Deputy Sheriff v. "Real" Police

Hmmmm-It's been a few days since I posted & honestly there is not a lot new. No exciting stories of IEDs, armed escorts, road rage in an armored vehicle & definately not any pictures of me with a machine gun in a turret, LOL.I guess I do have some interesting stories, but to me they are just normal occurences. Just another day at work.

For example, I got a call the other night. (Forgive me for speaking in somewhat cryptic terms, as is similar to Brent, there is only so much detail that I can give.) A male subject called in to report his "Baby Mama"-his words, not mine- was en route to her residence & her new boyfriend was in the car & was wanted on a warrant. No big deal. Just knock on the door, ask for him, arrest him, go on about my night.

A little explanation here-my job is to do police work, which most of you know. But, you wouldn't believe the people who ask if I ever get to use my hand cuffs. OF COURSE I do; It's my JOB. I arrest people on a daily basis, especially in the spring & summer months. I realize some people are just trying to make conversation (and some are hitting on me-not very originally, I might add ROFL)but, that's like asking a mailman if he delivered mail today.

Anyway, back to the story. I get to the house & it's pretty obvious I woke "Baby Mama" up. She says the male is not there. So, my next question is, Do you mind if I come in & check?" Now, she does not have to allow this. And from other information I had gathered on the way to the call she has been around the block a few times by the age of 19 & I figured she knew this. Imagine my surprise when she says sure & let's me in. Now's the time for a game of hide & seek. :D

I start checking the house, which is very small & packed full of clutter. There are very few places to hide. A brand new baby is sleeping in the corner in a bouncy seat & I can't help but feel sorry for it. As I'm searching I'm thinking, "I'm gonna be arresting that kid before I retire." A dim view, I know, but realistic.

My last stop is Baby Mama's bedroom. There's a bed, with rubbermaid totes stacked all around it, a dresser, & clothes at least a foot deep on every inch of the floor. Really no where to hide. I peek my head in a little further & see off to the right a tiny closet, jam packed full. My eyes adjust a bit & I see a male perched on top of an aerobic rxercise ball, like a Gargoyle. In only boxers. Which are gaping open. With his "junk" hanging out. I pull my taser, tell him to get out of the closet, & inform Dispatch that I have 1 male in the closet at taser point.

The laser on my taser apparently was making the subject a little anxious, & he fumbled trying to get dressed, all the while asking why I was there. I explain the warrant & can't help but ask him why he was hiding in the closet if he didn't know why I was there. I know he knows why I was there, but I can be a smartass at times. His answer: "Cuz the cops was here." LMAO That's what I always do when I see a cop-run for the closet.

Baby Mama didn't go to jail, though she could have for obstructing. Sometimes its not worth the hassle-waiting around for someone to pick up the baby, writing the report-because the State's Attorney would probably not file charges anyway. Another dim view, but also realistic. I can see why a lot of people don't have faith in the justice system. I work in it & believe in it, but still get disenchanted at times.

So, for anyone wondering what this has to do with the title of this entry, I just celebrated my 8 year anniversary with the Sheriff's Office this last week. Inevitably when I tell people my title, "Deputy Sheriff, " instead of saying I'm a police officer, I get the question, "So, what do you actually DO?" My short answer is I'm a cop who just has a bigger jurisdiction than a city police officer. We patrol the county. 653 sq miles of it, sometimes with only 3 of us on duty at a time. We do the "normal" cop stuff, but also serve papers for the court & provide courthouse security.

The public's perception sometimes is very funny-anyone who has had to deal with the SO (Sheriff's Office), at least around here, knows that we are pretty hard core & don't want to mess with us. Now, there are people who are going to jack with you no matter what, but the majority don't want to be messing with the Deputies. Which is funny, since most people don't consider that we do much, lol.
The perfect example is a story my Sgt tells about one time when he was fairly new on the department he responded to back up Pekin officers on a fight. There were several Pekin officers there & the drunk suspect was giving them a ration of crap & refusing to comply with the officer's commands to turn around & put his hands behind his back. Until he saw the Deputy standing there. The suspect says he'd comply 'cuz he doesn't mess with the county. The Pekin officers were dumb founded, ROFL. So, I guess we have a pretty good rep.

One other quick example. Our juridictional lines are funny sometimes & we have several areas in the county that are completely surrounded by a city. But, they have never been annexed in, so we still have to provide the polce coverage. My same Sgt & I were on a call one day, I can't really remember the specifics, but there was a drunk lady at the residence who had just move in. She asked us why the county had responded to her address instead of the Pekin Police. We explained that she was now living in the county's jurisdiction, so she would have to deal with us now. "Well, S@#T, I didn't know that or I wouldn't have moved here. You guys are like REAL cops, I don't wanna mess with you!"

This was kind of brought on by the picture at the top of my blog. A few people have asked if that was me. The answer is No, but we Deputies are all alike-the good ones anyway, LOL.