Author: srj641

This week the law enforcement community buried a vibrant, young member of their fraternity, Phylicia Carson, 33. She died in a police pursuit, often referred to by LEO’s as a “chase”. In August of 2015, my agency, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, lost a fine young officer, Tpr. James Bava in eerily similar circumstances . I write today in their memory.

English common law is the genesis of modern police policy related to pursuits. The law stated that officers were under no obligation to suspend the pursuit of a criminal simply because of resistance or threatened resistance. Before I talk about the practicalities of pursuits, numbers must come into play. In a study by the Police Executive Research Forum, it was recommended pursuits be limited to two circumstances:

1. A violent crime has already occurred or

2. There is an immediate risk the suspect will commit another crime.

Great stuff, if the offender has a placard on their vehicle announcing why he/she is running. The fact is, we don’t have any idea why the offender is running in the majority of cases.

A study of pursuits between 2009-2013 revealed that for every 100 pursuits 2 severe and 10 minor injuries occured, with the suspects injured 76% of the time and the officers less than 3% of the time. Non-involved people account for the remaining injuries and deaths. In 2020, fatal crashes in pursuits peaked at 455, the highest number since 2007 when 372 folks died. In plain language, a person is killed every day, on average in a police pursuit, with an officer killed every 11 weeks. The average age of the offender is 26 and usually a male. As you read, it is important to remember that officers initiate arrests and offenders initiate pursuits.

These numbers indicate a continuing problem for police executives who over the past decade have initiated a number of pursuit policies designed to reduce the carnage, from severely restrictive to somewhat reasonable, all of which favor the offenders. These policies fail to account for the adrenaline dump that occurs when an officer begins pursuing a violator. Officers do not take kindly to resisting arrest, and pursuits are a heightened form of this crime. Policies must, as expected, be tailored to the environment, rural or urban. It is safe to assume that pursuits have been around since the beginning of policing, on foot, on horseback and now in vehicles. Officers are expected to curb the overwhelming desire to catch a fleeing violator, ignore the tremendous adrenaline rush that accompanies these events, and respond to department policy. This kind of response is counter to every instinct officers on the streets have, and I speak from experience. Speaking of experience, those of us who were and are in this business know the pursuit of big block motorcycles presents a particular danger, often at exorbitant speeds, and are deserving of a separate writing of their own.

Like a greyhound on the track after the mechanical rabbit, when folks run, officers are going to pursue them and sort out the reasons they ran when the chase is over. The considerations mentioned above place the officer in an extremely perplexing position. Despite various strategies from stop sticks to pit maneuvers, police officers are expected to “run violators to ground”. It is what we do. Chases are a part of the business and may God richly bless the officers now, before us and in the future that protect our world by pursuing and catching violators of every stripe. Officers like Phylicia Carson and James Bava were doing precisely what was expected and fate intervened. We have all been there and are very fortunate to be alive, having escaped their fate by mere inches or a mile an hour or so. Chases are extremely dangerous and often deadly, considerations that officers clearly understand.

It is our business.

Have a great week!

SR

Hang on. We live in a technology oriented world, but I’m betting most folks don’t know just how dependent we are on cell phones and the access to the world they guarantee. Is it any wonder that young people today have no idea how to properly use a spinning or bait casting rig or even know what they are! Doesn’t matter, because there is likely an app for that. Here we go, prepare to be amazed. Imagine my shock and anticipation when Sharon walked into the office and announced ”hot now”. Now that is an app that every man needs, more about that later.

Today there are an estimated 6 billion smart phones users in the world, led by the Chinese, followed by India and then America. 5 billion of these users have access to the internet. In 2021, 100 billion apps were downloaded generating revenues of approximately 6.3 trillion dollars. The average cell phone will have 40 apps on it, the vast majority of which are used just once. There are approximately 325,000 health related apps alone. In 2020, we downloaded about 6 million apps. Gen Z folks are on their phones about 112.6 hours a month and the geriatric crowd around 51.5 hours a month. Well over 95% of the apps in use are free. All of these figures represent both IOS and Android systems. If you have an interest, there is likely an app for it.

These stunning numbers show no sign of slowing down anytime soon. I can remember when an encyclopedia was in every home, providing often dated and very limited information, and young people did in fact understand the art of fishing and did know the difference between a bait casting and spinning rig.

About Sharon’s proclamation she was “hot now”, (at least that is the way I heard it). I jumped up, smiling, prepared for a romantic interlude when she doused my ardor announcing she was referring to the Krispy Kreme app. The damned donuts were hot now, not…..well you get it.

When the other kind of “hot now” app comes out, you can bet I’ll have it, day one.

Have as great week!

SR

Building a good pizza is an exercise in culinary science. Anyone can do it, but few can do it really well. If you like pizza, this writing is for you. If you can enjoy one of the frozen, additive laden pies from the freezer section, please read on, as I am about to turn you pizza world upside down. Forever on, your days of opening a frozen pie, throwing it in the trash and eating the cardboard under it are over.

Sharon, a world class bargain hunter, located two patio heaters in Mountain Home, Arkansas. These tall heaters were marked down from 150.00 to 45.00 each as the boxes were “damaged”. We love northern Arkansas, so saddled up and road tripped to the Home Depot there and loaded up two perfectly good heaters before motoring 10 miles to Gassville to one of our favorite eateries, Nima’s Pizza, a little pizza shop that seats 20 folks, but is known worldwide in pizza circles. You read this correctly, world class pizza made from scratch, and absolutely delectable.

This little mom and pop pizzeria has won world competitions from Las Vegas to Italy and China. Who would have thought it. They make pizzas from 12” to 45” designed for a family of 8. They also make a surprisingly simple but delicious little salad to get things going. We polished off a delectable little “Kitchen Sink” pizza, and salad chased by a fountain coke. So why are these pizza’s this good?

The crust, and there are a couple of kinds, are handmade for each pie. You can actually ENJOY the edges. The sauce is perfectly spicy, not over-riding the other ingredients and their blend of great cheeses will induce terminal salivation. The proportions of each is near perfect, the pies hit the table with bubbling cheese and you leave the table full and smiling. Their many offerings have actually won world bake-offs in Las Vegas, competing against masterful chefs from around the globe. It is our third time here, and of course, we will be back. Gassville is also located in the middle of one of the best trout fisheries in existence, the White River.

When you are road tripping in the beautiful Ozarks, take our advice, and drop in to Nima’s with an appetite. Rick and Jane will not disappoint you and you can say you have enjoyed a world class pie, without taking a single step in Chicago!

Have a great week!

SR

Before this season, I have never watched a WNBA televised game. I began, last year, watching women’s basketball, but only if Iowa was playing. This year is different, with me watching every televised WNBA game, with a season pass, as long as my favorite team is playing. Before I tell you why, a little history is in order.

Women have always been the center of my life. A “well turned ankle” turns my head, and will up until they close the box. I was raised with three sisters, and each of them were achievers, possessing drive and ambition. I am married to a lady, another achiever, that is a perfect combination of intelligence, fire and ice. My primary flight instructor, one Ms Jeanne’ Willerth, commanded my attention on the ground and in the air. She is in my view a “Super Pilot” a distinction that belongs to just one other pilot. As I rose through the ranks of the Patrol, and again in the Gaming business, I was supported by four administrative assistants, who could have easily traded desks with me, and whose counsel I often sought.

A few factoids will help the reader to know where I am going. Attendance at WNBA games is up 156%, filling arenas at 94% capacity. Last year, TV viewership stood at an average of 462,000. Today it is at 1.32 Million, representing a 211% increase. WNBA merchandise sales are up a staggering 756%, HALFWAY through the season. Finally WNBA social channels are seeing an increase of 380% participation over last year. I can’t think of any business that would not drool over such statistics today.

What is different this year? Caitlan Clark is on the hardwood. She is an incomparable blend of speed, grace and brains who also happens to be a ball handler on the level of a wizard. She always gives credit to her team mates and has a passing ability that says “never drop your guard” when on offense. She is that good. She makes me smile, broadly. This round baller, from Iowa, is the epitome of a country girl that is at the top of her game, in her rookie year. If you have not caught a WNBA game, dial up an evening when the Indiana Fever is on the court. You’ll thank me later. Finally, she is graceful and gorgeous off the court, always groomed and in great outfits, accentuating her feminine features. What is not to like?

To all of the women in my life, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have made room for one more of you, albeit from a distance. She is in a special class, right along side of my gastroenterologist and interventional cardiologist in Cleveland, and Miss Sharon.

Have a great week!

SR

There is always unreasonable hype in the countdown to the Presidential election. The hyperbolic excesses tend to fall on deaf ears as easily 3/4 of the electorate is committed to one candidate or the other. One of the grand projections is wrapped in plain brown paper, guaranteeing this is the most consequential race in the history of our Republic. This time, it may well be.

In an election shaped by blood hatred, we are giving serious consideration to a lady, who 6 months ago was so frightening that the powers chose to lie to us about the mental capacity of the President. They lied because they were deeply concerned about elevating a vacuous lady to the Presidency. There is no need to describe her, as even hardened Democrats know, when the lights are off, just before nodding off, she is a horrible choice that could not and did not survive a traditional primary campaign.

Our electorate is not being gaslighted at the hands of an adoring press and party that loathes the Republican candidate. Gaslighting only works on folks with diminished acumen. The aura surrounding the Democratic candidate is the product of deliberate consideration driven by unprecedented levels of hatred for the opposing candidate. The Democratic Party is willing to risk another incompetent President to maintain occupancy in the White House, even if promoting a candidate who we were laughing at 6 months ago. The Republicans have advanced a man with flaws, however incompetency is not one of them.

Only the most successful country on this planet, with unprecedented wealth is willing to take a chance on a candidate that is desperately hiding from the public with a marked propensity to abandon her long standing beliefs to sway the relatively few intelligent folks who have not professed their political position. Her selection of a running mate defies reason, but then again, she was selected as the running mate for the man thrown out of office. What we are witnessing is the basis for a fictional novel, as only an imaginative novelist could conjure up the current political state of our country. It seems surreal.

In the 11th hour, we denied Hillary Clinton the Presidency. Can we do it again? Will cooler heads prevail? The world is a shaky place today with our enemies joining forces to challenge our dominance. Will we allow the Democratic coup elevate a laughing stock and prevail? I think not, but it is going to take clear headed resolve to step in the booth, abandon your hatred and deny her the Presidency. I sincerely wish that I was among those that don’t care and respond viscerally to today’s circumstance. It would be so much easier. But, I am not.

Have a good week!

SR

By now every one of the 2.8 billion Christians on the face of the earth have had an opportunity to see the opening ceremony of the Olympics which is, this year, located in Paris, France. Of note, Jill Biden, a representative of America, has publicly said she thought the opening was fabulous, setting a standard for ceremonies in the future. Jill is a master of illusion, as evidenced by her wrapping her husband in a cloak of respectability. Soon enough, she’ll have an opportunity to explain to the Master how it is that a drag queen caricature of the Lord’s last supper is worthy of such praise.

John Adams, regarded as the father of the Constitution flatly rejected the notion that religion in America should be tolerated, rather a free exercise of one’s faith irrespective of the religion chosen. Adams wrote that, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people”. Jefferson plainly opposed an infringement on another’s choice of worship or non-worship, believing in the literal interpretation of the First Amendment. He stated that “neither Pagan nor Muslim nor Jew ought to be excluded in the civil rights of the commonwealth”. Adams and Jefferson were understandably concerned with loss of character.

I think it unwise to challenge the authority of the Christian God. I suggest that if the idiots in the caricature were demeaning of the Muslim faith, there would have been a riot on the streets of Paris. In today’s world it has become fashionable to cast the Christian Faith in a bad light. Our forefathers would likely have frowned on the notion that America was not founded on Christian principle, a faith undeserving of the ridiculous parody in the opening ceremony.

Here is the deal. You can worship or paganize whatever entity you choose, but do not slander my faith. Our faith, all 2.8 billion of us, find this parody to be reprehensible. Various heads of Christian denominations have also universally condemned this display of disrespect. This year’s Olympics is dead to me and I add my condemnation to those who see humor or entertainment in this blatant affront to our faith. You may rest assured the Lord has a long memory and eternity is a long time. Jill Biden does not represent me when she praises such a demonstration. Her praise of this caricature is indicative of the casual discard of the Christian Faith.

Have a good week.

SR

Lately, I have come across articles that bemoan the steady breakdown of neighborhood socialization, a consideration fueled by the incredible mobility of our population and giants like Amazon. Gone forever are the family owned businesses that work on our cars, provide our medicines and sell hardware. Instead, in the name of convenience, we never have to shed our pajamas to procure 90% of what we need.

Tellers at banks are becoming extinct. Instead you walk up to an automated screen and talk with someone in the home office who will gladly assist you with your banking needs. Unless absolutely necessary you never talk to the branch manager or other officer in the bank. I mentioned Amazon, a stroke of genius in the business of providing convenience. The transactions are totally impersonal to include the route driver tossing your latest purchase on the porch without a thought. You can, and many do, order your medicines from a giant clearing house and never talk with a pharmacist. Gone is the small hardware store where an experienced employee, often involved in the ownership of the store, offers advice and understands your needs. You can sell your car from the convenience of your living room, have it loaded from your driveway and, if your timing is right, have a new one dropped off in the same spot hours later.

You can earn a degree in your pajamas relying on your IPad and never have a conversation with a learned professor. You can buy your clothes and shoes on line and have them tossed on your porch a day or two after deciding what you think you want from the same chair in the living room. In a final insult and capitulation to convenience in a hurried world, you can consult with your doctor online, thus forgoing the opportunity for the discourse that is sacred and denying him or her the opportunity to look you over. You get your coffee through a damned window and have little idea who the barista is. The grocery store offers a very low percentage chance of meeting and visiting with a friend or neighbor and you check yourself out under the watchful eyes of a clerk who is counting your apples as you face yet another automated screen. The local gun shop is becoming extinct, replaced by box stores and barber shops replaced with stylists in lavish salons. Gun stores and barber shops are where the town’s business was really done. You can even attend church online while enjoying coffee in your living room.

Here is the deal. We have destroyed the concept of neighborhood gathering places. Neighborhood markets have sailed into the sunset and a coffee shop is virtually nonexistent, a huge consideration for police officers who desperately need to mingle with each other and the public. We are killing interaction and raising generations of kids who have no idea what social skill is. They visit on their cell phone even though they are sitting 10 feet from each other.

I am old enough to remember the days when you knew everybody on your street, or maybe the whole town, those were the days when you could conjure up an acquaintance to help with anything from a balky lawnmower to a car that won’t start. I genuinely miss it as folks who know me would certainly add gregarious to a list of expletives to describe me. We have trashed social interaction in the name of convenience and that is sad.

Have a good week

SR

The insanity of the campaign season resulted in our virtually ignoring an important holiday, National French Fry Day. Yesterday, July 12, was set aside to acknowledge yet another of my favorite food groups, the french fry, a delicacy I have enjoyed throughout my life. We had one of those little french fry cutters at home when I was a kid, and mom would squeeze a potato or two through it and drop the square cut delicacies into a pot of hot Crisco to our delight. The french fry is about the only thing that will cause me to abandon my disdain for Catsup even though many eateries are now peddling “french fry sauce”, a concoction that is a favorite at Freddy’s restaurants.

Sharon and I have personally tried nearly every joint in town that serves french fries, and Springfield is blessed with a huge variety of offerings. It is important to note that a good french fry needs to be piping hot and properly seasoned when served, as they degrade quickly if they sit. Here we go.

McDonalds sells about 9 million pounds of french fries a DAY. They promote the beef flavored overtones to their fries which are cut from 4 varieties of potatoes. When fresh, which is a hit or miss proposition, they are a great way to clog your arteries and raise your blood pressure. They are also wonderful, if hot, terrible when they cool down. Most restaurant fries are factory cut, processed, flash frozen and hit the oil out of a bag where they languish for a minute or two before dropped into a grease strainer, salted and delivered. The sitting part is the death knell for good fries. In Springfield, you have a fifty-fifty chance of fresh fries at Mackie-D’s, with some stores doing a great job some not so good. What-A-Burger and Burger King generally serve up average fries, with freshness not being their forte’. Red Robin delivers an excellent fry. Steak & Shake offers an interesting, very thin fry, also good when fresh. Wendy’s is better, but the best fries come from two joints in our opinion. Always fresh, piping hot and seasoned to taste are the fries from Black-Sheep. You can get them seasoned with a variety of spices and we have never been disappointed with their potatoes. A close second are the roost-fries from The Roost, with two locations in town. They are not a normal fry in that they are wedge cut, seasoned to perfection and hit your table too hot to eat.

French fries are an appropriate accompaniment for everything from fish to steak, with hotdogs and burgers reigning supreme. They are also a great go to snack. The bottom line is they are eaten by the billions and under appreciated. Enjoy an order this weekend at your favorite purveyor. Everybody eats french fries…….don’t they?

Have a great week!

SR

A couple of months ago, Sharon and I stood on our deck, contemplating replacing the flooring and shoring up the 10 year old under structure. We had lived through the pain of power washing and staining it shortly after buying this home, and the task at hand seemed to be an exercise in futility. Sharon, the picture of practical, suggested tearing it out, pouring a concrete patio and erecting a pergola. After all, all things are possible with enough time and money. To save as much wood as possible, we deconstructed the deck, sent the wood to my sister in Warsaw for use by my brother-in-law for various projects, hired a concrete mason and ordered the all aluminum pergola from China, via Costco and, as they say “got her done”.

The rain this spring forced delays in the concrete work, but our masons managed to pour and finish a very nice slab. We brought in a team of finishers from Nixa to stain the concrete and seal it, as well as build a concrete curb transition from the patio to the yard. This project is near the end, as soon as our electricians bring power through the brick walls of the house to the patio.

About the pergola. It is fashionable to slam China when the opportunity presents itself. Such is not the case with this pergola, which is all aluminum with a nice powder coat. (We decided on a maintenance free approach, no exterior wood.) The pergola arrived in 3 large boxes, weighing around 400# each and we scouted about for someone to help with the construction, as we had heard and read the horror stories. We had no luck, dialed up YouTube and tore into the project ourselves. A day later, the pergola is in place. The kit was immaculate, every piece precisely cut and all the hardware arranged in a neat plastic container. We used chairs and bags of mulch to hold up the super structure until we could join it together and set about the tedious work of assembling the fully adjustable louvers. The damned thing is absolutely ingenious with the precision in manufacture apparent. Thank you China and Costco. We could not be happier.

Today is Sharon’s birthday and we are celebrating under the pergola with coffee, an old dog and the satisfaction of having done it ourselves. In all fairness, Sharon is the spark plug in this project cementing her reputation as a finisher on any project. It is best to get out of her way when she pushes the go button or be run down in the process! I obviously out kicked my coverage when we teamed up years ago. This happens when a South Carolina, low country farm kid teams up with a midwestern farmers daughter.

Happy birthday, Kiddo. What’s next, my dear?

Have a great week!

SR

We are closing in on the 4th of July, an all American holiday codified back in 1941 by Congress. I have always enjoyed this holiday, despite the tragedy that seemed to stalk the occasion when I suited up and hit the roads. This year we enter the holiday period with only 39% of Americans professing pride in America and under 60% of Americans owning a US flag. I have lived in Europe and Southeast Asia over my lifetime, experiences that have seared patriotism into my brain. Flag waving aside, I am writing to celebrate another holiday tradition, a perfectly grilled hotdog on a fresh split bun smothered with your favorite condiment, the hotdog. My love for this nitrate loaded belly bomb goes back to the beginning of my memory and always stimulates a huge salivary response.

We will consume 150 million, give or take, hotdogs on the 4th of July this year. That is enough to make a line from D.C. to LA and back 5 times. Americans will spend a whopping 9.4 billion bucks on food over the 4th, with a considerable amount expended on hotdogs. You need an intervention if you can resist a hotdog, cooked over a fire or on a grill to skin busting perfection, slathered in mustard and a sprinkling of sweet vidalia onion. Beans and real potato salad, not the chemically altered mush from the convenience aisle, round out this delicacy. Interestingly, the 4th is also America’s number 1 beer consuming day, which makes perfect sense.

True hotdog gourmets have their preferences, and we have ours. Here is my rundown of truly delectable hotdogs. My favorite hotdog is the Kirkland brand all beef frank, the same one you can buy at their stores across the counter. An absolute bargain. Next up, I like Nathans and Hebrew National for their consistency and roastability. Expensive, but delectable, is the Boar’s Head uncured franks. They are smoky and juicy. A hotdog standard, Ballpark, makes a great Angus Beef dog that offers flavor and economy. You can count on Oscar Mayer to deliver a great all beef, uncased frank that is also flavorful and juicy, especially over a fire. Finally, and surprisingly, I have found the school commodity, sold in the case, all beef hotdogs to be absolutely delicious when grilled over a hot fire. Who knew?

The preparation of a dog is a forgiving process. Some folks love ‘em steamed, some split and fried and most grilled. An all beef dog, smothered in chili is a gastronomical treat. A thick dog with kraut and new potatoes is hard to beat on a cold day. Some folks love ‘em smothered in onions, peppers, tomatoes and well, about everything in the refrigerator. There is New York style, Chicago style and riverbank style…a style to suit every taste. For me, the toasted bun and simple mustard/onion approach is the go to. Sharon likes her dipped in cornmeal batter, deep fried, coated in mustard and served on a stick. She chases it with a fresh squeezed lemonade, state fair style. Catsup on a hotdog is a sin, and should be carefully avoided. It is the equivalent of catsup on a steak or beer on corn flakes, just not right. Please, don’t insult the dog!

My challenge is simple enough. Buy and display a flag, enjoy a hotdog with home made potato salad or handful of chips. Celebrate the birth of a great nation, second to none on earth, with a simple pleasure. Oh, and be safe……….

SR