I don't know why, but I have Bill the Cat on my mind.  Weird?!  I intentionally refrain from putting too much personal information out there in cbyer space, so I will just say this, "The trip was awesome!"

 

No it wasn't a hole in the wall in Mexico.  :)   

 

Now I have to get back in the mood of being normal.  Having a job and stuff.  I can honestly say that I didn't think of my job, during my trip, other than making an off handed comment regarding the local cops. 

 

Tomorrow, I will be back on the streets, so my next blog entry will be made shortly after.  Something is always happening at work. 

 

J

I’m outta here…

 

So I’ll be off the BLOG for a few weeks, because I am having myself a vacation.  Yahoo! 

 

It really hit me, that I was going to be somewhere nicer than the place I work, when I was in the most recent crack house.  One of the most pro-active officers in my precinct, who is probably the most veteran officer, conducted a “knock and talk” at a dealers house.  This is when you have no warrant, or probably cause for arrest, and simply knock on the door.  If they don’t open the door, there is nothing we can do.

 

Most of the time they do open the door, which is always good for a laugh, because there’s usually drugs, or other illegal items in plain view.  That gives us the authority to go in.  Idiots.  The same goes for vehicle searches, “Hey buddy?  There’s nothing illegal in this car is there?  You don’t mind if I give it a quick search do ya?”  They almost always consent. 

 

Of course, when we get into a courtroom, they deny giving us permission, and if we do get the seized items into play, then they try and convince the jurors that the police are lying.  I can’t say that I blame them.  If I was an idiot, gave permission to a couple of cops to come inside and have a “talk”, and they ended up arresting me, because I left a baggie of cocaine on the table, I’d lie in court too.

 

The problem is that most jurors can’t fathom that a felon would lie to avoid prison.  Why would he let the cops in?!  They are most often swayed to side with the felon and believe that the cops are lying.  It’s a fact though, most criminals are THAT stupid. 

 

So these two cops conduct a “knock and talk” and the bad guy opens the door.  Sure enough there’s lines of cocaine, on a mirror, on the coffee table, just 3 feet from the door.  Lot’s of drug paraphernalia too.  The bad guy tries to close the door, but the cops force their way inside.  Next thing to happen is 4 more bad guys join the fight.  5 bad guys and 2 good guys.  Not good odds.

 

The screams of “Help the Officer!” come out over the airwaves and we fly to the scene.  All 3 of us.  Yes, we are that short of police officers.  5 on 5 is much better and we end up winning the “fight”.  I’m guarding one of the suspects, a 6 month pregnant hooked, who admits to smoking crack, but tells me she stopped last week, because she is pregnant.  Wow…

 

I’m looking around, there’s stolen items everywhere, drug stuff, crack addicts, rotten/spoiled food everywhere, and the place smells like the worst armpit of the world.  I never imagined, prior to becoming a cop, being inside such a place.  I look over at another officer and say, “Ya know…It finally hit me.  I’m going to be in ##### in 5 days. <SIGH>” 

 

J

Got Speed?

 

So I was cruising through a 7-11 parking lot, and happened to notice a white panel van at the gas pumps.  It was 4am and anyone up at that time deserves a second look, so I run the license plate and pull alongside.  I make eye contact with the driver, and then I pull out of the lot.  Sure enough the registered owner of the van shows to have a suspended driver’s license, so I make a U-turn to return.

 

The van pulls out of the lot, at high speed, and the chase is on!  We’re doing 80mph, in a 30mph zone, and before I can make the decision to terminate the pursuit the van blows through 2 red lights!  The intersections were just 50 yards apart, so it all happened pretty quickly.  Luckily the van just missed the pedestrian.  (NOTE:  ALWAYS looks both ways even if you have the right of way!)

 

I come screaming around a corner, and the suspect has quickly pulled to the curb.  I dynamite my brakes and stop just a few feet shy of his rear bumper.  I’m out of the car, gun in hand, and see the driver’s door open.  I think he was hoping for the fat lazy cop?  I shout, “Turn the %^&% car off!  Toss the keys out!”  Most of the time, when they make a quick stop, they run on foot.  This guy weighed the odds and realized I would’ve hunted him down.

 

I walk up to the open driver’s door, point my gun at the two occupants, and calmly say, “Grab the $%^$ steering wheel and don’t move.  Passenger?  Grab the dash.  Anyone moves and I put a bullet in your head.”  I then ask, “So were you running because you have a suspended license?” and the driver says, “Yes.  I’m suspended.”  After the arrest I find burglary tools (29 house and car keys, bolt cutters, flashlights, pry bars, and screw drivers), two bicycles, and a ton of CD’s/DVD’s.

 

Find out that the driver, and passenger (who had warrant for Escape and Forgery), both have multiple convictions for Burglary, Eluding Police, Obstructing, Assault, Theft, Escape, and Forgery.  Go figure.  The funny part of the whole thing was that after I give the guy his Miranda Rights, he suddenly changes his story, “I didn’t run no red lights!  I never saw you!”  Uh-huh…

 

Tell me again why we let these people breathe air?

 

J

Too young

 

I use to make several drug and vice contacts, in a shift, but have lost the motivation.  Now, I just try to find the bad guys on crimes, where there is a solid victim.  It gets old responding to the guy, who was “robbed”, by a hooker.  The drug addict ripped off on a drug buy, “Strong armed robbery just occurred.  Victim reports suspect stole $20 on a drug deal gone bad…”  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  

 

Yes, we honestly get those calls.  Usually, the drug dealer has sold fake crack, or just grabbed the $20 and ran.  We honestly put forth no effort on those calls, but it is sad that we even have to respond. 

 

Maybe I am getting too cynical?

 

I’m even finding it hard to take the stolen auto reports from the citizens, who leave the keys in their car.  Seems to me that you willingly gave your car away. 

 

So I enjoy the burglaries, the “good” robberies, where there is an honest victim, and other such calls.  To pass time I make a few traffic stops, but seldom give tickets.  Mostly, I run license plates and stop the vehicles, where the registered owner has a suspended driving license.  I usually get about 4 suspended drivers in a shift.

 

I recently had a good traffic stop, where I was once again reminded how futile the fight is.  I stopped this girl for driving on the wrong side of the road.  No, she wasn’t DUI, just had no driving experience and thought she was on a one-way street.  She told me that she had no license on her person and gave me a false name and date of birth.

 

I knew she was lying and told her so, but she claimed she was telling the truth, so I returned to my patrol car and ran a check.  Sure enough, “No record”.  I walked up, put her in handcuffs, and told her, “Ok, so now you have one last chance to give me your real name and date of birth, before I throw you in a windowless cell for half the day.  I’ll finger print you, photograph you, eventually find out who you are, and then book you into jail…another windowless cell, so you can be punished for lying.”

 

She gave me her true name and date of birth.  I told the backing officers that the last time I had a female motorist lie about her identity, she was a 14 year old hooker.  Sure enough, this girl was also 14, and hooking to survive.  She ran away from home, because mom didn’t pay her any attention.  I spoke with the cop in the small town she ran away from, and he was aware of her and the mother.

 

Turns out mom is well known by all the cops, and most men, in town.  The live in boyfriend is a methamphetamine freak, and so is mom.  The runaway daughter…No chance.  I drove her all the way back to her home town, and handed her over to the small town cop.  She told me, “I’m going to run away again.  California I think.  I like to wear mini-skirts and tank tops.”  Nice to know she has her priorities straight.  She seems to think, or pretends, that being a hooker is a glamorous lifestyle.  Sad.

J

Crazy!

 

There was a call of a “Suicidal man barricaded in his house” and three police units were sent to deal with it.  They arrived and spoke to the guy through the bathroom door.  After some time they realized that they were going to have to force entry, so they requested a Taser officer.  I had to drive some distance, about 7 miles lights and siren, but it is pretty damn fun!

 

I arrived, just as they kicked the door.  Thanks for waiting guys!  There’s the subject, sitting on the toilet, holding a knife to his temple, and a pair of scissors under his chin.  There was a shoe lace tied between both weapons.  I guess he was thinking that if we got one, the other would do the job? 

 

One officer is pointing a gun at him, and I am too far away to be of any use.  The senior officer tells the junior officer to put the gun away.  That cop backs out of the hall, where I am, and we both watch the most amazing police work ever!  <Heavy on sarcasm>  The senior cop stands 3 feet away from this crazy nut job, who is holding two very sharp weapons. 

 

Granted the threat is to kill himself, but you never know.  He could just as easily lunge at the senior officer.  If nut job made it past him, he’d be in for a world of hurt, because I’d be tasing him, while my partner was shooting him. 

 

The suspect finally puts the scissors down, but paces the little 5’ room slashing the knife about.  The senior cop is still within a few feet, and trying to talk him down.  After 5 minutes of this the senior cop backs away and the nut job follows him into the living room.  I stay in the kitchen, hoping to prevent crazy from making his way towards more knives, and the junior officer, with gun, moves to the only exit door. 

 

We watch as the crazy puts his knife down and bounces from wall to wall.  At some point he picks up a pen and I say, “Uhh…He’s got a pen in his left hand.”  The junior officer grabs the pen and throws it to the ground.  The senior officer looks at us like we’re crazy to fear a pen.  You ever get stabbed with a pen?  If it hits something vital you can die just as easy.

 

In the end we got crazy strapped to a gurney and transported to a hospital.  I’m just thankful to have survived another incident, and to be going home at the end of a shift.  Sometimes, I wonder who is the bigger threat.  The suspects, or some of the cops I work with?  I hear of cops dying every day, across America, who practice the “Old School Policing”   To steal a quote, from the IRA, “You have to be lucky all the time.  We only have to be lucky once.”  That’s how I look at suspects.  They only need one second to ruin your whole day…

 

J

Killing with kindness?

 

So I had just gotten into my cop car, when a call comes out, “Homeowners detaining burglar…”  These calls freak me out, because I’ve seen some seriously bad things happen to good people, when they “detain” bad people.  I fly out of the precinct and arrive within 2 minutes. 

 

We’re suppose to wait for backup, but out of concern for the homeowners I run into the house.  I find one homeowner, who tells me that the suspect is upstairs in the bathroom with the other homeowner.  I run upstairs and find the homeowner, and bad guy, both standing next to each other leaning over the sink. 

 

Apparently, the bad guy cut his finger, and one of the homeowners is a registered nurse, so he’s administering first aid!  HUH?!  Me?  Nad guy breaks in to my house?  I’d let him bleed out!  So I order the bad guy, “Sit down.”  I don’t shout, or swear.  I just simply order the bad guy to sit on the ground, so that I can keep him under control until my backup arrives.

 

The homeowner says, “Officer can you please de-escalate the situation.  Keep it calm.”  HUH!? 

 

“You want to handle this?  Or do you want me to handle it?”

 

The homeowner backs away and I shake down the bad guy, who turns out to be armed with a knife.  Later I learn that the bad guy has numerous assault, burglary, and weapons charges.  All I can say is that the homeowner is very lucky that the suspect didn’t knife him.  The suspect was in a “nice” mood up until he saw the cops.  I guess he didn’t expect us to show up.

 

Could you imagine what he would’ve done if he assumed the cops were coming? 

 

I also found $595 cash in the suspect’s pockets, which he stole from one homeowner’s wallet.  The homeowner’s car/house keys, and it turns out the suspect also ripped out the car stereo from the BMW.  The greedy suspect also placed the plasma TV, a $3,000 vase, and a $1,200 candle stick on the couch.  Did I mention the 12 year old son sleeping in the bedroom the suspect walked past?

 

Let’s just say that if it was my house the bad guy would be leaving horizontally.

 

J

Always winter, never Christmas…

 

Seattle has had some serious cold weather the past few weeks.  All the ice on the roads has created some serious down time at work.  We drive very slowly to some parking lot, in our beat, and then park.  No sense driving around, when you run the risk of crashing.  Very hard to stay awake, while sitting in a parking lot!

 

The call load has dropped some too.  Not as many crimes happening, because it’s too cold outside.  Although auto theft is on the rise, but I attribute that to drugheads stealing the cars for heat.  Run the engine all night and leave the heat on.  Not too mention it’s easy to find a victim.

 

Everyone is starting their cars, and then going back inside the house to let them warm up.  Bad guys walk the street, see a plume of exhaust, and there’s their free car/hear.  I took a report of a theft of a nice Audi A6, and when I came outside there was an unattended Mercedes.  The owner came out and I explained that lots of cars are getting stolen, because of people warming them up.

 

She says, “Really?  Not around here.” 

 

“Uhhh…Lady.  I just took a theft of an Audi from your neighbor.”

 

“But I locked the door officer.”

 

Good thing bad guys respect property enough not to shatter a window, while stealing a $50,000 car.  I call this potential victim, “Ivy League Stupid”.  Too smart to be in touch with reality.

 

J

One cup of Meth please.

 

So I was being all curious, when I saw these two suspects leaning into the back seat of a parked Acura, and they tell me that they spilled some water in the back seat.  Ok.  The one suspect tells me it’s his car, so I enter the vehicle license plate into my computer, and drive off.  The license plate has an associated warrant, for the owner, so I conduct a traffic stop on the car after it’s driven out of the parking lot.

 

I arrest the driver, and while I am searching him down, after cuffing him!  I recover 2.1 grams of meth and a meth pipe.  I tell my backing officer to pull out the passenger, who drops a Rubbermaid container of meth onto the ground.  Oops!  <laughing>  It ended up weighing in at 47.4 grams!  I can just imagine the Tupperware parties these two attend.  “And this one is great for keeping your meth fresh!”

 

I look into the back seat of the Acura and come to learn that they didn’t spill “water” but they spilled a container of meth!  <laughing>  There was still plenty of meth all over the rear seat floorboards.  Idiots!  I seized the vehicle and $410 in cash.  The two suspects were schooled and both lawyer’d up right, so I can’t get any info from them.  SUCKS!

 

I’m sure I could’ve climbed up the ladder a bit and gotten bigger fish, because neither of these two have ever done jail time.  This is their first arrest.  Always easy to glean information from fresh meat.  You tell them about the horrors of incarceration and they wont shut up.  “Yup, you’re going to be sold for a carton of smokes for sure!  Hope you like rough sex!”  They’ll sell out their mom to avoid jail!

 

Nice little pinch.

 

J

Gone Fishin’

 

I always try to treat the people I deal with, the way I would expect to be dealt with, in a given situation.  Even when I am arresting someone I try and explain what it is that is happening, and why it is that we (police) can do what we’re doing.  Sometimes it is a waste of air, because they (bad guys) just don’t get it.

 

I was cruising down the residential streets, at 3:30 in the morning, when I see two guys standing next to a parked car.  One at the driver’s door, and the other at the front right passenger door.  I circle back, with my head lights off, and sure enough, when I round the corner, the guy on the passenger side bolts. 

 

He runs like he’s really late for an appointment, or something, but the remaining suspect is now sitting in the driver’s seat.  One in the hand is better than two in the bush, so I contact the “driver”.  He tells me the car is a friends car, but he can’t name the registered owner, and he has no idea why the other guy ran. 

 

He also doesn’t know the guy’s name, but says that they’re friends too.  I notice that the passenger side window is pried from the door frame, which is usually consisted with forced entry.  Hmmm…Stolen car?  Car Prowl?  Although the car is clear stolen, and I am unable to contact the owner, I still have grounds to ID the “driver”.  I ask for ID and he becomes arguementative.

 

I explain to him the lawful purpose, in obtaining ID, and he doesn’t buy it.  Good thing I don’t have to sell it.  After he gives me ID I bend into the vehicle, to check the ignition switch, and he shouts, “I’m not giving you permission to look into the car!”  I try and explain that it isn’t a “search” and that I am trying to determine if the car is stolen (not yet reported). 

 

There’s no damage to the ignition and the VIN plates match the license plates and the car.  I run a check of the “driver” and determine that he’s a registered sex offender, with violent felony crimes (assault, robbery).  Wow…You’d never think it looking at him!  <laughing>  I’m telling the other officer what a WINNER this suspect is, and he starts yelling, “Why you cops always looking for trouble?!  You’re always fishing to find someone doing wrong!”

 

Uhhhh…Ya think?  HELLO!  Anybody home?  WE’RE COPS!  WE’RE SUPPOSE TO FIND “TROUBLE”!   WE GET PAID TO FIND SOMEONE “DOING SOMETHING WRONG”! 

 

I try to see if I can reason with this guy, other cop rolling his eyes at me, and explain it this way, “Ok.  Let’s say you’re the police officer.  If you drive past, see two guys standing at a car at 3:30am, and circle back because you’re paid to be curious, one guy runs, and the other guy is now inside the vehicle.  What would you do?” 

 

Suspect response, “Nothing!  They didn’t do anything wrong!”

“True, but you don’t know that till you check the vehicle and try and talk to both subjects right?”  The guy starts shouting about how he knows the law, and about how over-zealous I am, so I switch gears.  “Ok.  How about you own a car, and there’s two guys loitering beside it, then one gets into the car.  Wouldn’t you want a cop to contact them?  Stop your car from being stolen, or broken in to?”

 

Suspect response, “IT’S MY FRIEND’S CAR!  I WASN’T BREAKING INTO IT, OR STEALING IT!” 

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAH!  Some people are alive simply because it’s illegal to shoot them.

 

J

Mail theft

 

Three days back I noticed an occupied Honda sitting in a parking lot with the engine running.  To the casual observer, no big deal.  Of course it was 4am, and is was a Honda, so I decided to check it out.  It’s a big long story, but in the end I arrested the two for possession of Methamphetamine, possession of burglary tools *  (about 100 house and car keys, pry bars, picks, files, etc), stolen mail, and laptop computers, two guns, and forged state ID cards. 

 

The ID cards were great quality.  Most cops couldn’t figure out which ones were fake, and which ones were real.  The whole arrest took me 9 hours.  Whew!  Why so long?  The on scene interview and eventual arrest burned through the first hour.  At the precinct it took several hours to go through nearly 200 pieces of mail, and interview the subjects a second time. 

 

These jerks were stealing Christmas mail, grabbing all the checks from grandparents to grandchildren, and then making fake ID’s, in the names of the little ones, so that they could cash the checks!  GRRRRR!!!!  I honestly would have no issue with making these two go away.  The world would be a better place without them. 

 

I was asked, “How much time do you think they will get in jail?” and I have to admit that I am skeptical about it.  I probably spent more time on the arrest, investigation, and paperwork, than they will get behind bars.  The main suspect had 8 prior convictions for burglary (* see above).   I guess the system has failed? 

 

J

Hello…?

 

I recently moved from working downtown, to the more residential area, up in the North end of the city.  I was burned out on working the crackheads and hookers, and wanted to talk to “normal” people.  Now I’m beginning to rethink my decision.  It’s so frustrating dealing with stupidity.  A druggie, or a hooker, you pretty much expect them to be running on stupid 24 hours a day.

 

I can’t figure out the ones who have years of college, or tons of money, or both.  You’d think that they would have made it to their position in life by making intelligent choices.  NOT!  I think they just tend to be VERY lucky, or they were just born with the silver spoon in their mouth. 

 

Case in point.  I respond to a house, in the rich part of town, to take a stolen auto report.  It takes me a few minutes to find the correct house, because three houses in a row have no address posted!  I walk up to the door and contact the husband, who reports leaving the keys in the ignition, so the vehicle could warm up. 

 

Ok, it’s cold.  I can appreciate the motivation behind warming up a car, but hello?  This guy didn’t lock the doors, which doesn’t matter, but in the cold weather the warming cars spit out huge plumes of exhaust.  It’s like a marker for the auto thieves, who cruise the neighborhoods.  See smoke?  There’s the next stolen car.

 

This guy got to watch the car get taken.  Another car…HONDA!  Pulled alongside and a kid jumped in, and drove off.  Oh yeah…They stole another HONDA!  See previous blog entries to hear my thoughts on Honda ownership.

 

I stated that it didn’t matter if the doors were locked, because bad guys really don’t give a rip if they have to cause damage, to get into the car that has keys in the ignition, that isn’t theirs to begin with!!!  Yes!  They will smash a friggin window.  Locking the doors, while warming up the car, does not prevent theft!  

 

The kicker, with the stolen auto report, was the response given by the wealthy UW Graduate, when I asked, “Anything of value inside the car?”  After a slight hesitation the wife asked, “You didn’t leave the golf clubs I gave you inside the trunk did you?!”  Yes.  He did leave the $3,000 Callaway’s inside the trunk. 

 

John Kerry can say what he wants about uneducated people serving in the military.  I’d take an Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine soldier’s common sense over any Harvard/Yale grad! 

 

J

Help the Police help you!

 

I was telling some people, just last night, how the police generally only come in contact with evil people, or the stupid.  We don’t have much contact with good citizens. 

 

This 911 caller tells the dispatcher that there are two teens messing around with a motorcycle, in his backyard, and that the ignition is damaged/missing.  Myself and two other units roll that way and are given great updates by the caller, via dispatch.  The teens have now grabbed a gas can, from a silver car, and are now putting gas into the motorcycle.

 

Myself and the two other units arrive in the area, as the updates continue to come in, and we’re all thinking, “Sweet!  We’re going to catch some auto thieves!”  Now the sad part of the story.  We couldn’t find the 911 caller’s house!  We’re literally driving in circles and then we’re told, via dispatch, “Ok, the teens have gotten into the silver car and drove off W/B on NW 52^nd Street.” 

 

I broadcast, “I am on 52^nd!  Where is this guy?!”  The dispatcher tells us that he just saw a marked police car drive by for the third time.  We all stop and I broadcast, “Radio.  Can you please have him walk up to the police car.”  This guy comes walking out between two houses, half a block from where his street address puts him.  The street simply does not cross through the block he lives in.  His house is in the middle of a block with no apparent access!

 

Turns out it’s a house built on the back property of another with a gravel easement (alley) for access!  The gravel easement looks like the driveway to the house, which borders the street!  ARG!!!  I confront the caller and say, “It’s a good thing your wife isn’t being attacked right now, because we’d still be looking for this gravel driveway!” 

 

The caller says, “Yeah, my house was robbed a few weeks back and you guys had trouble finding it then too.”  HELLO?  ANYONE HOME?  Dude?!  Where’s your brain???  If we couldn’t find it then, what made him think we’d find it now?  My partner asked, “Do you tell the pizza delivery guy how to get to your house?” and the caller says, “Uhhh…Yes.  I never thought of that.” 

 

So we hurt him real bad, called for medics, and told him, “Maybe they’ll find you before you bleed out.”

 

You can’t fix stupid.

 

J

Got Honda?

 

Ok, for all those people looking at getting a car, “Avoid Honda!”  And for those who own a Honda, “Sell it!” 

 

I’m a little jaded, because I’m sick and tired of taking stolen auto reports on the damn things.  We must have 20 Hondas stolen a day in Seattle.  I just love how they steal one Honda, and then park it right next to the next stolen Honda.  Sometimes they compound the fun, by switching license plates, so it’s one big cluster for the cops to sort out.

 

When a victim reports their Honda stolen I give very little sympathy.  I’m like, “Wow…That’s crazy.  A stolen Honda?!  Never would’ve seen that coming.”  I took a report yesterday, where a neighbor called in a “suspicious car” sitting in front of his house with the engine running.

 

I get there and see that the car has its lights on and the windshield wipers on fast speed.  Ok, it’s day time, there’s no rain, and the driver’s door is standing open.  It’s also parked right in the middle of the street!  The neighbor tells me that it’s been there for over 45 minutes, and he thinks it might be a stolen car.  “YA THINK?!”  <laughing> 

 

I was going to ask why he waited so long to call us, but he was too educated for his own good.  Too smart and too much money equals little common sense….In my opinion.  Any 14 year old street kid would look at that Honda and think, “Yup, that car been jacked!” 

 

Since I’m trying to steer people away from Honda I should probably offer up an alternative mode of transportation.  Anything European!  VW, Saab, Audi, BMW…Bad guys stay away from those ignitions.  Also, in closing, don’t believe the salespeople at Honda, when they tell you about the Theft Proof ignition.  That same 14 year old street kid can enter, and steal, that brand new Honda in about 20 seconds…

 

J

Happy Turkey Day!

 

Some suspect got a nice Thanksgiving Day gift today.  Two of my fellow officers, working a two man car, got into pursuit with a little red Honda.  After a high speed run the suspect parks, jumps out, and runs away.  They come driving up the street, passing the now parked unoccupied Honda, and see bad guy running away through the houses.  They drive to the next street, hoping to box him in, but bad guy sees them and turns around.

 

Sure enough he runs right back to the Honda, gets in, and hauls ass out of the area.  Our sergeant was arriving and had asked over the radio, “Is anyone with the Honda?”  That’s when the bad guy ran out and got back into the driver’s seat, so the sergeant followed up with, “Nevermind.  The dumb ass is back in the car and taking off.”  <GASP!>

 

Needless to say we are not suppose to cuss on the police radio, which gave the dispatcher some pause, “Ok…uhhh…The suspect is now driving in the Honda…”  I was just arriving and watched the Honda drive within 10’ of my front bumper.  I turned to follow and the sergeant said, “And we will not follow.”  I got on the radio and said, “Of course we wont.”  As I turned off onto the next street and let the suspect drive away.

 

There was a pedestrian yelling, “He went that way!”  and I drove up and said, “I know, but we don’t pursue in Seattle.”  So the bottom line is, if you don’t want to stop?  Don’t.  Drive fast and the police will leave you alone.  Now, that being said, I am for the “No Pursuit Policy” because the risk to life is too great. 

 

However, I think we should be allowed to ram the bad guy, under the right conditions…(Been there, done that!  And most of the risk, of injury, is to the occupants of the suspect vehicle.  Screw’em.)            

 

J                  

This is why I believe in the Iraq/Afghan wars. 

 

 

You can't fight the bad guys with the system that was in place.  Like I recently read in a book, "You can't fight terrorism playing Patty-Cake"  If we played by our old rules we would lose.  You'll notice that all the Muslim fighters are flocking to the Middle East and not into the USA.  Sure would be nice if we could apply these new rules (for fighting terrorism) to the crime wave here in the USA.  I'm so tired of seeing bad guys use the system to their benefit.  I talk to murders and rapists, who served less time in prison, then I did in the military.  <sigh>

The new rules, imprisonment of the enemy without a lawyer/trial, and some forms of what is referred to as "torture", are all positive steps in fighting terrorism.  We are at war.  Do you think the captured Germans and Japanese, of the previous world wars, ever saw a lawyer, or had a trial.  At the end there were war crime trials, but not during.  Most enemy combatants were released at the end.  Only the head honchos were tried in a court. 

 

This "torture" that we all hear about in the newspaper and in the media?  Please!  We aren't chopping off heads, or beating them.  The liberals idea of torture is what I would call extreme discomfort, or humiliation.  All of which have provided some very useful information.  If keeping an enemy combatant from sleeping for 4 days, by use of light and constant movement, is going to get us the names of a few more bad guys (possibly staging in the USA), then I am all for it!  When I was in the army I went several days without decent meals, or sleep.  Folks (liberals)?  It ain't torture.

 

My mother sent me an article, by the surviving Tillman brother, which was very anti-war/anti-government.  I can appreciate the anger of this man, and honestly understand how the friendly fire incident has changed his opinions.  I see it all the time.  Anyone see the young troubled man in San Francisco, who fought with the firefighter on a roof top?  The firefighter tried to save him, but the man fought, and then fell to his death.  The whole family blamed the fire department and the firefighter.  Now, I personally would never try to grab hold of a crazy guy, intent on suicide, but I do applaud the efforts of the firefighter.  The deceased guy's sister went on the news to say something similar to, "Now I can never trust another firefighter <SOB>!" 

 

In my opinion they should look at the mind set of both people.  The answers are there, they just don't want to see them.  In the Tillman friendly fire tragedy I don't have all the facts, but I can say that looking at it objectively I can understand why the US government didn't want to broadcast it as a friendly fire death.  Fact is friendly fire incidents will happen.  Those who error, cause a friendly fire incident, should be looked at and dealt with accordingly.  If it was gross negligence, then maybe some punishment, but otherwise a transfer to a position where there's less stress and no opportunity to make a decision, which could risk life.

 

Now, coming out and saying you just killed a man, with friendly fire, would have a huge impact on moral.  The soldiers at the front would be less effective in fighting.  The mindset of the soldiers at the front need to be focused on the fight.  Any hesitation can cause terrible consequences.  I speak first hand about the hazards involved.  I can tell you that many police officers are hurt, sometimes killed, because of too much thinking about the consequences.  You swore to do a job.  You understand the hazards.  You place yourself in harms way.

 

I saw a bumper sticker that read, "I'm already against the next war!"  Huh?  Hey whack job?  How about you just roll over and give me everything you have and let me rape and kill your family?  Hate to bring it to your attention, but there are evil people in the world, who prey on people like you.  If only we had applied the preventitive war effort against Joseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler.  How many lives would have been spared?  Be thankful that there are people in the world willing to fight for your rights and the safety of your family.  You should support them and praise their efforts!

 

J

Playing it safe.

 

One thing that always amuses me is when I pull in behind a motorist and they quickly take the next turn, another turn, and then park.  I’ll just park right behind them and sit it out.  Eventually they’ll walk away, or start driving again.  When they walk I drive around the block and find them driving again.  <laughing> 

 

Normal citizens might get nervous about a marked police car behind them, but they don’t go to such an extreme keep a cop from following.  This much effort only makes me want to make an introduction.

 

Yesterday, I pulled in behind a 1970’s sedan, rust and dents, and the guy makes two turns and parks.  I park behind him, and then discover that his vehicle license expired last month.  Ok, now I have legal grounds for introducing myself. 

 

I walk up and can see that he’s trying to stare through the spot light, which is directed at his mirrors, to see where I am.  This makes me nervous.  Most people won’t stare into a blinding light.  I put my hand on my gun, and contact the guy.  He ask, “Why do you have your hand on your gun?!”

 

I answer, “Because I am a cop.  Let me see your license please.”  He wants to talk more about my decision to rest my hand on my gun, but I just leave him sitting, while I return to my car.  I run the guy and find he is a convicted felon, and that at one point he had a CCW (now revoked because of felon status).  He also had previously owned a .44 magnum.

 

I walk back up and tell the guy about his life story.  I also mention the fact that he was staring into his mirror, into the light, to see my position.  In the end I ask, “So if you were a cop, would you take the precaution of being ready for the worst?  Knowing that several cop fatalities occur on traffic stops.  Would you not want to go home at the end of every shift?”

 

In the end the guy didn’t understand, but I guess that’s why he’s the felon and I’m the cop.

 

J

Stupid People in Cars

 

Ok, is there something that steals IQ points, from motorists, when it rains?  Is there some kind of lunar pull, shift in the oceans, the stars aligned differently?  How can a normal person, educated adult, toss common sense and basic knowledge out the window, when it rains?

 

I was driving to my 4^th accident call yesterday, pouring down rain with plenty of standing water on the roads, when I got into a race with a $80,000 BMW.  I was stopped at the light, when a police call, “Hit and Run vehicle accident with witness chasing suspect…” came out over the radio. 

 

The light turned green, and I quickly accelerated.  So did the BMW next to me!  Next thing I know he pulls in front of me and punches it to 60mph in a 30mph zone.  POURING RAIN, WITH SUCK VISIBILITY, AND STANDING WATER (6” DEEP PUDDLES ALONG THE GUTTER)!  NOT TOO MENTION THE FULLY MARKED POLICE CAR ALGONSIDE HIM!

 

I activate light and siren and the yuppie pulls into the next lot.  Normally, I would’ve written the guy a nice fat juicy ticket, but I am more interested in the safety of Joe Citizen chasing a bad guy, so Beamer Idiot gets a verbal warning, “Hey!  Pull your head out your ass!  You’re doing 60 in a 30 on a suck day!  Not the kind of day to be driving without a brain!”

 

He looks to be about mid-30’s, nicely dressed in a suit, and even has the Blue Tooth cell phone stuck in his ear.  I’m guessing he’s probably got degrees from MIT and Harvard, and is employed as a CEO of some Fortune 500 company making a million dollars a year.  All those brains and nothing shouting at him, “SLOW DOWN!”  Tsk! Tsk!  I sure hope my retirement portfolio isn’t vested in his company!

 

So, I haul bootie to the accident call and receive an update that the victim has chased the suspect, two blocks from the scene of the accident, and is standing by for police.  I’m flying to get there, because bad things happen when bad guys get caught/cornered.  I arrive and there’s this guy, later determined to be the victim, standing in the middle of the intersection.

 

I confirm he’s the victim and ask, “Where’s the bad guy?”  He proceeds to tell me, “I chased him on foot and confronted him and he said he’d drive back to the scene of the accident.  I was staying here waiting for you.”  HUH?  He just won the gold medal in the stupid Olympics.  I’m like, “Serious..?”  and then have a good laugh as I update police radio.  Sure enough I drive two blocks, finding the victims car in the road, but no bad guy.

 

Wow….That’s weird.  Wonder if he got lost?  <laughing>

 

<sigh>

 

J

Safest city?

 

A neighboring city, Bellevue, was ranked as the safest city in the Pacific Northwest.  I know why.  It’s because Seattle is so soft on criminals that it pays to commit crime in our city! 

 

I love how politicians form committees to look into better crime fighting methods, or plans for “cleaning up” a certain location.  Hello?  Is this mike on?  LET THE COPS DO THEIR JOBS!  I honestly have some idea of what Vietnam Veterans must have felt.  You have the men, the fire power, and the training.  Now if only you could use it.

 

Same for Iraq.

 

So many liberals want us to use kid gloves in deterring crime.  You can’t fight a fight with one hand behind your back.  We know who all the criminals are!  Sometimes we even catch them in the act, but they never receive punishment relative to the crime. 

 

Bellevue was mentioned as having a 35 percent drop in auto thefts.  You know I actually know where 5 separate car thieves live and we always seem to recover stolen cars within a 3 block radius of their houses.  That’s weird?!  <laugh>  The sad part is that the criminals play off as being victims, play up to the liberals, and then they laugh behind their backs at us (the police), when the liberals come to their aid.

 

Crime does pay. 

IQ test for drivers license

 

I’m making this mental list of things I would change if I was King.  You want to drive?  Ok, just take this simple test.  Hmmm…You scored stupid.  Sorry we don’t allow stupid people to drive.  We’ve found that many accidents are directly related to stupid people.  I had to investigate another motorcycle accident on my last at work. 

 

The suck thing is that I have recently gotten a motorcycle, and now I’m investigating all these motorcycle accidents.  The latest one, involved a motorcyclist, who was driving like a madman in traffic.  Speeding and a lot of lane changes.  The traffic, in front of him was stopping for a red light, but the cyclist decided to move into the turn only lane, and drive straight. 

 

An on-coming car, which was caught in the intersection, was lawfully clearing the intersection on a yellow light, after the on-coming cars stopped.  The motorcycle hit into the side of the car at about 50mph.  Last I heard the pinhead had a broken femur, pelvis, collar, and wrist bone.   I cited him for negligent driving…$538.00.  Have a nice day!

 

J

Cop Vs. Cop

 

There’s so much in-house fighting, in my department, that I’ve started to look at other departments.  I don’t seriously believe I’ll ever leave Seattle PD, but you never know.  

 

Ok, so here’s my latest gripe.  I was patrolling through the industrial area, when I see two low lifes at a gas station.  They’re just standing around and look at me with that “Uh-oh Five-oh!” look.  I drive away, make a u-turn, and return with my headlights out.  Sure enough they get into a vehicle and drive off.  I enter the license plate into my computer and it shows to be a reported stolen car.

 

The NCIC hit even notes that it was taken in a Home Invasion Robbery.  Ok, this ups the ante!  So I am calling out direction of travel, and when two more cops cars show up I activate the lights and siren.  ZOOM!  The vehicle pursuit is on.  We hit speeds of 90mph and drive around a big old semi-truck.  The suspect vehicle is swerving and I’m thinking, “Don’t lose control in front of this truck!”

 

I bend policy a bit, the bean counters don’t fully understand that you have to risk sometimes to cross the finish line, and pull alongside the suspect vehicle.  I’m shining my spot light, a ga-zillion candle power light, into the drivers face the entire time.  I do this for two reasons.  First, I want to be able to ID the driver, and second I want to blind her in hopes she gives up driving. 

 

It works and she slams the brakes.  Too bad her light vehicle stops 40 feet quicker than my heavily laden police car.  I shoot past a few feet, but am in no mood to back up, because I know there’s a few fast moving cop cars coming in behind me.  I jump out and plan to run back to the other cop cars, but see that the passenger has his hands outside the window.  I also notice that the driver has her window down and is holding one hand out.

 

That free hand could be holding a weapon, but I’m guessing it’s holding on to the steering wheel, or the stick shift.  She’s waiting for us to run up, so she can drive off.  I bend the policy some, again, and run up to the open window.  ZAP!  I shoot her with my taser darts.  After a 2 second burst I shout, “Out of the car!  Get on the ground!”  She complies and is taken into custody.

 

Sweet!  Two burglars, and a stolen vehicle recovered.  She even confesses to the crime!  My complaint is that I don’t get a single “Atta-boy!” from my sergeant, and one of his pet cops , who was there, is saying that I should not have tased her.  Huh?  She’s still sitting in a 1,200lbs weapon (the car), after using it in a very reckless manner in an attempt to flee, and we have the method in which it was stolen.  Who knows the specifics.  Was the owner seriously injured?  I consider them to be both very dangerous and took a course of action that resulted in arrest with no injuries, or gun play. 

 

<shrug>  Some of us our cops, and some of us simply play the part. 

 

J