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Old April 22, 2008, 09:24 PM   #1
TCman
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Police officer ambushed

http://www.wave3.com/global/story.asp?s=8208613

A sheriff's deputy from Clark County, Indiana remained in critical condition at University Hospital in Louisville Tuesday afternoon, hours after being shot by a man armed with a shotgun who ambushed officers answering a domestic call in New Washington, Indiana. WAVE 3's Janelle MacDonald reports.

Police got a call at 10:50 p.m. from the wife of 33-year-old Douglas Frakes Jr. about a domestic battery. Frakes's wife and her brother had fled the home, and told police that Frakes chased them.

Police arrived at the scene on State Road 62 at 11:03 p.m. and searched the home, but didn't find Frakes. So officers decided to check the home of Frakes's sister.

Clark County Sheriff Danny Rodden says that's when it appears 33-year-old Douglas Frakes Jr. was waiting in a wooded area for officers and fired on them with a shotgun when they arrived at the scene at 11:03 p.m.

Police told us Frakes had hidden his vehicle to help set up the ambush.

"The perpetrator was waiting in the woods and fired on our officer as soon as he stepped out of the car," Rodden said. "Our officer was just blindsided."

Other officers returned fire and moved Meyer to safety, and he was flown to University Hospital where he underwent surgery early Tuesday morning. He was scheduled to see a neurosurgeon later in the day.

Police searched for Frakes for several hours before finding him dead just before 3 a.m. of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The shotgun blast wounded Officer Mark Meyer in multiple places, including the shoulder, the back of his head and cheek. Some of the shotgun pellets lodged in Meyer's mouth.

Sheriff Rodden says his department is "very lucky and very blessed," because it looks like Meyer's injuries are not life-threatening.

Meyer is a 5-year veteran of the Clark County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff Rodden says Frakes fired the .20 gauge shotgun, which was loaded with birdshot, two or three times from about 75 yards away -- and Rodden says the distance is likely what saved Meyer's life.

We're told Frakes had been seen at a bar in New Washington -- Hoopsters -- earlier in the day, and Sheriff Rodden said at some point while drinking Frakes decided to either kill his family or police officers.

The family called police sometime about 10:50 p.m. She, along with her brother, ran from the house to escape Frakes, who chased them, but they got away.

Frakes's wife also told investigators that Frakes frequently watched "Cops," and apparently decided he wanted to kill a police officer.

Frakes has a criminal history: in 1995 he was charged with criminal recklessness for shooting at someone. He pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence. In 1998 he was charged with misdemeanor battery. He received a suspended sentence in that case as well.
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Old April 23, 2008, 01:07 AM   #2
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Luckily the officer will survive. At least the bad guy is done victimizing people. That was a tough deal getting ambushed like that and I don't know if much could have been done before the assault began. It is a reminder to law enforcement officers to be unpredictable by concealing the approach, move quickly through open areas and be constantly aware of the nearest cover if things go south.
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Old April 23, 2008, 08:37 PM   #3
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LEOs go through just too much for the pay they receive. This country needs to tax more to provide more LEOs, Correction Officers, jails, prison, courts, DAs and then pay them more. If the majority can mandate a trillion dollars for Iraq, then that ought be a plan for our country.
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Old April 23, 2008, 08:52 PM   #4
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I have a very wonderful nephew who is an LEO, . . . so every time I see head lines like this, . . . I just cringe until I see the location and/or name.

Thank the Lord, it was only birdshot from a 20 ga, . . . it would have been a whole nother deal had it been 00 buck from a 10 ga or a 12 ga 3 inch.

Instead of hospital time, . . . the officer could have easily been sent to the morgue.

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Old April 23, 2008, 09:14 PM   #5
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I talked to one of the officers involved. The ammo was 00 buck from 47 yards away.
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Old April 23, 2008, 11:10 PM   #6
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thank God the officer is ok

Not sure why this is in tactics though, there doesn't seem to be training to avoid ambush, at least like that
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Old April 23, 2008, 11:26 PM   #7
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00 buck is a deadly round to what distance??
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Old April 23, 2008, 11:29 PM   #8
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I talked to one of the officers involved. The ammo was 00 buck from 47 yards away.

I didn't think that sounded right about 75 yds away...20ga... birdshot...critical condition.
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Old April 23, 2008, 11:43 PM   #9
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This country needs to tax more to provide more LEOs, Correction Officers, jails, prison, courts, DAs and then pay them more.
We pay far more than enough in taxes and should never encourage the government to increase them. I agree that many LEOs are underpaid, but our more than adequate tax money is squandered on a list of crap too long and irritating for me to compile.

Tax more? Absolutely not!:barf:

Glad to here the officer will likely make it!
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Old April 23, 2008, 11:54 PM   #10
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"00 buck is a deadly round to what distance??"

We advise our people not to utilize it beyond 20 yards, to ensure that all pellets remain on target. Thats not to say that individual pellets do not have greater range. Obviously the shooter is not concerned about the liability issues associated with pellets missing a target, and obviously at that range its most likely that the officer was not struck by all of the discharged pellets.
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Old April 24, 2008, 01:00 AM   #11
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We pay far more than enough in taxes and should never encourage the government to increase them. I agree that many LEOs are underpaid, but our more than adequate tax money is squandered on a list of crap too long and irritating for me to compile.

Tax more? Absolutely not!

Glad to here the officer will likely make it!
I'll second that. Glad to hear he will make it.

If they need pay increases maybe they should start to sell off all that tacticool junk and the assault vehicles SWAT teams are using now.
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Old April 24, 2008, 04:36 AM   #12
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but our more than adequate tax money is squandered on a list of crap too long and irritating for me to compile.
Most LE agency budgets are actually pretty tight.
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Old April 24, 2008, 08:06 AM   #13
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but our more than adequate tax money is squandered on a list of crap too long and irritating for me to compile.
Most LE agency budgets are actually pretty tight.
Understood. I'm saying that not enough of the tax money we deliver goes to LE. We're paying enough, but much or even most of it is squandered on socialist crap or lining pockets.
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Old April 24, 2008, 05:12 PM   #14
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Yup, but I figure that squandering will go on whether to pay 'Welfare mom/dad', fund a war, or line pockets no matter what form of government. I think the pointman is the sacrifice to keep the larger unit from ambush. I was thinking maybe increased funding for the criminal justice sector might help.

Would a dog have been a benefit in this situation ?
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Old April 24, 2008, 08:06 PM   #15
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I think the pointman is the sacrifice
I think when people say such things they are either paying less than their share of taxes or are wealthy enough that another few percentage points of income will just be lost in the noise. I rarely find that people make such sacrifices as a matter of principal, regardless to the cost to themselves.
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Old April 24, 2008, 08:20 PM   #16
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Frakes has a criminal history: in 1995 he was charged with criminal recklessness for shooting at someone. He pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence. In 1998 he was charged with misdemeanor battery. He received a suspended sentence in that case as well.
I think the problem is with the courts.
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Old April 25, 2008, 07:18 PM   #17
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And yet another from here in small town america . . . Capac Michigan . . . just happened a couple weeks ago. I was surprised that the perp got the jump on two officers. One was still in his car and grazed in the head. The other, direct hits COM. I'm sure this will become a training tape of some sort for the police force.

From the Times Herald:

Donald Burke, 50, of Capac faces up to life in prison if convicted of three charges of assault with intent to murder, also called attempted murder, and a felony firearm charge. The attempted murder charges are for gunshots police said Burke fired at Chief Raymond Hawks, Deputy Tim O'Boyle and tow truck driver Mike Thorpe.

Hawks was shot in the chest and remains in serious condition at Port Huron Hospital, family friend Kelly Cramer said. Thorpe was not hit, but O'Boyle was grazed in the head with a bullet.

Police said Burke shot Hawks and O'Boyle after Hawks attempted to stop him for reckless driving. Hawks had received complaints from other drivers about Burke's behavior on the road before attempting to pull him over, Lane said.

After Hawks called central dispatch for back up and followed Burke to his home at 520 William G Drive, Burke got out of his car and went into the house, Lane said.

Hawks had called a tow truck, driven by Thorpe, to the house and O'Boyle had responded to the call for back up when Burke stepped onto his front porch about 2:15 p.m. and started firing a .22-caliber rifle.

Police say Burke shot Hawks before firing on O'Boyle, who was in the area and responded to Hawks' calls for assistance.
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Old April 25, 2008, 08:16 PM   #18
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its true

we are very blessed to have police officers who find pride in laying down thier lives for pennies,(depending what dp thier in) i dont know if raising taxes is the answer but getting rid of welfare, and stopping the medical coverage of alians sneaking into our country and working without paying taxes might be a good start.

otherwise we may end up with a country like Guatemala where the police are completely currupt and have no problem letting the streets take care of themselves due to the fact that they have no money to even feed thier children.(some NYPD cops qualify for food stamps)
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Old April 25, 2008, 08:48 PM   #19
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otherwise we may end up with a country like Guatemala where the police are completely currupt and have no problem letting the streets take care of themselves due to the fact that they have no money to even feed thier children.(some NYPD cops qualify for food stamps)
Speaking of which there has been a lot of negatove press about NYPD lately. Last week an NYPD rookie got busted for robbing a bank in PA.

a few months ago, an NYPD officer cleaning his gun in the dark in his apartment in Brooklyn accidently discharged his gun, which the bullet grazed a baby's arm in the next apartment below.

The officer was living with a roomate and all basic utilities had to be turned off because on his salary couldnt afford to pay for lighting...

and the stories go on..
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Old April 26, 2008, 12:14 PM   #20
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Quote:
and the stories go on..
And that's the problem. I'd hoped that this would blossom into a discussion relating to tactics and/or training.

It tried a wee bit, but it didn't.

Closed.
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