Last night, a superlative Lincoln police officer, Det. Sgt. Mike Garnett, was honored by his peers at the annual Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee Conference in Kearney, Nebraska. This is the premier law enforcement conference in our State. I missed it, due to commitments in Washington, DC early this week, and a 0530 training session I am teaching today.
It pains me to miss the surprise. Mike Garnett is one of the officers who I most admire. Serving this community for 38 years, he has given the best years of his life to the citizens of Lincoln. Mike was honored for his work as a key member of the Lincoln/Lancaster County Narcotics Task Force, and a multitude of complex inter-jurisdictional cases he has shepherded to successful conclusions. He has served for many years in the Narcotics Unit, coordinating countless investigations of drug trafficking from first tip to final disposition. His ability to coordinate complex cases is legendary. He is simply a prosecutor's dream come true: organized, succinct, credible, forthcoming,and--above all, scrupulously honest.
I've admired Mike Garnett for 37 years. As a 20-year old trainee, I recognized him as someone I should aspire to be like. We served together on the ASAP squad.: Alcohol Special Action Program: a squad of six officers dedicated to DWI enforcement, at a time when drunk driving was viewed as humorous, rather than deadly. Mike (along with Barry Rogers) taught me the craft of detecting drunk drivers, and removing them from the road before they killed someone.
There have been many samples at 37 degrees centigrade through the Porapak P column and the flame-ionized detector over the past four decades, Mike. You've saved a lot of lives during your career. Most do not realize or appreciate the fact that they are alive today because of what you did, but many others understand that you interrupted a trajectory that leads inevitably to the premature grave and a quick ticket to the Hot Place. I've had the opportunity to participate in just a little of that, but you for far longer, and for far more people. They owe you a debt of gratitude
Congratulations, not just on this award from the LECC, but on what you have accomplished as a police officer and a man.
Friday, May 20, 2011
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8 comments:
I haven't seen Mike for a good 20 years but he was one of the reasons I considered law enforcement as a career.
Congratulations Mike!
Thirty-seven years, that's a long time. As a Narcotics officer I'm willing to bet that Bullock & Jones (two names that struck fear in hippie hearts of the 70s) had something to do with his training in the field.
not to take away from his shining moment, but with all the drug work he has done over the years, has it actually made a difference? are we in a better spot now? what is the correlation between the budgets of the past in regards to caseload compared to today? any new challenges that have arisen over the years that weren't there before?
No wonder you guys can't solve any real crimes without the citzens help/tips, your to busy patting each other on the back all the time.
5:01
You need to take an English class.
Anonymous 5:01 pm:
That's really not fair. The whole point about this post/blog is because Garnett DOES his job and he does it damn well. Didn't you understand the article? Go back and read it; he catches the bad guys, prevents crimes and is one heck of a great guy, too. I'm proud to say I know him.
Guess nobody gives you kudos for anything. With an attitude like yours, I can see why.
5:01,
Allow me to put this in words you might understand--
MIKES IN UR BASE KILLIN UR DOODZ
Hope that helps.
7:52,
Thanks for the clarification. Mike certainly deserves awards for killing people.
Peace
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