FEB. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.2

LETTERS OLD SCHOOL COPS

LETTERS OLD SCHOOL COPS You're out on day shift patrol. Not too busy today. A few car stops, a few citations "Sign here, press hard, you're making five copies." No AM/FM radio in the dash of your Plymouth Fury Pursuit so the only "music" you hear is the loping of that 335 horsepower camshaft inside of the 440 cubic inch Super-Commando beneath its hood. It's banging away like Gene Krupa on his drum set. It leaves no question to anyone in traffic alongside of you who the boss is. It's high noon and a rather warm summer day. You are not feeling too hungry but a frosty beverage would be in order. Luckily, your buddy operates a Texaco filling station out on the nearby dual highway so off you go. Rolling down the asphalt at 75mph right in your Plymouth's cruising range. There is his station just ahead. Their ad says "You can trust your car to the man who wears the star" but you joke, you can trust your safety to the man who wears a star AND a .38! LOL. You roll into the parking lot and gun the 440. Old Herbie looks out from beneath a car in the bay lift and gives you a nod. He knows he can trust you alone in the station office. You flip the toggle switch to your PA system and walk past the outside Coke machine. Luckily, Herbie has a refrigerator in the back of his office for his "special" customers. You open the door and gaze at the lower shelf with its cool, frosty long neck Lonestar and Schlitz beers. However, it's no longer 1890 and the division frowns upon on-duty alcohol consumption. There on the second shelf you see an array of Dr. Pepper, Frostie, and there it is! 7up. You drop 15 cents into the old coffee can that serves as an honor box. Then you push your Stetson back on your head and roll the cool, icy, can across your forehead. Then you walk up to the cigarette machine. There are two things you left the service with, your pair of "military squares" and a hankering for good tobacco. You reach into 14 The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25

your uniform pants and drop 50 cents into the machine and pull the lever. A nice, fresh, pack of Camels. You yell to Herbie.."I'm off duty tomorrow! I'll bring my ol' Road Runner by for a tune up!" Just then an operator sees your Fury idling in the lot. For reasons known only to him, he gets the "squirrel in the headlamps" look and kicks his car in the ass. Off he goes. You run to your Fury, slide across the plain vinyl seat and in a muscle memory series of motions you activate your roof rotators and flip the siren on, it wails as it comes to life. A size 12 roper boot punches down onto the throttle and the Sur- Grip rear leaves a double rooster tail of dirt and loose gravel as you slide sideways onto the highway. The 440 howling to life like a Lion as its four barrel goes to wide open throttle. You reach for the Motorola mic to notify Dispatch - "it's time to go to work." ALBERT PRÖPPER-WYSOCK TUNNEL TO TOWERS HONORS AMERICA’S HEROES Have something you'd like to share with our readers? Send your letters to: Bluespdmag@gmail.com IN THE LINE OF DUTY Providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and Fallen First Responder families with young children and building specially-adapted Smart Homes for our most severely injured. WORKING TO ERADICATE VETERAN HOMELESSNESS. MORE THAN 3,300 RECEIVED HOUSING AND SERVICES IN 2023 ALONE; THOUSANDS MORE ARE BEING HELPED. NEVER FORGET FDNY Firefighter Stephen Siller gave his life while saving others on September 11, 2001 THE FOUNDATION HAS BEEN SUPPORTING OUR NATION’S HEROES EVER SINCE. OUR EVENTS INSPIRE AMERICA TO REMEMBER. THE TUNNEL TO TOWERS 9/11 INSTITUTE EDUCATES FUTURE GENERATIONS. DONATE /MO TODAY T2T.ORG The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 15