Smudger Snippets
Created | Updated Nov 19, 2008
I suppose it's because I have so much time on my hands these days, that all these memories come flooding back to me.
Cops on the Box
Is it just me?
It has always surprised me while watching those police programs on TV that they always seem to be able to know in what direction they are going. Even if they are high above in a chopper flying around in circles, recording the event as a bad guy makes a break on the freeway to get away from the pursuing police cars, they always manage to tell the cops below which direction the felon is heading. The same thing applies when they are on a road chase, in hot pursuit of the get-away car, they still manage to tell the control room which direction they are heading as the felon twists and turns in his bid to escape capture, For example, 'he has just turned left, heading east down Broadway'. Of course the whole thing always turns out to be a foregone conclusion, as it always ends when the felon gets surrounded by well-meaning, if all a bit excited, burly cops with guns drawn, bellowing out different orders to the poor bloke who looks totally confused as to what to do next. As one screams 'freeze!', and another shouts 'put your hands where I can see them' while another three or four other cops jump all over him; then they all wrestle to see which one is going to get the cuffs on first. The reception the bloke gets seems to differ depending on how long they have been chasing him, or how many cop cars he has totalled during the chase, and of course the most important one, what his crime was in the first place.
You can't help but notice the difference in these chases between the American and British cops. Although I must admit, there is not much difference in the events that follow when the felon is 'taken down' as they say. It's not unusual to see four of five burly British cops jump on some poor drunk who has not got a clue as to why they are chasing him in the first place. I must admit though, the cops do show some strength of composure and tolerance despite all the abuse and actions of some of these drunken youths, while being arrested. There are times when it does take three or four cops to hold down and arrest the drunks or junkies, and if a boot does happen to slip and connect with the drunks groin, you can rest assured that it was indeed an accident, and no way was it a reprisal for the other cop, who was injured earlier during the fracas…
Another thing that I have noticed while watching this type of program, is the way the drunks or junkies always tend to repeat themselves while arguing or talking to the police. This of course causes the police to keep repeating themselves as well. As if that wasn't bad enough, another thing that happens is the drunk tends to raise his voice as the conversation progresses, and in most cases he gets more aggressive at the same time. This all fascinates me, as back in my younger days, my only concern after a night out drinking, was just to get home for a sleep, as in most cases I would be what they call 'very tired and emotional' and the last thing on my mind was to get involved in any confrontations with the police.
I have also noticed the way in which the driver who has been pulled over behaves as the copper approaches the car. I read in a book about body language that it was better to get out of the car, and approach the officer, rather than just sit in the car and wait for him to come to you. They said in the book that by meeting the officer half way you were in fact greeting him or her on neutral ground, where neither of you have the advantage. Whereas if you wait for the officer to come to you, he would be encroaching onto your territory, which puts you at a disadvantage. I must admit I do not agree with that way of thinking at all: in my mind the driver is the prey as far as the officer is concerned, and your only chance is not to antagonise him, as no matter how many excuses you can come up with for speeding, you can be sure that the officer has heard them all before. Even so, some of the excuses put forward are really entertaining to the viewer and probably for the officer as well.
Another thing I have noticed while watching these police crime programs is the jargon the police seem to use all the time. I don't know where they get it from: maybe it's instilled in them while they are training, but however they do learn it, I personally find it very frustrating. For example they will say, 'He discharged a projectile from the firearm that he had in his possession during the time of the pursuit, which was targeted towards our direction' when what they really mean is 'he fired at us while we were chasing him'. Or, 'The alleged suspect was apprehended as he tried to exit the building at the rear of the premises' when what they mean was 'He was nabbed at the back door while trying to get away'.
Another one they use 'We ascertained while talking to the alleged suspect that his replies were contradictory to the evidence that we already had in our possession'. In other words 'he was lying through his teeth'. There are many more such instances that I cannot recall just now, but I am sure if you ever watch any of those police programs you will hear a lot more of them. Then again I could be wrong, and it is just me.
