The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 243 Drug Addict

Internal parking lot.

Eric circled the Explorer patrol car in front of him, inspected it thoroughly, then stuffed his self-funded rifle into the trunk, walked forward, opened the car door, and got into the driver's seat.

I subconsciously sniffed it, and hmm, there was no strange smell.

Eric let out a sigh of relief, tossed the backpack from his shoulder onto the passenger seat, and then clipped the shotgun into the gun rack between the seats.

He went to great lengths to get the car keys from Sheriff Diane, all in order to obtain a police car without the strange smell.

Otherwise, this day would have been very difficult, but thankfully his efforts were not in vain.

Eric inserted the key, subconsciously recalling what happened in the reception hall, and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

The female police officer in the reception area looked at him, her eyes still shining, her face shy.

Sheriff Diane was as smug as ever, beaming with delight at his compliments and laughing so hard she could barely stand up straight.

Nothing has changed, that's good.

Eric fastened his seatbelt, feeling refreshed, and glanced at the weather outside.

The weather is sunny, which seems to indicate that today will go smoothly.

"I hope you can provide some reliable police reports and cases."

Eric muttered to himself, started the engine, stepped on the gas, and drove the police car away from the internal parking lot.

As they drove to the police station plaza and prepared to move into the front lane, Eric grabbed the car radio and said:
"10-L-11, begin patrol."

-

Regional Dispatch Center Room.

As soon as Eric finished speaking, a woman sitting in one of the seats opened her eyes wide and looked at the widescreen computer screen above.

Eric is back?

Abby's face lit up with surprise; the voice seemed to inject a stimulant into her terrible life.

Her mother's condition had begun to deteriorate, and this was exactly what she needed.

She took a deep breath: "Got it, welcome back, Eric."

The voice rang out from inside the police car, and Eric raised an eyebrow at the familiar voice.

He recognized Abby's voice, but it sounded very tired.

Abby's tone had been several octaves higher, making it sound like she was embarking on a new journey.

Eric glanced at the center console, then suppressed his question for the time being and merged into the traffic ahead.

Waiting to see which guy matches up with him.

Nothing happened until the red light turned green.

This seems to be slightly different from before.

"Very good, today is definitely a good day." Eric was satisfied. He stepped on the gas and prepared to take a detour to check the situation. It had been quite a while since he had patrolled his patrol area.

Then catch a few unlucky guys and get today's targets met.

The police station also needs revenue. He just received a large bonus, so he has to think about the police station's finances.

If the police station has money, then the patrol officers below will also benefit.

Eric was driving at a rather slow pace, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the window.

However, Daves was right today; it's going to be very hot.

The sunlight gradually became dazzling, and distorted heat waves began to rise from the endless asphalt road, causing distant scenery to sway slightly.

As for the surrounding environment, it remains unchanged.

As far as the eye can see, there is a street scene that I have seen countless times.

The same chain pharmacies, the same discount supermarkets, the same mobile phone stores, and the same shops with "Grand Opening" banners, but which look like they've been open for a long time.

Low, boxy buildings, roller shutters covered in graffiti, and the dilapidated exterior walls of old apartment buildings.

Occasionally, you can see a new building under construction, covered by green protective netting and scaffolding.

Before Eric could even look around, a voice suddenly rang out: "Hey, Officer Stevens, you're back?"

Eric glanced over and saw a group of young Latinos standing on the street, shirtless and wearing slip-down athletic shorts.

The tattoos on their bodies indicated they were members of the West Coast Wolf Clan. Seeing Eric's glance, the leader of the group immediately raised his hand and said, "I didn't do anything, officer!"

Eric drove up and simply said, "Get lost!"

With that shout, the few young men who looked like troublemakers obediently ran away.

The passersby were all quite surprised.

Eric remained unconcerned and continued driving the Explorer patrol car past at a slow pace.

-

"Fuck! That scared me to death!" The young man who was clearly the leader swallowed hard, panting heavily to relieve the rapid breathing caused by his frantic run.

"Boss, is this the legendary butcher?" The henchman behind him was also panting heavily.

"Doesn't it look that good?"

Before he could finish speaking, the young man in charge slapped him hard: "Nothing much? Do you think I, the one who's invincible in this neighborhood, can lead you guys away?"
"Let's go! We have to tell everyone the butcher is back. Damn it, we'd better not come here anymore!"

-

"Hey! Officer Stevens, good morning, you're back?"

Eric had just strolled down the street when a middle-aged man handing out flyers in front of a pizzeria called out to him loudly.

"Hmm, Jode, nothing happened, right?"

This middle-aged man is the new owner of this pizza shop that has been open for decades; of course, he took over from his father.

“No.” Jode grinned and shook his head.

"Officer, have you had breakfast?"

Eric shrugged and nodded. "I ate it."

Jode said regretfully, "That's such a shame."

"Hehe, maybe next time. Goodbye, Jode, I have to go now," Eric said with a smile.

"Okay, I won't bother you anymore, officer." Jode waved and watched the slowly moving police car drive away, his smile never fading.

Since this diligent police officer appeared out of nowhere, the public security has been excellent, and no more disturbances have occurred.

The people who live here have seen it all and remember it.

Moreover, this young police officer did not have many bad habits like other police officers.

-

After wandering around for a while, Eric didn't see any unlucky guys who had matched up with him. Instead, they were mingling with the surrounding merchants. Eric sighed and looked disappointed.

There's no reason to patrol or stroll around here anymore.

Eric moved the car and, as usual, went to the couples' café first to make himself a coffee, and then went to the intersection where unlucky guys often ran red lights to wait out the traffic.

That intersection is the de facto revenue-generating location within the West Canyon Police Department.

Because the intersection there is a bit complicated, the traffic lights seem to be deployed in a somewhat flawed way.

There are only two lanes: one for turning right and one for going straight and left.

Therefore, at traffic lights, going straight and turning left are synchronized.

If the driver isn't paying attention, they might actually run a red light.

-

When Eric arrived at the intersection where the couple's coffee shop was located, he saw a guy suddenly waving his hands out. He shook his head and drove over.

That was Barnaby Downs, a notorious drug addict in the neighborhood.

He's a rich guy; the couple's coffee shop is his, as are several other shops and the surrounding buildings.

He's the kind of person who could live a life of ease just by collecting rent.

However, what makes this guy famous is that he went to a drug rehabilitation center to try to quit drugs, but soon relapsed.

If he remembered correctly, he had made a total of fifty-eight round trips.

If I haven't seen him recently, he must have gone back to the drug rehabilitation center on his own.

This guy has great willpower and drive, but it's not very useful. This is one of the reasons why Eric firmly believes that drug addicts are hopeless.

(End of this chapter)