Better And Better

If you don't draw yours, I won't draw mine. A police officer, working in the small town that he lives in, focusing on family and shooting and coffee, and occasionally putting some people in jail.

Monday, December 06, 2010

Raising my voice.

The other night, I found myself raising my voice at every call that I went to. Not good.

First shake out of the box, we had a domestic disturbance which turned out to be a felony assault. When the mother-in-law (whose house the couple was staying at) entered the room where I was interviewing the victim at the critical moment where the reluctant victim was beginning to give me the most important information, I ordered her to leave. I was firm, but not yelling. When she protested that it was her house (it absolutely was, but I was standing in the single room that was a felony crime scene), I yelled at her. She left. I didn't like doing that, but I liked the prospect of losing a statement from a timid victim in front of her mother-in-law even worse.

Next, I went to a fight in progress. One man, intoxicated, had a bloody nose. The other man had fled the party. The victim's wife was fainting. Her friends and family insisted on keeping her on her feet, walking about over a tile floor. (Why do they do that?) When I invited the staged medics in to check on the woman, the man stood in the doorway of the venue (not his house), and told us that there was no need for medics to look at her. I yelled at him, and told him to shut up. I probably should have been more gentle with that, but I don't like seeing people interfere with the medics on other adults' behalf.

A few minutes later, I saw the probable actor who had fled from the fight, running away. I gave chase. Like a ninja, he disappeared into the neck-high grass of a fallow hayfield. He wore black and ran like I had shot at him, when I yelled for him to stop. After a merry romp through the fields and local neighborhood, I cleared.

Awhile later, while on a traffic stop in the parking lot of a convenience store, a vehicle pulled up beside me in the parking lot. "My friend's been stabbed," the driver said. I went to his friend, now standing in front of the vehicle, (again, why was he standing?), and found that one of his lower jeans' legs was completely saturated with blood, despite a bandanna tourniquet above it. I almost had to wrestle him to the pavement to get his leg elevated. It was quite a stab wound, probably administered by the guy whom I had chased earlier. When he raised his boot, about a pint or so of dark venous blood poured out onto the pavement. At about this time, a deputy arrived as Dispatch warned me that the actor was probably on scene with me. We began to handcuff the occupants of the car to sort stuff out. The clerk from the convenience store came out yelling about something or other. I told her to go back in and not interfere. She stomped over and began to demand questions as the medics arrived, only to see the large amount of blood. She gasped heavily, and ran inside. After the medics had the man in the box, I checked what she wanted. She first asked me how she was supposed to clean that blood off the concrete. I said, "Use cold water," and began to walk back to my business. She began to argue, and I found myself explaining, again with raised voice, that if she interfered with my duties during a stop or a call again, that I would put her in handcuffs as well.

I wrote a couple of tickets and took my butt to the P.D. for paperwork. I had had enough yelling for the night.

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15 Comments:

At Monday, December 06, 2010 2:44:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well since you didn't seem to get any of it last night.....

Yes officer...
No sir...
Yes sir...
My fault officer, sure as hell...
Thank you officer...



Now just print those out and tape 'em to the visor of your car. That way you can be guaranteed at least one positive interaction each shift.

Stay safe.

 
At Monday, December 06, 2010 2:48:00 PM, Blogger Farm.Dad said...

I tell ya Matt , some shifts its just not worth chewing through the ropes to go out .

 
At Monday, December 06, 2010 2:54:00 PM, Blogger Matt G said...

"Well since you didn't seem to get any of it last night....."

I don't expect people to be subservient. Courtesy is nice, though.

On at least one of those calls, I shouldn't have yelled, and I'm irritated at myself about it.

 
At Monday, December 06, 2010 3:22:00 PM, Blogger Pappy said...

Matt, if I had your job in the area you work, I would probably yell myself hoarse halfway through each shift.

You're a better man than I, Gunga Din.

 
At Monday, December 06, 2010 7:07:00 PM, Blogger suz said...

You're human. Forgive yourself, unless it becomes a habit. Then you might consider doing the shrinky-dance for a while.

And the bimbo at the C-store was an idiot to get in a cop's face.

 
At Monday, December 06, 2010 7:12:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wasn't aiming for subservient just a little basic respect and politeness. And maybe a willingness to take a little responsibility. Strange concept for too many folks nowadays it seems.

And if you were a little too quick to anger on only one call I'd say you're still doing a damned sight better than I ever could.

Don't kick yourself too hard about it. Just think of it as something to work on.

 
At Tuesday, December 07, 2010 11:38:00 AM, Blogger Old NFO said...

You're human Matt, and when you see the same stupidity time and time again, it can grate a bit... Bottom line, you went home safe, and that is what counts!

 
At Tuesday, December 07, 2010 11:56:00 AM, Blogger J.R.Shirley said...

Sorry, man.

But it's better to assert authority sometimes than the alternatives. Yes, I like being quiet better, too. No, sometimes people just don't know how to cooperate when you ask you quietly.

You saved them and you some pain.

 
At Tuesday, December 07, 2010 2:36:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's information they didn't teach me in the academy. I'll sure file this story away in the 'toolbox' for future reference.

 
At Tuesday, December 07, 2010 7:52:00 PM, Blogger Matt G said...

Anonymous, remember that you work for the people that you're yelling at, and it helps put it into perspective.

 
At Wednesday, December 08, 2010 8:29:00 AM, Blogger Farmmom said...

Take a deep breath and then go create some smoke and noise. Everyone has those days and at times needs to get a little stress release. Hey it works for me :D

 
At Wednesday, December 08, 2010 9:13:00 AM, Blogger Tam said...

Matt,

The fact that feeling like you had to yell so obviously upsets you is one of the reasons I respect you so much.

There are plenty of people on this planet who wouldn't give it a second's reflection...

 
At Friday, December 10, 2010 4:46:00 AM, Blogger GUYK said...

I was not a police officer but I was a Master Sergeant...and sometimes a loud voice projected the authority of the stripes, heh.

 
At Friday, December 10, 2010 4:06:00 PM, Blogger Matt G said...

I'll bet it did, GuyK-- but those airmen worked for you, while I work for the citizens that I'm grumping at. ;)

 
At Saturday, December 11, 2010 8:22:00 AM, Blogger Home on the Range said...

Totally understandable. What you do is beyond difficult on even the good days. No one can get through it totally unruffled.

 

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