Police Learn to Put It in Computer Lingo

If San Diego’s police officers are writing better crime and field interrogation reports these days, some credit might go to Sgt. Anne O’Dell.

She was the main author of a 274-page department manual that instructs officers on such things as how to more clearly attribute witness statements and officer observations, the need to elaborate in writing on why a certain arrest was made, and how to use proper abbreviations and codes so the information can be punched into the county’s crime-fighting computer network.

“Good report writing is not always part of the package of an otherwise good cop,” she said. “We’ve got lots of good field cops, but some need help with their report writing. After all, our officers are products of California schools, so they have their shortcomings.”

Writing reports is probably the least exciting thing a police officer does, “so they don’t like to spend a lot of time on it,” she said.

The problem, however, is that when a case goes to the city attorney or district attorney for prosecution, the report may be so confusing or incomplete that the suspect cannot be prosecuted, and the officer’s otherwise good field work is for naught, she said.

Not only were 1,000 copies of the manual printed for department use, but copies have been requested by 35 police departments around the nation.

One area of note in the manual is the proper use of abbreviations so information on suspects can be put in computers.

For instance, if the suspect is from Texas, the officer better put down “TX” because “TE” won’t make computer sense.

Under “hair color,” the officer can put down BLD (bald), AUB (auburn), BLK (black), BND (blond), BRO (brown), GRY (gray), RED (obviously), ONG or PLE.

ONG and PLE? Orange and purple. “You ought to see some of the people we run into,” she said.

Surrogate Storytellers

What do you do when both you and your spouse have had a long day and now the kids want you to read them Dr. Seuss’ “Hop on Pop” but you’re too pooped?

No problem. Plop them in a chair, put a telephone to their ear and dial “Once Upon a Story,” a bedtime story-reading service offered by Priscilla and Duncan Jaenicke of Lemon Grove.

They’ll read your kids a classic like Winnie the Pooh, one of Curious George’s tales, something out of the Dr. Seuss collection, a child’s Bible story or maybe a book you’ve never heard of before that has won the approval of the Jaenickes’ own two preschool children.

The stories generally are rich in dialogue and thin on pictures because, after all, this is by telephone. On the other hand, the Jaenickes will elaborate with sound effects and do the best they can in painting mental pictures to accompany the monologue.

You can hire Uncle Dunc and Aunt Priscilla for one story a week ($6.50, and you’re billed monthly) or for two stories a week ($10). The first story call is free, as a try-out session.

Each story session takes 20 minutes or so and begins with friendly banter in which the child is asked to share something exciting or new in his or her life, to build rapport between storyteller and story listener. Then, as the stories are read, the child is asked a few questions to involve him in the action. A card file system is maintained so each child’s history and reading interests can be recorded, so the telephonic relationship can be nurtured.

“At first we started targeting working moms and dads who might be too tired to read their kids stories at night,” she said. “But then we thought that might make them feel guilty, so now we call it an enrichment service, as an addition to what stories they’ve already read their children during the week. We’re the icing on the cake.”

At $6.50 a shot? “We have to figure out what our own time and effort is worth,” she said. They spend 20 minutes to an hour reading to their own children every day, and offer the telephone service between 7 and 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday. (They’re in the phone book.)

What if the Jaenickes are too tired themselves to read to anyone else?

“Then I’ll call the child and say, ‘Aunt Priscilla is wiped out tonight, we’ll have to reschedule.’ ”

Who Stole Christmas?

This holiday story is taken from the pages of the Fallbrook Enterprise.

According to the paper, Patricia Lopez was raising a trio of turkeys. She named them for each of the holidays in which their lives would be given purpose. There was Thanksgiving Turkey, Christmas Turkey and Easter Turkey.

Seems that a coyote sneaked into the turkey pen the other day and ran off with Thanksgiving. Easter cowered in a corner and was overlooked by the coyotes, and Christmas panicked, ran out the coop and disappeared in a gully.

They named the coyote Grinch.

The next day, Christmas was found and returned to the coop. But Grinch returned and stole Christmas as well.

Easter will be raised in the garage.