Can't Talk Now

Okay, here's what happened yesterday.

If you go back and view my complete profile, you will see that I have worn many hats. Currently, I wear the hat of a Deputy Sheriff. But I don't work the road anymore. The following story will point up the fact that the events described therein are just one of the reasons I had lots of shooting dreams when I did work the road. I hated those dreams. But they were the work of my unconscious and I respected them as a sort of scenario training for my waking life.

So yesterday I drove down to South Of Town to deliver a check to my roofer/siding/car port dude. On my way back north, I saw a Local City P.D. officer stopped for the light on Hwy 101. He was the third car back and was in the curb, or "B" lane. I was in the "A" lane and would be the first vehicle to the light. As I pulled along side him, I rolled down my electric passenger window, peered over my glasses and made a silly face. My cop friend laughed and I then pulled forward up to the light.

I have a radio in my personal car, a white Ford Exploder. I was monitoring the police frequency as well as my amateur channels. All of a sudden a call went out over the police channel: "All units, just occurred at the blah-biddy-blah Mini Mart, two male subjects threatened to kill the clerk. Both subjects have fled the area and are currently running southbound on Hwy 101."

I knew that Cop Friend was going to light up traffic to get going to the call, so as soon as the light turned green, I shot ahead and pulled over to the curb to let him go by. I looked in my rearview and saw that he was stuck behind an unyielding passenger car who was slowing his response. So I says to myself, I says, "Shuck that fit!---I'm going to look for these guys." So I broke the speed laws just a tad and headed north on Hwy 101, then east on U.S. Hwy Every Coastal Town Has A Highway That Runs East And West Or We Wouldn't Be Able To Get Over To The Valley, went about two blocks east, turned north on N.E. B St, came to the stop sign and saw a car that had the right-of-way traveling east on N.E. 2nd St. Well, I just sort of a little bit cut them off, speeding ahead of them en route to where I thought the two dudes might pop out. Unfortunately, the car I cut off didn't cotton to me pulling out in front of them on that graveled portion of the street, didn't like the fact that they had to eat my dust, and they got on my tail to follow me and make their point. Now I'M THE ONE WHO IS BEING CHASED! At this moment in time, who decides to call my cell phone? None other than Cindra! Fut the wuck? I didn't answer, but thought: She sure has a good story coming when I call her back. Can't talk now! Get away! Get away!

I came to N.E. C St and then turned north onto C St from N.E. 2nd, the angered motorist in hot pursuit on my tail. I went north on C St past N.E. 3rd, N.E. 4th and turned west onto N.E. 5th St. where I slowed to look for the two dudes. As I pulled alongside the curb on N.E. 5th in the area of N.E. A St, the angry motorist pulled alongside my now opened window. A young female was driving and a young male was the passenger. This means only one thing to a cop: The guy is a passenger because he is suspended. This is true 90% of the time because guys normally drive and gals are the passenger. This thought took milliseconds to process. It wasn't a concern. I just had that thought. As the car pulled up to me, I opened my wallet, displayed my police I.D. and said, "Police Officer. We're looking for someone. Please go." They did. And that was that. I hated the fact that I had been rather rude, but I didn't have time to explain. I should have apologized. But: Can't talk now! Get away! Get away!

I looked northward and saw two young males walking southbound in my direction on N.E. A St toward N.E. 5th St. I got on the police frequency and advised dispatch of my location and said that I had two male subjects walking southbound on A St. I asked if one of the subjects had a red sweatshirt. Dispatch replied that a clothing description was not given.

Now the funny part. As I was glued on the two young men, this kid I hadn't even seen appears on my left, pushing a dirt bike. I look in his direction and he is saying, "Sir? Sir? I was just pushing it. I was just trying to start it. I wasn't riding it." I looked away from him and kept my eyes on the two young men, looking for any sign of weapons. They were my focus of concern. But the kid with the motorbike comes over to me to reiterate his innocence. So I assured him that as long as he didn't ride it, he would be fine. "Thank you, Sir! Thank you." And he finally split. Again, I am usually very much into spending time with young people. It can make or break how they feel about folks in my biz. I was very friendly, but rather curt. I felt bad. But: Can't talk now! Get away! Get away!

I saw a Local City P.D. unit approaching my location from the north and I drove up to him as the two young men walked past me. The kid with the bike had "made" me; had the two young men? Did they have weapons?

The cop who was approaching me turned out to be Cop Friend. I told him that the guy in the red sweatshirt was out of breath and had a cigarette tucked behind his left ear. The other kid was wearing dark Levis and was wearing a bright red and white hat. Turns out they were indeed the suspects. And yes, it felt good to once again help take a---CHOMP (a la McGruff)---bite outta crime.

So after three side shows (Cindra calling, the angry motorist and the guilty motorcycle kid), I finally got to do what I set out to accomplish.

What I just related didn't come anywhere close to the two videos you are about to see. But working the road taught me that there is no excuse for ever relaxing your guard. Ever. If the dudes in the above story had had guns, things might have turned out differently. Just keeping the expectation in the back of one's head that bullets might fly at any second is enough to give anyone shooting dreams. I'm sure not every street cop has such dreams, but I did. Now I don't. And I like that.

I have no use for smug, surly cops. They are a discredit to the profession just like bad priests or bad doctors. People in a position of power need to consider very profoundly the effects of their actions upon the citizenry. I hated writing tickets. I hated making arrests on folks who just made a mistake. There were some who were a pleasure to take to jail. But very few.

The first video just goes to show that there are some people who will kill you simply because you are a threat to their liberty. It is unfortunate that sometimes the cop doesn't even know he or she is a threat until it is too late.

The second video has to have taken place in another country. It's kind of funny. Not police procedure in the States. Maybe up in Canada? Spa Girl, care to comment?

(Cindra says I wear my heart on my sleeve and trust too easily---not a typical cop trait---and so I have edited this post to remove some blatant references to location. She says it's just what you do. So. The first five to comment have a free place to stay with your families at my house which is located at......CRAP! That was close.)





The third video has a familiar soundtrack. Only the players have been changed to protect the innocent: