Sandy Hook

I thought it appropriate to be respectful and wait at least a week before posting again out of regard for the tragedy at Sandy Hook. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families as they deal with this tough time, and for the Fire EMS and Law enforcement personnel who witnessed the horrific scene and must investigate it to discover the motives behind such an act.

I ask to all to not jump on the media band wagon, do your own research regarding these laws your politicians want to put in place. I found it totally disgusting that people such as Mayor Bloomberg were already attempting to turn this massacre as a justification for gun grabbing and getting on the airwaves before even all the victims were buried...

Out of respect for the families i will not debate my opinion regarding this tragedy at all, it is not appropriate to use 6-8 year olds deaths as political rhetoric, especially so soon.

To all, it may be difficult with this event so fresh in our minds still but i wish everyone a Merry Christmas, I and other first responders will be doing what we do best even though it's holiday season, stay safe, lock your doors, and pray for a White Christmas this year.

for this post i decided to end it with a quote in addition to the regular song of the week...
" Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first" - Mark Twain


Song of the week: Ain't no Reason Brett Dennen

Medical Provider

Officially passed my course to become an Emergency Medical Provider in my state and now have my card in hand. Looks like i'm moving up in the world...

On another note:

When on midnight patrol with an officer working the rural area of our jurisdiction, we came upon an extremely low hanging tree branch over the road. The officer then, i kid you not, pulls over, turns on his lights and pulls a hacksaw from the backseat and proceeds to cut this two and a half inch or so tree branch off the tree and toss it on the side of the road.

When i asked why the hell he keeps a hacksaw in his trunk he replied "cause the city maintenance guys ain't gonna do it, and we're out  in the countryside anyways"

While this was hilarious to watch the rural end is quite boring especially on a 10pm-6am shift, i prefer to run in the areas where every officer keeps a patrol rifle in their trunk and every call requires lights and sirens. Around other areas that morning were reports of shots fired and car pursuits while we sat relaxing and surfing the web...

Meanwhile...
 My Fire Company has been running fire calls like no other as of recently, we have so far worked in the past two weeks a fatal house fire, 6 other dwelling fires of sorts, and 3 significant car wrecks which all required transport to the nearest Level I trauma center (the highest level of care) and we have nearly lost a piece of fire apparatus several times to idiotic drivers when we are backing our pieces back into the station. It seems that an engine or a large SUV or pick-up truck with it's lights on is not a cue to stop your car and allow them to maneuver but to instead floor it past them, nearly severely injuring the driver of the fire vehicle in the process...

Song of the Week: Call You Out- Flyleaf

Gun Bills

As some of you may have been able to guess by now based on my earlier rants, i am a staunch supporter of gun rights, and the ability to carry a handgun, concealed or open by the the general public.

I have seen too many times where someone who was stabbed, shot, mugged, raped, who could have  averted this and put one more bad guy in the ground by simply being able to carry a handgun and being proficient in its use.

It irks me when i hear people argue for stronger gun laws after mass shootings such as Aurora, or Oakland. These men set out on a mission to kill as many innocents as possible, it is highly unlikely that tougher penalties and more guns being illegal would stop someone who is hell bent on mass murder. The only people it really hobbles are the people wishing to own a gun for collection,hunting, sport shooting, or home and public defense.
(important to note also is that every modern mass shooting has either occurred in a specific building that bans carry of firearms by the general public such as Aurora, or in a state or city that heavily restricts or outright bans concealed or open carry by civilians. If you are able to find of any mass shooting in the US recently that proves this wrong, please let me know, regardless the overwhelming majority fit in the category i stated above)

This is why the ridiculous attempt to jump start the Assault Weapons Ban bill again bothers me so much, it's as if they think in general also that the majority of crimes are committed with AR-15s and M1 garands and Saiga semi auto shotguns. Less than one percent of all crimes are committed with these firearms, the overwhelming majority are handguns, which are already reasonably regulated in the first place to keep felons and the mentally ill from owning them, while still making it possible for the general public to exercise their second amendment rights by owning them.

So there is my little rant for the day, after reading several stupid articles on the topic i felt the need to express my feelings.

Y'all have a good one, drive safe and please...don't call 911 at 430 in the morning because your CO2 detector is sounding, and you just forgot to change the batteries...

--Burnout

Training

i realize i've been absent a while, i've been quite busy lately due to numerous training courses i am taking for my fire company and the plentiful calls that have been run, be back soon with stories from my company and soon more stories of patrol again.
Till then, take care, drive safe, and please don't call 911 after 11pm for a stubbed toe...

Burnout

That Special Someone

Well it's official, Burnout has found a special someone!


now some of you may be asking "Oh Burnout, you're such a cynical, bitter and sarcastic human being! what besides a demon from the depths of hell could possibly like you!"

first, to that i say blow it out your A**, and second, the lovely missus happens to be just as cynical and bitter a human being as me, and actually rivals me in some areas.

Folks, it's never too late to find someone you care about so even if this doesn't end well we sure as hell are gonna have good times before it's over


Burnout

Song of the Week: Blind Man- Black Stone Cherry

Fire Activity

As some of you may be aware, in my spare time i am not just a volunteer for law enforcement... I also happen to be a volunteer firefighter, which brings a whole new set of frustrations and difficulties.
While on a call of a vehicle that had flipped on the road, i pulled the short straw and got stuck on traffic detail  as the state troopers got cozy in their vehicles. It is STUNNING to me how drivers see at least five flares, and a fire engine, an ambulance, several state troopers and a tow truck all with their lights on and blocking the entire road on top of which a firefighter in reflective bunker gear and waving a flashlight to signal them that the road is closed (me) they still roll up and say "hey can i get through here?" as if we are just gonna move our vehicles out of the way, or that because he asked suddenly the road will widen enough for him to fit his vehicle by...
*sigh* sometimes i just can't understand what people are thinking.

Song of the Week: Enemies by Shinedown

Irritating Drivers

i cannot express just how infuriating it is to have drivers doing the speed limit or under in the fast lane on the highway while right next to another car, it seems as if they do this specifically to piss people off who are actually in a hurry...and this is probably the ONLY time i will admit this but, New Jersey has it right for not allowing drivers to travel in the fast lane on the Turnpike and can only use the fast lane to pass.

Song of the Week: Blink 182- All the Small Things

Politically Incorrect

As anyone who knows someone in a first responder profession is aware, we are some of the most politically incorrect, rude, and have the darkest senses of humor out there of any people. I mention this because i have gotten used to referring to medics as "Meatwagons" to the point where i nearly broadcast that term over the radio instead of the department sanctioned term for an ambulance recently. When i have referred to EMS vehicles as meatwagons in the company of people who don't know me well, i invariably get a lot of horrified stares from folks that do not see the dark humor in the term.
What can i say? I've never been known for showing an abundance of tact anyway...

Just as a little aside rant, feel free to disagree but this is just my personal opinion... the University of California Police Chief is just a political animal that deserves no respect. He caved to public pressure and fired Lt. Pike despite the LT operating FULLY within the use of force continuum, Lt. Pike and the officers on scene that deployed pepper spray against the foolish protesters actually showed remarkable restraint and warned all of the civilians what would occur if they did not disperse. The important thing to remember here is that pepper spray is not a 'weapon' it is a 'pain compliance tool' and as such was used appropriately.

Just my personal thoughts, if you agree or disagree either way feel free to share your opinion on the case in the comments section for this post (for those unfamiliar with the story, here is the link to said incident  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC_Davis_pepper-spray_incident  )


Song of the Week: Guilty Pleasure by Gone for Days

Lucky Dealership

While on patrol we happened to drive by a car dealership around 10:30pm that had a brand new and decked out GMC Yukon sitting in one of the parking spots there, idling after apparently being parked and having one of the workers forget about it before leaving work for the day. It is a miracle in this town that it hadn't disappeared five minutes after the worker left it unattended, let alone at least 3 hours...

Song of the Week: Like i Roll- Black Stone Cherry

Startling...

Wow, I honestly didn't expect to get over 200 views by this point, thank you to my followers and anonymous readers that follow my stories and rants!
It is pleasant for me to find that some people find my insight, and my frustrations to be at the very least, entertaining.
(as a heads up to all, i will be quite busy this month between work and my obligations to other volunteer efforts in my life)




Song of the week: Familiar Realm by CKY

10-33 (Officer needs assistance!)

Not too long ago while on patrol i heard a call that sends chills through the veins of every officer who hears it.

While dealing with a minor vehicle incident (fender bender) i was sitting in the cruiser taking down information while the officer was talking with the two drivers when i heard another officer initiate a felony stop on a stolen car, i heard his tone of voice change and then he was cut off in mid sentence.

Dispatch: " 287........ 287 respond."

20 seconds later with no response, i run from the cruiser and grab the officer, and tell him to turn up his radio

Dispatch: *hits alert tones* "287 Respond"

about a half a minute passes...

Dispatch: *keys up the emergency tones causing the officer and i to both freeze* "all units all units 10-33... officer needs assistance at the intersection of wayne and montgomery... repeat all available units respond code 3, officer needs assistance"

At that moment the officer and i both told the drivers that their incident would have to be dealt with later and we sprinted back to the cruiser, jumped in and before our seatbelts were even on i had keyed up the siren and hit the lights as we burned rubber. We led a convoy of seven other law enforcement vehicles from three separate departments up the highway, hitting 135mph as we hustled to go assist a brother in need of help.

Despite us bouncing off of our speed limiter and leading the convoy of flashing lights we were still not the first unit to arrive on scene for the incident. What turned out had happened was that as the officer approached the vehicle, the much larger and stronger man in the car barged out of the drivers seat and tackled the officer before the officer could even react, as back up units arrived on scene they managed to drag him off the officer as the two were in the midst of a struggle for the officer's firearm in which the officer was starting to lose.

We rolled up on scene as the criminal was being stuffed into the back of a squad car, and we donned gloves to begin the search of the man's stolen car. There was not too much uncovered in the car aside from filthy clothes and numerous liquor bottles, both of which pointed to the man's state of mind.

All i can say is that that moment between the emergency tones going out and then the dispatcher announcing "officer needs assistance" were some of the worst i have ever experienced, for anyone who has heard those tones as a firefighter or a police officer it is something that with stick with you forever afterwards as it is a moment in which a friend and a brother in uniform is in serious trouble... it is a broadcast that sends ice and adrenaline firing through any officer, young or old, jaded or still gung-ho.

Song of the week: (i'm feeling a little country tonight so let's try this) Country Roads Take Me Home By John Denver

The Passing of Time

As time passes i see the good in my friends and acquaintances...and the bad. It disheartens me that as of late i have dealt with a friend attempting suicide, and several falling into a life of crime the likes of which i could not prevent and was thus forced to cut all ties. On top of this i have so far seen several friends succumb to narcotics and while i am aware that i will most likely not be able to salvage their lives and save them if they don't want the help, I still try.
I find myself realizing more and more how difficult it is to retain a true friendship with anyone as you grow older, let alone in the first responder profession.

If anyone is willing to share a brief story relating to this then feel free, i'd love to see how others have coped with loved ones and friends falling due to these sinister life issues

--Burnout





Song of the Week: Trik Turner- Friends & Family

Multiple Partners

It's not every day you nearly get a lock-up for Bigamy, in the area where we discovered this though i should not be too surprised...just another bizarre night in this city.

Song of the Week:

Personal Troubles

Hey folks! sorry for the long wait between posts, i have been extremely busy between classes, work, volunteer, and personal troubles that have made it extremely difficult to keep on top of my blog, i'll get in a few more posts than normal for this month if possible to try and compensate. Thank you to the loyal readers who have followed me so far! more interesting stories to come soon!

--Burnout

Song of the Week: Take a Walk By Passion Pit

Law Enforcement Memorial

Made it all the way up to DC for national police week this week, despite the poor weather i will be wandering DC before and after the memorial services and the wreath laying and taking a few pictures. So far i have found DC to be an enjoyable experience and plan on making it to the changing of the guard at Arlington (any of my readers who frequent DC or know the area if you have any suggestions of places to visit while i am here i would appreciate a comment!)

 Although it is heart breaking to realize just how many men and women have given their lives in defense of others, it is an amazing sight to see numerous officers from all over the country out in tribute to them, "all gave some, and some, gave all"

Song of the Week (warning, this one is not for those who do not enjoy a mix of screaming and singing): H.M.A.S Lookback by The Amity Affliction

--Burnout

Some just never learn...

On patrol midnight shift yesterday, sitting in one of our favorite spots and seemed to be a pretty slow night so far, all that we had to do was crank music and count the points on the deer that wandered past our blacked out cruiser.
Unfortunately for one citizen he picked a bad place to punch it in a 30 MPH zone, i clocked him at 56MPH... he had just past our cruiser when i flicked the toggle and off we went to educate another member of the motoring public. We approach the vehicle and this conversation then occurs:
Obviously slow learner:  "here's my license and registration, oh and here we go!" *driver hands officer another document*

Amused Officer: " sir, this document states that you have just completed driver re-education training (required after accruing a certain amount of points on your license) just 5 hours ago?"

O.S.L: "uhhh...yea! i was hoping that since i just completed the course and showed i was...you know, a good driver that you would... give me a warning?"

A.O.: "Well sir what i can do for you, since you appear to be a slow learner, is warn you that if you do this again you will get another citation" *hands the information to me to return to the cruiser, i run his drivers license and registration and find he has at least 12 pages of various moving violations, then fill out a citation for speeding that includes another point on his license for this violation*

*A.O. hands the citation with a hefty fine and points to the driver*

O.S.L: "OH COMEON MAN CAN'T YOU JUST GIVE ME A BREAK?"

A.O. : "Sir, it is my opinion that if given a warning you will fail to take heed, and you will most likely just pay this one and continue on as normal, but i intend to write you citations every time i catch you speeding until my point is made."

O.S.L "I'LL SEE YOU IN COURT A**HOLE!"

A.O. : " I hope so... i get paid four hours of overtime every time i show up, now press hard, there are three copies. Have a great day and drive safe"

*driver speeds off*

A.O. looked at me and chuckled, and then back to our hideout we went, waiting for the next member of the motoring public in need of some correction.

Song of the Week:

Faster than a Convertible

While on patrol recently we received a call for a 10-50 Ped (start for a car wreck involving a pedestrian)

Unfortunately for us this was in the middle of lunch and i was in the middle of trying to wolf down a sub. As we gunned the engine, hit the lights and began to alternate the siren between hi-lo and yelp to cut through traffic, I stuffed my sandwich at my feet and slipped on my surgical gloves. From experience a 10-50 Ped is quite a serious thing as i have yet to respond to one without the pedestrian being in critical condition so i was taking no chances in terms of exposure to bodily fluids.

Seeing the accident up ahead gave me a significant start before i quashed my emotions and prepared to do what might be necessary. Ahead of us as we jumped out of the just barely stopped cruiser was a woman in her thirties, who had tried to run across the street. However this woman did not realize she did not have the right of way and a luxury convertible sedan slammed into her at 50 MPH, flinging her up and into the windshield and twisting one leg to point completely 180 degrees in the opposite direction of normal. As we made our way to her motionless body on the pavement EMS arrived on scene and began to stabilize her, leaving us with little to do but to finish blocking off traffic and then take witness statements.This occupied only a short hour and a half of what ended up being an entire shift consisting of numerous car wrecks, Burglary alarms, a stabbing, and an officer needs assistance call that was the result of a faulty radio. 

As summer approaches i am anticipating things to become increasingly active with the kind of population in this town, i will continue to fill everyone in as best as i can although my posts may grow erratic due to increasing hours at work.

--Burnout

Song of the week: The Wombats- Jump into the Fog

Thin Blue Line

It seems that Law Enforcement are no longer respected, or feared at all. Recently there has been another LODD death in Austin Texas, a drunk and disorderly man in a walmart shot and killed the officer as soon as the officer entered the building. that makes twenty-six line of duty deaths this year so far, it fills me with sadness to see another fall, a father, a friend, a brother in blue.

I thought to include this poem i saw a long time ago that truly strikes a chord with me, RIP senior officer Jaime Padron, allow us to take your watch from here...

Just another Day (Short story, 1st draft)

This is my first attempt at writing a short story, let alone one covering Law Enforcement. Any criticism or comments are appreciated! Just a rough draft of something i typed up so don't expect anything amazing...  Enjoy!

It’s another night; another night of cold, pain, and sadness. I grab the keys and a spare radio while hitching up my pants. The duty belt leaves permanent scars on my hips. I snag the keys to an old beat up patrol car and grab the shotgun then stride out to find it in a sea of red and blue. Finally finding my cruiser for the night, I slot the beat up twelve gauge into its place above my head and then sink myself into the soft leather seats of the patrol car and just sit for a minute trying to nurse the aches and groans away long enough for new ones to form in my weary body. I note the full moon above my head as I key up “1496 to dispatch show me 10-41”. An hour of boredom passes as I stare out at a road used only by myself and deer, what keeps me awake is purely the crackle and hiss that accompanies the whispers of my fellow officers over the radio.

           

          I close my eyes briefly and then my calm is broken when a call goes out for me “1496, respond to a B&E alarm at 152 heathland ave”. Normally these calls are meaningless but I have a sense of dread as if my subconscious is screaming something that my conscious mind cannot quite figure out yet. I wrench the car into drive and gun the motor causing the old cruiser to whine in protest at the sudden effort it is being forced to put out. I hit curves aggressively and squeal the tires as I push myself and my car to get there, anticipating an eventful night. I arrive at a large house tucked back in the woods up a hill and a hundred foot long driveway lit only by the moon. I turn down my radio as I get out and scan the area. I see a shadow shift in the distance and draw my handgun out of reflex, the adrenaline slams through my system at the same moment that the wind picks up and leaves skitter across the asphalt in all directions. I crouch and skulk through the woods, thankful of the wind snatching away the sound of twigs snapping underfoot but cursing my inability to hear, I see a figure shift and move behind the house, I break into a sprint as I draw my flashlight. I press myself on the side corner of the looming building and lean out quickly, I see nothing but still have the feeling someone is there, I cut the corner and turn on my flashlight. 

          I see a figure take off and I scream for him to stop, then I feel a sudden sharp pain in the back of my head, my knees lose all feeling and buckle beneath me. I roll over, instinctively press my left hand to my head and feel blood. Keying my radio I whisper “officer needs assistance” into the radio and hear the urgent voice of the dispatcher and fellow officers coming to my help and at the same time trying to figure out what is happening. I struggle to one knee and look up right as a piece of pipe swings towards me again, I hit the ground. Hard. I hit the emergency button on my radio so that everyone can hear what is happening, I lose track of the shadowy figure with the pipe as time slows down and I force myself fully to my knees, staggering as I push myself to look around and find it again. I hear the shrill tones of the Sirens call me in the wind picking up again. I hear snapping branches behind me and pivot, I see a figure several yards away and I fire my handgun as fast as my hand allows. The Figure and I both crumple at the same time as my radio ignites with the call of the dispatcher “1496! 1496 please respond!” As my vision begins to gray out I see another figure come running towards me and I weakly raise my shaking gun at it “brother it’s me, you’re safe now”. I blink. Sirens in the background and the entire area are bathed in flashing lights for the first time; I holster my gun after a few seconds of effort and sit down heavily as I finally realize my brothers have come to my aid. 

Just another day in the life of a police officer.

Nudity

While it may be legal (still debatable even though we were unable to find a ticket in the vehicle law code) drive an extremely low sitting car completely buck naked, it may not be advisable considering the approximately ten calls from horrified parents that a sixty year old man was driving completely naked with the windows down. While us and the several other officers that showed up appreciate the laughs this provided and eventually settled on just suggesting for you to cover up somewhat, please next time have at least a dark side window tint. No one wants to see that on a nice sunny day...

Surprising Motorists

It seems people out here believe that just because we are in the middle of one traffic stop that we are too busy to stop another vehicle for a speeding violation as well. This is not the case! several days ago people unwisely believed that because we were in the midst of writing out a citation for speeding on one vehicle that we wouldn't stop them as well, much to their surprise (and the dispatcher's i might add as she logged us as being on two traffic stops at once) i stepped out of the cruiser and flagged them down for the officer, we ended up having five cars stopped on the shoulder of the road that were waiting to be written for violations. On arrival back to the station at the end of shift there were several officers teasing us for being 'overachievers' i however simply looked at it as teaching the motoring public a lesson: just because we appear to be busy on a traffic stop does not mean that we are too busy to stop you as well.
Buckle up and drive safe folks, I'll be hitting the road more often this month!

Crossover #1

A friend of mine from another jurisdiction offered up an amusing story and suggested me to use it in my blog, i found it entertaining enough to use, enjoy.

I smelled weed as soon as I walked up to the car and told him to get out, and during the pat down, I found a bag of weed in the guy's pocket. 

Savy Criminal: ummm, I don't think these are my pants. 

Ofc: oh, who's are they?

SC: Umm, I don't know? Maybe my roommates, I just grabbed them to jump into the car and head to the store. We were pretty hungry.

Ofc: Interesting, Why don't you have a seat right here on the curb while I have a look through the car ok?

Ofc: Hey, is this your car?

SC:Yeah, of course it is. I didn't steal no car

Ofc: ok, just wanted to make sure you didn't grab your roommate's car with the pipe in the glovebox that was still smoking.

Idiot threw the pipe into the glove box when he saw my lights. It was lit when he threw it in, and when I opened the box, smoke came out. I wanted to laugh so bad it hurt. 


Thanks for the story! look forward to trying several more crossovers

Monotony and Voices in the Night

It's been slow lately, the nights start out with the occasional report to be done for destruction of property or perhaps a theft, then will start to die off. The nights always end up with us sitting in the dark, comparing the various stories we have regarding ex-girlfriends, pranks and what our plans are after the shift is over.

The monotony of sitting on a four lane road that is completely deserted is broken infrequently by the high pitched shriek of the radar gun and accompanying speeder who has decided to give us a break from boredom. The other way the silence has been broken more often is when one of us inadvertently turns up the volume on our radios, giving the dispatcher a booming and godlike voice and causing both of us to react in ways that would surely have been entertaining for the motoring public to see.

*decided to start including songs sporadically as they relate to my posts or how my mood strikes me*

Civil Servants

Why is it that people assume we serve them at their every beck and call simply because their taxes in part pay for the salaries of Police Officers? it boggles my mind why some people think that.

This little irritation of mine is based off of being on a traffic stop in a small parking lot, a lady actually has the gall to back her car out of the spot and inch it up as close as she can to the police cruiser, and then come up to me during the stop while the officer is trying to speak to the driver of the stopped vehicle and say this:

IM: (ignorant motorist): "hi, excuse me...excuse me!"

me: *takes a guarded stance* "yes Ma'am?"

IM: "yes, hi, i need you to move your police car...i need to get out THIS entrance" *stands there looking indignant*

Me: *desperately trying to contain the sarcasm* " I'm sorry Ma'am but you're going to have to use the other exit, officer safety takes priority over your convenience at this moment"

IM: " Well FINE! if you're going to be rude about it!" *storms off in a huff back to her car*

I then stood there for a few seconds trying to work out the bizarre manner of this young woman before snapping back to reality and focusing on the stop.

People like this seem to be getting more common around here, which is a very disturbing trend. If these are the kind of entitled people consisting of the new generation, i'm concerned for this area...

Sidenote: when you see several officers and me standing inside a 7-11 cause we have a break in-between what has been an insane shift so far and we are trying to enjoy some warmth and a hot coffee, coming up to us and saying " don't you people have anything better to do than waste tax payer money?" is not an appreciated criticism and was naturally met with the sarcastic responses from all of us that you rightly deserved.

Ok, rant over.

Graveyard shift heartbreak

I decided to do a throwback for my first true post on the blog, and talk about an evening shift experience I had several years ago.

It was a full moon so naturally i was on edge, the nights always seem to be more violent when it is a full moon, i was even more concerned when we did not receive a single call for service for the first few hours. I'm sitting in the passenger seat with the radar gun aimed down a completely dark road that had been deserted for hours, discussing about how the department doesn't supply the officers with anything that wasn't bought at a fucking surplus store back in the 1980's. As we sat there debating the worse parts of being an officer in that particular county, a call went out that every graveyard shift officer dreads:

*emergency tones go out over the radio)

Dispatch: Car 123

a perplexed me: 123 go ahead

Dispatch: respond for a possible 10-50F (traffic accident, fatality) on ******** rd, EMS is already en route

As soon as we heard dispatch say "10-50F" the radar gun was on the floor, i was lighting up our mobile christmas tree complete with siren, and the officer was slamming the pedal through the floor in an effort to get us there as soon as possible.

Halfway en route to this wreck we were hitting 110mph down back roads with no lighting when possibly the worst imaginable thing happens... The officer knocked his knee against our siren and lighting system box while cutting a sharp turn, as soon as this happened we lost ALL visibility. the lightbar and siren shut off, our wigwags were off and for some reason the headlights shut off too. Naturally both of us were screaming every cuss word we could think of while i unbuckled my seat belt and bent down to fiddle with all the wires going into the piece of trash. We were still screaming down back roads with no lights for about 3 minutes straight when i found a wire and fiddled with it causing everything to come back on at once which caused me to smack my head on the dashboard.

nursing the soon to be major headache i still had the presence of mind to put on my surgical gloves as we rolled up on scene and found a four door sedan smashed through a k-rail and hanging over a twelve foot drop into a small river. As we ran over to the car my heart was in my throat as i saw a child's toy in the back window and prayed there was not a child in that mangled wreck. We got to the open driver's door and found blood all over the compartment but startlingly and slightly relieving was the fact that there was no one inside the car. We discovered the driver further up the windy back road right before she nearly got crushed by one of the fire engines responding to the wreck. After we checked her out and confirmed there was no child that had been in the car and loaded her into ambulance that had finally arrived on scene we finally discovered what had caused the wreck when there were no skid marks at all.

It turns out, that that day was the anniversary of the death of the young woman's son who had died last year. She was suicidal and decided a good way to end her life was to come down the windy road towards the twelve foot drop off and just accelerate as hard as she could, thankfully her car was hung up in the railing and too disoriented to attempt another way.

That moment while i stood staring at the blood covered car with the children's toy in the back window, the whole scene bathed in the red, blue and white flashing of the emergency vehicles was one that has stuck with me for a long time. I still am able to close my eyes and flash back to that scene several years later.

As i stood there and tried to cope with the whole situation, the officer i was with came up behind me and patted me on the shoulder, standing there with me staring, at what could have been a very different night except for one strong K-rail. He told me " This is why we're out here, it takes a certain type of mentality to deal with what you see in this line of work and do what we do. Just remember, if you aren't willing to put everything on the line and help these people...who will?" It seems i have taken that statement to heart even after all this time.

Dispatch, show me 10-41, beginning tour of duty

Well i'm lousy with introductions in the first place but let me give this a whirl. Due to reading through Motorcop and Officer Smiths' blogs i have suddenly felt the urge to share my own little slice of oddity that is a career in Law enforcement. I am an older person in a volunteer program out east. I'm a very short time away from casting out into the world of law enforcement that i was born into and am looking forward to experiencing all that is involved with it. I also am currently a firefighter working on several different credentials to further my activities in the other side of the first responder spectrum

In summary, Thanks Motorcop and Officer Smith for the humorous stories i've always read by you two! i'll try to add a few that i experience every month and share my own personal insights. To all of my readers, i was born into the world of first responders with a family that has several generations of federal and military law enforcement and military experience, and several close friends are firefighters or police officers.
Thanks for tuning in and i'll try not to let my cynicism leak into my posts too much.