For the last two weeks I've been sitting in the passenger seat of an
unfamiliar patrol car, training a new recruit. It's agony. Not because
of the new guy, but because….well, I'm a cop because I am not meant to
be locked in a cubicle, or a jail, or….Uggh. You know what I mean!

Although we've had a wide variety of cases, I can't really pin down a
great one to thrill or entertain ya'll right now. I decided that I'll
pass on some of the rambling thoughts and statements I've had or made
over the last 80 hours of being incarcerated… umm, I mean, over the
last 80 hours of the opportunity to train a new officer.

*"Don't ever do what I just did", "Do as I say not as I do" (Oh boy,
they prohibited that statement when I got certified to be a training
officer). "Don't ever say" what that officer just said. "Don't ever
tell a suspect" what I just did. "Don't ever". Followed by everything
I just did.

*"What goals do you have?" Among the many goals of being a police
officer I list "staying out of the soap opera's", near the top of my
list. Admittedly, I'm not good at meeting this goal, but at least I
try. It's a strange goal in many ways, because 99% of the calls you
take are due to someone being involved in a "soap opera". People call
the police because of the drama they bring on themselves. The other 1%
is real crime, real criminals, real police work…you understand. My
definition of soap opera includes, ex-husband and ex-wifes, parents
not being parents, kids being kids, officers sick of working with
other officers, dispatchers sick of working with certain officers,
officers unhappy with all dispatchers, stupid drivers, crazy drivers,
attention seekers, the justice system not serving justice, the public
hating cops, the cops disgruntled with the public, the police who are
damned if they do and damned if they don't, the public that feels they
are damned if they do and damned if they don't, the administration
pissed off at the officers, the officers wondering why the
administration doesn't remember that we're on the same team.

*I can't believe how many times I've been typing reports, in a room
full of other officers typing reports, giving lectures of "what not to
say to you're wife". I can't tell you how many times I've been sitting
there when another officer expresses complete shock at the things I've
said! I don't know why I say the things I do---to my wife or to the
other officers. (Uuugh, it's just another example of a soap opera in
my life. Drama at home, then allowing the other officers to know that
I have drama at home.

*If we knew what we had before it was gone. If I knew what I had I'd
never make comments to my wife like I do.

*Maybe if she knew what she had, she'd never…(I'll stop before I make
one of those comments I shouldn't ever make. (Now you know what I mean)

*Why am I forced to carry my gun everywhere I go? Why don't I carry my
gun everywhere I go?

*I love this job, I love this career, I love the people, I love the
city. I love teaching people and I love talking to people.

*"You better have passion for police work or I'll……" I dunno what I'll
do, but I will do it.

*Heading home from work I heard some talk show host on the radio
talking about how crime increases on a full moon. "The lunatics come
out", he says. "I've talked to officers…I have friends that are cops…"
On and on the guy goes, professing his knowledge of crime on the night
of a full moon. I'm wondering if this guy really knows any of the
officers he claims to know. How many of these officers claim to know
this guy? Lord knows I've heard the, "I know officer so and so"
comments, but rarely does anyone ever know so and so. Then I think to
myself, "where does this guy get his info". I know the old saying is
that the full moon causes lunatics to be loony, but is that a wives
tale. I bet it is. I bet the stat's would prove it. I bet I could
research it. I bet I could prove that there is more crime on a Friday
night on a holiday weekend than there is on any full moon. Hey, think
about this one radio guy. What would happen if there is a full moon on
a holiday weekend on a Friday night?

*I want to be a hero. I don't want attention. I want to be a hero, but
I don't want the attention. Why don't they pay attention to heroes? If
I were hero I wouldn't want the attention even if I got it. Is that
humility or a product of the job…maybe you have that before becoming a
cop…maybe you get it after being a cop.

*Sometimes I wonder if I'll inspire entire generations. Sometimes I
wonder if I've done my job, maybe I've inspired one person. Sometimes
I wonder if I've done more good than bad. Sometimes I wonder if I've
done more bad that good. Would people be better off without me? Would
I be better off without them?

*Next time I move I'll tell my neighbors that I'm a truck driver, that
way I won't have do defend myself, I won't have to talk about my job,
and I won't have to listen to all their police stories, then I won't
have to repeat all of my police stories.

*A few weeks ago I had a reporter ride with me. I didn't tell her that
I came out on my own time. I got in uniform and checked on duty, on my
day off, just to have the chance to show her what "really" goes on out
here. She wanted a story about some of my stories. (Someday I'll tell
you why). It didn't take long for her to get her story. As the time
passed, things went from boring to "sir, I need you to follow my
pen….sir, I can you take nine steps….sir, can you balance on one
leg….." Things turned out well because the driver was three times over
the legal limit. This liberal reporter didn't have any room to tell me
that the guy "made a mistake" needs a "second chance", wasn't "that
bad". She had no room to argue. She had no room to write a story about
officers arresting people that "shouldn't be arrested". The guy was so
drunk that she was almost in shock that a man could even stand, let
alone find first gear while letting the clutch out at the same time.
As the story goes (my version of the story), we get to the jail and I
let her come inside to watch the booking room. (Maybe the right thing,
maybe not. Maybe it was against policy, maybe it wasn't. I don't care.
I really don't care). About 2 hours into the DUI arrest and paperwork
the reporter asked if she could go home. She had prior commitments. I
didn't tell her that I left my wife hanging. I didn't tell her that I
couldn't drop this case and run to my son's first T-ball game. I
didn't tell her it was my day off. I just pointed out the fact that I
haven't even finished a tenth of the investigation. I haven't even
started on the five-page narrative. The report that will be picked
about over the next 17 months by a prosecuting attorney and then a
defense attorney looking for a buck by defending this drunk driver. I
just let her out of the jail and I continued with what I had to do.

*I'm here to do my job, not make friends. I don't want friends. I have
passion for the job, so I don't need friends. "I have so much passion
for the job that my eyes are full of tears right now. How can I make
you believe me?"…I went into the dispatch office the other night, by
the time I left one of the girls asked the other, "Does he really hate
everyone?" I'm glad she thinks that. I'm happy I was able to make her
feel that I only come to work because I love the job, nothing else.

*I'll tell you what pains me the most. "At least you work for a safe
city. It's not like you work in Chicago or L.A.". What I'd give to
make it clear to these people how dirty the streets really are! What
I'd give to be able to teach them how many kids died from heroin
overdoses last week. I'd be tickled pink if people could figure out
that the newspapers don't report the whole story. The 10 o'clock news
doesn't tell anything more than the tip of the iceberg.

*Cops are the greatest actors ever. Real actors get retakes and
retries. Cops get one chance to make it happen. Most of our job is a
complete acting job. I'm being serious. How can a man ever put his arm
around some child molester and convince him that he understands? How
could you make that man think that we understand?" I can guarantee
Robert DiNero couldn't do that! There is no way Denzel Washington
could put a drunk in jail, then have the guy thank him for doing it.
Do you see my point? There is no way Morgan Freeman or Katharine
Hepburn could go to a family fight and give advice to a
millionaire- rocket-scientist about how to raise a 16-year-old
daughter. Do you see my point! How could anyone get a person to
confess to a bank robbery or get a murder without sweating or showing
shock or not let that suspect see the trembling hands? Imagine
consoling a parent who just killed her own kid when she backed out of
the driveway, making the woman believe that you don't want to cry too.
Cuba Gooding would giggle when some woman hikes her skirt and shows
her breasts just to get out of a ticket. Cops should get an Oscar
after every shift. I bet they'd never be able to go home and their
your from their wife.

*Why don't they write songs about cops? Soldiers get all the songs.
Don't get me wrong, but it's true. Soldiers are greeted at the
airport. I've never seen that for a cop. Don't get me wrong…please
don't. It's true though. "American Soldier", Toby Keith. "If I don't
make it back", by Tracy Lawrence. "Riding with Private Malone", David
Ball. Can you tell my radio buttons are stuck on the county music
station?

*I hate cop funerals. I've been to one. It's too painful, so I've
found a reason to miss out on all the rest.

*How does this dude live in a ten million dollar house, when I live in
a neighborhood full of the people I arrest on a daily basis? He's half
nuts and I can't understand how he succeeded. What does he have what I
don't. Who cares? I love my job and I know he doesn't.

*Have you ever noticed that the public loves cops after a cop dies?
Have you ever noticed that the love ends after about a month? It's
true. I can't tell you how many times a citizen has grabbed my hand to
shake it, thank me, and look me in the eyes, "I could never do your
job. Thanks for what you do. Thank you". I can't tell you how many
times that same citizen seems to forget that admiration within 30 days.

*I'll tell you one of the things I love the most. I love figuring
people out. I love the interview and interrogations. I love talking to
someone and trying to crack the case. What angle is this guy working?
What's his motive?

*Can you believe we've got 9 hours left in a 10-hour shift? Can you
believe we only have 9 hours left in a 10-hour shift? Can you imagine
all of the adventures we're going to see over the next 9 hours? Can
you imagine all of the people we'll talk to and all the lives we'll
step into?

*"Hey rookie, are you yawning", "C'mon rookie that was a yawn!" "Wake
up bro, the night is young!"

*"Move over rookie, let me show you how its done". I wish I could slip
over into that drivers seat and fight crime, my way, for the next 8
and ¾ hours.

I'm on page 4. It's 15 minutes into the shift and I wanted to detail
the last two weeks. I'll stop now and try to teach this kid. I'll try
to express the fact that he can't love the job more than his kids. He
can't lose the drive and the fire in his guts. I need to impress on
him that it's a great job. It's a dream come true! It's only 16
minutes into the shift.

Russell
www.lifeonthebeat. com

The last few weeks have been very fun and exciting.

I really don’t know how to explain some of my emotions and feelings it, but I’ll do my best. Writing my thoughts and experiences is about the best way I’ve ever found to recover from some of the stress and mental strains of being a police officer.

The only way to describe things right now is to tell you straight out how I feel, so bear with me if it doesn’t make sense. Hopefully I can make it clear enough for you to understand.

Life right now is great. I’ve never been happier and more satisfied with my professional life and my personal life. For some reason my thought and feelings are so clear and everything seems to make sense. It’s as if things are almost more than clear. My thoughts are actually “thick” my thought and feelings are so thick that feel as if I can “swim” through them. It’s like being under water……or in Jello….or a crazy gel or in the “zone” some athletes describe. I can see my words and feel so passionate about things that I can’t feel any better. I’m at the top of my game. Like Kobe I could drop in 81 points, like Josh Hamilton I could hit 30 home runs without missing the sweet spot, like a song writer writing the perfect ballad.

Does that make sense? (Ok, that being said, I couldn’t care less for Kobe or Josh Hamilton, but that’s another story.)

Over the last few weeks our department has been conducting a “Citizens academy”. A class that allows local citizens, business owners, family of Law Enforcement officers and even politicians to experience a “mini” version of the police academy.

I’ve begged for several years to be a part of this course and finally I’ve been given the chance. It’s a wonderful course and it really helps these people have a greater understanding of the “behind-the-scenes” life as a police officer.

During this class session we’ve got a city councilman and his wife attending the course. What a great experience he’s having! What a wonderful way for us to inform him and win him over to our side! What an unprecedented chance for the police department to gain his confidence in the side of the public safety department.

The class begins with some training with handguns, shotguns and some other tools of the trade. Another session includes a realistic building search where a suspect is hiding, a road rage resulting in a dispute between drivers, then a session teaching “shoot, don’t shoot” where split second decisions result in life or death situations in a critical incident.

Another night we talk about traffic stops and a chance to stop real violators, approaching these drivers, making contact and making a decision of writing a citation or giving a warning. I’ll tell you that almost every scenario results in a warning. They realize the great difficulty in making stepping into the world of a police officer. At the end of the night we fake an obvious traffic violation that is so blatant no other choice can be made other than writing a citation. The last scenario of this night ends with a staged robbery and high speed chase, a staged high risk stop and arrest of the suspect. They are made aware that the robbery and chase are faked, but the stress and emotions cause some of the class members to be so scared that some cannot even exit the police car, let alone give instructions to the suspect and eventually arrest the man, search him and place him into custody.

It was so stressful that one lady in my group froze, panicked and literally was unable to step out of the police car. After some strong encouragement and several reminders that the scenario is completely safe and staged I convinced her to stand behind an open door and crouch nearly out of sight of the suspect. It was overwhelming to her.

Later in the academy they are forced into a court case and given the responsibility of testifying and being cross examined in what appears to be a real court scenario. Again it causes the stress and a dramatic.

As they graduate the class they find it inedible to show tremendous support of the public safety department. We’re told “I could never do this job”, “I couldn’t have imagined the stress and emotions of life as a police officer”, “how can you actually make split second decision that will be scrutinized by a judge and jury who are given days and even weeks to analyze the choices your forced to make.”

The result of the training causes these people to bond and actually form a strong relationship that lasts for years to come.

During this year’s class I was given the opportunity to lead several of the classes. Many of the nights, I was given a topic and asked to speak for an hour at a time. Each time I was so rushed and encouraged to complete my talk in a proper manner. I’d go on for hours if I was allowed the time. It’s great fun to keep the students involved and an awesome sight for me to see them on the edge of their seats begging for more information and more story’s and situations I’ve experienced. ONE HOUR! Who could do that on a from a one line theme”? I doubt many could do it.

I have an overwhelming passion for my job and for my experiences that I feel they connect and beg for more. I have such a love for my job and an excitement for my job that I literally could go on for hours.

Even with more than 10 years as an officer I still have a love and belief in my calling that my emotions are strong. I almost look at it as if my feelings are thicker than water, more concentrated that “Jello” or any other similar substance.

Teaching this class and being involved in the scenarios is a dream come true for me. Teaching and rehashing my life in this job is something I want to do when I retire in 10 years.

Someday I’ll figure out how to do it. Until then I’ll put my feelings and lessons into this email list and blog.

Thank you for reading. I thank you all especially for the feedback and thank you for staying in touch That’s what drives me to write and continue the list.

Russell
www.lifeonthebeat.com

The last few nights have produced several very interesting cases. Last night I spent several hours working a case involving a counterfeit $100 bill that was passed at a local gas station. What a pain that turned into!

Within the last couple weeks, my team rotated back to the night shift. I love every minute of the night shift so much, I try not to miss one night of the action, even for sick time.

Probably the best case I have had recently is a good old fashion traffic stop. I was sitting with another officer, typing reports, when he pointed at a nearby vehicle and commented that if he was not so busy it would make for a good stop. His tone suggested to me that he was issuing me a challenge.

Up for the task, I immediately saw several violations. I pulled the vehicle over and began to speak to the driver, "Can I see your license, registration, and proof of insurance please?" He was so nervous that he had beads of sweat on his forehead. He said he'd forgotten his wallet and license at home and explained that the owner of the car is the female in the passenger seat. I explained that I would still need to see the paperwork for the vehicle. Just then the passenger gave me her ID card, which seemed a little strange, because I hadn't asked about it. Together the driver and the passenger began shuffling around the interior of the vehicle for the registration and insurance, but they were unable to find anything of interest to me.

I asked the passenger about the vehicle, hoping to verify the information. All of the sudden, she began screaming and bent over at the waist. She claimed to be having some sort of abdominal pain. She yelled and cried, saying that they were on the way to the hospital when I stopped them. I immediately pointed out the fact that they had just passed a hospital and were now going the wrong way. She replied that they were going to a "clinic" in a town north of here. I then explained that I was unaware of any clinic open at 4 in the morning. Now she screamed louder. I asked if she needed an ambulance and she agreed that might be best. Although, I was quite sure it was all a ploy, I did as she asked.

As we waited, I asked the driver to step out and stand with another officer. I then checked his information and found a photo on the State database. Although I wasn't positive, I didn't think the photo matched our guy.

The information on the female showed an NCIC hit out of California. She is wanted for felony possession of a stolen vehicle. Everything was going in my favor until I saw a small notation saying that California would not extradite. UGGHHHH.

I then put my attention on the driver. I asked again for his date of birth. He recited it perfectly. I then asked his age and noticed him pause and begin counting in his head. That was my first clue. I knew that he could recite the date of birth of anyone, but it was more difficult to know the age of that person because the age changes every year. I knew that he'd know his own age without counting it in his head. Then I asked for his social security number, but he stated that he's never learned that number. “That's it” I told him. EVERYONE in America over 18 knows their social security number.

A back-up officer then popped out of his patrol car and shouted "your not Patrick, your Christopher! And you have warrants for your arrest!" The man lowered his head in defeat. I arrested him and helped him into the patrol car.

By now the ambulance arrived and I explained to the guys that the lady appeared to be fine until the questions got thick. They understood and agreed to have an officer stay close and assist them to the hospital.

Inside the vehicle I found piles of receipts from local stores. All of them showed returned merchandise. Some showed several hundred dollars each. Also, I found the man's wallet, shoved between the cushions of the seats. Inside the wallet was three different drivers licenses. All had this mans photo, but different names and different numbers on the front. Each of the licenses appeared, at first glance, to be perfectly authentic. At a closer look, I could see some flaws.

I ran all of the licenses by name and then number, then found that none were valid.

On the way to the jail, the man admitted to a crime spree that he'd been doing with the fake Id's. The scheme was impressive, but obviously not perfect. After I booked him into the jail, I contacted each of the stores. With all of the evidence I gathered, we've forwarded several felony counts of theft by deception. Luckily, to help our case, each of the stores have great video cameras, and each had footage of this man and the lady in the act of thefts.

The case pointed us toward several other local bad guys that will likely solve some more crimes in the area.

Oh, by the way. Just in case you’ve been worried. The lady was immediately released from the hospital after no problems were found. It was an amazingly fast recovery to what seemed to be a life threatening illness. She didn’t admit to faking the pains, but it was quite obvious that she was attempting to cause a distraction when she realized her boyfriend was caught in the act.

After all was said and done, I looked at my back up officer and said "challenge me again!" He was so mad that he demanded me to never use that phrase again.