IT WAS ABOUT 4:00 P.M., NEAR the end of our shifts and nobody wanted to take the call when the little ninety-two year old lady that lived across from the high school called in crying and telling the police that someone had broken the back windows to her house. She said that she was scared out of her wits. Someone was still in her backyard shed. As soon as I was finished with a reckless driving citation, I said, “Control, Frank-3 Enroute, arrive me, I am almost at Mrs. Benton’s house.”
I drove to the alley that was behind her house, stopped a couple of houses down from her corner home, and walked to the back gate. I opened the gate and walked to the shed, and listened. I could hear the laughing voices of several youths, both male and female. I also observed reams of smoke curling out the door and a small, shattered shed window. I stuck my head around the corner of the door frame, and inquired, “How you all doin’?” Startled, the young people jumped and started for the door, snuffing their smokes as they came toward me. I asked calmly, “Which one of you lives here?” Of course, I received no answer. “Well, then one of you explain what you’re doing in Mrs. Muriel Benton’s shed. If you don’t care to talk, I’ll haul each of you to juvie and have your parents come pick you up there.”
Suddenly, I had an outpouring of information, each student from the high school offering his or her name. That suited me just fine. “You know that you have no business in Mrs. Benton’s yard, much less in her shed. She called the po-lice because someone just threw something through her windows and broke them. Now, I have to believe that it was you, because I don’t see anyone else around who looks as guilty as you do. And beside that, you might start a fire in that crowded, dirty shed. I’m going to alert your parents that you will be helping me next Saturday, all day, here at this location. You will each work cleaning, repairing, painting, weeding or anything else that needs to be done. There will be no excuses on that day, even if your grandpa dies. You will be here, or I will personally find you and drag your sorry butts to jail. Is that understood?” No one chose to object.
However, the largest boy asked, “What if we don’t know how to do what you want?”
“Then there will be other officers here with me that will stand beside you and teach you how to do your work. You will learn, of course, unless you have a handicap or are mentally incapable. I don’t think, from looking at you that any of you fits that bill. Anyway, digging holes doesn’t require a high school degree. Now, off to your homes, and no lolly gagging on the way. I’ll be in touch with your parents within the hour, and if any of them objects to their darlings being here, I’ll issue citations to them for child neglect, and have them come take your place. Do I make myself clear? Oh yes, fork over the rest of your smokes and your lighters and get out of my sight, before I change my mind. You be here at 7:00 a.m. sharp next Saturday morning.”
I turned to observe Adam-12 entering the yard from Ms. Muriel’s back door. “Hawk, are these the ornery brats that destroyed Mrs. Benton’s windows? Want me to cut off fingers or toes so they won’t be givin’ her anymore trouble? Hee, hee, hee.”
“Let me introduce you to my partner, Officer Sikes. He doesn’t take kindly to anyone messin’ with our elderly. After all, this little old lady pays taxes that buy your books and school supplies. So from now on, you are gonna be nice to her, aren’t you?”
Heads shook in the affirmative. Grumpy’s large frame loomed over the five youngsters, and as he drew his largest knife from its sheath, he made true believers out of the group. “Nah Sikes, these special young people are going to help us on Saturday to repair the damage that has been done to Ms. Muriel’s home. See you then, kids, scoot!”
“So what’s goin’ on here on Saturday, Hawk?” inquired Grumpy.
“I’m gonna ask the lieutenant if we can have some volunteers from the squad to fix up this house. I’m goin’ to the hardware store up the street to see what all we’re gonna need. Want to come with me, Sam?”
“Nope, Kate’s expectin’ me home for dinner for a change. I heard that last call and you answerin’ it, so I thought I’d better see if you needed my help. See you in the morning.”
I assured Ms. Muriel that things would be all right and that I was going to the hardware store to buy some wood to put over her windows until I had them replaced. She cried when I told her we were going to take care of her. “Officer Randel, you are the first policeman that has cared about my problems. As you can see, my fence has been destroyed, the house has been sprayed with paint, windows broken and everything is run down. I can’t afford to fix things and I can’t afford to move. I’m old and feeble and afraid to go out. I get meals on wheels five days a week, but on the weekend, I have to make do with leftovers.”
“I bet they don’t taste too good, do they?”
“No sir, but they’re better than nothing.”
I stopped in at the hardware store and asked if I could get two pieces of plywood cut 4’x4’, some nails and a hammer. The clerk asked what I was doing, and I quickly explained that I could not leave Ms. Muriel’s house unprotected during the night, and that she did not have the money to have anyone come to do the job for her. The clerk told me to wait, he went to the back of the store, then came out with his keys and said, “Let’s just go take a look see what you’re gonna need.” Leading the way, he followed me, and we returned to Ms. Muriel’s house. When we arrived, he pulled a tape measure from his belt, measured the windows, and made notes on a piece of paper. Then he proceeded to take a look at the whole house. “Man, this little house is really in bad shape, Officer Randel. Who lives here?”
“A ninety-two year old lady that can hardly see and is very feeble. I intend to bring a crew of volunteer officers here on Saturday to do some repairs for her. It’s a shame that she has to live under these conditions.”
“I agree,” said the clerk as he went around the house making notes, measuring here and there, measuring the fences and gates and the size of the lot. He even looked into the shed and measured it.
“May I ask what you’re doing, Fred?” That’s the name on his nametag.
“I just want to figure out what materials we’ll need to do the job.”
“Hold up a minute, Fred. I’ll pay for the lumber and things to fix the windows and then I’m going to take up a collection and see how much I can afford to buy to fix things around here. Those damned kids that did this are gonna work their butts off all day, and I want to make sure they have something hard to do. They need to learn the value of property and what it takes to replace it.”
“Understood. Let’s go back to my place and let me do some figuring.”
I tapped on Ms. Muriel’s front door to tell her I would be right back. She peeked through her front window, barely moving her heavy curtains. She nodded at me then opened her door. “I wondered who was wandering around in my yard and banging on my house, but I was afraid to look out. Well hello, Mr. Warren. I haven’t seen you for years. Do you still own the hardware store?”
“Yes ma’am, I do. It’s nice to see you Muriel. It has been a long time. Don’t you worry, dear, we’re gonna get you fixed up right now. You go have some tea and I’ll be right back.”
Well, it seems that I didn’t have just a clerk, It’s Warrens Hardware, and I am talkin’ to the owner. I’ll be darned. We drove back to the hardware store where Fred Warren put his pencil to work. His list kept growing and growing as I watched in amazement. Then he shook his head up and down and finished, “That should about do it. Officer Randel, you run along, and I’ll have one of my boys come back in and put up those boards and Muriel will be safe for the next few days. What time will you start on Saturday?”
I told him seven and he assured me that everything I would need would be there to do the job. “But, Fred, I don’t know how much money I can collect by then. I’m not a rich man, but I can put in a couple hundred and I’m sure some of my squad can help a little. You’d better wait until I come in before you deliver anything. I don’t want anything I can’t pay for. I’m sure you understand. How much for the boards and things tonight?” I reached into my uniform pants pocket and pulled out a couple of twenties. “Will that be enough including the labor?”
“Put your money away, Officer Randel. You owe nothing. You’ll pay for nothing, and as I said, you will have the materials you need by 7:00 a.m.”
“Do you mean you are providing everything at no cost? That’s unheard of, Mr. Warren. I can’t believe this is true, but thank you so much.”
“Officer Randel, we need to take care of our elderly. Muriel and her husband lived and worked in this area all their lives. I’m ashamed of myself for not dropping by to see how she was since old Jim Benton died. Please, it is an honor and my responsibility to take care of her now.”
On Saturday morning, 07:00 hrs., my buddies from the squad and five teenage rebels were at the work site. To my amazement, parked at the curb, was a dump truck with a trailer attached that held a large piece of equipment from the city. Two city workers were available and told me that they were instructed to do anything that we needed. However, until we were ready for them, they would be clearing the lot next to Mrs. Benton’s. It was an empty lot that was full of weeds, trash and broken glass. The backhoe had a front-end loader and on its side had an auger for digging holes. On the trailer that brought the equipment were all kinds of shovels, rakes and hoes. Another truck from the hardware was pulling up on the side street and it was laden with lumber, scraping tools, paint, caulking, doors and screen doors. There was enough precut, 6’ lumber to fence the entire back yard, and precut 3 ½’ fencing for the front, gates included. There were hammers, nails, screwdrivers, saws and paint brushes. Mr. Warren had done himself proud with all the supplies.
“All right, ladies,” I jibed, “let’s get to work. We’re burnin’ daylight. You boys help unload that truck. You girls come with me and I’ll show you how to strip the old paint off those windows and door frames. As a matter of fact, let me assign each of you to one of our volunteers. You can work with them, like rookies and learn a lot.” Everyone began a task. People that drove or walked by looked curiously at the crew, dutifully working at different projects. It was about 07:30 hrs. when Grumpy arrived and he was grumpy, but he brought coffee, juice and doughnuts for the crew and an ice tea for me.
The kids looked longingly at the treats and Grumpy advised them, “You rapscallions haven’t earned squat yet. I’ll tell you when it’s time for a break. Until then, I want to see some sweat and blisters. Heave to, mates!” He sounds like the captain of a ship, not a cop. But they’re listening.
About nine, a glass truck drove by and the driver spotted me. “Hey, Officer Randel, is that you? What you doin’ here?” I left what I was doing and spoke with him a while. He went to the windows and measured, even the ones that had only small cracks. He informed me, “I’ll be back this afternoon with glass for all the windows, Hawk.”
“How much will it be?”
“If you policemen can give up your day off and volunteer, I’m sure my boss can donate a few pieces of glass and I’ll donate the labor. It won’t cost you a dime.”
Grumpy came up to me and complained, “How do you do it, Randel? Someone is always givin’ you something, or donatin’ something to your cause. I could stand here all day and not get a thing. I just don’t understand how you do it.”
“I smile at people, Sikes. You should try it some time.”
“That’s enough, Randel. Get back to work; you’ve been slacking for at least fifteen minutes. You’ll be settin’ a bad example for those younguns, and we’re here to teach them a thing or two.”
“What’s this Sikes, you think you’re the boss here? I think I started this whole thing.”
“Yeah, and as usual, I’m here to see that it gets finished.”
“Oh, now your lookin’ for trouble you ornery braggart.”
“Hey you two, what you arguing about now?” It was the captain. He was shutting the door to his patrol car. “I heard that there was a lot of work going on here; it’s looking good. I see the city is here too. Someone must know the mayor!”
“Don’t look at me, Captain. I didn’t know they were coming, or how they got here.”
“Sheriff Morgan heard that you were conducting this volunteer renovation project and he asked me to check on it. Tell me about it.”
“Well, Captain, grab that sawhorse and follow me.” I carried one sawhorse and the captain followed with his. We went around the corner of the house and I set up a place to cut 2’x6’ steps to replace the rotten ones at the back door. I explained what we were doing and why and introduced the five youths to the captain. He let the young people know how important it was that they were helping and making a difference in their community. I thought, a big difference from smoking in the shed and breaking windows and destroying property. But, I didn’t make a comment.
The dirt work on the lot next door was well underway, and the dump truck was soon filled with debris. The city workers came to me and asked how far apart we wanted the holes dug for the fencing. I looked unknowingly when one of the youngsters spoke up, “Officer Randel, I think the fence is in six-foot sections. If I can borrow your tape measure, I can tell you for sure in just a minute.” Wow, I’m impressed. This kid is takin’ to this like a duck to water. Good! He was back in a few minutes, having done the math that would tell the city guys where to place the holes, and he knew how deep they needed to dig. “Officer Randel, can I help pour the cement and set the posts?”
“Sure you can, but see if Officer Gilmore is through with you for now. Ask if he wants to help you, while you’re at it.” I think I just made one kid feel special and important. I think he’ll prove that he is. Damn, Randel, you’re getting more out of this project than you thought, I congratulated.
“Hey, you one way, egotistical…”
“Hold it right there, Sikes. There are young ladies present.”
“So, Hawk, what’s next?”
“If you can keep your hands out of your pockets or keep from whittling something with one of your knives, maybe you can wield a paint brush on those high spots over the door and window frames. Take that little lady there and show her how to paint the lower levels. Try not to splash paint on her, Sikes. She’s too pretty to get messy.” Grumpy winked at me and led the young girl to the paint and brushes.
At about ten, a young man came walking by and asked what was going on. He was carrying his uniform from Mc Donalds. When I told him we were volunteers, he said that he would be back about eleven thirty. He said so long and went to work. At 11:30 on the dot, here came an old truck with two Mc Donalds workers. They brought lunch for everyone. There were Big Macs, fish sandwiches, burgers and fries and drinks for everyone, including ice tea for me. It was with the compliments of the local owner. Man, this community is pitching in.
At 11:50 just as we were finishing our lunches, who should appear but Crystal Li from KTLV news. She said that someone had called in and told her about all the activity at the Benton home, and so she came to report the news to the community. Right behind her was a reporter and photographer from the Las Vegas Review Journal Newspaper. Our pictures were taken and the photographer asked if it was all right if he took pictures of the teenagers. I asked each one if he or she minded and each one seemed pleased and proud to have pictures in the paper. I asked the reporter to be certain that he reported that these young people were local students from the high school across the street and that they were volunteers trying to clean up their community. Crystal Li and the newspaper reporter let Las Vegas know that students from the high school cared about the elderly and were going to see that Mrs. Muriel Benton’s refurbished house, new fence and yard were cared for from then on.
After one that afternoon, a plumbing company came by with PVC pipe and laid pipe and sprinklers for a watering system in front and back. At four thirty, a local garden center arrived with grass seed and bushes for the yard. By sunset, the house had new windows, was painted, the brick facing had been sand blasted, removing the spray paint graffiti, and the porches were like new. The fences were set, the gates were on, and the yard was planted. The vacant lot next door was scraped and cleaned. Amazingly, the five teenagers were not anxious to leave when we were finished. They wanted to hang around and talk about all they had done that day. I commented, “You have all done an excellent job today. I hope that each of you has learned an important lesson. There are still a couple of things that need to be done. That new fence is going to need staining. I intend to come over next Saturday and do that. Anyone want to help?”
“We all do, Officer Randel. We want this place to look better than any other in the neighborhood.”
“Great, then I’ll see you bright and early Saturday. The other thing that is lacking is that shed in the back. It needs to be cleaned out and organized. Do you think if Ms. Muriel can sit in a chair outside that you can clean it out and get rid of what she tells you one day this week after school?”
“You’ve got a deal, Officer Randel. We’ll take good care of the old lady, I’m sorry, I mean Mrs. Benton. She’s our special project now. You won’t have to worry about her. She’s really nice.”
“That takes a load off my mind. You teenagers are all right in my book. I’ll be checking in with Mrs. Muriel now and then just to see how she’s doing.”
We got a great write-up in the newspaper and someone donated a beautiful white rocker for Ms. Muriel’s front porch. She would sit outside after that, unafraid as she was before, and rock for hours. Whenever one of our patrol cars drove by, she would lift her feeble arm and wave her embroidered handkerchief at us to let us know she was well and happy. A couple of times, I saw young people sitting on her steps, talking with her and enjoying some light refreshments. I understood that the neighborhood kids took it upon themselves to bring her groceries and household items that she needed. Fred Warren looked in on her often and made sure that her home, not just her house anymore, was safe and secure. Some of the best lessons are learned out of school.