Now THIS Is More Like It...
I had to forego my one-a-day post, and give all of you a "two-fer", as this was just too damn good to pass up.
Today, at around 1240 hrs, the SUMMIT MARKET was targeted by a person bent on theft. It didn't bode well for the perp.
You probably won't see THIS story on TV.
And we have an "average citizen" to thank for the initiative taken to thwart the perp's flight and allow the FWPD to make a good bust. The perp attempted to escape on foot (dumbass). The owner of Summit Market had a few more "horses" to work with, and tracked him back to our street. It all unfolded around 1250 hrs. down the block.
Here are two pictures taken of the incident, as it occured.
It was the OWNER of the market (in his own gray van) that chased down the perp, alerting FWPD officers to the location of him (sometimes, technology IS a good thing). And it was nice to see three police cars (and un unmarked car) converge on our block, taking "Mister "Lightfingers" into custody. After a somewhat brief "discussion", Lightfingers (wearing the white shirt and gray ballcap) was patted down, cuffed, stuffed and taken up to Creighton HQ. There was a bit of a miscommunication between Cpt. Corey (S.E. Div) and Detective Philips on the radio as to the transport dispostion of the one in custody. The detective didn't make her wishes apparent, and all Cpt. Corey wanted to know is WHERE she needed the perp brought to. Apparently, Lightfingers is going to be interrogated further.
(suh-weet)
Funny thing...the perp sure looks like one of the "dealers" in the area that has ALL those people stopping by the "crib" (next block up), and he rarely drives (his woman or homeys do that for him). This is one of the "neighbors" that I mentioned in other posts...the kind that moves into an area, sets up "shop", and is harder to get OUT of the area than fleas in a hound's ear. Be nice if this is INDEED that guy (mr. popular). It would sure be a shame if they had to MOVE OUT of the area (yeah, about a much a shame as relieving the pain of a boil on your ass). And he can take ALL his cronies with him, with my deepest "sympathies"...LOL!
This is the kind of thing that DOES make a case for COMMUNITY-ORIENTED POLICING, and I have to give a hearty "WELL-DONE" to the FWPD for making this happen with such alacrity (let's hope the prosecutor's office doesn't drop the ball on this one), yet despite incidents like this (where a concerned "Normal Joe" gets involved), they are still too far and few between to make a major difference in our area. You need an ENTIRE community (or at least a major portion of the people in that area) to make ANY significant difference. And that is where the C.O.P. program is destined to fail. You first need a COMMUNITY...a community that TRULY CARES, and is willing to do WHAT IS REQUIRED to take back their neighborhood.
Sadly, we don't have one. We don't have enough Summit Market owners, or Phil Marxes, or even people like me for that matter to turn our areas around.
Perhaps something like THIS can be the impetus this area needs, though.
Who knows? We might even start another "trend".
(Cleaning up a neighborhood...how NOVEL in concept and execution)
Imagine THAT.
I sure can.