A police officer from North Carolina has opened up about what cops really have to deal with on daily basis, from tragic car accidents to fatal heroin overdoses.
Chris, who goes by the username ‘DonutFanatic’ on Imgur, shared his ‘cop stories’ from the 10 years he has spent on the force, starting with one of the most heartbreaking car crashes he ever had to respond to.
The police officer explained that a young girl was killed after her intoxicated mother took her to a gas station to get more alcohol and proceeded to lead her into oncoming traffic because ‘she was so drunk.’
Opening up: A police officer named Chris took to Imgur over the weekend to share ‘cop stories’ from the 10 years he has spent on the force (Stock Image)
‘The daughter, trusting her mother completely, stepped out into the road with the mom,’ he recalled, noting the driver was going the speed limit and did ‘everything right.’
The little girl was killed after being ‘knocked about 30 feet through the air’ and landing in the roadway. Her mother, meanwhile, sustained nothing more than a minor injury.
‘I feel lucky that I wasn’t the first officer on scene,’ he admitted. ‘Two of our guys left work early that night to go home and decompress.
‘I’ll always remember this crash. Seeing that little girl laid out on the road with EMS, Fire, and police surrounding her trying their best to help,’ he said.
‘There were a lot of tears from first responders. I’ve probably never seen so many crying at a scene in public before, or since.’
Although this was a particularly emotional moment, Chris said he has never see any officer cry at a crime scene while investigating a homicide.
I’ll always remember this crash. Seeing that little girl laid out on the road with police surrounding her
‘Where I work the vast majority of our homicides are gang and drug related, even if “officially” we don’t label them gang related (makes the city look bad),’ he explained.
‘The movies and TV shows that depict cops overcome with emotion at the sight of a shooting victim are largely fictitious.
‘I’ve been on dozens of homicides and I’ve yet to see any officer cry, or even be really concerned honestly,’ he admitted.
‘It’s harsh but true, generally these victims are a result of their lifestyle choices to be in a gang or other criminal enterprise and we consider it the cost of doing business.’
Chris said police officers try to be compassionate to the family and friends who want to see the victim, but sometimes they have to ‘threaten to arrest them’ just to keep them from crossing the barrier and contaminating the crime scene.
‘It doesn’t make them like us, but it ensures the sanctity of evidence and helps us to try and find a suspect and successfully arrest them,’ he said.
Another frustrating thing officers have to deal with is people driving while under the influence.
Estimate: The cop from North Carolina said hes probably responded to thousands of car crashes over the course of his 10-year career (Stock Image)
Although Chris stressed that getting an intoxicated person off the road is ‘always worth it,’ he said processing a DWI/DUI (terminology varies by state) can be difficult because ‘the law gives drunks so many protections.’
‘I can arrest someone with a kilo of cocaine and do less paperwork,’ he admitted. ‘DWIs take forever from the initial stop, Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), to the breathalyzer test.’
Chris added that it is often difficult to find a certified chemical analyst to run the machine at his department after giving someone a breathalyzer test.
The officer said his favorite DWI arrest came about after a concerned citizen reported a vehicle weaving all over the road at 4 a.m.
After catching up with the suspect, he said he observed the person’s driving before initiating the stop in order to establish reasonable suspicion.
‘The driver road the curb and even hit a mailbox with their mirror before stopping,’ he recalled.
While in jail she continued to urinate on herself so much that her pants and shoes were soaked
‘The driver absolutely reeked of beer. It was almost painfully strong. So, I get her out of the car and immediately she urinated on herself. And didn’t notice.’
Chris said he knew she had urinated in her pants because it was winter and they were steaming in the cold.
Although she claimed she didn’t have anything to drink, she fell over when she was asked to stand on one leg.
He eventually took her to jail, where she was given an opportunity to take a breathalyzer test
‘While at the jail she continued to urinate on herself so much (without even realizing it), that her pants and shoes were soaked,’ he said. ‘She was leaving footprints on the floor. I’m sure the jailers loved having to clean that up.’
According to Chris, heroin overdoses are also a ‘huge problem’ in his city.
‘I think we’ve had about 300 in my city and like 40-60 fatal overdoses,’ he said.
The officer noted that the use of Narcan, a medication used to block the effects of opioids, has made users less careful about their doses.
‘Even more frustrating after they’re resuscitated they most often refuse to go to the hospital. Why? Well, Narcan wears off after a while,’ he explained. ‘Then they get high off the heroin still in their system.
‘I don’t know what the solution is, but I’ve long since stopped feeling any sympathy for an addict who has plenty of resources and tools to help them and refuses.’
Keeping the roads safe: When it comes to processing DWI/DUIs, Chris stressed that getting an intoxicated person off the road is ‘always worth it’ (Stock Image)
Chris said he had one man overdose almost every day for two weeks before he died, while a pregnant woman overdosed and then got angry when they tried to get her involuntarily committed in an attempt to keep her unborn child safe.
In his post, the police officer also shared his frustrations with people who claim to know their rights but don’t.
‘People think that until they’re under arrest they’re free to go. They think the house is sacrosanct and we can’t enter without a warrant, ever,’ he said.
‘At the end of the day, if I’ve got probable cause to believe there’s a victim in need of assistance in your house I can come in.’
He recalled how an officer he works with had to kick a family’s door open to stop two adult brothers from fighting.
I’ve long since stopped feeling any sympathy for an addict who has plenty of resources and tools to help them and refuses
The family ended up being grateful that the officers entered their home and stopped the brawl before anyone got hurt.
Chris ended his post with his thoughts on Tasers, explaining that they are an ‘amazing tool’ for quickly stopping violent resistance.
However, he noted that a Taser only has a 21 foot range and the odds of hitting a moving target aren’t always great.
‘They are not a magic tool that makes a deadly weapon in the hands of a suspect suddenly not deadly,’ he said. ‘If someone’s armed with a gun, I’m pulling a gun. If someone’s armed with a knife, I’m pulling a gun.’
Chris recalled one of his squadmates using a Taser on man outside of a club when they were trying to prevent a fight from breaking out.
‘I’ve never seen a grown man cry so much in my life,’ he said. ‘Not from the pain really, he was just drunk.
‘The Taser definitely prevented injuries to officers. If we’d had to fight that guy at least one of us would have been sent to the hospital.’
Chris’s post was viewed more than 136,000 times since Saturday, and he told Bored Panda he was ‘pleasantly happy’ to receive such overwhelmingly positive attention.