The Story Behind the Motor Cop Thing
What happens when two oldest children marry each other? Lots of conversations that turn into silly debates of trying to prove yourself right at all costs.
So this motor cop disagreement between Terence and I actually started because of a letter to the editor in our little local newspaper. The author wrote to complain that he had been pulled over for driving right under the speed limit and that the officer had told him he should be going 5-10 mph over the speed limit. Understandably, the driver was highly annoyed at this officer, and he was insistent that it was a "motor cop" from Terence's agency.
Terence and I tried to make sense of this story between ourselves. The driver told us what street he was on when he was pulled over, and that was the first puzzle because it is in an area far outside of the normal jurisdiction of anyone in Terence's agency. Terence, of course, was defensive. He insisted that the driver must have exaggerated his story-- like maybe he was driving 20 mph under the speed limit, not just 2 mph under the limit. I tentatively suggested that maybe there really was some officer who was perhaps a little too full of himself and pulled the guy over because he wanted to be heading home a little faster than traffic allowed.
Well, that started it. (I should have known better, but I couldn't seem to help myself.)
Terence then proceeded to defend his position that the driver was a wacko with gusto. His first "proof" that the driver was mistaken (or lying) was that no officer wanting to get home quicker would bother to pull someone over because that only makes you later. OK, point conceded there. Second, he argued that he knows all of the officers who live in this area and none of them are the power-hungry, bully kind of cop. Um, I couldn't really argue this point since I don't know all the officers personally so I let it go. Last, he protested that the driver had said he was pulled over by a motor cop, which showed he was out of his mind because there was absolutely no way there was a motorcycle cop out in our area.
He is right about this, and I had to admit it. All of the DPS motorcycle cops are in Phoenix, and I have never, ever seen one remotely close to our area. So I took issue with the only part I could. "How do you KNOW he is talking about a motorcycle cop?" I challenged. "By saying 'motor cop' he just may mean policeman. Maybe he's an older guy."
Terence ridiculed this theory. Of course, in police terminology, a motorcycle cop is always referred to as a "motor," and he was certain that EVERYBODY knows this. Hence, my quest to prove that someone else, anybody else, might actually hear "motor cop" and not immediately think of a motorcycle cop. Thank you, thank you to those five of you who voted for something else! Now I am avenged, and I can rest easy at night.
So this motor cop disagreement between Terence and I actually started because of a letter to the editor in our little local newspaper. The author wrote to complain that he had been pulled over for driving right under the speed limit and that the officer had told him he should be going 5-10 mph over the speed limit. Understandably, the driver was highly annoyed at this officer, and he was insistent that it was a "motor cop" from Terence's agency.
Terence and I tried to make sense of this story between ourselves. The driver told us what street he was on when he was pulled over, and that was the first puzzle because it is in an area far outside of the normal jurisdiction of anyone in Terence's agency. Terence, of course, was defensive. He insisted that the driver must have exaggerated his story-- like maybe he was driving 20 mph under the speed limit, not just 2 mph under the limit. I tentatively suggested that maybe there really was some officer who was perhaps a little too full of himself and pulled the guy over because he wanted to be heading home a little faster than traffic allowed.
Well, that started it. (I should have known better, but I couldn't seem to help myself.)
Terence then proceeded to defend his position that the driver was a wacko with gusto. His first "proof" that the driver was mistaken (or lying) was that no officer wanting to get home quicker would bother to pull someone over because that only makes you later. OK, point conceded there. Second, he argued that he knows all of the officers who live in this area and none of them are the power-hungry, bully kind of cop. Um, I couldn't really argue this point since I don't know all the officers personally so I let it go. Last, he protested that the driver had said he was pulled over by a motor cop, which showed he was out of his mind because there was absolutely no way there was a motorcycle cop out in our area.
He is right about this, and I had to admit it. All of the DPS motorcycle cops are in Phoenix, and I have never, ever seen one remotely close to our area. So I took issue with the only part I could. "How do you KNOW he is talking about a motorcycle cop?" I challenged. "By saying 'motor cop' he just may mean policeman. Maybe he's an older guy."
Terence ridiculed this theory. Of course, in police terminology, a motorcycle cop is always referred to as a "motor," and he was certain that EVERYBODY knows this. Hence, my quest to prove that someone else, anybody else, might actually hear "motor cop" and not immediately think of a motorcycle cop. Thank you, thank you to those five of you who voted for something else! Now I am avenged, and I can rest easy at night.
Comments
Score for you!