Behind the Thin Blue Line

By Richard Blackwelder

I wrote this book for my family and friends, because I wanted them to see there are other sides in Law Enforcement. When its time to work, officers give all they have to protect life and property. Sometimes they give their lives, so you may live.

Sometimes officers have to relieve stress in their own way. They have to find a way to relieve stress, so they dont bring it home. The less stress an officer keeps within him/herself, the better chance he/she has to do their job and will also have a better chance to survive until retirement.

Have you ever looked down the barrel of a loaded gun, in the hands of a crazy person? I have.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493186600

Richard Blackwelder

Richard D. Blackwelder (better known as “Blackie”) was born in 1953 in South Dakota. My parents moved all over the United States, because my father was in the Navy. After my father (Robert S. Blackwelder, Sr.) retired from the navy, our family moved to Breckenridge, Minnesota. I graduated from Breckenridge High School in 1972 and then received my Law Enforcement Degree at Alexandria Area Vocational Technical Institute in 1974. On March 1, 1974, I joined the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office as a road deputy. I was to be stationed in Canby, but there were no apartments or houses to rent. So I lived in a motel in Clarkfield for six weeks, when I finally was able to move to Canby. In October 1974 I was married to Linda J. Koenen (Clara City, MN). We raised three sons in Canby and family makes life a lot more interesting. My wife and sons had to put up with my crazy work hours. It wasn’t always easy to attend my son’s school functions, but I tried to be at as many as I could. In 1983 I was appointed Chief-Deputy by Sheriff Richard Rollins. This again changed my life, in a good way. Although I was on call a lot, I was able to go onto all day shifts. This meant I was able to be with my family a lot more. When you’re in law enforcement, you wonder what your children are going to be like when they grow up. I saw some law enforcement officer’s kids who turned out not so good. So I wondered would my kids accept me being in Law Enforcement or resent it? My three sons made my wife and me proud. Chris (my oldest son) works for Rosenbauer America in Lyons South Dakota. Rosenbauer America produces a full line of fire apparatus, including tankers, rescue vehicles, aerials and specialty vehicles around the world. He is the head of the IT Department. Matthew (my middle son) lived in Milbank, South Dakota and worked as a Dispatcher/Jailer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and a Reserve Police Officer for the Milbank Police Department. He then moved to Watertown, South Dakota to work for the Codington County Detention Center. He is the work release supervisor at the Detention Center. Jeremy (my youngest son) went to Alexandria Technical Institute (where I attended school) and graduated with a Law Enforcement Degree. He joined the Upper Sioux Police Department, where he worked with his canine partner “Nitro”. He then went to Hamline University School of Law and is currently an attorney in Granite Falls, Minnesota. As a father, I couldn’t be more proud of my sons. Just ask my friends…. I brag about them all the time. February 29, 2008, I retired from the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office. I wouldn’t trade those thirty four years for anything. It wasn’t just a job, it was my life. I would have worked for no pay, but like everyone else, I had to pay bills. When I worked, I was proud of the Sheriff’s Office and when I retired, I was proud to know it was left in good hands. My retirement party was a great night. The Master of Ceremonies (Brian West) did an outstanding job and there were a lot of friends there. There were so many people attending, I didn’t get to talk to all of them. It was such a great feeling, seeing everyone there. When I look back at all the years I worked for the YMC Sheriff’s Office, I remember all those I worked with (Law Enforcement and Dispatcher/Jailers). When you retire, you miss everyone you worked with and all the citizens around the county. I’m lucky - I still go back to the YMC Sheriff’s Office to visit and have lunch with my friends.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Richard Blackwelder.

Library of Congress Control Number:        2014904948

ISBN:                  Hardcover                           978-1-4931-8659-4

                            Softcover                             978-1-4931-8658-7

                            eBook                                  978-1-4931-8660-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 03/14/2014

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Contents

Prologue

Dedication

When It’s Time to Work

Death

Releasing Stress

My Name

First Day at Work

My First Ticket

My First Video

Bad Timing

At Gun Point

CPR

Shots Fired

10-88 South Dakota Officer Needs Help

Airplane Down

Nicknames

The Wall

The Wedding

Do I Smell?

Candy Machine

Burned Up

Disasters

Canby Bank Robbery

You Check it Out

Where Is He?

They All Understood

He Said He Would Kill a Deputy

Cleaning Up Town

No One Is Exempt

Homicide Suspect

Can I Help?

Drunks Are Fun

She Likes Me

I Wouldn’t Shoot You

Fellow County Employee

My Radio Isn’t Working

What Are You Doing Here?

Unlock Your Door

Good Shot

Law Enforcement Softball

Boom

Underwear Bandits

Running Next To the Car

Where Did You Go?

Let Me Help You

Water Tower

Report Writing

I’m Stupid, Please Stop Me.

Sorry About Your Crops.

Take My Squad; I’ll drive Your Truck.

Jumpy Baby Sitter

Probation Officer

The New Guy

Can I Have a Ride?

Shouldn’t Be Nosy

Louisiana?

Bat Man Deputy

Where Did He Go?

Important Drunk

I Can Park Anywhere

Please Write Slower

Where’s My Warning?

Thanksgiving

Contempt Of Court

Getting the Toilet High

Did He Get Away?

You’re Not in Kansas

South Dakota Driver

Take Care Of Your Gun

The Rookie’s First Day

The House Attacked Him

Follow Me

Short Trip

Filed

Car Trunk

Sew It Shut

Sweet Desk

Taser

10-88, Officer Needs Help

You Can’t Get Hurt In Training

Cold Rescue

Driving in Minnesota Winters

No Ambulance or Rescue Squad

Judgment Calls

Prologue

Before September 11, 2001, Law Enforcement and Firemen through out the United States were just another government group no one cared about. People only cared about Law Enforcement Officers when they needed help. After 9/11, there became a new attitude. An attitude that needed to be shown to those men and women who put their lives on the line every time they went to work. Every time they went to work, their families wondered if they would come home or not. Unfortunately many never returned home. For this reason, every time I left our home to go to work, I would tell my wife, I love you. I did this in case I did not come home. I wanted her to always remember the last words I said to her were: I love you.

Law Enforcement was not a career, it was a life style. It was a profession I loved and was willing to give my life for. But when I married my wife I told her, If you ever want me to quit Law Enforcement, I will. Although I loved being a Law Enforcement officer, I loved my family even more. If it wasn’t for my wife and three sons, I wouldn’t have lasted the thirty-four years. I thank them for giving me a purpose in life. I don’t want my family to remember me as a Law Enforcement Officer, but a husband, father and a grandfather.

My father once told me, If you ever see someone who can’t defend themselves, you should help them.

I hope when you read this, you see the other side of Law Enforcement, not just the side the news media talks about. Sometimes you have to have a time in your life when you don’t have to be serious. But you know when it’s time to get the job done; your law enforcement officers will be there to put their lives on the line for you. In what other job do you have to wear a gun, so you have a chance to come home?

I was lucky; I worked with men and women who knew how to do their jobs and they were the best at it. I knew when I went into a house or building, after someone with a gun, I had the best Law Enforcement in Minnesota going in with me. I trusted them with my life, like they trusted me with their life. For that I thank each one of them.

You can see by some of the stories in this book, Law Enforcement officers can’t always be serious. If you tried to be serious all the time, you’ll never last long as a good Law Enforcement officer. The everyday stress would eat away at you until you start questioning yourself. You have to release the stress and that’s what some of these stories are about. But when it’s time to work, there is no joking around, everyone pulls together.

It’s not always an easy job to do, who else has to wear a gun to work? Who else will go into a building, knowing someone inside has a gun and will do anything to get away? It isn’t easy on officers, to go to fatal accidents and find friends, family, strangers, children or babies who have died. Who wants to go into a suicide to see why or how it happened? Sometimes before you left the suicide scene, you help clean it up, so the family didn’t have to (it wasn’t your job, but you did it). You went into burning buildings before the fire department arrives, to get people out (sometimes we helped, sometimes it was too late). You went into a building after an explosion, to search for victims, before fire-rescue arrives. You searched farms and cities after tornadoes or during flooding, to see if anyone was hurt or needs help.

All Law Enforcement officers know that 85% of your time is not hard to do (even boring), 10% is work that is very stressful and 5% is work that no one else, but Law Enforcement, would do.

I always told new officers three things: Never lie in court, never lie to a suspect and its okay to make mistakes.

I would rather lose a case in court then lie to a Judge or Jury. If you lie in court, you lose your dignity and the trust of the court. If you lie in a DWI, speed or any other case, then testify in a rape or murder case; will the Judge, jury or attorneys trust you or what you testified to? A well known Granite Falls defense attorney (Swen Anderson) had just cross examined me in a DWI case and then another deputy took the stand. While questioning the deputy, the attorney said: I know Deputy Blackwelder wouldn’t lie in court, but I don’t believe you.

If you lie to a suspect, you may get what you want at the time from your suspect, but not next time. When you build trust in your suspects and they know you don’t lie to them, your future contacts with them are a lot easier.

As my three sons grew up, I always told them; It’s okay to make mistakes, if you learn from your mistakes. Ask my son Jeremy who saw a mosquito on the inside of the windshield of my new Chevy Tahoe and hit it with his hand. He got the mosquito and cracked the windshield. I didn’t yell at him and he didn’t do that again. I also told those I worked with and suspects the same thing.

The one thing I hated was going to Law Enforcement officer’s funerals; those men, women and K-9’s who gave their lives to protect all of us. I went to many of these funerals, although one was one too many. It didn’t matter if you knew the officer or not, the next funeral could be your own. It brought together Law Enforcement officers from all over the country and Canada and brought out the citizens who realized what they had just lost. They didn’t just lose a Law Enforcement officer; they lost a father, a mother, a son, a daughter and a friend. I will never forget those who gave their lives for us.

When I retired from the Yellow Medicine County Sheriff’s Office (February 29, 2008) I didn’t realize how much I was going to miss it. When you’re in Law Enforcement for thirty four years, you never stop being a cop. Once it’s in your blood, it’s there forever.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my wife (Linda) and three boys (Christopher, Matthew and Jeremy). They never knew what was going to happen day by day, but always went with the flow. Without their love and support I never would have survived the 34 years as a Yellow Medicine County Deputy-Sheriff. They were and always will be my life. Thank you.

It is dedicated to all those who I had the privilege to work with, dispatchers/jailers who watched over all of us and the Law Enforcement Officers who walked beside me.

And to all those Law Enforcement Officers who have given their lives so others may live.

When It’s Time to Work

You can see by some of the stories in this book, that Law Enforcement officers can’t always be serious. If you tried to be serious all the time, you would never last long as a good Law Enforcement officer. The everyday stress will eat away at you