There's a new top cop in Chicago. Mayor-elect Emanuel announced today that he's bringing in the current Chief of Police in Newark, New Jersey. Before that he was in New York.
I thought to myself, "They couldn't find one good cop in Chicago?" I felt a need to call Dad and ask him about it, but then I remembered.
So today's story is from when Dad was a brand new officer in Chicago.
He was a young patrolman alone in a squad car when he made his first stop. It was a little old man.
As Dad approached the car the man rolled up his windows and locked his doors. Dad tapped on the window.
"Sir, please roll down your window and let me see your driver's license."
The man just sat there and stared straight ahead.
Dad tapped on the window again, "Sir, please roll the window down."
Nothing. Dad was confused and panicky.
He went back to his car and called for backup. Before dispatch could assign someone another patrol car pulled up behind Dad's. Two older cops got out and walked up to Dad.
"What's ya got here, rookie?"
Dad explained the situation.
One of the older cops tapped on the window and got the same reaction that Dad had.
"Lend me your nightstick." The older cop said. Dad gave it to him and he stepped over to the car.
"Sir, please step out of your car." The man in the car didn't move. The old cop took Dad's nightstick and bashed out the man's driver side window.
The two older cops pulled the man out of his car, held him by his ankles and shook him until his wallet fell out on the street. Then they put the man down with his eyes still rattling around in his head.
"There you go rook, there's his wallet, go get his license."
They got back in their car and left Dad standing there, next to the man laying in the street next to his car.
Dad looked at the man, shook his finger at him and said, "And don't do that ever again."
He jumped in his patrol car and drove off.
