Trooper Fired At Drop Of A Hat

Wake County, NC - I gotta tell ya, I love the SHP. Every time I've ever dealt with them they've been nothing but professional. But Lord help them, they've got some issues.

A NC State Highway Patrol Trooper in Craven County was dismissed for lying about loosing his campaign hat. Of all the things to lie about, why would you lie about a stupid hat? I mean, it's not like he was doing a cavity search on a blonde on his cruiser when his hat blew off! (Oh, wait! That was another trooper!)

With all the things that Troopers have done in the past few years (and kept their jobs), this almost seems trivial by comparison. I guess the moral of the story is: don't tell a lie.

Get the full story at the News & Observer.

Ladder-4 Jinxed?

Wake County, NC - Since the Raleigh Fire Department switched to a new apparatus numbering system (albeit a nonsensical numbering system) in June, Ladder-4 (formally Ladder-1, formally Truck-1) out of Station-1 has had some rather unfortunate luck.

The first incident was when Ladder-4 overturned en route to a house fire in July.

Later its replacement ladder ripped off a compartment door when it left the station with the door open.

Then a passing motorist called 9-1-1 to report that a fire truck inside Station-1 was smoking! (and it was).

And just this week Ladder-4 (the 2nd replacement ladder) tore out the rear end.

For now RFD has moved another ladder to Station-1 to cover downtown but they're refusing to call it Ladder-4. Makes sense to me.

Firefighters Rescue Officer, Fugitive

Luzerne County, PA - This is kind of funny. A Pittston Township Officer gets out on a vehicle stop when the driver does the "jump & run" thing. And of course the officer follows suit. He pursues the suspect into a drainage ditch where he catches and cuffs the suspect, then realizes that he and the suspect are stuck in the deep ravine. The local fire department had to be called to use their ropes to rescue the pair.

Officers later learned that the suspect was wanted out of Louisiana.

Get the full story at the CitizensVoice.com.

PD Is All Ears

Santa Clara County, CA - You've heard of dash-cams? Now there are ear-cams! The San Jose Police Department has become the first agency in the country to use ear-mounted cameras. The cameras will give an officer's perspective of driving and one-on-one contact with citizens. The earpiece is designed to stay on even during a struggle. Theoretically the ear-cam could be interfaced with GPS and real-time video to the communication center to enhance officer safety, and even provide legal documentation for court cases.

Get the full story at San Jose Mercury News.

K-9 Killed; Second Dog Beaten

Spalding County, GA - There are few things in life that make me angrier than stories like this: An off-duty K-9 and his playmate, both German Shepards, were abducted from their kennel at their handler's home. They were located the next day. The K-9 was shot and killed then dumped in a ditch. The handler's personal canine was found badly beaten by a neighbor.

Get the full story at Griffin Daily News.