I Still Itch

One night in one of my jurisdictions I was 10-80 (riding with another officer) and we were sent to a house concerning possible children in need of care.

We walked through the front door and were immediately accosted by the smell of rotten food or garbage. In the kitchen dirty dishes and pans were stacked on the counter about one foot high with no counter top observable. The sink was also full of dirty dishes and pans.  There were a couple of pans sitting on the filthy stove filled with some type of liquid. I observed several of what I thought were cockroaches walk across the stove, climb into one of the pans then climb back out. My skin started to crawl. The floor was filthy to the point I wasn’t sure what color it was. The kitchen was filthy beyond description.

Adjacent to the kitchen was a room with a double bed in it. (not sure if it was actually a bedroom or not) The bed did not have sheets on it. There were several small children laying on and playing on the bed. The mattress was covered with numerous dried urine stains. We left the residence and requested the dispatcher contact the appropriate social service agency.  After contact was made, the dispatcher told us the agency would go to the residence the following morning, and that residence was an ongoing case.

I was miserable the rest of the night because I felt bugs crawling all over me. I c was constantly checking and there were none on me.  I was miserable until I went home took off the uniform with undergarments and bathed.

This was relatively early in my career and I was junior to the officer I was riding with. I’m not sure exactly how I would have handled the situation, however I don’t think I would have left those kids in that environment for another minute.

How much are we as a society “our brothers keeper”? Americans especially, like to think their home as their castle. How much should we try to control the lives of others in their homes?  How do we justify the government’s intrusion constitutionally? The situation I mentioned above was blatant, but where does society draw the line? Dependent on whom you ask they probably have a different definition of filth, of unfit for human habitation.

I know social service agencies have set standards for acceptable cleanliness, but I am trying to get you, my readers, to look at the big picture.

PS. I am getting the itches and crawlies just writing  this.

Until tomorrow,

Sally S

Oldest Profession or Oldest Crime?

Late one afternoon in the city where I worked, I was assigned with several other officers to serve a search warrant. The search warrant was for a residence to look for evidence to indicate the crime of prostitution was occurring at that address. Basically we were serving a search warrant at a whorehouse.

We were looking for anything in the residence that would indicate the crime of prostitution was occurring in that residence. We observed a full sized bed, mattress and box spring. Dried body fluids were observable on the mattress.  We also observed used condoms and empty tubes of KY Jelly under the bed. All these items were photographed where we found them.

We took the mattress to send it to the State crime lab and have it examined for identification of DNA strands. The existence of multiple strands would indicate multiple male subjects had ejaculated on that bed mattress.  We also took the used condoms lying under the bed   They also would be sent to the State crime lab and examined for various DNA strands, again indicating multiple male subjects had intercourse on that bed. We also took the used tubes of KY Jelly lying under the bed.

The mattress, used condoms, and used KY jelly tubes were carried down the stairs and placed in a police van where they remained locked in that van and parked in the police department parking lot. The following morning they were taken to the State crime lab

These items of evidence were not sufficient to convict on the charge of prostitution.  The evidence was used to support testimonial evidence.

While child prostitution and forced prostitution are not victimless crimes, should other forms of prostitution be criminal? What is wrong with two consenting adults having sex?  Other services can be purchased, why not sex?  

Until Tomorrow,

Sally S

Apples, Bananas, and Cherries

Police agencies use what is called a phonetic alphabet, as does the military. Why you ask? To insure their radio communications are accurately understood.   Especially in times of stressed voices or poor reception what is said could be misunderstood.   It could be dangerous if  “T” was what the sender said, but the person receiving the message thought it was a “B”.  Same with letters like “J” and G”, “M” and “N?" You get the idea. The alphabets are not all the same throughout the various agencies Several use Adam for the letter “A”, others use Alpha for the letter “A.” I’m not really sure of the criteria agencies use for determining which particular alphabet they use.

Below are some communications using a phonetic alphabet:

“ 10-43 Main and First with Adam Queen Ocean 223”

(Traffic stop at Main and First Street with a vehicle displaying license plate AQO223)

“ 10-29 first name Jonas: J John, O Ocean, N Nora, A Adam, S Sam; Last name Flie: F Frank, L Lincoln, Ida, E Edward.”

(Records check/wants and warrants for Jonas Flie)

As part of my police training I memorized the phonetic alphabet used by my department. I felt confident in its usage, as did my training officers. However, the first time in my police career that I worked alone and stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation I couldn’t recall the phonetic alphabet. When I radioed into the dispatcher the license plate of the violator vehicle I ended up making a traffic stop of license plate Apple, Cherry, Banana and some numbers that I do not recall. I took a bit of ribbing for a while. I may have forgotten many things through the years, but the phonetic alphabet was never one of them.

I don’t have any pertinent ethical or sociological thoughts related to the phonetic alphabet. Lately my thoughts concern violence. It seems like a mass shooting, a homicide suicide, or drive by shooting is occurring. almost everyday in the area where I live. Just the other day in a nearby city, a man was fatally shot while picnicking with his family. He was shot by a member of another family picnicking in the same park. How did we as a society get this way?  Can this trend be reversed?

Until Later,

Sally S

Where is My Hat?

While working an injury accident early one evening I needed to provide cervical support for the injured passenger until they could be safely removed from the car. To do this I had to climb into the car through the window because the damaged doors wouldn’t open I crouched in the back behind the passenger and held their neck rigid. After the EMTs extracted the passenger from the car and placed them on a backboard I got out of the wrecked car and assisted with traffic control. Apparently a newspaper photographer was on the scene snapping photographs and one appeared in the following days paper of me standing outside the car wearing no hat.

I must admit I did get out of the car without my hat.  When I arrived at the accident it was apparent there were serious injuries and I wanted to quickly get out of my patrol car and go help the injured. I wouldn’t have been able to keep the hat on while I was crouched in the back seat supporting the passenger’s neck.  It was brought to my attention by a superior officer I had done wrong.

I am as much for the concept of officer presence as anyone. Basically officer presence is how officers present themselves; and how they are perceived merely by their appearance and initial actions. Are they sharp? Uniform clean with crisp pleats? Is the uniform brass shiny, put on straight and correct? Shoes polished?  And I suppose hat on? But I do think one needs to be practical. Was my not wearing my hat a danger to anyone or myself?

The philosophy is, if you look sharp and exacting, the public will think you are sharp and exacting in your work.

The various times I supervised officers I was relentless about their boots being shined, uniforms clean and pressed, and their guns clean. I expected everyone’s boots to be as shined as mine and their guns to be as clean as mine, but I didn’t stress hats.

Is appearance of officers important? Does the public really care? How about doctors and lawyers and other professionals, is it important how they look? Or is performance the only necessary criteria? This line of questioning lends itself to the topic of dress codes. Are they necessary? In the workplace? In schools?

Until Tomorrow,

Sally S

Who is Responsible ?

It was late one night, about 1:00, when I observed a car go through a “stop sign” making no attempt to stop or slow down. I put on my overhead red lights and pulled in behind the violator vehicle. After a few feet the vehicle pulled over and stopped. I got out of my car after calling into my dispatcher my location and the license plate number of the stopped vehicle. I observed two subjects sitting in the car. I walked up to the driver’s window and told the driver I stopped him for failing to stop at the stop sign. I asked him for his driver’s license which he said he did not have with him. He told me his name and date of birth. I walked back to my car and when inside advised the dispatcher of the young man’s name and date of birth.  The dispatcher told me he had a legal driver’s license and the car was legally registered to someone with the same last name, but different first name. I figured it was probably his father. I completed filling out the citation for the stop sign violation and no possession of his driver’s license.  The driver’s license charge could be dismissed if he went to the court and showed them his license within a prescribed number of days.

When I had walked about halfway toward the violator vehicle, the car immediately started driving away at a high rate of speed.  I turned around and ran toward my car, got buckled in and advised the dispatcher I was in pursuit of the vehicle that drove off. As I started driving away I turned on my overhead red lights and siren. I could barely see the vehicle, but I managed to keep it in sight for several blocks. The vehicle ran several stop signs along the way. I lost sight of the vehicle when it apparently turned down an alley. When I drove  down the alley I saw the vehicle parked in someone’s driveway, unoccupied with both the drivers and the passengers doors standing wide open.  I notified other officers in the area to be on the lookout for two white males on foot, most likely running. I requested the dispatcher send a wrecker to my location because I was taking possession of the car and wanted it towed to the wrecking company’s secured lot. I took inventory of the items in the car and wrote them on a form. This inventory documented what was in the vehicle when it was towed.

After the car was towed I tried to contact the driver at his listed residence both in person and by telephone.  I left messages for him to contact me, which he never did. I found out he was a student at a nearby university.

I called the number I had located for the registered owner in another state. I informed him I had custody of his car. He said his son took it away to college. I told him why I had custody of the car and I couldn’t get his son to contact me to retrieve it. The father said he would see to it his son contacted me.

The following evening the son came into the department and contacted me. I wrote him a ticket for reckless driving, and interfering with judicial process in addition to the initial stop sign violation and no driver’s license in possession. The additional charges tripled what his initial fine would have been, not to mention more negative points attached to his driving record.

I just don’t get why people don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. It’s not only the young college students but I came across the same issue with adults.  His initial charges were minor compared to the trouble and increased expense from trying to avoid initially taking responsibility.

Why is this lack of responsibility for our actions happening? It might be my imagination, but I feel its gotten worse over the years. Is it a failure of parents? Schools? Society in general?  How can we fix this lack of accepting to own up to our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions?

Until Tomorrow,

Sally S