Serial Rapist

Last night, March 29, I was assigned to work the 10 o’clock or the midnight shift. My partner was supposed to be Officer Hixon. Yes, I said supposed to be. The reason behind that is that Officer Hixon never picked me up. Now, before you start assuming things and making judgments, Hixon didn’t forget me. He was sent home because of a shooting and suicide. My ride was put on hold and is now scheduled for next Thursday, April 5th.

I wasn’t supposed to come into the office today because of my late shift. However, since I didn’t go, I was on call. My call came at approximately 10am. I was to go into the office to help with a serial rapist case. I was debriefed around 1130 and started to follow leads and take calls around noon. With each phone call I received, I took a message ad then called Lt. Richardson, who informed the others.

With each new lead, I have more and more people to call. I started to become stressed; I was the only one left in the office. I had to complete ten detectives’ jobs to the best of my abilities and to do my own. It didn’t help that the twelve o’clock news broadcasted our suspect’s name, location, and charges. Everyone and their mother kept calling. Some people had decent leads, but others wanted more information that I wasn’t at liberty to discuss.

As 1300 came and went, the phone calls started to die down. Now the only officers, Marshals, DNA specialists, and my boss were calling. I slowly started to catch-up on my messages and notes. With each phone call, I kept hoping for an all clear, but with each passing minute, my hopes kept dwindling. Radio calls to other officer confirmed the fruitlessness of each new lead or interrogation. My boss kept calling in for back up, but I couldn’t send anyone. Everyone was out on the scene. He had to play hide and seek; he was going to sit in his car and wait. Then, we got a radio call and the day seemed to switch gears. One of our SVU officers thought she had spotted the suspect walking down Connecticut. Officer Peck decided to make contact. The man started running. Now, several officers were in on the chase.

This whole time, I am continuing to answer phone calls. I ca hear the officers yelling franticly over the radio to each other. They are afraid of losing the man. He keeps running in and out of houses and apartments. He was armed and dangerous. Even though I’m not there, my adrenaline was pumping-darn my blasted knee.

Then all of the sudden, the radio went dead silent. Did anyone have him apprehended? Where was the K-9 unit? Did we have a perimeter set up? Were people in the neighborhood informed of how dangerous this man was? How was Detective Peck doing? She is a very small woman-even her name was Half-pint. More and more questions went through my head. I still hadn’t heard from anyone.

Finally, a call came through. A perimeter was set. No one was allowed to enter or leave without his or her car being searched. The K-9 unit was on its way. It was now 1312, and the suspect just seemed to disappear. Then, someone said that she saw him jump a fence in her backyard. All officers were to 10-61 (back-up needed).

Once again, my boss called for back up. I told him people had to come off the perimeter, otherwise there would be no back up. He 10-4 (copied) and I sent two officers with Lt. Richardson. When an officer is chasing after an armed and dangerous suspect, it is protocol and mandatory that they have a back up. If they don’t the chance of them being seriously injured, even with a Kevlar vest, sky rockets. They also will get a suspension depending on the department. This man was not one to mess around with.

At 1334, he was spotted again. This time he was in the alley. Joplin Police Department were closing in on him. He ran and tried to hide under a building. A transport car was on scene. All looked good for us; terrible for the suspect. This case looked close to being closed. One officer radioed, “10-4 I’m going to be 10-15.” This meant he was going to apprehending the suspect. As soon as he called 10-15, the man would be on his way to Jasper County Sheriff’s Office detention center.

At approximately 1350 hours, our suspect was apprehend and placed behind bars. Not too bad; only a four-hour turn around. To some that might not sound very fast, but this wasn’t the TV shows people watch daily. This case was closed in record time. Now all that was left were filing charges, taking evidence, and informing Oklahoma and Texas that the suspect could be transported and detained there.

Politics

Audrey Bain

Should it surprise me that politics play a huge part in police work? It shouldn’t. I knew that the Sheriff’s son had some things stolen in January, but I didn’t realize just how much time, work, and money he wanted to spend on this one case.

Today we spent so much of our resources on looking for a stolen Yamaha camouflage print ATV. I went out with several other officers in a three-car caravan. With us, we took two ATV’s to search for tire tracks and the stolen ATV. We looked for the ATV for over three hours before Lt. Richardson and I left to look somewhere else.

We took four high school boys out of class and threatened them with arrests and with multiple felony charges. All of the boys’ stories matched by one. We decided to call his parents and have them meet us at the station. All the while, we were talking to these boys, the three other men we left with at nine o’clock this morning were still looking for the ATV. The Sheriff didn’t even get involved himself, but by God, if we didn’t spend every waking moment today it was us on the line.

Unfortunately, we are still on the line. We didn’t find the ATV and we are only a little closer to where we were before. We know what our assignment is tomorrow before we even walk into the building. We will be working the same assignment everyday until that ATV is found.

*Half an hour after I left, Dect. Kevin Mitchell found the ATV. However, all of us still had punishments to fulfill. We all had to work the night shift on Thursday.

SVU

Audrey Bain

No one thinks about their child being sexually assaulted, yet alone wants that to happen to their own flesh and blood. I got a true shocker today and to tell the truth it not only opened my eyes to the horrors people can commit but also to the side of law enforcement and the people that work these cases. To say the least, my day was completely ruined after I saw the first case.

No one ever wants to see that. That consisting of photographs of raped or molested children, child pornography, or a case of sodomy. When I saw these cases today, I saw into my future. I saw my child in that venerable position. I also saw my little brother’s face. It made my heart drop and my stomach churn. I thought I was going to get sick. This had to be one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen. In each one of those children, I saw an innocent face and a life now ruined. Those girls will never be the same.

I thought that I would be ready to see all the things that dealt with the criminal justice field. I was extremely wrong. Now I know that I will never be able to see these perps the same again. It’s a totally different seeing it first hand than seeing it on the television shows. I thought that I would be able to become hardened and things wouldn’t bother me. Once again, I was completely wrong.
Words cannot even begin to explain what I felt or how it has changed my life. I don’t even understand how I am feeling at this present moment. Words are completely escaping and I know for sure that I am feeling a sense of hopelessness and sorrow. The images of the kids will never leave my mind no matter how hard I try to make them.

Stabbings and Lies

Audrey Bain


When you talk to a police officer you always hear, “No day is ever the same. Everyday brings a new surprise.” I didn’t really take that to heart. It seemed to me that I had being doing pretty much the same, but not so mundane, work. Today completely changed my mind. Today, I worked a case involving a possibly fatal stabbing and aggravated assault.

I went into the office this morning and was surprised when I was handed a set of examination gloves as I walked through the door. I was told to put them on before I came in and not to touch anything just yet. When I rounded the corner, I saw several evidence bags, bloody clothing, and was informed that there was a car that needed to be processed in the sally port. Apparently, two Hispanic men got into a scuffle at approximately 1 o’clock this morning. One of the men stabbed the other severely and sent him to the hospital. Right now, he is in ICU and the officers’ aren’t holding their breath. We arrested a man at nine this morning. Around 10 o’clock I was sent in with Lt. Richardson to interrogate the man. He was cut up head to toe. We asked very politely, but forcefully, if he knew what happened to the knife he had been stabbed with. We even played with his head a little bit and told him that he wouldn’t be charged with anything because he had to act in his own defense (Little did he know, that his parole officer had already revoked his parole because he wasn’t allowed to be in Missouri. This man was going to be shipped back to Arkansas as soon as our investigation is finished).

I was taken aback by the way he lied to us. I could tell when he was lying, he wouldn’t look at us and he kept changing his speech pattern. While he was making up lies, he would leave out words such as dawg, homie, brotha. When he told us the truth, his speech was littered with those words. He lied to protect himself. However, he didn’t use his lies to his advantage. He lied about things that could not be disputed like photographs, DNA, and blood spatter. This man lied to complicate his friends and family. He was going to do anything not be taken down.

After we interrogated him, I was informed about the rest of the situation. When I was in the interrogation room, I didn’t know the fight and stabbing started from a bad drug deal. It would have been nice to know those kinds of things; however, in hindsight I can see more and more of this man’s lies unfolding. I can also understand why I wasn’t informed of everything that had happened before we spoke to the suspect. The more information that I knew, the more I was likely to give away, whether that was by facial expression, or by a slow reaction time to telling my own lies to the suspect. Lt. Richardson was protecting me in a way, and he was making sure that the investigation wasn’t going to be compromised.

I went with another officer to process the car and the fingerprints and blood inside and on it. While taking notes and collecting samples, I thought more about what had happened only a couple of rooms away. I continued to work right through lunch until it was time to go. Never again will I think that everyday will be the same. It is all how you take it- you can run with life or you can just sit back and watch the game. I will run with whatever life throws at me and never, if I can help it, sit on the bench and watch the game.

Tickets, Meth Labs, and Warrants

Today, Friday, March 2, was a very interesting day. I had the opportunity to go on rounds with a uniformed mobile police officer. Most people know this as a ride-along. What started as a slow morning turned into an exciting adventure. I knew it would be worth my time to roll out of bed.

At 9 am, an officer picked me up at my home in a squad car. Talk about an early morning shock to the neighbors. Oh well, they probably needed it.

The morning started off with a few warrants to be served. We were sent on a wild goose chase for the first warrant. Her mother said one thing and her biological father said another. We ended up off of 7th and Malang, a trailer park. We were told to look for a trailer with a black truck, large grill, and a riding lawnmower. There turned out to be several trailers with those items. Sergeant Ganz and I decided to ask around and see if anyone knew of our suspect. The first man we spoke to had no teeth and his gums were rotted out. We took his license and found out that he was wanted for a meth-lab. However, we didn’t have an arrest warrant and couldn’t take him in. Ganz told him that if he cooperated then we wouldn’t send out another trooper or officer that day. The man complied. He told us exactly where our suspect was.

Ganz had me go and knock on the door. He had me knock because if he was seen the lady wouldn’t open her door. To my surprise it wasn’t a lady that answered the door. A drunk, old man answered the door and was on probation and parole. Being drunk was not in his favor. Ganz told the drunk that we were with the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department and then entered the trailer. We questioned the man about his daughter. To our surprise, he didn’t know where she was. Ironic, I think not. Oh well, just another day in police work right? Ganz and I left the trailer and told the man that if he knew where his daughter was hiding and didn’t tell us he would be placed under arrest for aiding a criminal. After we placed that situation on the man, we went on our merry way.

We then got a call about a house that had the door left open for three days. The neighbors were concerned that someone had broken into the house or that the owner was hurt or dead inside. Ganz called backup because I didn’t have a gun or a Kevlar vest on. I couldn’t clear rooms because I wasn’t a threat and could potentially be held as a hostage. That was the last thing I wanted. So I said it was just fine if we waited on another officer. Officer Terry arrived a few minutes later. We went inside with Officer Terry. They cleared the first room and I was allowed inside. We went through the rest of the house. No one was inside. Nothing was in the house. I looked at the window and noticed a piece of paper taped to it. I told Officer Terry and he said to take it off and see what it was. It was a notice of eviction. The house had been busted earlier this year for a meth lab inside the attic. That was the reason that no one was home. The door must have just blown open. We locked all the doors and the windows. We taped the notice back on the window.

Next, we made traffic stops. One man we stopped had a cracked windshield. Ganz wanted to stop him and just give him a warning to have it fixed. However, the man decided to be a real jerk. That was his first mistake. Officer Ganz decided that he would then get a citation. When we asked for insurance information, the man didn’t have any. Mistake number two. Officer Ganz then wrote him a ticket for no proof of insurance. The man threw a hissy-fit and ended up getting his citation turned into a ticket as well. (Note to self- never back talk a cop, they will get mad at you.) It was only 10:30: I had another three hours.

Within a matter of minutes, we had another person pulled over. He had a child in his car and she wasn’t in a car seat. This little girl was only two or three years old. The man was driving a pick-up truck with its license plate in the wrong spot and he was speeding. Officer Ganz was only going to give the man a speeding ticket; however, the man turned out to be a felon. This felon was on probation and parole and one of his conditions was not to drive. We had to call for back-up. Two other squad cars showed up. Then we got the call of the day over the police radio.

Two men decided to rob and hold up a convenience store. The white, Dodge truck needed to be pulled over and the men inside needed to be arrested. The two men inside had already held up the store once in February. We left the two other officers to take care of the felon and his daughter. This was important and had to be taken care of by someone who wasn’t a rookie or a newer member on the squad. We spent the next hour looking for this truck. We followed several different trucks tracing tags. Our efforts proved to be fruitless. However, as we were looking for this truck, Ganz showed me several things. We drove by some many meth houses and dope givers that I lost count. Ganz showed me the houses and trailers that he had busted within the last month. I was in shock. He told me that to sell meth in the four state area was asking to be arrested and to spend a long time in jail. He kept calling these people vulgar names and worthless bags of humans. I didn’t say anything even though it bothered me that he was making these comments. Those people were human. Yes, they had and are making some very bad decisions, but they can go to rehab. I wouldn’t have gone as far as to call them worthless. Yes, they are and were scumbags, but that doesn’t mean that they are necessarily lower than trash.

We continued to move around the county. We went up and down old highways and streets that needed repairs so badly it wasn’t even funny. When we crossed Maiden Lane, Ganz came to a screeching halt and then whipped his squad car around. I was completely confused. I heard nothing on the radio and didn’t see anything wrong. Ganz had seen a drug transfer. He went to go pull over the truck that left a dope house. However, when Ganz went to frisk the man and search his vehicle, he found nothing. The man had just sold the dope. We couldn’t bust him on having money because we didn’t have any hard, physical evidence. The guy got away.

We were back to making traffic stops. On one country road we pulled over a man for exhibition of speed and speeding. Another squad car was coming down the road at us. He didn’t stop to ask if Ganz needed back-up. He was pulling over another man. This cop happened to be what I now consider a pig.
I had never been the one to call an officer a pig. However, after today the word pig had a new meaning. Someone can be an officer of the law, but they can also be a pig. A pig is a cop that is a jerk. They will go out of their way to pull someone over or to arrest them. An officer of the law pulls someone over because that person is endangering the lives of average civilians. Officer Ganz is not a pig; however, one of his officer friends is. This man shall remain nameless, but I will tell you just what makes him a pig. This man pulled over a driver because they gave him a strange look. This man gave this driver a ticket that he didn’t deserve because he didn’t look at an officer the ‘right’ way. That to me was complete and total bull. I learned that there are good cops and bad cops; cops that do things the right way and cops that do things the wrong, immoral way.

Random Emotions or Normal Feelings?

On Monday, several different emotions ran through me. With each new activity, the emotions changed. Some of these emotions surprised me, while others just seemed mundane.

Lt. Ron took me on a tour of the whole building. At first, the walk through was exciting. I got to see the evidence room, booking chambers, and meet all of the other Lieutenants on the squad. However, as we rounded the corner into processing my heart skipped a beat.

In the hallway into the processing room everything was hunky-dory and strangely peaceful. However, in a matter of seconds I became very nervous. It didn’t help that Lt. Ron said, “What out for shit-bags. Sometimes they are unpredictable.”

At first, I didn’t understand. Then within the blink of an eye, I understood everything completely. A woman weighing every bit of 220 pounds came bounding down the hallway in a blind, confused rage. Her hair was disheveled. When she came closer, her black and white jumpsuit revealed leg cuffs but no handcuffs. I was so nervous and frightened that I jumped behind Lt. Ron. It wasn’t her size that scared me. It was the way she kept looking at me. Her eyes were wild and full of hatred. I wasn’t expecting that kind of wake-up call at 8 am. Needless to say, I learned police rule number one very quickly-Always expect the worst and be on your toes.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of my surprises. After my incident with the woman prisoner, my tour continued into the kitchen. My second surprise came on very quickly. Lt. Ron said to walk in front of him, but to keep close. I was confused but understood when I rounded the corner. There was another prisoner, only this time it turned out to be a very burly man with tattoos all down his arms. For some reason, my emotion wasn’t fear. Instead, I was just a little bit nervous, but confident. I was more prepared this time and just walked right by the man, ignoring all of his looks and smart remarks.

When my extensive tour was complete, I started filing papers. Police work is 90 percent paper work. Exciting times come far and few. Anyways, these papers were police reports. What shocked me was how unorganized everything was. Nowhere to found were filing cabinets. It was just messy stack after messy stack, cardboard box after cardboard box. How is it that our legal system is so disorganized? People wonder how police files get lost or how reports never get filed. Now I know the answer why. My shock slowly started to turn into anger. The longer I sat there, the more upset I got. Justice wasn’t being served, they were serving injustice on a silver platter.
When it came time to leave, I recapped the day. I thought about what I saw and how it was handled. And then, I was thankful to have learned these things very early on and that I was on the free side of the bars.

Average Cop?

When one first thinks of a police officer, he or she thinks about lazy people eating donuts that are out to just give people speeding tickets. However, that perspective is completely wrong in most cases. I learned just how different the public's eye is on police officers than how the normal, mundane Law Enforcement student.
I wasn't able to go to the Crime Lab this week because of my car. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have contact with the Crime Lab. This week I was supposed to get a confession regarding a bank robbery. Since I couldn't be there, Lt. Richardson and Lt. Craig Davis brought what they could to me. I was kept in the loop during the entire process. I got conference phone calls regarding what had happened during the interview process.
I learned just how much the average citizen disregards police officers. People hear about citizens yelling and spitting at officers on T.V. Just how little respect citizens had for the people that go out and risk their lives to protect others shocked me. These officers usually go the extra step.
Little did I know, Lt. Richardson had gone above and beyond the extra mile. He didn't send a rookie out in the field to go get the perp, he went himself. As far as Lt. Craig Davis went, he made sure that I was constantly informed of what was happening at the station. Lt. Craig Davis was willing to come pick my up in a squad car that way I could be at the interviews and interrogations. He was also going to pick me up earlier this morning, Wednesday, to go to a crime scene. However, I had to go to class.
I was so surprised at how I was being treated. I am not a uniformed officer or detective, yet I am being treated just like the normal, mundane police officer. These officers aren't lazy and just eating donuts. They are helping out the community in everyway possible. They aren't just sitting at a desk; they are working to serve, protect, and save the communities they live in.