by Dale Ellis, Associated Press
SEARCY, Ark. (AP) - Searcy police officer Charlie Perry will be the first to tell anyone he has had a tough time lately.
First, there was the lightning strike.
Perry was working security at Summer in the City when a sudden thunderstorm sent police and festival-goers running for cover. He was just about to head to his cruiser when a bolt of lightning struck near him, knocking him off his feet and out cold.
“The last thing I remember was a loud whistling sound and a pop,” Perry said. “I remember waking up Sunday morning starving to death in the hospital. They told me they saw the lightning hit, probably on my car, and a little finger licked off and struck the post and threw me about 20 feet. I’m just glad I wasn’t awake for it.”
The following Saturday, he was working on his pickup truck when the radiator cap blew off, sending boiling water over his left arm and face.
Most recently, he was involved in a vehicle pursuit that became a foot pursuit and he wound up injuring the same arm.
“I wound up back in the emergency room for that,” he said with a laugh. “They pretty much have a room now with my name on it.”
Perry, 34, got his start in law enforcement with the Searcy Police Department in 1997. He used to play softball with a group of police and firefighters and developed friendships with a number of them.
“I reached a point where I decided that was what I wanted to do,” he said. “I love it. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
One reason he has stayed in it is the people.
“I hate to sound like I’m citing a cliche, but it’s something different every day. Usually, it’s the same people, but it’s a variety of calls,” he said.
If there is a downside, Perry said, that would be the shift work required of the patrol division, shifts that rotate every two months. His least favorite is the 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift, mainly because it interferes with another passion of his, youth sports. Perry coaches a youth sports team whenever he can.
One of his proudest moments on the force came during a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of a large amount of marijuana and a 2000 Pontiac Firebird. Former Searcy officer Chad Coulter was in on that stop with him.
“I call it my car because we found the marijuana in the car and got to keep the car,” he said. “I was commended for it and I take a lot of pride in that.”
In his patrol work, Perry said, tickets are an enforcement tool that he prefers to use as a method to bring someone back into line, not as punishment. Most people he stops will drive off after being warned.
But “if I give someone a break and then I catch them engaging in the same behavior, I don’t have much sympathy the second time around,” he said. “I don’t like to add to a person’s miseries by writing a ticket that is going to cost them money they probably don’t have, but I need a little cooperation from them in return.”
In most of his traffic stops and disturbance calls, Perry tries to resolve the problem without having to take someone to jail.
“If we can resolve the issue to the point where everyone is happy, or at least not fighting anymore, that is a better use of our time and theirs,” he said. “But if we can’t, well, that’s why there are jails.”
Perry said that for him the key to a career in law enforcement is a love for the job. He said that to be truly happy as a police officer, a person has to have a strong desire to make a difference and work with people.
“If you don’t like people, if you are anti-social, this can be a tough job,” he said. “I love working with people, meeting them, and interacting with all the different people that I come into contact with. It’s what I enjoy and what I want to do.”