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The suspect doesn't come quietly. Before he's subdued, rookie cop Robert Christensen gets pummeled unconscious. Twenty-five years later, he retires as one of Kalamazoo's top patrol officers. Out of the Darkness and into the Blue recounts Christensen's most memorable experiences on the force, told with candor, honesty, and humor. After describing each event, Christensen analyzes his behavior during the encounter, the tactics he used, and how changes in strategy and behavior might have affecte ...
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Throughout this book I tried to capture the emotion and internal thoughts of what was going through my mind as I handled each call. The one theme that kept coming back into my thoughts, though, was that I worked with some of the most professional, compassionate, respectful, and caring people our society has to offer. I am forever grateful to my fri…
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"Let no soul cry out, Had I not been properly trained." —Infantry Training Brigade, Fort Benning, Georgia Slow down—Seatbelts—Wear your vest—STAY ALIVE! Get your own copy today! Available from Amazon.com, Barnesandoble.com, iTunes.com, Audible.com, roberttodd.com
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My career priority was to serve and protect the city of Kalamazoo. I am forever grateful to the citizens of Kalamazoo, my coworkers at Kalamazoo Public Safety, the criminal justice professionals throughout the judicial system, the local government officials, both past and present, and the neighborhood volunteers. I am confident that through your co…
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Getting hired by a career police department is your dream right? Working for an agency where you can have a challenging career, learn, and grow as a solid performer. Finding that perfect fit for you and the community and one that you can work faithfully for with 25 years of service and retire with a solid pension at a relatively young age. Usually …
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Why do people want to be a Police Officer? When asking a new recruit they almost always say: "To help people." As an academy trainer since 1997 I've had the honor of training hundreds of Officers who now serve our communities throughout the country. Here, I take you behind the scenes of what it means to "build police officers" and what it really me…
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Community Policing has always been so much more than playing basketball with kids, handing out stickers, taking selfies with neighborhood kids, or rescuing animals from the perils of human civilization. These small acts of kindness, alone will not improve the quality of life. They are acute acts of relationship building and if sustained can help to…
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Dangers in police work are inherent to the job function itself. But, as Cops—We make our jobs as dangerous as we want. Sometimes this can get you killed or seriously injured. Other times, we do things that are really just stupid. I certainly was not immune to this. From nearly getting struck with exploding bullets in the evidence room, almost crash…
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Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)—Hostage Rescue.
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SWAT- Hostage Rescue is not for the weak at heart. Life and death is the reality of our job. Mistakes are unacceptable. Perfection in every aspect is trained upon and expected. Welcome to our world. But is that the whole story? Now, as a Police Officer I wanted to take my tactics to the next level and become what we call: "A Ten Percenter." Those O…
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Honor Guard: The Tears Behind Our Glasses
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"When a police officer is killed, it's not an agency that loses an officer it's an entire nation." - Chris Cosgriff, ODMP founder. On April 18, 2011 Officer Eric Zapata, the first City of Kalamazoo officer was murdered in the line of duty. The city and department lost an officer by a suspects bullet. But for me, I lost a friend and a partner on the…
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Always be respectful of other people's differences. Police Officers must be completely neutral in their feelings and beliefs to effectively enforce the law in a fair and objectively way. Anything else is an abuse of power and a violation of your oath of office. In this chapter I discuss all aspects of how and why a Police Officer must embrace the b…
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Ever been in a riot? Probably not. The media portrays "Cops in riot gear" as some type of "show of force" and "inciting". Well, they could not be anymore wrong. Crimes of public disorder range from peaceful demonstrations of citizens exercising their freedom of speech, but in some cases these large gatherings turn into a violent and destructive mec…
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My career was spent primarily as a road patrol officer. The majority of my road patrol duties consisted of traffic law enforcement. Traffic law enforcement has simply one primary goal: "Save Lives". However, traffic violations result in much more than just pulling people over and writing tickets. Remember, a cop is a hunter. Looking deeper, and far…
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Firefighting and the Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
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"There is nothing more powerful than the heart of a volunteer." —Franklin D. Roosevelt You never forget your first dead person. So, make sure you change your smoke detector batteries, check your home fire extinguishers, and review your home and work situations to ensure you do not have any fire hazards in these areas of responsibility. Kalamazoo Pu…
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The realities of criminal patrol are explained and detailed throughout this chapter. In addition, I have included tactical tips and survival strategies to help keep Police Officers alive while on patrol. The entire book is available in paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook from Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Audible.com, and iTunes.com www.roberttodd.c…
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Out of the Darkness and into the Blue, Chapter Two: "Death in Rural America". For 16 years I served as an EMT and Firefighter with the Lawrence Township Quick Response Team and Fire Department. In this 36 square mile township in S.W. Michigan was where I witness some of the most destructive death experiences as a first responder. All across America…
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March 4, 1990 I was nearly killed in the line of duty. Chapter one is where I tell you the story of Juan Rico and how he nearly murdered me. Have you ever been beaten to death? Well, you'd be dead if you were. I was nearly there and had to make a life and death decision to fight with all my energy or be killed. What were my options? Back in 1990 th…
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I really thought I was about to be killed. Police Officers train for the most deadly confrontation, but you are never really prepared when it strikes. Without warning, out of the blue, and with no regard for time and space. YOU, not matter who you are must always be ready to fight for your life! Read or listen to the entire book today and save your…
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