I have the right to........

The town where I worked is only in existence because of a large military installation at its borders.
So a large part of the population are either military personnel or dependents.  Typical military is that this population isn't stagnant by any means.  Nearly all of the soldiers move in for 2 years and then they move on to another location.  Usually, if I'd come in contact with them I would not see them again unless it was a felony case where they were detained in the County jail.

At one time there seemed to be an influx of military moving to town with wives from Korea or Cambodia.  These women were subservient to their husbands as is the custom in their homeland.  The husband would attempt to keep them out of the American society as much as possible out of fear that they would become 'Americanized". 

Soldiers spent several days and nights in the field at Ft. Hood, Texas and they were not allowed to go home until the maneuvers were completed.  This left a lot time for the wives to get lonesome and seek friendship from other wives.  There were bars and clubs galore in nearby towns, bingo was very prevalent as were churches.  But, churches were not open late at night so other entertainment was pursued.  All these things cost money that these families did not have a lot of.  When the spouses would come home from the fields and either didn't find their wives at home or they discovered all the money in the bank gone this caused trouble.  Domestic disturbances can be deadly for police officers as spouses who argue and fight with each is one thing but when an officer gets involved he or she has to respond according to the laws and not according to emotions. 

One night my partner and I responded to a domestic disturbance called in by neighbors.  Upon our arrival we heard the fight in the parking lot.  The lady was screaming loudly and we were able to hear her being slapped by someone.  A male voice was yelling at her, "I am going to send you back to your parents! You spent all our money and now you will be deported!"  As we walked into the residence through an open door we found them in a bedroom.  We separated the husband from his wife.  She was a very small Korean girl probably no more than 20 years old.  Her face was bruised and red and she was visibly upset and crying.  When I calmed her down she related to me that her husband had left her some money when he went to the field and she had to use it to get a ride to go to the doctor in his absence.  She had to use it all and he was angry about it.  She begged me not to let him send her back to her parents as she'd be disgraced.
I contacted my partner to find out what the husband's story was.  He had related nearly the same story.  He was upset that she'd spent the cash he'd given her.  I asked if he was aware of what she'd spent it on and I was told it didn't matter why.  It was his money and she was to have saved it for him. 
As we calmed down both parties in this dispute we eventually brought them together in the same room.  The husband told us that it was 'his right' to strike his wife if she disobeyed him.  He brought her to the United States and he could have her deported whenever he wanted.  I was taken aback at his cockiness and total disregard for his wife as another person.  So I politely told him that he was dead WRONG!  As long as she has an alien visa she would not be deported on his word alone.  As for the money it was as much hers as it is his.  She is his spouse and Texas is a community property state which means that 50% of what he owns she owns. I recognize that law and so does the military. 

I further explained to him that I as an officer of the law have rights to protect both he and his wife from harm.  The harm may be from either of them or another.  By the look of the bruises on his wife's face it is doubtful in my mind that she received them from herself so in order for me to fully protect her you are leaving the residence at least for the night or maybe more.  Of course this made him more angry and I told him if he continued to be abusive he'd be going to jail but because of his financial issues I would be dropping him off at the east gate of Ft Hood where the military police will deal with him. This is my right!   After a few phone calls the arrangements were made and my partner took the husband to Ft. Hood.
After they'd left I made sure the wife was going to be alright and I even called a friend to come stay with her.  As we were waiting for the arrival of her friend we visited.  I reassured her that she would NOT BE DEPORTED.  She was relieved.  Out of curiosity I asked her how much money did he leave you while he was in the field for 2 weeks?  She told me it was only twenty dollars!  She further related that she was sick everyday and had to get a taxi to take her to the doctor where she found out that she is pregnant.  This child is having a child and her husband needs to grow up! 
I truly hope they make it.
As was usual the wife did not want to file any assault charges against her husband.  We had the ability to either arrest or turn the issue over to the military at that time.  I hoped that I made the right choice as I brought the young family some salvation from harm.

For a short time I was an investigator with the detective division and I was able to work all different types of criminal cases.  This is truly a learning experience that has stayed with me even to this day.
The following case was very difficult to investigate but the outcome is true justice.

A young girl, 16 years old, had told a school counselor that she had been sexually assaulted.  She refused to tell the counselor who had committed the assault.  The school called the police department and reported what the young girl had related to them. This is a heinous crime and we respond quickly to them.  Myself and another investigator went to the school.  We asked the principal to contact the girls mother and to have her come to the school right away.  We also requested that she not be told the issue over the phone and to reassure her that her daughter was alright. 
While awaiting the arrival of the girl's mother I gathered as much information about the child's full name and address and parents name as I could.  I found that her father was a military officer and her mother a business professional. 
When the mother arrived at the school she panicked when she realized that we were the police even though we were not in uniform but plainclothes.  As we sat in an office with the girl and her mother the girl told us all that she had been raped.  She was visibly shaking and crying.  She even seemed to be in a catatonic state as she stared straight ahead as she spoke. Her mother immediately asked," Who did this to you?"  Her daughter did not respond, except to cry.  
My partner explained to the mother that we would be transporting her daughter to a local hospital for medical attention and to obtain evidence via a 'rape kit'.  She would be taken in an unmarked police
vehicle and she was welcome to ride along, if she desired.  The mother stated that she would go but she needed to call her husband first.  The young girl then started begging her mother not to tell her father what had happened.  Over and over again she'd beg, "please don't tell him!"  The surprised mother relinquished and told the girl that she wouldn't tell him.
Upon our arrival at the hospital the young girl was taken to a solitary exam room by my partner as I stayed with the mother.  After the proper paperwork was completed for the hospital record I began to interview the mother.  I asked questions about her daughter's social life and home life.  The mother spoke with a lot of pride when she related that her daughter was an honor roll student, had lots of friends, and went to church faithfully each week.  She is a 'good' girl and mom can't understand how this could happen.  I learned that there is a brother in the family but he is older and away at college. 
When I asked about the outburst over the father being told of the situation the mother said it was probably because her daughter is a 'daddy's ' girl. 
Upon the completion of the evidence processing we brought the mother and the girl to the offices of the detective unit where written statements were completed.  The young girl asked her mother if she could go stay with her grandmother for the night and weekend?  She had no school on Friday (the next day) she didn't want to be alone.  Her mother granted her request and gave me the address and phone number where her daughter would be staying.  Due to the time of night that it was I dropped the mother off at the school to get her car and I then took her daughter to her grandmother's home.
Finally, this day was over!  I went home but the events of the day played over and over in my mind.

Our day starts early as we clock in at 8 a.m.  We discuss the reports from the night before of the 16 year old victim. Crisis intervention  and counseling for her is very much needed. We decide that we need to contact her father and ask him to come to the station so we can talk to him.
I call the civil liaison office at Ft. Hood and ask that they escort this officer to us.  The Sergeant on duty tells me that he is not an officer that he is only a Warrant Officer which is actually a civilian contractor that works with the Army because he specializes in a field that the military needs. He is working through a contract (of sorts) for the Army.  I guess this might mean something to the military but it really means nothing to me other than he has a job and I have to ask for his presence in my office through a liaison.

After about 2 hours of making arrangements for his daughter to receive counseling her father arrives at our offices. He is questioning us as why is he here?  We are somewhat confused and ask him if he had spoken to his wife last night?  He looks at us and tell us that he was already asleep when she came in so they didn't speak. So my partner takes it upon herself to tell him exactly what had happened to his daughter.  He sits quietly and listens to everything she says.  His expressions never change and he doesn't say a word or ask any questions.  This is highly unusual.  When she is finished we tell him that we are leaving the room but will return shortly.  He nods his head.  We leave and go to the next room to watch him react, if he is going to. We watch him through a one way mirror that resembles a window on his side.  This man doesn't even move. 
Because of his lack of emotion we decide that only one of us is going to return to the room and speak with him.  The other is going to simply listen and watch.  We toss a coin and I lost so I get to go back and talk to him. 
I apologize to him for taking so long and tell him that I will be the only investigator talking with him today.  This time he smiles!  I begin by asking him when was the last time he saw his daughter?  He tells me it was Wednesday evening. They were all at home out in the swimming pool.  They'd cooked outside then they swam and lounge until after dark. His wife works at a business where she has to travel a lot so she goes to bed rather early which she did that night.  But he and his daughter stayed out at the pool until well after 10 p.m.  I them asked him to tell me some things about his daughter.  'Like what?', he asked.  Tell me about her social activities.  "Well, she has a lot of friends.  No boyfriends yet, though as I won't allow it", he says.  I say, 'she is a pretty girl and no boyfriend?'
This time when he responds he is cocky and self righteous in his tone and he proceeds to tell me in no uncertain terms, the follow: "I am her father!  I brought her in to this world and I have raised and provided for her for 16 years.  I have the right to be the first man she ever has.  She was a virgin until Wednesday and this I know for a fact because she wasn't raped.  I had the right as her father to have intercourse with her and I did!"  I know I was totally surprised by his outburst.  I had the good sense though to read him his Miranda warnings before I said another word or he did.  After I read his rights to him he said he understood them.  I next asked him why was it not rape?  Did she consent?  (She is a juvenile and can't give consent but he didn't know that) He told me it was not rape because he is her father and it was his 'right'. She fought him the entire time until he overpowered her and he told her it was going to happen so she had better stop fighting him.  He laughed as he proudly told me of his conquest of his virgin daughter.  I was sick to my stomach when he was done.  I wanted to wring his neck but I took out a statement form and a pen and asked him to write a statement of everything he just told me.  
He looked at the paper then he said, "Listen, sister.  I am Warrant Officer*Smith which means I am no dummy.  Once I write down what I just told you I am in jail.  I won't write one word.  What I said in here is simply between you and me.  My word against your word.  There is nothing you can do about it." 
I calmly responded, "Mr. Smith, my name is Investigator T and you will refer to me by that name only.  Warrant Officer means nothing to me as I am a civilian and you are too when you are off the military reservation as you are this minute.  You are correct you do not have to give me a written statement because verbal confessions are biding in the State of Texas.  Mr. Smith please stand up." He stood up. As he did I walked behind him and told him he was under arrest for the rape of his daughter, C Smith."  I clamped those handcuffs on him so fast!
Of course he demanded an attorney and began calling me names which always happens when the guilty are caught. 
I this case I have the right to see to it that he is sent away for a long time.
I made a difference to the little girl he raised as I watched her grow to be a beautiful and successful counselor for victims of violent crimes. She is now their salvation.

Thank You, Jesus, for giving me the strength to be there for her when she needed me.
  
* (Smith is not the real last name )

Criminal Activity....too close to home.

Long before I became a police officer I drove a school bus for the local school district.  While employed there I met a mother and daughter.  The mother also drove a school bus and like me she'd bring her child along when she worked.  It was through this mother that I met her husband that was a police officer with the City of Killeen.  Once I began working for the City he and I became great friends.  As people change and things happen in life he and his wife were divorced.  Being away from his daughter was very tough on him.  He was always talking about his little girl and he was such a proud father.  His little girl grew up, graduated from high school and got married.  Her father was so proud of her that she married a God fearing young man and together they were missionaries for their church.  Shortly after her marriage she came to town to see her father for Father's Day.  She and her husband were at a mall on the northeast side of town when they were carjacked.  The young male that wanted their car was armed with a gun and he had jumped in to the backseat of their car and threatened them if they didn't just drive him where he wanted to go.  This did not bring attention of any bystanders as one might think it would.
So they drove him where he directed them to go and he stopped and picked up another young male.  When there were 2 males they decided that the young couple should not be driving any longer so they ordered them to get in to the trunk of the car.  The couple complied and entered the trunk.
The armed suspects drove around town committing offenses and firing gun shots sporadically.
As evening approached the car was getting low on fuel.  The suspects drove out to a deserted roadway that paralleled the boundaries of the Ft. Hood military reservation.  When they arrived at a spot in the road that was away from civilization they stopped the car and opened the trunk.  The young couple was hot and dehydrating fast from the heat.  The suspects demanded money for gas.  The young woman told them they had no cash.  Both she and her husband began to quote scriptures from the Bible as they plead for them to be let go. The young woman told the suspects that God loved them and they would be forgiven for their sins. The suspects became agitated with the pleadings and when they would not stop the recitation of scriptures they shot and killed them both.  The young couple was left in the trunk of the car and the suspects ran off leaving them.
Although the car was in an isolated location the sound of the shots resonated in the area and it brought others to investigate the reason for them.
The discovery of these two young people in the trunk of this car was horrendous to those of us that recognized the female as the daughter of a fellow officer.  His pain was our pain.
Diligently we worked this case and we did make the arrests of the two killers.  It was through the confession of one of them that we discovered why they were killed and how they had begged for their lives.  The killer was sentenced to death and the accomplice is serving life in prison.
Knowing the strong faith of these two missionaries, I am confident that they are in the arms of Jesus awaiting the day they welcome the rest of us home. 

In the neighborhood on the south side of town where my son and I lived there were mostly homeowners but there was one house that was a rental.  This house was directly across the street from our house.  Most of our neighbors were retirees so there were not many kids for my son to play with.  As renters moved in and out of this house there were none that had youngsters my son's age. 
Just before the start of a new school year a young single mother and her son moved in to the house.  He was the same age as my son and they would become fast friends.  They'd walk to school together and they became almost inseparable.  We even knew the parents of the mother so it was like an extended family.  After about a year the mother's boyfriend came to live there too.
The young boy had related to my son that this man scared him.  He didn't really think this guy liked him very well and he couldn't understand why.  Within 30 days of the boyfriend being in the home we began to hear loud arguments between the adults.  We could hear crying and screaming from the mother and see her as she'd leave the house and drive away.  I started to be concerned about her son.  My son wanted desperately to go over and get his friend but it was just not safe at this time.  A few short minutes later the police showed up at the house with the mom.
The adult male came outside and they all stood in the yard talking.  The mother went in to the house to get her son and within a minute of her entering the house she let out a bloodcurdling scream.  One officer ran in to the home and he found her in her son's room.  The child was dead and his throat had been cut from ear to ear.  He had bled to death.  The boyfriend had killed the young boy because he was jealous of him.
Stunned is not quite the word to describe the loss of this young boy.  This was a senseless killing and the man that did it showed absolutley no remorse for his actions. Both my son and I mourned for the loss of his young friend but we also know that he is in the arms of Christ.  Knowing this is our salavation that one day we shall meet again.   

       

Part 2 Serving Warrants

For a short time I worked for a bail bond company recovering bond jumpers.  This is a job usually reserved for bounty hunters.  Television shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter make this job appear glamorous and easy.  Let me tell you it is neither.  The bounty hunter usually ends up spending more than the reward.  Finding and arresting the jumper insures job security and the adrenalin rush becomes habit forming.

My partner and I started chasing a fugitive who failed to go to court and he failed to stay in touch with the company that posted his bail.  This is grounds for the company to surrender the bond if the person could be located and arrested.  When the individual fails to appear in court the judge will order a warrant for his/her arrest.  The court notifies the bail bond company that they owe the full amount of the bond and they are given 30-45 days to pay the money or return the suspect to jail.
It is at this time that the hunt is on!
The individual that we were hunting knew we'd be looking for him as his bond was very large.  He had previous experience with bonds and failing to appear in court.  If found guilty this time he was going to lose his freedom for a very long time.  So we'd have to be creative to find him and get him in custody.
After nearly a week of checking his regular hang-outs we finally located him in an apartment under an alias name.  Because there were children in this large complex we didn't want to endanger them or anyone else so we waited hoping he'd leave the apartment.  But he stayed in his apartment all day.  We witnessed him standing in the doorway of his apartment talking to friends but he just wouldn't come outside.  As the evening fell upon us
and it began to get dark, I had an idea.  I told my partner to stay and watch his door until I returned.   After approximately 30 minutes I returned with a bouquet of helium balloons.I had all sizes of them and they pretty much hid me behind them.  I had one huge one that said, 'Happy Birthday' on it.   My partner was looking at me with the most questioning face.  I told him that I had remembered that this date was his birthday and he is going to have to step outside his apartment to take ownership of them.  I told my partner to stand around the corner and be ready to grab him.  He shook his head and told me this was a dumb idea.
We will see I told him.  As I walked up to his door and knocked I stepped out from under his porch light and on to the grass which was outside a small overhanging roof.  From inside the apartment he yelled out, 'Who is it?'
I responded that it is a delivery for Mr. Jackson (his alias).  He actually opened the door and when he saw the balloons he was giddy with excitement. From behind the balloons I asked him if he was Mr. Patrick Jackson and he answered that he was.  I then told him he'd have to step out to take the balloons from me.  Without hesitation he took 2 steps out to the grassy area and as he reached for the strings on the balloons my partner grabbed him and placed him under arrest putting handcuffs on his wrists.  I also let go of the balloons and they floated away.
Mr. Jackson was totally oblivious that we were bounty hunters as he was upset that he wasn't getting the balloon bouquet!  He was deflated.
As we took him to the closest jail for booking he told the jailer that no one had ever given him anything for his birthday and he loved balloons.  We got our man, but I felt bad about the way we did it until we got paid for the bounty.  Deducting the $12.00 for the balloons left me with a sizable paycheck and a very happy client. 


Shortly, after this incident I was working the area south of town and the dispatcher called me to serve a warrant for Felony Theft.  The residence was a small neighborhood with only about 10 houses on a dead end street.
So I went to the neighborhood and parked my patrol car in front of the house.  At first I wasn't sure there was anybody at home but I knocked on the door anyway.  A lady answered the door and I identified myself telling her I wanted to talk to Robert Farris.  This was her husband and he was in the kitchen so she called for him.  As Mr. Farris came around the corner he was a white male about 6' 3" showing both arms completely tattooed with motorcycle insignias and gang symbols.  I explained to Mr. Farris that  I had a warrant for his arrest and I showed it to him.  As we were discussing my arresting him I heard a very loud noise of several large motorcycles
outside surrounding the house.  The next thing I heard and saw was at least 20 BANDIDOS inside the house.  Mr. Farris told me they were his attorneys and he didn't think I could arrest him right then.  I knew these guys were part of the roughest motorcycle group in Texas so I backed out of the house and back to my car where I drove off.
I summoned the SWAT team to assist me in this warrant arrest and shortly after dark we all went back to this house and we didn't knock at the door this time we just took it off the hinges.  Out of the 25 bandidos that were in the residence we ended up arresting 15 of them for felony warrants for drug charges to murder charges.  Oh, and I did arrest Mr. Farris after all.
This one warrant pretty much took the fun out of serving warrants for me.  It actually scared the hell out of me.  I didn't know it then but divine intervention was on my side.
    

Serving Warrants

Serving arrest warrants can be one of the most dangerous jobs for police officers, constables, and bounty hunters.  Warrants can be issued for anything from searches of homes, cars or people.  There must be a lot of information before a judge issues a warrant and the wording must be specific as to what exactly the executing agent is looking for.  When that specific thing is found the warrant is concluded and considered served.  Most warrants are served by a minimum of two officers for their protection as well as the person being arrested or property owners if it is a search warrant.


While working with a narcotics task force of officers from several agencies we served warrants on meth labs, marijuana growers, and dealers  in various locations covering 3 counties in Central Texas.  Being one of only two female officers on this task force we always got to go in after the guys announced our presence and knocked the door in with a ramming bar or they got to kick the door in so we could run inside and stop the destruction of any drugs inside.  We also caught the bad guys off guard and at a disadvantage (we hoped) so the only ones with guns would be us.
After numerous search warrants served successfully I finally convinced the leader of the team to let me be the one to kick the door in on the next raid.  I was so pumped for this and I had something to prove.  As per the plan we were going to be entering the door at the back of the house.  It was early in the morning and as the sun was rising I heard the word, 'GO'!  So as I ran towards the door I raised my right foot and smashed it through the door.  The door swung open with me still hanging in it.  All the rest of my team ran passed me into the house yelling, 'Search warrant, task force.'  As they started the search I am still struggling to get out of the door.  I decided it would be easier to go through the door rather than trying to get out the way I came in.  That was a smart move.  I finally got my turn and boy did I show 'em.
In the debriefing it was a comedy show at my expense.  They all swore they didn't know it was a hollow core door but the more I thought about it the boss said yes to me too quick upon my request.
The next time we planned a search warrant we decided to hit a house that I was real familiar with and I didn't volunteer to kick the door in on this trip.  The informant that had been in the residence just hours before we were to raid it didn't have a chance to tell us that the door was blocked on the inside by a large refrigerator.  The occupants of the home had been evicted the day before and the home owner had moved the refrigerator to clean.  As was normal for radio silence prior to the announcement of the raid I also was unable to tell the team about the new development.  They hit the door with a battering ram, once, twice, and they were about to hit it again when I opened a front window and told them it would be easier if they came in the back door.  The team was completely dumbfounded.  It was my turn to have the laugh. The boss figured this was my way to get back at them for the hollow core door.  It wasn't of course but I wished I had thought of it!
Laughing at each other really was our salvation in difficult situations.


As I began a swing shift at 3pm I was given a warrant for an individual for arrest on the charge of rape.  I contacted another officer and showed him the warrant and asked him to back me up. 
As we approached the residence of the suspect we noticed someone was home.  A male came to the door after we knocked.  I asked him if he was the name on the warrant and he told me he was.  I then requested a driver's license or ID card to verify his claim.  He presented his license which did in fact identify him as the person we were looking for.  I then explained to him that we had an arrest warrant for him for the charge and I showed him the warrant.  He wanted to discuss the charges right there and he was told this was not the time or the place to do that.  He was advised to cooperate and after his bond was set he could obtain an attorney and work it all out. This individual became very indignant and reluctant to follow my directions as I placed him under arrest.  I walked him out side to my patrol car and I opened the back door for him to get in and sit.  At this point the backup officer left.  The suspect sat in the backseat with his legs and feet outside the car.  He refused to put his feet inside so the door could be closed.  I stood there with him refusing to cooperate for about 15 minutes.  Finally, I bent over and picked up his feet to place them in the car.  It was at this point that he lifted his right foot and kicked me very hard on my left arm above the elbow.  My reaction was to immediately pop him in the nose with the back of my right hand.  He yelled and immediately put his feet in the car and I slammed the door shut!
I took him to the city jail and he was booked.  Afterwards he was given medical care for his bloodied nose.  I went to my Sergeant and told him what had happened.  I wrote another report about the assault on me by this individual and we took several photos.  The photos showed a very clear imprint of the shoe this guy was wearing in a bruise.
About 9 months later an agent with the FBI came to the police department and spoke with our legal adviser about a civil rights violation charge that had been filed on me.  The FBI agent was brought to the patrol division and I was called in to meet with him.  When I walked in to the office this agent was surprised to see that Officer T was a female.  This was not stated in his report from the complaining party.  So he read me my rights and proceeded to tell me about the complaint.  When he told me the complainant's name I knew then it was the guy I had arrested on the Rape warrant.  I brought the photographs to the agent of the bruise I received from him on my arm.  I told him that when I hit him it was simply a reactive movement after he kicked me.  This agent was totally appalled at these pictures and he told me that his broken nose was justified as far as he was concerned.  The agent closed the complaint as UNFOUNDED.
Thank You, Jesus.

to be continued......

You did what?????

During the tenure of my police career I found myself in the darnedest predicaments.  Looking back now I can only shake my head and have a great laugh at myself.

In order to maintain our employment we had to qualify quarterly with our firearms.  This included shotguns and all side arms we may carry during our off duty hours.  The firing range owned by the City was about 6 miles south of the city limits at that time and it was on the outskirts of our landfill area.  So to arrive at the range you had to traverse the landfill and enter a gate to then proceed to a gulley area where the targets and the actually shooting area was located.
Since there was not a female officer on the force when this area was built there were no facilities for me to use the restroom.  I was expected to go out into the bushes.  Even though we were scheduled as when we had to appear at the range sometimes it would take hours to finish the qualifications.  I always tried to be first to get in and get it done BUT it didn't always happen that way. As my luck would have it one particular day I had to go to the bathroom and many of the guys were busy talking about their scores or their weapons so I went in to the bushy wooded area and squatted to relieve myself.  I had to use leaves of nearby bushes in place of toilet paper.  I did not think twice about it UNTIL later that evening when I discovered large red welts along the inside of my thighs and my pubic area.  Oh My Goodness how it itched and was so inflamed that I could not even wear my polyester uniform pants.  I had to call my Sergeant and try to explain to him why I was unable to come to work.  That was quite an interesting conversation, let  me tell you.  Before the night was over I ended up going to the Emergency Room and found out that I had used POISON IVY as toilet paper.  I was off work for a few days  so treatment could be done.  Everybody thought it was funny except me!   Soon after we installed portable potties.
In this case, training in the field of botany would have been a great salvation to me!

Whenever we were dispatched to residences for calls we were taught to not display personal disgust or angst over the living conditions of the complainants.  This was really tough in some cases.  One particular call was for a Burglary of a Habitation.  Someone had broken in to a house and left some items inside the home that did not belong to the homeowner.  So while there I was retrieving some items from under a table and I had to get down on the carpeted floor to reach it.
I spent a great deal of time at this house......dusting for fingerprints and taking photographs.
The house was not the cleanest and my investigation sure didn't help any.  The homeowner was happy though that I took the time to gather information.  I couldn't tell them that I couldn't find the burglars with the prints I'd lifted unless they had already been arrested at some time and their prints were in the system.  Sometimes it didn't pay to be so specific, most people don't understand the process anyway.
While in the residence I began to experience itching.  Not just my arms but my legs as well.  I couldn't figure out why.  I had a partner with me that night and he seemed to be okay.  The itching became worse as the shift wore on.  By the end of my watch I couldn't wait to get my uniform off.  At home I took my clothes off and found them to be completely covered with FLEAS!
The carpet in the home where the burglary had taken place was infested with fleas.  I came to discover that the polyester uniform completely absorbed them so they nibbled on me all night long.
The local Emergency Room was getting to know me fairly well and never knew what to expect when I came in.  Unfortunately, I was allergic to fleas and I began to have a real bad reaction to the bites.  My tongue swelled and so did my fingers and legs.  A night in the hospital and lots of medication finally got me back to life size as opposed to the size of a blimp.  Another valuable lesson learned.
 
After about 5 years on patrol by myself the Chief decided that Ft. Hood military police officers would be pairing up with some of us to help develop a rapport with members of the military that we dealt with off post.  These guys couldn't enforce the State laws but they could enforce military laws with any member of the Army.  So sometimes they came in quite handy.  They also could respond as directed by any officer they were riding with.  This was also true with any civilians we 'deputized' in an emergency incident.  One graveyard shift I worked, I was assigned to the downtown area where all the businesses were located.  We didn't have big malls at this time but they were coming.  The MP I had with me had been working with me on several ocasions  so I knew what to expect from him.  We were dispatched to a block of buildings that ran alongside the police department for a report of a burglary in progress.  Being that it was downtown we did not use the audible siren or lights and we parked in an alley and exited the car and walked to the backside of the building.  We could hear the voices of the burglars as they were attempting to gain entry via a back door.  As we approached their location quietly they did not hear us.  Other units were responding as well to the front of the building.  Once I knew they were on site I yelled real loud, 'POLICE.  COME OUT OF THE BUILDING WITH YOUR HANDS UP!'  Of course being a female voice they began to laugh out loud as they thought I was alone.  They told me to come in and get them.  So I walked to the backdoor and knew that I was in an area that echoed any movement loudly and I had a shotgun so I racked a live round in to the chamber.  There was no doubt that I was coming and I had a big GUN.  As the echo stopped one of the burglars yelled out that he was on his way out the door...please do not shoot!  As he stepped out the door he was grabbed by the MP and thrown up against the wall and handcuffed.  The suspect was screaming his fool head off.  I guess the second guy figured he'd rather give up than get buckshot in his behind and he too shouted he was coming out.  The MP had stepped away from the building as he exited and saw his com-padre bleeding and all tied up.  He began to cry begging me not to hurt him!  He figured I had done this all by myself and I let him think it.  He did everything I told him to as a strict troop should do when given orders.  All I had to do was handcuff him.  They both later told me it was the shotgun that scared them and they decided to give it up.  It worked for me!  The shotgun became my salvation on more than one incident after that.

All my life I had a fear of heights.  So having to get up on rooftops was not a favorite thing to do.
It was however required on numerous business because access to the inside could be gained from various locations on the roof.  When alarms sounded on the library the roof was the first place we'd usually check.  Climbing up usually wasn't too bad but getting down was always tough for me.  I had to look down to get down!  One night we were on the top and it was pitch black up there.  I had a flashlight but it was small and I couldn't really see where I was going.  I was talking to one of the guys on the opposite side of the roof one minute and the next I was falling off the roof.  I had simply walked off the roof and fell on the bushes that were along the side of the building.  That was one rude awakening!
I really dreaded those calls after that and one time the city fire department felt sorry for my fears and sent a ladder truck to assist me in my descent.  There was no salvation from the laughter after those events.

continue...Unknown Nature calls #2

On another Saturday morning I had just started my shift at 7 a.m. and had just arrived within the boundaries of the 305 area, which was where I usually worked after we were assigned specific areas of the city to patrol.  This way we became aware of who belonged in a neighborhood and who didn't.  We also got to know the citizens better and formed a bond with them.  At about 7:30 a.m. the dispatcher sent me to a residence for an unknown nature.  She further advised that there would be a language barrier as the calling party was of Asian decent.  I hurriedly arrived at the residence which was partially hidden from the roadway by several trees and bushes.   There was no one outside to meet me so I figured whatever was wrong was inside the house.  As I knocked on the front door I waited for my complainant to open it.  I was about to knock again when the door opened and a male voice invited me in.  This was highly unusual until I walked cautiously inside.  I was met by a man in a wheelchair.  He identified himself as Mr. Floyd and directed me to where his wife was which was in a back bedroom.  When I inquired as to what was wrong all he'd say was that his wife would explain.  So I walked down a short hall then turned right and observed a small asian female sitting on a bed with her back to me.  I spoke to her as I entered the room by identifying myself.  As she turned around I saw the body of a small child lying in front of her on the bed.  The lady was weeping and she told me the child would not wake up.  I immediately asked her to leave the room so I could check the child.  She refused at which time I insisted she go to the living room and stay with her husband.  As she left (reluctantly) I felt the child's neck for a pulse.  I really didn't expect to find one as she already had a waxen look to her face which is normal for deceased people of oriental decent.  Not only did she not have a pulse but she was cold as ice.  This child had been dead for several hours.  I immediately called for an ambulance, supervisor, and detective to come to my location.  As we were waiting for these people to show up I made notes of things that seemed out of place.  The little girl was fully dressed in clean clothes that she obviously had not slept in.  Very strange.
When the paramedics arrived they confirmed what I already knew.  They also told me that the Justice of the Peace had just pronounced the child deceased and the funeral home would be coming to get her body.  It was at this time that I went to Mrs Floyd and told her, "Ma'am I am sorry to have to tell you but your daughter is dead.'  She turned around and looked me straight in the eye and VERY calmly said, 'She not my daughter.'  Shocked, I then asked her who the little girl was to her?  She tells me in very broken english that she is babysitting the girl while her mama is in Houston having a second child.  Mrs. Floyd is so calm that I immediately began to be angry at her for her lack of concern that the child is dead.  I remain cool until I find out what happened.  My supervisors were speaking with Mr. Floyd at the same time as I was talking to his wife.
Mrs Thu Floyd  began to tell me the following events;  The night before when the child first arrived she sat her in a bar stool at the bar and she began reading the book, 'The Little Train that Could'.  After Mrs Floyd finished reading a page in the book she'd give the book to the 5 year old child and tell her to read it back to her.  This little girl had never been to school and was unable to read.  When she couldn't read back the page as Mrs Floyd did she would slap the girl so hard that she'd fall out of the stool on to the floor.  She'd pick her up and put her back in the chair and they'd do this over and over again.  The bar stool was a minimum of 2-3 foot off the floor.  The last time the little girl was slapped it was so hard that both she and the stool were knocked over onto the floor and this time she was bleeding from a split lip.  Mrs Floyd became upset and told the child to go to bed.  The child went straight to the room she was sleeping in and went to bed still crying.
Mrs. Floyd related that she heard the girl get up about midnight and get sick in the bathroom.  She was vomiting and she told Mrs Floyd she had a headache.  Non-sympathetic Mrs Floyd sent her back to bed.  About 4 hours later she heard the girl in the bathroom again so she went to see about her and the child told her she was not able to stand up.  Mrs. Floyd insisted she stand up and when she did the girl fell in her arms and she stopped breathing.  Mrs. Floyd panicked and so she remove the bloody nightgown from the dead child, bathed her and re-dressed her.  She then made the bed and laid her on it.  When Mr. Floyd woke up he instructed her call the police. 
By the end of her story I was ready to strangle this woman.  She showed no compassion or remorse for what had happened.  It seemed that in her native culture in Vietnam this was how they taught their children to read.  Their son was taught this same way according to Mr. Floyd and he survived to be normal.  Well, their son was not present to attest to this.  My supervisors knew me so well that they ordered me to go outside and wait for the funeral home to arrive to give me time to calm down so I wouldn't do something stupid to Mrs. Floyd.
After the child's body was removed from the house and Mrs. Floyd was arrested and taken to the police department jail I re-entered the house and began searching for the nightgown the child wore the night before.  We searched the entire house and could not find it until a small voice prompted me to check in the washer. Lo and behold there it was and it was the bloody gown we needed to support the claim of the bloody lip from her falling off the chair.  I swore that I'd make sure this case was open and shut and this woman would go to prison.
I finally had the chance to talk to Mr. Floyd and find out where he was during the entire reading lesson.  He told me he was in the living room listening to it.  He is confined to the wheelchair as a quadriplegic and  he was no help. He tried to encourage his wife to stop but his voice fell on deaf ears.  
The hard part was yet to come which was to tell the child's mother that her oldest daughter was dead.  I needed divine intervention to aid me and give me strength to have the correct words to tell this mother what a mom never wants to hear.  The Lord alleviated my part in this as we contacted Houston Police to make contact with her.
I worked this case with a passion and testified in the court case against Thu Floyd.  This innocent child deserved justice.  Thu Floyd was found guilty of aggravated murder  and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The justice system in its infinite wisdom of blind justice served as my salvation in this case.  I became an advocate for justice on earth and accountability after death. 
The autopsy showed the child received a hard slam of her head on the floor which cause a sub dermal hematoma better known as a blood clot at the base of her skull.  As her brain swelled during the night she became sick and probably dizzy.  The swelling eventually went to the area at the top of her spinal cord and the base of her brain and it cut off her ability to breathe or move and she died.
Learning to read should not be deadly.  

 
  
 
 

Unknown Nature calls...

Responding to calls of 'unknown nature' were the worst kind of calls.  The dispatcher had very sketchy details for us as she'd send us to a specific address.  The callers were usually panic stricken, crying, making demands that the police be at their location right away.  Little did they know how far away we usually were but they could at least hear our responding units sirens as we approached the neighborhoods. 
Then there were those calls from third party callers that weren't close by and knew even less.
One Saturday morning as the day was beginning to show activity with shoppers, baseball fields filling with players and parents, dogs walking their owners in the park.  It was about 11 a.m. when I was dispatched to an address on the northeast corner of town.  This was a brand new housing area that was just beginning to populate with families.  The call came from a young teenage girl.  She related to the dispatcher that she was talking to her boyfriend on the telephone and he was playing 'their song' really loud.  She stated that he and she had recently broken off a dating relationship and he was begging her to come back to him.  She tried to tell him that she could not as her father insisted that they both were too young to be so serious.  She knew this upset him as she could hear it in his voice.  The music was so loud that a lot of what he had said to her she could not hear or understand.  The parents of this young male was not at home according to him as they had taken his sister shopping, so he was home alone.  After a few moments of no conversation the caller heard a very loud noise.  She kept calling the young man's name to get a response.  When he failed to answer she panicked and call the police department.

As I was working the area of the residence I was the first officer on scene.  My back up was still quite far away.  I went to the front door and found it locked so I walked around to the backyard and found a sliding glass door that was unlocked.  Not knowing exactly what I was about to enter in to I notified the dispatcher that I was entering the house. As I entered the dining room area I was yelling, 'Killeen Police, any one here?'  There was an eery quiet within this house.  As I walked into the living room I yelled again the same thing and asked if anyone was here to please respond.  Again.....nothing.  There was a long hallway leading away from the living room and all the doors were closed.  Apprehensive but knowing I had to open them all I began opening doors.  Bedrooms, bathroom, and closets produced no one.  One door to go at the very end of the hallway where I heard a faint sound of music so I again announced myself, knocked on the door and heard no movement inside.  Fearing the worst that someone was hurt inside I began to open the door.  As the door opened slightly I saw 2 legs in jeans over the side of the bed directly in front of a stereo so I pushed the door open all the way.  I could not believe what I was seeing.
On the bed on his back was the body of a 15 year old male child, he had shot himself with a shotgun under the chin and literally blew his brains out all over the wall behind him and the ceiling.  The gun was still lying on his chest.  He was obviously dead.  I could literally smell 'death' in the air.  I left everything as it was and called for an ambulance, my supervisor, and a detective to come to the scene.  Shortly thereafter, my backup showed up and I met him outside.  I explained to him what I had found and he went inside to check what I told him.  When the paramedics arrived they went in and confirmed what I knew.  The Justice of the Peace was also called to pronounce the boy deceased.
In Texas where there is an unattended death there is always an autopsy done to confirm the cause of a death.
The hard part now was trying to find this boy's parents to notify them.  Of course there was no cell phone number as these weren't available as they are today.  We eventually found a family member that knew where they were shopping and they would find them and get them home right away.
After about 30 minutes the family returned home and of course were questioning us as why we were there.  This was the hardest notification I ever had to do.  This family was of Asian decent and they were simply devastated.  They wanted to see their son but I could not allow that.  Eventually, our police chaplain arrived and he removed the family from the home so we could complete our job and remove the boy's body.
As I finished and drove to the station the shock was beginning to wear off and as a I pulled into the parking lot and parked I began to cry.  My cry was in agony over the loss of a 15 year old child.  I wondered what could be so bad in the life of a 15 year old to cause him to use a shotgun to end his life.
Here I was a police officer showing human emotions.  My badge and my gun did not stop me from mourning and showing outward emotions for this boy and his family.
 I prayed for strength to get through the complete investigation and be strong for the family.  My salvation was Lieutenant Stephens who emphasized that being human and having human feelings was okay in this particular situation.  He encouraged me to vent by whatever means  I needed to. To this day this scene is clear in my mind's eye.  I will never forget it.


Now, that I look back I see this was the prelude for works of Satan, yet to come.