December 20, 2006

There is a patrol car that sits in our parking lot at work with the license plate ISP656.  This patrol car was retired on December 20, 2006.  It is now only driven in parades and other community functions and will no longer be used for another trooper to drive.  Why?  Because the ISP Trooper that drove this car on December 20, 2006 was shot that morning while he was on patrol.  I was his dispatcher.

I had not quite finished my first year as a police dispatcher.  I was working the Twin Falls area when the Twin Falls County Sheriff Office called with information on an armed robbery at a convince store.  Trooper Glenn had just checked into service for duty that morning.  He was actually in plain clothing since he was training one of our new troopers but had not yet picked up his trainee.  Trooper Glenn spotted a white passenger car that matched the description of the one in the ATL (attempt to locate) and made the traffic stop.  There are many times that officers will spot a vehicle that matches an ATL and it turns out not to be that car.  Today was not one of those days.

I no longer had any further contact with Trooper Glenn.  What I didn’t know is that as he approached the suspect vehicle, the driver opened the door and fired a shot at Trooper Glenn.  The bullet hit Trooper Glenn in the neck incapacitating him.  My sergeant on duty that morning told me over the air that there was an officer down.  He knew this because he had heard it on the county’s radio channel once a county deputy had arrived on scene.  We also didn’t know at first that another county sheriff deputy was in pursuit of the vehicle and suspect headed south towards Jackpot, Nevada. 

The suspect crashed his vehicle in Jackpot and was taken into custody.  He pled guilty and was charged with Assault/Battery on Certain Personnel and Robbery.  He is not eligible for patrol until 2036.

Thankfully, this story does not end with a Line of Duty Death.  Trooper Glenn survivedthe shooting, although he is now paralyzed.  This tragic event didn’t deter his spirit though and I always see Trooper Glenn smiling when I see him and he says hello.  Trooper Glenn was also awarded the Purple Heart.  He is now a training specialist and works with our new recruits.

There are many events in life that shape us.  This will always be one of those events for me.