'Exhibit A':
Sheriff Gaines,
I am deciding tonight whether I bother to call to report any traffic incidents in your jurisdiction ever again. I am tired with the way some things are being handled in your office, including some recent noise complaints I had, met with "I've got an idea--why don't you move?" from Mr. Stephenson down there, earlier this year.
On the way home tonight, only about 30 mins. ago, I came across an accident that had just occurred at the intersection of Glen Lily and Vets. Blvd., where two cars were pulled off on the shoulder, and one was just left sitting in the middle of both lanes approaching Morgantown Road. I was in the left, and the car in the right both had to diverge to avoid debris and glass, and it was getting dark (it now is completely)...the first thing I noted was that a) no one was injured, since all drivers were represented in two basic areas, and b) all autos were movable, yet the one left in the middle of the road.
With night coming on, I bothered to call 393-4000--I knew it wasn't a 911 call, but didn't quite know the jurisdiction at that intersection. My call was taken by BGPD, then politely forwarded to a female dispatcher at yours. Things broke down, with your dispatcher first asking me if I myself was involved, then starting to bicker with me on a point she perceived was relevant (it wasn't), which was, how I couldn't recall the colors of the three cars involved, yet could accurately tell no one was injured, and it was likely an insurance argument ongoing, with the single vehicle (dark colored minivan, I think) left in the middle of Vet's Blvd. Since I had run over some windshield (or other) auto glass in attempting to avoid the scene myself (and so had the other driver avoiding to the right), I decided to report the incident. I'm to the point where I'm debating the usefulness of reporting any future traffic incidents to you, with the arguments forthcoming like they always do.
Your dispatcher angered me by basically questioning my judgment, which I thought was not only pretty sound, but level-head, quick, and appropriate, in the interest of other drivers. The smallish, 5' 6"-ish blonde woman waving and arguing with a guy the size of Hillbilly Jim made quite a scene, and I guess you could say I just 'wasn't in the mood' to find yet another unnecessary, pointless, and time-wasting argument in the 'line of questioning' from your dispatcher in the stead of actual police response of any kind.
Hope the accident scene resolved itself--I'm sure some deputies were actually sent out quickly, and they'll all get their due credit on the WBKO news at 10PM tonight.
My condolences in your re-election, and 'many happy returns' to you all.
'Exhibit B':
Hope they have nice 'half-lives'--I know our taxes always do....Listening to my online scanner (to hear your dept. joke about my earlier call), I notice SOMEBODY lost their own cell phone...instead of wasting taxpayer's time deputizing the homeless from now on, why don't you guys just take my advice and use the HTC Android app called 'Lookout'--it's free, it's an antivirus, and it backs up your phone data to your free online account as well...OH--and you can use it to locate and pinpoint your phone within few feet, utilizing a LOUD siren signal sent to it--if it's on, in these cases, you'll hear it over the din of that 'big red Mack truck' every time!"
And this is why I won't be calling in to report any 'potentially' unsafe traffic incidents any more...I'm not married to these people, and so, I don't feel like arguing with 'em every time...
Sorry.
Mike
