Member-only story
Cops
tv at its finest
Giving permission to search the car,
forgetting the three pounds of crack cocaine in the glove compartment,
and smoking a joint while he pretends he’s not
driving a stolen car with expired tags and a broken brake light
and two 38s in the back seat.
He’s cooperating with the law. See how gracious he is
to open the passenger side door?
He says he’s never been arrested, not mentioning
those six times down in Florida which don’t count
because it was last year and in another state.
He lifts his hands in amused astonishment when asked about the
six-inch roll of fifty dollar bills in his pocket. He just cashed his check
from his job at McDonald’s, he says.
The police dog strains at its leash while the tasers get drawn
and the cops shift their weight a little more forward.
They’re ready for any criminal that comes along,
though they were hoping for someone smarter.
The camera man adjusts the light to glare on the scene
and stands silently gape-mouthed, one eye wide.
