Some nights I really hate that I sit by the police scanner in the newsroom. I mean, it's always interesting on those rare occasions something significant happens in this mediocre little hamlet, but oftentimes the chatter is just depressing.
Tonight I heard calls about an alleged sexual assault, a crazy female stalker, a domestic violence incident between a man and a woman where he struck her in the face, and plenty of talk between a police officer and a dispatched about a dog that was slowly dying after being struck by a vehicle. At least he sounded dejected about it, which is more than I expected.
As for how it wrapped up, the dispatcher contacted the local chapter of the Humane Society, who then deemed it not important enough for them to send someone out to handle and dispatch the poor dog peacefully. Yes, the area is relatively rural and they're having budget problems, but still nauseating to hear.
Another police officer ended up helping the first take the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic where they could help him or her pass peacefully from this world.
Some nights it's calls about suicides or suicide attempts. Sometimes it's a domestic incident between divorcing parents and you can hear children crying or screaming in the background, maybe even a cop out of breath after a foot-chase. I guess it does help remind me those guys are important though, even if they aren't my favorite people in the world when I'm headed home from work at 1 a.m. and they're shining a spotlight in my face because it's too late for anyone but drunks or meth fiends to be out and about.
It's the dog thing that got me tonight. My screensaver at work is picture after picture of animals from the AP wire. Hundreds of them at this point. It beats the bloodstains and bomb craters I have to shuffle through when it's my turn to dig up the news of the day. This is the world we've made. That dog was just living in it. Not anymore. One more victim of circumstance.
Tonight I heard calls about an alleged sexual assault, a crazy female stalker, a domestic violence incident between a man and a woman where he struck her in the face, and plenty of talk between a police officer and a dispatched about a dog that was slowly dying after being struck by a vehicle. At least he sounded dejected about it, which is more than I expected.
As for how it wrapped up, the dispatcher contacted the local chapter of the Humane Society, who then deemed it not important enough for them to send someone out to handle and dispatch the poor dog peacefully. Yes, the area is relatively rural and they're having budget problems, but still nauseating to hear.
Another police officer ended up helping the first take the dog to an emergency veterinary clinic where they could help him or her pass peacefully from this world.
Some nights it's calls about suicides or suicide attempts. Sometimes it's a domestic incident between divorcing parents and you can hear children crying or screaming in the background, maybe even a cop out of breath after a foot-chase. I guess it does help remind me those guys are important though, even if they aren't my favorite people in the world when I'm headed home from work at 1 a.m. and they're shining a spotlight in my face because it's too late for anyone but drunks or meth fiends to be out and about.
It's the dog thing that got me tonight. My screensaver at work is picture after picture of animals from the AP wire. Hundreds of them at this point. It beats the bloodstains and bomb craters I have to shuffle through when it's my turn to dig up the news of the day. This is the world we've made. That dog was just living in it. Not anymore. One more victim of circumstance.