Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40Order your own MONTHLY subscription today. Call 1-800-234-0056 or go to www.apbweb.com T H E V O I C E O F T H E N A T I O N ’ S L A W E N F O R C E M E N T C O M M U N I T Y MARCH 2016 VOLUME XXIII NO. 3 ➤ PRICE $4.95 ➤ www.APBweb.com 33 10 APB’s Top 10 List 16 Opinion Editorial 34 In the Line of Duty Inside News You Can Use WORDS If you’re an expert witness for the prosecution, choosing words carefully makes all the difference. PLUS . . . 22 DISAGREEMENT In at least one state, chiefs and sheriffs have taken opposite sides in a debate on open carry. 09 UoF RESTRICTED As is frequently the case, a massive payout in a lawsuit has led to an adjustment in use of force policy at a law enforcement agency. AP Wide World Photo by Mark Nichols Here’s the thing about social me- dia – it’s been great for agencies and not so great for individual officers. If you want to know how to stay out of trouble as an individual, even loss-of-employment level trouble, just Google “police Facebook con- troversy.” But if you want to know how to use social media effectively, look no fur- ther than the Bangor, Maine Police Department’s Facebook page. So what’s the Bangor PD’s secret? His name’s Sgt. Tim Cotton. Cotton’s the kind of guy who un- derstands that good-natured humor is a valuable weapon in the battle for hearts and minds in the PR wars. The Duck of Justice Sgt. Tim Cotton runs the most popular police Facebook page in the US Politically correct or fired? by Jose Torres There’s always been some confu- sion about whether or not sheriff’s deputies are government workers. But thanks to a recent (and quite frankly, shocking) decision from the North Carolina State Supreme Court, we now know the answer is a definite “no.” The state Supreme Court recently upheld the firings of sheriff’s depu- ties who would not donate money to their boss’s political campaign for re-election as sheriff. The court ruled that deputies in North Carolina aren’t covered by a state law protecting county workers from political coercion and retalia- tion. The justices agreed with a lower court’s ruling that deputies work directly for the sheriff. Since sher- Continued on page 12 by Cynthia Brown In June last year a white man went into a black church in Charleston, South Carolina and opened fire as people were attending a prayer meeting. Nine people were killed including the pastor. The suspect, Dylann Roof, was ar- rested the following day. The horrific act of violence came at a time when people across the country were protesting a series of controversial police shootings. The police were preparing for the worst. Skip Holbrook has been the chief of the Columbia P.D. since 2014. He says his officers have gained a lot of Keeping the peace Continued on page 30 It’s not every day a heavyweight trauma surgeon signs on as a reserve officer, but that’s what Dr. Kenji Inaba just did. See page 36. Continued on page 28 A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHASE. Officer Martin Donohue of the Grand Junction, Colo- rado Police Dept. tries to divert three horses on the loose. Officer Donohue responded to the scene after the horses were reported galloping west on a busy four-lane road. (Gretel Daugherty/Grand Junction Sentinel via AP)