Stream of horrific crimes takes toll on town cops

And tougher than the intense work is the lull that follows, when the mask of professional composure comes down and doubts, sadness and anger come through, said Tracy police chaplain Dan Higgins.

"When they're able to focus on their jobs and do their part, they have an outlet," said Higgins. "The hard part comes later."

Stream of horrific crimes takes toll on town cops
Apr 25, 2009
By JULIANA BARBASSA, AP
TRACY, Calif. (Map, News) - Detective Nate Cogburn's last few months have been filled with the stuff of nightmares.

Neighbors charged with shackling and torturing a teenager in a Tracy home. A substitute teacher accused of molesting upward of 15 students. A surgeon arrested for the alleged sexual abuse of dozens of patients. And, most recently, a Sunday school teacher charged with kidnapping, raping and murdering 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, the playmate of her own little girl.

"I was just bombarded," said Cogburn, who grew up nearby and joined the Tracy police force after college.

"They always say don't take your cases home with you - they preach that every day from day one at the academy," said Cogburn, 28. "But I always take them home. They're with me all the time."

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Stream of horrific crimes takes toll on town cops