Tim O’Brien is a firefighter/paramedic and currently serves as a captain with the Manhattan Beach Fire Department in Southern California. On December 27, 1993, just after 11:00 p.m., Captain O'Brien responded to a rescue at the Manhattan Village Mall. When he and fellow firefighters arrived, they quickly realized the victim was Officer Martin Ganz of the Manhattan Beach Police Department and that he had been shot multiple times. In this episode, Captain O'Brien opens up and talks about what he and fellow firefighters witnessed when they first arrived on scene and their efforts to save the life of Officer Ganz. This is the final episode of a three part series. Like parts one and two, this episode is heartbreaking and emotional.

My guest today is Jessica Jones, a former 911 dispatcher with the South Bay Regional Public Communications Authority,. On December 27, 1993, just after 11:00 pm,while working and dispatching for the Manhattan Beach Police Department, Jessica heard someone screaming for help over the police radio; however, she didn’t know who it was or where they were at. She then heard someone else say over the police radio that a police officer had been shot in the parking lot of the Manhattan Village Mall and needed help. When officers arrived at the location, Jessica was informed that an officer had in fact been shot. The initial screams she heard over the police radio was the 12 year old nephew of the police officer who had been shot and who was on a ride-a-long with his uncle. Officer Martin Ganz of the Manhattan Beach Police Department was shot multiple times by Roger Hoan Brady after making a traffic stop, killing him. Officer Ganz’s nephew witnessed the entire incident and his voice was the one heard by our guest today, Jessica Jones. In this episode, Jessica shares with us what she experienced that night and the years since then.

On December 27, 1993, just past 11:00 p.m., Officer Martin Ganz of the Manhattan Beach Police Department was shot multiple times by the driver of a vehicle he had just pulled over. At about the same time and while on patrol, Officer Tim Zins heard someone screaming over the police radio. Officer Zins responded to the Manhattan Village Mall parking lot and found Officer Ganz on the ground behind his police unit fighting for his life. Officer Zins noticed a young boy near Officer Ganz who was frantic and crying. This young boy was Officer Ganz’s 12 year old nephew and who was on a ride-along with his uncle. Officer Ganz was transported to a local hospital, but tragically died. His killer, Roger Hoan Brady was later apprehended and ultimately convicted for first degree and sentenced to Death. During this episode, Zins talks about what he experienced the night of December 27, 1993 and how it affected his life for the next 30 years. Zins retired as a sergeant from the Manhattan Beach Police Department in January 2022 and currently serves as a Code Enforcement Officer with the Ada County Sheriff's Department in Idaho.

Aaron Denning joined the United States Marine Corps in 2005, and was honorably discharged in 2012.  During his time as a Marine, he was deployed four times. While deployed to Afghanistan, his team was involved in many combat operations.  Because of his leadership and decisive actions in combat, Aaron was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and is a recipient of a Purple Heart.   Aaron currently serves in the Marine Corp Reserve as a Gunnery Sergeant. In 2015, Aaron joined the Burbank Police Department, where he’s currently a detective and operator with the Department’s S.W.A.T. Team. In 2021, Aaron co-founded Allied Extract, a non-profit which is dedicated to aiding persons stranded in conflict zones. Allied Extract has assisted in the evacuation of approximately 500 Afghans who were formerly interpreters for US forces.  Allied Extract has also assisted in the evacuation of numerous severely wounded non-combatants in Ukraine. You can learn more about Allied Extract by visiting: ⁠https://alliedextract.org/⁠  or ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/alliedextract/⁠

Javier Bustos became a police officer in 1999 with the Austin Police Department and after a distinguished career, he retired in 2022. Prior to becoming a police officer, Javier served for 11 ½ years in the United States Air Force. On September 25, 2010, Javier responded to a “threatening man with a gun” call and as a result, was involved in an officer-involved shooting.  Because of his actions that evening, Javier was awarded the Austin Police Department’s Medal of Valor. In this episode, Javier goes into great detail surrounding his officer-involved shooting and how this incident forever changed his life. Javier and his wife Cathy, who was also a law enforcement officer, are certified in Law Enforcement Peer Support and together they started, “That Peer Support Couple.” You can learn more about the work they do at: cathyandjavi.com. In 2019, Javier wrote an article called, “On Being Involved: When I Got Home,” which you can read at http://www.officerinvolvedproject.com/essays/whenigothome. #homicides #homicidedetective #detective #podcast #backtheblue #police #truecrime #truecrimecommunity ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----  You can listen to the episode on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and Anchor. Please consider supporting the show by becoming a Patron. Every bit helps us continue to share stories from our first responders and military veterans and bring awareness to all the good work they do.

Battalion Chief Andy Reardon joined the Austin Fire Department in 1995 after serving 4 years in the United States Marine Corp.    Battalion Chief Reardon has worked a number of assignments during his time with the Austin Fire Department, including 11 years as an arson investigator.   In this episode, Battalion Chief Reardon talks about his career in the fire service and provides details related to a couple of criminal cases he investigated as an arson investigator.  One investigation involved an arranged marriage where just days after the couple was married, the new bride set her new husband on fire.  Another case was in regard to two young children who died in a “garage” fire.   A vehicle parked outside the garage caught fire and the fire spread to the “garage” where the two children were sleeping.  Chief Reardon is still working at the Austin Fire Department and those who work with him as well as the community are lucky to have him serving them. #firefighter #arson #arsoninvestigator

David Fugitt began his law enforcement career in 1994 with the Austin Police Department. In 1999, David was promoted to the Department’s Missing Persons Unit and in 2003 he was transferred to the Homicide Unit where he worked until he retired in October 2022.    During his time investigating homicide, David was the lead investigator on 68 homicide cases, solving all but four of them.  He also assisted with another 700 homicide investigations.  David goes into great detail as he talks about several of the cases he investigated as a homicide detective.  He also discusses the four cases that have yet to be solved.   #homicides #homicidedetective #detective #podcast #backtheblue #police #truecrime #truecrimecommunity

In this episode of Behind The Line, Keith Kauffman talks about his law enforcement career, his time as a police chief, his leadership philosophy, and the importance of having law enforcement officers trained in Tactical Medicine.   Keith began his law enforcement career in 1994 with the Hawthorne Police Department located in Southern California.  In 2015, Keith was appointed as the police chief of the Redondo Beach Police Department, also located in Southern California.      In February of 2022, after 28 years in law enforcement, Keith decided it was time to retire; however, he stayed on as the City’s acting fire chief until October 2022.  Keith worked a number of assignments while a police officer.   He and several other officers are responsible for the successful Coffee With A Cop program, which is now being used in all 50 states.  Keith is also a two time Medal of Valor recipient.   In 2014, he authored a published article called, The System is Broken and in 2022, he along with a retired chief deputy of the Los Angeles Fire Department conducted extensive research and prepared a detailed report titled, An Assessment of the Redondo Beach Fire Department.   Since his retirement, Keith has stayed active by surfing, golfing, camping, and is in the process of obtaining his private pilot license.  ----- Please consider supporting Behind The Line  by becoming a patron by visiting www.patreon.com/BehindTheLine Links:  Coffee With A Cop: https://coffeewithacop.com Hawthorne Police Department TacMed Program: https://hawthornepolice.com/tactical-medicine-program Hawthorne Officers Rescuing: https://vimeo.com/showcase/hpd-public-records

Jeff McGreevy is a Public Safety Advocate for First  Responder Wellness. Jeff joined the United States Marine Corps when he was just 17 and began his law enforcement career at 21. He retired in 2020 as a Sergeant from the Oxnard Police Department with 29-years of service. He worked several challenging assignments including patrol, field training officer, community policing, Special Enforcement Unit, SWAT team member for 10 years, and he also worked as a K-9 handler with a cross-trained patrol/explosive detection K-9. He spent a short time on an FBI Gang Task Force and was a Detective working Gang & Robbery cases. As a Sergeant, he supervised the Neighborhood Policing Team and Coordinated his departments Crisis Intervention Team and Peer Support Programs. Jeff has been involved in officer wellness since 2004 when he was recruited to be a founding member of his department’s trauma support team which later evolved into peer support. Jeff has extensive training and experience in debriefing personnel after traumatic events, Critical Incident Stress Management, coordinating peer support response after critical incidents, and was an instructor for Tactical Decision Making Under Stress training. Jeff leads the Ventura County Peer Support Coalition which brings together all Police, Fire, and EMS agencies together quarterly. Because of his expertise in peer support, he was invited to be a member of the CA P.O.S.T. Organizational Wellness Committee. He also some unique experience having worked for a nonprofit that provided confidential trauma-informed counseling for first responders and their families prior to joining the team at First Responder Wellness. Jeff is a recipient of the following awards: Medal of Valor for confronting a man armed with a rifle who was trying to murder his family Supervisor of the Year 2018 Community Member of the Year 2018 Oxnard Police Chief’s Award of Excellence 2020, Joint award with my Wife Andrea for community engagement ----- Please consider supporting Behind The Line  by becoming a patron by visiting www.patreon.com/BehindTheLine

In the early morning hours of May 6, 1979, Officer Chris Barrett of the El Segundo Police Department responded to a call at a local bar regarding a man with a gun.   Within minutes after arriving on scene, Officer Barrett was fighting for his life.   The suspect shot Officer Barrett one time, but because of his will to survive along with his training, he was able to return fire and kill the suspect.  As a result of being shot, Officer Barrett was paralyzed and has been for 43 years.   Although he was unable to continue working as a police officer, Chris had a long and successful career in the private sector.    He also spent time as an instructor for the California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI) in Central California.   He volunteers his time with the El Segundo Police Department by sharing his story with community members enrolled in the Department’s Citizen Police Academy.   Chris received the Medal of Valor from the El Segundo Police Department for his actions in the early morning hours of May 6, 1979.   It is the highest award bestowed upon members of the El Segundo Police Department.  #police #policeshooting #backtheblue #officer #manhattanbeach #elsegundo #officerinvolvedshooting ----- Please consider supporting Behind The Line  by becoming a patron by visiting www.patreon.com/BehindTheLine