| Show Thentyrive Years Of Top Cops IT HAS BEEN CALLED THE POLICE "Medal of Honor" Indeed the Police Officer of the Year award given by PARADE and the International Association of Chiefs of Police symbolizes the highest level of chievement among the nation's police It's one of the most important awards given in the United States today" says Charles A Gruber the chief of police in Elgin IlL and president of the UCP Over the last 25 years winners have gone on to become police chiefs start their own businesses run for public office or dedicate their lives to the poor A remarkable number have remained on the street continuing to do the jobs they love best Here are some of the highlights of our heroes: 1966 Sgt Philip Dwyer St Louis Known as "Mr Homicide" he ired in 1974 after 42 years as a detective Now 81 with a grandson on the St Aniis police force he has this piece of advice for today's cops: "Stick to the facts" 1967 Detective William Copeland Phoenix Despite death threats to family he nailed a gang of brutal burglars He died in 1970 in an auto accident 1968 Patrolman Donald Rask Denver Honored for his exploits on patrol Rask 54 is now a sergeant t who heads the department's bomb nd fugitive squad Last year his squadI of six captured 387 felons 1969 Sgt Was Robinson Manteca Calif At 37 he singlehandedly saved a motorist from a rampaging motorcyle gang Later he left the force to head the campus police at the University rof California at Riverside His ent whereabouts are unknown 1970 Sgt Paul Fabian Rotterdam NY He kept drug pushers out of town by giving teen drug-useimmunity in exchange for informätion Retired as a lieutenant in 1982 Fabian 64 is now a Schenectady County legislator 1971 Officer Wesley Ridion Portland Maine Schools were his beat and rap sessions his tools to build bridges to the city's youth Now they're voters and Ridlon 58 is a shoo-i- n for Sheriff of Cumberland County He'll run unopposed in November 1972 Patrolman Jake Miller New °deans With his canine partner "Rebel" Mill- earned legendary status as a crime-fightHe retired from the force in 1982 and his current whereabouts are unknown 1973 Detectives Jerty Green and Walt Clerke Miami This hotshot of gumshoes was as adept at ping criminals go straight as arresting them Today Green 42 is a sergeant inr homicide while Clerke 42 is in the private sector 1974 Officer Howard Sidifings St Paul Minn Deserted by his own father at age 5 he devoted himself to disadvantaged kids by helping to build recreational red in 1977 facilities for them He and died a year later rs t er PARADE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 30 1990 PAGE 1975 Patrolman Larry Ostrowsid Cook Sheriff's Office An expert in he taught thousands of Chicagoans how to pmtect themselves Today at 49 he's still on the job 1976 Sgt James R Hopkins Dayton Ohio Known as "Buzz the Fuzz" on WDA0 radio Hopkins 67 spent seven years voice as the friendly on a call-i- n show for the black corn- munity He retired in 1982 1977 Officer Greg MacAleese Albuquer- rpm NM A former Associated Press reporter he created Crime Stoppers the program that pays cash for crime tips His program spawned 900 US County111 self-defen- se and international branches solved 300000 crimes and was the forerunner of such TV shows as America's Most Wanted In May MacAleese 43 formed his own TV production company in g Dallas to produce docu- mentaries on drugs and crime 1978 Sgt Robert D0411614 New York City The most decorated policeman in the history of New York's finest was hon- ored for his "sixth sense" for crime as a lawman in the Bronx He retired as a lieutenant in 1989 after 20 years and 475 awards—still the city's most dec- °rated cop Now 46 he's a private investigator 1979 Sgt Myron Lotgren Minnesota State Police He came up with a program now used nationwide to teach accident-re- construction methods to police officers for court testimony Lofgren 58 retired e in 1983 to devote himself to on advice consulting—providing expert accidents to lawyers and insurance companies 1980 Patrolman James iNolsch Austin TeL Now 42 this "supemarc"—a 20-year police veteran—traded in his un- hard-hittin- full-tim- s dercover disguises to handle drug- - detection dogs at Austin's airport "You get to where too many people know you and the risks get too high 1Wolsch says of undercover work 1981 Special Agent Jerry S Parr US Secret Service Parr 60 headed the team of agents that saved the life of Presi- dent Reagan during the assassination attempt by John W Hinckley in 1981 Retired in 1985 he works with the homeless alcoholics and the poor at Potter's House a Christian mission in Washington DC where he's an or-dained minister and pastoral counselor Special Agent Timothy J McCarthy US Secret Service He took a bullet through the chest to protect President Reagan but bounced back to become a super- visor in the Secret Service's Chicago field office After another four-yestint in the detail guarding Presidents Reagan and Bush McCarthy 41 returned last year to the Chicago office ar Special Agent Dennis VN McCarthy US Secret Service Now 55 he left the Secret Service to write a book appear on TV and run his own private security busl- ness 5 Special Agent Raymond A Shaddkk US Secret Service Posted to Honolulu as he returned to the Presidential detail in 1985 Now at 46 he's deputy assistant director for protective operations 1982 Officer Ed Weaver San Francisco At 54 this highly decorated motorcycle cop—who volunteered for the job cause he liked the flashy black leather boots—is still rid-th- e jacket and knee-hig- h solo ing 1983 Trooper Roy Boleyn Kentucky State Police Boleyn 39 was left a paraplegic by a fugitive in a shootout where he saved two other troopers When a fire burned down his home a few years ago the one thing he wanted replaced was his PARADE-IAC- P award 1984 Capt Richard L Voorhees Bridgewater Township NJ Now 52 and "Chief Voorhees" this small-tow- n cop initiated Operation Home Free a plan to give runaways a free ride home from anywhere in the country on Trailways Greyhound Lines bought the coin-Ib- is pany—and Voorhees' idea—in 1987 Since 1984 about 45000 teens have been reunited with their families 1985 Cmdr William Rathbum Los Angeles The man who organized security for the 1984 Olympics is now a deputy chief who keeps LA gangs on the run Last year although crime jumped 30 percent overall in the city there was a 44 percent drop in these offenses in Rathbum's district 1956 Special Agent Edmondo Mireles Jr FBI Other cops are still in awe of Mireles1 superhuman efforts while wounded and bleeding to lead six agents in a deadly gun battle against two Miami robbers With his left arm shattered he thought he'd never be able to work the streets again But in a miraculous comeback Mireles 37 can bench-pre200 pounds and is back in Miami ing the narcotics beat 1987 Sgt Kenneth Pollock Maryland State Police To save a young family from certain death Pollock 45 put his car in the path of a driver careenmg toward them at 90 mph The resulting crash and injuries forced him to retire in 1989 but now he's a private eye "It comes naturally" he says "It's always been the hunt and the chase for me" 1999 Sgt Richard Beckman Cloverdale Calif The sharpshooting cop killed a drunken gunman who held a rifle to the head of a hostage Today the teen he saved works side-aiby-siwith Beckman 43 as volunteers at the Cloverdale Fire Department 1989 Officer Gregory Jaglowsid Chicago While wounded Jaglowsld 40 shot and killed a rampaging gunman who had taken the life of the officer's female partner and three others In February he was appointed by the mayor to the Department of Aviation as the assistant commissioner of security and safety at Midway Airport Agent-in-Char- gang-motivat- ss in the pelvis but he didn't flinch She pulled the trigger again This time her target slumped to the ground fatally wounded in the heart The vagrant Russell Baits—who police say had a history of convictions and violent behavior—later died at the hospital "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Kathy" says Officer Dahl an who has been on the Park Police for three years "She saved my life" Heller's heroism came as no surprise to those who have worked with her From the time she joined the Park Police in March 1988 she has earned a reputation as an aggressive cop who has a knack for digging behind a case to find trouble "She always seems to be where things are happening" says Capt Benjamin Holmes Jr her former commanding officer In 1989 she ranked sixth out of 350 patrol officers on the force in making felony criminal cases "My biggest asset is my mind" says Heller who is 5 feet 3 and 107 pounds "Ninety percent of my adversaries will be bigger than I am Hopefully I can outthink them" What's more says Capt Hugh C Irwin her former lieutenant Kathy Heller also has what many other female cops possess—an ability to defuse tense situations "You can talk somebody into handcuffs" she says "When you acknowledge your limitations you can beat almost ne anything" What drove her to the police in the first place? The eldest of five sisters Heller who's single found high adventure within the walls of her Potomac Md bedroom reading Jack London Louis L'Amour and Alistair MacLean "I had lessons in piano and voice but I wanted to break free" says Heller whose mother wouldn't let her play sports for fear she'd get hurt "I was a wild spirit I wanted to be out there like Sea Wolf pirating ships" After college where she earned bachelor's degrees in science and geology she worked at jobs ranging from seismologist to interpretive ranger Through a ranger friend she learned about the Park Police a branch of the Department of the Interior that was started in 1791 to protect federal lands and buildings in Washington DC Today the Park Police encompass a force of 650 including 62 women who police the capital region along with federal parkland in New York City and San Francisco Heller loves police work so much that when she was offered limited duty after the shooting she turned it down Group-therap- y sessions with other police officers involved in shootings helped her put the incident behind her She returned to work after 212 months and asked to be assigned to the city's tough Anacostia beat which she patrols in a cruiser "As a police officer you live on the edge" she says "I went over the edge and was able to come back But I can never be the same" El continued |
