True Blue

Police Stories by Those Who Have Lived Them

Randy Sutton

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Year: 2005
• Print ISBN: 9780312324810
• eBook ISBN: 9781429991674

"These intimate episodes, written by the law officers who lived them, are funny, sad, moving and powerful . . . everybody should own this memorable book." —Joseph Wambaugh, New York Times–bestselling author
After September 11, 2001, Las Vegas Police Sergeant Randy Sutton began soliciting writing from law enforcement officers—his goal being to bridge the gap between the police and those they serve, with a book that offers a broad and thoughtful look at the many facets of police life. Hundreds of active and former officers responded from all over the United States: men and women from big cities and small towns, some who had written professionally, but most for the first time. Sutton culled the selections into five categories: The Beat, Line of Duty, War Stories, Officer Down, and Ground Zero.
The result is True Blue, a collection of funny, charming, exciting, haunting stories about murder investigations, missing children, bungling burglars, car chases, lonely and desperate shut-ins, routine traffic stops, officers killed in the line of duty, and the life-changing events of September 11. Here, officers reveal their emotions—fear and pride, joy and disgust, shame and love—as they recount the defining moments of their careers. In these stories, the heart and soul behind the badge shines through in unexpected ways. True Blue will change the way we think about the deeply human realm of police service.
"A simply great new book . . . funny, sad, and, at times, haunting, the essays capture mundane events, as well as tragic ones . . . But they all come right from the heart that beats beneath the badge." — New York Daily News

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• “In Valor There Is Hope”
• Introduction
• A Senseless Act by Randy Sutton
• Nothing Is Ever Routine by Stephen “Steve” Berg
• Nicky and the Mustard Gas Caper; or, How Two ATF Agents Saved South Central Los Angeles by Ken Cates
• Mr. Martinez’s Christmas by Michael Hahn
• Pigeons and Monkeys and Snakes, Oh My! by Thomas J. Cline
• Little Johnny on the Front Porch by Clint W. McKean
• Let Me Tell You a True Story by Robert V. Trevino
• Just So You Know by Matt Walz
• Part of the Job by Michael J. Warden
• Just Another Car Stop by David R. DeKay
• Jesse: A Case Study in Sexual Assault by Trinka Porrata
• The Men Who Never Leave Your Side by Jerry D. Wolsey
• It Was Just Business by Philip V. Bulone
• I Hear Ya, Rick by Mike “Momo” Martinez
• How Do I Find the Words? by Pat Jenkins
• Heroes by Thomas E. Schulte Jr.
• Heartbreaker by Jack M. Comeaux
• Almost There by Joseph Loughlin
• The Recidivists by Dick Kirby
• The Ride of a Lifetime by Rick Jamison
• The Road Race and the Fly by Jim Archuletta
• The Sadness of It All by Brent Larson
• The Shooting by Cory Hatch
• Suicide by Cop by Robert Mladinich
• Trapped While Wearing the Badge by Artie Rodriguez
• Unwanted Male by Jeremy M. Williams
• Walking Among the Dead by Michael J. East
• Wayne by Kevin White
• What the Public Doesn’t See by Bryan Muth
• What’s in the Shop Above the Garage? by Pamela Monson
• You Don’t Understand! You’re the Enemy! by Rocky Warren
• A Dark, Cold Night by Scott Barthelmass
• A Katrina Story by Stacey Pearson
• A Lasting Impression by Kevin J. Byrne
• Angel on the Table by Don Whitehead
• Another Beautiful Day by Greg Brown
• Brown Eyes by J. R. Davis
• A Christmas Story by Ponzio Oliverio
• Close Encounters of the “Cop” Kind by Ron Corbin
• Heaven’s Little Policeman by Keith Bettinger
• The Enemy Among Us by John Milotzky
• Final Goodbye by Paul Nanfito
• Happy Thanksgiving by Randy Sutton
• Terry by Rich Forsey
• Thank You by Nathan Jacobs
• Thank You for Protecting Me by Scott Walker
• The King of Heroes by Michael Summers
• Friday the Thirteenth by John Wills
• Friday, I Cried by Stan Talton
• Ride-Along by Tim Dees
• 10–13 MOS by Edward V. Burmeister III
• Suicide by Ken Ramsey
• Talk to the Hand by John W. Howsden
• The Longest Day by John Nordman
• The Memorial by Charles R. Martel
• The Loss of Innocence by Jesse Roybal
• The Man in White by Dan Simon
• The Mild Spring Morn by Angelo L. Florio
• Morale Booster by Charles R. Martel
• Life Is Precious, Life Is Fragile by Chuck Springer
• I Believe by Randy Sutton
• Also by Lt. Randy Sutton
• Copyright