These on-the-job vignettes, adapted with permission from Facebook posts, start an occasional series by a 50-year-old officer at the 8th Precinct in Northwest Detroit who joined Detroit’s force in 1996. His department reviewed this article.
By Baron Coleman
Feb. 3, 2015:
Baron Coleman: "I love helping people."
Today’s heavy snowstorm made it a rough day for being the police -- cars stuck, people helpless in those stalled and stuck vehicles.
So I get out my patrol car with my clean, fresh suit and shinny boots and I push this lady out of the snow. She smiled and waved thanks, I looked down at my dirty muddy uniform and laughed,
Job well-done -- it was time to go home anyway.
I love helping people.
Dog with ‘a gangster mentality’
Jan. 30, 2015:
This week I had the unfortunate task of dealing with a squatter living in a house without the owner’s permission.
After the subject was taken from the house, problems arose when we had to deal with two pit bull in the bedroom.
In comes the dog catcher, equipped with dog stick and net. He went at his job like Rambo. Those dogs fought a good fight, two against one.
The fast one was relentless, determined to not get arrested. He circled the room, jumped about seven feet in the air, knocked out a window out, came down. He jumped a second time, flew out the second-story window and landed safely. He escaped through several yards and ran to freedom.
The second dog fought for a while and got captured.
It was like the dogs had a plan: If police ever came and take our owner away, we need to be prepared.
The more aggressive dog had a straight-up gangster mentality, I’ve never seen anything like it.
Aftermath of a chase: "I watched a top-notch police department today." (Photo by Baron Coleman)
‘Not harmed, disrespected or even yelled at’
Sept. 19, 2014:
Around noon today we had a chase on the west side. A motorist fled the police for miles on McNichols and other streets.
He had a gun and drugs and didn't want to be caught. During the chase he pointed the gun at police.
In his attempts to elude captivity, he drove his tires down to the rim -- causing it to catch on fire.
With cars from multiple precincts and helicopter support, the police finally caught him. I was there to witness the officers pull him from a burning car.
I also observed the man quickly cuffed, not harmed and placed into custody.
Even Chief James Craig stopped by to see if he was OK and to see how his blue family was doing.
The suspect was not harmed, disrespected or even yelled at. I watched a top-notch police department today, even in the line of danger, risk their own lives to save the felon. We fought to put the fire out until a fire engine arrived.
It was a good day.
