18 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JULY 2017 I n the old days, most folks in law enforcement would reserve most of their hostility related to the legal system for defense attorneys and judges per- ceived as liberal. But for a variety of reasons, it seems that these days many law enforcement leaders are having a hard time getting along with top prosecutors. One such case is playing out in Nashville, Tennes- see. The acrimony between the police chief and district attorney has gotten so bad the mayor’s now playing referee. Mayor Megan Barry re- cently chastised the city’s top two law enforcement officials at a press conference. Her message was that the war of words between Nash- ville Police Chief Steve An- derson and District Attorney Glenn Funk simply has to stop. Barry also told report- ers that she has ordered the police department to stop issuing reports on offi- cer-involved shootings until criminal investigations into the officer’s actions are con- ducted first. The mayor’s comments came on the heels of a media- tion between the chief and the DA that lasted only 30 minutes. “From time to time, there will be disagreements be- tween them, and I think that’s true of many components of government, but we need to make sure that we’re work- ing together to make sure our citizens are safe,” Barry said. “I’ve asked that we stop the war of words that the district attorney and Nashville Police officials have engaged in. They need to communicate more and they need to coop- erate more.” The top cop and the pros- ecutor have been at each other’s throats in a conflict that has attracted national attention. The beef is playing out against the backdrop of a high-profile case of Jocques Clemmons,anAfrican-Amer- ican man who was fatally shot in February by a white police officer, Joshua Lippert, after Clemmons ran through a stop sign, according to the Tennessean newspaper. According to an article from the Tennessean, Barry said it “would have been more appropriate” for Funk and his team to discuss what Funk and his deputy pros- ecutor said was a possible appearance of bias in a po- lice report with the chief or the mayor before they went public with their concerns at a press conference. At that press conference, the DA said he wasn’t going to prosecute the officer. Barry also said it was wrong for Chief Anderson to issue what she called a “harsh letter” to Deputy District At- torney Amy Hunter on the matter. “It was inappropriate for Chief Anderson to do that, and I have told him that,” Barry said. “These issues should be directed toward me. So on behalf of Metro Nashville, I want to apologize to General Hunter. I have directed Chief Anderson to discuss any correspondence of this nature to me in the future.” Anderson’s letter to the deputy DA was almost per- sonal. “Your account was, at best, a misstatement of the facts,” Anderson wrote to Hunter. “This was especially trou- bling in that you were, PRI- OR to this event, furnished with an explanation as to why and how this report was compiled.” “You are well aware that the Nashville PD continued this investigation for a num- ber of days after the event,” he wrote. “Second, you are aware, or should be aware, through your day to day du- ties, that investigations are almost never ‘completed.’ There is almost always ad- ditional information to gather up to, and during, a trial.” Can’t we all just get along? S omeone once de- scribed patrol work as “Months of bore- dom punctuated by moments of terror.” And it’s not just confronta- tions with armed suspects or hair-raising and high-speed vehicle pursuits that get the adrenaline pumping. In Illinois recently Wau- conda Police Officer Chris Gallivan responded to a call about a car wreck. Gallivan arrived on the scene and saw a Dodge Charger in flames. The ve- hicle had crashed into a tree head on, causing massive damage – and the driver was in deep trouble. The vehicle fire was rag- ing and Gallivan knew he couldn’t get to the driver. He grabbed his fire extin- guisher and managed to get the flames down to the point where he could access the vehicle. While the fire was tem- porarily subdued, Galli- van saw the unconscious male inside the vehicle. The door was jammed, so Chris had to pry it open. He cut the seatbelt and got the man away from the burning vehicle. Then he saw the injuries – mul- tiple fractures and lacerations. The guy was hemor- rhaging and in serious danger of bleeding to death. Gallivan quickly used a tourniquet to stop the bleed- ing. The 28-year- old victim was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville (the victim was still in ICU at the time this was written but at least he’s got a chance). Wauconda Police officials say the single vehicle crash with one occupant was likely the result of excessive speed but the investigation into the accident is ongoing. So hats off to Chris Gal- livan for his bravery and quick thinking under pres- sure. And let’s hear it for Chris’s boss, Chief David A. Wermes, for putting this save on the radar. Not every boss tries to make sure that their people get the credit they deserve after an incident like this. A proud chief – David Wermes (left) – with his hero Officer Chris Gallivan from the Wauconda Police Dept. in Illinois. Ya did real good out there tonight, Chris