Putting lives on the line to protect us Putting lives on the line to protect us (June 16, 2000)

by Jeb Bing

J<@$p> Just two weeks ago, the Pleasanton police were at Farmers Market demonstrating the effectiveness of gun trigger locks as part of community service work that they do so well. Last Sunday, they showed how fast they can also work to protect our city when guns are used against us.

Responding to a report of a 25-year-old man brandishing a gun and threatening suicide, officers first tried to calm him. They recognized John Morjig as he came out of his Stoneridge Drive apartment holding a Glock .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol to his head and pleading that they shoot him. Morjig, 25, had a history of psychological and drug problems and police had briefly committed him to a mental health facility last January.

Every effort was made to talk Morjig into putting his weapon down. But when he started firing wildly, first through an apartment wall where a bullet nearly hit a sleeping 7-year-old, and then at the officers, they fired back. Within minutes it was over, with Morjig mortally wounded in the apartment complex parking lot.

Nobody likes gunfights and, indeed, they are rare in modern-day Pleasanton, although our city has plenty of guns. Not since 1979 have police here been involved in a fatal shooting. Pleasanton police have had an officer shot in each of the last three decades: Joe DeTata in 1970, who has served with a disability ever since and is about to retire; Brian Grover, who was shot in 1985 but recovered; and Mark Allen, shot in front of the Pleasanton Hotel in 1990 and who was placed on permanent disability because of the injuries he received.

About 80 percent of police work focuses on routine patrol, handling traffic and domestic disturbances, helping lost children get home and working with the community in anti-drug programs and other projects that help maintain and improve public safety. We are, after all, a city where we can still walk downtown at night without worry and kids can ride bikes to school and soccer practice.

Nevertheless, our police are prepared for the worst and Sunday's rapid response showed it. They train regularly with other law enforcement officers at state-sponsored police academies as well as sophisticated training sponsored by the FBI and other federal agencies. The Police Department's new state-of-the-art, computer-driven electronic trainer lets them measure even more frequently their split-second decisions and firing accuracy in simulated, real-life scenarios.

Those of us who have joined police in some of this training recognize how quickly situations unfold, as happened last Sunday. We have felt the awesome tension, pounding pulse and rush of adrenaline that these officers must have faced as a lethal weapon was aimed and fired at them. They put their lives on the line to stop the shooter before he could hurt others.

As tragic as it was that a young man's life was lost, last Sunday's action shows that Pleasanton police both serve and protect. In this post-Columbine era, we have a better-trained and equipped force than ever to handle emergencies. While cities our size cannot afford full-time SWAT teams, Police Chief Tim Neal has designated 10 officers to serve in that function when on duty. Specially trained, they patrol our streets equipped with load bearing flack jackets, automatic weapons and tear gas in the event of an emergency.

Sunday's shooting moved too fast to bring into play this specially trained squad, although paramedics and a number of officers - including one with a non-lethal "bean bag" disabling gun - were on site as the situation unfolded. The two officers who faced off against the gunman acted professionally and appropriately. During this time of great emotional stress in the aftermath, they deserve our thanks and support for doing their job. <@$p>