I was monitoring the scanner at work and a robbery was reported several blocks away. I jotted down the suspect description and started looking around on our cameras (we have 160 or them) Well, lo and behold, I see a guy matching the description throw a backpack over a wall and disappear between a couple of neighboring buildings. I called 911 and reported it.
While I was on the phone with 911, the male reappeared with different clothes on and retrieved the backpack and left.
We carry radios that double as scanners and it took the dispatcher a solid 3 minutes to let the squads that were crawling in the area know this information. I went outside and met with a cop who wanted to know where the backpack had been discarded. While I was talking to the cop, I saw the suspect and the cop went and took him into custody.
They did a field show up and both victims ID'd him as the robber. In an odd twist, one of the items he stole from the female party was her shoes. When she removed her shoes, he went down and sucked on her toes! I guess his foot fetish was too strong to resist.
The cops were very happy and I got a ton of "atta boys" from them. With our camera set up, we are able to help them like this from time to time and it is nice to be recognized. We really have a great working relationship with them and several of them I count as friends.
The thing that gets me is that I have a newish boss and I am kind of worried about the response from that end since I went outside to meet with the cops and show them where the backpack was discarded. Once before, there was a big gang fight on the block and a guy ran from the cops and I saw where he went on our cameras. The cop he ran from yelled over the radio that she wanted the guy for his involvement. I went outside and flagged down a squad and told them where they could find the guy. It was a block away and they raced over there and got 3 of the instigators in the fight, including the guy that ran from the cops.
Instead of an atta boy from the boss, I was told that I should have stayed inside the building and that if the cops needed any info they could come inside and get it. The thing is that we do exterior tours of the campus as part of our rounds. The boss seems to think that too much liability is in play if someone goes outside to relay info. I disagree. There is no safer time to go outside in this neighborhood then when it is crawling with cops. I wasn't chasing the bad guys or even on their same block.
So, while the cops thought the help we gave them was great and an idiot was arrested that otherwise would have gotten away, I may end up being called on the carpet for going outside and leaving the property by about 100 feet in the presence of several cops to show them where the idiot had dumped the bag. I guess we will see.
While I was on the phone with 911, the male reappeared with different clothes on and retrieved the backpack and left.
We carry radios that double as scanners and it took the dispatcher a solid 3 minutes to let the squads that were crawling in the area know this information. I went outside and met with a cop who wanted to know where the backpack had been discarded. While I was talking to the cop, I saw the suspect and the cop went and took him into custody.
They did a field show up and both victims ID'd him as the robber. In an odd twist, one of the items he stole from the female party was her shoes. When she removed her shoes, he went down and sucked on her toes! I guess his foot fetish was too strong to resist.
The cops were very happy and I got a ton of "atta boys" from them. With our camera set up, we are able to help them like this from time to time and it is nice to be recognized. We really have a great working relationship with them and several of them I count as friends.
The thing that gets me is that I have a newish boss and I am kind of worried about the response from that end since I went outside to meet with the cops and show them where the backpack was discarded. Once before, there was a big gang fight on the block and a guy ran from the cops and I saw where he went on our cameras. The cop he ran from yelled over the radio that she wanted the guy for his involvement. I went outside and flagged down a squad and told them where they could find the guy. It was a block away and they raced over there and got 3 of the instigators in the fight, including the guy that ran from the cops.
Instead of an atta boy from the boss, I was told that I should have stayed inside the building and that if the cops needed any info they could come inside and get it. The thing is that we do exterior tours of the campus as part of our rounds. The boss seems to think that too much liability is in play if someone goes outside to relay info. I disagree. There is no safer time to go outside in this neighborhood then when it is crawling with cops. I wasn't chasing the bad guys or even on their same block.
So, while the cops thought the help we gave them was great and an idiot was arrested that otherwise would have gotten away, I may end up being called on the carpet for going outside and leaving the property by about 100 feet in the presence of several cops to show them where the idiot had dumped the bag. I guess we will see.
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