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1992Accidentally shotArticlesBy anotherCauseCrematedCurrently ServingDeceased PoliceDepartmentalFacialFirearmFuneralGenderIncompleteLocationMaleMemorial Touch PlateNSWOf eventOf graveOn DutyPhotosShotStateWall of RemembranceYearYes

Juan Carlos HERNANDEZ

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Juan Carlos HERNANDEZ

AKA CARL, CARLOS, BOMBHEAD & ROCKY
Late of ?

NSW Goulburn Academy Class #  226

New South Wales Police Force

Probationary Constable # 98201

Regd. #  23642

Uniform #  1583

Rank:  Commenced Training at the Goulburn Police Academy on 18 February 1987

Probationary Constable – appointed 15 May 1987

Constable – appointed 15 May 1988

Constable 1st Class – appointed

Final Rank = Constable 1st Class

Stations: ?, Paddington ( 10 Division ), State Protection Group Sydney ( SPG ) – Death

Service: From 18 February 1987 to 1 December 1992 = 5+ years Service

Awards: No find on It’s An Honour

Born28 July 1959

Died on:  Tuesday  1 December 1992 @ St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst

Age: 33 years,  4 months,  3 days

CauseAccidentally Shot at Redfern SPG

Event location:  Redfern Police Academy

Event date:  Tuesday  1 December 1992

Funeral date:  4 December 1992

Funeral location: ?

Wake location: ?

Funeral Parlour: ?

Buried at:  Cremated.  Ashes collected.  Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Matraville

Memorial located at: ?

 

Juan Carlos HERNANDEZ

CARL IS mentioned on the Police Wall of Remembrance


 

Funeral location: TBA


FURTHER INFORMATION IS NEEDED ABOUT THIS PERSON, THEIR LIFE, THEIR CAREER AND THEIR DEATH.

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS AND INFORMATION TO Cal


 

In 1992 Constable Hernandez was a member of the State Protection Group and a qualified firearms instructor. He was accidentally shot in the chest while testing police in their annual firearms proficiency tests at the Redfern Police Complex. Following emergency surgery Constable Hernandez died at St Vincent’s Hospital, Darlinghurst the same day as the accident.

 

The constable was born in 1959 and joined the New South Wales Police Force on 18 February, 1987. At the time of his death he was attached to the State Protection Group.


 

Touch Plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra - HERNANDEZ
Touch Plate at the National Police Wall of Remembrance, Canberra
Kelvin Harband‎NSW Fallen Police New Member · 13 hrs · Juan Hernandez was accidentally shot in the chest while doing firearms training as an Instructor at the Redfern Police Academy on 1 December 1992. Emergency surgery was unable to save his life and he passed on that same day. Juan and I went through the Academy together in 1987 and he will always be remembered and a great bloke whose life was cut way to short by the tragic accident. Juan is in the middle squatting down in this photo which was taken on the day of our attestation.
Photo credit: Kelvin Harband‎   NSW Fallen Police New Member ·    Juan Hernandez was accidentally shot in the chest while doing firearms training as an Instructor at the Redfern Police Academy on 1 December 1992. Emergency surgery was unable to save his life and he passed on that same day. Juan and I went through the Academy together in 1987 and he will always be remembered and a great bloke whose life was cut way to short by the tragic accident. Juan is in the middle squatting down in this photo which was taken on the day of our attestation ( 15 May 1987 ).

 

 

Carl is also credited with designing the TOU insignia – which was maintained in respect to his.

 

 


 

Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995),

Tuesday 1 December 1992, page 4

IN BRIEF

Policeman shot dead

SYDNEY: A police weapons training instructor was fatally wounded by another officer during a gun training session yesterday.

Constable Juan Carlos Hernandez, 33, an instructor with the elite State Protection Group, died in hospital several hours after being shot in the chest at the old Police Academy at Redfern.

Constable Hernandez was supervising about 15 officers at a training session when a .38 calibre police-issue revolver discharged, wounding him in the chest.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126959025


 

 

[blockquote]

Carl.

Juan Carlos Hernandez,
Carl was how I knew you,
I will never forget,
What you helped me through.

To walk into a room,
When I was very young,
My first days in the job,
To see death, just wrong.

I was only 19 years old,
In the job for a few weeks,
In morbid fascination,
What no one really seeks.

I stood in disbelief,
Waiting for him to breath,
But he did not move,
It was hard for me to believe.

As we left the room,
You stopped me for a while,
And asked if I was ok,
Then you gave me a smile.

A smile because you knew,
It was not one of joy,
To tell me it would be ok,
I was no longer just a boy.

Death I had just seen,
Even if for the first time,
With the strength you showed me,
I would be just fine.

In shock a few years later,
I heard you had been lost,
In a twisted circumstance,
Your family paid the cost.

You were loyal to the end,
That is what I heard,
You were the ultimate Man,
So to deny your last words, absurd.

You died loving what you did,
A Policeman you will always be,
Did not matter your end,
You are now free.

I can’t believe,
It’s over 20 years,
Since I sat with you,
Had a few beers.

For years you have rested,
In the ultimate peace,
Having died in the line of duty,
But your memory does not cease.

You will never be forgotten,
Not while I still stand,
I will never ever forget,
When as a 19 year old you held my hand.

Thank you
Brother in Blue.

Died in the line of duty
1st December 1992.

[/blockquote]

Penned by Brendo Greysie ( 2014 )

 


Police Attestation Ceremony

Speakers Cusack The Hon Catherine; Gallacher The Hon Michael
Business Questions Without Notice, QWN
POLICE ATTESTATION CEREMONY
Page: 22733

The Hon. CATHERINE CUSACK: My question is addressed to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Will the Minister inform the House about the newest recruits to the New South Wales Police Force?

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: I thank the honourable member for her question. Last Friday, 23 August 2013, it was my great pleasure to attend the attestation ceremony for class 319 at the Goulburn Police Academy. I assure members that the calibre of probationary constables coming through the doors of the academy to pursue challenging and rewarding careers as police officers in this State remains very high indeed. They passed the stringent physical and academic tests, and have demonstrated the commitment and character befitting their new role. These qualities were no more visible than when the commissioner’s valour award was presented to Senior Constable Justin Knight on the parade ground last Friday. The award was conferred for conspicuous merit and exceptional bravery when an offender armed with a sawn-off rifle fired at Senior Constable Knight with intent to murder on 20 January 2007 at Eveleigh Street, Redfern—the Block.

In the course of pursuing a suspect, Constable Knight alighted from his vehicle and pursued an offender on foot, calling for him to stop. The offender produced a sawn-off rifle and, despite the risk, Constable Knight continued to follow him. The offender fired a number of shots at Constable Knight, narrowly missing him. The constable felt one of the projectiles go past his arm and thought that he had been shot. Being aware of the sensitivity of the local community towards police and despite the escalated danger, Constable Knight did not respond by firing his service firearm. The offender fled the scene, but was later identified and charged with attempted murder of a police officer. The offender was subsequently convicted.

I ask members to reflect on those circumstances and whether we would have acted with the same level of commitment, bravery and judgement as Constable Knight on that occasion. Too often the community reacts to instances where police officers have been accused of wrongdoing, but the events of that night in 2007 remind us of the challenges and risks faced by officers of the NSW Police Force, in this case potentially quite deadly. I am confident that Senior Constable Knight’s example will flow through to the 161 probationary constables who attested and have joined a force with record authorised strength in this State.

A number of the new police officers deserve special mention. The winner of the Robert Brotherson award for the highest level of academic achievement was Probationary Constable Natalie Martin. The winners of the Steven Roser memorial award for the highest male and female achievers in physical training were Probationary Constable Mitchell Thompson and Probationary Constable Guilhermina El-Mir. The Juan Carlos Hernandez award, given to the student with the highest marksmanship score, went to probationary constables David Edwards, Anton Sahyoun and Shanahan Toering—all three tied for that award. Probationary Constable Toering also received the award for the highest achiever in the Simulated Policing Acquiring Competence program.

One of the many proud parents at the attestation was Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis, whose son Daniel is now a probationary constable and commences his career at City Central Local Area Command. It was terrific to see 23 members of the attestation of class 319 identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, of which 16 were graduates of the Indigenous Police Recruiting Our Way [IPROWD] program that I have spoken about in this forum. Congratulations to them. I had the pleasure of witnessing the graduation of 13 dog teams from the State Protection Group Dog Unit. Some were general purpose dogs and others, obviously, were sniffer dogs. That is good news for Byron Bay and its former mayor, the Hon. Jan Barham. The attestation parades provide an opportunity— [Time expired.]

The Hon. CATHERINE CUSACK: I ask a supplementary question. Will the Minister elucidate his answer?

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: I pay respect to the following five officers who retired from the NSW Police Force, taking with them collectively 190-plus years: Superintendent Ben Feszczuk, Detective Superintendent Col Dyson, APM, Superintendent Ray Filewood, Detective Inspector Dennis Clarke, APM, and Inspector Leslie Dickens. All five officers led the parade on Friday. It was an incredibly proud moment for them, their families and the communities they have represented in just short of 200 years of policing. As I said to the graduating class, “If you want to look for role models, look at these five as a classic example of what you can give back to a community that will give you so much more.”

 

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LC20130827015


NSW Police Force Newly Attested Officers

Speakers Cusack The Hon Catherine; Gallacher The Hon Michael
Business Questions Without Notice, QWN
NSW POLICE FORCE NEWLY ATTESTED OFFICERS
Page: 20006

The Hon. CATHERINE CUSACK: My question is addressed to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Will the Minister inform the House about the newest recruits to the NSW Police Force? The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: On 3 May it was a great pleasure to attend the attestation ceremony for class 318 at the Goulburn Police Academy, and I can assure the House that the calibre of probationary constables coming through the academy to pursue a challenging and rewarding career as a New South Wales police officer remains high. All attesting officers have made it through physical and academic tests, and, most importantly, they have demonstrated the commitment and character of people prepared to ensure the safety and security of the community they will serve. The 202 probationary constables who attested have joined a police force now boasting a record authorised strength of 16,176. As members opposite know full well, we have been increasing the authorised strength of the NSW Police Force since we took office. After the further increase this month of 80 positions from the May class, we have boosted the authorised strength by 370, and we are on our way to increasing the force by a total of 859 positions, to a record authorised strength of 16,665 officers in August 2015. This month 50 additional positions were added to the Police Transport Command, bringing its authorised strength to 401. We have also added 30 positions to the authorised strength of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, bringing it to 1,295. That makes an increase of 50 new authorised positions to this command, and that is halfway to our commitment to increase the strength of the command by 100. While another 202 probationary constables have been drawn to this career, I am equally pleased with how many officers stay in this exciting and rewarding profession. Indeed, there is such demand for a career in policing that the NSW Police Force has implemented a freeze on new applications. Members opposite have mischievously tried to claim that this is a sign of cuts to the Police Force. That is as far from the truth as members opposite could possibly get. Thanks to the Government making the necessary reforms to the Death and Disability Scheme set up by members opposite and restoring the confidence of serving police officers by ensuring that they will have the back-up they need, I am advised that attrition within the Police Force is currently averaging about 40 officers a month, down from the average of 70 under the previous administration. Therefore, it stands to reason that if fewer officers are leaving the force, fewer replacements are needed. Under Labor, the NSW Police Force was faced with more than 800 officers on long-term sick leave and officers leaving the force at such a rate that police could not recruit fast enough to plug the holes. Placing a temporary freeze on new applications will ensure that potential applicants do not need to spend application fees, which easily total $500, including on such items as medical certificates, when there is a substantial wait before their application can be considered. We are getting on with the job of ensuring that the NSW Police Force is better resourced, better equipped and better supported than ever before. Members opposite are peddling misinformation and seeking to undermine the community’s confidence in a police force experiencing record numbers. A number of the new police officers deserve special mention. The winner of the Robert Brotherson Award for the highest level of academic achievement was Probationary Constable Thomas Stillwell. The winners of the Steven Roser Memorial Award for the highest male and female achievers in physical training were Probationary Constable Adam Splithof and Probationary Constable Caitlin Billingham. The Juan Carlos Hernandez Award, given to the student with the highest marksmanship score, went to Probationary Constable Matthew Skellern. [Time expired.]

The Hon. CATHERINE CUSACK: I ask a supplementary question. Will the Minister elucidate his answer?

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: I am sure that all members would like to hear about these outstanding young probationary constables, including Probationary Constable Nathan Dechaufepie, who was the recipient of the Simulated Policing Acquiring Confidence Award. These officers can be proud of their achievements. Their families can be proud of them and, most importantly, their communities are proud of them. I am sure that the House will join me in wishing our newest police officers all the very best for their careers in the NSW Police Force.

 


 

 

Speakers MacDonald Mr Scot; Gallacher The Hon Michael
Business Questions Without Notice, QWN
POLICE GRADUATIONS
Page: 416

The Hon. SCOT MacDONALD: My question is addressed to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Will the Minister inform the House of the results of the latest police attestation?

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: I apologise to the House for my inability to be here last Friday. I had a very important role to fulfil as the Minister for Police and Emergency Services at the graduation of class 312 at the Police Academy in Goulburn. It was my first in my new role as Minister for Police and Emergency Services. One of the first things I had an opportunity to announce down there was clarification of the uncertainty that exists around the name of the organisation.

The Hon. Duncan Gay: It was well received.

The Hon. MICHAEL GALLACHER: It was well received. It will now return to its former name of the New South Wales Police Academy, not the police college. That announcement was very well received by the sworn officers. The attestation certainly brought back memories of when I was in a similar position, standing on the parade ground at Redfern more than 30 years ago. Whilst a lot of things have changed in policing, a lot of things have not. Obviously the equipment, the cars and the uniform have changed, but certainly one thing that has not changed is the high calibre of probationary constables coming through the academy. They are required to pass through a tough course, both physically and academically, to prove they can cut the mustard as officers in the New South Wales Police Force. Who knows, even Eric Roozendaal might apply to join the New South Wales Police Force—although he may not pass the integrity test.

They are men and women who are prepared to do their best for the people of this State and who will undertake this job on a daily basis, often in the most difficult of circumstances. The 111 probationary constables who attested at the ceremony have joined more than 15,000 officers in the Police Force. They come from all walks of life. Over 22 per cent of those who attested are women. Forty per cent come from outside metropolitan Sydney. Sixteen were born overseas, in countries such as Russia, Germany, Malaysia, China and even Botswana. They speak Arabic, Greek, Cantonese, Armenian, Dari, and Khmer. They will be posted to 59 local area commands across the State, from Albury in the south, to Richmond in the north, from Barrier in the west to the heart of Sydney. Forty-four of the officers have been assigned to non-metropolitan or rural regions.

Irrespective of where they have been posted they are on the front line. They stand between the community and the dangers of crime and other antisocial behaviour. A number of these new police officers deserve special mention. Firstly, the winner of the Robert Brotherson Award for the highest level of academic achievement was Probationary Constable Stephanie Hill. The winners of the Steven Roser Memorial Award for the highest male and female achievers in physical training were Probationary Constable John Feuerstein and Probationary Constable Sandra Chaban. The Juan Carlos Hernandez Award, given to the student with the highest marksmanship score, was Probationary Constable James Patrick. Probationary Constable Jessica Agland was the recipient of the Simulated Policing Acquiring Confidence Award.

I met some of the officers on Friday and I can confidently say that the New South Wales Police Force has a strong future. These officers can be proud of their achievements. Their family and friends can be proud of them for all the hard work they have put in to get there. The people of New South Wales can be proud of these people for choosing a selfless profession, dedicating their working lives to ensuring the safety and protection of the community. I am sure all members of the House will join me in wishing our newest police officers all the very best for their careers in the New South Wales Police Force.


3 thoughts on “Juan Carlos HERNANDEZ

  • Sharon Cameron

    Hi David, try contacting Insp Rick Steinborn at NSWPF Armoury. NSWPF switch no. Is (02) 9281 0000. Ask to be transferred to the Armoury.

    Reply
  • David CHAMBERLAIN

    I am hoping one of Carls friends can help me. I am a serving Sgt in SAPOl. In 1983 I met Carl at Roxby Downs where he was doing security, with me doing the SAPOL thing at the protests. I befriended him and he came back to my family home in Adelaide. My sister moved to Sydney soon after and he went out with her for a while. Each year either he would come to SA or I would drive to NSW to see him and my sister. They broke up but Carl and I still remained mates. He tried to get into SAPOl as NSW wasn’t recruiting. He nearly got in, but NSW started recruting again so he got in there. When Carl was killed I got sent a portrait photo of him by his parents in his uniform (side on / tunic / upper body / peaked cap on), which I reckon was the same photo on the card they gave out at his funeral. (I was u/c at the time and couldn’t go to his funeral). Anyhow recently the photo I had of him got destroyed. I have tried to get a copy through NSWPOL archives but they tell me they don’t have a photo of him which I find unusual. I have tried through the Herald archives and had no luck there. At work today I found this site and thought I would try via his mates. I can meet any cost. I also have a rugby top of Carls which needs to be framed and hung in some place in NSW where he is remembered, so I am interested in hearing from someone who would have a contact I can talk to about this (I am not a NSW rugby guru but I think it is some sort of Rabbit club red / white / green!). I have a few civilian photos of Carl which I can also copy and send if anyone knows someone who would display them appropriately. I miss him too. Heres my number also(0438163170). Regards to his army and police brothers…..David

    Reply
  • ex const Fab

    Hi Rocky,
    It has been a while mate. still have not forgotten you. Blue skies – calm seas – strike swiftly sleep tight!

    Reply

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