Cuff 'N Stuff
The Internal Newsletter of the Wise County Sheriff's
Department
01-26-01
|
Cuff 'N Stuff 01-26-01 |
|
Bank Robber Stuffs Explosive Dye Pack Down his Pants Tyneside, England - Police are searching for an embarrassed Geordie bank robber (a Geordie is a person from the northeast of England) who was hurt after a dye pack exploded in his trousers and burned a hole through his fly. Witnesses last saw a Geordie strip to his briefs and run away towards Newcastle's Bigg Market, leaving the money and his smoking trousers behind. The robbery happened around 11:30 a.m. at Bank in Newcastle City Centre. A Police spokesman said this is what happened: The man wearing a black and white football top gave a bank cashier a plastic shopping bag and demanded "all the money in the bank." The cashier filled the bag with money and an explosive dye pack that burns at about 400 degrees when activated. The Geordie stuffed the bag down the front of his pants and ran from the bank. The Police Officer said witnesses then saw "an explosion taking place inside his trousers. He was seen hopping and jumping around." The hot dye pack seared through the crotch of the Geordie's trousers which the police confiscated, but have not yet caught the Geordie. "He's probably sitting around with a packet of frozen peas in his lap," said the Police Officer. "That is, if he hasn't sought medical attention". Police alerted local hospitals to be on the lookout for a Geordie complaining of crotch burns. Investigators are asking for the public's help in finding the Geordie and to be on the lookout for a man with green dye on his . . . well, you know. Dumb Crook Departs Earth the Hard Way A few years ago a man tried to strong arm rob a major grocery store in the middle of the night. The clerk slammed the cash drawer on his hand and he was badly injured. He ran from there, dropping money as he ran. The clerk chased him to an apartment complex where the robber gained entry to an apartment. The resident happened to be a high-ranked black belt martial artist. The robber is further injured there and moves on to a third target apartment. The resident, a dope dealer, had just returned home and placed his semi-auto weapon on top of the TV and was watching his favorite show when his door was kicked in. The dope dealer promptly shoots the unlucky third-time loser dead. Better luck in the hereafter. Copyright ©2000 Dumb Crooks
From the Chief Deputy—Doug Whitehead Our fearless leader is out for a day or two due to his surgery. The Doctor told him to stay off his feet and keep his ankle elevated several days...GOOD LUCK! Keeping Phillip Ray Ryan in the bed will be like holding a sitting cat on an anthill. Sheriff Ryan lives by the old adages “let’s get at it, we’ re burning daylight” and “our work day is from can to can’t.” So, I honestly do not think it will be too long before the Boss will be up here with his foot propped up in his office getting after it. I think the Sheriff’s article fully addressed the situation of the “public’s perspective” of what we say and how we act. So I will be short and sweet and to the point.
That’s not so hard to understand, is it? It is human nature to judge us individually and as a group by the initial contact we have with others. I know because I have mellowed and adjusted my persona immensely just by observing and learning from the Sheriff. There is absolutely no excuse for anything less than a professional attitude when dealing with others (civilian and government). Something as simple as our facial expression or tone of voice can make our contact with others seem aloof, uncaring, “smart-alecky,” obtuse and unprofessional. I’d be willing to bet that no matter who you are or where you are assigned, that you are never any busier than anyone else when they are “under the gun.” So the excuse for being rude, seeming to be uncaring or not paying attention just does not wash. Because there is no excuse for that attitude. OK, OK, I’ll shut up. But just remember: treat everyone like you would like to be treated if you had a problem, a question or a complaint...that person may judge us all by your actions.
Legal Issues - Search and Seizure MULTIPLE LANE CHANGE DOES NOT SUPPLY REASONABLE SUSPICION FOR TRAFFIC STOP A police officer received information from another officer that the defendant’s car might be carrying illegal drugs. When the officer saw the defendant’s car, it was being driven in the far left lane of a U .S. Highway. As the officer followed the car, he saw the defendant signal a lane change and then moved over two lanes before passing a disabled car on the left shoulder of the road. The officer followed the defendant’s car as it exited onto an interstate highway, where the officer stopped the defendant for making a multiple lane change. The defendant consented to a search of his car’s trunk, where the officer found two duffel bags full of cocaine. Prior to trial, the defendant moved to suppress the drugs as the product of an unlawful traffic stop. During the suppression hearing, the officer testified on cross-examination that, generally, it is safer for a driver to change lanes to move away from a vehicle that is disabled on the shoulder of the roadway, and that the defendant signaled his lane change and executed it safely. HOLDING: An officer who has reasonable suspicion that criminal activity is afoot may detain a suspect for investigation; probable cause is not required. “Specific, articulable facts,” together with reasonable inferences from those facts, must support the officer’s suspicion. In order to temporarily detain a suspect for investigation, the officer must know of facts which connect the person to be detained with some unusual activity related to a crime. It is not a violation of Texas law, per se, to make a multiple lane change. Section 545.060(a) of the Transportation Code prohibits moving from a “single lane” “without first ascertaining that such movement can be made with safety.” In order to determine whether the officer in this case was justified in stopping the defendant for making a multiple lane change, the court must determine “whether a person of reasonable caution would believe that the multiple lane change could not have been made safely given the facts and experiences related by the officer.” While the State argued that moving across two lanes of traffic in a single maneuver was “inherently unsafe and reckless,” the evidence must support the assertion that it was unsafe in this particular instance. The defendant was driving during daylight hours when he approached the disabled car, signaled a lane change, and “shot across two lanes.” No vehicles were cut off by this movement, and no one had to avoid the defendant’s vehicle. “Making a deliberate move across two lanes of freeway traffic is arguable a safer maneuver than weaving or drifting into adjacent lanes, which tends to show the driver is not in control of his vehicle.” A multiple lane change is not “inherently unsafe,” and there was no evidence in this case that it was performing in an unsafe manner. Because the officer who was following the defendant’s car did not have a “reasonable basis for believing (the defendant) had committed a ticketable traffic offense,” the traffic stop was unlawful. Evidence seized in a search following this stop should have been suppressed. COMMENT: The Court of Appeals noted in its opinion that, “Had the police officer testified that he had observed a sign of erratic driving, that traffic was congested and there was no room to safely execute a multiple lane change, or that the lane change could not be made safely for some other reason, the result might be different. The state has the burden to show that the appellant’s detention was based upon a reasonable suspicion. It failed to do so on the facts presented.” The Court did not explain the nature of the information the officer received from his follow officer regarding the suspicion that the defendant’s car contained drugs. A tip can provide the basis for reasonable suspicion, or even probable cause, but it must be shown to be sufficiently reliable and detailed. Since the appellate court focused exclusively on the traffic stop as justification for the detention, it may be that the tip was insufficient to generate reasonable suspicion. Aviles v. State, 23 S.W.3d 74 (Tex.App.-Houston,2000).
Cyber Space - How to Spot an Email Hoax (from www.urbanlegends.about.com) Without researching the factual claims made in a forwarded email there's no 100% sure way to tell it if it's a hoax, but here you'll find common signs to watch for... Here's How:
Tips:
They did it on purpose.There is a story about a cowboy who applied for health insurance. The agent asked a number of questions including, “Have you been in any accidents this year?” The cowboy said, “No, but I was bitten by a rattlesnake, and a horse kicked me. That laid me up for awhile.”The agent asked if he didn’t consider these things accidents. He replied, “No, they did it on purpose.”We need to remember that if we are
Christians, the things that happen to us are not accidents, either. Everything
that happens to us is “on purpose.” It’s nice to know that even when we
are going through difficult times in our lives, we can still benefit by these
experiences. We can’t see what the future will bring, but we are told that “All
things work together for our good.” |
|
Crime Does Not Have To Be A Fact Of Life |
