So there I was....


Driving down one of the main drags, going back to the substation to find a piece of
equipment I'd left behind.


I looked over at a little strip mall, knowing that all the businesses were closed at
that hour.  I saw a car parked all cockeyed to the building, with the doors open and
engine running.  Then I saw two people come running out of the strip mall and get
into the car.


It doesn't take a "trained observer" to realize something was amiss -- there was
evil afoot, I just didn't know what kind yet!


So, I hopped the concrete median (someone else pays the maintenance bill on my
cruiser, you see), and drove over there.  The two dirtbags abandoned the car and
took off on foot.  I radioed what was happening, and the dispatcher informed me they
had just received a call about a robbery in progress from that address.


I'd stumbled into an armed robbery!  What dumb luck.


A dog and other officers went looking for Mr. Dirtbag #1 and Mr. Dirtbag #2.  I
started processing the car for evidence.


Having the gun from an armed robbery is GREAT evidence, and they were kind enough to
leave it behind, as well as some of the money they had taken.  
Lucky me.  They also left one of their cell phones :) This came in handy later.  Of
course, we need a warrant to find out who it belongs to, but that's still in the
works.  Before the warrant it came in handy, though, as you'll see.


So, I seized 25 pieces of evidence total (most of which had nothing to do with the
robbery, but had great surfaces to fingerprint such as the square-shaped whiskey
bottle).


Another cop contacted a "witness" inside the business.  We later learned that he
was, in fact, Mr. Dirtbag #3.  You see, his cell phone had called the suspect's cell
phone, which I had collected from the suspect vehicle, exactly four minutes before
the robbery, AND he had been present inside when it went down.


Can you say, "LOOKOUT?"


He ended up copping to the whole thing during interrogation, but wouldn't give up
the other participants' names.  He even said he was willing to take the rap because
if he gave them up, they'd kill him.  Like I would care.


Well, some good news is that some other cops caught Mr. Dirtbag #2 somewhat close to
the scene.  He copped during interrogation, also.  That's two down, one to go.  Mr.
Dirtbag #3 still doesn't know we caught #2. :)


So, Mr. Dirtbag #1 is still at large, but I'm hoping that at least one of the items
I submitted to the crime lab for fingerprints will close that one up for us.


Two out of three ain't bad a'tall.  We're going to give them a place to stay down in
Florence (one of our state pens).  Hopefully they move there for the rest of their
measly little lives.  Mr. Dirtbag #3 is a multiple time sexual offender, multiple
time violent criminal, etc.  I don't recall what they dug up on Mr. Dirtbag #2.


So, I spent all night processing evidence and finishing paperwork on that case --
the most awesome case of most cops' careers (stumbling into an armed robbery) -- and
finished up about 0530 this morning.


As soon as I told the dispatcher I was clear, she sent me to a parking violation
because it was near the end of my shift.  There were some cold paper calls holding,
but she was kind enough to realize that day shift could take those. Roll up, write a
parking ticket, then go home right?  Naw, not me.


I found the parking violator and ran the license plate.  The next thing I aired on
the radio was, "3A18, that parking violation you sent me on is a stolen vehicle."


Doh.


She sent me a message on my computer that said, "Only you could turn a parking
violation into a bucket."  I agree, and I replied with, "I'll take that as a
compliment, of course."


"A bucket" is cop slang, short for "a bucket of shit."  I think you can figure out
what it means, although I prefer the slang, "double baby hatchet murder."


Sweet night, huh?


Moral of the story:  I win :)