Blue Byline » Tacoma Police Department

Detective’s unshakable determination leads to cold case arrest

Brian O'Neill — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:56:10 +0000

When gunfire erupted in the Hilltop in 1988, Tacoma was then a city known only for its toxic aroma and an anemic economy. What citizens knew of gang violence came from news clips out of Los Angeles, where gangsters had descended like a plague years before.

Then came the drive-by shooting death of Bernard Houston on a Hilltop corner. His death was a harbinger of bad things to come. It would get worse before it got better.

In the 25 years since, the city’s fortunes have described an arc. First came the rapid descent into a maelstrom of gang violence …

Police standoffs are disruptive – alternative is much worse

Brian O'Neill — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:22:28 +0000

I was a cold, wet, hungry and tired rookie cop the night of my first standoff. I got the initial call, a domestic dispute, at 2AM, which was immediately upgraded when someone cranked off a few rounds. I flipped on the lights and sirens, floored the gas and was there in a couple of minutes.

I was the first on scene and, rather than knock on the door, I stopped and took cover. That’s when the mistakes started. First, I pulled directly in front of the house. Way too close, I realized and ran to the rear of my car and …

Recent killings have an invisible link: domestic violence

Brian O'Neill — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 01:06:29 +0000

“Some men you just can’t reach.” An excerpt from “Cool Hand Luke”

In past columns I have made the case that some criminals could have been steered away from crime had the mental health system not been dismantled. For all the money we spend incarcerating the mentally ill, not to mention drug addicts, there is certainly an argument that money could be better spent on preventive and long term care for these unfortunate souls.

But when the crime involves domestic violence, I make no such case. I have no pity for criminals who prey on their own family, who physically assault …

A little good news from the beat

Brian O'Neill — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:47:17 +0000

Sometimes scanning the news can be a real drag. Trauma, death and scandal seem to be the only competitors for the front page, leaving us to continually wonder why the big news is usually bad news.

It is a disturbing question that may say less about the media and more about us, the media consumers.

That fact is especially true if your daily bread is criminal justice. Incidents involving the police or the actions of specific officers are the type of news stories that usually land a spot on the front page and fester there for days.

So when three …

Hilltop neighborhood protective of their progress

Brian O'Neill — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:37:44 +0000

Tacoma City Council members got a rare demonstration of neighborhood activism last Tuesday: 20 people showed up to protest a single item that wasn’t even on the agenda. Those people, all residents of the Hilltop neighborhood, were there to speak out against the rumored addition of a sex offender halfway house in their neighborhood. Whether or not the possibility existed (the answer is probably not), their presence was at least a reminder that a united neighborhood, aka a community, is a power to be reckoned with.

For proof you need look no farther than the Hilltop today. Vital businesses have …

Councilwoman provides legitimate reason for gang study – federal money

Brian O'Neill — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:29:57 +0000

When Tacoma City Councilwoman Victoria Woodards penned her recent letter to The Trib, it was probably with a release of some pent-up frustration. The letter was a response to the multitude, myself included, who criticized the council’s decision to spend $50,000 studying the city’s gang problem.

Since the city released the results of their consultant’s research in early March, the City Council has been roasted for its alleged waste of scarce funds on such an obvious issue, none as much as Woodards. There was, I believe, good reason for

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Controlling one’s gun is not “Gun Control”

Brian O'Neill — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:25:24 +0000

There is at least one commonality between the role of parent and that of gun owner – both require a heightened level of personal responsibility. Ensuring the safety of children is an instinctual trait for our species. Being a responsible gun owner just makes good sense. When both these roles are ignored, the results can be tragic.

As I began research for this column, the circumstances surrounding the February 22 accidental shooting of an 8-year-old girl in a Port Orchard elementary school were well-documented (Trib 3/13). On the heels of this tragedy came the …

Expensive study unnecessary to answer gang question

Brian O'Neill — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:54:33 +0000

The long-anticipated answer has finally arrived, and now it is official: Tacoma has a gang problem.

It seems obvious at this point that the Tacoma City Council’s decision to spend $50,000 on a study to determine the extent of the gang problem was a bad idea. At best it was a well-intentioned exercise in redundancy. Let’s look at some of the results:

Gangs infest more than half the city
Gangsters sell drugs and use guns for violent crime
Youths are recruited into gangs in middle school

If the authors of the full 316-page report, Missouri-based Executive Interface, LLC, …

Police and fire cuts highlight city’s fiscal irresponsibility

Brian O'Neill — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:03:56 +0000

If you are a vile Grinch (or perhaps Tim Eyman) then the Tacoma municipal budget may be giving you everything you want this Christmas, such as:

No more fire stations for Proctor and the Tide Flats. Don’t worry, everything there was either old or flammable anyway.

No more school resource officers. No problem – just hang a few “No bullying” signs.

No more fire boats. Heck, if the fire’s on the water then it’s not really a problem (let’s just overlook all the chemicals and HAZMAT at the port, though).

No more gang unit. Well, they’ll just have to behave …

The power of redemption

Brian O'Neill — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 04:33:41 +0000

I have spent many nights on third watch, graveyard or whatever one’s term is for the time period when most hard-working, reasonable and sober people are sound asleep. The hours just before and after midnight are often harsh and violent. The alternate reality of night shift can also wear away on the softer natures of those who ply their trade in the dark: the nurses and docs who labor in the chaotic ER; the paramedics roused from sleep to perform CPR in the gutter; the cops who prowl the dimly lit streets.

When you spend enough time working the wrong side of …