I got a snarly email yesterday from a man who delivers newspapers. Apparently one of our officers saw him slowly backing down a street in south Lincoln early Wednesday morning, and stopped to check him out. The writer was particularly annoyed that the officer told him he had stopped him because he saw him making a “strange maneuver.”
While he was at it, he threw in the story of the time a police car passed him in excess of the speed limit without the emergency lights and siren on, and the time he called in and reported a theft in progress—and never even got a thank you.
I explained to him that backing more than 1.5 car lengths really is a violation, but when the officer figured out that he was delivering papers, rather than window peeking, burglarizing, breaking into cars, or something else illegal, he probably just went on his way after checking him out.
Like Bob Smith, this officer was doing some good patrol work. The time and place where this contact took place are both hotspots for larcenies from auto. Our newspaper delivery person ought to appreciate the fact that a police officer was scoping out potential criminal activity during the wee hours of the morning. I gave him the belated thanks for reporting the same kind of suspicious activity to us on the prior occasion he was chapped about.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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12 comments:
Sounds like my paper delivery guy. He often leaves his truck, doors open, engine running, in the middle of 48th St. (and others) while he walks the block to make his deliveries. A strange man to say the least.
Two mornings ago I saw a car do the same thing. The dispatcher asked if I thought it was a news delivery. I had a guess that this white four door car was not such. If I had said yes would that have changed the way the call is dispatched?
I gave the description of the driver. White male about mid to upper thirty years, earrings, short stubby hair, tattoos, pin point pupils, and a general meth user like look. The reason I called is I was at a stop sign waiting for the car to pass to allow me to turn. Had he signaled the turn I would have still waited. So he turns, and in doing so almost hits the front of my car, as I was well behind the sign and he had lots of room. But the stare, and the deer in headlight look made me pick up the phone. So I watch as I continue on my way. He pulls into a someone's drive and shuts his lights off and then backs out and drives the way he came, with the lights still off. So I tell the dispatcher I was driving along and this is what happened and I thought he was kind of odd at four in the morning. Perhaps the driver thought I was odd also.
The call gets dispatched as: Person states he saw a vehicle pull into and out of "HIS" drive.
Ok class, here is the reading comp quiz.
Where in the above writing is it mentioned that the driveway belongs to me?
A. First paragraph.
B. No mention
C. Dispatcher adds information
D. Both B and C
The answer is D both B and C
I hope the person who contacted you reads this blog.
I think some people live in Pleasantville. On another note, two people who looked like Cheech and Chong drinking bottles of colt 45 as they drove along yesterday. If you are going to tip a beer at least get plates, and cancel the turn signal and get some working break lights. Also, the doughnut spare and sagging right rear is a real sight catcher. Cant wait until the rust bucket starts to spew blue smoke.
Two mornings ago I saw a car do the same thing. The dispatcher asked if I thought it was a news delivery. I had a guess that this white four door car was not such. If I had said yes would that have changed the way the call is dispatched?
I gave the description of the driver. White male about mid to upper thirty years, earrings, short stubby hair, tattoos, pin point pupils, and a general meth user like look. The reason I called is I was at a stop sign waiting for the car to pass to allow me to turn. Had he signaled the turn I would have still waited. So he turns, and in doing so almost hits the front of my car, as I was well behind the sign and he had lots of room. But the stare, and the deer in headlight look made me pick up the phone. So I watch as I continue on my way. He pulls into a someone's drive and shuts his lights off and then backs out and drives the way he came, with the lights still off. So I tell the dispatcher I was driving along and this is what happened and I thought he was kind of odd at four in the morning. Perhaps the driver thought I was odd also.
The call gets dispatched as: Person states he saw a vehicle pull into and out of "HIS" drive.
Ok class, here is the reading comp quiz.
Where in the above writing is it mentioned that the driveway belongs to me?
A. First paragraph.
B. No mention
C. Dispatcher adds information
D. Both B and C
The answer is D both B and C
I hope the person who contacted you reads this blog.
I think some people live in Pleasantville.
On another note, two people who looked like Cheech and Chong drinking bottles of colt 45 as they drove along yesterday. If you are going to tip a beer at least get plates, and cancel the turn signal and get some working break lights. Also, the doughnut spare and sagging right rear is a real sight catcher. Cant wait until the rust bucket starts to spew blue smoke.
Sounds like the officer tried to do him a solid since he was out driving his route and not being a criminal- and still got a complaint. If it were me, the next time he is observed doing some improper backing he gets an "O".
I was walking my dog at 5:30 a.m. yesterday and got a long hard look from an officer patrolling my neighborhood. Kinda freaked me out as police are rarely seen in my neighborhood at any time of day but seeing one then made me wonder if something had happened and I was gonna be in the line of fire. The officer was driving very slowly and I was a bit blinded by the headlights. I guess he decided some fat old woman walking a little dog at 5:30 a.m. wasn't too much of a problem.
Just wait til thr officers habr to deal with the "super" 2 a.m. drunks hitting the roads. Concerned citizens like me won't be able to help though we're snoozing soundly. Why would this new law pass?????
It sounds like a combined and modified version of two patrol types, the contact patrol and the security patrol. It not only establishes and/or maintains contact with friendlies (citizens going about their business), but also seeks to detect infiltration by the enemy (criminals) and, if detected, arrest them. Makes sense to me.
Chief,
Ref accident B0-086230 - when did that block become a slalom course? Last I knew it was just a straight street, but I haven't driven it in quite a while.
No thank you for calling in a crime? I suppose he thanked the officer(s) for showing up to that crime?
The things people complain about...its rediculous.
The paper people get a lot of breaks from the cops because they are trying to earn a living but some of them are downright dangerous and are an accident waiting to happen.
They also get called in as suspicious very frequently. One older paper lady in the Mark 5 Estates area parks her van and walks some of her route. She uses a flashlight and gets called in as a prowler once or twice a month.
I've found a good use for the newspaper. Here are some directions for making your own.
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