Brother in Blue,
Officer Pierce Follows in Father’s Footsteps, Recognized for Bravery
By Lisa Lamping
Recently Clatsop Current News had the opportunity to talk to Officer Chris Pierce from the Sherwood Police Department. What makes Chris of interest to our community is the fact that he was born and raised right here in Clatsop County, son of our retired State Trooper, Jim Pierce and his wife Debbie Pierce.
A 2002 Graduate of Warrenton High School, and a graduate of the Oregon Police academy in 2015, and with just 2 years at the Sherwood Police department, Chris recently had an experience that was not only news statewide, but nationally as well. He and several other police were involved in a car chase and eventually a gun battle with a murder suspect that not only seriously wounded a fellow officer, but put him and several other officers in danger.
This past week, Officer Pierce and several of his “Brothers in Blue” were recognized for their efforts during this confrontation with the suspect. He was awarded by the Sherwood Chief of Police, a Team Award, Meritorious Award, Chief’s Medal and a Medal of Valor.
When asked about the incident and his thoughts about the awards, Officer Pierce, was humble and reflective in his answer,
“This is a hard question to answer because I don’t feel that I deserve any of these awards. A conversation with my superiors and co-workers after the banquet shares a different point of view from their side of the table, but I feel that I’ve just been doing my job. I’ve been doing what I signed up for. I will share what I was told earned me the Medal of Valor, which I still have trouble accepting.
On Christmas night, 2016 I was involved in an Officer Involved Shooting. I cannot discuss all of the details but what I can tell you is this was one of the craziest nights of my career so far. After a murder in a neighboring city, I pursued a vehicle that was believed to be driven by the murder suspect. My pursuit of the vehicle ended when the vehicle got away from me at extremely high speeds and got away on a side road.
An immediate area check by multiple agencies commenced and the suspect vehicle was later spotted by an Oregon State Trooper. The Trooper pursued the suspect vehicle until the pursuit came to an end in a shootout between the Trooper and the suspect. Myself and 4 others were first on scene to find our fellow brother-in-blue down with multiple gunshot wounds. The suspect appeared to be missing. We formed a tactical response cell and approached the Trooper where we were met with ambush-style gunfire from the suspect. We had no choice but to respond in kind. Members of our tactical response cell then began life-saving measures on the Trooper and I provided cover for their safety.
It has only been a little over a month since this incident but not a second has gone by that I haven’t thought about it. This was one of those things you pray never happens but know very well the possibility exists when you accept a job as a Police Officer. I am extremely proud of the Men that fought by my side and it is an honor to share in the joy of being part of a team that contributed to saving the Troopers life. “
When asked why he chose a career in Law Enforcement, Officer Pierce stated, “I wanted to follow in my Dad’s footsteps”. July 7,2017 will be his 41st year of being a Police Officer. Those who know him, know how incredible he is. He is my role model and I strive to serve the same way he has for almost 41 years”.
Officer Pierce went on to further state he loves being a police officer. “These past 2 years have been the most fun and humbling I’ve experienced. You never know what you’re going to encounter. Every shift is different, every interaction is different, everyone you meet has a different story.”
Photos submitted by Chris Pierce
