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Copyright 2006 Albuquerque Journal

By T.J. WILHAM
Albuquerque Journal

Every time he stops a car, officer John Garcia makes sure his hand is close to his gun. "The dangers of the job are by far increasing," Garcia said. "Month by month, it is increasing. I see it on the streets, and I think people see it even sitting in their living rooms."

A year ago, while on patrol, Garcia stopped a suspected drunken driver and a shootout ensued between the driver and Garcia and fellow officer Josh Otzenberger,

Otzenberger was shot in the neck, and Garcia was hit in the chest and the mouth. Both survived.
The suspect died after the officers returned fire.

Otzenberger and Garcia were among six law enforcement personnel in Bernalillo County to be shot in a year's time. Three of those officers lost their lives.

A Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office helicopter pilot was shot in the leg and has left the department. Garcia and Otzenberger do their jobs with visible scars.

Bernalillo County Sheriff Deputy James McGrane Jr. was killed March 22 during a traffic stop involving a suspect wanted for murder. Albuquerque police officers Richard Smith and Michael King were killed last August while trying to pick up a mentally ill man.

The problem isn't limited to Albuquerque. Otero County Sheriff Deputy Robert Walter Hedman was killed last year while responding to a domestic violence call.

According to FBI statistics, in 2004 - the most recent available - New Mexico had 23 officers assaulted by a firearm.

Based on figures for other states, that gives New Mexico the eighth-highest rate in the country.

Toby Gallegos, Albuquerque Fraternal Order of Police president, said people just don't respect law enforcement like they once did and are more will- ing to attack officers.

"This is the worse I have seen in my 20 years in law enforcement," Gallegos said. "I don't know if there is anything more that can be done to keep us safe other than a lot of praying."

Federal law enforcement officials say culture, region and environment may play a role.

Nationwide, firearm assaults against officers increased in 2004 - the most since 1998.

Since 2001, 12 officers in New Mexico have been killed in the line of duty. Half of them died as a result of gunfire. Throughout the nation, 31 percent of the 902 officers killed in the past five years have been shot.

As of Wednesday, 44 officers in the United States had been killed so far this year. Fourteen of them died as a result of gunfire.

Nationally, about four out of every 1,000 officers were assaulted by a firearm in 2004. In what the FBI classifies as the Mountain region, which includes New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona, six in every 1,000 officers were assaulted.

Western states have more liberal gun laws, a federal official said, and sentences for gun law violations have been less strict.

"People here believe in their right to bear arms and have the tendency to overlook that firearms are really dangerous," said Wayne Dixie, special agent in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Albuquerque office. "There has to be a stronger message sent. In a lot of these cases, the suspect simply had a firearm. We are not just talking about safety for local law enforcement. We are talking about public safety."

Officer safety is constantly trained at the academies.

Training such as how officers talk, where they put their weapons and how they approach a vehicle during a traffic stop is designed to protect them.

Garcia returned to work about three months after the Downtown shootout. He said he is more cautious, confident of his training and aware of his surroundings.

"When it is my time, it is my time," Garcia said. "I know God is out there watching over me." Timeline

March 7, 2002 - Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deputy Shaun Sanchez, just a few months out of training, pulled over a 16-year-old boy for a traffic violation. During the stop, the boy shot Sanchez in the face with a .22 handgun, and Sanchez shot back, firing between nine and 11 times. The boy survived. Sanchez returned to work months later. He is still a deputy. Albuquerque police Sgt. Carol Oleksak, a 15-year veteran, was shot once in the head and once in the torso after responding to a call about a suspicious male near Central and Girard. The shooter, Duc Mihn Pham, who had a history of mental illness, was killed several blocks away. Police say Pham knocked Oleksak down, grabbed her gun and shot her.

July 7, 2003 -

Dec. 18, 2004 - Otero County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Hedman was shot and killed as he and Sgt. Billy Anders responded to reports of a shooting at a house occupied by Earl Flippen near Cloudcroft. Anders later pleaded guilty to killing Flippen at close range, after learning that Flippen had killed his friend and fellow officer, Hedman.

March 25, 2005 - Officers John Garcia, 35, and Josh Otzenberger, 25, each suffered gunshot wounds and were hospitalized following a Downtown shootout that erupted during a traffic stop. Suspect Scott McMyne, 25, was killed. At the time, McMyne was described by police as a fugitive. Several weeks later, both officers returned to work.

August 6, 2005 - Bernalillo County Sheriff's pilot Chris Holland was shot in the leg while flying the department's helicopter. He survived his injuries but never returned to work. A deputy riding with him was uninjured. The helicopter was hovering over the Desert Greens Golf Course in Paradise Hills assisting with a burglary investigation.

Aug. 18, 2005 - Albuquerque police officers Michael King and Richard Smith were shot and killed while they were trying to pick up a mentally ill man and take him to the hospital. That man, John Hyde, was later arrested on suspicion of killing both officers and three other people.

March 22, 2006 - Bernalillo County Sheriff's Deputy James McGrane was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Tijeras. After a 13-day manhunt, police arrested Michael Paul Astorga, 29, in connection with McGrane's killing.

JAELYN DEMARIA/JOURNAL Albuquerque police officer John Garcia, who was injured in a shootout last year, says he is more cautious when making traffic stops.
Officer Josh Otzenberger Shot March 25, 2005 Back on duty
Officer Richard Smith Shot and killed Aug. 18, 2005
Deputy Shaun Sanchez Shot March 7, 2002 Back on duty
Sgt. Carol Oleksak Shot July 7, 2003 Back on duty
Officer John Garcia Shot March 25, 2005 Back on duty
Sheriff's pilot Chris Holland Shot August 6, 2005 Resigned
Officer Michael King Shot and killed Aug. 18, 2005
Deputy James McGrane Jr. Shot and killed March 22, 2006






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