The Way My Mind Works

The Way My Mind Works...

Greetings, Gentle Readers...

Usually, I try to share some great thought that's hit my crazy mind. But today is quite different. Call it a rant, if you will. But, I've had a big revelation this week and it has me quite concerned. Here's what has happened.


I was called for Jury Duty this week. I have no real problem with that. It is part and parcel of having a "free" society of laws. I never mind doing my civic duty. And I admit that I have a somewhat idealistic view of our legal system. I'm not pollyanna about it, by any means. But, I have a great respect for our system of laws and courts.
Okay, that being said, I guess I always thought that there was a system of promotions within law enforcement that rewarded length of service and experience. I thought wrong! Of course, I'm not going to give you great details about the case we decided. That wouldn't be right. But, let me tell you what I learned about our local law enforcement.


In this case, a number of officers testified. There must have been a half dozen. That included a detective. A 25 year old detective. Here's what I learned: One only has to attend academy and complete a 40 hour course to become a detective. Now, in my mind, I would think an officer would have to put in a number of years before being considered to take the detective test. There was one officer called who had 20 some odd years on the force. Was he a detective? Nope. But this 25 year old, with none to little "street" experience, passed a 40 hour course so he was a detective. Huh? Did I miss something????


Alright, let's talk about the CSI officer. Same thing. He took a 40 hour course. Now he's supposed to be an evidence expert. Double huh? This officer couldn't answer some simple questions about the evidence. And here's another added "huh?" The detective didn't keep or test all of the evidence found. He made a judgment call on what he thought was viable and what wasn't. Geez, I'd want all of it tested. Give me something!


So, what was the great lesson learned? Anybody who can read and write can become a detective or a CSI officer without so much as a lick of real world experience or time in service. Does that seem wrong to you? Or am I just spitting in the wind on this one?


It just doesn't give me a lot of confidence in our local law enforcement. (sigh)