Blackwater Images

Honored to have had the opportunity to photograph a rappelling training day on a six story tower during a beautiful May afternoon! Enjoy the photos!

Any day on the tower is a great day!

The 2024 Fraternal Order of Police Law Enforcement Memorial was held on April 29 at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida. The event was not held at the Florida State Capitol due to ongoing construction at the Capitol. The event was very well planned and put together. It was a beautiful tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Three Law Enforcement Officers were killed in the Line of Duty in the State of Florida during 2023. They were:

The first was Officer Charles Herring of the Pembroke Pines Police Department. He was 54 years of age and a 24 year Law Enforcement Veteran. He was killed on his Police motorcycle when a tree limb fell and struck him as he traveled down the road.

Sergeant Michael Kenovich of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office was killed on May 19, 2023 after suffering a fatal heart attack following a 6 minute fight with a suspect. Sgt. Kenovich was 52 years old and a 25 year Law Enforcement veteran.

Chief Anthony Rickerson of the Jasper Police Department was killed on June 11, 2023 while responding to a call for service. He struck a deer in the road and his vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire. Chief Rickerson was 43 years old and a 13 year Law Enforcement Veteran.

Once again families, friends, and survivors gathered in Tallahassee to honor those Law Enforcement Professionals from around the State of Florida to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. It was a very solemn and moving ceremony which made a lasting impact on those who witnessed and participated in it. Hopefully, one day we will experience a year when we don’t lose heroes like we did in 2023 and all the years before but until then we will continue to this honor lest we never forget those who have gone before us. Godspeed Brothers.

I was humbly honored to have had the opportunity to participate in the 2024 Florida Tour de Force bicycle ride from Miami, Florida to Daytona Beach, Florida. The tour began on Monday, April 8, 2024 and ended on Friday, April 12th. Our trip south began on Saturday morning, April 6th, as we met at the Tallahassee Police Department and loaded up and headed south. We stopped at the North Daytona Beach Police Department and picked up two more riders. Once loaded nothing could stop us now, not even a malfunctioning air conditioner in the hot and loaded van!

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale and checked into the motel, had dinner and retired early. The next morning we loaded up and headed to Coral Gables where we put out at a popular cycling park and conducted a 27mile “warm up ride” northbound thru Coral Gables, Miami Beach, and into North Miami. The next 5 days would result in nearly 300 miles of cycling north up the east coast of Florida in an effort to raise donations for Officers that we lost last year.

The Officers we rode in honor of this year had lost their lives in the line of duty in 2023. There were 3 of them.

The first was Officer Charles Herring of the Pembroke Pines Police Department. He was 54 years of age and a 24 year Law Enforcement Veteran. He was killed on his Police motorcycle when a tree limb fell and struck him as he traveled down the road.

Sergeant Michael Kenovich of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office was killed on May 19, 2023 after suffering a fatal Heart Attach following a 6 minute fight with a suspect. Sgt. Kenovich was 52 years old and a 25 year Law Enforcement veteran.

Chief Anthony Rickerson of the Jasper, Fl Police Department was killed on June 11, 2023 while responding to a call for service. He struck a deer in the road and his vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire. Chief Rickerson was 43 years old and a 13 year Law Enforcement Veteran.

Our week began with a “warm up” ride through the greater Miami area. What a beautiful place to begin an incredible week.

Once back at the motel riders re-grouped for the annual dinner at Versailles in Little Havana. Versailles is an incredible Cuban Restaurant that is as unique as it is delicious.

After an incredible dinner at Versailles, the team returned to the motel once again to make final preparations for tomorrow’s ride and to get to bed early!

Truly an honor to have participated in this great event. Thanks to everyone who supported this ride and made it possible. A lot of work went into the planning and support of this event. These Officers are the reason we ride. Lest we forget the sacrifice these brave Men made to keep their communities safe. God Bless you and your families.

Had the opportunity to shoot a few photographs of the Fireworks at the Cascades Park in downtown Tallahassee on New Years Eve! 

Having been late to last year’s show I left the house early and snuck up onto the top of a parking garage and set the camera up on a tri-pod and waited…

At about 746pm the first shot was fired and it was game on! I made a couple of adjustments on the camera on “the fly” and started shooting! 

By 8pm the show was over, it was short but it was intense, one of the best shows I have seen! I packed my gear and thru the shadows I made my way back to the truck which was parked a few blocks away. I managed to get to the truck without bringing any undo attention to myself by local law enforcement who would frown upon my efforts to obtain these photographs for my dedicated blog readers! Regardless I made it home and here they are! Hope you enjoyed seeing them as much as I enjoyed making them! Wishing you and your loved ones a tremendous 2024! Thanks for looking! 

Dave Ferrell/Blackwater Images 

The annual Sasquatch camp out, gravel ride and Bar-B-Que is underway!

The weekend of November 17-20, 2023 found about 100 gravel cyclists and Bar-B-Que fanciers gathered at the Georgia Veterans State Park near Cordele, Georgia for the Eighth Annual Sasquatch cycling event! The weather was perfect for a weekend of camping, fellowship and cycling!

Attendees arrived Friday afternoon and set up camp at the Pioneer campground at the park. The campground was clean and spacious and perfect for the weekend event! Participants camped in tents, RVs, and hammocks.

The 2023 Sasquatch Ride is in the books! The event was attended by more than 100 riders. The weather was perfect, the riders were strong and the food was over the top! Many thanks to Ray Egan and his team for putting this event together. We are very much looking forward to next year’s ride!

I was blessed to have been invited to attend the 2023 Florida “SWAT Roundup” in Orlando, Florida on November 8th and 9th. This week long event featured 49 Tactical (aka SWAT) Teams from all over the world to test their skills against the best in the business. It is hosted once a year by the Florida SWAT Association. Teams include NASA SWAT, Hungary TEK, Saraievo Police Department, AOCU SWAT HUNGARY, Sint Maarten Police Force, Korean National Police, Jamaican Constabulary Force, as well as a large number of teams from throughout the United States. At the end of the week, San Antonio SWAT was the overall winner!

Having had the opportunity to have competed in the SWAT Roundup many years ago, I was pleased to observe how much it has changed and grown. The venue is no longer at the old Orlando Landfill but now consists of many new state of the art shooting ranges and buildings. The teams are young and stronger than ever. The vendor show has grown to literally hundreds of vendors on site demonstrating their wares that consist of anything tactical.

What follows is a story in photographs of what this year’s Roundup was all about. Makes me want to suit up and get back into the game! Oh to be young again!!!

The Competition!

The Vendor Show

A large portion of SWAT Roundup is the Vendor Show, a large gathering of businesses providing products for the Tactical community. The Vendor Show was set up under a large pavillion between the ranges which was accessable to everyone at the event. Nearly anything related to the needs of SWAT Teams was available, unlike the early days when we designed and fabricated much of the gear we used out of need and neccessity. If we had only known how the tools of yesterday would evolve into the state of the art equipment being offered today!

Top SWAT Cop Event

The TOP SWAT COP event was well attended and was one of the highlights of the week. The event looked very similar to a Crossfit competition. The competitors were required to run, perform chin-ups, leg-lifts, weighted sled pull, multiple rope climbs, tote weighted bags (one of which weighed 200lbs), shoot various steel targets with a handgun and a long gun, bike ride and to repeat these events until all the sandbags were moved. This was one of the toughest events I have ever witnessed!

SWAT Medic Competition

Thursday was individual events and one of these was the SWAT Medic competition. Before the event, I met and spoke with the coordinators and judges and they were more than willing to allow me to watch and photograph the event. The event started with the medics dragging a life-sized dummy in a sled for about 100 yards and then they entered the “shoot house” which was a two-story building with a catwalk above for judges to watch the competition below. This event was intense. The Medic had to work his way thru the house, assessing victims as he went, wearing a gas mask while a smoke machine clouded his way and sirens, gunfire, and radio traffic were blasted in the house. Once he got to the surviving victim, he had to determine the victim’s injuries and administer life-saving first aid techniques. The victim wasn’t a live human being but a robotic mannequin that was incredibly life-like and controlled by an operator upstairs. The robot registered a pulse and breathed. His eyes moved and his “wounds” bled as blood pooled on the ground from several wounds on his body. The controller told me that the technology for these robots originated from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as Corpsmen and Field Medics worked to treat the wounded. These robots simulated the injuries sustained on the battlefield. Unfortunately, they also apply to the situations our First Responders deal with on a daily basis in our own Country. These robots provide real life scenarios that allow our First Responders to train and respond when the time comes. The Medics did an outstanding job under the watchful eyes of several judges who graded his every move and timed his efforts. Even though I was only an observer with a camera watching from above, this event was so intense it had me amped up and I found myself wanting to jump in and help. It was amazing to watch.

Cherish the Moment Guys…..

It has been over 20 years since I’ve been to Roundup. Thing have greatly changed since that time. The competition is no longer held at the Orange County Landfill and the new course is state of the art. The equipment has evolved making an incredibly dangerous job as safe as possible. However, the athletes still display incredible talent and dedication much like we did back in ‘the day. They understand that their skill set must be maintained at a high level because at any time they will be called to address situations that pose a deadly threat to their communities, their teammates, and to themselves.

It was great to visit Roundup once again and to see how much has changed. It is no secret how I miss those days and how I miss the outstanding operators that I was honored to have served with, several of whom are no longer with us. Hopefully, the athletes who competed this week understand how special these days are because it won’t be long and they, too, will be standing on the sideline watching younger competitors performing at these events as they once did. They will also miss rolling the ops that challenge their skills in their communities, where all the training will be applied to the test for which they exist…to save human life. May God Bless You Guys.

“Then I heard the Voice of the Lord saying “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said….”Here am I, Send Me!”

Isaiah 6:8

An October 2023 Appalachian Trail journey by four friends beginning at Testanee Gap and hiking to Dicks Creek Gap, Georgia. The goal of the trip was to allow Jay to make up 32 miles of trail he had missed during previous trips, the other 3 hikers were just “tagging along!” With winter quickly approaching and bursting fall colors changing daily, this trip became a challenge not only to complete but the hunt of an unexpected vital necessity and that was water. Prior to leaving for the trip, we had been told that water was scarce but was available. The lack of water nearly caused us to abandon our efforts mid-trip, but when you are up on the trail you can’t just step off. Many miles from a road crossing in any direction you had better find a water source somewhere or suffer the consequences!

Thirty two miles and four days/three nights later we walked off the Appalachian Trail at Dicks Creek Gap. The last day we encountered rain, hail, heavy wind and dropping temperatures. Mountain weather can change quickly. Regardless, we pushed on and soon the sun came out again. This was a beautiful trip and reiterated what we had learned previously and that is the Appalachian Trail through Georgia ain’t no joke! It was beautiful yet very arduous. The club that maintains the AT in Georgia does an outstanding job, much better than others we have seen north of here. Water was scarce and had Jay not brought his MSR water filter our trip would have ended early. Once again we were reminded of the importance of reducing weight on the trail. We have cut and cut yet our backpacks still seemed too heavy. So it goes….we will keep reducing weight in an effort to make these mountain treks a little more manageable.

Many Thanks to God and to those who made this trip possible. It was a team effort and a great opportunity to challenge ourselves to enjoy the beautiful Appalachian Trail. Until next year…….

Another Awesome Lake Mystic 4th!

A Summer Afternoon on the Lake…

The Annual Boat Parade!

The Fireworks!

Another wonderful Lake Mystic Fourth!

Another incredible Lake Mystic Fourth has come and gone! It was a very busy day at the lake and thankfully it was a safe one! Hopefully this tradition will continue for years to come and our Country will continue to thrive. We are blessed to live in such a wonderful Country where we are free to celebrate our independence. Have a safe summer and hopefully we will do it again! God Bless!

This blog is a compilation of photos taken on April 24, 2023 during the Law Enforcement Memorial in Tallahassee, Florida.

This was a very somber event as eleven Law Enforcement Officers lost their lives in the line of duty last year. We long for the day when we don’t have any Officers killed and these type of events won’t be necessary…

Blessed to have had the opportunity to honor our fallen brothers who gave their all for their communities in 2022.

The Tour de Force is a 270 mile bike ride which begins in North Miami and ends five days later in Daytona Shores. The ride is to raise funds and to honor those Law Enforcement Officers who died in the line of duty during the past year. Unfortunately, we lost 11 Heroes last year.

It was a great ride for a great cause. It was a privilege to have been a part of it.

Our journey began on Saturday as our team left Tallahassee and drove to Daytona where we picked up a couple more cyclists and their gear and headed to Miami. Twas’ a long ride, but we were excited as we knew we had a great event awaiting. Welcome to Miami!

The morning of the second day (Sunday) is spent on a “warm up” ride from Coral Gables back up to Sunny Isles. Always a beautiful ride, this year’s warm up ride was no exception! Once again, we found ourselves riding north up US 1 in South Beach just prior to the Pridefest parade! This was a very well attended event. We rode up the parade route with no interference from Police assigned to work the event!

After breakfast we continued our ride north into and thru South Beach. Little did we know today was the annual Pridefest Parade! The event was very well attended and we found ourselves riding north on the mile long parade route just minutes before the parade was to begin!

After the warm-up ride and a swim in the Atlantic out behind the hotel, we showered and loaded up and headed to one of the trip highlights…dinner at Versailles! Versailles is an incredible Cuban Restaurant in Little Havana. The food is over the top and we have looked forward to this dinner since the last time! This restaurant is the hub of Cuban politics in South Florida and it is said that the Bay of Pigs invasion was decided in a back room at Versailles. If you are ever in the area, do yourself a favor and visit this place, you will thank me later!

After dinner we returned to the hotel and went out to the pier out back. Lots of people were fishing and I saw a Pompano and a Mackerel caught. Lots of excitement when these fish were reeled in, not so much by the fisherman who caught them but by the crowd gathered.

After a good night’s sleep, we got up early and headed to the North Miami Police Department where the ride began. A large crowd had gathered to get the ride started. Once again it was very humbling to think of why we were there.

The 2023 Tour de Force Ride is in the books. The tour did an outstanding job honoring the 11 fallen heroes that we lost in 2022. Participating in this ride was a true honor for all who were involved. It would be great to say that this will be the last ride but deep down inside we all know that it won’t be…and sadly next year we will ride again. Never forget that the reason for this amazing event are the Heroes who stood in the gap and sacrificed their lives so that the rest of us can safely enjoy all that this great State and Country have to offer.

Officer Ray Hamilton Officer Jose Perez

Officer Brian Golden Officer Echy Echaverry

Officer Kyle Patterson Officer Jorge Arias

Officer James McWhorter Deputy Michael Hortwick

Officer Chris Fariello Deputy Blane Lane

Deputy Chris Taylor K9 Drago

K9 Blue K9 Max

God Bless You and Your Families.