Kaboom! Blowing Up the Christian Life

Your emotions while serving search warrants range from anxiety and excitement to routine boredom. Falling into routine boredom gets you into trouble. Not from an officer safety standpoint, even the most experienced investigators once they are in the stick (lined up to assault the building), are tapped up with guns at the ready warp into hypersensitive intense war machines. It’s after you gave your knock and notice at the top of your vocal capacity; the door knocker gets thrown to the ground after leaving the cheap door in splinters; you flowed through the fatal funnel; you’ve run the walls and dug the corners looking for lethal threats; you’ve screamed get on the ground in English and Spanish only to be looked at like you are from Mars; you’ve pointed you gun at people who see the intensity of your demeanor, you’ve handcuffed everyone in the house and rendered it safe…that’s when it gets dangerous.

The case agent divides up the duties for the team. Billy, search the back bedroom. Wayne you search the kitchen including all the cereal boxes. They hide rock cocaine in Rice Puffs. Marc, take the living room and watch the prisoners. When you find product just leave it in place. I’ll come and photo graph it and collect it for evidence. Billy began his search and found something interesting, but he did not call it out to the case agent. It was about three feet tall, 8” in diameter, had a cone over the top, a long stick coming out the bottom and a fuse. What the heck is this? It’s not the 4th of July.

Across the canyon the balcony was filled with on lookers. People frequently gather around to watch the festivities of their neighbors, possible competitors getting cuffed and taken away. You never know you might happen to catch a police shooting on your iPhone and sell it to the local news station. They yell a few obscenities at the officers; poke fun at those cuffed up and are silently grateful it’s not them who sold to a UC. After the dynamic entry and screaming is over they filter back into the honey comb apartments to watch their soaps, get their drink on or cook up a cookie of rock cocaine.

Detectives work inside out. Once the house is done you check the yard. Guns under the dog house, money buried under the tree (hence money tree) dope in the discarded washing machine is not uncommon. Every once in a while you find a crook hiding under the tarp or in the dog house. While the detectives are in the back yard, Billy went back in the house. One of the remaining detectives cynically said, “Figures, Billy has to go the bathroom again when there’s work to be done.” Cops pee in some of the most awful places on Earth.

A few seconds later he came back out with his prize possession. He stuck the tail stick in the ground and began patting his pockets looking for matches. He found a lighter. That will do. Half laughing and part pleading, Marc and Wayne pled with Billy not to light the fuse. Too late, they could see the sparks falling from the 3’ tall, commercial grade pyrotechnic rocket. Billy ran from the scene as Marc and Wayne stood there, frozen in awe and fear. The rocket rose slowly from the ground to an elevation of 20’. It slowly turned horizontal and accelerated to the speed of sound eastward. It headed directly toward the balcony of the honey combed apartments. Fear turned to panic as all three detectives ran for obscurity. Too late...Kaboom! The explosion of purple, red and green sparks lit up the apartments in the closest display of fire works the residents had ever seen. Kids shrilled with delight, mothers scrambled for children and gangsters hit the floor. (They are conditioned to do so with any loud gun sounding noise.) The detectives checked for injuries and promised to identify the persons responsible for this travesty. Thankful no one was hurt or killed the detectives yelled at Billy who promised not to get bored so easily.

I’ve often thought about why 5,000 men came to the edge of the sea of Galilee to hear Jesus speak. They stayed there so long Jesus needed to feed them. John 6. I know he spoke with authority they had never seen before. That he healed the sick and hurting. That he called men to forgiveness and then forgave their sin. They stayed because all of that boiled and created excitement. Yet too often we are the bored detective in the backyard looking for man made excitement and pleasure. The people of Jesus’ day watched a revolution in progress. Nothing is more exciting than revolution. There are political revolutions, personal revolutions and spiritual ones. That revolution is still available to each of us today. Just light the wick of commitment to the Savior, and watch the fireworks of what God can do through you.

Kaboom! That’s the Christian life I want.

Jihad at Lake Jennings...well kind of

I pulled into the parking lot of Lake Jennings at 0700 hours and was shocked at what I saw. I was there to speak at a Christian men’s retreat and found three rows of men, perfectly aligned and spaced apart, standing behind their leader. The leader was in a green Army coat and they all faced east. It looked like a military unit at reveille for morning calisthenics. The leader yelled out something I could not understand and all the men dropped to the ground. They bowed low in the knee chest position as they faced Mecca and began to pray. One of the local mosques’s had their own men’s weekend retreat. I felt relieved that I had the wrong campsite and yet concerned.

I grabbed a few license plates on the way by and called communications to see where they were from. All the cars were from San Diego. It was the Mosque men’s group. Noor Mosque is a strict mosque that practices Sharia law. When men convert in prison, after their sentence is finished they parole to this Mosque for re-entry. They study Aramaic, memorize the Koran and are mentored by an Imam. Some might consider this the radicalization process. The group looked eclectic to me. There were several African American men who spoke like they just gated from the SHU; one Samoan man, a few Somali’s, two Asian’s and one who said he was Somali but looked and sounded Pakistani. I went on to speak to the Christian men about being a man of God. We learned from each other how to learn, love and lead in the body of Christ. When done with the morning session I noticed several of the men hovering around my UC vehicle. In my mind it was a vast conspiracy of them breaking into my car to learn as much as they could about intelligence, seeing if we had files on Al Shabbab, Jamil Tigers, Al Queada or any of the other groups who are potential threats. I walked over to smell they were taking a cigarette break. Yeah, I know Muslim’s can’t drink but smoking is fine. These guys interpret the Koran as literalists.

I talked to the guys and asked a few questions about their faith. I had two objectives in mind, learn about Islam and build relationships for future information. One of the young guys invited me to meet with the Imam. I readily accepted. We went to a large mat laid out on the dirt with all of the shoes stacked neatly along the side. We sat Indian style (not easy with thunder thighs) and I listened for two hours. I learned a few things:

1. They were intent on trying to convert me to Islam. They shared what they call the “gospel.” They did not ask one thing about me just preached at me. They were sincere and passionate.
2. They knew the Koran and Bible better than many Christian’s. They were able to quote the Savior extensively.
3. They misquoted scripture, often “proof texting” what they wanted to prove their point.
   They were confidently arrogant hiding any human weaknesses of Islam and exploiting the failings of Christians.
   
   Finally the Imam misquoted and twisted Mark 12:29 and 30. I corrected him and explained the passage. As we came to the end of the one way conversation one of the young men said, “You are the first Christian I have heard quote the scriptures. Does it not mean that much to Christians?” I explained that man Christians know the scriptures well but that we believe it is more important to live the scriptures than just quote them. I determined in my mind as we spoke to memorize the main ideas and key words of Jesus. I’m starting with John 1. Join me. Peter exhorted us to: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…I Peter 3. I wonder if people see the HOPE we have in Christ? or do they see the world is ending apocalytic fear.

As we parted I handed each of them my business card. The Imam swallowed hard and looked up. I promised to come and visit them at the Mosque and will do so.

This past week the justice department decided to bring the 9/11 leaders to court. Terrorism vexes the soul of America. Our response to terrorism is sharply divided along ideological lines. Civil libertarians want to sway the billions of Muslims by showing our compassion and adherence to the rule of law. Under no circumstance will this great nation compromise the constitutional guarantees. Seeing the United States as the bright shinning example of democracy will attract them to our way of thinking and make them less likely to hate us.

Here is the problem with the civilian courts:

There are automatic built in defense for acquittal or reversal on appeal…right to a speedy trial (7 years of detention), right against self incrimination (the Army version of Miranda is water boarding), right to face your accusers (CIA operatives and analysts), right to a fair and impartial jury (two blocks from ground zero?) I could go on…As a defendant you have the right to all of the evidence not just what the prosecution want to give you. How can this be done with out exposing CIA agents, intercept technology, covert methods of operation, our knowledge about co-defendants, etc. A trial would enhance the cause of Jihad and further radicalize Islamic Americans and foreigners. A trial would give the world’s biggest platform to some of the most violent people on the planet. Holder said, ”we can’t afford to lose.” He is right, then why take the chance? Juries are fickle, easy to threaten and cannot be predicted. The last trial of the century did not end well. OJ was acquitted.

Living the rest of their lives in Illinois should be punishment enough.

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.

Blasted by a Bus

It was supposed to be a routine under cover buy-walk. Buy some dope, have a uniformed officer come in and make a casual contact and then arrest the suspect for selling rock cocaine. Things went wrong. Terribly wrong. Someone was about to get hurt in the war on drugs.

Each of us has experienced unintended consequences. One thing is for sure, our actions, positive or negative has consequences. Action is the foundation of faith.

D - radioed over a tactical frequency. 831John you in place? Affirm. Roger that. S-1 is a white male in the middle of Highland and Landis Park. Long greasy hair, wearing a gray t-shirt, jeans and is with several other adults. UC is away. The undercover detectives hid in plan sight all over the park, giving close cover. One looked like a homeless man picking through the trash. Another appeared to be an illegal immigrant lost in time and space. Two others pose as a couple, gazing into one another’s eyes as they monitor the radios tucked under their jackets. A sergeant is close by in his car cranking up the air conditioning. Senior sergeants do not get sweaty.

The under cover walks up to the suspect and asked for a “2-0”. Street slang for a $20 chunk of rock cocaine. The suspect looks him up and down, studying him intently but does not say a word. Is his gun, badge, wire showing. That’s how cops get exposed and sometimes killed. In this line of business silence is problematic. The others in the crowd fan out and surround the scruffy looking detective. The suspect reaches into the front of his pants as everyone takes a deep breath. 45% of crooks carry their guns in the front of their pants. The rescue team tenses. S-1 fishes around for a sack…of dope. He comes out with the $20 rock. S-1 hands it to a bare handed detective who exchanges it for a $20 dollar bill. He walks off south without saying a word. After a few minutes 831John is going to roll in for the “low key” arrest.

831John I’m rolling in from two blocks. His black and white stops at the curb. He meanders over to the group of drug sellers and they begin to become nervous. The telltale sing of getting ready to run is looking over the shoulders for the easiest route. All of them look in different directions. 831John is focused only on one person. S-1. One of the UC detectives is inching closer to give the officer cover and help if they run. The suspect rises to his feet and faces the officer. “Hey man how you doing? Got a few minutes, I’d like to ask you about a burglary that took place down the street.” Nothing, dead silence. Even though this is a small dope transaction you still watch the hands. Hands kills. Even simple park dealers arm themselves to prevent drug rips. It’s a dangerous business.

The officer and his cover are both former athletes. Both men have decent speed even though they wear 20 pounds of extra gear and a Don Jose’ burrito in their belly. S-1 doesn’t like the feeling and pivots to freedom. He sprints away with 831J is in hot pursuit. The ballistic vest synched down on his ribcage restricts breathing and he yells for him to stop. S-1 accelerates. 831J…foot pursuit northbound Highland and Landis Park...W/M/A, 25, long hair, gray shirt and jeans approaching Wightman. It was here, in this very spot one of 831johns partners was stabbed in the hand in a fight for his life with a parolee who he ultimately shot. Was this round two?

RC08, 831John what’s he wanted for? 831John…you kidding? I can’t breathe let alone give you an explanation raced through his mind. DOPE! was yelled over the radio. 2819 Delta and 831John ran side by side. They closed in on S-1. S-1 was feet away from Wightman when the tow cops began to slow down. Fear gripped them as they closed in on the man looking over his shoulder at them. Because he was watching his pursuers he did not see the city bus and the bus driver did not see him. He stepped off the curb and 5 tons of steel sped down the narrow street. There was no where to go. The impact was immediate and obvious. He ran into the bus. Right into the middle of the side of the bus. He flew onto a parked car, rolled off and the officers prepared to call for code 3 medics. As a good crook, S-1 jumped to his feet and continued running north between the houses. Shocked and now laughing the officers continued. Tunnel vision can be deadly, but he couldn’t hear or see that big of an object?

Between the houses and over the fence went S-1. Officer safety concerns doesn’t give cops the luxury of running full tilt around blind corners or jumping over a fence into an ambush. There was a little shed next to the 6’ fence. The officers jumped onto the hood of the car in the driveway leaving sized 11 boot prints and onto the hood. In the yard they could hear large dogs, possibly a Pitbull named Satan, growling and barking angrily. There was also a muted sound of a person yelling with what sounded like a hand over his face. Guns out the officers did a quick peek over the fence, trying to show too much face. You don’t want to get it shot off.

They were right to be cautious. Satan was in the backyard with the suspect. Only Satan was dragging S-1 around the yard by the leg hoping this would be his toy. S-1 motioned to his pursuers for help. Out of breath from running and laughing they weren’t too inclined. When they realized what no one could have known. S-1 could not talk or hear. He was signing to them for help. S-1’s actions had consequences’ for the dog, the officers, even his own leg.

Isaiah gives us a warning sign that our actions have consequences. He says, “If you do not stand firm in your faith you will not stand at all.” He goes on to tell of the signs of the coming of the Savior. I wonder why most (not all) of Israel was deaf and dumb when it came to the appearance of the Savior. I believe it was a long succession of people who did not stand firm in their faith. They got side tracked with life, religion and group think. What is faith?...read Hebrews 11. When you read though it note how many theological positions are listed verses the actions taken by some questionable people. Yeah, God is looking for a few simple, imperfect people to take action and be faithful to Him. Not too much to ask for such a great salvation.