SWAT

I got to watch our SWAT team in action the other day. I must say it is even more impressive than I thought in person. What was really cool was seeing everyone in the neighborhood where it went down, outside looking at our caravan. We had 3 SWAT trucks, like 8 unmarked police cars, 4 marked police cars, and 2 ambulances (is it ambuli?) The size was mainly due to the fact that we had 2 different department agencies involved in the same search warrant. The swiftness and efficiency that they work with is something to see. I was scared watching them from a vantage point, I can't imagine being in the house.

Death

The loss of a local police officer makes brings to the front what this job is. Being there to enter when others won't, to respond to the needs of others regardless of what can happen. Most of the time I feel that we take this for granted that it is our duty to do so, until a moment like this brings it all back into the forefront of your mind. Though it is a tragedy and they will be missed, it is a moment that I feel pride in my job, these two men that were there did their job as they were supposed too and did not back down in the sight of danger or fear.

Take out the Trash

I am writing this because of the stereotypes that come with certain neighborhoods. I am going to be using some stereotypes and terms, but this is only to get the point across that you never can tell how someone is going to act in certain areas.

I recently went on a run for Domestic Violence (I hate this term or rather "run" because a child not listening to their parent is considered "domestic violence" to most people apparently, which is why we have to discipline their child. But that is a different story of how police are parents to not only children, but the parents as well in today's society) to a very nice neighborhood. We did the normal routine of listening to the victim, then we went up to the house to listen to the other person's side. As we did this, the step mother of the victim greeted us at the door then as we went to talk to the father, who we saw run into another room, she started going off. The father was no different, he tried to "buck up" on myself and my partner, but he wised up. We take the father out the front, while the step-mother runs out the back door and around the front of the house and starts yelling at the victim (mind you it is like 1130 at night). At this point you would expect nothing to happen, but window shades to open. Well as soon as she started her little ordeal people started coming out of their $400,000 homes like cockroaches. We easily had 30 people in their driveways watching and trying to intervene on everyone's behalf. If it wasn't for the scenery I would have thought I was back down in one of the worst neighborhoods in our city.

The point of this story is that you can take the trash out of the city, but you can't take the trash out of the people.

Shake it Out

I believe I have briefly mentioned this before, but it is extremely funny to me to see people (teenagers in particular) shaking when you pull them over. I find it humorous because when they shake you know they are never stopped by police and rarely do anything wrong. Another reason is because I can remember when I was a kid and how when I got pulled over it was the most embarrasing thing to me and in the back of my mind I'm thinking "My Dad is going to kill me." Most of the time I pull these type of people over I just give them a warning. Mainly because I don't have the heart to write them a ticket, but also because they are tax paying average day citizens that do what they are supposed to. It still makes me smile every time I go back to the car though.

Derby and Past Month

Well the Derby went smoothly for me. Other than the long hours and boredom, thing were great. I haven't been able to write due to time constraints, but I will pick out some stories and put them on here at the next available time.

2 Drunks and a Cage

I recently transported two drunk men to the jail for being intoxicated and disorderly in public. The best part of the whole trip was their conversation on the 20 minute ride downtown. Both men were rediciously drunk, had very slurred speech, and could not stand let alone sit up straight without falling over. Neither man knew each other yet this conversation took place.

Drunk1: What did I do wrong sir?
Drunk2: You F'ed Up? Just sit up straight and take it like a man. (placing his head on the other guys head so as to get his attention)
Drunk1: But what did I do?
Drunk2: Dude, don't piss off the Officer, or he'll bitch slap you, isn't that right officer?
Drunk1: I ain't mad at him (me), he's a cool son of a bitch.
Drunk2: How many have you bitched slapped Officer?
Me: I haven't bitch slapped anyone.
Drunk2: Bull Shit, come on how many?
Drunk1: What did I do?
Drunk2: Shut up and take it like a man, buddy.
Drunk2: I just realized you are not my buddy, it's cool though I will be your buddy when we get down to the jail.
Drunk1: Officer could you stay in one lane and slow it down? (I was going 65 and was in one lane)
Drunk2: Hell no speed it up let's get there fast, woo hah.

There were some other comments in there, however, they were pretty much based on the same thing. One guy not realizing or not being to comprehend that I had told 8 times why he was arrested. The other guy telling him to take it like a man, not realizing he wasn't who he thought he was.

Thunder

Thank goodness that the first stage of pergatory is over and now we have a week window to go before the final stage of hell begins.
500,000 drunk idiots all day watching fireworks, doing things they know they are not supposed to do only because they know we can't stop them.
2 Weeks to go till rest.