July 15, 2002
I suppose working odd hours has its little benefits. One of which, is the excitement of being followed by a police officer for going to get a drink. Allow me to explain.
I work midnight to 08:00. Obviously, this is a time of day when most sane people would be in bed, sleeping. (Which says a lot about me right there.) Anyway, since the sane world sleeps at this time, that leaves me to work at my office.
I work technical support, and let me tell you, you really work up a thirst talking to people who need to be walked through a reboot. So every night, between 2 and 4, I take my car and head to the BP up the street for liquid refreshment, usually in the form of a bottle of Sobe, or a Dasani water. (Sometimes I'll pick up a sandwich too.) So this morning, at around 01:35, I get in my car and head out of the parking lot.
I pass a police officer. He's sitting in the complex parking lot, apparently doing paperwork. I think nothing of it as I circle the buildings and make my way to the exit. As I turn out onto the street, I pass him again. He's going the opposite direction. Fine, whatever.
As I turn into the BP, I glance in my rear-view mirror, and there he is. His roof lights come on as I pull into my space. At this point, I absolutely know I've done nothing wrong, so I get out of the car. I start for the store and I glance in the direction of the officer behind me, and he's staring right at me. So I walk over.
"Go sit in your car."
Fantastic. I get back in the car, and I sit. After about half a minute, he gets out of his car. He greets me with a "Good morning" as he walks to my window. I reply with a "Good morning", and he asks me to break out my ID. I politely comply, and I ask him what the problem is.
"What were you doing in that office complex?" he asks, as he shines his flashlight on my ID. My Florida ID.
"I work there, sir."
"That's a long commute from Spring Hill, Florida." Yeah, it sure is. That's when I tell him I haven't gotten a Georgia license yet. (Well, it's true!) "What company do you work for?"
"StayOnline.net. Suite 408."
He then asked to see my proof of insurance. As I'm flipping through the paperwork in my glove compartment, he calls in my license number.
"Is it normal for you to be at work at 1:30 in the morning?"
"Yes sir. My shift is midnight to 8 AM."
Wonder of wonders, I can't locate my proof of insurance. I tell him I can't find it, and he asks me to turn on my headlights. He says "Okay, well let's make sure everything is working." He does some checking in the back of my car, and underneath (?), then comes back to the window and hands me my ID.
Finally, he explains the situation. Apparently, there have been several robberies in our complex, and I guess they were called out to keep an eye on the place during the odd hours of the night. (He knows about the overnight sanity rule!) I explain that I was just heading for the BP to get a drink, and I was on my way right back to the office.
"Okay, that's cool. Go get your drink. Just make sure to get hold of your insurance card, and keep it in your car. That's a $400 fine in Georgia. Oh, and if you ever get stopped again, be sure to stay in your car. Don't get out. That's a good way to get shot." Food for thought, I suppose.
My Sobe was warm, too.
(03:06)
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