Thanks!

I appreciate the well-wishes & concern everyone, thanks... starting to adjust to things so hopefully past the worst of it. Plus, got up early this morning & went for a nice run before along day of work, so hopefully that will help with the sleep thing tonight. Still haven't had a chance to talk with the docs about an acceptable alternative, so just going to have to wait for a bit & get by with OTC stuff.

Other than that I'm a bit short on useful stories tonight, but wanted to let the world know I am still alive & relatively sane.

Concept of the night

Does anyone else think that "Operation: Mindcrime" would still be awesome if fleshed out as a story/game setting to match the musical tale?

Side effect of detox #3

Raging insomnia, no matter how tired I am...

Isn't it nice to find these things out when you're already in the process?

Memo to the minions

From: Your Evil Overlord

Having watched yet another movie tonight, wherein you spray endless amounts of ammunition throughout the town without hitting a single thing but the walls and street...

Seriously guys, it's starting to get embarrassing... Sure, we all miss a couple of shots here & there, but whole magazines worth? People are starting to talk. I mean, here the good guys are, not even trying to hide, and all you guys do is send up puffs of dirt and concrete all around them as they run away? How are we ever going to complete my plans on schedule when you guys can't even manage simple tasks like this?

You are hereby all directed to attend mandatory marksmanship training starting this week.

Those who fail to improve will be the targets for next week's session.

That is all.

Roadblocks

I usually don't have to worry too much about cases from the Supremes... most of what I do when working & arresting people is pretty straightforward, and I don't work near any of the lines they tend to make legal judgments on. Unfortunately though they do every now & then make rulings which affect us all across the board in a negative way... I don't often disagree with our judiciary publicly, but this one I think they called wrong.

This term's choice is the Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts ruling handed down recently... In a nutshell the court has ruled that for a defendant at trial to be afforded his right to confront witnesses, that has to include the technicians, analysts, etc who may have been involved in the case. Now, for a long time, most of this stuff has been "stipulated" in court - the attorneys, judges etc. all basically agreed that the tests and documents of the results weren't something that had to be contested each and every time in trial. The technician performing the test, or providing the document or whatever was an outside party merely performing an duty & had no personal interest in the case, so was in theory not biased one way or another.

Now, however, that's going to all change. The lab technician analyzing the drugs from the bust is going to have to show up in court to be available for cross-examination. The guy who ran the breath test on your drunk is going to have to show up on his day off. Potentially it could lead as far as the guy who calibrated your radar system might be called to court to discuss his work.

Along with the fact that these people are going to be inconvenienced, the courts themselves are going to get hurt by this. Because that's just another layer of people that they have to coordinate dates & times for during a trial. Another layer of people that testify, slowing down the day.

Now, I'm not saying that defendants shouldn't be able to challenge things in question, and I'm all for the whole "confront your accuser" thing. But, seriously - do we really have people completely uninvolved in these cases just making up the results? I'm at a loss to even think of one instance where that has happened...

So yes, I think they made the wrong call on this one... We will have to see how the lawyers decide to work with it, but I think it's going to slow things down a lot.

Back to on-topic...

In an effort to #1, actually do a bit of police blogging & #2, not be a whiner, here's a little catch-up...
and yes, I know most people don't read blogs on Sunday, but it will be here for later.

So, for the last bits of real police work I mentioned recently - as I've discussed before, I still get out a few times a month working some of our DUI specials & hunting for drunks. It's something I enjoy doing - not being tied to the radio answering calls like the road guys, and taking a break from my other bits of stuff on the bomb squad; just getting to drive around and find folks who need a trip to jail. Plus, obviously, I like getting drunks off the road before they (hopefully) hurt anyone.

Well, last week's adventure was a two-fer. Started out with a find nice & early that night... guy driving around on his moped. Why on his moped - because his license is already suspended for DUI #1... Well, I pulled him over & was immediately struck by three things. #1 being the fact his breath was enough to almost make ME drunk five feet away, and #2 & 3 being the large, open bottles in the little carrying area of his moped that he's sipping from as he freaking drives down the road. In police work we call this a "clue." So, we go through the rest of or normal pre-arrest fun & yep this guy is over the limit easily. The amusing part came when it was time to put the bracelets on him... it turned into the full collection of excuses as to WHY he couldn't be arrested for driving drunk on a moped, and it just wasn't fair...

Yep - well, a fair is something with rides & pig contests... don't drive drunk, ride drunk, etc. & we won't have to worry about it!

Anyway, that took a few hours of processing & everything else. Then, it was back on the road - I had a couple of hours left working the special, so I wanted to at least put some effort into things. My "normal" lucky spots weren't panning out, so I headed down & was hitting one of the main streets when I saw one in front of me - one of those times that right away I knew this would be a drunk. Weaving all over the road, confused at stoplights, etc. - all the stuff they teach you during those first DUI classes. Of course, this is also the moment that everyone is telling their life story on the radio, so I'm stuck just following him for a couple of miles before I can even get a chance to call it in and pull him over. Fortunately, this just continues to give me more stuff that will help in the court case for how his driving was.

So we finally get pulled over, and then the fun games begin. The whole "not answering questions, redirecting statements and can't pay attention to his own answers" stuff that just gives me more, even when he thinks he's being clever. Plus, he's making the mistake of thinking that just because I'm a cop, I must be dumb. It starts with the whole "I have a college degree and a good job, you just don't understand." and continues with him trying to tell me how all the tests and everything are going to work, and what I do and don't have to let him do... Anyone care to guess how well that worked out for him?

Well, the tests only make things worse for him & soon enough my handcuffs are getting their second customer of the night. Which leads to the fun that every cop has experienced - the complete 180 degree attitude shift. We've gone from talking down to the "dumb cop" to crying, begging for mercy, I'm going to lose my job, my life, etc. etc. etc. Oh, did I forget to mention he had weed on him too? Yeah, that's suddenly a big deal as well - because that's just going to make it worse, he can't keep working with a drug conviction, and all that.... Of course, I ask him how often he smokes & he says "A couple of times a week." But apparently the thought that he could get caught at a work pee-test never crossed his mind - it was just my whole "picking on" him thing that is ruining his little world... And I had to listen to him crying like this for the rest of the processing.

Anyway, that was the night of fun, just wanted to finally get the story of sorts up.

More fun

and for anyone who's curious, yes going cold turkey after three years of low-level painkillers for some medical issues does make for a not-fun few days...

Still breathing

Sorry for the absence - it's been a long week. Busy with normal work stuff, plus dealing with spending some grant money coming our way (though buying work stuff that costs more than my house IS fun...) plus trying to actually spend time with my family and get ready for Jacob's birthday tomorrow after work. So, stories are on hold...

(Oh, and by "getting ready for Jacob's birthday" I mean my wife has done all this incredible stuff, and I mowed the yard and said yes I'd have the grill ready for s'more's....)

Words fail me

What they are risking in Iran.

Father's Day

It is much easier to become a father than to be one. ~ Kent Nerburn

Most people are taking today to thank all of us fathers, which is appreciated. My post though will be a thanks for the opportunity to try to be a good father to my own children.

My parents divorced when I was young, and I never saw my father again after that point - he had his reasons for the distance; I can't say I approve of them but I understand them. Be that as it may, I was one of many children raised by a single mother. Someone who worked hard and sacrificed in ways I never even imagined til years later in order that my brother and I had a home and a good example in life. So, my male role models were older family friends and I was never afforded those opportunities which a lot take for granted.

Then, after my wife and I were married, we eventually decided to have children - something I had wanted, but we had to reach the "right" time for (is it EVER really the right time? Because people have no idea what they are getting into!) Which led to the next drama - between my wife and I both having a few medical issues, after a couple of years of unsuccessful effort we were told the odds of us having children were about zero. Talk about killing that dream. This of course led to the discussions - fertility treatments, adoption, foster care etc... and we pretty much just were going along with what life gave us at that point and stopped even worrying about it.

Until one day, after a long night at work, my wife rushes in with a home pregnancy test, shoving it in my face & asking me "What do you see?" The worry over the next few months as the doctor's continued to assure us the baby was still there, was healthy and growing. The completely unexpected miracle of Jacob being born on a summer's morning. This little boy who is brilliant, with a wonderful imagination and loving heart.

Fast-forward two years later and another unexpected wonder as Kyleigh arrived - apparently Dori's and my plumbing just had to wait to work on their own! A beautiful, smart, stubborn girl to compliment her brother.

Although I had gotten to the point that I never expected to actually "be" a father, I have found myself with not one, but two incredible opportunities to do my best at it. There are no words to describe the joy in my heart in helping them grow and learn; the way that their faces light up and they run to the door when I get home, or how they can go from laughing and playing to just wanting to snuggle and hug and trust me to protect their world.

There are plenty of people out there who have fathered children, and a lot that don't give a damn about it once that moment is done. But I cherish and am grateful every single day for the opportunity God has presented me, and the wife that I get to do this with - the two incredible children I have been given the chance to guide and watch grow.

I hope your Father's Day is just as blessed.