Dear Editor,
“The NATOPS is written in blood.” That’s a quote a Naval Aviator can recite faster than the ubiquitous “In God We Trust” inscribed on the back of a dollar bill. It is a mantra hammered into our heads more times than the actual Emergency Procedures the NATOPS dictates a pilot memorize.“NATOPS” is one of thousands of acronyms the U.S. military is known for, and there is no greater acronym-maker than the U.S. Navy. “Naval Air Training and Operating ProceduresStandardization” is what NATOPS stands for. It was the result of a giant push by the Navy in the mid-1960s to standardize the way we train and operate Naval aircraft. It accompanied a greater push within the aviation community to adopt similar measures to enhance aviation training and safety. That greater push led to the industry-wide creation of Aviation Safety Programs and the necessary training to implement them, including the famed School of Naval Aviation Safety, of which I am an alumnus. This overall safety push stemmed from decades of military and civilian aviation mishaps resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives and millions of dollars of aircraft and trained pilots. After the successful implementation of programs like NATOPS, aviation mishaps decreased at an exponential rate. The quote “the NATOPS is written in blood” stems from the colloquial use of NATOPS to refer to the operating manual of a Naval aircraft, specifically the limitations and operating parameters that, if operated outside of, will likely lead to death or great bodily injury. Oftentimes, someone quite literally died to find the limit stated in the NATOPS. It is an Aviator’s bible; it defines the Policy, Processes, and Procedures to safely operate a Naval aircraft in the fleet. From it, checklists are created to ensure adherence, and boldface Emergency Procedures arememorized for rapid implementation. There are many ways in which my experience as a Naval Aviator correlates to my experience as a POST Certified Peace Officer in Colorado.“POST” is an acronym for Peace Officer Standards and Training, and is very similar in practice, purpose, and creation to NATOPS. It was created to standardize training and operating parameters in law enforcement. The “Blue Book” is a Peace Officer’s bible. It is a single reference point “operating manual” of sorts for a Colorado Peace Officer. It consists of the most recent—and most important—Colorado Revised Statutes (laws) as well as other information pertaining to Colorado law enforcement. Violation of Colorado or US Federal law by peace officers creates “case law,”further defining parameters under which Law Enforcement operates. From both of these sources, individual agencies create Policy, Processes, and Procedures. Just as the NATOPS is written in blood, law enforcement Policy is derived from case law. My experience at the Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Office led me to observe the agency has very little Policy, Processes, and Procedures, and absolutely zero checklists or required memorized procedures.With no systems and no checks and balances, it does not produce a quality and professional law enforcement product. This lack of professionalism is one facet that led to my resignation.This lack of Policy, Processes, and Procedures within the HCSO directly led to the Rule 16 Discovery Violation exposed in last week’s paper to be the reason the 7th Judicial Assistant District Attorney was forced to plea bargain the Earley case to lesser charges. During my tenure as a Hinsdale Deputy, Rule 16 Discovery Violations were the norm. Frustratedevidence technicians within the 7th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Gunnison began to reach out to me individually with Discovery requests, knowing I would take them seriously and respond in a timely manner.Undertaking these Administrator-level tasks required me to operate well outside the normal scope of practice of a lowly Deputy. Though unnoticed by HCSO Administration, my taking of the initiative in this arena was praised by 7th Judicial DA’s Office personnel who were excited to “finally have an ally” within the HCSO.As Sheriff, I will implement the Policy, Processes, and Procedures of a professional law enforcement agency, as I have been trained to do in now two careers. This is simply one of many ways I will improve the Hinsdale County Sheriff’s Office and once again make the agency something the community can be proud of.In next week’s letter, I will discuss the recent unethical firing of Hinsdale County Sheriff’s OfficeAcademy Cadet Ethan Twamley by the current Sheriff’s Office Administration ten days beforegraduation, as well as debut my campaign website.\ As Captain John Paul Jones infamously stated in 1779, “I have not yet begun to fight.” Dan StrausbaughLieutenant US Navy, (Ret.)Candidate, Hinsdale County Sheriff
