22 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: AUGUST 2017 That priceless moment when someone realizes that the T-shirt they wore on the day they got arrested is going to be Internet Gold. If you’ve ever seen the film “Super Troopers” you might remember the bit about the cops seeing how many times they could say “meow” during a stop be- fore the motorist gets wise and asks what the hell is going on. In Missouri, at least some members of the state parole board were doing the same thing. They would agree on strange words to use dur- ing parole hearings to see how far they could take the prank. A report says parole board member Don Ru- zicka and another gov- ernment employee held contests in which they at- tempted to mention silly, predetermined words or song names, such as “hoo- tenanny,” “platypus” or “Folsom Prison Blues.” The rules of the game were complex. The players could score points if they managed to sneak one of the designated words into the hearing. One point was awarded if they just said the word. If they got the inmate to repeat it they got two points. When asking one inmate about his previous offenses, Ruzicka asked the inmate about items he’d stolen. “That’s a pretty rare item, about like a platypus. How did you know those items were there?” Ruzicka said the game was his idea. The state employee he played the game with re- mains unidentified. Needless to say, it’s easy to have sympathy for peo- ple that don’t like their jobs and don’t take them seriously. But you cross a line when you’re talking about peo- ple’s freedom and there’s juvenile crap going on. “It is clear when listening to the hearings in which the game was played, both Ruzicka and [redacted] seemed to struggle with the interviewing process,” the inspector general’s re- port says. “It seemed they were trying so hard to embed the words or song titles into their questions or statements that they were not focused on the proper questions to ask nor were they actively listening to the responses from the of- fenders,” the IG’s report goes on to say. I really, really hate my job Cops: Drug raid at retirement home uncovers possible golf cart chop- shop Headline of the Month (runner up) This kid’s still the king, though. You know you’ve got a problem when you get booked wearing a T-shirt referencing your previous booking. JOIN TODAY… DON’T DELAY! THE FINEST LEGAL DEFENSE PROTECTING YOU FROM CIVIL, CRIMINAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INCIDENTS Phone Consultation Program, Cancer Care Coverage, Vision Coverage, University Tuition, Car Rentals and Discounts, Pre-paid Legal Program, Group Term Life Insurance, Directors and Officers Liability, Union Liability, Group AD&D, and Fidelity Bonds. ™ Duty-Related Civil, Criminal and Administrative Incidents ™ After Hours Answering Service for Critical Incidents ™ $5,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment Included [24/7, on or off duty] ™ Plan A-HR-218 Legal Defense Coverage Included ™ Team Legal Defense Program for Union Members and Locals FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT Leslie McMahon, Executive Director 800-367-4321, ext. 1010 or lesliem@plea.net P.O. Box 1197 Troy, MI 48099-1197 THE FINEST LEGAL DEFENSE PROTECTION AVAILABLE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS AVAILABLE: TO ENROLL IN LEGAL DEFENSE CALL: 1-800-367-4321 WWW.PLEA.NET FOLLOW US ON: @ProfessionalLawEnforcementAssociation