Tag Archives: Port Orchard police

In memoriam: The crown vic, law enforcement’s ‘warhorse’

Police officers have a reputation for being tough. But over the past week, I’ve heard several cops wax nostalgic about the departure of a dear colleague: The Ford Crown Victoria.

The “crown vic,” for short, has become, in its three decades, a sine qua non of American police departments. But Ford has decided it’s time for the model to accept its pension and gold watch, according to an article in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

“It is a sad day,” said Kitsap County Undersheriff Dennis Bonneville. “The old crown vic has served law enforcement well for many years.”

Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer called the crown vic law enforcement’s longtime “warhorse.”

“The Crown Vic was probably the best patrol car used by law enforcement agencies ever,” echoed Mason County Chief Deputy Dean Byrd. “It was bulletproof and durable. It was agile and large enough to house all of the equipment necessary for a deputy or officer to do his or her job.”

Byrd added that some departments, including Port Angeles police, aren’t yet willing to let go, experimenting with rebuilding their existing crown vics to extend their functional lives.

“So far the results are promising,” he said.

For those not going the Port Angeles route, what’s next?

Poulsbo Police Sgt. Bob Wright said his department had been expecting the crown vic’s departure — and had even found something they liked a little better a few years back, gas prices be darned: an SUV.

“In 2003, we started to move from sedans to a more versatile police vehicle, a four wheel drive Ford Explorer which was built on a truck frame. The vehicle cost was nearly the same as the Crown Vic.

The four wheel drive turned out to be the best value for the money. The vehicles could go anywhere which is especially valuable in a City that is built on hills and gets some very bad weather in the winters.  Prior to this we were having to chain up and down police cars daily and breaking lots of tire chains during response to emergencies.”

There’s also the factor that law enforcement officers are increasingly tasked with carrying more and more equipment, he pointed out.

Ford, of course, is rolling out new “police interceptor” patrol cars to meet the law enforcement demand. If more police departments move to something bigger, like Poulsbo did, they could pick Ford’s SUV interceptor model.

Port Orchard Police Chief Al Townsend added his department is looking to try the new Chevrolet Caprice and Ford Police Interceptor  (its sedan model).

If history tells us anything, the police car of the future — in America at least — will probably be a Ford. The Crown Victoria held 70 percent of the market for police vehicles last year, according to the Star-Tribune article.

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Suquamish police can give your heart a restart (if necessary)

The Suquamish Police Department was the first law enforcement agency in Kitsap County to outfit its force with video cameras in patrol cars. These days, they’re the first to have another tool in each officer’s vehicle: an Automatic External Defibrillator, or AED.

AEDs, which can help restart the heart muscle, are by all accounts wonderful pieces of technology, but they are pricey at around $1,000 per unit. Suquamish PD got them using a federal grant available to tribal police departments.

Will the rest of the county’s agencies join in? I polled other agencies and the answer was no.

Port Orchard: “We have one in city hall,” said Port Orchard Police Chief Al Townsend. “That’s about it.”

But Kitsap County Sheriff’s Spokesman Scott Wilson notes that more AEDs are on the way to the county, even if they’re not in patrol cars:

“The sheriff’s office has obtained grant money administered through the Department of Homeland Security (Region 2),” Wilson wrote me in an email. “These are funds dedicated, for all Kitsap County law enforcement agencies, for the purchase and deployment of AEDs.”

“The AEDs will be placed in / on:

  • All law enforcement buildings / offices (that need them)
  • Select law enforcement vehicles, such as the RV mobile command post, the SWAT team vehicle, BPD major crimes unit vehicle, etc.
  • All marine patrol boats (every agency that has them).

“All told, there should be about 30 AEDs purchased and deployed,” Wilson wrote.

Here’s the rest of the press release from the Suquamish Police Department, including some facts about cardiac arrest:

The Suquamish Police Department is pleased to announce that all officers have been issued Automatic External Defibrillators.  The Phillips “Heartstart” AED’s were purchased using a Department of Justice Tribal Resources Grant Program.

AED’s have proven to be a valuable tool for saving lives.  While we have outstanding Fire and Medical response in North Kitsap County, there are some locations and circumstances where Law Enforcement officers are closer to the scene of a sudden cardiac arrest, and can arrive minutes earlier.  Our officers have been trained in the use of AED’s for years, but we were finally able to obtain funding to equip every police officer with an AED for their car.

The model that our department purchased will work on both adults and children.

This new equipment will allow us to better serve all of the 7000+ residents who live on the Port Madison reservation.  We are particularly interested in protecting our community elders, and keeping their knowledge and wisdom with us for many years to come.

Some facts about Sudden Cardiac Arrest:

  • More people die from SCA than from breast cancer, prostate cancer, AIDS, house fires, handguns and traffic accidents combined.
  • Nearly 80 percent of all cardiac arrests occur in the home; the majority are witnessed by someone who could potentially be a lifesaver.
  • The underlying cause of SCA is not well understood. Many victims have no previously reported history of heart disease, or if heart disease is present, it has not functionally impaired them.
  • 50 percent of men and 63 percent of women who died from SCA had not previously reported symptoms of heart disease.
  • SCA strikes both men and women. The average age of victims is 65; however, many of those who experience SCA are much younger—many in their 30s and 40s.
  • Defibrillation is recognized as the definitive treatment for ventricular fibrillation, the abnormal heart rhythm most often associated with SCA. While CPR may help prolong the window of survival, it cannot restore a normal cardiac rhythm.
  • For every minute that goes by without defibrillation, a cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival decrease by about 10 percent. After 10 minutes without defibrillation, few attempts at resuscitation are successful.
  • SCA survivors have a good long-term prognosis: 80 percent of survivors are alive after one year and 57 percent after five years.
  • The average National response time for emergency medical services in a typical community is nine minutes.
  • Presently, the national SCA survival rate in the United States is less than five percent.
  • The American Heart Association estimates that 40,000 more lives could be saved annually in the U.S. alone if automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were more widely available and could reach victims more quickly.

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LIVE BLOG: Wife’s Testimony at PO Murder Trial

Background on the case:

Henry Paul Musgrove III, 31, will face second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the death of his wife’s daughter, 23-month-old Izabell Davis-Hull.

His wife, Amber Lyn Musgrove, has accepted an offer of immunity from prosecutors, in exchange for her testimony in the case, said Cami Lewis, one of two Kitsap County deputy prosecutors handling the case.

A two-year investigation by Port Orchard Police detectives resulted in the arrest of both Henry and Amber Musgrove. Both were initially charged with crimes related to the toddler’s death, but Amber Musgrove’s charges will be dropped if she completes her agreement to testify, Lewis said.

This morning is Amber Musgrove’s testimony.

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LIVE BLOG: Opening Arguments in Port Orchard Murder Trial

Opening arguments in the trial of a former Port Orchard man accused of killing a 23-month-old toddler are slated for this afternoon.

Henry Paul Musgrove III, 31, faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the death of his wife’s daughter, Izabell Davis-Hull.

Musgrove’s wife, Amber Lyn Musgrove, has accepted an offer of immunity from prosecutors, in exchange for her testimony in the case.

The girl died likely from a blow to the abdomen on February 23, 2008. After a lengthy Port Orchard police investigation, county prosecutors charged both the 31-year-old and his wife with her death. But Amber Musgrove’s charges will be dropped if she completes her agreement to testify, according to prosecutors.

The trial is expected to last between two and three weeks; jury selection has already taken a week.

The live blog is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. in Kitsap County Superior Court.

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