dogs

I love dogs, most animals. I have two dogs I love very much.

But never have I come so close to shooting so many dogs or threatening to shoot dogs.

I have owners ask the dog to come bite me as I stand at the edge of there property.

It isn't the dogs fault.

I have dogs chained to the house. The never go anywhere. They bark and lunge as I move to the house to look for the owner.

I have dogs come around the corner, stop and stare considering what is going on before barking and turning to flee.

I have no qualms. I will shoot the dog. They aren't my dogs. I would prefer not to, but as RD says and LE say, "I get to go home".

Today there is an alarm. I am the cover unit. D arrives first, with me a close second. He stands at the gate, looking around, not going to the house.

-why aren't you in the yard?
"there are dogs"
-dogs?
"you don't want to mess with the dogs and I don't know where they are"
-okay

-I rattle the fence. Three dogs come running. 1 large pit, 1 large chocolate lab and 1 husky "pup". They all charge and bark.

I switch to my puppy voice (the one I use for my dogs). I put my hand down by the fence and look at my feet, but keep an eye on the dogs.

They all take turns smelling my hand. I pet all three and give them a scratch. They decide I am a friend. I hop the fence with three dogs following and looking for attention.

We clear the house and leave making sure the dogs can't get into the roadway.

D says, "last time there were 2 adult German Shepherds in the yard. They wouldn't have let us near the gate."

Humans?

today Jim calls.

Jim is a sex offender. Jim is an ass at best. He suspended and thinks we harass him when we tow his vehicle.

Jim say Dave called at 6 am and told him where his rims are. Jim didn't know they were missing and sure enough when he woke up at 10 am the rims were gone.

Dave made a dope run to Gary and Joan's house. Dave happened to notice the rims on the property. The rims Jim bought 2 days ago from Dave's step father. Jim swears he has a bill of sale. The story changes during the telling. He doesn't know where Gary and Joan live, he does, there dope fiends, Dave is is best friend, but isn't allowed on property. Dave knew exactly the type of rims enough to tell Jim.

Jim wants them arrested. Jim wants an officer to go over with him to get his property.

It stinks, the story is a load. All involved parties are dirtbags. Dispatch knows it, city knows it, probation knows it, other deputies know it.

I manage to find the house. they won't answer. i don't see any rims. i call Jim back and let him know. Jim advise me he is going to go over and talk to them.

-i don't advise it but I can't stop you.

I wait near Jim's house to see if he is driving. I would like to tow his car.

5 minutes later city units are out with Jim at Gary and Joan house with all three. Jim has "found" his property and Gary and Joan want Jim off the property. Reportedly brandish a bat.

I head that direction to assist. No one wants press charges and Joan and Gary return the rims. They were told by another party to come get the rims to cover a debt.

All parties leave. City thanks for letting my theft call bleeding into a disturbance.

They joke, "at least there was no humans involved"..

I meet Jim's new girlfriend, considering last week when he was towed his wife was there.
I ask
"we broke up, we were having trouble. this is the new girlfriend."
-nice to see you are broken up about it

qualifying

we have range day this week.

it starts at 9 and goes to 9. it is my day off and i am on grave sleep schedule.

i worry about qualifying, i don't know why. i like shooting and i have experience shooting.

i bring my ar-15 into get it qualified and checked out by the range master. it is odd i qualified with the department's ar-15, which are horribly abused and not sighted for each person, but a weapon is sighted for me and in great shape (brand new) i have to re-qualify.

i got bed at 4am and wake up every two hours thinking I have to qualify, only to fall asleep and wake up 2 hours later.

i finally give in and get up at 9 and go qualify.

9

I get to help out. The sgt for graveyard is taking vacation.
I will take 9 shifts from graveyard. leaving swings scrambling to fill my shift in the mean time.

my first shift starts early with a detox, passed out behind the sears. he accuses me of harassing him.

it moves to a fight, that is off and on again at a dance for the next 3 hours.

interrupted by robbery. the lady comes home and gets her purse taken and hit with a wine box.

back the fight at the dance.

then another detox, a man laying in the street. passersby poke him until he starts walking again.

followed by a dui. i have met the lady before. her tags are expired and she pulls off when i am following her and then gets back on the road as son as i pass. she is suspended. she has been at a wedding all day and smells of alcohol. she blows a .15%.

then it ends with a domestic. they were at the bar. his friend got taken for being drunk and harassing people. girlfriend manages to keep her boyfriend from going to jail. they go home and boyfriend blames gf for his friend going to jail. gf doesn't want to argue starts to leave. bf grabs gf by the hair pulls her back into the driveway. bf kicks in the ribs and then shoves her up against car and slaps her. neighbors yell at bf and he lets her go. she run across the street. bf hides. (he turns himself in the next day and say he never kicked her and she will be calling DA to recant).

only two days left

Cooperation

i would like to get off early.

i have extra time to burn off.

i was going to get off at ten, but at 9:40 the assault calls start rolling in.

one after the other.

dispatch pairs available units.

i am left alone and the only local unit.

then the assault call comes in. 2nd had report.

brother has his niece and nephew with him. they fled their home. mom and live in girlfriend are fighting. the kids has marks. mom and girlfriend are still at house fighting.

i arrive on scene. i am lucky enough to snag an OSP trooper.

no one answers the door. i can see inside the house. no movement, no sound.
i knock again and again, each time thumping harder.
finally the two women come to the door.

clear the house and women to make sure the scene is safe.

separate the women. both have minor scratches. both say nothing happen. there are signs of a struggle.
"nothing happened. it was an argument that started with the kids not doing the chores and it got heated. we made the kids leave so they wouldn't see us yelling."

i have no victim and suspect. i have no primary aggressor, with that no one goes to jail

brother has brought the kids the scene. both are shaking. the boy has marks on his neck from a hand. the kids versions of what happened are a little more telling.

girlfriend had been mad all day. they come home and the two kids are bickering about cleaning the kitchen. girlfriend gets mad starts yelling at kids. mom joins argument. mom and girlfriend start yelling, pushing and shoving. girlfriend pushes mom into master bathroom. the boy doesn't like it tries to say something. girlfriend chokes the boy leaving a mark. girlfriend goes into bathroom for about a minute. girlfriend comes out of bathroom pushes boy. boy pushes girlfriend and then mom comes out pushes girlfriend.

girlfriend now takes boys PSP and throws it in yards. kid go to get PSP. mom and girlfriend shut front door and begin wrestling, which kids can see through window and want back in house. mom yells at kids tell them to walk to uncle's house. (which over 5 miles away, at night with no shoes).

i ask mom what happened again and why her son has marks?
"i don't know. nothing happened"
-stop playing games tell me what happened"
"nothing happened. Can I...."
-NO. sit there and be quiet.

mom has chosen girlfriend, over her kid.

I go to talk to girlfriend.
-what happened and why does the boy have marks on his neck?'
"nothing happened. i didn't touch anyone"
-really? how come nothing happened and everything else indicates something happened?

girlfriend switches in to tough guy routine.
"i want a cigarette. i told you what happened. i never touched the N@@@@@r kid."

i am done.
-put your hands behind your back
"i didn't do anything"
-that's okay you are under arrest for harassment and strangulation. you have the right....

she squirms and screams and yells "i love you" to mom. i push her screaming into the car. she has amped up her tantrum. she wants me to give her property to mom. the cell phone/key to car/money in pocket.
-NO, I won't

she acts tough and throws racial slurs at the kids the whole trip to the jail. she denies anything happened. she is mad about the phone and keys. they were the only ones and the couple shared them.
-I don't care.

kids stay with uncle for the night. i get to take pictures of his neck and interview him again. he continues to shake the whole time.

i am stuck with 3 hours of follow-up/paper before I get to go home. as well as the phone calls to DHS and crisis advocate who can talk to a 15 yr old boy and tell him why mom and girlfriend fight and why mom chose girlfriend.

6 months

i finished up a 6 months investigation today.

3 people went into a gas station. the two females distracted the clerk. the male went into the back and stole 6 cartons of cigarettes. they are on video. i female is a former employee.

i found them one by one.
the first female, who owned the car they left in. 4 months ago

the male, hiding at the first females house. 2 month ago. long time criminal and heroin addict.

the last female, who turned herself in. she had 2 warrants and wanted to get clean

change

time for a change of name of blog.
the name wasn't appropriate anymore.
it has been going for a couple years now.

Family

I have been at my department for 7 months now.

I feels like home.

As I sat in the briefing room over three days on three separate occasions. It feels like home.

The first incident involves M shooting a rubber band into my eye during briefing.

The next involves K trying to write a DUI report while M, O and me are laughing as W rewards the attack dog with playing and throwing an empty two liter bottle. It just happens that K is uneasy by the attack dogs presence, so W throws the bottle just close enough to K to make him squeal.
K is a large mean looking guy, the squeals are driving M, O, W and me crazy with laughter. The only reason W does it, cuz K squeals.

The 3rd incident involves swings getting ready to load up the cars for a shift and day shift unloading. I am grabbing a rifle and shotgun out of the safe. Then it happens...highlighter to the temple from across the room. There is laughter from the room. I insist I have to go home and put beer on it. I am unable to find an eye patch to wear to work the next day.

There are the weird relatives.

The unruly brothers.

The ditsy sisters.

The odd uncle.

The caring aunt.

My first department was terrible, not friendly a bunch of individuals.
My second department was good, but not very big.
This one seems like home, good days and bad days.