People are pathetic.
That's why their voice gets a little ring of glee when they just have to ask the cop, medic, firefighter... etc. "What's the worse thing you've ever seen?"
They want some cool story about body parts strewn across three lanes of traffic... or something to that effect.
What they don't realize is that we deal with life. Unfortunately life does not need blood and gore to qualify for the worse...
Last year it was knocking on a door at 5 AM New Years morning to tell the kids that their parents wouldn't be coming home...
Last week it was a dementia ridden 66 year old lady that had to be taken to the hospital on life support. Her 22 year old gran-daughter thought it was best to remove her from assisted living and stick her in the spare bedroom. Besides, she could make her rent that way.
"I wasn't supposed to be alone and 82..." Last night it was Virginia's cries that actually woke her neighbors at two in the morning. Her husband of 60 years had unexpectedly passed, leaving her with no direction, or even hope at this stage of her life.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My Subpoena
So... I get this subpoena at work and have an automatic WTF? moment. It's from the next state over. Not just that but it's from the OTHER SIDE of the next state over and from the Workman's Compensation Board.
I look up the suspects information and I see that I arrested him for Battery, Domestic Battery, Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and Resisting Arrest.
"Great!" I think as my mind flashes right towards the thought that I'm getting sued - AGAIN! Since the paperwork originated from the workman's compensation office I assume that this yahoo is out of work due to our scuffle.
I look the case up to refresh my memory... it happened over two years ago.
I called the lawyer that issued the subpoena in order to check in. She's in trial so I'm told to call back tomorrow. In the meantime I check my F.O.P. legal assistance paperwork to make sure I'm up to date. I am. I call our department lawyer to give him a heads up.
On Tuesday I call the lawyer again. She's "out of the office." I spend the day thinking about the guy... he was a construction worker... if he's been out of work for two years there will probably be some big figures getting discussed. I contact my personal lawyer and make sure all of my liability insurance is up to date.
On Wednesday, I find that the lawyer is in the office but with other clients. About lunch time she returns my call.
She wants to review the case with me over the phone:
"Officer, I see that you responded to a domestic violence call." I give her a quick synopsis from my copy of the report. Backyard barbecue gone bad type of thing.
"... and Mr. Suspect was involved in a fight?" I give her the bullet details... he was drunk, knocked his wife down, some family members intervened and the battle was on.
"... and Mr. Suspect fought with YOU?" Again, quick details... I was ON the street when the call came out, beat my backup by a mile. I found a mob in the front yard and threatened to pepper spray the whole damn dog pile. Everyone bailed but Mr. Suspect. He was sitting on his brother-in-laws chest pounding his face into hamburger. I opted to spare the spray and landed my size 15 boot to Mr. Suspects shoulder, sprawling him across the ground. Slight struggle getting him into cuffs but no big deal. The BIG deal was him kicking me in the shins while I was patting him down. Of course it cost him an express ride to a turf-eating pose.
"Was there any medical treatment?" The report clearly documents that I offered to call medics on three separate occasions during the booking procedure. He 'declined' by M-Fing me... apparently he calmed down at some point because he actually signed the refusal of treatment forms and claimed no injuries.
"...did Mr. Suspect use his right hand during the fight?" Wha....???? I think back and look at the digital photo prints on the report supplement. His wife has a blackened left eye, his brother-in-law took a majority of the blows to the left side of his face... and come to think about the way I approached him in the yard... he WAS using his right hand to deliver the blows...
"So I assume that this guy claims I hurt his right arm in the arrest?" I ask.
The lawyer seems shocked, then sort of laughs and apologizes when she realizes what I've been wondering for three days.
"You see, Officer, Mr. Suspect hurt his right shoulder in a work related accident five years ago. He CLAIMED that he could not move his arm, grip with his hand or exert any force with that side of his body. He won an out-of-court settlement with his employer and has been living on disability ever since." She then explained that they had a case for fraud in the works... they found out about his arrest recently and my report/testimony was going to be the icing on the cake.
VERY pleasant surprise considering I spent three days imagining myself in the poorhouse.
I guess we'll add another one to the 'Karma is a Bitch' file.
I look up the suspects information and I see that I arrested him for Battery, Domestic Battery, Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer and Resisting Arrest.
"Great!" I think as my mind flashes right towards the thought that I'm getting sued - AGAIN! Since the paperwork originated from the workman's compensation office I assume that this yahoo is out of work due to our scuffle.
I look the case up to refresh my memory... it happened over two years ago.
I called the lawyer that issued the subpoena in order to check in. She's in trial so I'm told to call back tomorrow. In the meantime I check my F.O.P. legal assistance paperwork to make sure I'm up to date. I am. I call our department lawyer to give him a heads up.
On Tuesday I call the lawyer again. She's "out of the office." I spend the day thinking about the guy... he was a construction worker... if he's been out of work for two years there will probably be some big figures getting discussed. I contact my personal lawyer and make sure all of my liability insurance is up to date.
On Wednesday, I find that the lawyer is in the office but with other clients. About lunch time she returns my call.
She wants to review the case with me over the phone:
"Officer, I see that you responded to a domestic violence call." I give her a quick synopsis from my copy of the report. Backyard barbecue gone bad type of thing.
"... and Mr. Suspect was involved in a fight?" I give her the bullet details... he was drunk, knocked his wife down, some family members intervened and the battle was on.
"... and Mr. Suspect fought with YOU?" Again, quick details... I was ON the street when the call came out, beat my backup by a mile. I found a mob in the front yard and threatened to pepper spray the whole damn dog pile. Everyone bailed but Mr. Suspect. He was sitting on his brother-in-laws chest pounding his face into hamburger. I opted to spare the spray and landed my size 15 boot to Mr. Suspects shoulder, sprawling him across the ground. Slight struggle getting him into cuffs but no big deal. The BIG deal was him kicking me in the shins while I was patting him down. Of course it cost him an express ride to a turf-eating pose.
"Was there any medical treatment?" The report clearly documents that I offered to call medics on three separate occasions during the booking procedure. He 'declined' by M-Fing me... apparently he calmed down at some point because he actually signed the refusal of treatment forms and claimed no injuries.
"...did Mr. Suspect use his right hand during the fight?" Wha....???? I think back and look at the digital photo prints on the report supplement. His wife has a blackened left eye, his brother-in-law took a majority of the blows to the left side of his face... and come to think about the way I approached him in the yard... he WAS using his right hand to deliver the blows...
"So I assume that this guy claims I hurt his right arm in the arrest?" I ask.
The lawyer seems shocked, then sort of laughs and apologizes when she realizes what I've been wondering for three days.
"You see, Officer, Mr. Suspect hurt his right shoulder in a work related accident five years ago. He CLAIMED that he could not move his arm, grip with his hand or exert any force with that side of his body. He won an out-of-court settlement with his employer and has been living on disability ever since." She then explained that they had a case for fraud in the works... they found out about his arrest recently and my report/testimony was going to be the icing on the cake.
VERY pleasant surprise considering I spent three days imagining myself in the poorhouse.
I guess we'll add another one to the 'Karma is a Bitch' file.
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