Writers Tricks of the Trade Issue 2 Volume 9 | Page 36

burritos from the local “roach coach” and
needed to “hit the head” … with an empha-
sis on “quickly”! Realizing that the interior
of a police helicopter was a cramped and
confined space with very little air circula-
tion, Jones turned and dove the ‘copter at
warp speed towards Terminal Annex. Flar-
ing the aircraft as if in a combat zone under
fire, the skids had no sooner touched down
when the rear door opened and the ser-
geant bailed out, running and unbuckling
his “Sam Browne” equipment belt at the
same time. By the time he reached the
stairwell door, his pants looked like some
of the fashion statements that certain eth-
nic, young guys wear today in public.
After a few minutes, a radio call came-
out that officers were in foot pursuit of a
suspect with a gun. This is a type of call that
needs an air unit, and fast. So, without hesi-
tation, Jones took-off while Smith commu-
nicated to Dispatch that the air unit was en
route to the location. Just as the skids
cleared the edge of the rooftop, the ser-
geant came running out onto the helipad
while simultaneously trying to buckle his
pants. Without a radio, he was stranded in
the cold, night air for nearly an hour before
Jones and Smith returned to pick him up.
When they landed, the air crew could
see the “daggers” emitting from the ser-
geant’s eyes. As soon as he boarded into the
rear seat, got strapped-in, and connected
his helmet to the intercom, Jones gave a
sarcastic apology saying, “Sorry to leave
you Sarge, but a priority call came out and
we’ve been told that we need to be more
proactive in our mission.”
Flying back to Air Support’s heliport,
not a word was spoken between the ser-
geant and the crew. As soon as the landing
was finished, he exited the aircraft and
“stormed-off” to the operations trailer.
Jones and Smith burst-out in uncontrollable
laughter. The sergeant never again said an-
ything about air crews not properly re-
sponding to calls.
“Negative flyby, Ghostrider, the ‘toilet’
pattern is full.”
R ON WAS GIVEN A DISABILITY PENSION IN 1977. D URING MANY MONTHS AND YEARS OF HOSPITALIZATION , POST IN-
CIDENT SURGERIES AND PHYSICAL REHABILITATION , HE FINISHED HIS EDUCATION EARNING A BA, MS, AND P H D. H E RE-
BUILT HIS LIFE AROUND NEW CAREERS , INCLUDING BEING A SCHOOL TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL . H OWEVER , LAW ENFORCE-
MENT AND SECURITY WERE STILL HIS PRIMARY LOVE . U NABLE TO DO POLICE WORK , HE PURSUED VARIOUS JOBS IN PRI-
VATE SECURITY AND TRAINING IN PERSONAL SAFETY , INCLUDING BEING A BODY GUARD , DIRECTOR OF SECURITY , CON-
SULTANT AND TRAINER FOR SECURITY FORCES AT DOE NUCLEAR FACILITIES .
H E MOVED TO L AS V EGAS IN 1993 AND JOINED LVMPD. O N BEHALF OF THE D EPARTMENT , HE SERVED AS A CPTED
(C RIME P REVENTION T HROUGH E NVIRONMENTAL D ESIGN ) EXPERT CONSULTANT TO VARIOUS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTI-
TIES IN L AS V EGAS . H E RETIRED IN 2011 AFTER SEVERAL YEARS AS THE P OLICE A CADEMY T RAINING M ANAGER .
R ON HAS WON SIXTEEN AWARDS FOR HIS WRITING SKILLS IN GENRES OF POETRY , FLASH FICTION , AND FICTION AND
NON - FICTION SHORT STORIES FROM THE P UBLIC S AFETY W RITERS A SSOCIATION . H IS PUBLISHED MEMOIR BOOK , B EYOND
R ECOGNITION , WON A FIRST - PLACE AWARD IN 2013. H E HAS BEEN MARRIED TO HIS HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART FOR
OVER 53 YEARS , AND HAS THREE CHILDREN AND SEVEN GRANDCHILDREN .
S UMMER 2019
P AGE 31
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE