Commander Mike Madden, First Responder, San Bernardino

Commander Mike Madden, an administrative commander, found himself first on scene.  He rarely leaves his desk.  

It was something we train for, but you are never prepared for it.  I could hear in our dispatcher's voice, this was a real event.  We have an active shooter.  I was nearby, about a mile, just out of pure luck that I happened to pull in to the right location, just south of the building where this tragedy took place.  I was informed this was the right location and I asked for officers to respond.

We wanted to get in there and we wanted to stop any innocent people for being killed.  There was an approximate 2-minute time gap until responding officers arrived.  

There were victims obviously deceased outside the conference room.  I related that to other responding officers.  

It was unspeakable, the carnage we were seeing, are seeing, the number of people injured, and unfortunately already dead and the pure panic on the faces of those who needed to be safe.  

The officer said it was difficult to pass up people in dire need of medical aid, but it had to be done.  Until the threat had been eliminated, it was not wise for any first responder to help victims until the threat was minimized.

The officer did not know Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik had committed unspeakable acts and was now running.

The officer continued:

Probably 50 people responded past us and out the doors.  I was very glad to see in a very short period of time there were other responders.  We were able to form tactical teams.  I was able to fall back in a supervisory role.

We absolutely believe there was another shooter.  We were getting information from multiple callers.  We were not sure how many shooters we had.  We were told 2 shooters may have left in a black vehicle but there was the smell of fresh gun powder and we were told there might be more shooters.

It was a little surreal.  Yet, I did the job I was supposed to do.  People don't call the police because they are having a good day, they call because there is a tragedy.  

How did you calm people down?  "You have to be clear in your orders.  The initial 50 people did not want to come to us.  That heightened my fear the suspects may have been in the hallway holding them hostage.  We can't panic in these situations.  A few started coming and then all came.

It was extremely loud.  There were fire alarms going off.  The moans and wails...and the sprinkler system was going off at the same time.

Our team did not find any explosive devices.  There was a Christmas tree in there.  All of the tables were decorated for a holiday party.  It was so senseless.

I have tried to make a point with the officers I knew who were in with us, it was truly overwhelming to see all the agencies that got here.  No one hesitated.  They knew what their job was, to bring a little calm.  I think we will all work through this (the trauma) together.

We have taken a lot of hits lately, some justified, much of it not justified.  It takes a toll.  It takes a toll on all cops.  No cop comes into this job with the thought, now I have total power to be corrupt.  
Every officer I am encountering right now is getting the same kind of positive support.  There is support of law enforcement.

It was pretty clear when we knew we had an active shooter and the amount of carnage, this was not a rogue individual.

True heroes who rather than act like celebrities, were just doing their jobs, is the best description of the men and women from multiple agencies who went to rescue innocent citizens from the twisted logic of mentally deranged people. People always appreciate their officers, but sometimes it may not seem like it when the officers are intent on writing tickets or enforcing ancient laws.  During times like these, everyone is grateful for the hard job agents do to help keep the peace. 

Traveling With Tim Paynter, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

A Conference To Prevent Abuse, Don't Miss This!

Undocumented Immigrant Sentenced For Illegal Re-entry

Mexican national sentenced for illegally reentering US after deportation

HARTFORD, Conn. July 14, 2014 — A Mexican national was sentenced Monday to 30 months in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States after being deported. Marcos Martinez Gutierrez, age 43, was identified through the ICE Secure Communities Program after his arrest by Norwalk, Connecticut police. The sentence is the result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Gutierrez allegedly was removed three times. His most recent deportation was in June of 2011, according to an ICE press release. Gutierrez violated U.S. law in several aspects. He has four convictions for DUI, three convictions for possession of narcotics, two convictions for assault against his girlfriend, one conviction for patronizing a prostitute and one conviction for criminal impersonation. He also has two convictions for illegal entry into the U.S. He appears to have an addiction problem and might respond to therapy if he got the chance. It does not appear as if that chance will be forthcoming.

Gutierrez has been in custody since March 3, 2013. In July 2013, he was sentenced in Connecticut state court to three years of incarceration for possession of narcotics and criminal impersonation.

On April 14, 2014, Martinez-Gutierrez pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of illegal reentry of a removed alien. U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson sentenced Martinez-Gutierrez to 30 months in federal prison. The judge could have ordered Martinez-Gutierrez to serve consecutive sentences for his state and federal guilty pleas, but instead ordered the undocumented immigrant to serve one sentence, and then the second for a total time in prison of 6 years.

Some advocates for national security encourage immigration reform that would give people like Martinez-Gutierrez one final chance and allow them to remain in the U.S. with family, friends and relatives. This group argues it is better to identify all undocumented people in the U.S., to keep families together (family values), and to not interrupt business activity, while helping to balance the budget through fines.

 A more popular version of immigration reform denies the benefit of identification of all persons and would favor the deportation of people found guilty of most crimes, like Martinez-Gutierrez. Still others, including Speaker of the House (U.S. House of Representatives) John Boehner, wish to forgo the opportunity to identify at least 40% of the people in the country by blocking immigration reform all together.

Presumably, ICE says they are focusing on deporting violent criminals. However, what ICE says they plan to do and what they are actually doing often varies. However, if ICE only deports violent criminals, they destabilize Mexico by dumping these persons on the border, where they are forced to join gangs. Their presence has made the border a very dangerous place. 

 Most people are convinced, if a person must be incarcerated, that person would be better guarded in the U.S. Most criminal aliens adopted their criminal ways in the U.S. hence are a U.S. problem. That problem should not be deported to another country where the person is placed in high risk situations for re-offending, and causing destabilization in their native country, and eventually, in the U.S.  American lives come into play when soldiers are sent to guard the border, with the border patrol and for those Americans who are sent to countries made less stable though the U.S. deportation policy.

The Secure Communities program has caused friction between ICE and local law enforcement. ICE often makes promises it later refuses to keep in order to convince governors to enter into the secure communities program.  Local governments pay for the time inmates are held for ICE pick-up, a cost that belongs to the federal government.  ICE initially agrees to only use the program for serious criminal offenders, but then uses the program to deport people who are not guilty of any crime, or only minor crimes.

Every country has a right to protect itself. Deportation policy becomes sticky in this regard. Agencies charged with protecting national security seek to identify and remove immigrants who break the law. However, that removal leaves a family without a provider, a child without a parent, and the inevitable cycle of school yard to prison yard a sure path for repetition. It is not that children of immigrants are more likely to be offenders.  Rather, 70% of all males incarcerated come from single parent families.  

Even those charged with enforcing immigration law sometimes get caught in dead end jobs in the deportation industry, like some who become private guards in for-profit prisons, including Aurora, Colorado's GEO Group. At the end of the rainbow, there are no winners, including the American people.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Krishna R. Patel and Carolyn A. Ikari.

Denver Civil Rights Groups Furious Over House Immigration Disaster

No More Words and Empty Promises

CIRC Calls for Immediate End to Deportations and Maximum Relief and Protection for Immigrant Families

Senator Micheal Bennet

Washington, D.C. / Denver, CO: Today, President Obama announced that the House Republican leadership informed him directly that they will not pursue a vote on comprehensive immigration reform legislation in 2014. The President stated that he has asked his administration to deliver proposals for executive actions on immigration by the end of summer.

The President said:

"If Congress will not do their job, at least we can do ours. I expect the recommendations before the end of the summer, and I intend to adopt those recommendations without further delay."

The following is a statement by Caroline Casteel, Board President of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC):

After years of struggle to defend against unjust deportations and to keep our families together, we welcome the President's public commitment to pursue executive and administrative immigration reforms. However, the time for more announcements and declarations has long past. Our families and communities are deeply disillusioned and angry by the many promises broken by Congress and the Obama Administration.

#not1more .@bennet.senate.gov #NotOneMore http://t.co/897ZROQQnz
— Tim Paynter (@immigrants2bfre) June 30, 2014

Immigration reform has failed again, and unjust deportations and family separations have reached deplorable record numbers.


Meanwhile, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet called on the President to "use His Legal Authority to Ease the Burden on Businesses, Workers, Families".

We call on the President to follow today's announcement with swift, bold, and aggressive executive action to provide the most immediate and beneficial relief and protections possible. For our communities, this is the test through which we will remember and judge President Obama and his administration. We expect him to act on the right side of history and move forward to take the moral and urgent step of ending terrible family separations.

"The Colorado immigrant rights movement will not stop working and fighting until we win permanent relief and protections, both through the strongest immediate executive actions possible, and through more comprehensive legislation in the future" a CIRC spokesperson said.

"We pledge to continue to work to mobilize our communities to the voting polls this November to hold Congress accountable for their failure to pass immigration reform and to demonstrate the pro-immigrant values that define Colorado's electorate," CIRC continued.

Frankly, this appears to be an example of polarization which cost Republicans heavily in the last election.  While many pundits blamed the Republican loss on the failure of immigration reform, voters were really expressing their rage at the refusal of both parties, but especially the Republican party, to come to the table with rational compromises.  Meanwhile, tax payers and citizens continue to pay a huge price for the vitriol expressed through a representative system that appears to be failing to represent the greatest minority, a hallowed goal of democracy.

No Hay Prensa No Hay Libertad No Press No Freedom

Ft. Hood Shooting Not First, Authorities Hope It Is The Last

Heroic Efforts By Base Law Enforcement Stopped Further Loss

The shooter has been named as Ivan Lopez.  An investigation has been launched.  The shooter self reported asking for help with likely depression and PTSD or a traumatic brain injury.  He has served as active duty in a war zone.  The evaluation was "in process".  

Once news of the shooting reached base police, a female base police officer found and confronted the shooter.  At that time, the shooter took his own life.  Up to 16 victims were injured, according to reports.