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Detective Ducker, Officer of the Fourth Quarter

The Excellence in Law Enforcement Committee selected Detective Ducker as the officer of the fourth quarter of 2006. Detective Ducker exhibited outstanding job performance above and beyond what is routinely expected of a professional police detective.

On October 27, 2006 Detective Ducker and other detectives were serving a court authorized search warrant for on-line enticement when it was discovered that the suspect may have been sexually assaulting a younger family member for several years. Even though not his area of expertise, Detective Ducker was tasked with investigating this allegation. Detective Ducker interviewed the victim, who was somewhat hesitant to talk, but disclosed that she had in fact been assaulted by the suspect from age 4 until 14.

Detective Ducker was able to determine that the statute of limitations had not expired and then interviewed the suspect. During a three hour interview Detective Ducker was able to get the suspect to admit to some of the assaults, at which time he was arrested for several counts of sexual assault of a child.

On December 11, 2006 Detective Ducker was assigned to process a recovered stolen vehicle for evidence which had fled from officers and the driver fled on foot getting away. In doing so Detective Ducker located a receipt transaction from a local store indicating that the purchase had been made 13 minutes before the pursuit began. He was able to obtain video from the store depicting the suspect making the purchase and then began an exhaustive search for him. Detective Ducker questioned associates, obtained several phone records and was able to track the suspect to a local residence. Knowing that the suspect had an outstanding warrant and had fled from police previously, Detective Ducker enlisted assistance in going to the residence where the suspect was arrested attempting to climb out a window. Detective Ducker then interviewed the suspect and was able to obtain a full confession.

Other significant accomplishments of Detective Ducker included completing a last minute background investigation on a police candidate in two days, that revealed that the candidate was not a good fit for the department. He was called upon in the middle of the night to assist with an investigation even though not on call and immediately responded to the scene to assist. Detective Ducker was recognized for the work he did on a fraudulent check case involving multiple accounts which led to two arrests and a warrant request. He was recognized by a Patrol Sergeant for his tactics and investigative work on a case involving a fugitive at a local motel.

Detective Ducker’s supervisor notes that he accepts assignments and tasks without question or complaint and is always available to help other members of the department. He thoroughly investigates all of his assigned cases and routinely makes arrests and recovers stolen property with little or no supervision. His teamwork-oriented attitude is a benefit to all with whom he works.

Honorable Mentions
2006 Officer of the Fourth Quarter

Those officers receiving honorable mention were Officers McDaniel, Miller and Detective Simones.

Officer McDaniel received two commendations for his initiative and investigative skill during the fourth quarter. On November 11, 2006 he responded to a suspicious vehicle call and recognized the occupant from a previous call as being a known thief. Officer McDaniel noticed what appeared to be evidence of a theft in the back of the truck. His subsequent investigation led to the identification of numerous witnesses in the area of several thefts, as well as incriminating statements from two suspects. This investigation led to multiple counts for felony theft.

On December 29, 2006 Officer McDaniel noticed a subject standing near a vehicle in front of a residence where a fugitive was believed to be staying. He approached the person and was able to determine that the vehicle the subject was standing next to was stolen. During the booking process Officer McDaniel noticed several keys in the suspect's possession and, recalling a recent auto theft, was able to determine that the keys belonged to that vehicle. He then contacted the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and had them check from where the recovered vehicle had been stolen. They were able to locate the recently stolen auto from Bellevue.

Officer McDaniel was also involved in foot pursuit of a combative domestic violence suspect who had fled on foot and was taken into custody. He noticed a suspicious male at a car wash without a vehicle, which resulted in a drug arrest. Officer McDaniel was also recognized for obtaining information about a fugitive possibly staying at a local motel. Not knowing which motel, he was able to determine which one she was staying at as well as the room number, where he and other officers made contact and arrested her.

Officer Miller was recognized for his outstanding effort in closely watching a business in his district which had been broken into several times. Officer Miller observed a suspicious vehicle at the business after hours, and made contact with three subjects whom he detained. His subsequent investigation led to the arrest of all three for theft of parts off of vehicles at the business, and the recovery of numerous auto parts. During questioning, Officer Miller able to obtain a confession from one of the suspects.

Officer Miller checked on a vehicle parked in a fire lane at a local business and found that it had been reported as stolen in another jurisdiction. Over the next two days Officer Miller followed up with the store security and was able to obtain video showing the suspects parking the stolen car and walking through the store. This evidence was then turned over to the originating agency to make their arrest for the theft.

Officer Miller also heard a general broadcast of vehicle which had failed to pay at the bridge toll when entering Bellevue. He observed the vehicle and attempted to stop it, which resulted in a short pursuit. The driver was arrested for DUI and several other offenses.

Officer Miller also responded to a large fight disturbance in which all subjects had fled on foot prior to officers arrival. Officer Miller was able to set up an appropriate perimeter which led to all suspects being located and arrested.

Detective Simones was recognized for his outstanding work as an Special Invetigations Unit detective. Detective Simones has also been able to cultivate numerous confidential informants leading to the purchase of large quantities of drugs, the seizure of large amounts of cash as well as several federal indictments of the suspects. It was noted that he is able to take a narcotics investigation to the next level and not just end with one arrest, but will follow through to attempt to get to the next level in the distribution chain.