Jun 302015
 

The ride starts at 3105 East Fry Boulevard in Sierra Vista. Registration begins at 10:00 am. The ride fee is $25.00 for the rider or $40.00 with a passenger. All riders must be at least 18 years of age. The first 150 riders will get a t-shirt. The ride fee includes a meal. The event also includes a motorcycle show. The bike show registration begins at 7:30 am and the show opens at 3:00 pm. The fee to enter a bike is $25.00. The show will include various classes and a trophy will be awarded for the first place in each class. There will also be a best in show trophy awarded for the bike chosen by peoples choice. For those who go on the ride and enter the show the fee is $45.00 for the rider or $60.00 with a passenger. There will also be a slow race. The entry fee is $10.00. The event will also include vendors, a bike wash, raffles, music and more. The event will benefit Toys for Tots & Benson Shop With A Cop. For more information call (520) 432-9575, Cochise County Sheriff’s Charity Ride.

Apr 212013
 

Well the 2013 SW Police M/C Competition is history.  This year there were over 115 motorcycles competing from around the southwest area.  We had motorcycles from Ventura, San Diego, Chula Vista, Ca.  We also saw Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces, N.M.   From Arizona was Apache Junction, Marana, U of A PD, TPD, DPS and many more that I can’t remember.  There were Kawasakis, Road Kings, Ultra Classics, BMW’s, Honda ST 1300’s, and Victory’s to name a few of the different bikes there.

Norm Hubbard and I were judges for the Blue Knights.  We arrived @ 6:00 am on Saturday and finally left @ 3:00 pm.  Stan & Patti Thibaut came out to watch for a while as did Mike Martin and Frank LaVia.  Stan & Patti couldn’t stay to long since Stan is still recuperating.  Norm and I were judging the M/C competition part.  This involved the riders going through courses starting with; The Sickle, Off-set Cone Weave, 1800 Decel, Intersection (1), Single 360, Intersection (2), The Harp, Slow Cone Weave, Double 360, and finally the Stop Box.  All of this was timed from the moment you started.  Most of these runs were done in under 60 seconds.  There were several bikes that went down in trying to negotiate these tight turns.  These are tight turns and you are trying to have the best time possible.

Officers could also compete in Slow Ride, Pair Riding, and Team Riding.  There was one unfortunate event in the Team Riding.  Once of the Officers, (not sure where he was from), went down.  His bike came down on his leg and the last we heard was he had a broken leg.  No word yet what the outcome was.

I posted some pictures under the “Photos” tab for you to look at.  Hopefully I will get some more photos, along with a complete list of all the riders, where they were from as well as their final scores.  Maybe I will get a video or two of the riders in action.

All of the proceeds from this event went to the “Special Olympics.”

2013 score keeping

Apr 142012
 

Below is a narrative from our honorary member Jeff Jamieson on a recent trip to Tombstone, Arizona.

Jamieson Family and Friends

As my family and I were enjoying a beautiful afternoon in Tombstone Arizona on Tuesday April 3rd, 2012, we were “Taken by Surprise” when we discovered “Victory Police Motorcycles” parked on the back streets of Tombstone!  When I say “Victory Police” I mean “Victory Police.” That is all it said.  There were no other words saying what agency they represented.  My friends and family were “Very Concerned about the ROGUE motorcycles we discovered on the “Backstreets of Tombstone.”

strange Victory Police bikes - 1

strange Victory Police bikes - 2

 

Moments later the ‘Rogue Bikers Appeared,” and confronted me taking pictures of these most “futuristic two wheelers” I’d ever seen, and said “What are you doing mister?”

Strangers

These guys were all different sizes and I was “Stunned” and afraid for me, my family, and my friends. They were very quiet, but did not appear to be very accepting of my questions and photographs. I did over hear one of them say “let’s go get our other forces and return to Tombstone” We were stunned, as to where these “Unmarked Victory Police Motorcycles” came from.

I questioned their “Preparedness to capture “The Most Popular Western Town in America” and they showed me an “Assault Rifle” in their trunk

M-4 Assault Rifle

 

 

 

 

 

 

and said “These Cowboys Can’t Compete with us.” This “town is NOT Tough Enough.”  I did not have time to take a picture of a “Rocket Launcher” that was mounted to the “trunk” of one of the other bikes.

Strangers mounting up - 2

As they mounted up to leave we “quickly and quietly went about our business.”

Startled Cattle

Even the ‘Cattle” were surprised to see these “Bikes.” My family and I sped out of town, and turned off the road in hopes that the “Rogue Bikers” would pass us by.

Santa Rita Mountains

We finally took refuge by the southern rim of the “Santa Rita Mountain Range” and radioed for help!  As they passed by we could swear we heard the banjo music playing from the movie Deliverance.

 

Later we found out that these mysterious men were from the Victoria B.C. police department, Constable Kenny Fetherston and Sgt. Glen Shiels. I only hope that they are not going to try and overtake the regime in Tombstone. The cowboys in Tombstone don’t take too kindly to foreigners especially from Canada.

Mar 022012
 

POLICE OFFICER ‘MUST’ READ:::::::::::::::::::

BY ROD HENDRICK

RETIRED METRO DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT …1956 to 1986

In World Wars I and II when a G.I. was discharged from the military service, some suffered from what was then called shell shock or combat fatigue. Following later conflicts such as Korea, Vietnam, and now Afghanistan it is now referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder.

In the past few years and especially now, when I have been in church or other gatherings, the speaker will sometimes ask all of the service men and women, both past and present to stand and they are given a round of applause, which they well deserve.  Sitting in the same church or hall there are police officers sitting alongside these veterans.  Usually there is no mention or thanks given to them. They stand and applaud the service men. Many of them are ex-service men themselves.

Many police officers suffer from shell shock. “What” you ask? “They have never been in combat”. Oh yes they have, maybe two hours at a time or two or three minutes at a time. They have been there, on the line, and they have risked their lives repeatedly in the line of duty. Twenty to thirty years of brief combat encounters adds up to a lot of accumulated combat time. As a result, a number of officers suffer from a milder form of post-traumatic stress disorder from time to time. They do not recognize the symptoms as they are slow and insidious. This is in most cases is only a temporary mild emotional trauma that goes away by itself, unbeknownst to the officer or others.

Police are taught in the police academies that they can be killed by kids, crooks, and housewives.  They are taught hand-to-hand combat and they spend weeks on the firing range learning the fundamentals of pistol shooting.  Some believe they are being taught how to kill people, much as the military does with its young recruits.  But that’s not the case for Officers; they are being taught how to neutralize a situation; how to make sure a “bad guy” doesn’t have an opportunity to kill the officer or a citizen. Believe me they have plenty of opportunity to use all of this training.

What they are not taught is how to cope with the irregular working hours, the disrupted family life, the high rate of divorce, alcoholism, suicide and though infrequently, the homicide of  loved one.

A non-police officer friend of mine stated to me that most police officers and retired police officers are a little hard-hearted.  I thought for a moment and said, “You know, you are right.” He was right; police officers see the world differently than other people. They mostly live a life of isolation, many times self-imposed, in a quasi-military organization. Police officers have their own secret argot, a jargon, a language all their own.  They also have a code of ethics, an inner sanctum where outsiders are not allowed to enter. This adds to their isolation even more.

Yes, police officers remember the pedophiles, the serial killers, the rapist, the battered and neglected children and the murder victims.  These memories are embedded in their subconscious minds, etched into their conscious memories.

Psychiatrists’ tell us that a person’s conscious mind can endure horror but the subconscious mind suppresses these experiences and does not forget them.  The subconscious mind will not let it go, and some of the images hang in our memories like a wet blanket, like a physiological bank of crime scenes, sounds and cries of death and dying. Police officers stare death in the face on a daily basis. Luckily the conscious mind has a defense mechanism so one can survive in this continued human misery of their work environment.

A police officer friend of mine handled an accident where a 14-year-old boy was run over by a car, when he ran a stop sign on his motor scooter. The boy stayed under the car for 100 feet, the car and the pavement grinding him into hamburger, blood, guts and brains and bone parts. The remains of the youngster were smeared into the pavement.  His body was mangled beyond recognition.  After he had completed the accident report, he went to the boy’s home and informed his mother of her young son’s death. She was home alone; he heard her screams of anguish and tried to comfort her to no avail. She collapsed to the floor. He stayed with her until the husband could be summoned and arrived home. These incidents do not go unremembered, ever.

He was working the afternoon shift and when he got home that night; his family was already in bed.  He decided to have a nightcap.  He unexpectedly drank much more than he anticipated.  Why? The horror of what he had witnessed; his subconscious mind could not cope with it.  This incident occurred thirty years ago; he tells it to me with sadness in his voice and with vivid details, like it happened yesterday.

The stench of death settles into our minds and we don’t forget these memories, they are lying just below the surface, just waiting to leap out and remind us of our past. Police officers have old repressed, unpleasant memories that are hidden away deep in the back of their minds, and sometimes they began to stir and surface unexpectedly with vivid clarity. Some memories never die. One retired officer explained to me that he has many good memories but also some not so pleasant in the mix.  There is no way to escape the pain of the reality of his past experiences. There is no way to stop the past coming back to you; it is something that you have to live with. Some cope with it better than others.

Police officers have seen people who have been shot with shotguns at close range. People’s brains and flesh blown all over the walls, blood running out of people as thick as Jell-O. Watched victims bleed out, watched them die, held their hand and felt their last heartbeat. They have seen women who were beaten to death, babies who have drowned.  They deal with screaming, drunken dope addicts, thieves, panhandlers, whores, their pimps and the scum of the earth on a daily basis. They work in the gutters of the devils’ playground. On the lighter side, occasionally a police officer delivered a baby. Many of these babies are named after the police officers that delivered them.

They have heard the screams of mothers, wives and husbands when they delivered the news of death. They have sat with them and tried to console them in their time of remorse. Incidents that they haven’t thought of for years, things they thought they had forgotten come creeping back into their conscious minds.

Many police officers die young. They have a very high rate of coronary disease due to stress and horror they have witnessed. The average age of death for a police officer is fifty-seven to sixty years of age. The rate of divorce is around seventy to eighty percent. They die prematurely, the predator is stress.

Police officers are exposed to stress in their work on a regular basis. Stress has been defined as, a state of unbalance where negative occurrences far outweigh the individual’s ability to cope with them.

Police Officers do not work in an arena of gladness or happiness.  They work in a danger zone filled with despair, pain, hurt and bad news. This day after day of negative occurrences wears on the officer.  Whenever, you see a police officer’s car speeding somewhere, he is not going to a pleasant incident.  Someone has been hurt, dying, been robbed, or raped, something unpleasant has happened. There is a victim at the end of the officer’s run.

There is always an element of danger, but the officer knows this and accepts this as part of his sworn duty, it’s his job. He hopes and believes that he is doing something that’s makes a difference.

I don’t think officers are consciously worried about getting killed on the job, but they are aware of it and know that death stalks them.  Most of them have a friend or have known a fellow officer who has been killed in the line of duty. The officers who are killed are mostly ambushed and shot at close range.  There is really no defense against this, they know this. They work around the clock when its dark, when everybody else is sleeping the cops and criminals are awake, they are out there with them, chasing them, arresting them.  Almost all police officers have been in what could have been a serious automobile accident.   Police officers are beaten, stabbed, shot, spit on and cursed and shot at.

Many police officers work in a world of filth and human rot and sewage in the high crime areas, others work the better zones.  Danger lurks everywhere for the police officer.  He is taught in the police academy that anybody, a housewife or a kid, or an old man can kill you; never to let their guard down.  They are out there working right now, putting their lives on the line for you.

Police officers; hardhearted? Yes, sometimes they are!  They are also plagued by the tenderness taught to them by their parents, their churches and their friends as they were growing up. This empathy sometimes gets them killed; feeling sorry for someone causes them to let their guard down.

Every once in a while you see on the news where some old retired cop intervenes into a crime in progress and saves someone’s life. A few weeks ago a city bus turned over, trapping a woman under it. She was crushed and in great pain, screaming in agony. A police officer crawled under the teetering bus and held this woman’s hand and talked to her in her time of crisis until the bus could be lifted off of her. I am sure he considered the risk to himself and did not hesitate going under the bus with the woman. He witnessed her life ebb away, he had prayed with her. A hardhearted cop, a tough cop crawled under that bus.  A cop crawled out from under that bus that could not conceal or suppress his compassion; his hard exterior crumbled, the tears flowing down his cheeks gave him away.

Like the old saying goes, “Once a Marine, Always a Marine” Well some have said, “Once a Cop, always a Cop” Both statements are true.

Remember police officers have seen and done what most people have only seen on their televisions. They have a strong sense of personal duty to the public. There is also the satisfaction in knowing that they are doing a service for their fellow citizens.  They are a dedicated band of brothers. They have a great camaraderie with each other and will put their lives on the line for each other and for you.  Many have; many have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

God Bless these unsung heroes. If you should encounter a police officer, salute the badge and tell them “Thank You Officer, I appreciate what you are doing; you guys are doing a good job.”

They won’t expect it and do not expect it, it’s their job. They may smile and say, “You are welcome”, they may not. They may not show it. You have told them something they seldom hear. I am sure that they will appreciate the pat on the back.

I know that cops give you tickets, and they put you in jail. They also keep the peace; they keep the criminals at bay.  I know that the most encounters with police are not pleasant. I just ask that you just be aware of what I have just related to you.

The longer a police officer is retired the more tragic memories fade into a hazy opaque mist, his sensitivity returns. Old memories of fellow officers they have known and loved come into play. The satisfaction that they served well and time heals many old wounds.

They have a dirty and many times a thankless job. There is a certain sense of responsibility, pride, excitement and danger in being a police officer.  They like what they are doing or they would not be doing it. Hopefully they are content that they did a good job that they did what was expected of them.  They do not expect your approval, never did, never will.

When or if they are asked to stand for recognition, most will not. ..

Copy Right:  2011

ASAP (Always Say A Prayer)

Be who you are and say what you feel…

Because those that matter…Don’t mind…

And those that mind…Don’t matter!

Determination “It’s a little bit like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired.  You quit when the gorilla is tired.”

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven in the lives of others!”

David Herold

 

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are, right now.”

Theodore Roosevelt

May 032011
 

Click to Enlarge

Well on Saturday April 30th Norm Hubbard, Bev and I made the ride to Florence to participate in the 2nd Annual Ride to Remember.  It was a great day for riding.  Breakfast was provided by the Pinal County Sheriffs Office.  The ride started after the Posting of the Flags and the National Anthem.

We made our way north to US 60 where we turned right and headed toward Superior.  Making a right on 177 we made our way to Winkelman where we had a pit stop, fuel, and water break.  From there we proceeded south on 79 to Oracle Junction, Lupe’s Restaurant, where we had an all you could eat buffet.

The day ended after lunch and a lot of raffles.  I won, but only a business card holder.  If you would like to see more photos from the ride please go to the “Photos Gallery.”

Thanks

RoN

Apr 252011
 

The “Patriot Guard Riders Memorial Day Ride” will take place on Monday, May 30, 2011 with Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson and the Patriot Guard Riders. The cost is $10 per rider which will go directly to benefit Friends of Freedom, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to aiding and supporting our military family of active duty service members and veterans and the men and women first responders in our police, fire and emergency response teams.. The first 300 registered will receive a Memorial Day Ride T-shirt. Registration is available online:
http://azmemorialdayride.eventbrite.com. (event flyer attached-please post and forward to your members)

The “Patriot Guard Riders Memorial Day Ride” ride is a one of two rides that will take place in honor of the 10th Anniversary of 9-11. Our goal is to raise awareness of the sacrifice our soldiers and members of the community make for our country and how we can help them. The second ride will take place on 9-10-11 with a ceremonial ride ending at the Patriot Day Celebration event site. Luke Air Force Base and Arizona Army National Guard are a integral part of our Patriot Day Celebration.

Click to Enlarge

The Patriot Day Celebration commemorates those brave civilians and first responders that heroically sacrificed their lives for our freedom on 9-11. This event draws attention that we should “never forget” the service men and women and veterans that are and have been courageously putting their lives on the line for the United States of America. In addition, we recognize the families of service personnel who bravely stand by and support their dedication. Last year’s 2nd Annual Patriot Day Celebration proved to be very successful with more than 3,000 citizens gathering to celebrate our heroes, their families and to salute our fallen soldiers. Approximately 3,000 blankets were collected for refugees in war torn Afghanistan delivered by signature sponsor, American Airlines. We were very fortunate to have 55 Corporate Sponsors, 7 National, 10 regional and 35 local vendors. Crocs Shoes donated to 700 pairs of shoes to Airmens and Afghan families. In addition, we made history with the landing of a BlackHawk and Apache Longbow helicopter in a business district on a city street. Here is a link to the Patriot Day Celebration website: www.patriotdayaz.org

WHO: Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson Presents

WHAT: Patriot Guard Riders Memorial Day Ride

WHERE: Buddy Stubbs Harley Davidson
13850 N. Cave Creek Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85022

WHEN: By 9:30 am; Kick Stands Up at 10 am

WHY: To Benefit: Friends of Freedom, a 501(c)(3) chartered foundation, pending nonprofit organization status. It is comprised of a team of business owner’s, leaders of industry and everyday citizens dedicated to aiding and supporting our military family of active duty service members and veterans and the men and women first responders in our police, fire and emergency response teams. Our goal is to provide resources, networks and an occasional smile to those who serve the country protecting our Freedoms.

REGISTER TODAY: http://azmemorialdayride.eventbrite.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact  Amy Petrovsky, Sensational Events, 602-696-4646

 

 

Mar 302011
 

RIDE TO REMEMBER FLYER

Like last year for this event – pre-registration checks will be sent to me (Catalina office address) with participant names and t-shirt size.

I will maintain the rider name list and mail it with the checks (made payable to PCPOM – $25/bike) to LT VILLAR no later than Apr 26th.

Late comers can register AT the event on Sat Apr 30th.

We will meet as a group – like last year – at my Catalina office (Golder Ranch Shopping Center) at 07:30 and depart 08:00 sharp for the ride to Florence (SR 79) which takes about 40+min. There is a Valero gas station at the shopping center and my office restroom will be available.

Last year we had about 20 bikes…would like to DOUBLE # that this year; the entire event ride group last year was well over 100 bikes that participated.

The event ride will end up BACK IN CATALINA at a Mexican restaurant north of town (SR 79/77 junction).

SEND NAMES (+ t-shirt size) AND CHECKS TO: Norm Hubbard, 15318 N Oracle Rd # A-160, Tucson AZ 85739. Checks will NOT be cashed until well after the Apr 30th event.

Additional price info for the RideTo Remember/PCPOM Sat Apr 30th: $25/bike includes breakfast & t-shirt; Additional t-shirt $10 ($12 for 2X+); $10/per ALL YOU CAN EAT mexican buffet at LUPE’S restaurant at end of ride (paid at registration table before ride begins).

 

Norm Hubbard CHP 5891
AZ BK IX

Mar 292011
 

Once the badge goes on, it never comes off, whether they can see it, or not. It fuses to the soul through adversity, fear and adrenaline and no one who has ever worn it with pride, integrity and guts, can ever sleep through the ‘call of the wild’ that wafts through bedroom windows in the deep of the night.

When Cops Retire

When a good cop leaves the ‘job’ and retires to a better life, many are jealous, some are pleased and yet others, who may have already retired, wonder. We wonder if he knows what he is leaving behind, because we already know. We know, for example, that after a lifetime of camaraderie that few experience, it will remain as a longing for those past times. We know in the law enforcement life there is a fellowship which lasts long after the uniforms are hung up in the back of the closet . We know even if he throws them away, they will be on him with every step and breath that remains in his life. We also know how the very bearing of the man speaks of what he was and in his heart still is.

These are the burdens of the job. You will still look at people suspiciously, still see what others do not see or choose to ignore and always will look at the rest of the law enforcement world with a respect for what they do; only grown in a lifetime of knowing. Never think for one moment you are escaping from that life. You are only escaping the ‘job’ and merely being allowed to leave ‘active’ duty.

So what I wish for you is that whenever you ease into retirement, in your heart you never forget for one moment that ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called children of God,’ and you are still a member of the greatest fraternity the world has ever known.

Civilian Friends vs Police Friends

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Get upset if you’re too busy to talk to them for a week.
POLICE FRIENDS: Are glad to see you after years, and will happily carry on the same conversation you were having the last time you met.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have never seen you cry.
POLICE FRIENDS: Have cried with you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back.
POLICE FRIENDS: Keep your stuff so long they forget it’s yours.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Know a few things about you..
POLICE FRIENDS: Could write a book with direct quotes from you.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will leave you behind if that’s what the crowd is doing.
POLICE FRIENDS: Will kick the crowds’ ass that left you behind.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Are for a while.
POLICE FRIENDS: Are for life.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Have shared a few experiences. ..
POLICE FRIENDS: Have shared a lifetime of experiences no citizen could ever dream of…

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will take your drink away when they think you’ve had enough.
POLICE FRIENDS: Will look at you stumbling all over the place and say, ‘You better drink the rest of that before you spill it!!’ Then carry you home safely and put you to bed…

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will talk crap to the person who talks crap about you.
POLICE FRIENDS: Will knock them the hell out for using your name in vain.

CIVILIAN FRIENDS: Will ignore this.
POLICE FRIENDS: Will forward this..

There are those that think they understand. And then . . . There are cops