What I want to do when I grow up?

My brothers Beaner(C), Jose(L), and
Eric(R), and me in front

            When I was a small boy of four or five I told my mother that I was going to be a policeman. I had been fed a steady diet of Hill Street Blues, Dragnet, and Chips. In my mother’s defense, she had not intended or allowed me to watch some of those shows, but as a result of my being sneaky I was thus fed.

            As I matured into a young adult I had my trials and some of which I failed. Lucky for me, I escaped my teen years free from convictions and or death. I had always intended to be a police officer, but struggled with my weight, and that posed its own unique set of problems. So I looked into alternatives, mostly because of the age requirements to be a police officer, but also a means of getting my “fix,” if you will, for adrenalin and excitement. Right after graduation from high school I registered for an EMT class and began classes immediately. This was a way to a means. I figured I would get my foot in the door, and give me a few points up on the competition.

            My time spent in EMS was supposed to only last a couple years and pave the way for a long career in law enforcement. This little stint took twenty years before fate would change all that. I loved my interactions with law enforcement. I have always had an affinity for police and law enforcement, and in my eyes they could do no wrong.

            Throughout my career in EMS I was directly involved in the very worst of human nature, from shootings, and stabbings, to assaults, fatal accidents, and suicides of every shape and form; in a small way, I too was a victim of these crimes. I could go on for pages and pages with war stories, but that’s not my intent. I have prefaced a small part as to why I am here in your class today. I am also a fan of history and its mystery’s, and to be completely honest TV has had a significant influence into my wanting to be in law enforcement. But my opinion about being a beat cop has ebbed and flowed with my age, current job, and probably the weather and the direction of the wind. Never do I feel more desire to be a police officer than when I hear about the loss of one of our finest in the line of duty.

            I thought that when I went back to school I was going to get into forensics, or maybe Crime scene investigations, but as I have taken more classes and read more and more about the current state of the law enforcement community and the apparent attack on them, not to mention, the current state of the criminal justice profession as a whole, I am kind of confused as to what I want to do next. 

-Me in 30 Job interview-

            I am a good leader and willing to do so, I am also teachable and willing to learn new and interesting ways to bless the lives of those I interact with. As I sit through lecture, I have learned about the inequality in the criminal justice world. I have since begun to wonder how I could be an asset to the people, I wish to serve and protect, but in what capacity? Is it as a law enforcement administrator? Is it as a beat cop who really has the desire in his heart to help people? Is it a politician with integrity and a willingness to make the hard decisions, to clear up problems with minimum mandatories, racial inequality, and protection of current constitutional rights? Am I to be a fresh set of eyes to look into old cases and solve old crimes? Am I to free innocent men and women for crimes they had not committed, or an attorney who fights heard to bring about justice?  I really do not know, not today!

            But if I was to pick my dream job, I would have to blend a combination of history and mystery. I have considered my experience in EMS and its relevance to human anatomy, mechanism of injury as well as a wide array of experience in all sorts of crimes against humans by other humans. I have received, over the years, a multitude of training in crime scene preservation, mechanics, as well as extensive training and experience in customer service which lends itself to situations where I can interact with others quite well.  That said I would love to bring closure to families of unsolved crimes, either as a civil servant or as a private investigator.  So as far as the actual direction I am going to go with my future career in Criminal Justice I am in no way sure. I thought I would take a look at a few different disciplines under the criminal Justice umbrella.

-One of a thousand call's I think about-

            This thought process and interest go back to a call my partner Brad, and I went on as EMT's on December 9th, 1996, when Lisa Redmond a 36-year-old married mother of two who was murdered. She was a pizza delivery driver for Pizza Hut. At about 2130-2145 she made her last delivery and was never seen alive again. About 2200 hours my partner and I received the call to respond on a possible auto-pedestrian. It was in an area where there was really no reason for someone to be walking (at the time it was in the middle of nowhere, today it is heavily developed).

            My partner and I arrived and made contact with Mrs. Redmond, she was in the middle of the road in clothing inappropriate for the weather, and it was cold as she was underdressed.  As I began my head to toe assessment of Mrs. Redmond and started life-saving actions, I found evidence that would indicate Mrs. Redmond was a victim of homicide and not just an auto-pedestrian; although evidence would indicate she had also been run over by he own truck. I was heartbroken for this family and have pondered and thought a lot about them over the years.  I have dreamed about solving this crime, I have often thought about this woman and her family, unfortunately, her husband was killed in a car accident in June 1999, her kids live with grandparents in Colorado.

            According to the Utah attorney general’s office there are over 80 unsolved homicides  in Utah going back to the 50’s and 60’s. I know that there are many more homicides prior to those records, but the amount of time passed and evidence available would make them impossible to solve. Even with that reality I am intrigued by the proposition of solving historical crimes and giving these lost victims a voice, whether through justice or word.