By Mikey, Retired LAPD
On the LAPD, if I say the 647f (drunk in public) had a “Short Dog,” I’m talking about his wine bottle. I have several “short stories” that I call “Short Dogs,” so readers will know they are short stories.
The Locker Room Ghost
I was working Northeast Division morning watch (12 midnight to 0800) with my partner, Ruben. He has been in court most of the day prior and did not get a lot of sleep so around 0200 we take code 7(meal break) at the station. Now, this is the old station on York Boulevard built in the early twenties so it is old even in 1977. It’s the LAPD museum today. Ruben crashed in one of the old holding cells so I headed to my locker to get some change for the food vending machine. Our roll call and locker rooms were in the basement of the station, so down I went. I had the door open and was grabbing some change when I felt “something” brush my back. It was as if a person had walked past and brushed up against me. Startled, I turned around and saw that there was no one there. Then a feeling “get out,” came over me. I slammed the locker door shut and shot up the stairs, landing in a chair at the desk area. I was still breathing hard when the watch commander walked in, took one look at me and said, (yes, he did—he said,) “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” The second I finished my story, two coppers and a sergeant, guns drawn, were in the locker room looking for whatever. If you are an old Northeast copper and experienced the paranormal, you ain’t alone brother.
Rich H. and the Spider
On another night working Northeast morning watch, my partner Scott and I were asked to switch channels at the request of another unit. The officers asked that we meet them at a location near Eastern Avenue and Huntington Drive. Rich H. and Steve F. are two of the best street coppers I’ve ever worked with; their tactics are rock solid. They inform us that they thought they had heard a shot and it sounded like it had come from a location down a narrow alley. To either sides of the alley are car ports and garages so we have plenty of cover as we make our way through the alley. Scott and I are on the right side of the alley and Rich and Steve are on the left. With guns drawn. off we go. There was some overhead lighting on the streets to either side of the alley so we were not in total darkness. Using our flashlights was not an option as we did not want to give the “who-so-evers” targets. All was going well, I mean we were mini SWAT going up that alley using hand signals and all, very impressive. I saw Rich move into a car port and take cover behind a wall. Just as Steve started to move, Rich yelled “Holy S—T, Holy S—T” and started the weirdest gyrations I’ve ever seen a man do WITH GUN IN HAND! “Spiders, Spiders. Get them off me!” Well, cover blown, flashlights on, illuminating Rich, to heck with the “shooter,” get the friggin spiders! You see, Rich has this thing for spiders. He walked into a web and the rest is history. Coppers are only human too.
Well, sort of.
~~~
Read Thonie Hevron’s books: By Force or Fear, Intent to Hold, and With Malice Aforethought are all available through Amazon.
3 replies on “Roll Call-Short Dogs”
Shadow Guard Returns
Way back in the 70’s a tragic event took place at CIM. A depressed employee went to his assignment on first watch in “A” Tower at the West yard. Sometime during his shift he put the barrel of his Ruger Mini-14 rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger. Apparently, he was grief stricken over the loss of his wife. Because towers are fortified with all steel walls, bullert proof glass, and locked from the inside maintenance was called in the wee hours to use a cherry picker to get in, and with local police assistance removed the body. I guess it wasn’t very pleasant scene inside as one can imagine.
Thereafter, as long as I worked there that tower was the scene of weird events. In fact the administration changed the West towers from alphabetic designations (A,B,C, etc) to numeric leading to Tower “A” becoming Tower 15.
Anyway, over the years odd things happened up there. Inside patrol Sgt’s who routinely tour the towers at night would call the tower officer, and ask who the “Other” person in the tower was. He would see two dark silhouettes inside the tower instead of one. During shift changes it was routine to check all the ammunition to make sure it was accounted for before relieving the tower officer. Sometimes the 2nd watch relief would find a mini-14 round missing. No one had fired a round, and it was all accounted for at last relief. Weird sounds, etc continued over the years, and it was widely accepted by custody staff anyway that tower “15” aka “A” tower was haunted. In fact some people refused to work it while others asked for it! I wonder if it’s still there?
On Sun, Aug 20, 2017 at 6:02 AM, Just the Facts, Ma’am wrote:
> Thonie Hevron posted: “By Mikey, Retired LAPD On the LAPD, if I say the > 647f (drunk in public) had a “Short Dog,” I’m talking about his wine > bottle. I have several “short stories” that I call “Short Dogs,” so readers > will know they are short stories. The Locker Room Ghost I wa” >
EWWW creepy, John! Great story inspired by a Short Dog!
I’ve know a lot of cops that have phobia’s about spiders, snakes, rats and yes even clowns. Me I was afraid of not going home every day!