RIDE ALONG!

A bit ago, a friend who had just purchased a Brooklyn condo, forwarded me the following email (sent out to all the condo owners). This is the kind of thing that makes my day:

Subject: Quick recap of last night's NYPD Community Council Meeting ...
To: graydencondos@yahoogroups.com (name changed)

A couple of things that Inspector Banks mentioned as critical in developing a relationship with the 79th Precinct is participation in their Ride Along program. Basically, civilians wearing protective armor accompany police officers for a few hours as they respond to emergencies. This is extremely safe - you will not be exposed to any situation with guns or extreme violence but you will be exposed to other members of the community and get an understanding of their world and also develop a personal relationship with the police officers.

RIDE ALONG!

My friend's assessment was tapped out up at the top of his forward:
clearly i am missing something. before we even get to the ridiculous, voyeuristic safari aspect, there is the goodwill accumulated by finding the hostile members of the community and assisting in their harassment. "who me? no i'm not a cop. i'm just a regular member of the community. i live over on 148 grayden street apt 3B"(address changed)

Another friend put it more succinctly:

Before:
"Give me your money." Money is handed over. Situation resolved.

After:
"Give me your... Hold on, didn't I see you riding around in a police car wearing body armor last night? Where's your body armor now tough guy?" followed by a severe beating.