JULY/AUGUST 2011 ISSUE • VOLUME 45, NO. 4 • COURTEOUS VIGILANCE DPS Officers begin training with new state-of-the-art patrol rifles See story on page 22 >> the loss of the two DPS communication tow- ers located on Signal Peak Page 2 July/August 2011 The Digest Vantage Point Robert C. Halliday, Director ive and a ment agency, DPS half years employees, both The Digest is published bi-monthly by ago, our sworn and civilian, the DPS Community Outreach and Fagency celebrated a have a special re- Education Program for DPS employees landmark milestone sponsibility to the and retirees. - the 75th Anniver- Arizona popula- sary of the establish- tion everyday they ment of the Arizona come to work. Employees and retirees are invited to Highway Patrol. Entering its submit story ideas or stories for publica- While the agen- 100th year as a tion. Stories or story ideas may be cy has grown ex- state, the Arizona submitted to The Digest by mail (mail ponentially since Centennial celebra- drop 3350), e-mail ([email protected]) those early days, especially with tion will span many months lead- or telephone (602-223-2545). the official creation of DPS in ing up to and through February 1969, 2006 was a special time of of next year honoring everything Robert C. Halliday, Director remembrance and tribute to those Arizona has come to stand for in who helped lay the foundation for its existence. At the site, www.az100years. Jim Jertson, Publications Editor everything this Department has become. org, there is an extensive compi- [email protected] In February of next year, on lation of state facts as well as a Valentine’s Day more specifically, comprehensive calendar that de- Kellen Chavez Arizona will celebrate a milestone tails every special event that will Publications Support Specialist of 100 years as a state. take place as part of the Centen- [email protected] Prior to Feb. 14, 1912, Arizo- nial celebration. na spent nearly 49 years as a U.S. It is easy to get caught up in The Digest can be accessed directly territory and was the 48th state to the everyday grind of the work- from the DPS World Wide Web home be established, and the last of the place and forget everything that page at http://www.azdps.gov/digest mainland states. comes with being state employ- Since then, Arizona has grown ees. steadily and is the 16th most pop- I would encourage you to The Arizona Department of Public ulated state in the nation. As an spend some time looking at the Safety is an Equal Employment aside, Phoenix is the 6th largest calendar of Centennial celebra- Opportunity Agency. city in the nation and Maricopa tion events in the coming months County is the fourth largest county and take some time to enjoy the in the country. things in Arizona you spend your As a state-level law enforce- days protecting. The Digest July/August 2011 Page 3 DPS Supply Specialist Ralph Dunham passes away on Aug. 18 Services for the Massachusetts native, 60, were held on Aug. 26 in Glendale DPS Supply Specialist Ralph Dun- who were visiting the DPS Supply Ware- ham, 60, passed away Aug. 18 after a val- house for the purpose of dropping off sur- iant battle with cancer. plus equipment or other items. After all, Services for Dunham were held Aug. he would not only ask those employees if 26 in Glendale. they wanted help unloading their vehicle, Dunham, badge no. 5994, was born on but he would actually start helping before Feb. 3, 1951 in Brockton, Massachusetts. they had a chance to answer. He began his career at DPS on Dec. And, better yet, employees didn’t have 22, 2001 and was assigned to the agency’s to feel bad about utilizing Dunham’s sur- Supply Warehouse in Phoenix. prising level of help because it became Charming his co-workers and his evident that he took true joy in assisting various DPS “customers” with his genuine others. kindness, thick Boston accent, and warmth, Also, Dunham’s co-workers said that Dunham remained in Supply his entire ca- no matter what was going on in his life, he reer at DPS. was always jovial, positive and patient with His primary duties were receiving, everyone he encountered. logging, and organizing the vast array of Ralph Dunham Dunham’s efforts helped his unit re- supply items that arrive at DPS on a daily ceive the DPS Director’s Unit Citation basis. shooting) personality. Award in 2004. Skilled at operating a forklift, Dunham “Ralph did not know a stranger and he He was truly loved at DPS for who he also played a large role in moving large treated everyone he encountered at work, was. This was evident when he went on DPS supplies and processing the agency’s including non-agency delivery personnel, medical leave from the agency due to his surplus equipment. like family,” said one of Dunham’s co- cancer (which was discovered by doctors However, it was Dunham’s role and workers. in November of 2010). presence at the DPS “supply counter” in When employees from out of town During his leave, agency employees Phoenix that his fellow employees will re- would come to Phoenix to pick up supplies, from all over the state showered him with member the most. Dunham would often greet them by name. cards, letters and gifts. It was there, while distributing sup- This pleasantly surprised those employees, And the day employees learned that plies to DPS employees, that Dunham especially the ones who only made it to Dunham was in need of donated annual made a lasting impact on others through Phoenix a couple of times a year. leave, he received over 300 donated hours his fun, caring, helpful and honest (straight He also surprised those employees CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 Ralph Dunham’s sons: DPS meant a great deal to our father Editor’s Note: The following is the text his extended family. The compassion and last several months that we came to know from a letter recently sent to DPS by Ralph care that you showed to our father made more of you. We also came to know, based Dunham’s sons. As you will see, the touch- sure that he never felt alone. on the smile on our father’s face when he ing letter thanks the DPS family for sup- Our dad truly loved working for DPS told stories about work, that he thought the porting Ralph during his battle with can- and it is easy to see why. We counted our- world of you. cer and, most importantly, during his final selves blessed that at his funeral we were Even during some of his toughest days. able to get the slightest glimpse into the battles, he would always remind us of how Dear DPS employees, nature of the people he was always talking fortunate he was, of how much support he It is with the utmost gratitude and about. received from all of you, of how when he appreciation that we, the sons of Ralph We were able to meet you, to grieve needed it most, he would get a phone call Dunham, write you (the employees of the with you and share with you the man who or a card or a visit. Arizona Department of Public Safety) this taught us how to be men. We are so incredibly thankful because letter of thanks. Over the last ten years, you came to of your thoughts and actions. We are es- We don’t know if we can possibly con- know our father as a baseball nut, a proud pecially thankful for the tremendous differ- vey how much you meant to our dad over dad and grandfather, and a former marine ence you made in our father’s life. Our fa- these long and trying months - your cards, who you could count on not only to get the ther’s last months, days, and moments were your visits, your phone calls and your job done, but to do so with a smile and a full of love. Love from both of his families prayers sustained him. quick wit. - DPS and us. You were much more than just co- You heard stories not only of us, but Sincerely, workers to him - you were his friends and of our children. It was throughout these Ralph’s Sons Page 4 July/August 2011 The Digest Photos by Gary Keltz The recent 2011 DIAP/EPIC conference featured a wide array of speakers, training opportunities and events. Hosting the Best Criminal Interdictors ith sponsorships from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety DPS plays host to major Administration Drug Interdiction Assistance Program (DIAP) and the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), conference that assembled WDPS hosted the 21st Annual DIAP/EPIC MVCI Training Confer- ence Aug. 16-21 in Glendale. more than 600 overland For 21 years running, this conference has assembled the largest number of overland criminal interdiction experts and practitioners in the United States. criminal interdiction experts More than 600 law enforcement interdiction specialists from ev- ery state, as well as each Canadian province, assembled at the con- and practitioners from ference “to encourage the exchange of intelligence relative to the use of our nation’s highways by traveling criminals and contraband throughout the U.S. and smugglers.” The theme for this year’s conference was use of technology in law enforcement investigations and the legal considerations officers Canada must remain cognizant of regarding that use. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 The Digest July/August 2011 Page 5 The artwork above, featuring an Arizona theme, was used on the official website of the 2011 DIAP/EPIC conference.