The First Night; Small Town Fumblings of a Rookie Police Officer

By Elizabeth Petrucelli

Have you ever wondered what a police officer’s first night on the job is like? Officer Elizabeth Petrucelli is a rookie working in a small town in Colorado but she has no idea that she will experience many comical struggles as she begins her first shift. From putting on the restrictive uniform, driving the police car, sorting out a family fight, to making her first traffic stop, Elizabeth fumbles through every experience.

The First Night; Small Town Fumblings of a Rookie Police Officer is an amusing account of Officer Petrucelli’s first night on the job. You won’t find a police thriller or even a crime mystery here, just a short story about her neurotic experiences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Petrucelli
• Release date: Aug 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780985171339

Elizabeth Petrucelli

Elizabeth Petrucelli grew up in a suburb in South Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduation from high school, she joined the United States Marine Corps. She served as a Marine Rifleman and Musician and was promoted to Sergeant. Following her marriage, Elizabeth moved with her husband to Colorado. She has a diverse background which includes administrative, professional birth assistance security management, and law enforcement.Elizabeth owns Mile High Childbirth and Parenting Solutions (formerly known as Mile High Doula Services) and is a certified childbirth educator and parenting instructor. She is a true educator and works closely with her students and families to ensure a proper education on their journey to parenthood. In 2014, Elizabeth became Colorado's first certified bereavement doula through Stillbirthday and supports families through miscarriage and stillbirth.Elizabeth's first book, "All That is Seen and Unseen; A Journey Through a First Trimester Miscarriage" is her personal memoir in which she walks you through her pregnancy, the demise of her baby, and the aftermath that follows a miscarriage. Elizabeth is currently authoring three other books. Two of those books will be published soon so stay tuned!

Book preview

The First Night

Small Town Fumblings of a Rookie Police Officer

Elizabeth Petrucelli

Dragonfly Press, LLC

Parker, CO

Copyright © 2014 by Elizabeth Petrucelli

Copyright 2014 by Elizabeth Petrucelli

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, including photocopying or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author; except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper.

Published by Dragonfly Press, LLC at Smashwords

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014912890

ISBN: 978-0-9851713-2-2

ISBN: 978-0-9851713-3-9 (eBook)

Edited by Shadia Duske

Cover Design by Elizabeth Petrucelli

Cover Image by istockphoto.com (Myhr Photography)

This book is nonfiction and based on a true life event. Some names have been changed to protect their identity.

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To Joey Bagadonuts

The First Night

Small Town Fumblings of a Rookie Police Officer

Chapter One

ANTICIPATION

It was Saturday, November 13, 2010. All the dreams I had over the last ten years would come to life on this night. I wasn’t nervous really. I wasn’t even that excited. Somehow it felt normal as if I had been doing this for years. Deep inside, I didn’t know what was in store for me. Would tonight be the most amazing night of my life or the last night of my life? Despite feeling like the Stay-Puffed Marshmallow Man in a loaner ballistic vest and as if I was encapsulated in a shell, I felt like I looked and fit the part. I had to look the part. If I didn’t, I might be hurt or killed.

***

The day started like any Saturday with a late wake-up and a made-from-scratch breakfast. I always rose a bit earlier than my six year-old son, Joey, and my husband, Jason, in order to make a nice breakfast. The scent of almond poppy seed muffins emanating out of the kitchen and up the stairs always guaranteed to wake up even the soundest sleeping family member.

Joey was the first one down that morning. He always arrived with a smile on his face. His smile gave away his anticipation and excitement. Today was swim lesson day. After he gobbled down his muffins, I sent him upstairs to wake up his daddy. They both came down shortly after. When they climbed down the stairs, Joey was over his daddy’s shoulder giggling and laughing from all the tickling. I couldn’t wait to watch Joey swim today. I didn’t want to miss this week’s lesson. I had missed last Saturday’s class and had to hear about Joey’s first dive off the diving board. I wasn’t about to miss it this time.

I tried to be at every event for my son, but I worked full-time. During the week, I often missed his events at school which brought disappointment to both of us. He longed to have me there, and I felt like a failure as a mother if I wasn’t. Missing an event on the weekend was usually out of the question, but I had some training the weekend before and missed his swim lesson. With all the changes that had been taking place these last few months, I felt guilty about losing time with him. Because of what the night might have brought, I couldn’t bear the thought of missing another moment of his life. What if it was the last?

After our delicious breakfast, we made our way to the pool. We took a seat on the metal bleachers a few lanes away from his practice lane. It was extremely hot inside the pool area; a dramatic difference from the thirty degrees we felt outside. It was always hot in there, and I would leave his swim lessons with sweat seeping out of my pores. The temperature in the pool area was kept comfortable for the swimmers--not the observers.

The smell of the chlorine was overwhelming. As we prepared to get comfortable on the hard metal bleachers, I could feel the chlorine burning inside my lungs with each breath. Within a few minutes, my body had acclimated to the hot, humid, hazardous environment, and I began to focus on Joey, who was already in the pool swimming with ease.

I watched in awe as Joey swam up and down the pool. He was doing the backstroke with his instructor telling him to slow down and concentrate on his form. She was a young, blonde woman who was fit and had a swimmer’s build. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and she was yelling instructions at the swimmers in Joey’s group. I could hear the loud slapping sounds of amateur hands on the water as they struggled to swim. I couldn’t imagine how loud it must have been for the instructor.

Joey certainly swam fast; faster than I had ever seen him before. I was so proud of him and so happy that I was here watching him. It looked like he had been doing this for years. I giggled inside when I heard the instructor tell Joey to slow down and concentrate. Joey didn’t like to slow down for anything. If he didn’t get it right the first time, he would get frustrated. He had to be perfect. He seemed to think he needed to be an expert and that he had no need to practice anything. This trait was all too familiar. I too felt I needed to be perfect the first time, every time.

After his swim lessons, we continued on to the grocery store. We were out of milk and other pantry items we would need for the next week. I had a strange thought that if I didn’t make it through the night at least my family would have enough of the basics to get them through the week without me. I almost felt like I was one of those doomsday preppers preparing for the zombie apocalypse. There was a strong urgency to rush through my shopping experience and get home as soon as possible. I felt almost desperate to spend time with my family.

What if this was the last bit of family time we had together? I thought to myself.

I planned out our shopping visit in my head. I always did this, but today was different. Today I told the family that we weren’t stopping for anything that wasn’t on