It's NOT New York, but Still...

DA, DUM DUM DUM. I always loved the opeing note to the "Dragnet" theme! "This is the city...it always began. This is MY city:
Policemen mopping? Soirees in town? Quelling TXTing? Yes, it was another busy Saturday night here in Titletown (no matter what the people in Valdosta, Georgia, have to say...or ESPN, for that matter.)
I have to admit that I'm something of a newspaper junkie. I can't explain my need to read except that for a solid year of unemployment I checked the paper everyday. Now, I read at least five newspapers a day as well as monitor the BBC news on the internet. Sometimes, it's fascinating, and sometimes, it's just depressing. The fact remains that I'm generally in the know about things far sooner than most people; as a result, I'm probably one of the few in town that is well-versed on crime in the city.
Back when I was an alderperson in Algoma, a rural town adjacent to Lake Michigan, I got to read the complete police report before every meeting, and it was often interesting though crime was not that rampant, at least back then. And here in Green Bay, we have soirees and police officers don't mind doing a little mopping. Here's the skinny, directly from today's local paper:

"DISTURBANCE: A party in the 1500 block of North Road quieted down about 5 a.m. Jan. 24 after officers talked to a few people leaving the soiree."
HELLO! A soiree, as defined by the dictionary, is a word coming from both French and Latin and means "an evening party or social gathering, especially held for a particular purpose." I'm not sure 5 a.m. qualifies as "evening," but the fact that it was noted as a "soiree" by the beat writer gives it a certain flair, to be sure. Somebody must have been nored at the crime desk!

#2 on the crime beat:

"DISTURBANCE: Officers helped mop up a disturbance at Anduzzi's, 1992 Holmgren Way early Jan. 25. The men involved were trying to leave as officers arrived but were stopped before leaving the area. Both men were provided assistance getting home."
How about that? Cleaning up AND providing a taxi service. You KNOW it's a small city now!

#3 And, finally:

"HARRASSMENT: Officers quelled harrassing text messages to a woman early Jan. 24 with a verbal warning for the man sending them."

Now, I'm not saying that these are typical of what the officers face every week. A lot of what they deal with is dangerous, and I truly appreciate their efforts at keeping me safe; but the knowledge that we're having soirees here definitely has given me a new perspective on my city.
DUM, DA DUM DUM...DUM!