Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Cop Magnet

I’m starting to feel like a cop magnet. Seriously.

I end 2008 with a cop drama unfolding 10 or so yards away – and I don’t even know it. So why did I think I could make it through two whole weeks into 2009 without it happening again?!

While this time was much less dramatic, it was just as odd. In nearly 30 years of bus-riding, I’ve never had anything like this happen. We’re trundling through town and a police car, lights flashing, speeds up alongside us. Then as we stop for a red light, the squad car makes a hard right directly into the path of the bus.

An officer jumps out and runs up to the bus door. I’m sitting toward the front so I hear the officer say “I need to check your passengers.” There I sit, laptop in hand, but he breezes right past me as a second officer boards. The first officer shouts back to the driver: “Have you had any couples – a man and a woman – get off the bus in the last few minutes?” I knew we hadn’t and the bus driver shook his head vigorously.

On hearing that, the officer turned back around to the seven or so stunned passengers. “I’m sorry, ladies, we didn’t mean to frighten anyone,” he began. “We received a call though about a man holding his wife on a bus and we just aren’t sure what bus.” The officers spoke briefly in hushed tones with the driver and then they were gone.

It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, after hearing both last night and this morning about a local case on the news where a suspected murder/suicide had taken place after the wife filed a restraining order.

As for this morning’s case, I hope that a) it was all a misunderstanding or b) that the police found the right bus and no one was harmed.

3 comments:

sewwhat? said...

According to today's news, that guy involved in the murder/suicide was a real psycho case, this was his third wife who had filed a restraining order against him. How can jerks like that find so many wives? Also, case was in neighboring state from you, thank heaven! But there must be crazies walking the streets in every location.

Jayne said...

Here's a scary factoid for ya: Women are more likely to be killed by their abuser after they file a restraining order. Frightening. After 9 years dispatching emergency services, I have to say I feel sorry for those cops--imagine trying desperately to help someone and having so little information to go on. That scene you witnessed must've taken place over & over on several buses, unless they got lucky & found the guy right away.

NV said...

Yeah, but unfortunately, these kinds of things go on all the time, all over the world.

And Jayne, you're so right. That is the kind that hate to be challenged. And it's so sad. She does something to try and end the cycle only to touch off something worse.