Cold Case In Ellyson » On the Job

Beware: tennis is a contact sport

admin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:17:49 +0000

and if you doubt me, take a look at my face. My partner and I were playing people we didn’t know from another state, and in the second game of the match, while both of us were up at net, one of our opponents hit an overhead squarely at my face. I said overhead, not volley, meaning striking downward on the ball with force for a putaway. Well, she put it away all right. My visor and sunglasses flew off. The impact drove my glasses into my cheekbone and here, three days later, I still have an ugly cut and swollen, not-quite-black eye. Hmmm.

Earlier this week, my son showed me his side after football practice. He had been cleated and had a nasty little cut. I called him “Pierce” the rest of the week. But I get that in football. It’s a collision of arms, legs, helmets, and you never know what’s going to happen. But tennis? There’s time for pre-planning in that sport. And I feel she was sending me a message.

There’s only one other time I’ve ever been hit in the face, and that’s when I was a cop. My partner and I cornered this suspect next to a building. At 5’3″, I was the easiest door to get through. He ran me over, and in the process hit my face. But I get that in the hunt for criminals. But tennis? Really?

My “Joe” is now in the FBI

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:52:12 +0000

One of the main characters in my book, “Joe,” is loosely based on my partner who worked the streets with me when we were on the force. He is now with the FBI working white collar cyber crime. “Joe” was a very good officer – smart, fast, strong – that it surprises me he’s content to keep his work now confined to a computer screen. I asked him about it…he said he does miss getting “out there” but he’s also sure he would get bored from it should he ever return to the streets.

“Joe” will be transferred soon to a bigger city with bigger headaches and probably bigger, more complex crimes. He can handle them, of course. But when I think of “Joe,” I will always think of the man leading his K-9 on chases or, more than likely, taking care of them all on his own.

Kevlar is not cool

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:13:27 +0000

Worn your bullet-proof vest lately? Probably not…At our department, we wore them on the job. The vests were low profile but definitely dense. Sitting at the ballpark (again) this weekend, feeling sweat drip down my back, I was reminded of a hot July night when I was pretty sure I was going to die. A little thing turned into something big, so big that another department from a neighboring county finally showed up for backup. Alone, surrounded by scores of rowdy, drunk people, my 40 cal Glock and kevlar were my only allies for what seemed like a very long time. The cotton T-shirt I wore beneath my vest was drenched past the point of saturation because I could feel the droplets of sweat streaming down my chest.

Obviously I survived (there’s more about that night in my book), and although kevlar isn’t cool, it is oh so very cool.

John Irving in the hands of the law

admin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:05:17 +0000

The director of the police academy I attended was one tough hombre. He really did scare me, probably because I was so out of my element there, but he was a make you or break you kind of man. Super smart, too. Witty with a deadpan delivery. I have already told you that I love to read the classics, but occasionally I’ll get my hands on something more contemporary. Back then, I read A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. This may be the only book I ever read where I laughed out loud at times. And the beauty of the book is it’s not a funny book. It’s Irving and his story-telling prowess. Something told me the police academy director might just like that book.

One day I got up the nerve to bring it into class. It was a thick, hard bound book. I walked up to his desk and said, “I think you might enjoy this.” He took it from me with neither a thank you nor a smile. Weeks later, with a hint of a twinkle in his eye, he said he read it. He realized I pegged him as something more than one tough hombre. Oh, and he still has my book.

Funerals on the force

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:28:45 +0000

Of the funerals I’ve attended, one is most memorable: the service for a fellow police academy grad who was killed in a car accident off duty. Police funerals are full of strangers. Officers from neighboring counties, cities and sometimes states make the trek to honor one of their own. That was the case this spring day years ago. I couldn’t get over the number of cars lined up in that procession. I am sure his widow was comforted by the outpouring of compassion that day. We are all a part of some community, but the police force particularly takes care of its own.

PT (physical training) and sandspurs

admin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:30:03 +0000

Part of police training, is, in fact, physical training. Dressed in dark blue sweats from head to tow, we would often run laps at night, high steps and all you would expect from a paramilitary organization. Nervous beyond words our first time outside, instructors barked out orders at us to run, jump and finally to do push ups. On the sandy hill we dropped to our knees and heeded the order. I noticed immediately that I was in a crop of sandspurs. Afraid to say a word, I pushed on through and did what was asked in some higher level of discomfort. Heck, for all I knew, the instructors knew the sandspurs were there, and they were testing my toughness and resolve. When we were finished, they must have noticed the look on my face, which I now could see was shared by my fellow students, or saw us trying to remove the tiny needles from our hands and knuckles. Whether or not they knew the sandspurs were there is irrelevant. What mattered was we pushed on through.

A “court”ship

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:01:27 +0000

When partners are able to contribute their strengths equally, something special happens…whether that be at the house, on the court or on the streets…but as often the case in life, none of us are all-on always. The ebbs and flows affect how much and often we can share of ourselves. In tennis, particularly, the output is easy to read in games won and lost. Not so much in life, however. We don’t have a daily scorecard to rate our effort and production. And on the streets, some times they get away, and some times they don’t, and, as was in the case of the K9 chase in Cold Case in Ellyson, some days the animals get all the glory.

Blading

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:50:50 +0000

For a long time after I quit working for the police force, I continued to blade. Know what that means? It’s how an officer stands with his gun-side leg slightly behind the other, angled back, to keep the weapon shielded from the person you’re interviewing…so as I’m right handed, my left leg was always in front of the right. It was an important habit to build and a harder one to break. Police officers also hate having their back to a door. Go into any restaurant, and when possible, the LEO will be facing the front. That habit continues today. I like to know what’s coming. Wonder what’s ahead this week…

Multitasking on steroids

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:56:53 +0000

Texting while driving is dangerous. We all know that. But for a moment, consider what a cop has to manage on the road: obvoiusly driving at a sometimes high rate of speed, lights, sirens, MDT (multi-display terminal, or laptop), radio, spotlight, oh, and the person they’re pursuing…you can understand that dangers of managing so much. As drivers, we have to be aware of what’s in front of us and what’s behind us, and if that happens to be an emergency vehicle, do us all a favor and pull to the side and give a wide berth to someone who really needs it.

Family disturbances are sometimes underrated

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:08:23 +0000

As a police officer, a call about a family disturbance can mean many things from a verbal argument to a homicide. That’s why they’re considered one of the most dangerous calls – police officers have to be prepared for anything. One of the few times I had to draw my gun was at a family disturbance call. After threatening my partner with a weapon, I had no choice but to up the ante. In those moments, police officers become judge, jury and sometimes executioner. It’s not an enviable position. Remember that next time you see a cop. Be polite. You don’t know the day they’ve had.