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MORE TRUE STORIES OF POLICING FROM Randy Ward Author
In this second book of the POLICING THROUGH STORIES series Randy writes about the meat and potatoes aspects of policing. The assaults, thefts, deaths, and unusual situations that have occurred in his journey of over 27 years in policing. These stories will make you laugh, cry and wonder why anyone would be a cop.
MORE SH#T YOU CAN'T MAKE UP: POLICING THROUGH STORIES
EXCERPTS FROM BOOK TWO
I can’t pass out, if I pass out, I die! I must get the cuffs on him before he pulls it together. This thought forces me to move.
I exit my car. I see 43-20 standing on the sidewalk holding his hand, blood pouring from his fingers.
There is a subject laying facedown with his arms and legs spread out on the ground, three meters from him. The K9 officer’s dog is between the officer and the bad guy laying on the ground.
As I walk toward the person, my mind puts together the odd scene in front of me.
The guy is in his early twenties and is duct-taped to a tree, naked.
About Me
My background
I am a retired police officer from Alberta. I spent 25 years with Lethbridge Police Service and 2 years with the RCMP as an Auxiliary Special in BC. I have been involved in all aspects of policing including street patrol; Community Liaison; working in the Criminal Investigation Division doing warrants and the Break and Enter detail for the Police Service. I have always enjoyed the street. I loved the action, the people, the situations and the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Slapping the cuffs on a bad guy is one of the best feelings in the world.
There is a quote that I put in the front of the notebooks I used in my policing career as a reminder to do what I can to help people. Whenever I took out my notebook I saw it. It is variant of an Edward Everette Hale’s quote and reads:
I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Before I was policing, I was in the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves as an enlisted man in the infantry and then as an Lieutenant in a tank squadron.
Often one significant event or action can change the course of your life. Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes not.
Driving home from the Armory one night, dressed in my military uniform, my car started on fire. I pulled off Highway 427, and I quickly checked under the hood, found the engine in flames, and ran the half mile for a fire extinguisher. When I returned to my car, I found the Fire Department putting out the flames. A young cop from the Toronto Police Service, 22 Division of was also at the scene. While on route to my home, a call came in about a break and enter underway at the West Mall. The cop noted my military uniform and decided I could ride along. That event got me interested in policing. I knew; that’s what I wanted to do!
The next few years saw me moved with family to Kelowna, BC, Canada where I experienced other jobs and entrepreneurial endeavors. It is here I met my wife of over 40 years. A construction career evolved, taking us to Calgary, AB and eventually back to the Okanagan Valley.
A series of doors proceeded to open and close in my life and ultimately led me to take a leap of faith that resulted in my successful entrance to the Law Enforcement Program at Lethbridge Community College, AB, Canada. I was hired to the Lethbridge Police Force a month before I even competed the program! The Lethbridge Police Force changed its name to the Lethbridge Police Service then to the Lethbridge Regional Police Service and now it’s back to the Lethbridge Police Service.
I have retired from policing and currently write on policing, police stories and safety. My first book is out on Kindle and I am narrating an audio version. My second book in the series called, "MORE SH#T YOU CAN'T MAKE UP: POLICING THROUGH STORIES" is out on Amazon!
I am currently working on a fictional book where I don't have to stick to the facts and can use my imagination
I also do presentations on safety and policing. I have a company that also does safety audits and I am a writer of safety programs.
I currently live near Coaldale, AB
Randy Ward Author
My writing roots
I started writing out of tragedy. In policing there is always tragedy and if you don’t get it out, it will destroy you. Some cops deal with the emotions by exercising, some cops party and drink, some just stuff it down, but I learned a long time ago, you must deal with inner conflicts or it will eat you up. Tragedy is a great motivator, it doesn’t allow you to do nothing without consequences.
I have always written in some form or another. Mostly technical reports. First doing reports in the military, then police incident reports. I started writing for my wellbeing when a police officer friend of mine was killed by a drunk driver when he had another vehicle pulled off to the side of the road. The drunk driver plowed his grain truck into him, killing him instantly. I had this overwhelming need to write about the funeral and my feelings so “The Partner” story came into being.
Since that time whenever I experienced some great event or tragedy I wrote about it. Mostly to get it out of my thoughts. I tied and continue to try and write daily, although I don’t seem to keep up as much as I want.
My belief is everyone should write. There are certain areas of the brain that only get activated by writing. So, activate your brain, write. It makes no difference what you write about, just write.
Randy
My style
Right now, I write about things and events that have happened to me. Most of my writing is about what it’s like to be a beat cop. I could write about my time in CID (Criminal Investigation Division) but the streets are where my passion was and is. THE STREETS ARE WHERE THE ACTION IS!
Mostly, I write in the present tense to engage the reader. To make you feel the same emotions that I felt when I fought for my life or tried to engage with a suicidal person intent on killing himself in the most violent ways.
My first solo book is called: YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS SH#T UP: POLICING THROUGH STORIES and is available through Amazon. (The link is attached!) The book description is as follows: Forty-three short stories- A man soaks himself in gasoline and starts to light himself on fire; A bank robber and future murderer runs at you with two large military knifes; you fight for your life at a traffic stop with three criminals; a suicidal man sits on a ledge 150 meters above the ground. What would you do? Find out what happened! Randy Ward’s true police stories take you into the heart-pounding world of policing. The stories captivate you, allow you to experience the terror, violence, heartbreak, humour and sadness of policing. His accounts will inspire you, and make you laugh, cry, and shake your head in disbelief at what cops experience. These true-life events tell of shootings, stabbings, assaults, tragedies and the thrilling and funny experiences of a beat cop. His stories admit you into the unique sub-culture of policing and will allow you to understand why cops around the world say, “YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS SH#T UP!”
Volume two of this series called "MORE SH#T YOU CAN'T MAKE UP!" which continues with the true short stories about incidents, events, tragedies and the meat and potatoes of policing . These stories in the second book are more graphic dealing with assaults, deaths and other aspects of policing.
The first book, “YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS SH#T UP” is out on Kindle.
Plus exciting news, I am putting “YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS SH#T UP” out on Audible. Since I lived through these events and wrote the stories, I think it is important that I narrate it. Which I'm really excited about! I am deep in the learning curve of how to complete and narrate an audio book. The Kindle version is out and I'm in the process of putting out the audio version.
My hope is that my writing gives you a glimpse of policing, to admit you in the unique sub-culture of being a cop, to allow you to completely experience it and understand it to a degree. I hope my writing gives you that look, that peek into true policing.
Randy