Sgt. Eddie Presser was happy to be in his patrol car. Even though it had been a couple months, he was still getting adjusted to the fact that he was alone in his cruiser. Prior to PFC Max Breaklin’s release from his FTO program, Eddie had been his Field Training Officer and even after Eddie had taken over as squad sergeant, Max had ridden with him for another few weeks. Eddie had spent most of his career patrolling with a partner. Being alone in his cruiser still left him feeling as if something was missing.
For all that, he was delighted to be in his cruiser. It seemed like he was getting caught and “trapped” at the station far too often. This morning it had happened again. His academy class mate, Sgt. Saul Panadopolus, who was in charge of the agency’s communications and records section, had bent Eddie’s ear after catching him in the hallway. Saul believed he had found a sympathetic friend in his quest for the best video file storage system and his “mission” to get the Chief to sole source a purchase from Quantum. The agency needed to update and increase its video file storage system and it was Saul’s belief that the entire request-for-proposals and bid process was a huge waste of time (and money). He was of the firm belief that the Chief should just identify Quantum as the only company able to provide the necessary services within a given price requirement. Saul was spending a lot of time doing research and building his case. From everything he had to say, Eddie agreed that it sounded like Quantum’s storage system was exactly what Oceanside needed. On the other hand, Eddie felt like he was Saul’s only sympathetic ear and it was getting tedious.
While trying not to be rude, Eddie had excused himself in the middle of one of Saul’s rants this morning, happy to escape to his cruiser and the solitude therein. Eddie’s squad was on the street and Oceanside, Virginia was slowly waking up to a new day.
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Max couldn’t say he really enjoyed seeing the sunrise from his cruiser, but at least he still enjoyed seeing the sunrise. Sean was being a tolerant partner. As a surprise to them both, JP had brought coffee out to them along with the breakfast she’d made. Scrambled eggs and bacon with biscuits and a thermos full of coffee. It was very domestic and slightly out of character for her, but she said she loved him and her behavior certainly supported her statements. Sean was benefitting because she brought enough to feed all three of them (herself included). So, in typical cop style, they were standing around the hood of their police car, eating off of paper plates, drinking out of paper cups, and using plastic forks to eat the breakfast she’d delivered. Max had already told her how much he appreciated the effort. She told him he could do a better job of expressing his appreciation after he got off work that afternoon. She punctuated the statement with a wink and Max smiled his acknowledgement. Sean sighed and looked away. “These two lovebirds…” he thought to himself.
Around the city, the other members of the squad were on patrol, each patrol pair enjoying their own morning rituals. In Unit 1096, Mike and Kyle were eating breakfast burritos and drinking diet soda. In Unit 1097, Sam and Dave were sipping black coffee and praying for a quiet day. In Unit 1098, Pete and Bill were taking turns complaining about various challenges in their lives and then laughing at each other’s problems. It promised to be a beautiful late winter morning as the temperatures felt more like spring.
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The morning did indeed pass quietly. With the exception of a couple traffic stops the squad pulled, the city seemed to be humming along without issue. No alarm calls were dispatched. No accidents were reported. No stolen vehicles… no armed robberies… no domestics; just a beautiful morning with a gorgeous sunrise followed by a near silent morning of “routine” patrol. The kind of shift that can lull an officer into thinking it’s going to be an easy day.
When lunch time finally rolled around, it felt like the squad had already worked a full day.
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