[Steve]

With 0327 in the shop for an extended time now, there's not much to do. I just worked for four days at a County Fair (LE), so I had time to reminisce about the old days again.

I always balanced enforcement with service. It is the way I always thought the job should be done and it enabled me to go home after a shift believing I was doing things the right way, a positive orientation.

One afternoon 0255 and I were working the East side of Los Banos on SR 152 when I observed a vehicle travelling Westbound that caught my attention. A lot of black smoke was coming out from underneath and from the sides of the engine compartment. This was clearly not exhaust smoke, and it didn’t look like a transmission oil leak onto a hot exhaust pipe. No, something else was going on and there was enough smoke to justify immediate action.

I turned 0255 Westbound, closed fast on the subject vehicle, and activated the red spot light and wig wags. After a short distance the driver yielded to the shoulder and stopped. I made a driver’s side approach. Black smoke was billowing out from under the hood. “You’ve got something going on here” I told the driver, an elderly man “And I can see it isn’t good.” He activated the hood release and exited the vehicle. As soon as I opened the hood the problem was obvious. The oil filler cap was missing, oil had splashed out all over the top of the engine, and eventually had caught fire. I grabbed 0255’s fire extinguisher and put out the fire, which had begun to include the spark plug wires. After a few minutes everything settled down and stabilized.

It turned out the driver had stopped for gasoline some miles back and decided to check the oil. It was low so he added a quart, but forgot to replace the oil cap, which was now lost. The vehicle clearly could not safely be driven any further. I called for a tow to take him the remaining 25 miles or so into a garage in Los Banos.

Now you’d think this driver would be grateful. Our action certainly saved his car which would likely have been past the point of saving within minutes of the time I stopped him, and perhaps a serious accident and injury had it gotten to the point where it caused him to crash. He might have even burned up along with it. Yes, driving along perfectly normal one minute, then stopped and having to be towed a short time later is inconvenient. But this guy acted as though it was somehow all my fault for stopping him. Not one word or demeanor of thanks, gratitude, or even recognition for rescuing him from his carelessness; instead it was as though it was me that was inconveniencing him.

Oh well; you can’t please everyone. 0255 and I had once again done our duty. Perhaps at least the Karma Continuum had taken notice.