AMU Emergency Management Law Enforcement Public Safety

One Year After Tragic Shooting Death of Officer, Department Recounts Its Response and Recovery

By Dave Malone

On March 20, 2011, the Fond du Lac Wisconsin Police Department was suddenly faced with an incident that led to the on-duty, fatal shooting of Officer Craig Birkholz, the near fatal wounding of Officer Ryan Williams, and the wounding of Officer Ryan’s Officer K-9. Unfortunately, this is a scenario far too common for many departments across the United States.

How the Fond du Lac Police Department and its “family” responded to this incident provides a valuable template for all of law enforcement to follow. During the Wisconsin FBINAA annual retrainer on May 31st in Minocqua, several officers involved in that incident gave a detailed presentation based on their experience:

What started out as an investigation of a sexual assault complaint reported by the victim became even more intense because it was believed the suspect was holed up in his apartment with the six-year-old daughter of the victim. Upon arrival on the scene, when officers entered the home to locate the suspect, Officer Ryan Williams was shot twice, receiving near fatal wounds that he was not expected to recover from. This was followed by the fatal shooting of Officer Craig Birkholz who was shot out of a two-story window as he exited his patrol car when responding to the officer-down call. Eventually, it was discovered that Officer William’s K-9 was also shot through the window of the patrol car where he was waiting. (Find a news account of the incident here.) Both Officer Williams and the K-9 made startling recoveries. After some well-directed tactical fire, the suspect committed suicide. As it turned out, the six year old was with the suspect’s parents and was unharmed. 

While this was a tragic incident for the department, it was also a success story because of the inter-agency cooperation, the attention to the needs of the officers and their families, and the managerial approach to the tactical decisions during that chaotic four hours upon which responding officers were under constant fire from the suspect. Hearing these officers recount this event was both astounding and inspirational for those of us in attendance.

The challenges of the on-going incident were many, but the real story here is the way more than 100 agencies came together to deal with the three-block crime scene as well as their transition to the aftermath process of overcoming shock, grief and, eventually, healing both for the officers involved as well as the department and community. Even after a year, the process continues. However, the sorrow has turned to pride and honor because of the way the Fond du Lac Police Department handled the entire tragedy from beginning to the present.

In the presentation, it became clear that Officer William’s determination to survive and then use his recovery to inspire all the others affected by this event helped the department face this tragic event with resolve and determination.

Officer Craig Bucholz was well known for having always signed his written reports with the saying Be Safe, Be Strong, Be Positive. Under the caring direction of Chief Tony Barthuly, all those involved acted with professional safety in mind and sound tactical procedure – Staying Safe. Officer Ryan Williams himself always worked hard to stay physically fit (marathon runner) with the goal of preparing himself for the job not knowing how soon his body would be put to the ultimate test – Be Strong. By all accounts, Officer Williams was determined to survive whatever the odds against him were. Once on the road to recovery, Officer Williams decided to clearly demonstrate to all that if he could survive his near mortal wounds so could they – and then he did that – Be Positive. All involved credited Officer William’s survival instinct and positive attitude as the primary factor in helping all cope with the shooting aftermath.

The tactical details were discussed at length during the presentation. However, what is more important is that caring leadership, coupled with the inspiration provided by Officer Williams, truly embodies and honors Officer Birkholz’s memory and the truth of  his own words: BE SAFE – BE STRONG – BE POSITIVE

~Dave Malone spent more than 32 years with the Eau Claire Police Department in Wisconsin, including 10 years as its Chief of Police. He also spent six years as the Wisconsin field coordinator with the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center. Dave is currently a senior law enforcmeent education outreach coordinator with American Military University.

Leischen Kranick is a Managing Editor at AMU Edge. She has 15 years of experience writing articles and producing podcasts on topics relevant to law enforcement, fire services, emergency management, private security, and national security.

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