A Slight Detour .... I Time-Travel Back to My Old Life

Back, way back, before I was a dive instructor, before I even dove much I lived in California and I worked for the Placer County Sheriff's Department. In September of 2008 I retired, in not a great frame of mind, nor (in my opinion) with my career heading the right direction. But that part is a whole different story, one I keep trying to write in a book ... maybe I will tell you sometime.

But now I live a quiet, beautiful life in the Caribbean, diving frequently, taking underwater photos and becoming part of a new community. That old life seems like a lifetime ago. I don't talk much to very many of the people still working for the Sheriff's Department, not always sure whose choice that is, mine or theirs but that is how it is. I have, somewhat, put that part of my life behind me, although I am very proud of my career and the job I did while in it.

As I sat at home on Friday, October 24 I was doing what I usually do, I was checking Facebook, e-mail and various other time-wasters. But hey, I'm retired, I can do that if I choose. While looking at Facebook a "friend" posted that a Sacramento County Deputy had apparently been shot, then shortly thereafter the friend posted that it seemed possibly a Placer County Deputy had also been shot.

I went looking for information, for updates on the internet. I could find some information about the Sacramento County Deputy, Danny Oliver. My heart sank, a father of two little girls, was checking a suspicious vehicle and the suspect got out of the car and shot him with a high powered rifle. The suspect either car-jacked, or attempted to car-jack at least two vehicles and when one of the  vehicle owners refused to relinquish control the suspect shot him too.

Then the suspect fled.

I have one friend, still employed by the Sheriff's Department, and I sent a short message asking if he was okay and if a Law Enforcement Officer had been shot in Placer County. He replied that he had, gave me some very brief details, at this point the officer had been transported to the hospital. This meant that he was possibly still alive.  He then pointed me to an App for my phone where I could monitor the Sheriff's Office radio traffic.

Before I go on, although it was a way for me to know what was happening, it concerns me. If I can download the app and know what all the tactical officers and teams are up to in searching for a suspect, anyone can. And that is not always good. But that's a different rant.

I downloaded the app and began to listen. I listened to dispatchers I knew and had worked with and some that I didn't know. I listened to deputies on the radio as they began a manhunt. Not only had the Sacramento Deputy been shot and killed, but two Placer County Deputies had been shot. As I found out shortly thereafter, one of them, Michael David Davis, Jr. had been killed.

I sat on my couch and within minutes I was transported back. Back to my law enforcement career. some of those people I heard on the radio I knew and knew well. In fact many had been hired with the Sheriff's Department when I was still just a Sergeant there, they had worked for me. And I knew Mike, and his brother Jason who is now a Sergeant with the department. And just like that I was glued to the radio traffic, listening for the things not being said, hoping not to hear another call of an officer down as they searched for the suspect(s).

I knew, in my heart, how tough this was and would continue to be for my Placer County Sheriff's Office "family". I can say that I was extremely proud. It was a chaotic situation looking for the suspect and his accomplice. They found one of his stolen vehicles and began locking down an entire neighborhood and all the schools in the county as they started a house to house search. It was tense, it was scary (at least for me 2600 miles away), but I was also so amazed. These "kids" I saw hired and had supervised fifteen years before were the calmest, most professional group of individuals you could imagine. I know they were angry. I know they had to do everything possible to stay focused and calm, make sound decisions and stay safe. And the dispatchers. There is no amount of praise that would be enough for this group of individuals that continued to dispatch while they dealt with their own grief and fear and dealt with not only their own agency but at least 9 other allied agencies. And that included officers on the streets, tactical teams and helicopters from their own agency as well as I think 6 allied agencies. You have to remember that dispatchers get very little opportunity to physically "act", they only hear one side of an incident and have to fill in the blanks most of the time themselves. They were stellar, to a person.

The other thing though that it brought back to mind was a day, February 9, 1999. It was on that day that Sacramento Police Department Officer Bill Bean Jr. was killed in the line of duty. Billy, as we knew him, had worked for the Placer County Sheriff's Department for 4 years before leaving to work for Sacramento P.D. It was tragic and difficult for those of us who knew him, he was young, only 28. It was hard for our department, losing one of "ours", but we were not there, it didn't happen in our jurisdiction, we were not involved in the apprehension of the suspect. We found out after the fact. I had hoped to never have to experience that again. Bill left behind a Mother, Father, Stepmother, Stepfather, two brothers, some step-siblings and a fiancé as well as more friends than you could count.

With Mike, he was a Homicide Detective with the Sheriff's department. Every person in dispatch, on the street, working and not working that day knew Mike, probably had some interaction with him in one way or another. And while having to learn of the shooting and his death and the wounding of Deputy Jeff Davis (no relation to Mike), they still had to do their job. And they did it extremely well.

Mike left behind a wife and four children, his brother Jason, an Aunt and Uncle that had both previously worked for the Placer County Sheriff's Department. And in one of the most tragic coincidences, Mike's father, Michael Davis Sr., had been killed in the line of duty while working for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department ... 26 years TO THE DAY of Mike's death. Certainly more tragedy than any one family should ever have to bear.

The rest of the week my Facebook feed was filled with pictures and tributes to Mike. News stories, photos of flowers and tributes left in front of the Sheriff's Office in Auburn. I was able in a  small way to share with my friends the grief and sorrow over Mike's death. Dutch Bros. Coffee which is a small "drive thru" place with about 24 total California locations (Ttere are 5 or 6 I'm aware of in the Sacramento County/Placer County area). on October 29th they offered to donate 100% of their proceeds to benefit the families of the fallen officers. Citizens from throughout the county waited in lines for 30 minutes to an hour for a cup of coffee. The employees also donated all their tips. Wait for this ..... they raised and donated almost $97,000 dollars in one day.

So a note .... I will from now on if I have the opportunity skip a Starbucks every time to give my business to Dutch Bros. and hope all of you who live in California or Oregon will try and do the same when you want a coffee. Thanks just doesn't seem like enough.

Mike was laid to rest on Tuesday, November 4th. I cannot even begin to explain the emotions of a law enforcement funeral. About 5,000 people attended Mike's memorial in Roseville, a large portion of those law enforcement officers from all over the state and all over the country who come to honor him and his service. The Placer County Honor Guard stood watch by Mike's side from the time he died on the 24th until he was laid to rest on the 4th.

Honor Guard carrying Mike's casket into the funeral home.

Mike's Memorial Service

Mike's brother Sgt. Jason Davis during his eulogy for his brother.

At the cemetery

Placer County Sheriffs Department Honor Guard

I am now returning to my life as a bum living in Utila, diving, taking pictures, and living the retired life. I may not speak to most of those folks at the Sheriff's office again, we are friends on Facebook but we are disconnected. But I am grateful that I could be part of that family for even a few days. I am very proud to have been a part of that organization, in times like this they do the right thing, they come together to support each other and to protect the community.

This was meant to be a  short post. Sorry. I guess I had more I wanted to say than I thought. Thanks for putting up with the brief break.

YIKES! Where did two months go???

Wow, I knew I had been slacking on the blog, and I have lots of good excuses for it (not), but two months, really?

So where have I been? Right here, living the good life in Utila.

I actually have fallen into a routine, which is nice for me in my everyday living, not so nice for wonderful adventures to write about.

After returning to the island in late August, I was diving a couple days a week. I also took on the responsibility of keeping the Facebook page for Captain Morgan's Dive Centre and Pirates Bay Inn updated with fresh pictures and posts. (Hint, hint, you should go like those pages if you don't already).

I was also helping a couple of the DMTs (Dive Master Trainees) with finishing up some of their skills they needed to do to complete their Dive Master.

I was really beginning to feel "in the groove" in my photography. Got a few shots that I am particularly proud of.

And then ... disaster struck. I went on a dive, came up put my camera in the rinse tank and when I got back to land could see the o-ring for one of the strobes had been pinched in the cap. It was completely my own fault, I was trying to hurry and had not prepared my equipment at home the night before as I try to always do. Strobe flooded.

But, I'm resourceful, I can shoot with only one strobe and in the meantime I ordered another online. It was delivered to my friend Greg's home and he had a trip here planned for late October and would deliver it to me. I could make it 6 weeks or so with only one strobe.

I can shoot with one strobe but it isn't easy and I really had to work to get the right lighting. And it didn't always work to my satisfaction.

I looked forward to having a second one again.

All the while I was posting pictures on my own Facebook page as well as the page for Captain Morgan's. I was now diving about 3 days a week and my life was good.

Now for my excuse for no blog .... I began to feel that just reposting those same pictures on the blog, that I had already posted online was boring for the reader. Most of you who read the blog also are friends on Facebook and I had little to add about the dives themselves or the pictures. At least that was my thinking. So I let the blog sit (and sit, and sit, and sit.)

About 4 weeks after my strobe disaster, disaster struck again. I went on a dive, came up, put my camera in the rinse tank and went about my business. I took the card from the camera, uploaded pictures, edited and posted as I usually do. Then I went home. I wasn't diving for a few more days and I got lazy and just let things sit. When I went back for my next dive I opened my one strobe to change the batteries. The batteries I had left in there were corroded and leaking. Clearly I had experienced another leak. This time I was shocked. The strobe had worked throughout the dive and I had not noticed anything when I took the camera from the rinse tank.

I am no assuming that it was a tiny leak, maybe a hair on the o-ring, or a little piece of dust? Who knows but either way I now had two strobes ruined and nothing for the camera.

I contacted Sea and Sea and they gave me the name of their Central America representative. He put me in touch with a shop owner on Roatan who didn't have a strobe in stock but said he would see about getting me one. As it turned out, he would be ordering from the states, the same as I would, his price was a little higher than what I could find it for and I still would have to pay shipping and he wanted me to come to Roatan to pick it up. All in all it seemed not cost effective.

I must say though, the rep from Sea and Sea was great and still says he'll try and help me get a deal on a strobe even if I get it in the states.

And if I thought it was tough to shoot with one, trying to shoot natural light only was really hard for me ... depressing is the word that comes to mind. But I just tried to keep plugging along and getting a photo here and there.

Greg came at the end of October and brought me one new strobe. So it was a great week, a visit from a friend, celebrating his birthday on the island, and at least having a little bit of light for photos ... all in the next post.