A story from Officer Ron Albertson

 

Ron Albertson is a relatively recent addition to the Menlo Park Police force. His rookie status is belied by his comfortable manner and his ability to communicate with both victims and suspects. The following story is a great example of justice and coincidence in action.

  

Albertson made his way through the small crowd that had gathered to hear the stabbing victim's story. The paramedics treated the man's wound as best they could and were entreating him to go to the hospital for stitches. He refused. Albertson entered the circle of paramedics and watched as they explained why stitches would be beneficial, and how a tetanus shot was most certainly in order. All Albertson could see from his position was the man's back and the concerned faces of the medics. When Albertson finally spoke, it was to join in encouraging the man to take the short trip to the Stanford Hospital. He also added that he could perform the necessary interview about the stabbing at the hospital. When the man turned to face Albertson, Albertson suddenly smiled broadly.

 

The paramedics watched in horror as Albertson removed his handcuffs from his duty belt and promptly cuffed the man. Albertson leaned forward, pulled the man close, and whispered in his ear, "You have the right to remain silent …"

 

After Albertson put the man in the back of his patrol car he informed the medics that he would transport him to the hospital for a check-up before taking him to jail. He left the small group of medics scratching their heads. Once in the car, Albertson adjusted the rear-view mirror to provide a view of the face in the back seat. "Remember me? 'Cause I remember you …"

 

Earlier that day …

 

When Albertson signed up for an extra five hours of overtime on top of his regular ten-hour shift, he assumed it would be on his favorite beat: Beat Three—"Crime Beat."  Halfway through his regular shift he discovered he would patrol Beat One for his overtime hours. He could barely disguise his disappointment.  Beat One was the slowest of beats—no rookies wanted Beat One.  But he took the assignment like any dedicated rookie would and went about his business.

 

The call came out as a fraud-in-progress. A man recognized as the same one who had passed a bad check the previous week had come back to the store attempting to pass yet another bad check. Albertson was two blocks away. Dispatch added that the man had just exited the store and was walking east on Willow Road. He was described as Hispanic, wearing a red shirt and jeans. Albertson saw the man as he neared the market. Unfortunately, the man also spotted him. As Albertson approached, the man bolted, dashing across Willow Road and into the Veterans Hospital grounds. Albertson set a good perimeter with incoming units. The subsequent search took nearly an hour to complete.

 

No suspect.

 

He had somehow eluded the searchers. Albertson was beside himself. He had set a good perimeter. The search was systematic and thorough.

 

Three hours later …

 

The burglary call was at a residence on the Veterans Hospital grounds. The resident had come home and found her house ransacked. The bathroom held curious clues. A red shirt had been torn and large pieces of it stuffed into the toilet. Drops of blood were discovered on the sink, the floor, and near a broken window, the point of entry.

 

As Albertson drove the stabbing victim/suspect to the hospital, he realized right away that the carefully set perimeter had not, in fact, failed. The suspect had been inside the perimeter all along. He had broken a small window in the back of a house and crawled in, cutting himself badly on the arm as he did. He had ransacked the house and finally found a woman's shirt large enough to fit him, bandaged his arm as best he could, and waited until it became dark outside. He sneaked out of the house and hitched a ride west. His arm began to bleed through the fabric; it was clear that he would require more bandages. The story he told a concerned citizen he encountered was that he had just been stabbed, prompting the concerned citizen to call the police.

 

Finding the suspect made Albertson's day!

 

At the hospital, as the suspect was being stitched up, he looked at Albertson and asked how he had recognized him in his new clothes. Albertson smiled and said, " The buttons, my friend. They work differently on women's clothes …"

 

Case closed.