The Hotel Robbery

Being a police dispatcher was the hardest job I've ever loved. There was generally balance. As many funny/humorous things happened as serious things. One of my favorites was the hotel robbery.

We are coming to the end of a Saturday night shift. It is now about 5 a.m. Sunday morning, and the shift ends at 6 a.m. for the officers, 6:30 a.m. for the dispatcher. That overlap helps with a smooth transition of pending calls. The Sergeant, a young officer, and I are the only people in the station. There are three more officers on the road.

Ours is a small town and our police department doesn't even look like a police department. In fact, it had originally been a medical clinic. There are wash basins still in place in the offices for the Detectives.

So when the phone rings, I pick it up on the first ring. An elderly male, in a shaking voice, says:

"Robbery (location given) Hotel."

Holding my hand over the phone receiver, I relay that information to the young officer. He leaves the station.

"Tell me what the robber looks like.", I say.

"He's a man from India, wearing a long Army coat, and a blue stocking cap."

"Does he have a weapon?"

"He hit me on the head with the phone receiver. He took it with him when he left. He stole money, rolled coins, and cigars from the display case. It took me a while to find another phone."

"Did you see a car?"

"No."

I key the mic, transmitting to all squads that we have a strong-arm robbery, (location given), and the suspect is a "Man from India, wearing a long Army coat, and a blue stocking cap. Vehicle unknown."

About this time, the Sergeant is standing at the Dispatch office window. He's pointing to the lobby. Walking into our small police department lobby was "A man from India, wearing a long Army coat, with a blue stocking cap."

"Whadda you want?", says the Sergeant to the man.

"Gotta match?", was the reply.

"Wait right here." says the Sergeant. (The Sergeant, who had removed his gun belt because the shift was ending now heads to his office to put it back on.)

In the meantime, I am discreetly broadcasting:

"All squads, I believe the suspect is in our station lobby."

And, sure enough, here comes the young officer walking into the door right behind the suspect. This officer had passed the suspect as he left the station. However, at that time he didn't have a description. He had traveled a short distance before the broadcast went out. He threw the squad into reverse and backed up to the station. He's saying:

"Put your hands on the counter where I can see them."

This man, under the influence of alcohol and drugs, stole money and cigars from the hotel. He had the cash and rolled coins in his pocket. He wanted to smoke one of the cigars he stole, but he didn't have a match.

We were one of the few places open at 5:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. And we didn't look like a police station.

The Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin

I had the distinct pleasure of working for the Oneida Tribal Police Department from 1995 to 2000. It was an eye opening experience. The Oneida are a Matriarchal Society. They honor their elders. (As an old lady, I couldn' t help but believe I was in the right place at the right time.)

These "People of the Standing Stone" have a reverence for Mother Earth that could be a lesson for all. Their elementary school is built in the shape of a turtle.

Using Native American architects, the Police Department is built into a hillside. The entire glassed front "Great Room" is a community gathering place.

From Wikipedia:

The Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin is a sovereign nation, enjoying the same tribal sovereignty as all recognized Indian tribes in the United States. Theirs is a limited sovereignty —the tribes are recognized as "domestic dependent nations" within the United States—but to the degree permitted by that sovereignty, they are an independent nation outside of state law. The tribe's sovereignty means the state of Wisconsin is limited in the extent to which it can intervene legally in tribal matters.

With a series of casinos near Green Bay, Wisconsin, the Oneida Tribe has, in a manner of only a few decades, gone from being a destitute people to enjoying a fair amount of social prosperity by investing a large portion of their profits back into their community, including a sponsorship of the Green Bay Packers.

The new wealth generated by the tribe's gaming and other enterprises has enabled the tribe to provide many benefits for the members on the tribal rolls. Oneidas have free dental, medical and optical insurance, and they receive $800 every October. As with all other tribes, the Oneidas define who qualifies to be on those rolls. The Oneidas' requirements are fairly liberal, based entirely on blood quantum: members are those with at least 1/4 Oneida blood. There is no additional requirement of matrilineality, as with the New York Oneidas and other tribes.

I love the sincerity of the people I met. Sheko:lih (A friendly greeting used upon arrival or departing.)

One of the Guys

"I wanna report a murder.", a male caller almost whispers the words into the phone.

I'm hearing the words as a rookie Dispatcher at our small-town police department. This is my second week on my own. I'm the only person in the station. I'm the only female working. The four shift officers and one sergeant are on the road. It's a slow night shift in February.

A million thoughts go through my head in a millisecond. 'Oh My God!, What should I do? This isn't covered in the manual. Help! Where is everybody? Stay calm. Stay calm. Okay, God, what should I do now?'

"Go ahead.", I calmly say.

There is a stunned silence on the other end of the line. I can hear the caller breathing. Suddenly, he loses it and starts laughing. It's the sergeant from the shift, surrounded by the four officers. I have just passed the rookie initiation.

I am now "One of the Guys!"