GRADUATION!!!

Yes! It is FINALLY done. No more academy!! Fantastic . . . let the celebration begin. Followed by the sleeping . . .

Here in the real world they're shutting my county down . . .

Two days before my graduation to be a certified peace officer, comes the call we at my department have been dreading. "They started the layoffs today . . . here's who's gone already." While I have enough personnel hired after me that it will have to get ugly to get to me, it doesn't matter. These are my brothers and sisters, men and women with families and houses to pay for. I met my friend from another division outside in the parking lot tonight, turned on John Rich's song "They're Shutting Detrioit Down" . . . and cried. He has two kids, a wife, a house and now no job. Every division of the SO was affected.
What does it say about the state of the country you live in when you can't afford to keep the people who keep you safe?
May the Lord bless and protect those who now don't know what the future holds. Keep my brothers and sisters still working safe from harm now that their backup isn't there anymore.

"May your hope give us hope, may your love give us love . . ."

Jailhouse doctors, rubber cement and you . . .

The final countdown!!! Graduation is next week!! Yay! Then I am officially a real cop . . . who works in a jail. Yeah, I know. Don't rub it in.

So this guy comes in the jail and starts telling me how he diagnosed all his health problems on his own. He obviously did good research, as proven by the following statement: "I have grandma seizures." Right. I'll let her know.

I realize I look young for my age but it's been awhile since I've been carded for alcohol. Consequently I don't always carry my ID in the grocery store. Apparently, this is a mistake. At a national chain who might rhyme with "wall dart," I attempted to buy *gasp* rubber cement. I am in my mid-twenties, in uniform. The clerk's response? "Uh, you're right on the border of looking eighteen. I need to see some ID."
Are you freakin' serious? Really? For rubber cement? While I'm in uniform? Whatever . . .

How was your day?

I definitely have been awake since noon yesterday. I came home after five hours of academy and eight hours of work. Intake and release was slammed. I drank a beer, ate some ice cream with hot fudge sauce and I'm going to sleep.

They wonder why people in public safety have issues . . .

Running down a dream . . .

I have now successfully passed all parts of my lovely physical agility test. Woo Hoo!!! Now less than a month away from graduation. Posts are scarce I realize, but the academy is priority at the moment.
Now aside from the final academic exam and swearing in ceremony, I only have a few more hurdles. One last firearms qualification on my service weapon, off duty gun and possible backup weapon. Rifles and shotguns come later . . . Some random administrative paperwork, and getting all the rest of my equipment issued. Then it's just time to sit and wait in the jail until the next round of promotional interviews from applications. Either that or go find another department. I think I'll stick with the SO for right now, even though it could be a year until the next application period.

Like sarge always tells me; "What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"Uh, sarge? Maybe we shouldn't have said that out loud . . ."

"What are the odds?"

Fun times . . .

I realize this month has been short on posts, but the academy is winding down. T minus five weeks or so!
We just watched a fantastic training film on traffic by the California Highway Patrol. It should have been titled "Erik Estrada: the Later Years." Awesome.
Working some special details this weekend and running a physical agility test. Also fun times.
Back to the excititng world of DUI law . . .

So we've got that going for us . . . which is nice

So after I posted about wanting a quiet night at the firehouse, God laughed at me.

At two in the morning, the power went out to half the city. Followed by the inevitable alarm drops. Followed by a man calling 911 because his air conditioning won't work; because we have no power. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up.

My friend in the comm center texted me with this. "I cannot believe how many f'ing people call the police when the power goes out. Like I freakin know when it will come back on."

Literally all the the comm center did was tell people to call the electric company. Who then argued with the comm center about how they'd been on hold with said electric company for twenty minutes. As if the police department knows who does and who does not have power.

And then we had the "male hallucinating with violent behavior" call. Direct quote from him: "I have done Ecstasy before, and this does not feel like Ecstasy." As if Ecstasy is regulated by the FDA . . .

I love my job.