Joy of the Chase

Sitting behind my desk, isolated in an office, thinking about inspections and timecards, reading personnel evaluations and writing memos, I forget the fun of policing. Running and gunning, chasing and hitting, rescuing and arresting, is why I became a cop. Chasing people brings great joy.

She was stunning. She looked like a younger version of Catherine Zeta-Jones with long black hair, huge dimples and a perfectly toned body. But why she was with this well dressed, obviously wealthy but cubby guy? Sure, he has money but there has to be more to this. The cop examined the driver’s license. It was an authentic license with hologram and proper formatting. Maybe he was the nicest guy in the world? Naw, it must be the money shot through his mind as he clipped the license to his shirt pocket pen with out taking his eyes off of the driver. The man in the driver’s seat noticed the clipping and determined in his mind he would not get arrested. When the cop turned to walk back to his car and run a NCIC check, the chubby man with the hot girl chirped the guys from his crew and told them to head his way. The boss needed help. He is a high ranking member of the AFO and they would and have killed for him. He jammed it in drive and the 2008 Cadillac Escalade sped off leaving a trail of smoke and the awful smell of burnt rubber. The stunned cop sprinted for his car. This was the last thing he expected.

When in a pursuit your blood pressure spikes from the normal 120/80 to 220/150, unless you have finished your 3rd cup of coffee and then it goes higher. Tunnel vision sets in, your mouth dries out and your sole focus is on the back of the bumper in front of you. You cuss when some guilty feeling driver slows and unknowingly blocks you from the fleeing car. The siren and lights causes them to jam on their breaks almost causing you to eat the closest telephone pole. It’s amazing how quickly a Ford Crown Vic can go from 110 MPH to a dead stop. Oh the smell of burning asbestos brake pads. You feel your heart beating in your throat and the sweat makes the steering wheel hard to grasp. While you are checking off all of the things to call out you are watching for street signs. They are your salvation. You constantly watch for dope or weapons being thrown from the chased car. More than once a brick of dope was thrown only to be picked up by pedestrians looking for a quick high or easy money. For this moment you are the most focused person in the world. If you can maintain a calm and cool demeanor on the radio you will rise to momentary legendary status. You calmly broadcast suspect description, seating positions, what they are wanted for (it had better be good) speed, direction of travel, traffic and weather conditions. Fellow beat officers are breaking their necks to get to you. You watch in slow motion as your briefcase and coffee bounce off of the dashboard and you think to yourself, this is a good day.

The sergeant answers up for pursuit responsibility. Lincoln 4, they guy in charge of the city for the Chief, is made aware of the pursuit and heads that direction. With lights flashing the siren at a decibel of 10, the black Escalade fly’s through a neighborhood losing the cop. Air support is almost there. ABLE sees the Escalade from 3,500 feet and gives direction to ground units. The Fleeing felon drives into an underground parking lot. His crew of Narco Juniors closed in quickly to assist. ABLE broadcasts to units they have lost sight but believe S-1 is in the underground parking. Multiple cars leave the garage as it is a business day full of people trying to make a living. A perimeter is set up with officers on high alert. More cars stream out for lunch time appointments. Two, two officer cars and a K-9 go underground to search for the Escalade. They find it…empty. Joy turned to despair.

Unknown to the officers, one of the “crew” members made it to the garage and S-1 and his girlfriend jumped into the trunk of the car. They blended in with the lunch time crowd and calmly drove past the anxious cops. The license given to the officer was worth $5,000 dollars as it was an authentic fraud. This is the face of the new cartel. They have resources, money and power their fathers and uncles never dreamed of. They are smart, ruthless (as evidenced by the violence in Mexico) and willing to lay it on the line. They are unsure of, but don’t fear American law enforcement. One Narco boasted, “We don’t fear you. It’s just bad for business to have conflict with American police. If cornered we will shoot it out.” Their organizations are changing, growing and expanding, mostly in a ruthless, violent and cutthroat manner. The new guys are taking over and the old guys are guiding from the sidelines.

Temporal things can bring a great deal of fun and joy. Pursuits are one of them. But as was the case here joy ended with the discovery that things did not turn out as planned. Peter tells us in his first letter to Asia that salvation of our souls brings “inexpressible joy.” Even John the Baptist “leapt for joy” while in the womb when Jesus was near. In our Christian lives we get mired in the grind of spiritual timecards and inspections. For many joy becomes diminished in the "business of religion." Its time to suit up, strap on a vest and gun, and get in a pursuit. There are plenty of people to chase and people whom God wants us to serve.

Chasing crooks and serving God both bring joy. Only one has eternal value.