Friday, January 14, 2011

Friday's Odd's and Ends

The Best National Anthem Ever!



Wait for it!

Charlotte Douglas International Airport - Another Security Breach? In November Delvonte Tisdale of Charlotte managed to circumvent airport security and climb aboard a Boston bound US Airways flight. The event would throw a spotlight on Airport Director Jerry Orr highlighting his ability to stonewall, weave and dodge serious questions regarding airport security.

Only four days after Tisdale’s body was found, an undercover inspector with the federal Transportation Security Administration had little trouble getting a package on a JetBlue flight from Charlotte to Boston.

WBZ-TV in Boston reported Wednesday that its investigative team learned through a TSA internal report about the second security breach at the Charlotte airport.

Details from the CBS affiliate in Boston are here.

CMPD Officers to Honor Fallen Brothers with a Commemorative Badge - CMPD Officers will have the option of wearing a specially commissioned badge for the month of May after which the special badge will be retired.

CMPD Officers both active and retired are currently voting on the design, of which the badge below is one of the options.



All Charlotte Police Department officers lost in the line of duty from James Moran in 1892 to Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton in 2007, will be inscribed on the back of the badge.



According to CMPD Deputy Chief Harold Medlock "This commemorative badge will in no way to replace our current CMPD badge, but is simply another way for us to honor those who lost their lives while protecting our community."

Proceeds from the sale of the commemorative badge will be donated to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers Program and the Police Benevolent Fund.

While the badge, matching lapel pin and challenge coin set will be offered for purchase to all CMPD offices and non-sworn employees it will not be available to the public.

Mecklenburg County DA Murray Trips Over An Old Rug - The "Old Rug" is the same one former Meck DA Peter Gilchrist used to sweep tough cases under much to the dismay of Charlotte's citizens.

On Thursday Jamarr Tremayne Springs appeared in a Mecklenburg County courtroom where prosecutors announced that they will not seek the death penalty against him.

Springs, 29, is accused of killing his girlfriend, 28-year-old Pamela Garmon.

Police say that Springs killed Garmon and fled, then armed with a gun forced a driver out of a car at North Lake Mall and made the vehicle's passenger ride with him to Huntersville, where he stopped the car and fled on foot.

Murray should expect a lot of flack over this move no matter what the rational. Not being prepared to address the media on this case and failing to discuss the removal of the death penalty with the family before hand is a major faux pas and PR fail.

Tough on crime, and particularly violent and repeat offenders is what Mecklenburg County's voting public demands and if Murray doesn't get the message his tenure will be very short.

Check out Jeff Taylor's Call Out of Andrew Murray after the arrest and release of repeat offender Troy Eugene Catoe here.

Snow, Freezing Rain and Yankee's Oh My! - Nothing grinds my gears more than rude drivers during a snow storm. The guy yelling "I'm from Bufalow and this ain't nothing" is the refrain heard over and over around this Southern city when mother nature turns down the a/c and wet stuff starts to freeze.

Once or twice or maybe even three times a year Charlotte gets a little snow. The trouble is Charlotte has become a melting pot of rude Yankees, life long southerners and half back seniors who have spent the greater part of their lives in snow free Florida.

Throw some frozen roads in the mix and you have absolutely insane combination of white knuckled drivers and the get out of my way mo'fo I'm from Buffalow idiots.

137 accidents from Monday 6am to Monday noon, 48 hours into the snow/ice event the total was well over 400.

Cedar's highlight of Monday was the guy in the 2 wheel drive SUV with Buffalo Bills decals blowing his horn while sliding backwards down a steep hill in my neighborhood. A true Yankee rude coming and going.

What the fools from the snow belt don't understand is that Charlotte's snow patrol while better than it was years ago is still not very consistent. Road surfaces that you would expect to be clear are really a giant slurpee of slush and ice and the freeze thaw cycle makes for very unpredictable driving well after the snow has stopped falling.

Driving Rules Cedar Says:

Riding the bumper of someone's grandmother who is trying to negotiate the two tracks of clear pavement in front of her is not only rude, but not very smart.

Taking your two wheel drive Lexus out on Ballantyne Commons Parkway during a snow storm can only mean one thing, you are hoping to trade your car in at your insurance agent's expense.

Just because your from Buffalo doesn't make you qualified to drive in a southern snow storm. The variables are too complex for the basic Yankee transplant to process.

If you don't have a real 4x4 stay home, the wrecker guy will only laugh and charge you double for being stupid.

Know which roads are state and which are city. That means 51 Pineville Matthews and 16 Providence normally get more slag, salt, while Randolph and Ballantyne Commons may receive little if any attention.

Understand that while the road you are traveling maybe be clear, side streets may not, so don't be surprised in someone skids out into your lane of travel while trying to stop.

Blowing your horn is unacceptable and identifies you as a jerk from up North.

Winter rules apply through out Charlotte during a snow storm. Coming to a complete stop on an ice covered hill for a stop sign is just stupid.

Driving the speed limit on ice covered street will get you a ticket. Slow down for conditions is not just polite its required. You've been warned.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Cedar: I don't think Catoe "bonded out" at all. He had what is called a "10-99" meaning re-arrest for more charges WHILE incarcerated.

In other words while it looks like he was arreted on 1/5/10. He had several warrants on him. When you are in jail and they have a 10-99, they bring you back down to processing and serve all those warrants which creates a arrest record.

It does sometimes look as if someone was released because of the new record, but I do not think that was the case. He was 10-99's which means they added additional charges and had to completely reprocess him as if it was a new arrest.

To be honest I can't imagine ANY bondsman in Charlotte posting his bond. Most who know Troy KNOW he will not show.....

Anonymous said...

The Best National Anthem Ever!

She and the audience were awesome!!!

Anonymous said...

To add to my Anon post of 5:43am:

Murray better step up to the microphone on this one. If anyone deserves the death penalty Jamarr Tremayne Springs certainly does!

Why did someone from the DA's office NOT call the family and discuss this with them? That is the standard protocol in the past is it not?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 5:43 Thank you for pointing out the 10-99 on Catoe.

I'm sure JT will figure that out.

I'm pretty surprised that we have so many offenders with crazy long rap sheets. You would think they would get right or move on.

Anonymous said...

Cedar the badge is $75.00 it is a nice idea. But lets be honest $75.00 is grocery money for most patrolman.

I don't know how it will turn out, on the surface it looks like good way to show unity in a department that is pretty divided.

We'll let you know

Anonymous said...

I agree. I like the badge idea, but I don't like the idea of spending $75 to wear it for a month and then put it up. If they got rid of the years and just said we could wear it every May that would make a huge difference for me buying it or not.

And I agree about winter driving rules. I am not going to give you a ticket for rolling through a stop sign on an ice covered roadway as long as it is done safely.

Rea Road Neighborhood Coalition said...

I should clarify running stop signs, I don't suggest just blowing through intersections, I'm saying more of a rolling stop.

That said I have to realize most of Charlotte can't grasp the basics of traffic light malfunctions and what to do at a flashing red/yellow intersection.

DWright1 said...

We can't drive in ice & snow because we almost *never* have to do it. This is a good thing, no? So, my Yankee neighbors, relax. This mess will be gone in a few days.

Jessica said...

I'm from Oregon where snow is somewhat common and still prefer not to drive in it. Idiocy and rudeness whilst driving in sub-par weather conditions is not limited to a specific region.

Enjoy your blog; great post.

Anonymous said...

Cedar I like the badge and I'll find a way to pull together the $75.00 But if this is going to do any good then I think everyone should wear the badge to honor the fallen.

Not doing so I think would be extra bad karma.

For the winter rules I work in the South District and I agree in those areas with icy hills you're not going to cause concern if you "roll" past a stop sign.

You are dead on about the "up north" drivers. They think its like New York or Ohio its not and every accident I wrote up had at least one driver from out of state.

Just saying.

Anonymous said...

The badge is awesome!

Anonymous said...

Forget snow and ice... Folks in Charlotte can't drive in the rain!!!

Anonymous said...

Cedar what the hell is a challenge coin?

Never heard of such a thing, the email from the DC just calls it a commemorative coin.

Where did you get challenge coin?

Just asking, no offense intended.

Anonymous said...

Challenge coins have been in service for some time, usually in some form of military setting. For example, a soldier in a tavern slaps down his coin, thereby issuing a challenge to another soldier to produce his own. The higher coin wins and the lower coin pays. The twenty years I spent in the military, coins were given at every level of the command structure.