water patrol

[Bill Babler]

I'm going to chime in here.  MSHP are way, way more Cowboys than any Water Patrol officer that I either served with or have known before or since.  This is coming from a guy ie me that not only was a MSWP officer, but also an instructor at the MSHP academy for 3 yrs.

There was a really good piece on the news last night here in SWMO about the cost of combining the two.  The fiscal yearly cost by the combination was to drop.  MSWP was running a yearly budget of 2.5 million.  This was supposed to drop to 1.25 million as Nixon proposed by combining the two agency. the budget had to be increased to 3.25 million or an increase of 3/4 million in 2015.  That is 3/4 million over the original budget and 2 million over Nixion's proposed operating expenses.  Most of this was due to logistics.  The majority was having a complete DUMB A-- for a governor that did absolutely no research and knew less than nothing about our water ways.

Without a doubt everyone associated with the water knows that the presence and really the professionalism and knowledge has plummeted completely off the table. 

In the 80's 90's and early 2000's MSWP was if not one of the best law enforcement organizations in the country.  Most every state sent people to Jefferson City to see and try and get a blue print on how to operate an on water safety and law enforcement agency.  Most were trying to do it with park rangers or game wardens and it was not working.  Missouri had it right, with an agency that was dedicated completely to on water rescue, recovery, safety and law enforcement.  No one anywhere had this.

The guy behind this was LT. Colonel Jack Reynolds  He built the water patrol, through years of on water service and knowing every aspect of on water law enforcement. safety and rescue.  This guy was one of my childhood hero's.  He worked our section of Lake of the Ozarks when I was a young kid and I followed him through out his career.  It was because of him that I became the 1st. college graduate to work for the water patrol.

This takes a very special breed of person to function on the water in this capacity.  Most every water patrol officer I knew or trained had a very extensive background in boating and water related business or sporting. They were brought up on the water as I was.  For cripes sakes the MSHP people they have stuck in boats for the most part are scared shirtless to be out there.  They can't drive a boat and have no idea what they are doing.  As had been stated they are way more interested in making minor traffic stops than working on public safety.  This is HWY Patrol training.  You are taught to look for the most minor violation to try to find a bigger one.  Safety was always the number 1 goal for MSWP, not seeing how much activity paper you could produce. and NO there is no quota.  There is activity, but activity is usually generated thru safety inspections and registration.  You don't enforce law the same on the water and on the highway.  Now they try to, but it is totally backward.

The lack of presence is also a major problem, by attrition.  The main focus is on land and not on the water, even under highly busy times. At one time I believe we got up to 84 officers but usually ran about 60.  14 on Lake of the Ozarks and 10 on Table Rock.  I cannot say I know the number now, but I'm guessing on a holiday weekend state wide There are less than 30.  On the major holiday weekends on Lof O alone, we would bring in officers from all points of the state had have as many as 20 patrolling.

The defense for allowing the incarcerated person to drown will be lack of education and proper training by the officer.  It is the first time in the History of the water patrol that it has every been sued.  Our representative here is Don Phillips a retired MSHP.  He said last night that this thing is completely broken and that HWY Patrolmen have no business in boats on the water.  Not there deal and they have not had the training that the MSWP had.

Nixon had taken a agency that was revered throughout the country and turned it into an embarrassment for the state of Missouri.

[MOPanfisher]

Wish I could lime that more than once Bill.

[Old plug]

BILL--- I was told by someone inside atvthe time of the drowning they only had 8  on the lake. And after the drowning 5 or 6 of them were all sitting tied together watching the dragging. 

Piercy had a aloft artitude amd I can necer remember seeing him with a smaile on his face. You could ask him a valid question amd youbwould feel like yo were imposing on him.

I meant what I said about HE should not have been wearing the uniform.

[Bill Babler]

Plug, did not know the officer in which you speak of.  As you know, there are folks in every job that should not be there.  You make any job better for being there or worse it all depends on you.  Don't know what he could have done as far as the FAA, or if there were any violations.  Never had to enforce or even thought of ever enforcing flight rules.  Had pretty much more than I could handle just enforcing state and federal law on the pond.

[Old plug]

bIILL I was not complaining I was concerned.  I spent 6 1/2 yra on the flight deck of a carrier. I just was making a small comment  in passing. i wish you could have seen the shinanigans. They would  take of and land right in boat traffic they would fly in just about anywhere and let people off on there docks. Taxi out and roar down the lake and take off. This on weekends.

There was Helicopters  as well.  One time time one of the planes came around a point by the house real low. above  him was one of those helos flying together about 50 ft ft over him.  Just made my hair stamd on end. I expected the helo to steal the plane lift. That would have been the end.

[dtrs5kprs]

The prevailing culture around LOZ does not make things any easier, regardless of which agency is in charge of enforcement. No offense intended, but a lot of the area is pretty much hellbent on making as much scratch as possible off of bad judgment, excess consumption, and moral turpitude. Have to really feel for the good folks who do live there, and work there. 

[merc1997 Bo]

thanks for sharing bill.  even though i have butted heads with the water patrol at times, and i turned out to be right with my complaints, the missouri water patrol, in the past, have been out there looking out for our best interests.  as with any organization, you can have a few bad apples in the bunch.

we have all witnessed first hand just how far out of order the lake has become without their presence on the lake.  with the amount of usage on the lake, and the even bigger amount of unqualified boat operators, we most definitely need them on the water full time.  much of what we have operating water craft on the lake could be compared to student drivers without qualified supervision on board.  that means the supervisors, being the water patrol, need to be on the water on every part of the lake during high usage hours.

i will be glad when the water patrol is again its own entity and there is some order and safety restored to the lake.

bo

[Jim Elam]

On January 6, 2016 at 6:53 PM, Champ188 said:

If you want to see them, just enter a tournament out of Kimberling City. They'll be out there in the predawn hours, nosing around trying to catch someone with a burnt-out or flickering stern light, checking registrations, etc. Eight hours later when you're trying to get back to weigh-in and dodging OBVIOUS drunks in wake boats all the way --- you know, REAL safety hazards --- they're nowhere to be found.

Wow, that sounds a little like some of the traffic enforcement in the Springfield area.  They will pick off the people 7 miles over coming out of Millwood or Rivercutt at $150 a pop while folks have to dodge red light runners who are texting through the intersection at Campbell and Republic.  Gotta generate revenue, ya' know...

[Old plug]

On January 6, 2016 at 9:43 AM, MOPanfisher said:

My experience has been the exact opposite.  Every MSWP officer I have ever worked with from Captain down to patrolman have been the salt of the earth, it's been some of the MSHP guys that have had the attitude of "we are special".  Either way the combination was very poorly handled, the regular MSHP guys had no clue how to integrate water patrols into their way of doing things, and they had pretty well weeded out most of the experienceed WP guys who did understand how to do it.  The MSHP seemed to believe that driving a boat around was a cake job and literally anyone could do it, they have since learned differently.  Operating a large patrol boat of busy waterways or a small boat in flood conditions is not a simple job.  I get the privilege of having the MSHP do their swift water swim and boat training here below the dam.  It is a major learning experience for many of them and the instructors are VERY good operators.  I would think that the MSHP would certify officers for water duty sort of like SWAT program.

I certainly agree with you. But did you ever work with Piercy?? His bad reputation did not come form just this last thing. It started years ago  when he was a cop in Laurie. If they jogged there stearing wheel or crossed the centercline he would pull them over and say they were weaving or whatever. Keep in mind this was mostly in the dark and alway from a hidden position. He did this so frequently in three counties that it made people so nervous to the point they would not go there. It resulted in numerous complaints. How would you feel going somewhere and when you leave some patrolman comes out and get  up close behind you. I hit the center line with my tires on hwy O occasionally( I am a total Tea Totaler) do not  know anyone who hasnt .  If you were to drink 2 beers go out and  car and drive away you will test high for alcahol. i do not drink period. if not he give you  a ticket for whatever reason he alleaged. He had a reputaion that covered  three counties. He was harrassing taverns and people for patronizing those places.  I am very surprised they accepted him in the the Hwy Patrol. He had a aloft attitude that he believed himself. 

[fishinwrench]

I doubt seriously that the HP forced anyone to do WP duty.  If any of the troopers had indicated that they weren't comfortable out there then they would not have been there.  If you believe that you might be under-trained then the time to speak up about it is BEFORE you go out there hawking pubs and chasing people down.   The MOSHP doesn't just shrug off the concerns of the troopers I don't think.  It isn't the fault of the merger, it is the fault of a gung-ho cop trying to build a reputation that MADD smiles upon. 

To hear Piercy whine about how under trained he was is sickening and stupid.  Was he even qualified to do a safety check on a vessel ?   I bet he was.   And if he was then there is no excuse for the way he conducted Brandon's arrest, or any previous arrests he made while doing WP duty.   

If you listen to the recordings it is obvious that after watching a man struggle and drown the only thing Piercy was concerned about was himself and whether he was going to loose his job.   Zero remorse or compassion for a person that Piercy himself admitted was  friendly, compliant, and non combative. 

I'm so sore.  I'm so tired. The SD card is missing from the camera. I tried to save the basturd but my belt didn't inflate. Let me know if I still have a job tomorrow.  

Why the dept. allowed Piercy to throw them under the bus and then attempt to cover it up is beyond me.   The truly sad part is that you know darn well that this isn't the only time an officer caused death has happened and been covered up.   It has just been covered up SUCCESSFULLY before.