fall 2012 final
TRANSCRIPT
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
1/17
Genesee Valley C.O.P.S. Chatter
Fall 2012
The Chapter can be contacted at their email address: [email protected] or by contacting
a board member: Ellen Guerdat: President: 585-957-3878, Carl Rath: Vice President: 585-
469-1655, Larry Crawford: Secretary: 585-278-6027, or Jim VanBrederode: Treasurer: 585-
281-8440. Feel free to contact anyone on the board if youd like to contribute an article or
photos to a future newsletter.
Ellens Message
On Saturday, August 25, 2012 the Renegade Pigs Finger Lakes NY Chapter held
their Annual Irish Pub Run. This year, the Charity they chose to donate the money to
was Genesee Valley Concerns of Police Survivors. Some of our survivors participated
in the ride and enjoyed themselves immensely.
Several of you have asked how you can continue to support our chapters
mission. I would like to encourage all members of GV C.O.P.S. to attend any event
whether it is a GV C.O.P.S. event or a different organization sponsoring us as their
Charity. I understand the other commitments, as it is hard with the short time period of
nice weather in Upstate NY to not have conflicting events for fallen Officers, but if you
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
2/17
dont have a conflict it would be greatly appreciated if you can attend the events
supporting us.
Whether it is a motorcycle ride, run, golf, or whatever, just show up. If you dont do
what the event is just being there to give support speaks volumes. In addition, the par-
ticipants really develop a better understanding of who we are and why we exist. It puts aface to the organization. For example, at the Renegade Pigs ride, after I got on stage to
introduce myself and to thank everyone for their donation, one of our survivors followed
and also thanked everyone who rode for coming out to support the event and Genesee
Valley C.O.P.S. He mentioned how instrumental our organization has been to helping
his family to heal since losing their officer. Shortly following, the winners of the monetary
prizes from the event gave the money right back to me for Genesee Valley C.O.P.S.
Oftentimes the sponsors are Law Enforcement organizations and so those participating
have attended funerals for many of our fallen officers. This helps them see the survi-
vors; whether they be families or coworkers and that their efforts are appreciated andput to a good cause. It also helps you continue the contact with the Law Enforcement
family many of you miss.
Our Chapters name is starting to get out into the community as we expand and as a
result there will be more events. I hope we can take turns showing up and supporting
these organizations who want to support us. After all, we are all part of the family of
blue. And its always great to spend time with you.
See you at the events!
Ellen
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
3/17
Honoring The Fallen
LINE OF DUTY
OnFebruary 18, 2012 Greece Auxiliary Police Officer Don Wasserdied of a heart
attack shortly after participating in Defensive Tactics training. He is survived by his wife
Angelina, son Don who is a Rochester Police Officer and son Steven who is a Border
Patrol Agent. Please keep Auxiliary Officer Wasser, his family and co workers in your
thoughts and prayers.
On May 26, 2012 New York State Police Trooper Amanda Anna died as a result of acar accident. Trooper Anna is survived by her Mother, stepfather, stepbrothers, 4 yr- old
son, and fiance. Please keep Trooper Anna, her family, and coworkers in your
thoughts and prayers.
On July 19, 2012, Border Patrol Agent James Dominguez was struck by a motor ve-
hicle while assisting a disabled vehicle near Cline, Texas. Agent Dominguez is survived
by his wife and four children, as well as several coworkers who had him as their Field
Training Officer and are now working within our Chapter Boundaries. Please keep
Agent Dominguez, his family and co workers in your thoughts and prayers.
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
4/17
NON LINE OF DUTY
On January 8, 2012 Monroe County Sheriffs Jail Deputy Sebastiano Meli died of a
heart attack. He is survived by his parents, brother, and co workers. Please keep Dep-
uty Meli, his family and co workers in your thoughts and prayers.
On May 23, 2012 Schuyler County Sheriffs Deputy David Centurelli died after suf-
fering a heart attack seven weeks earlier and never recovering from it. Deputy Centurelli
is survived by his wife of five months. Please keep Deputy Centurelli, his family and co-
workers in your thoughts and prayers.
On June 22, 2012, eight year-old Dewitt Honorary Police Officer Ashton Fox diedafter a courageous battle with leukemia. Ashtons dream was to be a Police Officer.
When the Dewitt Police Department learned of Ashtons dream, they worked with the
Make A Wish Foundation and in early June, he was sworn in as an Honorary Police Of-
ficer to the Dewitt Police Department. Please keep Ashton, his family, and the Dewitt
Police Department who became close with Ashton and his family in your thoughts and
prayers.
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
5/17
On September 18, 2012, NewYork State Police Sergeant Ted Islas died after fighting
a courageous battle with cancer. He was a 23 year veteran with the New York State Po-
lice, last serving with the Forensic Investigation Center. He is survived by his wife Jenni-
fer, daughter Tiara 7, and two sons, Mateo 9, and Tate 11. Please keep Sgt. Islas, his
family, and coworkers in your thoughts and prayers.
On October 18, 2012, Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy Dan Groverdied of can-
cer. He is survived by his wife Stephanie and infant daughter Meeyah. Please continueto keep Deputy Grover, his family, and coworkers in your thoughts and prayers.
Death of a Survivor
On Sunday, September 2, 2012 past Northeast Regional Trustee Ray Payne died
from complications of Myeloma Cancer contracted after he responded to Ground Zero
to give support to the Emergency Personnel who responded to the Twin Towers after
the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.Ray was the surviving Father of Officer
David Payne, Lewiston, Maine, EOW: 7/23/88. He was well known for his big heart for
his fellow survivors. Ellen attended representing C.O.P.S. and Syracuse PD invited her
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
6/17
to ride with them and she gratefully accepted. The photo below is of LEOs from the
Syracuse area as well as an Investigator with the NYSP NY City area and Rays wife,
Barb.Please keep Ray and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Trial Update
LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE: the convicted killer ofDekalb County GA Police Officers
Eric Barker and Ricky Bryant (Rochester native) has been decided. Please continue
to keep the Barkers, Bryants, their coworkers at Dekalb County Police Department and
those who served on the jury in your thoughts and prayers.
Oneida County Sheriffs Investigator Dave Nowakowski : Post Traumatic Stress is
an Injury, Not a Mental Defect
Investigator Dave Nowakowski is one of the Police Liaisons for Genesee ValleyC.O.P.S. As he shares in this article, he is a coworker survivor of Oneida County Sher-
iffs Deputy Kurt Wyman EOW 6/7/12. Dave and Ellen Guerdat, President of Genesee
Valley C.O.P.S. , do a joint presentation to Law Enforcement Agencies around NY State
where Dave goes into more detail about the information he has put in the below article.
New York State DCJS (Division of Criminal Justice Services) has incorporated the joint
training in with a two -day training on PTSD for Law Enforcement Agencies throughout
New York State. We thank him for sharing a personal part of his life so that other Law
Enforcement Officers know that it is okay to seek assistance.
Shhhdont tell anyone, Im going to let you in on in on a little secret: Cops arehuman beings. Believe it or not, the things we see, and things we do, are going to have
an effect on us. Although we all deal with it in different ways, it will have an effect on us.
You would almost think that society in general believes that Police Officers dont have
feelings, and God forbid if you do, you most certainly dont ever show, or talk about it.
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
7/17
It was 1990 when I got my badge, I held it in my hand, it felt heavy, and it felt
good. I was a cop and I was going to save the world and stop crime. Little did I know the
emotional weight that badge could also carry with it.
After 22 years on the job, I have seen my share of pain, suffering, homicides, and
the death of children, child abuse, and the worst of the worst. Like most Cops, I dealtwith it by not dealing with it. In Law Enforcement, we all prepare for the physical battles
that can occur every day. We have physical training, defensive tactics, and firearms.
We carry tasers, pepper spray, and wear our vest. Hopefully, we all have the winning
mindset to survive a physical or a deadly force encounter. So I have to ask, are we pre-
pared for the second battle for survival, the psychological one?
It was early morning hours of June 7, 2011 that an armed suspect opened fire on
us. I witnessed a twenty four year old officer murdered in front of me and I returned fire
on the suspect through a patrol car windshield as the suspect fired his shotgun at me. I
was lucky; I survived the deadly force encounter. What I wasnt prepared for was thesecond battle, the battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or what I like to call Post
Traumatic Stress Injury. I was having night terrors, it seemed I could not stop the shoot-
ing from replaying in my head, and I felt I like I no longer had control of my thoughts or
feelings. I had to learn and realize that I was not crazy or losing my mind. I was having a
normal reaction to an abnormal event.
I want to change the mindset of officers and departments that Post Traumatic
Stress is an injury and not a mental defect. It is an injury as real as a six inch gash
caused by a beer bottle to the head. It is an invisible injury that affects the lives of morepolice officers then we will ever know. It is an injury and all injuries heal, even the invisi-
ble ones.
Cops in general need to be in control and strong and believe that they must keep
their emotions and feelings to themselves. Too seek treatment, to talk about feelings or
stress they have due to the things they have seen or done that effect their mental well
being is seen as a weakness.
Every year, we mourn our brothers and sisters in law enforcement that are killed
in the line of duty, but every year, three times as many cops will kill themselves then arekilled by perpetrators. (Source: P.O.L.I.C.E. Suicide Foundation) Officers and depart-
ments must have the mindset that IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, we will have deadly force
encounters, we will have line of duty deaths, we will have officers with PTSD, and Trau-
matic Stress.
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
8/17
Symptoms of PTSD include: replays of incident, flashbacks, nightmares, dis-
rupted sleep, impaired memory, inability to concentrate, headaches, depression, emo-
tional withdrawal, and of the worst cases, Suicidal Thoughts, and Homicidal Thoughts.
We need to know that these are some of the things we are going to experience in
response to critical incidents, deadly force encounters, and other tragic incidents. But ifwe are prepared and realize that they are normal reactions it can ease the effect and
speed up the recovery.
I knew as a police officer that something like this could happen. I was pre-
pared for that when I took this job, Doyle told the Rapid City Journal. I think that
helped me in the recovery process because I didnt have to go back and deal with oh
my God this can happen. I already knew it. For me it was a focus on the recovery and
getting back to work.(Source: Rapid City Journal) Officer Doyle was wounded in a
deadly force encounter in which three of his co-workers were killed.
Its ironic when you think about it, how much money and time does your depart-
ment spend each month or year on maintaining and servicing its fleet of patrol vehicles?
Now, how much time and money does your department spend each month or year
maintaining the physical and psychologicalwell- being of its Officers?
We as Police Officers must stay in shape both physically and mentally and have
the mindset of IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, and to turn the unexpected into the expected.
Not only must we have the mindset to survive the physical battles, but the psy-
chological battles. We must have the mindset that it is not a weakness, to prepare
for, fight, and WIN both battles, but very much a STRENGTH.
Facebook Vanity URL
You can now get directly to the Genesee Valley C.O.P.S. Facebook page by typing in
our pages new vanity URL at https://www.facebook.com/gvcops. We very much appreciate
your liking and sharing our content with your friends.
2012 National Board/Chapter Training
On July 12-15, Genesee Valley C.O.P.S. President Ellen Guerdat and survivor Lisa
Dobson attended National Board/Chapter Training at the St. Louis Hilton Frontenac.
This training is supported by a grant awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Of-
fice of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice and the goal is to help chapters
understand how their business practices reflect on the National organization and vice
versa.
Topics included:
https://www.facebook.com/gvcopshttps://www.facebook.com/gvcopshttps://www.facebook.com/gvcops -
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
9/17
Public Safety Officers Benefits Programs
Running a Chapter Board
Whats New With National C.O.P.S.
C.O.P.S. Website
Rebranding and New Logo
What C.O.P.S. Chapters Can Do
Contact Ellen for details or if you have questions.
Donations
GV C.O.P.S. is funded exclusively by donations and the money received is used to as-
sist the survivors of the fallen officers. We would like to thank the following for their gen-erous donations. Please forgive us if we have forgotten anyone.
Larry Crawford $100
Robert Lee $100
Don Baird $100
Gates Police Keystone Club $400
Greece Police Gold Badge $200
Elmira PBA $200
Lawrence & Lakkana Barciniak $100
Renegade Pigs Motorcycle Club Finger Lakes Chapter $ 514
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, November 13 at 7 PM: GV C.O.P.S. Party:Gates Town Hall 1605 Buffalo
Rd Rochester, NY Bring an appetizer to pass. Pop and coffee will be provided.
Wednesday, November 28 at 7 PM: Rochester Area Support Group: Gates Ambu-
lance Headquarters 1001 Elmgrove Road Rochester NY.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 7 PM: Genesee Valley Concerns of Police Survivors
Annual Candlelight Memories Vigil
Syracuse Area Support Group: Date and location to be announced.
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
10/17
Event Photos
Our chapter was honored with receiving the proceeds of this years 2012 Renegade
Pigs Irish Pub Run. The Finger Lakes Chapter is a local chapter of the Renegade Pigs,a non-profit organization that hosts and attends numerous charity events in support of
public safety officers and their families. Their membership is comprised of law enforce-
ment officers and fire service personnel who share the common love of riding their
American made motorcycles, and who believe that loyalty and camaraderie are core
values for public safety personnel. We sincerely appreciate each and every person who
rode, attended and contributed to the event. It was a beautiful day and the ride was ex-
tremely successful!
2012 Renegade Pigs Irish Pub Run
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
11/17
Additional Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?
set=a.354867581258415.82544.127410574004118&type=1
Bicycling Across America For C.O.P.S.
Retired FBI-Special Agent Jim Caverly spent the summer of 2012 bicycling across the
nation to honor local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers killed in the lineof duty. Caverlys goal is to raise awareness and $30,000 forConcerns of Police Sur-
vivors (C.O.P.S.), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing ongoing healing support
through hands-on programs free of charge nationwide for surviving family members and
affected co-workers to help heal the pain of traumatic grief. Donate:http://
www.bicyclingacrossamericaforcops.org/how-to-donate
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
12/17
Family and coworker survivors and area police agencies: Thank you to all who assisted
GV C.O.P.S. in welcoming the Caverlys as they arrived in your area. Your time and hos-
pitality are very much appreciated!
Retired FBI Agent Jim Caverly Riding Across America
Ellen, GV C.O.P.S. President, Monroe County SO, NYSP Trooper, Jim Caverly, Brock-
port Police after greeting Jim in Brockport
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
13/17
Town of Gates 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony with the Caverlys attending
Gates Police escorting Jim to the Erie Canal
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
14/17
Jim and Ellen
Syracuse Police with the Caverlys at Green Lakes Park
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
15/17
Syracuse Area Police Agencies with the Caverlys
Survivors from Oneida County and New Hartford with Jim at Lock 20 in Oneida County
-
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
16/17
NYSP Longobardo family and coworker survivors with Jim in Amsterdam, NY
Assistance Needed
We received this letter from fellow C.O.P.S. member, Brenda Parker, surviving spouse
ofOfficer Ron Parker.If you have a moment, we know Brenda would truly appreciate
your assistance.
C.O.P.S. Family,
I need your assistance to keep my husbands murderer in prison. I know I can count on
you.
Brenda Parker, Widow
Officer Ron Parker-EOW 1/12/1975
(Letter follows on next page)
http://www.odmp.org/officer/10375-deputy-marshal-ronald-alfred-parkerhttp://www.odmp.org/officer/10375-deputy-marshal-ronald-alfred-parkerhttp://www.odmp.org/officer/10375-deputy-marshal-ronald-alfred-parker -
7/31/2019 Fall 2012 Final
17/17
NYSP Longobardo family and coworker survivors with Jim in Amsterdam, NY
Additional Photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.361102973968209.84395.127410574004118&type=1
Resources
National C.O.P.S. Survivors Resources
http://www.nationalcops.org/# >>Click Survivor Information"
Just Like Me: Kids of Fallen Officers Find Comfort, Fun at Camp
http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_695a405a-dd09-11e1-be7d-
0019bb2963f4.html#.UB_TWuZciw0.twitter
Action Needed
We received this letter requesting assistance from C.O.P.S. member Brenda Parker
C.O.P.S. Family,
I need your assistance to keep my husbands murderer in prison. I know I can count on you.
Brenda Parker, Widow
Officer Ron Parker-EOW 1/12/1975