An Instrument of Change
PICTURED ABOVE
Mt. Sterling Police Officer Cody McDaniel and his K-9 partner Bommel have proven to be quite a team by helping their department build a positive community rapport. (Photo by Michael Moore)
It’s cliché for law enforcement officer to say they got into the profession to make a difference. But for Mt. Sterling Police Officer Cody McDaniel, his desire to become an instrument of change emanated from his upbringing.
“My desire to become a police officer stemmed from my childhood,” the four-year MSPD veteran said. “Violence and criminal activity hits close to home for me. I decided I wanted to make a difference, so in 2016, I applied to the MSPD and was hired as an officer in 2017.”
McDaniel began his career as a patrol officer, serving the citizens of Mt. Sterling, a city of about 7,200 in Montgomery County, nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. In March 2020, he became a K-9 handler and partnered with Bommel, nicknamed Bomb, a 4-year-old German Shepherd.
McDaniel and Bomb work second shift for MSPD, and like many other communities, they deal with a variety of calls.
“From welfare checks, domestics, drug activity, shots fired complaints, to bank robberies, I think it’s safe to say, you never know exactly what is going to happen from the start of a shift to finish,” McDaniel said.
The Bomb
Being a K-9 handler, McDaniel is well versed in drug call-outs.
“Drug interdiction would be what I would consider my niche in law enforcement,” he said. “As a K-9 officer, I have worked a lot of cases involving narcotics. Knowing that I can confiscate these substances and potentially save the lives is a daily goal of mine.”
The war on drugs is one of the greatest challenges MSPD faces, McDaniel explained. That is followed closely by break-ins and assault cases, which he feels ties directly into the drug problem.
From their first time patrolling, tag-teaming with Bomb has proven fruitful, McDaniel explained.
“The first traffic stop in which Bomb was deployed, I conducted a traffic stop in a known drug area (in Mt. Sterling),” McDaniel explained. “Bomb immediately alerted on the vehicle which led me to search the vehicle in which I was able to seize more than three ounces of meth, two firearms and a large amount of cash.”
When the duo are not finding drugs, they help other members of the police department track down suspects.
“Bomb was able to track the individual, which we located in a wooded area,” McDaniel said. “Once Bomb alerted, the individual fled on foot. He was given several warnings to stop but continued to flee.”
At that time, McDaniel released Bomb, who quickly and safely ended the chase, McDaniel said.
Into the Fire
During his four years with MSPD, McDaniel has come across nearly every situation a law enforcement officer can. However, McDaniel said a good rule of thumb is to expect the unexpected.
“I was going down a street in which I had to reroute and take a back street due to construction,” he recalled. “I noticed smoke coming from a house and two people were standing outside and appeared to be panicked.”
During the initial investigation, McDaniel realized someone in a wheelchair was trapped inside the burning home.
“My instincts kicked in,” he explained. I alerted dispatch, and without thought, I ran into the home. Once I entered the home, the fire had already started moving through the kitchen, but I was able to locate the individual in the back bedroom of the house.”
The situation continued to worsen as the blaze had eliminated his planned escape route.
“We were unable to exit the home the same way I entered,” McDaniel said. “The individual and I were trapped in the bedroom of the home. I was able to get the individual out of her wheelchair and drag her across the floor to the window. I had to break out a bedroom window in an attempt to get us out of the house. Due to the individual being handicap, I was unable to get her out of the window safely, on my own. Shortly after, the fire department arrived, and together, we were able to get her out. The individual was taken to the hospital in serious condition but was later released. I truly feel I was put in the right place at the right time, which allowed me to save her life.”
Connecting with Community
However, being teamed with Bomb is not all about locating drugs and patrolling streets, McDaniel continued.
“My approach is using Bomb as sort of an ice breaker,” he said. “Everyone gets excited about seeing a police dog. It is easy for me to use Bomb as a tool to connect with members of the community to get members to open up about concerns they have in the community and things they would like to see changed.”
Mt. Sterling Police Officer Cody McDaniel seeks to help and interact with members of his community. (Photo by Michael Moore)
In addition to being paired with Bomb and the ease of using the dog to connect to residents, McDaniel said the makeup of Mt. Sterling itself also allows him to connect with the community.
“The city of Mt. Sterling is unique because of the population,” he explained. “It isn’t as big as Louisville or other larger cities. However, it is still large enough that we receive various calls such as murder, bank robberies, drug complaints, etc. The population is large enough to allow me the opportunity for experiences. Still, it is also small enough in which it is not impossible to form a relationship with community partners such as the commonwealth attorney and judges. It also allows me to interact with the citizens of Montgomery County. I enjoy being able to interact with citizens who recognize me as an officer and know me by name.”
Pandemic Policing
While making community connections is a strong suit of McDaniel, the global pandemic has made it challenging to interact with the citizens of Mt. Sterling and Montgomery County.
“Many events and trainings have been canceled or postponed,” McDaniel pointed out. “It has also made things harder in the aspect of connecting and interacting with the community.”
One of the more noticeable events the pandemic affected in 2020 was Court Days, an annual event in October dating back to 1794. Court Days typically allows officers a chance to be more visible and interact more with the public. In 2020, that wasn’t the case, McDaniel said.
“Many small-town events have been canceled due to COVID,” he said.
Forward Thinking
(Photo by Michael Moore)
Serving the citizens of Mt. Sterling has given McDaniel a great sense of accomplishment. And being a member of the MSPD also affords McDaniel upward mobility.
“Our department is big enough to have specialized units such as K-9, bike patrol, special response team, and HIDTA,” he said. “Our department (allows) us to take specialized training in different states such as accident reconstruction specialist, armors course, less-lethal instructor courses, sniper courses, meth lab specialist, etc.”
McDaniel also serves MSPD as firearms and less-lethal instructor, which bodes well for his career, he said.
“Things have moved quickly for me over the past four years,” he pointed out. “I plan on continuing with the Mt. Sterling Police Department and see where my career takes me.”
