Author Description

"From May 1981 through August 1985, I was a police reporter for the Columbus Dispatch. The police beat is considered by most reporters to be the most distasteful job on the paper. You continually deal with death, every seamy element of society, and cops who view you as being only slightly above criminals in social status. As the night police reporter, I was responsible for covering all law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Franklin and the contiguous counties. If someone called 911 for something other than a loud party or a grease fire, it was my job to know about it. Consequently, I spent a lot of time in neighborhoods that I would otherwise avoid. Suffice it to say that when the police get a "shots fired" call at 1:45 A.M., it is rarely in the high-rent district." "There were times when I had to go home and shower in the middle of my shift. There were other nights when I stood in my backyard and turned the hose on my boots and pants before going inside. Nancy Nall, one of our general assignment reporters, once said, "If I had your job, I'd die of trash exposure."" "The police beat was at times sad, morbid, and funny. It was sometimes pathetic, often ridiculous." "And it was intriguing beyond words."--BOOK JACKET.