Ramblings, Another Dave Balleweg Story

By Hal Collier, LAPD Retired

We are happy that 35-year veteran Hal Collier is sharing his ‘stories behind the badge’ with us.

Another short Balleweg story.  A traffic officer asked for back up in front of the Nest Bar, a known biker bar. We arrived as did many other officers. This drunk biker said he’s not going to jail and he’ll hurt as many cops as he can. 

Six cops surround this wannabe Rambo and the fight is on. The biker is wrestled to the ground and three cops twist his arm behind his back to handcuff him. A familiar snap sound is heard. That’s right, his arm was broken during the handcuffing process.

Ok, whose arrest is this? None of the cops want this arrest—it will take half the night to get his arm set in the ER and then more time booking him at County Jail Medical Ward. Dave suggests that whoever’s handcuffs are on this want to be Rambo, it’s their arrest. All the cops agree. What Joe Bustos didn’t know was that Dave took Joe’s cuffs out during the fight. Joe was not a happy cop. Dave and I went for a cup of coffee—always good after a fight.

Dave and I dealt with a lot of Meth abusers and most new us by name. Hell, they would call the station and tell us who was driving a stolen car and in which motel they were staying. I remember once we arrested Kentucky Bob for driving a stolen car. When we went to court to testify against him, he greeted us like we were brothers. He plead guilty before we had a chance to testify against him. What a pal.

I know other officers have Dave Balleweg stories, some which still can’t be told.  Working with Dave was a rare and rewarding experience, a true Hollywood Character.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Hal