Officer

Department of Justice

4/12/2012

Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor

On April 12, 2012, responding to reports of shots fired and officers down, Officer Richard Rodrta, along with ten other officers of the Modesto police department, arrived on scene to find Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Bob Paris and civilian locksmith Glendon Engert lying unconscious outside the front door leading to the suspect’s apartment front door. Armed with an arsenal, the suspect had barricaded himself inside his apartment and was exchanging fire with a second deputy, Deputy Mike Glinskas, who was pinned down and had issued the call for help. Placing ballistic shields across the front passenger window of a Modesto police car, a group of officers took cover on the driver’s side and used the vehicle as mobile cover to advance on the apartment while the remaining officers deployed a flash bang diversionary device. Their coordinated efforts were successful and they were able to extract Glinskas and escort him to safety and medical attention. They were also able to recover Paris and Engert, both of whom had unfortunately been mortally wounded. After an eleven hour standoff, the suspect took his own life. The actions of Officer Rodarte and his fellow officers prevented the deadly standoff from escalating further and threatening more lives.