First of all, for those wondering, my car was in the shop because it is a piece of shit. It has 77000 miles on it. Which, to be fair, is like 150000 citizen miles. But my car has been through 4 transmissions, 3 catalytic converters, and some other crap. Most of the problems I inherited from the officer who had it before me, who decided it was a good idea to drive the car through a flash flood and didn't make it. So long answer for a short question, it was having another transmission put it as well as fixing some other minor problems, which still are not fixed.
As far as the scariest moment. This is a tie amongst all the times that I have had to pull my gun out on someone. It is not that I am afraid to fire, or take a life. The fear comes from knowing what it means, or what the gun can do. I say fear, but what I mean is awe of the power that really cannot be controlled. I am in control of the weapon, in control of my actions, but I can not predict what the individual or individuals that I have to pull it on are going to do. There are so many unknowns, and that is scary.
Case in point. The most recent, was a home invasion I had to go on. My self and 3 other officers got a call from an 8 year old girl hiding in a closet, because masked men came into her house and took her mom, brother, and sister hostage. Quick story. The 8 year old called the police from the closet. We responded, saw the two men with guns pointed at the heads of the family members. We later found out that the individuals were about to duct tape their mouths and kill them (according to the family, which I believe could of happened). We had to breach the door. I already had my gun out, obviously, but for a split second after you unholster, you can not help but think "Is this really happening?" "What is coming next?" Then something triggers your instinct and training. In this case it was "drop the gun, drop the gun!!!!!!" from a fellow officer (to suspect 1). We got both of them without incident, like most cases.
What usually occurs is training and action without thinking of what is occurring. It just seems to trigger what you are to do next and progress through the motions. After the incident is when you reflect on what just occurred and what it truly means. Usually everyone sits around and talks about what happened. That is when the adrenaline is still flowing and it sinks in, a few small changes in the event and life would be a whole lot different. The fear I feel is not debilitating fear, but conscious respect of the power of what I might have to do and what a weapon is used for. As stated before, I have no problem with profession and what I am called upon to do. That being said it is still one thing to be prepared for what you have to do, and when it actually happens. I pray I never have to use my weapon on another human being, but I am prepared to do so. There is no greater exhiliaration and no greater fear in the same moment than when an officer unholsters their weapon and their senses hit super drive.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
WOW
First of all I cannot believe that it has been 6 months, practically 7 since I have written on here. Mainly because work picked up over the summer months. I have been trying to get a new job, and both of them required me to travel extensively on my off days. And one final excuse was that my car has been in the shop for 2 months and I have not had my computer to write on when I get bored working.
So I will try and think of some of the good stories that we have had over the summer. And on top of that I was wondering if any of my loyal 3 fans have any questions or stories they would like to hear? Ask me something you have always wanted to ask a cop, I will do my best to answer it, and do so truthfully.
So I will try and think of some of the good stories that we have had over the summer. And on top of that I was wondering if any of my loyal 3 fans have any questions or stories they would like to hear? Ask me something you have always wanted to ask a cop, I will do my best to answer it, and do so truthfully.
Monday, March 9, 2009
By A Nose!!!!
With Derby around the corner and the latest incident I had the privilege to make I thought the title was appropriate. There is a run of an injury accident two males down from a single motorcycle incident. Obviously we think "this might be pretty good", yes we are just that sick. We get in the area and come to find out the motorcycle is in a 7 foot ditch next to the road. One guy is sitting next to the bike, the other guy crawled out and was sitting next to the road. I looked at the guy in the ditch as EMS was trying to get down to him and saw blood all over him and something flapping near his mouth, but it wasn't his mouth. He was conscious and alert but extremely drunk. Apparently he and his buddy had been drinking at the bar down the road. They got on the bike and were too ignorant and drunk to realize a train was going across the tracks and cars were stopped in front of them. I would of loved to have seen what happened next. The driver just veers left and goes straight into the ditch. The passenger, not as drunk as the driver,sees what is coming and jumps off the back of the bike. He still winds up in the ditch, but with only a leg injury. THe driver however, holds onto the bike and face plants into the visor of the bike. What looked like a flap from far away was his nose.
Take a horizontal piece of plastic and slam it into the bridge of your nose. Make it go all the way to your skull (we could see bone) and there you have it to mouths. He and his buddy kept asking how he looked, to which we replied "you look "phucked" up". We had a good ol time with these dumbasses. Learn from this that drunks are like cockroaches, you can never kill them and they keep coming back. Another item to point out is that it was like a train wreck. It was gross but we kept having to take another look.
I LOVE THIS JOB!!!! FOR REAL!!!!
Take a horizontal piece of plastic and slam it into the bridge of your nose. Make it go all the way to your skull (we could see bone) and there you have it to mouths. He and his buddy kept asking how he looked, to which we replied "you look "phucked" up". We had a good ol time with these dumbasses. Learn from this that drunks are like cockroaches, you can never kill them and they keep coming back. Another item to point out is that it was like a train wreck. It was gross but we kept having to take another look.
I LOVE THIS JOB!!!! FOR REAL!!!!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Stuck On You!!!
Most people think cops do what they do for the safety of the community. Most cops think they do the job for the excitement. But in reality we do the job for occasions that transpire like tonight.
I went on a run tonight because a woman broke a partial denture. Instead of just paying to have it fixed she tried to self fix. She used super glue to attach the denture inside her mouth. She ended up glueing her tongue to the roof of her mouth and the cheek to her teeth. To top it off she had had her hands glued to her lips, but was able to rip those off before we arrived. To top it off this was not the first time she had done such an act.
My advise to those of you out there. If more than two EMS or Police show up at your request for help you have done 1 of 2 things. Either you have committed a heinous act and we want to see it, or you have done something so ignorant that we cannot believe it unless we see it (essentially we want to laugh about it for the next 2 weeks, and see if we can get each other to laugh at the scene with jokes without alerting the person who was stupid enough to give us such enjoyment.) Take that as fair warning.
I went on a run tonight because a woman broke a partial denture. Instead of just paying to have it fixed she tried to self fix. She used super glue to attach the denture inside her mouth. She ended up glueing her tongue to the roof of her mouth and the cheek to her teeth. To top it off she had had her hands glued to her lips, but was able to rip those off before we arrived. To top it off this was not the first time she had done such an act.
My advise to those of you out there. If more than two EMS or Police show up at your request for help you have done 1 of 2 things. Either you have committed a heinous act and we want to see it, or you have done something so ignorant that we cannot believe it unless we see it (essentially we want to laugh about it for the next 2 weeks, and see if we can get each other to laugh at the scene with jokes without alerting the person who was stupid enough to give us such enjoyment.) Take that as fair warning.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Day in the Life....
So here it is...I will preempt this by saying that if there are questions from my 3 loyal fans, by all means hit me with them.
My shift runs from 3 in the afternoon (1500) to 1 in the morning (0100). That being said I have to start getting ready for my shift around 1400. It takes me that long to get all of my stuff on and to get my mind ready to work. It is a completely different mental state at which all cops have to be in. If you do not prepare yourself you can get hurt, your partners can get hurt, and you could shocked and surprised at half of the stuff we see. I have 45 pounds of equipment that I have to wear all the time. It sucks in the summer because we do not have a summer uniform, you can imagine the heat and sweat in 100 degree weather.
Once I am finally ready I drive to the division for roll call. At this time we sit around and listen to our Sergeants list off important information that has occurred, information we might need for that evening, and where we are riding (patrolling). This is also the time where we all sit around and joke with each other for about 15 minutes before we start dealing with the public. This is only time I see half of the platoon that is working, since our division is so large.
We sit at roll call and wait for a run to start off the day, this can take anywhere between 1 minute to an hour. It all depends on the weather and a full moon. Once we get that first run it is on. Most of the runs that we have to deal with are ridiculous and have nothing to do with police work. However, with the onset of a "community oriented police department" all calls to the police are answered. Most calls, even if I wanted to do something, I can't. I have no authority in civil issues, which really pisses people off. I have come to realize that I deal with adults who are children. It is amazing how I deal with the same individuals repeatedly in different areas of my beat. Once a shithead always a shithead. BUt that is a different entry.
It is important to discuss the mindset of a cop on duty. We are taught to expect the worse, pay attention to everything, and always prepare to fight. This basically means that we have to anticipate a fight, react quickly to numerous stimulus, and have in the back of our minds that we would have to take a life. People do not see a person, they only see a badge. This is part of the reason for the mental exhaustion I feel at the end of a shift.
With this mind set I am expected to perform numerous functions. In between answering calls for service I am expected to be looking for criminal activity. I am also expected to handle suspicious persons, traffic violations, disorderly situations, and conflicts that affect the peace. At each type of function there are a different set of rules, standards, and processes that I must follow, understand, and implement. I balance the rights of citizens, the rights of a community, and expected to act in a split second with issues that can ripple a lifetime.
It all breaks down to: riding around looking for crime and disorder, resolving potential problems in my beat, knowing who and where the problems are on my beat, restoring peace, being a deterrent, offering a presence of safety to residence, and being a face of the local government to citizens in the community.
While riding on duty I am expected to do all of these activities. In between I have to eat, which obviously is important. I do not get a lunch break so most times I have to eat while enroute to a location. I have actually eaten a hamburger, fries, and drink while traveling code 3 (lights and sirens) at 100 mph. It is rather exhilirating.
A quick example of my routine day, and the wide range of mental states occured the other day. I had made a bunch of stupid runs, where people were arguing over stupid things such as why the rain run off went in their yard, or why their neighbors were aloud to breath. A couple of us decided to go eat, after I ordered and we were joking around enjoying the time away from the public I get an emergency run. A guy got stabbed in the eye. The story ended up being straight white trash, but I had to immediately change mental status to prepare to use force (after all you don't bring a knife to a gun fight), I had to run to my car (with no dinner), I had to navigate through traffic code 3 (people get really ignorant when they see blue and red lights), assess the scene for safety, let others know where the suspect was, alert EMS of the status of the victim, set up crime tape, and get information and statements. THat is all with in the first 5 minutes. THen I had to hold the scene and wait for the detectives. I ended up being out on the run for 3 hours, of which 2 minutes was excitement. I ended up being able to eat at 2200. Then after I finally cleared for the rest of the evening I had to make more stupid runs and a lot of paperwork. I went from flat to extreme adrenaline and excitement and back to flat. This is what most police work entails in one form or another.
At the end of my shift I drive as fast as possible to get home. Mainly so I can see my wife, if she is still up. I have to bath every night I get home just to feel normal again. I am always afraid I am going to bring a disease, virus, or chemical home that is going to hurt my family. I can't even kiss my wife before I shower, cause I feel dirty and I don't want her to have to deal with it. I finally am able to fall asleep about an hour after my shift, if I am lucky and my adrenaline is not in overdrive. I usually have to wake up early the next day to go to court and then start all over again.
My job is rewarding, fun, exciting, boring, mundane, and scary. I ride around not knowing what to expect, but have to expect it. I believe this is where the notion that police are assholes come from. Granted we are sometimes, but most of the time we are so used to most individuals we deal with cussing us out, spitting on us, fighting us, or arguing with us that it is a facade we use in order to combat this type of behavior.
Policing is very misunderstood, and unless you have been a cop you cannot understand it. We have to deal with the scum of the earth, see horrors that t.v cannot replicate no matter how great graphics are, smell the smells and see the filth people live in (and raise children), wonder if today is the day we get hurt (or worse), be a face of strength and protection, and still have a normal life outside of our job. Being a cop is not a career or a job, it is a lifestyle. It is very difficult to adjust not only in my mental state from day to day activities, but dealing with ordinary people, my wife and family, and social arenas. I no longer take things for granted.
I love my job, it is probably the only thing that I could do and be happy. But, it is very difficult to explain. No one can understand what this job entails unless you walk in our shoes. I will say this, if you have an opportunity to ride with an officer you should do it. It only gives you a glimpse of the life, but one you will not forget.
My shift runs from 3 in the afternoon (1500) to 1 in the morning (0100). That being said I have to start getting ready for my shift around 1400. It takes me that long to get all of my stuff on and to get my mind ready to work. It is a completely different mental state at which all cops have to be in. If you do not prepare yourself you can get hurt, your partners can get hurt, and you could shocked and surprised at half of the stuff we see. I have 45 pounds of equipment that I have to wear all the time. It sucks in the summer because we do not have a summer uniform, you can imagine the heat and sweat in 100 degree weather.
Once I am finally ready I drive to the division for roll call. At this time we sit around and listen to our Sergeants list off important information that has occurred, information we might need for that evening, and where we are riding (patrolling). This is also the time where we all sit around and joke with each other for about 15 minutes before we start dealing with the public. This is only time I see half of the platoon that is working, since our division is so large.
We sit at roll call and wait for a run to start off the day, this can take anywhere between 1 minute to an hour. It all depends on the weather and a full moon. Once we get that first run it is on. Most of the runs that we have to deal with are ridiculous and have nothing to do with police work. However, with the onset of a "community oriented police department" all calls to the police are answered. Most calls, even if I wanted to do something, I can't. I have no authority in civil issues, which really pisses people off. I have come to realize that I deal with adults who are children. It is amazing how I deal with the same individuals repeatedly in different areas of my beat. Once a shithead always a shithead. BUt that is a different entry.
It is important to discuss the mindset of a cop on duty. We are taught to expect the worse, pay attention to everything, and always prepare to fight. This basically means that we have to anticipate a fight, react quickly to numerous stimulus, and have in the back of our minds that we would have to take a life. People do not see a person, they only see a badge. This is part of the reason for the mental exhaustion I feel at the end of a shift.
With this mind set I am expected to perform numerous functions. In between answering calls for service I am expected to be looking for criminal activity. I am also expected to handle suspicious persons, traffic violations, disorderly situations, and conflicts that affect the peace. At each type of function there are a different set of rules, standards, and processes that I must follow, understand, and implement. I balance the rights of citizens, the rights of a community, and expected to act in a split second with issues that can ripple a lifetime.
It all breaks down to: riding around looking for crime and disorder, resolving potential problems in my beat, knowing who and where the problems are on my beat, restoring peace, being a deterrent, offering a presence of safety to residence, and being a face of the local government to citizens in the community.
While riding on duty I am expected to do all of these activities. In between I have to eat, which obviously is important. I do not get a lunch break so most times I have to eat while enroute to a location. I have actually eaten a hamburger, fries, and drink while traveling code 3 (lights and sirens) at 100 mph. It is rather exhilirating.
A quick example of my routine day, and the wide range of mental states occured the other day. I had made a bunch of stupid runs, where people were arguing over stupid things such as why the rain run off went in their yard, or why their neighbors were aloud to breath. A couple of us decided to go eat, after I ordered and we were joking around enjoying the time away from the public I get an emergency run. A guy got stabbed in the eye. The story ended up being straight white trash, but I had to immediately change mental status to prepare to use force (after all you don't bring a knife to a gun fight), I had to run to my car (with no dinner), I had to navigate through traffic code 3 (people get really ignorant when they see blue and red lights), assess the scene for safety, let others know where the suspect was, alert EMS of the status of the victim, set up crime tape, and get information and statements. THat is all with in the first 5 minutes. THen I had to hold the scene and wait for the detectives. I ended up being out on the run for 3 hours, of which 2 minutes was excitement. I ended up being able to eat at 2200. Then after I finally cleared for the rest of the evening I had to make more stupid runs and a lot of paperwork. I went from flat to extreme adrenaline and excitement and back to flat. This is what most police work entails in one form or another.
At the end of my shift I drive as fast as possible to get home. Mainly so I can see my wife, if she is still up. I have to bath every night I get home just to feel normal again. I am always afraid I am going to bring a disease, virus, or chemical home that is going to hurt my family. I can't even kiss my wife before I shower, cause I feel dirty and I don't want her to have to deal with it. I finally am able to fall asleep about an hour after my shift, if I am lucky and my adrenaline is not in overdrive. I usually have to wake up early the next day to go to court and then start all over again.
My job is rewarding, fun, exciting, boring, mundane, and scary. I ride around not knowing what to expect, but have to expect it. I believe this is where the notion that police are assholes come from. Granted we are sometimes, but most of the time we are so used to most individuals we deal with cussing us out, spitting on us, fighting us, or arguing with us that it is a facade we use in order to combat this type of behavior.
Policing is very misunderstood, and unless you have been a cop you cannot understand it. We have to deal with the scum of the earth, see horrors that t.v cannot replicate no matter how great graphics are, smell the smells and see the filth people live in (and raise children), wonder if today is the day we get hurt (or worse), be a face of strength and protection, and still have a normal life outside of our job. Being a cop is not a career or a job, it is a lifestyle. It is very difficult to adjust not only in my mental state from day to day activities, but dealing with ordinary people, my wife and family, and social arenas. I no longer take things for granted.
I love my job, it is probably the only thing that I could do and be happy. But, it is very difficult to explain. No one can understand what this job entails unless you walk in our shoes. I will say this, if you have an opportunity to ride with an officer you should do it. It only gives you a glimpse of the life, but one you will not forget.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Reminder to the Author
This is just a reminder to myself to write about my daily duties on the YOB!!! All of you that are not me can disregard this Post
5758
For those of you who care, my beloved car is back 10-8. May we not find ice in our near future together, for I fear we might not be so lucky next time.
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