So
I’m driving to the train station today and as I approach a 4-way stop, I notice
a police cruiser as it pulls up to the stop sign on my left. He reaches
his stop well before me so being a law-abiding citizen I allow him to make his
left turn. Shortly after, I proceed forward and end up a little ways
behind the police cruiser.
He reaches the next 4-way stop and is
making another left turn, I pull up behind him and I too need to make a left
turn so I switch on my blinker and wait for him to head through the
intersection. He does and I pull up to the stop sign, count to 3 (I’ve actually
received a ticket for not stopping long enough at a stop sign so now I always
count 1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand before going past a stop
sign) and again end up behind him.
At this point, I recall an urban legend
about police officers tailing a driver and how they are only supposed to tail
you for three blocks before they have to turn so as not to intimidate.
I’m wondering if our roles have been reversed and if this police officer is
thinking that I’m tailing him. It’s just a fleeting thought but it
provides some mild amusement for a Thursday morning.
At the third 4-way stop, the officer
goes straight – as do I, chuckling to myself. At the fourth intersection,
he is turning left and I just happen to need to turn left too. As I
switch on my blinker in my amused delusion, I envision the officer sitting in
his car radioing to HQ that he’s got a stalker in a white pick-up truck who
won’t stop following him.
“Have you gone three blocks or more?”
says the dispatcher.
“I have! I have and he won’t stop
tailing me! What do I do?” says the nervous police officer. He
looks into his rear view mirror and sees a slightly overweight, middle aged guy
with a graying beard jamming out to AC/DC. “I’m pretty sure he’s
crazy!”
“Ok, if he keeps following you after the
next intersection…there’s only one option,” says the dispatcher taking in a
gulp of air. It’s a tense moment and she knows it. “Stop the car
and run! Run I tell you!”
We reach the fifth intersection, which
happens to be a blinking stop light, he turns on his right blinker but I,
unfortunately, need to keep going straight. He goes his way and I
go mine. Crisis averted.
“Is he still following you?” asks the
dispatcher, white knuckles gripping the radio. “I repeat, is he still
following?”
“No,” gasps the officer. “I faked
him out and made a right turn, he kept going straight. I think…I think
I’m okay.”
“That was a close one, Bob. Too
close,” she says.
“I know, Janine. I’m still kind of
shaky,” Bob says. “I think I’ll take the rest of the day off. Go
home. Kiss my wife, hug my kids…”
“I think that’s the best thing to do…”
Janine says somberly.
