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well um it's 7 54 a.m I am standing outside of the Jamie padron police substation in North
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Austin um I got here at 6 30 but as I was told to I got here at 6 30 the Uber dropped me off it was um dark
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and I called the sergeant and then the deputy Sergeant as I was told to do and they didn't answer so I found a police
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officer who seemed to be testing his taser on the top of his cop car and I asked if he knew where I went to go on a
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ride along and he took me inside and he said wait right here and then at 7 30 I started looking in any little window I
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could find in the abandoned police station waiting room and then at 7 40 I decided I'd go
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outside um which means now I've been locked out of the police station and uh there are no cop cars here so
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uh and now I'm just standing outside of the police station well I'm in here now someone came and got me they thought I
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was a Citizen Police Academy member and so they said I got lost in the shuffle and I'm in an Evidence room it looks
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like an Evidence to detail the room I said I was with the media and the sergeant Deputy surgeon said no one
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ever told her someone was coming from the media today and uh so I'm just [Music]
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[Applause] I'm just looking at all these different types of evidence bags [Music]
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for years I've wanted more than anything to ride along with a police officer just
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to see everything that happens what the job is actually like I'm very interested
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in work what people do every day in their jobs and so I was so happy to finally be at a police station in Austin
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Texas they told me I could see everything that happened in that car during an entire shift 6 30 a.m to 4 30
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p.m Patrol Sergeant came and got me introduced me to officer Edward Roth and we started our day
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I'm Phoebe judge this is Criminal [Music] do you think that many police officers
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are wary of speaking with reporters and press [Laughter] I mean I wouldn't do it if I wasn't a
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police officer I wouldn't I mean it's just something I would not seek after to to to want to be on some kind
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of uh media format I think that's just based on the individual there's some guys that love
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uh social media and talking and all that kind of stuff I'm a quiet guy I don't really like I don't really you know I
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don't really do all that and here I am here I'm in this car with you this big microphone don't get me
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wrong I'm sociable you know I don't mind conversating with anybody but um it's just
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it can be a very uncomfortable feeling uh with a microphone you don't want to be misunderstood and
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all that kind of stuff so do you ever talk to the to to try to reassure someone who you have in the
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back of the car you fed to arrest or do you not really talk I I tend to talk to him
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because I'm uh uh you know because I'm black and unfortunately so many people that we arrest are black
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um I can and I'm older so I have a tendency of talking to him and it a lot of times it brings them
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down they calm down they don't they're not as scared scared and and prone to anger and violence uh when they see
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somebody that's talking to them in a uh in a manner which is very conversational
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I say hey man you know just relax everything's cool you know I'll let you get a phone call
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when you get to the you know all that kind of stuff and just trying to reassure him that listen this is nothing
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personal he don't want to go to jail of course but it's nothing personal and you
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know got to do what we got to do officer Ruff has been with the Austin Police Department for 10 years he joined the
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Department after retiring from the Army where he served for 24 years he's not from Texas but Beloit Wisconsin
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he moved down when he was stationed at Fort Hood he patrols an area in North Austin and
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while the computer in his patrol car had a virtual map showing him exactly where
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to go he didn't look at it much he knew his way around I'm 10-8 and now 75. instead and assigned
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all right so we're getting ready to go to a call what is the campaign office the campaign
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office there's a threatening note a pig's head at the Beto O'Rourke office yeah let's jump on that
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on our way to the campaign office of Democratic Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke he's running against the
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incumbent Republican former presidential candidate Ted Cruz there's a person seen
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advised FBI was out earlier this morning for other threats wow let's check it out
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this is a controversial Senate race that you know Cruz and Beto O'Rourke yes yes
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I um I'm not a big politician guy so I don't really follow that too you know obviously he's had a lot of commercials
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out uh campaigning for the his election so I know there's something going on but uh
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oh it's interesting we'll have to check that out ready yep severed Pig's head I think originally it
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was on there were already two officers in front of the office we met with a staffer out front
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the pig's head was found on a stake in front of the office with a note that read down with imperialist pigs
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elections no Revolution yes I guess you could probably best describe them as a bystanders honestly no one working there
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seemed too concerned one high-level staffer just continued talking on his phone when an officer went over to get
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his attention he put his finger up just one minute please the officers made notes the pig's head
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was cleaned up and we got back in the car don't ever don't say it's don't ever say
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it's slow right now because if you say it then you're jinxing yourself and it's gonna get it's gonna blow up and
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everything is gonna you know um but for the most part I'm saying it because it's almost 11 o'clock people gonna
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start waking up all that kind of stuff so that's that's why I'm saying it are you a superstitious cop no
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I've never really been to person not me you I think I'd like to be more superstitious than I am I think I think
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it's kind of well I don't know I think it's kind of fun to have I think I'm too practical to be I think
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that's our Midwest you know whatever you know we'll deal with it new waiting incident
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it was now 11 31. we were headed to a probation office to pick up someone who had violated their parole
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Okay so she just put out over the radio that uh that the guy that we're gonna pick up is
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supposed to be armed and dangerous uh that's one of the cautions he has on his uh his history
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so we take that in account um when we have to when we have to approach him and things like that
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[Music] I'm clear I'm just got the light I'm heading uh Northbound on camera for 183.
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something so um did you hear that over the radio no he's waiting for you he's gonna wait for me
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till I get there apparently this guy is um a little upset [Music] already so we want to go in there
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together and um and deal with this as opposed to him just going in there by itself
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for taking him to jail because he's going to be taking a job I'm not going to take him but
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but that's what's going to happen well I don't know if he knows that or that is what is that's what's going to happen
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that's definitely what's going to happen I guess I'd be upset too I would too yeah
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[Music] probably coming she's with us and uh you ready to go ahead she's bringing him in not to see
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us and they're gonna be in a room and we'll go get him she's going to bring him in here in another room and we'll go
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in the room and just scoot them up on my gosh that's the best way to do it yeah just go behind him okay let's go each
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grab an arm and just yeah so I'll bring her arrest all right stand up the man didn't put up any fight he
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looked tired he was a tiny skinny man maybe in his 60s with a baseball hat on he was put into the other officer's car
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they checked to make sure his handcuffs didn't hurt him he asked us to tell his friend waiting
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for him in the parking lot that he wouldn't need a ride home next at 12 17 someone called about a
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naked man who was yelling typically when somebody when somebody takes off their clothes
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that could indicate that somebody is uh uh on PCP president has been updated because our body gets hot and they they
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tend to strip off their clothes and it's a very uh that's a very serious situation because
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[Music] people on PCP tend to are they don't feel a lot of pain so and they're incoherent they don't understand
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directions and stuff like that so it'll be interesting how this is your incident has been updated
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and that's where we're on our way now what have you learned what is happening so far on this call yeah that
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[Music] loud yelling and background subject is a blackmail complain to have an issue speaking
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has been updated all right they said the subject left on foot walking towards St
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John's looks like they are coming this way so we eventually found the man who had his
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clothes back on now walking down an alley officer Ruff and another patrol car stopped him kind of trapping him in
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a v-shape with the two cars the man sat down on the curb he seemed completely out of it but kept refusing help
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he was able to name the city we were in and the date EMS showed up but he refused any help so there wasn't much
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more to do he hadn't committed any crime he was not in any apparent medical Danger
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they're taking care of that we got an animal service call to see dog run around and cigarettes were trying to
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buy a small brown dog has not actually bitten anyone yet complaining doesn't need contact
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all right that is a all right we'll take care of that one now what is this someone had called 9-1-1 to complain
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that a loose Chihuahua was running after people and trying to bite them okay so now we're going to find the dog we're
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going to find a dog so well no one could ever say it's a boring day that's what I'm saying so you know
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every day is different you know some calls a little bit more uh the level of stress or not I shouldn't
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stress but concerned it's more than that you're some of your typical calls so we are 3405.
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so this is the area where that dog was seen it's supposed to be a little brown dog
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and the person that caught it I think came from 3405 and it was 3404. you seen the dog
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that way what kind of dog man what kind of dog what kind of dog it's a small little
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Chihuahua he's laying down over there he's laying down huh he's laying down yeah they used to belong to the
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neighbors that lived over here but they left and they left them there and we feed them and well he let you put a
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leash on him yeah I'm gonna give you a leash and then you do it for me because he's not used to me all right go ahead
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1074 the ultra three player in turn to the Vietnam Chihuahua doesn't seem that scary
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I'm the worst one sometimes this one seems pretty calm oh yeah so what I'm going to do is I'm gonna
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code for which lets everybody know I'm good um so if you can push that green button for
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me this one yep there you go and then I'm gonna call Animal Control to come out to our location and then
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we'll come pick up the dog officer Ruff put the Chihuahua in the back seat and we waited for animal
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control it took 30 minutes once you're assigned to a call you have to stay no matter how long it takes
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I mean I guess there's no way you'd respond to another incident right now with a dog
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out of commission pure start uh animal control so this is where it's a bunch of hurry
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up and wait we sat there and talked about Wisconsin where his family still lives and his
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children they kept texting throughout the day group chats about dinner tonight and job
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applications and football games he didn't answer most of them but I would see them come in while he was
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typing on his computer or on the radio by this point it was one o'clock and I was starving but I certainly wasn't
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going to say anything finally an animal control officer showed up here Bubba grow up man
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come here little one you want to pick him up and we'll scan around his body the Animal control officer was trying to
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figure out if the dog was microchipped when the dog snaps big dog no not after I said that just
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confirmed all my thoughts about wow that was a quick little woof I don't know if
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I'm with a dog anymore thank you boy he scared the [ __ ] out of me yeah [Music]
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14 year old female is conscious and breathing 14. yeah we're gonna go to that so what's going on here
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here so let's clear this call so you just know that there's a fourteen-year-olds who took pills yeah
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[Applause] [Music] her incident has been updated why wouldn't they stop yeah that's a good question
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we weren't far from the middle school and for the first time all day officer Ruff put on his lights and sirens
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I'd always thought that when an officer is responding to any call they have their lights on that's not the case
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it's actually a very strict procedure for when you use lights when you use sirens
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you can get in a lot of trouble for using them when you're not supposed to we were the first to show up
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we parked in front of the main entrance a hundred kids were playing out in the yard soccer running around I sit in the
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car for this one 35 minutes later officer Ruff came back out he said the girl was gonna be okay she'd
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taken too many Tylenol but he didn't think it was a suicide attempt her mother had arrived and would take her to
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the doctor a lot of calls were starting to pile up that needed attention officer Ruff
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checked them on his computer in his car it seemed like they were all priorities where are we headed now we are headed to
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that trespass urgent at the Hampton Inn it's a hotel located uh not too far from here what
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does that mean trespass urgent trespass urgent is when a subject male or female is at a facility and they want them to
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leave and they refuse to leave [Music] do you think that people are scared of you of police officers
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um scared I think some some [Music] I think some are um I don't think scared in the sense of you
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know fear [Music] like a you know like a monster or anything like that but more there's a a natural fear like you know
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what did I do wrong and am I going to go to jail um and of course what's been going on in
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throughout the country with the shootings and stuff like that you know a lot of a lot of mothers and fathers are
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concerned about their their kids so they're kind of hyper Vigilant about that and
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so there's yeah I think there's a segment of society that probably is probably scared
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of you know what could happen under certain situations but how has that impacted you uh as a police officer just
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in your day-to-day life um well I'm a father and uh I have kids and um you know I try to teach them
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what to do when encountered by a police officer so that you know so there's a you know I think
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any parent um I'm not fearful of course but you know there's a there's a concern that
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when you have a your child is pulled over and [Music] I just teach them that what to do
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to make sure that the turnout is safe not even as a police officer yourself yeah oh yeah you know I'll say you know
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when when you when you get stopped you know keep your hands where they can see them you know make it where
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um the the encounter is not one where somebody is nervous because you're doing a bunch
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of you know reaching around and stuff like that just wait until the officer tells you to do something and then
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do do exactly what the officer tells you are you worried about are you are you worried about it
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do I worry about my own personal kids yeah yeah um I don't I don't worry about it but
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um I uh you know I address it so no I don't worry about it I feel pretty pretty secure that uh
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if they're encountered by the police they know what to do a few cop cars is not what I want to see
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when I'm checking into my hotel with my family I would agree with that can I bring this
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yes hello hi I'll be right with you okay when we got to the Hampton Inn for the trespass urgent call the woman at the
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front desk asked us to wait a minute while she finished helping someone with a question about the coffee maker in his
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room all day I was surprised how nonchalant so many people were about the police
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the hotel manager came out and told us that a homeless man was camping under the hotel sign
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he said the man had been there for a while that it wasn't his first time and he wanted him to move on
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I messed up my [Music] mind because this particular man had been formally warned about trespassing
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on this property before he was going to be arrested so now this guy's on top of the front of
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the hood of the car being searched [Music] and before he goes to jail he doesn't look very good
00:24:17
it looks really weak and checking all of his pockets now he has six dollars no he's getting in the car
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[Music] it was the first all day that someone had been in the back seat of the car
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[Music] where do we go now now we go to the county jail which is downtown 3 15. so you're at this point you know
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you'll work later then yes it just comes with the job item 101. new waiting incident
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95 Criminal Trespass and I'm about to Travis County and uh confirm with the warrants
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new message [Music] is there so all people who've been arrested go to the county jail
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Travis County Jail I wasn't allowed to record or even bring my phone in officer Ruff even had to leave his phone
00:25:51
and his gun and pepper spray in the car before he brought the man in you enter into a big open room there
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were no jail bars and after the man had been searched and put into a jail uniform officer Ruff took him back to
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the nurses station I was left to watch what was going on all around me most of the people there seemed quiet
00:26:15
they would be called one by one to have their photo taken and be fingerprinted there is a pay phone in the middle of
00:26:22
the room it was cold and a lot of people pulled their arms inside their uniforms to stay
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warm a woman was brought in she was yelling I wasn't sure if she was drunk she kept saying it was all a conspiracy
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they kept her in handcuffs finally officer Ruff emerged with a man he put his street clothes back on
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I didn't know what was going on or why the guy wasn't in his uniform anymore officer Ruff motioned to me that it was
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time to go what happened he um when he was assessed by the nurse he had some lung problems and so
00:27:06
if the nurse feels that it's more than they can handle at the jail then we'll send it we'll send him to the
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hospital let them check them out and then he can come back after he's been seen by the
00:27:19
the hospital so what does that mean for you that means um the times but the time that would have
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been spent here booking and the rest review will be extended out because now I have to transport him to
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the hospital from the weight while he's being seen and then transport him back to the to the jail to get rebooked seen
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by the nurse again and then go to arrest review and all that so it it it prolongs the
00:27:51
time that uh this is going to take so I couldn't bring my microphone into the hospital either
00:27:59
we parked in the ambulance Bay and walked through the emergency room the man's handcuffs were back on
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his nose was running but he couldn't wipe it because of the handcuffs officer Ruff helped him take his shirt
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off and put on the hospital gown and then the three of us waited for the doctor at 7 pm I left
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I had to go back to North Carolina I asked officer Ruff how long he'd stay and he said he didn't know as long as it
00:28:31
took a lot of his work is waiting and he's good at it he's patient in my 10 hours with him we met a dozen
00:28:41
people and most of these people are not the ones you would see on the show Cops this wasn't a violent or dramatic day it
00:28:50
was just a day foreign [Music] people there are some jobs where at the end of the day you can see what you've
00:29:07
done and you know if you're a carpenter you see what you've built and how this job
00:29:16
you never really you can definitely be jaded in your in your opinion about it are we doing any good here
00:29:27
you know your job is to do what you do take your calls if they supposed to uh if they're supposed to be arrested then
00:29:34
you arrest Ed people available to do a good job keep it moving [Music] criminal is created by Lauren Spore and
00:29:56
me Nadia Wilson is our senior producer Teresa katsurilis is our assistant producer audiomix by Rob Byers special
00:30:05
thanks to Mary Helen Montgomery Julian Alexander makes original illustrations for each episode of Criminal you can see
00:30:13
them at this criminal.com where on Facebook and Twitter at criminal show criminal is recorded in the studios of
00:30:21
North Carolina public radio wunc we're a proud member of radiotopia from PRX a collection of the best podcasts around
00:30:31
I'm Phoebe judge this is Criminal [Music]