Tweek's Thread Before Bed
Forums › General Discussion › Tweek's Thread Before Bed-
Most of you probably don't know, but I am an Army MP in Korea. I state that simply in order to inform you of how the following story occurred.
I was working a day shift at a camp nearby. Working a shift as an MP is very similar to working a shift as a police officer. We write tickets, arrest people, handle cases, and all of that similar jazz. Well, I was working a day shift about a week ago. My partner and I was running radar in a residential area, (meaning people live there, and are constantly running around) and we were pulling over vehicles that were doing 16KPH (10MPH) over the speed limit and issuing them either warnings or tickets.
The very first vehicle that we pulled over was a public works truck. My partner and I had already decided that the first vehicle we pulled over was getting a ticket instead of a warning. It is always better to know if you are issuing a ticket or a warning before you even step out of your vehicle. It prevents confusion and other problems later.
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Public works personnel are usually Korean citizens, who perform manual labor, such as construction, plumbing, and etc. We walk up to the truck, and sure enough, it was a Korean. He was older, at least in his late 50's. They work until they can't anymore over here. It's not uncommon to see a person in their late 60's picking up trash on the sidewalks or other things like that.
He couldn't speak much English, but he is Korean, so why should he? We are in his country as their guests. When he rolled down his window and I saw his face, I could tell that he was upset. Not upset in an angry way, but upset in a sad way. My partner and I explained to him why he was pulled over and he nodded in understanding. Then, the best that he could in his broken English, stuttered "I sorry, I sorry." He said nothing else. Something about his apology got to me. It snuck right past my poker face and jabbed itself somewhere below my neck and above my navel. He was so sincere, and probably didn't realize that he was speeding.
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We went back to our vehicle, wrote the ticket, went back up to him, issued the ticket, returned his belongings, and he drove away. He didn't say a word. After that, I couldn't help but to think about him. That ticket we wrote may have cost him his job. You see, the tickets we write don't deal with money. They deal with points. Get enough, and your driving privileges on post are gone. If you can't drive your truck out to wherever you are needed, then you can't do any work. If you can't do any work, then there is no reason for you to remain with your employers.
He could have been the only provider for his family, and they couldn't have much money in the first place, or he wouldn't have a manual labor job that doesn't pay well. If he lost his job, he could find another one, but who really knows. That ticket could have been the pebble that started the avalanche, and I will never know. That doesn't mean that I don't care or think about it.
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My day continued on without a hitch, but my mind kept wondering back to that old man. Maybe I'm too nice of a guy. Maybe I shouldn't be bothered because it was his fault. For him to lose his job, he would have had to have received tickets before, but to be the one that in the end could cause serious problems for a family is a burden.
In the end, he got his ticket, and we continued on our way. I won't see him again, and if I do, I wouldn't recognize his face, only his voice. And only then if he uttered the same apology.
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Wow, Tweek has a heart. Who would've known? I feel you, though. I'd be conflicted, too, if I were in your position.
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Wow
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41Fivin' wrote:
If you ever tell anyone, I will crush you.Wow, Tweek has a heart. Who would've known? I feel you, though. I'd be conflicted, too, if I were in your position.
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Tweek wrote:
Lol41Fivin' wrote:
If you ever tell anyone, I will crush you.Wow, Tweek has a heart. Who would've known? I feel you, though. I'd be conflicted, too, if I were in your position.
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If he wasn't speeding none of this would have happened. It's great you care dude, but he knew the risks well before you pulled him over.
Sometimes our jobs require us to do things we dislike, we don't have to like it, but it's our responsibility to follow through. ✊
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"The Man" wrote:
Exactly. He got his ticket and will have to deal with what it brings him. However, that doesn't mean that I have to be a robot about it. I suppose you could say that the awareness of the possible reaction to my actions can sometimes be a heavy burden to bear, but will not affect my performance....Sometimes our jobs require us to do things we dislike, we don't have to like it, but it's our responsibility to follow through. ✊
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With that being said, this is not a debate. There are no sides, and if sides form, I will sit in the middle. This was just a story.
It was his apology. If it hadn't been exactly like it was, then I wouldn't have thought about him ever again.
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41Fivin' wrote:
Exactly what I was thinkingWow, Tweek has a heart. Who would've known? I feel you, though. I'd be conflicted, too, if I were in your position.
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Well done Tweek. It's nice you feel the way you do and that you care. But as you and The Man said, you speed or break the law, you take the risk of getting caught up for it. Maybe he'll slow down a bit now. Either way, good story.
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People touch your life for a myriad of reasons....maybe his was to put you back on touch with your own humanity....
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Here ya go...
FTM
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Or his speeding of 10mph cost him his livelihood... If I were him then I would remember the face of the man who did that to me for a long time- much longer than he would remember mine
Nit saying you did anything wrong, just that it's a tough job that you have
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Yea bro, if YOUR ticket put his family over edge, then thats totally not your problem. Plus, as a driver he should KNOW the speed limit.
And btw, I know you have a heart, a BIG one, and I know a beatutiful osu girl who will more then agree with me 😉 -
BAT SMURF wrote:
Why would you go and ruin a perfectly good thread?Liar
Noobs 😒
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I was just thinking about this again.
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Thanks to share your feeling about!
Grimm and the Man, brings it to the point.
My respect! -
Tweek - LE is LE my man. There is always a reason not to give a ticket: working class man runs a stop sign, apologetic female who reminds you of your sister, old timer who is really nice and respectful. Gotta put empathy on the back burner and just do the job. If you think about it too much it will tear you up.
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In a way, I know how you feel tweek. I'm casino security, and a rule states there is to be no solicitation of any type on casino grounds. Just a few hours ago I had to kick an older gentleman, roughly 65 years old, out for trying to sell his watch. He explained that he lost all his money and had nothing for gas to get home. He lives two hours away. It bugs me when something like that comes up, and it's a part of my job I hate, but it IS a part of my job.
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Wow, I can 110% understand exactly where you are coming from and can say without a doubt that if I were in your shoes I would be feeling exactly the same way.
Alot of people think that law enforcement officers are heartless and blame them when they get caught doing something they shouldn't be... But at the end of the day people like Tweek are just doing their job like you and me, so we should respect them for it because they wouldn't fine you if you were doing the right thing.
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Yeah, I remember reading this either a few hours or a few days after it was posted but never commented. Anyways, I can understand that. But it was your job in the end and nothing but how you feel can say it was wrong, at least justifiably, what you did. You did your job.
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Tweek wrote:
TWEEK, as former military myself, let me tell you brother, you never stop thinking about it. You will 30-40 yrs old and it will pop up and put you into the thousand yard stare. Good luck my military brother, you are doing an honor and a service to our country."The Man" wrote:
Exactly. He got his ticket and will have to deal with what it brings him. However, that doesn't mean that I have to be a robot about it. I suppose you could say that the awareness of the possible reaction to my actions can sometimes be a heavy burden to bear, but will not affect my performance....Sometimes our jobs require us to do things we dislike, we don't have to like it, but it's our responsibility to follow through. ✊
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