Taking a bite out of crime one apple at a time!

Tonight was family yard night (see how we combined family night with working in the yard?). We were all outside working/playing in the yard! It was pretty fantastic, Steve and I were able to get a ton done and the kids played with chalk and just had fun in the beautiful summer night.

We put the kids to bed at about 9pm and continued our project, we wanted to get it totally done! About 9:30 we were hard at work and we heard this car racing down the hill and screeching around the corner of the street just across the street and up one house. We, well, at least I thought, "jerk! There are kids in this neighborhood!" As soon as I thought that a cop came screeching around the corner with his lights blazing. Instantly I realized that the, "jerk" car was trying to outrace the cop and not get a ticket. I also realized that the cop would think that the car went straight, so Steve and I start waving and pointing to show him where the guy went. He zoomed past us, but saw us and screeched to a stop, flipped around and went on the chase. About 2 minutes later we saw him come out of the street (which has 2 circles and no outlets). He drove over to talk to us and we told him that the car had gone down that street, so he went back in, this time with his lights off.

About 5 minutes later, another cop came screaming up the street and turned down the same street. We knew this spelled trouble for the "jerk" car. We kept a sharp/nosy eye out for any other action in the area. After about 20 minutes Steve and Bailey (our puppy) went on a recon mission, I mean walk over to see what was going on.

I saw the "jerk" car leave about two minutes later, very slowly, coming to complete stops, turn signals etc... Steve and Bailey returned about 5 minutes later.

This is Steve's report... Well we went on a "Jog" (walks are for wusses...and old people) up around the street. Let me describe this road. It's not long at all maybe from intersection to end 300 yards. It ends in a Cul-De Sac and has one other Cul-De-Sac that comes off of it half way down. Grand total there are only 15 houses that he could be at. It borders Bountiful Golf Course and there is ABSOLUTELY no exit...ANYWHERE!!!

As Bailey and I jogged by we looked down the first Cul-De-Sac and saw our Bountiful City Police officer...Officer Friendly, in his SUV lights going spot lights on. All pointed at a teenage kid sitting on the curb. Behind him was Officer Friendly's Sgt...We'll call him Sgt Friendly.

Bailey and I passed by ran to the end of the street and then walked back. By this time the kid was getting back into his car. A car FULL of teenage kids...and he drove off, very very slowly...and law abidingly, followed soon after by the Sgt. I approached Officer Friendly to thank him. I told him once I had been that kid, and the only reason I didn't get a ticket is because the Police officer I sped by on 13th ave one night at 74 MPH, was bending down to pick up his coffee and by the time he looked up...I was gone. I told the Officer that now that I had 2 kids, a house and a dog, my point of view had changed quite a bit and I thanked him. Officer Friendly then told me something kind of interesting. He was planning on only giving this kid a warning. He was only going 40 MPH, in a 35 zone, but because he evaded, it became a speeding ticket, reckless driving (squealing around the corner at 40 mph), and evading.

One side note...I have met Officer Friendly twice before, both on a "Professional Basis." Once because someone blew out a car's windshield with a BB gun in the middle of the night, and the other time, I met Officer Friendly at the end of his gun...but that's another story.