Yesterday, when it was 104 degrees (at 5 pm), K decided she wanted to start a new exercise program….jogging.  I tried to talk some sense to her, but nooooooooo.  Today she’s sore in places she didn’t even know she had.

With this sick look on her face she just told me, “The good thing about being in this much pain is I can’t even feel my cramps.”

S

EDIT…..I think I might have her convinced the best exercise for her/us would be swimming laps.  It beats the heat, and “the scenery” is better, too.

My frequent comments about cops and donuts might be construed as me being no great admirer of law enforcement.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  For 17 years, up until just recently when I moved, I was on the Civil Service Commission of my city.  Our three-member board had oversight over all police and fire department hiring, firing, promotion, discipline, etc.  Those guys and ladies are amazing!

I attended both citizen police and fire academies, and was privy to much confidential info. At our police academy I learned about patrol, intelligence, narcotics, K-9, SWAT, investigation, administration, forensics, and more.  I have intense admiration for them all and the jobs they do…..with one exception:  traffic enforcement.  (And no, I haven’t received a traffic ticket in many years.)

If there’s one group that taints the public’s relationship with the police department, it’s traffic enforcement.  I find them offensive.  They hide (literally) behind bridge pillars, in the shadows under trees, in unmarked vehicles posing as survey crews, etc, just to catch people doing 50 in a 40.  We could use a lot more cops patrolling the streets, looking for suspicious people, busting drug dealers, etc, but instead we put manpower to work ambushing citizens.  I don’t think I’m alone in thinking this way.  Why can’t all patrol cops just keep a lookout for obvious unsafe drivers doing blatantly dangerous things?  I could wholeheartedly support that.

Why are there 35 mph zones on wide open stretches of desolate public streets? ‘Cause they know people will go whatever speed feels comfortable, probably 45-50, without looking down to check their speedometer.  GOTCHA!!  And speed cameras….the cops say they stop red light runners, but study after study shows that increasing the yellow light cycle by just one second will have the same result.  GOTCHA!! The reason is obvious:  these tactics bring in mucho-$$$$$$ to the city coffers!  Traffic enforcement is the only section that brings money IN.

Nine times out of 10, this is the only contact citizens have with police, and it’s seldom good.  I think this, more than anything else, is why the public thinks negatively about our police departments.  C’mon cities, find another way to make money.  The cops would have a much more amiable relationship with the public if they would quit nit-picking us with their roadside ambushes.

That’s what I think.  What do you think?

S

On the news last night was a report of two “yoots” now in police custody after a home burglary.  Seems the crooks found a lockbox containing $59,000 cash in the house they broke into. (This could also be titled “Stoopid” homeowner story!) Anyway, the yoots went on a spending spree, buying $2,000 worth of shoes, $3,000 worth of clothes (droopy pants?) and even a used Cadillac.  Their consumption was so conspicuious the cops promptly caught ‘em and had ‘em in the lockup before their mid-day donuts even got stale.  

S