Big Snow

It's been snowing like the end of the world here in lil' Spokane. The roads have been barely manageable and the sidewalks non-existent. The temperatures cold but the views gorgeous. Me and Ivan get to engage in one of our favorite activities...Snowshoeing with our dogs. I thought I'd let you in on a couple pictures. Enjoy.

2 Days Until The BIG Day

So it's December 23rd. There is a few feet of snow piled up outside my house. Our Christmas tree is up, decorated, and filled with presents. Yet it doesn't really feel to Christmasy around here. I love remembering when you are young how exciting Christmas time is. Not just Christmas day and it's presents, but I actually think I enjoyed just as much, or more, the decorating for Christmas season.

All the family would help out. We'd get our big old rusty ladder inside in order to reach the top of our very tall, and very Charlie Brown-esque, Christmas tree. We would line out window sills with rolls of cotton and lay out a ceramic Christmas scene and village.

Here, now, it's just not as exciting. And that's not meant to sound sad or anything, I think both me and Ivan are so busy that Christmas just kind of snuck up on us. Any how, I'm wishing all of you a Merry Christmas. I hope you and your kids (if you have them) enjoy their day!

Hot Pursuit

Every Rookie dreams about their first vehicle pursuit. In our line of work it's one of the most exciting, scary, intense and rite-of-passage things you can do. It is of course very dangerous and the reason we pursuit vehicles must be for a very good cause.

My opprotunity arose this week when I noticed an intoxicated looking driver speeding the wrong way down a one way road. I have never had anyone not stop for me when my lights come on, so needless to say, when she took off on me....I was a bit suprised.

The pursuit ensued. It's hard to describe a pursuit until you've actually done one, because it seems so much easier on the outside looking in. You must call out speeds, traffic, direction of travel, etc...all while reacting to what the crazy driver in front of you is doing.

My pursuit the girl driving first tried to ram me out of her way when I attempted to block her in. She then sped through downtown at about 50 mph, hitting two vehicles. Well, the pursuit was terminated for safety reasons (once it get's to dangerous we stop). Only a minute or so later another officer found her after she hit into a telephone pole, completely wiping it out.

So this 18 year old girl is getting charged with 3 Felonies, and 3 Misdemeanors....all because she didn't want to stop for a cop because she was drunk. A crime that for first time offenders usually doesn't even make it to the court room.

Watch This

I made a traffic stop and ended up arresting this girl for possession of meth. In case you don't know to much about it, here's a video I really like.....remember, you'll need to scroll to the bottom to turn down my playlist and hear the video's audio.

Hide and Go Seek

I know I haven't written anything here in a while, but I've been pretty busy. Last night was no exception, however it was a blast!

Me and a fellow officer are searching this house for a guy with a warrant. His mom is following us around very nervously. The mom is only getting more nervous as we get to the last room in the home. She is trying to protect her son, the one we are trying to arrest for multiple warrants.
So now my partner is talking to the mom telling her to relax and sit down. We go through the last room in the house but not finding anything. There is junk, clothes, beds, and endless doors to look in/under/through. I get to the last closet and quickly throw open the door.
There he is. Standing there, no clothes on but a pair of boxers. We were warned previously about this guy who is a known runner and also owns a handgun.
So we don't mess around. I shine my light in his face, give him some very brief commands and begin to pull him out of the closet and onto the ground. In an instant my partner is with me and we are able to wrestle this squirley guy to the bed where we get him cuffed up.
It was so fun, my partner and I are so excited. This guy just got had by two rookie cops. It was a blast!
This job reminds me of a game I use to play growing up. Sure, a bit more dangerous now, but just as fun!

So that's what's been taking up all of my time, in case the few of you who read this were wondering where I've been for the past two weeks. Tommorrow is court for me, so it will be another long night of graveyard followed by a quick turn around to the court room.

A Family Affair

This was a good week for me.

I got to kick in my first door (Wake up call!) as well as get into my first foot pursuit.

One incident inparticular was quite interesting.

Myself and some other officers get some intel that this 19 year old punk is staying back at his mom's house. He has three warrants for his arrest. Now, I've dealt with this family before. They are very anti-cop. We had to do a search warrant on their vehicle once and the entire time they are telling us to "F" off, etc.

So we get to the house and sure enough the kid is in there. We go to grab onto him, he kicks his wooden window out, jumps through it, and begins to take off. The other officer who is in front of me, closest to the window is a bit older. Me, I'm thinking, "Yes, my first foot pursuit!" And I'm roaring to go. This older officer sighs, pulls out his radio, advises the foot pursuit, then slowly makes his way out of the window. I'm doing all I can to not push him out the window so I can begin chasing after him. Eventually I am out the window along with 5 other cops as were chasing this kid. Finally we get him trapped at a fence. He gets cuffed and placed under arrest. I couldn't be having a better time.

Now, two days later...same family. We have cause to arrest the mother for rendering criminal assistance in trying to keep us from getting to her son, the runner, two days earlier. We also have cause to arrest his brother for a hit and run I investigated on Halloween. Now, it's much better to arrest them because then you do not have to write an affidavit (a.k.a. saves you from writing a hell of a lot of paper work!), an affidavit turns into a warrant.

We knock on the door, the other brother comes out in his underwear. We quickly tell him he's under arrest for hit/run. As were doing this the mom gets so mad she comes out in her underwear. We grab a hold of her but she starts fighting back, trying to hold onto the door so we cannot get control of her. Now her husband who is lying on the couch, and the worst cop hater of all is screaming at us. We finally get her out the door. She is only in her underwear. An officer says to a daughter, get her some pants, but instead, the dad is sooo mad he screams at the daughter to shut the door, all while trying to "sick" his dog on us. It was made for a COPS episode.

Two arrests, mom and son, both in their underwear. I wrapped a blanket around the mom, even though she called me a "B" the whole time. I guess she didn't see the generosity in it....I was just trying to reunite her and her son with her other son who was booked two days ago!

Faking It

Alot about what my job entails is knowing what your doing with great confidence. And when you don't have that great confidence that what you're doing is right....fake it.

From interrogating people you have handcuffed in the back of your patrol car to the "simple" task of driving from point A to point B at 80 MPH, with lights and sirens going, all while trying to read your call on the computer. Faking it. Something I have become very good at with this job. Your Sgt. needs to talk to you? Fake it, what ever question he has, just act like you know what your talking about. Trust me, it goes along way.


I know I'm not the only rookie who has adapted this motto. In fact, I was reading a book about a rookie cop who had left his red/blue lights running while sitting in a parking lot. He didn't know it at the time. A passerby approached him and said "your lights are on." He was so embarrassed but said "yeah, I know, I'm just waiting for someone." And as soon as the passerby was out of sight, he turned them off. I laughed so hard at this. Mainly because I have done the exact same thing. Except instead of sitting in a parking lot I was casually driving down the road. I was just like, "wow, everyone is really moving out of my way today."