You May Have Missed: February Officer News Wrap

March 4, 2013
Officer.com featured several original stories on various topics over the course of the month.

During the month of February, Officer.com featured original stories on topics including pyro-terrorism and crime rates in hospitals as well as the inspirational stories of one officer's recovery from a near-fatal shooting and another one making waves in the world of mixed-martial arts.

Here are some of the exclusive news stories that appeared on Officer.com that you may have missed last month:

N.H. Officer: Looking Gunman in the Eye a Victory

Manchester, N.H. Police Officer Daniel Doherty spoke to Officer.com Staff Writer Paul Peluso about the March 21, 2012 shooting that almost took his life and the trial and recovery afterward.

Doherty was there for the entirety of Myles Webster's trial and even took the stand against the man who fired multiple shots at him while he was lying on the ground.

"I was able to look him in the eye again and as soon as I did so, he looked away," he said. "I felt that was a victory for myself and for all of the other officers in this country and worldwide."

Webster was convicted of the attempted murder of Doherty in December and was sentenced to 60 years to life on Jan. 14.

Doherty was cleared to return to duty last month following his year-long recovery.

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Healthcare Facilities See Rise in Crime Rates

Incidents of crime at healthcare facilities across the U.S. are on the rise, according to the 2012 Crime and Security Trends Survey, underwritten by the Foundation of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety.

The report, based on online responses from 208 member healthcare organizations, found that the number of crimes increased by nearly 37 percent in just two years from just under 15,000 in 2010 to more than 20,500 in 2012.

"There is a fundamental competing philosophy in healthcare between the security profession and the economic interests of healthcare facilities," researcher and survey author Dr. Victoria Mikow-Porto told Joel Griffin from Officer.com's sister-site SecurityInfoWatch.com.

"There are two philosophies that operate. One is that security professionals try to create an environment of safety for staff, patients and the general public. On the other hand, many hospital facilities try to make themselves look very attractive."

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Chicago Police Officer Moonlights as UFC Fighter

Veteran Chicago Police Officer Mike Russow talked to Officer.com Staff Writer Paul Peluso about juggling his day job as a beat cop with his other career as an MMA fighter for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

"It's very demanding. You just have to do a really good job with time management," he said. "Most of these guys I'm fighting; they're young and they just do it fulltime. With me and other guys out there, we have to work, do our eight hours, and go to bed, get up, train and then go to work."

As the sport is becoming bigger, he said that he's seen more officers take up MMA training as a way to stay in shape.

"I think it's great," he said. "It keeps people in shape and they are learning moves that actually do -- especially with jiu-jitsu -- help you when you're out there on the streets."

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Feds: Pyro-Terrorism a Real Threat in the U.S.

Robert Baird, Deputy National Fire Director, Fire and Aviation Management, U.S. Forest Service, spoke at the opening ceremonies of Firehouse World -- a conference affiliated with Officer.com's sister website Firehouse.com.

As reported by Staff Writer Ed Ballam, Baird told those in attendance that the federal government is prepared for the use of fire as a weapon and that pyro-terrorism is something all responders need to be ready to combat.

"Arson in the [Wildland/Urban interface] is a real threat," he said. "Anything we can do to reduce it is a real accomplishment."

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Also from Firehouse World, former Marine Nick Kalt spoke about overcoming adversity.

Kalt nearly had his hands blown off in a mishap at Camp Pendleton and was shot in the abdomen in Iraq during Operation Freedom.

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