Mon Feb 13 2012
By Dave O'Brien
Record-Courier staff writer
The reality of police work isn't like it is in the movies. As any officer, trooper or deputy will tell you, there's a lot more paperwork than gunplay.
Some of that paperwork is very revealing of those who are arrested. Like their tattoos, for example. Officers record these on arrest reports to help identify suspects.
Take the woman recently arrested for driving under suspension by Kent police. Her "Lucky" tattoo doesn't exactly describe her situation.
Or the man arrested in Kent for a loud party with the "Only God can judge me" ink. Tell that one to the judge and see where it gets you.
Not funny is the man with the joker face tattoo arrested for driving with fictitious plates in Kent.
And I wonder how Jesus Christ would feel about being tattooed on the arm of a man recently charged with contempt of court (which I suspect is not a very Christ-like thing to do).
Maybe the praying hands tattooed on the same man's chest will remind him of what he needs to do to get out of his predicament.
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Dealing with alleged drunken drivers is another part of police work that has both its serious, and light, moments.
Take the police report recently filed by a Portage County sheriff's deputy:
The deputy stopped at a Mantua Township bar one recent night and observed an SUV in the parking lot, engine running and lights on. He observed the driver, a 27-year-old Morgantown, W.Va. man, apparently sleeping in the vehicle.
Upon opening the driver's door the deputy noted the strong smell of alcohol. Waking and seeing the deputy, the driver sat up, turned off the car and threw his keys into the back seat.
The driver's speech was slurred, and when asked where he lived he apparently said "a corn field." He refused field sobriety tests, was arrested and taken to jail for operating a vehicle under the influence.
On the way to jail, the man argued that he could not be arrested just for sleeping in his car after drinking. Told that wasn't the case, he suggested the deputy perform a sexual act on him. The man also later told jail personnel the deputy had bitten him on the leg, and that he "could not read English" and therefore wouldn't cooperate when informed of the charges.
Funny, but it's a good thing the man was caught and not allowed to drive that night. He, and someone else, may be alive today simply for that reason.
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Which brings us to another side of the fight against drunken and aggressive driving: The Portage County Safe Communities coalition is working on obtaining funds for projects that will reduce fatal motor vehicle crashes in Portage County.
Lynette Blasiman, Ravenna's health commissioner and the administrator for the Safe Communities grant, said the goal of this year's grant is to increase seatbelt usage in Portage County to 81 percent, increase public awareness of seatbelt usage and impaired driving and increase motorcycle safety awareness among both drivers and riders.
The coalition holds monthly meetings. For more information, contact Blasiman at 330-296-4478.
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One quick reminder: If you are the victim of a crime or see a crime in progress, call your local police department by dialing 911 or other appropriate emergency number.
And if you have a breaking news tip or other information you'd like to see in print or online, give the Record-Courier a call at 330-296-9657.
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