It is a Friday evening and I find myself on an agency assist and in front of a house patrolled by the university police. I responded for a report of shooting at this residence. What I see is several cars … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: Behold A Pale Idiot…And Stupid Followed With Him

I have a lot going on this week, so much of it unknown and that is the troubling part. It will all work out the way it is supposed to, I believe this much is true. I wish you all … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: Waiting For The Light

A few months back I mentioned that some of my fellow officers would get on me for having too much heart. That I was too kind for the line of work we were in. It seemed difficult for them to … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: Letting Go Or Reaching Out

THIS A police officer drives over to a rundown motel in his patrol area and slowly cruises through the parking lot indiscriminately running license plates. Lo and behold! A plate returns as stolen and the description matches. He lets dispatch … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: And All We Ever Were

I had planned on diving a little further into National Crime Information Center (NCIC) hijinks this week. After the last six days I’ve had, I could not write what I wanted, to my satisfaction, in time. My apologies for the … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: Injunctive Relief Is Denied

The Cadillac pulled over to the right immediately after the lights came on. The officer had followed it for a couple of miles until another officer caught up in order to initiate the felony stop. The first officer had gotten … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: The Perpetually Corrupt Make Their Own Rules

Yesterday, Art Cop Vandelay made a comment I very much appreciate: “…the transformative nature of knowledge”. I would like to drop some possibly transformative knowledge here. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is “an electronic clearinghouse of crime data available … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: I Said Goddamn!

I got the call that my daughter was sick at school on Monday. No details, just that she was sick and the request for me to come pick her up immediately. I was against in-person school since the announcement that … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: We Have Made It This Far

I joined the police department not too long before the Bush 43 Financial Meltdown™. At the time, the Chief was a fairly amiable man that some considered a moderate liberal. That’s cop-speak for being pro(police)-union, a people person, and he … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: The Only Thing Left To Do Was Leave

An officer I worked closely with told me that I would never make Sergeant. He believed I had the capability to lead a squad because he felt I had the integrity and drive for it. He let me know the … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: Overcoming Odious Obstacles

As a police officer, I never had to pull out my gun in over 12 years of service. As I have previously stated, I am proud of that fact. Taking a life is not something I have ever wanted to … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: No Better Time Than Right Now

How does it start as “to serve and protect” and become “Us versus You”? It’s baked in with the training, of course. January 12, 1998: near the end of his shift, Deputy Kyle Dinkheller initiates a stop with a speeder. … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: Searching For Us

He was wearing orange shorts. He was 19 years old and looked every bit like the stereotypical college stoner. He was standing on the platform for the light-rail and just staring at his phone. He interacted with no one, said … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: The Crime Was Existing

I have been emotionally and physically exhausted lately. I am betting that A LOT of you can relate. Between thinking about the past, my past (& future posts), and witnessing the terrible present, I have been letting worries get the … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: The Way Out Is Through

I spent most of my life getting complimented in the white spaces I occupied for being so “well-spoken” and gentlemanly. I did not present like the Black men that white people cross the street to get away from. I never … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: We Can Be Prometheus

The department tagline was Honor, Integrity, and Community. The mission statement was to protect life and property, deter criminal activity, and support the State and its citizens. If that was ever really the goal, I feel that the department, and … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: We Are Epimetheus

“A policeman’s first obligation is to be responsible to the needs of the community he serves … the problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which an honest police officer can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread: Nothing Has Changed And Yet Everything Is Different

I dropped the ball and did not complete the post I wanted to share this week, along with having some WordPress issues. I will be back next week with a proper header since I’ll get more time to fiddle with … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread Ran Out Of Time

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Shirley Chisholm was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from NY in 1968. There are still 31 states in the U.S. that have never … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread Is Unbought and Unbossed

There is a place that a lot of us would like to be now. It’s mostly sunny and has places you can walk around without a mask. Places where you can meet your friends for drinks and dinner without an … Continue reading The Wednesday Politics Thread Knows This Is America…Don’t Catch You Slippin’ Now