Each year, law enforcement officers come under fire. They are assaulted. They are killed.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that “on average,one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty in the United States every 58 hours.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports “that 51 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2014. This is an increase of almost 89 percent when compared to the 27 officers killed in 2013. Offenders used firearms in 46 of the 51 felonious deaths.” Assaults against officers are averaging 58,930 yearly.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation also reports that 49,851 officers were victims of line-of-duty assaults in 2013.

Officers and deputies are from: local police, marshals, rangers, constables, highway patrol, state officers, sheriff’s office, and the department of corrections. They are men and women from their own local communities who have a desire to keep their towns and cities safe.

Sergeant Thomas Smith, Martin County Sheriff

One such man is Sergeant Thomas Smith—at the Martin County Sheriff’s Office on the Treasure Coast in South Florida. Sergeant Smith grew up in Palm City, Florida and graduated from Martin County High School. A local, he ran a lawn mowing business in high school and paid his own way through the police academy. A law enforcement veteran, he has been a Sheriff’s deputy for 18 years.

In rural Martin County, Sergeant Smith oversees West County Operations, which is fondly called “Ranch and Grove,” where livestock neglect and farm equipment theft are investigated. Deputies also regularly deal with trespassing on private lands to hunt or poach, and people shooting at wildlife from the road which is a felony. Sheriff deputies utilize ATVs, trail cameras, night vision goggles, and a posse when needed for missing people or a manhunt. Deputies also carry tools to fix fences after a car crash. Fences are necessary to keep cows off roads and highways. (Approximately “half of Florida agricultural land is involved in cattle pastureland.“)

Martin County Sheriff SWAT Team Training

Sergeant Smith is also Martin County Sheriff’s SWAT Commander. SWAT is the acronym for Special Weapons and Tactics. Martin County SWAT is an auxiliary force within the Sheriff’s Office. Each of the 20 deputies must qualify to participate and receives no extra pay for participation.

Rigorous training and certification are required so that the team is ready when necessary for such activities as executing search warrants, hostage rescue, riot control, etc… This elite group has snipers and hostage negotiators.

In early 2015, the Sheriff’s Office purchased a $300,000 Bearcat G3 (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck) with monies seized in narcotics investigations. Since acquiring the American-made Lenco,” SWAT has used the vehicle about a dozen times,” states Sergeant Smith.

Sergeant Smith adds, “With the BearCat we can safely rescue an officer down or a hostage. Sheriff Snyder has gotten us armor and new guns, which we very much needed. The guys in SWAT are happy about this.”

The BearCat is imposing, but it has provided armor to a team that used to arrive to execute a search warrant in a minivan. The vehicle also gives the deputies eyes and ears inside a building, tear gas may be deployed within a building through its ram, or a riot dispersed with the LRAD—Long Range Acoustic Device. Its armor can withstand a .50-caliber shot. Civilians can be more easily assisted during a hostage incident or terrorist threat. Inside, a platform rises and a turret opens for a sniper to stand, giving necessary cover to hostages and SWAT members on foot. Even the tires are run flat. The men are safe inside.

Who are these men and women?

Like Sergeant Smith, they are the neighbor boys and girls who have attended the local high school and grew up in the community. They are sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, moms and dads. They shop at the grocery stores and watch the ball games. They are the men and women of the community who are willing, if necessary, to lay down their lives for others.

Sergeant Smith was asked “If you could go back 18 years, would you do it again?” He answered, “Yes, I believe I would. When I first began with the Sheriff’s Office, I was paid $23,000. But I would have done it for nothing. I like helping people.”

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“Horses built America.” ~Kathy Brown, Founder of Martin County Horse Council, Martin County, Florida In 1776, General George Washington developed the first American Cavalry, used to patrol the Atlantic coast during the American Revolution.

The Pony Express delivery service began in 1860. It took only 10 days for a letter to be sent from New York to California as riders sped back-to-back from sea to shining sea. Children’s book author and pioneer girl Laura Ingalls Wilder crossed the prairies in a covered wagon drawn by horses in the 1800s. Thousands of people farmed, traveled and lived by horse power during this era of development.

By 1900, approximately 130,000 horses were employed in Manhattan, New York City. During World War I, soldiers rode horses into battle; both the men and the horses wore gas masks to prevent poisoning. (American Museum of Natural History)

The horse though, is not obsolete. He can enter and exit quietly into rough territory. In 2001, U.S. Special Forces took horses to Afghanistan, covering terrain so rugged that no vehicle could pass. (USA Today)

Many states allow for a local posse. Their purpose: to track through rural areas for missing or lost persons or to respond to major manhunts. These groups are composed of local volunteers which are trained and used as needed. They must each have a horse.

Horses are used therapeutically for children with disabilities.

Horses are a part of the Olympics, the Special Olympics and other equestrian activities.

Horses are loved by Americans at every level of society.

Florida is the origin of horses in America, brought to the region by Ponce de Leon and the Spanish in 1521. From this stock came Cracker horses which herded longhorn cattle, another first in the United States. The first American Cowboys were the Crackers in Florida.

Today, “the State of Florida has more than 500,000 horses; the state is ranked third in the nation for horses.”(American Horse Council) “The Florida horse industry generates annually $3 billion and has a total annual economic impact estimated at around $5.1 billion.” (FloridaHorse)

Martin County Horse Council Founder Kathy Brown

Florida native Kathy Brown is the Founder of Martin County Horse Council in Martin County, Florida; the Council has developed a local equine-related organization to promote, unify, and advance the equestrian interests in Martin County. Kathy has seen a need for the preservation of Florida’s equine heritage.

Martin County boasts some of the best trail riding in the United States, taking visitors into wetlands, marshes, scrub, and woodlands. Many Florida State Parks have acreage set aside for horse trails, and in many places, the views and wildlife may only be seen from horseback.

Kathy Brown has looked to the future and has seen a growing horse community in her county, as many seasonal residents bring their animals south for wintering, training, and tourism. It’s been estimated by Joe Catrambone from the Stuart/Martin Chamber of Commerce that the horse community in Martin County is a “multi-million dollar” industry. (TCPalm)

The benefits of horse councils working with local government outweigh the bad. Kathy Brown states, “When government embraces the horse industry, it will see it as a welcoming choice for new horse-related residents, tourists and businesses.”

Kathy Brown is no stranger to service. In 1983 she left her position in the aviation industry to stay at home with her sons. She has been a community activist ever since for causes ranging from stay-at-home business mothers to Hurricane Andrew recovery in Miami.

Kathy utilized her leadership and organization skills to champion the horse industry cause by founding the Martin County Horse Council which provides a conduit of information on equine-related topics for the community and local government.

She quotes Margaret Mead, “Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.”

Kathy adds, “And they can, I’ve seen it happen.” For more information on the Martin County Horse Council, contact Kathy Brown at kathy4mchorsecouncil@gmail.com

HAVE A HERO TIP? Send your Hometown Hero tip to Kelly Jadon: kfjadon@gmail.com

Hometown Heroes