Integrity

So, CA Cop towed a "lady's" (I really should be more selective in using that term) vehicle recently.  It was pretty uneventful, just the standard suspended license then tow the car sort of situation.

 He made his way back to the station later on that day.  He was greeted with the news that said "lady" had phoned in to complain about the way that CA Cop had spoken to her at the scene. Angry at some very specific remarks he made she let Sarge know that she was not pleased with CA Cop's handling of the situation.....

.....Only problem was that Sarge had been on that very scene with CA Cop.  He had heard every word and observed every action. He also did not hear the quote she stated or the actions she claimed she was subject to. Because they didn't happen.

This was not the first time CA Cop has had a citizen lie to a superior about his conduct, but I just found this situation especially amusing and especially irritating all at the same time!

Enlighten Me......Watch Your Back

So when CA Cop was still in the academy and friends were learning of his new career path, we would get bombarded with both questions and advice.  I remember when one lady in particular was sharing stories of officers she knew.  As we were parting ways she left CA Cop with some words of wisdom.

"Watch your back," she said.

No kidding, I thought.

"No really, watch your back.  Officers end up with back injuries pretty frequently."

CA Cop has weighed himself in the department locker room with and without his gear on.  His "stuff" weighs 30+ pounds.  And its all hanging on his lower back and shoulders, add to that the amount of driving and its the perfect combination for a back ache.

And ache it does. He comes home from his 12+ hour shifts with lower back pain almost every day.  I try to offer massages to help bring some relief, but ultimately I know we need to figure out some way to fix this irritation before it becomes a  problem.

So enlighten me on back troubles and all that goes along with it.  Does your cop visit the chiropractor? Do you believe in chiropractics? Have you found any tricks to taking care of your back? What do you as a wife do to help your cop's aches and pains?

I'm really looking for some answers here.  CA Cop did visit a chiropractor, but we never really pursued the several thousand dollar treatment plan that he laid out for us. That being said, if it will ultimately save his back, we'll do it!

Hot Pursuit

With CA Cops blessing (you'll see why) I give you the details of his first foot pursuit.....

The sun beat down on his left arm as he cruised around looking for someone to pull over.  It was his first day on the day shift after coming off of FTO. He was looking to please and impress his new Sgt, who fellow officers had some pretty strong opinions about.  They wished him well when they learned that CA Cop would be on Sarge's team
"That's the one he thought." He flipped on the lights and sped up to catch the vehicle with no rear license plate. The car did not pull over immediately, but seemed to have a change of heart and made a sharp right into a large store parking lot. CA Cop followed suit and parked his police cruiser behind the beat up vehicle.

The car held two black males and a female driver.  CA Cop discovered that the two males both had warrants for violent crimes and weapons charges.  Sarge and another officer showed up at the scene to assist CA Cop as he took the first male into custody and placed him in the back of his patrol car.

Warrant #2 started looking around and then took off running.  CA Cop took off after him.  This was the moment he had been anticipating.  He had seen it play out so many times on shows like "Cops".  Come what may a fence, a gate, a wall, whatever was in his path CA Cop was determined to conquer all to catch this guy.  CA Cop, a former baseball player, is pretty speedy.  Sprinting is not something that is foreign to him.  His sense of sound grew muffled as the wind whipped around him,. He pushed hard to stretch his legs as far as they would reach with each stride.  His arms were tense and flexed and the pumped back and forth at his sides.  He was actually gaining on the guy! And gaining quickly......

Then it happened.......His radio fell from his side. Connected by wires to his chest and ear it began dragging behind him.  It made loud clanking noises as it bounced and scraped against the pavement with every stride.  CA Cop turned his torso and reached for the wires and pulled his radio up from the ground.  Got it.  He turned his head back in the direction he was running just in time to see the parking block directly in front of him.  He already had his leg in motion as his foot approached the top of the parking block.  The toe of his boot caught it.  And. Down. He. Went. Hard. On the pavement. In the middle of the parking lot.  On a busy day in Baytown. 

Sarge pulled up in his car.  Helped CA Cop up and patted him on the back.

Bruised ego and scraped up arms and knee, CA Cop headed back to his traffic stop to finish what he had started.

When he got back to the station he discovered that word had traveled quickly.  The rookie was greeted with jabs, nicknames, and the like.  But later on one by one the other officers took the time to confess to CA Cop their own experiences with "The Falling Radio" and the twists and tangles they had ended up in as a result. 

Apparently running with a radio and duty belt has a learning curve.

Newsworthy

The other day I heard from CA Cop that there was a happening in Bay Town.  So what do I do? Set the evening news to record, of course.  Not because I care to hear all the details rehashed, but rather because it is fun to try to catch a glimpse of CA Cop on the nightly news.  The kids think its great when they see him.

So as I waited patiently for the clock to strike 10pm so that the news would finally begin, I had to laugh to myself and at myself. I strained my eyes as I scanned over each uniform looking for one moving around with that particular swagger that only CA Cop has. I rewinded a few times and deleted the recording. Not tonight. My movie star avoided the paparazzi.

So, does anyone else do this?

Reflections

Last month CA Cop and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. This month we'll mark the completion of his first year on the job.  Thus, the "reflecting".  As we sat next to each other at one of those restaurants where they cook the food in front of you and make the onion into a smoking volcano we talked about our last 7 years. The homes we've had, the places we've lived, the vacations we've taken, the births of our children.  All the milestones that we've seen come and go.  We talked about what we want out of the next 7 years. Where we want life to take us and what we'd like to experience on that journey. If any more little ones will be planned.

Now I know that 7 years is still just the very beginning, but I really feel that we have learned exactly how we function best as a family.  I have so much joy in my life completely centered around him and our children.  I feel like we are a really good team. Like any team, albeit baseball or soccer, there are certain positions that must be filled in order for the team to play successfully. Two people couldn't play pitcher at the same time because that would leave a space in the outfield vulnerable. That is kinda how our family works. We have positions. And when we are fulfilling our designated position our household just seems to run so smoothly. Especially with the crazy schedule and random overtime it has been really important that we work as a team. We know that we can count on each other.

 CA Cop has proven to me that with him at the reigns our family will always be taken care of. Always, he will do what it takes. CA Cop, because of you I want for nothing.

I know this is a touchy feely post. But I just wanted to have these thoughts to reflect on in the future.

I am so grateful that 7 years ago we made a commitment to each other. Truly, CA Cop, with you, eternity is not long enough.

I love you, baby.

Squash the Litterbug

CA Cop asked her to step out of her vehicle. The unlicensed driver laid on the attitude real thick as she let him know he was racist for pulling her over for a broken tail light. She was more manly than CA Cop and her biceps were measurably larger.

As he searched the vehicle  he found a pill bottle with some weed stuffed inside.  Now this is California folks, and weed out here "ain't no thang". He handed her the bottle and told her she needed to dump the weed and stamp it out.

Well she did. And then she threw the bottle. Her arm was decent so the bottle flew with speed down the grass embankment leading up to the freeway on ramp that they were standing on.

CA Cop smiled as he gave her a couple options:

A.) She could take a merry little hike down the embankment and locate the pill bottle or
B.) She could enjoy paying her few hundred dollar littering fine after he wrote her a citation.

He leaned, casually against his patrol car as she searched through the grass for the bottle. The bottoms of her shoes caked with mud as she waded through the marsh-like area, trying to avoid the puddles, and trying to keep the mud from suctioning her shoes off.

People tossing garbage out their car window or on the ground is something CA Cop has little tolerance for. I despise it as well.

While You Were Freezing....

CA Cop and I have been very busy on his days off this week. Yard work. And lots of it. Adorned in T shirts, shorts, and gloves we took to the jungle. We've lived in our home for less than a year and this was the first time we've had to really start making some progress on the vision we have for our yard. I love being outdoors and miss the days when we had acreage to tend to. Shasta was in heaven the whole time, "helping" in any way his little two year old arms and legs would allow him.

We have an abundance of snow shovels. As I looked at our supply leaning up against the house, I thought to myself, "That's not something you see in CA everyday." You see, the last winter that we lived out of state was a doozy. I'm talking 8 feet of snow in a 30 day period. And you couldn't find a snow shovel within a 100 mile radius. Every store was sold out. EVERY STORE. So there I was, 3 weeks post partum, shoveling my driveway with a broken shovel so that I could get my 18 month old and my newborn to their Dr's appointments while CA Cop was off working. Six snow shovels later and a snow blower he saw to it that I never had that problem again.

So now that we've moved to a non-snowy area we have this ample supply. They sit in our yard bleaching in the California sun. We have actually found that these are very useful tools. Let me demonstrate:

-They work great as a dust pan.
-Shoveling leaves into a bag was never easier or quicker.
-Shoveling unwanted rocks
-Scraping mud off walkways
-Scooping a pile of freshly picked weeds

In conclusion, I'd like to recommend that every fair weather state stock some snow shovels at their local Home Depot.

I guess we'll have to brace for some more 70 degree weather heading our way. Looking out my window at the blue sky and green grass in January I can't help but smile. If you can just imagine away the bad politics, horrendous taxes, encroachments on freedoms, high crime, terrible traffic, and pitiful schools CA really is not all that bad. I'll wear the "CA Girl" stamp with pride in the meantime....

Bundle up out there!