Pardon my rant

[TechnoDave]

Sorry to the moderators that this has very little to do with scanning.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!! Thats how I feel after today. It was one of those days when I was really glad that the nice cold beverage of my choice was waiting for me at home.

I have been listening to Bham PD on the scanner for over 25 years. When I was a teenager and able to buy my first crystal controlled scanner, I did. I remember when I liked to listen, and I remember telling myself "THAT is what I want to do one day, be a dispatcher for bham pd". Listening to the scanner in the 80's and early in the 90's was great. Lots of "action" in the form of shootings, chases, officer needs assistance, etc etc calls.
Now, it seems that if it were not for NCIC, officers wouldnt really know how to police. If the NCIC computers go down, its like they don't know what to do. Run people, run people, run people, thats all they know these days. There is even an officer who likes to run THE VICTIM of crimes. Yep, if you call and say your car was broken into, that officer is going to check you for warrants. If you have any, not only are you upset that your stuff is stolen, now you're going to jail. He actually ran a shooting victim once and sure enough, the guy had a warrant. Well, guess what.... THAT officer, everyday, got to sit guard on "his" prisoner while he was in the hospital recovering from the gunshot wound. haha.

Well, that's just the kind of day I had. I worked a normally busy precinct today, but suprisingly, the calls for service were minimal. But nonetheless, I was very very very.... VERY busy, because of traffic stops and "can you run? can you run? can you run?"

I have difficulty listening to Bham PD these days on the scanner. Not because I hear it all day long at work, but it is because to actually hear the interesting stuff, you have to listen to hours upon hours of NCIC checks.

Oh, but I still love my job, and the only thing I would trade it for is winning about 199 million dollars in the lottery. I just have days like this that really just drive me nuts sometimes.

Thanks for listening (to my rant, not the scanner..lol)

 

[KC4RAF]

Bummer dude. Glad to hear about the cop

that always ran the NCIC on everybody had to do some guarding of his s.15! Hope you have a better evening.

 

[JoeyC]

Whats wrong with running the victims if the circumstances warrant it? Sounds like in your example his warrant check paid off. Good, one more creep that has to answer to his crimes. Now I don't know how things are in BHam, but in MANY US cities these days, shootings are gang related/gang on gang crime, so running of "victims" sounds necessary in the investigation.
I'll agree with you that all those wants checks are annoying to say the least. I am SO happy that my local PD uses MDCs and has an Inquiry channel that handles all that boring stuff.

 

[HH-65]

You Bet "I'll run ya !!"

I don't care if its a MVA or a PFA violation or Iam just following you and something dosen't look right
"You Bet" Iam going to run you, I don't know you and don't know what your up to. Today these "Crack Heads" and "Gansta Wannabees" and Illegals have nothing to loose ,They could care less about you or anyone. They will unload on you faster than you can say " good afternoon my name is officer Happy"
NCIC is not an insurance that all is fine, its only another tool to use, its better than going at it cold on some lonely interstate or back alley. I know some officers that cruise the motels & Truck Stops all night just running tags, you never know these fellons have to be somewhere. These officers get quite a few hits doing this work, good thing for CAD's "Right" So weather your in Cullman County or in Mobile County the rules should be the same " Run Them Danno"

 

[Steve]

BHAMDISPATCHER, I know what you are talking about and understand all too well.

 

[TechnoDave]

Whats wrong with running the victims if the circumstances warrant it?
I'll agree with you that all those wants checks are annoying to say the least.

Today these "Crack Heads" and "Gansta Wannabees" and Illegals have nothing to loose ,They could care less about you or anyone.

OK, But I dont think the 55 yr old fm, mother of three hanging on to her coat tail, in the middle of the mall parking lot with her window busted out and the Christmas presents she just bought stolen is really a crack head or a gansta wanna be, nor do the circumstances warrant running her and putting her in jail for a three day old warrant for no tag light.

BHAMDISPATCHER, I know what you are talking about and understand all too well.

Thanks Steve.

I mentioned that today was particularly slow regarding calls for service, but when domestics, thefts, burglaries, wrecks, and robberies have to hold because officers have stopped a car for an expired plate and have to run all three people (which I politely call "all three drivers") then I see that as a problem. So what if one of them is a crackhead with a three year old traffic warrant....do you really think putting him in jail for an hour before he bonds out is REALLY gonna make him go to church, rehab and then go forth and sin no more... ha. Uh huh, put em all in jail... that'll teach 'em. Meanwhile your mom, dad, sister, wife, brother, husband is sitting in the middle of the bank parking lot, the victim of a robbery, waiting and waiting and waiting ....... AND WAITING ... for the police because, they have somebody to run on NCIC.

Back in the day, if you really wanted to put someone in jail that deserved it, you did it. Call it disorderly conduct because they used profane language in public after you told them not to. You did'nt need no stinking computer.


Now, in closing... because I wont post on this subject any more... I will close with the lyrics to a country song somebody sings.....
"that's alright, Im ok, it aint nothing but another day".



And for those of you that simply can't agree with me..... can't you at least let me have one bad day???

 

[EMS-1]

I wholeheartedly agree with you Dave. Have you ever listened to Hueytown PD?. If not I implore you to tune in 460.025 and 24/7 all you will hear is NCIC checks. They have gotten very ridiculous with it since they got the new chief and he wants them to stop every car that drives through there night or day. Just drive thru there and you have a 99.44/100% chance of being stopped for whatever excuse they cook up. Your points are well taken. Too much NCIC check radio traffic does not allow you to even know what is going on and I pity the NCIC/IC operator who has to continously put the info in. Reminds me of when way,way back I worked for a PD over the Mountain. They ran names and dob's from gravestones and even their own employees tags in the parking lots and anything else to keep the NCIC machines humming and the dispatcher jumping through their butts 24/7. Take care and have a Happy New Year!.

 

[SCPD]

Sends Bhamdispatcher an extra 6 pack of his fav cold beverage. Keep up the GOOD work!!. oops wil make that 12 pack for ajob well done!!

Paul

 

[CORN]

Tennessee has had some highly publicised cases involving the Highway Patrol over a couple of Troopers doing that same kind of thing: Unwarranted checks on people. Mostly for personal interest or gain. They were busted and are in the dog house. Yeah, here in Nashville we have a channel reserved for that purpose and it's a talk group thats locked out. But most of the police cars here have computers in them so the officers can do it themselves and keep it off the radio.

 

[JoeyC]

I mentioned that today was particularly slow regarding calls for service, but when domestics, thefts, burglaries, wrecks, and robberies have to hold because officers have stopped a car for an expired plate and have to run all three people (which I politely call "all three drivers") then I see that as a problem. So what if one of them is a crackhead with a three year old traffic warrant....do you really think putting him in jail for an hour before he bonds out is REALLY gonna make him go to church, rehab and then go forth and sin no more... ha. Uh huh, put em all in jail... that'll teach 'em. Meanwhile your mom, dad, sister, wife, brother, husband is sitting in the middle of the bank parking lot, the victim of a robbery, waiting and waiting and waiting ....... AND WAITING ... for the police because, they have somebody to run on NCIC.

Wow, sounds like the Bham PD needs to rewrite some P&P if you have to hold high priority calls while units are dealing with expired plates. :roll:

 

[SCPD]

They run NCIC checks on primary dispatch and not a separate channel? Ya ask me, thats kinda dumb and an invitation to disaster for an officer that needs help, but can't get through because Officer Lame-o is doing his record check on a vic, who turns out to have no hits.

Note, my beef isn't the running of checks, rather where the check is being run, on primary. For years the local agency where I live has recognized this and had NCIC tied to a separate non-dispatch channel, kind of like a "customer service" channel if you will.

 

[CyberGoth1440]

Two things - they need to USE THE MDT's, and have a channel for running 28's/29's like Dak48 said. Huntsville PD has had one for years, even when they were using VHF conventional!