SBPD Officers Recognized for Superior Performance
Officer Hove and Officer Klug will be honored during the 44th Annual H. Thomas Guerry Awards Ceremony, which is held to recognize excellence in law enforcement in Santa Barbara County. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 4:30 p.m. in the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 4th Floor, County Administration Building, at 105 E. Anapamu Street.
The incident for which Officer Hove and Officer Klug were nominated to receive the Award for Superior Performance occurred on January 14, 2013 at 3:40 p.m. At that time Officer Klug was dispatched to the cliffs of the Douglas Family Preserve regarding a suicidal 18-year old woman there. Officer Hove, who is an expert in crisis negotiation, was assigned to assist. Upon arrival they found the woman perched partway down the edge of the steep cliff with a 100-plus foot drop to the rocky beach below. Investigation revealed that the woman had a history of prior suicide attempts and that she had just been involved in a domestic battery at a nearby residence. Initial efforts to talk her off of the cliff had been fruitless. Already partway down, she slid an additional 30 feet to a small outcropping making her precarious position even more inaccessible. It would be hazardous to approach her or to attempt to stop her if she decided to jump. As time passed, rescuers’ concerns were heightened due to the fading daylight. Officer Hove and Officer Klug volunteered to approach the woman to try to talk her out of committing suicide. With the assistance of the Fire Department they were fitted with rappelling harnesses and anchored with ropes to trees at the top of the cliff. Realizing the woman’s fragile psyche, Officer Hove and Officer Klug continuously reassured the woman while slowly lowering themselves down the cliff face. After 60 minutes of calming, compassionate dialogue, Officer Hove convinced the woman to extend her hand to him. Officer Hove and Officer Klug then assisted her safely back up the cliff where she was reunited with her family and contacted by mental health counselors. The skill, courage, and compassion demonstrated by Officer Hove and Officer Klug led to the successful outcome of this incident and exemplify the highest standards of the Santa Barbara Police Department and the law enforcement profession.
Officer Keld Hove has been employed by the Santa Barbara Police Department for 15 years. He has served as a Patrol Officer, a Beat Coordinator, a Field Training Officer, and a Tactical Patrol Force Officer. He is currently the senior officer on the Police Department’s Restorative Policing Team. He also holds a collateral assignment as a team leader on the Department’s Crisis Negotiation Response Team. Officer Hove has twice received the H. Thomas Guerry Award for Valor.
Officer Douglas Klug is a 15-year veteran of law enforcement. He started his career with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department where he served as a Field Training Officer and a Firearms Instructor. In 2005 he was hired by the Santa Barbara Police Department where he has served as a Patrol Officer and is presently a Field Training Officer. In 2007 Officer Klug received the Santa Barbara Police Department’s Officer of the Year Award and the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D.) Top Gun Award for making the most D.U.I. arrests in Santa Barbara County. In 2011, 2012, and 2013 he was again recognized by M.A.D.D. for his high numbers of D.U.I. arrests. Officer Klug is certified as a law enforcement Drug Recognition Expert and Instructor.
Sergeant Riley L. Harwood
Santa Barbara Police Department
Community & Media Relations / PIO
P: (805) 897-2320
F: (805) 897-2420
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