ORION the Hunter
This month 5 yrs ago the fun began for me in uniform.
Little did I know that I would learn so much about being a Law Enforcement Officer up here in Alaska.
And certainly I never knew that I would end up loving this "Calling" so much. Because it indeed is a calling for me.
Alaska is indeed the Last Frontier. It is still wild, still untamed and uncivilized throughout much of theState. As I drive the lonely highways of the Interior and along the Coast it still pristine throughout.
The only thing more beautiful than the untouched wilderness is Alaska's people; theWhites, theNatives. Each group in each City, town, community & village is unique and has much to offer the World. In my journeys here I have met many of these people.
And I have recorded much of the experience.
As the 5 year mark passes for each month, starting now Feb 2006 and continueing until Oct 2008, I am no longer required to keep any field notes & journals that I made while I was a VPSO. But old habits die hard and I still keep a journal from time to time in my remaining notebooks.
On one hand I had to keep such notes for evidence and court testimony and had to safeguard them but on the other hand, I am no longer constrained either from using such notes outright either in this Blog correspondence as each month passes. I have elected to keep my notes and will refer to them for writing materials.
Recently someone speaking to me said, "to get it into your head that you're not a Cosmetologist anymore, you're not a Massage therapist anymore and you're not a Cop anymore!"
And I said, "that all those things had prepared me for Now. That my earlier life experiences prepared me for now and for the future." Besides, I haven't turned my back on Hair & Massage entirely. Those were talents, gifts for me and I explored them deeply and took each craft to an artform and on occasion I'm still called to work on somebody here & there.
I have found my Calling here in Alaska. I have found my path in life and it may even be my Eternal path. It is to help others in this Public Safety capacity.
Whether I'm working in uniform for a community, city or gov't organization. Whether I'm working plain clothes in theVillage or even just living in theVillage as a civilian, I am here. I was selected, trained and sent out to theVillage and that was just the beginning.
And as far as religion goes. I may be one of those war angels that stand guard in God's Kindgom. To work for Others that may become like God is now. So be it. At least I know my place in life and I am happy.
I have been exposed to this exciting and courageous line of work and there is Nothing else I want to do.
I could be in military uniform again soon, I could end up overseas in a War torn country making truck loads of $ as contractor security. But the bottom line is that I work for you-the public.
I will run to your emergency if summoned, I'll save your life if needed and if you'll let me-I'll do the low speed things like volunteer and play with the kids. Help the Elderly and do the day to day things necessary for the Community.
How ever well meaning that one person was recently that spoke to me. I'm sure they meant well. But what we are in life is between us and God. What we decide to do with our time and talents is up to us to decide, that is what Free Agency is. To Choose For Ourselves in this Life what we will Be and Do.
Me? I'd rather be found in public service. I'd rather go back to theVillage and go broke again helping the people.
And so it is that my life is this way. I accept it now please do the same.
+++++
Stranger In a Strange Land
We Drove all over Alaska that night as we patrolled the outskirts of theCity. We must have covered over 500 miles on the main Highways that night and on the side Frontage Roads and the outer Loops that connected theCity to the outlying towns and smaller communities.
We stopped Mrs. Housewife on her way back from shopping at BigK's and ticketed her for speeding. I still hear that fuzzy, scratching screech of the dashboard radar unit as it clicked-chimed then blared out loudly if it caught a return signal that it interpreted as " a vehicle that was above the legal speed limit".
Of course, the people in Traffic Support for the State Troops had to program the Dash mounted Radar unit and then it was up to the Trooper operating the unit to train with the Unit and get certified on it in order to legally operate it to catch speeders. And to catch speeders one had to practice, hence the Traffic Control obligations of the State Troops.
My ride-along experience was so much fun.
I learned that drunk drivers actually do Weave and cross the yellow-center and white side lines.
They brake erratically, they speed up and slow down suddenly. It's like the vehicle itself is Under the Influence when an impaired driver is behind the wheel.
Two vehicles approached a mile away as we headed back towards theCity, it was dark outside. Half-mile away the vehicles were side-by-side.
A 1/4 mile away Jenns, theTrooper I was paired with that night, hit the Unit button.
'Bzzzzz....Chirp-chirp' and then white noise.
"See that?!" Trooper Jenns motioned to the digital display.
I leaned over and read 75mph,
The day, date, year, time was also noted.
"Just in case we have to print that out and take it to court, in fact we already do!" Jenns blurted out as he quickly leaned in his seat and turned to look at the vehicles driving past us.
Luck would have it that we had approached a median-turn-around on the Highway and Trooper Jenns expertly slowed the heavy Ford Crown Victoria then we crossed over into the Oncoming traffic lanes and sped up to catch the Vehicle we had tagged on radar.
Only thing is. We also had to see which vehicle it was that was speeding and then catch up to them, we didn't always catch up to the vehicles as they either sped off or snuck away onto side streets.
One time we even got stuck in a snow bank and after rocking front and back trying to get unstuck-our speeding car was gone!
But not this time, as Trooper Jenns kept whispering out loud to himself,
"white 4x4, canopy, EX 18".
And sure enough we caught up to a White Dodge with a hard canopy top and the letters and numbers E-X-1-8 were a part of the vehicle license plate. The white pickup slowed down then pulled over and stopped. It's tail-lights flashed red then White to Red, indicating that the Driver had shifted the transmission from Drive, past Reverse and to the Park setting.
My foot hit the ice covered road as soon as Trooper Jenns' foot did.
We cautiously approached the vehicle even though the surrounding landscape and adjacent strip mall area was lit up like Christmas from the patterned flashing blue, red and white lights of our Cruiser, and two spotlights were focused upon the back canopy windows and driver side mirror of the pickup truck we stopped.
The pickup driver was asked to step outside by Trooper Jenns and he did.
The driver, a male Caucasion in his late 50's, was apologetic for speeding, "had to get to the store to pick up groceries-damn you guys are good, I was right beside that Other pickup truck!"
The driver looked at me, noted my brown uniform coveralls, turned his head sideways a bit and asked me, "Who are You?"
That first week it seemed that Everyone asked me, the Officer that was dressed differently than the State Trooper that stopped them, that same question.
By then I settled on saying, "I'm in training".
Sometimes I'd continue with, "I'm going out to theVillages"
A light would go on in their heads and they often would reply. "Good Luck!"
That really started to bother me but I put it aside. Later on I would discover that I would need all the Luck I could get.
The Next driver we stopped After the 4x4-was impaired, we took HIM to jail.
Oh man. The entire highway scene was a path of vehicle skid marks over the ice and snow that finally led to the resting site of the vehicle in question way off into the side ditch.
It was one heck of a crash the Impaired Driver was involved in.
He totalled his new pickup truck, destroyed his snow-mobile trailer and crunched his snow-mobile into many pieces.
Plus he cut his hand and arm crawling out of his banged-up cab. He bled all over the back seat when we drove him off to jail.
Trooper Jenns was upset about having to throw away a new pair of black leather gloves because of blood on them. We drove back to Troop HQ Post and into the gated garage where another Trooper offered to process the Impaired Driver and transfer him to theCity Jail.
So I watched Jenns as he sprayed, (Cussed) sanitized (swore some more) and bleached the blood away. Then we were off to patrol some more.
Jenns looked over at me as we sat at a red light.
"Did you get a look at that bulletin board tonight?"
He was referring to the two small prisoner mug-shots of some Native villagers.
One woman in particular was the subject of Jenns's question to me.
"I arrested her two months ago and brought her in to theCity and she put up a struggle getting INTO and OUT of my car".
Jenns continued telling me about her and the Family, and warned me to watch my back around them.
I reflected once again on the prisoner mug-shots I had seen earlier that night. I also reflected on this one other "Wanted / Missing" posting that I had read too.
As the night went on into the early morning hours I looked up once to the sky through the car window and noticed that the stars were out. Funny how I had forgotten to look at the sky more closely until now. Indeed this new VPSO work experience was alluring and riding along with the State Troops was exciting enough, so much that I forgot to watch the sky and when we did step out into the below-zero weather, it wasn't cold to me.
The weather was bitter cold, strange how I never felt it all night. Guess I was too busy trying to observe and learn how to handle traffic stops (if I ever had to make any while in theVillages).
It was -35F and by 0530hrs the cold started to sap my energy as I got out of the Patrol vehicle at each traffic stop and stood alongside the Trooper.
Up in the night sky, the Constellation Orion was out. I could see theBelt where the Three stars lined up.
And I could envision the outline of a man wearing it. I could see his bow, his arrow as it pointed close to the Pliaedes star formations.
I also noticed that the full Moon was in the Arrows path.
How appropriate. We could blame all theCity's criminal activity on the full Moon and let Orion be Judge, Jury and Executioner for us.
That night we hunted for Speeders, for Impaired Drivers and even got out on foot to sneak up to some Housing projects to glimpse a "Wanted" man and see if he would step out of his apt.
If he did, we were going to go arrest him after "Identifying him".
I loved the job I did back then. The State Troopers that taught me the basics for those 2 weeks were the greatest. I've no complaints with them at all, well....
At least with one of them I do have reservations. He kept asking the Shift Commanders just what I was and what I was allowed to see and participate in, etc.
Did it help any that this one reluctant Trooper was Black? No. in some small way it drove a wedge between us professionally and deepened my distrust of him.
All my life I've tried to get along with Colored people and have met many of their kind that I like, but now and then I have met a Black man or woman that just hated me. And this one Black Trooper kept acting like I was a hinderance to him and he didn't try to hide his contempt.
With this one Black Trooper, on the night that I rode around with him, we stopped somewhere in theCity. Some housing units on a small side street adjacent to the Goldstream Movie Cinemas and this Trooper went inside one of the houses for over 45 minutes.
I lost track of time that night and got groggy with the Cruisers heat settings set on high. I didn't bother touching the radio so I could listen in on City traffic while I waited for this Black Trooper to come out of the house. I didn't really care at that time.
Later we stopped off at a nearby BurgersKing and ate. I felt like a child as this Trooper growled at me, "We need to eat quickly"
Other than him. I liked the rest of the Troopers I rode with.
They're still with me (the good ones), standing with me when ever I'm summoned to investigate trouble here in theVillage many years later.
When I shop in the Malls in theCity, they're with me. Talking with me, advising me and telling me who to watch and what to expect. And when I'm driving the lonely highways they're with me in heart and spirit.
I know it's all in my head and heart, but that's how much I embrace this work of Public Safety. It's not 9 to 5 for me, I can't put it down for awhile and take it up again like wearing a garment or carrying an important tool.
Vigilance never sleeps, never rests, never quits.
It goes on and on forever and is borne by only a select few that, quite honestly, Choose themselves from among the rest of Humanity to stand in such high places of responsibility.
Together, we Hunt.
Little did I know that I would learn so much about being a Law Enforcement Officer up here in Alaska.
And certainly I never knew that I would end up loving this "Calling" so much. Because it indeed is a calling for me.
Alaska is indeed the Last Frontier. It is still wild, still untamed and uncivilized throughout much of theState. As I drive the lonely highways of the Interior and along the Coast it still pristine throughout.
The only thing more beautiful than the untouched wilderness is Alaska's people; theWhites, theNatives. Each group in each City, town, community & village is unique and has much to offer the World. In my journeys here I have met many of these people.
And I have recorded much of the experience.
As the 5 year mark passes for each month, starting now Feb 2006 and continueing until Oct 2008, I am no longer required to keep any field notes & journals that I made while I was a VPSO. But old habits die hard and I still keep a journal from time to time in my remaining notebooks.
On one hand I had to keep such notes for evidence and court testimony and had to safeguard them but on the other hand, I am no longer constrained either from using such notes outright either in this Blog correspondence as each month passes. I have elected to keep my notes and will refer to them for writing materials.
Recently someone speaking to me said, "to get it into your head that you're not a Cosmetologist anymore, you're not a Massage therapist anymore and you're not a Cop anymore!"
And I said, "that all those things had prepared me for Now. That my earlier life experiences prepared me for now and for the future." Besides, I haven't turned my back on Hair & Massage entirely. Those were talents, gifts for me and I explored them deeply and took each craft to an artform and on occasion I'm still called to work on somebody here & there.
I have found my Calling here in Alaska. I have found my path in life and it may even be my Eternal path. It is to help others in this Public Safety capacity.
Whether I'm working in uniform for a community, city or gov't organization. Whether I'm working plain clothes in theVillage or even just living in theVillage as a civilian, I am here. I was selected, trained and sent out to theVillage and that was just the beginning.
And as far as religion goes. I may be one of those war angels that stand guard in God's Kindgom. To work for Others that may become like God is now. So be it. At least I know my place in life and I am happy.
I have been exposed to this exciting and courageous line of work and there is Nothing else I want to do.
I could be in military uniform again soon, I could end up overseas in a War torn country making truck loads of $ as contractor security. But the bottom line is that I work for you-the public.
I will run to your emergency if summoned, I'll save your life if needed and if you'll let me-I'll do the low speed things like volunteer and play with the kids. Help the Elderly and do the day to day things necessary for the Community.
How ever well meaning that one person was recently that spoke to me. I'm sure they meant well. But what we are in life is between us and God. What we decide to do with our time and talents is up to us to decide, that is what Free Agency is. To Choose For Ourselves in this Life what we will Be and Do.
Me? I'd rather be found in public service. I'd rather go back to theVillage and go broke again helping the people.
And so it is that my life is this way. I accept it now please do the same.
+++++
Stranger In a Strange Land
We Drove all over Alaska that night as we patrolled the outskirts of theCity. We must have covered over 500 miles on the main Highways that night and on the side Frontage Roads and the outer Loops that connected theCity to the outlying towns and smaller communities.
We stopped Mrs. Housewife on her way back from shopping at BigK's and ticketed her for speeding. I still hear that fuzzy, scratching screech of the dashboard radar unit as it clicked-chimed then blared out loudly if it caught a return signal that it interpreted as " a vehicle that was above the legal speed limit".
Of course, the people in Traffic Support for the State Troops had to program the Dash mounted Radar unit and then it was up to the Trooper operating the unit to train with the Unit and get certified on it in order to legally operate it to catch speeders. And to catch speeders one had to practice, hence the Traffic Control obligations of the State Troops.
My ride-along experience was so much fun.
I learned that drunk drivers actually do Weave and cross the yellow-center and white side lines.
They brake erratically, they speed up and slow down suddenly. It's like the vehicle itself is Under the Influence when an impaired driver is behind the wheel.
Two vehicles approached a mile away as we headed back towards theCity, it was dark outside. Half-mile away the vehicles were side-by-side.
A 1/4 mile away Jenns, theTrooper I was paired with that night, hit the Unit button.
'Bzzzzz....Chirp-chirp' and then white noise.
"See that?!" Trooper Jenns motioned to the digital display.
I leaned over and read 75mph,
The day, date, year, time was also noted.
"Just in case we have to print that out and take it to court, in fact we already do!" Jenns blurted out as he quickly leaned in his seat and turned to look at the vehicles driving past us.
Luck would have it that we had approached a median-turn-around on the Highway and Trooper Jenns expertly slowed the heavy Ford Crown Victoria then we crossed over into the Oncoming traffic lanes and sped up to catch the Vehicle we had tagged on radar.
Only thing is. We also had to see which vehicle it was that was speeding and then catch up to them, we didn't always catch up to the vehicles as they either sped off or snuck away onto side streets.
One time we even got stuck in a snow bank and after rocking front and back trying to get unstuck-our speeding car was gone!
But not this time, as Trooper Jenns kept whispering out loud to himself,
"white 4x4, canopy, EX 18".
And sure enough we caught up to a White Dodge with a hard canopy top and the letters and numbers E-X-1-8 were a part of the vehicle license plate. The white pickup slowed down then pulled over and stopped. It's tail-lights flashed red then White to Red, indicating that the Driver had shifted the transmission from Drive, past Reverse and to the Park setting.
My foot hit the ice covered road as soon as Trooper Jenns' foot did.
We cautiously approached the vehicle even though the surrounding landscape and adjacent strip mall area was lit up like Christmas from the patterned flashing blue, red and white lights of our Cruiser, and two spotlights were focused upon the back canopy windows and driver side mirror of the pickup truck we stopped.
The pickup driver was asked to step outside by Trooper Jenns and he did.
The driver, a male Caucasion in his late 50's, was apologetic for speeding, "had to get to the store to pick up groceries-damn you guys are good, I was right beside that Other pickup truck!"
The driver looked at me, noted my brown uniform coveralls, turned his head sideways a bit and asked me, "Who are You?"
That first week it seemed that Everyone asked me, the Officer that was dressed differently than the State Trooper that stopped them, that same question.
By then I settled on saying, "I'm in training".
Sometimes I'd continue with, "I'm going out to theVillages"
A light would go on in their heads and they often would reply. "Good Luck!"
That really started to bother me but I put it aside. Later on I would discover that I would need all the Luck I could get.
The Next driver we stopped After the 4x4-was impaired, we took HIM to jail.
Oh man. The entire highway scene was a path of vehicle skid marks over the ice and snow that finally led to the resting site of the vehicle in question way off into the side ditch.
It was one heck of a crash the Impaired Driver was involved in.
He totalled his new pickup truck, destroyed his snow-mobile trailer and crunched his snow-mobile into many pieces.
Plus he cut his hand and arm crawling out of his banged-up cab. He bled all over the back seat when we drove him off to jail.
Trooper Jenns was upset about having to throw away a new pair of black leather gloves because of blood on them. We drove back to Troop HQ Post and into the gated garage where another Trooper offered to process the Impaired Driver and transfer him to theCity Jail.
So I watched Jenns as he sprayed, (Cussed) sanitized (swore some more) and bleached the blood away. Then we were off to patrol some more.
Jenns looked over at me as we sat at a red light.
"Did you get a look at that bulletin board tonight?"
He was referring to the two small prisoner mug-shots of some Native villagers.
One woman in particular was the subject of Jenns's question to me.
"I arrested her two months ago and brought her in to theCity and she put up a struggle getting INTO and OUT of my car".
Jenns continued telling me about her and the Family, and warned me to watch my back around them.
I reflected once again on the prisoner mug-shots I had seen earlier that night. I also reflected on this one other "Wanted / Missing" posting that I had read too.
As the night went on into the early morning hours I looked up once to the sky through the car window and noticed that the stars were out. Funny how I had forgotten to look at the sky more closely until now. Indeed this new VPSO work experience was alluring and riding along with the State Troops was exciting enough, so much that I forgot to watch the sky and when we did step out into the below-zero weather, it wasn't cold to me.
The weather was bitter cold, strange how I never felt it all night. Guess I was too busy trying to observe and learn how to handle traffic stops (if I ever had to make any while in theVillages).
It was -35F and by 0530hrs the cold started to sap my energy as I got out of the Patrol vehicle at each traffic stop and stood alongside the Trooper.
Up in the night sky, the Constellation Orion was out. I could see theBelt where the Three stars lined up.
And I could envision the outline of a man wearing it. I could see his bow, his arrow as it pointed close to the Pliaedes star formations.
I also noticed that the full Moon was in the Arrows path.
How appropriate. We could blame all theCity's criminal activity on the full Moon and let Orion be Judge, Jury and Executioner for us.
That night we hunted for Speeders, for Impaired Drivers and even got out on foot to sneak up to some Housing projects to glimpse a "Wanted" man and see if he would step out of his apt.
If he did, we were going to go arrest him after "Identifying him".
I loved the job I did back then. The State Troopers that taught me the basics for those 2 weeks were the greatest. I've no complaints with them at all, well....
At least with one of them I do have reservations. He kept asking the Shift Commanders just what I was and what I was allowed to see and participate in, etc.
Did it help any that this one reluctant Trooper was Black? No. in some small way it drove a wedge between us professionally and deepened my distrust of him.
All my life I've tried to get along with Colored people and have met many of their kind that I like, but now and then I have met a Black man or woman that just hated me. And this one Black Trooper kept acting like I was a hinderance to him and he didn't try to hide his contempt.
With this one Black Trooper, on the night that I rode around with him, we stopped somewhere in theCity. Some housing units on a small side street adjacent to the Goldstream Movie Cinemas and this Trooper went inside one of the houses for over 45 minutes.
I lost track of time that night and got groggy with the Cruisers heat settings set on high. I didn't bother touching the radio so I could listen in on City traffic while I waited for this Black Trooper to come out of the house. I didn't really care at that time.
Later we stopped off at a nearby BurgersKing and ate. I felt like a child as this Trooper growled at me, "We need to eat quickly"
Other than him. I liked the rest of the Troopers I rode with.
They're still with me (the good ones), standing with me when ever I'm summoned to investigate trouble here in theVillage many years later.
When I shop in the Malls in theCity, they're with me. Talking with me, advising me and telling me who to watch and what to expect. And when I'm driving the lonely highways they're with me in heart and spirit.
I know it's all in my head and heart, but that's how much I embrace this work of Public Safety. It's not 9 to 5 for me, I can't put it down for awhile and take it up again like wearing a garment or carrying an important tool.
Vigilance never sleeps, never rests, never quits.
It goes on and on forever and is borne by only a select few that, quite honestly, Choose themselves from among the rest of Humanity to stand in such high places of responsibility.
Together, we Hunt.
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