Former sergeant spends retirement advising officers in line of fire

It is the second and final time that northwest Las Vegas resident and former Boulder City Police sergeant Dan Jennings has retired, but after 20 years in law enforcement, he refuses to sit still.

Instead, Jennings — who retired the first time from the Boulder City Police Department in October 2012 before going to work for the police department on the Moapa River Indian Reservation in August 2013 — continues to help his fellow officers by assisting those who have survived critical incidents and officer-involved shootings, something that he said police officers worry about on a daily basis.

He retired from law enforcement for the second time in March.

"I was involved in a shooting back in 1996," Jennings said. "Back then, most agencies, especially the smaller ones, didn't know how to handle officer-involved shootings. There was no protocol. Could I have been treated better back then? Well, yeah, but I learned from the experience and use it to help others."

On that day, Jennings was working as a deputy sheriff on road patrol in South Carolina when a call came in that there was a phone hangup at a nearby Papa John's Pizza.

Because it was a Saturday night and all of the other deputies were busy, Jennings went to check the place and saw three employees on the floor while two men with a shotgun and a rifle waited on a time-delay safe to open.

"One of them was pointing a shotgun at a female employee. I thought I had to stop the worst, so I shot both suspects twice," Jennings said. "One of them shot me in my leg. I had to stop shooting because the employees got up to get out of the way."

After the incident, Jennings' psychologist told him to reread "The Onion Field" by Joseph Wambaugh. The nonfiction book chronicles the kidnapping of two plainclothes Los Angeles Police Department officers by a pair of criminals during an evening traffic stop and the subsequent murder of officer Ian James Campbell.

"What I took from it was that the surviving officer didn't get the peer evaluation that he needed," Jennings said. "Eventually, he left the department, and things didn't turn out well."

Now, Jennings stresses the importance of police officers receiving recognition from their peers and having enough time off to regain strength.

"When police officers are involved in an incident like this, they go through a grieving process. They are in shock that it happened," Jennings said. "Eventually, they come to terms with it and move on. It's an unnatural act to shoot another being. If it results in a fatality, it's even worse, and you're always second-guessing yourself."

Jennings continues to assist police officers who are involved in critical incidents by listening to them and giving them advice on how to move on.

Before retiring, he commuted 85 miles a day to Boulder City, where he worked from 2002-12 as a police sergeant.

Retired Boulder City Police Department detective Mike Barth was involved in a critical incident in 2005.

"Dan really helped me get through some of the aftermath issues," Barth said. "He really just listened to me, and sometimes that's all you need. I trust him with my life."

In his spare time, Jennings aids out-of-state retired police officers in fulfilling requirements for the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act.

The law, which was enacted in 2004, allows two classes of persons — the "qualified law enforcement officer" and the "qualified retired or separated law enforcement officer" — to carry a concealed firearm in any jurisdiction in the United States or United States territories, regardless of state or local laws, with certain exceptions, according to the National Rifle Association's website, nra.org.

"It can be a daunting process to go through all of the paperwork for the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act," Jennings said. "You just have to know how to work within the system. It's an important law because it gives the public an extra layer of security."

He also helps Nevada peace officers obtain advanced certifications.

In a final moment of truth, six weeks before his second retirement, Jennings was working as a Moapa River Reservation officer and was sent to check on an unresponsive woman on Jan. 31. He found the 28-year-old woman lying lifeless on the bathroom floor. Jennings began CPR and revived her before Clark County paramedics arrived. She was taken to a local hospital and admitted overnight for observation.

For his life-saving efforts, Jennings received a Life Saving Award from the American Police Hall of Fame.

He also received a Life Saving Award with fellow Boulder City Police officer Jeff Grasso in 2006 for reviving a man who had collapsed.

"Any officer would have done what I did," Jennings said. "We all have the same training. Many officers go unrecognized for their actions."

— To reach North View reporter Sandy Lopez, email slopez@viewnews.com or call 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.