Name Calling

I've been called many things as a cop and I don't mean to shock you but; not all of them are nice. Most every cuss word has been bestowed upon me, most commonly with a pattern of caucaisan references such as 'whitepolicebitch', 'whiteassmotherfuc***', etc.

The other week, however, I was knighted with a new title, curteousy of young gangbanger type. He called me, "Hellaplayeriffic." I'm not certain of its exact meaning but his tone and smile implied it was pretty good. You will not hear this term in my vocabulary as I plan to keep it in reserve for very special moments. Until then, I walk the streets a more confident man knowing I'm more than a player, and more than terrific. In fact, I'm a hell of a terrific player.

Be Careful:
I've talked about wearing seatbelts in previous posts but thought I'd take a minute to send out an extra reminder this holiday season. If only the two people sitting in the open bed of the pickup truck that was t-boned last week were listening. One was ejected into the busy intersection and luckily was not seriously injured. The other somehow remained in the back of the truck without a bruise. I've seen many collisions and can only imagine how badly the collision could have turned out. Please don't rely on luck to keep you safe/alive -wear a seatbelt all the time.

Testify:
I attended court recently for a DUI case I handled as a trainee several months ago. A guy swerved across several lanes of traffic, jumped the sidewalk, and wedged his truck between a palm tree and a block wall. He said he was cut off by another driver. His blood alcohol concentration made me believe differently. When I entered the courtroom with my Field Training Officer and the witness who called 911, the defendent decided to waive the trial and plead guilty. There was another person in court for an unrelated DUI that morning that occured in 1999. Imagine our surprise when the officer handling the original DUI was not present for court. Even if he/she had attended, how much detail can one be expected to remember from seven years ago? There's something wrong with our justice system when extensive delays almost guarantee a dismissal.

My father-in-law came participated in the police ride-along program last week. It was a relatively slow night but he was able to see some of the things I do on the job. A few years ago he and I would watch 'Cops' on T.V. together and remark on what a crazy job that would be. At the time I wondered if I could be an actual police officer. Did I have what it takes to be a cop? I'm still just cracking the surface of this job but I love it and am glad I took the chance.