University Daily Kansan/Wednesday, Aug.19, 1987
7
Workin' on the night cruise
Tryin' to cure some small-town rookie blues
By VAN JENERETTE Special to the Kansan
Hollywood makes scenes like it everyday. The rookie officer snaps his revolver into the black leather holster, pats it, takes a quick glance around, and climbs into the police car.
It was the beginning of the night shift in Lawrence. Center stage on a Friday. The day of the week for most people wait. Police know better.
He replaced the mike into the bracket on the side of the radio. The radio, a scanner and a control panel for the lights and siren were mounted to his head, next to the pump shot. He was in the area of the car was within easy reach.
Patrolman Eric Johnson's spirits were high as he turned the sleek cruiser onto 23rd Street and adjusted the volume on the radio. The 25-year-old officer has been on the Lawrence police force a little more than a year and has really outgrown the rookie title. But he still is one of the newest guys in the department.
"126 advising 10-8 and 10-12." Johnson said into the microphone.
Headed west across Iowa Street, the evening traffic was flowing smoothly as the heat of the day began to subside.
"You get to know the people in this district after a while. . . mostly the same ones are out on the trail each night," Johnson said.
The car turned south toward the lower part of District 126. The city is divided into sections and each one is patrolled by a separate car. The system has built-in flexibility, with personnel in each district ready to reinforce another area when the need arises.
A car headed north on Kasol
Drive swirved across the center line
and lined up in the path of the patrol car. Johnson instinctively pulled right and caImly checked out the car as it passed.
"My guess is that she was putting on makeup or something." Johnson said as he watched the car head away in the rear-view mirror. "Doesn't drive like she was drinking... happens all the time."
Patrolman Johnson recalled the time a young woman caused a six-car pileup. She sware that she never took her eyes off the road. A wide streak of red lipstick that ran from her mouth up the side of her face to her temple indicated her attention was not on driving at the time of impact.
The patrol car continued through the area, then proceeded along Iowa Street and turned back onto 23rd Avenue. The patrol car sight behind the hills west of town
"Slabbers," Johnson remarked. "First they 'shoot the square.' Then they get to park and park. Kids with a better bag better park in store lits and hang out."
Two jacked-up pickup trucks and a few cars were parked in the 1800 block of 23rd Street, in front of the JC Penney store. A group of young people, noisily talking, were standing next to the trucks. They laughed and pointed at the patrol car as it pulled up.
Shooting the square is a local pastime for some of Lawrence's younger generation, said Johnson. The square is the area bounded by 9th Street on the north, 23rd Street on the south, Iowa Street on the west and Massachusetts Street on the east.
Johnson said the term "slabbers" had something to do with the slabs of concrete that make up the parking lots around town.
a tall truck with 'Kurt' painted on the door. He walked up to a tall blond man and spoke to him in low tones. They exchanged words, but it didn't look like a confrontation. As the officer returned to the car, the man drove off, and the rest of the crowd broke up.
"This is Lawrence on a hopping Friday night," Johnson joked.
The patrol car turned out of the parking lot and pulled into the flow of traffic for a second cruise along Clinton Parkway.
After answering a call at a video arcade, the sun was down, and car headlights played with the night sky holding the north boundary of District 126.
The calls on the radio became more frequent as the night progressed. Most calls were about noise complaints.
By 11 p.m., the streets, building doors and parking lots in most of the district were checked for the third time since sunset.
Johnson parked the patrol car near
Near midnight, a call came to investigate an incident about some items taken from a vehicle at an apartment complex near Naismith Valley Park.
It was past midnight when Johnson completed his report about the incident. He turned the patrol car north and slowly passed the parking lot on the south side of Gammons, his eyes scanning the area as he steered with his right hand and directed the searchlight with his left. A middle-aged man, next to a two-tone pickup truck, froze in the beam of light.
"I don't like the looks of that guy. Something about him ain't right," Johnson said.
He made a U-turn and drove back to the parking lot behind the truck
--with this coupon
T. J. Cinnamons Original Gourmet Cinnamon Roll® and Coffee or Milk only 99¢
See Nightshift p. 15, col. 1
limit one per coupon
good only at
T.J. Cinnamons
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not valid with any
other offer
Louisiana Purchase expires 9-15-87
323nd ed. publishes
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