Becoming the Chew Toy

So if you haven't seen the video of the Abilene Police K-9s taking me down...you should stop here, and go see it!

I mean it. I'll hold your spot.

Okay, thank you for watching. Now, please understand I enjoyed that story, but that's because I was in a controlled environment and in a padded suit. If I were on the wrong side of the law, then that bite would've been bad news. It's important to understand that while the story was exciting, I did not want to sensationalize this. With that said, you also need to understand these dogs are not human-killers. Quite the opposite, these dogs are even-tempered and really sweet, until they're given a command.

Whew, all of that's out of the way (I had to clear all of that up) now I can tell all of the fun stuff.

This idea came after I was tracked for a story by the Taylor County Sheriff's dog, TJ, who doesn't attack, just searches. While basking in the glory of an exciting story, I got called out...several times. "Why didn't you take on a dog that bites? Were you scared?"

NO.

"Couldn't handle the thought?"

I'll do it, just wait and see. Well, BAM! Take that critics. Okay, come back, I didn't mean it. Are we still friends?

So, in gearing up for this exercise, the police gave me a safe word, that would signal the officer to call off the dog. Again, controlled environment...they weren't going to let their dog tear up my pretty face. (When you're done laughing, feel free to keep reading.)

The officers also advised that if I go to the ground, cover my head with the suit, like a turtle, and they'd step in to keep the dog away from any vital part. Again, controlled environment...

After taking the first bite, which wasn't painful at all, I was having a good time with the idea. Then the officers told me to run, and the dog would chase. Now, let me tell you about this bite suit...

It's big...real big...images of the Michelin Man come to mind, I was also called the "Stay-Puft" Marshmellow Man (from "Ghostbusters"), and even the Pillsbury Doughboy. If you have more, throw them out now.

In this suit, you can barely move. Which is nice, until you're told to run. They should've just barked out "Waddle!" because that would've been more accurate. As I took off, the dog caught me on the back of the right arm and pulled down. The force of the dog, plus my unstability, along with my instinct to hit the ground and hip-roll (thank you, football drills) caused me to roll right over the dog. Poor King.

The dog yelped, I swallowed deeply, just knowing I broke the pup's hip. Wait, before you call PETA on me, the dog was fine! I asked six times, they said I more or less surprised King, and aggravated him more then I hurt him.

WHEW! I could not have lived that down. Although, now I'm afraid I'll never live down the fact that I became a chew toy for some very skilled K-9s.

What a way to go...TO JAIL

Okay...here's a story that you won't see on the news. A lady gets nabbed for stealing...arrested for theft..and was sentenced today for it being a felony theft.

Wait, I'm moving to fast. Allow me to break this down so you get the full effect of why I'm writing this.

The theft this lady was arrested for was not her first...or even second. No, she scored herself the hat trick, making it a felony theft arrest. Pretty cool, right?

Okay, here's the fun part...and the real reason for writing this...the final theft arrest, was for stealing a robe. As in a bath robe, like the kind you wear on a cold day around the house.

**I know, what was she thinking, right?**

So can you imagine how that went down when she was booked in, and was in the jail house? Here's how I envision it, follow me if you will...

--Inmate 1: "What are you in for?"
--Inmate 2: "Stealing a car. You?"
--Inmate 1: "Burglary of a house. Hey new girl, what about you? What's your story?"
--Robe Stealer: "Oh me, stealing a robe."
--(Laughter quickly follows.)

That's just a part of the script, I'm working on. I'm in talks with several major movie labels for the rights. Look for it in theatres, oh in....well....I'll update that part.

Still, what a way to go. You get caught stealing a robe. Not a judge's robe, not a boxer's robe, a plain ole', ordinary, everyday robe.

(Side note and this is just you and me talking. How bad of a thief do you have to be to get caught stealing a ROBE? My guess, not so great.)

Plus, it seems so juvenile. I mean if this were in grade school, I'm sure the teacher would've solved it with a quick, give it back...now say you're sorry. Instead, this lady gets a hefty fine, enough to buy maybe several thousand robes, or at least several hundred top-of-the-line robes, and jail time.

What a way to go...

=Like the blog? Want more? Drop a line, leave me ideas, let me know what you think. Oh, and thanks for reading.=

I Mean Seriously, People...

The Abilene police have to be getting tired of the media coming around and asking about burglary cases right about now. Consider this, in the last couple of weeks, APD has seen an influx of car burglaries...many of them are because the car doors were left UNLOCKED!!

I MEAN SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE!

How hard is it to turn around, and lock your door. Shoot, most cars come with a key less remote...hit the button. (Side Note: I know not everyone has this feature, I lived with an '89 S-10 Blazer that had two keys, one to lock, the other to start the car. That was fun...)

Anyway, back to the lesson at hand...

Lock your doors, be it car doors, house doors, bathroom doors...whatever! Lock your doors! I mean seriously...do you want to have to tell the police, "No, officer, I don't think I locked my door..." NO! No one wants to have to say that. (Second Side Note: If this has happened to you, I'm sorry, it's no fun having your stuff stolen, I've had it happen. Although, I'm willing to guess, you wish you could do it over, and lock your door.)

That would completely reduce the number of thefts and burglaries, or at the very least make it harder for it to happen. Consider this advice, Sgt. Phipps, of the Abilene police, said the phrase is to "Harden the Target." Which he explains, if you make it hard for the bad guy to do bad things, they are more likely to move on and leave your home, or car, away.

Okay, I've spoken my peace. Just please, Abilene, it's not that hard to lock your doors, and let's be honest, it makes good sense! I mean seriously, people...

Wreck Less Wednesday, Becomes Wreckless

We just couldn't do it, could we, Abilene? We were challenged, the gauntlet was laid down, and we failed. I'm talking about the campaign from Abilene police to have a "No Wreck Wednesday."

The idea was simple: don't get in a wreck. Tim translation: Don't be stupid. Now with that said, I must enter into a personal confession, of sorts. Be gentle with me, but I wasn't exactly the poster-child for perfect driving. So I will write the rest of this slightly tongue-in-cheek. Bear with me.

15 minutes into the day...that's how long the concept lasted...15 minutes! A driver got into an accident. There went the goal, before many of us went to bed, and well before most of us woke up to start our day. Although, it didn't stop there! Other drivers got caught up in whatever, their iPhone, their music, or were trying to qualify for the NASCAR circuit.

(I've come to learn NASCAR sponsors don't recruit from the streets, which is weird because there seems to be plenty of people auditioning.)

All the same, some were just "Those" drivers. You know the ones that get on your nerves. Come on, admit it, you've labeled them when you see them running you down on Winters Freeway, or weaving in and out along some street. And by label, I mean yelled at them as if they can hear you through your car and theirs. I've done it, no need to lie to yourself.

Anyway, the day was lost, we hit lucky number 11 at about 4:30 this afternoon. The daily average is 13. Yeah, tough break for Abilene.

However, there was plenty of optimism about the campaign raising more awareness on the streets. Who knows how many people made an intentional effort to avoid bad habits today so they wouldn't be one of the "knuckleheads?" If you were, let me know, I'm curious about it. Think about it, if we all just make a personal commitment to be safe, what a difference it could make.

OK, as I step of my soap box, and try not to fall on my face because of my own personal guilt on this topic, I leave you with this...

The rules are created so 16 year-olds can follow them...Are you smarter than a 16 year old?

**I wrote this mostly in jest, if you were involved in an accident, I'm sorry that happened to you. I've been in one before, it's nerve-rattling, and tough to handle. Although, I'm not joking when I say, I think we can all do better on the road, me included.**

Leave me a line, love the blog, not quite sure about it...Tell me, I want to hear from you!

Silly Law Makers, Tricks are For Kids

Alright, so we all know there are a few laws that just don't seem to fit... You know like actually stopping for a red light... It's really more of a caution to speed up, am I right? (Disclaimer: Please stop at red lights. I've seen you...sometimes you don't!)

But there is a new law that took effect on the first that has many, including myself, wondering just how it's going to work out. No, I'm not talking about the no cell phones in school zones, that one makes sense (although, I'm bound to break it because driving is when I'm getting most of my business done). Instead, I'm talking about the law that was initially authored by Rep. Abel Herrero, that says any offender of family violence may be ordered, by a judge, to wear a GPS tracking monitor and restricted from certain areas where the victim may be. This new law also says that the victim may request a monitor to find out where the offender is, at all times.

Now I'm not bashing this idea, I love it actually. It provides an accountability that ideally should help out many victims, and even offenders. No, I'm bashing the law makers for creating this idea, with no instruction for how, or even, who is supposed to carry it out.

Here, in Abilene, I asked around about this law. The Justice of the Peace office, said it was a matter for the District Attorney. The District Attorney, said it was a matter for the JP's Office. Meanwhile, the Probation office said it wasn't theirs to watch, and the few bondsmen I asked (who interact the most with an offender) had no idea what I was even talking about.

Please, don't get me wrong, this is not me mixing it up with the local law authorities. They were extremely helpful in my search for the answers. The issue with all of this goes way up the hierarchy to the folks who didn't instruct these people on how to carry it out!

So here's my understanding after my wild hunt: All of these bodies, except the bondsmen, knew of the law. So they were informed, and up to date. That's a plus. And, all of them were aware that there was a problem with the way this set up. With all that said, here is the Tim Johnston Abridged Version of the Operation Protocol.

The JP will order the GPS, which can be written into the bond. The offender will have to pay, somehow, for the GPS unit and for the monitor for the victim, if the victim wants it. As of now, very few are equipped to meet these demands, but the Corrections Office (aka Probations) is geared up with GPS tracking anklets, but the monitors for the victims are not available, yet. The bondsmen will be given instruction at the next meeting, and then everyone should be versed in how this will go.

Confused? You should be! So is everyone else, at this point. Desperate for answers? Just hold on, because all eyes will be on the first city/county that attempts to carry this out.

And that is why this new law presents such an issue...not because of what it wants to do, but because it didn't explain how to do it!

As it stands, I probably just wrote about something that goes way beyond my pay-grade...And I will do my best to blog about a more witty topic next time.

What is Safe Anymore?

So last week, it was crazy around the newsroom. Several reporters were out of town for various reasons, and it left us working hard to get as much news as we can to present to our faithful audience. (Go ahead pat yourself on the back, you just got a shout out on this blog. You are THAT special.)

One of the many stories I crossed was about a women who was robbed. Typically a story we'd look into no matter the day, but in our search for news it definately fit. The women, according to the police report, says she was hit in the head by another women, and then had her money stolen....wait for it...from her bra! WOW! What is safe anymore?

I mean, gone are the days of pinning your emergency money in your underwear. If that's where your's is now...go on, you can change it. We won't tell. Unless you end up like this unfortunate victim. Then it becomes news. (DISCLAIMER: If you are the victim, I apologize. I do not wish to cause you any unnecessary embarrasment. But it is rather unusual.)

So the question everyone raised when I shared this story was, "How'd they know it was there?"
Answer: I don't know...I wasn't there. My guess, the money was visible. I know, I know I'm a regular Sherlock Holmes. (Sweet a literature reference, this blog is getting classy!)

Anyway, the whole thing is rather strange...do you think the robber thought twice about going in for the cash? Better yet, you think they apologized, like they do in the movies? "I'm sorry I'm gonna do this...but I gotta.."

And if you were the victim...what would you do? Where else can you hide your cash and think no one will know?

It's odd, but it's true. So you tell me, what is safe anymore?

Like the blog? Want more? Leave me your thoughts, and I'll work to bring you more of my thoughts from the newsroom.

Thanks for watching and reading!

Looking a Killer in the Face

I've talked to many people who have committed many crimes. It's my job to try and talk to them wherever I can. I can either yell out questions while police lead a suspect into or out of a courthouse (see: The Art of the Perp Walk), or while they are being arrested. Other times I have to try and get an interview while they are in jail. When I called the Taylor County Jail to see if Santiago Garza and Neil Flores wanted to talk to us, and they said yes, I knew I would be looking a killer in the face.

Suspects often don't say much during a jailhouse interview, fearing they will say too much and it will affect them later in court. Much to my surprise, Garza and Florez did not have that fear. Both knew they had done something very wrong and were ready to take responsibility for what they did. Most people in jailhouse interviews say they did not do it. Because of that fact, while interviewing some one behind the glass at the jail, I spend much of my time trying to get information out of them, leading up to the big question, 'Did you do it?' But both said they did it off the bat. Needless to say, that left plenty of time to go over the details.

Asking someone how they killed a person is very uncomfortable. Even though they are killers, I felt bad asking them how and why they did it. Many times I have to go back and watch the video after the interview to remeber what was said when I am sitting down at my desk to write a story. Not this time. I came back to the station, sat down, and wrote the story without ever having to refer to the video. It is hard to forget what someone is saying when they're taking about a murder, and it's something I probably won't forget soon.

P.S. On a side note: This week, when talking about the kids involved in this case, I broke down on the air and could not get through my live shot. I saw the tiny hand prints on the window, at the apartment, where the bodies were found, that were highlighted by the police dusting for fingerprints.

My 1 year old loves to stand and look out the window. My wife has to clean the window constantly because of his hands prints all over it, so seeing the hand prints of the girls hit home. Sgt. Keith Shackelford at the Police Dept. saw the live shot and pulled me aside today to make sure I was okay. Chaplain Donna with the Police Dept. also called to check on me.

I just wanted to say thanks.

On the Scene of a Double Homicide

It is always tough to be at a crime scene.

If it's a major crime, it always means lots of waiting to get as much info as you can from whoever the police department put in charge of the scene.

It is even harder when the crime involves a murder.

That means there will be lots of emotion involved.

When at a crime scene, like the one last Friday when 18 year old Nate Moss and 24 year old Tina Moreno were found dead in their apartment at Pebble Creek, as I am waiting for info from the police, it is also my job to try and talk to people who may be involved, and that's where the lots of emotion come in.

This intense emotion in a situation can be a hurdle.

Here is how it happened for us at the station Friday.

When Brandi, our assignments editor and I were in the news room, we herd on the scanner that there was an injured subject.

We listened for just a minute and although they had not said anything about a D.O.A. (dead on arrival), we thought I had better go.

We happen to have a reporter at the police station who found out that the Sgt. over crimes against persons was called out.

That's when we knew it was something big, and that's when we found out were it was.

When I got to Pebble Creek that afternoon at about 1:45pm, the Police had not put crime scene tape across the parking lot to keep people back.

The tape was around the front porch of the apartment and I was standing with my camera rolling in the parking lot in front of the apartment.

At this point I knew there was a dead body inside, but I did not know that there would end up being two dead bodies inside.

Another thing I saw right away were the two girls.

I knew they were involved, but I did not know how.

I saw the girls being taken to an ambulance, and right away started shooting video.

That's video you have not seen.

When you are at a crime scene, you shoot everything and then decide what you will use later.

Police asked us not to use it and we agreed.

We never show kids who are crime victims.

By this time, a small crowed started to gather and more and more Detectives with the Police Department began arriving.

A police officer came over to me and told me to get as much video as I could because they were getting ready to move us back.

This is normal for a crime scene.

The media starts out close to the scene, then eventually is moved to a staging location.

As I was shooting my video a women got out of a car that had pulled up a few feet down the parking lot.

Her first words were "Where is my baby, Where is he."

That is something I will never forget, but that was just the beginning.

Once the police moved us back along with the growing crowed, more friends and family of both victims were showing up, running in the direction of the apartment screaming and crying.

Some family members had to be held back from crossing the tape and going into the apartment.

One family member was crying and just wanted to see for herself.

I can't imagine what it is like to hear that a family member has been murdered, and only wanting to see for myself because I just can't believe it.

That's what I remember thinking as I saw family member after family member show up to the scene as they learned the news.

Now picture all this happening and knowing that people are hurting and you have to approach them, as a member of the media, and ask for information, and worse, you have to ask them if they are willing to do an on camera interview; not easy, and not fun.

Well it just so happens that the first person I talked to at the scene was the man who found the bodies.

He told me there were two bodies in the apartment; one in the kitchen and one in the living room.

That's when I learned there were two bodies.

Police had not told us that.

Then, he told me something that shocked me and that we were not able to confirm till a couple of hours later.

He told me there were two kids in the apartment with the bodies.

I then talked to someone else who said that the kids were attacked.

It made sense that day because I saw the kids being checked out by paramedics.

This was news I knew, but could not report because I could not get it confirmed by police.

It was not till Saturday that Police called a news conference and confirmed the kids were attacked.

That is another problem when at a crime scene where there is lots of emotion and people: rumors are flying, and you have to be able to weed out the rumors from the fact.

For me, that is why it is important to wait till Police can confirm some information before I say it on the air.

The next person I talked to was Tina's best friend.

She came to the scene crying.

Her mom had just called her at work to let her know the news.

I won't say where, but Tina's best friend works at a local restaurant and she came to the scene from work.

She still had her uniform on and her apron.

She was so upset that she left her car in the middle of the parking lot running and just got out and ran in the direction of the apartment where Nate and Tina lived.

Police had to hold her back.

I approached her after she was there for a while and had stopped crying.

I asked if I could talk to her and do an interview; she agreed.

She said she did not want to do the interview in front of everybody, so we went around the back of the apartment building and she talked to me on camera there.

By this time it was close to news time; the 5pm show.

The Public Information Officer, Sgt. Kieth Shackelford, had been giving us updates and at that point we knew there were two dead bodies and we knew their names.

We also knew the kids were found in the apartment and were in protective custody.

After we did the 5pm live shot, that is when more people showed up and were just hanging out talking and waiting for any new information.

Family members were being comforted as they waited for any news, and at one point we in the media moved further back than police asked us to.

We were all taking in the shade near a grieving family member and Detectives came over to talk to her.

The police looked at us and told us to make sure our cameras were off.

It was me and Tim from KRBC, and the KTXS Reporter and Photographer.

We did not say anything, we just knew it was appropriate to move and not be in the area when police were talking to her.

I Am Not Crazy

You know when you are watching the news and you see a reporter pop up and say something in the middle of the story?

Well, that is called a standup.

News directors like to see those, so we try to put them in our stories when we can and when it is appropriate

As a reporter, when I have a photographer with me and I am doing a stand up, it is no problem, but I rarely have a photographer with me.

Reporters at KTAB are what are known in the news business as a "one man band."

That means we shoot video, we conduct interviews, and we edit and write all our own stuff.

In bigger markets a different person edits the story and reporters work with photographers; not the case here in Abilene.

So, doing a stand up is not always easy.

First, getting yourself in a shot that looks good takes longer, but that is not what bothers me about doing stand ups.

One day I was at Everman Park In downtown Abilene shooting a standup by myself.

The camera was not rolling yet, but I was walking back and forth in front of the camera talking out load, practicing what I was going to say.

An Abilene police officer that I know was passing by, he rolled down his window and yelled, "Do I need to call MHMR?"

It was funny because that is what I feel like when I am doing a stand up by myself: a crazy person standing in front of a camera talking to myself.

What is worse is, when I do a standup, it is usually in a place where they are lots of people around.

Sometimes, I wait till there is the least amount of people around me and then I quickly say what I have to say and hopefully get it right the first time.

When I don't get it the first time, I keep going till I do get it.

If it takes me longer than two takes to get what I want to say out, then I get angry and say things to myself like, "come on Vic'" or, "This time Vic."

Imagine what that looks like to someone who is passing by and sees me getting mad at myself.

Anyway, if you happen to see me out talking to myself in front of a camera, I'm not crazy, just working.

Apparently I have a Twin...

All through life, especially when I first started college, I was told "You remind me of someone..." or "Do you know who you look like?" Of course, the answer to those statements or questions would range from "my brother," "my cousin," to "Jason Biggs (Jim from American Pie)." My "crowning" achievement in life. Haha... And now you realize to yourself, "You know, he kind of does look like Jim..."

Well apparently we can add one more celebrity to the list, Tyler Edwards, KRBC's Weekend Sports Anchor.

"Wait, what? I thought they were one in the same," you say. Answer: NOPE. Two very different guys who happen to have brown hair, names that start with T, and both very handsome. (I'm speaking for myself, Tyler you're on your own.)

So in the year plus that we've been working here, we have supposedly got everyone fooled. From viewers who approach us asking about stories (or sports casts) the other one did, to co-workers who cannot seem to get our names straight, and even all the way up the corporate later to the big boss who tagged a photo of Tyler as...you guessed it...me!

Don't get me wrong, it's quite comical. He and I get a laugh out of sharing stories of the confusion, we've even batted around the idea of a Tim & Tyler Talk Show (if you like it let us know!) However, it is a little concerning because it causes me to wonder if I'm doing a solid enough job to be set apart.

So here's a little "crash course" on me vs. Tyler. I'm a news guy who helps in sports (in the fall), he's a sports guy who helps in news. I'm on at 10 every night M-F, he's only on 10 W-F...see? He's from the Fort Worth area, I'm from the Dallas area. He has blue eyes, mine are brown. I'm a solids and stripes guy, he's a stripes and solids guy. Of course, the biggest difference between the two of us is I'm TIM and he's TYLER!

Well, no big deal, anyway. After all, I've been called Jim from American Pie....wow, that IS low.

Like the blog, love it...Hit me up with comments...And thanks for watching KRBC.

The Art of the "Perp Walk"

If you do not know, A "perp walk" is when a suspect is taken from one place to another and news cameras are there to shoot that movement.

For example: when an inmate is taken to the Taylor County Court House from the jail (as they often are) when they have a proceeding in one of the court rooms.

The walk from the Sheriff's Department's transport vehicle to the door of the court house is usually a good time for me to get a good perp walk, if I know when that walk will be taking place.

Getting a good perp walk is all about timing, and when we are trying to get a perp walk at the court house you have to time it just right.

First, you have to know when the suspect you are trying to get a perp walk of is going to court.

Once you find that out, which is a process in itself, you can count on the sheriff's department to get that person to the court house 15 to 20 minutes before the scheduled time they are to appear before a Judge.

Now, that would be a good time to get the perp walk, but as the Cops and Court Reporter for KTAB, I cover lots of crime, and there are lots of perps (perpetrators).

There are so many I may not remember what the person I am there to get video of looks like, so what I often have to do is go upstairs on the fourth floor of the court house where all the court room are, and sit through proceedings (this also gives me a chance to get more information on a case).

Once the perp I am there to get video of stands before the judge, I am in the court room to see what he or she looks like.

Now, comes the tricky part.

When the perp is done in the court room they often are there with a group of other inmates, and I have to wait till all the inmates are done with their proceedings so they can be taken back to the jail as a group.

Now remember, we are all on the fourth floor of the court house, so what I do is, when I see the Sheriff's Deputies start to take the group of inmates to the elevator to take them back down to the transport vehicle, I run down four flights of stairs, go to my vehicle, get my camera and hopefully I can do all that in the time it takes Deputies to get inmates in the elevator and down to the first floor of the court house and into the vehicle to go back to the jail.

If I time It just right it usually works out.

Today I had to get three perp walks at the court house: Jennifer Ignont, Alehandro Meyer, and George Pence Jr, and had to run up and down four flights of steps twice to get all three perp walks, which took place one right after the other.

The only thing that saved me was they were all in the same court room.

There are four court rooms on the fourth floor of the court house, and it is a whole other story when I am covering more than one person in court at the same time, in more than one court room.

In that case, a perp walk is more about luck than timing.

News and Weather

News and weather: there has been plenty of both all week.

As you can imagine, we all love to go storm chasing, but sometimes, when those of us who are in the news department are working on the news we have gathered for the day (writing, editing, ext.) and a storm pops up, we can't always go out and chase.

So, when that happens, I watch what is going on and work at my desk hoping I will be done before the storms move on.

Sometimes, I can make it, while other times I just have to watch it on the news as I work.

Still, other times we are told to stop what we are doing and go chase.

That is rare, but it does happen.

What was it like this week?

Well, I had to finish what I was doing before going out to shoot all the rain we had Wednesday.

Today, I had to stay in and finish all of my work.

It is like the rain in Abilene: hit or miss.

On a side note, this is my first blog ever!

Hopefully, I can post something at least a couple of times a week.

I'm A Graduate!!

May 20th, I graduated...Not from college, high school, or even kindergarten as some of you probably would guess. I graduated from the Citizen's Police Academy, a ten week course that gives everyday people a closer look at police work.

I have to say, this was one of the greatest classes I ever took, and that includes P.E. and Recess. Each week, a different department would speak to a class of 20+ about what it is they do, and how it helps our city. Wow! Some of the things that must be done to keep the PD going is pretty intense. I give a lot of credit to the people behind the scenes that help the ones on the front line. Make no mistake, credit is deserved all the way around in the Abilene Police Department.

A few of the highlights of this ten week course, besides getting to meet a great group of classmates, we got to witness the K-9 unit in action, the bomb squad lit up the night sky with explosions, and the S.W.A.T. Team showed off their skills on just how quick and sharp they are. Getting to ride along with a police officer for six hours was a neat way to see the life and duties a police officer must go through. Of course, I cannot leave out the chance to test my aim at the firing range with a .38. Want to know how sharp of a shooter I am? Ask me sometime, I'll show you the target!

Although, I wouldn't be giving this class any justice without mentioning that this was Chief Melvin Martin's last CPA class. I'm truly honored to say I was a part of it! The real blessing in this is getting to see the Chief in a different way, but to also see just how passionate and proud he is of each department within the PD. So as he heads into retirement and begins to take that well deserved vacation, I want to say thank you, thank you for allowing me to take part in this class and get to witness how police work is done.

Side note: If you want to join this class, you should consider signing up! Ask APD how. If you don't have ten weeks to spare, skip straight to riding along with an officer. That's how you really get to see what they do on a daily basis, and what Abilene looks like from a different perspective.

A Long Time Coming...Playing Hide and Seek With a K-9

Okay, so blogging is a weakness of mine...okay, a BIG weakness of mine. I'll work on it...okay, I'll try and work on it.

So I've become the reporter who got scared and hid from a yellow lab. Everywhere I go now, I hear "I saw you hiding from that dog," or some joke, "Why'd you run from that dog? Were you too scared of the attack dogs?" To which I reply, "Yes! And you should be too!" So maybe I don't go that far, but I do like to share with people about how fun it was working with the Taylor County Sheriff's Department, and their new K-9 "TJ."

First of all, TJ is not "that" kind of dog, he's not trained to attack or chew my arm off, in fact quite the opposite. When I first met TJ, I was surprised to see the Sheriff's Office using a Yellow Lab, instead of a German Shepard, but apparently it's not that uncommon to use other breads. I learned that Labs are perfect for searching out scents and narcotics. Which is exactly what the TCSO wanted to use, a K-9 to detect drugs.

So what's next, chihuahuas hunting down armed suspects? Well maybe not, but think of the possibilities! That little dog would yap, at the gunman until they give in. No offense, to Chihuahua owners, I'm sure they're fine dogs and very loyal, but come on, they do yap a lot.

All of this is to say, my night playing hide and seek with TJ was a lot of fun, and I'm very grateful I didn't get my arm turned into a chew toy.

Why?

I don't get it...I've been following several crimes here in Abilene and Taylor County, and the one factor that remains the same and yet always confuses me, is why people think they can run away. In the end, they always get caught because of some foolish mistake and in the end, the punishment will always be greater because the criminal ran away!

For example, Dan Lott, an Abilene business man, father, and seemingly good guy...He gets caught with Child Pornography -- Strike 1. But then he snaps and starts to run. Fast forward a month and he gets caught, and now he's a Federal Fugitive for running from the law. Was it worth the life on the run? Was it worth making your life and your family's life a mess?

Another one that makes me laugh is the people who lead police on a chase, and while running start throwing things from their car as if the police following closely behind won't notice. Instead, they end up getting stopped somewhere, arrested, and then the police go back and find the items that were thrown from the car. Now I get the idea that they're panicking, or even they may not be in their right mind, but it makes me laugh to think they can throw it from their vehicle like it never existed.

All I have to ask is, "Why?"