DETROIT, MI – General Motors is recalling nearly 6,300 police cars in the US because the electric power-assisted steering can fail. The recall covers Chevrolet Caprice Police Pursuit vehicles from the 2014 to 2016 model years. GM says corrosion on a connector causes the problem. If it happens, the cars still have manual steering, but that requires more effort to turn the wheels and increases the risk of a…
UNIVERSITY CITY, MO – Weeks after their workplace was condemned, University City police officers are asking a judge to remove them from the building immediately. The union representing most U-City police officers filed a petition for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. In its petition, the union states that officers “are suffering and will continue to suffer irreparable harm” due to “lack of action.” Attorney Greg Kloeppel represents…
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Capitol Police on Wednesday suspended the use of the department’s newly refurbished indoor firearms range in the Rayburn House Office building, a move the union said was taken because bullets fired at targets were bouncing back toward officers. Jim Konczos, chairman of the labor committee representing police officers assigned to the Capitol Hill force, said the range has been the subject of complaints since…
NEW HAVEN, CT – Stop us if you heard this one: A detective hops in his unmarked police car. En route to a call, his steering wheel comes off. Or maybe this one: A patrol officer makes a sharp turn at a corner and the computer inside his car goes swinging so wildly, that it whacks him and cuts his hand. These scenarios might sound like the start of…
TRENTON, NJ – Trenton’s firefighters will soon begin wearing bulletproof vests to protect themselves on the job when they double as medics. The vests were approved as part of the fire union’s new contract. The Trenton Emergency Medical Services have been wearing vests for years, but the firefighters have been the only first responders without them — even though they’re often the first to arrive on the scene of…
Police across Texas are bracing for a spike in 911 calls when the state’s open carry law takes effect Jan. 1 and panicked citizens start seeing handguns on people’s hips. “For a while we’ll be in a transition period, but it’s something everyone’s going to have to get used to,” said Lt. Pedro Barineau, a Garland police spokesman. Police will have to contend with the law’s gray areas that…
OAKLAND, CA – The Oakland Fire Department for years has filled staffing shortages by spending millions on overtime for existing employees, rather than hiring more firefighters and paramedics. But while that strategy has saved money, the department is now so understaffed that it’s been forced to reduce medical services in West Oakland and downtown, and union leaders say that reliance on overtime is forcing firefighters to work dangerously long…
DELRAY BEACH, FL – The president of the Palm Beach County firefighter’s union calling for big changes in Delray Beach. He says the city needs to shut down fire station 3 and rebuild it because it is causing health problems for the firefighters and paramedics stationed there. This comes two days after city leaders decided not to merge their fire department with the county. IAFF Local 2928 President Ricky…
A state police firearms instructor who accidentally shot and killed a fellow trooper is now facing a civil suit filed in U.S. District Court by the trooper’s family. Nearly a year ago, on Sept. 30, Richard Schroeter, was demonstrating a handgun for a class in Plymouth Township when he pointed the muzzle at Trooper David Kedra and squeezed the trigger. A bullet was in the chamber. Kedra, 26, later…
The preliminary cause of death for a state trooper who collapsed while trying out for the Vermont State Police Tactical Services Team in Jericho last week is listed as “exertional heatstroke,” according to his death certificate. Trooper Kyle D. Young, 28, of Monkton was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead about 3:10 p.m. Thursday. The manner of death is classified as…
SAN ANTONIO, TX – Some Texas firefighters are being told not to wear uniforms for fear of being targeted following a threat in Houston. Firefighters in San Antonio have been told to wear generic clothing on their way to work. They are not to wear San Antonio Fire Department polo shirts or other T-shirts with logos in light of recent attacks on first responders and police. The department heard…
LANSING, MI – Lansing firefighter Dennis Rodeman died after a hit-and-run driver intentionally ran him over while he was collecting funds at a “fill the boot” event to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, police said. “We believe that this was not an accident and that the actions of this individual were intentional,” Lansing Police Chief Michael Yankowski said. Firefighters were collecting donations at Jolly Road and Cedar…
DALLAS, TX – After the murder of Harris County Sheriffs Deputy Darren Goforth and others in law enforcement, the Dallas Police Association says officers and their families are in more danger than ever. In a letter to Chief David Brown, the DPA’s President Ron Pinkston urges the department to stop releasing the names of the officers involved in deadly force situations. The DPA says the department’s recent policy of…
CINCINNATI, OH – After months of complaints from the police union that too few officers were assigned to patrol city streets, Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell is moving 24 officers from special assignment to patrol in an effort to reduce shootings. The officers will move to District 2 and District 4, which cover 21 neighborhoods including Avondale and Madisonville, plus part of the University of Cincinnati campus. Fraternal Order…
Police officers in the Dallas Police Department are taking longer to respond to phone calls these days, and this is because the officers are mentally exhausted from going through intensive training. “The bottom line is response times are up, violent crime is up, and officers are fed up,” Ron Pinkston, the president of the Dallas Police Association, told CBS 11 News, according to CBS DFW. Plenty of the 3,000…
YONKERS, NY – Firefighters in Yonkers have had to relocate because their firehouse has been condemned and shut down. As CBS2’s Matt Kozar reported, the once bright red doors at the downtown Yonkers firehouse are peeling and some windows are boarded up. Firefighters knew fixes needed to be made, but say they had no idea how bad it really was. “So the fourth and third floors, there’s water intrusion…
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The local firefighter’s union president is concerned about an alarming trend in his ranks. Three of his members have committed suicide since December. International Association of Firefighters Local 22 president Joe Schulle said the latest are only the most recent. “There have been seven suicides over the last four years,” he said. “It’s a serious problem and obviously one where there are a lot of issues…
ORANGE COUNTY, FL – Firefighter Stephen “Shakey” Vanravenswaay was officially diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer Feb. 25, his wife’s birthday. Vanravenswaay, 42, did not see it coming. He has no family history of cancer. He thought the pain in his stomach was nothing severe. “That’s when they came out and said, ‘Nope, you have pancreatic cancer that’s spread to your liver,’” said Vanravenswaay, who’s been with Orange County…
Firefighters from across the state gathered in the State Capitol hallways Monday to decry the “slow death” of their bill to phase out what they say are cancer-causing flame retardants from household furniture and other goods. Representatives from the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters Union went so far as to light a couch aflame last week to demonstrate what they say are the harmful effects of flame retardant chemicals relative…
19 Action News|Cleveland, OH|News, Weather, Sports CLEVELAND, OH – Baltimore Firefighters were kept busy on Monday night fighting massive fires during the riots, but at one point, they became targets. Now Cleveland Firefighters are asking for extra precautions. “It’s concerning,” said Frank Szabo, president of the Association of Cleveland Firefighters. Cleveland Firefighters have been targets of violence in the past. “We responded to an active shooter scene just a…
TOLEDO, OH – A federal agency’s draft report on a suspected arson fire that killed two Ohio firefighters last year said that an inadequate water supply was among several factors that contributed to their deaths. The report also noted shortcomings in risk assessment, resource deployment and absence of a sprinkler system in the deadly Toledo blaze. A final report on the fire from the National Institute for Occupational Safety…
HARTFORD, CT – Hartford Fire Chief Carlos Huertas said his department is in the process of fixing work safety violations, Friday, after meeting with Officials from Connecticut’s Divisional Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday. In March, the department received five “serious” citations after a Connecticut OSHA investigation into the death of firefighter Kevin Bell. The department will have to pay a $4,000 penalty. The violations issued to the…
PORTSMOUTH, NH – City firefighter and union president Russ Osgood pushed for the Fire Commission to “develop a clear plan to notify and test employees, both past and present,” who have been exposed to contaminated water at the Pease International Tradeport. Osgood, both in a letter to the Fire Commission and in comments made at their Tuesday night meeting, referenced the cancer cases that have haunted the department. “We…
HYANNIS, MA – Several months ago, Vicki Yefko found herself unable to move properly. “I woke up one morning and wasn’t sure what was going on,” said Yefko, a firefighter/emergency medical technician with the Hyannis Fire Department. After being taken to the emergency room, and then an ear, nose and throat doctor, Yefko was diagnosed with vertigo as the result of ongoing sinus infections and migraines. Yefko believes her…
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