Episode 781: Always Be Prepared with Michelle Mehr

On today's episode, Dennis speaks with retired police office of 27+ years and survivor of a violent attack, Michelle Mehr. Michelle started her career in 1995 in Texas and quickly rose through the ranks ending her career to assistant chief and national instructor with the FBI. On Aug. 10, 1997, Mehr, then a young officer with the Carthage Police Department, had just made a traffic stop. She knew there was over a pound of marijuana in the vehicle and the driver was on parole for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and he was prepared to do anything to avoid returning to jail. While attempting to take the man into custody, Mehr was blindsided. The man hit her multiple times in the face. Michelle suffered 17 major facial fractures, a crushed nose, a destroyed nasal cavity and massive brain swelling among her multiple injuries. What Mehr wasn't aware of was that the man was a Cuban national with an upcoming hearing with the Office of Immigration and Naturalization Services. The attack left her in coma for six days, with less than a five percent chance of survival. Mehr remained with the Carthage Police Department, rising in the ranks to assistant chief before taking a job as a national instructor with the FBI. It was that job that brought her to Jackson, where she met her eventual husband, Madison County Sheriff John Mehr.  Today, Michelle retells the story of how the incident unfolded, the injuries she sustained, overcoming her injuries both physical and mental, the process of getting cleared to go back to work, the lessons she learned and advice to officers about keeping distance, staying alert and always being prepared.  If you like what you are hearing and want to stay in the loop with the latest in Street Cop Training, please follow our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/StreetCopTraining Don't forget to subscribe and rate the podcast, it truly helps! Sign up for classes here: https://streetcoptraining.com/course-list/Follow our podcast here: https://streetcoptraining.com/street-cop-podcast/    or    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/street-cop-podcast/id1538474515