What'chya gonna do...

WOW! The 1st 2 days on patrol seemed like an episode of COPs! Mon and Tue were non-observational days for me, as I was a ride-a-long with my FTO (field training officer) and just playing the role of cover officer.

Drunk in public, Obstruction of justice, Use of force- While on extra patrol in the area of 22 Plaza street Officer S. came in contact with three subjects drinking in a drainage hole in the area. Officer S. arrested Mr. A. and Mr. S. charging the following above.
== My FTO and I were just finishing a business check (getting a drink), at 7-Eleven just across the road from headquarters, when a citizen approached us and stated that he could hear singing in the manhole next to his parked vehicle. We then walked around the building to where there is a known hang-out for drinking and defecating. This location is where there is an entrance to a storm sewer drain tunnel. We found 3 Hispanic males drinking in the tunnel entrance. There was a mtnbk, 2 cases of Corona, and a pile of human feces near them as they were drinking. My FTO ordered them to come out with there hands up, to which they ignored his command. He then drew his weapon, as he had resistors not showing their hands, and told them again. At this point 2 of the 3 fled down the tunnel. He quickly apprehended the 3rd who resisted again and they managed to avoid the feces, but fell in the running water with beer bottles breaking. They both were cut up by the broken glass. He cuffed him and then placed him on the ground instructing him to not move as I retrieved the evidence. I then covered the arrestee as my FTO began tending to his injuries. At this point Mr. A. decided to get up and I immediately escorted him back to his seated position on the concrete from which he did not move from that point forward. Our K-9 officer was able to extract 1 other from the tunnel, but the 3rd escaped. We took both to jail for DIP and resisting. Just a couple of hours later the K-9 officer witnessed a drug transaction and radioed for backup. We were instructed to go "code" to his location just 4 blocks from headquarters. On-scene we found him with 2 suspects proned out at gun point in the parking lot. My FTO and I then each took 1 suspect and cuffed and searched them while the ofc provided cover.

DUI - Officer F. arrested Mr. W. for DUI. (BAC was .09)
==My FTO and I were on-scene and provided support for Ofc. F. and observed the field sobriety tests. They were not done to the standard that were were taught in the academy, but the Ofc was able to conclude that the driver was intoxicated.
FELONY ELUDING / DUI Sgt. H. arrested Mr. M. for the above charges after observing a vehicle driven by Mr. M. driving recklessly in the area of Battlefield Parkway near Chadfield Way. The vehicle proceeded into a cul-de-sac, over the bike trail, stuck a tree and continued on for several blocks before coming to a stop.
==My FTO and I were directed to run "code" to assist in the stop. As we made contact the vehicle just came to a stop and the Sgt had his weapon drawn. We quickly exited the cruiser, as we were facing the suspect directly from the front, and re-positioned to the side and rear with our weapons drawn. He was then ordered to get out of the vehicle and lay face down on the road. He was then handcuffed by my FTO as the Sgt and I kept him at gun point.
Starting next shift, this Friday 4 July 2008, I will be taking the lead and driving the car and being primary for all calls for observation by my FTO. My shift is 1900hrs to 0700hrs.
Below is a graduation pic of me and my cousin, Sgt. Kieth "Sig" Sigulinsky of Ranson PD, Ranson, WV.

It's official!!!

Yes, it is official! I took the final exam and the VA state board exam and have now passed everything. I finished with a final overall GPA of 92.85%/100%. I will be sworn-in on Thursday at 1PM and issued my badge and gun. Friday is the ceremony, in which my cousin Keith will be handing me my diploma!

Now that I do not have to study for a bit I have a little free time. I started working on the car again and have finally pulled-out the rear trailing arms. One is complete, and the other will be soon (hopefully tomorrow).

Finishing touches.

Well, next Thursday I will be a sworn police officer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This week is a week of practical applications and today we are covering response to terrorists. Today's class is very dry, and instead of letting us go home early they are giving us extra long breaks and lunch. We'd all rather finish-up early and leave!

This Saturday I've invited my fellow students to our house for a cook-out. So, we've been working around the house to get it ready. Tonight I have another section around the house to place mulch. I've already gone around the deck and it is looking pretty good.

The bike is running great. I'm getting close to 60mpg! Last Saturday 2 other recruits and I attended a charity ride hosted by my department. It was round-trip from Leesburg, VA to Gettysburg, PA. I rode over 300mi total. It was pretty hot, temp reaching 105, but the last 2 days have been hotter with the temp reaching 107 yesterday! Luckilly the humidity has gone down a bit. If this were back home in MI they would be having the normal brown-outs they always have in the dog days of summer as everyone kicks on the AC.

I've started re-installing the suspension on the vette, but I still need to get the trailing arms removed, cleaned, painted, and re-installed. The mounting bolts and shims are pretty much rusted together and may require them to be cut out. I'm hoping to have a friend help me since I will definitely need a 2nd pair of hands when trying to cut and remove the parts.

Below are some pics from the Oleoresin Capsicum Extravaganza which was the Friday before the holiday weekend, May23.

12th Anniversary!

Today & Tomorrow, is our 12th anniversary. Today my friend Matt and I drove to the east coast, Milford, DE, to purchase my new/used motorcycle. With the gas prices climbing to $4/gal it was time to spend some money to save some money. I bought a 2004 Yamaha FZR 600. It had just 5,759mi and looked to be used very little. I put 250 miles on it today! Already starting to get comfy on it. An academy friend said that he'd meet up with me to show me the tests given my the VA DMV so I can practice before my exam. Once I start my normal shift I plan to attend a motorcycle safety course, as I should learn a few things and it will reduce my insurance a little.

Outstanding service!

Wow, did I find another great friend with the restoration of our vette! I took my differential covers in on Tuesday afternoon and I get them back today complete! I had 2 bolts that snapped off and the guys at Datalux removed them. I kind of bribed them with donuts! haha Then David Clark took them home, cleaned them, and painted them. The before and after photos are below (also in the photobucket). If you need anything powder coated he will beat everyones' prices for sure! Let me know and I'll send you his contact info. He is located in Bunker Hill, WV just off of I-81.

Only items left to remove prior to re-build are the trailing arms. My good friend Matt will be coming over tomorrow and after dinner we will start that process.

I know, it's been a long time!

We both have been very busy! I'm now just over 1 month from graduation. The vette is in peices waiting to go back together, and we're working hard on the house and yard. I'll be posting soon, I hope. I will be uploading some new pics to our photoalbums on Photobucket.

One step closer

We're one step closer to getting the house finished with new paint. Bart finished-up the painting job left-over from X-mas break by completing the last 2 walls in the great room, now that all of the X-mas items are packed away for another 11months. Julie is glad that it is now done. The remaining rooms to be painted are Thane's room, guest room, toy room, master sitting room and bathroom, guest bathroom, theater room, and the open basement once it is finished with drywall and the ceiling is painted.

Bart is also just 2 weeks away from his 1st day due to report to HQ at the Leesburg PD. He is very excited to start. He is currently trying to tie-up loose-ends at his contract job and finish a couple of key items so they can be ready for his departure. They have also stated that they would be looking to use him for some side work once he gets out of the academy. The academy is M-F from 0730hrs-1530hrs beginning 04Feb08 until the end of Jun08. He will then be working a 2 week cycle of Mon-Tue, Fri-Sun, Wed-Thur on a 12hr shift with 1 day being 8hrs to get 80hrs in 2wks.

Been a short while since our last post...

Well, not much changed here, except for the weather. It was 60-72 degrees here for almost a week, but today it is back in the 50's. Bart got in 4 straight days of mtnbiking Sun-Wed. On Tues he was climbing the fireroad at Cacapon State Park in WV at night when 2 BIG black bears decided to join his trek up the mountain! They lead him for about 50yds before they jumped back off the road. A tad spooked, all he could think to do was sound loud and mean so he yelled out, "GO BACK TO SLEEP YOGI AND BOOBOO! YOU SHOULDN'T BE AWAKE YET!" haha Riding his SS with a 32/16 it is over a 4 mile climb and they showed up at mile 3! Needless to say, he slammed a PowerGel after that to get going up the mountain! haha Here's the ride file:

Today we spent the day doing some cleaning and setting up Thane's new fish tank. We moved his fish to a 20gal tank from Mamma and Pappa. Julie bought him a castle to put in it along with a new hood and an under-gravel filter system to help with maintenance.

New Officer to be "On-the-Beat" soon!

Yup, yesterday afternoon Bart got the call with a job offer from the Leesburg Police Department in Virginia. It is about 40 miles to the East of Winchester down State Route 7. The start date is 28 January, just 1 week prior to the 118th Northern Virginia Academy class starting the 1st week of February.

Bart is also making progress with the car. The suspension has been completely removed, as shown in the photos below. The only issues remaining include removing the old bushings from the lower A-arms and 2 broken bolts. 1 bolt is in the A-arm cross-bar, and the other is in the rear end which is 1 of 4 that holds the leaf spring in place.

Thane's school X-mas show

Nathaniel had his school X-mas show on Tuesday night. Prior to the show they had Santa in the lobby of the theater (Shenandoah University). His 3yo class went up on stage and sang 4 songs: Rudolph to the Rescue, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells (they each had rings with bells to ring), and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Julie took a couple of photos while Bart took video.