Friday, May 13th, 2016
Officer's injury inspires man to make door rams
By William Kincaid
Submitted Photo
Celina resident Bob Laughlin, left, poses with police chief Tom Wale and five door rams Laughlin paid to have custom-made to ensure police officers can gain access to a structure to stop acts of aggression, execute search warrants and save people from fires.
CELINA - In 2013, Tom Wale, now Celina's police chief, kicked down the door of a residence to halt the ongoing assault of a woman.
"We couldn't get anybody to answer the door," Wale said.
In the process, Wale broke his leg from the knee down, the impact splitting the bone lengthwise. The emergency room doctor that night said he didn't know if Wale would be able to return to duty.
After a surgeon inserted a plate and screws into his leg to set the bone and several months of recovery, Wale did return to the force.
Celina resident Bob Laughlin, inspired by Wale's ordeal, set out to equip police officers with five door rams - or door knockers, as he likes to call them - to prevent a similar incident and to ensure officers have an efficient tool to enter a building in an emergency.
They'll be used to break open doors when acts of aggression are occurring or search warrants are being executed to no response. They also could help officers gain entry into burning structures to save occupants.
"They had an old-style one in there that was pretty impractical, and so I thought they could use these at night if they're on patrol and something comes up," Laughlin told the newspaper.
One officer had made a door ram, but Wale said it was overbuilt and awkward to use. It was not used because it was too heavy, he noted.
"We have used a sledgehammer in the past. Generally we rely on kicking the door," Wale said.
But as evidenced by the night Wale was injured, kicking a door down can imperil officers.
Door rams can cost as much as $500 apiece from a law enforcement supplier, Wale said. Instead, Wale and Laughlin designed their own version. Then, Laughlin had a local welder create five custom door rams with two-and-a-half inch box iron, each featuring two handles for gripping. The 31-inch long door rams each weigh about 25 pounds.
"Bob put a lot of thought into the design," Wale said. "We went back and forth a couple of times while they were still in pieces and kind of figured out the layout of them."
Laughlin paid to have the door rams built. He did not disclose the cost.
"The main concept for me was if there was an emergency, you have to get in," Laughlin said "Our fire department's excellent but if you see a situation where you had to get in there - two, three minutes can make a world of difference."
Wale agreed and said the door rams will be strategically placed in five of the department's nine marked cars so one will be on the road at most times.
Laughlin has donated ammunition to the department in the past.
"We see each other in the barbershop every couple of weeks," Wale noted.
Wale thinks Laughlin may be on to something.
"I think Bob probably ought to put a patent on it and start selling them," he quipped.
