Behind Every Badge Is a Beating Heart book cover
A True Story of Service & Sacrifice

Behind Every Badge
Is a Beating Heart

One of Kissimmee's Finest Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

He wore the badge. He never stopped being human.

Buy on Amazon Read an Excerpt
PaperbackHardcoverKindle eBook

By Rick H. Drew  ·  Kissimmee, Florida

A True StoryBased on Real Events
Kissimmee PDLine of Duty, 1983
181 PagesA Single Sitting
3 FormatsPrint & Digital

What kind of person runs toward the gun?

Here is the answer, and here is his name.

The Story

He was one of Kissimmee’s finest, and on the night of July 18, 1983, he made the ultimate sacrifice for a stranger he had never met.

Written by the brother in blue who served beside him, this is the true story of the man behind the badge: what he gave, what it cost, and why some people choose to carry the fear so the rest of us don’t have to.

He chose her. He died making that choice, and he made it so fast that I don’t believe he ever weighed it. It was simply who he was, all the way down.

Rick H. Drew
Read an Excerpt

From the Prologue

Heroism comes wrapped in a lot of different packages. This story is about a young man who chose law enforcement as his occupation and took protecting and serving seriously. He was funny, borderline obnoxious at times, a good listener, and a good friend.

Like everyone, he had problems at home, things he couldn’t fix, and some he could. But what made him special was how he represented the citizens he served.

Rick H. Drew, Behind Every Badge Is a Beating Heart

Continue Reading on Amazon
Officer Thomas Bartholomew in uniform
★ ★ ★ End of Watch July 18, 1983
The Man

Officer Thomas Alan “Bart” Bartholomew

To the people of Kissimmee, he was the young officer with the easy grin and the mirrored shades. To those who wore the same uniform, he was a brother, and what made him special was how he represented the citizens he served.

On July 18, 1983, that grin went dark. Bart was killed in the line of duty at 510 North Dillingham, and a close-knit department lost one of its own.

Department
Kissimmee Police Department
Location
Kissimmee & Osceola County, FL
Era
Early 1980s
Line of Duty
510 North Dillingham

The watch is still being stood.
His story doesn’t have to end here.

Read His Story on Amazon
Rick H. Drew, author
About the Author

Rick H. Drew

Retired Detective · True Crime Author

Rick H. Drew served more than two decades in Central Florida law enforcement, as a Kissimmee Police Department patrolman and detective, and eventually as an Osceola County Sheriff’s Office investigator.

He wasn’t a writer looking for a story. He was a cop who couldn’t forget one, and he carries it because the watch doesn’t end just because the shift does.

Also by Rick H. Drew: Is He Dead? A True Crime Memoir →
Before You Read

What Readers Want to Know

Is this a true story?

Yes. Behind Every Badge Is a Beating Heart is a true tribute, written by retired officer Rick H. Drew about a real man he served beside, Officer Thomas “Bart” Bartholomew, who was killed in the line of duty on July 18, 1983.

Who was Bart Bartholomew?

One of Kissimmee’s finest: a young Florida police officer who was funny, stubborn, and unfailingly human, and who gave his life protecting a stranger. This is the story of the man behind the badge.

What kind of book is it?

Part ride-along, part memoir, part tribute. About 181 pages in print (155 in the Kindle edition) you can read in a sitting. The real calls that define a police career, the humanity the public never sees, and the night that changed everything. If you back the blue, this one’s for you.

Where can I buy it, and in what formats?

Available now on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle eBook. Get your copy here →

Who is the author?

Rick H. Drew, a retired Kissimmee Police Department detective who served two decades in Central Florida law enforcement. He’s also the author of Is He Dead?

Behind Every Badge Is a Beating Heart book cover
Get the Book

Honor His Story.
Read It Today.

For everyone who backs the blue. Available now on Amazon in three formats.

PaperbackBuy on Amazon → HardcoverBuy on Amazon → Kindle eBookBuy on Amazon →
★ A True Story ◆ 181 Pages · 6″×9″ ✓ Ships Worldwide

Also by Rick H. Drew

Is He Dead? book cover

Is He Dead?

Two children. Ten years of abuse. One terrifying question. The true crime memoir from the detective who lived the case. 4.4★ on Amazon · 325+ reviews.

Visit rickdrewauthor.com →