A Mustang Story
In a way not completely unlike their namesake an SSP Mustang could be tamed and used to manage cattle, harkening back to the days of the Old West...
One early morning while patrolling I was dispatched to Interstate 5 to check on a report of livestock on the roadway. Interstate highways are fenced on both sides to restrict access and especially in rural areas where livestock graze it is especially critical. Colliding at 65 mph with livestock will ruin your whole day.
Overnight a vehicle had gone off the roadway, through the wide shoulder area, and taken out about 50 feet of barbed-wire fencing. Probably someone fell asleep; lucky they didn't roll over which happened frequently. They were long gone and so only the physical evidence and damaged fencing remained to tell their story. Some nearby livestock had taken advantage of the opportunity to sample the grass on the freeway side of the fence and several of them were grazing about a hundred feet from the breach in the fence. I reported the damage and advised dispatch to contact CalTrans to get a repair crew out asap, then went to work on getting those cows back onto their side before they decided the grass in the center divider looked even better. Using 870255's siren and PA system and with some deft maneuvering I was able to safely herd them all along the shoulder then back onto their side. CalTrans soon arrived and took over and the safety of the motoring public was restored; the Mustang had done its job.
With a wave and a hearty "heigh-ho Silver!", I put 870255 in gear and we accelerated into the traffic lane, looking ahead to the next adventure...
alright, I added the "heigh-ho Silver' part for effect. But the rest of the story is absolutely true :-)
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