Page 183 - NIXBOOK

Pre-dawn, empty church parking lot. Me, watching a guy who is standing alone in the parking lot, staring up the parking lot
lights. Just..staring at them. Oh and his arms were outstretched too. He was kind of really focused on those lights. Reason: drugs.

On patrol, and a deep burgundy-colored exotic sports car passed me at an intersection. I didn’t recognize the make or model
but the hood was so wide there was definitely a huge V12 under there. An emblem revealed its heritage: Aston Martin. I googled
the MSRP and when I saw it was over $200,000 dollars I turned around to hunt it down. A couple minutes later the driver parked
it in a public parking lot so I was able to approach him on foot and ask a bunch of questions about it. Because I was being polite
and charming he didn’t mind, and he even opened the hood and doors to show it off to me. Would I have been able to start a
conversation with him as a civilian, or would he have just brushed me off? Sometimes being in uniform has its advantages.

I pulled over a flower delivery driver because she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. She admitted she should know better since she
was a retired 911 dispatcher. I was flabbergasted. “How many phone calls did you take over the years about crashed cars and
people all messed up because they didn’t put on a seatbelt?!?” She admitted it was hundreds. And added then: “I know, you’re
right, you’re right, I really should drive with my seatbelt on..” I figured my lecture was harsh enough, no ticket necessary. And
then a month later.. I caught her again…still not bothering to buckle up. I don’t understand people.

Another story that wasn’t mine personally but I just have to share: One of my coworkers pulled over a woman after she threw
her lit cigarette out her car window. She explains to him in a very “well look it’s obvious of course” tone that her dashboard
cigarette ashtray was overflowing with ashes and butts. Officer went back to his car and started writing a big ticket. He looked
up just in time to see the woman open her car door and fix the whole overflowing ashtray problem by nonchalantly dumping all
the cigarette butts and ashes out onto the road.