The Policeman's Creed
As a Captain he rarely went out on patrol unless it was needed. But today with so many calling in sick, he was out by himself.
He never called in sick even during the Level Orange for Viruses and Other Contagious Diseases warning. It wasn’t that he disagreed with it. He just didn’t want to get paid for doing nothing. Boredom was the worst. Plus, he'd never gotten one of the illnesses. Others had and he felt bad about that. Particularly the older guys.
He called in on the radio to Alice and told her he was going to check Lookout Park. She said “Have fun” and he clicked twice meaning “Will do and f-u”. They had been friends in high school and then at the Academy and nearly had a “thing” but she fell for a guy with shiny shoes and he for a gal with temporary loyalties. They stayed friends through the breakups and had developed a sort of code way of communicating like kids sometimes do and always will, which helped a lot under Chief Norton who was “All Rules or No Deal”. The prior Chief was a “hamburger chief” and everybody loved him and worked hard for him. But a heart attack changed all that. He had even thought about going to work as a detective in another city but Alice said just to hang in. Chief Norton had political ambitions and would eventually be gone. So, he did.
It was a beautiful spring day and usually lot of people would be out in Woodbridge, biking jogging, some with those baby strollers that he always worried about. Wouldn’t the baby be flung out if the stroller hit something? But according to Ernie the EMT no such accident had happened yet.
But today only a few walked with masks, heads down. They looked at him glumly as he drove by. He even caught in his rear view mirror a teenager giving him the finger as he went by. Hey, look I’m just as fucked as you are buddy. Even worse, he thought to himself. I have to put up with…
One stalwart went up toward the park on a racing bike. Fully decked out. No mask. There wasn’t a rule about masks when biking or even walking solo. Thank god. He admired the guy for making the run up the winding road to the park or beyond. He knew he couldn’t even attempt something like that.
He pulled into Lookout Park. It had the only park stone entrance in the area. Huge. Built over a hundred years ago with a massive iron gate that stood off to the side. He hadn’t seen that gate closed since he was a kid. It was a behemoth. A relic to grander times in Woodbridge when men had really cool mustaches and women were oppressed with horrible clothes. Now it had the usual metal bar gate that was locked up after dusk.
He drove through the gate. He had always liked coming here when he was a kid with his family. The park had huge trees, stone buildings which had become bathrooms and park service equipment storage. And places to makeout. The park looked out onto the valley and was a favorite for graduations, birthdays, anniversaries and many years ago, return from service parties. He and Alice had had a Freedom Party there when their divorces had finally come through.
He saw a few people sitting on the grass and talking. They put their masks on as he drove by. There was no closed park rule, hence the entrance was open. He didn’t care about the masks. People had been told so much about masks over the years that even Michael Jackson would say enough! He was there to check the playground which did have a specific city ordinance that went into place a few weeks ago when the level Orange Level warning was issued. It had been yellowed taped off limits by Police Officer Pete Summers, under the Captain’s directions. Pete loved doing stuff like that. That was why he did not like Pete. People were people.
He came around the corner and saw the playground. He smelled hamburgers and some other meat and his stomach growled. Then he saw five or six little kids with adults on the swings, two females cooking on the park grill and two or three men standing “supervising” with beverages in hand. The yellow tape had been carefully pulled away and piled to two sides. The adults noticed his cruiser and looked over at him. He parked it and swore under his breath. F-ing Chief Norton. This was an ordinance. How some virus could be any worse on kids’ playground equipment than the carts that everybody used at the grocery, he didn’t know. And moms were careful with those wipes they always have. But it was an ordinance in the books. Punishable by fine or jail time.
He got out of the cruiser and walked toward the group. The women kept cooking. One of the men drifted over to him.
“Howdy,” he said, smiling. “I am Captain Miller from the Woodbridge Police Department. I don’t know you folks but I have to inform you of an ordinance that we have here, hence the yellow tape.”
“Yes, sir. We actually did know about it,” one of the men said. A woman came up to him and offered him a plate of potato salad and a fat cheeseburger.
“Thank you, mam, I can’t take that, but it smells great.” He waited for more explanation.
He looked over and saw one little boy being swung by a woman. He had no hair. His eyes looked tired, not bright like most kids. His skin was greyish. But he smiled whenhe saw the Captain looking at him. The woman held onto to him tenderly. Swinging him slowly, carefully.
“We are doing this for Joey, there,” the man pointed to the little boy. “We’re fully aware of the violation.” He passed the Captain a sheet of paper with a picture of the little boy’s face. It said: “Joeys Birthday. Joey has cancer. He has been fighting bravely. Help in his fight.” And then a web site with a place to donate. And phone number.
Damn. “Are you the father?”
“No, sir the father was killed in service, in the last war, so it is just us friends and the mother.
“Well, I am so sorry. That is heart breaking.” He smelled the hamburger again. “Maybe I will have just a…”
”Sure, sure. Here you go.” The woman passed him an even more full plate. Just then the Captain heard the sound of another cruiser. Pete Summers. He put the paper plate down on a picnic table. Pete must have been bored and thought back up was needed. Back up.
“Sir, do you mind helping with a bit of a show?” the Captain asked the man.
“Sir, I don’t…oh, I think I…”
“Okay, follow my lead.” He took the man gently by the elbow and steered him to his cruiser. He had him put his hands on the hood and started to frisk him as Pete walked up. The others stared, alarmed at what was going on.
“What we got here, Captain?” Pete asked, smiling, hand on his holster. As though it wasn’t obvious. The Captain finished patting him down, opened the door to his cruiser and gently pushed him into the back seat.
Sir,” the Captain said to the man,” You are aware of violating Ordinance 53B100 and willingly being asked to cease and leave the area with the others have so refused.” The Captain tried to wink, but it was more like a spasm.
“Yes, sir. Ordinance 53B1000, well aware of violating it and being offered the chance to stop the birthday party of Joey McPherson, aged 6 years old so as not to violate ordinance.”
“Want me to cuff him?” Pete asked, reaching for his cuffs.
“No, need. He is no threat, Officer Summers.”
“That is what they all say. And they all have some sad story.”
The Captain looked up above his cruiser and saw two teenagers by a tree, whiffs of smoke coming from them, smirks on their faces. One was the teenager who flipped him off earlier. That made almost three violations.
“Pete, see those youths there?”
“Yes, sir.” Pete said looking over, hand on holster again.
“Go bring them over here.” Pete went off, strutting.
The Captain went into the cruiser and rolled up the window and turned on the air conditioner.
He called Alice on her cell phone.
“Alice, it is me.”
“I know. Calling me on the…”
“Yes, the Dispatch system is down wink-wink, as you know, so I needed you to pencil in a HBOSFT…”he turned his head to the prisoner in the back-“How much time you need here?”
The man in the back smiled. “Two hours should be good. Joey will tucker out and then we will just hang out for a while to be together.”
The Captain turned aback around. “HBOSFT20, that is two zero. Copy?”
Alice wrote the letters and numbers down on a pad, smiling. I can almost read his mind now.
“Yes, sir. WTF over sir.”
Pete had brought over the two teenagers, now both smirking, a plastic bag sticking out of one their pockets.
“Want me to get the names of the other violators, Captain?” Pete said after the Captain had rolled down the window.
“No, Officer I want you to fully use your training and see what three, or at least two violations have occurred with these two.”
“Oh, sure. Okay.” Pete turned back to the prisoner. He called Alice again on her cell.
“Alice. Have Pete cover me on the Rules Meeting at four pm. I will be handling the HB…”
“Ok. Got it.” She cut him off. And then under her breath-“Handling Bullshit Ordinance Stalling For Time 2 hours. Got it. Boy, that was almost too easy. We are going to get busted one of these. ..”
“I will handle it with the Chief. Oh, and Pete has two youths he is bringing in. Smoking dope in the park and insulting an officer. Then he can cover for me…”
“I know in the meeting. Ok, just tell me what is going on after…”
“I will. OAO.”
“OAOFU2”.
The Captain again turned back to the man. “Okay, give me a sec here.” He got out of the cruiser.
Pete’s face was flush, he was frustrated. He had the two youths in his cruiser, cuffed. They were still smirking.
“Ok, whayda find, Officer?”
“One had marijuana in a plastic bag. They smelled of marijuana. Which is illegal to smoke in a public park per Ordinance…”
“Good, what else?”
“And the other is,” he looked down embarrassed, “they called me names.”
“Which is what, Officer?” Pete looked confused.
“It is rude…”
“Which is what violation?”
Pete brightened up and took out a small book from a flap in his jacket.
“Just find it when you get to the station. And do it quick. You are covering for me on the Rules Meeting.” Pete looked pleased.
“Yes, sir. On the way. You don’t need any help here…”
“None, Officer Summers.” Pete got in the cruiser and took the two away. The Captain opened the back door to the cruiser and let the man out. They walked back to the others who looked at the Captain uncertainly.
“Let’s get the Captain some food,” the man said.” By the way, I am Sandy, one of Joey’s honorary uncles.”
The woman again brought him a plate of food. She pinned something on him. It was a badge with Joey’s face. For the second time the Captain put down the delicious smelling food. He walked over to where Joey and his mother were.
“Can I swing him for a bit?” he asked the woman.
“Sure, can. My arms and back need a break and I could use a beer.” She walked away.
He stood in front of Joey. Joey looked at the various things which adorned his shirt. The Captain swung him gently. Joey smiled.
The Captain remembered when they came here to the Park after church with his parents. The kids dying to ruin their Sunday clothes. Moms trying to help get them changed before they ran off. He never did get religious, not because of the violence and craziness he had seen being a policeman, but because, as his grandmother had said-” It never caught”.
Now, with people he didn’t know, a child who probably wouldn’t see another spring, in Level Orange, death supposed to in the air, somewhere all over, he felt “caught”.
And it felt good. Really good.
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