51 Years as Cop & Sheriff: Everglades Voodoo, Bear Attack & Riot Chaos
Things Police See: Firsthand Accounts
Steven D Gould
4.9 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 1 April 2026
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Join host Steve Gould on Things Police See for an unforgettable interview with Thomas Loughren, a true law enforcement legend with 51 years of service—from rural New York sheriff's deputy to Miccosukee Police in the Florida Everglades, four terms as Chenango County Sheriff, and service on the New York State Commission of Corrections.
In this raw, firsthand account, Thomas shares his incredible journey starting as one of the youngest sworn officers in 1972. He opens up about high-speed cadet action, solo patrols in vast rural counties with dead radio spots, intense bar fights, and learning to overcome fear on the job.
Bizarre voodoo rituals and black magic in the Everglades (complete with ritual kettles, skulls, and sacrifices)
A chaotic midnight restaurant brawl where backup drove right past
Wrestling alligators with the Miccosukee tribe
A massive motocross riot involving biker gangs, fireworks, and thousands of rowdy campers in the 1970s
Diving into a gator-infested canal to rescue drowning suspects
Shooting a charging bear to protect an Indian village
Building trust with the proud Miccosukee people who never surrendered to the U.S. Cavalry
📖 Grab his book "When Crisis Meets Courage" – https://a.co/d/0hVChhKI
Contact Steve - steve@thingspolicesee.com
Support the TPS show by joining the Patreon community today! https://www.patreon.com/user?u=27353055
Sergeant Steve YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@UCuobtuGxJny9V5lX5a1ieuw
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is things police see. |
| 0:03.6 | First and accounts with your host, Steve Gold. |
| 0:07.2 | Welcome to the podcast, it interviews, Act and Retired Police Officers about their most intense, bizarre, and sometimes humorous moments on the job. |
| 0:15.7 | It is I, old ginger face here with you as always. |
| 0:19.0 | Thank you for being here, guys. |
| 0:20.3 | Thank you for joining me on |
| 0:21.3 | this little journey I've had going on the last seven or eight years. A lot of really, really |
| 0:26.9 | great interviews have been amassed behind this episode. No credit to me. All credit goes to the |
| 0:31.8 | men and women of law enforcement that come on here and bear it all. They tell you their stories |
| 0:35.8 | as they live them, |
| 0:39.5 | no matter how intense, no matter how graphic. |
| 0:42.0 | And the whole point is so you get a better appreciation for what it is that these men and women do for us |
| 0:45.2 | when they're out there being coppers. |
| 0:47.8 | Also thank you to all the Sergeant Steve watchers |
| 0:52.2 | who have come over and decided to check out the podcast. It's a great |
| 0:55.2 | companion to Sergeant Steve. You know, you can't, you can't watch YouTube when you're driving your car, you're at the gym or doing whatever. So why not have things police see in your ear? That way you can get, you can just have me going all just 24 hours of your life. I can just be in your ear telling you things. So that would be preferable. And if you love the show and you |
| 1:13.2 | really want to, um, you watch a bunch of at the going all just 24 hours of your life i can just be in your ear telling you things so that would be |
| 1:11.0 | preferable and if you love the show and you really want to um you watch a bunch of at the free content |
| 1:15.8 | and you really appreciate it and you want to support you can do that at uh through the link in the show |
| 1:20.8 | notes for the patreon if you give um if you pick sergeant or above donation level, you will get a shout out on the show. |
| 1:30.0 | All right, folks, excited for this one. |
| 1:32.6 | Let's see what we got here. |
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