Sunday, January 18, 2009

Ethnic Mr. and Mrs. Smith


Here is just a small example of the stupidity that officers have to deal with on a daily basis, out in the field. Okay, so yesterday was a very busy night for us, people were off the chain. I don’t know what was up. Anyway, so I get called out, as a supervisor, to this house where an aggravated assault has occurred. The wife has allegedly shot the husband in the leg. Here is the story:

Husband and wife are in their bedroom, watching television and eating on some hot wings. Husband and wife get into a verbal argument (I don’t know what about). Whatever the argument was about it leads to the wife grabbing her gun, which she keeps under her side of the mattress. Well, not to be undone, hubby goes for his gun, which he keeps under his side of the mattress. That’s right, people. His and her guns. Can you believe that crazy shit. But that ain’t all, they also keep an extra gun and a shot gun in the bedroom; just encase. WOW!

Anyway, sometime during the argument, and this is how the story was told to me, the husband tells the wife that she shot him in the leg. No, joke. Wife doesn’t believe husband so husband leaves the house and drives his ass to the hospital. Well, of course, if you come to the hospital with a gun wound the personnel is obligated to call the police out to find out what the hell happened to you. Yeap, that is how we end up at the happy couples household, because neither husband or wife called the police to report this shit.

Oh, but it gets better. Wife swears up and down that she didn’t even realize that she had fired the gun. What? Are you kidding me? How the hell do you not realize that you shot the gun (and we are talking about a .357 here, people). How do you not hear that shit go off. Better yet, how do you not feel the recoil of the damn thing.

Anyway, Physical evidence is called out to process the scene. Wifey is taken down for questioning and is later transported down to our jail on charges of Family Violence, Agg. Assault. But don’t worry, folk, there is no doubt in my mine that the hubby will not press charges and the two will be back together, playing wild, wild, west again.

-One Man’s Opinion. Peace.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Funny or sad?


Okay, I have a little story to spin. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it is funny or just plain sad.
Flashback:
The Saturday after Christmas I took photos for a couple who were renewing their wedding vows. I took over one thousand pictures. This was a free service that I was providing, but they still gave me five hundred dollars for my time. In return, I felt I’d make them up a picture boo, which I put great effort into creating.
Fast-forward:
So, yesterday I paid a visit to my older sister’s church, to deliver the photo book. Two, the be exact. I was late, of course, because I can never remember when their church service starts. Thank goodness my sister ’em go to one of those churches that it doesn’t really matter how late you are, because it’s a sure bet that service will still be going on when you get there. By the time I arrived at the church the minister, my sister’s father in-law, was in the middle of his sermon. So, I just stayed outside and in the foyer and watched on the cheap television sets they had set up other there. Whatever.

Anyway, once church let out, people start slowly filing out. Since I use to attend this church, before they moved to their current location, a lot of the people are stopping to speak, hug and ask me if I knew the slain officer. Among these people that came out was this one young man, who asked me how I was doing and went on to tell me how he has been out at the clubs to watch me but the rowdy patrons in check. I have no idea who this man is, but I get up and shake his hand. After I have proved this courtesy, I take my seat and wait for the one person I had come to see to come out. However, apparently, our conversation isn’t over; because home boy sits down and begins to tell me the story of his life, over the past three years. (No joke).

So, as he is spinning his tell, I am going over in my head, who this man is. It finally dawns on me that this is Dowdy, a guy I use to hang out with when I was in high school. Wow, had he aged badly. Balding hair, swollen bags under his eyes, sprouts of grey in the hair. I hadn’t seen the man since we’d broken ties and he started robbing his pour grandmother blind.

So, after all is said and done, and I have finished talking to this boy, spoke to other members of the congregation, handed over the book and fought the bride not to force more damn money on me; I went over to my mom’s house. I told my mom how I had ran into Dowdy, but at the time I could not recall his name. What I actually said way, “Hey, mom, guess who I saw at church today.”

“Who?” mom inquires.

“What was the name of that guy who was stilling from his grand mom? I ask. “You know, the lady who use to live across the street for the church…”

“Oh, Dowdy?” my mom asked. She was both surprised and happy with the news. “I haven’t seen him in ages. I didn’t know he was going to Blank Chapel. How is he doing?”

“He changed a lot,” I say. “I didn’t even recognized him.”

I have a great time with my family, including my cousin and ‘em. Even came close to whooping my little nephews butt. Then I went home to get some sleep, before I have to go into work.
Okay, here comes the funny (or sad) part. Around ten, that night, I get a call from my older sister; and here is how that conversation went (oh, and she had my mom on three way).
Sis: Hey, boy, I didn’t see Dowdy at church today.

Me: “Yeah.”

Sis: “Where was he? I didn’t see him.”

Me: “Yes, you did. You spoke to him.”

Sis: “When?”

Me: (Exasperated) “Sis, you spoke to him when you came over to talk to me. Remember. He got up and gave you a hug?

Sis: “Boy, that wasn’t Dowdy. That was Fred.”

Me: “Fred?”

Sis: “Yeah, Fred….He use to date Nikki.”

Me: “Oh, was that Fred? Well, why did he sit down and hold a conversation with me? We weren’t friends.”

Sis: “Boy, you crazy.”

The end.

-One Man’s Opinion. Peace.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Officer Down



Well, my Blog family, here goes my first post of the New Year. I had contemplated blogging on many topics for the Year; from Christmas, to New Years Eve, to my thought process of movie under one roof with my nuclear family. However, today, while over a fellow officers house I got my topic.

Today, January 6, 2009, the Dallas Police Department suffered it first police fatality of the New Year. Of course, when ever I hear of an officer anywhere get injured or killed during the performance of their duties, I am sadden. How could I not be when you consider the fact that officer could be me at any given date and time? However, this one struck me particularly hard, because it was an officer I knew. I didn’t know the officer as well as I knew his wife, but I knew him nonetheless.

The officer was a member of our gang unit and was at a well known apartment complex serving a warrant for a person wanted for Aggravated Assault. What I have learned is that the suspect shot through the door of the apartment, striking the officer in the head. The officer died before they could get him to the hospital. This officer had been on the department for seventeen years, and tomorrow would have marked his eighteenth year on the department.

His wife, who is a lieutenant on the department, has a heart of gold. Before I promoted to either senior corporal or sergeant, she helped me weather the storm of some controversial b.s. that I was being accused of at the station I patrol. She stood by my side, even thought I didn’t even work on the shift she was over. During that particular sad period of my life as an officer, she gave me birthday party at her house and introduced me to her family. Her and her husband came to my art shows, when I use to have them and everything. They were wonderful people.

It so funny, when I was called with the name of the officer who had been shot, I told the other officer, whose house I was at, the name and where he worked. However, it wasn’t until the officer repeated the name back to me that in resonated in my mind exact who the officer was. Isn’t that strange? It took for someone else to say the name for me to realize that this was someone that I actually knew.

Of course we spent the next hour watching the news, getting up dates and phone calls from family; making sure we were okay. I tried to reached the lieutenant, with the hopes that it was not her husband that had been shot, but to no avail.

I was so happy to be with other people, when I got the news, because I am really not that good with tragic events that hit close to home. I get it from my momma; although I’m not quite as bad as her. My mom will go straight Color Purple on your ass. As a matter of fact, my mom isn’t even allowed to be notified if, God forbid, I die in the line of duty. I prefer she just think I’ve just been too busy to call.

Anyway, once I got home and continued to watch the breaking news, I felt an obligation to go down to the hospital, even though I felt it was inappropriate on some levels. You see, if the shoe was on the other foot, I would not want people to come down trying to console me, because it would only make it worse for me emotionally. However, I had to take into consideration that everyone else’s, normal folks, minds don’t work the same as mine. I ended up calling other people to get their input on if I should go down to the hospital or not. I got a mixed review, but in the end I went down. The Lt. was gone and I didn’t feel the need to view the body, so I just stayed a little while, with other officer and then left.

It a sad day on the Dallas Police Department. For does of you who hate the police and all they stand for, just remember that these officers put their lives on the line, everyday, for you and yours, whether you appreciate it or not.

-One Man’s Opinion. Peace.

And God Bless you all.