Hey sports fans, if you are just joining us, this post is the sixth part of a series that began here. This series is nearly complete, but I haven’t found the energy to finish it just yet.
We now return to the program in progress.
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“Long cool woman (in a black dress)” by The Hollies
One evening a long time ago, in a jurisdiction far, far away saw me hopping into the Passenger seat of Deputy James Foster with the Bonneville County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Office. I had the opportunity to do a ride along, and Foster was one of a handful of Deputies I knew who worked the Swing or Grave shift(s).
Saturday night I was downtown
Working for the FBI
Swings and Graves was where much of the ‘fun’ I wanted to get in on happened, so I eagerly jumped at the chance to go out in the car with Foster for a night. Foster was in his early or mid-30s, hilariously funny, a pretty big smartass, an engaged proactive cop, and a product of the 1960s and 70s. Many nights I spent with him in the mid 1990s saw us prowling the dark corners of Idaho falls and the (Bonneville) County, having fun bantering as we looked for miscreants and listened to classic (1970s) rock.
Bootlegging boozer on the west side
Full of people who are doing wrong
Just about to call up the DA man
When I heard this woman sing a song
One evening we were somewhere on the far east side of town when the radio belched static, followed by the voice of a dispatcher. Calmly, but quickly, the dispatcher gave another deputy’s callsign, then ours, followed by the details of the call: “345, 342 Robbery in progress, Speedy mart, 3490 E Sunnyside Road. Cross streets Ammon and Sunnyside Caller stated they were being robbed and hung up on the call taker”. That location was just a few miles from where we were; Foster slammed the gas, then hit the lights and siren as my adrenaline surged. I took the radio mic out of its holder to respond to dispatch. I thumbed the talk button and announced we were en route, then looked over at Foster, who was grinning as wide as I was. He looked over for a second, before announcing “this needs music” and flipped the volume on the old Chevy Caprice’s AM/FM radio.
Then suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
A-jumping out of doors and tables
When I heard somebody shooting a gun
For the uninitiated, many calls that come out of Dispatch as “In progress” are not routine calls for service like a barking dog or an annoyingly loud stereo. Things that have the ‘magic’ words “In” and “Progress” means whatever caused someone to call in (think things like Burglaries, Robberies, Stabbings, and other bits of naughty behavior) is a higher priority call—usually the highest. “In progress” shenanigans are going on RIGHT NOW, are a HOT call, so you need to be there as fast as you can safely get your happy, shining ass there because life is in danger. This night though…..there was no robber—just a garden variety shoplifter who desperately needed a new 6 pack of some cheap beer and a timeline that had some stellar music.
August 2024
Portland, OR
Mr Curly's Adventures 