Cop Light

Today is the birthday of one of my friends and sister-in-arms, so I rode to the school she is currently working as a Resource Officer in to visit and wish her the best 9th anniversary of her 30th birthday possible. I didn't mean to stay very long.

BUT... one of my probationers had been acting up all week, so I chatted with him about which type of behavior is in his best interest. Then, another probationer committed a battery on a staff member and since neither of us could transport (I'm on vacation, for Heaven's sake!!), we had to call a poor patrol guy to take the kid to the Hall. As my friend cuffed and Mirandized, another Resource Officer (from a sister school) appeared as backup. He couldn't transport either (no backseat in his fancy Unit).

The arrest did not go well and the probationer was, well, upset.

(Side note: "Upset" means violent, non-compliant, threatening, and moments away from riding the lightning, which none of us wanted because it means a trip to the hospital before the Hall and no one had time for it, especially the poor patrol guy who at this point had no idea what he was in for because he hadn't shown up yet.)

So, I stuck around to do what I do best: regulate.

And when I was done baffling the boy with bullshit, he was not only calm and compliant, he was brainstorming ways to effectively manage his behavior once he's released and asking if he could be transferred to my caseload.

After the patrol officer left with our newest convert, my friend shook her head and chuckled to herself while sorting the referrals. The other Resource Officer, an aquaintance, said

"How the fuck do you do that????? Seriously??? Are you the fucking Thug Whisperer?? You need to teach a fucking class!!!"

He wasn't really looking for an answer, because he was sitting right there the whole time. It just doesn't occur to most street law enforcement that I'm the "Thug Whisperer" because that's all I have. My current position is unarmed... since I left the Gang Unit, I do this job with nothing but sharp wits and a cell phone. There have been plenty of situations where I would have been in serious trouble if I hadn't been able to talk someone into a corner.

(By the way we call that "exploring ambivalence" in the rehabilitative world of California Corrections).

I may be "Cop Light," but I make this job look smoooooooooth.