DRUNK DRIVER

One evening on the way home from a dance I stopped at a local supermarket. On the way out from the supermarket I saw two gentlemen getting out of a car to go into the supermarket. I noticed that the driver seemed a little bit unstable. Being ever concerned for the safety of my fellow citizens, I decided to do my civic duty, dialed 911, and explained to the lady who answered my call that I suspected the driver to be intoxicated.

She responded by telling me that there was nothing the police department could do since the man was not presently committing a crime! She continued by saying that if I wanted to wait and tell them which way the car went when it took off they would dispatch an officer. I thought it rather strange that the police would prefer to let the man drive away and then try to catch him, rather than to be there when he first took off. I guess I can be proud of a police department that likes the thrill of a challenge and would prefer to go track down a drunk driver after he has left the site, rather than being sissies by doing at the easy way and simply waiting for him to pull out. I mean, after all, we want to give the drunk driver a sporting chance, right?

Having these thoughts in mind, I responded to the woman by telling her that the person would likely be coming back out of the supermarket in a matter of minutes and I thought that the police department would like to be there ready for him. The woman repeated that there was nothing that the police department could do when the man wasn't actually committing the crime, and added that she had no officer available to dispatch at that time (apparently, however, one would magically become available in the event that the person got back in his car and started driving).

FOLLOW UP

A while after this I was stopped by a police officer for driving without my seatbelt fastened. He proceeded to look at my license and ask me questions, whereupon I freely blabbered that I had moved about three months before and had not changed the address. He informed me that I was supposed to have changed my address within one month of having moved and proceeded to write a ticket for both infractions. Whereas I was plainly guilty on both counts I went to the courthouse the next day and paid my fine of $120, feeling ashamed of myself for having worried about such trivial a matter as a drunk driver, when I had the gall to drive around with my seatbelt unfastened!