What To Do With a Sleeping Boston Cop on Charles Street?

So I was walking home yesterday evening, at maybe 5:15, and decided to stop by DeLuca's for some wine (never their meat, thanks anyway).  As I crossed Beacon, headed for Charles, I saw that a Boston Police cruiser was parked in front of the market.  Drawing closer, I could see that it was empty, so I thought perhaps the officer was inside the store getting a drink or something.

But when I got close enough, I saw that the officer was in the car - sound asleep.  The window was down, the car running, and he was slumped slightly to the right, head on chest, drooling just a little.  This was in broad daylight, at commuter time, in front of a popular market.  I went inside to buy my wine (and, I confess, a little goat cheese with garlic and herbs along with some Carr's crackers), chuckling.

When I came out, he was still there.  What to do?  It isn't safe for cops to sleep in the open, though Charles Street attacks are pretty much unknown.  It's terrible PR for the city.  And he could get in trouble (I trust) from his supervisors.  What to do?  Take a photo, of course, for my blog.  But I didn't have the camera (yes, I know that only a moron would spend hundreds of dollars on a pocket-sized digital camera for just such opportunities and leave it at home -that's me- you'd think I'd have learned my lesson).  What to do?  Call the District and rat him out?  Nope.  I've been a tired cop before.  What to do?  Wake him up.

That's what I did.  I woke the officer up, and told him he should move if he wants to "go in the hole," because sleeping in front of DeLuca's is unwise.  Startled and confused, Officer Anonymous thanked me, but I think he went back to sleep.

Like me, he may take a while to learn the lesson.

Comments

[Josh Wardell]

Thanks for doing the right thing and not going overboard. Like a cop pulling you over and not giving you a ticket, the action is enough to scare you into learning your lesson. You never know, he may have been feeling sick or something. Many officers have to work way too many overtime hours to make ends meet..sleep suffers.

[wavemaker]

Yah I guess you did right -- but contrary to Josh's sympathy for the beat cops who "work way too many overtime hours to make ends meet," I am reminded that way too many cops are working way too many PRIVATE DETAILS (75% of them unnecessary), making A LOT OF MONEY (some more than me) while sitting in LATE MODEL FOREIGN CARS (that cost more than mine). And if the guy just went back to sleep, here's hoping the next guy coming along is a Republican (heh).

[Tim]

What's wrong with the cop making more than you do or driving a better car? I fail to register a
connection, most cops that I know are hard working down to earth guys and they should be making more,
not less.

[carpundit]

I agree with Tim that police salaries could be higher (though not in Boston - I hope we don't have to open that discussion again). I also agree with Wavemaker that private paid police details are usually not needed. In fact, I go farther: they are a complete waste of public money and resources and should be eliminated except in unusual circumstances.

[bwc]

I think I'd rather the cop be napping on the side of the road, than attempting to drive and work his shift dozing off. I don't agree that sleeping on the clock is a good idea, and hope it isn't a regular thing (agreeing with the spread too thin of the comments above) but another way of thinking about it is it could have been worse, and perhaps on the evening news with casualties...

[carpundit]

When I was a part-time cop in the late 80's, back in college, I had a midnight-shift Sergeant who said he didn't like his officers sleeping on the job, but if they had to sleep, he wanted them in the back parking lot of the station. He said, "Tell the dispatcher where you are, then get your cat nap in the station parking lot. It's safe there, and we know where to find you."

That was good advice.

[Wave Maker]

My point, Tim, was not that they make more money (it was sarcasm) or drive better cars (ditto). My POINT is, you WORK for your money, you don't SLEEP for it. If you can't stay awake AS A COP, then you shouldn't take the SHIFT.