#150 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Sat May 27, 2006 8:27 am

Subject: Not a bad return russ@lifeonthebeat.com

The frustration I mentioned during the last email is very real. I am

working through it and can't pin the problem down to any "one" thing. I

have decided to "open" up to a couple of the guys, instead of playing

the "lone warrior", worrying about the old times and stuff.

The thought I had this week is to make it a new version of the "old

times'. I figure that many of the new guys have never experienced that

explosion of excitiment that I had. I am going to challenge myself to

motivate these guys. In turn they will get me more motivated and maybe

turn things around a bit.

Enough of the sappy stuff

already.................................though, the reality of police

work is very much a part of what I am experiencing right now. If am

gunna write police stories for ya'll, I guess you got to hear the good

side and the bad.

**************

bout this stuff. We're working a split schedule right now. One swing

shift (3-0100) and 3 graves (2100-0700) and its hard to do. Next month

we have 2 day shifts and 2 swings........I dunnoBut, I love it right?

So, tonight I see one of the other officers getting real tired. He's

headed for fuel about 0400. There is not a car on the road in any

direction, so I turn off my lights and follow him (at a safe distance)

about 3 feet. He was doing about 45 down to the pumps, but didn't have a

clue I was on his tail. As he pulled into the pumps, I swung around to

where he didn't see me as he exited the car. I hid behind a pillar that

blocked his vision. He wasn't looking for me so that made my job easier.

After he typed in the code and started the pump, I slowly crept up (in

my car), about 4 feet from his hind end. He's standing there fueling the

car, the sandman is getting ready to catch him. But, all the sudden I

hit the siren "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOP"...............hahahha, I can't tell ya

the words he said, but I know you might guess pretty close.

I took off and tried to find some bad guys. In my rear view mirror I saw

the rookie catching his breath, one hand on his heart, the other on his

neck, looking for a pulse. I figured that he'd call if he didn't find

one. He never called.

A little while later I played cat and mouse with a

tweaker...............let me explain. I see a car down in an industrial

area............no reason to be there----ok no logical reason----not

tweaker definition of a reason........never the less, he ditches into a

corner store, knowing I was following him, and at the same time, hoping

I'd leave the area. I didn't I still wanted to play cat and mouse. I

wanted to win. So, I park down the block and sit behind a parked car. I

see the dude come out of the store and walk to his car. He loooooooooks

around. His head on a swivel. Then he jumps into his car, starts it,

moves about a foot..............At that point I put my foot on the

brake, pop the transmission into drive and creap forward. OHHHHHH, He

musta saw me. Cause he stopped got out and darted back inside the

store. So, I scratched my head and felt sorry for myself because I knew

that guy was up to no good. So as I sit there, he gives me a thought.

---I ran all of his information through the computer. He's a convicted

theif and burglar. Has recently been released from prison for the same

type of stuff. Tonight he's driving with a revoked drivers license and

no insurance, no registration on the vehicle (someone elses plates),

DOH!!!!!! He woulda dun better to leave the first time. With this info

I am gonna be more patient. (It's like fishing.........it gets boring,

but then you get a little nibble on the line and WAHOOOOO) Then it gets

boring for a while.

So I got bored for about 3 minutes. Doesn't seem to take long anymore.

Just then the kid comes out, he's wearing a bright red shirt, making it

easier to spot him. (like huntin now)..........sorry with the analigies.

I am tired.

He jumps in the car, mashes into gear and leaves on the back side of the

parking lot, through roads rarely travelled. I slipped down one road,

hoping to cut him off at the pass. But, I got there first. DOH. He pulls

up and stops at the stop sign........he's waving me through. I didn't

move. So I wave him throught.............no

reaction.......................so I give up the

game/...................."Pull over-----over

there"...........poof........click click pop pop as my lights are

flashing in the background, the entire area lighst up for my safety.

I approach the car and .................he leans out the window and

screams violently "WHY DID YOU PULL ME OVER. I smiled cause I knew that

I had won. It was just a matter of how much I did win.

Turns out he had insurance, but he didn't ever register the car he

bought and left the previous owners plates. He has had dozens of DUI's

and therefore no license.........it was REVOKED.

After a long conversation (mostly about him telling my that its the

police fault he gets in trouble.............yadda yadda............

I give him my pep talk ..........he signs a few tickets and by the time

the tow truck driver is leaving with the vehicle the guy reaches out to

shake my hand. In jest I paused and asked why. He said that it was

because I "treated him with respect. No cops ever did."

I shook his hand.............Smiled

Then drove off and cleaned my hands with anti-gross stuff.

Russell

#151 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Fri Jun 9, 2006 6:09 pm

Subject: 6-9-06 Rookies and Greenies russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Over the last few weeks, I have seen some pretty amazing stuff. It

doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in this business you never see it all.

I have been training a new officer, so I am in a back-up role instead of

the first person active role in the cases I handle. The hardest part

(for me) of training the new guys is keeping my mouth shut. When we’re

on a call, I can see the perfect way to handle the situation, but I have

to bite my tongue and let him work through it.

My goal with the new guys is to keep them motivated. I want to make it

clear what I expect of them as an officer. Laziness is not permitted and

not accepted.

The kid I have now has seen some spectacular calls. Normally, as we go

through a recruit’s field training manual, we’re filling in a lot of the

blanks with verbal discussions. This kid has just about seen it all.

He’s only 6 weeks in.

Last Saturday night, we got a call of a traffic accident involving 6

vehicles. My first thought is a DUI. It’s not unlikely that a drunk

would smash into a car or two, then attempt to drive away and hit a few

more…………….Not this time though.

As we arrived, a witness said “they did it on purpose”. I let the rookie

step up and begin the investigation. One car was sitting in the middle

of the road, diagonally to the flow of traffic. The drivers side of this

car was absolutely crushed! A boy was outside the car, laying on the

sidewalk, clutching his left side.

I surveyed the area and could see glass debris in multiple locations,

then oil, antifreeze and other liquids, in other locations. The scene

was very strange. Only one vehicle involved in the accident was present,

but it appeared many vehicles had somehow been involved.

The rookie was overwhelmed and wasn’t sure what direction to take the

case. It was hard for ME to figure out where to begin and what route to

take.

I decided that because we had a man with serious injuries and we needed

to get an “attempt to locate” out for the other vehicles involved. So, I

got on the radio and began spewing out information and orders for

additional officers. I gave some orders to the rookie and told him to

start diagramming the traffic accident(s). We got the paramedics rolling

to our location, then got some more officers to block traffic and help

contain the scene, and interview witnesses.

As it turned out, the incident was gang related. One male, the kid on

the ground, claimed that he had been kidnapped out of his house at

gunpoint. The kidnappers forced him out to his parent’s vehicle.

Finally, at this location, the kidnapper fled from the vehicle, then two

or three other vehicles purposely began ramming his vehicle.

An investigation revealed that the kid was most likely out driving his

parents vehicle, when he pissed off some rival gang members. The problem

became so heated that they chased the victim to this location. They did

ram his vehicle and cause tremendous damage. His injuries were minor,

but it could have been very bad. An investigation is still ongoing, so

we’ll know more later.

That’s a pretty good case for a rookie officer to see.

As you can imagine, that was only the beginning of the night.

The next call that came out was assigned to another officer, however it

was another situation at my rookie needed to experience.

A man called to report a traffic accident and it was a bad one. As

dispatch gave the information they called for paramedics and

“extrication”. They rarely call for extrication and only do so when a

person is trapped inside a vehicle. I could tell from the tone of voice

from the dispatcher, this was a serious call. They updated the call by

telling us one person involved was “obviously” dead.

My heart sunk, and I guarantee my rookie had a similar feeling. As we

traveled toward the accident, I explained to him how I felt. Despite the

fact that I’ve been in this field for 9 years, I still hate seeing death.

To be honest, I could tell that the rookie wasn’t driving as fast as he

could have. I don’t blame him and I didn’t reprimand him at all. When we

arrived, we blocked off traffic and closed the road down. Other officers

began to arrive and we all began working the scene together.

The accident was a single car that had gone off the roadway then struck

a solid concrete pillar. The vehicle was “wrapped” around the pillar.

Glass and debris was spread everywhere. The driver was dead and I’ll

spare you any other details. The scene was gruesome. It’s a situation I

hate to see, but I know that’s part of the job. It makes me feel like I

am doing my job when I handle a call like this. To put it in simple

terms, I feel that part of my job is keeping the public naïve. Normal

people don’t need to see anything like this. The average citizen

(hopefully) won’t ever have to see the anguish of this situation.

After securing the scene and sorting out what part of the case each

officer would handle, I took my rookie back to our car. He handled

everything very well. We talked about the cases we’d taken tonight and

we talked about the issues that came up. This kid will do really well

and I’m happy I had the chance to pass on some of my traits to him.

We continued to block the roadway, but I had the rookie sit in the car

so he could type out his reports.

The original caller on the traffic accident was sitting nearby. He was

writing down a statement, but I could see the look on his face. I walked

over and began some small talk with him. He was a big guy. He had that

heavy-duty construction worker look. I don’t know his background, but he

looked like a big tough man. Heck, I wouldn’t want to fight him---(weird

thoughts we have, sorry). So as I talk to him, his voice starts to

crack. I could tell that this situation was really bothering him. He

described to me what he saw and where he was. He said that he ran up to

the car and wanted to help the driver. It was so obvious that the driver

was dead, there was nothing he could do. After we talked for a while, I

put my hand on his shoulder. I stepped close to him, so no one else

could hear us. I told him that everything would be fine. I told him that

the pain goes away, slowly, but it does go away. After all this, he

looked at me and asked if the kid was dead. I didn’t lie to him and I

didn’t minimize the situation. I answered “yes”. It was almost as if he

really wanted to be wrong. He wanted that kid to be alive. He wanted his

initial observation to be wrong. As we talked, his eyes filled up with

tears. He told me that he felt like crying. I told him that “we” cry all

the time. By now, my eyes were getting glassy. I told him to go home and

cry. There’s no problem with crying. He handed me the written statement,

but didn’t really make eye contact. We both stood there, leaning against

the open tailgate of his truck. It was a very quiet night. We sat there

in the still of the night for a few minutes. He told me that he didn’t

know how “you guys” do your job. He then got into his truck and drove away.

The next day, we responded to a suicide. A man had shot himself in the

mouth. My rookie had to do the “death notification” to family members.

Jeez, I guess the rookie has covered just about everything.

Russell

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#152 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:03 pm

Subject: Getting good russ@lifeonthebeat.com

As I have mentioned in the past. There are many times in police work

when you think you have it under control. You come to work and know your

going to win the battle. You show up at briefing with complete

confidence you'll take the bad guy to jail. Then, on a drop of a

pin......it all changes. Maybe its one citizen complaint, maybe it's a

question from an administrator on something you did yesterday. It could

even be some new law or some new policy that works against what we are

trying to do. We go through peaks and valleys.

I have to brag and boast a little. Over the last few months, I have felt

very good about my "game". Lately, it seems that I have been able to

make every arrest necessary with a great confession to boot. Every night

brings a great arrest and a satisfaction of solving a case with perfection.

The other night is a perfect example of things working out for the best.

I was called to a home on a report of a civil problem. Upon my arrival,

I met with two parties, who were obviously upset with each other. The

first person, lets call her Jill was accusing a teenage male, Johnny of

providing drugs to a minor. We'll call this juvenile, Misty

First I spoke with Jill about her accusations. She explained that her

sister was in the hospital, having convulsions after using drugs at

Johnny's house. The doctors in the emergency room wanted to know what

drugs had been provided. Jill had taken it upon herself to interrogate

Johnny. This caused the yelling match in the front yard.

As soon as I began speaking to Johnny, I could tell he was being

deceptive. I let him tell his entire story and fill in all the gaps,

with obvious lies. After about 5 minutes, I stopped him and went to

work. I called him out on every single lie. I called his bluff after he

told me about an "unknown male" that had provided drugs to Misty. Johnny

tried to make himself look like a hero for kicking the "unknown male"

off the property and saving Misty.

Within in only a few minutes I was able to pick apart every single lie.

Johnny then turned over the "ethanol" they had been "huffing" and he

gave me the "rag" they had used to inhale this potent gas.

I had a feeling there was more to the case than today's incident. After

a few simple questions, Johnny was confessing to several thefts and

several hundred dollars in stolen property. Two other officers responded

to the address to help sort through all the stolen property and help

contact the victims. They then arrested an adult male out of the house

for several misdemeanor charges.

After that I responded to the hospital and met with the doctor. He

agreed the symptoms of Misty are consistent with inhaling ethanol. He

explained, ethanol was used in the 60's as an anesthetic. He said that

he never forgot the odor when he was "put out" while having his tonsils

taken out.

Upon speaking to Misty, she confirmed the final story I was able to

obtain from Johnny. She had nothing to hide and told me the truth about

the entire set of events. I was happy to know that I had solved the case

via a great interview of the original suspect.

Although, it's obviously a serious criminal event for two men to use and

provide a drug to a juvenile female, there is one thing to remember. As

a police officer, your not allowed to show your anger to the two men.

The goal is to gather all of the evidence. Then organize it and present

the case to the prosecutor.

My goal, at the end of the case is to find the truth. After that, my

biggest thrill is to have the two bad guys say "thank you". In this

case, both went to jail and both looked at me, while I closed the cell

door, and both said "thank you". Here is the twist. They are not

thanking me for throwing them in the slammer or causing them to have

fines and a criminal record. They are thanking me for treating them with

respect.

Next adventure.

Russell

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#153 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Nov 6, 2006 8:02 am

Subject: Drinking at the park russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Last night was the first night of our rotation back to the grave shift!

It's so refreshing for me to be back out where I belong.

At 9pm we're sitting in breifing, goin over the events of the day....my

mind is elsewhere. I can't wait to hit the streets. By 9:15 I've stopped

a car and let the driver off with a warning. Luckily for him, I have no

interested in the small stuff.

Within an hour I stopped two cars for racing, 63 in a 25 zone. I gave em

a ticket and a court date. Normally we'd tow the cars too, its a good

diversion against racing on city streets.

That wasn't good 'nuff either.

A quick check at a local park stirred up some excitement. Sorta. As I

pulled up the hill into a new park in town, I saw a car in the darkness.

Oh ya.....Got me some dopers? Maybe a stolen car? hmmmmm OH NO! The

car was rockin back and forth. Welcome to graves.

I backed off and turned on some lights. Just enough to get the attention

of the busy occupants. After a few minutes I approached a male, as he

awkwardly climbed into the drivers seat. "Hey, come out and talk to me

for a minute". He stepped out, but I wasn't shocked when he didn't make

eyecontact. We both stood there for a minute, because, I felt the

silence spoke for it's self. Then I caught a wiff of alcohol. What have

you been drinking. Honestly, he answers with a list of products only

stocked at the best bars. (just kidding, maybe stocked at the 7-11 though).

Again, silence. I whisper to him and reccomend he zipps up his pants.

By now his girlfriend is dressed (at least to the point of not

embarassing me).

In all honesty my goal at this point is to verify if she is a willing

participant. She answered yes.

I hope that I never hear a gal answer "no, thank heavens you saved me".

It's much easier this way. hehe

As she stepped out of the car, she kicks over a "fifth" of vodka. The

real cheep, nasty kind. (not that I EVER drink. But I've been told its

the cheep stuff-----cause cops need to be edumacated on stuch stuff--- ;)

In all seriousness I give a short talking to the kids. They are both 18

and both have the right to "procreate", but I strongly suggest it isnt'

done in a city park. Adding the consumption of alcohol to the mix makes

is a bad situation worse.

I didn't need to lecture the two. In fact I felt a little bad for them.

I did write a ticket and gave em a court date for illegal consumption of

alcohol.

It was one of those cases. A couple in love, not trying to cause

problems. Just not doing the deed in the most respectful manner or

location.

They both thanked me for being nice and also for allowing them to get

dressed before I walked up to the car. If nothin else, they'll tell

their kids about the time the cops caught them in the red rag top

Cabriolet back in 2006.

The night continued with a few random calls, but no one dyin or trying die.

I gotta take off. The crazy people are waking up.....you know the

ones.....they work during the daytime hours. uuugh.

One last thing. My last stop, a speeder 57 in a 45. Didn't pull over

when I activated my lights. I then used the siren to make it clear. Half

block later they pull over. She couldn't speak English, didn't

understand a thing I said. No drivers license, expired registration, no

insurance, and it goes on from there. So I issue a ticket and several

warnings. She was very upset that I cited her at all. I spent the better

part of 20 minutes fumbling through basic spanish. (Basic is less than

kindergarten words----maybe colors and some foods.) When I give her the

ticket, she yelling an swearing IN ENGLISH. She fired some of the worst

and most foul words I'd a first hand witness to in a long time.

Seems she's had this ticket a few times this month and doesn't

understand becuse the officers say "5-14 days to pay...........I tell

her that doen't mean she can drive at all with that violation. Other

wise she'll get stopped again. It went back and forth. she finally

agreed to sign the the promise to appear and my life was better. She is

now the future headache of the smarter people up the chain of command. \

I still love graves. I'll kiss my kids off to school and sleep till they

return. What better job in life can you do that??

Russell

Refer this list to your friends, i want to his 5000 subscribers so I can

quit lying to people that ask....... "Oh ya my list of 5000......." When

I know its only 4990 or so!

#154 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Nov 20, 2006 4:57 pm

Subject: Do we make a difference russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Last Nights Shift, an update for www.lifeonthebeat.com subscribers.

A couple years ago I had a special assignment as part of our detectives

division. I was out and about when I heard the patrol officers running

frantically from one call to another. The pending calls were stacking

up, so I offered to help out.

Dispatch advised of a “strong-arm” theft that just occurred from a store

in the industrial area. The business only stocks and sells tools at

wholesale prices to the local construction companies.

Upon my arrival I met with the business owner. It had taken 15-20

minutes for me to drive across town and get through the heavy traffic,

so I leaned my head to the side and gave a confused look to the man. It

seemed strange that he would still be standing in the parking lot,

waiting for police.

He then tells me how he watched a young man enter the store and walk out

with a very expensive power tool. The owner tried to stop the thief and

a brief struggle ensued. The thief won the battle and drove off in a

small, purple, passenger car. The businessman got the plate and had a

perfect description of the suspect. He said the guy was a real dirt bag.

Describing him as a scrawny, dirty, scandalous looking man.

Apparently, the thief knew he was caught. After leaving the store, he

called back and offered to return the tool if the police were not

called. I had to laugh, but it was interesting to see the situation

develop.

While I am running the license plate through dispatch and getting the

details from the businessman, the suspect drives by my location. As I

turn to scamper back to my car, the owner is pointing and yelling.

It was a purple car. How could it not be the suspect? A purple car, of

course it was the suspect.

I kick on the lights and pull the guy over. “License, registration and

insurance please”. The guy is in panic mode. He’s shaking and squirming

in his seat. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I had that

sense telling me something is wrong.

As he fumbles into the glove box, dropping papers and cards onto the

floor, I see a flat piece of tin foil under his feet. It had burn marks

on it and immediately I knew it was drug paraphernalia. Without going

into too much detail, I’ll tell you that’s a common item used in smoking

heroin. On the back seat of the small passenger car, I could see the

large box with the power tool, just as the shop owner had described, the

sales tag still attached.

My Sergeant had arrived and was waiting on the sidewalk at the rear of

the car. Standing in the blind spot of the suspect vehicle, as a good

back-up officer will do.

I asked the kid to step out of the car and we walk to the back of the

car. He confessed to the crime and I began to interrogate him about the

incident. He admitted being a heroin addict and he was stealing tools to

sell and trade for more dope. So I arrested him and stuck him in my car.

While searching his car, I find a bunch of drug paraphernalia and but no

dope. I noticed the armrest had a false compartment inside so I opened

it up. A small revolver was tucked in neatly, and ready for easy access.

It was cocked and loaded and ready to go! As it turns out the gun was

stolen.

Over the next several days, I was able to recover more than $10,000 in

stolen property. I put together a heck of a case. Then I sent the case

to the District attorney for prosecution. They denied the case and

suggested I file it as a Federal case, because of the strict laws and

punishment. It was a real pain for me, because they only take extreme

cases and each case is screened through a panel of lawyers. About a

month later, I got the call telling me the case had been accepted and

pushed through the system.

The kid plead guilty and got a good stiff sentence. He was a first time

offender and was able to make a deal, sending him to prison for a few years.

During the first few days after the arrest, I had built a good rapport

with my suspect. He told me about his addiction and I listened,

half-heartedly, trying to educate myself, while at the same time,

solidifying the case.

About a year and a half later, I got a letter from the kid in my box at

work. He thanked me for arresting him and said I had saved his life. I

thought it was a nice gesture on his part, but figured it was part of

the rehab he had a prison. Maybe he’d get some added privilege for

confessing and apologizing.

I can’t remember exactly when he made the statement, but I swear it’s

true. He told me how he’d like to be friends when he gets out of prison.

When he gets his life on track he’d like to hang out with me. I never

answered him and actually thought it was somewhat disturbing.

As I mentioned, that case was several years ago. I’m back on patrol now,

working the streets and loving every minute of it. My career has had

high points and low points, but for the most part, I wonder if I’ve ever

made a difference. I wonder if I ever left a good mark on someone’s

life. Maybe that’s a common thought of police officers. Looking back, I

doubted the fact.

Last night I get a call to the front lobby of the station. A man came in

and wanted to talk to me, so he left his last name and waited for me to

arrive. I came out of the locked area of the department and met with the

man. I recognized the name he’d given immediately. How could I forget?

It was a great case.

Standing there in the lobby was the suspect I had arrested so long ago.

He was healthy, clean-cut, and seemed to be very fit. He said “do you

remember me”? I looked at him and didn’t recognize him. His name was

unique, so I guessed as to his identity. He walked over and shook my

hand. He then began to tell me that I had saved his life. He talked

about the hardships of prison, but the fact he was well educated now. We

talked about his future and the great feeling and dreams he had about

his own life. It was great to hear him talk about a desire to have a

family and be a positive member of society. He ducked his head though,

talking about the bad things he’d done. He did hard-core drugs and

committed terrible crimes, and knew he’d done wrong. Stealing from his

own family to support the addiction was something that weighed heavily.

It was quite a conversation. He then told me about the day I had stopped

him. As he searched for the paperwork in his glove box that day, he

talked about his desire to kill me. He said, given the chance, he would

have used the gun. If I had stepped back to my car, he would have done

it. At such a desperate moment in his life, he admitted desperation so

deep, he would have killed me.

After another ten minutes of conversation, I told him how busy it was

tonight. I had to go help out on patrol and pull my weight as part of

the team. He shook my hand and looked me in the eyes and thanked me for

arresting him that day. “You saved my life”, he said. I nodded and we

parted ways.

The human being in me says that I really helped that guy, felt satisfied

with a job well done. Within a second, the thick-skinned, skeptical, cop

in me wondered if the guy had a distorted motive. I suppose that’s how

it is out here. I guess the thoughts and doubts about leaving a positive

mark on society will never go away. Maybe I should just accept it and

put in the final ten years of a 20-year career.

Russell

#155 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Wed Dec 6, 2006 6:11 am

Subject: The great zipper arrest russ@lifeonthebeat.com

It's finally time to sit down and write another chapter in the my "Life

on the Beat". With several hundred new members, I want to remind

everyone of the website for this mailing list. http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

With tons of new visitors every single day, I am happy to hear from you

all and I continue to update and modify the site. One of the main goals

of my site is to give "real" people a good idea what police officers do

and what we think. In order to help answer the many questions and

comments, I created a message board. Many people visit that forum to ask

and answer police questions. Take a minute to visit and say hello at

http://ganon.net/forums/

Without further delay, I'll move on.................

While working last night, on patrol, I discovered another candidate for

dumb criminal of the day.

I responded to the scene of a traffic stop to assist another officer. My

role began as a back-up officer, so while the other officer conducted

the investigation, I stood back to observe the situation.

It just so happened that the driver of the vehicle had a warrant for his

arrest, so he was arrested. As the officer assisted the man into the

rear of the patrol car, I kept an eye on the passenger. (Recently, the

case law has become pretty strict on contacting the passenger while on a

traffic stop, so I didn’t attempt to solicit any information from him).

Even though I was trying to mind my own business, the passenger did his

best to gain my attention. “Officer”, he yelled, “Your zipper is down”!

Without hesitation I leaned to the window and thanked him. Now that he

had my attention, I listened to him proclaim his innocence. I didn’t

know anything about criminal activity, but I was happy to listen. He

talked a great deal, so I listened. He then offered to empty his pockets

to prove he was not holding any drugs or contraband. I thought it was a

good idea so I agreed to the action.

He then got out of the car and began dumping items onto the hood of the

car. Included were several bags of candy and snacks. On a whim I asked

about the candy. He quickly began to explain that he purchased the candy

at a nearby gas station only a few minutes ago. I asked for a receipt

and he didn’t have one, claiming he must have thrown it away. I

explained that was not a problem and said I could check the register

receipt within a minute or two. He then began stuttering and stammering,

then he hung is head. Before I knew it he was confessing to stealing the

items.

At that point the first officer questioned the man about the stolen

candy. A second later the man confessed to having multiple stolen checks

and some forged items. All I can say is that it went downhill in a hurry

for this guy. Things got so bad that we quickly read Miranda to the guy.

Without a request for additional details, the man continued to talk—and

talk---and talk---soon he was confessing to more crimes than we could

keep up with.

The victim was pretty happy when I called to confirm the stolen checks.

He was irritated at the criminal, because the stolen checks have been

bouncing all over the County.

The ironic part of the situation is the fact that the driver was able to

post bail and hit the road before we could finish the paperwork. The

passenger will likely see some considerable fines and possibly even some

jail time.

You’ll be happy to know that the candy and snacks were identified. I

returned the items to the thankful owner.

I could not believe the fact that MY faulty zipper led to the arrest of

a man. That’s got to be a first for me!

Russell

#156 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:23 am

Subject: Christmas on patrol russ@lifeonthebeat.com

http://www.Lifeonthebeat.com has been getting very popular. I got a

full article written in a local police magazine. Many of you have take

my advice to ask questions on the ASK A COP message board.

After Christmas I'll come up with a good old fashion cop story. I'll

throw in some entertainment value, maybe some shots fired and a

high-speed chase. As for today I'll write another sentimental

human-interest story that just so happen to include a police officer I

had just pulled out of the station to begin another night on patrol. The

wind was already howling, the snow was drifting across the streets and

the cold was COLD! Bitter COLD!A private message window pops up on my

department laptop. Understanding that little window doesn't pop up for a

good reason, I figure that little thing means I got a complaint, forgot

to do follow or some other twisted situation where I am involved "right

in the middle". So, knowing all those bad things I mentioned, I read the

message anyway. Sure enough, the message was from a woman asking that I

contact her about a prior incident. "-------uuuuugh", I mumbled and

pulled my car to the side of the road and called the lady.

I told her my name, "This is Officer Russell, and my dispatch asked that

I call you." She was happy to hear my voice, so I closed my eyes and

tried to remember who I was calling. I told her didn't recognize the

name and asked her to help me.

She gave me a name, but it was nothing I could place and I told her I

had no idea who she was. She began to detail the fact that "I" helped

her with Christmas last year. I told her that I don't remember helping

her and we all try to do some good things for people. She described her

living conditions and described the drugs and poverty that she suffered

from only one year ago. Geez, I felt bad, but I had no idea who this

woman was on my line.

Finally she gives me the name "Nina" and I locked in! 100 percent.

I remembered every detail. For starters, it was a very bad situation, 2

parents so drunk and stoned on drugs fought out loud about the fact

"Santa" was not coming to this house.

We responded to a family fight last year to the house. The argument was

brutal because both parents clearly indicated that Santa WAS NOT coming

to this house at all. I was at the house when that comment was made with

5 year old Nina standing there. Nina burst into tears and her emotions

were cataclysmic. She ran into her bedroom and cried. I got permission

to go speak with her. At that time, told Nina that Santa Clause WILL

come to her house. I promised he would and I would tell him all about

her. She smiled, though her face was red and sore from teardrops. She

gave me that "look I'll believe it when I see it, and till then, don't

bother me". She's 5, but truthfully she emotionally was as mature as a

14-year-old female. She told me about hard times and she told me that

Santa was not coming to her house this year. She was devastated. I

talked to her for a long time. I tried to set her mind at ease, but Nina

had hardened her heart to Santa.

So, long story short, I gather some items for a sub-for-Santa program

set up through the PD and the City.

I then came home and talked to my wife about the problem. I said Nina

doesn't have blankets on her bed. It's an old mattress and its soiled in

urine. No pillows. It was bad. The toys and stuffed animals were so beat

down and dirty. Every aspect of Nina life was about as bad as it could

be. Mom and dad are both very involved in drug use. Both are fighting

battles against their own demons, but neither had a clue to the

parenting side of the game they played called "life".

When I saw how little the city had left for these people, I brought the

problem home. My oldest daughter immediately wanted to help out. She

pointed at her porcelain doll collection and wanted to give Nina a

"glass" doll. I expected my daughter to reach to the back of the stack

of dolls. I expected her to give a doll that is not all that pretty or

doesn't have the pretty dress. In fact I didn't think she would donate

one of the real porcelain dolls. My daughter picked the two most

expensive, most beautiful dolls and several other toys similar in value.

Our family put some dollars together and bought several hundred dollars

in toys and gifts. It's a lot of fun to take the kids on a shopping

spree with a thought of spending all the money on as much as you can,

as fast as you can. We giggled and laughed as we filled some shopping

cards at Walmart.

I found a buddy that "knows" Santa Clause and we were able to get him

scheduled for us on night before Christmas.

So the day before Christmas, I call the mom and surprise her with the

news. She says she grateful, but she's got another problem. The

youngest boy has RSV-----which causes severe breathing problems and I

don't know what else. It's bad.----k.

Well now were in a bind. We got all this stuff, all these people

involved and the family is sitting in the hospital ER. I call the ER and

explained the situation, they gave me permission to have a few strings pulle

Within a few minutes, I showed up and completely covered two hospital

beds with toys. Toys were stacked so high, they were falling off the

sides. It was grea

Santa arrives and was in a great mood. He helps us motor all this stuff

up a couple floors and into a small room where the family cramped with

mom dad, Nina, a sick infant and a a terrible two year old, wearing a

saggy brown diaper with no shirt or plants.

My goal was to please Nina, nothing more.

Nina was so happy. She ran across the room, around the tables and

stacks of toys. To get to me "Officer

Russell".......................arms wide open, she knocked me over and

almost squished me with her hugs. My daughter introduced "Mary" and the

other glass dolls to Nina. It was a neat experience. Nina promised take

care of the dolls.

We set the mom up with some food and stuff to cook a good Christmas

Dinner and finally gave her some gift cards. The mother, clearly had an

addiction to her drugs, so we gave her a gift car and asked that I be

used to purchase prescriptions for the sick kid.

It was a great experience and we hope all went well. One time I was on a

call when I looked over and saw "Nina". As soon as her eyes caught mine,

I braced myself as she ran full throttle across the room, crashing into

me to give a big hug.

That was 12 months ago, and to be honest, we get so busy with dad to day

grinds of the job,

So, back to the current reality I was happy to hear from Nina, and I was

happy to hear a good beginning.

The next question I got was completely unexpected. "Russell, we are

doing so well this year that Nina asked if we could do something for You

and your family. I down played it and didn't think I was a very good

candidate for a "hand-out". Or "Gift"

As I am side-stepping every comment and ever pat on the back, I am

trying to think of a way out of this awkward moment. The mom it telling

me "via" the telephone, that she's done some good things. It gets quite

on her end of the line and I listened, wondering to her next topic of

conversation

Proudly, but quietly she announces 100% sobriety since April 30^th

.----------------75% of the year. I was impressed. It comes down to the

fact that we wanted to help those little kids from having one bad

Christmas.

I told the mother, she didn't need to get me a gift, I don't want a

gift, because 9 month of drug clean time at all is a great step in the

right direction.

If nothing else, it was great to talk to Nina for a few minutes. The

truth is, I do hope to make my mark on society, just a little at a time.

Wednesday before work, I told the lady that I would bring my kids to the

station so that they could meet my kids and share some "Santa"stories.

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#157 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:34 pm

Subject: Life on the beat russ@lifeonthebeat.com

**Check out a new sponsor to the www.lifeonthebeat.com

<http://www.lifeonthebeat.com/> website. I've placed a link on the main

page, but you can check it out directly by visiting

http://www.pasintl.com/ While reading some recent case law, I found

reference to a very interesting tool, becoming popular in the world of

DUI enforcement. The PAS International Company is marketing a flashlight

that detects the presence of alcohol and gives officers a better way to

detects DUI drivers.**

Last Night's Shift

One interesting part of police-work is the art (of the citizens) called

"name dropping". The other night I had a pretty comical experience being

the name getting dropped.

About 4 in the morning we get a call of an alcohol party causing a noise

disturbance at a local college apartment complex. It was very cold

outside and I just got a fresh haircut, so I wasn't looking forward to

exposing my nearly bald head to the elements. Immediately upon our

arrival, we could tell the source of the problem, so there was no chance

I could hide out in my warm patrol car. One apartment, at the center of

the complex was rocking and rolling. We could hear the problem from the

street and it was almost surprising we only had one complaint from

neighbors.

We knocked on the door a few times and finally, between songs, got the

attention of someone inside. A very intoxicated teenager opened the door

and slurred, "hello officers, come on in". Stepping inside the

apartment, we asked them to turn down the music because the neighbors

are complaining. Everyone inside offered his or her thanks for our

arrival. Some guys wanted to shake our hands and those left out wanted

to offer some sort of police joke, "I didn't do it" or some "donut"

comment I've heard a million times.

As we attempted to convince those inside to "keep it down, or else", one

man stepped forward and gave the name drop mentioned above. He looks

directly at me and says, "Do you know Officer Russell" (name changed to

protect the innocent). I paused for a second to see if he was serious.

HE WAS! So I reach up and attempted to cover name tag on my uniform, so

I could play along. The drunk kid then adds, "Russell is a good friend

of mine". The rookie with me looks over, but keeps a straight face, luckily.

About that time, I looked down only to see that I wasn't covering my

name tag, but I had my hand over my badge! Laughing at my mistake, I

switched hands and covered the tag, then continued playing along with

the drunk. (I guess I've only seen my name tag while looking at myself

in the mirror, so I can't blame myself for the mistake. LOL).

I looked at the kid and asked "If Russell was here, would he get you out

of an alcohol ticket?"

"Oh ya, we're good friends". The drunk says, "But he once got mad at me

for street racing, even though I wasn't driving a car". Although, I had

no idea what he was talking about, the wheels in my head spun. I

couldn't remember this kid and didn't recognize his unique name either.

"How many beers have you had tonight?"

Pointing at two large, empty boxes he said "about 24". Based on his lost

sense of reality, I figured he was being honest.

After issuing several tickets for illegal consumption of alcohol, we

convinced everyone to go to bed and be quiet, because "we don't want to

come back". Everyone was happy to help and everyone (being so drunk) was

happy to get a citation, because the cops were "cool".

As we began to leave, the original drunk says, "You know, you look JUST

LIKE Officer Russell", and then he paused. I thought the gig was up, but

then he added. "For a minute I thought you were officer

Russell..............but your hair is shorter". I rubbed my hairless

head and began laughing out loud, I pointed out the fact that Russell

must be a very good-looking guy! The rookie, standing at my side,

completely lost it. He was laughing so hard that we nearly got caught

after doing so well.

We thanked the kids for agreeing to the "quiet" request, and then we left.

At the station, we all had a good laugh. I told the guys that I was

happy to have a witness, because no one would have believed the story

otherwise. The story sparked several "do you remember when"

(name-dropping) accounts of the past. This is my favorite time of the

night because we all come up with some great tale. After some great

laughs and some exaggerations it was time to go home.

Russell

This list is currently almost 5000 members strong. Help this email list

to grow. Please

forward these emails to your colleagues, friends, and family! They can join

this free service by simply visiting my website

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com and clicking on SUBSCRIBE at the main page.

Stay in touch and let me know what you think. Also, take the time to

visit my "ask-a-cop" message board and become part of the Life on the

Beat community.

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#158 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Tue Jan 9, 2007 5:48 am

Subject: [Fwd: Re: Training Class] russ@lifeonthebeat.com

tRAINING LCASE

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#159 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Tue Jan 16, 2007 12:38 am

Subject: One more fix russ@lifeonthebeat.com

One more fix.

A little house cleaning before I jump into a new "Last Night's Shift"

story. Last week, I was forwarding myself a training flyer and sent it

to the entire group. Luckily the YahooGroups mailing list deleted the

attachment, because I am sure no one cares to read about a drug

recognition class, 'cept me, I figure.

Having that said, if you ever receive an attachment from my group,

please delete it immediately. I will never (intentionally) send an

attachment to this list, because of the fears of email viruses.

On Friday I got a call from a distraught father in regards to a stolen

credit card. As we talked, he asked several questions about the

consequences of this sort of crime. I went through the possibilities and

I gave my guess on what might happen in court.

At some point he admitted that his adult son stole his credit card and

used it at an ATM to obtain cash. The father began to talk about how his

son was addicted to heroin and he gave gruesome details of the

addiction. The problem was so bad, and it had been going on for so long,

the father felt he had no choice but to call the police. His son is 26

years old and has been addicted to everything from alcohol, marijuana,

then meth, OxyContin and now heroin. Before long, the kid had gone from

smoking the heroin to injecting (street term = slamming) it into any

vein he could find.

That afternoon, the man asked me to question his son about the charges.

I responded to the house, but the boy would not answer the door. I was

hoping to sit down with the boy and face the situation, but he refused

to come to the door.

The father gave me permission to enter the house, but I declined,

telling him that I didn't want to force myself into his house because I

had faith we could contact the son in a non-obtrusive manner. Talking to

my Corporal, he agreed. He suggested that we wait until the next morning

and wake the son up, so there was no chance of having problems. That way

there was no reason to put anyone into a dangerous situation. I told the

father I would come to the house at 7:30 am.

At 7:00 my shift began and by 7:20 we were done with briefing. I pulled

up to the house by 7:25 and noticed the lights were on in the living

room. I called the father, just like I said I would do. He answered it

on the first ring and acknowledged that his son was still asleep. His

voice was full of sorrow and then he answered the door before I knocked.

I opened the bedroom door and I was almost shocked with what I saw. He

was asleep, but dozens of bloodstains covered the sheets. I woke him up

and explained the reason for my presence. He sat up and began to cry,

but he admitted the theft and the fraudulent transaction.

The back of his hands, his forearms and the inside of his arms had dried

blood on them. It was then that I realized the extent of his addiction.

He told me that he was so addicted and he "slammed" a mixture of cocaine

and heroin so many times that his veins were collapsed and full of scar

tissue. He explained to me that he was almost unable to get high

anymore. He had damaged every possible injection site to the point that

he couldn't penetrate the needle into his body. If he did get the dope

into his blood system, it was all he could do to load himself into a

stupor and then pass out. He doesn't work and can't do more than

purchase drugs and come home before he's sick and suffering from

withdrawals.

His room was full of drug paraphernalia and he even had bloody, used

needles from the night before, under his pillow. Though, I admit I don't

understand it all, he did tell me the reason some of the syringes were

still filled with blood was because he'd inject and then have problems

with the blood coagulating. It's a gruesome scene, but in his world

that's a reality.

I took him to jail. Normally, I can book a guy within a few minutes,

this time I decided to sit down and take my time. I talked to the kid

for about 2 hours. He promised to enter drug rehab immediately upon his

release from jail. He cried and told me how he had stolen hundreds of

dollars and nearly any valuable from his parents. If he found something

of worth not nailed down, he'd steal it and pawn it. He confessed his

guilt of stealing from his family and he knew it was about the lowest,

most despicable crime a man could commit. It was obvious to me that the

drug was much more important than ANYTHING in his life.

Twenty balloons of heroin a day is what he admitted to using. At ten

dollars a balloon he needed a lot of money to support his habit. It was

the enough to kill any normal person, several times over. It was amazing

that he was not dead already. He knew the odds and he understood it was

likely he'd overdose and die at any given time. At this point he didn't

care. His only fear in life was the immediate pain and sickness of life

without the drug in his system.

Heroin withdrawal symptoms are some of the nastiest an addict can

experience compared to withdrawal from any other drug. It's worse than

any flu you've ever suffered, although it's said to be similar. It's no

wonder why he'd be so desperate to keep give into the psychological and

physical dependence he suffered.

He offered to write an apology to his parents and I promised to deliver

it immediately upon leaving the jail. I believed his sincerity and I

hoped for the best as I left.

As I sat down with his parents, they both asked me to look around. They

had a very nice house and the surroundings appeared even gave the

impression they were wealthy to a certain degree. Both told me in great

detail how they have spent over $100,000 in treatment for their son.

He's been in every inpatient and outpatient car facility in the State.

He's seen the best doctors a man could buy. The house was mortgaged

twice and they owed more than they could imagine. Although the father

initially reported a $200 theft, he now admitted at least $5,000 had

been stolen in the last month alone. They both shed tears at the thought

of having their own son arrested because it was the last real chance to

change his life and get him clean. I could see that heroin was killing

them, almost as much as it was killing him. As sad as it could be, they

both dismissed the letter of apology as a sad attempt for my mercy. They

figured he made that plea to me for one reason. One more fix.

Russell

I love hearing from the members of the list, so please email your

thoughts, complaints or praise to russ@lifeonthebeat.com

<mailto:russ@lifeonthebeat.com> I promise to do my best to reply to

everyone. I've had a few complaints on my poor grammar, spelling and

paragraph structure; I've never professed to be a future English

teacher. I'm just a street cop trying to pass on the thoughts and

emotions of the daily life, bear with me. "wink"

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#160 From: Russell <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:43 pm

Subject: 7-31-2007 Freeway rollover russ@lifeonthebeat.com

The last few weeks has brought several e-mails requesting that I start

writing again. I often think to myself "that would be a great story

for the email list. Last night, two fellow officers questioned me

about the website. That was the last straw........It's time to write

again.

The other day, I went into work with that heavy heart. I've seen a few

real bad things lately, and at the same time our department has taken

a beating for a situation that was blown so far out of reality.

The shift prior responded to a report of a child that was "ran over"

by his mother. She didn't look behind the vehicle when backing out of

the driveway. I didn't see it, but my "brothers" did and stuff like

that can really mess a guy up. Every patrolman in the department had a

lump in its throat after that call.

Continuing on the theme of hurting a little bit inside, I ran directly

into my own emotionally brutal call this week. I arrested some guy for

who knows what, and transported him to the County Jail. The arrest

seemed to be great at the time. I got a real bad dude off the street.

All that is forgotten in a matter of a split second.

Three or four vehicles were traveling together, to a wedding,

southbound on the interstate. At some point, for some unknown reason,

the center vehicle in the group, swerved and hit the center wall HARD.

The Suburban crushed through the wall and began to roll, violently

into oncoming traffic.

As the vehicle rolled, the windows shattered, then glass, plastic and

metal chunks were thrown into the street. Fluids poured from the

engine onto the hot pavement. When the dust cleared, the worst fears

were realized. 5-6 women and children had been thrown from the vehicle.

At the time of the accident, I was only about one minute south, on the

freeway. Dispatch called out the incident, asking for additional fire

and ambulance personnel. Instantly, over the radio, officers checked

"enroute, code 3". Sirens filled the entire city as everyone raced to

the freeway.

Dispatch updated the information, with stress in their voices,

"multiple obvious fatalities". My heart sunk and I clenched my teeth

together, because it was painful to hear. My first thought is for

those laying on the freeway, then I worried about their families.

About this time, I was cutting through the outside lane of the

freeway, because traffic had completely stopped. I could see the

Suburban, it was sitting upright, but glass and debris littered the

entire area. Dirt and debris covered the area.

I positioned my patrol car diagonally in the lane, so other drivers

would know to merge to the right as they passed. Then I made my way up

to the scene. Multiple ambulances arrived at the same time I did, so

my first thought was to help them get equipment to the patients. As I

looked around, I saw several "pods" develop, as medics spit up and

surrounded different bodies. I saw two people that were covered in

blood and several people crying loudly, but the scene was not as bad

as I had been imagining.

Several children walked around the area, females in little white

dresses and the males in mini tuxedos. I didn't feel the kids needed

to see such tragedy, so I began rounding them up and brought them to a

central location. I tried to calm them down by talking to them about

the wedding and taking their minds off the "bodies" in the roadway.

It took about 30 minutes, but the scene was cleared up quickly. The

Highway Patrol arrived and took over the investigation. I assisted

with traffic until one of their guys took over, thanking up for our

assistance.

I exited on the next off ramp and found myself inside the jungle of my

own city. Another call rang out over the radio, we responded to that,

then another. After the shift was complete, a fresh group of officers

checked on and we went home.

It's interesting to think back over the day. I responded to 8-10

calls, but I only remember one. If I could keep 9 and erase one, it's

obvious I'd get rid of the image of those lifeless bodies on the roadway.

For what it's worth, I read the local papers on the day following the

accident. A one line summary of the accident mentioned on fatality

resulting from this incident. No other details, no morals to the

story, no thoughts, no attention paid.

Just another day on the streets I guess.

Russell

I love hearing from the members of the list, so please email your

thoughts, comments or praise to russ@lifeonthebeat.com

<mailto:russ@lifeonthebeat.com> I promise to do my best to reply to

everyone. Please feel free to pass on my messages to your friends or

family. My website is http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

<http://www.lifeonthebeat.com/>

Click on http://ganon.net/forums to find my "Ask a cop" message board

where dozens of officers, future officers and "those in the know" will

gather and discuss law enforcement issues.

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