October Already?

Dirty Harriet 
Where did September go? I wasn't done with it yet. No really, I think I've just had about the most complex month ever. When I say ever, I mean everEVER. The job has kept me busy, which makes my family life H*LL. I'll do my best to keep the blog about crime stories but occasionally I'll have a good family one to share.

I love the feeling I get when I solve a crime. It makes me feel like Agent Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs! Don't assume that I solve lots of crimes, though. I'd swear almost every theft I handle, the victim thinks we're suppose to be CSI or something. For the last time people, NO I can't lift a fingerprint and run it in a computer that will immediately show me the bad guy!! And while we're on the subject, I don't have a crystal ball to tell me who "your" suspect is. You tell me everything you know and I'll do my best to follow the leads and evidence you have preserved and not destroyed.

So, back to me solving crimes, my favorite topic for today. Like take this one for example; A female, approximately 19 years of age came into the station one day to file a report of a stolen checkbook. I've taken a report from her before and remembered that she was a young mother who was raising her daughter on her own working and going to school. Usually those types of reports are BORING to take. Most of us cops like the car chases, the assaults in progress, the drug busts... you know, the GOOD ones. Well this particular day was my day to show old dogs new tricks. I learned from the young female, whom I'll call "victim", that an employee at the restaurant she worked at had stolen her checkbook out of her purse the night before. She explained to me that all employees keep their personal belongings in the back. No, it's not locked up, not hidden, it's sitting out in the open on shelves. She gave me names of everyone that was working during her shift and told me somebody had to have unzipped her purse and pulled her checkbook out. She didn't notice it missing until closing time that night. The following morning she went to her bank to notify them of the stolen checks and learned that somebody already used her account to transfer funds. This is where the stupid criminal makes a really stupid mistake. On her account statement it showed transaction labeled "XXXXX" Cellular payment. Well guess what? I've got cell phone numbers for five of the employees, three of which had "XXXXX" cellular phones. After speaking to the victim about who she suspected the most and why, I obtained pedigree information for him and considered him my "main suspect" then asked her when he was suppose to be at work again. Lucky for me he was working and would be there until 6:00pm that evening. I had to hurry if I was going to get the credit for solving this case so I found out through a records check he was a known gang member, on probation, and did not reside within our city. I had about three hours to obtain evidence and nab the guy before he left work for the day. I went to our local "XXXXX" Cellular Store and explained to the manager of the store what happened. She directed me to their customer service 800 number, to which I got no help. They were about as helpful as a pile of crap. Aholes! Like hell I'm going to subpoena you and wait six weeks for your records! After that, I spoke to the store manager a bit more, who actually helped me find out what I needed, legally. Low and behold, it linked me right to my "main suspect"! I found out just in time too! He had went online at a friend's computer to make an online payment to his cellular phone with the victim's checking account number. I had the luxury of escorting him to the Hotel de Jail for the night. I guess he can thank me later for the complimentary orange coveralls.
Until next time.....

Back In Blog!

Well Folks, I'm back. I gave up trying to blog last year because I never had the time. Now I'm making a second attempt to do this. Just as a reminder: I am a female cop, hence the name "dirty harriet", that works full time and has a busy family life with a husband and two kids.

Last week while at work, I had the pleasure of accompanying a Social Services Worker to a residential address for them to investigate a hotline call that they received regarding a 10-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl who are sisters. The call alleged that each of girls had been involved in sexual intercourse and doing drugs. When we arrived to the house, (oops I mean trailer), good ol' Mom was nowhere in sight. We met with the owner of the home, an older woman, who told me that she was running errands. Not a problem, I thought. I will ask questions anyways. The older woman explained to me that she let them move in with her about a month prior because they were homeless. What a sweet old lady! Don't get me wrong; she's not your average "sweet old lady". She was in her fifties, but looked much older with tattoos up and down her arms. The trailer was a mess and smelled like dirty ashtrays. I, of course have to remain neutral so I asked her, "How did they become homeless?" The reply was that they had been kicked out of their apartment for "rumors". She told me that mom was a known drug user and addicted. She would leave and be gone at all hours of the day not caring for her children.

After getting the mothers full name and birth date, a computer check of Good Ol Mom revealed she had 10 outstanding Warrants for her arrest, totaling over $4000 in bonds. Did I forget to mention she had never enrolled her children in school? Of course you know where this is going, and I won't bore you with the details. Good old mom was nowhere to be found, and I felt that the allegations were probable. The children were escorted to the juvenile office to meet with the social services worker where arrangements were made for them to be with a family member or close friend while the investigation was underway. In the meantime, good ol mom finally returned a call to the police department and eventually came and turned herself in. I escorted her to the juvenile office to see her children, hug them and do the song and dance in front of social services, then I took her to the jail.

While good ol' mom was being booked in jail, I advised her of all of the warrants and the total bond. She told me she needed to use the phone to try and make bond, so I mentioned this to the jailer. I am not a jailer so once I bring somebody back to be processed; I leave and tend to my responsibilities, such as report writing. About half an hour later, I am typing the report in the report writing room, located near the jail. I overhear a female voice screaming profanities at the jailer. Naturally, any officer in the area would go back to the jail to assist the jailer if needed. I, along with a male officer, head back there to find out that it was Good Ol' Mom, cussing at the jailer about her phone call. The jailer dialed the number exactly as she gave to him, three separate times, all of which called a fax machine. Because of this, she threw the phone down and blamed the jailer for her phone call not going through. Remember, this was the number she provided. I told her to calm down but she did not. After repeat voice commands by me and the other officer telling her she needed to sit down, she still refused. We ultimately had to restrain her in a neck lock, sit her down and handcuff both arms to the bench. Of course, me being a female made her think we shared something in common. She looked directly at me asking me why I let this happen to her. I reminded her that it wasn't a hotel, it was jail and she needed to comply. And guess what, she got charged with resisting arrest, which added on another $500.00 to her Bond. But wait, it gets better! I found out the next day that she was also going to be charged with child neglect/endangerment. Go Blue!

Dirty Harriet's 1st Blog

Ok.... I've joined the bandwagon of bloggers. It's true. I guess you can say I'm a follower. And I'd probably jump off a bridge too, (that is, if all my friends were doing it).

So here it is, my first official blog. I'm not much of a writer, so I guess you can say this might come as a shock to most of you. Let's just say that I won't be doing this thing every day. I'll blog when I've got a funny story to tell.

Be forewarned that most of the things I write about will be nothing more than just a bunch of bulls**t. But hey, when you're bored with nothing better to do with your time, sit back and relax while you waste time reading my blog!

And just for stopping by today, here's a joke for you to enjoy!

Uses of Vaseline
Joe wanted to buy a motorbike. He doesn't have much luck until, one day, he comes across a Harley with a 'for sale' sign on it.
The bike seems even better than a new one, although it is 10 years old. It is shiny and in absolute mint condition.
He immediately buys it, and asks the seller how he kept it in such great condition for 10 years. "Well, it's quite simple, really," says the seller, "whenever the bike is outside and it's going to rain, rub Vaseline on the chrome. It protects it from the rain."
And he hands Joe a jar of Vaseline.
That night, his girlfriend, Sandra, invites him over to meet her parents. Naturally, they take the bike there.
But just before they enter the house, Sandra stops him and says, "I have to tell you something about my family before we go in."
"When we eat dinner, we don't talk. It's a rule. In fact, the first person who says anything during dinner has to do the dishes." "No problem," he says. And in they go.
Joe is shocked. Right smack in the middle of the living room is a huge stack of dirty dishes. In the kitchen is another huge stack of dishes. Piled up on the stairs, in the corridor, everywhere he looks, dirty dishes.
They sit down to dinner and, sure enough, no one says a word.
As dinner progresses, Joe decides to take advantage of the situation. So he leans over and kisses Sandra.
No one says a word.
So he reaches over and fondles her breasts.
Still, nobody says a word.
So he stands up, grabs her, rips her clothes off, throws her on the table, and screws her right there, in front of her parents.
His girlfriend is a little flustered, her dad is obviously livid, and her mom horrified when he sits back down, but no one says a word.
He looks at her mom. "She's got a great body," he thinks. So he grabs the mom, bends her over the dinner table, and has his way with her every which way right there on the dinner table.
Now his girlfriend is furious and her dad is boiling, but still, total silence.
All of a sudden there is a loud clap of thunder, and it starts to rain.
Joe remembers his bike, so he pulls the jar of Vaseline from his pocket.
Suddenly the father backs away from the table and shouts, "All right, thats enough, I'll do the f**king dishes!"