Ummm

Called out right at bath/bedtime for the kids tonight - three hours out in the sub-freezing cold dealing with what ended up not being a bomb, all because some guy has anger management issues.

I really hope this isn't a portent for the week to come.

just saw Sherlock Holmes - absolutely delightful! Now out on a date night with my lovely wife :)

Merry Christmas

No snark, pithy stories or humorous quips today.

Simply wanted to take a moment to wish a Merry Christmas to everyone out there who observes the same. May your day be joyous and time be spent with those you love.

Bath songs of a four year old...

Sung to the tune of "Frere Jacques/Are You Sleeping Brother John" and presented EXACTLY as sung:

"Where's my penis, where's my penis?
Here I am, here I am.
Chicka-chicka-boom-boom, chicka-chicka-boom-boom.
La la la, la la la."

To say his mother and I were near speechless with laughter is an understatement...

A note from your friendly, neighborhood bomb squad

So, in tonight's public service message:

- Should it be the holiday season...

- And should you not only send a package to the completely wrong address, but use a box which still has the labels on it from the various hazardous chemicals it originally contained...

- Furthermore, should it contain some electronics and such, of a sort that tend to make bomb techs a wee bit suspicious...

You will as a result attract the attention of your local police and fire agencies to a house, whereupon said bomb techs will gleeful blow said package up, sending Christmas presents of various forms and pieces all about the yard.

Oops.

Roads are 98% clear and people are still displaying a stunning inability to drive. I'm starting to think it is a chronic condition in this state.

Tactical junk question

So, looks like the Brits have chosen a new camo pattern...

Nice. But is it just me, or does their "rapidly researched and produced pattern" look EXACTLY like the Crye Multicam pattern that some of us have been using for a number of years now?

Just curious.

Working conditions

We've been experiencing a bit of disgruntlement at work lately amongst the rank and file... Some of it is economy-based (no raises, cuts in training budgets etc due to lack of funds), but honestly IMHO most of it is stupidity-based. A few officers have done some tragically, even criminally stupid stuff recently, the department has had to make some blanket changes and policies to address them, and folks aren't seeing the big picture. I've done what I can to share my thoughts with coworkers, but a lot of it will just take time and perspective. No place is perfect, but honestly a LOT of agencies have it much worse than us.

For example, take the Philadelphia Police Department. They've spent the past six months working without a contract, due to union negotiations, and have finally got one in place. Which puts them under conditions I can't even imagine.

Sure, they keep their healthcare. No raises this year, but they get small ones the next two. A few other provisions for both sides. But here's the big one:

The city & department have the ability at will to furlough any officer, without reason, for 30 days a year. No pay, no pension contributions or any of that, and no justification - just because they want to save some money, and here's a way to do it. Never mind the effect on public safety, officer safety, or morale.

Imagine at YOUR job if tomorrow your boss could say "Oh, by the way, you're off all of January, have fun and hope those bills aren't too much for you." Imagine how most people would react if a company had that policy. But somehow it is acceptable here.

Yet another of the many reasons you will never see me working under a union system.

Friday is here!

A long academy week is over - they did well, but I'm exhausted. A full day of yelling during tactical drills & sucking down just as much (if not more) gas than they did doesn't help. But, it's the weekend at last.

And, in our weather note, I think CrankyLitProf sums it up nicely for us as well...

Today's gun safety note

For the shooters out there - from today's class at the range.

Yes a .40 S&W round will chamber in a .45 ACP pistol - it will even fire. However, said casing will rupture and fail to extract afterwards, necessitating a manual punch with a rod.

Fortunately for the shooters no one was hurt by this.

Pay attention when loading - sometimes rounds get mixed up folks.