May 2006: Introducing Officer Rice

I may have mentioned Officer Rice before when discussing some of the current events here, but this story tells of the first time I have him in my records. This is worth pointing out, since Officer Rice will quickly become a key actor in this story. After having observed this officer for over two years now, I feel that I can make a fairly accurate assessment of his skills and practices as a police officer. Although a critical assessment of what I have observed has led me at times to question his actions, later revelations usually changed that view. Today, Officer Rice is probably the best communication link that I have with FWPD. In fact, most of the bad things I have to say about FWPD and certain individual officers is strongly countered by my interactions with and observations of Officer Rice and a few other select officers.

I believe it was sometime in May of 2006 when I had been observing Officer Rice setting in his patrol car in the alley for the last ten minutes or so. Rosalynn was parked across the street with her young son in the car with her during this time and an unidentified man was standing there talking with Rosalynn . After a few minutes, money change hands. Although I didn‘t see this, it was what prompted Officer Rice to pull out of the alley. Within a few minutes, there were several more patrol cars on the scene surrounding Rosalynn’s car.

After a thorough search of everyone in the area, the officers must have been confounded when they discovered that neither Rosalynn or the guy she was speaking with had any drugs on them. Did they swallow the drugs? Perhaps it was a set-up, staged to test the police response or just jerk their chain for fun. Well, not exactly, but I’ll explain what was really going on below.
Obviously, as no drugs were found, the police couldn’t arrest either Rosalynn or the guy she was speaking with. Nevertheless, they still got their collar that day by arresting Ron, who had been walking past Rosalynn’s car as this event unfolded. Ron had a restraining order in effect, requiring him to keep away from his ex-wife, Rosalynn.

So, that pretty much summarizes the basic facts of the story. In fact, if you read the police report from this incident it would probably state things pretty much the same way I have here. So if you’re interested in a superficial story, then read the police report. But if you truly want to understand what happened that day, you’ll need to look a little deeper. And that’s what this blog is for.

Looking Beneath The Surface

First of all, I would say that most people don’t usually see a police car parked for ten to fifteen minutes at a time in the alley behind their house. Yet that occurs here on a regular basis, so it is natural to ask why. Well, since this is a predominantly black neighborhood, and most of the police officers are white, one might naturally wonder if this is just a simple display of racism. I will not argue that there is not a lot of racism still in our society, but to assign this as the reason for the heavy police presence here ignores the obvious.

In case you haven’t been reading my blog, I should point out that this is a drug neighborhood. But it’s not just the kind of place where a car pulls up to one particular house and the person goes inside to do business behind closed doors. No, this is the place where they sell on the street, openly and often violently. In those other neighborhoods, people complain about the heavy traffic and loud stereo noise that the house brings to their neighborhood. Here we worry about getting shot by a bullet, stray or directed.

Certainly there are a lot of people who complain about the police activities here, and I have been among them at times. But a more aggressive than usual approach is warranted because of the dangerous illegal activities that are rampant throughout the neighborhood. Although many people complain about the police behavior at times, they still appreciate their presence. It has been my experience that most of the people that simply want the police to leave are the same ones helping to cause the problems that necessitate the police presence in the first place. Overall, I would say there are at least as many people in this neighborhood (just talking about residents, not the drifters) who want the police here as those who don’t, so I’d say this indicates they are probably doing okay on that account.

I can certainly attest to the fact that the police behavior here is not completely race motivated. I have already mentioned some of the times I have been questioned (sometimes with hostility) for activities as innocuous as driving through an alley, driving up to my house, or walking to my car. Yes, a police-state does exist in this neighborhood. They are more likely to watch people here, and they are more likely to question them. But it’s not because this is a black neighborhood. It’s because it is a known crack neighborhood.

Now, let’s look at poor Ron, who was arrested for violating the restraining order. Two questions are worth asking. First, did Ron really do anything wrong? He was simply walking down the sidewalk less than a half block from his own home. And he was quickly walking past Rosalynn’s car without even paying attention to her . It was only when her young child (Ron’s former step-son) said hello that Ron paused for a moment. The other question is whether he should have been arrested, and this of course is closely related to the first question.

I’ve never had first-hand experience with a restraining order, but it is my understanding that it allows reasonable accommodation for certain necessities. Let’s say that I visit the restaurant where my ex-girlfriend works while she has a restraining order against me. Obviously this is a clear violation. Sure I have to eat, but there are plenty of other restaurants I could choose. And the fact that I know she works there shows that I willingly violated the rule.

But let’s say that I go to the grocery store and when I am in the line checking out my ex comes up behind me. I don’t think that I should be expected to run out of the store in the middle of my order being rung up. I think what would reasonably be expected is for me to quickly finish my business and get out of there, and to make sure and not talk to or stare at her while I was doing so. Of course, there are fuzzy areas I am sure. Suppose that every time my ex goes to the store, she happens to run into me. Well, this might lead some to question whether this is not so accidental after all.

So, getting back to Ron, as I said he was only a half block from his home. His presence here was certainly nothing to be considered unusual. Rosalynn, on the other hand, was the one who was visiting the neighborhood. I think that if you were walking down the sidewalk in your own neighborhood, and you came upon the person who had a restraining order against you, the reasonable expectation would be for you to just quickly walk away. And this is exactly what Ron appeared to be doing. So, was a momentary pause to respond to a child’s hello worthy of causing Ron’s arrest.?

Well, this gets into one of those fuzzy areas where both parties should be questioned first to understand the situation. And if it turns out to be one of those “coincidences” that somehow repeatedly occurs, that might lead the police to conclude that Ron had willingly violated the order. But such was not the case here. Rosalynn actually told the officers the same story that Ron did. She explained that he was just walking past and had only said hello briefly to her son. In Rosalynn’s own opinion, Ron was not harassing her.

So why did the police insist upon arresting him anyway? Well let’s first look at the “anti-police” explanation. The police had harassed Rosalynn and her friend for no good reason. They had done nothing wrong to begin with, and the police were simply going on one of their regular “fishing expeditions” to find something on them. The police were frustrated when there turned out to be no damning evidence against the pair and they directed this anger at Ron. Circumstances show that Ron had probably not intended to violate the order, and Rosalynn herself did not feel as though she had been violated. This would seem like one of those instances where the police could have exercised discretion and let Ron go with a warning. But their only goal is to harass people and make arrests, even when not warranted or necessary, so they needlessly chose to arrest Ron.

But now, look at it from another perspective. What about the person who calls 911crying and screaming that her boyfriend is beating her up? Then when the police arrive, she is bruised and wiping tears from her eyes and explaining how it was all a misunderstanding. Her boyfriend loves her and she just fell down the stairs. This has got to be frustrating to the police, especially when it happens with the same couple repeatedly. And when they finally pull the woman aside and tell her that she really needs to file a complaint, perhaps even letting on that they are tired of being jerked around, the woman then gets mad at them for “interfering” in her personal affairs.

And what about the one who goes ahead and files the order, then when the guy comes back to beat her up again, she is still pleading with the police to let him go. In situations like this, I can see why the police would go ahead and make the arrest despite the wishes of the victim.
So in the case of Rosalynn and Ron, what factors led to the police decision to arrest him? First of all, I don’t know the full history of these two. Although they seemed relatively amicable any time I saw them together, I have no way of knowing that this was always the case. Obviously there had been a high degree of tension at one time, or the restraining order never would have been sought or approved. But the fact that Ron was almost right in front of his house would seem to be enough to convince the officers that he had not intended to cross paths with Rosalynn. And the fact that Rosalynn was speaking up for him might be further proof that there was no reason to arrest him.

In the final analysis, I would say that the fact that the restraining order was due to expire the next day is the best indication that this was an unnecessary arrest. Here you have a situation where it appears that the violator intended no harm, the “victim” really didn’t feel as though she had been offended, and the restraining order had almost run it’s course. But as I said, I don’t know the full story.

Now, let’s go back to the incident of the money exchanging hands between Rosalynn and her friend. First of all, some people might question whether anyone would be stupid or daring enough to conduct a drug transaction while they were obviously being watched by the police. And I can answer this question in the affirmative. There was an incident once here where about eight police vehicles suddenly descended upon a certain car. Many of the regular dealers were standing on the corners watching this when a lady came up and started asking to buy drugs. Ironically, the first people she asked were me and my neighbor. We just laughed out loud at this as she walked across the street. Standing on the other corner she pulled on one guys arm and asked “do you have anything?” He walked across the street, barely out of view of the police, and gave her some “aspirin” for her headache. The bottom line is that the logic of “There is no way any reasonable person would do that while the police are watching them.” really should not even factor into an officer’s decision of whether to question an individual here. Because here, the unbelievable is common place.

So why was Rosalynn exchanging money with that man? As I would later explain to Officer Rice, on most days if you open Rosalynn’s trunk you will not find drugs or stolen goods, but snacks. What Rosalynn does is drive around and sell pop and chips to people. Now technically this is illegal, as I am pretty certain she has no permit for it. And one might try to argue that since many of her customers are drug dealers, she is encouraging their activities. But I don’t see it that way. First of all, these guys don’t need any encouragement. It doesn’t matter whether it’s hot or cold, day or night, or even raining sometimes. These guys are here for a reason, and they are certainly not going to leave just because they don’t have a snack. But even if this was an encouragement of some type, it is no different than the ice cream truck or the “Carl’s Snack Shop” van (presumably both licensed) that frequently pass through here. Rosalynn has always been respectful to me, and I have never found her presence here to be offensive.

I left this particular part of the story till last for a reason. If you are a regular reader of my blog, the image that you initially had of Rosalynn and her friend was probably one of two people trying to sneak a drug deal past a cop, and somehow managing to hide or ditch the drugs before being searched. Because of so many stories I have told already, you are probably predisposed to “seeing” anybody in my neighborhood as a drug dealer (especially if money is exchanging hands.) And this is the same lens that Officer Rice was probably viewing things through that day, because of so much that he has already witnessed here in the past. And of course it really is quite laughable when you understand the full story - unless, of course, you are one of the poor individuals who was questioned and searched for doing nothing wrong or the guy who was arrested for just walking around his neighborhood.

It’s Not All Black And White

I have described this neighborhood as both the best and the worst place I have ever lived. There is more crime (often violent) here than any other place I have ever lived. And at different times I have been both the intended target or innocent bystander to some of this. But on the other hand, there is more real neighborliness here than any other place I have lived. There are a lot of people here who talk genuinely with and act generously towards their neighbors. And I can honestly say that a lot of what I have learned about respect for others has come from some of my neighbors here.

This might give you the impression that things are clear-cut here. Some people are good, while others are bad; some homes are drug houses, while others are not. But this black and white delineation overly simplifies the situation. Certainly there are some people and some homes that are easily placed in one of these extreme categories , but there is a lot of muddled middle ground also. What about the house where the head(s) of the house are good people who are staunchly anti-drug? If their son starts selling or taking drugs against their wishes, is it reasonable to expect them to immediately throw him out on the streets or to call the police on him?

I really don’t think most of you would do that. I think that if your child was doing something wrong, you would probably watch him for a while to see what he’s up to, then you’d talk to him - sympathetically at first, pleading for him to quit hurting himself. After a while, you’d become more harsh, explaining that he is causing you a lot of grief and perhaps harm, and warning that if he doesn’t change his ways you’ll take serious action. And I think you would probably give a lot of these warnings before you actually did take drastic measures. Although there may be certain individuals who defy this rule, my experience has taught me that most people will take a lot of half-measures before going full throttle on anything, especially something as serious as giving up on your child. There really are a lot of houses here that are divided. And just because one individual there buys or sells drugs, it is not accurate to label this as a drug house.

There are also many other aspects besides whether a particular home is a drug house or not. There are people here that seem to just get high occasionally, and there are some who seem to do so on a regular basis. There are some who sell constantly, and other who only do so infrequently. There are some from both groups (sellers and users) who are offensive towards others, and there are some who are respectful. And while legally there may be no difference, because buying or selling drugs is just as illegal regardless of how often or how quietly you do it, from the perspective of a neighbor some of these differences are quite significant.

One must choose their battles wisely, and there is no lack of battles to be fought here. So if I am forced to choose, I will certainly consider the noisy and repetitive offender much more worthy of my attention than the quiet and occasional one. And even though the law officially condemns them all the same, I have seen many officers here differentiate between the different types of offenders. I have seen them try to talk someone out of getting in trouble, rather than just waiting till they did then arresting them for it. I am convinced that many FWPD officers see bettering their community in much broader terms than just arresting people.

But simply having the desire is not enough. Without truly understanding the details, even the good officers will probably produce bad results. As I said, this neighborhood is complex. There are drug houses, there are drug-free houses, and there are a lot of mixed houses. There are people who keep their problems mostly to themselves, and there are some who share their problems. And among those who cause problems for others, there are some for whom it is accidental while for others it is by design. There are people here who used to buy or sell drugs, but no longer do. There are some that still do, but desperately want to quit. And there are of course those who are fully committed to it. There are some people here with mental disabilities that will appear as though they are just wondering crack-heads, until you look a little closer. And you really have to observe for a while to understand some of these differences.

I don’t see everything that goes on here, so I certainly can’t claim to understand it all. But I don’t think FWPD can make this claim either. I have lived here for nearly thirteen years now, and I think what I have been relaying in this blog shows that I do pay attention. Although I am sure that the police are privileged to a lot of information that I don’t have, it only makes sense that I probably have a lot of valuable insight to offer them as well.

While I am certainly appreciative of the rapport I now enjoy with Officer Rice and a few others, I still have to wonder. For an organization which claims pride in it’s “community policing” policies, I have to wonder why it took so long to establish this connection. I have to wonder why so many high ranking officers seem to do so little to facilitate useful communication between their patrol officers and the citizens they routinely encounter. And I have to wonder why some of these high ranking officers seem to have intentionally thwarted the development of such relationships. I really just have to wonder why it often seems that FWPD so desperately wants this to be a bad neighborhood.

I have overanalyzed this situation to make a quite simple point. By using this one particular event and several hypothetical examples, I have explained some of the complexities of this neighborhood. And I have added my opinion that these complexities can be much better understood if good communication exists between the police and citizens. As I tell more stories from the past two years, you will see how such relationships were formed between myself and certain officers such as Officer Rice. I’m pretty sure that most of my readers will be able to see how this has been beneficial to both the police and the good people in my neighborhood. I am still holding out hope that some day the people who run FWPD might actually come to understand this.