JERSEY IN THE REAR VIEW

I was about to embark (although I did not know it at the time) on an educational journey through a treacherous "mine field" of Texas small town politics. It took me awhile but I realized years after the "Fernwood experience" was over, that it was foolish to trust anyone. Certainly not those in political office, nor those in law enforcement, nor those who professed to be "friends," and certainly not those of the "fourth estate," (media.) Jim Spade (the PD investigator,) drank heavily and it became necessary on some occasions to "cover" for him. He insisted (as all drunks do) that he was perfectly capable of driving. All of the officers were aware and the Chief was made aware that Jim thought nothing of driving the "unmarked" investigator's vehicle while in an inebriated condition. He never had a chargeable wreck in the vehicle but I recall on one occasion he ran into a ditch just over the line in Harlan County and a wrecker was called to get the vehicle out. Jim was plagued with terrible headaches. It was not unusual for the night shift officers to be called and have to transport Jim to Clear Lake Hospital for treatment. Jim sometimes gave in to violent tendencies when he drank. One night as I was completing the paperwork after arresting and incarcerating a young white male, probably for DWI, I don't recall exactly, Jim came by the station just to check on what was going on. He looked at the arrest log and saw the guy's name. he turned to me and said; "Scott, you got this guy in jail?" (He pointed to the name.) "Yeah." "Give you any trouble?" "Nope, just a routine arrest." "That son of a -----, I've been looking for him." His voice trailed off as he disappeared into the cell area and unlocked the cell door where the guy was sleeping. Jim yelled at the guy and slapped him around a good bit. I got out of the area. Jim came out and pleaded with me not to expose his inappropriate behavior; "Scott, please don't say nuthin', it'd mean the end of my career." "Jim, I saw nothing, I heard nothing, I'll tell nothing, just get the hell out of here." Jim went over to the dispatcher, she was a young blond girl who obviously liked Jim, (as did all the girls.) Jim approached her from behind as she sat at the radio console. He put his arms around her and kissed her on the neck. It was obvious that she wouldn't "rat" on him. Jim was caught in a torrid affair with the wife of a reserve officer. She was a part time dispatcher. She went on a "stake out" with Jim in a travel trailer. That was a mistake. Jim "nailed" her. She felt so guilty that she reported the affair to her husband who in turn reported the affair to the Chief. The husband was persuaded not to file for divorce, there were children to consider. They stayed together. She didn't dispatch anymore, she went on no more "stake outs." Jim suffered no repercussions as far as his job was concerned, however his wife divorced him. Jim subsequently married again, this time to a woman who had a questionable former life of "ill repute." Several years later, he deliberately shot himself in the head and died. Although married to an attractive professional woman, Joe, the "Dago" had the "hots" for the opposite sex. Some inevitably, were attracted to him, although I could never understand why. The Sergeant had an unmarried sister with whom Joe the "Dago," had an affair. It was common knowledge, the Chief knew it, the Sergeant knew it, all the officers on the Fernwood force knew it. During a midnifgt shift in which Joe and I were the two patrol officers on duty, I got a radio call from Joe. He asked me to meet him at the "city barn" where we gassed up the patrol vehicles. The compound was in a remote, rather isolated wooded area. I had no idea what he wanted me there for but I soon found out. As I pulled in to the fenced in compound I saw the back of Joe's patrol vehicle, I could see two heads through the back window. That was not surprising, we had reserves who rode with us from time to time. I pulled alongside Joe's vehicle and got out. What I saw startled me. Joe and the Sergeant's sister were in the back seat of the patrol vehicle and could not get out. They had gotten into the back seat to have sex and in their exuberance, had shut the doors. The rear doors of the patrol vehicle could not be opened from the inside, the "cage" was in place behind the front seat, the lovers were trapped! Joe had called me using his portable radio. Neither of them would look at me, I wanted to laugh, I didn't. I simply opened the rear door on the side where Joe was sitting, got into my patrol unit and left. The Chief found out about the incident. Joe mistakenly thought that I had informed the Chief. I had not mentioned the incident. The Chief fired Joe the "Dago." Joe's wife showed up at the P.D. and begged the Chief to take him back. The Chief re-instated Joe. Shortly thereafter, my pickup truck, which was parked across the street from the P.D. was shot through the grill and radiator. This happened during a midnight shift while Joe and I were the only officers on duty. Joe had a teenage boy riding with him that night. Both of them denied any knowledge of the incident. No charges were ever filed although the Chief and the investigator agreed "off the record" that Joe was the culprit. Several years later, the kid that was with Joe that night became a Sergeant with the Fernwood Police Departmant.