From a fellow resident:
This is maybe a bit off topic, but I thought it would be of interest.
As you may have noticed, there are often police officers at the CVS at 17 and Q late in the night. They are dressed in full uniform, with gun and badge present.
Last night, I went into the CVS and found a cop, in full uniform, playing on a PSP (think newfangled GameBoy), with headphones in his ears. I was shocked to see that my tax dollars were going to grown men playing videogames. I wrote a few emails, and Lt. Christian from MPD phoned me to let me know the officer was off-duty and that I should take it up with CVS.
I always thought the cops I saw were on-duty and assigned by MPD to be there, otherwise, why would they be wearing their uniforms? In reality, they are off-duty security forces who just happen to reflect very poorly on MPD, which already has somewhat of an image problem.
Anyway, it seems to me that when officers are off-duty, they should appear as such, rather than representing MPD and the uniform they wear so poorly. Maybe I am just crotchety. Any thoughts?
Keep up the great work on the blog.
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14 comments:
Are they just on a short break? If so, it doesn't make sense to ask them to go somewhere to change out of their uniform only to make them change again in 30 minutes (or whatever).
The same is happening at the CVS at 14th and P. From what the people at CVS say, their loss prevention unit went through a week or so ago and now the off-duty police have been hired. The woman at my CVS seemed alert the first time I saw her but the next day was on her cellphone up in the front the whole time I was there and didn't even look up at people entered and exited. Doesn't seem to be MPD's problem (unless of course they're not supposed to be wearing their uniforms off-duty) since CVS is footing the bill.
I think it's unfair to say that "my tax dollars are going towards" this or that or to imply that the cop is just sitting around.
For all we know, that cop could have just come from a death scene, a robbery, or a fight.
Having a cop hangout at CVS (whether on the phone or playing on a gameboy) is no different from anyone reading the paper or surfing the internet at work.
Everyday they put their lives on the line for us. I say give them a break. At least they are there, and in uniform, they have a presence which I believe deters criminal activity.
I don't think this is a big deal. I use to live in a number of cities and worked in various bars where off-duty cops would show up around 1:00 am with uniform on to be the late night security (Las Vegas, New York, and Altanta).
If CVS is doing a simliar thing here I actually think it is great. Cops deter crime. That is why tons of establishments give discounts to local police so they will have a regular presence and scare ("BOOO") the bad guys.
I work in the loss prevention field and I am familar with what CVS is doing. They pay these officers a good deal of money per hour to stand there and be there just for a presence. Most stores will hire them to deter shoplifters. This goes on all over the place and not just in DC.
Yeah, what everyone else has said. "Your tax dollars" aren't doing anything; CVS's dollars are, and if they're okay with the cops playing PSP, so be it. The more uniformed presence in the neighborhood, the better.
Valid point about the uniform bit if true. But no law is self enforcing so unless someone complains about it nothing is going to happen. Besides I don't think MPD officers working at CVS or other places is a bad thing.
sorry for being off topic
still cars are double parked on sunday
photos are at link below
http://dcbubble.blogspot.com/2006/01/as-far-as-we-can-see-it-aint-over-til.html
Question on parking. Is certain churches being singled out or does this new policy effect every church in the Third District?
The reason I say this is news reports mention specific churches and leave out others in the area.
His blog is here: http://dcbubble.blogspot.com/
Sgt. send me an email. The moderator of this blog prefers this discussion off list. www.insidedcbubble.blogspot.com
there were maybe 30 or 40 cars double parked, parked on the curb or parked in no parking zones around 1 pm on Sunday.
here is the link again to the photos: http://dcbubble.blogspot.com/2006/01/as-far-as-we-can-see-in-dc-it-aint.html
rob marvin
I live on U street and am a member of the community
correct email is:
insidedcbubble@yahoo.com
www.dcbubble.blogspot.com
i am an idiot
This is so not a big issue. Really.
Me, a concerned citizen, would think that cops should have to take marriage counseling classes or family counseling, my daughter is married to a cop and he only knows how to take care of everyone else but his family, his excuse is that his job is very Impotant that he stay"s focused so he's too tired to worry about what should be her job, not his. and when my daughter goes to police gathering's that seem's to be everyone's attitude. How can a police Officer be a protecter of society and talk about how bad parent's are out there and that's why their is so much crime because thier parent's don't pay attention to them and then they have no time for thier own families. I believe with all the stress they are under they should be ordered to get counseling and family counseling. It would make them more aware of what might happen to thier own kid's if they have no time for them, that's why they don't understand why kid's are crying out. well i hope this open's up some eye's Thanks for listening and may GOD be With You .
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