What is your Thanksgiving Day like? For some, it means spending time with family while eating turkey and watching football. For others, it means getting in line at Wal-Mart or Best Buy for that $15 TV. My wife’s family rents a hall where up to one hundred people show up in Michigan. All of these things are part of the Thanksgiving Day tradition.

Most people don’t think about it, but Thanksgiving is also a normal work day for cops, firefighters and dispatchers.

My first job was at Disneyland when I was 17 years old as a junior in high school. Thanksgiving night in 1988 was my first holiday away from my family. Since then, I have worked many Thanksgiving nights as a police officer.

My family’s Thanksgiving meal time has always been scheduled around my job. Eating early is part of our “normal” holiday tradition.

This Thanksgiving Day, many cops, firefighters, and dispatchers will schedule their family time around work. Some will work during the day and come home to a late dinner. Some will get a late call and come home after their kids have already gone to bed.

Some will have their dinner interrupted because they were called to work to investigate a homicide or some other tragedy. Others will work the night shift and have to leave Thanksgiving dinner early to go to work.

This is all part of the sacrifice we make for others. It’s part of the sacrifice our spouses and kids also make. This is a sacrifice most people never think of or talk about. Our families share us with strangers so we can help others. It’s part of the job.

This Thursday night I will be working like many other cops, who are away from their families on Thanksgiving. If you happen to see one of us, make sure to wave (with all five fingers) and say Happy Thanksgiving. I guarantee they’ll smile and say thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving

Five ways to get out of a ticket
The holiday shopping season is upon us and it’s time to buy those gifts for family and friends. I’ve come up with five simple tips to get out of a ticket and to save money.

1. Stop for stop signs. As you approach the stop sign, make sure to STOP. If a cop is watching, he’ll be disappointed you actually made an effort to read the sign and to stop for it. They will wait for the next car to run it. Savings: $400.
2. Don’t talk on the cell phone. This one is easy. Just don’t pick up the phone when you’re driving. If you do, then don’t have the cell phone up to your ear when the cop sees you. If you see the motor cop first, you can drop the phone in your lap and pretend to scratch your head. You can then pick up the phone up when it’s safe. Savings: $160.
3. Stop for red lights. The city and state have gone through a lot of trouble to put traffic signals on poles to make the bright red light easy to see. They even put them on poles that hang over the street. The yellow light is usually on for three to four seconds before it turns red. There are no surprises here. Red comes after yellow. Savings: $500.
4. Don’t Speed. If the speed limit sign says 40MPH, then it’s a bad idea to go 60MPH. This is probably the motor officer’s favorite spot too.  The radar gun will get you way before you see it, so slow down. The same rule applies to the freeway. It’s a bad idea to go 85MPH if the speed limit is 65MPH. Savings: $400.
5. Don’t do it if it sounds like a bad idea. If you think you can get a ticket for something, then don’t do it. If you think it’s a bad idea to turn left when the sign says NO LEFT TURN, then you’re probably right. If the sign says WRONG WAY, then go the other way. Or if the sign says, NO PARKING, then it’s probably a bad good idea to park there. Savings: Varies in price.

There you have it. Over $1,000 in holiday savings.

Today I went to a junior high school to give a presentation about pedestrian and bicycle safety. While I was sitting in the parking lot I saw a sign that caught my eye. It was sign prohibiting pedestrians from crossing the street with the words “Use Crosswalk” under it with an arrow.

There was something funny about this sign though. It was turned the wrong way. It was facing traffic and the arrow actually pointed toward the street and not toward the crosswalk.

I had driven by the sign and not noticed it. It wasn’t until I was looking at the sign from a different angle did I see that it wasn’t posted correctly. This got me thinking how this sign wasn’t much different from the way some people view police officers. It all depends on their point of view.

Most of the time people only see what the media wants them to see. They only see it from one angle. Or they heard from a friend, who had a friend, who knew a guy, who was told by another guy, the cops were dicks to him. It’s all about the angle you see or hear it from.

I recently investigated a crash in which the media made the victim out to be a saint. I was shocked to see how she was portrayed. No one knew the information I knew about her. It was comical how the media showed it, but it’s all about ratings, right?

When it comes to law enforcement, the facts get twisted around more. This makes the story better for viewers, who then view cops with the negative eye of suspicion. This is more frustrating when you were there and know all of the facts surrounding the incident.

It’s important to remember cops are doing good work out there. They put their lives on the line for strangers, but it never gets noticed though. They go toward harm while others tremble in fear. They step forward when others move backward. They run toward the madman with the gun while others hide.

Today that street sign told a different story depending how you looked it at it. Keep that in mind the next time you watch TV. What you see on TV might not be what it seems. Sometimes a different point of view is needed to clear things up.

Cops do extraordinary things every day, but that never gets noticed. Too bad the cameras aren’t rolling for that too.

Stay safe out there.

Today Officer Jeff Tobin was memorialized  after losing his battle to brain cancer. He was and will forever be an Anaheim Police officer. He was also our friend.

I happened to be just one of many people who were proud to call him a friend. He was many things to many people. He was a prosecutor, police officer, instructor, artist, triathlete, and skydiver to name a few. But most of all he was a friend to all.

I sat there today and listened to the speakers eulogize him and it showed me how many people he had touched. Anyone who knew him was better for it. When he spoke to you, he made you feel like you were the most important person at that moment. He would drop anything he was doing to help you.

Jeff’s story was of climbing summits and then finding another mountain to conquer. He was about respect and treating people with dignity. He was a helper and a giver. He was a person who never complained and never asked for anything in return.

Every person who walked out of the church today should have learned something about themselves. They should’ve learned how small we are when compared to a giant of a person like Jeff Tobin. Jeff was a gentleman. Jeff was compassionate. Jeff was the officer you wanted coming to your house if you needed help. Jeff was an example to all.

Jeff always smiled and gave his all. We should learn from him and do the same. The world would be a better place if we gave half of what Jeff gave to us.

Jeff was pure as the sunrise and as bright as the brightest star in the sky. Jeff left his mark on all of us like footprints on wet sand. Each step made an impression on everyone he met.

Thank you Jeff. Rest in peace our friend.

When was the last time you told a beat partner thank you? I’m not talking about an obligatory thank you. I mean a sincere thank you. We run from one emergency to the next and these two simple words get lost in the craziness of police work.

We didn’t get into police work for a “thank you.” Most people got into this career because they felt they could make a difference. From the very beginning, you knew this was a thankless job and personal satisfaction was your only reward.

On Saturday night we were dispatched to an injury accident in which a pedestrian had been struck. An unlicensed drunk driver lost control of his truck and struck a curb. After hitting the curb, the vehicle knocked over a concrete light pole and ran over a pedestrian’s foot as other people scattered. It then collided into a large restaurant sign and came to rest on the sidewalk. It was amazing only one person was hit because of the large number of pedestrians that were out that night.

This near tragic story is not about the crash though. The real story is about the teamwork by the other officers at the scene. Everyone at the scene knew the collision investigator was going to handle the call, but the teamwork was the same as always. Awesome.

When I got there, every officer was doing something that they knew had to be done as part of the investigation. No one was standing around with a thumb up their ass. One officer had the paperwork for the driver information that had to be completed. One had a roll-a-tape out to measure the scene. One was interviewing a witness. Another had the suspect detained and was about to start a DUI investigation. Another officer was getting information from the injured parties. Another was doing the impound paperwork.

They could’ve left a lot of that work for the accident investigator to do, but they all took a piece of the pie. My partner and I were the last to arrive because of the distance we traveled after being dispatched. Instead of arriving at a chaotic scene with nothing done, we were like a relief pitcher walking to the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning to close out the game.  All we had to do was throw strikes.

This type of teamwork happens every shift I work. I could go on and on by giving examples of the work ethic of the officers I work with, but that would be a book in itself.

Without teamwork, police work would be a lot like roller skating down a cracked and rocky sidewalk. It would be a bumpy ride and not much fun. This blog post isn’t just about the cops on the call I just described. It’s about the teamwork I see each and every night I work. It’s the part the public never sees or even knows about. It’s the silent work cops do every day, who never ask for a thank you. They just go out and do what has to be done. It’s like the old Nike slogan, “Just Do It.”

Thanks guys for the help every night. You make my job easier.

Be Safe

Say the word dispatcher and the first thing that comes to mind should be understaffed and unappreciated. They’re the voice on the phone with no face. They’re the lifeline between victims and help. They’re stuck in this room attached to a cord that connects them to the phone, the radio and the outside world of craziness. They’re there to help, but are the first to get yelled by citizens when it’s a busy Saturday night and the calls have stacked up. They’re call takers, counselors, referees, 411, the weather channel, fortune tellers, piñatas, the calming voice of reason, and jugglers among other things that comes with the job. Everybody calls when they need help, but no one ever thanks them when the troops have restored order in the field.

The backbone of any police department is the patrol officer, but the call for service starts with the dispatcher. Have you ever called 911 and wondered why it rang for a long time or it was busy? I asked our dispatchers for examples of some of the dumb reasons people call 911 for. Here are just a few.

1. “What time is it?”
2. Someone wanted information about the professional baseball team in the area.
3. A mother called 911 because her five year-old didn’t want to go to school. She said the child didn’t want to listen and she needed the police.
4. “Did we just have an earthquake?”
5. “Why is the power out?”
6. “When is the power coming back on?”
7. “Can I have the phone number for a taxi cab?”
8. “Is the street sweeper coming today? What time?”
9. “Is the trash being picked up today?”
10. “The helicopter is keeping me up. Can you make it go away?”
11. “I was robbed. I paid for a lap dance at the strip club and they threw me out before I got it.”
12. “There’s a man with wings flying around and watching me.”
13. “What time does Disneyland open?”
14. “Can someone take my trash cans out?”

And finally one that surprised me the most…….

We take for granted how safe we are compared to other parts of the world. We don’t have to worry about bombs blowing up at stores like some people do in other countries. It’s safe to assume a bomb isn’t going to go off when I go to Albertsons or get gas. Depending on what country you’re from this actually might be a fear you have to deal with everyday.

One dispatcher related a story about a man from another country who called 911 when he heard explosions. He had his family locked in the bathroom of their hotel because of the explosions and he thought we were under attack. He didn’t know it, but the explosions were actually the Disneyland fireworks at 9:30PM.

I didn’t list this call as one of the dumb ones. It was more to make you appreciate where we live.

If you ever call 911 by accident, don’t be afraid to tell the dispatcher it was a mistake when they call you back. For some reason, people think they have to hang up when the police call back to ask if everything is okay. If you don’t want us at your house it’s really easy. Just tell the dispatcher everything if fine and you dialed 911 by accident. If not, officers are going to show up.

Some people have a problem “Butt dialing” 911. If your rear end can speed dial, then lock the screen! You might just have the cops at your door asking if everything is okay. Depending on the circumstances of the butt dial, this might be embarrassing…….

Just something to think about the next time you want to call 911 about something that isn’t an emergency. Google your police department’s phone number and put it in your cell phone contacts.

By the way, next time you see one of your dispatchers, make sure to tell them thanks.

My first Saturday night working with Rich went down in history as a night we will never forget. There are lots of nights you never forget, but this one was different…….

We were basically strangers when we were partnered up for the first time on this particular Saturday night in July of 1996.

A few hours into this shift we had hit it off and we were having a good time. That was when we were dispatched to a house for a “keep the peace call.”

We spoke to a woman, who said her boyfriend was in his sixties and had locked her out of the house. Did I forget to mention he was blind, drunk and had a gun? He hadn’t threatened anyone, but she was worried about him because this was unusual. Is it ever normal when a blind, drunk guy with a gun locks you out of the house?

We knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. I then checked the door and found it was unlocked. WTF? If she had checked the front door we wouldn’t even be here.

I opened the door and saw an empty living room. I called out the name of the person who was inside and announced police, but there was no answer. It was dusk and there were no lights on in the house. The approaching darkness and the haunted house like silence made the scene that much more ominous. I’m surprised a bat didn’t fly out.

I called out again, but still no answer. Rich and I stepped into the house, but there was a weird feeling about this. We were still too new to the job to have a true cop sixth sense, but something didn’t seem right. We walked to the left and made sure no one was in the living room. Then we walked to the right and there was no one in the dining room or kitchen.

As we walked through the house I turned the lights to make it easier to see. Plus, we always find confront in the light compared to the dark. We called out his name so many times he had to have known we were there unless he was deaf too. Our voices had been so loud with each announcement, he knew we were there. The main question was why wasn’t he answering like people normally do?

My Spidey Sense was going off now as I looked over at Rich and said, “This doesn’t feel right.” Rich said he felt the same thing. We agreed to leave the house and call for another officer and a sergeant. This wasn’t a normal call anymore. Not that it had started off normal.

The sergeant arrived and seemed annoyed he was there for this. I think he wanted to leave, but we told him how this call had turned into a “check the welfare” instead of a “keep the peace” call. We all walked back inside with him holding the old brick style cell phone. We called out the man’s name again, but there was still no answer. The quiet was now a reminder that something was wrong here. He was either dead or waiting for us.

There was a doorway from the living room to the hallway where the bedroom was. This open hallway door was adjacent to the bedroom door where we believed the man to be.

The house phone started ringing as soon as the sergeant used his cell phone to call in. I was  able to hear the phone get picked up in the bedroom and then hung up as the ringing stopped. This happened twice. Now we knew this man had heard us and for some reason he was playing games.

The sergeant stepped into the hallway and knocked on the bedroom door as he called the man’s name. He announced we were the police and to come outside to talk with us. The sergeant then stepped back into the adjacent doorway with me.

I then heard quick footsteps going toward the door and the sound of a gunshot. I stood there for a moment trying to process what had just happened. Did the blind drunk guy just shoot at us?

The sergeant stood there for a brief moment before he yelled, “Get out!” We had only been three feet away from the bedroom door and getting out was the best idea I had heard!

I started heading toward the front door with the sergeant right behind me. Rich was coming around the corner from the kitchen. We headed toward that door like it was black Friday at Walmart and we were trying to beat the crowd for a $10 sale on the Playstation.

Just as I put my hand on the screen door, another shot went off. Holy crap, right?

Rich and I went left out the door and jumped over a small block wall. As I looked toward the house Rich said, “He shot through the f@#$% door. He shot through the f@#$% door.” It was then that I realized that the suspect had shot through the bedroom door.

I felt the need to say something funny to break the tension, so I told Rich, “F%$@# this. I’m going back to days.”

The suspect slammed the door shut and then another shot went off. At first I thought he had killed himself, but that wasn’t the case because the suspect called 911 and reported he was blind and had shot at burglars. Really?

Now he was a liar with a gun. I wish you could’ve seen the look of disgust and shock on my face when dispatched broadcasted this over the radio about the suspect’s 911 call. He might have been an dumb in my eyes for what he had just done, but he wasn’t stupid. Within minutes he had come up with the defense for shooting at the cops. Again, nothing about this call was normal.

After a brief stand off,  the suspect finally came to the door and was taken into custody.

I was upset because he had tried to kill us. We could’ve walked away and let that woman back in the house. Maybe nothing would’ve happened. Our only intention had been to make sure he was okay because his girlfriend had been worried about him.

We went in to help and make sure everything was fine, but instead of a thank you, we got a bullet shot at us. I was feeling a little under appreciated at that moment.

Right after he had been arrested, we were told an officer with the California Highway Patrol had been killed in a neighboring city. The actual location was only a few miles from where we were.

A weird feeling came over me while at this call. A little while ago I had been three feet from a bedroom door when someone had shot through it. Rich had been down the hall from that door. Now I heard an officer had been shot and killed a few miles away at about the same time this had happened to us. The anger of the moment then turned to something else.

How were we chosen to live and not the other officer?

I think I had a feeling of guilt even though I had never met him or knew anything about him. It wasn’t like he was 2,000 miles away and we learned of his death on the news. He had been at a Chevron gas station parking lot only a few miles away from where I had been.

I wrote the report while sitting in the car as forensics processed the crime scene. Then guess what Rich and I did after we left the house? We went 10-8 (in service) and were dispatched to another call like nothing had happened.

If this happened today, I’d like to think the sergeant or watch commander would make sure an officer in a similar situation would take a break for a little bit before going 10-8 again.

Rich and I still have this conversation about how we never should’ve been sent back out immediately after clearing that call. It wasn’t like we couldn’t handle it or needed a hug. But maybe a few minutes away from police work would’ve been best. Times were different back then. We still laugh about how tense we were on the next call, but that’s another story…..

By the way, something good came out of that night. A lifelong friendship was created on that summer night in 1996 when two strangers shared a police car together for the first time.

A few years after that night, Rich stood beside me as best man at my wedding. Then later, we baptized our children on the same day as godparents to each others child.

Tonight, eighteen years later, I sat in a restaurant and looked at our two families having dinner together and was filled with pride.

Just remember, this job isn’t always about the tragedies and the negativity. It’s about life long bonds and friendships.