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.
Monday, July 27, 2009
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
