Filed under: Weekday Update
On spring: Walking into work today, with a tangerine sun winking behind me, I thought how quaint it felt to hear the birds chirping (including a nice little tune from a baby crow) and the taste of blue air lingering in my lungs. Glad to even have a respite from winter. It’s been a hard, yet memorable one. And one I’d like to forget.
EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operator Course): Last night I went through EVOC training with St. Paul P.D. as part of my training in their Media Police Academy. For the last two months, every Wednesday night I have undergone training in various aspects of metro police work. They include: child predator tracking; domestic abuse; Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT); Bomb Squad; reconstructing murder scenes and accidents; use-of-force continuum; Tasers, hand-to-hand takedowns and weapons training. And, again, last night was EVOC, also known as crazy effin’ driving course.
Here’s a video (albeit a bit over-the-top):
http://wcco.com/local/police.car.chase.2.676105.html
Overall, I’d say I did “pretty well” or so said the training officer. Taking curves at 40 mph, trying to hit your apex, all while cherries are screaming and it was slick out to boot. Sure, I took out a cone or two and nearly put my cruiser in a snowbank … but nearly is better than totally. Lots of fun, gaining insight into everday police work, and hopefully gaining a little bit of respect – personally and professionally – from the officers in the process.
Road trippin’: Anyone got any good road-trip tips? I take off Friday for Gulf Shores, Ala. According to Google Maps it’s a 21-hour trip. Holy balls. I’m also going to be driving down with Dre’s family so wish me luck, toss me a buck or some advice.
Cheers and chandeliers.
