Recently more than usual I have been getting strange requests for assistance from the public while on duty and during details. Being the person I am I would like to share a few requests I have received as well as I would like to hear other people stories. For todays tale I will tell about the lady that asked me to help remove her dragging tailpipe from her car. Thats right while conducting traffic on a busy RTE. I had a woman pull her car over at my job site and ask my to help her remove the rear section of her tail pipe that was dragging on her F150. Being the Nice Guy that I am I did so and was thanked for such. Another day in life.
You are a nice guy. Most guys I know, myself probably included, would bid her a very polite GFY just not in those words. The most recent strange DEMAND not request is curtesy of my dear wife who works at the NAPD. Sevral weeks ago, a woman from the Cape called the station. My wife being assigned as the only Non-Civilian inside got the call routed to her. The caller demanded that a police officer be dispatched to her aged mother's house to install and/or repair her air conditioner. When she was told that it was not going to happen she threw a tantrum stating that if she would make this request/demand from her local police, her wishes would be granted ASAP. I wonder where this nit-wit lives.
The sheeple who expect the government to solve all their problems know that the police are the only branch of the government that's even awake 24/7, never mind who will answer the phone at 4am. I was working OT as a 911 operator when some woman called to complain it was raining too hard. I told her I'd throw the master switch in the station, which seemed to satisfy her. More than once, I've been fighting with a suspect when someone approached to ask directions, or some other inane question.
Today while stopping traffic for a Festival procession I had a car occupied x2 pull up to me and i said you have to go left m'am the street's closed. I got the response "well how the Fu#& am i supposed to driver her to work she has to be at work." Her "work" was an AJ Wright that was about 200 feet from where I had the street closed. So i told her to pull across the street and drop her off and she can cross. The woman decided to yell out "well that doesn't Fu$%ing help!" and drove away. She then drove around the block and came in from the back way and stopped at the next officer that was there and told him that she wanted to complain to him about me. So he told her that I was his superior officer and she'd have to wait in the parking lot and that I'd be with her in a little bit if she wanted to complain. I pulled my cruiser into the tail end of the procession and then came back 30 minutes later (only cause I had to drive by the parking lot to get back to the station) and the woman was still there.
When I worked at the Shattuck Hospital I had a lady call from the surrounding neighborhood to report a theft by some unidentified patients she let in her house. Items stolen was several knick knacks from her bureau and her 8 ounce bag of Marijuana. She was insistent that we investigate it so I gave her the number to the Boston Police Narcotic Unit and told her tell them exactly what she told me... She couldn't thank me enough!
Any of you remember a class back in the academy days when they taught you how to deal with Psychs. and EDP's? The old Aliminum Foil on the head/doors/window? I used it once. I drove by her house three days later, and every window was covered with the stuff.
Once, while performing a felony stop late at night on a city street a woman pulled over behind me and came up to me to ask me where the MSPCA was. Now, I had my gun drawn, and she thinks its a good time to ask me a geography question. I told her in no uncertain terms, that now was not the appropriate time and to vacate the area. She actually later complained, but when the sargeant explained what was going on, she didn't go forward with the complaint process.
I was on detail recently when I was asked by the work crew to stop/direct traffic. I told them no way, all we do is stand here, talk on the phone and drink iced coffee. Notice to media trolls, this post was pure sarcasm.
I had something similar "back in the day." My partner and I were following a murder suspect waiting for our back up to arrive. We eventually had about 10 patrol cars with us and a helicoptor overhead with its nightsun lighting up the place when we finally did stop the car. There were about 3 shotguns and 15 handguns pointed at the three people in the car. It was kinda obvious that something major was sorta kinda going on. Just then, this woman and her 8-year-old son walk up to the guys near the back of the situation and ask if we had any baseball cards (we used to give out Dodger cards to the kids). Talk about clueless!
BAAAHAAAA I loved the people in LA, if that same scenrio happened in Massachusetts they would be on the 10 oclock news claim police brutality and how police over reacted.
I've heard from some of the older police officers in my area that they used to hand out a few aluminum-line baseball hats here and there to provide relief to a Psych. who used to come into the front desk of the police station and claim the KGB was controlling their thoughts...:regular_smile:
A mother wanted and ambulance for her son that was bit by a mosquito. It was described as "very itchy" over the radio. Another was a woman that wanted me to investigate why Life magazine never sent her the free jacket they promised her.
I think I have one that tops them all (so far). Last night we got dispatched out to look for spooklights. 3 Calls came in around 01:00 for "unknown" flashing lights in the woods behind some houses. The thrid call said it was flashing like a firetruck but said that it was something else. We drove by several times and checked out the area only to call in ASN.
In New Hampshire officers are called to verify VIN's prior to registering a recently purchased car. One officer the other night was sent to an address to perform this duty and when he arrived was asked by a relative to wait until the car and owner returned from shopping. Needless to say this call went back to the bottom of the pile.
