Credit Union at 6320 Manchester was robbed. Callers reported the two armed suspects fled to a nearby apartment complex. Once again, Officer Growney was nearby and immediately started canvassing for suspects. He went to the apartments and saw two men acting suspiciously outside of a storage area. They resembled the physical description of the bank robbers, including black gloves. He took them into custody, and when the FBI arrived on scene, they found the bank’s bait money in the two men’s possession. Both were charged with federal bank robbery, and they also had outstanding felony and city warrants.

Captain Scott Caron said this kind of performance is normal for Officer Growney. He said, “He has the uncanny knack for placing himself in the right place to be near the action.”

Deputy Chief Cy Ritter said Officer Growney has been a consistent performer at the Metro Patrol Division for several years.

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Officer gets Life-Saving Award for rescuing man from frigid Brush Creek

KCPD officers do amazing and heroic things every day. Once in a while, I get the pleasure of recognizing them for their actions, like I did at an award ceremony last week. Here is the story of Officer Joshua Gasper, who saved a man from drowning and hypothermia:

On a chilly February day, police received a call from a woman walking her dog along Brush Creek who heard a man screaming in distress.

It was about 2:45 p.m. February 11, 2009, and the high that day was 43 degrees. Officer Joshua Gasper was the first to arrive on scene, parking just south of the tennis courts. He walked down the hill toward the creek and didn’t see anyone in need of help. He then observed a young couple who both were pointing underneath a bridge, down toward the creek. There, a Hispanic male was in the water, trying to hold onto the ledge and keep his head above water. Officer Gasper tried to pull the man out by his collar, but the man’s clothes were so water-logged that he was too heavy, and Officer Gasper almost fell into the frigid water, too.

Officer Gasper then tried a different tack, this time grabbing the man by his sleeve and belt while he sat on the ledge and leaned all of his weight backward. He was successful and able to pull the man out of the water and onto the walkway. Another officer then arrived and wrapped the man in a blanket. Both officers rubbed the man vigorously to keep him warm until an ambulance arrived. The man spoke very little English, but he did repeatedly tell the officers he did not want to die.

Ambulance personnel reported that the man’s skin was wrinkled, indicating he had been in the water for some time. Sergeant John Blomquist asked the National Weather Service what the average temperature for Brush Creek would have been that day and was told it was about 33 degrees. Just 30 minutes in water of that temperature could bring about death from hypothermia. The man was at even greater risk because he was intoxicated, which greatly reduces the body’s ability to cope with cold. But thanks to Officer Gasper’s actions, the man recovered.

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Jacob honors his heroes

I had the honor today of meeting 17-year-old Jacob Fischer. After surviving 32 hours in a wrecked car before anyone found him, it was clear that Jacob is a fighter. He and his family came to Police Headquarters today to present Certificates of Commendation to the officers who found him and helped save his life. It was a very touching moment when Jacob got to honor his heroes. Jacob also got to meet all the dispatchers who were on duty when he went missing and thank them for their work. He was a very grateful and eloquent young man, and I wish him a speedy recovery. Here’s the story of how our officers rescued him:

Jacob never showed up to meet his friends for a hunting outing on the foggy morning of Nov. 1, 2008. When he still hadn’t turned up that evening, his parents were frantic and called the police department in the city Jacob was last seen. A dispatcher there said they typically wait 24 hours before filing a missing person report for adults 17 and older. Frustrated, Jacob’s dad called a KCPD officer he knew, Officer Gale Hall. It was 12:15 a.m. Nov. 2.

Officer Hall told them to be persistent with the other police department. Jacob’s friends quickly gathered and formed search parties. They drove all the routes where they thought Jacob could have gone and checked hospitals and police stations. Officer Hall called KCPD dispatchers and asked them to repeatedly broadcast information about Jacob and his car so officers all over the city would be on the look-out for it. Jacob’s friends searched into the night and unknowingly drove past Jacob several times. His car was wrecked 15 feet off the roadway on Noland Road, down a hill and out of sight. He was trapped inside.

More than 24 hours after Jacob had been missing, Major Bob Kuehl joined the search. His son knew friends of Jacob’s, and they had asked him to get involved, even though as commander of the Logistical Support Division – which includes the Communications and Radio Maintenance units - he wasn’t normally involved in missing persons investigations. Major Kuehl arranged with KCPD dispatchers to contact Jacob’s cell phone company and learned his phone went “off the network” at 6:14 a.m. Nov. 1. That most likely meant Jacob didn’t make it far from home. Major Kuehl called the KCPD Helicopter Unit and asked them to fly from Raytown to Interstate 70 and Lee’s Summit Road, paying particular attention to windy sections of Noland Road near 40 Highway.

The Helicopter officers quickly spotted a car in a ditch along Noland Road, less than a mile from where Jacob lived. Major Kuehl was nearby. He requested an ambulance and the fire department, and then helicopter officers guided him as he climbed down the embankment to get to the wrecked car. Major Kuehl looked into the car and saw Jacob. He was alive, but severely injured and barely conscious. He had been trapped in the wreckage for 32 hours. Firefighters had to cut off the roof of Jacob’s car to get him out, and he was transported to a hospital. He is now undergoing rehabilitation.

Jacob’s parents, Scott and Stephanie Fischer, said in a letter to me that Jacob would not be alive today were it not for Officer Hall and Major Kuehl. They said, “All of us will be eternally grateful to both men. The term ‘hero’ is often over-used, but in this case, Major Kuehl and Officer Hall are truly HEROES.’”

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