It was about two or three weeks ago and I had just got off working at one job and decided to go to the PD. I had every intention of just laying low and not really doing much. I met with a fellow officer at the PD and BSed with him for a good 45 minutes or so then decided to hit it.
“0092, show me 10-8.” I said in to the radio. It was about mid-night and the radio was dead. Our agency shares the radio with approximately six other agencies, one of them being on of the biggest in Oregon. Even with all of the people on duty, the radio didn’t make a noise. “Copy! Good evening sir.” The dispatcher replied. They were so slow in the dispatch center that I thought I could hear people laughing and joking in the background.
I adjusted the seat and mirrors, as well as checked the operation of all the patrol cars emergency lighting. I sank into the driver’s seat feeling a little pissed. Tonight had to drive a patrol car that I usually don’t drive. My normal patrol car was in the shop. This car is a good car, but when you work day in and day out in the same car over and over, you tend to get used to where everything is. This particular car was a 1997 Crown Victoria Cop Car. It is the older body style but our agency upgraded it with all the latest LED lights, state of the art MDT and Mobile Radar/Lidar units.
Recently, the 97 had its transmission rebuilt. If you now anything about the agency I work for, you know that even the vehicle repairs aren’t half assed. When the transmission was rebuilt, they had the mechanics install a shift kit similar to the ones used in drag racing. This made the car really fast. In fact so fast, that when it shifts gears, you could lose control if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I pulled out of the police lot and did a quick little patrol around town. Shortly after that I started toward my favorite hidey hole. Yep, the good ol’ Check Stand. The check stand has got to be my busiest hidey hole. All I do is set up at an intersection with my high beams on. Then, I just wait for someone to go by and give me “The Look”.
By now it was around 12:10 or 12:15 am. I watched about four cars drive by but they were all just people on their way somewhere. You can usually tell. Sometimes they look at you and wonder, “Why is he just sitting there? I don’t see him holding up his radar. Huh.” But most of the time they don’t even notice you. It was at this time, I saw a red Geo Storm coming down the road. I was raining lightly but made for a pretty dark night. I noticed the Geo had illegally tinted windows that were fogged up to the point that they couldn’t be seen through.
Something about the Geo just stood out to me. As it passed, I noticed that there was not license plate on the back. Clearly everyone knows that you need to have a license plate or the POPO is going to need to have a little chat with you. I just sat there for a minute as the Geo disappeared into the darkness. I thought to myself. “Man, it’s probably nothing.” But, something in me was not okay with just letting it drive away. I know that sounds cheesy. I remember hearing people talk about a “Cops Intuition” but every since I started doing this job, I have felt it. It’s a feeling I just get about some stuff.
I pulled out from the “Check Stand” and started down the road. About a mile later, I caught up to the Geo. I came barreling over a hill and I think it scared them because the driver slammed on the brakes and swerved slightly. Up ahead was a large intersection with lots of street lights as well as lots of room to pull off the road safely. So I just followed the Geo to the intersection.
I picked up the radio and called out my traffic stop before I actually activated my overhead lights. I generally like to do this, if I have time that way I am not fumbling with the radio while taking fire. “0092 Traffic!” I said. “0092?” replied the dispatcher. “I’m gonna be at #### Rd. and #### Rd. with a red Geo Storm, no plate!” I reached down and hit the lights. The night lit up in a red, blue, and purple hue.
At first it didn’t look as though the driver noticed my lights. Although I don’t really know how, there were vehicles about a mile up the road that pulled over thinking that I was running code. The Geo slowed to a near stop. I have seen this before. People never seem to just stop for the cops. They always slow down and start toward the side of the road looking in the rear view, saying things like, ‘Why is he pulling me over, I didn’t do anything wrong….I didn’t do anything wrong!’
So anyway, the Geo is driving along the side of the road at about 2 miles an hour. I picked up the radio mic again thinking that if they go any further, I would need to call out my new location. Suddenly, there was a puff of white smoke from the Geo’s tail pipe and it pulled back out onto the road. I would say that it was accelerating rapidly, but it’s a Geo and there is no way I could convince you of that. I remember staring over radio mic, thinking ‘You’re gonna run from me in a Geo.’ I mean, damn, at least make it a Camaro or a Mustang or something. ‘0092, the vehicle is failing to yield…….okay it’s a pursuit, west bound on #### Rd.’ I said. ‘Copy 0092, pursuit west bound #### Rd. Car to cover?’
I just want to say, these dispatcher’s we have out here have got to be some of the best dispatchers I have ever heard. I don’t know how someone can talk on the radio, operate a computer, watch an MDT, run plates, talk on the phone, and arrange containment all at the same time, but thank you to all dispatchers out there. You are appreciated!
I nailed the gas an accelerated from the side of the road. As the 97 shifted gears it leaped forward, like a lion ready to stomp it’s pray. Knowing that I had just entered into my very first pursuit I told myself, ‘Okay Mark, chill out they’re not getting away! Just Be Cool, Be Cool!’ It took seconds and I was right on top of them. I glanced down at the speedometer and noticed that we were now traveling upwards of 90 miles per hour. ‘Crash Fucker, Crash!’ I thought. I called out in the radio again, ‘0092, passing #### Rd. still west on #### Rd. Speeds are 90!’ In a very calm voice, the dispatcher said, ‘Copy 0092, speeds are 90.’
By now the radio had completely lit up with radio traffic. Some officers from a neighboring city had picked up on the pursuit call. ‘8399, I’m at #### Rd. and #### Rd. with stop sticks!’ Hearing that, I might as well just put the patrol car in cruise control. This pursuit is over, the suspects just don’t know it yet. The intersection the officer had stop sticks on was the same road that I was on. There would be no way for the suspects to avoid them (Given that they were deployed properly). ‘8399 did you copy, I have stop sticks at #### Rd. and #### Rd?’ I picked up the mic, ‘0092 I copy.’
Stop Sticks: I realize that there are cops reading this, but there are people that have never heard of stop sticks before. Stop sticks are tire spikes that are all rapped up in nice little state of the art package. These aren’t the classic spike strips that you might see the cops on TV rolling out. These consist of about a four half foot strip of hollow spikes covered in hard plastic and fiberglass. They have specially designed rollouts on the ends which allow them to be deployed on several different ways. You can hook a cord to them and drag them out in front of the suspect vehicle or you can just pitch them out as the vehicle passes. If you throw them, and they land with the spikes facing down, they will roll themselves upright with the spikes pointing upward. Once the suspect vehicle passes over them it lodges hollow spikes on the tires and deflates the tires very quickly. They are pretty popular in they area that I work in.
I backed off about four car links as we approached the intersection. The pursuit never seemed to go faster than 90 mph but that is to be expected…..It’s a Geo remember? As we entered the intersection the Geo slowed slightly to round a corner. Just before that corner a police officer leaped out from behind the bushes and threw a stop stick under the Geo’s tires. It was awesome; he hit all four tires right as the Geo started to turn. The tires on the Geo deflated instantly, causing the Geo lost control. It screeched through the intersection, over a curb, and into a nearby field.
I swerved around the stop stick still lying in the road and continued to where the Geo had come to rest. By now I could see a white male adult and white female running away from the vehicle and south through the field. The field was a 10 acre mud pit thanks to the rain. Everywhere you step, you sink about six inches. I through the patrol car in park and jumped out. Here is the embarrassing part.
When I jumped out, I grabbed the lapel mic for my packset. I said, ‘0092 foot bail, foot bail! #### Rd. and #### Rd. south through the field.’ I was focusing so hard on controlling my adrenaline, running after the douche bags, and talking on the radio that I didn’t notice a fairly steep curb on the other side of my patrol car. My right foot hit it and sent me crashing to the ground. I landed on the palms of my hands and not my face (thank you god that would have hurt!). ‘FUCK!’ I yelled, ‘God damnit! Cock Suck!’ slipped out, as I based out and pushed myself back to my feet. Now the suspects had about a 25 yard head start on me.
I started into the field. My feet sank with every step but somehow I found myself right on the suspects heals. Running next to me was another officer from the neighboring city. ‘Stop police, your under arrest!’ I yelled knowing that now I can charge them with resisting. ‘Stop or I’ll shoot!’ It was a bluff, I even laughed as I yelled it. I might have worked otherwise. They were just within our reach but I could feel me legs about to give up. I looked over at the other officer, who was about the same build as me. He was looking back at me thinking the same thing. ‘I’m fucking tired.’ I reached for my taser, switched it on, and pointed it at the female’s back. The other officer had also pulled his taser. He yelled, ‘Stop……puf puf…..or you’ll be tased!’ Both suspects continued running.
POP! Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap, Snap!!!(I love that noise) The male suspect fell like a sack of shit. This must have startled the female, because she stopped instantly, probably thinking that we shot him. Too bad for her! I crashed into her from behind with all 270 lbs. of my body weight. ‘Puah!’ She huffed as she landed face first into the mud with my knee on the back of her head. I yelled out, ‘I said, Fuckin Stop Dummy.’ I cuffed them up and walked them back to the patrol car. I could hear other officers around me laughing at my comment.
After reading them their Miranda rights, I asked them who was driving. The female immediately said, ‘I was driving, not him….it was me!’ I asked, ‘Why are you running?’ ‘I think I have a couple of warrants.’ She said. I asked, ‘What for?’ ‘I think for not paying on some tickets.’ She replied.
It turned out that both were revoked misdemeanor and neither had any warrants. If the male had just stopped at the car and not ran, he would have probably been released. If she had just stopped the car, she would have been arrested, but then released within the hour. Instead they both went to jail. We checked the car and found a marijuana pipe and a syringe but no dope. I was thinking that she might have been trying to jump on the sword for the male and say that she was driving. Who knows why douche bags do that. I charged them both with felony elude on foot and in a vehicle. I also charged them with driving while revoked misdemeanor.
A couple of weeks later I received a notice from the DA’s office stating that they were not going to prosecute the male because she is saying that she is the driver. So I am still waiting for court on her.
