File:Officer Shawn Kohler November 2018.jpg

Summary

Kohler joins BPD

Local force now numbers 15

By Caroline Mansfield for The Brunswick Citizen November 21, 2018

Officer Shawn Kohler likes Brunswick. It echoes the small town he grew up in Lampasas, Texas. Officer Kohler is the latest addition to Brunswick’s police force which now numbers 15 officers. 16, if you count Trax, the police dog.

Officer Kohler knew early on he wanted to serve. He joined the National Guard as a junior in high school as part of the National Guard’s spilt option program. He attended basic training during his senior year and upon graduation, officially entered the Guard to complete his training. Officer Kohler served for eight years.

“I originally wanted to help people. I looked into becoming an EMT but I’m not so good with gore,” Officer Kohler said. “The joke is kinda on me because as an officer, we still see some of the same stuff.”

He worked as a Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputy for about five years before accepting a position in Brunswick last October. He was looking for a change in pace.

What does he do? “Right now I patrol the City of Brunswick and respond to 911 calls and try to solve problems. Basically, here in Brunswick officers do everything.”

Asked for a memorable moment, Officer Kohler related this story: “When I was with the Frederick County office, I arrested a gentleman who was extremely drunk and was destroying his friend’s property. I didn’t take him to jail because he was too intoxicated, so I administered a PBT test, known as a preliminary breath test. Sometimes we have to use the test not so much to determine if someone is drunk or not, but to determine if someone is at risk for alcohol poisoning. This way we can get them medical help. So,this guy can carry on a conversation alright but is stumbling around a bit. His PBT comes back as a .48 alcohol blood level. In other words, the test shows that almost half of his blood is alcohol!

“Most people would black out at that level. He didn’t reflect his level of intoxication because he was the type of person who would drink a gallon and half of vodka a day, and if he didn’t drink, he’d get really sick. Some people drink to such extremes that they have to continue to drink heavily, or else their bodies shut down. They just can’t quit cold turkey,” Officer Kohler said.

“Flash forward a few months later. I pull over a car. The driver tells me his name, and it’s familiar. I ask, are you related to so and so, meaning the gentleman from months prior that I’d arrested for intoxication. He said, “Yes, that’s my son.” I asked, ‘How is your son doing?’ The man said, ‘My son is completely sober now.’ I didn’t quite believe him and I guess it showed. The man said, ‘Well, he’s at the house right now. Come on and say hello.’

“It was 1:30 in the morning. This man was on his way home from work driving without a license and instead of calling someone to come pick him up, I decided to give him a ride home. We arrived at his house and I spoke with his son, the one I arrested prior, and his son said getting arrested by me helped him to stop drinking. He’s now sober with a good job and his marriage has turned around. It was affirming that what I do counts.”