Read "Think About it..." Online Warrior Stories  | Excerpts | News Articles | Poems
Rear Cover | Reviews | About the Book | About the Author | Order | E-Mail  |  Home

" Think About it..." mailed to your home for only $14.95   S&H included
A great gift for you or someone you love

True Police Stories

"Courage is the ability to move; when all around you are frozen in fear
and no one would blame you if you did nothing at all." Capt. Click. Phx. PD

My Name is Kevin Kazmaier

Taken from the book Think About it...  for your reading convenience

I’m at a loss for words in how to start this assignment. It is a humbling experience for me and an
honor to be a small part of this book. Most people call me “Kaz”, a nickname that has followed me throughout my life. My background is very different than other LDS police officers that I’ve come to know. I feel ashamed, for the most part, that my early upbringing without the gospel has left many rough edges on me which constantly come forth without much provocation. I was raised by a very authoritative father, who I was scared of in my youth. He was an alcoholic and was not a pleasant person when drinking, which of course meant most of the time. I sometimes feel that my being a police officer comes from my own drive to have that same authority that I was scared of in my youth. I was not raised with the word of wisdom, family prayer, scripture reading or attending church regularly, but I have always been blessed in my life.

That I know for certain. And know now that my Heavenly Father has always looked out for me and has always loved me. It is a miracle that I became a police officer. I truly think that Heavenly Father has something for me to accomplish in this life that apparently involves this work that we’ve chosen. I have been in law enforcement for fifteen years. For three of those years I was not LDS and fit quite well into the worldly activities of strong drink and good cheer. I have many police officer friends who knew me in my PG days (pre-gospel days) and who have said to me,

                           “Kaz, I never believed you’d be a Mormon.”
                  I’ve often laughed to myself when this is said
                                                   and hope that I can say that to them someday.

My life as a police officer started when I was twenty-nine years of age, which by some measure seems old, but my life experience in those prior years helped me to understand a lot of different people and a lot of different life styles. These experiences have helped me understand people, and now with the gospel, has hopefully given me a truer understanding of life’s ups and downs. I was first introduced to the gospel by a reserve officer by the name of Randy. He was an unusual person who was LDS and didn’t mind my cigarettes, coffee and foul mouth. He rode with me and we had many wonderful talks about life, God and why we were here on earth. I will always be grateful to Randy for his love of a fellow human, no matter what his circumstances in life were at the time.

               I know I have a special gift given to me that I hope
                                will always guide me in this career, this being the Holy Ghost.

I remember an experience, prior to being LDS, that will always be with me. I was enroute to work when an older man was brought to my attention and I looked over to see him sitting at a business that had closed for the day. This man looked old and tired and in need of something or someone. It was 1530 in the afternoon and there was a Circle K store across the street from where he was, with people everywhere, so I didn’t think much of it. I continued to work and found that my assignment was to ride the Teleserve Desk that evening (not an exciting assignment). There was a lot of excitement around the station when I came in, it being 1600. They were assigning areas to search to several beat cars because an elderly man had walked away from a retirement home. For some reason it hit me that the man by the business was that man. I told several people that I thought I saw the subject at the closed business and everyone told me the same thing. This was an old man that couldn’t have walked that far.

               You see, it was over fourteen miles from where he had left
                              “and no one that old could do that,” I was told.
                                                I let them talk me out of the Holy Ghost’s prompting.

I got off work that next morning and went a different route home, by now, forgetting about the man and the closed business. I remember going to work the next day and someone saying that they had found the old man early the next morning. He had died by the business where I had seen him the night before. I knew after joining the Church that the sweet gift of the Holy Ghost had tried unsuccessfully to communicate with me in that earlier experience. I have been truly thankful to know that I have this marvelous gift with me that will guide and direct me, keep me safe and protect me as I work.

I have worked many assignments in my career in law enforcement. I would have to say that probably the most exciting times I have had in this career were in an undercover capacity. This definitely was not the most ideal assignment for an LDS Saint, but most definitely a chance to see modern day Gadianton Robbers at their best. I’ve bought drugs, stolen property, guns, busted down doors in search warrants, arrested homicide suspects, arrested bank robbers as they left the bank, sat in showers of residences while burglars robbed the place, watched car thieves steal Mercedes, disarmed live explosive devices and watched attractive young women sell their bodies for heroin. All of these experiences have allowed me to see human beings at their worst and yet, how much love Heavenly

Father has for them. It is difficult at times to have a positive outlook on life while witnessing these events happen to so many people. Police officers become cold and heartless at times, seeing these events and watching helpless victims suffer because of thoughtless acts of individuals.

I can testify to you that in many of my experiences,
I have felt the Spirit of the Lord speak to my heart and direct my actions.

I’ve had many a quiet prayer to myself on search warrants involving heavily armed suspects and with other officers when we’ve worked on suspected bombs and explosives. It is probably one of the safest feelings to have as an officer, to work next to another LDS officer. The scripture, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20) often comes to mind. I have asked several in my career to have a silent prayer as we attempted to do dangerous assignments.

I have been blessed to use the priesthood on two special occasions in my work. The first time was in Huntsville, Alabama at Red Stone Arsenal. I was attending the FBI Army Bomb School for new bomb technicians. It was a month long school involving every aspect of explosive training there was, with the best safety precautions in place. It was the final day of practical exercises that we would do to become certified. I was working with a state trooper from Delaware and a deputy sheriff from San Jose. During the exercise, a one in a million accident occurred. I had just switched places with Dave, the state trooper. We were taping down a water cannon to disrupt a suspect pipe bomb. While taping down the water cannon the cannon functioned, hitting Dave in the chest and causing ear damage to my left ear drum. As I observed Dave go backwards in slow motion, I was not sure what had happened. We were at a military firing range ten to fifteen miles away from anything. After Dave hit the ground, I opened his airway and pulled up his shirt to find his sternum to start CPR. It was at this time I saw that Dave had been struck directly over the heart and CPR was not an option. I had been a member of the Church for less than a year and knew that I needed to give Dave a priesthood blessing.

I administered my blessing, commanding that by the power of the priesthood, Dave would be OK. I don’t believe I had given anyone, except my wife, a blessing before and I was not sure I was worthy or knew the correct procedure. Dave passed away as he was being transported to the hospital. The doctor stated that the sack surrounding the heart had burst upon impact of the water cannon and Dave would not have survived anyway. I felt extremely downtrodden, wondering why we had changed spots prior to the accident and questioning my priesthood abilities and worthiness.

I cannot divulge the very personal, spiritual experience that I had that night,
however, I can testify to you that I know that Dave is okay.
And the accident was meant to be.
                                          And it occurred as it was to have occurred.

On another occasion we had a homicide at a local bar. The other units of our team had located a possible apartment and vehicle belonging to the shooter. I was assigned to the surveillance location. This was considered an easy surveillance, only to have to sit on the suspect’s vehicle until the detectives could draw up a search warrant. As I got within several miles of the complex, I heard scattered radio transmissions that an officer was down at the location and that shots had been fired.  I got to the complex finding a fellow officer down, unconscious and with major head injuries, caused by the suspect hitting the officer with his car, then running over his mid-section as he was leaving the scene. I once again knew that I needed to give a priesthood blessing. I did so, calling upon our Heavenly Father to heal the officer’s head injuries and to allow him to live. Later that evening, I was honored by fellow officers when they asked me to lead them in prayer at the hospital. These were not LDS officers but we all knew that prayer was the answer to what doctors called a life threatening head injury.

             Authors note: Bill (the officer down) said he was told that he died once at the
scene and once on the table. Both times, his system completely shutdown. He said he doesn’t
remember that, but he does remember that twice, his great grandfather appeared to him and told him, “You gotta go back Billy boy. It’s not your time.” The second time he merely said, “Bill, you gotta go back.” Bill was told other things by his grandfather that Bill didn’t know and Bill’s father later confirmed. Bill’s neurologist, a doctor by the name of Hugh, at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital, told him, “Bill, from everything I know, from everything I’ve read, you should have died.” Bill replied, “Doc, It wasn’t my time. God was working through your hands to save my life.” His doctor nodded his head and replied, “That’s the only way I can explain it.”

(Continuing)
I remember hearing from the family that the doctors were amazed at the miraculous healing of the injuries. It wasn’t until years later that I learned that the officer, who had to medically retire because of the injuries, had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I testify to you that I know I’m fortunate to have found this Church and to be blessed with the priesthood and to be able to associate with other officers who share my beliefs. I cannot tell of all the experiences I have had, where I know that I have been helped by the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, because there are so many. I am by no means perfect and never expect to be compared to other officers of this faith. I am thankful for a good wife who loves me in spite of my weaknesses and stains that this career brings with it,

              and for a loving Heavenly Father who has given me
                                                             the ultimate sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ.
                            It is only by His love and grace
                                         that I have been spared death or permanent injuries.
                                                        I testify to you in the name of Jesus Christ.
                                                                                  Sincerely,

                                                                      Sergeant Kevin Kazmaier Badge #6450

 

If you are or were a police officer, soldier, fireman
or wife, mother, father of such or some other branch of emergency personnel
and would like to share an unusual testimony building experience with others,
please contact us for details at

Samuel@ldscops.com

or use the link on the front page of this site at

www.LDSCOPS.com

Thank you and God bless,

Samuel-LDS

"Think About it..." mailed to your home for only $14.95   S&H included

Read "Think About it..." Online Warrior Stories  | Excerpts | News Articles | Poems
Rear Cover | Reviews | About the Book | About the Author | Order | E-Mail  |  Home

S&J Liberty Publishing
P.O. Box 7899   Mesa, AZ 85216-7899
A 317 page full size book, mailed to your home for only $14.95   S&H included