Hi, I'm Snazzy and I'm Trucker

Okay, Ducks just don't get too intoxicated on that (mint) tea. Attitude,I just realized another Texan. Hee Haw, or whatever we're suppose to say. Maybe, Yee Haw, I forget. It was at Carl's Corner or Karl's Corner, a truckstop just off interstate 35, between Fort Worth and Waco. I was caught up in the moment. Willie's security were more than polite. I even got a Willie Nelson cap for my troubles. Baack, your back at head of the class. I shutter to think about posting pictures. My computer sounds like it's popping corn. Now, on with the rat killing.

There I was 25 years old, no job, a wife, and 3 kids. I had applied for the Department of Public Safety in El Paso before leaving. I knew a couple of the State Troopers from working in the PIC room. I didn't even get an interview. Just a form letter thanking me for my interest. My folks had a rent home that was across the street from my Grandmother's house. She had sold her house some years earlier. It was boarded up and vacant due to forecloseure. The economy was in the crapper. We had one of the hottest summers on record. The old rent home didn't have airconditioning. We were all miserable. I had bought an old 1957 Chevy, 2 door, six banger, for $150.oo. I rebuilt the motor and primered the body. I was drawing about $500.oo dollars per month unemployment. For the first time in my life I went on welfare. The food stamps kept us from starving. It wasn't the best time in my life.

My wife stood by me and I believe we were more in love than ever before. I applied at a dozen police departments. I think they must have used the same form letter, "thanks for your interest, don't call us we'll call you". Out of desperation I applied at a gas station. Remember those ? I wore a little uniform and filled'em up. I even washed your windshield and checked your oil. The owner of the station was one nice old man. He gave me 60 hours a week to work. With the overtime I got off the welfare and we moved into some apartments just a few blocks from the station. I also enrolled at the local junior college. The G.I. Bill paid me $ 474.oo per month for college. So, we survived the lean times. I won't knock the youth of today for not being as eager to help themselves. No one should be in such a rut after leaving the military. Not in the (supposedly greastest country on earth). Of course I'm sure I faired better than some third world citizen making a dollar per day.

Lets see if this post and if so I'll continue. The, Snazzy.

 

I majored in criminal justice. Why ? Good question. I'm the sort of hard head that won't take no for an answer. Tell me I can't do something and I'll prove you wrong. Too bad I wasn't told, " you'll never be a millionaire ". Anyway, I had some experience as a security officer, 3 years as a military policeman, and working on my associate's degree. I knew my day would come. Alot of off duty police officers attended the classes. One of them recognized me from applying at his agency. He pulled me to the side. I thought he had the original copy of the baby Jesus birth ceretificate. He darted his eyes around looking for flies on the wall. " This is why you can't be a cop ! Your wasting your time. Don't ever tell anyone I gave you this. It'd be my neck ! You seem like a nice guy. The departments are afraid of being sued. That's why they just send those rejection letters. Truth is, with you being a twice convicted felon. No way !"

As the cop trotted away I the read the criminal history report which had my name on it. Now, remember I had ran an N.C.I.C check on myself before leaving the army. It had always come back as no record found. Now the same check showed Stautory Rape and Obstructing Police. Both felonies. I reread the report a dozen times. Yep, I was screwed. I had always listed those arrest on my applications. Of course what I'd written down was being charged with contributing to the deliquency of a minor which was dismissed. The evading arrest was a misdimeaner and was won on appeal. Neither charge resulted in convictions. How the hell could they screw that up ? I was ticked. No wonder no department would hire me.

I spoke with one of my instructors at the college. He was an x-cop turned lawyer. He knew about these things. Sure enough, for $ 300.oo he could get the girly thang expunged off my record. The other charge was out of El Paso county. I'd have to hire an attorney there. So, that's what I did. I paid the Fort Worth attorney out in 3 montly payments of $100.oo each. That included the filing fee and court cost. My old attorney in El Paso charged me a little more. I think it was $ 300 plus court cost and filling fee. Something around $ 500. I did pay him in cash with my tax return. Now, if there is anyone reading this. Especially young folks starting out. If you've ever been arrested but not convicted of some serious crime. GET IT EXPUNGED !

The way it works is all the agencies that have any records about the expunged records MUST destroy or return them to the court. The court that orders the expunction returns the records to you. Yes, I have my fingerprint cards, mug shots, police report, and even all the deposistion papers. The nice thing is you can legally deny (lie) about ever being arrested or charged. Matter of fact if anyone as much as mentions anything about any records that have been expunged. They can be charged with a felony. I know that it must of chapped the the ##### off all those involved trying to ruin my life. But, hey. I just followed the law like they did. Oh, by the way, I can metion it all I want to because the law is on my side now.

Let's break, Snaze.

 

Raindancer, I'd never ban anyone. Ya'll are safe here. I'm sorry that my life at times was just boring. I sit here and try to hit the high lights. Hopefully we'll get to some more interesting points shortly. In the mean time bottoms up.On with the rodent killing.

My wife lucked out and landed a good union job making golf balls. I left the gas station to work at a large grocery store. It was across the parking lot where we lived. A teenage girl babysat our daughters. We bought my wife a used Toyota. Soon after that a brick home came up for rent just around the corner. Life was good again. We actually had a little money in the bank. I was making about $200 per week being a stocker/sackboy, plus drawing $474 per month on the G.I. bill. My oldest girl was in grade school and the twins were toddlers. My wife and I only saw each other about once a day. She worked midnights at the factory. She'd get home as I was leaving to take the twins to the sitter and the oldest to grade school. She go to bed and I'd go to school. I'd get out of school and go to the store and work. She'd get up and pick up the kids. I'd come home around 10 pm. We'd eat dinner together and she'd leave for work. I'd go to bed. My little girls were angels. My oldest was a mini mom to them.

It was 1980 and I had about a year left to finish my degree. One day at the junior college I noticed on the bulleton board that a large security company was hiring for patrolmen. The starting pay was like $ 6 bucks per hour. The best thing, they paid for the security training. It was done right on campus by one of my instructor's. So from $ 5 per hour, to $ 6 per hour, I left the grocery business. I even got some extra college credits for the course. My wife had gotten promoted to day shift. She'd drop my oldest off at school, swing by my mom's to watch the twins, and go to work. I'd changed my hours at school and took evenning classes. I'd finish class, pick up the kids, go home, and we'd all have dinner together. I'd dash to work the midnight shift.

 

Being a security guard is strange. The bad guys laugh at you because your really not a cop. The cops hate you because they think your after their job. The public doesn't know how to take you. If their in trouble and you go to their aid that makes you a hero. If you ask them a question your a badge heavy rent-a-pig.

I'll give a couple of examples. We drove look alike Fort Worth police units. They had working overhead light bars that we could use in emergencies. Such as blocking traffic at a major accident. We were C.P.R. trained and even carried oxygen bottles to resusitate heart attack victims. We were armed and range qualified. Sounds good, doesn't it ? Well, one of my first nights on the job. Me and several other idiots had gone to the local Denny's for coffee. We were in our uniforms and our shinny patrol cars were parked out front. It was around 2 am on a Saturday night. Sure enough a bunch of rowdy cowboys came in. At first it was just playful drunk banter. It continued to get a little out of hand. Someone called the real cops. I have to say, at first I was happy to see them. The problem was we were escorted out. The cops were mad because we had gone in the restaurant in our uniforms and wearing out guns. By Texas law we could be armed only going to clients or being on their property. The manager didn't like the cops attitude. So, the next day Denny's became a client. They posted one of our security signs in their window. To make matters worse the free meals the cops had been getting now went to us. To say we were unpopular amongest the knight's in blue was an understatement.

A few weeks later I was parked at a seedy motel. The night manager would have us escort him to make a night deposit. He was from Pakistan and a real nice fellow. His motel was the skids. He was always late coming out so I sat and watched the hoes and pimps strut by. I heard a siren at a distance. As I looked in my rearview I saw an old Chevy. It was on the freeway just across from where I was parked. It spun out and hit the guard rail. A second later a Fort Worth cop car slid up and the Officer approached the driver. I was distracted for a moment as the motel manager approached my car. He was screaming in his native tonuge. It took me a minute to catch his drift. He kept pointing. I turned. Sure enough the cop was on the ground and the suspect was kicking him. I leaped from my car and ran over. The suspect was one of Castro' boat people wanted for murder and robbery. He was short, maybe 5'6, but weighed about 190 lbs. He was doing his best to get the Officer's gun. The Officer wouldn't let go of it. The Cuban would kick him a few times in the face and try again for the weapon. The Officer kept both his hands on the handle of his gun. That kept it from being taken out of it's holster. I did what anyone would do. I sat down on the curb and watched.

No, I didn't. I came up behind the Cuban and smashed in his head with the barrel of my gun. He fell, I cuffed him. Yes we had handcuffs too. I then tended to the Officer. As I did several more cops arrived. I was pushed aside. I went back to where the manager stood. He'd taken it all in. He hugged me and said, "Your a brave man !" I batted my eyelashes and said, "Your kind of cute." No, I didn't. I just wasn't used to being hugged.

The next day I got a surprise visit at the security office. The injured Officer shook my hand and gave me back my cuffs. He looked like a racoon with a duck's bill. He lisped thru his wired teeth, " Ever think about joining the force?" I changed the subject, " Glad your okay !"

Goodnight, the snaze.