I will be talking about real people in Port Angeles although none are still alive (I'm 86 and they would be 95 and older.) As you might expect I will make myself the hero of any story I am involved in.
The setting - Port Angeles in the 1950s. I had just graduated in September with my teaching certificate, but since it was September all the teaching positions were already filled! I had to take the first job that was available. So I looked at Law Enforcement. I applied in Renton but when they looked at my school record (straight As in University) they said they didn't think I would stay for a career in law enforcement. They were right! But I still needed a job.
So I had to look further afield. And found an opening in the Port Angeles Police Department. And here was where I learned about local politics and the interaction between local government and police departments.
First, let's take a look at our municipal judge. He spent entirely too much time at the American Legion Hall getting drunk and some members of the police dept. would take him home. Did he appreciate this service? I'm sure he did. Every police officer knew they could count on support from that judge on any case.
One day, the mayor was going entirely too fast so I gave him a ticket. When I went off-shift the Chief called me into his office and proceeded tear up the ticket. He pointed out that maintaining good relations with the mayor was good business. If the police dept. needed anything like a new vehicle, we could depend on the mayor to get it for us.
The State Patrol ticketed City Manager Vergeer on one of his trips from Seattle to Port Angeles. According to the story told to us, our esteemed City Manager told the State Patrolman 'I am the City Manager for Port Angeles'. But he got ticket anyhow. He was just a City Manager - not a big enough deal. The story got around - and every officer knew he had tried to pull rank and failed. So if he did anything out of the ordinary the officers would go out of their way to nail him.
Then one time I pulled over his son for speeding. The Chief and Vergeer himself asked me for my opinion on how I should treat his own son. That was a helluva spot to put a young officer in. So I told them, 'It's your specialty and experience, not my call. Maybe just put him on a bicycle for a year.' Since he loved his fast car so much - that would be the best lesson for him. So they made the call and they took the car away from him. I'll bet that was a good lesson for him though. Not that he was a bad kid - but hopefully he'd be more responsible.
The Coast Guard Station situated at the end of a long sand-spit is a major tourist attraction
but some of the young Coast Guardsmen liked to use it for a speedway. Port Angeles is a mecca for tourists and we try to make their visit both safe and enjoyable. I worked out a plan, Plan A,
that was very effective. There was a "roundhouse"at the beginning of the sand spit which made a good hiding place for me. Now, don't try to make me feel bad by pointing out that it is illegal for police cars to hide. There was no hope of my catching those speeders, but I was able to get close enough to jot down license plate numbers before they entered the Coast Guard Station.
Step 2 was to give the license number to the Chief. He called the base commander and a few minutes later, a somewhat sheepish young man would report to Chief Eide and get his punishment (a ticket and a fine) When he returned to his base his CO would mete out additional punishment. They never did figure out that the Police Chief and the Coast Guard Commander were fishing buddies and they worked closely together.
Before you get the erroneous idea that the Port Angles police were dedicated to making life intolerable for the Coast Guardsman, consider this. Two Guardsmen came out of a tavern and stood on the sidewalk finishing their beer. When they finished they tossed the empties over their shoulders. Surprisingly enough they didn't spot me directly across the street from them, in full sunlight and in my police uniform. They were not drunk. Could a few sips of beer obscure one's vision?
I suggested that Harrington's Bar might have a broom and a dustpan. With these tools they were able to clean up the mess. I'm sure they were aware that I could easily write out a ticket listing several violations of city ordinances. Sometimes you don't need to actually write up a ticket to fix a problem.
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4 comments:
When I was young and had my first car (mid 80s), I used to get pulled over by the local police after they would run my plates. My brothers were well known within the law enforcement community... luckily for me it must've also been known that I was the good egg in the family because after they'd ask me about my brothers and what they were doing, they'd let me off with a warning for whatever excuse they they had used to pulled me over for. :)
I spent my active duty time as an Army MP. Best and worst choice I could have made.
Definitly learned that I wanted nothing to do with law enforcement on any level and I learned about day to day politics both in and out of military service.
The love/hate I have for the police is one of those things I doubt I'll ever be able to fully come to grips with.
There are other aspects to law enforcement that I would like to bring up:
1. Some schools are having a hard time controlling the students. Having an officer in uniform patrolling the halls solves the problem.
2. If you like surprises try an occasional locker check.
3. Parents and schools should use juvenile court facilities more often.They are very effective. In one case a single mother had lost conrol of her 17 year old son. The juvenile court pointed out to the boy the many benefits of having a home and a loving mother. He then said "shape up or you will be spending your nights in a juvenile facility.
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