Daily Reflections...

This is an email that Mike sent me this morning. I thought it was too funny not to share...

Man.... first day back to HQ after being away from here for four days...... I walk into the front lobby... almost make it to the secure door, pull out my swipe card to go in and I hear the words dreaded by all veteran Officers... in the beginning we jumped at this request... couldn't wait to go out and "help"... couldn't wait to dive right in and solve the world's problems... that lasts a month or so... then reality hits.. and those words become the dreaded preamble to God only knows what kind of horse shit is about to spew forth... and invariably it always starts with.. "Sir... can you help me".... I turn to face this old ragged and tattooed fella with watery red eyes..... his tattoos were not the artistic quality designs from the downtown tattoo parlors where college kids go to get their skin decorated... nope.. his were the scrawled designs of an angry cell mate done with a sharpened paper clip and melted checkers pieces... the designs looked more like Rorschach tests than pictures because the colors had bled and faded and his skin sagged now distorting the images even more.... regardless.. he just did not look like the kind of guy that is open to you pointing at his forearm and saying, "what the fuck is that supposed to be ?!?? Is that supposed to be a tattoo because it looks like a pigeon shit on your arm"

... anyhoo.... I reluctantly say.. "sure... whadaya got ? " He looks down at his feet and then back up at me.... back to his feet.... then stares up at me and says, "my wife just died... and I think I may be responsible "...

Usually in the morning I like to just walk up to the office... sit at my desk... check my email... maybe look at facebook for a few minutes while I drink coffee... check ebay or craigslist for any good deals on bike parts etc.... then I turn to my day's responsibilities... but never do I plan on strolling up on a possible murder confession... alone... in the lobby... my duty belt in the duffel bag in my hand... thinking, well.. crap... if his next sentence is something along the lines of, " I wanna go with her " or " I can't go back to prison again " and he lunges at me.. well.. I am pretty much left with the choices of A) dropping my bag and shooting him.... B ) trying to club him with my bag like an old lady beating off hooligans with her purse... or C) asking a possible homicidal parolee to "hold that thought" and refrain from attacking just long enough for me to set my bag down.. take my belt out and put it on ( which takes about 10 minutes) and then saying, OK.. now attack me crazy man.... in the only stroke of luck regarding this incident, however, all he wanted to do was cry and tell me about it....

Anyway... turns out this guy had been with gal for about 20 years... says he had never laid a hand on her the entire time, but was locked up for domestic assault from some kind of incident with her a week ago.. he gets out of jail and two days later she " just died "... says of a heart attack and complications from her diabetes... regardless.. he keeps telling me that he is "responsible".... but does not elaborate... I call the detectives out at the South precinct and advise them of the situation to which they respond.. ok.. just tell him to come out here and we will talk to him... which I do tell him... and he asks if it would be ok to wait for another hour because he needs to check in with the sex offender registry office first (they have a window in out lobby for offenders to come check in)... Apparently he got his awesome body art while pulling a prison stint for his rape conviction back in 1999.... some days I do just want to sit under my desk to avoid having to talk to ANYONE..... is it Friday yet ?????????