It was a warm and sunny early evening in June. As I drove back from Binghamton to my home in Orange County on Route 17, I reflected back on the past 36 hours. As a Captain in charge of Troop “C” – Zone 2 (Binghamton), I had been recalled to the Binghamton area to lead the State Police operation in response to a fatal tornado that had devastated the area.

We had worked through the night – looking for injured and assessing the damage. I remember feeling a sense of relaxation (probably more fatigue) as I drove through Sullivan County. All I could think about was a hot shower and some food, but I still had 35 miles to go.

Just after cresting a hill, something caught my eye up ahead to my left. I could see two vehicles on the shoulder of the opposite (westbound) side of Rt. 17, but I could barely make out the silhouette of the two subjects standing on the shoulder due to the distance. As I drove closer I could see that one of the vehicles was a marked State Police SUV. In an instant, the two figures disappeared down the embankment off the shoulder of the road. Within seconds both subjects reappeared and went to the ground.

I accelerated. As I drew near I could see that one of the individuals was a uniform Trooper. I pulled my unmarked cruiser into the center median, and before I fully realized what was happening, I had exited my Troop Car, jumped the center divider and I was dodging westbound traffic in a sprint.

As I approached, I recognized the Trooper as one of our K-9 officers. He was struggling on the ground with a large male who had both hands on the Trooper’s holster. The Trooper looked up as I approached and yelled: “he’s trying to get my gun”.

I used my overwhelming advantage as third-man-in to good effect, and one well placed kick and elbow strike later we had the subject subdued and cuffed. It immediately became apparent that the Trooper had suffered a significant injury to his shoulder. Further examination revealed that his issue Glock was partially out of the holster and out of battery confirming a violent struggle over the weapon.

Investigation at the scene revealed a trunk full of drugs and a perp that was heading back to prison for the third time (and highly motivated not to go there). The Trooper was ultimately diagnosed with a separated shoulder and missed a significant amount of time due to his injury. But his pitbull tenacity in this fight, despite his injury, saved his life. His singular focus on retaining his weapon throughout the struggle bought him time until the cavalry (ok – a little self-serving) arrived.

Weapon Retention. I teach it with purpose – not as an academic exercise. We train and practice…on a mat…in a gym…with a partner…with a redgun. But some day, it may be as I just described: On the shoulder of the road…with a desperate felon….over a real handgun. And the cavalry may not be just over the hill closing in at 85 mph.

This time we were lucky. The good guys outnumbered the bad, and the Trooper had absolutely no quit in him. Will you be ready when it happens to you?

Hunt the wolf……Major Ed Raso

About Ed Raso:

Major Ed Raso is a 28 year veteran of the New York State Police. He served 6 years as a Trooper at SP Middletown, 10 years in the BCI as both an Investigator and Lieutenant, 8- plus years as a Captain / Zone Commander, and the last 3 years as the Major of Troop “F”, commanding all State Police operations in Rockland, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster and Greene Counties. He assisted with the supervision of the State Police response to Ground Zero after the 9/11 attack and was the Detail Commander of the first and fourth waves of the 100 Troopers that served in and around New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Major Raso is a certified State Police Defensive Tactics Instructor and a Krav Maga Worldwide (Israeli H2H Combat) Force Training Instructor. He is also a certified NYS Emergency Medical Technician.