Change of Seasons

The seasons are finally starting to change. We've been broiling hot here this summer and into fall, with my first deer scouting trip in September, being conducted in triple digit temperatures. Things are finally cooling off, though now they tend to get confusing. Last week, morning temps were in the 30s, with highs in the 60s, this morning, it was 70 degrees as I left for work, and 80 degrees on the way home. Add in the rain we've been getting(thankfully), with humidity in the 90+ percentages, and it makes for some miserable times. Everything is sticky with condensation, and the only thing air conditioners do, is attempt to remove some of the moisture from the air, which tends to freeze up AC units. Profitable time to be in the HVAC business.

The only changes at work are for the worse, which confirms predictions by the long-timers, who say that things are still going to get even worse before they get better. Caseloads are still going up, with no end in sight, and we're being asked to do even more with less. Just today I spoke with another Agent who I thought was a fixture at the office, but he has an interview on Friday with an agency a little ways up the road.

To that end, I've been doing a little negotiating myself, trying to develop a job in the private sector, and may have a contract coming up for some good, enjoyable work. Keep your fingers crossed for me :)

One of the things that has been bedeviling me lately has been a case a little north of us, up in North Carolina. I'm sure you've all seen it on the National news. Young Zahra Baker, 10 years old and already a cancer survivor. Lost part of her leg and a good bit of her hearing to the cancer. Then her father up and moves her from their native Australia to rural NC to marry some woman he met on the internet. She's currently missing, and presumed dead.

I am not ashamed to admit, that I was moved to tears when I first saw this story several weeks ago. This beautiful child who had already been through so much, and yet still was full of smiles in any picture you see of her. The indefatigability of youth I guess.

Then the ugly rumors started the next day. All of the neighbors came out to the news to say how they'd seen the Step-mother beat her any time they stopped by. How she went to school with black eyes from one of those beatings. How they new she was going to come to a bad end because the Stepmother was jealous of the attention her father gave her.

At that time, she was just missing, and I turned to my wife and said, "If they find that little girl, I'm calling the Sheriff up there and telling him she can live with us." No argument from the Wife on that one.

Then the angry started. All these "neighbors" who just knew something was wrong, and had seen the child beaten by the stepmother, and just knew she was going to come to a bad end. Every blessed one of them needs to be brought up on charges for failing to report abuse, and complicity in whatever they finally determine happened to that poor child. A few rides on a cattle prod wouldn't be amiss either for these lazy slime balls.

But as the seasons change, people forget, and the news moves on. Two weeks later, and you have to search for updates on the story, what they're doing, what they've found, what they're looking for, etc.. I hate that she's being forgotten already, mostly in favor of what some politician said about another, in the run up to November 2nd.

I don't know why I felt such an immediate connection with this little girl, but I hope it doesn't go away. I pray for her every day, and I think that it's particularly apropos, that on Sundays, I pray for Zahra Clare Baker, in the Monastery of St. Clare. I pray that she receives mercy, and I pray that those who have harmed her are brought to justice.

I pray that as the seasons change, I continue to remember that one little girl who overcame so much, suffered the ultimate indignity. I pray that maybe today, putting one slime ball away, might spare one little girl from a similar fate. That calling DSS about drug abuse in a home with children, might get the children out safely, before things get bad. That threatening one knucklehead with prison, who's not quite beyond redemption, might get their feet on the path they need to tread.

I try to hold my head up, and believe that what we're doing matters, but then one of these cases comes along, where we weren't able to protect the little child, and my head hangs with sorrow. This was not my case, not my jurisdiction, not even in my state, but the failure on our part wounds me all the same. It also stiffens my resolve. I will redouble my efforts here, to see that no such thing happens on my watch.

The seasons change, my badge is a little heavier, a little more worn, a few more nicks and scratches, but as yet, there is no tarnish.

Take care all,


Casey

Victims......really?

One of the things brought on by budget cuts and shortfalls in our state, is reduced manpower throughout it's agencies. That means an increased workload for the remaining personnel, including duties that were routinely performed by a specialized position in the past. In this particular instance, I'm referring to the no longer existing position of Victims Service Coordinator. We used to have a guy who did nothing but deal with all of the victims of the crimes our offenders perpetrated. He took advantage of the Early Retirement offers brought on by the budget cuts, and now, field agents deal with all the victim stuff as well. I'm here to tell you, it's a load of crap and a waste of time.

Now, before you get your dander up, hear me out first. I have no problem in dealing with real, legitimate victims. I will spend time on the phone with them, I will go out to their homes, and do everything I can to assure them that I will keep an eye on the criminal that hurt them, and if they step out of line, I will come down on them like a ton of bricks.

However, real "Victims", seem to be few and far between in this particular line of work. Most of the people I have to deal with claiming to be 'victims', have been Dramatized, not traumatized. I've got one woman who calls at least once a week, where I'm lucky to get off the phone in less than thirty minutes, and all she wants to talk about is how hard her life has been. Nothing to do with the actual crime the offender is on probation for, she's just using it as an outlet for talking about herself. Blow her off you say? Well, when that happens, meaning I don't return a call in response to a voice mail fast enough, she immediately calls my supervisor. If my supervisor isn't in, or doesn't return the call fast enough, she goes right on up the chain bitching and whining until she gets a hold of someone, who promptly rolls that ball of crap back down hill with explicit orders for me to get on the phone and stay there until this woman is satisfied.

We've become so scared of offending someone who might potentially be, maybe, kinda sorta, a victim of something, that I believe we've lessened what it means to be a victim, for any real victims out there.

What brings this all to mind, is that with our VSC gone, one of our responsibilities now, is sending out Victim Letters. This means, when an offender is in violation status, and is going to be taken in front of a Circuit Judge to face having his/her probation revoked, and being sent to prison, we have to send out letters to the 'victims', notifying them of the time, date, and place of the hearing, so that they can be present if they so desire, or submit a statement for us to present to the judge on their behalf. In general, this isn't a problem, however, one a ran across yesterday just really got my goat.

The dirtbag in question is on for multiple charges, the one causing me problems is this: Pointing and/or Presenting a Firearm at a Person. It's a legitimate charge. You point a loaded gun at someone, and that's a viable threat to that person. However, in this particular case, of the fourteen Victim Letters I was required to send out, only one person actually had the gun pointed at them, and was threatened. The other thirteen, were covered by the muzzle as the dirtbag waved his gat around, gesticulating and ordering the one person who was actually threatened around. However, every single one of the remaining thirteen felt dramatized to such an extent, that they filled out paperwork to be kept abreast of anything that might ever happen with this idiot's case.

Ever been at the range, and had some idiot cover you with the muzzle of a loaded firearm? You might be a victim! Even if you were 8 lanes over, with multiple people and rows of shelving between you and the idiot, you go right ahead and claim 'victim' status, because sure as crap, no one is going to gainsay you, on the off chance that you might sue somebody for Mental Anguish or some crap.

These idiots call themselves 'victims', like it's some sort of badge of honor. Like it somehow puts them on the same level as a real victim, of a real crime. They just want a few minutes in the spotlight, and someone they can complain to who can't hang up on them without getting their own tail in the wringer. They cheapen the title of victim, and take time away from people who could be dealing with victims of real crimes that physically, emotionally, and/or psychologically scar them.

No idea where I'm going with this, other than that whiny people with no real problems just torque me off!


Take care all,


Casey

Suspicious minds...

It seems, that I have a suspicious mind, or so my wife tells me. Not suspicious as in who is my wife talking to on the phone, is she having an affair? No, cop suspicious, as in, why is that car creeping by so slowly, or I don't recognize that mailman.

My wife calls it suspicious, I mostly just call it being aware of my surroundings, and what's going on. Though I admit, I do tend to look for the darker explanations first. That just makes for a pleasant surprise when the answer turns out to be innocuous.

For example, after a long day in the field yesterday, I got home before my wife and kids(thank God for small favors). As I stop the car at the top of the driveway, and get out to grab the mail before pulling all the way in, something isn't right.

I always scan my surroundings upon entering or exiting anything, be it car, building, or just a room. I have no idea what I've seen, because it hasn't registered yet, but something is off enough that I stop and do a serious look around me. Still can't peg it, so I start to walk around my car, and there it is.

About twelve feet into my driveway, along the right side is a cat. Black as night, mid-length fur, and dead as a hammer. There's a dried blood pool at the head, one eye is bulged out, and those ugly green flies are buzzing all around it.

My first thought is one of relief, because it's not my cat. Heck, that little thing is practically a kitten compared to my largish cat(22ish pounds). This cat, while appearing full grown, would be lucky to push ten pounds, probably closer to seven than eight on second glance. There are strays in the woods around here, and it's probably one of those.

Enter the suspicious mind. Wait a sec, how did it get into my yard, and how did it get dead? I pull on into the driveway, grab some gloves and a shovel, and go back to investigate. The whole time I'm remembering that a neighbor warned me the other week to keep an eye on the kids, as they'd seen a bobcat in the yard proper, and it was acting weird. Rabies is the first thing that popped into my mind then, and I'm thinking of it now as well.

I'm also trying to think if there's anyone I've sent to prison in the past who would he getting out now that might hold a grudge, or someone more recent, with a family member who might hold a grudge. I can't think of anyone off hand, but I'm not discounting anything at this point.

I reach the deceased, and pause for a better look. There's just a small amount of blood, and it appears to have all come out of the mouth. The only thing I can see wrong with it, at least visually, is the right eye is bulged most of the way out of the socket, and a little cloudy. The left eye is in the socket, and appears normal.

I can't see any signs of any kind of trauma, no obvious broken bones, nothing mangled, no apparent extraneous holes or anything. If it wasn't for the bulged eye, and two inch blood stain on the drive, I wouldn't know it wasn't just asleep. Except for the flies of course.

I go to touch it, and it's in full rigor, stiff as a board. I dunno much about calculating ToD based on things like that, but I figured it had been there for at least a few hours to be like that. I proceed to remove the cat out to the deep woods, and then start hosing off the drive. Luckily I'm almost done when everyone else gets home, and all they see is silly daddy playing with the hose.

Best as I can figure, one of the ferals must have been crossing the road, and gotten barely clipped by a passing vehicle. Not enough for serious physical trauma, just enough so that the trauma that did result was fatal. That, and knocked it, either flying or stumbling, far enough into my driveway to make me question where it came from and how it got there.

I will admit to keeping maybe a closer eye on what was going on outside last night. Paying more attention to cars going by, and noises I can't immediately identify. However, sometimes, the simplest explanation is the correct one.

Doesn't mean I won't keep an eye out for the darkside, but will still be pleasantly surprised when things turn out for the best.

Take care all,


Casey


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In the Crapper!

Here's an pic of what I mentioned in a previous post. The holster is a Safariland ALS. That's a retention holster with a thumb activated release. I like it for the retention aspect, as well as it's comfort and low profile.

The paddle is stiff, yet flexible. This makes it almost forgettable on the hip.

As you can see in the above pic, it also provides enough tension to securely hold it in place when dropped between the wall and the handrail in a handicapped stall.

Now, in full duty rig, there's just no help for it, and you're probably going to end up hanging your duty belt on the door. However, when dressed for the office, or concealment, and not the field, this is a great place to hang your holster.

It keeps it right to hand, without having to actually hold it in your hand, and without having to worry about anyone else's hands getting on it.

Granted, this won't work for everyone, but I like it. YMMV.

Take care all,


Casey

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From the porch...

I've had a stressful couple of days, so it was nice to see that the weatherman didn't lie last night. He said there was a cool front moving in, and move in it did.

The temperature was in the upper 50s, and the sky full of wispy clouds as the sun came up. I decided to take a cup of coffee, nothing special, just Folger's French Roast, and step onto the back deck to greet the morning.

Here is what greeted me back:





It's a pretty nice view, if I do say so myself. Sipping coffee, enjoying a smoke, and listening to the birds and squirrels wake up and go about their business for the day.

It goes a long way towards alleviating stress. I guess there's another reason I prefer not to live in the city.

Here's hoping all of you enjoy the Holiday weekend!

Take care all!


Casey


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On the road again...

Posting from the road is interesting, and fun. Mostly because I am posting from the actual road, and not from a hotel or other waystop along the way.

I somehow got suckered into assisting another agent to transport a subject from the local county jail, down to an In-patient treatment facility in the state Capitol. Even though we called half an hour ahead o time to make sure the jail had the subject ready to transport, we still had to wait for over an hour for them to get their ducks in a row.

Normally, that's not so bad, however, today our delay meant that we also got tapped for a last minute extradition. So, after we get this guy settled in at the Capitol, we will grab a quick bite, then head to another part of the state, to another county jail, and hope the next prisoner is more ready to go than the last one.

Don't you just hate it when you cannot effectively plan anything out, because all of your actions end up being governed by those who do not feel your sense of urgency to get their jobs accomplished?

Oh well, at least I have my phone to entertain me :). I'll probably be doing the driving on the second and third legs of the trip, but for now, I can relax and play :p


Take care all,


Casey


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Preppers....Whadda ya know?

So I'm perusing the blogroll the other day, catching up on some posts by folks I enjoy, and stumble on one of Matt's posts. I can't seem to find it now, but I'm not looking that hard at the moment :p Anyway, he linked, I think, to an older post of his, where he mentioned prepping, and linked to a site called Alpha Disaster Contingencies. So I started poking around there.

Matt had mentioned that these guys were actual Preppers, and not fringe extremists, hoping for society to fail so that they could propel themselves to dominance in a Lord of the Flies kinda scene. Even with that endorsement, I went into it pretty skeptical, cause it seems there are always some wierdos that slip through.

I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised. These guys seem pretty tight. I'm not saying that there aren't a few things that seem a little 'out there' to me, but nothing to make you want to back up and try to slip out un-noticed.

It actually got me thinking about my own situation. I don't claim to be a prepper by any means, and our worst disasters here usually revolve around power outages during ice storms. We had an outage a few years back that lasted a week, and while we were inconvenienced, the only thing we really missed was being able to take regular showers. So I was feeling pretty good about how I might stack up.

Bubble....Burst...

These folks, from what little I've seen, really have it together. They got a good grip on everything, including who gets access to the majority of their methods and information. They apparently go through everything they do with a fine tooth comb, test it to make sure it works, then submit it to everyone else who does their own eval of it, before it gets boiled down to be considered a 'proven' method or technique, or item.

The only downside I see to it, and that's a downside for me, not for them, is that they're very selective about who they allow in to share in their wealth of knowledge. You have to be able to commit to active participation and contribution to even be considered for the probationary evaluation status.

At this point, between work, the kids, work, home repair issues, work, etc., I am unwilling, or just unable, to make the commitment required to get involved. Maybe later on down the road it will be something to look at. Heck, I've already got The Wife on board with stocking up canned goods, and even trying out pressure canning some things.

What I'd really love to do is sit down with one of these guys, and chew the fat for an hour two. There's gotta be a lot of great stories mixed up in all that prepping. Speaking of which, from what I read, there seem to be a number of them located right here in Upstate Carolina. If anyone knows one of them, and would be willing to make an introduction, e-mail me at GreycatSR5_AT_gmail_DOT_com. I'll buy the first round for a sit down at one of our local establishments, just for the chance to talk with one of these guys for a while.

OK, I'm off to see what else I may have missed perusing in the blogroll.

Take care all,


Casey