Autobiography, my life so far.
Hello, my name is Dash. That obviously isn’t my real name but it was a nickname given to me some time ago that has stuck through my years. I’ll be using my nick name since I feel more comfortable using it then my real name.
Let me start off by giving you a brief background about myself, so that my future posts have some relevance to them.
I grew up in the United states in what some would call the ghetto of the county I lived in. Across the street from my family’s house lived a large family, most of them involved in the gang activities you’d see in bad day time television. This was ironic in the fact that not one, but both of my parents were and are Police Officers. My Pop bought a house from a woman who was elderly and had just been robbed in her driveway. She told him that she was selling the place to get out of ‘this town’ and he came back that night when he got off-duty with $200 in cash to give this woman as a ‘down payment’ type hold on the house.
All that it meant for me was a constant burglary to our home every time we went on vacation and harassment from the neighborhood kids. Nothing like coming home from a family vacation to Disney land or Universal studio’s and having nothing left in the house but the tile on the floor and ‘some’ of the wall socket covers. That happened quite a few times before my parents decided it was time to up and move.
At the ripe age of 12 we moved to the better part of town. I changed schools and attended the local middle school and eventually the newly created high school in the area. Middle school was the hell everyone generalizes it as. High school on the other hand was a totally different ball field. To start, the school was brand spanking new. My class was the first 4 year graduating class the school had seen, to give you a reference. I took a lot of Computer courses and Law related classes such as C++, Cisco CCNA and Law studies.
A while later my best friend and I decided we wanted to join the Military. We took our ASVAB tests and both scored very high. We contacted our local recruitment office and started the process to joining our Armed forces. The Recruiter we talked to weekly took us out for PT sessions and talked about all the wonders the Military could provide us with. Not being 18 yet and having only a few months left before graduating high school, my friend and I were psyched. We’d worked hard training for anything boot camp could throw at us. My Pop had been in the Military before becoming a Police Officer and he’d tell me things here and there about what to expect. The Recruiter we were working with told us we could join in a ‘buddy’ program which guaranteed we’d be together for at least Boot camp.
Other things in life came up and long story short, I did not go.
Being that I come from a long line of Police Officers, the next choice was almost unavoidable. I sent in my application to the local County Department and started the bombardment of testing required of me.
The Entrance Exam was almost a joke. I finished in less time then I stood waiting in line for my admission to the testing room. The Polygraph and Psych tests were stressful to say the least, but only because I have no idea what one needs to know going into those tests and how exactly they were scored. I took the best route possible, honesty. After passing those exams I was sent to the local hospital for the physical part of testing. They checked everything from my heart (EKG) to my hearing, eyes and blood work. Pass, Pass, Pass and Pass. After that eventful day I was given a one on one meeting with my background investigator. The investigator knew everything about everything. Not that there was much to know being I was only 19 and had only a few prior jobs and no credit.
6 months later I was told to respond to the Quartermaster and pickup my gear for the Academy. The Academy was a para-military training grounds specifically designed by my Police Department and had trained hundreds of Officers to fill the ranks of Uniform Patrol before me. I studied everything from Law to defensive tactics and even boxing. PT was a daily standard of 5 miles on top of an intense workout lasting almost 3 hours. There wasn’t enough water in the sea to keep me hydrated enough. I aced my testing coming in the top percentile in my class and had no problem with the PT after the first few months. 11 months after starting the Academy I graduated and was given my Badge.
I was assigned to the North end of the county along with some friends of mine from the Academy. I worked midnights almost the entire duration of that probation period. My buddy ‘Caddy’ was with me every step. I was assigned to a Sergeant that was formerly in the Crime Suppression Team in the more Gang oriented part of the County and she had vast knowledge of Drug arrests do’s and don’ts. She taught me many things that the Academy just couldn’t have. I transfered to a different District some time later.
Along the way I met my wife in Church. Her Father was the pastor and I started going to that church when I was just 19. The moment I saw her for the first time I knew there was something important we’d end up being. You don’t get much more important then Man and Wife. We got married and she is the best thing that ever happened to me.
I transfer to one of most dangerous districts in the county and was there for several years. It had the highest crime rate, highest drug sales and more project housing then one thought possible. Hell yes. I took the opportunity to expand my base as an Officer. After being beaten up, stabbed and shot at on several occasions I’ve learned a lot. I’ve chased drug dealers blocks and blocks through back yards, over fences, into schools and even back to the drug houses. I have formed the opinion that almost all crime is created from Narcotic use and sales. I was on a Jumpout squad for that duration, a specialized unit thats primary function was to catch violent criminals in the act or shortly after and hunt down wanted subjects.
I was assigned to a new district since my old one incorporated and it was the second most dangerous district in my county, ranked 6th in the nation for violent crime. I got assigned to a new Jumpout unit and was the lead/most senior Detective on my squad for 2 years.
Currently, I was just reassigned to a more laid back district where Burglaries were a priority and they needed someone experienced to apprehend their subjects. I’m that guy and I’m doing a stand up job.
This blog will pertain to all the exciting things I do in the line of duty and is meant to give you a small glimpse of what it’s like to live through my daily experiences.
On this blog I will not be giving addresses, real names, or any identifiers as to what department I work for. Not that I’m doing anything wrong by writing these ‘stories’ but these are ‘stories’ and may or may not be real. They may mimic events that have or have not happened. Long story short, I want to remain a ghost while showing you as best I can what we really do on the streets and the risks we take.
So, thats as brief of a ‘get to know me’ post as I can make.
