In memory of my cousin

Charlie Skinner

1978-2008

The policeman stood and faced his God,

which must always come to pass.

He hopes his shoes were shining

just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, policeman.

How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?

To my church have you been true?"

The policeman squared his shoulders and said,

"No Lord I guess I ain't.

Because those who carry badges

can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,

and at times my talk was rough...

And sometimes I've been violent

because the streets are awful tough.

But I never took a penny

that wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime

when the bills just got too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,

though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place

among the people here.

They never wanted me around

except to calm their fear.

If you've a place for me here,

Lord, it needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

but if you don't... I understand."

There was silence all around the throne

where the saints had often trod,

as the policeman waited quietly

for the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, policeman.

You've borne your burdens well.

Come walk a beat on heaven's streets.

You've done your time in hell."

My days in Ogden are numbered

Well, after driving for one hour each way back and forth to Ogden for the past year and a half has finally come to an end. Last monday I put my letter of resignation in and my last day working for OPD will be on the 27th.

What does this mean for me? Its an opportunity to work with a different police agency MUCH closer to home. With the economy crumbling I will be better able to save gas money, and get more $ an hour.

I enjoyed my time in Ogden and probably would have stayed there had circumstances been different. However, I feel this is an opportunity I can not pass up on right now.

So...my blog web address has OPD in the title. This will obviously have to change. I will shortly be making a different blog address so stay posted to find out what it is. (Unless someone knows how to change it with people being directed to the right location if they type in the old address. If so...instructions in comment section please.)

Car crashes

I'm sure all of us have been stuck in traffic somewhere just to find out people are just slowing down to look at a car crash. Indeed I've come to find people are fascinated with car crashes. I'm not sure if its the fact that they want to see some injured person lying on the ground or if they just like seeing "TV come to life."

The reason officers give tickets to the public is largely in an effort to prevent car crashes. I've currently been watching the stop sign at 23rd and Monroe boulevard. Monroe is a fairly busy street which has traffic signals through the majority of it. However, at 23rd South it is only a stop sign. Cross traffic has been getting in the habit of only slowing down instead of stopping at the sign.

I recently gave a ticket to one very upset person for running the stop sign at this location. I can understand his frustration. Getting a $100 ticket for doing something stupid makes one have a bad day. My argument is would you rather get a $100 ticket or get in an accident? The accident will cost ten times as much to fix all the repairs and sometimes a lot of physical pain and loss of life. Speeding, not signaling, running signs and lights, etc...every time there is a car crash, someone did something they should not have which caused a crash with someone else who happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. An unfortunate victim to someone else's stupidity or lack of safety.

The next time you get a ticket think of these pictures and be more thankful you got a ticket instead of a crash.

The driver of this car was minding her own business when a PT Cruiser thought red lights applied to everyone but himself. She was transported to the hospital with several injuries including a broken wrist.

The PT Cruiser below is the dum dum.

The PT Cruiser was spun 180 degrees, caught the pavement, and flipped over onto its roof. The driver was pinned in the car for several minutes until the fire department cut the passenger door off and extracted him from the car. He was transported to the hospital with several serious injuries.

Above is what the car looked like once it was flipped back over onto its wheels. Engine fluid, glass, and garbage poured out all over the pavement. If you'd like to see the car being flipped over go to the video on my facebook account.(http://vupload.new.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=43053232800)

The driver of this car thought all the drinking they had done the night before had worn off. She believed the misconception that it wears off in only an hour or two.

She had been driving north on Harrison Blvd. She either fell asleep or lost control of her vehicle. While driving north she drifted across the road into on coming traffic. Luckily she hit a parked car on the side of the road and not a head-on collision. However, the impact spun the car around 180 degrees and eventually flipped the car on its side. The fire department cut off the windshield, as shown in the pic, and extracted her through the missing window. In the drunken stupor a seat belt was forgotten. She received may injuries from being tossed around the interior of the car.

The car on the side of the road that she hit was pushed over the sidewalk and onto the front lawn of the home. It was the family's only car and mode of transportation.

Please...leave early, drive slowly, drive defensively, be aware of your surroundings, and always assume the cars around you don't see you.

Things that must go

I podcast a radio program named "X96 Radio from Hell" (for people who feel like hell in the morning) which is a local morning show on 96.3 fm. The radio hosts of this show (Kerry, Bill and Gina) have a bit on their show named, "Things that must go." It is where listeners email lists of different things that bug them or behavior that they want the community to stop doing.

From a police officers point of view I have a few things I wish the public would not do. So if you as readers come across another officer try to keep these things in mind. It does not bug all officers but it is definitely annoying to me...so knock it off.

1. If your kids are misbehaving in public do not say to your kid, "You better stop or that officer is gonna come take you away...see...here he comes" as I walk by. DO NOT teach your children to fear policemen. Not only is it bad parenting its just plan annoying for me to hear everywhere I go. Makes a guy feel great about himself as I send every kid screaming and crying as they run away from me.
2. If you happen to be the unfortunate soul that is pulled over by an officer wait for him to approach your window before you start opening your glove box and rifling around the ginormous stack of papers looking for your registration and insurance. I understand you are only thinking a head but officers think differently. They don't know if you are a soccer mom or a felon on the run. Officers have safety on their mind at all times and will always look to see if you are reaching for a gun. Keep BOTH hands on the steering wheel as they approach the car. Then do as instructed if told to get your paperwork.
3. CLEAN OUT YOUR GLOVE BOXES! You only need the current years insurance and registration. It is absolutely okay to throw away (shred) old registrations and proof of insurance cards. I had a guy hand me a registration from 1999 the other day! If there are only the two up to date papers in the glove box there won't need to be any rifling through papers and you won't go through the embarrassment of the officer seeing your hand shake as you hold each paper wondering what you need to give him.
4. Don't say, "What seems to be the problem officer?" Not only does it make you seem clueless its just plain cliche to say anymore these days. The officer will usually start to tell you anyway.
5. Don't give attitude or debate with the officer about the reason for the stop. Officers have discretion about whom they issue citations to. Obviously if you treat the officer poorly expect to get a citation in return.
6. If by chance an officer starts to approach you don't attempt the joke, "I didn't do it!" or "I'm innocent" or "He did it" has you point to a friend and lift your hands in the air in mock gun point. I can't begin to tell you how many people say this. Not funny and over played people.

Just a few ideas and suggestions for you to digest. Who knows...maybe it just might change the outcome of your day.

Getting Tazed

Watching this still makes me hurt and laugh. Also known as "riding the white lightening" this bad boy shocks you with 50,000 volts of electricity. The purpose is to stop the brain from being able to send messages to the rest of the body thus making an officer able to gain control of a combative suspect. The people to each side of me are to make sure I don't fall flat on my face which would have happened had they not been there.

I'm told the reason is so that I know what it feels like to be tasered. That way if I ever go to court I can explain that I've experienced this before and I was not using excessive force. I understand the logic behind this reasoning. However, my argument is I don't need to be shot by my own gun to know that it hurts. ;-)

Being Cautious

So its been forever and a day since I've typed anything at all on my blog. Its mostly due to the fact that I'm being careful. Obviously I can't give names or specific information about what occurs. With everything I handle there is potential for it going to trial. If I give too specific information I could cause a mistrial and let a criminal go free because his right to privacy was violated.

So I think I'll keep things vague and talk more about insights and observations I have while on duty. “Through the eyes of an officer.” I find most people are curious about police work and always seem to have a plethora (yes...a plethora) of questions about what goes on for a normal day and what things I've handled.

So here is me giving this another go. I'll answer the questions I've been asked the most. Yes, I've pulled my gun on someone, yes I've fired my weapon in the line of duty (not what you think. Had to put down a deer that was hit by a car), no I've never tazered anyone, yes I've been in fights and tackled people, yes I've been in foot and vehicle pursuits, yes I've seen a dead body (on several occasions) etc etc.

The other question I've been asked is what does the 10-41 and 10-42 mean at the beginning and end of each posting. Officers use whats called the “10 code” while using the radio. It keeps traffic to a minimum and gets the message across faster and easier to understand then common speech. 10-41 is “beginning tour of duty” and 10-42 is “ending tour of duty.” Basically when a person starts and ends their assigned shift for the day.

Currently I work squad 2. Its weekend days with every squad have a swing shift for their last day. I work four 10 hour days. Fri-Sun 630 to 430 and Monday 300 pm to 100 am. Since living so far away it makes for a long day waking up at 445 each day to be ready for work and arrive on time. I'm currently assigned what is considered one of the worst areas of the city (and considering the city its humorous to me that there are worse areas then others.) I cover from 20th Street south to 30th Street and Washington Blvd east to Monroe Blvd. Smack in the middle of the city where a lot of the action is.

Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section and I'll do my best to answer them.