Last night I was helping another officer on an accident scene. A vehicle had driven off the roadway into a ditch, and the driver got out and left the scene. I was there to help direct traffic because the accident was in a blind curve. When the tow truck arrived, the driver parked it diagonally across the road. There was about half of a lane open in front of the truck, so we were watching the wrecker driver do his work. While the wrecker driver was underneath the wrecked car trying to hook it to his truck, a Mini Cooper came down the wrong side of the road from behind us. I saw the headlights reflect off of the truck, so I turned in time to see the Cooper attempt to go around the front of the truck. He didn’t make it.

He almost made it past the truck. The truck’s door was open, because the driver has to get in and out to adjust the throttle for various reasons. The Cooper’s passenger side mirror was the first thing to come into contact with the truck’s door. The driver continued to drive until the truck’s door dug into the right rear quarter panel of the Cooper. He said he didn’t see that the door was open.

Since my partner worked the first accident, I volunteered to work the new one. Moral of the story: when there are two police cars with flashing blue lights, and one tow truck with flashing amber lights parked diagonally across the road, don’t try to go around or do anything unless instructed to do so.

This semester I’m taking three classes, a big jump from one class last semester. My supervisors were generous enough to let me work from 2:00 PM until 12:00 AM Friday through Monday from now until I finish the semester. This may not sound like a great deal, but that means that I get Tuesday through Thursday off. It also allows me to take all of my classes on Tuesday and Thursday. It’s a big relief not having to go to school at 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM, and then go to work at 2:00. I technically only have one day “off” all week, but it’s far better than being active for 17+ hours a day. So far I like my classes. I’m taking Police in America (if I don’t get an A in this one I’ll be mad…), Criminal Law, and Social Issues: Perspectives in Sociology. Social Issues is an online class, but from the way things have been going so far, I’ll spend more time on that class than the others. I guess with traditional classes, just showing up is enough to show most teachers you’re interested in the class. With an online class, you have to participate in discussions threads, post comments and article reviews, as well as online tests.

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My grandfather passed away on Christmas Eve. He was admitted to the hospital a little while back, then the nursing home for rehab, then back to the hospital. It’s amazing how quickly things happen. Dad, Andrew and I all went to the hospital earlier that day and prayed over him, talked to him, and sang Christmas carols. He tried to talk to us, but no clear words came out. He sang and prayed with us. His lips were moving the whole time.

It was great to see all of the family that came for the funeral. There were many tears, but just as many laughs.

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One night while I was patrolling the rear of a shopping center, I observed the brake lights of a parked minivan quickly go on and off again. Considering that I didn’t see anybody in the car, I thought it was suspicious. I drove up a little closer to the vehicle, but still saw no one inside. I told the dispatcher that I was out with a suspicious vehicle, and approached it with my flashlight in hand. Upon closer examination, I found two 17 year old boys sitting in the front seats. They looked at me in shock. I motioned for them to roll down the windows (if I hadn’t, they probably would have left them up). Here’s our conversation:

Me: Hey, what are you guys doing?
Driver: Oh, we’re just hanging out.
At this point I did not see, hear, or smell anything illegal. But I did have a good idea of what was happening.
Me: So… you’re not smoking weed?
Driver and Passenger: Um… well… um… we…
Me: So does that mean you are smoking weed?
Passenger: Yes, sir.
Me: Do you have any left, or did you smoke it all?
Driver: I smoked all of mine.
Passenger: I’ve got some.
Me: Well give me what you have.

They both handed over their pipes and what was left of their marijuana. I called their parents to come pick up the car, and so they could yell at them before they went to jail. One of the mothers said, “Enjoy your ride!”

(It’s little things like this that make me happy.)

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