WEATHER REPORT; “NORTH END GETS SNOW”

                                                                 By CLAUDE ANDERSON 58-70

 

 

I HAVE BEEN READING SOME OF THE "DOUG TRAVIS" STORIES AND REALLY HAD TO LAUGH.  EVERYONE IS RIGHT, HE WAS ONE GREAT PATROL DEPUTY AND I HAD THE HONOR TO WORK RADIO CARS NEXT TO HIS AREA.  IF A HOT CALL WAS ASSIGNED TO YOUR UNIT YOU KNOW HE WAS ENROUTE.    HERE'S A HUMOROUS STORY THAT DOUG HAD NO PART OF.... BUT WAS THE ORIGINAL TARGET FOR SOME "RADIO CAR TOMFOOLERY"

MOST STORIES TODAY BEGIN WITH "IN A GALAXY FAR AWAY, LONG LONG AGO"

THERE WERE THREE FIRESTONE UNITS WORKING THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT IN THE NORTH END.  CAR 11 CAR 11 ADAM WITH DOUG TRAVIS AND PARTNER AND CAR 12 (ME WITH A PARTNER)

A WEEK BEFORE, LAPD MADE THE EVENING NEWS WITH ONE RADIO CAR SQUIRTING SHAVING CREAM ON ANOTHER UNIT'S RADIO CAR WHILE THE CREW WAS AWAY TAKING A REPORT.  NATURALLY THIS SPILLED OVER TO THE COUNTY AREA AND WITH DOUG AROUND, SEVERAL CREWS RETURNED TO THEIR UNITS TO FIND A VICIOUS DOG IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE RADIO CAR OR A CHICKEN!

ON THIS NIGHT, CAR 11A RECEIVED A CALL RE: A BURGLARY REPORT.  DOUG'S PARTNER ACKED THE CALL, BUT BOTH OUR UNITS WERE IN THE STATION PARKING LOT.  I TOLD DOUG THAT WE COULD HANDLE THE CALL AS WE HAD BEEN AT THE LOCATION BEFORE AND POSSIBLY IT WAS A CONTINUANCE OF A BURGLARY RING WORKING THE AREA AND WE COULD POSSIBLY WRITE IT UP AS A "SUPP REPORT" UNDER OUR ORIGINAL FILE NUMBER.  DOUG SAID GO AHEAD AND I TOLD THE DESK THAT 12 WOULD HANDLE THE CALL.

NOW REMEMBER CAR 11 WAS IN THE FIELD AND HEARD 11A ACKNOWLEDGE THE CALL.

AFTER WE HANDLED THE CALL AND RETURNED TO OUR UNIT WE FOUND IT HAD "SNOWED" INSIDE THE VEHICLE.  SEVERAL FIRE EXTINGUISHERS HAD BEEN EMPTYED INSIDE THE RADIO CAR.   THE WHITE POWDER WAS ALMOST TWO INCHES DEEP IN PLACES.  FRONT SEAT, BACK SEAT, DASH BOARD, SHOTGUN  & REPORT BOX.   LITTLE THINGS LIKE THIS NEVER GOT ANYONE MAD, IN FACT MY PARTNER AND I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY FUNNY.   NOW, WHAT DO WE DO?  THE BALL IS IN OUR COURT AND WE HAVE TO GET THIS CLEANED UP BEFORE THE PATROL SGT COMES ACROSS US.  AND HE WAS OUT IN THE FIELD THIS NIGHT!   THE "GREAT BLUE CODE" WAS SUCH THAT WE WOULD NEVER "FINK" ON ANOTHER UNIT AND WE CAME UP WITH THE STORY "IF” WE’RE CAUGHT LIKE THIS, WE'LL JUST SAY OUR FIRE EXTINGUISHER MUST HAVE HAD A BAD VALVE AND EXPLODED INSIDE THE VEHICLE.  IF THE SGT ASKS WHY IT WAS NOT IN THE TRUNK, WE'LL TELL HIM WE SMELLED SMOKE EARLIER FROM UNDER THE DASHBOARD! (SOUNDS PLAUSIBEL..MOST OF THE UNITS WERE READY TO CATCH FIRE ANYWAY!)

WE KNEW WE COULD'NT GO TO THE STATION TO HAVE THE TRUSTIES CLEAN UP THIS MESS AS THE WORD WOULD GET OUT AND SOMEBODY WOULD GET IN TROUBLE.

WE DROVE TO THE ALL NIGHT STATION AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF FIRESTONE & ALAMEDA AND PARKED BEHIND THE STATION.  THE OWNER WAS A GREAT FRIEND AND PUT THREE OF HIS BOY'S ON THE CAR WITH HIGH PRESSURE AIR HOSES AND VACUUMS.    WITHIN 20 MINUTES THAT CAR WAS CLEAN AS A WHISTLE!   MY PARTNER & I GOT BLOWN CLEAN WITH THE AIR HOSES AS OUR UNIFORMS WERE WHITE AS SNOW FROM SITTING IN THE VEHICLE.

NOW WE WERE READY TO TRACK DOWN THE "RASCALS" IN CAR 11, AS WE FIGURED THAT DOUG IN CAR 11A WAS THE REAL TARGET.   SURE ENOUGH, WE FOUND THEM HAVING COFFEE AT THE LITTLE STAND AT HOOPER & FLORENCE.

WE PULLED IN AND THE TWO OF THEM WERE ABSOLUTELY GIGGY!   THEY HAD TEARS IN THEIR EYE'S AS THEY EXPLAINED HOW THEY SNUCK UP ON DOUG AND SHOT FOUR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS INTO THE CAR.  THEY WANTED TO WAIT AROUND TO SEE HIS REACTION, BUT THEY GOT A RADIO CALL AND HAD TO LEAVE.  WHEN THEY GOT BACK, DOUG WAS GONE!

WHEN THEY FINISHED DOUBLING OVER WITH LAUGHTER... I TOLD THEM..."SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED"

I TOLD THEM IT WASN'T DOUG TRAVIS, BUT THE PATROL SGT AND THE WATCH COMMANDER FOLLOWING UP ON A BURGLARY!   YOU TWO CLOWNS "DUSTED" THEIR RADIO CAR!      EVER SEE TWO WHITE GUY'S TURN ALBINO?

I THINK THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE WENT UP OVER 300.

OF COURSE WHEN I SAW HOW SCARED THEY NOW WERE I HAD TO RAISE THE PRESSURE SOME MORE.  I WENT ON HOW THE SGT & LT STARTED SCREAMING AND PLACED A CALL TO "PERSONNEL DOWNTOWN" WHO ARE SENDING TWO DETECTIVES TO CHECK OUT EVERY UNIT COMING INTO THE STATION PARKING LOT.  HEAVEN HELP ANY UNIT WITH AN EMPTY FIRE EXTINGUISHER!  THEN I TOLD THEM WE ARE GOING BACK TO OUR AREA AS WE DON'T WANT TO BE SEEN TALKING TO YOUR GUYS.

WE DROVE OFF LEAVING TWO VERY SHAKEN DEPUTIES.

A LITTLE WHILE LATER WE HEARD THEM ASK FOR A MEET WITH CAR 11A (WE FOUND OUT THEY WANTED TO CHECK OUT 11A TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY WHITE POWDER) WHEN THEY FOUND NONE AND DOUG SHOWED NO KNOWLEDGE-THEY ALMOST FAINTED.  THEY KNEW IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN US AS WE COULD'NT HAVE CLEANED UP THAT FAST!  (HA!)

WE FOUND OUT LATER THE REST OF THE SHIFT THEY WERE THINKING OF WAYS TO EXPLAIN "DUSTING" THE SGTS & LT'S VEHICLE.

THINGS LOOKED MIGHTY BLEAK AS THEIR LAST NIGHT AS DEPUTIES DREW NEAR.  I ALMOST FELT SORRY FOR THEM (BUT NOT QUITE)

WHEN OUR SHIFT WAS OVER WE TURNED IN THE EQUIPMENT AND CHANGED CLOTHES...CAR 11 STILL HAD NOT COME IN AS THEY FEARED PEOPLE WAITING FOR THEM AT THE GAS PUMP WITH A ROPE TO HANG THEM.

I HAD ONE DIRTY TRICK LEFT...I GAVE AN ENVELOPE TO THE STATION COMMANDER ASKING IF HE WOULD GIVE IT TO THE DEPUTIES WHEN THEY CAME IN...SAYING I WOULD'NT TRUST ANYONE ELSE. 

FINALLY THEY PULLED INTO THE LOT AND THE TRUSTIES BEGAN GASSING THEM UP...THEY'RE LOOKING AROUND FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN.   MY PARTNER AND I ARE IN THE NARCO ROOM WATCHING THEM...THEN I CALLED THE DESK AND HAD THEM PAGED..."DEPUTIES.........&........ REPORT TO THE STATION COMMANDER!"    YOU CANNOT BELIEVE HOW FAST BLOOD CAN DRAIN FROM A HUMAN FACE!

THESE TWO SORRY SOULS SLUMP INTO HIS OFFICE AND THE CAPTAIN SAY'S...... "OH HI,...CLAUDE WANTED ME TO GIVE THIS TO YOU..SAID IT WAS IMPORTANT!"

THEY OPEN THE LETTER AND ALL IT SAID WAS "HA" "HA" "HA".

HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO ACTUALLY KILL SOMEONE?  BUT, AT THE SAME TIME WERE SO RELIEVED YOU WANTED TO HUG THEM?  SO WENT THEIR EMOTIONS

 

FIRESTONE STATION.... NOT JUST A JOB, BUT ALSO A LIFETIME OF MEMORIES!