Explorations in Policing, Faith and Life (With a hint of humor, product reviews, news and whatever catches my attention)

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Repost from great Blog: Adoro te Devote

This blog post just came to my attention from the Blog: Adoro te Devote called: Police, Justice, Saints

See it and read the rest of the posts here: Link to Orginial Post and The Blog Itself




The most common encounter with the Police, for most people, is either because something bad happened to them, such as a burglary or car accident or some other thing, or, perhaps, a traffic stop, better known as “being pulled over."

Has this ever happened to you?

How did you react?

Did you curse or maybe even go so far as to swear (take the Lord’s name in vain)? Did you break into a sweat, feel your blood pressure increase, hear your own heart beating in your ears without benefit of a stethoscope? (As an aside…did you identify any heart problems in that experience?)

Most importantly, did you harbor resentment against the cop who had the audacity to stop you?

Think about it, and after reading this post, think about it even harder.

Last Sunday when heading back to Minnesota from my short hiatus in Wisconsin, I was driving happily along the freeway, enjoying the fall colors, creeping past a few cars, always mindful of my speed, especially since Wisconsin and Minnesota do not have reciprocity.

Then I happened to see, in a flash, the blue car with the white stripe sitting in the median.

Whenever I see a squad car, I check my speedometer and usually see I am fine. That day, I saw that I was doing something around 80 in a 65.

Crap!

I hit the brakes immediately; only an arrogant idiot continues in his bad behavior as he encounters an authority figure. Looking into the air and whistling, for some reason, just doesn't seem to be effective while driving.

I watched in the rear-view mirror as the dreaded Wisconsin State Patrol car pulled out of its spot and accelerated, knowing darn well that it was because I was the idiot that cop was after.

Carefully, when I could, even though I hadn’t yet seen the lights, I moved into the right lane, and, still watching, saw immediately when that terrible Car of Judgment changed into my lane, following me. I knew what that cop was doing in preparation for the stop and I knew that it was over.

When I saw the lights come on, I was happy to see that we were approaching a rest stop, and although it had not been my plan to rest there, I took the exit and pulled over, thinking about the safety of the State Trooper who was stopping me.

My idiocy and inattention to my speed had put that cop in danger; I was glad for the opportunity to minimize it as much as possible while still stopping obediently without causing that unknown cop any additional stress.

Traffic stops are stressful enough.

I know; I’ve been there. I HATED freeway stops. In my department we walked up on the passenger side where we could, but all too often, the offender, in doing what he was taught, pulled up tight against the median or sound barrier in order to be out of traffic. That meant that I, as the Offending Police Officer, had to hang my authoritative rear end out into 65 mph freeway traffic, and God (as well as all cops know), drivers are oddly attracted to light.

Traffic stops are what kill most cops, y’all. It’s not Hollywood’s version of shootouts or cop show’s depiction of dangerous people who are stopped. Simply put, it is average people doing stupid things that force the police by necessity to be placed in a dangerous position that leads them into being killed.

Think about that and think about it hard the next time you complain you are stopped.

If that cop stops you and is hit by someone else, it’s YOUR FAULT. Period. Deal with it.

Were it not for your own breakage of the law, that cop would not have been standing there talking to you about the dumb thing you did to cause him or her to be standing there. And therefore, he or she would not be present in that location to be taken out by a drunk, or a driver even less inattentive than you, etc.

I’m sorry, I’ve been digressing. We were talking about ME weren't we?

Yeah. Me. The Offender.

I pulled over, finding that my cousin’s instruction on my cop-status-even-after-leaving-law-enforcement still remains: once a cop, always a cop. While I greatly cared about my own problem of, well, quite honestly, either paying for a ticket I couldn’t afford on the spot, or going to jail if I couldn’t or didn’t have the proper information, it was more important to me that the officer who was stopping me not be killed in doing so.

Yeah, my cousin (God rest his soul) was right. That training in stopping and being stopped really changes those who experience it. His observation, as I have now learned, goes far deeper than mere training; it goes all the way to deep respect and a true desire for the good of the other, if we are to become philosophical about this.

I also have to say that, even further, when you’ve broken the law, you know it, and you KNOW when what is happening to you is Justice.

As I waited for that Officer to approach my window, I thought hard about Justice. I knew I was caught breaking the law. It didn’t matter that I had not intended to hit such a speed. The fact was that I had not realized I was going so fast, and only that Squad had made me look, at that moment, at my speedometer. Yes, this traffic stop was objectively Just: I was breaking Wisconsin Law, and I was going to pay for it.

I watched to see how the officer would approach. She was coming up on the right (shoulder) so I closed my left window (to block traffic noise), opening the right one, my driver’s license already in hand.

She bent down and said to me, “You know I got you speeding.”

"Yeah.”

I was resigned to my fate already, wondering how I was going to pay this fine without going to jail.

I handed her my license and realized I was an idiot for not also having my insurance out, for which she had to ask. As I dug through my purse pocket, I found old insurance cards and began to panic. Was it even POSSIBLE that I did not put my current insurance in my purse??

I’d CITED people for having no insurance for that very failure!

As I, in growing panic, went through thing after thing in that pocket, my hands beginning to shake, I envisioned my car being towed in one direction while I, in handcuffs, went in another to await court the next day.

My friends, speaking as a former cop, even the most strict of MN cops did not recognize WI cops for being merciful. I’m sure they had the same opinion of us, all because of reciprocity laws.

The law is what it is. We were servants of that law....as was the Trooper at my window.

Thankfully I found my insurance card and handed it over. Then she asked me for Registration.

For those who don’t know, in Minnesota, this is sent to you by the State when it is time to purchase your tabs. There is something that is noted as a “cab card”, and that is your Registration. To be safe, when you purchase your Tabs, take everything the State sends you and keep it in your glove box to prove your Registration. Anyone can see your Tabs on your plate, but the Registration has a bit more info and is easier for a cop to see if they have to stop you when you do something dumb.

I knew mine was in my glove box…somewhere. I told her verbally where it was, knowing what it is like to stand outside that window. She gave me permission to open my glove box, and I let her get a good view before I reached into it.

I also had to tell her that I was removing my seat belt in order to better access the contents. (I did NOT need a seat-belt ticket added on to what I was certain to be paying!). She told me that was fine.

Great. I paged through a whole bunch of crap I didn’t even realize was in my glove box and couldn’t find the document. My hands were shaking, I had already said to myself, “I was IN law enforcement…I know better than this…!” (I think she heard this although I meant only to be berating myself! *embarrassing*!)

Finally she said, “That’s fine. Does your car come back to you?”

“Yes. I am the only owner, everything is current.”

I’ll never forget what she said next: “I’m only going to write you a warning today. Stay in your car and I’ll be back."

I sat back, amazed.

I am the first person I know of from Minnesota who has EVER been let go with a warning from the Wisconsin State Patrol.

She would have been well-justified in writing me a ticket, which she told me when she came back, started at $200.

I don’t know why she let me go. Had I been stopping me, I am not at all sure that I would have been so merciful. 80 in a 65 ISN'T small potatoes! That’s speeding in any state, no matter what the law. ONE mph over the limit is an objective breakage of the law.

I was over by about 15 mph.

She handed me the Warning, my license and insurance, reminded me to keep it to 65, and told me to be safe. I told her the same.

As I drove off, I pulled out my rosary and I prayed it in both thanksgiving for this great mercy, and I prayed it for the Trooper in both reparation and for her safety.

I screwed up, she caught me, and because of my actions, I put her in danger.

Don’t comment below and say that by being a Trooper she takes that risk; that’s quite obvious and actually is a really stupid comment. She doesn't go into business to ask YOU to put her in danger!

The fact is this: you and I, when we break the law, whether frivolously by mistake or intentionally out of arrogance, we both put the officer who is bound to do his or her job, in serious danger.

Danger that would not exist for them were it not for our personal actions.

If you are one of those who were ever stopped for a traffic or other offense, how did you react?

Were you arrogant? Angry? Did you wonder why they weren't stopping "REAL CRIMINALS"?

If you have broken the law, i.e., committed a crime, it means you are a criminal!Suck it up and admit it, and if you are truly a good citizen, realize that your own actions have placed another human being in danger.

If that cop died while stopping you, you’d live with that for the rest of your life.

So don’t let it happen. Ever.

If you don’t want to watch your speed for your own sake, even if you think it’s nothing to pay a ticket here and there, then think about the cop who might die just to inform you that you’re doing something stupid and should probably slow down before you kill someone.

I don’t personally know the cop who stopped me, and even if she had written me a ticket and made me pay on the spot or, had I not had documentation I legally must carry, had taken me to jail, this post would not change. (Well, it might be more interesting if she had arrested me and taken me to jail...)

But I still want to apologize to her for putting her in danger, and for that matter, the county Deputy who stopped me a few years ago when I missed a 40 mph sign in a speed trap. He was in even MORE danger because, after all, the roads were slippery and he didn’t have the buffer zone of being on an exit ramp.

I don’t know why the WI State Trooper let me go, but I do know this: I want her action to bear fruit. I want to remind people, in the name of the Wisconsin State Patrol, to keep an eye on your speed, not just for yourselves, but because of all the police officers who are willing to put themselves at risk so that others might not be killed by your stupid actions.

I took the lesson and hope it remains with me. As a cop I made traffic stops I intended to be “educative” to the driver.I am grateful to be the one receiving the education and know full well that should I breech the law again, I will not be granted another mercy.

Pray for the Police, every day. Pray for their safety, for their families who wait for them to come home at the end of their shift. Then thank God for them, for were it not for our law enforcement officers, we’d all be living in chaos.

When I was sworn in, my Mom gave me a medal, which she’d had blessed, of St. Michael the Archangel.(I don’t have it anymore as after I left, I gave it to another aspiring police officer. I also used to pray Psalm 190 every day before I went to work.

September 29 was the Feast of the Archangels, October 1st is the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Patron of Missionaries, and October 2nd is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. If Police Officers, everwhere, don’t fit into those categories (including missionary) I don’t know who does!

Please offer your prayers for those men and women who live among you, those you view with dread in your rearview mirror, and those you call 911 for when you are in need of help. Asd the intercession, for them, of the Archangels, of St. Therese, and of the Guardian Angels, for their own protection and for their ability and vocation (small “v”) to protect

And please, in your charity, pray especially for MN State Trooper, Officer Ted Foss, who was killed in a traffic stop. He was the husband of a friend and professional reference and the reason we, by law if not by common sense, pull into the opposite lane in MN if we see a squad car responding to an incident on the side of the road, be it traffic stop or accident or mere assistance to someone in need of help.





St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;

and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -

by the Divine Power of God -

cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,

who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen

Posted by Adoro at Friday, October 01, 2010

Monday, March 18, 2013

Thrift Shop by macklenmore and ryan lewis

I don't know why but I love this song.

Thought it was cool since there was no official clean radio edit video these guys (Director: Ethan Burch Directors of Photography: TJ Clounie, Matt Shouse)...did their own enjoy.




Maybe there is a little to much of me in this to not like it...

Sygyzy

Excellent article to read

Juli Adcock, a frequent commenter on this blog has written an article on Law Enforcement Today entitled, "Chris Dorner No Excuses". It's worth the read.















Sygyzy

Monday, March 11, 2013

In Memory of the Fallen

It totally rankles me that in our society we publish the heck out of the agents of evil and the victims quickly fade from view, remembered only by the friends and family they left behind.  I can't name one of the victims of  jeffrey dahmer, ted bundy or david berkowitz (son of sam), just to name a few.  The only one I could come up with was Sharon Tate in the manson murders.

So in an effort to keep the memory of the victims of that ex-LAPD psychopath, justly fired, alive over his memory, as much as this blog can, here are their names.




Police Officer Michael Crain
Riverside Police Department, California
End of Watch: Thursday, February 7, 2013

His Officer Down Memorial Page Link






A fund was set up for anyone wishing to make a donation to Crain's family.

Checks can be mailed to:
Riverside Police Officers Association Assistance Fund (RPOA)
1965 Chicago Ave., Suite B
Riverside, CA 92507





Detective Jeremiah MacKay
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, California
End of Watch: Tuesday, February 12, 2013

His Officer Down Page Link






A memorial fund has been established for the MacKay family.
To contribute: Detective Jeremiah MacKay Memorial Fund, c/o SEBA, Attn: Ellen Monsalve, 735 E. Carnegie Drive, Suite 125, San Bernardino 92408.





Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence

They passed together as they were going to go through life on February 3, 2013.

In memory of the couple and to continue their legacy, the Quan and Lawrence families have established the Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence Girls Basketball Scholarship Fund. For more information, visit www.leaap.org or email lapdleaap@gmail.com.
www.leaap.org (Link)

Our prayers are with their family, friends and co-workers.

*uncapitalized names done purposefully because to capitalize them would show a sign of respect they certainly do not deserve.


“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
― Mahatma Gandhi


Psalm 37:9
For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

sygyzy







Monday, February 11, 2013

Humor in the Locker Room

Police Humor is.........................silly
Police Humor is also a little.........rough




It is the end of the week for my shift key, the end of the duty day and there were three of us left in the locker room.  My two shift mates are in the first bay and I am alone in the second.  As we are all ripping off our gear and uniforms, the quickest way possible to get our days off time maximized, a conversation springs up between the two officers about their family plans for the weekend.  This rolls on for a little while and when it has run its course, they feel the social obligation to ask me the same question they had asked each other.

So I share with them that my two children will both be out of town at different winter camps for the weekend, making it a date night for my wife and I.  One of the two asked me for the names of the camps and I informed them that it is through my church, Harvest, for both kids.  Officers are never one to miss the opportunity for a pun and so I am asked, "So what, they are heading out to gather some corn?"

I respond, "No that's a common misnomer, what they actually do is head out into the night and harvest organs from unsuspecting citizens from different towns, pack them in ice and place them into their bathtubs with a phone on their chest with a note to call 911 as soon as they wake up.  It's what we do to fund raise.  The irony is that our biggest market for our organs is India for people missing their organs that had this happen to them and their parts shipped here.  It's the circle of life."

Then one of the two said, "Look all I was trying to do is make a simple joke about harvesting grain because of your church's name and instead I got a run down of your whole weekend."  By this time I had completed my change over to civilian clothing and walked over to their bay.  Challenged by his comment, I started breaking down my entire weekend minute by minute.

The first responded by saying, "bye, thanks, have a good weekend", and with his pants unzipped and unbuttoned hopped out of the room trying to move and get his boot on simultaneously   I followed the other one out into the hall still breaking down the weekend when he suddenly put his fingers in his ears, started transitioning between humming and yelling, "I cant hear you!".  Then with fingers in place and maintaining his humming and shouting, he sprinted up the stairs and past the roll call in progress, looking for all the world like a ten year old that doesn't want the secret revealed.

I simply got to walk to my personal car with a grin on my face.


Exodus 12:9
Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Serial Killer Cops

The latest news on the attempt of California authorities to track down ex-LA PD officer Christopher Jordan Dorner after his murder spree has gotten me thinking about Serial Killer Cops (By FBI definition that is any victim count three and over at three incidents...if two or more in one place that is a spree killer).  There do not seem to be many of them out there.

Questions:

Is this due to screening processes that would preclude a pathological personality from getting onto a force to start with?

Is this due to their increased knowledge of law enforcement procedures and practices, so they are caught less?

Is this due to an element of borderline/pathological personalities not desiring to enter this field do to their internal processes?

Is this due to the common experiences of social isolation that these personality types experiences due to their no criminal actions?

If law enforcement has a unique position of detecting (a be it unknowingly) rejecting potential serial killers and routing them to another profession could this in some way be developed into a early warning system for persons that could one day become serial killers?

I think this would be an intriguing area to study in American law enforcement.

Here are some info on serial killers in law enforcement that I was able to locate.


Gerard John Schaefer (Wisconsin, March 25, 1946 – December 3, 1995) was an American serial killer from Florida. He was imprisoned in 1973 for murders he committed as a Martin County, Florida Sheriff's deputy.  While he was convicted of two murders, he was suspected of many others. Schaefer frequently appealed against his conviction, yet privately boasted — both verbally and in writing — of having murdered over 30 women and girls. (Source Wikipedia: link)

Manuel Pardo Jr.

A.K.A.: "Manny"
Classification: Spree killer
Characteristics: Former police officer
Number of victims: 9
Date of murders: January-April 1986
Date of arrest: May 7, 1986
Date of birth: September 24, 1956
Victims profile: Mario Amador, 33 / Roberto Alfonso, 28 / Luis Robledo, 37 / Ulpiano Ledo, 39 / Michael Millot, 43 / Fara Quintero, 28 / Sara Musa, 30 / Ramon Alvero, 40 / Daisy Ricard, 38
Method of murder: Shooting
Location: Florida, USA
Status: Sentenced to death on April 20, 1988. Executed by lethal injection in Florida on December 11, 2012
(Source Murderpedia link)(I know technically he is a spree killer)

And that is all I could find.

Sygyzy

Psalm 10:15
Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out.



Thursday, February 7, 2013

Honored and Humbled-Blog included in Top 25

Over at Top Criminal Justice Degrees this blog has been selected as one of the top 25 Law Enforcement Blogs for 2012!  Read through the blog list by clicking on the link above, its an honor to be included in this group, they are worth a look.



sygyzy

Monday, February 4, 2013

Shenanigans...For some reason

This has taken hold at the PD again...been acted out in the locker room, at roll call, on the street and car to car.  This movie is the Rocky Horror Picture Show for my department.  Enjoy.  IF YOU CAN!*




* Say in that deep voice of the movie preview announcer guy...


Job 8:21
He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

The other side of Gun ownership


The link to the article I found on Policy Mic

       The Link to James Street's Web Site

The following is a quick article I found on Policy Mic that is just one example of positive legal gun ownership.


Oregon Gun Owner Stops Clackamas Shooting Spree, Proving Guns Save Lives



Since no crisis can be allowed to go to waste, never expect the media to do anything other than demand more gun control legislation any time a whacko (or a patsy) kills people with a gun. Case in point: on Tuesday night, a complete idiot walked into a Portland, Oregon mall and began firing. Obviously the shooter, Jacob Roberts, was an imbecile to start with, since he managed to kill only two people before turning a gun on himself, but that's not the whole story.
As it turns out, 22-year-old Nick Meli was at the mall, and walking with his friend and their friend's son. Nick said: "I heard three shots and turned and looked at Casey and said, 'are you serious?'" Nick then directed his friend to a safe location and took up a position behind a pillar away from the shooter.
The anti-gun types would suggest that this man call the police and watch the shooter kill a dozen or more people until the cops finally showed up. Nick had other ideas. Being a legal Concealed Carry permit holder in the State of Oregon, Nick determined that he should try to prevent more deaths. He said: "[The shooter] was working on his rifle, he kept pulling the charging handle and hitting the side," as the shooter dealt with a jammed gun.
Nick drew down on the shooter as they made eye contact, and Nick prepared to fire. However, he determined (like any conscious firearms owner should) that there were other people behind Roberts, and his shot was not safe.
The only shot fired after this point was Roberts taking his own life. What could have ended as tragically as the school shooting in Connecticut ended much less tragically, with only two innocent people dead instead of 29.
Of course, the media completely ignored the part that Nick Meli played in this situation, but that's to be expected from an anti-gun, pro-government media. However, it must be recognized that guns DO save lives, and citizens with firearms DO take the necessary precautions not to harm more people.
This could be contrasted with the recent police shooting in New York where the cops on the scene were responsible for nine bystanders being wounded.
There are many people in Portland, Oregon, who are alive today most likely because of Nick Meli possessing a concealed firearm. One could only wish for such an outcome yesterday in Connecticut.
This article originally appeared at JamesLStreet.com.


sygyzy

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A Clarke Jr

The following video is from an interview with Milwaukee County Sheriff David A Clarke Jr.  He is saying what I have been telling friends and family for years.  The gap between when we can get there and what could be done to you is huge.  You can't always prevent victimization, there is simply evil people out there that commit  random horrific acts but what you can do is lessen the level to which you suffer.  This is the reality of modern policing in a rescission economy...you need to learn to protect yourself till we can get there to help...help not prevent.  Sheriff Clarke states this position well.

The video







Deuteronomy 33:7
And this he said about Judah:“Hear, Lord, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!”




Monday, January 28, 2013

Mustaches and Morale


Not a good look
 One of our officers is retiring after 25+ years on the job.  He has spent almost his entire career with a "Freddy Mercury" style thick mustache in place above his lip and under his nose.  As a tribute to him all of us at the PD has dedicated the month of January to him and in varying degrees of success (after weeks I have the beginnings of a mustache...the pejorative "porn star" keeps getting bandied about) we have all grown out our stashes.  It is not a good overall look, but it shows we care.

This is just a simple behind the scenes glimpse.




Psalm 126:2

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Gangnam Style Continues to Roll Through Cultural America

A couple of videos.  A U of O parody that is really well done, the Saturday Night live sketch with PSY's appearance and another song I found that I liked from him called "Champion".  Consider the band wagon jumped on...



The Saturday Night Live Sketch (Never thought I would reference them)



Champion by PSY





Monday, October 1, 2012

The Little Things

I had a great time as a TFO and now back in Patrol I am struggling to stay focused and motivated.  The needle is starting to slip from "gruntled"  to "disgruntled".  God is in charge and his ways are always good.  I know when I look back at this time in my life I will see where he has stretched me, challenged me, grown me and fulfilled all his promises.  But right now, it is quite a task to maintain joy on the way into and back from work.

It is strange, it is the little things and not just the big things, I miss.  While no one would want to hear this "war story" the following video was part of my commute into work back in those days.  I always just thought it just was a cool length of street that I would never have traveled if I did not have to go to the Feb office.  It is nowhere near my department.  So its kind of a marker of where I was and where I am no longer.  I miss that street.




Psalm 105:8
He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

To account for...life or death on a traffic stop

I initiated a traffic stop on vehicle for failing to stop at a stop sign.  When I was able to curb the vehicle, the driver, female, immediately opened her driver's side door and put one leg out to exit her car.  In response, I kicked open my driver's side door, got both feet on the ground and had my hand on my Glock 22 in its holster.  I ordered her to stay in her vehicle and close the door.  She hesitated then slipped her second leg out of the door and turned slightly to exit her vehicle.  I pulled the Glock out of it's holster and pointed it toward her vehicle but kept it behind my driver's side door and out of her view.  I again ordered her to re-enter her vehicle, which she did, openly startled by both the volume and tone of my voice.  The traffic stop was completed without incident and a citation issued.

At the beginning of the traffic stop this driver was angry and was attempting to come back to my squad to demand why I was stopping her.  She further informed me that she thought that I was rude, mean and should not treat the public in that manner.  She then sped away without giving me an opportunity to provide her with a response.

The following video is one that I have seen many times for training purposes.  I hate watching it, even though through its use many Officers have been made safer.  This is why I try to take total command of a situation and why if I do not get compliance in two commands, I greatly ramp up my response, get control and backup.

I can always apologize to the soccer mom for being mean and yelling at her when her intentions are harmless.  But I can't apologize for anything if I am dead.

My prayers are with Deputy Kyle Dinkheller's family, friends and fellow police officers, while some time has passed since this incident, I do not doubt that the pain is still real.




Andrew Brannan was found guilty on January 28, 2000, for the murder of Dinkheller and was sentenced to death.  As of July 2012, he has not been executed and is still incarcerated in Georgia.  After being captured, Brannan was asked why he killed Dinkheller. His response was, "Because he let me."

It will be a good day when the State finally provides Brannan with the final and complete punishment he is due.  A punishment long over due.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Cool Squads

I had to clean up the side bars of the blog, since it was becoming a slow load.  As a result I had to let a couple of pictures float away from the side bar and into this one post.

Lotus Exige Squad Car













Hummer H2

1941 Plymouth Squad Car

Lamborghini



Porsche Concept Squad Car

1928 Ford Model A


And to balance out all the coolness...
Segway 

Friday, September 21, 2012

Two more of the Fallen


Law Enforcement is not a brotherhood of Americans or even North Americans but a world wide fraternity of those who serve with the badge.

PC Nicola Hughes, 23, and PC Fiona Bone, 32 of the Greater Manchester Police, were ambushed and murdered as they responded to a routine call.  One of the unique aspects of our line of work is that every call has to be treated as if it is a potentially life threatening situation but in reality they are rare.  So you go to a hundred, thousand calls and not one is life threatening but you still have to force yourself to be ready to survive this one in a million situation.  The fact that these two fine officers had the bravery, which I do not, to answer the calls in their beats unarmed and undefended is also a testament to them.

Our prayers our with their families and their department.

The Article from the BBC News (BBC News Link)  
Picture from the same source.

Dale Cregan held after policewomen killed in Manchester

He said the house where the incident took place was a council house which had been left empty.

He said there had been some recent activity with the windows covered in whitewash suggesting the house was being decorated.

The police flag at Greater Manchester Police headquarters has been lowered to half mast.

The force has also opened a book of condolence on its website.

Association of Chief Police Officers president Sir Hugh Orde said the deaths were "deeply sad news for the police service".

ACC Shewan said Mr Cregan had been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder in relation to the investigations into the deaths of David Short and Mark Short.

David Short was killed in a gun and grenade attack in Clayton on 10 August.

His son, Mark, was killed in a pub shooting at the Cotton Tree Pub in Droylsden in May.

A second man - a 24-year-old - was also charged last month with the murder of David Short and later remanded in custody after he appeared at Manchester Crown Court.


PC Nicola Hughes, 23, and PC Fiona Bone, 32, were called to Abbey Gardens in Mottram to investigate what turned out to be a false report of a burglary.

Police said it appeared they had been deliberately "drawn" to the scene.

Dale Cregan, 29, has been arrested in connection with the officers' deaths and two previous murders.

He was detained when he walked into Hyde police station a short time after the incident.Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said someone had made a call alleging a burglary had been committed and when the officers arrived they were attacked with a gun and a grenade.

He said: "We believe he has made the call, or somebody else has made the call, and it would appear for the purposes of drawing these two officers to that particular scene, and then he has come out and shot and killed them both.

"Certainly it would appear to be that he has deliberately done this in an act of absolutely cold-blooded murder."

A witness at the scene in Tameside reported hearing 13 gunshots and an explosion shortly before 11:00 BST.

Excellent Bobby

Sir Peter said police believed Mr Cregan had spent the night at the house in Abbey Gardens before the call about the burglary was made.

"This address was not known to us, was not in our intelligence systems [and] had not featured in this particular inquiry," he said.

"As would be routine, two unarmed officers were sent to the scene. When they arrived, it appears Cregan emerged into the road and killed these two officers.

"A firearm was used and a grenade was also used. We are unsure of the cause of deaths until post-mortems are carried out.

"Cregan then went to a local police station and handed himself in."

Sir Peter said the officers exemplified the very best of British policing.

He said Miss Bone was a "calm, gentle woman", an "excellent bobby" and had been in the middle of planning her wedding.

Shocked and Distressed

He paid tribute to Miss Hughes, describing her as a "chatterbox" and a "great bobby" who was "always smiling".

"We are absolutely devastated by this loss and our thoughts and condolences go out to the families of these two officers, their friends and in particularly their colleagues who work with them day in, day out who are shocked and distressed at the events of this morning," he said.Police said one of the officers died at the scene and the second was critically injured and died afterwards.

A statement from Tameside Hospital said its emergency team "strived to save the life of a female officer who was brought to the A&E unit with critical injuries" but that she sadly died.The scene in Mottram has been cordoned off and there is a heavy police presence in the area, including a bomb disposal team.

A police helicopter is also on patrol overhead.

The witness who described the shots, a window cleaner who worked in the area, said the property the officers were called to had been unoccupied for some months.

'Long, dark shadow'The BBC's North of England reporter Danny Savage said he had spoken to an eyewitness who said they saw a police car outside the house shortly after 10:15 BST.

"After that car had drawn up it seems the two unarmed police officers inside the car went into the property which had stood empty for some months," he said.

"Whilst they were inside around a dozen shots were fired and there was an explosion."Those police officers didn't come out of the house again, the police car was left outside with its lights flashing but empty. Emergency services and colleagues were soon here offering assistance."

Home Secretary Theresa May said: "This is a deeply shocking incident and a terrible reminder of the risks that police officers face every day to keep our communities safe."Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said it was "deeply distressing news [and] a painful demonstration of how police officers put themselves in harm's way every day to protect the public".

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said it was "a tragic day" for Greater Manchester Police.

"A long and dark shadow has been cast across Greater Manchester and my thoughts are with the officers' families, friends and colleagues," he said.

Police had been offering a £50,000 reward for information leading to Mr Cregan's arrest as he was wanted over attacks that left a father and son dead.

Sir Peter said looking for him had been a "top priority" for GMP.

He said: "We have some of our best people on this operation.

"We believe that he has been protected by a criminal conspiracy to harbour him and we are absolutely determined to fully investigate that conspiracy and bring the people involved to book."

Speeding Car

Ian Hanson, chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: "What we've got are two young girls who went out this morning and they've got an absolute right to come home to their loved ones.

"This is cold-blooded murder, the slaughter of the innocents."

Jonathan Reynolds, Labour MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, said the killings had "brought shock and disbelief to the whole nation".

Witness Warren Shepherd was up a ladder cleaning the windows of a house nearby when the shooting happened.

He said: "I heard about 10 shots quite close... I knew they were gunshots because sometimes there is clay pigeon shooting in the fields.

"I heard a big explosion about 10 seconds after the shots. I got off the ladder, walked round, saw an empty police car.

"A car went speeding past to the main road."

He said he went back to his van but could see the aftermath through a gap between two houses.

He said the house where the incident took place was a council house which had been left empty.

He said there had been some recent activity with the windows covered in whitewash suggesting the house was being decorated.

The police flag at Greater Manchester Police headquarters has been lowered to half mast.The force has also opened a book of condolence on its website.

Association of Chief Police Officers president Sir Hugh Orde said the deaths were "deeply sad news for the police service".

ACC Shewan said Mr Cregan had been arrested on suspicion of two counts of murder in relation to the investigations into the deaths of David Short and Mark Short.

David Short was killed in a gun and grenade attack in Clayton on 10 August.

His son, Mark, was killed in a pub shooting at the Cotton Tree Pub in Droylsden in May.

A second man - a 24-year-old - was also charged last month with the murder of David Short and later remanded in custody after he appeared at Manchester Crown Court.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Gangnam Style - Well Why not?

I ran into the "Gangnam Style" song by Psy when a friend sent it to me on facebook, right before it went viral (gotta keep the cred).  My wife just shakes her head at my love of J-Pop and K-Pop, I mean you can't even understand what they are saying! 

There have been so many songs that I hear for the first time, loved, and later had to leave because of their content.  When you listen to foreign language music, the voice becomes just another instrument and there is nothing to reevaluate later.  It also helps that it bothers 2/3 rds of the people you play it around, the rest are just "in the know".

Gangnam Style has a great beat and the little English it contains refers only to "Gangnam Style" and "Sexy Lady" (that part I always flash to Jerry Lewis for some reason).  The video is the right mix of Korean hipster and cheap glam.  Enjoy.


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Will Mexico Ever Allow US Joint Operations?

I came across this article just now and its another sad reminder that the drug cartels operate in Mexico with impunity.  So many governmental institutions contain so many subverted employees that none stand against these gangs, as seem by their ability to simply tunnel into a prison and release whoever they desire.  The last stand seems to be the Mexican Navel Special Forces, the one agency that has a record of fighting this narco terror.   I have always assumed that the domestic Predator Drone program was not to spy on US citizens, but rather a method to allow US forces to at least observe current conditions across the boarder without have Mexico "loose face".  It seems that the violence has finally reached a point that the Mexican Government is considering allowing joint US-Mexican operations in their territory to combat these armed cartel paramilitary units.  The future will tell.  I do not believe we will be using these million dollar flying machines to run the boarder and catch fence jumpers, the only justifiable use of this expenditure is to help the Mexican Special Forces gain real time operational information for their operations and possibly in the near future ours too.

The Article from the Associated Press
Published: 18 September 2012 08:13 PM


Zetas drug cartel suspected in prison break that freed 131 inmates across border from Texas



PIEDRAS NEGRAS, Mexico — Officials said Tuesday they suspect the brutal Zetas drug cartel orchestrated the mass tunnel escape of more than 130 inmates at a northern Mexico border prison, possibly to replenish its ranks after suffering blows from a rival gang.

Jorge Luis Moran, public safety secretary of the northern border state of Coahuila, told The Associated Press that inmates inside the prison reported that those who plotted the escape were Zetas members and that some prisoners not in the gang were forced to go along.

“Clearly, the Zetas are behind this escape,” Moran said.

Police are also investigating whether the prison break might be linked to seizures of empty passenger buses in the region that could have been used to pick up the escapees and an attack on police officers deployed to the prison Monday, he said. Four alleged criminals were killed in that shootout.

State officials said Monday night that 132 inmates had escaped through a tunnel from the prison in Piedras Negras, a city across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas.

On Tuesday, Moran revised the total to 131. He said three female inmates initially thought to have been fugitives were found hiding in a prison visiting area, but two other prisoners not initially included in the original tally were discovered to have escaped as well.

The escape tunnel was 21 feet long and 4 feet in diameter, and after passing through it, the prisoners cut their way through a chain link barrier, authorities said.

Federal police units and Mexican troops, including 70 members of an elite military special forces unit, were searching Tuesday throughout the state of Coahuila for inmates who fled the prison.

The Zetas cartel has been fighting a bloody turf battle with the Sinaloa cartel in that border state. Moran said the Zetas controlled the drug corridor until 2010, when members of the powerful Sinaloa gang were sent to the state. The Sinaloa cartel is led by Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin Guzman.

Moran said the Zetas have also been hit by arrests, fatal shootings and guns seizures. “They are running out of people,” he said.

Collusion between guards and drug gangs has played a role in past Mexican prison escapes. Following the mass break in Piedras Negras, the director and two other employees of the state prison were detained for an investigation.

President Felipe Calderon called the jailbreak “deplorable” in a statement posted on his Twitter account Tuesday. He appeared to re-ignite a long-running dispute between federal and state authorities, writing that “the vulnerability of state law enforcement institutions must be corrected.”

Federal authorities have been pushing to have all state and municipal police and law enforcement officials submit to background and anti-drug checks, as well as vetting for possible links to organized crime.
But state authorities have been dragging their feet. On Monday, federal Interior Secretary Alejandro Poire said that only 180,000 of the country’s 430,000 city and state police officers had been vetted and checked and that about 65,000 of those tested had failed the tests.

Moran complained that Coahuila’s attempts to comply with the vetting process may have been responsible for the low number of guards on duty at the Piedras Negras prison when the jailbreak occurred. Only 12 guards were watching over 734 inmates, after some guards and officials were dismissed after failing background checks, he said.

In February, nine guards at a prison near the northern city of Monterrey confessed to helping 30 Zetas drug gangsters escape. Not only did the Zetas flee, but during their jailbreak, other Zetas slaughtered 44 inmates who belonged to the rival Gulf cartel.

In December 2010, 153 inmates escaped from a prison in the northern city of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas. Authorities charged 41 guards with aiding that escape.

State authorities complain that their relatively low-security prisons are forced to hold dangerous inmates being held on federal charges like drug trafficking and organized crime.

They have called on federal officials to take federal inmates out of state prisons, and some of the most dangerous federal inmates had been transferred out of the Piedras Negras prison in recent months.
Coahuila Attorney General Homero Ramos said 86 of the escaped inmates were serving sentences or awaiting verdicts for federal crimes, such as drug trafficking, and the rest faced state charges.

U.S. border officials said they were on alert, and Eagle Pass Police Chief Tony Castaneda said his department had received the list of 87 escaped federal inmates. No escapees had been reported crossing the border.




Monday, September 17, 2012

Its been interesting...

Well lets see how this year has gone so far.  Well I got pulled out of the feds where I was a TFO to sit in patrol on midnight's for six months.  I then make it to the day shift and some sleep last month.  I went to the dentist to have a cavity re-filled and find to my pleasant surprise, that I need full reconstruction because I have magically ground off the inside ring of my teeth (eight caps, full rebuild) to the tune of $15,000.  Oh did I say when I was pulled back that my salary went down $20,000?  I went to grab a side job and its looking like the idea situation it would create will not get done because the side job is being weird about the side job paperwork which is an industry standard that my dept uses.  So that's out.  I am my kids cross country coach and two parents went to the principle and insisted that they run the 3rd and 4th graders then blew a fit when I was not coaching them at a meet and of course not one person spoke to me about it.  I was planning on going back to school to receive my terminal degree but my union approached me and asked me not to put in for departmental reimbursement because we are in contract negotiations and the city as not even addressed that provision yet (why remind them of that).  My kids will not practice their stinking piano.  My ebay stuff will not sell.  Etc.  Etc.

All that to say, I really do not have any problems.  I have gainful employment in today's economy.  There are no serious health concerns for the family.  The family finances are stable and not in the red.  But I let the stresses in life ground me to a stop.  I most have spent, hiding from my current situation, eighty hours playing Batman: Arkham City (great game but not the point)

God is always in control and God is always good.  God just has a master plan that does not necessarily take into account my love for comfort and positive job growth.

This I know in my head but right now I do not feel it in my heart.  So this is where faith bridges the gap, I trust in his promises and will go where he sends me.  I just know that he is not currently sending me to my den's couch for eighty hours at a time.


Psalm 119:140
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.