Former police officers create organization for first responders who encounter the unexplained

#eastidahonews #paranormal #police

PHOENIX — Two longtime Arizona law enforcement officers have launched a unique organization aimed at helping police officers, firefighters, EMTs and other first responders process encounters with things they can’t explain — from strange lights in the sky to unexplained voices on 911 calls.

The group, called UAP PD — short for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon Police Department — was co-founded by Mary Anne Robb and David Rich, both retired from the Gilbert Police Department after decades of service.

Robb and Rich said the idea came after realizing that while military pilots and civilians are increasingly coming forward about mysterious sightings, first responders largely stay silent — often out of fear of ridicule or professional consequences.

“Why aren’t law enforcement and first responders talking?” Robb told EastIdahoNews.com. “They see things on duty they can’t explain — lights in the sky, strange sounds, even figures — but they won’t say anything because of the stigma. They’re supposed to know what they’re looking at, and when they don’t, it’s terrifying.”

Rich knows that silence firsthand when, as a school resource officer in 2017, he was asked to respond to a chilling 911 call. It came from a phone at a local high school and, according to Rich, contained a whispered voice saying, “I scare.”

When Rich pulled surveillance footage from the school, he said no one was anywhere near the phone when the call was made.

“I checked everything — the phone company, the lines, the recordings. There was no logical explanation,” Rich said. “I was a total skeptic until that moment.”

When he brought the case to a supervisor, Rich said he was told to “drop it” and not file a report. Later, he learned other officers who responded were also warned not to speak about what they’d experienced.

“Police work is all about credibility,” Rich said. “If an officer says he saw Bigfoot or a ghost, that becomes a joke — and it can destroy his reputation on the stand. That’s why so many never talk.”

Robb, who spent 34 years with Gilbert Police, said she and Rich founded UAP PD to give those officers and first responders anywhere in the world a place to share their experiences safely.

“We have over 800,000 officers in the U.S.,” Robb said. “They’re out there every day, all night, under open skies. You can’t tell me they aren’t seeing things. They just need someone they can trust.”

Since launching two years ago, UAP PD has collected more than 80 firsthand accounts — from across the U.S. and as far away as Australia. Some involve UFOs or “unidentified aerial phenomena.” Others describe ghostly encounters or strange creatures.

Robb often travels to meet first responders face to face. She recently went to Utah after a police officer there confided he’d seen what he believed to be a Bigfoot.

“He thanked me for coming because he’d kept it inside for years,” she said. “He was afraid to tell anyone — afraid it would ruin his career.”

The organization also offers connections to counselors, clergy and peer support for those shaken by such experiences.

“These things create trauma,” Rich said. “First responders are trained to control chaos. But when something happens that doesn’t fit what they know is real, it can shake them deeply.”

Robb and Rich speak at conventions, symposiums and law enforcement conferences, urging others to share their stories. Their mission, they said, isn’t to convince skeptics — just to create a judgment-free space.

“We don’t need people to believe in ghosts or UFOs,” Rich said. “We just ask them to admit there are things in the world we don’t yet understand — and to give first responders the grace to talk about it.”

Robb added, “It’s about helping the men and women who protect us every day deal with experiences that don’t fit inside a police report.”

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