It's amazing how quickly 8 years has come and gone. 8 years ago I was in 9th grade. 8 years ago getting my Driver's License was only a year away. 8 years ago the world changed.
I lost my cousin on the 104th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. They didn't find much of him to bring home to my Aunt and Uncle. My Uncle on the other side of my family almost went down there, but it was just his luck that he was off that day. Each year it has gotten better and better, and I keep thinking about how some of the things this county set out to do never really got done, and it all boils down to this question: "Where is Osama?" I mean, Afghanistan is not exactly the largest or most populous nation in the world. I'm sure we could have turned that country upside down by now to find him, or any neighboring country for that matter. As Robin Williams said, "He's a 6 foot 5 Arab on Dialysis.... why is that so fucking hard to find?"
In any matter, despite the anniversary of that date I conducted business as usual. Wrote some tickets, went to some calls, did a few checks, sat checkpoint, and over the course of the week I've lost 3 pounds, which makes me only 6 pounds shy of my goal of 185. By no means am I heavy, nor have I ever been over 200 pounds, but I'd like to be as fit as I can be. After struggling with a man in a hospital bed whose blood alcohol level was .451, I feel I can generate a bit more power from my body. That's my short term goal for the moment. 5'11'' and 185lbs of sinew.
In the next day or so I should get my shift assignment, and I heard that seniority was a factor. I may be headed to the shift where the sun is simply an optical illusion. Wish me luck!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Day 24: "Traffic" -8/29/09-09/10/09
Well, this update was far long overdue, but I've been quite busy lately.
I have been doing tons of business checks and deterring crime, both on the sidewalk and on the roadway. I do let some people go, but most end up with a citation. To someone who has received a ticket or two, I can relate that a ticket sucks, but at the same time is a valuable lesson. It is true that some people will never get it until it's too late, but even a warning, written or verbal, does the trick more often than not.
The new shift bids are coming up, and surprisingly seniority isn't too much of a factor, so hopefully I'll get mornings or afternoons. If I do end up getting midnights, I will make the most of it.
I am actually being quite productive, even on checkpoints. I am getting a chance to meet new people and remember people, as well as what they drive. I also have been creating a new way to view the Standard Operating Procedures for my Department... ones that don't have so much wind stuffed in them. I'm letting out the sails and giving you the basic bits. Hopefully it'll be a good boost for the guys just getting on FTO.
In other news, a buddy of mine does professional photography, so I had my car shot. I take fantastic care of my car if I do say so myself. It is a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro SS SLP with 119,000 miles on it, and it is immaculate, down to the last detail. The exterior is no exception. Below is a pic. The Miami sky came alive for the shot, and I love it. Keep in mind, this was taken with a 20 Megapixel camera, and all lighting was done on scene. No photoshop was needed or used.
Camaro picture
I have been doing tons of business checks and deterring crime, both on the sidewalk and on the roadway. I do let some people go, but most end up with a citation. To someone who has received a ticket or two, I can relate that a ticket sucks, but at the same time is a valuable lesson. It is true that some people will never get it until it's too late, but even a warning, written or verbal, does the trick more often than not.
The new shift bids are coming up, and surprisingly seniority isn't too much of a factor, so hopefully I'll get mornings or afternoons. If I do end up getting midnights, I will make the most of it.
I am actually being quite productive, even on checkpoints. I am getting a chance to meet new people and remember people, as well as what they drive. I also have been creating a new way to view the Standard Operating Procedures for my Department... ones that don't have so much wind stuffed in them. I'm letting out the sails and giving you the basic bits. Hopefully it'll be a good boost for the guys just getting on FTO.
In other news, a buddy of mine does professional photography, so I had my car shot. I take fantastic care of my car if I do say so myself. It is a 1999 Chevrolet Camaro SS SLP with 119,000 miles on it, and it is immaculate, down to the last detail. The exterior is no exception. Below is a pic. The Miami sky came alive for the shot, and I love it. Keep in mind, this was taken with a 20 Megapixel camera, and all lighting was done on scene. No photoshop was needed or used.
Camaro picture
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Day 23: "Prisoner" - 8/18/09-8/28/09
Hello everyone. I'd first like to apologize for not staying on top of my blog as I should be. However, I have purchased a wireless internet card so I can update on the go. My first week solo was a bit hectic, but I am continuing to learn a lot. In fact, I learned a very valuable lesson not 3 hours into my time away from an FTO. The lesson? HAVE SPARE KEYS!
I was doing an extra watch of a property that had been vandalized recently, so I got out of my patrol vehicle and locked the doors, not knowing that my keys had fallen off of my belt keeper and onto the seat. After completing the check, I go to open my doors. They're locked. No big deal. I reach down for my keys, which of course are not there. My face turned pale. Oh shit. I didn't want to use my radio and let the whole shift know I just locked myself out of my car, so I called the station and asked for someone to bring me the lock-out kit, and who else to bring it to me but my old FTO! Fantastic! Not only did he take a picture of me using the lock out kit on my patrol car, but posted the picture in the station for everyone to see. Super.
On the positive side, I have been getting so much more done without my immediate supervisor breathing down my neck. Don't get me wrong, I really learned a lot on FTO. However, not having that added pressure of your superior there ALL THE TIME made life a lot easier. I could patrol where I wanted, write as many tickets as I wanted, contact whoever I wanted, and make the community safer by using my own style. I had no idea, but over the course of one week I had generated 26 traffic tickets, which if you do the math is about 4 tickets a day. However, on each day I lost roughly 1-2 hours worth of work for special details I had to do, like being assigned to the local school or patrol an area which can be better referred to as "The Boonies", and is a good 25 miles from any real landmark, but is a part of our jurisdiction for a certain reason.
Not all of my time spent this past week has been just patrolling; of course there would be calls for service. I only had three, which is surprisingly low. The first was to assist the Florida Highway Patrol in reference to a vehicle crash. The call came out as a "car rapidly taking on water", so of course I respond with lights and siren in the pouring down rain. When I arrived I came upon a pickup truck that was in 10" of water.... barely enough to cover HALF of the tires. The guy climbed out of the truck, and with the help of fire rescue made it to dry land. I directed traffic and waited for FHP to do their investigation, and as soon as they were done I took off my rain coat, got in my patrol car, and kept being productive. I then got another call for service in reference to counterfeit currency.
It's amazing how much of this stuff is floating around in our system. It seems every other day our agency seems to be getting a call about this. The interesting thing is that all of these counterfeit bills seem perfectly legit when compared side by side to a similar note of equal value. The gentleman who tried to pass the bill was oblivious as well, and unfortunately was out the $10 he tried to use to pay for a pack of cigarettes. I seized the currency, generated a property receipt, and filled out a short form report.
Finally, 10 minutes before the end of my shift, I received a call reference a woman who was trying to find her vehicle. The only problem was that she was very readily described as "drunk" by the reporting person. After making contact with the individual, I noticed she was so intoxicated that she could barely stand on her own, perform the most menial of tasks, and had urinated all over herself. This is the kind of person who thinks they can drive and gets someone killed. I told her she was in no condition to drive, and that she needed to give me her keys. It took a bit of convincing, but her combative nature gave way for only a moment for me to grab her keys and license. I ran her information, only to have it come back to a prior arrest for, guess what, disorderly intoxication. Those that do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
Anyway, I asked her if she had any money for a cab, a hotel room, or any resource to come and pick her up. All replies led to "NO" and "I know my rights". Since there no place for her to stay and she was combative, I arrested her for disorderly intoxication. This is when all hell broke loose. She tensed up on me, so I bent her wrist back and induced slight pain for compliance. After that handcuff was on, it was time for the second. She tried to get away from me, so I again applied a wrist-lock transporter to her other hand. Now that both cuffs were on, it was time to go to the patrol car. She, of course, didn't want to go, and literally went in kicking and screaming. After loading her torso into the car, all that was left was her legs. I tried pushing them in, but she decided to kick me with both feet. Both of her feet landed just above both of my kneecaps. The pain was slight, but fortunately 4 other officers who were at the end of their shifts saw the whole thing. I threw her legs back and closed the door. Next time, it will be easier. If people actively resist, they're either getting a knee-strike or pepper spray. End of story. The only reason I didn't was because it was in a public place and she was a female. Next time it will be different. This time, however, she was charged not only with disorderly intoxication, but battery on law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, and was trespassed from the establishment.
I love my career and I love going to work every day.
I was doing an extra watch of a property that had been vandalized recently, so I got out of my patrol vehicle and locked the doors, not knowing that my keys had fallen off of my belt keeper and onto the seat. After completing the check, I go to open my doors. They're locked. No big deal. I reach down for my keys, which of course are not there. My face turned pale. Oh shit. I didn't want to use my radio and let the whole shift know I just locked myself out of my car, so I called the station and asked for someone to bring me the lock-out kit, and who else to bring it to me but my old FTO! Fantastic! Not only did he take a picture of me using the lock out kit on my patrol car, but posted the picture in the station for everyone to see. Super.
On the positive side, I have been getting so much more done without my immediate supervisor breathing down my neck. Don't get me wrong, I really learned a lot on FTO. However, not having that added pressure of your superior there ALL THE TIME made life a lot easier. I could patrol where I wanted, write as many tickets as I wanted, contact whoever I wanted, and make the community safer by using my own style. I had no idea, but over the course of one week I had generated 26 traffic tickets, which if you do the math is about 4 tickets a day. However, on each day I lost roughly 1-2 hours worth of work for special details I had to do, like being assigned to the local school or patrol an area which can be better referred to as "The Boonies", and is a good 25 miles from any real landmark, but is a part of our jurisdiction for a certain reason.
Not all of my time spent this past week has been just patrolling; of course there would be calls for service. I only had three, which is surprisingly low. The first was to assist the Florida Highway Patrol in reference to a vehicle crash. The call came out as a "car rapidly taking on water", so of course I respond with lights and siren in the pouring down rain. When I arrived I came upon a pickup truck that was in 10" of water.... barely enough to cover HALF of the tires. The guy climbed out of the truck, and with the help of fire rescue made it to dry land. I directed traffic and waited for FHP to do their investigation, and as soon as they were done I took off my rain coat, got in my patrol car, and kept being productive. I then got another call for service in reference to counterfeit currency.
It's amazing how much of this stuff is floating around in our system. It seems every other day our agency seems to be getting a call about this. The interesting thing is that all of these counterfeit bills seem perfectly legit when compared side by side to a similar note of equal value. The gentleman who tried to pass the bill was oblivious as well, and unfortunately was out the $10 he tried to use to pay for a pack of cigarettes. I seized the currency, generated a property receipt, and filled out a short form report.
Finally, 10 minutes before the end of my shift, I received a call reference a woman who was trying to find her vehicle. The only problem was that she was very readily described as "drunk" by the reporting person. After making contact with the individual, I noticed she was so intoxicated that she could barely stand on her own, perform the most menial of tasks, and had urinated all over herself. This is the kind of person who thinks they can drive and gets someone killed. I told her she was in no condition to drive, and that she needed to give me her keys. It took a bit of convincing, but her combative nature gave way for only a moment for me to grab her keys and license. I ran her information, only to have it come back to a prior arrest for, guess what, disorderly intoxication. Those that do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
Anyway, I asked her if she had any money for a cab, a hotel room, or any resource to come and pick her up. All replies led to "NO" and "I know my rights". Since there no place for her to stay and she was combative, I arrested her for disorderly intoxication. This is when all hell broke loose. She tensed up on me, so I bent her wrist back and induced slight pain for compliance. After that handcuff was on, it was time for the second. She tried to get away from me, so I again applied a wrist-lock transporter to her other hand. Now that both cuffs were on, it was time to go to the patrol car. She, of course, didn't want to go, and literally went in kicking and screaming. After loading her torso into the car, all that was left was her legs. I tried pushing them in, but she decided to kick me with both feet. Both of her feet landed just above both of my kneecaps. The pain was slight, but fortunately 4 other officers who were at the end of their shifts saw the whole thing. I threw her legs back and closed the door. Next time, it will be easier. If people actively resist, they're either getting a knee-strike or pepper spray. End of story. The only reason I didn't was because it was in a public place and she was a female. Next time it will be different. This time, however, she was charged not only with disorderly intoxication, but battery on law enforcement officer, resisting with violence, and was trespassed from the establishment.
I love my career and I love going to work every day.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Day 22: "Solo" - 8/7/09-8/17/09
Well, after a lot of hard work, a couple of mistakes, and plenty of learning experiences I am finally off of FTO. It was a bit of a rocky road, but now I get to take all of the knowledge I obtained throughout my law enforcement education and take it to the streets. All I really need to do is stay on top of everything and be on my P's and Q's, because I can't afford to slip up now. My agency watches all the new officers very carefully, and I will be no exception. I took some time and set up my patrol car the way I like it and it was an interesting feeling looking to my right and not having someone there.
I won't say I didn't like having someone ride with me, but I personally work better when I am myself. I don't second-guess any of my decisions because my supervisor isn't on top of me, and I will have a lot more freedom to combat criminal activity in my own way that will reflect positively on my agency.
Life is good.
I won't say I didn't like having someone ride with me, but I personally work better when I am myself. I don't second-guess any of my decisions because my supervisor isn't on top of me, and I will have a lot more freedom to combat criminal activity in my own way that will reflect positively on my agency.
Life is good.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Day 21 - "Three": 7/29-8/6/09
So I passed phase 2 and it's on to phase 3, which means tons of responsibility and a much looser leash. I have found myself to come into my own, and a majority of my paperwork has been submitted with few, if any flaws. We have responded to a couple of interesting calls, and I have been handling them with very little assistance from my FTO. My car is doing very well, although I almost blew it up a couple of days ago. I went after a speeder and ended up doing close to 130MPH to catch him, when all of a sudden he realizes he's been caught, and slams on his brakes. I end up threshold braking at the above speed, and after pulling into the grass all I can see is smoke and all I can smell is brakes. The driver is like, "Your car is on fire". All I said was, "It's not mine, now let me see your license, registration, and proof of insurance". I am constantly keeping my eye on my vehicle, the violator, and traffic, just to be sure any one of those variables doesn't jeopardize my safety, or my job. Over the past four days I have blown through 25 citations, all for different things. However, a majority of them have been for speeding, passing in a no passing zone, seat belt violations, and other equipment violations. I never thought I'd say this, but I like doing traffic. I aspire to do traffic homicide, so hopefully a citation will prevent me from investigating a case later down the road. There is always a method to the madness, even if the violator doesn't see it at first.
I am now on my second week of phase 3, so all I have to do is prove myself for another week, then it's off to shadow phase, where my FTO sits there in plain clothes and judges me on how I perform "solo". After that, I am really on my own, and I am chomping at the bit for that time in my law enforcement career.
Speaking of which, I know this profession doesn't have a ton of room for opinion, but I'd like to shed some light on something. Recently, a couple of Broward County police officers were dealing with a DUI, and in the course of things there was a traffic accident... no big deal. However, the officers decided to lie about it, which is absolutely unacceptable and asenine. The only kicker in all of this is that the DRUNK WOMAN decides to go on National Television (insert OMFG comment) and broadcast "her story" like she's some survivor. It's like, "look at how plastered I was. How irresponsible am I. And now all of America knows it!!!!" Congratulations lady, a job well done. I'd like to extend the same sarcastic remark to the officers who will now never again see the joy of working in this profession. I mean come on, we work so hard and jump through so many hoops to be where we are, and then to even consider opening yourself up to a career-ending mistake is... well... stupid. Sorry, that's how I feel.
Life overall is good. I am planning the next steps in my life, and things are moving forward. All of my hard work is continuing to pay off.
I am now on my second week of phase 3, so all I have to do is prove myself for another week, then it's off to shadow phase, where my FTO sits there in plain clothes and judges me on how I perform "solo". After that, I am really on my own, and I am chomping at the bit for that time in my law enforcement career.
Speaking of which, I know this profession doesn't have a ton of room for opinion, but I'd like to shed some light on something. Recently, a couple of Broward County police officers were dealing with a DUI, and in the course of things there was a traffic accident... no big deal. However, the officers decided to lie about it, which is absolutely unacceptable and asenine. The only kicker in all of this is that the DRUNK WOMAN decides to go on National Television (insert OMFG comment) and broadcast "her story" like she's some survivor. It's like, "look at how plastered I was. How irresponsible am I. And now all of America knows it!!!!" Congratulations lady, a job well done. I'd like to extend the same sarcastic remark to the officers who will now never again see the joy of working in this profession. I mean come on, we work so hard and jump through so many hoops to be where we are, and then to even consider opening yourself up to a career-ending mistake is... well... stupid. Sorry, that's how I feel.
Life overall is good. I am planning the next steps in my life, and things are moving forward. All of my hard work is continuing to pay off.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Day 20 - "Fahrvergnügen" - 7/21/09-7/27/09
So, second phase definitely has its perks. I have begun driving my assigned patrol vehicle, and I love it. Conducting traffic stops is slightly more difficult because not only do I have to pull the vehicle over and remember all my officer safety, but I have to use proper radio procedure and give all pertinent information. Also, I am on a tighter timetable, and I am handling it fairly well. Also, the volume of calls is increasing, and I am handling them all more independently.
Today was fairly interesting. Not only was it the first day of school, we were a little short on staff, and sure enough, the calls came a-coming. The first call we received was for a medical emergency; an elderly resident got weak in the knees, fell down, and hit her head on the floor. We attended to her, and just as she came around another call of the same nature came in, only this one was from the school; a parent had a seizure. Now there are lots of variables. Very few officers coupled with multiple calls makes things a little chaotic. Things got so bad with the patients that we had to send an air unit, which now meant we had to meet the helicopter and transport the paramedics to both scenes. Now since all the pieces were in their proper places, it was time to take care of traffic and crowd control, which wasn't too bad. After all was said and done, both patients were stable, and one was being airlifted. One complete hour had passed. Time flies when you're having fun.
Then later in the day, another set of the same type of call at the same time. We had to respond to a person locked out of their vehicle, which wasn't a problem. As soon as we were done, it was time to go to a different lockout. I tell you, I've responded to five of these things already. Especially with power door locks, I don't understand how you lock your keys in your car. Whatever, every person is forgetful in one area or another.
I like responding to all of these calls, especially now that I am driving. I started FTO as strictly as an observer, and with phase 3 of my FTO drawing closer, I am beginning to feel independent..... I like it a lot.
Well, that's it. Oh, and "Fahrvergnügen" is German for "The pleasure of driving" :D. Thanks Volkswagen commercials for the word, thanks to my FTO and my agency for the source.
Today was fairly interesting. Not only was it the first day of school, we were a little short on staff, and sure enough, the calls came a-coming. The first call we received was for a medical emergency; an elderly resident got weak in the knees, fell down, and hit her head on the floor. We attended to her, and just as she came around another call of the same nature came in, only this one was from the school; a parent had a seizure. Now there are lots of variables. Very few officers coupled with multiple calls makes things a little chaotic. Things got so bad with the patients that we had to send an air unit, which now meant we had to meet the helicopter and transport the paramedics to both scenes. Now since all the pieces were in their proper places, it was time to take care of traffic and crowd control, which wasn't too bad. After all was said and done, both patients were stable, and one was being airlifted. One complete hour had passed. Time flies when you're having fun.
Then later in the day, another set of the same type of call at the same time. We had to respond to a person locked out of their vehicle, which wasn't a problem. As soon as we were done, it was time to go to a different lockout. I tell you, I've responded to five of these things already. Especially with power door locks, I don't understand how you lock your keys in your car. Whatever, every person is forgetful in one area or another.
I like responding to all of these calls, especially now that I am driving. I started FTO as strictly as an observer, and with phase 3 of my FTO drawing closer, I am beginning to feel independent..... I like it a lot.
Well, that's it. Oh, and "Fahrvergnügen" is German for "The pleasure of driving" :D. Thanks Volkswagen commercials for the word, thanks to my FTO and my agency for the source.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Day 19 - "Seize" - 7/20/09
My weekend went exceptionally well. I got to see my girlfriend, got to relax quite a bit, and got to slow down a little. It really feels good every time I see her, and we have a lot of plans for the future. We've been going out for almost four years now, and I can already see the next couple of steps in our lives. She is going to grad school in Palm Beach, and since I am working in Miami, we need to find a middle ground so we can move in together. Our dogs, however, are a problem because not many associations take our type of breed (Siberian Husky), and the ones that do are either not reasonably priced, or are too far away. We are continuing to look, and hopefully we'll find the right place soon enough. I am also putting a lot of money into my savings account for a "special" piece of jewelry I know she'll love.
Yesterday was a fairly interesting day. We served some subpoenas, did a bit of patrolling, and only did one traffic stop. I don't know why, but I had the biggest senior moment (no offense to seniors reading this blog). I missed two boxes on my citation, almost forgot to rip the violator copy from the rest, and almost forgot to issue the mailer. My FTO was like, "What are you on?" I apologized a lot and felt really bad. The rest of the traffic stop was OK, but I need to really take some time with these tickets. One of my better traits is also one of my worst enemies. It's not that I am competitive, but I am the type of person who wants to not only excel in whatever they do, but to be BETTER than those that already do it, and teach them so they can better themselves. I used to do it when I played baseball, I did it during my entire academic career, I do it on the race track, and I do it on the job. The only problem is that when I don't feel I've done well, it gets me down. It's like "Fuck man, what is wrong with me? I should've known that. I should've done better." I get over being down fairly quickly, and it pushes me to be better. I learn not to make that mistake again.
We also did a vehicle search today. My FTO watched me as I searched the vehicle, and for some reason my senior moments continued. I knew in the academy if there was a bag inside of a vehicle that was being searched, the bag was fair game. However, for some reason, I didn't search it until my FTO told me to, and that's when it clicked that I could. There goes mistake #2, with mistake #3 right on its heels. When I searched the guys car, I was very detailed, but when I searched his car, I didn't put any of his stuff back. Damn. In the academy all they teach you is how to search the car, but they don't tell you what to do afterwards. There should be a closing sentence on that section that says, "If you don't find anything, please remember to put the subject's shit back the way you found it."
Since my first week on Phase 2 was almost finished, my FTO began talking to me about my performance. He called this day my allowable "shit day", and he said everybody has one, and I had it at the right time. I will just learn not to make those mistakes again. His "review" of me was very positive, which I liked, but he also gave me some pointers at how I can make myself better, which was good. Things are moving in the right direction. Then night fell, and some proactive policing helped me assist another officer in a VERY nice arrest.
An officer stopped a vehicle for not driving with it's headlights on. Upon making contact, the officer observed the passenger with close to a pound of marijuana in his possession. He arrested both occupants, took all the evidence to the station, and began filling out paperwork. I did a couple of things like transport prisoners to their cells, did some handcuffing, did some paperwork, and something a little "too tactical". My FTO liked it, the dispatcher didn't. One of the prisoners had to use the restroom. No biggie, I'll "prep" the restroom for his use, which meant getting rid of any possible weapons. I took away the obvious stuff like disinfectant sprays and cleaners, but I began looking at other possible weapons. I ended up taking the shower rod from the bathroom, the jug of soap, all disinfectants, and some coffee cups laying en route to the bathroom. This guy, even if he tried, couldn't use anything against me, unless he's Jet Li, which he's not. The bathroom trip went uneventful, and I had to put the stuff back. The guy had to wash his hands, so I did it a little "unorthodox", but it worked. I soaked a bunch of paper towels, put some liquid soap on one, and gave him some dry towels. I put them in his cell, and my improvisation actually worked. He washed his hands sufficiently, I picked up the towels and threw them away, and that was that.
After helping to complete some paperwork, it was the end of our shift. I completed my paperwork and went home. Today is the last day of my first week, and I'd like to see what my FTO puts on paper.
Yesterday was a fairly interesting day. We served some subpoenas, did a bit of patrolling, and only did one traffic stop. I don't know why, but I had the biggest senior moment (no offense to seniors reading this blog). I missed two boxes on my citation, almost forgot to rip the violator copy from the rest, and almost forgot to issue the mailer. My FTO was like, "What are you on?" I apologized a lot and felt really bad. The rest of the traffic stop was OK, but I need to really take some time with these tickets. One of my better traits is also one of my worst enemies. It's not that I am competitive, but I am the type of person who wants to not only excel in whatever they do, but to be BETTER than those that already do it, and teach them so they can better themselves. I used to do it when I played baseball, I did it during my entire academic career, I do it on the race track, and I do it on the job. The only problem is that when I don't feel I've done well, it gets me down. It's like "Fuck man, what is wrong with me? I should've known that. I should've done better." I get over being down fairly quickly, and it pushes me to be better. I learn not to make that mistake again.
We also did a vehicle search today. My FTO watched me as I searched the vehicle, and for some reason my senior moments continued. I knew in the academy if there was a bag inside of a vehicle that was being searched, the bag was fair game. However, for some reason, I didn't search it until my FTO told me to, and that's when it clicked that I could. There goes mistake #2, with mistake #3 right on its heels. When I searched the guys car, I was very detailed, but when I searched his car, I didn't put any of his stuff back. Damn. In the academy all they teach you is how to search the car, but they don't tell you what to do afterwards. There should be a closing sentence on that section that says, "If you don't find anything, please remember to put the subject's shit back the way you found it."
Since my first week on Phase 2 was almost finished, my FTO began talking to me about my performance. He called this day my allowable "shit day", and he said everybody has one, and I had it at the right time. I will just learn not to make those mistakes again. His "review" of me was very positive, which I liked, but he also gave me some pointers at how I can make myself better, which was good. Things are moving in the right direction. Then night fell, and some proactive policing helped me assist another officer in a VERY nice arrest.
An officer stopped a vehicle for not driving with it's headlights on. Upon making contact, the officer observed the passenger with close to a pound of marijuana in his possession. He arrested both occupants, took all the evidence to the station, and began filling out paperwork. I did a couple of things like transport prisoners to their cells, did some handcuffing, did some paperwork, and something a little "too tactical". My FTO liked it, the dispatcher didn't. One of the prisoners had to use the restroom. No biggie, I'll "prep" the restroom for his use, which meant getting rid of any possible weapons. I took away the obvious stuff like disinfectant sprays and cleaners, but I began looking at other possible weapons. I ended up taking the shower rod from the bathroom, the jug of soap, all disinfectants, and some coffee cups laying en route to the bathroom. This guy, even if he tried, couldn't use anything against me, unless he's Jet Li, which he's not. The bathroom trip went uneventful, and I had to put the stuff back. The guy had to wash his hands, so I did it a little "unorthodox", but it worked. I soaked a bunch of paper towels, put some liquid soap on one, and gave him some dry towels. I put them in his cell, and my improvisation actually worked. He washed his hands sufficiently, I picked up the towels and threw them away, and that was that.
After helping to complete some paperwork, it was the end of our shift. I completed my paperwork and went home. Today is the last day of my first week, and I'd like to see what my FTO puts on paper.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Day 18 - "Keys" - 7/16 - 7/1709
Things have been going very smoothly so far in regards to my Phase 2. I am getting more responsibility, more field experience, and to my delight, a set of keys to my patrol car :D. Me being a car guy definitely will pay off in this aspect.... my vehicle is going to be neat, clean, organized, and the best kept in all Dade County, if not the whole state.
After celebrating for a bit, it was time to get to work. Our first assignment for Thursday was to transport this guy from our station to the Dade County Jail. Not only was this a geography lesson, but it was an opportunity to display to my FTO my officer safety skills. Dade County Jail is no joke at all; there are actually signs on each wall stating that if you choose to touch them, you may get a staph infection... just what I've always wanted *eye roll*. My FTO gave me full responsibility in transporting the prisoner, with the exception of driving as I was not allowed to do that yet. I handled the prisoner correctly, all the while all the inmates have that "one step and I'll fuck your day up" look in their eyes. I reacted accordingly and didn't show any sign of fear, because not only did I have the backing of all the Corrections guys, I had the backing of myself and my training. Suddenly, both the attention of myself and the inmates was drawn to something quite more entertaining than the display of ego.... a prostitute with a big mouth, and not in a good way either. One of the other agencies brought her in for, you guess it, prostitution, and she decided to pay the favor of the free ride with some urine on the floor and some "nice" words for all of us in uniform. After her display of affection, I finished processing my prisoner, and it was back to the station. The rest of the night was uneventful, right up until the end of the shift. Explanation below:
So we conduct this traffic stop on this woman who didn't have any operable rear tail lights, and as soon as I approach the driver's door she is already in my ear with the "why did you stop me? what am I doing wrong? don't you have anything better to do?" mentality. I calmly ask for her license, registration, and insurance, and she won't give it to me. "Why did you stop me?" I said to her, "When you give me the things I asked you for, I will tell you." She finally ended the staring contest that ensued and gave me her information. I then gave her my explanation, ran her infomation, and generated a citation. Of course you can only imagine the lip service I got from that, but I knew exactly what to do and activated the "bobble-head" feature. I kept smiling, nodding, and saying, "I understand. I know". After her little rant I politely explained the ticket to her, let her sign, and let her on her way. Just then, a truck driver came up to us and said someone had taken all the gas from his truck. Time to switch hats and conduct an investigation.
It turned out someone had siphoned close to 200 gallons of diesel fuel from this guy's truck while it was parked for roughly 4 hours. I reviewed one of the security cameras located where the truck was parked, and found another semi-truck parked directly next to his and spent roughly 20 minutes there, which is more than enough time to siphon all that fuel with the right tools. I gave him a case number and a ride to the gas station to get some fuel. I then generated a report and went home.
The next day was mostly directed patrol and some traffic. It's amazing what some people will come up with. In a 70MPH zone, my FTO clocked this one guy at 90. We pull him over, and during my conversation with the violator, he said, "I was only going 89." That's still speeding dude, which still means you're getting a ticket. I thought one of the purposes to setting cruise control so that you DIDN'T speed, not that you set a test speed to see what flies and what doesn't. Oh well, another ticket for my Phase 2 stats (I have to write a minimum of 8 to pass the phase, and I wrote 5 yesterday, so only a couple to go), and another day returning home safe.
Now I get to enjoy my weekend and keep my eye on my patrol car sitting in the parking lot, hoping to drive it very soon :D
After celebrating for a bit, it was time to get to work. Our first assignment for Thursday was to transport this guy from our station to the Dade County Jail. Not only was this a geography lesson, but it was an opportunity to display to my FTO my officer safety skills. Dade County Jail is no joke at all; there are actually signs on each wall stating that if you choose to touch them, you may get a staph infection... just what I've always wanted *eye roll*. My FTO gave me full responsibility in transporting the prisoner, with the exception of driving as I was not allowed to do that yet. I handled the prisoner correctly, all the while all the inmates have that "one step and I'll fuck your day up" look in their eyes. I reacted accordingly and didn't show any sign of fear, because not only did I have the backing of all the Corrections guys, I had the backing of myself and my training. Suddenly, both the attention of myself and the inmates was drawn to something quite more entertaining than the display of ego.... a prostitute with a big mouth, and not in a good way either. One of the other agencies brought her in for, you guess it, prostitution, and she decided to pay the favor of the free ride with some urine on the floor and some "nice" words for all of us in uniform. After her display of affection, I finished processing my prisoner, and it was back to the station. The rest of the night was uneventful, right up until the end of the shift. Explanation below:
So we conduct this traffic stop on this woman who didn't have any operable rear tail lights, and as soon as I approach the driver's door she is already in my ear with the "why did you stop me? what am I doing wrong? don't you have anything better to do?" mentality. I calmly ask for her license, registration, and insurance, and she won't give it to me. "Why did you stop me?" I said to her, "When you give me the things I asked you for, I will tell you." She finally ended the staring contest that ensued and gave me her information. I then gave her my explanation, ran her infomation, and generated a citation. Of course you can only imagine the lip service I got from that, but I knew exactly what to do and activated the "bobble-head" feature. I kept smiling, nodding, and saying, "I understand. I know". After her little rant I politely explained the ticket to her, let her sign, and let her on her way. Just then, a truck driver came up to us and said someone had taken all the gas from his truck. Time to switch hats and conduct an investigation.
It turned out someone had siphoned close to 200 gallons of diesel fuel from this guy's truck while it was parked for roughly 4 hours. I reviewed one of the security cameras located where the truck was parked, and found another semi-truck parked directly next to his and spent roughly 20 minutes there, which is more than enough time to siphon all that fuel with the right tools. I gave him a case number and a ride to the gas station to get some fuel. I then generated a report and went home.
The next day was mostly directed patrol and some traffic. It's amazing what some people will come up with. In a 70MPH zone, my FTO clocked this one guy at 90. We pull him over, and during my conversation with the violator, he said, "I was only going 89." That's still speeding dude, which still means you're getting a ticket. I thought one of the purposes to setting cruise control so that you DIDN'T speed, not that you set a test speed to see what flies and what doesn't. Oh well, another ticket for my Phase 2 stats (I have to write a minimum of 8 to pass the phase, and I wrote 5 yesterday, so only a couple to go), and another day returning home safe.
Now I get to enjoy my weekend and keep my eye on my patrol car sitting in the parking lot, hoping to drive it very soon :D
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Day 16 - "Deux" - 7/7/09 - 7/15/09
Before I get into the meat and potatoes of last week, I'd like to re-emphasize that I will NOT be discontinuing this blog, but please understand that I have been very busy with work and all. Between work and home life, unfortunately this blog has taken a back seat. I am coming up with a solution though to make these blog entries more than once a week; I will promise you that
I am very glad I received the extra week to brush up my skills in Phase 1. A couple of interesting things happened, but the last day offered some of the better calls.
Well, I apparently got my picture taken by a tourist during the progress of a spontaneous call due to a turtle sunning himself in the roadway. My FTO is like, "Get out and move it". Sure, no problem. I reach into my back glove pouch and my FTO is like, "No, just move him with your foot." I walk up to the turtle and he tucks himself inside his shell; shit, this should be as easy as moving a 30-lb soccer ball. Unfortunately, when I started to move him, he started crawling in the wrong direction, so I tried to pick him up, and all of a sudden all of his limbs came out and he went scurrying off into the bushes. I was like, "Holy shit, turtles are fast!" The next thing I know, there's a car behind us, and the driver is giving me a thumbs up and his passenger appeared to have been holding a camera. Looks like I'll be making Youtube.
Another call was a disturbance at a house, so I fell back on my training(which served me very well, mind you) and approached the house with two other officers, one of which was just released from FTO. My FTO told the two of us to search the house. My weapon came fluidly out of the holster, as did my flashlight. I immediately took the lead and began communincating with the other officer as to what we were to do, room by room. During the course of the building search, it became very apparent how important it was to pay attention in the academy. I personally had absolutely no officer safety issues. However, the other guy had a few, one of which was very dangerous. During the course of the building search, I would open the doors in a tactical manner and he would be the primary officer in the room. I ALWAYS had my finger off the trigger, while in some instances he had his ON. He also didn't know where in the room to begin first, so both him (and his weapon) were all over the place, which made me a little nervous to say the least. During the course of his marauding through rooms, he was constantly putting himself in my line of fire, so I constantly had to lower my weapon and move, which put me at a tactical disadvantage. Thankfully, the other party had already left the house, so we took a statement from the first party and headed out.
During the course of these calls, I have been getting more on point with my paperwork and my radio transmissions, and it would be of much help on my last day in Phase 1. We received three separate calls, all of which required a different "hat" to wear.
The first was very simple. Two vehicles were parked in a construction area and were to be moved. I ran backgrounds on both vehicles, filled out two tow sheets, and began my report. Both vehicles were towed without incident. Just then, another call came in which required a bit more urgency. We arrived in an office where a not-so-gentleman was just terminated from employment, and had apparently started to get a bit rowdy, so we escorted him to pick up his things, issued a trespass order, and escorted out. The last call was even more urgent.... a medical emergency.
A small child was having multiple seizures at one of the clinics, so we responded. I immediately put on all personal protection equipment (PPE) and went inside. I was expecting the worst, but the doctors seemed to have it under control, so it was our responsibility to roll a rescue, where the child was transported to one of the local hospitals.
At the end of the day, it was time for my end of phase eval, where I received a passing grade for phase 1, and got some comments as well. I received a very high grade in appearance, officer safety (which is what I cared most about), relationships with the community and relationships with other officers, report writing, and a couple of others. The only thing I had to work on was my knowledge of the standard operating procedures, which were huge, but something I could accomplish. I was then handed off to my 2nd FTO, who was in charge of guiding me through Phase 2.
The first day of Phase 2 wasn't bad at all. We did some traffic, where I was now allowed to conduct the entire traffic stop by myself and write all necessary citations, and we attempted to respond to a call, but were quickly cancelled after it had been resolved. I used the utmost officer safety on all stops, and I am sure my FTO noticed, which made me happy.
Looks like Phase 2 has a lot in store for me! Hope to keep you updated soon!
I am very glad I received the extra week to brush up my skills in Phase 1. A couple of interesting things happened, but the last day offered some of the better calls.
Well, I apparently got my picture taken by a tourist during the progress of a spontaneous call due to a turtle sunning himself in the roadway. My FTO is like, "Get out and move it". Sure, no problem. I reach into my back glove pouch and my FTO is like, "No, just move him with your foot." I walk up to the turtle and he tucks himself inside his shell; shit, this should be as easy as moving a 30-lb soccer ball. Unfortunately, when I started to move him, he started crawling in the wrong direction, so I tried to pick him up, and all of a sudden all of his limbs came out and he went scurrying off into the bushes. I was like, "Holy shit, turtles are fast!" The next thing I know, there's a car behind us, and the driver is giving me a thumbs up and his passenger appeared to have been holding a camera. Looks like I'll be making Youtube.
Another call was a disturbance at a house, so I fell back on my training(which served me very well, mind you) and approached the house with two other officers, one of which was just released from FTO. My FTO told the two of us to search the house. My weapon came fluidly out of the holster, as did my flashlight. I immediately took the lead and began communincating with the other officer as to what we were to do, room by room. During the course of the building search, it became very apparent how important it was to pay attention in the academy. I personally had absolutely no officer safety issues. However, the other guy had a few, one of which was very dangerous. During the course of the building search, I would open the doors in a tactical manner and he would be the primary officer in the room. I ALWAYS had my finger off the trigger, while in some instances he had his ON. He also didn't know where in the room to begin first, so both him (and his weapon) were all over the place, which made me a little nervous to say the least. During the course of his marauding through rooms, he was constantly putting himself in my line of fire, so I constantly had to lower my weapon and move, which put me at a tactical disadvantage. Thankfully, the other party had already left the house, so we took a statement from the first party and headed out.
During the course of these calls, I have been getting more on point with my paperwork and my radio transmissions, and it would be of much help on my last day in Phase 1. We received three separate calls, all of which required a different "hat" to wear.
The first was very simple. Two vehicles were parked in a construction area and were to be moved. I ran backgrounds on both vehicles, filled out two tow sheets, and began my report. Both vehicles were towed without incident. Just then, another call came in which required a bit more urgency. We arrived in an office where a not-so-gentleman was just terminated from employment, and had apparently started to get a bit rowdy, so we escorted him to pick up his things, issued a trespass order, and escorted out. The last call was even more urgent.... a medical emergency.
A small child was having multiple seizures at one of the clinics, so we responded. I immediately put on all personal protection equipment (PPE) and went inside. I was expecting the worst, but the doctors seemed to have it under control, so it was our responsibility to roll a rescue, where the child was transported to one of the local hospitals.
At the end of the day, it was time for my end of phase eval, where I received a passing grade for phase 1, and got some comments as well. I received a very high grade in appearance, officer safety (which is what I cared most about), relationships with the community and relationships with other officers, report writing, and a couple of others. The only thing I had to work on was my knowledge of the standard operating procedures, which were huge, but something I could accomplish. I was then handed off to my 2nd FTO, who was in charge of guiding me through Phase 2.
The first day of Phase 2 wasn't bad at all. We did some traffic, where I was now allowed to conduct the entire traffic stop by myself and write all necessary citations, and we attempted to respond to a call, but were quickly cancelled after it had been resolved. I used the utmost officer safety on all stops, and I am sure my FTO noticed, which made me happy.
Looks like Phase 2 has a lot in store for me! Hope to keep you updated soon!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 15 - "Phases" - 7/6/09
Well, it looks like I'll be staying another week on Phase 1. It's not because I am doing poorly (in fact, I am doing quite well), but because my first FTO wasn't really an FTO, so my first week didn't count. Even though I was tremendously excited for Phase 2, I will be using this opportunity to hone my skills on radio protocol, paperwork, and using this time to make as many mistakes as I can. I don't say that in a bad way, though. I'm not going to intentionally make mistakes, but I might as well make them in this phase because they're a lot more lenient when you do, as opposed to making a mistake in Phase 3 where they pretty much say, "Why did you do that? I thought by this time you'd know ......."
Speaking of mistakes, my FTO and I made a fairly funny one. I hadn't written a parking ticket yet, and it was part of my curricula, so my FTO made me write a couple. Usually a parking ticket is issued when the person isn't there, but of course my first ticket was written right in front of someone, so not only was I nervous about completing the ticket properly, but also watching the guy and made sure the "ninjas didn't come swinging from the trees". I tactically positioned my body to the side of the patrol vehicle and began to write the ticket. Roughly 10 minutes later, I had generated my first parking citation. My FTO approved (after a minor correction or two), and then brought me to a remote area, where my FTO gave me a couple of pointers. My FTO said, "Your people skills are excellent, but your body language is 'too tactical'." My FTO pretty much told me my tone of voice was good and my tactics were fine, but my tactics were very apparent, which frighten people who aren't a threat. To me, a little bit of fright in people is OK, because that fright deters them from thinking about attacking me, but at the same time I don't want to scare the crap out of people. I love socializing, and I like putting people at ease and making people feel good, and with my voice I can do that; I just need to work on my body language a little.
So, a couple of parking citations later, we found an unusual situation, which turned out to be hilarious. We ran an out of state tag with no decal. My dispatcher came back and said the tag was registered to a vehicle which CLEARLY didn't look like the one in front of me. OK, no problem, I run the VIN. The VIN has never been registered. Uh oh. My FTO told me that vehicle had to be towed. No problem, I filled out a tow sheet (or two, or three due to misc errors), wrote a citation, seized the tag, and watched the vehicle leave on a flatbed truck destined for an impound yard in downtown Miami; a job well done in my humble opinion. Roughly two hours later, the owner surfaces, who made contact with one of our detectives. The detective comes back to me and said both to myself and my FTO, "Congratulations, you towed an undercover police vehicle." HOLD ON! Please apply brakes.... I did WHAT? I thought to myself, "There is no way on Earth that the vehicle (an SUV with baby diapers and such in the back) could have been a police car." Apparently it was DEEP undercover. We released the vehicle to the detective, I completed all of my paperwork, and went home.
Now, it's my weekend. Time to relax. Ahhhhhhhhhh yesss. :D
Speaking of mistakes, my FTO and I made a fairly funny one. I hadn't written a parking ticket yet, and it was part of my curricula, so my FTO made me write a couple. Usually a parking ticket is issued when the person isn't there, but of course my first ticket was written right in front of someone, so not only was I nervous about completing the ticket properly, but also watching the guy and made sure the "ninjas didn't come swinging from the trees". I tactically positioned my body to the side of the patrol vehicle and began to write the ticket. Roughly 10 minutes later, I had generated my first parking citation. My FTO approved (after a minor correction or two), and then brought me to a remote area, where my FTO gave me a couple of pointers. My FTO said, "Your people skills are excellent, but your body language is 'too tactical'." My FTO pretty much told me my tone of voice was good and my tactics were fine, but my tactics were very apparent, which frighten people who aren't a threat. To me, a little bit of fright in people is OK, because that fright deters them from thinking about attacking me, but at the same time I don't want to scare the crap out of people. I love socializing, and I like putting people at ease and making people feel good, and with my voice I can do that; I just need to work on my body language a little.
So, a couple of parking citations later, we found an unusual situation, which turned out to be hilarious. We ran an out of state tag with no decal. My dispatcher came back and said the tag was registered to a vehicle which CLEARLY didn't look like the one in front of me. OK, no problem, I run the VIN. The VIN has never been registered. Uh oh. My FTO told me that vehicle had to be towed. No problem, I filled out a tow sheet (or two, or three due to misc errors), wrote a citation, seized the tag, and watched the vehicle leave on a flatbed truck destined for an impound yard in downtown Miami; a job well done in my humble opinion. Roughly two hours later, the owner surfaces, who made contact with one of our detectives. The detective comes back to me and said both to myself and my FTO, "Congratulations, you towed an undercover police vehicle." HOLD ON! Please apply brakes.... I did WHAT? I thought to myself, "There is no way on Earth that the vehicle (an SUV with baby diapers and such in the back) could have been a police car." Apparently it was DEEP undercover. We released the vehicle to the detective, I completed all of my paperwork, and went home.
Now, it's my weekend. Time to relax. Ahhhhhhhhhh yesss. :D
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Day 10 - "Advance" - 6/30/09 to 7/5/09
The drive to work, for once, was VERY interesting. Just follow the equation below for an explanation:
Florida downpour + Night driving + Incompetent Florida Drivers + Incompetent Florida drainage systems = Chaos.
I'm driving to work and the first thing that comes my way (traveling Southbound) is a vehicle in my lane HEADED THE WRONG WAY! I immediately pull over, flashing my lights and trying to gain the driver's attention to no avail. Well, before this guy goes ahead and kills somebody, let me get this guy off the road. With a quick push of the accelerator, I spun my car 180 degrees, rolled down my window in the pouring rain, and told the guy he was headed in the wrong direction. He then turned his car around and drove the right way. One Florida driver spared, several million to go. To further worsen the driving situation, many places on the roadway were 6"-10" underwater, so, in the natural course of things, I began to hydroplane. My automotive knowledge of vehicle dynamics, performance driving experience, and police training came into play very quickly. All I did was gently let off the gas pedal, input a light steering adjustment, and I felt a reacquisition of traction. The rest of the drive was uneventful.
In fact, a majority of my work time for the past couple of days have been uneventful, which has given me plenty of opportunity to ask questions, brush up on my skills, and practice all of the protocols I will need in this profession. However, there were a couple of exciting rifts and some changes that have happened. The most interesting change I had to overcome was the transition in shifts, from midnights to mornings.
I am by no means a morning person. I am more of a "night owl" so to speak. I'd rather get up late and stay up late than do the opposite, but the morning isn't too hard an obstacle with a cup of coffee or some orange juice. I also got a new FTO, so keeping up my reputation is a priority. As of 7/5, she passed me in my first phase of FTO, so I get yet ANOTHER FTO to impress.
I am anticipating Phase 2 because of the added responsibility and challenges. Sorry it took awhile for an update, but with all of this work it gets a bit taxing sometimes.
Florida downpour + Night driving + Incompetent Florida Drivers + Incompetent Florida drainage systems = Chaos.
I'm driving to work and the first thing that comes my way (traveling Southbound) is a vehicle in my lane HEADED THE WRONG WAY! I immediately pull over, flashing my lights and trying to gain the driver's attention to no avail. Well, before this guy goes ahead and kills somebody, let me get this guy off the road. With a quick push of the accelerator, I spun my car 180 degrees, rolled down my window in the pouring rain, and told the guy he was headed in the wrong direction. He then turned his car around and drove the right way. One Florida driver spared, several million to go. To further worsen the driving situation, many places on the roadway were 6"-10" underwater, so, in the natural course of things, I began to hydroplane. My automotive knowledge of vehicle dynamics, performance driving experience, and police training came into play very quickly. All I did was gently let off the gas pedal, input a light steering adjustment, and I felt a reacquisition of traction. The rest of the drive was uneventful.
In fact, a majority of my work time for the past couple of days have been uneventful, which has given me plenty of opportunity to ask questions, brush up on my skills, and practice all of the protocols I will need in this profession. However, there were a couple of exciting rifts and some changes that have happened. The most interesting change I had to overcome was the transition in shifts, from midnights to mornings.
I am by no means a morning person. I am more of a "night owl" so to speak. I'd rather get up late and stay up late than do the opposite, but the morning isn't too hard an obstacle with a cup of coffee or some orange juice. I also got a new FTO, so keeping up my reputation is a priority. As of 7/5, she passed me in my first phase of FTO, so I get yet ANOTHER FTO to impress.
I am anticipating Phase 2 because of the added responsibility and challenges. Sorry it took awhile for an update, but with all of this work it gets a bit taxing sometimes.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Day 9 - "Paperwork"- 6/29/09
Last night I slept like a baby, which was good because I really needed the rest to fight the onsets of a cold. When I woke up, I didn't feel any worse than I did the day before. In fact, I actually felt better! I was so pleased that I was beginning to knock this crap down before it ever became a serious problem. However, my Dad informed me that we were headed to my Mom's for dinner, which is always a good thing. She cooked salmon, which is something I could really eat every day, regardless if it is raw or cooked. When it comes to food, I love trying new things and going to new places, but when I find something I like, I tend to stick to it. I'm one of those people who only orders 1-3 entrees from a given menu, except for one restaurant: Taco Bell. I am "proud" (I don't know if you can even call it that) to say I have tried absolutely every dish on their menu, but I refuse to tackle the #9 by myself (the family value meal) in fear of dying from congestive heart failure.
Dinner was heartfelt, to say the least. My Mom just gets overwhelmed sometimes about my career choice and the big decision that I made and the decisions I will continue to make, but I still had a good time nonetheless. I know that she knows that I will be safe, and whatever decisions I make, personal or professional, will be in my best interest.
After dinner, I got dressed and began the drive down to work. I did need to make a pit stop at the local pharmacy for some more lozenges and such, so I parked and walked inside. Keep in mind this is roughly 9:30 at night, so most kids, especially younger ones, should be in bed. I look to my left down towards the registers, and low and behold there are kids, probably ranging from 4-14, throwing 1LB bags of candy and shit at each other. I looked directly at the cashier with one of those "aren't you going to do something about this?" looks, to which she "replied" with a "I am too tired to put up with their crap" rolling of the eyes and sulk. Well, even though I was out of my jurisdiction, I felt that it was my job at least as a human being to speak with the kids about their behavior, because not only was it driving both the parents and the employees crazy, but how does it look on me if the manager of the store walks in and there's merchandise all over the floor and a lack of order is ensuing and I'm just standing there ignoring it? I mean, I'm walking around in a billboard, so getting any of my basic information and reporting my "misconduct" isn't too hard with the patches on my shoulders and my shiny name tag on my right breast pocket. With all of this weighing out in my head, I decided to react.
I walked up to the boys and talked to them. I said to them in a collected and friendly manner, "Listen guys, the manager really isn't going to be happy that you're throwing all of his stuff around, so I want you to do me a favor and pick up all of this stuff and put it back where you found it, OK?" They apologized and put all the stuff back. Mission accomplished.
The drive to work was uneventful, and I began the evening riding with the Sergeant, but eventually was turned over to a different guy who I had never ridden with before, and this was a guy who liked to stay busy, which I enjoyed. He was also very down to Earth and sociable, which I liked even better. We began with some area checks and some community patrols, all of which were uneventful. We then headed out to the local school to do a foot patrol. The school complex houses the playground, new gym, old gym, and school itself. During our check of the new gym, we found a door unlocked, so it was time to conduct a building search. This meant we had to take our weapons out. I knew in my mind I had to draw, but just to be safe, I waited until he drew his to be sure I didn't surprise him. All of my academy tactics came back to me. My weapon came out of the holster fluidly, as did my flashlight. I assumed the "Watchman" position in regards to my flashlight/firearm grip, and we began searching the building. I followed his lead, weapon pointed down, finger OFF the trigger. We searched the weight room, basketball courts, and bath/locker rooms, all of which yielding nothing out of the ordinary. We got a case number from dispatch, secured the door with flexcuffs, and left. Now it was time to do some paperwork: A short-form incident report.
I opened a new short-form report file on the computer and began filling in all the blank spaces. Roughly 20 minutes later I was done. We then met the SGT on checkpoint, where the guy I was riding with said, "Don't be disappointed if he kicks it back to you." The SGT took the report in his hands, checked it over, and said it was pretty good and said he would keep it. Then I heard the "Ah!" that comes with the discovery of something. The SGT then said, "You forgot to put the case number. Oh well, I'll fill it in for you and it will be good to go." I thought for a minute, and asked for the report back. I put in a lot of effort to make sure everything was typed and neat, and to me filling in a case number by hand takes away from the whole professionalism of it. Plus, it's my first report, so it HAS to look good. I told him I would fill in the blank and turn it in to him later, which I did. I felt a lot better about that.
The rest of the shift went uneventfully. I headed back to the station to print everything out, and sure enough the morning shift had already caught themselves a couple of drunks making a scene at one of the local watering holes. One of them was fairly quiet, while the other was quite "talkative", to put it nicely. In short, he could have made "made a sailor blush". So this guy is hammering away at everyone in the room, myself included, but I didn't care. I opened my daily activity sheet from my hard drive, and found a nice little gift inside of my file.... the file was GONE!" All that proactive work was gone. Superb, really superb. I now had to type it out ALL OVER AGAIN! FUCK. It's ok, though. I can get this done in about a half hour. 30 minutes later, I had a new report, but as I compared the typed sheet to the written sheet, I noticed an error at the top of the page, so now I had to do it all over again. FUCK x 2. Then one of the officers needed the computer, so I just let out a long sigh, packed up my shit, and headed home.
Tonight I will be in a different patrol zone, so it should be quite an interesting night.
Dinner was heartfelt, to say the least. My Mom just gets overwhelmed sometimes about my career choice and the big decision that I made and the decisions I will continue to make, but I still had a good time nonetheless. I know that she knows that I will be safe, and whatever decisions I make, personal or professional, will be in my best interest.
After dinner, I got dressed and began the drive down to work. I did need to make a pit stop at the local pharmacy for some more lozenges and such, so I parked and walked inside. Keep in mind this is roughly 9:30 at night, so most kids, especially younger ones, should be in bed. I look to my left down towards the registers, and low and behold there are kids, probably ranging from 4-14, throwing 1LB bags of candy and shit at each other. I looked directly at the cashier with one of those "aren't you going to do something about this?" looks, to which she "replied" with a "I am too tired to put up with their crap" rolling of the eyes and sulk. Well, even though I was out of my jurisdiction, I felt that it was my job at least as a human being to speak with the kids about their behavior, because not only was it driving both the parents and the employees crazy, but how does it look on me if the manager of the store walks in and there's merchandise all over the floor and a lack of order is ensuing and I'm just standing there ignoring it? I mean, I'm walking around in a billboard, so getting any of my basic information and reporting my "misconduct" isn't too hard with the patches on my shoulders and my shiny name tag on my right breast pocket. With all of this weighing out in my head, I decided to react.
I walked up to the boys and talked to them. I said to them in a collected and friendly manner, "Listen guys, the manager really isn't going to be happy that you're throwing all of his stuff around, so I want you to do me a favor and pick up all of this stuff and put it back where you found it, OK?" They apologized and put all the stuff back. Mission accomplished.
The drive to work was uneventful, and I began the evening riding with the Sergeant, but eventually was turned over to a different guy who I had never ridden with before, and this was a guy who liked to stay busy, which I enjoyed. He was also very down to Earth and sociable, which I liked even better. We began with some area checks and some community patrols, all of which were uneventful. We then headed out to the local school to do a foot patrol. The school complex houses the playground, new gym, old gym, and school itself. During our check of the new gym, we found a door unlocked, so it was time to conduct a building search. This meant we had to take our weapons out. I knew in my mind I had to draw, but just to be safe, I waited until he drew his to be sure I didn't surprise him. All of my academy tactics came back to me. My weapon came out of the holster fluidly, as did my flashlight. I assumed the "Watchman" position in regards to my flashlight/firearm grip, and we began searching the building. I followed his lead, weapon pointed down, finger OFF the trigger. We searched the weight room, basketball courts, and bath/locker rooms, all of which yielding nothing out of the ordinary. We got a case number from dispatch, secured the door with flexcuffs, and left. Now it was time to do some paperwork: A short-form incident report.
I opened a new short-form report file on the computer and began filling in all the blank spaces. Roughly 20 minutes later I was done. We then met the SGT on checkpoint, where the guy I was riding with said, "Don't be disappointed if he kicks it back to you." The SGT took the report in his hands, checked it over, and said it was pretty good and said he would keep it. Then I heard the "Ah!" that comes with the discovery of something. The SGT then said, "You forgot to put the case number. Oh well, I'll fill it in for you and it will be good to go." I thought for a minute, and asked for the report back. I put in a lot of effort to make sure everything was typed and neat, and to me filling in a case number by hand takes away from the whole professionalism of it. Plus, it's my first report, so it HAS to look good. I told him I would fill in the blank and turn it in to him later, which I did. I felt a lot better about that.
The rest of the shift went uneventfully. I headed back to the station to print everything out, and sure enough the morning shift had already caught themselves a couple of drunks making a scene at one of the local watering holes. One of them was fairly quiet, while the other was quite "talkative", to put it nicely. In short, he could have made "made a sailor blush". So this guy is hammering away at everyone in the room, myself included, but I didn't care. I opened my daily activity sheet from my hard drive, and found a nice little gift inside of my file.... the file was GONE!" All that proactive work was gone. Superb, really superb. I now had to type it out ALL OVER AGAIN! FUCK. It's ok, though. I can get this done in about a half hour. 30 minutes later, I had a new report, but as I compared the typed sheet to the written sheet, I noticed an error at the top of the page, so now I had to do it all over again. FUCK x 2. Then one of the officers needed the computer, so I just let out a long sigh, packed up my shit, and headed home.
Tonight I will be in a different patrol zone, so it should be quite an interesting night.
Day 8 - "Transfer"- 6/28/09
My weekend was a fantastic one. I went jet skiing with my wonderful girlfriend, got to catch a couple of very good movies, and got a chance to relax. However, it was most certainly inevitable that I managed to feel the onsets of a cold. All I can say is, “I told you so.” I immediately began taking special precaution in regards to my health. I went to the local pharmacy and grabbed 1000mg tablets of Vitamin C, multi-symptom cold syrup (day and night), and lozenges to try and thwart this formidable foe as quickly as possible. And, of course, this had to happen the night I rode with the patrol Sergeant.
I not only wanted to be on top of my game, but on my P’s and Q’s as well. I started by getting there extra early, making sure all of my stuff was taken care of, and that I had plenty of cold medication to last me through the night. Our first assignment was a special detail, which I volunteered to take by the horns. I made sure that everything was taken care of, all the way down to the last detail. I WANTED to make a good impression, ESPECIALLY to my Sergeant. The detail went off without a hitch, and off to the substation we went. I completed the detail by finishing all necessary paperwork. The Sergeant said he needed to catch up on paperwork, so I was entrusted with a single task:
OBJECTIVE – Keep busy and out of the Sergeant’s hair
I began to look over all of my stuff and grab extra paperwork, reports, and other essentials to be sure I didn’t waste any of the Sergeant’s time later down the line. After that was all done, I needed something else to do. Just then, I got an idea. One of the other officers had a new trainee, and he said that the writing on our area map was too small. The light turned on almost instantaneously. I was going to make a new map of the entire area, and make it look damned good as well. I used the program only the finest computer graphics designers with amazing art talents could use….. Microsoft Paint. Trust me, I can barely draw a stick figure, so it was perfect for me. Slowly but surely it came together. Roughly an hour later, I had my “masterpiece”. I showed it to the Sergeant, who told me to make some minor changes, and to come back with a finished product. After 15 minutes of minor touching up had elapsed, I had my completed map. I had put in a great deal of effort, and now reaped a great reward… not only was he impressed, but he told me to distribute copies of my map to the entire department. Off to the copier I went, with a smile on my face.
Before I knew it a couple of hours had passed, and it was time to get back on the road. We stopped at one of the checkpoints, where the SGT told me to transfer with another officer, who I would be conducting area checks with. I said OK, grabbed all of my stuff, and put it in the officer’s patrol car. We completed a property receipt for a lost wallet, did a couple of area checks, and then headed to a different checkpoint, where I transferred again to a different officer. We did another community patrol of a different area of town, and then waited for an opportunity to do some traffic. After some grazing of the playing field, we found a car we wanted to stop for a faulty tag light. We pulled up behind it, went through the whole traffic stop protocol, and pulled the vehicle over.
I watched as the officer contacted the driver as I kept watch on the four passengers. Even though my attention was focused in two different spots, I made it a point to listen to the conversation the officer was having with the driver. It turned out the five occupants were from Kendall, but rented a car to drive around, which to me was a bit suspicious. Just then, I got the familiar scent of marijuana coming from the car. I discreetly alerted the officer, who then confronted the driver, who admitted that two of his occupants had smoked some on their voyage to our jurisdiction. He then willfully consented to a search of the vehicle, which turned up no results. We decided to turn them loose. It was now time for yet another transfer. Now I was in ANOTHER patrol car with a different officer. We did some area checks, then sat on checkpoint until the sun came up. I went home amidst a sea of thunderstorms, took a shower, crawled into bed, and slept for 9 hours. I now feel very well rested, and ready for another night of work.
I not only wanted to be on top of my game, but on my P’s and Q’s as well. I started by getting there extra early, making sure all of my stuff was taken care of, and that I had plenty of cold medication to last me through the night. Our first assignment was a special detail, which I volunteered to take by the horns. I made sure that everything was taken care of, all the way down to the last detail. I WANTED to make a good impression, ESPECIALLY to my Sergeant. The detail went off without a hitch, and off to the substation we went. I completed the detail by finishing all necessary paperwork. The Sergeant said he needed to catch up on paperwork, so I was entrusted with a single task:
OBJECTIVE – Keep busy and out of the Sergeant’s hair
I began to look over all of my stuff and grab extra paperwork, reports, and other essentials to be sure I didn’t waste any of the Sergeant’s time later down the line. After that was all done, I needed something else to do. Just then, I got an idea. One of the other officers had a new trainee, and he said that the writing on our area map was too small. The light turned on almost instantaneously. I was going to make a new map of the entire area, and make it look damned good as well. I used the program only the finest computer graphics designers with amazing art talents could use….. Microsoft Paint. Trust me, I can barely draw a stick figure, so it was perfect for me. Slowly but surely it came together. Roughly an hour later, I had my “masterpiece”. I showed it to the Sergeant, who told me to make some minor changes, and to come back with a finished product. After 15 minutes of minor touching up had elapsed, I had my completed map. I had put in a great deal of effort, and now reaped a great reward… not only was he impressed, but he told me to distribute copies of my map to the entire department. Off to the copier I went, with a smile on my face.
Before I knew it a couple of hours had passed, and it was time to get back on the road. We stopped at one of the checkpoints, where the SGT told me to transfer with another officer, who I would be conducting area checks with. I said OK, grabbed all of my stuff, and put it in the officer’s patrol car. We completed a property receipt for a lost wallet, did a couple of area checks, and then headed to a different checkpoint, where I transferred again to a different officer. We did another community patrol of a different area of town, and then waited for an opportunity to do some traffic. After some grazing of the playing field, we found a car we wanted to stop for a faulty tag light. We pulled up behind it, went through the whole traffic stop protocol, and pulled the vehicle over.
I watched as the officer contacted the driver as I kept watch on the four passengers. Even though my attention was focused in two different spots, I made it a point to listen to the conversation the officer was having with the driver. It turned out the five occupants were from Kendall, but rented a car to drive around, which to me was a bit suspicious. Just then, I got the familiar scent of marijuana coming from the car. I discreetly alerted the officer, who then confronted the driver, who admitted that two of his occupants had smoked some on their voyage to our jurisdiction. He then willfully consented to a search of the vehicle, which turned up no results. We decided to turn them loose. It was now time for yet another transfer. Now I was in ANOTHER patrol car with a different officer. We did some area checks, then sat on checkpoint until the sun came up. I went home amidst a sea of thunderstorms, took a shower, crawled into bed, and slept for 9 hours. I now feel very well rested, and ready for another night of work.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Day 7 - "Memory" - 6/25/09
I didn't sleep as well last night as I did the night before, but I still felt well rested and ready to go to work. I checked my email and visited one of the website I frequent, LS1tech.com. I had posted something in one of the sections, and when I refreshed the page, a thread entitled "Michael Jackson dead at 50" popped up. I knew the person who posted the thread didn't care for the artist, so I thought it'd be a link to a funny video. Instead, I got a link to TMZ (who suck, by the way; I wish they got a real life instead of following useless information) stating the Michael Jackson was dead at 50. I also found out Farrah Fawcett passed as well, which was equally a shame. I closed my computer down, got dressed, and headed for work.
I popped the radio on in the car and on EVERY SINGLE station there was Michael Jackson playing, which was cool. Personally, I don't know whether or not he molested children or whatever (in fact, I think the parents who let the kids sleep over are idiots themselves), but positive or negative, he touched the lives of billions of people for more than four decades, which is something very few even fathom of accomplishing. However, even though Jackson was more of an icon, Farrah put up one hell of a fight, and should deserve equal notation in regards to her memory.
Work was semi-interesting, but fun. My FTO was enjoying his day off, so it was a completely new experience riding with someone else. It turned out my best friend's girlfriend was related to him, so we talked all night long. It was a very different experience than riding with my FTO, because although he taught me everything I know thus far and knew the job inside and out, he wasn't nearly as open as this guy, which not only helped me stay awake and let the time pass, but increased my vigilance and love of the job. I even managed to hammer out some extra studying along the way, and began revising an area map that future officers could use.
The time flew by fairly quickly, and before I knew it it was 7AM. We had sat at checkpoint for 90% of the night, but it still was very entertaining. I completed my daily activity sheet, turned it in, and went home. Now I get to enjoy some time off, and I look forward to Sunday night --- I'll be riding with the patrol SGT.
I popped the radio on in the car and on EVERY SINGLE station there was Michael Jackson playing, which was cool. Personally, I don't know whether or not he molested children or whatever (in fact, I think the parents who let the kids sleep over are idiots themselves), but positive or negative, he touched the lives of billions of people for more than four decades, which is something very few even fathom of accomplishing. However, even though Jackson was more of an icon, Farrah put up one hell of a fight, and should deserve equal notation in regards to her memory.
Work was semi-interesting, but fun. My FTO was enjoying his day off, so it was a completely new experience riding with someone else. It turned out my best friend's girlfriend was related to him, so we talked all night long. It was a very different experience than riding with my FTO, because although he taught me everything I know thus far and knew the job inside and out, he wasn't nearly as open as this guy, which not only helped me stay awake and let the time pass, but increased my vigilance and love of the job. I even managed to hammer out some extra studying along the way, and began revising an area map that future officers could use.
The time flew by fairly quickly, and before I knew it it was 7AM. We had sat at checkpoint for 90% of the night, but it still was very entertaining. I completed my daily activity sheet, turned it in, and went home. Now I get to enjoy some time off, and I look forward to Sunday night --- I'll be riding with the patrol SGT.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Day 6 - "Energy" - 6/24/09
Today was one of the best days I've had since I've been appointed. After sleeping for 9 hours before my shift, I felt very well rested. Just in case, I grabbed not only some orange juice, but a nice big can of Red Bull. I spoke to my girlfriend on the way down which was very relaxing, and showed up early as usual. However, I did something a little different after arriving. Instead of getting out into the humid air, I decided to run my vehicle's A/C for awhile to keep my skin cool. The reason being that mosquitoes don't tend to bite people who don't radiate heat as much. I personally give off more heat than most, so keeping myself nice and cool keeps me under the radar.
I grabbed my stuff, hopped in with my FTO, and away we went. We headed to a detail, where I decided to take the lead. I made sure I was on my P's and Q's, and everything went fairly smoothly. From there we went to the station for a bit of paperwork. I realized I needed a flashlight charger, so I, in accordance with agency policy, drafted my first memo. I made sure that it was perfect. I made sure I had all of my forms and that all my ducks were in a row. I finally felt like a member of the Department; walking around, getting stuff, accomplishing tasks without a lot of FTO involvement. It felt VERY nice. I also managed to down 2 cups of coffee to give myself some energy.
We did some area checks, and I did all of the radio transmitting. I did everything properly, and I really felt like I was progressing. A couple of hours later, we were on a checkpoint. I studied new material and went over traffic stops with my FTO. In this time I began to look at statutes and practice the fairly complicated way to call out a traffic stop. Here is how it is supposed to go:
1. Identify violating vehicle
2. Pull behind vehicle
3. Begin to call out traffic stop using Q codes/signals, location, description, and wait for dispatch to receive.
4. Dispatch acknowledges receipt, and allows you to send the license plate #
5. Send the license plate number, get out of the patrol car, and conduct the traffic stop, keeping in mind officer safety
6. Run the driver's license and driver for possible problems (wanted, DL expired, etc..)
7. Determine whether or not to cite, and if so, cite properly
8. If a citation was issued, pull a case number
9. Break contact with the violator in a professional manner
10. Go back in service.
It took a bit of getting used to, but I began to catch on. At around 4AM, I still felt good, but began feeling myself getting slightly tired, so I had my Red Bull to pep me up. A couple of swigs later, I was back in business.
My FTO filled out my first weekly evaluation, and my grades are good. He said I had a great attitude, was dressed professionally, I was confident (but sometimes overconfident), had good memorization skills and was learning quickly. The only bad thing I saw was that I was having "difficulty staying alert in the morning hours", which I saw coming because I've never worked a night schedule and last night was no picnic for me stayin awake. I never fell asleep, but he saw that getting out of the car every 10 minutes wasn't the best. I signed the bottom of my weekly evaluation, and felt really good.
Tonight I am riding with someone different as my FTO has a day off. I am very excited for another night in law enforcement!
I grabbed my stuff, hopped in with my FTO, and away we went. We headed to a detail, where I decided to take the lead. I made sure I was on my P's and Q's, and everything went fairly smoothly. From there we went to the station for a bit of paperwork. I realized I needed a flashlight charger, so I, in accordance with agency policy, drafted my first memo. I made sure that it was perfect. I made sure I had all of my forms and that all my ducks were in a row. I finally felt like a member of the Department; walking around, getting stuff, accomplishing tasks without a lot of FTO involvement. It felt VERY nice. I also managed to down 2 cups of coffee to give myself some energy.
We did some area checks, and I did all of the radio transmitting. I did everything properly, and I really felt like I was progressing. A couple of hours later, we were on a checkpoint. I studied new material and went over traffic stops with my FTO. In this time I began to look at statutes and practice the fairly complicated way to call out a traffic stop. Here is how it is supposed to go:
1. Identify violating vehicle
2. Pull behind vehicle
3. Begin to call out traffic stop using Q codes/signals, location, description, and wait for dispatch to receive.
4. Dispatch acknowledges receipt, and allows you to send the license plate #
5. Send the license plate number, get out of the patrol car, and conduct the traffic stop, keeping in mind officer safety
6. Run the driver's license and driver for possible problems (wanted, DL expired, etc..)
7. Determine whether or not to cite, and if so, cite properly
8. If a citation was issued, pull a case number
9. Break contact with the violator in a professional manner
10. Go back in service.
It took a bit of getting used to, but I began to catch on. At around 4AM, I still felt good, but began feeling myself getting slightly tired, so I had my Red Bull to pep me up. A couple of swigs later, I was back in business.
My FTO filled out my first weekly evaluation, and my grades are good. He said I had a great attitude, was dressed professionally, I was confident (but sometimes overconfident), had good memorization skills and was learning quickly. The only bad thing I saw was that I was having "difficulty staying alert in the morning hours", which I saw coming because I've never worked a night schedule and last night was no picnic for me stayin awake. I never fell asleep, but he saw that getting out of the car every 10 minutes wasn't the best. I signed the bottom of my weekly evaluation, and felt really good.
Tonight I am riding with someone different as my FTO has a day off. I am very excited for another night in law enforcement!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Day 5 - "Horatio" - 6/23/09
Last night was fairly unexciting, but had in store a little twist that gave me a boost of energy I desperately needed.
After I came home yesterday, I didn't fall to sleep for awhile, and then went to my Mom's house to dinner with my Dad. I got about 7 hours total, which I knew wouldn't be enough, but I figured a nice meal would give me some energy, and trust me, it was a very nice meal. After dinner, I still felt out of it, so I grabbed a blanket and tried to go back to sleep for an hour or two, but my parents' conversation and the fact I was watching a TV show I liked kept me awake. It was then time to get changed and ready. I needed something to boost my energy.
On my way out, I stopped at the local gas station and picked up some orange juice not only to give me a boost, but to keep me healthy as my FTO was in the stages of getting rid of his cold. I drank the orange juice on the way down, cranked the tunes, and rolled down the windows. After the tremendous storms that had hit, a brief reprieve of cool air lingered over South Florida, which many dired for after the heat index at night was almost 100 degrees.
My FTO picked me up as usual, and we did a small detail and it was off to the checkpoint. I took the helm at the first detail we had as I wanted to not only impress my FTO, but reinforce what I had learned. It went pretty smoothly, and I was very confident in myself. At the checkpoint, we sat there for awhile and then got relieved by another officer. We went to the station, did some minor paperwork, and then decided to do a small foot patrol, where he showed me all the buildings and what to check for; it was a good learning experience for me. I had done many foot patrols before as a security guard, but he showed me a couple of small things I had been overlooking in the past. After the foot patrol, it was back to the checkpoint.
Walking around for awhile really helped my energy levels, but once the air conditioning in the car kicked in and we had sat there for awhile, fatigue began to kick in. At about 0500 I began to feel like my eyes had little weights on them, or someone was pushing the "close" button on a garage door and my eyelids were the receiver. At every 10 minute interval I had to get out of the patrol car and walk around, stretch, and do an occasional jumping jack. In between these little "exercise" routines, I took my FTO's advice and read up on statutes and standard operating procedures. At 6:30 in the morning, we had an investigation to go to.
Apparently one gentleman had walked into one of our substations bleeding all over the place, so one of the other patrol officers worked on getting him to the hospital. The gaping hole in his wrist said it all. While the other patrol officers were taking care of him, we were dispatched to conduct an investigation. Queue CSI: Miami music.
We arrived at the house and my FTO wanted to start checking for broken windows. Sure enough, on the side of the house, was a broken window. We then looked inside. There was blood absolutely everywhere. In the center of the floor of the bathroom (the room with the broken window) was a giant pool of blood, along with low-velocity blood splatter drips throughout the house. Once again, academy training fell right into place. I immediately thought to myself, "secure the scene, take overall, mid-length, and closeup pictures, ensure the chain of custody, and remember officer safety." We did all of that, and then did an overall canvass of the house. There were more low-velocity blood drips around the house, and I thought for a second, after folowing the trail, that it came from the subject's car. I checked underneath the door handle, around the edges of the window, and shined my flashlight inside the vehicle. Nothing. I tried to look at every possible angle, and answer the ultimate question, "How did the subject get cut?" and also, "What was the subject cut with?"
The broken window was busted out from the inside, which means any activity occurred inside the house. I looked around to see what instrument he used. Could it be a piece of broken glass? Could it be something on the bathroom floor? Could the instrument be outside? I took a hard look inside the bathroom, and aside from glass, I couldn't see an instrument decent enough to inflict a lot of harm. I began to assume that the instrument was the glass itself. I didn't get a chance to go inside the house to look for more instruments, but at this point in time, the glass was my best bet. I then left the house with that idea, but never concluded to it.
At the station, we finished up with paperwork, and by that time, I was all full of energy. A little too late in my book, but it felt good. From there it was back to my car, back to my house, and 8 hours of sleep. I feel good, and hope that tonight has some excitement as well.
After I came home yesterday, I didn't fall to sleep for awhile, and then went to my Mom's house to dinner with my Dad. I got about 7 hours total, which I knew wouldn't be enough, but I figured a nice meal would give me some energy, and trust me, it was a very nice meal. After dinner, I still felt out of it, so I grabbed a blanket and tried to go back to sleep for an hour or two, but my parents' conversation and the fact I was watching a TV show I liked kept me awake. It was then time to get changed and ready. I needed something to boost my energy.
On my way out, I stopped at the local gas station and picked up some orange juice not only to give me a boost, but to keep me healthy as my FTO was in the stages of getting rid of his cold. I drank the orange juice on the way down, cranked the tunes, and rolled down the windows. After the tremendous storms that had hit, a brief reprieve of cool air lingered over South Florida, which many dired for after the heat index at night was almost 100 degrees.
My FTO picked me up as usual, and we did a small detail and it was off to the checkpoint. I took the helm at the first detail we had as I wanted to not only impress my FTO, but reinforce what I had learned. It went pretty smoothly, and I was very confident in myself. At the checkpoint, we sat there for awhile and then got relieved by another officer. We went to the station, did some minor paperwork, and then decided to do a small foot patrol, where he showed me all the buildings and what to check for; it was a good learning experience for me. I had done many foot patrols before as a security guard, but he showed me a couple of small things I had been overlooking in the past. After the foot patrol, it was back to the checkpoint.
Walking around for awhile really helped my energy levels, but once the air conditioning in the car kicked in and we had sat there for awhile, fatigue began to kick in. At about 0500 I began to feel like my eyes had little weights on them, or someone was pushing the "close" button on a garage door and my eyelids were the receiver. At every 10 minute interval I had to get out of the patrol car and walk around, stretch, and do an occasional jumping jack. In between these little "exercise" routines, I took my FTO's advice and read up on statutes and standard operating procedures. At 6:30 in the morning, we had an investigation to go to.
Apparently one gentleman had walked into one of our substations bleeding all over the place, so one of the other patrol officers worked on getting him to the hospital. The gaping hole in his wrist said it all. While the other patrol officers were taking care of him, we were dispatched to conduct an investigation. Queue CSI: Miami music.
We arrived at the house and my FTO wanted to start checking for broken windows. Sure enough, on the side of the house, was a broken window. We then looked inside. There was blood absolutely everywhere. In the center of the floor of the bathroom (the room with the broken window) was a giant pool of blood, along with low-velocity blood splatter drips throughout the house. Once again, academy training fell right into place. I immediately thought to myself, "secure the scene, take overall, mid-length, and closeup pictures, ensure the chain of custody, and remember officer safety." We did all of that, and then did an overall canvass of the house. There were more low-velocity blood drips around the house, and I thought for a second, after folowing the trail, that it came from the subject's car. I checked underneath the door handle, around the edges of the window, and shined my flashlight inside the vehicle. Nothing. I tried to look at every possible angle, and answer the ultimate question, "How did the subject get cut?" and also, "What was the subject cut with?"
The broken window was busted out from the inside, which means any activity occurred inside the house. I looked around to see what instrument he used. Could it be a piece of broken glass? Could it be something on the bathroom floor? Could the instrument be outside? I took a hard look inside the bathroom, and aside from glass, I couldn't see an instrument decent enough to inflict a lot of harm. I began to assume that the instrument was the glass itself. I didn't get a chance to go inside the house to look for more instruments, but at this point in time, the glass was my best bet. I then left the house with that idea, but never concluded to it.
At the station, we finished up with paperwork, and by that time, I was all full of energy. A little too late in my book, but it felt good. From there it was back to my car, back to my house, and 8 hours of sleep. I feel good, and hope that tonight has some excitement as well.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day 4 - "Heat" - 6/22/09
It has been unusually warm and muggy these past couple of days, and it was very evident last night. My FTO is continuing to struggle with a cold, so I have been taking extra precautions to prevent myself from getting sick. More Vitamin C and hand sanitizer by the truckload, please!
I had a chance to speak with my girlfriend before I went on shift, which relaxed me a bit. I wasn't nervous or anything, but she always seems to make me feel better, regardless of how good I am already feeling. I actually felt very confident; very sweaty, but very confident. Before my FTO arrived, I had a chance to speak with my SGT, who gave me orders to head to a checkpoint and also gave me the key to the back rooms of the station. When my FTO arrived, I transferred my stuff from my car to his and we went on our way.
He lets me queue up on the radio very frequently, and it gives me the opportunity to practice and also stay vigilant on my skills. We sat at the checkpoint for a couple of hours and went over more forms. The air conditioned patrol car felt so nice. At roughly 2AM, we received a call to investigate a resident being harassed by a loved one. We went out to the residence and made contact with the complainant/victim, a young woman with a 6-month old girl in her arms.
It was incredibly buggy due to all of the humidity, and they began swarming on her, my FTO, and myself. I had my notepad out, and so did my FTO. Even though we were both doing a lot of writing, I assumed the role of the cover officer while my FTO made contact. I made note of the types of questions he asked, his tone of voice, his stance, and other nuances that will let me excel in this job. We found out she had received threatening phone calls and text messages from her co-habitant, who happened to be the father of the child. We also found out he was on his way to the victim's residence to "handle" things. Our SGT stopped the co-habitant at one of our checkpoints. We made the decision that he was allowed to come in, grab some things for the evening, and then immediately leave the premises. He did so. The entire time he was on foot, I was ready to roll just in case something happened. However, he came and left without incident. We had locked the victim and her child in our patrol car to put a barrier between the two parties.
After handling that incident, we made it back to the checkpoint for a little while longer and went over some more forms. My FTO began letting me assist him in maintaining the checkpoint by making contact with drivers and getting down all of their information. This continued for a little while longer until we made our way back to the station for some paperwork.
Back at the checkpoint, we began filling out the report. The computer program "Omniform" really makes things easy. Just tab, fill in info, tab, fill in more info, and so on. I can't wait to install it on my computer so I can use it when I get my own car. While my FTO began typing his narrative, I studied my statute book and continued to assist at the checkpoint. The end of the shift ended with a completion of all report forms, and my daily activity sheet.
On my way home, I began noticing dark clouds EVERYWHERE. They gradually got darker as I continued to drive to the Northeast. By the time I got home, it felt as if I was driving through a tropical storm. Mild rain, but the wind was incredible! Downed tree branches, mild debris, and a vicious looking sky. By the time I parked my car it had began to drizzle. The moment I got inside my house, the sky opened up. I considered myself very lucky, and very dry :D.
I had a chance to speak with my girlfriend before I went on shift, which relaxed me a bit. I wasn't nervous or anything, but she always seems to make me feel better, regardless of how good I am already feeling. I actually felt very confident; very sweaty, but very confident. Before my FTO arrived, I had a chance to speak with my SGT, who gave me orders to head to a checkpoint and also gave me the key to the back rooms of the station. When my FTO arrived, I transferred my stuff from my car to his and we went on our way.
He lets me queue up on the radio very frequently, and it gives me the opportunity to practice and also stay vigilant on my skills. We sat at the checkpoint for a couple of hours and went over more forms. The air conditioned patrol car felt so nice. At roughly 2AM, we received a call to investigate a resident being harassed by a loved one. We went out to the residence and made contact with the complainant/victim, a young woman with a 6-month old girl in her arms.
It was incredibly buggy due to all of the humidity, and they began swarming on her, my FTO, and myself. I had my notepad out, and so did my FTO. Even though we were both doing a lot of writing, I assumed the role of the cover officer while my FTO made contact. I made note of the types of questions he asked, his tone of voice, his stance, and other nuances that will let me excel in this job. We found out she had received threatening phone calls and text messages from her co-habitant, who happened to be the father of the child. We also found out he was on his way to the victim's residence to "handle" things. Our SGT stopped the co-habitant at one of our checkpoints. We made the decision that he was allowed to come in, grab some things for the evening, and then immediately leave the premises. He did so. The entire time he was on foot, I was ready to roll just in case something happened. However, he came and left without incident. We had locked the victim and her child in our patrol car to put a barrier between the two parties.
After handling that incident, we made it back to the checkpoint for a little while longer and went over some more forms. My FTO began letting me assist him in maintaining the checkpoint by making contact with drivers and getting down all of their information. This continued for a little while longer until we made our way back to the station for some paperwork.
Back at the checkpoint, we began filling out the report. The computer program "Omniform" really makes things easy. Just tab, fill in info, tab, fill in more info, and so on. I can't wait to install it on my computer so I can use it when I get my own car. While my FTO began typing his narrative, I studied my statute book and continued to assist at the checkpoint. The end of the shift ended with a completion of all report forms, and my daily activity sheet.
On my way home, I began noticing dark clouds EVERYWHERE. They gradually got darker as I continued to drive to the Northeast. By the time I got home, it felt as if I was driving through a tropical storm. Mild rain, but the wind was incredible! Downed tree branches, mild debris, and a vicious looking sky. By the time I parked my car it had began to drizzle. The moment I got inside my house, the sky opened up. I considered myself very lucky, and very dry :D.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Day 3 - "Hands" - 6/21/09
Well, I am finally getting adjusted to the sleeping schedule. Each night I have been feeling less and less tired, and last night was no exception.
The night started off very simple, but at the same time I was a little wary. There were no calls for service, but my FTO was beginning to sniffle and cough a bit, which to me is a very bad sign. Whenever someone around me seems to get sick, I seem to not only get whatever they have, but get it much worse. As it so happened, I stopped into a service station and grabbed a bottle of orange juice for energy, and was very thankful to have some extra Vitamin C in my system. He said that we'd be heading out to one of the checkpoints and he would be showing me more of the forms he had on his laptop.
We spent roughly 3 hours at the checkpoint when the SGT told us we needed to be back at the station for something. My SGT handed my FTO some paperwork and told us there was a prisoner we needed to transport from our holding facility to the jail. The SGT spoke to me and said, "I am going to start letting you be more active and going more hands on. You'll start by transporting this prisoner." I nodded my head, double checked my duty belt for my handcuffs, and headed out with my FTO to our holding facility. On the way, my FTO stated the guy had been arrested for Domestic Battery, so I immediately got into the mindset that the guy may want to give me a hard time during the transfer of custody.
We arrived at the holding facility where I met my "menace to society".... a 70 year old guy who pushed his wife in the course of an argument. For those that don't know, Florida has a ZERO tolerance for domestic violence. If an officer arrives on scene and can determine a primary aggressor in a DV case, it is REQUIRED by Florida law an officer make an arrest, and if an officer can't determine a primary aggressor, then it must be thoroughly documented.
After some of the minor paperwork was done, it was time to transfer custody. I immediately was faced with my largest problem: Language. The gentleman didn't speak a single word of English, yet spoke Spanish and Chinese fluently, and he made sure all of us in the holding facility knew it. He wreaked of alcohol, but was fairly compliant when one of our Spanish-Speaking officers directed him to put his hands on the wall. I quickly got out my handcuffs and put the gentleman's right hand behind his back. I snapped the first handcuff on without a problem. The second one went on without a hitch. It felt just like training at the academy. I felt that although I did very well, I could have been a TAD more gentle. By no means did I injure him or cause him great discomfort, but I moved him like I would have moved someone half his age. My FTO said I did a good job, but to take more care with an elderly man as I could, if the time had come, have easily overpowered him. I took great heed to this advice. We then went out to the car, put him in, and then for the next 20 minutes, proceeded to hear him talking to himself in the back of the car on our way to the jail. We arrived without incident.
At the jail, I immediately remembered procedure. Alert our dispatcher of arrival, drive into the Sallyport, off-load all weapons, wait for the Sallyport door to close, then escort the prisoner out. There is a small "holding" area that you can place a subject while filling out the entry log, so I put him in there and said "Sientate". I was surprised I remembered ANY Spanish at all, but it was useful in aiding the man down on the bench. There was a lock on the holding facility, so I proceeded to lock it. Immediately after the lock closed, my FTO says, "Don't lock ---! Jailer, can I have the keys to open this please?" He understood why I locked it, but said, at least for this guy, it wasn't necessary. Even if he did run, the Sallyport was totally locked down. We then escorted him inside. Immediately, I felt embarassed.
Here I was, escorting what seemed to be a harmless old man into the jail. Police Officers, Corrections Officers, and even inmates were giving me the "WTF is he here for?" look. After a bit of paperwork and an hour of time, we were back on the streets. My FTO let me use the radio to update our status, and then headed back to our zone. From there, it was more studying, more paperwork, and the sunrise.
I think my FTO is beginning to feel very confident in me, and I couldn't be more pleased. Tactically, I felt sound, but, as one of my academy instructors used to say, you need to be a "KIND AND GENTLE MAN".... at least with some. I will be sure to remember that for next time.
The night started off very simple, but at the same time I was a little wary. There were no calls for service, but my FTO was beginning to sniffle and cough a bit, which to me is a very bad sign. Whenever someone around me seems to get sick, I seem to not only get whatever they have, but get it much worse. As it so happened, I stopped into a service station and grabbed a bottle of orange juice for energy, and was very thankful to have some extra Vitamin C in my system. He said that we'd be heading out to one of the checkpoints and he would be showing me more of the forms he had on his laptop.
We spent roughly 3 hours at the checkpoint when the SGT told us we needed to be back at the station for something. My SGT handed my FTO some paperwork and told us there was a prisoner we needed to transport from our holding facility to the jail. The SGT spoke to me and said, "I am going to start letting you be more active and going more hands on. You'll start by transporting this prisoner." I nodded my head, double checked my duty belt for my handcuffs, and headed out with my FTO to our holding facility. On the way, my FTO stated the guy had been arrested for Domestic Battery, so I immediately got into the mindset that the guy may want to give me a hard time during the transfer of custody.
We arrived at the holding facility where I met my "menace to society".... a 70 year old guy who pushed his wife in the course of an argument. For those that don't know, Florida has a ZERO tolerance for domestic violence. If an officer arrives on scene and can determine a primary aggressor in a DV case, it is REQUIRED by Florida law an officer make an arrest, and if an officer can't determine a primary aggressor, then it must be thoroughly documented.
After some of the minor paperwork was done, it was time to transfer custody. I immediately was faced with my largest problem: Language. The gentleman didn't speak a single word of English, yet spoke Spanish and Chinese fluently, and he made sure all of us in the holding facility knew it. He wreaked of alcohol, but was fairly compliant when one of our Spanish-Speaking officers directed him to put his hands on the wall. I quickly got out my handcuffs and put the gentleman's right hand behind his back. I snapped the first handcuff on without a problem. The second one went on without a hitch. It felt just like training at the academy. I felt that although I did very well, I could have been a TAD more gentle. By no means did I injure him or cause him great discomfort, but I moved him like I would have moved someone half his age. My FTO said I did a good job, but to take more care with an elderly man as I could, if the time had come, have easily overpowered him. I took great heed to this advice. We then went out to the car, put him in, and then for the next 20 minutes, proceeded to hear him talking to himself in the back of the car on our way to the jail. We arrived without incident.
At the jail, I immediately remembered procedure. Alert our dispatcher of arrival, drive into the Sallyport, off-load all weapons, wait for the Sallyport door to close, then escort the prisoner out. There is a small "holding" area that you can place a subject while filling out the entry log, so I put him in there and said "Sientate". I was surprised I remembered ANY Spanish at all, but it was useful in aiding the man down on the bench. There was a lock on the holding facility, so I proceeded to lock it. Immediately after the lock closed, my FTO says, "Don't lock ---! Jailer, can I have the keys to open this please?" He understood why I locked it, but said, at least for this guy, it wasn't necessary. Even if he did run, the Sallyport was totally locked down. We then escorted him inside. Immediately, I felt embarassed.
Here I was, escorting what seemed to be a harmless old man into the jail. Police Officers, Corrections Officers, and even inmates were giving me the "WTF is he here for?" look. After a bit of paperwork and an hour of time, we were back on the streets. My FTO let me use the radio to update our status, and then headed back to our zone. From there, it was more studying, more paperwork, and the sunrise.
I think my FTO is beginning to feel very confident in me, and I couldn't be more pleased. Tactically, I felt sound, but, as one of my academy instructors used to say, you need to be a "KIND AND GENTLE MAN".... at least with some. I will be sure to remember that for next time.
Day 2 - "Bookworm" - 6/20/09
After a few refreshing days off with my girlfriend, it was time to show up for a new tour on what I think is the busiest night of the week.... Saturday. Before I showed up, I readjusted my duty belt so that it would stay snug, made sure my radio was charged, and hit the road. I got to the station at 10:15, and patiently waited for my FTO to show at 10:30. He came by and picked me up right on schedule.
I had completely memorized all of the Q codes and dispatch signals, so now I actually knew what was going on over the radio. The first thing that came in was a vehicle fire, but another unit was taking care of it as he was already on scene. We were also in another patrol zone, so we headed to our post where my FTO gave me an assignment.
OBJECTIVE-
1. Study Q codes, dispatch signals, maps, and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
I am the kind of guy that loves a challenge, so while my FTO was doing supervisory things and paperwork, I took to the books and decided to brush up on my geography. I am also the kind of guy who likes to accomplish EVERYTHING and be a step ahead, so because I memorized all of my Q codes and dispatch signals, all I really had to focus on was geography and SOPs. The geography wasn't too bad. I am not the kind of guy who uses "directions" to find places, I use images. If I drive to a place once, I can drive there unassisted from then on.
My FTO gave me the idea of drawing a map and labeling things, so I did, and it really helps. That's probably why he's the FTO I was in the station with my nose in the books for 3 hours, and by then my brain was starting to overheat. Continous studying had gotten the better of me. I decided a "12" was in order (meal break/eat), so I fished out my sunflower seeds and drank a cup of coffee. Finally, my FTO emerged and told me to bring my stuff as we were going to hit the road.We headed to a checkpoint, where we sat from 0300-0500. My FTO said, "Do me a favor and write down all the Q codes, dispatch signals, and phoenetic alphabet on the back of your daily activity sheet." This was my time to shine. I immediately scribbled down ALL OF IT and showed it to him. It felt good to show him I was being responsible and taking care of what I was supposed to. He rewarded me by letting me queue up on the radio while we did checks of some of the surrounding areas. It was another step closer to the end of FTO.
Towards the end of the shift, we received a call about a possible PANTHER nosing around someone's house. Between the alligators and the panther, you might as well call in Animal Planet and have them start shooting film.
All in all, it was a fairly uneventful night, but I am still exciting for what tonight can possibly bring.
I had completely memorized all of the Q codes and dispatch signals, so now I actually knew what was going on over the radio. The first thing that came in was a vehicle fire, but another unit was taking care of it as he was already on scene. We were also in another patrol zone, so we headed to our post where my FTO gave me an assignment.
OBJECTIVE-
1. Study Q codes, dispatch signals, maps, and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
I am the kind of guy that loves a challenge, so while my FTO was doing supervisory things and paperwork, I took to the books and decided to brush up on my geography. I am also the kind of guy who likes to accomplish EVERYTHING and be a step ahead, so because I memorized all of my Q codes and dispatch signals, all I really had to focus on was geography and SOPs. The geography wasn't too bad. I am not the kind of guy who uses "directions" to find places, I use images. If I drive to a place once, I can drive there unassisted from then on.
My FTO gave me the idea of drawing a map and labeling things, so I did, and it really helps. That's probably why he's the FTO I was in the station with my nose in the books for 3 hours, and by then my brain was starting to overheat. Continous studying had gotten the better of me. I decided a "12" was in order (meal break/eat), so I fished out my sunflower seeds and drank a cup of coffee. Finally, my FTO emerged and told me to bring my stuff as we were going to hit the road.We headed to a checkpoint, where we sat from 0300-0500. My FTO said, "Do me a favor and write down all the Q codes, dispatch signals, and phoenetic alphabet on the back of your daily activity sheet." This was my time to shine. I immediately scribbled down ALL OF IT and showed it to him. It felt good to show him I was being responsible and taking care of what I was supposed to. He rewarded me by letting me queue up on the radio while we did checks of some of the surrounding areas. It was another step closer to the end of FTO.
Towards the end of the shift, we received a call about a possible PANTHER nosing around someone's house. Between the alligators and the panther, you might as well call in Animal Planet and have them start shooting film.
All in all, it was a fairly uneventful night, but I am still exciting for what tonight can possibly bring.
Day 1 - "Gators" - 6/17/09
Today was probably one of the best days of my entire life.I had to be there at 8AM so I set my alarm for 6:15. The entire night I couldn’t stop dreaming about it. Of course, my dreams were interrupted by my father at 6AM. I really could have used those extra 15 minutes, but oh well. I got up and jumped right into the shower. Personally, if I am shaving, I need to have a shower beforehand otherwise I get really irritated. I dried myself off and picked up my electric razor and began shaving my face. Along comes Mr. Murphy to plant a speed bump in my morning routine. The electric razor I use has a flip-switch to open the head to dump out the hairs and stuff. Unfortunately, the flip-switch flipped itself open, and hair gets ALL over me. Great. Now I can look like I’m on crack when I go to the station, scratching all over the place and stuff. I promptly brushed myself off and proceeded to get dressed.
My uniform came with two chrome-finished bars, so I put them on my collar. I got all dressed up and finished it all off with the nifty clip-on tie. I was ready to roll. My parents followed me down there without a hitch. I walk into the police station in full uniform. I felt 12 feet tall. One of the guys quickly brought me down to Earth by saying, “Lose the pins, tie, and hat” (I was furnished with a Smokey-the-Bear hat). I promptly put all that stuff in my car, came back inside, and had a seat. Roughly 15 minutes later, out comes the Chief.
I felt like an astronaut 10 seconds before liftoff. He gave me a piece of paper to recite from, and told me to repeat after him. I said the oath and he shook my hand. Now, it was official. My Dad got to pin my badge on me, my mom took pictures, it was great. My Dad almost cried, so in turn I almost cried, which in turn had everyone thinking, “Hey look, they’re gonna cry!”. Neither of us did though.
My parents left and I went to go fill out paperwork and get fingerprinted. I got my badge #, court ID #, and radio #, all typed up on an official piece of paper. After that I received my duty weapon (G22) that came with a very unusual holster. In the academy the release button was activated by the thumb. This one was activated by the middle finger. It took a bit of getting used to, but for some reason still felt awkward. Figuring it may have been defective, I asked for a different holster. They issued me one with a snap-and-pull type design. I immediately liked that better.From there it was into the HR Dept for, you guessed it, more paperwork. Health insurance, dental insurance, etc. I was so giddy in my new uniform. All this pent up energy with nowhere to release it. I wanted to be on the road, to interact with citizens, to make a difference. I decided it was best to just pay attention, the road would come later that night. Finally, I was on my way home, ready to show up at 11 the same night.
I decided that going to the gym would be a good way to disperse some energy and get me in the mood to take a nap, so I did. Summer vacation for the idiots, excuse me, the middle/high school kids really slowed the gym progress down. They’re all like, “Hey check this out! Look how much I can lift even though it’s going to screw up my body! I’m so HAWT DAWG!” My friend and I tried to get around them and use the machines, but finally after a couple of sets I hit the treadmill and ran a while. I then came back home, grabbed a shower, and passed out for a couple of hours.
I figured I'd get to the station early so I could relax and prepare my mind. In fact, listening to music did the trick on the way down. I parked my car, put on my duty belt, and walked into the substation. I was greeted by 2 other officers, and they were very nice. They both gave me the same advice: "Listen." The Sergeant then came in and then informed me who I was riding with, and told me and my FTO I was in "Observer mode only". OK, that's cool. I can dig that. I get paid to use my senses and learn a couple of things along the way.
My FTO is a cool guy. He gave me all types of paperwork, procedural information, the works. We're riding down one of the local roads and he is talking to me, which requires him to take a look at me every once in awhile. He was explaining something to me, and all of a sudden he says, "OH ****!", immediately followed by a THUD. "What was that?" He, in the most non-chalant voice, says, "Gator." This was my FTO's 2nd experience with an alligator in as many days. 48 hours earlier, an alligator bit a piece off the front bumper of his patrol car. I didn't believe him until I saw it, and O...M...F...G I saw the missing chunk. I even took a picture with my cameraphone.
After a bit of agency policy and radio lingo, we had our first assignment... transport a prisoner from our holding cell to the jail. As an observer, I watched his tactics as he cuffed the subject and escorted him to the patrol car and put him inside. We drove to the jail without incident and pulled into the Sallyport. He then informed me of all jail procedures. We got out of the car and said to put all my weapons (baton, OC/CS, firearm) in the back of the patrol car and then escort the subject. He places the subject near the doorway and gives ME my first assignment:
OBJECTIVE:
1. Make sure the guy in handcuffs doesn't escape.
I immediately reverted back to my training. I grabbed his wrist with my non-dominant hand and had his bicep with my dominant hand. I applied firm pressure, but not something that would be discomforting to him. I wasn't inflicting pain, and at the same time, he KNEW I had a good hold. He remained compliant as DOJ took him in and began to process him. Close to an hour later, we were done. Now it was back to the station.At the station I received my time sheets and other paperwork, and the SGT and my FTO showed me how to fill it out. I began catching on quickly to my daily activity sheet simply by listening to my FTO and the codes being sent out. I also had a handy-dandy Q code/Signal sheet that I will be studying very vigorously.
After the paperwork, we did a TON of geography. The West Side, the East Side, different areas and business checks, all logged in to the activity report. During the course of the morning, we spotted about 5 alligators, some of which were less than 20 feet from the patrol car. Finally, it was a trip to the county line, re-fueling the vehicle, and completing paperwork. By then, the sun was beginning to come up, and I was getting EXTREMELY tired. Between getting up at 6AM and only napping for a couple hours, I was totally drained. I mean, I've stayed up through the night, but not when I get up at 6AM.
At 7AM I was technically off duty, but the SGT wanted to speak to my FTO, so I waited for a couple minutes. I thought to myself "About 24 hours ago, I was sitting in this SAME spot waiting to get sworn in." It was a really odd feeling.
Finally, I was driven back to my personal vehicle. I was then told that I would be having today and tomorrow off, and to come back Saturday night. The 45 minute drive home wasn't too bad as I was finally driving. I got home, and had a very key decision to make..... "Do I just pass the **** out all dirty, or use up my energy in the shower? Do I get instant sleep gratification, or not have to worry about the laundry?" I decided a shower was better. I dried myself off, fell into bed, and was in dreamland in about 5 seconds. Now I'm up, and full of energy again. The gym doesn't sound like too bad an idea right now.
See everyone soon!
My uniform came with two chrome-finished bars, so I put them on my collar. I got all dressed up and finished it all off with the nifty clip-on tie. I was ready to roll. My parents followed me down there without a hitch. I walk into the police station in full uniform. I felt 12 feet tall. One of the guys quickly brought me down to Earth by saying, “Lose the pins, tie, and hat” (I was furnished with a Smokey-the-Bear hat). I promptly put all that stuff in my car, came back inside, and had a seat. Roughly 15 minutes later, out comes the Chief.
I felt like an astronaut 10 seconds before liftoff. He gave me a piece of paper to recite from, and told me to repeat after him. I said the oath and he shook my hand. Now, it was official. My Dad got to pin my badge on me, my mom took pictures, it was great. My Dad almost cried, so in turn I almost cried, which in turn had everyone thinking, “Hey look, they’re gonna cry!”. Neither of us did though.
My parents left and I went to go fill out paperwork and get fingerprinted. I got my badge #, court ID #, and radio #, all typed up on an official piece of paper. After that I received my duty weapon (G22) that came with a very unusual holster. In the academy the release button was activated by the thumb. This one was activated by the middle finger. It took a bit of getting used to, but for some reason still felt awkward. Figuring it may have been defective, I asked for a different holster. They issued me one with a snap-and-pull type design. I immediately liked that better.From there it was into the HR Dept for, you guessed it, more paperwork. Health insurance, dental insurance, etc. I was so giddy in my new uniform. All this pent up energy with nowhere to release it. I wanted to be on the road, to interact with citizens, to make a difference. I decided it was best to just pay attention, the road would come later that night. Finally, I was on my way home, ready to show up at 11 the same night.
I decided that going to the gym would be a good way to disperse some energy and get me in the mood to take a nap, so I did. Summer vacation for the idiots, excuse me, the middle/high school kids really slowed the gym progress down. They’re all like, “Hey check this out! Look how much I can lift even though it’s going to screw up my body! I’m so HAWT DAWG!” My friend and I tried to get around them and use the machines, but finally after a couple of sets I hit the treadmill and ran a while. I then came back home, grabbed a shower, and passed out for a couple of hours.
I figured I'd get to the station early so I could relax and prepare my mind. In fact, listening to music did the trick on the way down. I parked my car, put on my duty belt, and walked into the substation. I was greeted by 2 other officers, and they were very nice. They both gave me the same advice: "Listen." The Sergeant then came in and then informed me who I was riding with, and told me and my FTO I was in "Observer mode only". OK, that's cool. I can dig that. I get paid to use my senses and learn a couple of things along the way.
My FTO is a cool guy. He gave me all types of paperwork, procedural information, the works. We're riding down one of the local roads and he is talking to me, which requires him to take a look at me every once in awhile. He was explaining something to me, and all of a sudden he says, "OH ****!", immediately followed by a THUD. "What was that?" He, in the most non-chalant voice, says, "Gator." This was my FTO's 2nd experience with an alligator in as many days. 48 hours earlier, an alligator bit a piece off the front bumper of his patrol car. I didn't believe him until I saw it, and O...M...F...G I saw the missing chunk. I even took a picture with my cameraphone.
After a bit of agency policy and radio lingo, we had our first assignment... transport a prisoner from our holding cell to the jail. As an observer, I watched his tactics as he cuffed the subject and escorted him to the patrol car and put him inside. We drove to the jail without incident and pulled into the Sallyport. He then informed me of all jail procedures. We got out of the car and said to put all my weapons (baton, OC/CS, firearm) in the back of the patrol car and then escort the subject. He places the subject near the doorway and gives ME my first assignment:
OBJECTIVE:
1. Make sure the guy in handcuffs doesn't escape.
I immediately reverted back to my training. I grabbed his wrist with my non-dominant hand and had his bicep with my dominant hand. I applied firm pressure, but not something that would be discomforting to him. I wasn't inflicting pain, and at the same time, he KNEW I had a good hold. He remained compliant as DOJ took him in and began to process him. Close to an hour later, we were done. Now it was back to the station.At the station I received my time sheets and other paperwork, and the SGT and my FTO showed me how to fill it out. I began catching on quickly to my daily activity sheet simply by listening to my FTO and the codes being sent out. I also had a handy-dandy Q code/Signal sheet that I will be studying very vigorously.
After the paperwork, we did a TON of geography. The West Side, the East Side, different areas and business checks, all logged in to the activity report. During the course of the morning, we spotted about 5 alligators, some of which were less than 20 feet from the patrol car. Finally, it was a trip to the county line, re-fueling the vehicle, and completing paperwork. By then, the sun was beginning to come up, and I was getting EXTREMELY tired. Between getting up at 6AM and only napping for a couple hours, I was totally drained. I mean, I've stayed up through the night, but not when I get up at 6AM.
At 7AM I was technically off duty, but the SGT wanted to speak to my FTO, so I waited for a couple minutes. I thought to myself "About 24 hours ago, I was sitting in this SAME spot waiting to get sworn in." It was a really odd feeling.
Finally, I was driven back to my personal vehicle. I was then told that I would be having today and tomorrow off, and to come back Saturday night. The 45 minute drive home wasn't too bad as I was finally driving. I got home, and had a very key decision to make..... "Do I just pass the **** out all dirty, or use up my energy in the shower? Do I get instant sleep gratification, or not have to worry about the laundry?" I decided a shower was better. I dried myself off, fell into bed, and was in dreamland in about 5 seconds. Now I'm up, and full of energy again. The gym doesn't sound like too bad an idea right now.
See everyone soon!
T minus 12 hours - 6/16/09
Hello everyone,
When I was in the police academy, the instructors taught me very well and gave me the tools I will be keeping in my toolbox during my lengthy career in law enforcement. However, none of them ever really talked about their rookie experiences or gave any of us any insight as to what the first couple of baby steps in this profession would be like.As such, I have decided to make my contribution to the law enforcement community, both in uniform and in this nifty way you see before you. I will be keeping a log of the every day activities of a "daisy-fresh rookie". Sorry if this post is long, but below I describe how I got to where I am now. Enjoy.
I've always wanted to be a police officer. My father used to work for the United States Postal Inspectors, and he was the main reason I got interested in LE in the first place. Just the way he carried himself and how happy he seemed to be initially caught my attention. Then came the father-son bonding, which over a number of years, began with the playing of the police lights, PA, and siren, watching news clippings of him on TV, going to the shooting range, and listening to some of his arrests on 1010 WINS, a news channel in New York City. Sorry, I grew up in New York, forgot to mention that.
After my Dad was transferred to South Florida a couple of years before his retirement, I realized I would be staying here in this mosquito, red ant, sunburn, flying plywood infested State for quite a while. I graduated high school early (23rd in my class of 1025), and found myself at the University of Central Florida 2 weeks afterwards. I majored in Criminal Justice, and three and a half jam-packed years of vigorous studying later, I had myself a Bachelor's Degree. 2 weeks after that, I found myself in Gainesville, FL at the Santa Fe College Law Enforcement Academy. 6 months and one incredibly painful round of OC spray later, I graduated 3rd in my class of 23 recruits. 48 hours after that, I passed the FDLE State Exam. Now it was time to get a job.
The application process sucked. I thought because I was certified I didn't have to go through all the "pre-app" stuff. Wrong. I also thought these applications were only a couple of pages. Wrong again. Some were 40 pages long!!!! .I headed to the Broward Community College where I took a swim test and a physical abilities test. I then proceeded to flood the market with applications. One of them was to a Dade County Police Dept. In fact, it was one of the first applications I submitted. I sent apps as far north as the Palm Beach/Martin border, and as far South as Miami. I waited.If there's anything that sucked more than losing my pants at the Broward College Swim Test, it was waiting on these departments to get back to me. Day in and day out I headed to the mail box and checked my phone for missed calls and voice messages. For a solid month, I heard nothing. Finally, I got a pulse. The Dade County agency wanted me to take a swim test for them. I said I'd be there.
It was April, so I figured it'd be warm outside. Of course, being the Murphy's Law poster child I am, it was ABNORMALLY cold outside. I got there early. The test was at 7AM, I was there at 6:30. One of the detectives greeted us, and I walked to the pool in nothing more than swim trunks and one of my academy shirts. Once I lost the shirt and began stretching, it didn't get any warmer. In my mind I'm like, "The pool must be freezing." I dipped a toe in, and quickly found out the pool was heated. Nice! I swam the test which wasn't too bad, and then began to dry off. There was one guy there who said he didn't know how to swim. I tried to give him some pointers, but he didn't look confident. This was a chance for me to try to get some "pluses" in my corner.
1. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could give the guy the strength to pass, hoping one day he would be my partner and would back me if I needed help.
2. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could show the detectives I was a team player, and since I had my academy shirt on with my last name embroidered on the back, they'd know EXACTLY who I was.
Unfortunately, the guy sank 5 yards before the finish line. I felt bad, but also felt good I passed. They said he could come back later; I really hope he tried again.After passing the psychological exam (which was a mind-picking 5 hours), I was now in limbo, I mean background . This was the waiting game. I didn't hear back from them for a month until they told me I passed my psych. A month after that, I was scheduled for an oral board. This, for me, was either the deal-maker or the deal-breaker. How I conducted myself would determine whether or not I had a job. I began to run through possible questions they'd ask me, and thankfully, I crossed my "T's" and dotted my "I's".
I walked into the oral board in a NICE suit. I liked the way I looked, I guarantee it. . I sat down ONLY after being told to do so, and they began asking me who I was, why I wanted to be a police officer, what my opinions were on use of force, why the hell my driving record was so long, and if I would be loyal to them if they hired me. I am a damn good public speaker, and anyone who knows me can tell you I can run my mouth until there's no more air left, so I used that to my advantage. I talked my way through it. I was serious, but had a personality. One of the questions they asked me was "What do you know about the Tribe?" On the way to the oral board, I figured it'd be a step up if I knew SOMETHING, so I memorized the colors of their flag (White, Black, Red, Yellow in that order) because I saw so many of them on the road. I could tell they liked that because they laughed.At the end of the interview they asked me if I had any questions for them. I asked, "What is the next step?" They told me to wait outside.
I was so nervous I could barely find the door handle to exit the room. I shut the door, and immediately began to breathe again. I did some square breathing to relax, got some water, and waited. A couple of minutes later the Chief of Police came out, stuck out his hand, and said, "Congratulations, I am going to hire you". For a moment there I felt like I had swallowed a watermelon because I couldn't say anything, but regained my composure and said "Thank you" like it was going out of style. I calmly exited the police station, got in my car, and left. As soon as I rounded the corner I became T.O.; I did the biggest Super Bowl touchdown dance you could possibly do in a 2-seater car. I immediately began calling everyone in my phone. I finally had it. I was a POLICE OFFICER!!! All that was left was a medical exam, which I passed.
On Monday, June 15, 2009, I got my uniforms, equipment, and was told to show up on June 17th at 8AM to get sworn in. I was also told earlier today that after getting sworn in and completing paperwork to show up again at 11PM for my first tour. 11PM - 7AM. I like that, I stay up late anyway.So here I am. Uniform is clean and pressed with all the pins on it. All I have to do is wake up tomorrow, go down there, and get what I have worked so hard for. I am psyched. Tomorrow is the next chapter in my life, and I can't wait to write it.
See you all tomorrow!
When I was in the police academy, the instructors taught me very well and gave me the tools I will be keeping in my toolbox during my lengthy career in law enforcement. However, none of them ever really talked about their rookie experiences or gave any of us any insight as to what the first couple of baby steps in this profession would be like.As such, I have decided to make my contribution to the law enforcement community, both in uniform and in this nifty way you see before you. I will be keeping a log of the every day activities of a "daisy-fresh rookie". Sorry if this post is long, but below I describe how I got to where I am now. Enjoy.
I've always wanted to be a police officer. My father used to work for the United States Postal Inspectors, and he was the main reason I got interested in LE in the first place. Just the way he carried himself and how happy he seemed to be initially caught my attention. Then came the father-son bonding, which over a number of years, began with the playing of the police lights, PA, and siren, watching news clippings of him on TV, going to the shooting range, and listening to some of his arrests on 1010 WINS, a news channel in New York City. Sorry, I grew up in New York, forgot to mention that.
After my Dad was transferred to South Florida a couple of years before his retirement, I realized I would be staying here in this mosquito, red ant, sunburn, flying plywood infested State for quite a while. I graduated high school early (23rd in my class of 1025), and found myself at the University of Central Florida 2 weeks afterwards. I majored in Criminal Justice, and three and a half jam-packed years of vigorous studying later, I had myself a Bachelor's Degree. 2 weeks after that, I found myself in Gainesville, FL at the Santa Fe College Law Enforcement Academy. 6 months and one incredibly painful round of OC spray later, I graduated 3rd in my class of 23 recruits. 48 hours after that, I passed the FDLE State Exam. Now it was time to get a job.
The application process sucked. I thought because I was certified I didn't have to go through all the "pre-app" stuff. Wrong. I also thought these applications were only a couple of pages. Wrong again. Some were 40 pages long!!!! .I headed to the Broward Community College where I took a swim test and a physical abilities test. I then proceeded to flood the market with applications. One of them was to a Dade County Police Dept. In fact, it was one of the first applications I submitted. I sent apps as far north as the Palm Beach/Martin border, and as far South as Miami. I waited.If there's anything that sucked more than losing my pants at the Broward College Swim Test, it was waiting on these departments to get back to me. Day in and day out I headed to the mail box and checked my phone for missed calls and voice messages. For a solid month, I heard nothing. Finally, I got a pulse. The Dade County agency wanted me to take a swim test for them. I said I'd be there.
It was April, so I figured it'd be warm outside. Of course, being the Murphy's Law poster child I am, it was ABNORMALLY cold outside. I got there early. The test was at 7AM, I was there at 6:30. One of the detectives greeted us, and I walked to the pool in nothing more than swim trunks and one of my academy shirts. Once I lost the shirt and began stretching, it didn't get any warmer. In my mind I'm like, "The pool must be freezing." I dipped a toe in, and quickly found out the pool was heated. Nice! I swam the test which wasn't too bad, and then began to dry off. There was one guy there who said he didn't know how to swim. I tried to give him some pointers, but he didn't look confident. This was a chance for me to try to get some "pluses" in my corner.
1. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could give the guy the strength to pass, hoping one day he would be my partner and would back me if I needed help.
2. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could show the detectives I was a team player, and since I had my academy shirt on with my last name embroidered on the back, they'd know EXACTLY who I was.
Unfortunately, the guy sank 5 yards before the finish line. I felt bad, but also felt good I passed. They said he could come back later; I really hope he tried again.After passing the psychological exam (which was a mind-picking 5 hours), I was now in limbo, I mean background . This was the waiting game. I didn't hear back from them for a month until they told me I passed my psych. A month after that, I was scheduled for an oral board. This, for me, was either the deal-maker or the deal-breaker. How I conducted myself would determine whether or not I had a job. I began to run through possible questions they'd ask me, and thankfully, I crossed my "T's" and dotted my "I's".
I walked into the oral board in a NICE suit. I liked the way I looked, I guarantee it. . I sat down ONLY after being told to do so, and they began asking me who I was, why I wanted to be a police officer, what my opinions were on use of force, why the hell my driving record was so long, and if I would be loyal to them if they hired me. I am a damn good public speaker, and anyone who knows me can tell you I can run my mouth until there's no more air left, so I used that to my advantage. I talked my way through it. I was serious, but had a personality. One of the questions they asked me was "What do you know about the Tribe?" On the way to the oral board, I figured it'd be a step up if I knew SOMETHING, so I memorized the colors of their flag (White, Black, Red, Yellow in that order) because I saw so many of them on the road. I could tell they liked that because they laughed.At the end of the interview they asked me if I had any questions for them. I asked, "What is the next step?" They told me to wait outside.
I was so nervous I could barely find the door handle to exit the room. I shut the door, and immediately began to breathe again. I did some square breathing to relax, got some water, and waited. A couple of minutes later the Chief of Police came out, stuck out his hand, and said, "Congratulations, I am going to hire you". For a moment there I felt like I had swallowed a watermelon because I couldn't say anything, but regained my composure and said "Thank you" like it was going out of style. I calmly exited the police station, got in my car, and left. As soon as I rounded the corner I became T.O.; I did the biggest Super Bowl touchdown dance you could possibly do in a 2-seater car. I immediately began calling everyone in my phone. I finally had it. I was a POLICE OFFICER!!! All that was left was a medical exam, which I passed.
On Monday, June 15, 2009, I got my uniforms, equipment, and was told to show up on June 17th at 8AM to get sworn in. I was also told earlier today that after getting sworn in and completing paperwork to show up again at 11PM for my first tour. 11PM - 7AM. I like that, I stay up late anyway.So here I am. Uniform is clean and pressed with all the pins on it. All I have to do is wake up tomorrow, go down there, and get what I have worked so hard for. I am psyched. Tomorrow is the next chapter in my life, and I can't wait to write it.
See you all tomorrow!
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