The P.O.P. Factor

My photo
"Just the facts, ma'am." More often than not, politically correct bullshit won't be found here. Pardon me while I exercise my 1st amendment right! I welcome all to my little world of bitches, moans, gripes and complaints, and sometimes, the downright freakin' odd. Take a seat and join me. I love a good story.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year Everyone



It's one of the busiest nights of the year for first responders. In fact, some of us dread it, but we do enjoy the extra pay.

At the close of 2011, I want to take the time to thank everyone for stopping by to read and comment on my many rants, bitches, moans, gripes and complaints. I had no idea that I would actually develop a following.
Eh, enough of the warm, fuzzy stuff!



Off to work I go. I'm sure there will be something interesting to rant about in the next few days.
Happy safe New Year to all.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Screen Test

Beaufort, SC

Back in the day, before seat belt use became mandatory everywhere, there was a way of persuading a somewhat rowdy customer in the back seat to shut the hell up. It was called the "Screen Test."

The rear view


There would be those poor cats and dogs that ran out in front of the police car. You can't run over them! Sometimes the brakes would lock up for absolutely no reason. We had horrible mechanics. The abrupt stop would cause the rear passenger to move forward, striking the screen.
Back in the 90's, laws and rules about the rear seat belt use almost eliminated the problem, so other 'accidents' would happen. For instance, I know I warned that child molester about that step. I told him to duck when getting in the back seat of the car, but people don't always listen.

Yea, accidents happen in our line of work.

Now, before you go all righteous and start lecturing, I have always been the type of cop who abhors the use of excessive force. There comes a time when the fight is over. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to beat the snot out of people, but I did everything within my power to restrain myself once they were cuffed. I often used words to tell a piece of shit what I thought of them. Nowadays, though, I think most cops focus like their actions are going to be on the nightly news or youtube. Everybody has a phone with some kind of recording device. I sure as hell don't want to be on youtube.

With all that said, I saw this article  in the newspaper and just laughed uncontrollably.  One idiot by the name of Mark Altman Jr. was arrested in 2009 by the police for drunk and disorderly, resisting arrest, and for probably just being an asshole.
He claims that the transporting officer slammed on the brakes for no reason, causing him to slam his face into the screen and breaking his nose. Yes, you read it right. It was 2 years ago! Did he just now sober up and hatched this genius plan to get some settlement money?

The police department states it's the first they've heard of it.

Sometimes stupid is genius.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

How the System Fails

Boston, MA

The Boston Police Dept. has repeatedly denied death benefits to the widow of a police officer who died of Hepatitis C. His family, and Doctors believe that in his many years of working crime scenes, he somehow contracted the virus.

The Boston PD disability board doesn't see it as such.


 

Detective Shaved Longcock: Bill Cosby "I'm 76 and Tired" - I still feel bad I declared him dead a while ago.... Glad he is alive!

Borrowed from the DSL blog.

Totally spot on. I think we're all tired, Bill and I say "Bravo."

 However, The Cos denies anything to do with this. Too bad. I was ready to vote for the guy.

Detective Shaved Longcock: Bill Cosby "I'm 76 and Tired" - I still feel bad I declared him dead a while ago.... Glad he is alive!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Homeowner Shoots Squatter

Spartanburg,SC


The owners of a vacant home for sale learned of a potential squatter in their home so went to investigate.
The homeowners go to their unoccupied dwelling fully armed. They confront the suspect, a struggle occurs, and the trespasser is shot in the face.
I have to ask why they didn't call the police before they went over there armed and ready.
I also have to ask why they still own a home that's been on the market for 4 years. I know, tough economy.

It's unknown if any criminal charges will be pressed against the  homeowners.


Under the Castle Doctrine law, a homeowner has the right to employ deadly force in the protection of themselves and their property and they have no duty to retreat. My guess is that they won't press charges against the homeowner, as the struggle for the gun made the trespasser the aggressor. If in fact no criminal charges are brought because of the Castle Doctrine, then this will also prevent the trespasser from initiating a civil case against the homeowner.


Word to the wise.....just call the police.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Taking a little family vaca.  I leave you with this special little video.


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

2 Cop Killers get Life

On August 6, 2008, Deputy Dennis Compton of the Colleton County Sheriff's Dept,  SC was shot and killed when he responded to a residential burglar alarm at 3:00 a.m.
He surprised 2 burglars and one shot him in the chest with a 12 ga. shotgun. The alarm company had contacted the key holder and he responded. Upon the homeowner's arrival, he saw the Deputy down and called for help on the Deputy's police radio.

See Bio, Officer Down Memorial Page

A lengthy manhunt and investigation resulted in 2 arrests a month later.

These 2 scumbags;

Who, at the time were 20 and 21 years of age, were charged with the Deputy's murder. It has never been determined who actually pulled the trigger, as both blame the other. However, in SC, they were both complicit in a felony resulting in death and they can both be charged as if they both shot him.
The local DA did not hesitate in charging both with murder and pushed for the death penalty.
South Carolina still has the death penalty and tends to use it. Most especially for circumstances such as this.

Just before trial, the defendants both plead guilty to avoid the death penalty. They both got life without parole. They'll rot in prison and then rot in hell!


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Brotherly Love

North Charleston, SC

This story has got to be one of the freakiest things I've seen in awhile.

These 2 geniuses prove that stupid is indeed genetic. I can't for the life of me understand how this guy convinced his little brother to eat a shitload of cocaine just to save his own sorry ass.


Deangelo Mitchell
Speaking of asses, if your older brother pulled drugs out of his ass and asked you to eat it, would you? You eat the shit, you're likely gonna die...ya freakin moron! And that folks, is exactly what happened.

These 2 brothers are detained after a traffic stop, cuffed and placed in the back seat of the squad car. Little do they know that there is a dash cam video filming their every move. The police department was so kind as to release copies of it to the media. The audio quality is a little poor but you can clearly see how the guy on the right pulls the drugs out of his butt, does a hand off, and then lets his poor brother ingest it, just so he doesn't take the rap.

Within in an hour, brother goes in to convulsions and dies from acute cocaine toxicity.

North Charleston police dept is looking in to charging the big brother with involuntary manslaughter.

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/16355650/investigators-eatting-cocaine-from-butt-leads-to-death-additional-charges

Can ya feel the love?

Monday, December 19, 2011

In Memory of Fargo

FOLLOW UP TO;

Police Dog Down


Just one day after his K-9 partner, "Fargo" was shot and killed in the line of duty, Master Deputy Warren Cavanagh of the Richland County Sheriff's Dept., received the honor of Deputy of the Year.
The decision on the award had been made 2 weeks ago, but the official announcement was made one day after Fargo's memorial service. Upon receiving the honor, an audience of his peers gave him a standing ovation.

Under South Carolina's Code of Laws:


SECTION 47‑3‑620. Unlawful to torture, mutilate, injure, disable, poison, or kill police dog or horse.

It is unlawful for a person to wilfully or maliciously torture, mutilate, injure, disable, poison, or kill a dog or horse used by a law enforcement department or agency in the performance of the functions or duties of the department or when a dog is placed in a kennel off duty or a horse is placed in a stable off duty.  However, a police officer or veterinarian may perform euthanasia in emergency situations when delay would cause the dog or horse undue suffering and pain.

It is unfortunate that it is only a misdemeanor offense to do such things to our 4 legged partners. It should be a felony!

Thankfully, bail was denied for this sorry piece of shit.

Watch this video tribute to Fargo


 Remember, they serve to protect us!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Police Dog Down

Richland Co., SC

It's always a sad day when one of our own goes down. Specially trained police K-9 dogs are also part of the family of blue. They not only track, hunt for drugs, and attack on command, but they've been known to make the ultimate sacrifice in an effort to protect their handler/partner. Such as the case here.

"Fargo" took several shots from an armed robber, possibly preventing his handler, Master Deputy Warren Cavanagh, from being shot too. Even if Fargo had been wearing his vest, veterinarians believe that it would not have sufficiently protected him from the fatal wound.



Our deepest condolences to Dept. Cavanagh, his family and the whole department on their loss.

Suspect charged in killing of police dog - Breaking News - TheState.com


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Nutz to You

FOLLOW UP TO:

Ah, Nutz! Not Again
More Nutz
Driving Me Nutz


Today is D-Day. Today is the day that a 67 year old woman who displayed plastic, red bulls testicles from the bumper of her truck goes on trial for an alleged obscenity violation.

Police Chief Franco Fudo of the Bonneau, SC police dept. played Mr. Morality and found an antiquated traffic law to cite Virginia Tice with, handing her a summons with a bond amount of $445.00. All because she was exercising her rights under the 1st Amendment. No, Truck Nutz or Bulls Balls, are not illegal anywhere in the continental US.
The legislation in SC is written as:

SC Code of Laws 56-5-3885 - "A sticker, decal, emblem, or device is indecent when taken as a whole, it describes, in a patently offensive way, as determined by contemporary community standards, sexual acts, excretory functions, or parts of the human body."

Most police departments in the area have indicated it's a waste of time. Police have better things to do. Also, no one has been prosecuted with this offense since the late 90's when the ACLU stepped in and managed to get the charge dismissed. The law has just never been repealed.

Chief Fuda apparently has too much time on his hands that he must be memorizing the V & T code book.

A rather prestigious law firm in Charleston, SC got wind of Ms. Tice's predicament and offered to represent her pro bono. Ms. Tice's attorney was about to ask for a jury trial, when it was discovered that Police Chief Fuda had already done so, thereby circumventing the defendant's right to choose a jury trial or bench trial.

Today at 10:00 a.m., jury selection begins. The news media, as well as the ACLU, are watching this case closely.
If there isn't another postponement, I'm betting it will be taken care of before jury selection begins. There's too many things wrong with this case to waste the taxpayer's time.

Today's news reports that this trial was postponed yet again because, "not enough potential jurors showed up. What the hell does that mean? You get a subpoena, you go to court.  Chief Fuda seems confident that this will proceed to trial as he is emphatic he will not drop the charges. Right now, he's become the 'judge' of the so-called obscenity statute and is standing in the shoes of the 'prosecutor.' It seems to me that the use of a 'jury' is a minor formality that he's trying to manipulate to his advantage.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

'Tis the Season

'Tis the season where the stress of the holidays makes people do stupid things. Some people whom you would never suspect as being on the edge, find themselves thinking that there is no recourse but to jump off a bridge, put a bullet on to their head, over dose, etc. We all know it's not the answer. In fact, it leaves behind friends and family who wish you hadn't done that. It is primarily a selfish act and certainly not a means to the end.

Then there are those who deserve an ass whoopin' in the highest sense. Some of these maggots you would just love to throw off a bridge - a couple of times. Using a bungee cord, of course. That's some scary shit.
I'm talking about the burglars, thieves and other maggots of society who prey on those of various socio-economic backgrounds. They don't care who they take from. It's all for their own selfish greed and satisfaction. They have robbed from those who have borrowed to the hilt in an effort to make Christmas special for their children and grandchildren. They mug easy targets in busy shopping centers; from tearing shopping bags from people to breaking in to cars in the parking lot.

The worst maggots of all are those that prey on the elderly. They are the hustlers and swindlers who approach them or call them by phone with some sad story about needing money for some made up charity. Some unsuspecting elderly person will give up their credit card number and social security number because they are duped in to believing it's a charitable cause. I think even some of these so-called legitimate charitable causes need an ass whoopin'. How dare they make threats and somehow lay blame on their mark (my mother) if they don't give them money.
Many of these children's charities and yes, even some of these so-called organizations who solicit on behalf of fire departments and police departments are bogus.

You see it all the time...just read the paper, listen to the news. They warn you to lock your cars while in the mall and put your purchases out of sight, and in the trunk. NEVER give your social security number to anyone! Don't give bank account number or credit card numbers over the phone or to ANYONE that YOU haven't called.

I know that if someone tried to rip off my parents, I'd be ready to kick some ass and I wouldn't stop until the world saw what kind of swindlers and cons there are in the world. They would rue the day.

I inherited this determination  from my mother. She was always a fighter and a very good one at that. She knew all the right words and managed to persuade people to see her way of thinking. And she always managed to do it with just words. I admire her for that. Now, in her golden years, she just wants to peacefully retire and get away from all this nonsense and drama. She wants to lounge quietly in a warm climate, poolside, with her kindle. She earned this and deserves this.

She has chosen to give to one charity and one charity only. Toys for Tots, sponsored by the USMC. I don't know why she chose this one specifically, maybe because her son was in the corp., but that is her choice.
We all know that she is intelligent enough to make rational decisions and to do so with discretion.

She also has an answering machine/voice mail and caller ID. If she doesn't recognize the number, she doesn't answer it. If they leave a message from one of those sob story, so called charitable organizations, she does not return their calls. In fact, she has an obsession with the delete button. She does that with her emails too.
She has a "Go away. Leave me alone" attitude with these people and knows a con when she hears one.

My message here is that you should look out for your parents and grandparents. Even people my age are often intimidated by today's electronics. Take the time to show a different generation all about voice mail, caller ID and email. My mother was quite set in her ways when it came to books. Along came the Kindle. She researched it herself and mulled it over for awhile. It really is a remarkable gift for a book reader. Once you get one, you wonder why you hadn't done it sooner. iPads are user friendly and with wi-fi, no convoluted hook ups or expensive software is necessary. "There's an APP for that!" I know my Mom despised that old laptop she had. Now, with her iPad, she checks her mail every day, plays her games, watches movies, and even does her banking. She now considers herself "geek-a-fied."

If you're having trouble deciding what to get your parents or grandparents, these are some things you should consider. And again, ALWAYS look out for them, but don't be over-protective. They seriously hate that.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

TSA: Those Stupid Assholes

Here we have a 17 year old pregnant teenager. Nothing so shocking in today's society.
This pregnant teenager is traveling from Jacksonville, FL to Norfolk, VA.  Again, so what?

This dingbat travels with her precious redneck purse that has a replica of a gun on it. She travels from Jacksonville to Norfolk carrying this purse on the plane and does so without incident. It's the return trip that causes the uproar. Hey, whaddya know?  Looks like somebody in Norfolk was doing their job.

Keep in mind, I have absolutely no love for the TSA and their intrusive, tactless, and possibly even hazardous means of screening for potential threats. I am not fully convinced that the full body image scanner is as harmless as they say, since our government has this really bad habit of sweeping things under the rug and telling us naive citizens that they know what's best for us. Often times, we are a stupid sheeple.

No, what I have issues with is the fact that this little incident was carried by the international news media and every article drew a picture of the TSA once again over stepping their boundaries.  In this case, the TSA people in Jacksonville made a huge, freakin' mistake. That thing never should have made it on the plane.  The law is very specific in that replicas of weapons, including guns, are not allowed on the plane. You can't go in to a courthouse or any other government building that might utilize a metal detector, with that purse. It looks too much like the real thing. Those Stupid Assholes spend too damn much time worrying about the 3 oz. rule and not enough time looking for serious threats. Granted, this was fake, but I've seen some working handguns on various accessories from belts to purses.



This is a 17 year old girl who thinks she's so mature. Honey, if you had an ounce of common sense, you would have known that you would indeed attract some attention with that purse. You've certainly attracted the attention of the feds and you won't hear the last of it. "Replicas" have been on the banned list since 2002. Do your homework. Oh, wait, she's 17 and most likely not an honor student.

While I am the first to admit that the TSA has had more than its share of moronic circumstances and incidents,  this one seems kind of simple; The TSA should have caught it in Jacksonville and she should have reconsidered her fashion accessories.