Is police work stressful? Part 2

My normal demeanor is usually friendly and trusting, not quite the attitude for an officer.
I attended a training course put on by FBI reference officer safety. During the portion of the course reference officers killed in the line of duty, studies showed that the majority of the officers killed had a casual, laid back personality.

I made the decision to pay attention to my work, pick my partners carefully and train, train, train. I studied as much as I could about police work and the complex aftermaths.

After all my preparations, courses and decisions, I found myself still worrying about the unknown. I became paranoid. I didn’t trust many people. I couldn’t go out without scanning the surrounding areas and scrutinizing everyone in sight. I began to worry my family as I trained them as I was trained. They became paranoid.
I developed a case of bad acid reflux and consulted a doctor. When he told me that I needed to “chill out” or otherwise I would be using a plastic bag instead of a toilet, I had to reassess my priorities. I would be no good to my family if I was incapacitated due to over-stressing myself.

I remembered my training and relied on it to keep me safe. I realized I could only do so much. The old saying “S%#t happens” stuck in my mind. I developed a “second sense" and began to relax, but was always cognizant of my surroundings.

While working the streets, I felt confident about my abilities.
Still being a rookie, every day was an adrenaline rush and I couldn't wait to come home and tell my wife about my day.

It took me a while to realize what was exciting to me was not as exciting to her. She realized each story involved a degree of danger. She then began to question my actions as I relayed the stories to her. I tried to explain to her the ”letter of the law” to no avail. She didn't understand. I didn't understand that she didn't understand.

We grew apart.

While I was at work, realizing that a divorce was eminent, it was hard to focus on my job.
Fortunately, I had a supportive supervisor and partners. They watched my back and gave me advice.
After that episode in my life was complete, I realized that stress would be introduced to me in many other forms. Little did I know.
To be continued…

Police radio problems STILL??

I've been running into a lot of my old coworkers in Metro lately. One of the first subject matters to come up in our conversation is Metro’s radio system and how it doesn't work, and how it continues not to work.

I know I've done a previous article (“Speak and Spell”) on the sham of a radio system that LVMPD purchased and how promises were made that all the glitches would be fixed.

One of the glitches was how everyone's voice sounded on the radio. When listening to the radio transmission, everyone's voice sounded as if they were talking into a tin can. Everyone's voice sounded the same, and you could not discern any fluctuations in someone's voice such as stress or anxiety.  Officers knew how their co-workers sounded, normally or under stress.  Not anymore.

The promise was made that when the radio system came "online”, that particular anomaly would be remedied.

Now the radio system is online, and everybody's voice still sounds the same.

Requests were made to the officers in the field and to the dispatchers that if they encountered a problem with the radio, to make note of the problem, such as the time, where the officer was when they transmitted on the radio, and other variables.

Numerous comments, e-mails, notes, messages in bottles, banners flying behind airplanes, etc. were given to the folks in charge of the radio.

While I am being facetious, it did appear that every avenue was taken to notify the department of the numerous problems with radio. It's been almost 2 years since the implementation of the new radio system.

The radio system was purchased several years prior to its implementation, which makes me wonder if the warranty ran out before the radio system was put into service.

I know when I buy a piece of equipment, it is covered under warranty and if it isn't working right I can contact the company, and with their help the equipment should work properly.

The information given to the personnel using the radio system was that Harris, the company that owns the radio system, was working hand-in-hand with Metro to properly implement the system.

Rumors abound about the competency of the staff selected to oversee the implementation of Metro's radio system. The Bureau Cmdr. has virtually no experience with this type of system but is in charge of it. I'm not sure of the qualifications of his staff, but it appears they are not equipped to deal with this type of system. Rumors also were that Harris was not cooperating with Metro during this process.

While speaking to the personnel in the field, it is quite apparent that the radio system is very flawed, and in fact quite dangerous to the personnel who use them.  Officers frequently use their personal cell phones to call their dispatcher to notify them of their situation because the radio isn’t working.  Many times the officers get frustrated and don’t call in at all.

As I stated in the previous article and in this article, personnel in the field were first asked for their input regarding the efficiency/efficiency of the radio. The Bureau that was handling the radio system became inundated with complaints and instead of handling the complaints, began threatening employees with discipline for voicing their opinions.

While I was working with Metro, I myself did experience numerous problems and delinquent service regarding the implementation of the new radio system. For example, the motorcycle radio was still the old-style radio, and did not work well with the new radio system. Why did we have the old radio in our motorcycles? Because Harris and Metro did not have the foresight to realize that a radio was needed to work with our motor division. Our helicopters also did not have an updated radio due to a model wasn’t yet fabricated for the air units. 

After realizations that some of the pertinent units on the department did not have a compatible radio, several “experimental” radios were tested, in the field.  Our field, not Harris’ field.  Different versions showed up mounted in some of the Harleys. Not all the personnel had a say-so in the pick of the models they liked.

The officers in the field were frustrated with the lack of cooperation from the department reference this matter and were telling their family members that if they were injured or killed in the line of duty and the radio system had a part in their injuries or demise, the family members were to contact an attorney.

I have some ideas for the department to tally the amount of problems and complaints reference the radio system, maybe even resolve them:

1)    Officers, realizing their radios are not working, are having to use their personal cell phones while on duty, while engaged in police activity, maybe in a fight, possibly a gunfight or a pursuit, and since all police calls are recorded, the department should be able to answer several questions on the efficiency of the radio system. Dates, times, locations and situations will be documented.

2)    Briefings should be attended by a member of the upper administration, preferably someone of some intelligence and caring for members of the department, to gather comments from personnel who use the radio. The briefings should be an open forum and personnel attending should not be hand-picked by supervisors, but open to everyone. There should be an understanding that discipline will not be an option after hearing comments regarding the inefficiencies of the radio system.

3)    Risk Management will be notified of all documented comments and phone recordings from personnel using the radio.

4)    Attorneys for LVMPD will also be involved in this endeavor and should issue a statement addressed to the personnel and to the administration regarding a proper timeline to have the radio system up and functioning properly. They should also address concerns from personnel regarding the possible dangers of working and knowing that the radio system is faulty. They can also advise on legal action if/when an officer is injured or killed due to the ineffectiveness of the radio system.

5)    The department should hire an outside source to research and address the problems with the radio system.

6)    An internal, unbiased, unfettered investigation using an outside source to monitor the investigation should be conducted regarding the research, purchase, introduction, implementation and purchases to update the system. Criminal, procedural and civil violations should be a consideration.

7)    A partial or possible total refund of the purchase price of the radio system should also be considered.

I googled “Harris radio complaints” and within 3 minutes, was able to locate five articles regarding complaints about Harris radio in their systems. I'm sure if I spent more time I could have found more. The links are listed below.

Daily Herald  Palm Beach Post  Las Vegas Badger  Griffin Daily News Las Vegas RJ

If LVMPD administration is truly concerned about their personnel and the citizenry of Las Vegas/Clark County, I'm sure pressure applied to the right junctions could get some positive results.

Oh, if the administration chooses to attend the briefings and listen to complaints, the common phrase “you’re lucky to have a job” should not be one of the phrases they use. 

I don't think anybody won a raffle to get their job.

Is police work stressful? Part 1.

Police work has changed since about the 1980’s.  I entered the police force in 1987 and began my solo beat after field training in the early part of 1988.

The academy was very stressful, with senior officers screaming in your face, spittle spewing onto you as you tried to maintain some sort of composure.  After they were done yelling at you, you usually had to take a lap around the parking lot or 20 pushups.

Your weapon had to be beyond sparkling clean; your shoes and gun belt spit shined, uniform freshly pressed and clean.  If any of that was not 101%, you endure the discipline.

During one inspection, my classmate, standing next to me was noticeably squirming.  The senior officer inspecting him noticed an ant on his front sight of his displayed weapon and yelled, “Did we tell you it was okay to bring pets to the academy!!”  Discipline was administered and the recruit gladly took his lap so he could get off of the anthill he was standing over.

During our lunch break, which was usually “our” time, the academy lieutenant would come strolling through and help himself to our lunches, obviously without any resistance (the same lieutenant that threw our loaded weapons over the chain link fence where school kids were walking and who also shot up his house while off-duty and then later received a promotion).

My entire time in the academy, I observed everyone’s way of dealing with the “stress”, so not-so-well, and usually they quit.  We would have recruits quit the very first day because they couldn’t handle the stress of enduring an inspection.   We had a 50% washout from the academy and field training, which was deemed acceptable and the standard.  If 50% attrition was not achieved, there was a perceived problem with the program.

I graduated from the academy and within the first year of being on the street, a fellow officer, Marc Kahre, was shot and killed while on duty (lvmpd memorial).  I attended his funeral, and experienced a new type of emotional stress.  I saw what appeared to be the entire police department and other police department members, in dress uniforms, attending and paying their respects to a fellow brother-in-arms.  I observed thousands upon thousands of civilians line the motorcade route with their hands over their hearts as the motorcade passed. I watched as the flag was presented to his family at graveside. I felt the emotions of his family and friends. I then wondered if my family and friends would have to endure this also.

After the funeral, the camaraderie in the department was apparent.  Some attempts of humor veiled the sorrow hidden underneath the badge and uniforms.  Supervisors made sure that the message to “Be Safe” was repeated often and understood.  Officers spent a little extra time with other officers.  Even the citizens made sure that their appreciation was shown by saying a kind word and buying a cup of coffee for an unknown officer sitting nearby.

I then began to think about my choice to become a police officer.  Did I make the right decision?  I also had a family.  I didn’t want to them to suffer as Marc’s family and friends did. 

I had a decision to make.

To be continued…

Clark County - stop picking on small businesses, YOU'RE NOT helping the Economy

Big brother or big bully?

We all know Las Vegas has one of the worst unemployment rates in the country, probably almost 20%. People are struggling to make ends meet, especially small business owners. The small business owner is the crux of the economy in this country. We all have enjoyed going into that "mom and pop" store and soaked up the atmosphere in the business.

This past weekend, friends and I were enjoying the food and company at one of our favorite restaurants. The owners are in elderly couple, in their late 70s, who cook and wait tables. When we arrive on Sunday, our special tables are reserved, and our food is prepared without us looking at the menus. They are so accustomed to us and our eating habits, that our meal is custom made. After enjoying about seven different entrée plates, we enjoy a special dessert, found nowhere else in town. Each week we are treated to a different dessert.

After our meal, we sit and chat with the owners. Both are gentle souls and appreciate our company.
Due to the popularity of their food, they were voted by the people as one the most popular restaurants in town. The owners, proud of their accomplishment, had small banners made proclaiming their prestigious status. We help them hang the small banners from an overhang in front of the business, and mounted another banner to the wall behind the business.

While chatting with them this last Sunday, they relayed that an inspector from the city of Las Vegas came in and warned them about their banners. The inspector stated they were in violation for posting the banners without a permit. The permit cost, per banner, was $300 per month. Inspector then chastised the owners for not having a permit and told them that they face the possibility of jail time for the violation. They were given to the 12th of the month to remove the banners.

This particular restaurant is what you would call "a hole in the wall" business, and is manned mostly by the owners. They were appalled that the inspector threatened them with jail time for such a trivial violation.
The banners were made from vinyl, and were approximately 4' x 10" in size, with no framework involved. They were not obscuring anyone's view. They were not placed in anyone’s path. They were securely fastened to the overhang.

This couple struggles to maintain this restaurant, even with their popularity among the people. To have a government official threatened seniors, with jail time, for a violation that most people didn't even know existed, is ludicrous.

Another business owner told me that he rented his particular space for his fully equipped restaurant at a cost of $15,000 a month, for approximately 6 months, while waiting for the County to approve his permits. He stated his costs for those six months almost put him out of business, before his business started. Six months waiting for permits?

Do these officials realize their efforts to nickel and dime small businesses will also affect their jobs? If their concentrated efforts put these small businesses out of business, they will have no one to pick on.
And is it so serious that a small business owner can proudly proclaim on a small banner, hanging from their storefront, that they are the "People’s Choice”?

For a government official to threaten an elderly citizen with jail time instead of remedying the situation is unacceptable. Fortunately, the business owners shrugged inspector's comments off.
The same business owners also stated that in order to get a consult from an official at the health department for a proposed buffet would cost over $300. A consult.

Everyone knows the economy is bad. But it seems small government is trying to get all its money back by concentrating on the easy, trivial matters, and causing heartburn for the small business owner who can't afford a corporate attorney.

The remedy, as far as I'm concerned, is easy.

The inspector, I'm sure has the ability to issue a warning. The warning will give a date for the violation to be corrected. If not corrected by the date, a fine will be imposed. No threats needed. The needed information is given, lesson is learned, and the business owner can continue operating his business.

Big brother needs to realize that they are not the neighborhood bully, or some hoodlum terrorizing the neighborhood businesses.

Give the little guy a break…

World's most Expensive cars

What's your dream car?

While browsing around the Internet, looking at my fantasy cars, unexpectedly I found at least two Lamborghini dealerships here in Las Vegas.

Not that I was just looking to buy, I was anticipating a new Christmas present.

One of the dealerships is fairly new, and makes me wonder about how bad the economy really is, but I'm not complaining. I love the eye candy.

I've always been a car buff, and love the old iron as well as the new, sleek, sexy, carbon fiber, 800 (or more, YES!!) hp exotics.

After a little more browsing, I found the top 10 most expensive production cars in the world and I thought I would share with you the eye candy.

#10.   Porsche Carrera GT. $440,000 

Porsche Carrera GT

            Top speed 205 mph, 10 cylinder rear-mounted engine.

#9.      Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren roadster $495,000 
            Top Speed 206 mph,

#8.      Koenigsegg CCX $545,560 
            Top speed 245 mph.

#7.      Saleen S7 Twin Turbo 
            Top speed 248 mph, hand built, claim to be the  
             fastest American-built car.

#6.      SSC ultimate Aero $654,400 


Pagani

             Top Speed 257 mph.  Newest version claim to reach 287 mph.

#5.      Pagani Zonda C12 F $667,321 
            Top Speed 215 mph. Approximately 10 built per year.

#4.      Ferrari Enzo $670,000 
            Top Speed 217 mph. Only 400 produced.

             Currently sells for over $1 million. 

#3.      McLaren F1 $970,000 (insert McLaren pix here)

Lamborghini

            Top speed 240 mph. Only 106 cars ever manufactured.

#2.      Lamborghini Reventon $1.6 million 
            Top Speed 211 mph. Only 20 manufactured.

#1.      Bugatti Veyron $1.7 million 
            Top Speed 253 mph.

Bugatti

 

These cars listed are "base" models with upgraded versions costing thousands, if not hundreds of thousands more (I think one of Bugatti’s “upgrades” costs 1 million more).

Christmas is coming, so if you need to, print out this article, the cars are listed in order by cost, and hang it on the refrigerator.

Would you leave your kids at home by themselves?

Would you leave your kids at home by themselves?

There was an article in Sunday's local paper reference children being left at home by themselves which gave me flashbacks to my previous job as a police officer.

Many times I responded to homes with unattended children inside, sometimes even outside the house.

Each circumstance was different, but too many times I did find children left home alone.  Sometimes, a cultural difference was very apparent (we found children locked in the closet, common to the region the parents were from).

While reading the article, it quoted a child specialist stated the approximate age appropriate for a child left alone was eight years old.

I am wondering if this child specialist is relying on the assumption that all eight-year-olds are the same and receive the same stimulation from their education and parents.

Regressing, I did find children of this age, unattended, and completely unable to take care of themselves and other children that may have been with them. I also found several children of this age, left alone, with complete knowledge of how to get a hold of their parents, with phone numbers, how to get ahold of the neighbors, who to contact in case of an emergency and where the food was in the house.

There were also times when I found children much older, again, not able to take care of themselves or their siblings.

My initial thoughts were of the children's welfare, and then the thoughts of the parents who left the children by themselves.

When the police find children unattended, they exhaust all avenues to locate the parents or relatives and check the house to make sure the residence is safe for children of that age to be left alone in that environment.

I have personally inspected homes (and have talked to other officers who have done the same) to find that some homes should not have children in them at all, whether the parents were home or not. Homes were in total disarray, with garbage piled up inside, as high as 4 feet, with a slight path in the middle of the garbage to access the other rooms.

We have found weapons, such as guns, knives, matches and other dangerous substances, such as chemicals (household cleaners) within children's reach. Some homes had virtually no food, and if they did, it was spoiled/rotten/moldy.  I’ve taken money from my own pocket to make sure the children got something decent to eat. (Sidenote; a fellow officer was transporting 3 young children to Child Haven for protective custody and stopped at a local fast food drive thru to get the children something to eat and had a complaint filed on her because the citizen couldn’t see the children in the car.  The citizen thought the officer was buying the food to feed her own children.)

I have also been inside homes where you could actually hear the roaches crawling around inside the cupboards and seeing mice or rats running along the baseboard.

I have personally wiped down children, due to the filth that had accumulated on them.

I have dealt with angry parents. Angry because someone would actually call the police because their child was at home alone. I have also dealt with the gracious parents, thanking me and the person who called, grateful that someone was paying attention.

I personally think that “specialists” who state that a certain age it is okay for children to be left at home should take a look at the parents.

Kids learn from their parents. If the parents don't teach them what they need to know to survive, the children will be unable to properly care for themselves.

Parents need to know what dangers are within the house that they plan to leave the children in. Kids will be kids. They are curious, and they want to explore.

Many of the rooms in the house may have been off limits to the children and if the parents aren't home, this gives them a great opportunity to "explore”.

While many of the items that the children can find while exploring could be dangerous, some of the items that they may find could be embarrassing to the parents.

While your bedroom may be a private place for you, during the child's "adventure”, they may find something that you will have great difficulty in trying to explain to them. I'm sure there will be a great schoolyard story for them and a funny story in the future for the parents.

If a police officer responds to a house that has an unattended child, and they make the determination that the child cannot care for him/herself, the child may be taken into protective custody and the parents or guardians could be charged with neglect/abuse.

You, as a parent, should feel very comfortable leaving your child alone. If there is any doubt, you should try to resolve it by covering all the bases. Does your child know how to get a hold of you at any time? If they can’t get a hold of you, is there somebody else they can call? Is your house childproof? Is there a chance they could fall down the stairs? Can the neighbors check on them every so often? Do they know how to prepare their food? Can they answer the phone or the door?

There are several options in making sure that your children are safe, either at home or at school. The school district does operate a “Safekey” operation that allows them to stay after school for short periods of time until someone can pick them up.

If you see a child unattended, or suspect them to be, you can call the police, and remain anonymous.

It would be hard dealing with your conscience if you knew something was wrong and did nothing about it.

Do you have the proper car insurance?

Do you have the proper car insurance?

When I was involved in conducting accident investigation, the most common question was "do they have insurance?" 

I always told them that they would get the other driver’s insurance information on the information sheet I would give them after my investigation was complete.

A few days later, I would receive a phone call from one of the involved drivers claiming that the insurance information on the report was not valid.

As an investigating police officer, I can only get information that was given to me at the scene and appeared to be valid. We do not call the insurance company to make sure that the driver was current in his payments or that his policy had lapsed. If the documents they produce at the scene appear to be valid, that is the information that is documented on the accident report.

Inevitably, a driver would neglect to pay his insurance policy during the contract period, but his proof of insurance document would show the expiration date in a few months.

The phone call involving the other driver would consist of their request for me to follow-up on the insurance. At that point, we cannot track down the other driver to issue another citation or summons into court and I would tell the other driver to contact his own insurance company for follow-up.

A few days later, I would receive another phone call from the same driver, stating that his insurance company was not going to pay his claim because he only had liability insurance with no coverage for underinsured/uninsured drivers.

Sometimes, I would receive a tongue lashing, as if it was my fault for allowing the other driver to operate a motor vehicle, uninsured in the state of Nevada. 

I understand vehicle insurance is expensive, and the economy is in the toilet, and a lot of people are out of work, but having a vehicle is a priority to get around. Many folks are able to pay off their vehicle loan, and immediately drop their insurance coverage from full coverage to liability only.

When this change comes into play is when they become involved in a vehicle accident that may or may not be their fault. For instance, we have a high incidence of hit and run drivers, which leaves the victim driver with little or no information about the other car and driver. When the victim driver contacts his own insurance company, he may be told that he only has liability insurance and is not covered in the accident. The vehicle may be totaled and is written off with no compensation towards a new vehicle.

The few dollars per month you save reducing your coverage will not be worth it when you find out your vehicle is being totaled.

Talk to your insurance agent about your coverage. Don't just try to get the lowest amount of monthly payment. Ask your agent about roadside service, towing, rental cars, underinsured/uninsured motorists, deductibles, and your coverage amounts. Nevada has a minimum 15/30/10 law which means they cover 15,000/30,000 per accident for injuries. For example, if one person was injured, they may receive $15,000 coverage. If it was two injured in the accident, each person would receive $15,000 coverage. The third number is for property damage.

There are very few vehicles on the road, if totaled, that would be covered by the $10,000 limit, and the cost of medical care is beyond belief. An ambulance trip alone will cost you about $1000. Depending on the treatment you receive at emergency, it could cost anywhere from $500 on up. If you received a broken bone, and a minor surgery, I'm sure that would eat up the minimum coverage.

Take some time and go over all the "what if" scenarios.

A few dollars extra per month could save you several hundred per month in new car payments.