I usually don't like giving tickets on holidays. What?!?! Yes, you read that correctly. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years will typically find me giving warnings or just plain leaving folks alone. Part of it is that traffic is virtually non-existent on those days and the other part is even my coal black heart warms a bit on a holiday (except Arbor Day...Spare the Air days my ass!)
Christmas Eve, however, is not a holiday. It is not Christmas. It is the day before. Thus, the "Eve" part. This is how my first stop of the day went.
MC: Morning...do you know why I stopped you?
CES (Christmas Eve Speeder): Um...speeding?
MC: Yeah. Do you know what the speed limit is?
CES: 45.
MC: Do you know how fast you were going?
CES: No.
MC: 62. Do you have your license, registration and insurance?
CES: Sure.
I walked back to the motor and wrote out the speeding ticket.
MC: Okay, I need you to sign the highlighted yellow portion, please.
CES (signs): You do know it's Christmas Eve, don't you?
MC: Indeed, I do. Drive safely.
I handed him his copy of the cite and returned to the motor. This is how I cleared the stop over the air.
MC: MC.
Radio: MC?
MC: Can you confirm today is Christmas Eve?
Radio (hesitates): I can and it is.
MC: Copy. Just wanted to make sure. My subject seemed to think so and I wanted to confirm his calendar was accurate. 10-8 on a cite.
Occasionally, you've gotta say stuff like that over the air to entertain yourself, your dispatcher, and your partners. When I got back to the PD, I was greeted with chuckles and smiles. I love the holiday season!
If I have to be at work on a holiday, I'm doing my job.
ReplyDeleteSign here, press hard, 5 copies.
You mean there's no free pass on christmas Eve? What about my birthday or Easter? Kind of reminds me of my favorite one. "It's okay, I work here." or "It's okay, there wasn't anyone around." The list goes on and on.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it a violation of church and state to use a religious holiday as grounds for not citing someone? Just askin'... ;)
ReplyDeleteI love it when an officer comes over my air with a fun comment of such!!!! It makes the entire day turn around! (Usually for all of us in the room since we turn up the volumne and play it for all to hear!)
ReplyDelete-Dispatcher
You're a real card, MC! Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear that from my officers!!! My guys like to play the Grinch games on Christmas Eve too!
ReplyDeleteTickets on Christmas Eve make Baby Jesus cry.
ReplyDeleteHumor and idle chatter on the air should be minimized as much as possible. Succinct and to the point, we are encouraged to not even let slip a 'thank you' or a 'please'.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the well-placed broadcast zing is priceless. Well-played, sir! :D
It's true, your dispatchers love you a little more when you clear calls that way sometimes. My favorite is the time an officer cleared a suspicious vehicle call "10-8, mood effectively ruined."
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