The week on patrol, May 25-29, 2010

This was a long week for me (I am spoiled). I had training on one of my regular days off. I finished evaluating TV and I started a new 30 day rotation on Saturday.

I made the long drive out to the academy early Monday morning for a training class. It was a mandatory class for all field trainers. It was a training refresh class. In the morning, procedures were emphasized, especially ones that had recently caused problems in the training program. The afternoon was spent with academy personnel. They gave us a brief overview of what they are teaching and how they are instructing the cadets to perform certain tasks. We had a chance to ask questions as well. It helps if the academy and the field trainers are on the same page.

Tuesday was day three of evaluation for TV. Our first call was a burglary of a motor vehicle at a hotel. The man came into town with all of his earthly belongings in his Tahoe. He took out what he needed for the night, and left everything else in the truck. He came out to the truck a few hours later to get something else, and discovered that everything else was gone. He had left a laptop, camera, cell phone, and other items in plain sight in the vehicle. When are people going to learn? Do not leave stuff in your vehicle.

Then TV volunteered for a minor accident. We arrived to find two vehicle in a gas station parking lot. One of the driver's could not speak english and handed TV a Korean driver's license. Luckily, a friend of his came to the scene and translated for us. The Korean had been in the middle lane and wanted to turn right. So, he just turned. He did not look to his right to see if anyone was there. He told us that it is ok in Korea to turn from the middle lane. Sounds like it can be dangerous to drive in Korea.

Wednesday night start off with a robbery in an apartment complex. A male drove into the complex and noticed a vehicle follow him in through the gate. So, he stopped his vehicle and the other vehicle stopped behind him. Two males got out of the trailing vehicle and walked up to his door. They opened his door, pulled him out of his vehicle, robbed him and assaulted him. what can be learned from this incident? Lock your car doors and if you notice people get out of the car behind you and begin walking up to your car, drive away.

Next, a male called the police for a theft. He told us that he was drunk. So drunk that he passed out at a bus stop after leaving a club. When he woke up, his wallet was missing. Really? A bus stop? He was lucky that he was not kidnapped and sold for parts in Mexico.

Then we had a stupid driver award candidate. We were turning left with a green arrow at an intersection. A vehicle coming from the opposite side of the intersection, had a red light and without stopping turned right, directly in front of us. We stopped him and he said, "it slipped my mind to stop at the red light." When that is the best excuse that you can up with on a traffic stop, just keep your mouth shut.

TV made another traffic stop a short time later. It turned out to be the driver's birthday. TV is still young and sensitive. He let her go with a warning since it was her birthday.

Our last call of the night was a person down. The call had been dispatched a few times already, but no one could find the down person. TV found him. The male was bleeding profusely from the head and informed us that was HIV positive. Wonderful. After TV puts his gloves on, he searched the male and then held him up so that the paramedics could look at him. The male started to fall, and TV, being young and sensitive caught him. TV did not get any blood on his uniform, but did get some on his arm. It just so happened that TV also had a recent mosquito bite on the same arm as well. TV was worried that the virus could be transferred through the bite and into him. So, I did some online research and everything said that HIV can not be transferred through an insect bite. TV was happy to hear that.

Thursday night was the last night of evaluation for TV. We had the usual property crime report and then we did a few traffic stops. Our last traffic stop involved two females on their way home from a club. The computer told us that the driver was wanted for two class C warrants out of a nearby jurisdiction. TV called and confirmed the warrants and then arrested the driver. As you can imagine, she was less than happy. I told the passenger to call a friend to come and get her. She did not have a driver's license. Otherwise she might have been able to drive the vehicle home. While I was inventorying the vehicle since it had to be towed, the passenger said, "sometimes I hate you guys". She had no idea why we were arresting her friend. I then explained to her that her friend had warrants out for her arrest. She said "oh" and apologized.

On Friday night, AR and I rode together since I was not training. We responded to lots of loud noise and suspicious person calls. We had a person down call that said a male was laying in a driveway bleeding from his head. We arrived and sure enough, he was there and blood was pooling around his head. He was conscious and breathing and very drunk. He said that his girlfriend got mad at him for dancing with her sister at the club. On the way home, she was driving and they began yelling at each other. He decided that he had heard enough and jumped out of the moving vehicle. His head absorbed most of the fall and he was transported to the hospital.

Our last call was for five suspicious black males looking into vehicles while walking down the street. We drove around for awhile, and finally found five black males walking down the street. Bingo. I shined the spotlight on them, and they all stopped. Their story did not make any sense, so we checked them all on the computer. Two of them turned out to be runaways. We released the others. We were unable to contact the runaways' families, so we took them to a county youth facility.

I started a new 30 day rotation on Saturday night. I am the print / picture unit for our station on night shift for a month. I am not in the calls for service loop. I can take calls or check by and help or do traffic or whatever. I am responsible for all of the requests to take pictures of scenes or to attempt to lift fingerprints from scenes. After I helped out on a few calls, I went to my usual traffic spot. A vehicle pulled up and told me about a male laying in the grass at a nearby gas station I went over and found him. He was a regular looking male in his 20's that was passed out in the grass. Once I woke him up, he was able to tell me where he lived. It was less than a block away on the other side of the street. He had been out at a bar with friends and they drove him home. Only they did not get him home, they got him to a gas station and dumped him out. He was polite and was able to stand and walk, so I took him home. He was very appreciative. He needs better friends.

I was called out to two scenes to take pictures. One scene where a male was assaulted by another male with a knife. It was not nearly as bad as it sounds. The male had basically two scratches on his arms. Thorn bushes do more damage. The other scene was an attempted sexual assault. The female had some scratches on her and during the struggle she yanked out some of the suspect's hair. I photographed her and the clumps of hair on the ground. Then I uploaded the photos and wrote a brief supplement to the report.

It was a good week with some interesting people. TV did well while finishing evaluation. He will make a good officer. We are fortunate at my station, for the most part we get good rookies. I am looking forward to the print unit rotation. It may become my permanent spot. I am definitely not CSI worthy, but I am willing to learn.

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The week on patrol, May 18-22, 2010

It was a short week for me. I only worked the street two days. I was sick for two nights and had an adjusted day off on another for training. I also got another rookie. I had thought that I was done training for awhile.

Tuesday afternoon I started feeling bad. I found out later that Jen had started feeling bad at the same time. Jen and I were essentially out of commission from Tuesday evening until Thursday morning. We had contracted some type of food poisoning, probably from bad shrimp. Luckily, neither of the kids got sick. I missed work Tuesday and Wednesday night. A big thank you to my parents for watching A2 while we recovered on Wednesday.

When I got to work on Thursday, the desk Sergeant told me that I had a new rookie, TV. I would be doing his second week of evaluation. TV has prior military experience and some college as well. Our first call was a burglary of a motor vehicle at a beer garden.

We arrived and met the complainant's sister. The complainant had already gone home. Her sister was very happy to see us. She was young and cute and wearing a wife beater. She walked up and leaned her elbows on TV's window sill. It was funny to watch TV try to maintain eye contact with her. We exited the patrol car and TV gathered her information for the report as a witness. When TV asked her for her phone number, she said, "for you guys, or for the report?" TV politely said for the report. She looked disappointed.

Then we were dispatched to an accident involving a motorcycle. He was just driving down the street and saw a vehicle that he thought was going to pull out in front of him. He got nervous, lost control, laid the bike down, and slid for a couple of hundred feet. He was wearing leathers and a helmet, so his injuries turned out to be minor.

Friday night started off with a bang, or three. We were on the way to a disturbance in the Ward when we heard three gunshots nearby, very nearby. We turned left and encountered a large block party. There were about two hundred people in the street. I radioed for back-up and the response was very quick. We made our way slowly through the mass of humanity to find a car. A male had walked toward the car and fired off three round from an automatic pistol. We found two shell casings. Luckily, no one had been hit. There was a child in the car, so it could have been ugly. After we secured the area, we found out that the male had shot and then melted back into the block party. We had passed him as we made our way to the scene without knowing what or who we were looking for. The disagreement had started on Facebook, and led to gunshots. Crazy.

Then we responded to yet another property crime. This time it was the burglary of a residence. The suspect entered and exited through a window. The window had been locked, they broke the glass and unlocked the window. All that was stolen was a laptop. Other items had been laid out to take, but were left on the living room floor. The homeowners had probably surprised the burglars when they unlocked the front gate. As the homeowners came up the driveway, the burglar grabbed the laptop and exited the window.

Saturday night I was off since I had a training class on Monday, a regular day off for me. Saturday was spent putting together a new swing set for the kids. Mike and my dad were crazy enough to help. Thanks. It was a long day, but the kids were very excited when they saw the results.
A two day work week was nice. Minus the food poisoning, I could get used to that.

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The week on patrol, May 11-16, 2010

JW and I rode together all week and finished up his evaluation. He did well and will be a good officer. He has a good understanding of patrol and seems to have good decision making skills.

On Tuesday night we went to a strange burglary of a residence. The house was not in the best neighborhood. The homeowner stated that the suspect came through a back window that had been left unlocked. The window was in the laundry room which is where the homeowner's dog had been left. When we pulled up, the dog was outside and was going absolutely crazy. The homeowner walked us through the house and told us about all of the items that had been stolen. Everything from guns to cash to jewelry to electronics was missing.

We called for our print unit to come out and try to lift fingerprints. He dusted for prints on the window and ledge and other areas where missing items had been located. He could not find any smudges, let alone prints. In some areas, the dust had not even been disturbed. We took all of the information for the report, but some things just did not make sense. I found it hard to believe that someone would try to come into that small room with a big dog locked inside. They would also at least leave smudges on the window or the ledge when they came into the house as well. Finally, the areas around where the alleged stolen had been sitting, the dust would be disturbed. It looked like things had been delicately picked straight up. That is not typical behavior for burglars. JW included all of our investigative findings (lol) in the report.

On Wednesday night, we had two drunk males call the police on each other. They each stated that the other had threatened them. It turned out that they were landlord and tenant and in a dispute over rent money. Drunk people can be very annoying.

Later we responded to a male that stated that he had just been robbed. He said that two males had pulled a gun on him and had stolen his ID card and his Lone Star Card. They left his cell phone, credit cards, and cash. Not likely. Robbers do not usually leave that kind of stuff behind. Nevertheless, JW took his info and gave him a case number for the report that he would write. About 45 minutes later, the same guy called in stating that he had been robbed again. This guy was having a bad night. We went back to his location. This time, some of his "kin folk" were outside as well. He told us that he had just seen the suspects that had robbed him in the area in a red Pontiac. Ok. Then we talked to his family. It turned out that our victim had sold his Lone Star Card. You see, not many crack dealers take the Lone Star Card. At least not yet. Our victim was a crack fiend and he went to jail.

Thursday night we did two more property crime reports. Violent crime is down, but property crime is going up. That was also the night that we did the traffic stop where JW told the female "you do what I tell you to do!"

Friday night was JW's last night of evaluation and it was raining. That means accidents. Our accident involved two vehicles. One driver, who was not drunk, just completely missed a stop sign and t-boned an SUV. Luckily, no one was injured, but she did get a citation.

Saturday night was very uneventful for a Saturday. We had one found property report and we responded to quite a few loud noise disturbances. A few traffic stops and that was it for the week.

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A new excuse on a traffic stop

During overtime today, I responded to a telephone report of a DWI on the freeway. I was one of three units that responded. None of us found the DWI, which was probably out of our area before we were even dispatched.

While I was on the freeway driving to the call, I was passed by a blue Honda. Yes, you read that right. I was driving a marked police car on the freeway and was passed. Not a good idea. I sped up and started following the Honda. The freeway was busy, but moving. The Honda was going 85 mph, weaving in and out of traffic without signaling. I finally caught up with the Honda as it almost rear ended an SUV and abruptly changed lanes cutting off another vehicle. I went around the traffic and pulled in behind the Honda and activated the lights. The Honda pulled over on the left shoulder of the freeway.

After letting the dispatcher know about my traffic stop, I walked up to the Honda. I found three girls that looked like they were headed out clubbing. I asked the driver for her license and insurance which she provided. They I asked her why she was driving like an idiot. She said "I am starting my menses, my female time, my period." It was so kind of her to say it three different ways, in case I did not know what she was referring to. She then said that she was trying to get to the hotel to take care of her issue. I looked at her license and she lived locally. Since we were on the side of the freeway, I did not want to spend the time figuring out why she was going to a hotel when she lived here.

I wrote her a ticket for speeding and making a lane change without signaling. When I handed her the ticket, she looked shocked. I think that she had used that excuse before and it had always worked. Not this time honey.

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That time again

Today they had me squeezing Nemo while I donated.

Sent from my iPhone

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Two things not to do on a traffic stop

JW and I were parked in a dark gas station parking lot waiting for a vehicle to make the illegal left turn at a nearby intersection. As we were waiting, without slowing down at all, a small Nissan blasted through the parking lot to avoid making the illegal left turn. Well, that is just as illegal as making the illegal turn, so JW initiated a traffic stop. We walked up to find a young female talking on her cell phone. JW told her to end the conversation, which she did reluctantly. JW then asked for her license and insurance. She handed over her license and then said that this was not her car. JW again asked her for her insurance. She snapped back that her insurance was in her car but this was a friend's car. So, does your friend have insurance? She did not know. She asked if she could call her friend to find out. I said sure, hang tight, and we will be back in a minute.

We returned to the patrol vehicle so that JW could write the citation. As we are sitting there and JW is messing with the computer, I noticed that she was getting out of her vehicle. I tell JW what she is doing and he opened his door and told her to sit back down. She stopped walking and then dramatically rolled her eyes at him. At that point JW said in a stern voice like he was talking to an obstinate child, "do what I tell you you to do!" She huffed, turned around, and returned to her vehicle. It took me awhile to stop laughing. The rest of the traffic stop was uneventful.

A couple of things to take from this traffic stop. If you are on the phone when the police stop you, at the very least, sit the phone down until the officer is finished talking to you. Secondly, and more importantly, if you do not want a pistol pointed at you, stay in your vehicle unless you are specifically instructed otherwise by the officer. This concludes today's helpful tips.

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Behaving badly

Last Tuesday I was fortunate enough to play golf again with my Dad and Terry at Southwyck, our default home course. For some background, I grew up playing golf. In high school I played just about every day. I was the number 1 player on my high school's team my junior and senior years. That is not saying too much, the rest of the team was not very good. I played in a few tournaments all over the country, but was never in contention to win. In college, I walked on at Texas Tech and the University of North Texas. I did not travel with the team to any events. I qualified for a couple of tournaments but did not go for various reasons. At Texas, I tried out for the team but did not make the team. I came within a missed two foot putt to quality for the US Amateur. All of that to say that I have played a lot of golf and have played at a reasonably high level. That means that I still have very high expectations.

I do not play nearly as often as I did in high school or college, but I still think that I should play as well. Now, I have a wonderful family to support. So, I had to get a real job. The last two months I have played more often than I have in years. This has been fun, but it has also raised my expectations. I expect to play as well as I did in college. That brings us to last Tuesday.

The round started off well enough with two easy pars and a good drive on number 3. I rushed my second shot on number 3 and hit it to the right into some deep grass. I was unable to find my ball. Double bogey. No big deal. One bad shot, you move on. Not me. I did not freak out and throw things or scream, but inside I was ready to break something. Over one bad golf shot. Just crazy. This same attitude is what hurt me when I played competitively. I would let one bad shot turn into 4 bad holes. That is exactly what I did on this day. I did not recover until hole number 8. By that time I was 7 over par. Once I settled down and told myself that I did not care any longer, I played fine. From 8 through 18, I was one under par. I can still play a little bit when I have the right mental outlook.

Now I just have to figure out how to not let the bad shots get to me. I get upset at places other than the golf course. But nothing sets me off like a bad shot. It is hard to describe. I immediately feel this rage inside of me. I can not think of another situation that I face regularly when I have the same feeling. In an effort to get some help, I bought a golf psychology book last year. It is called Zen Golf and yes, it does have some crazy easter religion aspects to it. But, not to worry, I am not going to being Buddhist any time soon. I bought the book in audio format and listened to the first couple of chapters last summer. They actually seemed to help. I started playing a little better and the bad shots did not bother me as much. Then I started to play a little less due to the time of year and stopped listening to the book. I think that it might be past time for me to break out the book and finish it.

I hate the way that I react to bad shots. I am embarrassed and frustrated by the way I allow the bad shots to affect me. Hopefully, with some discipline, I will be able to break this terrible habit. I hope so. It stinks to pay good money to go play, only to be mad part of the time. I also want to enjoy the time that I am able to be out playing with friends and my Dad. Maybe I need so accountability? Dad, Terry, Mike, the next time that you see me acting like a spoiled 4 year old, call me out on it. Thanks.

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