Saved In the Line of Duty

A Healing Bond Between Officers And One Northern Michigan Company

Aug. 13, 2015

The morning of Aug. 5, 2012, Lt. Brian Murphy responded to a disturbance at a local Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. As he approached the complex, working what he’d anticipated would be a quiet Sunday shift, Murphy had no idea his life was about to be upended.

What happened next made national headlines. Murphy was the first responding officer on the scene of a mass shooting, confronting white supremacist Wade Michael Page after Page had killed six and wounded several other temple visitors. In a gun battle with Page, Murphy was shot 15 times with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, including shots to his throat, arms, hands, legs, head and chest. Murphy miraculously survived – he was later presented with the Medal of Valor by Vice President Joe Biden – but he suffered extensive injuries that left permanent scars, altered his voice and forced him into early retirement.

Talking to Northern Express, Murphy said that when he woke up Aug. 5, "I knew what my job was, I had a plan for my retirement and I knew where I was going with my life." Three hours later, he said, "all of that changed."

Murphy believes he survived for a purpose: to help prevent trauma to other officers and to offer services and support to those wounded in the line of duty. Now he’s doing both – in partnership with the northern Michigan company that saved his life.

Not Just a Business

Murphy is one of more than 1,000 police officers who owe their lives to body armor produced in Central Lake, Michigan. Richard Davis – considered the godfather of the industry and the first person to use Kevlar for body armor – operated Second Chance Body Armor there from 1971 to 2005. Shortly after Second Chance was sold (it later closed), his son Matt Davis launched his own body armor company, Armor Express, in the Antrim County community.

From the beginning, Davis stressed to his employees that the company was in the business "of saving lives." Armor Express began tracking "Saves" – officers who escaped serious injury or death while wearing vests made by the company – and flew survivors out to the Central Lake production plant each year to meet the employees who made their body armor.

"It’s always a really emotional moment," said Davis of the visits. "We had a Flint officer and his wife and 14-month-old daughter at the plant just recently. It hit home for everybody"¦how if it hadn’t been for his vest, his daughter would have grown up without a father. It’s not just the officers who are saved – it’s the families."

The officer visits, combined with Armor Express’ policy to replace a Save’s vest at no cost to the officer or his/her department, cultivated a bond between law enforcement and the company that exceeds the typical customer-manufacturer relationship. Both officers and Armor Express describe the relationship as "a family."

"As soon as we learn about a Save, we move as quickly as possible to put our arms around that officer and bring them into the Armor Express family," said Davis.

Murphy confirms the dynamic. "The family feeling you get when you’re at the plant in Central Lake is like nothing you’ve ever seen," he said. "You wind up being overwhelmed by the feeling of how much you’re cared about by the people who are making your equipment."

While the Saves program initially began as an informal survivors’ network, it developed into a more structured division of Armor

Express following Murphy’s shooting. No longer able to serve on active duty, Murphy agreed to become manager of the program, charged with developing resources and support for other Saves.

"The only person who knows what it feels like to be an officer who’s been shot is another officer who’s been shot," said Murphy of taking on the role. "Police work is a business"¦and eventually your personal incident can be forgotten, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still traumatic for you, or the most important thing in your life and your family’s life. Our goal is to make sure that doesn’t get lost."

With Murphy at the helm, the Saves program now provides a forum and support group for officers and families who’ve experienced trauma in the line of duty. Recommendations of resources, such as books or psychological services, are available; a dedicated website for the Saves program is also under construction.

"When a traumatic incident happens, the incident itself last seconds or minutes, but the aftereffects go on, sometimes forever," said Murphy. "There’s a weight you wind up taking with you that’s not an expected part of the job. When your kid is crying and saying, "˜Daddy, please don’t go to work. I don’t want you to die’ that’s a tremendous amount of pressure. Having a forum where you can talk about that is as helpful as it’s going to be."

A Retreat

Armor Express Saves are scattered across the United States, which is one of the reasons the company provides online forums for officers to connect, but face-to-face interaction is also a crucial part of the healing process. With that in mind, the company hosted its first Saves Retreat at the Pine Hollow Institute in Elk Rapids last September.

Murphy and four other officers – along with their families – spent the weekend in northern Michigan boating, enjoying the outdoors and eating meals with each other and company staff. The group also had sessions were they could share their stories and discuss their journey toward recovery. Their experiences reflect the harrowing realities of police work and the often unseen repercussions that linger after traumatic incidents.

Officer Bret Morgan of New Britton, Connecticut, was approaching a stolen vehicle when the driver slammed on the gas pedal, striking Morgan and dragging him more than 100 feet. His body armor left a skid mark on the street. His torso was uninjured, but he had multiple reconstructive surgeries on his face. He attended the retreat with his fiancé.

Sheriff ’s Deputy Josh Caulkins of Smith County, Texas, was shot with a 16-gauge shotgun at a distance of only three feet. His body armor saved his life. He attended the Saves retreat with his wife.

Officer David Wagoner of Cape Coral, Florida, was shot three times during a routine traffic stop. Two rounds – one right over his heart, the other over his lower right abdomen – were stopped by his Armor Express vest. The third went below the vest and entered his pelvic cavity, causing significant injury. He attended the retreat with his wife.

The fifth and final Saves officer at the retreat was Officer Cole Martin of Pierre, South Dakota, who was shot through the wall of a trailer with a 12-gauge shotgun while attempting to apprehend a suspect. His body armor also saved his life. He attended the retreat with his wife and young son.

"The shooting was very difficult on my family," Martin said. "The trauma after the fact for my wife was tough. The retreat really, really helped her. She was able to talk to the other wives and mothers who had been in the same situation and were going through the same emotional stress. She is still in constant contact with everyone on Facebook."

Martin’s wife Amanda later wrote to Armor Express after that retreat, saying: "Meeting all of you and touring the facility, and seeing the vest actually shot-tested, has reinforced my peace of mind enormously, which I honestly didn’t think was possible after Cole’s shooting. You’re our angels. Thank you."

Martin said the weekend gathering gave him a "confidence boost" and left a "lasting impression."

"I told myself I wasn’t going to well up or cry, but it made me shed tears when they introduced all the staff and everybody was hugging," he said. "There wasn’t a dry eye there. You really got the sense these people love what they do and have an invested interest in their product, and an admiration for law enforcement and being able to save somebody’s life."

Murphy says providing a forum where officers can "break away from being stoic and are allowed to show their perceived weakness" is a crucial component of the Saves program. "These are concerns every human being has, and we want to make sure they’re heard and understood," he said. "I’ve given everyone my number and told them, "˜I don’t care if it’s day or night; call me if you need to talk.’" Davis says Armor Express hopes to host another Saves Retreat in northern Michigan in the near future. The company is also continuing to evaluate ways to strengthen its connection with officers, particularly those who’ve been wounded in the line of duty.

"The sacrifices these heroes have made"¦ are all too often taken for granted," Davis said. "We rarely consider the physical and emotional scars they’re burdened with for the rest of their lives. We want to be there as a support group for those officers and their families"¦to help overcome that trauma and hopefully find some healing."