McLean, VA (November 25, 2025) - On the afternoon of November 1, 1950, two Puerto Rican nationalists seeking independence for their island from U.S. control, launched an attack on Blair House where President Truman was living while the White House was under renovation. Their goal was to either kidnap or assassinate the President to draw international attention to their cause. Standing guard was Private Leslie Coffelt, a 40-year-old officer of the White House Police (later renamed the Uniformed Division of the U.S. Secret Service). As the attackers opened fire, Private Coffelt was struck three times and mortally wounded. Yet in those final moments, he summoned the strength to return fire. With a single, precise shot to the head from 31 feet away, he killed one of the assailants, ending the assault and protecting the President. Two other members of the White House Police, Donald Birdzell and Joseph Downs, were also wounded in the incident, but both survived. Later, when honoring Private Coffelt with a plaque at Blair House, President Truman called him “one of the most pleasant officers on the force—and one of the ablest.” Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (November 18, 2025) - On July 24, 1998, a mentally deranged man drove from Montana to Washington, D.C. with death and destruction on his mind. He was carrying a .38 caliber revolver and thoughts clouded by delusion. At 3:40 p.m., he set off the metal detector at the Document Door on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol. When Capitol Police Officer Jacob “J.J.” Chestnut asked him to step back through, the crazed killer pulled his gun and shot the 58-year-old officer point-blank in the back of the head. The man then ran deeper into the Capitol. Det. John Gibson heard the gunfire. He was protecting the office of then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay. He told staffers to hide under their desks. When the man burst through the office door, Det. Gibson confronted him. He was shot in the chest and mortally wounded, but he was able to return fire, striking the man multiple times and stopping the attack. A nation mourned for their heroic sacrifice, and Officer Chestnut and Det. Gibson became the first police officers to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (November 11, 2025) - On July 17, 1975, two Florham Park, New Jersey, police officers—Patrolman Robert Hauptman and Det. Francis “Frank” Dailey Jr.—were killed in an airplane crash while returning from a reconnaissance flight searching for a marijuana crop. They were close to landing when their airplane stalled and then clipped a tree. They crashed to the ground and both officers were killed—50 years ago. In 1997, more than two decades later, a young Florham Park police sergeant named Patrick Montuore was concerned that too many people had forgotten about these two fallen heroes. Pat was determined to revive their memories, along with the memories of thousands of other officers who had died in the line of duty. He envisioned a powerful tribute: a 300-mile bicycle ride from Florham Park to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. He called it the Police Unity Tour. On that first ride in 1997, only 18 riders participated and they raised $18,000. The ride has grown every year since. This year, nearly 2,500 members participated and they donated $2.2 million to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Their total donations since 1997 have now surpassed more than $40 million. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (November 4, 2025) - On February 24, 1983, Albuquerque Police Officer Gerald “Jerry” Cline responded to a call at a low-rent motel. A man was threatening others with a rifle. Soon after he arrived on the scene, Officer Cline was ambushed and killed by a single rifle shot fired at point-blank range. His killer was soon arrested and sentenced to death—a sentence that was commuted to life imprisonment by an out-going governor. Jerry was a husband and father of three children. Jerry’s wife, Yolanda, transformed her grief into a force for healing. She became the national president of C.O.P.S. (the Concerns of Police Survivors) and helped thousands of families navigate the pain of losing a loved one in the line of duty. Yolanda once told a story about Jerry. He’d been in an officer-involved shooting a decade before he was murdered. Jerry suffered post-traumatic stress. He called the hospital every day to check on the condition of the man he shot. The story exemplified how tough the job can be, but more importantly it showed just how much officers care—even for those who would do them harm. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (October 28, 2025) - On August 14, 1958, San Francisco lost one of its own. Police Officer Barry Ronald Rosekind, just 30 years old, was killed in the line of duty while pursuing a speeding vehicle on his police motorcycle. His watch ended, but his legacy had only begun. Barry left behind his wife, Marilyn, and two young sons, Mark and Gary. Marilyn was one of the founders and longtime president of the Bay Area Law Enforcement Assistance Fund (BALEAF), an organization dedicated to support the families of fallen officers. Mark was only 3 years old when his father died, but the loss he suffered would become his inspiration. Decades later, Mark rose to become the Administrator of NHTSA (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), our nation’s leader in promoting safety on our roadways. During his tenure, Mark made officer traffic safety a top priority. But his focus expanded much further, doing everything he could to make sure fewer families would endure the loss of a loved one on our nation’s roadways. His leadership was described as aggressive and unrelenting. And there was good reason. Every initiative, every regulation, every public statement carried the echo of his father’s sacrifice. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (October 21, 2025) - Ashley Guindon once wrote in her high school yearbook, “Live for something rather than die for nothing.” It summed up the way she chose to live her life—why she became a Marine Corps Reservist and a Prince William County (VA) police officer. Her decision to become a police officer was, in part, a tribute to her father. He had once dreamed of joining the force himself. But he was injured in an accident and couldn’t pursue the career of his dreams. Ashley fulfilled that dream for him. Ashley was 28 when she was sworn in as a police officer. The very next day, February 27, 2016—her first shift on patrol—she responded to a domestic disturbance call in Lake Ridge, Virginia. Before officers arrived, a 32-year-old active-duty soldier fatally shot his wife. When Ashley and two fellow officers responded to the call, the man opened fire with a rifle. Ashley was killed and the other two officers were seriously wounded but survived. The murderer was arrested on the scene and is serving seven consecutive life terms in prison. Ashley’s tour of duty had lasted just one day. But her death did not end her story. At her funeral, her police chief, Steve Hudson, said, “Ashley will never leave you. Her strength will inspire you. Her passion and drive will keep you moving day in and day out.” Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (October 14, 2025) - Lt. Joseph Petrosino wasn’t just a New York City police officer—he was a trailblazer. Born in Italy, he immigrated to America as a child. He became the first Italian-speaking officer in the department’s history, and he quickly rose through the ranks. He founded the NYPD’s famed Italian Squad, a unit dedicated to investigating the Mano Nera, or Black Hand, a notorious extortion racket that operated primarily in Italian-American communities. Under his leadership, the squad cut Italian mafia crime by nearly 50 percent. On March 12, 1909, while on a secret mission in Palermo, Italy, he was assassinated by the criminals who feared him. His funeral in New York City drew more than 250,000 mourners. His methods—surveillance, undercover work, intelligence gathering—became the blueprint for modern policing. Joseph Petrosino is thought to be the first Italian-American police officer ever to die in the line of duty, and the only NYPD officer to be killed on foreign soil. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (October 7, 2025) - Christy Lynne Hamilton’s life-long dream was to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a Los Angeles police officer. But for many years that dream was put on hold while Christy raised her two children, Kelley and Steven. Finally, with her children grown, 45-year-old Christy Hamilton became a rookie police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. But on February 22, 1994, just four days after her graduation ceremony from the Police Academy, she was shot and killed responding to a domestic disturbance call. It was a little after one in the morning when Christy and other officers arrived on the scene. Suddenly, a hail of gunfire was raining down on them. Officer Hamilton was hit and, an hour later, she died at a nearby hospital. Her assailant was a habitual drug user who had murdered his father and then waited to ambush the police he knew would arrive. He then died by suicide. Christy’s father, retired Los Angeles Det. Ken Brondell, said later, “She would have worn [her badge] without arrogance. She didn’t want a badge to have authority; she wanted to go out and help people. It’s just too bad it got cut short.” Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (September 30, 2025) - On the afternoon of June 17, 2004, four Birmingham (AL) police officers went to arrest Nathaniel Woods on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. After confronting Woods inside an apartment, a struggle ensued and Woods broke free. Another man inside the home opened fire with a SKS semi-automatic rifle. The gunfire was relentless and Officers Carlos Owen, Charles Robert Bennett and Harley Chisholm III were killed. The fourth officer, Michael Collins, was saved when one of the bullets aimed at him struck only his holster. Woods and his accomplice, Kerry Spencer, were soon captured and ultimately convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Woods was executed in 2020 and Spencer remains on death row. Harley Chisholm, 40, was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had served for six years with the department. Carlos Owen was a seasoned veteran with over 26 years on the force. And Charles Bennett had served for eight years. All were deeply respected by their peers and their community. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com

McLean, VA (September 23, 2025) - By all accounts, Brian T. Gibson, 28, was a top cop, one of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s very finest. On a quiet winter night on February 5, 1997, this husband and father of two was sitting in his marked patrol car at a traffic light when a man walked up and fatally shot him four times at point-blank range. It was a senseless act of violence committed by a drunken man fueled with rage and out for revenge against police. Moments before the shooting, Brian’s killer had been ejected from a nearby nightclub by an off-duty D.C. police officer working security at the club. The man had been drinking heavily and became unruly in the club. After getting thrown out, the man became enraged and wanted to kill a cop—any cop. Officer Gibson was the first cop he saw and became his unsuspecting target. Within minutes, the assassin was arrested by police and he was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brian was survived by his wife, Tracie and two young children. In addition, he left behind a sister, Terrica, and his parents, Shirley and Harrison Gibson. Shirley became a beloved and inspirational figure in the law enforcement community. She served as the national president of the Concerns of Police Survivors and was a pillar of hope and support to thousands of others who lost a loved one in law enforcement service. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Citizens Behind the Badge communicates through Substack! Please share this post and encourage others to subscribe for free and hear about other law enforcement heroes.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit behindbadge.substack.com