Thou shall NOT lie. Well most of the time.
Taking a polygraph is nerve racking. It’s like getting hooked to God. Every thought and intent of the heart is exposed for someone else to see, evaluate - judge. Last week I had a two hour conversation with one of our polygraph examiners about an applicant who tried to beat the polygraph. There are actually websites that teach people to cheat. They don’t work that well. You can put a tack in your shoe and step on it, think about something that gives you pleasure each time a question is asked, tighten your sphincter muscle on every question or breathe deeply through out the test to stress the heart, jack up the blood pressure and disturb your breathing pattern. It does not work. The truth gets out.
A burglar went in for a polygraph to clear himself as a suspect. Jackson sat in the hardwood, straight backed chair in a room with one window of muted light. He could see the blood pressure cup that made it look like a doctor’s office. Next to it was a camera to record the exam and every move. Wires went from the computer to the alligator clip that was to be hooked to his fingers. Two breathing tubes lay on the seat waiting to be put around his chest and upper stomach. Just incase he tried to breath into his stomach instead of his chest. Subtle but tricky.
Jackson sat in the chair realizing he was doomed to confession. He studied how to defeat the machine prior to going in but was not confident. The examiner went through the questions ahead of time with the suspect and locked him into a story. Then came the pressure in the BP cup, tightening on his arm like a hungry python. What was his blood pressure and respiration rate? One question after another Jackson was discovered to be a liar. The last question this examiner asked was the catch all. “Is there anything I have not asked that you are afraid I will ask in this exam?” The burglar said, “No.” He lied. It was obvious as panic set in.
The questioning became intense. Have you committed a robbery? No. Have you committed a rape? No. Child molest? No. Crime of violence? NO…he lied again. The examiner is now vectoring in on what Jackson is desperately trying to hide. He should have torn off the pressure cup and bolted out of the room. It was too late. Detectives watching via close circuit television immediately jump on the computer to check his history. Did you hit someone with a bat? No. Stab someone with a knife? No. Did you shoot someone? No. He lied again. His pulse was thumping so powerfully in his neck the examiner did not need the blood pressure cup. Did you murder someone? Yes. He broke down and told the truth.
He and a friend called the local drug dealer to buy some methamphetamine. They did not have the money, so they decided to rip him off. The plan was to “order up” an eight ball of meth, when the unsuspecting dealer came to deliver it, Jackson was to hide in the bushes and hit the man with a baseball bat. Knock him out and take the dope. Typical of a tweeker plan it will always go bad. The problem was Jackson overslept. He woke up late and ran to the robbery. When he got there his companion was holding the dealer at gun point. He decided not to wait for Jackson. He could only stall so long. Jackson panicked and ran down the hill, Louisville slugger in hand. He wound up for the home run, let out a blood curdling scream and sung for the fence, a home run like the Yankees in the World Series.
The doper ducked and Jackson missed. The follow through caught the arm of his friend holding the chrome plated .357 magnum. The impact caused trigger pull. the gun to discharge. The round hit the now bent over drug dealer in the head. He fell to the ground. Dead. The two would be robbers ran off. There the truth is out. Not only is Jackson a bad liar, a dumb crook (guilty people should never take a polygraph) and horrible robber, he was soon to be convicted murderer.
So, how honest are you? Do you try to hide stuff from friends and family, God, yourself? Each of us wants God’s blessing but truth too often gets in the way. Not overt lying but the lack of candor. Psalms 66 talks about this topic. David promises to go to the temple with sacrifice, religious ritual to please God. Then he says, “If I had cherished sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened.” God did hear his prayers. Truth. God can handle the truth. He just asks for honest, candor and laying it all on the table, even the stuff in the darkest corners of our heart.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sacraficed Under A Flag
Papa…cried the boy. Papa. Papa where are you. He did not understand his dad was no more. How could he, at four years old?
Last week I went to Tijuana, Mexico in uniform, minus the gun. It was a little unnerving. D the Criminal Intelligence Detective Sergeant assigned to Mexico, his detectives and I went to the police HQ of TJ PD. The HQ building smells of death. Not from the 31 cops killed in TJ this year alone, but from the beef processing plant it was for decades prior to becoming a fortified police building. When we arrived at the building it looked like we were in the middle of Kabul, Afghanistan. Sandbags surrounded the entrance manned by cops with 60 caliber machine guns. A caravan of police vehicles were inside. Two pickup trucks filled with armed officers in heavy body armor, ballistic helmets and automatic rifles. They were ready for a full assault. In between the trucks was a bullet proof and bomb plated SUV. It was non-descript in color and markings, smoked windows and every seat had a rack with an M-4 sub-machine gun. We climbed in for a ride to the Army compound near the big Mexican flag in TJ. We were with the Chief of Police for TJ. There is a contract on his life. We are told it’s around $500,000. The cartels want him dead.
As we bombed through the streets of TJ, I looked at the masses of people in the routine of daily life in one of the most violent cities in the world. They had no idea of the events unfolding around them. They seemed to have little concern about the chaos of life and the sacrifices being made for them and the cost of their freedom. I think mostly because of the rampant corruption they experience with the justice system in Mexico. The visual representation of justice is the uniformed men and women of law enforcement. But the problems in Mexico are systemic and pervasive. It runs deep into the fabric of society.
We turned the corner to the military base and a dark colored van moved to block our path. The lead vehicle had gone around it leaving the protection package (us) venerable. Was this going to be an assault on the Chief’s car, with unarmed US law enforcement inside, or a simple delivery truck with a poor driver? The police radio clamored with excitement and the driver gunned it past the truck. We’ll never know. We sped on. It did cause a rise in blood pressure and a racking of rounds into the chambers of several M-4’s.
We arrived at the impenetrable military base and walked to a large open courtyard. There were police officers from the Federal Police (AFI), State Judicial Police, State Preventative Police and Tijuana Municipal Police. There were maybe 200 of them, small numbers by our standards for a funeral of a slain cop. Maybe they were tired of attending funerals for cops. Dave told me this was one of the bigger funerals. The family came in last. The wife of the officer was a poor woman (cops make about $1,700 a month). The cost of living is not that much different than SD other than housing. She has 7 kids and now no husband.
Two days earlier José Luis Torrijos was at work protecting his captain as they drove through the Colonia Libertad area of the city. Would be murders assaulted their vehicles with military precision. Torrijos, excited the car while taking automatic weapons fire and engaged the cartel in a gunfight. Jose Luis Torrijos knew he was likely to sacrifice his life for a cause greater than himself. Because of his actions on October 18, 2009, others were able to live. I wonder what his thoughts were as Jose laid on the pavement dying of mortal wounds. Did he just feel alone as Jesus did? Forsaken? I don’t think there was a bright light other than muzzle flash.
D, F, J and I stood at attention in the warm Mexico sun, saluting a casket of a Mexican hero. My throat was choked with emotion as the Director of Public safety read the description of how Jose fought to save the lives of others and how he died. I noticed a little boy running in and out of the hedges behind the casket and no one stopped him.
It is Mexican tradition that each Law Enforcement agency stand watch over the fallen officer for one minute during the ceremony. We stood next to Jose Luis Torrijos and I prayed for his family. The little boy running about went to the fallen officer’s wife and said, “Papa. Papa. Where are you?” She could not look at him.
Javier, Papa sacrificed his life so others could live.
Jesus sacrificed his life (as God) so that others might live. He did it willingly and with the power to stop his torture and death. I wonder what Jesus’ thoughts were in the last few hours of his life, as he hung on the cross. We know some of them.: He felt abandoned. He forgave those who killed him. He granted a criminal entrance into his kingdom. He told John to care for his mother and told his mother John was now here son. As he gave up this spirit as he cried out in agony. He experienced separation from God. Yes, it was a sacrifice much bigger than just death.
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice we have the opportunity for eternal life and to become part of the biggest family on earth, the Church or the body of Christ. It has been offered. We must accept it though. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in NO ONE else. It is the only name, under heaven, given to men whereby we MUST be saved.” Rejecting this great of salvation is as foolish as rejecting the protection of a Mexican hero, Jose Luis Torrijos.
A
Last week I went to Tijuana, Mexico in uniform, minus the gun. It was a little unnerving. D the Criminal Intelligence Detective Sergeant assigned to Mexico, his detectives and I went to the police HQ of TJ PD. The HQ building smells of death. Not from the 31 cops killed in TJ this year alone, but from the beef processing plant it was for decades prior to becoming a fortified police building. When we arrived at the building it looked like we were in the middle of Kabul, Afghanistan. Sandbags surrounded the entrance manned by cops with 60 caliber machine guns. A caravan of police vehicles were inside. Two pickup trucks filled with armed officers in heavy body armor, ballistic helmets and automatic rifles. They were ready for a full assault. In between the trucks was a bullet proof and bomb plated SUV. It was non-descript in color and markings, smoked windows and every seat had a rack with an M-4 sub-machine gun. We climbed in for a ride to the Army compound near the big Mexican flag in TJ. We were with the Chief of Police for TJ. There is a contract on his life. We are told it’s around $500,000. The cartels want him dead.
As we bombed through the streets of TJ, I looked at the masses of people in the routine of daily life in one of the most violent cities in the world. They had no idea of the events unfolding around them. They seemed to have little concern about the chaos of life and the sacrifices being made for them and the cost of their freedom. I think mostly because of the rampant corruption they experience with the justice system in Mexico. The visual representation of justice is the uniformed men and women of law enforcement. But the problems in Mexico are systemic and pervasive. It runs deep into the fabric of society.
We turned the corner to the military base and a dark colored van moved to block our path. The lead vehicle had gone around it leaving the protection package (us) venerable. Was this going to be an assault on the Chief’s car, with unarmed US law enforcement inside, or a simple delivery truck with a poor driver? The police radio clamored with excitement and the driver gunned it past the truck. We’ll never know. We sped on. It did cause a rise in blood pressure and a racking of rounds into the chambers of several M-4’s.
We arrived at the impenetrable military base and walked to a large open courtyard. There were police officers from the Federal Police (AFI), State Judicial Police, State Preventative Police and Tijuana Municipal Police. There were maybe 200 of them, small numbers by our standards for a funeral of a slain cop. Maybe they were tired of attending funerals for cops. Dave told me this was one of the bigger funerals. The family came in last. The wife of the officer was a poor woman (cops make about $1,700 a month). The cost of living is not that much different than SD other than housing. She has 7 kids and now no husband.
Two days earlier José Luis Torrijos was at work protecting his captain as they drove through the Colonia Libertad area of the city. Would be murders assaulted their vehicles with military precision. Torrijos, excited the car while taking automatic weapons fire and engaged the cartel in a gunfight. Jose Luis Torrijos knew he was likely to sacrifice his life for a cause greater than himself. Because of his actions on October 18, 2009, others were able to live. I wonder what his thoughts were as Jose laid on the pavement dying of mortal wounds. Did he just feel alone as Jesus did? Forsaken? I don’t think there was a bright light other than muzzle flash.
D, F, J and I stood at attention in the warm Mexico sun, saluting a casket of a Mexican hero. My throat was choked with emotion as the Director of Public safety read the description of how Jose fought to save the lives of others and how he died. I noticed a little boy running in and out of the hedges behind the casket and no one stopped him.
It is Mexican tradition that each Law Enforcement agency stand watch over the fallen officer for one minute during the ceremony. We stood next to Jose Luis Torrijos and I prayed for his family. The little boy running about went to the fallen officer’s wife and said, “Papa. Papa. Where are you?” She could not look at him.
Javier, Papa sacrificed his life so others could live.
Jesus sacrificed his life (as God) so that others might live. He did it willingly and with the power to stop his torture and death. I wonder what Jesus’ thoughts were in the last few hours of his life, as he hung on the cross. We know some of them.: He felt abandoned. He forgave those who killed him. He granted a criminal entrance into his kingdom. He told John to care for his mother and told his mother John was now here son. As he gave up this spirit as he cried out in agony. He experienced separation from God. Yes, it was a sacrifice much bigger than just death.
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice we have the opportunity for eternal life and to become part of the biggest family on earth, the Church or the body of Christ. It has been offered. We must accept it though. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in NO ONE else. It is the only name, under heaven, given to men whereby we MUST be saved.” Rejecting this great of salvation is as foolish as rejecting the protection of a Mexican hero, Jose Luis Torrijos.
A
Friday, October 16, 2009
Mozltov, Marriage and Murder
Gloria sat in the hardwood pew of a church with the word “Hope” in its title. She was there to find hope for her miserable life. A convicted felon and habitual drug user, isn’t this the most appropriate place for her? Bill sat in a pew not too far away and felt he needed redemption. His marriage was on the rocks (literally as a rock smoker) and finances were tight. On the way out they connected, said a few words and talked about people they knew in common. Bill got divorced and they fell in love and got married. A match made in heaven it seemed. The months slipped by and bitterness grew toward the ex wife. Isabelle was demanding, greedy and wanted part of his pension and of all things his new Toyota truck. Neither of them would stand for this. It was an injustice and out rage.
One night they talked about how to get the ex-wife to go away. Maybe he should just give her the truck. No, that was Bill’s pride and joy, beside it wasn’t paid for. She might have suggested it first. “Too bad she just doesn’t die. It would make life so much easier.” He agreed but needed a little more encouragement, after all it was a big step…seeing your ex wife die…intentionally. Gloria reached out to a friend of a family member who knew some gangsters; surely one of them had the balls to kill Isabelle. The friend made a few calls and found a guy who does these kinds of things. Hit men are not someone to trifle with or become friends with.
They met at the Green Cat Liquor store 5200 Imperial Avenue. Izzy is a short Hispanic man wearing a Padres baseball jersey. Even though this area is called the 4 corners of death, Izzy was comfortable even confident. Bill was not. He was not sure about this and was tenuous in dealing with a stone cold killer. It was worth the risk. They both wanted her dead. Bill got into the passers side of the killer’s car. Izzy talked first…you sure you want to do this? Once it’s done you can’t take it back. Yes. I have thought about it. I want both of them dead. Both? Who else? Isn’t one enough? No, I want her son killed too. Izzy…”Oh I don’t know, I don’t kill kids. How old is he.” Even killers have some code of ethics. Bill…”He’s 29. He wants my truck and she wants my money. I want them dead and it has to be done by the 13th of October. That’s when the court order takes affect. Izzy handed him a brown paper bag to write her name and address. Bill also handed him a picture. Bill reached for the door handle to leave.
No. no.no…not yet. We haven’t talked price. Price? I thought you do this for free because you like this. I’m trying to save money, not spend it. “I like doing this, but I’m not gonna risk going to prison for life for you if I don’t get money.” Surely you can scrap together some cash. Say $500 a piece. Bill got out of the car and called a few people begging for money to be paid back. Bill could not get the cash but was reluctant to tell the killer. He had to think of a different way. He talked to Gloria. Maybe he can make it look like a robbery and take the TV. Bill offered this to the killer. “You can’t get WIC (welfare money) or freakin’ cheese from the government.? Yes, I can but that could take time. Look, just make it look like a robbery. Okay, saying I do. What kind of TV do they have? A flat screen? High Definition? No it sits on top of the dresser. It’s the poor area of town what do you expect. They agreed and parted company. Under cover police cars followed the hit man away where he stopped at a nearby cemetery to look for counter surveillance vehicles. There was none. Izzy, an under cover police detective, pulled the micro recorder from his pocket where he taped the entire conversation. He is a CIU detective working murder for hire cases.
I drove home that night pitying the woman who was the target; thankful for great detectives like Izzy who are so natural in a deep cover capacity, and proud I was not Bill or Gloria. Unfortunately, while sitting on the can, I read Matthew 5:21-26.
It put things into perspective quickly. (paraphrase) You say a man who murders gets judgment…I say anyone who is angry with his brother deserves judgment. (Ouch) When offering a gift and you remember your brother has something against you (not you against him) quickly go and resolve the issue then come and worship. How else can the body of Christ function as a cohesive community? It takes settling things even if we are in the right. That’s the tough part. Humility, who would have thought.
Bill and Gloria came back to look at the pictures the “killer had of the murder, proud and relieved to be free of the greedy woman.” They were arrested for solicitation of murder. As a man thinks in his heart…so is he.
One night they talked about how to get the ex-wife to go away. Maybe he should just give her the truck. No, that was Bill’s pride and joy, beside it wasn’t paid for. She might have suggested it first. “Too bad she just doesn’t die. It would make life so much easier.” He agreed but needed a little more encouragement, after all it was a big step…seeing your ex wife die…intentionally. Gloria reached out to a friend of a family member who knew some gangsters; surely one of them had the balls to kill Isabelle. The friend made a few calls and found a guy who does these kinds of things. Hit men are not someone to trifle with or become friends with.
They met at the Green Cat Liquor store 5200 Imperial Avenue. Izzy is a short Hispanic man wearing a Padres baseball jersey. Even though this area is called the 4 corners of death, Izzy was comfortable even confident. Bill was not. He was not sure about this and was tenuous in dealing with a stone cold killer. It was worth the risk. They both wanted her dead. Bill got into the passers side of the killer’s car. Izzy talked first…you sure you want to do this? Once it’s done you can’t take it back. Yes. I have thought about it. I want both of them dead. Both? Who else? Isn’t one enough? No, I want her son killed too. Izzy…”Oh I don’t know, I don’t kill kids. How old is he.” Even killers have some code of ethics. Bill…”He’s 29. He wants my truck and she wants my money. I want them dead and it has to be done by the 13th of October. That’s when the court order takes affect. Izzy handed him a brown paper bag to write her name and address. Bill also handed him a picture. Bill reached for the door handle to leave.
No. no.no…not yet. We haven’t talked price. Price? I thought you do this for free because you like this. I’m trying to save money, not spend it. “I like doing this, but I’m not gonna risk going to prison for life for you if I don’t get money.” Surely you can scrap together some cash. Say $500 a piece. Bill got out of the car and called a few people begging for money to be paid back. Bill could not get the cash but was reluctant to tell the killer. He had to think of a different way. He talked to Gloria. Maybe he can make it look like a robbery and take the TV. Bill offered this to the killer. “You can’t get WIC (welfare money) or freakin’ cheese from the government.? Yes, I can but that could take time. Look, just make it look like a robbery. Okay, saying I do. What kind of TV do they have? A flat screen? High Definition? No it sits on top of the dresser. It’s the poor area of town what do you expect. They agreed and parted company. Under cover police cars followed the hit man away where he stopped at a nearby cemetery to look for counter surveillance vehicles. There was none. Izzy, an under cover police detective, pulled the micro recorder from his pocket where he taped the entire conversation. He is a CIU detective working murder for hire cases.
I drove home that night pitying the woman who was the target; thankful for great detectives like Izzy who are so natural in a deep cover capacity, and proud I was not Bill or Gloria. Unfortunately, while sitting on the can, I read Matthew 5:21-26.
It put things into perspective quickly. (paraphrase) You say a man who murders gets judgment…I say anyone who is angry with his brother deserves judgment. (Ouch) When offering a gift and you remember your brother has something against you (not you against him) quickly go and resolve the issue then come and worship. How else can the body of Christ function as a cohesive community? It takes settling things even if we are in the right. That’s the tough part. Humility, who would have thought.
Bill and Gloria came back to look at the pictures the “killer had of the murder, proud and relieved to be free of the greedy woman.” They were arrested for solicitation of murder. As a man thinks in his heart…so is he.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Pimping Al Qaeda in ESD
The Del Coronado Hotel is one of the finest in the country. Every President since it was built has stayed there. It was there that Marilyn Monroe filmed, “Some Like It Hot.” Even Babe Ruth dinned in the Crown room and frolicked in the waves at the Del’s pristine beaches. It’s a far cry from East San Diego. An area dominated by crack heads, meth freaks, pimps selling women bond slaves and gangsters victimizing all the above.
Last week a patrol officer noticed a car make an illegal U-turn at 3400 Orange. Orange Avenue is ground zero for this criminal chaos. If you sat there for anytime you would see a black and white rolling code 3; a cop sneaking around in the alley with an overcoat to hide his uniform looking to catch a deal in progress; a pimp slapping “his whore” and a businessman from Rancho Santa Fe looking for a wild fling. The officer pulled over the car and immediately noticed two occupants. Both men were in their 20’s. Both wore Arab dress. That in itself is not that unusual for ESD. There are 75 languages spoken in this part of the city. You have Afghani, Pakistani, Iraqi, Yemeni…you name it living and working there.
The cop asked for the driver’s license and registration. The men looked at him with a blank stare. It was unsettling. He again repeated his request now stated as a demand. The driver handed him a passport from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Both men were Saudi nationals. Of course the officer remembered many of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudi. Many trained in San Diego. But why are these men here at 3400 Orange, it just didn’t make sense. The last place suspected Al Qaeda operatives would be found is in the ghetto. There is nothing to terrorize but those already terrorized. The officer hit his lapel mic requesting 10-10 cover. Cover is never far away in Mid-City Division. The cover officer rolled up and took a position of advantage on the passenger side of the car. A quick visual sweep and no obvious weapons. The officers communicated with non-verbal hand signals. The passenger officer stood watch stoically and silent.
The men spoke broken English. As they talked, both officers looked for a way in the car. There are only four reasons to lawfully search a car. Any good cop goes through a mental check list and within seconds knows where he stands. The officers noticed some items visible that were disturbing. Foreign visitors with passports from a terror exporting nation. They had no business in this area of the city. A 35mm digital camera, GPS location device were in the front street. Some closed bags in the back seat. Could this be pre-operational terror activity. Are they casing and looking for a location to hit? The officers searched the car and found photos of “high value targets.” The stop now signaled great risk to the citizens of San Diego.
They called for experts in counter terrorism to assist with the stop because “the greater the risk, the greater the need to develop expertise.” Detectives from Criminal Intelligence and FBI responded to the stop. Intense questioning followed. Why are you here? What are you doing? Why the photos of the Zoo, SD skyscrapers, Petco Park and the stadium? Most importantly why are you in East Diego. You just don’t expect to find Al Qaeda and pimps mixing it up.
The Al Qaeda suspects pled their innocence. It was a mistake. They were lost and the GPS device directed them to this location. They did not think this was where they were supposed to be. In fact it made them uncomfortable. Pimps and thugs have a way of doing that. After all they were paying almost $400 a night for the hotel. The hotels in this section of the city rent by the hour. At the most you are going to pay $60 a night. The sergeant on scene called the detectives and agents together. They huddled together discussing the next step. Hey lets search their room. Maybe there are computers or other signs of pre-operational activities. One of the detectives yells out to the suspects of terror… "Hey where are you guys staying?” The driver in his Saudi accent retorted, “The Del Coronado Hotel, 3400 Orange Avenue.” Some blew out a sigh of relief, others snorted out a belly laugh. The Del is located at 3400 Orange Avenue. The agents and detectives stood at 3400 Orange Avenue. Just different cities. The Del is in Coronado and this pimping playground is in San Diego. 15 miles makes a world of difference. The greater the risk, the greater the need to develop expertise. If you are going to drive around SD you need to learn how to work a GPS device.
Our spiritual life is the same but the stakes are higher. Our relationship with God is the risk. It is incumbent upon us to develop spiritual expertise. When I stand before God I will not be able to shift blame to others. I can’t blame it on work; how I grew up; the preacher; teacher or wife. It’s me…and you, alone before God. Here is spiritual expertise. Matthew 12:35-37. Out of the overflow of a man’s heart the mouth speaks. (34) The good man brings out good things of the good stored up in him… (35) Men will have to give an account of the day of judgment for every careless word… (36) For by your words you will be acquitted or condemned. (37)
I want to be positive in my speech, thoughts and actions. Work with me to build our spiritual expertise, so when we stand before God great things flow out of our hearts.
A
Last week a patrol officer noticed a car make an illegal U-turn at 3400 Orange. Orange Avenue is ground zero for this criminal chaos. If you sat there for anytime you would see a black and white rolling code 3; a cop sneaking around in the alley with an overcoat to hide his uniform looking to catch a deal in progress; a pimp slapping “his whore” and a businessman from Rancho Santa Fe looking for a wild fling. The officer pulled over the car and immediately noticed two occupants. Both men were in their 20’s. Both wore Arab dress. That in itself is not that unusual for ESD. There are 75 languages spoken in this part of the city. You have Afghani, Pakistani, Iraqi, Yemeni…you name it living and working there.
The cop asked for the driver’s license and registration. The men looked at him with a blank stare. It was unsettling. He again repeated his request now stated as a demand. The driver handed him a passport from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Both men were Saudi nationals. Of course the officer remembered many of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudi. Many trained in San Diego. But why are these men here at 3400 Orange, it just didn’t make sense. The last place suspected Al Qaeda operatives would be found is in the ghetto. There is nothing to terrorize but those already terrorized. The officer hit his lapel mic requesting 10-10 cover. Cover is never far away in Mid-City Division. The cover officer rolled up and took a position of advantage on the passenger side of the car. A quick visual sweep and no obvious weapons. The officers communicated with non-verbal hand signals. The passenger officer stood watch stoically and silent.
The men spoke broken English. As they talked, both officers looked for a way in the car. There are only four reasons to lawfully search a car. Any good cop goes through a mental check list and within seconds knows where he stands. The officers noticed some items visible that were disturbing. Foreign visitors with passports from a terror exporting nation. They had no business in this area of the city. A 35mm digital camera, GPS location device were in the front street. Some closed bags in the back seat. Could this be pre-operational terror activity. Are they casing and looking for a location to hit? The officers searched the car and found photos of “high value targets.” The stop now signaled great risk to the citizens of San Diego.
They called for experts in counter terrorism to assist with the stop because “the greater the risk, the greater the need to develop expertise.” Detectives from Criminal Intelligence and FBI responded to the stop. Intense questioning followed. Why are you here? What are you doing? Why the photos of the Zoo, SD skyscrapers, Petco Park and the stadium? Most importantly why are you in East Diego. You just don’t expect to find Al Qaeda and pimps mixing it up.
The Al Qaeda suspects pled their innocence. It was a mistake. They were lost and the GPS device directed them to this location. They did not think this was where they were supposed to be. In fact it made them uncomfortable. Pimps and thugs have a way of doing that. After all they were paying almost $400 a night for the hotel. The hotels in this section of the city rent by the hour. At the most you are going to pay $60 a night. The sergeant on scene called the detectives and agents together. They huddled together discussing the next step. Hey lets search their room. Maybe there are computers or other signs of pre-operational activities. One of the detectives yells out to the suspects of terror… "Hey where are you guys staying?” The driver in his Saudi accent retorted, “The Del Coronado Hotel, 3400 Orange Avenue.” Some blew out a sigh of relief, others snorted out a belly laugh. The Del is located at 3400 Orange Avenue. The agents and detectives stood at 3400 Orange Avenue. Just different cities. The Del is in Coronado and this pimping playground is in San Diego. 15 miles makes a world of difference. The greater the risk, the greater the need to develop expertise. If you are going to drive around SD you need to learn how to work a GPS device.
Our spiritual life is the same but the stakes are higher. Our relationship with God is the risk. It is incumbent upon us to develop spiritual expertise. When I stand before God I will not be able to shift blame to others. I can’t blame it on work; how I grew up; the preacher; teacher or wife. It’s me…and you, alone before God. Here is spiritual expertise. Matthew 12:35-37. Out of the overflow of a man’s heart the mouth speaks. (34) The good man brings out good things of the good stored up in him… (35) Men will have to give an account of the day of judgment for every careless word… (36) For by your words you will be acquitted or condemned. (37)
I want to be positive in my speech, thoughts and actions. Work with me to build our spiritual expertise, so when we stand before God great things flow out of our hearts.
A
Friday, October 2, 2009
Handling Bad Decisions
One of San Diego’s biggest and most beautiful attractions is Balboa Park. It has green rolling hills, the world famous SD Zoo, WWII ear restored buildings, the Old Globe theater, restaurants and a few transients sleeping under the trees. One of my detectives is an awesome woman. She is pretty, smart and tenacious. Sandy is such an incredible investigator she was awarded the District Attorney’s Investigator of the year award last week for her work in the Bird Rock Bandit case and solving the murder of a local Christian kid. While others wanted to dump the murder case, Sandy dug in and proved he was murdered.
Sandy, Jana, Katzi and Cynthia went for a post work run through the park. They are training for a ½ marathon. These girls are battle tested Criminal Intelligence and Homicide detectives. As they ran, talked and watched their surroundings, one of them noticed a man stand up in the bushes. The sun was probably setting so details were hard to see. As they detectives passed his way, thinking they were weak women on vacation from Kalamazoo, Michigan, he whipped it out. Offended but not wanting to run a good run for a pervert, they made a few snide comments and kept their pace. Some people make bad decisions and then follow them up with worse decisions. This guy is one of those people.
Pervert decided to follow the detectives while he displayed his male genitalia. It wasn’t enough to insult their womanhood. Not bad enough to demean another person by treating them in an inappropriate manner, he just had to push it too far. He tried to run after them. Yes, manhood in hand he began to chase four cops. They decided enough was enough. When they reversed direction he was shocked. His plan was interrupted. All four women, in unison pursued the anatomically and mentally deficient would be molester through the picnicking families, gawking tourist and stoned transients. It was a sight. Down the hill, through the ravine and into the men’s bathroom the indecently exposed man ran. Fleeing for his life, pride and his manhood. How does one explain to you cellmate, “I was exposing myself and got chased by four women into a bathroom?” If he had ended it there he would have had some self respect. But he compounded it with another bad decision.
Detective S used her IPhone to call dispatch. LD01 can I help you. Yeah, this is 1911 delta we need a patrol officer to respond to the bathroom in Balboa park we have an indecent exposer suspect trapped. Okay…512J is en route with a supervisor. He is coming out of the bathroom and he wants to fight…standby. (Phone gets thrown to the ground.) LD01 can hear screaming, spitting, cussing and fighting in the background. LD01 on Central Air…Beep.Beep.Beep, Cover now, cover now officers need assistance in Balboa Park. Detectives are fighting with a 314 suspect. Sirens wail in the background and officers from all over the downtown area and the Heights scream to the scene like Dale Earnhardt Jr. If a CIU detective and Homicide detectives are fighting with a suspect this has got to be good. Calmly 1911 delta picks up the phone and speaks. We are Code 4. (We are okay.) Just have a transport unit respond. An injured and humiliated weenie wager got lumped up by four pretty women. His downfall was based on some bad decisions.
I too make bad decisions. Not as bad as the Balboa Park wager, but bad non-the-less. Normally when I make my worst decisions I, self interest, is at the core of the decision making process. Not so when I have god’s best interest at heart. When I consider His Kingdom first, even if it causes me difficulty it was the right decision. The correctness of a decision is not about how much does it benefit me or make me more comfortable. The correctness of a decision is more about pleasing Him.
Sandy, Jana, Katzi and Cynthia went for a post work run through the park. They are training for a ½ marathon. These girls are battle tested Criminal Intelligence and Homicide detectives. As they ran, talked and watched their surroundings, one of them noticed a man stand up in the bushes. The sun was probably setting so details were hard to see. As they detectives passed his way, thinking they were weak women on vacation from Kalamazoo, Michigan, he whipped it out. Offended but not wanting to run a good run for a pervert, they made a few snide comments and kept their pace. Some people make bad decisions and then follow them up with worse decisions. This guy is one of those people.
Pervert decided to follow the detectives while he displayed his male genitalia. It wasn’t enough to insult their womanhood. Not bad enough to demean another person by treating them in an inappropriate manner, he just had to push it too far. He tried to run after them. Yes, manhood in hand he began to chase four cops. They decided enough was enough. When they reversed direction he was shocked. His plan was interrupted. All four women, in unison pursued the anatomically and mentally deficient would be molester through the picnicking families, gawking tourist and stoned transients. It was a sight. Down the hill, through the ravine and into the men’s bathroom the indecently exposed man ran. Fleeing for his life, pride and his manhood. How does one explain to you cellmate, “I was exposing myself and got chased by four women into a bathroom?” If he had ended it there he would have had some self respect. But he compounded it with another bad decision.
Detective S used her IPhone to call dispatch. LD01 can I help you. Yeah, this is 1911 delta we need a patrol officer to respond to the bathroom in Balboa park we have an indecent exposer suspect trapped. Okay…512J is en route with a supervisor. He is coming out of the bathroom and he wants to fight…standby. (Phone gets thrown to the ground.) LD01 can hear screaming, spitting, cussing and fighting in the background. LD01 on Central Air…Beep.Beep.Beep, Cover now, cover now officers need assistance in Balboa Park. Detectives are fighting with a 314 suspect. Sirens wail in the background and officers from all over the downtown area and the Heights scream to the scene like Dale Earnhardt Jr. If a CIU detective and Homicide detectives are fighting with a suspect this has got to be good. Calmly 1911 delta picks up the phone and speaks. We are Code 4. (We are okay.) Just have a transport unit respond. An injured and humiliated weenie wager got lumped up by four pretty women. His downfall was based on some bad decisions.
I too make bad decisions. Not as bad as the Balboa Park wager, but bad non-the-less. Normally when I make my worst decisions I, self interest, is at the core of the decision making process. Not so when I have god’s best interest at heart. When I consider His Kingdom first, even if it causes me difficulty it was the right decision. The correctness of a decision is not about how much does it benefit me or make me more comfortable. The correctness of a decision is more about pleasing Him.
In Matthew 19 a rich young ruler came to Jesus proud of what he had accomplished in life. He truly was a great guy. Essentially he asked Jesus what do I have to do (name something) for me to buy (my slant) eternal life. Jesus told him to go sell it all and work for the Kingdom. The man left sad. There a couple of bad decisions: 1. He lived to please himself by building a fortune. 2. He was offered eternal life by selling some things and turned it down. We don’t know what happened to him after that. He probably lived a fulfilling, content life and then died and gave it all away anyway.
The same offer has been given to us. We can put ourselves aside and turn the control over to God by faith in the freedom given by Christ or continue down the same path.
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