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  SPIRIT

  OF THE BADGE

  SPIRIT

  OF THE BADGE

  60 TRUE POLICE STORIES of

  Divine Guidance, Miracles, & Intuition

  INGRID P. DEAN

  TOPAZ HEART PUBLISHING

  Traverse City, Michigan

  Disclaimer: While the content of this book is based on actual experiences, some names and other details have been changed to protect individual rights to privacy. Topaz Heart Publishing nor the author take responsibility for the accuracy of the stories as depicted by the contributors. Nothing in this book is meant to replace good, quality, police investigation. Rather all these experiences suggest that we may not know everything. It is a suggestion that some things are not what they appear to be. Psychologists would probably agree that even perceptions are still somewhat of a mystery in our human evolution.

  Copyright © 2009 Ingrid P. Dean

  Illustrations © 2009 Ingrid P. Dean

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

  Topaz Heart Publishing, LLC

  www.spiritofthebadge.com

  Dean, Ingrid P.

  Spirit of the badge : 60 true police stories of divine guidance, miracles, amp; intuition / Ingrid P. Dean — Traverse City, Mich. : Topaz Heart Pub., c2009.

  p. ; ill. cm.

  ISBN: 978-0-9820824-0-9

  1. Police psychology. 2. Police—United States—Attitudes. 3. Gifts, Spiritual. I. Title.

  HV7936.P75 D43 2009 2008909342

  363.2019—dc22 0904

  Printed in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  Cover photo by Karin Willman

  www.printroom.com/pro/alacarte

  Cover design and interior layout by To The Point Solutions

  www.tothepointsolutions.com

  To Michael Curtis, my uncle and a famous artist, who told me long ago that color was nothing but refracted light to be spread to the world unconditionally by all.

  Contents

  Preface

  Acknowledgments

  Contributors

  Introduction

  Angels & Apparitions

  An Angel’s Shield

  Free As a Bird

  An Angel’s Warning

  Spirits of the North

  Her Voice

  Wake Up!

  The Bower’s Harbor Inn

  This Time, I Was the Victim

  Ghost Alarm

  The Trooper’s Riddle (a poem)

  Dreams & Intuition

  The Fatal Vortex

  A Special Spot

  The Skull in the River

  Breaking the Rules

  The Bone Lady

  The Tooth Fairy in Reverse

  Dream Work

  The Children

  A Clairvoyant Dream

  Dream Warning

  A Mother’s Dream

  The Psychic Janitor

  Trusting Your Instincts

  The Trooper and the Banker (a poem)

  Healing With Humor

  A Reportable Incident

  Fresh Meat

  It’s a Bomb!

  The Fatality

  Critters I Have Caught

  The Doper

  When Bad Blood is Good

  Mama!

  Hopeful Journey (a poem)

  Lessons of the Heart

  What Child Is This?

  Love Train

  Denny

  A Sheepdog’s Duty

  My Day in Court

  The Little Boy

  Public to the Rescue

  Oh Ye of Little Faith

  Three Dogs

  Symbols, Signs, & Synchronicity

  The Grim Reaper

  How Could this Possibly Happen?

  Karmic Happenings

  A Trooper’s Debt on Christmas Day

  Frog Time

  Murder 101

  The Flying Snowmobile

  Skunked

  A River Wide and Deep (a poem)

  Unexplainable Phenomena

  Bizarre Weather

  Colors Never Seen Before

  The Encounter

  Not Ready to Go

  The Amazing Shot

  An Electrical Guest

  Burnt Offerings

  The Lost Badge

  The Kid

  Flying Free

  Swimming Out-of-Body

  UFO Sighting

  Recovery Under the Mackinac Bridge

  About the Author

  What’s Next?

  Preface

  “A human being is part of the whole, called by us ‘universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal decisions and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

  Albert Einstein

  The experience of interconnected consciousness has been held as significant for thousands of years, yet it is not accepted as a mutually agreed upon reality. Because of irresolvable personal, religious, and intellectual conflicts—stemming from deeply held convictions about the makeup of life—we have only gradually developed ways of exploring the truth of our innermost nature.

  This book is a creative compilation of unusual, moving, and exceptional moments experienced by police officers in their daily work. These moments imply we are interconnected. Law enforcement officers represent a small portion of our world population, but like other groups and professional families, they are sometimes regarded negatively as separate, apart, robotic, authoritarian, ego-maniacs, etc.—I could come up with many more adjectives that are pejorative.

  I suggest that police officers are not separate from you. Police officers are human beings who, consciously or unconsciously, choose to serve people for the common good. Hence, this heartfelt collection of true stories is an attempt to help untangle some of the illusory misconceptions and boundaries that have been created between police officers and the general public.

  I believe that our goal as a human race is to share a greater sense of belonging together and to realize that we are all interrelated. If we are able to heighten our sense of connection to a larger whole, then a new level of shared intelligence, respect, compassion, and creativity will begin to emerge among everyone.

  May we all contribute to the common goal of oneness in some small way. Thank you to all my fellow police associates and friends who entrusted me with their remarkable stories.

  In heartfelt gratitude,

  Ingrid

  Acknowledgments

  Publication of this book was made possible by the collective contributions of many active and retired police officers, their friends, and families. Special thanks are due to the Michigan Department of State Police and Retired Colonel Tadarial Sturdivant for supporting and approving my request to research police experiences for my Master’s Degree in Transpersonal Studies. This book is the final result of an exciting, atypical, culminating school project.

  My heartfelt thanks to all the law enforcement officers and staff from agencies around the country who contributed personal interviews, written letters, emails, and photographs to produce this extraordinary collection of s
tories. The camaraderie and enthusiasm among police officers never ceases to amaze me. I was contacted by many officers I had never met before, in addition to those I was acquainted with. I can not express enough thanks and gratitude to all of you for your honesty, courage, and openness in sharing such personal experiences for people to read. Thank you for granting me your permission to print stories that are so rarely shared with the public. You have been my greatest street teachers for almost twenty years!

  Blessings to all the academic teachers in my life, who encouraged and supported me throughout this project: Drs. Frank and Shelley Takai, Drs. Mark and Mary Thurston, Dr. Henry Reed, and Greg Deming. I am especially grateful to Dr. Michael Mirdad, who came up with excellent ideas for my initial research project and who unconditionally served as an energetic healer and teacher to me for the last four years.

  Many thanks to all of my spiritual life teachers, past and present, who directly, indirectly, and synchronistically contributed their energy and strength for this book to happen. I am indebted to my oldest hands-on spiritual teachers, Michael and Beth Stone, who prepared me to write a book like this. Most recently, I thank Bodhi Avinasha, Larry Melamerson, Richard and Antoinette Asimus, and again, Michael Mirdad, for their insights into Kriya Yoga and spiritual awareness. Through yoga they have taught me the value of circulating life force energy for personal healing and rejuvenation. Without them, I’m not sure this book would have ever happened!

  I sincerely thank my mother, Dr. Caroline Dunlap, for the initial editing she provided.

  I thank my sister, Ellen Driesbaugh, and my best friend, Linda McCleary, for their enthusiasm, support, and insight.

  And special thanks to Mary Jo Zazueta of To the Point Solutions, who edited the final manuscript and beautifully designed, in style and composition, both my school presentation and this final publication.

  Contributors

  In addition to the author, the following law enforcement officers and advocates, active and retired, contributed one or more stories to this publication. The author gratefully acknowledges these individuals for permission to include their material and also thanks those whose stories did not get selected due to space and other considerations.

  CHARLES ALLEN, Inspector, Michigan State Police, Saginaw, Michigan

  ROBERT I. ARCINIEGA, Trooper, Retired, Michigan State Police, Traverse City, Michigan

  JOHN G. ARTHUR, Trooper, Michigan State Police, Traverse City, Michigan

  LAWRENCE A. BAK, Detective Sergeant, Michigan State Police, Alpena, Michigan

  SCOTT R. BATES, Trooper, Michigan State Police, Houghton Lake, Michigan

  MONICA BRADFORD, Sergeant, Michigan State Police, Traverse City, Michigan

  RAYMOND BRONICKI, Trooper, Retired, Michigan State Police, Niles, Michigan

  THOMAS A. BROSMAN III, X50, Senior Telecommunications Specialist, Washington State Police, Tacoma, Washington

  HERMAN BROWN, Trooper, Michigan State Police, Monroe, Michigan

  DANIEL J. CAVISTON, Detective Sergeant, Retired, Michigan State Police, Traverse City, Michigan

  CARY J. CLARK, Trooper, Michigan State Police, Detroit, Michigan

  THOMAS M. CURTIS, Lieutenant, Retired, Michigan State Police, Fenton, Michigan

  MARK A. DAVID, Detective, Oscoda Township Police, Oscoda, Michigan

  ROBERT DYKSTRA, Detective Lieutenant, Michigan State Police, Northville, Michigan

  SARAH FOSTER, Trooper, Michigan State Police, Livonia, Michigan

  KENNETH C. GOLAT, Chief, Manistique Public Safety, Manistique, Michigan

  MARY GROENEVELD, Trooper, Michigan State Police, Iron Mountain, Michigan

  MICHAEL HANCOCK, Officer, Retired, Grandville Police Department, Grandville, Michigan

  JORDON HARTLEY, Detective, Mason County Sheriff Department, Ludington, Michigan

  TODD M. HELLER, Detective, Grand Traverse Sheriff Department, Traverse City, Michigan

  CRAIG W. JOHNSON, Trooper, Michigan State Police, West Branch, Michigan

  REUBEN R. JOHNSON, Detective Lieutenant, Retired, Michigan State Police, Lake City, Michigan

  BOBIE JOHNSTON, Officer, Mackinac Island Police Department, Mackinac Island, Michigan

  DUANE H. LEROY, JR., Chief, Retired, Leslie Police Department, Leslie, Michigan

  ROBERT MARBLE, Trooper, Michigan State Police, Manistee, Michigan

  GARY MCGHEE, Captain, Retired, Michigan State Police, Interlochen, Michigan

  CHARLES W. NEWSOME, Officer, Retired, Detroit Police Department, Riverview, Michigan

  LARRY D. NICHOLS, Chief of Police, Scottville Police Department, Scottville, Michigan

  DANIEL O’RILEY, Detective Lieutenant, Wexford County Sheriff Department, Cadillac, Michigan

  VERNON PETERSEN, Detective Lieutenant, Retired, Michigan State Police, Marquette, Michigan

  GLENN SANFORD, Trooper, Retired, Michigan State Police, Traverse City, Michigan

  STEPHEN C. SOKOL, Officer, Detroit Police Department, Detroit, Michigan

  LEONARD A. SPECKIN, First Lieutenant, Retired, Michigan State Police, Okemos, Michigan

  STEVEN R. STANDFEST, Lieutenant, Retired, Beverly Hills Department of Public Safety, Hartland, Michigan

  MICHAEL THOMAS, Captain, Michigan State Police, Lansing, Michigan

  MICHAEL THOMAS, Officer, Retired, Flint Police Department, Flint, Michigan

  DAWN WAGONER, Detective, Grand Traverse Sheriff Department, Traverse City, Michigan

  MICHAEL W. WHEAT, Detective, Charlevoix Sheriff Department, Charlevoix, Michigan

  ALAN L. WHITE, Officer, Clare Police Department, Clare, Michigan

  DUANE WRIGHT, Deputy, Leelanau County Sheriff Department, Suttons Bay, Michigan

  “At present, people create barriers between each other by their fragmentary thought. Each one operates separately. When these barriers have dissolved, then there arises one mind, where they are all one unit, but each person also retains his or her own individual awareness. That one mind will still exist when they are separate, and when they come together, it will be as if they hadn’t separated . . . it’s actually a single intelligence that works with people who are moving in relationship with one another . . . if you had a number of people who really pulled together and worked together in this way, it would be so remarkable.”

  David Bohm, Quantum Physicist

  Introduction

  The most fundamental questions of human existence are explored in what is regarded as the transpersonal perspective. Such questions include: What is the relationship of the personal to the transpersonal? What is the relationship of self to spirit? And, what is the nature of this relationship? As a result, the transpersonal perspective has become a fusion of wisdom collected from spiritual-world traditions with some of the philosophical and psychological schools of the West.

  The transpersonal perspective, simply put, explores “beyond the person.” It suggests that there is much about human beings that goes far beyond our five physical senses and that our soul, or consciousness, is much bigger than we realize. This new perspective is a way of organizing our experience of reality—it is not that reality itself.

  Human consciousness is the term used to embody this synthesis of spiritual wisdom, philosophy, and psychology and moves beyond the confines of the self or soul. In moving beyond the confines of self, consciousness is seen to open up into ranges of human experience that go far beyond Freud’s earlier formulations of id, ego, and superego. Consciousness becomes an expression for a vast multi-dimensional existence wherein new aspects of being are discovered.

  Law enforcement officers often experience both ordinary and extraordinary situations that require or encourage a stretch in their personal decision-making and practices. Officers are called upon to protect, defend, support, manage, and save lives—including their own. They are expected to accomplish impossible feats and are criticized when they fail. Many would agree that such heavy responsibilities enhance policemen’s aware
ness and senses, even when they don’t realize it. Because of this heightened awareness, police build emotional armor to desensitize and numb themselves. It is a defense mechanism that manifests in their experiences so they don’t have to feel so much. This may be why officers sometimes appear callous, frozen, and unwavering.

  The “CSI Effect” is an interesting concept to explore. It is in reference to the phenomenon of popular television police shows that tend to raise the real-world expectations of forensic science and police work. From a transpersonal and psychological point of view, the “CSI Effect” encourages people into believing that only science will solve a serious offense. Thus, prosecutors are pressured to deliver more and more forensic scientific evidence in court, often inapplicable to the case, and less weight is given to anything else considered relevant or important for a jury to hear.

  Most police experts would agree that good detectives solve crimes by looking at all of the angles in a case. Hence, television shows like CSI often narrow, if not outright abolish, people’s ideas that there could be any methods of proof other than scientific—such as observation, intuition, right listening, or cognitive interviewing.

  Solving a crime is both an art and a science, combined to produce a fuller and more accurate picture of an alleged occurrence. Investigative work isn’t “just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.” I have heard officers say time and time again, “Thank God for gut instinct!”

  The majority of committed, dedicated, and devoted police officers—regardless of their public image—will do whatever it takes to assist and resolve a traumatic or threatening situation, to the point that they go beyond self. They will go beyond their five physical senses—even if it entails a near-death experience. Psychic ability, intuition, and gut-instinct are not unique gifts or paranormal capacities but rather abilities and skills that anyone can develop with practice. Everyone can discover and develop his or her transpersonal talents and inner wisdom using intuition, logic, and common sense in order to make the best choices.