Nothing

I wish I had something good to post about but there just hasn't been much lately. I've been busy running from call to call but nothing real memorable.

I guess I shouldn't say that - Two days ago a Marine who had died in Afghanistan was brought home to rest. Prior to the start of my shift two Officers met him at the airport and provided an escort to the funeral home. I started my shift and quickly cleared a call so I could make it to the funeral home to greet him. Most of the Marines on duty in the police department were present at the funeral home.

On a lighter side though: Normally since the town is divided up with an Officer taking each 'area' any code runs we do are fairly short, lasting only a few minutes before we get to the call. Last night was busy with little calls and a Dispatch advised of a suicide threats with a knife. I had just arrived on a call but hadn't stepped more than five paces from my car so when no one else piped up I offered to go - across town. Luckily at 2130 hrs on a Sunday night there wasn't too much traffic. A trip that would normally have taken 20-25 minutes I completed in just under 10 minutes. I didn't even push it hard. I'm tired of pushing myself and my car to the limit for some of these BS calls. Its just too risky to drive to the max each time someone feels like hurting themselves or there is a "Man Down on the corner of First and Main st". Its always someone looking for attention and some drunk passed out. I'll run the code and I'll push it, but no longer will I push it to the max for those calls.

Two nights ago I did get a call that I pushed it to the max for: It's strange how the mind works. When I was a recruit it was very difficult to pay attention to the call I was working and the radio and everything else. Now I'm finally getting to the point that I can hear my designator get called out while I'm in mid-sentence and I can hear the change in tone of other Officers that indicates something is amiss. I went to a call, took the report and moved down the street to type in a few quick notes before leaving. The guy called Dispatch and asked me to call him back since he had another question. I call the guy back but he doesn't have his hearing aid so I'm yelling into the phone to explain some stuff. While I'm yelling I somehow register that a nearby Officer is going to an arctic entry-way of a nearby bank for a drunk sleeping. I finish the yelling conversation and almost have the notes finished when that Officer requested another unit code. As calm as that Officer is, even as he requested us code, I knew he was fighting. I put the car in gear and tore off, probably to the amusement of some children who were playing in the snow nearby. Another Officer asked where he was and I knew he was at the bank - perhaps I got the name of the bank wrong but it was good enough for that intersection, everyone knew which bank (I think I used the old name of the bank from several years ago). Its an awkward intersection to get around so I cut through a supermarket parking lot, then around the back of the supermarket so I wouldn't have to contest with pedestrians and grandma's backing out. Two other Officers beat me there and there wasn't much so do at that point. But I saw the drunk guys head sticking out and he was still resisting despite three Officers explaining things to him. I dropped down and executed a thigh lock which basically pins the subjects head to the ground and locks him up. They can wiggle arms and legs but the thigh lock keeps their head and torso pinned down removing a lot of the strength from the wiggling arms and legs. Looking back though I was surprised how it registered where he was without even thinking about it when he called out.

One more night and I'll be taking a week off.

Police Station

Often people will show up at the Police Station thinking they will get to talk to a Police Officer faster than if they called for one from home. I guess some Police Stations have Officers there all the time to talk to these people. We don't. Normally it is the area car that has the Police Station in their beat that has to go back to the station and take the report. Sometimes though it is easier to tell a suspect to go to the Police Station to speak with you instead of driving all around trying to find him. So, last week:
We just finish fallout and I hear an Officer get dispatched to the lobby of the station and wait for another officer for cover; it's my area so I advise I'll take it. I read the call real quick before I walk into the lobby. The dispatch read something like this: Bob Smith may be arriving at the station soon. If he shows up arrest him and bring him to the jail. I'll meet the officer at he jail.
Awesome, another Officer has the Probably Cause (PC) to arrest. I just need to slap on the cuffs and transport.
I walk in, see the guy and cuff. While I'm searching for weapons he nearly falls forward into a wall. I walk him out to my patrol car and the cover Officer leaves. I figure I'll make life a little easier for the other Officer: I start my tape recorder and Mirandize Bob Smith. Bob agrees to answer all my questions. He fully admits he committed the crime we had PC for. He then admits he drank a little bit today. He then shows me his vehicle he used to get to the Police Station. I call for another cover Officer to meet me in the employee parking lot of the police station. When the other Officer arrives we walk Bob Smith into the Police Station because it's snowing outside. The Recruit takes over from there running Bob through the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. The Recruits FTO is just looking at me wondering how I stopped a DUI at the Police Station.
Bob has been arrested for DUI less than two years ago and he thought he knew how to play the game. He refused to do all the tests. In his mind it sounded great: "I don't do the test therefore I can not fail the test" But on the audio recording it sounds like "I'm a drunk idiot" to the jury. The recruit finally arrested Bob for the DUI and away to jail he went after blowing a .265 BRAC.