Note: For context, it is important to note that the following events happened in the early 1990's.
1) I was the rare applicant to the security department with a first responder certification, 15 years of martial arts instruction and former military. Within six months I was one of two training supervisors.
18 months in, I was training a new officer. 15 minutes after the park opened I get a call to call dispatch over the phone. The dispatcher told me that someone was walking around with a gun and gave me a description (I ended up getting five descriptions). When I arrived in the area I told dispatch I was "97 in the area." The assistant shift supervisor, Willy, a real smart ass, says, in a snarky tone "Radio, what is he 97 on?" She replied "14G"
I finally spotted the suspect leaning against a fence, his back to me. I told the trainee to pin his left arm to the fence, and no matter what, do not release him. The trainee looked spooked. As we pinned him, I told the suspect "You move, and I'll kill you." He quickly replied "I'm a police officer."
"Where's your ID?"
He started to shift. "Uh-uh, don't move." (it was in his left rear pocket. I checked the ID) I notified dispatch of the development. The shift supervisor, Davis, angrily barked "Get him to the booking room!!"
We escorted him to the booking room. Davis tore the cop a new asshole. It wasn't pleasant to be on the receiving end of one of his chew outs.
About five minutes before park close, I get a call to one of the rides. When I arrived a worker told me "She's up there."
Laying on a track, about forty feet above the ground, one of the ride operators was laying on the track. Upon arrival, I asked how she was doing. "I can't feel anything from the chest on down."
Mentally, I said "Oh shit" to myself and climbed down into the track. I took the girl's head and neck and cradled them in my hands. I told the trainee to take the radio and relay that we are going to need an ambulance, a full crew (of EMT's), a back board and ropes. I then talked to the girl about anything and everything, weather, school, friends-anything to keep her mind occupied. After 45 minutes, we were ready to move her onto a back board and we immobilized her. We lowered her to the ground as walking her down the track would have aggravated the injury.
I was shocked to see the girl the next day. She said the doctor determined it was a pinched nerve that caused the temporary paralysis.
2) I woke up in a really bad mood. Upon getting to work I told Willy to put me on the front gate. Front gate, day shift, you might interact with one or two people. At 11 , my best friend, Randy, came to relieve me for lunch. When I was returning from lunch, there was a foot pursuit of a purse snatcher in progress. I had to cut through the Oriental section to get back to the front gate and the purse snatcher ran into the Oriental section-which was a cul de sac. I was in the back area and I saw the purse snatcher through a knothole in the fence, he looked trapped. He went to reach for the gate into the employee back area and I kicked the gate really hard. I then counted "One Mississippi, two Mississippi." When I reached ten, I stepped out from behind the gate, the suspect was laid out-unconscious. The two trainees that had been pursuing him looked shocked and horrified. I looked at the suspect, then mused "It looks like tripped and fell. What do you think?"
When I got back to the front gate office Randy excitedly said "Hey!! There was a foot pursuit while you were at lunch!!" I flatly replied "I know."
In a scolding tone he asked "What did you do?"
Again, flatly, I replied "He should be regaining consciousness about now."
"Oh lordy" he said, "I better get out there and make sure you didn't kill him."
The two trainees went to the assistant director of security and attempted to lodge a complaint against me, but she laughed so hard that she nearly fell out of her chair. In her opinion, if you pay fifty bucks for a park ticket, you deserve better than to be mugged and if you are the mugger, then you deserve what you get.
3) Someone had screwed up on the schedule. The day shift trainer (Travis) was on the evening shift this particular evening, along with me. I told Willy to put Travis on radio as excels at that. "No" Willy said, "I need a big giant brain running everything. I'm putting you on radio." "Your funeral" I said, not knowing how close that event would actually come to be.
It was an unusually quiet shift that night. Five minutes before park close, I get a call that someone is tearing up a restaurant and I can hear in the background that it sounds really bad. I call Travis and tell him to take two officers as backup. Willy jumps on and in his snarky tone says "I'll take that call." I advised him to take backup. "Negative" he snidely says, I'll take this one alone.
For context, it is important to note that Willy is 5'10" and 300 pounds, a lot of it, fat.
Five minutes later the restaurant calls me back: "That guy you sent over, he's getting his ass kicked!!"
"Attention all units, Signal 13, Lulu's Restaurant."
About ten minutes later, Willy pokes his head in my window. His face looked like hamburger. "Where's Travis?" he seethed.
"He should be out there with you."
"Get his ass in here, NOW!!"
"Radio 219, 10-76 Station Zero."
A few minutes later they carry in the suspect (he is in handcuffs and leg irons). He is five foot even and might tip the scale at 85 pounds. A few minutes later Travis pokes his head in the window. "What happened out there?" I asked. Travis replied "I figured Willy deserved an ass beating, so I let him take one."
"Yeah, he wants to see you."
Travis got fired that night. He should have led the charge of rescuers, but he didn't respond to the restaurant. This wasn't Travis' first screw up, but it sure was his last.