For many years, I was in deep denial. I refused to believe and to accept, a simple fact; my colleagues in oath, and duties; the men with whom I shared a police station, for up to six days, and some times in advance of a week, without seeing my family and my friends, would have arranged for me to be murder, to advance their careers.
These were men with whom, I eat, share personal information, discussed matters of importance; men with whom, I had fought alongside and for whom I have fought. Men I expected to watch my back in dangerous situations, men who confided in me, and men whom I give critical advise too, on matters of jobs saving consequences and other things. Men to whom, I give my loyalty and my secretary; but they did and they did it without remorse.
Now I was sitting before a doctor who addressed me; he said, “Officer Palmer,” pausing for a while, still looking at the X-ray on the X-ray display monitor, as he used the top of his ball point pen like a pointer; to draw my attention, to a particular area, on the picture that showed a bony outline of my Jaw, chin, teeth and the lower part of the crown of my head.
The last time I was in a similar situation, I was sitting before a different doctor, at the same hospital, in the same Accident and Emergency ward, with blood running from my nose. At that time, I was conveyed to the hospital in a police vehicle, and I was accompanied by my training instructor Sgt. Ron Roberts. In that instant, the doctor declared; “Officer Palmer; Your nose is broken, my mind wondered, I have never had a broken bone before; I said to myself. Then the doctor continued, but the good news is, you will not need surgery to repair the broken nose;” I am going to make an appointment for you to have nasal manipulation.”
This time, I was back at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital with a different injury. The doctor was still moving his pen on the X-ray negatives, in a circle, in the general area he wanted me to pay close attention to; then he continued without establishing eye contact with me, still focusing on the X-ray, "Mr. Palmer, your jaw is broken.” Then he looked at me, with a smile on his face and said; “we have good news, "you don’t need surgery to repair the broken jaw. The Broken jaw will heal on its own in about five to six weeks.”
This injury was resulted from a love affair I started some years earlier. I found my first and true love and like a love sick teenager, I was having the time of my life. I did not allow anything to come between me and my new love; not even the incidents that resulted in broken bones. Life was not perfect, but I looked forward to each day. It was during this period of my life that I got to understand, the true meaning of the often used term: "when you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life."
I was having the time of my life; I was early for work, I left work late and I only missed work when I was too sick to function and that was rare; as a matter of fact, it happened once in fifteen years but I had sick leave twice. I had recently been transferred to the Chateaubelair Police Station. To me, being a police officer was an ongoing adventure and those who knows me, knows that I love a good adventure.
As kids; Bread-head (Garfield Mayers), Bony-mouth (Caswell Providence) and I loves adventures so much that we were always looking for new things to do and new ways to create adventures. This means we created and find dangerous things to do as kids. There was the time we made parachutes, from some thick plastic we found; after which, we went to the highest point on Zambie Rock to jump off. To date I am still the only person to jump from that rock with the homemade parachute.
This happened after Bread-head and Bony-mouth insisted that the parachute experiment, was my idea and it was only fair that I be the first person to test it out. It was only after I jumped from high rock, the parachute opened, and the wind took full control of me, almost slammed me into the rock face; but instead, the experiment ended in me landing on a rock that was submerged, two feet under the water, in an area people dont normally swim, that was laden with long tentacles Black Sea Eggs (Sea-Orchard). The Sea-Orchards is the main reason no one swims in that area.
This resulted in my foot, becoming filled with black Sea-Orchard tentacles. It was at this point, we realized, this adventure, although an exciting one, our lack of control over the parachute made it a dangerous one, that may result in even serious injuries, like broken bones etc. We were looking for fun, adventure and excitement not a stay in the hospital.
I remembered trying to enticed Bread head and Boney mouth into becoming police officer, when I was about to enlist. But the guys did not entertain the thought. In my mind, with our undying friendship, aquabatic skills, our courage, Street Sense, fighting skills, etc. the three of us would have made an awesome team.
Forget about SWAT, SSU and RRU, just call us to deal with your dangerous situations, we would have gotten the job done quicker, less messy, less expensive and with less blood. As teens, we have been in and gotten out of many sticky situation. As youth, we were the catalyst for each other. Most people, and a lot of my police colleague think I am very courageous, and I am, but they have never spent time with Bread-head; Bread-head is the most courageous man I have ever known. Yes Bread is more courageous than I am.
Many people think I am very analytical, and I am; most people can only see that in me because; most people have never spent time with Bony-mouth; Bony-mouth is the most tactical and analytical mind I have ever known and yes, Mouth is much more analytical than I am. However, I was smack in the middle of Bread Head and Boney Mouth in the area of courage and analyzing.
As a police officer you never know what will happen at any given moment. The dangers are real, the lives you touched are real, the problems you were required to deal with are real and your mistakes affected the live of real people in some crucially defined ways. Not being one to shun danger, or to shy away from a challenge, meant that I was actually having the time of my life and I was getting pay to have fun.
Now I had to adopt and learn about the people of Chateaubelair; I was now a member of the staff at the Chateaubelair Police Station. This came after some suspicious efforts, to get me to agree to a transfer to the Rapid Response Unit (RRU). It was suspicious because of the person who made the request and the fact the police force has a policy to send men to work where they are needed not where they want to go. At least that is the enforceable policy for unfavored people like me.
The force has just began to become the politically charge. And I was considered the outsider, a man who was not apart of the new political establishment. I knew I had to be careful, but I did not take my welfare seriously. This was so because I had this invincibility complex. I believed that nothing serious could ever happen to me. An injury here and injury there in the line of duty, but nothing really serious.
I had an advantage in working at Chateaubelair that the other staff members did not have; an advantage that I had nothing to do with my efforts. My father spent a lot of time, in Chateaubelair as a young shipwright (a ship builder), building cargo vessels and fishing, as a result; I was welcomed with open arms by the older head within the Chateaubelair community. People like Bunion the noted fisherman and businessman, May Dublin Justice of the Peace and businesses woman, Mrs. Michaels and the other elders of the community. Who knew and was friends with my father, looked out for me.
I also remember as a child, my father Hamilton often packed up a car, along with my sister Andrea and I and we all went on road trips. We went to different places and the custom was, daddy made stops, along the way to see those of his friends, whom he held dear, until it was time to return that evening. We often visited Bunion at his home; which was the second to last stop on the Chateaubelair trip.
Although I was too young to remember, the exact places and the people we visited so long ago, when I went to Mr. Bunion’s shop on liquor license check, the place look familiar, When I introduced myself to Mr. Bunion, he inquired if I was related to the Palmer’s of Bottom Town, when he discovered that Hamilton or old Palmer was my father; he opened up to me about his friendship with my father and the fact that they visited each other. It was from Bunion I learnt of my father’s activities in the town as a young man; and who he had hanky panky relationships with.
Added to my advantage, in the seventies (1970s) my big sister Chrisida also worked in Chateaubelair as a teen, she worked with the Canadian Save the Children Fund - Child Development program. While in the eighties (1980s) my other big sister Clare worked in Chateaubelair at the Levi Latham Health Center, as the Staff Nurse in charge of that hospital and the district. My father and siblings had established a good reputation of hard work, honesty and professionalism in the community and the people who knew them, although they did not say it, they expected the same from me. I did all in my power not to bring reproach, to the legacy my family had created, in the town of Chateaubelair; serving the people of the North Leeward district.
Another factor that made policing Chateaubelair special, was two members of the staff with whom I worked and the connection we had. There was only a handful of police officer who was from Kingstown, in the entire police force; however, at the Chateaubelair Police Station there were two assigned there. We quickly bounded because our perspective on life and policing were similar. The locality we were from and our experiences. Another thing the Police Force look suspiciously at members within the rank that are from Kingstown.
The two colleagues of which I speak; was Claudius Morgan a man I knew from my childhood and youth. I knew Claudius as a child attending the Kingstown Seventh Day Adventist Church. Claudius attended on special occasion with his aunt: Sister Morgan, they lived in a small suburban mountain neighborhood in north Kingstown called: Kingstown Park. Kingstown Park is the neighborhood between Sharps and Kingstown the city, and it located mid-way up that un-names mountain.
As teens, Claudius and I were a part of the roller skate craze and we all skated together on the street of Kingstown, putting our skills on display, as we roller skate alongside the motor vehicle traffic, dogging in and out of the traffic; stealing a tow by holding on to moving vehicle, sometimes holding onto vehicle that moved at very high speed. Back then we thought we were invincible.
Atland Brown on the other hand, was from and lived on the top of the unnamed the Mountain, on which the Village of Sharps was, while Claudius lived in the Middle of the Mountain Atland lived on the top of the Mountain. Atland and I did not share the type of friendship Claudius and I shared before we became police officers; however, I would have seen him around. The three of us shared a camaraderie that saw us sharing everything from food, advise, experiences, expertise and duties. At the time the Chateaubelair Police Station had a staff of four Constables’ one Station Sergeant and one Corporal.
In charge of the station was Station Sergeant (SS) Eckron Lockhart, and his second in charge was Corporal “Owl Face” James. One constable was transferred and we were awaiting his replacement. However we got the job done with one constable short.
The other members of the staff were afraid of the men that control the weed operation in the North Leeward area, which was led by a young man that went by the name of I-Pa; as a result, in the pass the staff that worked ignored reports and other complaint against I-Pa and his crew. SS Lockhart, who managed the Police Station, did not instructed anyone not to deal with any reports against those men, but he always say to us, you have to be careful, those men kill and buried many people in the mountains. And he did not demanded the timely resolution of matters that was reported against them either. However, although no one was instructed not to deal with any such reports, from their rhetoric, every one knew, what were expected and the other police officers avoided the weed men at all cost.
The friendship among the three officers from Kingstown really cemented when Atland complaint the big dog of the Petit Bordel weed-men: I-Pa. After he was found guilty, I-Pa met Corporal James and issued threats via the Corporal to PC Browne. Instead of rebuking the gunman/big weed man the Corporal took himself from the police action, and buried PC 23 Brown; giving the man who was believed to have killed several people, and bury them in coal pits in the Chateaubelair Mountain, the impression that it was ok to deal with PC Brown.
It was at this time Claudius and I send a clear and stern message to the other members of the staff at the Chateaubelair Police Station and the Petto Gun men that Atland Brown was not alone. We did this in our unification of our duties. We went out on duty together as a show of support for Brown. I took it one step further and I initiated the arrest of the same Gunman I-Pa, for driving while suspended. I seized his vehicle, which he abandon and I did this in the presence of and against the instructions of Station Sergeant Lockhart who told me leave him alone.
Now the station was being flooded with phone calls from Fitzhugh and Goulding, the two most westerly village in the City of Chateaubelair. There was a man with a history of mental illness: by the name of Brian who was experiencing a mental decline and he began to act up. Apparently Brian was a good man generally; however, he gets violent when he experienced a full mental decline. The people of Fitzhugh, knew the signs he exhibited, when he stopped taking his medication.
As a result, the members of the community always alert the police, who in turn, took the necessary steps to have him apprehended and taken to the doctor before he reached full mental decline. Myself and other went in search for and apprehend Brian before he went into full mental decline. I was new to the area; I did not know this and no one shared the information with me. However, by this time, Brian was in full mental decline and he had become a threat to the community.
As far as I was concerned, if there was a threat to the community, it was the police responsibility, to remove that threat from the neighborhood, before it becomes a danger to the other members of the community, even a danger to the police. This simple philosophy was my approach to policing.
One Morning, at about 3:30 am, we got ready to go in search of the subject. Morgan or Brown was off on weekend leave, and the other one was working Station orderly duties. On the mission were Station Sergeant Lockhart, Corporal "Owl face" James, the constable who was just transferred to the station, whose name I cannot remember and I. some of the officers had long police issue wooden baton, while others had short wooden baton, I never carry a baton. We managed to get into the house and get to the upper level of the two level houses and located the subject who was fast asleep, in a bathtub, within a master bedroom in the unfinished house. We managed to achieve all this without being detected.
The plan was, we will all enter the room where the subject was asleep, hold him down keeping him in the bathtub, while the person who was assigned, put on the handcuffs on the subject and take him into custody. All was going to plan; we entered the bedroom; as usual I took the lead, still without being detected by the subject. As a matter of fact, the subject was in full sleep mode. Still in the lead, We sprang on the subject and held him down inside of the Bathtub. While the assignee tried to put on the Handcuff. No one expected the subject to give up without a fight, when he was awakened, by the sudden rush of men, a struggle ensued.
By this time, the subject made it to his feet, I was holding onto a long police issued baton, which was in the subject’s hands. I did not know how he managed to get a hold of the baton. While both of us fought, I was still trying to contain the subject and I was doing really well in preventing the subject from leaving the bathroom area. At times I will release one hand from the baton, while keeping the other hand fixed firmly on the baton in order to wheel him back into the bathroom area. I wondered to myself; why no one is trying to put the handcuffs on the subject.
I had no clue of the circumstances that had arisen. I was still trying, my uttermost best, to keep the subject from leaving the bathroom. I knew if he was allowed to leave the confined area, then his escape was sure; and that will only make the police job much harder to apprehend him. I had the support and backing of my colleagues, at lease so I thought. Not understanding the circumstances that awaited me, I continues to prevent the subject from leaving the bathroom.
While my back was turned and my attention was focused on the restraint and the apprehension of Brian; one of my colleague took their baton; bottom first and wacked me in my jaw, rendering me unconscious. I fell to the floor on the bathroom. I did not know what transpired after I was rendered unconscious.
I do not know, for how long I was unconscious. It could not have been for too long; however, when I regain consciousness, I was in the room with the man who was in full mental decline; Brian was lifting me up from off of the ground; what he was going to do I did not know. However; When I went unconscious, I was in full fight mode and when I came through I was still in fight mode. By this time, Brian had lifted me, to my knees, he was still supporting my dead weight, when I regain consciousness.
Still in fight mood, I immediately restarted my efforts to apprehend Brian; as a result, I quickly made a conscious visual sweep of the bedroom, to locate my colleagues only to discovered that there were only two people in the unfinished master bedroom, and that was the subject and I. I am convinced that if the subject wanted to, he could have harmed me while I was unconscious; however, when I regain consciousness Brian was more interesting in running away, than doing me any harm. When Brian made his next move to get out of the bedroom, I did not make any effort to stop him. The man ran out of the bedroom, jumped through one of the windows and escape.
I came out of the bedroom and I looked for my colleague and they were not in the upper level of the house. I got to the lower level and they were not in the lower level of the house either. To my surprise, none of my colleagues were in the house. They had left me behind in the bedroom of the house leaving me with the man, who was in full mental decline, who was a clear danger. When I exited the house, I saw Station Sergeant Eckron Lockhart, Corporal Earl James and the newly transferred constable all standing outside near to the police vehicle. The look on their face was priceless; the men looked shocked to see me. I guess if they had the keys to the vehicle they would have left me behind.
I came out and I asked them what happened; I wanted to know why the three of them left me alone in the house with the mentally insane subject; who had a history of violence when he was in his current mental condition. No one had an answer, to justify their actions, It was then we return to the station, with the subject still at large.
Irealized I had severe pain whenever I try to eat, therefore, when I arrived at home on my day off, I brought my pain to my sister Clare's attention, who suggested that I go to the hospital to have my injury examined and diagnosed. it was this incident that brought me to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital to have my mouth examined. I was informed by the doctor that I have suffered a broken jaw.
Soon after I was transferred and later Ralph E. Gonsalves promoted Eckron Lockhart to Assistant Superintendent, and “Owl Face” James was allowed to work as a police without a contract for five years after his retirement; a small reward for trying to kill a colleague.
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