Date: Sun Dec 10, 2000 7:01 pm

Subject: Last Night's Shift 12-10-2000 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

First of all, I would like to welcome all of the new members of the list. We are currently up to a whopping 1250 subscribers. For those of you new to the list, please check out the website, http://www.lifeonthebeat.com If you have a question pertaining to Law Enforcement please post it on the ASK-A-COP message board. If you have an answer to someone's post, feel free to throw in your 2 cents. Also, recently I have been spending a lot of time in the chat room, also linked to my site. Feel free to drop by and join us, 24 hours a day. There is almost always someone to hang out with.

Now for the stuff.......

The nights lately have been quite warm, and it seems more people are out on the streets at a later hour. It seems that lately there is always something going on. Last night was no different.

The night started off with a traffic stop I made on a vehicle for a moving violation. The driver had no insurance and several other equipment violations. I cited her for the no insurance and gave several warnings. I still cannot believe all of the people that drive with no insurance. On this stop the gal accused me of picking on her, but I reminded her that out of 6 violations she got 5 warnings. Some people just think that the cops are out to get them. I checked her record and she had not been given a citation of any kind, in our city, ever. I am not sure what she based her complaint upon.

Later in the evening I we got a call from a resident in an apartment. He refused to leave his name, but explained that a man in a certain apartment nearby was smoking marijuana. I was the first to arrive and walked around the apartment trying to pick up an odor. When my back up officer arrived, we made contact at the front door. The resident opened the front door and said hello. I asked him if he minded if we step inside the home and speak with him. Shockingly he stepped back and asked us to step inside. Once inside I smelled a strong odor of burnt marijuana. I explained that we had information he was smoking dope in the apartment tonight. He looked at me and denied any drug involvement. At that point my back up officer recognized the guy from past dealings.....all involving drugs. Looking at the man, I was able to see that his eyes were extremely bloodshot and glassy. I asked him if he would open his mouth, knowing that his tongue would tell me all I needed to know. When he opened it I knew, without a doubt that this is the person who was smoking marijuana. I just gave him that look. I shook my head and asked where his pipe was. Knowing that he was caught, he pointed to the garbage can and directed me to it. On the top of the garbage was a "poor man's pipe", (like the one on my police photo page) made out of a can with a dented edge and small holes poked in it. There was a distinct burnt area covering the holes. I then asked where his marijuana was. At first he denied that he had any left. I gave him that look again. To my surprise, he stood up, went in the back bedroom (with us following for officer safety reasons). He then produced a baggie with marijuana inside. After speaking with him for several minutes we explained how easily the marijuana could be smelled in surrounding apartments. I went and got a ticket book, issued a citation and thanked him for his honesty. We all talked for a few minutes and he finally recognized the officer I was with. They spoke of old times...some of the cat and mouse games of yesteryear. On the way out the door, he thanked us. I know he was thanking us for treating him with dignity, but when the door closed, I smiled and quietly answered his thanks.......saying "Anytime".

When I left there I wanted to get into one more good call. I was extra motivated, because Ole Cuz and Big O were yapping about getting into something good. I did not want to be left out.

As I drove into an area of town known for higher crime, I watched a jacked up Blazer make a wide turn without signaling. I immediately activated my over head lights and wig wags (alternating head lights). The driver immediately slowed, however, he refused to stop. He then came to another intersection and made a slow right turn into a dark street. I had a bad feeling well up inside my stomach. I called for back and explained that the driver was acting very suspiciously. I activated my siren and moved my spotlight around, lighting up the cab of his vehicle. When he reached the end of that block, he suddenly stopped. It was strange though, because he was partially out into the intersection and still somewhat in the lane of travel. Wanting to get the jump on the guy, I popped out of my car and began to approach his vehicle. Just then I watched as he threw the Blazer into reverse. I panicked that he was going to slam into my patrol car, so I climbed back in the car and backed it out of the way. I updated dispatch that I needed someone in a hurry.

Last week Cuz had a very similar situation where the guy refused to stop, then bolted into his house, where the fight was on. I knew that I did not want to go toe to toe with anyone inside their own house. I knew that it was my advantage to keep this guy in the vehicle until help arrived. I guess that my fears of a confrontation were elevated because I had been to this house before. I remembered the that the entire family was extremely confrontational. We had several occasions where they accused the police of different things.

When the truck stopped backing, I again exited my car with extreme caution. Just then the drivers side door on the suspect vehicle flung open. I reached out and jammed it shut with everything I had. The driver looked quite upset, but I ordered him to roll down the window. Slowly he reached for the window lever and began to open it. I asked him for his license, registration, and insurance. I then realized the problem. An odor of alcohol hit me like a wall. It was very heavy and strong. I watched as he reached into the glovebox and started pulling out wads of papers.

I then saw something that I feared. Several family members were racing across the yard.......trust me, I knew that they were not there for my benefit. As one woman exited the yard she leaned up over the hood of the truck and started making demands. I demanded that she step back away from the stop. I explained that I would answer any questions, but not until I was done talking to the driver. As she began to yell and lose her temper, the driver began to escalate his anger as well. He was yelling at me not to talk to the female like that. Just when I thought all heck was going to break loose......BIG O arrived for back-up. He immediately took charge of the family and got them away from the vehicle.

Knowing that the driver was still a danger, I focused on him. He handed me a drivers license, but did not produce registration and insurance. I could see both items on the seat next to him, but due to his obvious state of impairment, he could not locate the paperwork. I finally gave up and pointed out the papers that I needed. When he handed me the paperwork, I asked him to step out of the vehicle.

He stumbled and regained his balance. But was swaying heavily. With the family still standing in the yard cursing us and aggravating the driver, I decided to transport the man to the police station for field sobriety. He failed each and every test miserably. I figured that he would easily be double the legal limit on the intoxilizer. When he blew though, he went just over the legal limit. My guess is that he had some other drugs that elevated his degree of impairment, but considering the field tests and the failed breath test we had plenty of evidence.

There was several times in the jail that I had to stop, calm him down with small talk and continue the booking process. I was well aware that he could snap at anytime and start swinging. Cuz was already in the jail booking a prisoner, so he stepped over to assist. Together we got all of the booking process done and left the jail.

I winked at Cuz because I knew that he had a great stop and arrest at the same time I had made an arrest. Thanks to Big O and Cuz, I made it home safely last night. I hope to repay them tonight.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

If this email is interesting to you, please forward it to your colleagues, friends and family! They can join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com clicking on the "egroups" banner ad on the main page.

#51 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Dec 11, 2000 8:36 pm

Subject: Last Night's Shift 12-11-2000 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Last night was extremely cold and wet. The roads were slick and frozen.

As a result it was very quiet out there. Most of the guys on the night shift were relieved because we have all been so darn busy lately.

A made a few traffic stops and had to dig a bit, I finally got into something fun.

As I traveled south on one of the main roads in town I saw a car driving my direction. As it passed I took a quick look at the driver. He made the mistake of doing the same. I could see his eyes open wide, like silver dollars. I quickly turned, but he had a small lead on me by that time. When I looked up again, he was darting into a grocery store parking lot. I was able to close the gap, but my suspicions were peaking. I could feel that it was an instant game of cat and mouse. I just wanted to know what he was so nervous about. I then noticed that the vehicle registration had expired almost a year ago.

As I neared the vehicle, the driver quickly exited his car, looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and then started toward the store. I laughed out loud. I knew that there was two entrances to the store but the west doors are always locked after midnight. When he made it to the doors and pulled, I could see his hopes of escape had failed.

I drove over to the man and recognized him instantly. I just asked him to come back to his car.

When he got there I asked if he still had a suspended drivers license. He agreed that he did. I asked if he had any warrants and he denied that he did. About the time he denied that question, I interrupted him. I informed him that there was a valid warrant for his arrest.

While en route jail I asked why he tried to lose me. He denied that he was doing that. I asked why he was going to that store and he explained that it was for a drink. I then smiled, because I knew that there was 10 convenience stores open for him to get a drink, pointed out the fact that I knew he would not have gone to that store for a drink at 4 am. He just hung his head.

In the jail, he had only 21 cents in his possession. I asked what kind of drink that would afford. He finally admitted that he knew he should not have been driving, and was trying to lose me because he had a warrant.

I treated him real well. I let him make several phone calls and even gave him 2 blankets. I guess that an honest person is easier to deal with than one who is not.

Russell

Take a look at the story, sent to me by an officer in the northwest. I got quite a laugh out of it.

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

I'm a resident patrol deputy in southern Oregon. One night several years ago

on swing shift I was on a rural road. I observed a vehicle coming toward me

with only one head light. I waited until the vehicle went past me and

observed it had no lights at all on the rear. I turned, overtook and stopped

the vehicle. The operator was a very large white male, nick named "Tiny."

With him was his wife and two young daughters. In the back seat with the

young girls was a large basket of clean laundry.

I asked "Tiny" for his operator's license and registration. He immediately

started telling me about how he normally works six days a week and ten hours

a day. But, got the day off and went salmon fishing, caught a large salmon,

took his family and the dirty laundry to his parents home. Where they did

laundry and had a salmon dinner.

I told him I appreciated that he had a good day off. But, I still needed his

license and registration. He responded that's what I'm trying to tell you. My

license is in the trunk with my tackle box. I told him no problem step out

and we'll take a look, just be very careful what you come out of the trunk

with!

He stepped to the rear of the car with the keys. He put the key into the lock

and turned his head looking at me while turning the key. The trunk actually

popped open when he turned that key. He grabbed the deck lid, looked in the

trunk, then at me as he slammed the trunk. All the while screaming at me "you

can't look in there without a warrant!" I was laughing so hard I could barely

get cuffs on this guy. Like I said he was very large. About that time a city

officer showed up to assist because I'd been on the stop so long. We got this

guy in the back of my car. The whole time he's telling us we cannot look in

his trunk without a warrant.

He was telling the truth about everything. The part he told me later was

while his wife was doing the laundry. His mother was making salmon dinner. He

went into the woods to pick some black berries for a pie to go with the

salmon dinner. While hunting berries he found a Marijuana grow. In his words

"what the hell free geetus" I harvested it and put it in my car and forgot

all about it. I was worried about getting a traffic ticket.

I saw this fellow a few days later. He had two very black eyes and a split

lip. As it turns out the marijuana grow was his brothers and he was very

upset the cops got his dope.

Take care and be safe.

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

Enjoy......

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

If this email is interesting to you, please forward it to your colleagues, friends and family! They can join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com clicking on the "egroups" banner ad on the main page.

#52 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Dec 25, 2000 3:15 pm

Subject: 12-25-2000 The "meth" pipe russ@lifeonthebeat.com

The "meth" pipe

I have been a bit out of the loop again lately. Unfortunately, my wife has been down and out for the last 14 days with a back injury. Things are finally looking up today though, as she was up an moving around again.

I have a couple of interesting stories, so I will start with one about a meth pipe.

This entire month I have been somewhat less aggressive while on patrol. Normally I spend about every free minute looking for someone committing a serious crime. Because of the holiday season and the extreme cold weather I have backed off a little.

One night about a week ago, dispatch advised of a clerk at a corner store, calling about a suspicious man. The clerk explained that the man had been there for about an hour acting very strangely. She gave a description of the man and asked that we have the man leave the store.

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I saw the man she was talking about. He was inside the store, wearing a huge down coat. The coat had a hood that covered his head and hid his face from view. I understood right away why she would be nervous of this guy.

I had just been meeting with a local college police officer, so when the call came out I asked him to follow me because it was so near the college. When he and I pulled into the parking lot I advised him of the location of the suspect. My intent at that time was to talk to the man and simply ask him to leave the area. I did not want to take him to jail being this close to the Christmas.

Another officer arrived from our city, so I approached the male. Instantly he became belligerent. I asked him to please step outside and talk to me. As he exited the store he began getting quite aggressive. He the thrust one of his hands into his jacket pocket and the other out of my view. I asked him quickly to let me see your hands. He spun around toward the back-up officer. That officer also demanded to see the mans hands. The man began to protest and scream at us. I made eye contact with the other officer because I knew the danger of the concealed hands on this guy. Together we snatched up the suspect hands. He began to fight and squirm around. All the time we are telling him to please calm down and we would be done. He had a huge black fanny-pack type object in the hand I grabbed, so I flipped it over to the college officer and asked him to secure it.

I put the man in handcuffs for safety reasons and began to explain the reason for our arrival. I explained how he had scared the clerk and how suspiciously he was dressed. In addition to all that it was so early in the morning that his actions were made even more questionable.

He began to explain that he was only waiting for a ride. The entire time we were talking to him, he could not stop moving and talking. He was shifting from side to side and his head was moving around like it was on a swivel. There were several open sores on his face and neck. I recognized his actions and sores to be consistent with a person high on "meth". I asked him about taking meth tonight. Obviously he denied it. I explained all of the signs we were seeing and told him how obvious it was. I only asked that he be honest with us. He gave consent for us to look into the fanny-pack. Inside there was two used syringes. One had blood inside it. The man admitted that he used the needles to shoot up with meth tonight. (It's funny how, if you let a person on meth talk, he will eventually talk himself into trouble. When a person is on meth, he begins to gab and talk.....usually trying to talk his way out of trouble, but it never works. Usually they always confess to something)

I pulled the other officer aside. I explained how I really did not want to arrest this guy even though we had plenty to go on. Together, we tried to think of a solution. The only thing we could think of was to offer the man a ride to the next county, but I knew that would only be passing the problem on to another agency. We laughed about it for a second, but decided that really was no option.

I then talked to the man again. I explained that our main goal was to get him out of the city. I asked him if he had any idea's. Again he got upset with me. He then smarted off and said "Let me go and I will walk right down the middle of the freeway". I looked at him and said "Strike one, any other ideas?" "I ain't going no where then", I shook my head and said "Ok, that's strike two....you are not being very helpful here". He looked at me and swore "F--- you, take me to jail then!!!!!!" I lowered my head and shook it. Ok, lets go.

My patrol car was parked about 30 feet away, so I began to walk him over to it. About half way the man began to pull away from me. I had a good grip on him, so I was not too worried. All of the sudden he stopped and started to swing around. I used a wrist lock on him and instantly he straightened back out. I guess he did not like that so he began to yell at me. He look right at me and said....."I am taking you to court" Having no patience left, I smile and shot back "FINE, because I am taking you to JAIL!".

In the patrol car he yelled and screamed. I had a hard time getting dispatch to understand that I was on my way into the jail. He made several threats about what he would do when I took the cuffs off. Then I turned on the music, loud enough to drown out the screams from the rear seat. Upon my arrival a couple of officers stood ready to assist.

By the time we started the booking process the man had calmed down and was very compliant. He had several tattoo's that appeared to my untrained eye to be "prison tattoo's". I asked if he got those in prison and he denied that he had. I asked if he had ever been in prison and he denied that he had ever been arrested. I shook my head as I found that extremely hard to believe.

Inside his jacket was a hidden pocket. He had a glass meth pipe and a torch type lighter. The pipe had some crystals that tested positive for methamphetamines.

From what I understand, the next day in court, the man lied to the judge. The judge found out that this guy had recently been let out of prison for drug related crimes. Unfortunately for the man.......he got 6 months in the county jail for his actions.

All of this and I did not even want to arrest him.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

If this email is interesting to you, please forward it to your colleagues, friends and family! They can join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com clicking on the "egroups" banner ad on the main page.

The following story is from a friend of mine, "Captain Mike" who I met in the chat room. We are in there frequently and have a lot of fun. Feel free to join us anytime, 24 hours a day.

Oh buddy, do I have a story for you...

I rode last night (Friday) swing shift with a main office patrol deputy,

I'll call him Dave, because I can't think of a nickname for him. We spent

the first half of the shift responding to fairly routine calls, nothing out

of the ordinary. At about nine o'clock is when the graveyard units come on

duty, while swing shift doesn't end until two. It's designed so that we have

more units on during the busiest time of day.

When the graveyard guys come on is also when swing shift usually goes to

lunch, so Dave and I went to Shari's with the other swing unit, I'll call

him Leatherneck (he's a former Marine). We finished dinner and we were

waiting in line to pay for the food when we hear on the radio, "857 code 3

cover at the Shell!"

I have to explain a little bit here, within our county there's a small town

(700 people) that has its own police department. Because it's a small

department, they contract with us to dispatch for them in exchange for them

patrolling part of the county for us. They are a separate department, but

they work closely with us. 857 was one of the PD units on last night, and

when he called for help we had no idea what he was out on. If he hadn't said

it, we wouldn't have known he was at the Shell (gas station).

Anyway, we ran out of the restaurant and went code down the freeway to the

Shell station. We were only a few miles away, but even so, it took several

minutes to get there. Dave concentrated on his driving, and I was somewhere

in between experiencing the thrill of driving fast and wondering what was

going on that 857 needed help.

When we arrived on the scene to see two PD officers with their guns drawn

and trained on a man in front of his van. He was on the passenger side of

the van, and the passenger side window was broken out. What made the

situation particularly dangerous was that the guy was using his wife and

three small kids as a human shield. Dave drew his pepper spray while another

deputy there aimed his MP5 (9mm submachine gun used by SWAT teams, for those

that aren't familiar). At first it seemed like the suspect may have been

willing to talk to Dave, because he was particularly distressed by one of

the PD officers that was there. But he wasn't going to cooperate with

anyone, and finally Dave had to spray him. Naturally the wind blew most of

the spray back into Dave's face and back to where I was, but it was

effective and they were able to get the bad guy away from his family and get

him cuffed.

Once he was cuffed the officers tried to put him in the back of one of the

city's patrol cars, but he flexed his body so that they couldn't get him

through the door. About that time one of our sergeants arrived and saw the

suspect resisting getting in the car. The sergeant called for a hobble, and

helped hold the guy on the ground while the deputies tied his legs together.

Once the suspect was secured in the car, I went up to the van to look

around. I just glanced in the van and saw that it was completely filled with

things you would expect to see in a house. I don't know if they were moving

or if they lived in their car, but it was a mess. I also saw animals,

including a ferret and a puppy. But I was more concerned about the kids to

worry any more about what was in the van. We got the mother and the barefoot

kids away from the broken glass and had them sit on the curb. I would have

liked to stay longer to get a better idea of how this had started, but Dave

told me we had to go. Along with another deputy, we followed the city

officer to the jail with the bad guy.

At the jail the guy was less aggressive and more feeling sorry for himself.

When the book-in deputies asked him if he would withdraw from anything he

said, "life and freedom," and when asked if he took any prescription

medicine he told us he smoked pot for his asthma.

We left the jail when the suspect was put in a cell, and that pretty much

ended our shift since Dave had to write a use-of-force report.

After I had gone home, the city officers went through the van and found more

animals, including a baby alligator (gators are very much not native to my

state) and several mice they assume were food for the gator. They ended up

charging both the guy and the wife for animal abuse. The guy was also

charged with Failing to Carry and Present (drivers license), Assault on a

Public Safety Officer x2, and several warrants for narcotics out of another

state. The DA may also pursue Kidnap I charges because our statute

specifically says that using another person as a shield is kidnapping. The

kids were taken into protective custody. The fight was caught on tape by one of the city's cameras, but I haven't seen it. Hopefully I will, I'd

really like to see how it started.

Captain Mike

#53 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Tue Dec 26, 2000 8:24 am

Subject: 12-26-2000 Christmas Story russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Christmas Story, cop style......

I went into work last evening to work Christmas night. Cuz and Big O were also there. Ole' Cuz was determined to find someone with a warrant, but Big O and I decided to relax (for once) and hit it hard in the new year.

Taking it easy made the night last forever.

I only stopped one car. It happened when I was sitting at a red light. When the light for the cross traffic turned, I began to ease out into the intersection. Just then a car on my left blitzed the red light.......it had been red for at least 2 full seconds. I said I was taking it easy, but there was 5 other drivers around me, looking into my patrol car expecting me to do something. Hesitantly, I flipped on the lights and pulled in behind the violator.

The man and his wife were very kind. He explained that they were returning from family this evening and were busy talking when he did not see the light change colors. I did not even check his license and background. I simply walked back to my car and sat for a minute. Big O walked up to see if I needed any assistance. He laughed when I told him what happened. I then walked up and spoke kindly to a very thankful customer. His wife sat forward and thanked me. He then explained that he was sorry that I had to work on Christmas. I told him that I did not mind and wished him a Merry Christmas.

After this the only calls I took was a keys locked in a vehicle and a parking problem...that wasn't. Some people just like to call in and complain I guess.

With about 30 minutes left in the shift, I met up with Cuz and Big O. We were all sitting in the back parking lot of a business, chatting about life and work. All of the sudden there is this loud thunder. We all looked around through the darkness. The thunder got louder and louder. Just then I saw it......a huge garbage truck was headed right at us. Quickly, I began flipping on lights for visibility. All three of us began to scream out loud as it appeared this nut was going to broadside all three of us. At the last second the truck swerved to the left and directly at a large dumpster. The driver scooped up the can and shook all of the garbage out of it. Meanwhile we were all three laughing hysterically. We wondered what the local papers would say when they found us all three smashed into oblivion.

It was a good way to wake up before the drive home from the city.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

Because my night was so slow, I figured that I would throw in another story from a subscriber.

Just thought I tell you a story.

It happened on Christmas Eve, 1967. This was my very first Christmas on the job and one I will never forget.

Well that Christmas Eve, and I was working the 12 a.me. to 8 a.me. shift. When I reported to work the Sgt. told me to grab a ride with car #7 and report to the detectives at 267 High St. They would fill me in on what I was to do. Well to say I was excited was something else. I had only been on the job since Nov.14.

When I got to the house I was taken in by one of the dets, there. Man, I was not ready for what awaited me. When I walked into the kitchen of this apt. All I saw was blood everywhere, on the walls, the floor, and the furniture. I was then told by the det. in charge that a husband had beat his wife to death and fled the home. I was shown into the bedroom where the attack had started and there was even more blood in there than the kitchen. He then told me that I was to guard the scene all night. He also told me that the husband was still on the loose and may come back to the house. He explained to me that there were 3 children who had been taken to a relatives home.

When everyone finally left I looked around . It was a very strange sight. There was the Christmas tree still with all the lights on. Presents under the tree. Food that had been cooking on the stove. I looked around at all this and said to myself what a way to spend Christmas Eve. Well I sat at the table for about an hour and by then I started to get comfortable. I checked the fridge and found some meat to make a sandwich with. I put on the T.V. and was sitting there eating and watching when all of a sudden I heard the downstairs door open and start slamming in the wind. I knew it had been secured by the dets., so I thought he was coming back. I took out my gun and went out into a sort of hallway that looked down the stairs. I did not see anyone so I went down and checked the entire area, no one there. What made it scary then was at the time we did not have hand radios. Well, I went back in after securing the door again and got comfortable again. About 2 hrs. later the same damn thing happened! Again I went into the hall but this time I saw another officer coming in. He was coming in to check out the scene, like we all do.

He did not see me, so I thought I would scare the him. I yelled out STOP OR I WILL BLOW YOUR ##$# HEAD OFF!!!!! MAN THIS SCARED THE S--- OUT OF HIM.

We both had a great laugh over that one. It seems funny that even way back then I had already found a way to use humor to get through the rough spots.

When he quit laughing and swearing, he went and got us both a coffee. After he left it was starting to get light out. About this time one of the dets. came back and told me they had caught the husband hiding in a yard a couple of house down the street.

Well the night finally passed and I went home and went to Mass with my wife. That was how I spent my first Christmas as a cop. Never to be forgotten.

Well, I hope I did not bore you with the story. Have a safe and Merry Christmas.

Det. J.C. (ret)

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

Thanks JC, I look forward to any other story you might have.

If any reader has a law enforcement related story, please email me and I will forward it to the 1,307 readers so everyone can enjoy them.

If this email is interesting to you, please forward it to your colleagues, friends and family! They can join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com clicking on the "egroups" banner ad on the main page.

Russell

www.lifeonthebeat.com

Author of LAST NIGHT'S SHIFT

#54 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Wed Dec 27, 2000 11:14 pm

Subject: 12-27-2000 The fight is on........ russ@lifeonthebeat.com

The fight is on............

As I hurried into work at minutes till nine I came across something terrible. The main road through town was completely blocked off. Flashing red and blues lit up the night sky. There were cones and flares blocking the roadway ahead.

There was one of our officers standing near his patrol car, controlling the intersection, so I pulled up to him. I waved him over and rolled down the passenger side window. "Ya gotta bad one tonight, huh?" He looked at me plainly and said "It's a double fatality". I joked and said, "I am going up there to see", He leaned down and said, "You better not, the Sgt. said no one in unless they are authorized." I then clarified my statement by telling him "No way I want to go up there anyway, that stuff gets in your brain and doesn't go away." He nodded. I then turned left and cut through the block toward the station.

Cuz was already clearing from a call before I checked on duty. Other officers were also headed to some of the calls that were pending. I headed to the locker room and quickly changed and headed out onto the road. There was no roll call and no shift briefing on this cold night.

I took a few calls, but nothing so exciting that it needs to be repeated.

About an hour and a half into the shift, dispatch advised of a motion alarm at a pharmacy/grocery store. I was the first on scene so I circled the business. The store appeared to be secure so I cancelled the back up officer. It was so busy out there that I told him I would advise if there was a problem. I then exited my patrol car and began pulling on doors of the business and peeking inside. I nearly jumped out of my skin when noticed someone inside the business. I watched for a second through slots in the door as the subject walked around behind the cash registers and then into an office area. I quickly radioed for another officer or two if we had the manpower. I pulled back so that I could watch the perimeter. The second officer on scene watch the north and west sides while I sat on the opposite corner and watched the South and East sides of the business. When the next officer arrived he began explaining different things that we could do to keep us all as safe as possible. He has been through similar cases a hundred times so I listened to his suggestions. The cool thing about this guy is that he realized that it was MY call. He respected that fact and only suggested things we could do as a team.

We got a key holder and eventually took the suspect into custody without incident. For officers safety reasons I am not going into the details of how we did this, but all did go well. As it turned out the suspect was a mentally challenged person who accidentally got locked inside the store after closing. After interviewing the suspect I felt comfortable with my conclusion. All in all it was a great training experience. It's good to have incidents like this so that all officers can work through problems and be on the same page when the next situation arises.

Later on in the evening dispatch advised of a loud music/noise disturbance call. I was the first to arrive and Officer Tater explained that he was enroute to assist. As I arrived in the area I located the source of the disturbance. A man was sitting in his vehicle with the engine running and the radio blaring. I approached the man and began to speak with him. The odor from his breath about made me gag. It was a strong smell of alcoholic beverage. As I talked to him I heard the slurred speech and slowness in his vocabulary as he deliberately attempted to pronounce his words. His eyes were red and glassy. I called out to Tater over the radio what I had.

I asked the man to step out of the vehicle and perform field sobriety tests. He explained that he was not going to drive anymore. I explained that State Law does not allow him to me in control of a motor vehicle while in the his physical state of being. He paused and lit a cigarette. Again I asked him to step out of the vehicle.

At that point he stepped out and nearly fell before he grabbed the side of his truck for balance. I asked him to put his cigarette down for a few minutes. He threw it onto the ground and attempted to step on it, but missed completely. Needless to say he failed all tests miserably. A portable breath test showed nearly 2 times the legal limit.

I looked at Tater and told him to use 10-0 caution. I had a feeling that all was not going to go as planned. At that point I explained to the man that he was under arrest for DUI. He immediately took step backwards into an aggressive stance. His fists were doubled up into fists. I was right. I knew that this was about to happen. Both officers then asked him to turn around and bring his hands behind him. He just yelled and appeared ever more upset. Tater and I then went for opposite arms. The man refused to bring his hands back.........then we all went to the ground. It was a free for all. The man was fighting and screaming and we were trying desperately to secure him without getting someone hurt. Tater finally got one arm back, but the arm I was pulling was tucked up under his waist. Then, suddenly the man rolled onto his back. I pulled out the pepper spray and held it. I warned Tater that I was going to do it. (That way he can close his eyes and not breath for a second because of the natural overspray) At first Tater said to hold on for a minute. I know that he only wanted to give this guy every chance in the world to comply before we stepped up the level of force. We all continued to wrestle for what seemed like forever. When the man got to his back again, Tater said to go ahead and do it. When I sprayed him, he continued to fight, but the intensity faded. We finally got his arms back and clicked the cuffs on.

I looked around for cameras. I knew that we did everything perfectly but those darn things always make us look bad.

I then took a deep breath and advised dispatch of the situation. I then explained that would be transporting this man to the jail.

As I collected my thoughts, I gave thanks that I got through another scuffle without an injury.

Just another shift I guess..............good thing it's my Friday.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

If this email is interesting to you, please forward it to your colleagues, friends and family! They can join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com clicking on the "egroups" banner ad on the main page.

#55 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Jan 1, 2001 8:46 pm

Subject: 01-01-2001 Busy, busy busy russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been extremely busy the last two nights. I am running way behind tonight, so I will give you another story from Captain Mike. I will catch ya up on the fun times I had during the new years weekend.

After reading his story you will understand why I am running short on time.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I rode swing shift (4p-2a) on New Year's Eve, hoping to take a drunk or two

off the road. Turns out drunk drivers were relatively safe from being

arrested because we were running from call to call all night. I was riding

with Dave, same guy I rode with last time. Our first call came as we and two

other deputies were washing our cars. It was dispute between several Spanish

speaking people. They were talking to our dispatch through translators, and

we were getting really sketchy details. The three of us headed to the

location with our cars half washed. When we arrived the female victim was

the only one left at the location. Using a neighbor and a deputy that knows

some Spanish as translators, we got the story that her ex-boyfriend had

gotten upset because she was dancing with some other guys. He threatened her

with a knife and then took her car keys and left. She couldn't leave since

he had her keys. We got the information we needed and she got a ride with

another neighbor. She described a house she though the boyfriend would be

at, but he wasn't there when we checked.

After we checked the house we were going to write the report, but we

immediately were sent to an incomplete 911 call. It had been a dispute, but

there was only one person home when we got there. She made it obvious she

didn't want our help, so we left. It wasn't worth our time to get the

details from her, and we were already down one report.

We went out to the shops and so Dave could write the report from our first

call while I finished washing the car. As we finished the report the State

Police had stopped a stolen pickup with four people in it (one was in the

back). The excitement was over when we got there, but it was a good stop for

them. The guy had tried to run when the trooper turned on him. He got up to

100+ but then stopped because he ran out of gas. The troopers arrested the

two guys, but decided to let the two girls go home. Personally, I think that

was a bad decision because we were watching the girls giggling about the

whole thing. I think they would have benefited from spending the night in

jail. Either way, they'll be in there soon enough.

After we left we got a call of a burglary. It was house that had been

condemned after our narcotics team took down a meth lab. Because of the

chemicals, nobody was allowed in there. Dave had already been there the week

before because the owner had called and insisted that it had been burgled.

But she couldn't prove anything was missing without admitting she had been

inside. This time, we thought that somebody may still have been in there so

the deputies did a building search. Somebody had been there, probably the

owner, but they were gone. The neighbors are the ones that had seen someone,

so we told them to call back if they saw someone in there again.

We did have about an hour where nothing was happening, and we managed to

have dinner with a couple of other deputies. As soon as we left the

restaurant we got another call. A woman had called telling us that a guy

visiting her daughter at her house was wanted, and she wanted us to arrest

him. The guy is a 17 year old that was wanted for Unauthorized Departure.

Apparently juveniles get a Christmas break from jail, but he never came

back when he was supposed to. I had no idea they were allowed to leave for

Christmas. Just another reason our justice system is in trouble. Anyway, we

snuck up on the house, Dave and another deputy went inside while a third

deputy and I watched the exits in the back yard. They guy and his girlfriend

insisted that we were arresting the wrong person. Everyone else in the house

told us it was him. Later at the Juvenile Justice Center they confirmed his

identity.

While we were at the JJC writing the report, most all of the other deputies

in the county were send to a fight with 300 people. I'm not sure what

happened there, but I don't think anybody went to jail. Dave finished the

report and we were on the way to that party, but we got diverted. With a

couple other deputies and the sergeant we were sent to go contact a suicidal

subject.

The guy was hiding in the backyard of his house and didn't want to talk to

any of the deputies, but we couldn't leave unless he told us he was not

suicidal. He was drunk and way uncooperative. Dave and the sergeant went

through the house to the backyard while the rest of us watched the sides of

the house. Once they found him out back, we went through the house to where

they were. This house was the most disgusting place I've ever seen. There's

no way I could describe everything, but a few things stick in my mind. The

outside of the refrigerator was covered with rust. We could see on the floor

where carpet had been torn up. There was all kinds of old junk lying around,

not really garbage but things that were old and obviously should have been

thrown away long ago. This crap was piled all over the living room and

kitchen. They had to move some of the junk piles for us to walk through. The

guy we were contacting finally told us that he was not suicidal, so we left.

We had a lot of other calls pending. Dave told me that was only the second

most disgusting house in the county.

After that call dispatch was finally able to get enough deputies together to

go break up a party that was causing all kinds of problems. The first call

about this party had come in at 11:30, but we didn't have enough units to go

until about 2:00. We had seven cars and nine of us in uniform. This party

had cars lining both sides of the road for a mile, so we pulled our patrol

cars into one of the traffic lanes and turned on all the lights. It was just

a show of force and it was cool. The nine of us walked in there yelling that

the party was over, and most of the people left. There was about 500 people

there. The house was absolutely packed with people, in the garage, in

the yard, on the roof. Many garbage cans completely filled with empty cans

and bottles, and we had to wade through a layer of cans on floor in the

house. We never give anyone MIPs, but they didn't know that. We mainly just

wanted them to leave. The only ones that any of the deputies carded were the

ones that mouthed off.

We got the majority of them to leave pretty quickly. There were still

probably 100 people when we left, but they were mostly waiting for someone

sober to drive them. The party was over, I think they had run out of alcohol

anyway. All the deputies said that was the biggest party they had broken up.

It was the end of our normal shift, but the sergeant had us stay on because

we still had calls pending. We were sent out to a unknown problem at a house

that is notorious for hating law enforcement. Someone had called 911 and

said "Get the police here now." and hung up. The dispatcher had heard

yelling in the background. We had no idea what we were getting into. We

parked around the corner from the house and tried to sneak up on it, but

they had seen us drive by. It turns out the people at the house that talked

to us were somewhat decent people. They had called because a guy in a Chevy

pickup had been driving back and forth by their house harassing them. And

lucky for us, he was driving by again when we were there. Two of the other

deputies talked to the guy in the pickup while we talked to the people at

the house. It was a pretty petty dispute, and rather than dragging it out we

told the house people to stay in the house and the pickup guy not to drive

by.

It was after 3:00 by then, and the call list had finally gotten down to a

level that the graveyard units could handle by themselves. The sheriff's

office did make one DUII arrest after an accident. I don't think the state

police got any because they were helping handle calls for us. It was the

most eventful shift I've ever worked, but most importantly everyone in the

county stayed safe.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

#56 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Tue Jan 2, 2001 6:08 pm

Subject: 01-02-2001 Bean bag (GLOCKMAN) russ@lifeonthebeat.com

The Bean Bag.

I took the night off last night, so here is a great story from another officer friend of mine. He will go by the name of Glockman. If ya like the story, let me know and we can encourage him to send more.

If you have a law enforcement related story, please send it to me, along with a nickname for yourself so the readers can follow a certain writer.

Russell

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Last night was one of the craziest, busiest nights I've had. To make a long

story short, me and three other units had already had to pepper spray and

then wrestle a guy into cuffs by 1930 hrs. He was so big we had to use two

sets of cuffs linked together. All night long we were chasing the radio,and

units were leaving the streets with arrests, making it even busier and busier.

We had about 30 units on the road last night, and about 80% of our calls

involved intoxicated persons. There is one area of the beat adjoining ours

which is a strip of hotels and fast food places right off the major highway.

Two units had been sent to a disturbance call at one hotel, and myself and my

partner were dispatched to a hotel a block away to a 10-56 (intoxicated)

female call. A Trooper was following us, apparently hearing the call on his

scanner. All of a sudden I hear a frantic voice key up on his radio and

tone his emergency button on his portable radio. The blood in my veins turned

to ice as I heard the officer frantically shouting "Signal 131" or, Officer

Needs Immediate Assistance. Units start marking up like crazy, and I whip a

bootleggers turn in the road and pull into the parking lot and on scene

within 45 seconds. The Trooper follows us and we arrive to see two of our

squad cars and a mass of about 45 screaming, jostling gangbangers. I cannot

see either of our units. We bail out of the car and jump into the melee

swinging flashlights and pushing through the crowd to the room of this motel

where the trouble seems to be coming from. More units start screeching up

until we have about ten cars jumbled into the lot. Inside the room, two

units have a subject down on the ground cuffed, and are trying to fend off

blows from several agitated gangster looking guys. There is crack cocaine

all over a dresser, and there is lots of liquor bottles and a smoking device

scattered around the room. We rush over and manage to get a few of these

suckers cuffed, when I hear an earth shattering BOOM!. It is the unmistakable

report of a shotgun fired from nearby. For several confused seconds the cops

in the room are trying to figure out who fired the shot, and who they should

shoot back. The dirtbags seem immediately are clearing out of the area,

still hollering and screaming obscenities at us, and that's when I notice a

sergeant standing on the hood of his patrol unit, wielding a pump shotgun.

Several other coppers are bent over a figure laying on the concrete, and I

realize the Sarge is firing one of our new bean-bag shotguns. Within a

minute, all the gangbangers have cleared out and the only ones left are the

few suspects we have in custody including the guy hit with the bean bag. I

can now say without a doubt, those work as advertised! When he was hit, he

went down for the count, a large dark bruise on his hip. Apparently, a

couple of our local gangsters had rented this room to have a "go-go" party

and smoke some crack. When more and more people started showing up, several

scared guests of the hotel called us to report it. When we arrived, the

group bolstered by cocaine and alcohol got brave and started to assault our

officers and cause a disturbance. While we were in the room helping those

officers, several of the young males outside who were taunting us and

accusing us of racism, police brutality, etc. gathered up rocks and glass

bottles and started to hurl them at units as they arrived. When they

advanced on the room we were in with the se crude weapons, Sarge popped the

most threatening looking one, causing him to! fall and scream and causing the

others to run. In the confusion, most of them got away from the scene

without being identified. Mob violence like that scares the hell out of me

because we it is tough to restore order when there is 4 or 5 cops facing 30

gang members. It is becoming an increasingly more prevalent phenomenon

these days, although weapons like our new bean-bag shotguns are helping even

the score

Glockman

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hope to get ya a story of my own, tonight.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

If this email is interesting to you, please forward it to your colleagues, friends and family! They can join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com clicking on the "egroups" banner ad on the main page.

#57 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Jan 22, 2001 8:26 pm

Subject: Last Night's Shift 01-22-01 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Earlier this month I had a situation arise. I was critiqued and questioned about a decision I made on a certain call. Although the administration acted in a professional manner, I took it personally. I bothered me to the point I was not sure if I could ever be the cop I was before. For the better part of this month I had a difficult time going in to work. My confidence was shot.

Two years ago, on my web page I wrote something applicable. I mentioned that there are times when I have all of the answers, then other times I have no idea why I am in this profession. For the last year or so, I was getting so confident in my ability to catch a criminal and make a good solid decision that I felt I had all of the answers. That all changed when the administration took a second look at a call I had been on. They told me that the arrest was fine and charges were applicable, but they stressed that there were concerns on a certain decision I had made.

Instead of taking growing from the criticism, I took it personally. I played the "outta sight outta mind" game. I figured that the best thing I could do is lay low. I would answer my calls and take necessary action, but the extra effort and the extra motivation was gone.

What a horrible month I had. Each night and each call made me question my ability to be a cop. I questioned my ability to make a solid decision.

Every night in after roll call, Cuz and Big O tried to make it alright. They both minimized the problem. "Come on, where is the old Russell" they pleaded. I just lowered my head and shook it. "I dunno, he is gone" I mumbled.

I was traveling home yesterday morning listening to the radio when it hit

me. A story came on about Jessie Jackson having and affair and other

problems. In my mind I thought of how bad things would be in his life. The

answer seemed obvious when people were calling for his resignation. The

answer was so simple. He could never expect to recover from the personal and

professional embarrassment.

As the story continued, I realized that Jessie Jackson had a point to make.

A reporter asked if he was going to resign his position. Mr. Jackson the

shocked me with his reply. He agreed that the mistake he made was one of the

worst in his political and personal life, then he added..........."The

ground is no place for a fighter". I will be back to work, FULL-TIME next

week.

I had what I like to call a "ROCKY" moment. There is a scene in the Rocky

movies where the beaten champ is standing in front of a mirror. His hands

are raised and resting on the upper walls next to the sink and his head is

bowed in shame. All of the sudden the music starts.....Rocky slowly lifts

his head.......He then makes eye contact with himself. The music gets louder

and louder. The look that Rocky gives himself in the mirror is the same as

Mr. Jackson had in his voice this morning..........It's time to make a

change.

The feeling I had at that time rushed through my body and mind. As soon as I

got home I sat on the sofa with powerful emotions building up inside myself.

It was as if the music was building and building.

I had a difficult time sleeping. I tossed and turned. When Cuz called I told

him to listen to a song that I was blasting......Chumbawumba---"I get

knocked down, but I get up again". Ol' Cuz laughed. He giggled and he

knew......."I will see ya at work tonight bro", he said.

At work I got back in action. I stopped a car that with two well known

criminals. After arresting both. I was contacted by at least 4 agencies, a

detective, 2 Lt's, a detective and representatives from one of the nations

largest corporations. These two criminals had connections with recent thefts

in 3 nearby states and several surrounding agencies. The arrests might help solve several recent thefts.

At the end of the night Big O punched me in the chest, smiled and said with

a wink...."It's good to have ya back".

As I worked on the report for several hours after the shift was over, knew I was the old Russell again. The administrator who had spoken with me earlier this month checked on duty. To my surprised and pleasure he told me several times how good of a job I had done. He made it very clear that I had made a wonderful arrest. He talked about my innovation and hard work.

On my way home this morning I realized something I already knew. We are much harder on ourselves that others ever would dare. What I felt was criticism this month was nothing more than a lesson that needed taught. I took it to heart and I took it personally.

Upon thinking of the praise I received this morning, I realized that it's much easier to forget the praise and focus on the negative that someone points out.

Why is that?

It's good to be back.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

#59 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Fri Feb 2, 2001 5:45 am

Subject: Last Night's Shift 02-02-01 Your pickin on the wrong cop russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Your pickin on the wrong cop

The last few shifts have been rather interesting. One of the most thrilling calls came while I was assisting good ole Cuz.

Cuz and another officer we dispatched to a possible fight in progress. The address given inside a set of junky motel rooms. This place is a well known hangout for drugs and drunks. No one is ever surprised when that address comes out.

Dispatch advised that a caller was reporting someone fighting in the room directly behind his. I drifted that direction just to be in the area in case something went down. Cuz located the caller in a room on the north side of the building. While he spoke with the complainant I heard two men talking to each other in a very aggressive manner. The voices were coming from room #22.

I watched the men through an open curtain as Cuz explained the fighting was in #22 or #21, but was not sure which. He then said that the manager informed him that a young female was in #21, but an unknown guy was seen in there earlier in the evening. Cuz and the other officer decided to knock on the door of #21, in order to check the woman's welfare.

As soon as Cuz knocked, I saw one of the men in #22 stand up and march directly toward his door. I quickly informed Cuz. The both doors opened at that same time. The gal in #21 quickly pointed toward the man standing in the doorway of #22. She appeared to be fine, and after explaining the situation, her boyfriend was also happy that we checked on her.

When the doors opened, I began to make small talk with the guy in #22. I could see several beer cans and some open bottles of hard liquor inside the room. It was very obvious that this man was extremely intoxicated. The man was quite aggressive in his actions, so I kept explaining to him in the calmest voice possible why we were there.

About that time, Cuz had stepped away from room 21 and took over talking to the guy in 22. At this point the man made very belligerent comment to Cuz. Like the professional he is, Cuz ignored the personal attack. Cuz started explaining to the man that there was not a problem as long as they were more quiet as to not disturb the other guests. The man only became more loud at this time. It was obvious that the alcohol was talking.

All of the sudden the man took an aggressive step toward Cuz. Immediately Cuz put his open hand in the chest of the man and kept him at arms length. Cuz then stepped back and made some space while talking to the man. Again the man leapt forward and again Cuz used a stiff arm to the chest to keep a safe distance. As soon as Cuz' hand made contact with the man, the man grabbed hold and attempted to twist Cuz' arm. Deep inside I knew that man had just made a tragic mistake. He was picking on the wrong cop.

In a split second, Cuz flipped the drunk around and brought an arm around his back in perfect position to begin cuffing the guy. Unfortunately, the man began to fight in a violent manner. I wanted to assist, but the other officer was directly in the mix to help Cuz. I knew that my job at this point would be to watch the other man in the apartment for our safety. As the three men wrestled, the suspect locked his right arm around the door frame and refused to budge. I reached out and brought that arm from the door frame. We all four then crashed to the ground. I held the right arm and the other officer, kept a grip in the left. In a flash, Cuz popped up and took over the watch where I had just abandoned.

Click zzzzzzzzz, Click zzzzzzzzz, both cuffs were applied to the drunk. I patted him down for weapons and then assisted him to his feet. I told Cuz that I would transport the guy to the jail for booking.

It was so great how that all worked out. As soon as we all hit the ground, Cuz knew that he was the free officer to keep us all safe. After the cuffs were applied, I knew that Cuz would be busy gathering some information at the scene. We were like a machine.

When I booked the guy into jail we had him blow into a breath machine to measure the alcohol content of his breath. It was no shock when the result was .24. More than 2 times the legal limit for a driver in any State!!!

The guy was actually very decent, I honestly think that he was too drunk to know what was going on. With that in mind, we only charged the guy with the minimum offense. He went to sleep in his cell without causing anyone another problem.

In the morning I spoke with him. He said that he had no idea why he was in jail. I talked to him for a while and was happy with the decision to go easy on the fellow.

It's not all about stacking charges for more statistics. It's not all about hammering a guy for saying belligerent comments to police officers. It's more about treating someone like a human being and hoping that they will become a better person.

I am just happy that we are well trained that we can easily handle some of the dangers we face at any given moment. I am even more happy that all three officers (and the suspect) went home with no injuries.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Just for the record let me give you all some insight into my personal life. About the last week of November my wife suffered a major back injury. She has three herniated discs and one buldging disc in her spine. Since that time she has been pretty much confined to bedrest. All of the household chores and duties have been done by me and my children. Free time to write emails has been at a minimum.

This week my wife has been feeling 100% better. The injury is still there, but physical therapy and the latest drugs in the medical industry are finally having a positive effect.

I just though that I would pass on that bit of news about my best friend.

Please forward these emails to your colleagues, friends and family! They can join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com SUBSCRIBE on the main page.

#61 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Feb 5, 2001 9:35 am

Subject: Last Night's Shift 02-05-2001 Mistake and the Stolen Purse russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Mistake and the Stolen Purse

When you all here how this story unfolds your gonna laugh. I know I did.

I was assigned the South area of town last night. Actually I chose it. Big O

took center and Cuz called in and took the night off. He has 5 court cases

today. When you are working graves, it's impossible to work and go to court the

next day and then work the next night. This is why Cuz called in. I joked with

him and said that if he wrote better tickets and wrote better reports he would

not be in court so much. I know that's not true, but it's fun to joke about.

Back to the story. Big O was on a call and I noticed that there was a call in

pending. The reporting party was requesting that we call her at home. We call

this a "telephone contact". So I advised dispatch that I would take the

telephone contact (even though these calls are normally the duty of a center

area officer).

It was a delayed stolen purse call. Normally these calls are really the pits.

There is never any suspect information and if there is, it never pans out. The

purse is rarely recovered and the checks and credit cards are usually used till

the accounts are dry.

When I called the gal she was very nice. She said that she was at a local

shopping superstore and inadvertently left her purse in her shopping cart. She

said that when she returned to the store it was gone.

I began to take her information and tell her we would keep an eye out for it

when she said that she has a plate number of the person who took it. I was

shocked, because I had no idea how anyone would have gotten a plate number. She

then explained how it all worked out.

After she left the purse in the cart and drove away, an employee saw the purse

and began walking with it to the main office. At that point a couple had been

watching what was going on. They drove over to the employee and the female told

him that the purse belonged to her. The employee had no reason not to believe

the female, so he gave her the purse. The couple then drove away.

Meanwhile, a third person witnessed the entire thing. He saw the first woman

leave the purse and then watched the employee accidentally give the purse to the

male and female. This witness then took down the license plate number of the

suspect vehicle. The problem is he accidentally transposed some of the numbers

in the plate information.

You are beginning to see the title of this story come into shape.......we

already have the stolen purse, so now for the mistake.

After speaking to the victim, I responded over and got the employees

information. He gave me a vehicle description and suspect information as good as

he could figure. Another employee then contacted me and told me that the eye

witness in the case gave a plate number and an account of what happened, but

said the eyewitness did not want to be involved in any way.

I took the information and thanked everyone for their help. I was excited

because I had some suspect information to work with. When I ran the plate it

came back to a local address. This was a great step in the right direction. I

looked down and noticed that I made a bad mistake. I had typed in the wrong

plate number for my search on the state computer. When I put in the correct

number, I came up with a new truck, and it was the wrong model and was not from

this area at all. I looked again at the plate number that the eye witness

provided. It was the second number I tried. Confused?? Well, I was. I figured I

was at a dead end. I figured that I would refer this information to the

detectives and when a ton of fraud cases turn up they could have some

information to go on.

I then looked at the first number I typed into the computer system. Again I

noticed that the vehicle information was exactly like the one I was looking for.

I decided to drive by and make contact with the homeowner. As soon as I arrived

I knew that my mistake was a good one. There was an adult male outside. When I

explained why I was there, he laughed and said that sounded something like his

brother would do. He said that there was a female with him that matched the

description I gave. He then agreed to call me as soon as they got home.

In the meantime I checked all the local motels and any business that was open. I

figured the couple was out having a spending spree. About the time I was ready

to call it quits, my cell phone rang. It was the guy I just spoke with. He said

that his brother and the female just got home and they have several packages.

I raced down and got some back-up in route. The brother let me in and even

knocked on the door of the room where the suspects was located. When they opened

the door, I knew that I had the right suspects. The first thing I asked is

"Have you been at such and such store tonight". At the same time they both

blurted out, "NO, why?"

I smiled and pointed out several bags in the room that were filled with food

items and other stuff. All of the bags were from the store that I just asked

about. Both got real silent real fast. I then separated the two suspects and

began to investigate a bit. The male suspect then pointed out the stolen purse

but claimed they brought it here so that they could call the owner. I told the

guy I did not believe him and that he was under arrest. After cuffing him I

found a stolen credit card in his back pocket that belonged to tonight's victim.

He had nothing to say about that.

At that point I spoke to the female. She admitted taking the purse and using the

credit card. I arrested her as well.

On the way to the jail she crumpled up a receipt and ditched it in my seat.

Little did she know, I check my seats before every suspect and after every

suspect that I put in the rear of my patrol car.

You should have been there to see the look on both of their face when I let them

out of the car and popped up the back seat to see under it. HAHAHAHAHA

"What's this?" I asked. After that I read Miranda and got full confessions out

of both.

Come to find out, the male is on parole. He likely will finish the last ten

years of a 15 year sentence he was let out early on.

The female is just weeks off probation, but hopefully the judge will see the

criminal history she has grown into.

I think that these two were meant to get caught. There is no way I could have

run the WRONG plate and come up with the correct suspects. The odds are

spectacular. I have no explanation for it. I guess it's true what they

say.........

We all get lucky sometimes.

Russell

http://www.lifeonthebeat.com

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

join this free service by writing to me at russ@lifeonthebeat.com or by

simply visiting my website http://www.lifeonthebeat.com SUBSCRIBE on the main

page.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#62 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Mon Apr 23, 2001 7:53 am

Subject: The hanging....... 4-22-2001 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Good to be back. I know its been a while since I last wrote, so I will explain.

In February I tore ligaments in my left knee.....again and I missed several

weeks of work. Then, most of March and April my wife had been down and out with

a very bad back. She had a surgery to repair a ruptured disk and had severe

complications. Between all that, raising 4 kids, and a malpractice lawsuit (over

the failed surgery), I have not written a Last Night's Shift report in a while.

Hopefully I can stay in touch again. :-)

But enough of that, now for the police stuff.

The last few months have actually been really tough. A new schedule was

announced and we all begin that in May. I really like the concept of the

schedule, however, in the process they have split me, Cuz and Big O apart. The

department changed from a "bid" type schedule based on seniority to a "team"

schedule. With the old schedule I was pretty much able to work several nights a

week with Big O and Cuz, when they went to the team schedule, we have a

manditory 2 month rotation. As luck would have it, we are all 3 on different

teams. In May I go to swing shift, Big O goes to days, and Cuz does a stint of

graves. After 2 months we all rotate. It's a great concept for the department as

a whole, but makes it real tough on several officers. I am staying open minded

to see how it all pans out over the next 6 months to a year.

So, as you might understand, I have been a bit frusterated by the whole

splitting of great friends and working partners.

Work lately has been very exciting.

While on duty last night, dispatch announced a suicide in progress. I was

driving along at a simple pace when the call came out. As soon as I heard the

call I dropped the petal to the floor and raced "code 3" while listening for an

update. As I neared the scene, I cut my siren, so that I the suicidal male did

not hear me. They advised that the man was found by family members swinging from

a noose that was tied to a tree limb in the front yard.

As I rounded the corner, dispatch updated officers, saying that the man was now

on the ground and it was unknown if he was breathing or not. I blacked out

several houses down the street and crept up closer to the area of the call. Two

other officers were arriving at the same time. We all popped out of our cars and

approached the house, not exactly sure what condition the victim was going to

be.

There was a woman in the yard standing over two men near the base of a large

tree. A rope with a noose was hanging from a large limg. The woman was screaming

and crying. She had a telephone in her left and and tears streaming down her

face.

I then approached the area and spoke to the two men on the ground. Luckily, both

were breathing and well alive. One man then advised that he came out of the

house to find his friend dangling from a rope in the tree. Another officer began

speaking to the victim while I talked to the witnesses.

As it turns out the man had been fighting with his wife. They were talking about

a divorce and separation when he walked out of the house. After a few minutes

she came out and found him hanging from the rope. (Luckily), his toes were able

to reach the ground and he was fighting and gasping for air.

After it was all said and done, I am quite sure the man was only trying for

attention. Well, tonight he got plenty of attention. When paramedics checked him

out and found him to be medically fine, we transported him to the local mental

health facility. Hopefully we won't need to deal with him again, although I will

remember this address for future referance.

The next exciting call we got was also a medical type call.

Big O, Cuz and I were all in a parking lot, typing reports on our in-car

computers when dispatch gave the code 3 tones over the air. We all quickly

checked the computer for the pending call. The address was just around the

corner from where we were sitting, so we all quickly buzzed into the area.

Dispatch then advised of a possible heart attack at the address shown. We all

three advised that we were on scene. Cuz and Big O marched into the apartment.

Several people were outside waving them inside. I quickly got into my trunk and

grabbed a bag with a mouthpiece for assisance in CPR.

When I entered the house, the man was completely purple. He looked real bad.

While we put on the rubber gloves we all discussed a plan of action. I threw the

bag and mouthpiece to Big O. We pulled the man to the floor and began to check

for vitals. There was no pulse or breathing. Big O put the mouthpiece over the

mans face and began to pump air into the victims lungs. Just as I was about to

start chest compressions the man took a huge gasp of air. It was a horrific

sound, something your hear and see only in a movie. All of the sudden the man

had a pulse and labored breathing.

Luckily for us (and the man) the paramedics arrived and took over.

The whole time that we worked on the man, these two woman were talking and

asking questions. We tried to get any information from them possible but both

claimed not to know anything. They said they only knew his first name and

refused to tell us ant other information. When it was obvious that we were not

getting any cooperation I asked the women to step out of the room to make more

room to the paramedics.

It became aparent that this was a drug overdose. Both women were still chirping

in our ears while we worked on the guy. Very rarely go I get annoyed at someone,

but in this case I was annoyed. We suspected that the women were both high on

meth and I never did find out what drug the man had used to O.D.

The man was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital. I went down to get

a new bag and mouthpiece because the one I had was for single use only. When I

got there I asked the doctors if the man was going to make it. They gave me that

look....then said they were not sure at this point. I grabbed a new bag and left

the area.

As I left the hospital, I saw the two females walking into the emergency room. I

got out of there just in time.

Russell

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#63 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Sun Apr 29, 2001 5:18 am

Subject: Why do people........ 4-28-2001 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Many times out on patrol I find myself stratching my head, asking my self a

simple question. "Why do people act this way?".

Last night I asked that question. The shift had just begun. We were somewhat

short on manpower because of a couple officers with the night off, so I decided

not to make a lot of traffic stops so that I could stay available for calls from

dispatch. I pulled up to a red light and began checking the stereo for some good

tunes, when a jacked up SUV pulled up next to me. I didn't think much of it

until I heard his booming stereo get turned up. It became so loud that me car

was actually shaking. I never quite understood the logic behind that thumping

and booming type of stereo system, but as they say "to each thier own".

As I waited for the light to change from red to green, the stereo in the SUV got

extremely loud. It seemed to me that the driver was trying to annoy people on

purpose. As soon as the light turned green he pounded on the gas petal and

lurched forward through the intersection. It was at this point I stratched my

head and uddered the above question to myself. I looked at the vehicle and

noticed that on top of everything his plates were expired. It was as if he was

begging me to pull him over.

At that point I activated my over head lights, flipped on my rear flashing

lights and pulled behind the SUV. As soon as I reached the drivers side window,

a young man leaned out and demanded to know why I stopped him. I smiled and

asked for his license, registration, and insurance information, just like I do

on every other traffic stop.

As he fumpled around for his information he grumbled and cursed under his

breath. It seemed to me that he was doing whatever he could to make me upset. I

spoke in a pleasant voice and explained to him that his license plates were

expired and that was the reason for the stop. He rolled his eyes and flipped his

doccuments at me. I then asked why he felt so compelled to turn his radio up to

such an annoying volume. He shot back at me, "There is no law against that". I

smiled and explained that I would explain the law in detail as soon as I bring

back his information.

I went back to my car and looked over the situation. There was about 5

violations, not counting the disturbing the peace for the stereo. I scratched

out a ticket for the expired registration and walked back up to his vehicle. He

had a few passengers in the vehicle so I asked him to step out onto the sidewalk

and speak with me for a second. I knew that getting him away from the friends

would take away the audience that he was playing.

He got out of the vehicle and showed that discusted look. He began to tell me

how the cops target him. He told how picked on his is in the city. I listened

for a minute then I explained my situation. I explained the sitation and then

had him sign it. He barked at me saying that there is no way I could see the

expired tags on the rear plate. I didn't argue with him because I knew the

answer. I then tried to soften the citation by telling him all of the warnings I

was giving him. He didn't seem to appreciate any of the warnings, only tell me

how I am picking on him. I acted as if I was listening, but I knew it was

fruitless to even try to explain my thoughts.

I ended the converstation by telling him the local ordinances concerning the

loud music. (Unfortunately, he was right.....in a way. The laws here are

difficult to apply in this situation. There is not really an ordinace or a

statute that he violated. The one city ordinance says basically that a warning

must be given and a citation could be issued on the second violation.) After

explaining the law, I told him that its not really a matter of the laws, its a

matter of respecting others. I explained that it is very annoying for other

people in vehicles and nearby residences to be forced to listen to his booming,

thumping stereo.

Again he rolled his eyes and turned it into a poor picked on me. He said "All I

am trying to do is make it to a movie" I granted him permision to leave and

asked that he buckle up and drive safely. He stomped off to the drivers side of

the vehicle. He revved the engine, cranked the volume started off down the road.

If he had looked in his rear view mirror he would have seen me standing there,

stratching my head.

Russell

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#64 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Sat May 5, 2001 6:21 pm

Subject: Springer show, where are you?... 5-5-2001 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

In briefing they went over the previous shift report. There was not a lot to

pass on so it was pretty dry and boring. The nice thing was that we were working

with a full crew as well as two officers on overtime working the State funded

alcohol officer shift. It's nice to be fully staffed out there.

At the end of briefing they announced that there was a ride along waiting in the

front lobby. I know how most of the officers do not want to have a ride along,

so (as usual) I immediately stand up and volunteer. I have a great camera system

in my patrol car with a mic on my belt. It's great because as soon as I turn on

the mic, the ride along can hear, very clearly the conversation I am having with

a suspect.

The first big call we got was a family fight. The female was calling stating

that they had been fighting, alcohol was a factor and he was just getting ready

to leave in his old dodge pick up truck. Many times this is where we get a DUI

arrest because the person leaving is too mad and drunk to make a rational

decision to walk or call a friend.

As I arrived the male party had already left the area. I began speaking to the

female. She painted a picture of her ex-husband as a very bad person. She said

that he was drinking and would not speak rational to her. She said that he

called her a "F---ing Bi---" The more she talked about the relationship and the

type of guy he was, the more I figured he would be going to jail for sure.

She explained how they have been divorced for 2 years, but because of their

small child, they have gotten back together several times. She said that they

have finally decided to call it quits, so she asked him to move out of the

apartment. I thought that sounded reasonable, because she had custody of the

child and all. He was working full time and she only had a part-time job.

While standing there talking to her I tried to keep an open mind. I know--all

too well--that there are two sides to every story. So, as she spoke I was

sympathetic, but not judgmental.

I asked if he had struck her or pushed her. She denied that the fight had been

physical at all. I explained that I would be making a report. If he returned and

she needed police again, then she should feel free to call.

As I walked out, I began talking to the back-up officer about the case. It was a

common call that we handle, so we both shrugged it off and walked to our patrol

cars. About the time I sat down, I saw the male subject round the corner in his

old blue dodge truck.

I stepped out of my cruiser and waited for him to pull up and park. I figured

that he was going to jail for DUI. The way she described him, he was double the

legal limit.

When he stepped out of the truck, to my surprise, he appeared quite sober. His

eyes were clear, his balance appeared to be fine and his speech was not slurred

at all. I was not depressed that he was not drunk, but I was taken back a bit.

I started talking to him about the incident. He agreed that they have had some

problems, but then he said something that really shocked me. He described a

situation two weeks back how he came home from work and found his her sleeping

with the neighbor man in his bed! He said that since that time she has been

staying next door at the neighbors house.

I listened for some rational explanation as to why they are together at all. He

admitted that he loves but knows one of them has to go. I kinda smiled and

agreed. He said that tonight, she came over to do laundry and started yelling at

him. He said that he just stood there till he started to get so mad that he

could not think straight. He said that he would never hit her, so when it looked

like that was an option, he left in his truck. I asked about the drinking, he

smiled and said that she probably told officers that he was blind drunk, I

nodded. He then admitted to having a sip of Jack Daniels a earlier, but offered

to do field sobriety tests. I told him it was not necessary.

At that point I went back inside and spoke to the female. She had a slightly

different tune, now that I knew the entire story. She then agreed to leave as

soon as her laundry was completed.

Both parties agreed to stay calm and said that there was no need for me to be

there.

About 4 hours later I got a call at the same address. I rolled my eyes and

thought, where is Jerry Springer when I need him. Dispatch advised that the

female was calling and said she had been assaulted.

We responded back and again, I had that thought of taking the male to jail. In

my minds eye I figured that he finally lost it and knocked her around.

After sorting through several stories and witnesses, it became apparent that she

was the aggressor. She heard him over here partying with his friends. I guess

she could not take it so she came back, yelling and screaming. He stood there

with his hands behind his back while she began shoving and punching him.

Obviously they had very different stories, I felt confident that I had gotten to

the bottom of the situation.

Needless to say, she was arrested and charged. The guy thanked me, but I just

offered some advice. I told him to get the heck out of this situation. There was

no solution except for him to get as far away from her and her new boyfriend as

possible.

This is a situation I would place money on that we will return. It's not over,

not by a long shot.

Russell

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#65 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Thu May 17, 2001 2:14 pm

Subject: We the Jury...... 05-17-2001 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

Hello again!! Before I begin the email I need to get some business taken care

of. First of all, its been a while since my site has had a working message

board. If any of you have suggestions for a new one please email me.

Also, I invite you all to come to the chat room about 7 pm eastern time. You can

get to the chat room through my site at www.lifeonthebeat.com Several members

have expressed interest in getting a few more police chatters.

Now for the meat and taters!

I really had an interesting day yesterday. I went to court on a DUI trial. Nine

times out of ten they will settle these type of cases or try the case in front

of a judge only. Yesterday was an exception to all the stats.

The defendant refused to settle, under any circumstances and demanded a jury

trial.

I was a little nervous because I had not testified in my 4 years as a police

officer in front of a Jury. On top of it all, it was a DUI trial. There is so

much information to remember on a DUI that it gets quite intimidating.

I showed up for court about 30 minutes early and met with the city attorney. We

went over a few things. He mentioned a few questions that the defense would ask

and he gave me some last minute tips for taking the stand.

As we walked into the court room, the jury members were all sitting there. I

tried to act as professional as possible. The last thing I wanted to do is

offend one of them before it all started. You just never know what the jury will

use to decide the case.

It was quite funny because about ten minutes into the hour, the Judge pointed

out that the defendant and the defense attorney had not appeared. The City

attorney explained that he talked to the defense attorney only a few hours

before. At that point the judge decided to begin the trial.

There was approximately 25 people in the jury pool. Some looked excited to be

there and some looked as though it was a severe inconvenience. I just sat back

and watched as things progressed. One by one the jury members stood up and gave

a brief description of themselves. The judge asked several questions about each

persons ability to keep an open mind and listen to all the facts.

About 30 minutes into it, the defendant came strolling in. He was wearing a

shirt and jeans. Immediately I figured he was making a bad impression with the

jury. He seemed to show no respect for the judge, jury or court. A few minutes

later his attorney walked in and acted surprised that they had already started

things. After a brief discussion with the judge, things resumed.

The jury was quickly selected down to 4 members. (4 people needed for a

misdemeanor). Jury instructions were read and the trial began.

As the prosecution began they called me to the stand as the first witness.

I had been reading and re-reading my notes. I wanted to know them forwards and

back. I had been trying to remember all of the stuff I was taught in all of my

DUI classes and Intoxilizer training classes.

As the city attorney began to ask questions, I felt very comfortable. He led me

through the entire stop. I tried to be as descriptive as possible. I wanted to

speak to the jury in simple terms, but at the same time sound as though I knew

what I was talking about.

After a while the city finished with me and the defense took over.

As he asked each question I began to feel that I was the one on trial. He

questioned every judgment call I had made during the entire encounter with his

defendant. He grilled me up one side and down the other. We talked about the

odors, the things I saw, and the attitude of his client. He tried to make the

jury feel sorry for the defendant while painting me to be one of these cops that

does not follow the rules and did not care about his client.

The main line of his questioning went into field sobriety tests. He asked how

confident I was with the tests. I explained that I felt very proficient in the

tests. I am so happy to answer that way. It took a while into my career that I

actually felt good about my skills in the field tests.

I was on the stand for an hour and 15 minutes. It seemed like a long time, but I

was trying to concentrate on the details of the case, so it was not as bad as it

seems.

We took a recess after I got off the stand. The other officer and the city

attorney both said that I did well on the stand. I told the attorney that I was

not sure where the defense was going with things. He immediately sat straight up

and warned me not to try and guess where he's leading. I agreed, but I guess as

a police officer your always trying to read into what someone says as much as

your listening to what they actually do say.

When we resumed, the prosecution rested and the defense presented its case. They

called the mother of the defendant. It was almost better for us that she was on

the stand. She admitted that she did not see any thing and seemed to only be on

the stand to make it out that the police officers were so very mean to her son.

She made a few mistakes and I think that the jury felt as though she might be

covering up for her son.

After she finished, I could hear the defendant asking his attorney to put him on

the stand. The defense attorney was telling him that he really did not want him

to take the stand. When that did not work, the attorney looked at the judge and

asked him to help persuade his client not to take the stand. I nearly lost it!!!

The judge cocked his head to the side, closed one eye and tried to understand

what had just been said. "At that point the attorney began stuttering and said,

Uh, Uh, um I guess I can talk to him about his rights" The judge then looked

toward the city's table and appeared to have the look on his face, like "what

did I just hear". After a few seconds the judge gave in and explained the fifth

amendment to the defendant. He said that he did not need to take the stand and

that if he did he would have to answer many questions from both attorneys. With

that the defendant stood up and took the stand.

I knew it was suicide.

About 5 minutes into his testimony, he said "Oh, I admit that I was drunk!" His

attorney stuttered again. "Uh, uh, well, um....." After a long pause the

attorney began again. It was all downhill from that point.

When the prosecutor stood up, I whispered him good luck. With the precision of a

brain surgeon, the City attorney dissected the defendant. The guy basically

confessed to everything.

After closing arguments the jury looked about ready to kill the defendant for

waiting their time.

When they returned I sat with the City attorney. The judge read the

verdict........"Guilty!"

With that the jury was released.

The judge decided to wait on sentencing because the city had found 9 previous

DUI arrests on the defendant. It's a fact that the jury was not allowed to hear.

I would loved to have told them. I am sure each would have had their jaw firmly

on the floor.

After 5 hours for the trial, I ran over to the station, changed and worked

patrol till 0100. It was a good shift, a couple arrests and one "felony" stop on

a carload of gangbangers after a knife fight.

Russell

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#66 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Wed May 23, 2001 1:51 pm

Subject: Stop thief......05-23-2001 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

The last couple weeks have been very busy for me on duty. I am working the swing

shift (3pm-1am) and it is fast and furious from start to stop. There has only

been one night that I can remember when I walked out of the PD on time.

Last nights shift was no different.

My first call was a report of a speeding vehicle in a residential area.

Obviously it was long gone before I got out of the station and went all the way

across town to my area.

The next call was a report of 2 shoplifters in custody. The caller was

requesting a Spanish speaking officer. I offered to take the call because all of

our Spanish speakers were tied up on wrecks and family fights. When I arrived I

spoke to the security guy who told me how he caught two suspects stealing items.

He explained that he was looking through one of 140 camera on the business floor

when he observed these two ladies take a microwave oven off the shelf and then

out of its box. The women then filled the inside of the microwave with several

items they already had collected around the store. They then repackaged the

microwave and purchased it at a checkstand.

The security guard explained that he has seen similar acts in the past, but

never the microwave trick. As I eluded to a few moments ago, the women did not

speak a word of English. I decided to do my best interview in my poor English

and even poorer Spanish. It was not going well at all when a gal that works at

the store offered to translate for me. AHHHH!!!! I was rescued!

With the help of the employee I asked a few questions and got the answers that I

was looking for. Both women were arrested and charged with retail theft.

As soon as I cleared from that call, ANOTHER shoplifter in custody was reported

at the local mall. As I headed down there, dispatch called a second officer to a

different location in the mall on a yet more shoplifters in custody. It's

strange how this job works like that. I can go 2 weeks without arresting a

shoplifter, then there is a day like today, when every store in town has someone

in custody.

I went to the call given to me and met up with a mall security, who just so

happened to be GO, from our department working off duty. If you remember 18

months or so ago, GO got ran over by a suspect in a stolen truck. GO is back and

as good as ever.

Anyway, back to my story. GO told me how this 16 year old punk snagged a pair of

sunglasses from a booth there in the hallway of the mall and took off. When the

store clerk told GO what had happened, GO tracked him down. I took the kid into

custody and attempted to call his parents, but they were unavailable. I stuck

him in a juvenile holding cell at the station, where he sat for 2 hours for mom

to come get him. I can tell you this. At first he acted as if we were only a

delay in his plans for the day. After only 2 hours in a cell, he was a changed

boy. He was apologetic and asking for ways to pay the store owner back for the

stolen property.

It's interesting how this job is. I used to lecture many of the people I

arrested for similar crimes, hoping that I could change them in some little way.

Nowadays I have come full circle and believe that most people do not listen to

much of any lecture. I usually just ask what happened, put it in my report and

issue a citation or make an arrest (whichever is necessary). I have found that

this type of routine can be more of a trust builder than any lecture I could

give.

I am not sure if what I am saying makes sense to you, but it works perfectly for

me. I get more confessions and more apologies from suspects by simply showing

some respect and saving that lecture for another day.

After this call I went to another call at the mall (see the theme here) on a

call of a man unhappy with service from a photography studio. His order was

apparently late so he blew up, called everyone Mother F'ers and then made his

big mistake. His final words when he left was a threat to blow up the store if

his order was not in by tomorrow morning.

I took several statements from employees and customers, then I tracked this

fellow down. He admitted to everything but explained that they messed up his

order, so he had the right to do that. I disagreed with him. I wrote him a

citation and told him that if he did not agree he could talk to the judge on his

court date.

After this call I knew I was WAY behind on reports, so I pulled into a parking

lot on the south end of town. Just as I got into the narrative of my first

report dispatch advised of a caller reporting a green jeep with no top headed

southbound. The report was a possible DUI with the passengers having open

containers of alcohol. Just as the report came out, I looked up and saw the

suspect vehicle. I got that half cocked smile when I saw the front seat

passenger take a swig from a silver beer can as they passed by me.

I pulled em over and began to talk to the driver. After field tests and

everything was said and done, I arrested the driver for DUI----.103 and the

passengers were all issued citations for open container. None were sober enough

to walk anywhere, let alone drive....so I offered to have another officer

respond and take them to some nearby location. They all cheered up real fast

when the other officer arrived and they knew they had a ride.

As per state law, I waited for the tow truck to arrive and impound the Jeep.

Thanks to the person who called in we got another drunk off the street without

him crashing into some innocent person.

It took the next 4-5 hours for me to catch up on paperwork so that I could be

ready for my shift tonight.

Russell

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#67 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Fri May 25, 2001 12:35 am

Subject: Guilty again and again!!!.....05-25-2001 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY NEW MESSAGE BOARD! Several people have requested that I get

it up an running again. So here ya go. Please set yourself up a profile and

include as much information as you feel comfortable.

http://www.ganon.net/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=15

Tonight's email will be short and sweet. I took the day off, because I knew I

would be in court all day again on another DUI trial. It's really strange,

because I went 4 years and probably took the stand 20-30 times. I can think of

fewer than 2-3 times I ever had to take the stand on a DUI trial-----till this

week. Earlier in the week I wrote about the jury trial for a DUI and now I had

another DUI where the guy would not take a plea bargain. I'll be honest, I am

confident enough in my arrests that I'd rather the attorneys not plea them down

and set 'em all for trial. The problem is that there is no way the courts could

support that many cases. It seems that they are busting at the seems right now.

Today I went into court at little early, because CUZ and Big O were on a trial

of their own.(It was a DUI, again, remember that this is really a new thing for

us) Cuz took the stand first and took an eternity. They grilled him and grilled

him. Our City prosecutor is awesome. He can see and counter anything the defense

is setting up. Today, several times the defense attorney was literally attacking

Cuz on the stand. Normally a prosecutor would throw out some objections and

other motions, but in this case, the defense attorney was getting visibly mad.

He was trying to force 'ole Cuz into a yes or no answer, and tricking him into

saying something he did not mean. After about 30-40 minutes of the grilling,

Cuz was done with him.

Here is a little secret. Never argue with Cuz. He is the master. He was on the

debate team. Probably the head of it. He is able to make a point and make it

crystal clear. Too bad it took the defense so long to figure that out.

When Big O took the stand in the same case, the defense must have been worn

down. Every question he tried to twist......Big O clarified each answer making

Cuz look even more credible.

The judge found the drunk guilty on about 6 charges. He waited on sentencing

because the guy has had prior DUI/Assault on Officer cases in the past.

By the time I took the stand, we were all tired. The first case took WAY too

long, but it was necessary.

The judge found my guy guilty. He got a couple days in jail and a decent fine.

It was a first offense and the guy, represented himself. The judge said

afterward that the guy did a better job defending himself that most attorneys

would have done.

After that I was beat, I came home and watched my baby girl "Billie" take off

walking across the lawn. It was the first time she ever walked more than a few

steps. Not to bad for 9 month old eh?

Russell

http://www.ganon.net/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum&f=15

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#68 From: "Russell" <russ@lifeonthebeat.com>

Date: Tue May 29, 2001 2:36 pm

Subject: Punks?? 05-29-2001 russ@lifeonthebeat.com

I am running late for work today so I thought I would tell you all that I have

updated the site again.

The Ask-A-Cop message board is up and running. Thank you to all who have

contributed to it's success so far.

Also, I have added a couple of new pages to my pics. Hopefully you all can enjoy

them.

Here is the caption to page 27 of the pics.

Enjoy.

I was running radar the other day when I looked up to see these guys watching

me. I pulled over and chatted with them for a while. (the dates are wrong, I

never have figured out how to set the date)

As I talked to them the kid with the white T-shirt on his shoulder looked at me

and said, "