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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for Dec. 22, 2009

TUESDAY, DEC. 22, 2009

A Christmas carol for cops?

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Christmas spirit seems to be in full swing at a police department in Wisconsin. Kenosha police officers have made a Christmas video that features their version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." The cops sing about gifts from their chief…

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This Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2009 image made from video released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department shows a man dressed as Santa robbing the Sun Trust Bank in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Metropolitan Nashville Police Department) (AP/Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)

Gun-toting Santa Claus robs bank

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — He may have been dressed all in fur from his head to his foot, but this Santa was no saint. According to Metropolitan Nashville Police, a man wearing a Santa Claus suit — including hat, beard and mustache — and dark…

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Spokane church rammed, ransacked

Here's a report from Sara Leaming: A 56-year-old man who investigators say was so upset over a $70 repair bill he rammed his truck into a northeast Spokane church and ransacked the inside was arrested today. Mark T. Heitman, a parishioner of the Country Crossroads…

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An unidentified person was caught on video in a robbery Tuesday morning December 22, 2009 at Mountain West Bank.  Courtesy of Coeur d'Alene Police Department (Courtesy Police / The Spokesman-Review)

Picture shows CdA bank robber

An employee arriving to work this morning at Mountain West Bank in Coeur d’Alene was confronted by a man who attempted to take money from the bank, but instead robbed the woman of a small sum, police said. The robber entered the bank at 125…

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Sergeant in drunken hit and run fired

A police sergeant involved in a drunken hit and run crash in September has been fired. Bradley N. Thoma, 44, is no longer with the Spokane Police Department as of Monday, police said today. Thoma, a 20-year police veteran, will avoid criminal prosecution for the…

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Police stopped traffic on Meridian Ave. about a mile north of a triple-shooting near Tanwax Lake, Pierce County, Monday night, December 21, 2009. Two sheriff's officers responding to a dispute between two brothers were shot by one of the men lying in wait after being welcomed into the home by the other, authorities said. The gunman was killed and the officers were seriously wounded. (AP Photo/The News Tribune, Peter Haley) (Peter Haley / The News Tribune)

2 cops hurt in West Side shooting 

By GEORGE TIBBITS Associated Press Writer SEATTLE (AP) — Two sheriff's officers were wounded while responding to a dispute at a home between two brothers — the third shooting of law enforcement officers in Washington state in the last three months. The officers killed the…

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Public safety news from the Inland Northwest and beyond.