Speaking of Police and being pulled over - kids misbehaving

redchief wrote: I was coming home from work last night and I had to pull over to the curb because there was a group of 7boys on bikes playing a form of chicken with the oncoming traffic and a lady in a large SUV had to come way over onto my side of the road to avoid hitting them. As she passed them she shouted to the kids to get out of the middle of the road. The kids being 11 - 13 years old and full of it shouted back things like, "You get out of the F@#$ing road you fat cow!" <-- No, I'm not kidding - and this with me in my very visibly marked car right across the street.

I was flabbergasted so much that I didn't do anything for a minute. I shook it off and got on the radio to dispatch and asked for an officer and came around behind them. By that time they were playing the same game about three blocks away with a poor elderly gentleman in a smaller car. It was easier to see what was going on as I followed. They were stringing out across the road and purposely slowing the cars down so they couldn't pass. I kept in contact with dispatch and kept my distance while I waited for the officer to arrive, but one of the kids figured out I was following them and they broke for it. I continued to stay behind them, though three managed to peel off in different directions, but my main target was the kid I saw yelling the expletives at the poor woman, so I stayed with him. They cut down a dead end street behind my office of all places and thought they were getting away, but my boss had been listening too, and he stopped them in the parking lot of my office. The police officer pulled up at the same time I did. This cop happened to be a very good friend of mine and fellow volunteer firefighter. He quickly asked me what they were up to and I gave him the short version.

I've never seen a better act out of "bad cop" in my life. I think the boys nearly peed themselves. He took down all of their names and the cell phone number of the mother of the one boy the rest had come down with. The officer then went back to the patrol car and called his mother, who came to our location shortly thereafter on her bicycle (she was guardian of all 7 of the little delinquents). She has each of the boys dismount their bikes and lines them up on the curb and tells them not to say a word. Unfortunately the ring leader's mom wasn't down... I'd have liked to have spoken to her. At any rate, the officer cites the mother because the kids aren't permitted on bikes in NJ without helmets (did you really think they would be wearing helmets?) and explained what the boys were doing. I've never seen an angrier mom in my life. She thanked me and the officer. After making sure I didn't want to sign charges, the officer turned the kids over to mom. She made a request to put them all to community service, which can't be done without court order, but I'm sure she was serious.

She walked over to them and WENT OFF! She went through the breach of trust speech and told them they needn't worry about helmets because they weren't riding their bikes for the rest of their vacation. She said, "If we don't go home tonight (pointing at the six boys that didn't belong to her), they would be hoofing it," and that they would be under the direct supervision of a babysitter (imagine a 12 year-old taking that well) or one of the parents that was down for the rest of the trip. She then had them all get back on their bikes and get in behind her. She said as they rode up the street, "You follow me like little ducklings. One of you slips even a little out of line and you're back home!"

It was the first day of their two week vacation. She was going through a list of chores to pile on them as they rode away. The officer signed off the stop on radio stating he thought perhaps the kids would have been better off incarcerated.

luvmykids replied: ROFL, not at those rotten little stinkers but the outcome....I got in enough trouble once that I too wished I was in jail instead

lisar replied: Atleast the mother was doing something about it. I know lots of parents that would just blow it off and not do anything.

Good job!!

cameragirl21 replied: I don't understand, Ed, when you say very visibly marked car...do you drive a firetruck? Our firemen here don't drive their trucks home and they don't drive marked cars I don't think....

Crystalina replied: I love parents like that!!!! There are too many who would barely care and take the kids home just to let them back out in 20 minutes. Kudos to the mom and I hope she kept her word. I've never seen kids act like that IRL but when they can disrespect old people and women they will turn out to be no good adults.

My2Beauties replied: That's what those little brats get

Good job mom!

Teesa®© replied: Oh my!! I had to laugh at the end... and read the whole thing to DH

I'm glad that the mother was on the ball and blasted those boys, too. Maybe they'll have a chance to grow up decent after all

DVFlyer replied: Nicely done....

redchief replied:
Your fire chiefs do.

cameragirl21 replied:
They drive a big, red truck?

redchief replied:
No, alas fire chiefs get to drive well marked SUV command cars.

Our big red truck days end when we put on the white helmet.

cameragirl21 replied: you get a free suv? that's gotta be nice, especially if the gas is paid for too. are you a volunteer? here the firemen all do it as a job and they get paid...i think.

redchief replied:
Free? Heheh... One of the first things I learned coming out of school is that nothing is free. First, the Chief's car is used for fire department business. It's not mine to do with as I please. Second, I get to take it home so that it and I am available 24 hours a day. It's more like a ball and chain than a free car. For personal business I must use my own car. To answer your next question, yes, I'm a volunteer fire chief. But the car belongs to the city and is on loan to the fire prevention office so that I can use it for my paying job, too. The reason for that is so that I'm available to be fire chief while I'm at work as well. So, it might be a little more clear why I so look forward to my two weeks of vacation a year.

In the Miami area, as far as I know, there are no volunteer fire departments. Up where Holley lives there are some, but the majority of Florida is protected paid career fire departments.

Calimama replied: How can kids act like that!? Good for that mom though. I hope they a grounded for weeks.

HuskerMom replied: