His Police Officer Father Was Murdered While He Was in the Academy: His Story.

His Police Officer Father Was Murdered While He Was in the Academy: His Story. Special Episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast. Gary Edgington was only three weeks into the police academy when the dangers of his chosen profession reached his own family.

His father, Patrolman Harold L. Edgington, was murdered while issuing a parking citation. Supporting articles about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin.

Before Gary had completed his training or begun his own police career, he faced a devastating question: How does a son continue toward the badge after losing his father in the line of duty? The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast social media like their Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. #LawEnforcementTalk #Free #Podcast #Radio

In this special episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, Gary shares the story of his father’s murder, its impact on his family, and a career that eventually took him from Southern California investigations to counterterrorism work in Iraq.

A Conversation That Became Their Last

On September 30, 1979, Gary spoke with his father before the older Edgington left for work. Their conversation touched on academy training and the use of force, the kinds of subjects a police officer and his recruit son might naturally discuss. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram. His Police Officer Father Was Murdered While He Was in the Academy: His Story. Special Episode.

Neither knew it would be their final conversation.

“Little did I know this was the last time we would ever speak,” Gary writes in a remembrance published on his website.

Three hours later, his father’s office called and asked him to come to the emergency room. When Gary arrived, he learned his father had died.

The future he had been preparing for now carried an intensely personal loss.

A Parking Citation Turned Deadly

Patrolman Harold L. Edgington was issuing a parking citation when a man attacked him with a knife.

Despite being mortally wounded, Edgington drew his firearm and shot the fleeing attacker in the hip. A bystander used the officer’s motorcycle radio to call for assistance.

Responding officers confronted the suspect, who threatened them with the knife. They shot and killed him. The episode is available across major platforms including their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, with highlights shared across their Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.

For Gary’s family, the encounter meant the loss of a father. For a young academy recruit, it also brought the consequences of police work into painful focus. This special episode explores how that loss affected both his family and the career that followed.

He Continued Toward the Badge

Gary completed the academy and entered law enforcement.

His career included service with the Manhattan Beach Police Department, the Beverly Hills Police Department, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. In 1994, he became a special agent with the California Department of Justice.

His assignments included major narcotics investigations, organized crime, unsolved homicides, and internal affairs. He also worked as a firearms and tactics instructor. The Podcast is available for free on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartradio and most major podcast platforms. His Police Officer Father Was Murdered While He Was in the Academy: His Story. Special Episode

Over time, his responsibilities expanded into counterterrorism. He served on the FBI’s Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force and, following September 11, commanded a multi-agency counterterrorism task force for the California Department of Justice.

The range of those assignments gives this conversation a perspective that extends beyond a single investigation. Gary entered the profession as the son of a murdered officer, then spent decades confronting the dangers and responsibilities of police work himself.

Retirement Took Him to Iraq

Retirement from the California Department of Justice brought another demanding assignment.

In 2008, Gary deployed to Iraq as an embedded civilian counterterrorism and organized crime subject matter expert working with the U.S. Army on efforts to counter improvised explosive devices.

His investigative experience now served a mission in a war zone. He traveled through central and southern Iraq and participated in counterinsurgency operations.

After returning to the United States, he continued with intelligence and counterterrorism assignments, including work with the Department of Defense.

His story connects two worlds: the American police investigations that shaped his career and the wartime work that followed.

The Experiences Behind His Book, Outside the Wire

Those experiences helped inspire Gary’s book, Outside the Wire.

The novel follows a retired police detective serving as an embedded civilian counterterrorism advisor in Iraq. Alongside an Army doctor, the central character becomes caught in a deadly struggle involving covert operatives and a threat to thousands of lives. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, is available on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms. The interview is also featured across Facebook and Instagram. His Police Officer Father Was Murdered While He Was in the Academy: His Story. Special Episode

The author’s website introduces the story with a warning: “The enemy isn’t always outside the wire.”

The book draws on Gary’s professional background to create a fictional thriller set against the danger and complexity of Iraq. Readers interested in the experiences behind that setting can hear directly from the man whose career helped inform it.

Remembering the Father Behind the Story

At the center of this episode is Harold Edgington.

Before the investigations, counterterrorism assignments, deployment, and book, there was a father talking with his son about police training before leaving for work.

Gary’s remembrance includes a simple, devastating sentence:

“When I arrived, I was told he was gone.”

That loss is the starting point for a conversation about family, service, and continuing in a profession after experiencing its consequences at home.

Listen to This Special Episode

His police officer father was murdered while he was in the academy. Hear Gary Edgington tell the story of what happened, and the life of service that followed. Listen to the free Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn for more conversations about service, trauma, leadership and recovery. His Police Officer Father Was Murdered While He Was in the Academy: His Story. Special Episode

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His Police Officer Father Was Murdered While He Was in the Academy: His Story. Special Episode

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