Hey all, it's been a wet last few days in the city.
Sunday it was good to get back on the streets after a little vacation. My athletic shoe store that got robbed a few months back called 911 to say they had a weird teen in the store. The teen apparently was under the influence of lean (codeine, sprite, and sometimes alcohol) and was acting like he might rob the store. They asked him to leave but he brought back a group of about 10-15 teens and they just hung at the front entrance. They locked the doors and waited for me to get there to clear them out. It didn't take much. I arrived, put the blue lights on, and just posted up. They didn't want any attention and started to wander off.
Yesterday, my first call of the day was a domestic dispute. This lady and her sister were transplants from Hurricane Katrina to my city. She can't afford an apartment but her sister gets Section 8. Her sister started to date a guy who recently beat a charge for shooting a guy 8 times. and is a known drug dealer. She started to ignore him for about 2 weeks and he clearly didn't like that. He blew up her phone all day as she slept in. She awoke to all the messages asking him to leave her alone. He replied he was on his way to beat her up, calling her a "dirty bitch".
He arrived at the apartment and both sisters met him at the door telling him to leave. He pushed past the partially open door and punched the sister he wasn't dating. He then, with the help of his buddy, wrestled the girlfriend to the floor and began kicking her repeatedly before they took off. He's a dangerous guy and has multiple warrants from a neighboring state with extradition. The older sister (the one not dating the guy), is trying to find everyone a place to live because she has kids but she's afraid of finding a shelter because she was sexually abused in one post-Katrina. She's also afraid her baby daddy will find out because one of her baby-daddies is an NFL player who would take the kid away in a heartbeat if he knew his kid was in danger. It's a shame because the older sister is trying her best but the little sister is making all the bad decisions.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
A Lot In One Week
So this week has been pretty decent since I last spoke to you. I've been incredibly busy so this is an account from partially last week until yesterday.
I saw a vehicle with a cardboard tag stating "tag applied for" with a random October date. In my state this isn't a valid tag at all, so I decided to stop him and see what was up.
I approached the driver and he showed me a bill of sale from way back in August but he told me that wasn't the official bill of sale and that the real one was from last week. The title for the car also had the date of this "unofficial" sale date. The insurance was also on the car as of the August date. He bought the car from a dealer, so the state says he has 30 days to register the car. We were approaching 60. This guy tried to pull a fast one on me...but I've been doing this WAY too long. He got a ticket.
While trying to knock out some paperwork in a gas station parking lot, I was flagged down by a guy who stated there appeared to be a guy passed out on the sidewalk near the bank on the other side of the gas station. I drove around and saw a Hispanic guy sprawled out on the sidewalk. Before I could step out of the car he took a beer out of a black bag and took a sip before trying to hide it. I walked over and just put him in cuffs. He tried to tell me he just had one beer but he was so drunk he couldn't tell me where he lived. Thankfully his neighbor drove past him and collected his personal belongings to give to his wife. He was a happy drunk, laughing all the way to the jail.
The trainee and I were almost out of the clear when about 10 minutes before the watch was called we get a call for a guy who lost his wallet at a wing shop. I can almost GUARANTEE that his wallet was stolen after he left it on the counter. It seems that everybody carries their social security card in their wallets. This is the WORST thing to do. Please put your social security card somewhere safe and only bring it out when you need to. This guy just didn't have his card but his girls' card also. If someone gets ahold of your info it can seriously mess your credit up. I don't know why people take this risk.
Now anytime you have a vehicle that you operate on a city street or state highway in my state or in most states for that matter, you MUST have insurance on that vehicle. If not, the state can impound your vehicle as a penalty for no insurance. I ran a tag on a car that already looked pretty beat up. It came back with no insurance so I stopped it. I also found out that none of the brake lights worked either... The driver told me that he was living inside of his car and was there any way I could avoid towing his car. I really wish I could have worked with him but I could incur a huge liability if I let an insurance-less vehicle back on the road. I told him how to help take care of every ticket that I wrote him at the least to try and help him.
I ended up having a robbery before the day was over. A guy was walking down the street in broad daylight while listening to his headphones. He wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings when he felt a gun in his back. He started to turn around and the guy transitioned to his front demanding his wallet and his phone. The then told the guy to "walk and don't look back" as he walked away. The guy was new to the city as he was staying with a friend to cope with a pending divorce. Once again the guy had his social security card on him and his paycheck card and basically all the money the guy had. Hopefully we'll get the guy soon. He has committed two more robberies in the area...
I saw a vehicle with a cardboard tag stating "tag applied for" with a random October date. In my state this isn't a valid tag at all, so I decided to stop him and see what was up.
I approached the driver and he showed me a bill of sale from way back in August but he told me that wasn't the official bill of sale and that the real one was from last week. The title for the car also had the date of this "unofficial" sale date. The insurance was also on the car as of the August date. He bought the car from a dealer, so the state says he has 30 days to register the car. We were approaching 60. This guy tried to pull a fast one on me...but I've been doing this WAY too long. He got a ticket.
While trying to knock out some paperwork in a gas station parking lot, I was flagged down by a guy who stated there appeared to be a guy passed out on the sidewalk near the bank on the other side of the gas station. I drove around and saw a Hispanic guy sprawled out on the sidewalk. Before I could step out of the car he took a beer out of a black bag and took a sip before trying to hide it. I walked over and just put him in cuffs. He tried to tell me he just had one beer but he was so drunk he couldn't tell me where he lived. Thankfully his neighbor drove past him and collected his personal belongings to give to his wife. He was a happy drunk, laughing all the way to the jail.
The trainee and I were almost out of the clear when about 10 minutes before the watch was called we get a call for a guy who lost his wallet at a wing shop. I can almost GUARANTEE that his wallet was stolen after he left it on the counter. It seems that everybody carries their social security card in their wallets. This is the WORST thing to do. Please put your social security card somewhere safe and only bring it out when you need to. This guy just didn't have his card but his girls' card also. If someone gets ahold of your info it can seriously mess your credit up. I don't know why people take this risk.
Now anytime you have a vehicle that you operate on a city street or state highway in my state or in most states for that matter, you MUST have insurance on that vehicle. If not, the state can impound your vehicle as a penalty for no insurance. I ran a tag on a car that already looked pretty beat up. It came back with no insurance so I stopped it. I also found out that none of the brake lights worked either... The driver told me that he was living inside of his car and was there any way I could avoid towing his car. I really wish I could have worked with him but I could incur a huge liability if I let an insurance-less vehicle back on the road. I told him how to help take care of every ticket that I wrote him at the least to try and help him.
I ended up having a robbery before the day was over. A guy was walking down the street in broad daylight while listening to his headphones. He wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings when he felt a gun in his back. He started to turn around and the guy transitioned to his front demanding his wallet and his phone. The then told the guy to "walk and don't look back" as he walked away. The guy was new to the city as he was staying with a friend to cope with a pending divorce. Once again the guy had his social security card on him and his paycheck card and basically all the money the guy had. Hopefully we'll get the guy soon. He has committed two more robberies in the area...
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Catching Up
What a week it has been. I ended up in the hospital while at work for an unrelated episode. Thankfully it was nothing serious.
Early in the week, I got a chance to drop in and show some presence at a basketball camp run by Dwight Howard. It's always good to see stars give back to the communities and less fortunate kids to make something better of themselves.
The next day I went to a house for a 13 year old feeling suicidal. A partnered team of child suicide crisis specialists were already on scene and had worked out a short stay at a mental health facility for this teen. She had already tried cutting herself earlier in the day and I could still see the cuts on her wrists when I got there. It's sad to see a teen that young want to end life before it has truly began. Her mother and brother also have mental issues but nothing to the point of suicidal thoughts. I always say the two systems that need help in every state are mental health and child protective services. It really is a shame that those two agencies (which are extremely important) are often the most neglected and in shambles...
The next day I responded to an audible alarm at a house. I arrived and checked the back door of the house and found it unlocked and partially open. The house was undergoing renovation and that made me suspect someone possibly went inside to steal copper or other construction materials. I called for another unit and we searched the house room by room clearing as went. The alarm tripped again while we were inside and this house had the loudest alarm I or the other officer had ever experienced in our careers. The house was very extensive, having been built around the turn of the last century. I would love to have a house like that one day I could renovate.
I received another call about our good old friend Sarge. He was hanging around the liquor store where he typically always does. When I found him, he was asleep out front with a hat over his head like the stereotypical image of the Mexican taking his siesta. I woke up Sarge and had him walk across the street with the help of a citizen to avoid locking him up (which I hope I never have to do again).
The week ended off for me with a child locked in the car at the mall. I've dealt with a bunch of these which happen maliciously but this happened on accident. Mom was loading her 2 year old in the car while the keys were on the seat. As she prepared to load the stroller in the trunk, the doors (which were locked) closed locking the poor girl inside. While we stood by for the Fire Rescue to open the vehicle, the poor girl wanted nothing more but to be in mom's arms. She clearly knew something wasn't right.
We'll see how this week goes!
Early in the week, I got a chance to drop in and show some presence at a basketball camp run by Dwight Howard. It's always good to see stars give back to the communities and less fortunate kids to make something better of themselves.
The next day I went to a house for a 13 year old feeling suicidal. A partnered team of child suicide crisis specialists were already on scene and had worked out a short stay at a mental health facility for this teen. She had already tried cutting herself earlier in the day and I could still see the cuts on her wrists when I got there. It's sad to see a teen that young want to end life before it has truly began. Her mother and brother also have mental issues but nothing to the point of suicidal thoughts. I always say the two systems that need help in every state are mental health and child protective services. It really is a shame that those two agencies (which are extremely important) are often the most neglected and in shambles...
The next day I responded to an audible alarm at a house. I arrived and checked the back door of the house and found it unlocked and partially open. The house was undergoing renovation and that made me suspect someone possibly went inside to steal copper or other construction materials. I called for another unit and we searched the house room by room clearing as went. The alarm tripped again while we were inside and this house had the loudest alarm I or the other officer had ever experienced in our careers. The house was very extensive, having been built around the turn of the last century. I would love to have a house like that one day I could renovate.
I received another call about our good old friend Sarge. He was hanging around the liquor store where he typically always does. When I found him, he was asleep out front with a hat over his head like the stereotypical image of the Mexican taking his siesta. I woke up Sarge and had him walk across the street with the help of a citizen to avoid locking him up (which I hope I never have to do again).
The week ended off for me with a child locked in the car at the mall. I've dealt with a bunch of these which happen maliciously but this happened on accident. Mom was loading her 2 year old in the car while the keys were on the seat. As she prepared to load the stroller in the trunk, the doors (which were locked) closed locking the poor girl inside. While we stood by for the Fire Rescue to open the vehicle, the poor girl wanted nothing more but to be in mom's arms. She clearly knew something wasn't right.
We'll see how this week goes!
Monday, October 5, 2015
A Slow Week In the City
This week was incredibly slow. You know it's going to be slow when a lady calls to complain about kids throwing rocks at her car, which happened....a WEEK ago. The dispatcher ended up holding the call for about an hour and a half due to the un-important nature of it. Needless to say, she wasn't there when I got out there but it definitely set the tone for the week.
The next day we were running pretty short and my buddy left early because he had firearms qualification in the morning. As soon as he signed off I got a call on his beat for a hit and run in the parking lot of a gym. I was inspecting the damage to the car (which wasn't much) and dreading about writing this report when the caller tells me that the lady who hit him was standing by for me. This was the greatest news in the world at the end of my shift because it went from an automatic hit and run report to a private property accident where the two parties would exchange information. In my state, I can't write traffic tickets for private property accidents and I can't assign blame leading to no report. The man was stunned he couldn't get a police report. I told him how he could get a form off online to send in to his insurance company but that he wasn't getting a report. Meanwhile, I was just happy I didn't have to take a report that belonged to my buddy and could get off in time.
The next day, I got another held call for another hit and run to a parked vehicle, this time at an apartment complex. The call was held for about two hours due to us being short and the priority of the call. When I arrived, I had my trainee for the day talk to the lady who was a visiting home-care nurse. She stated she had been running around all over the city since 730 in the morning and really didn't know where or when the damage occurred but was just glad that she noticed it where she did because she had just come from a much rougher part of the city (still in my area). As soon as she said that we received a call for a person shot as the result of a carjacking in the area she had JUST mentioned. More irony in the city...
And to top off my slow non-exciting week. I was hanging out at the fire station near my beat due to the slowness. The fire truck was out of commission due to a bad alternator so they had a Fire/EMS unit at the house. I was with them when I got a call to assist fire with a forced entry situation. A stove had caught fire at an apartment and the owner was nowhere to be found with the front door locked. Thankfully by the time I arrived, the owner returned and Fire was able to douse the flames. I arrived to a VERY loud reverse fan which was sucking all the smoke out of the house.
A very-uneventful week. We don't have those often but I'll take it!
The next day we were running pretty short and my buddy left early because he had firearms qualification in the morning. As soon as he signed off I got a call on his beat for a hit and run in the parking lot of a gym. I was inspecting the damage to the car (which wasn't much) and dreading about writing this report when the caller tells me that the lady who hit him was standing by for me. This was the greatest news in the world at the end of my shift because it went from an automatic hit and run report to a private property accident where the two parties would exchange information. In my state, I can't write traffic tickets for private property accidents and I can't assign blame leading to no report. The man was stunned he couldn't get a police report. I told him how he could get a form off online to send in to his insurance company but that he wasn't getting a report. Meanwhile, I was just happy I didn't have to take a report that belonged to my buddy and could get off in time.
The next day, I got another held call for another hit and run to a parked vehicle, this time at an apartment complex. The call was held for about two hours due to us being short and the priority of the call. When I arrived, I had my trainee for the day talk to the lady who was a visiting home-care nurse. She stated she had been running around all over the city since 730 in the morning and really didn't know where or when the damage occurred but was just glad that she noticed it where she did because she had just come from a much rougher part of the city (still in my area). As soon as she said that we received a call for a person shot as the result of a carjacking in the area she had JUST mentioned. More irony in the city...
And to top off my slow non-exciting week. I was hanging out at the fire station near my beat due to the slowness. The fire truck was out of commission due to a bad alternator so they had a Fire/EMS unit at the house. I was with them when I got a call to assist fire with a forced entry situation. A stove had caught fire at an apartment and the owner was nowhere to be found with the front door locked. Thankfully by the time I arrived, the owner returned and Fire was able to douse the flames. I arrived to a VERY loud reverse fan which was sucking all the smoke out of the house.
A very-uneventful week. We don't have those often but I'll take it!
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