DUI checkpoint

Why is it that people don't have any fear or respect for traffic laws? The number of people driving around with a suspended license (or none at all) is staggering. In 6 hours of working a DUI checkpoint, we arrested 4 people for DUI, cited 5 for having a suspended licence, and 22 for being unlicensed. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE? It's no wonder we have so many accidents on the road. No one knows how to drive!#!@# They obviously have no regard for the consequences because their history usually shows numerous cites for the same offense. That annoys just me as much as people that don't have insurance. I have to pay for it, everybody else should too! What makes them think the rules don't apply to them? We give them a slap on the wrist, they wait for the officers to clear, then away they go again. Ridiculous. My head is killing me and my hands ache. Non stop radio traffic, and we barely could get air time to give back their returns.

I'm an RP

This afternoon I had to be an R/P (reporting party). Normally I try not to give my co-workers more work to do if it's not really a big deal. Why do dispatchers call in abandoned vehicles on their way home from work. Have you learned nothing? Drive straight home, do not look at the transients, do not pass go. This was a little more serious. I tried to ignore the female yelling outside my window at 4 pm, but by 5pm when she was still yelling and throwing rocks at the house next door, I was ready to go out and yell at her. I dragged myself out of bed to look out the window and saw a female pounding on the door of the house. I watched the door open and a man grab her by the hair and drag her into the house. (NOW I have a dilemma. Dragging people by the hair is bad,,, but she IS quiet now...) I decided to call, if she wound up dead I would feel REALLY bad. Before I had finished giving descriptions of the subjects involved, she comes flying out the door. It looked like she probably had a little help. Terrific. I tried to lay back down because the noise had subsided. And wouldn't you know she was gone by the time officers got there? Grrrr. I found out when I got into work that the officers took a 243(E)1 listing the male as the victim. Whatever. The interesting thing was that when they went inside the house, they found about 75 marijuana plants he was growing in his closet, for medical purposes of course. He had the proper documents though, which is such a joke. You just never really know who your neighbors are....

PERSPECTIVE

I just had some idiot yell at me for 10 minutes about how we weren't responding fast enough to his loud music complaint. And yes, I tried hanging up on him after very politely explaining the concept of 'priority calls', but he kept calling back! Yes, I understand its extremely frustrating to have your sleep disturbed! Yes, I understand that this is a very high priority for YOU sir (but it's not for US!) Nothing seemed to get through to him. He kept trying to convince me that the priority of his call just went up becuase now he was really upset. (as opposed to just annoyed?) Then comes the magic question... "what has to happen for this [insert loud music, barking dog, back-talking child, lost puppy, etc] to become a priority?". I love that, because then you're prepared for the NEXT time they call when they add some NEW development that they forgot to tell us about the last 10 times they called, like he has a knife, or there may have been a gun, etc. I wanted to reach through the line and throttle him. Meanwhile, legitimate emergency calls are on hold while we deal with calls like this! Harrassing us just makes us mad, it won't get you a cop any faster! Surprise, surprise. The next time he calls, it's suddenly a domestic violence call - male chasing a female with a beer bottle.
AFTER we dealt with the man with a gun and the roll-over traffic collision, he got a cop. And at the urging of one very annoyed dispatcher, the officers paid the 'annonymous' male caller a little visit to make extra sure the music level was acceptable. I love ANI/ALI.

HOT!!!!

I walked out of work this afternoon and the temp gauge on my car read 122. After 20 minutes of blasting the A/C it dropped ALL the way down to the outside temp of 116. Yes, I made a conscious decision to move here. And people say mankind has evolved...

How trusting are we?

We had a discussion at work about how people are so predictable in some situations. Take answering the phone for instance. If there is a phone ringing, someone will pick it up. Have you noticed in a grocery store if a cell phone starts ringing, everyone checks theirs immediately? Doesn't it drive you crazy if you are in someone's home and they just let the phone ring- you have this urge to run over and answer it (if only to make it stop ringing). Take a hostage situation for example with armed suspects and terrified hysterical victims. If the phone rings in the midst of this chaos, someone usually answers it, seemingly regardless of what is going on around them. It's an instinctive reaction. "Hello?" "Let me talk to the person with a gun." "Ok, hold on." Unbelievable. They actually teach that in hostage negotiations. That's why the throw-phones that SWAT uses are so sucessful. You can't help but answer a ringing phone. Think about this. When an alarm goes off at a residence and the police respond, the officers have us call the house and tell the occupants to step outside and talk to them. "Hi Mr. Jones. Did you realize you set your alarm off? Are you ok? Could you please go out front and talk to the police officer?" I could be anybody, sending this homeowner outside the safety of his home to be ambushed. Yet no one questions us when we say we are the the police on the phone. Not so good. The bad guys are going to catch on sooner or later. ASK QUESTIONS, protect yourself.

Here's another thing. People will trust anyone in uniform. Anyone can buy a security guard uniform and an official looking badge from a local uniform shop. Ask to see official ID if they ask you to do something that sounds unusual. A seargant relayed a story of how he was doing follow up on a case and went to interview the victims wearing a suit rather than a uniform. He knocked on the door, carrying nothing but a briefcase (which incidently only contained his gun), and was immediately invited into the home, without being questioned as to who he was, why he was there, etc. It's a good thing he was one of the good guys. The world we live in today is very different from the one that existed 50 years ago. You cannot afford to be so trusting of your fellow man. You will eventually become a victim of a crime, hopefully it won't be a violent one. I know it sounds jaded but that is the harsh reality. Be smart, be aware of your surroundings and don't take everything at face value.

For the women reading this: If you are pulled over late at night, in a secluded area, and you feel uncomfortable, drive slowly to a well lit or populated spot. If you know where you are, call 911 from your cell and ask if they have an officer on X street trying to pull over a tan camry. If you think this is silly, look up the Cara Knott murder. Sure it's an extreme example, but know that bad people are out there pretending to be good people!!

Here's another depressing reality. If you are ever in trouble, try yelling "Fire!" instead of "Help!". People tend to pay more attention if they think they may be in harms way, rather than just a stranger on the street. It is exasperating how many people "don't want to get involved" so they give us only minimal information and the suspects get away.

Ok. Rant is over.

Female called 911 from work because she thought her house was going to catch fire.
"Can you send someone to my house to unplug my coffee pot?"

Kangaroo

Dispatcher: 911 what are you reporting?
Caller: A kangaroo just ran through my backyard!
Dispatcher: Are you sure it was a kangaroo?
Caller: [Indignant] Yes!
Dispatcher: [sigh, rub temples] Ok. How can I help you this afternoon?
Caller: Can't you send an officer out to take care of it? I need to know what I should do.
Dispatcher: What do you mean, what should you do?
Caller: Well, are they dangerous?
Dispatcher: Probably not. Did it harm you in anyway?
Caller: No.
Dispatcher: Did it cause any property damage?
Caller: No. It just ran through my backyard.
Dispatcher: Ok. Have you had any alcohol or recreational drugs this afternoon?
Caller: No! I'm not lying! It really was a kangaroo!
Dispatcher: Uh, huh. Well, if it didn't do any damage, there really isn't anything I can help you with. I'm glad you're ok though.
Caller: Do you thinks it's ok? I didn't know we had kangaroos here. Will it come back? Now I'm worried about it. Will it be ok out there?
Dispatcher: I'm sure it's fine. It's probably gone back to its family in the desert.
Caller: They live out there?
Dispatcher: Yep. Under the sagebrush. Thank you for calling. [disconnect] Hey guys! You wont believe this idiot that just called!

Yes. These people walk amongst us.

Coincidence

I took a phonecall tonight from a male reporting a medical emergency. When I asked his name, he said it was Joe Hanna. Seriously. It made my night.

Explosive 4th

I survived yet another insane holiday at work. They should revoke holiday days for people out here. Give them a day off, they drink too much and get stupid. Get this. I was so mad I had red smoke coming out my ears. A 6 yr. old blonde hair, blue eyed little girl and her equally adorable 7 yr. old brother were brought into our station... and picked up by a social worker. We found them locked in a vehicle just after midnight. Casino security guards called us after having watched the vehicle for 2 hours and seeing that no adult was 'checking' on them, they called us. We responded and found 2 kids in locked in a car. In this city, at midnight, it's 93 degrees. They were severely dehydrated, more disturbing though, is that they didn't appear to be scared or worried about the situation. In other words, ITS PROBABLY HAPPENED BEFORE! Their aunt and her boyfriend had taken the kids to see the fireworks, and 'saw' a casino on the way home. oooo, shiny. The adults left the kids in the car for 3 hours it turns out, and went inside to gamble. When we found them inside the casino, they had the nerve to say they had been checking on them every 10 minutes. Oh, right. Did you notice the police cars, fire trucks and ambulance around your car the last 3 times you 'checked' on them?!#%$^!&* They were charged with felony child endagerment, so the $1300 they won won't quite cover their bail, thank goodness. Their parents aren't in much better shape, they knew what kind of person the aunt was, but they wanted to enjoy some 'alone time'. These poor little kids are now wards of the state until their parents get around to coming down here and picking them up. And we wonder why kids are disrespectful and unruly today? It's called lack of PARENTING! I applaud those of you who make personal sacrifices and work so hard to mold, nurture, and teach your kidlets.

Cat-sitting

I am cat-sitting for my mom while she is on vacation. Her cat should come with a warning label! He answers to Checkers, smidgen or foofoo head. He is a psycho spastic cat that does backflips and tears around like his tail is on fire. If there is anything hollow in the house, he has tried to get inside it or hide under it, and he 'talks' constantly- trilling and meowing, until he gets your attention or gets what he wants. He follows me around the apartment, and if my cat lays down, he has to be right next to her. Just when he really starts to drive me crazy, he starts to purr and snuggle up next to me and just act all adorable. Its very hard to resist. My cat thinks he's completely nuts.