Category Archives: Detectives

Zebra F-701 Pen Review

Since moving to a plainclothes job, I started to re-examine my daily load out.  Seems it no longer qualifies as such.  The utility of a duty belt and cargo pockets has given way to the functionally spartan nature of dress shirts and slacks.  In both Patrol and CID, a writing instrument is required.  I decided I needed something less than a full blown “tactical pen,” but more than a plastic clicky pen.  Thus, I bought a Zebra F-701. An Internet darling, the Zebra F-701 is a stainless steel barreled retractable ballpoint pen with a 0.7mm fine writing tip.  The pen’s overall length is 5 3/8″ and its weight is 1.1 … Continue reading

Posted in Detectives, Misc., Officer Safety, Street | Tagged , | 2 Comments

So long, Tahoe!

No, I’m not getting my Crown Vic back.  I am accepting an assignment in the Detective Bureau, overseeing Burglary/Pawn, Auto Theft, and Economic/Cyber Crimes.  It has been four years since I left DB for another stint on the street.  I will miss the K9 Unit, but this is an opportunity I did not think would come around. Later in the week, I will hand over the keys and fobs for this 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV) to another sergeant.  I hope she enjoys it as much as my aging back did.  The upright seating and roominess alleviated the need for NSAIDs for the little while that I had … Continue reading

Posted in Detectives, Humor, Misc. | Tagged | 5 Comments

Suspect Drowns Detective’s Recorder

The Lakeland Ledger reports that suspect Patrick Townsend was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for possession of 32.4 grams of methamphetamine. The drugs were found in Townsend’s boxer shorts following a traffic stop. Townsend bragged to a detective, “Dude, that ain’t shit. I deal in keyes.” The detective recorded Townsend’s incriminating statements on a portable recorder. While handcuffed, Townsend was able to surreptitiously steal the detective’s recorder from a lobby desk. He concealed it under his arm and asked to go to the bathroom…and the device went to its watery grave. Back in the lobby, Townsend asked, “What are you looking for, (detective), your recorder?” After admitting to … Continue reading

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Police GPS Tracking Requires Search Warrant

On 1/23/2012, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in the 2005 case of the United States vs. Antoine Jones (10-1259).  The High Court held that the attachment of a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking device to an individual’s vehicle, and the subsequent use of that device to monitor the movements of the vehicle on public streets, constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment and requires a search warrant. Yawn.  Many police agencies already obtain a search warrant before using a GPS to track a suspect’s vehicle.  While paranoid liberals out there cheer the “landmark” decision, it is fair to note a few under-reported things about U.S. vs. Jones.

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