Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. REsERVEs PERRY W. HORNBARGER dEdICATION ANd PROfESSIONAlISM THAT GOES BEYONd PAY. one of our auxiliary officers, told me another auxiliary officer had been involved in a motor vehicle crash while on patrol. The good A moment of inattention has disastrous consequences. news was the officer wasn’t severely injured, just banged up a little. What was hurt the most was his nyone in a leadership role wants to ensure their people go home at pride. I’ve known this officer for a long the end of the shift in the same or time — he’s a very conscientious officer — and he’s very proud of the 2008 Crown better condition than when they Vic he was driving and kept it in show-car went to work. I received a phone call at condition at all times. I know crashing his midnight one night — and you know car was devastating. So what happened? as well as I — it’s generally not good He violated the first rule of emergency news at that time of night. The caller, are yOU PLayiNg it SaFe? a driving — you know the one — if you don’t get there in one piece, you can’t help anyone. Well, he didn’t get there so he wasn’t much help. In this case, seat belts, vehicle safety technology and a little luck saved his life. One of my favorite related quotes is “You may only need your seat belts once – but which once?” I read that on a road sign in Ft. Pickett, VA so I really don’t know who should get the appropriate credits but I use it frequently. If I can figure out whom to give credit to, I owe it to them because it has definitely stuck with me. Can they see you? Often inexpensive, specialty equipment — like this Insight vest — goes a long way toward getting your sorry ass home. H opefully you have your head in the game enough to be aware of the horror stories of officers being struck by vehicles while performing dedicated traffic assignments, like directing traffic during a special event or during a power outage or during a lengthy investigation. Many departments by policy require officers to wear issued reflective vests when they’re working in or near a roadway. By my thinking departments shouldn’t have to put things like this in policy — I understand why they do — but we should all have enough sense to realize the need to be seen when directing traffic or working around a roadway. I won’t attempt to cite examples, but this is one of the more dangerous tasks we perform. Factor in the average driver is distracted at any given moment by their cell phone, navigation system, bratty kid in the back seat, cigarette lighter, stereo/DVD/microwave oven — you get the point — it’s only going to get worse. So, if you don’t have a traffic vest, get one. If you have one — dammit — use it! nless you have vision far better than mine, you can’t see them. I’m talking about the “little bugs” — the bacteria and viruses — we come into contact with every day. Each time you touch something in someone’s home on a call, every time you put the cuffs on someone, every time you go into those rat and cockroach infested tweaker homes — you’re exposed to cooties. I’m quite certain we’ve all been through some type of infectious disease training — and maybe your agency has graced you with enough personal protection equipment for you to play doctor — or a really bad Darth Vader. But no matter how aware you are of the dangers or how often you actually wear your PPE, the easiest and most effective way of preventing infection is simply — washing your hands and keeping them away from your mouth and nose. You’ve probably heard that somewhere before — maybe kindergarten — but it’s true. I strongly recommend using gloves whenever possible, but you should still wash your hands afterward — even doctors wash their hands after they’ve had gloves on. If soap and water isn’t right there, use hand sanitizer. You do carry some in your equipment bag don’t you? We all have families we want to go home to and playing it safe will help us accomplish that goal. Pay attention and heed your training — it’s all part of officer safety. It’s the mundane stuff we do and come into contact with daily that often isn’t talked about — because it seems boring — until something happens that hits close to home. Did You Wash Your Hands? U G More info: Insight Vest, http://67.59.191.210/work_safety_vests.html WWW.AMERICANCOPMAGAZINE.COM • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 Perry W. Hornbarger is the Unit Commander of the Chesterfield, VA Auxiliary Police Unit. He can be reached at hornbargerp@yahoo.com. 28