Sunday Night's Fort Worth Version Of To Catch A Thief

You are looking at the Sunday night view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony. Those are Fort Worth police cars you are seeing through the foliage.

Police car after police car arrived on the scene. Eventually the street was clogged with police cars, no traffic moving.

We figured a very serious crime, likely of the violent sort, must have taken place. We could see the police talking to a guy who was pointing at shrubbery in front of Miss Puerto Rico's office.

At that point we thought maybe this was a drug-related bust type police action, hence the massive show of force.

Then a phalanx of officers came into view with a guy in custody. They put the guy over the trunk of a police car and handcuffed him. It was all done very gently, none of that police brutality type stuff that seems to happen way too often.

Miss Puerto Rico called her boss to tell her something major had happened on the property they manage. That was the assumption at that point in time. We decided to go find out what major crime had been committed.

I walked up to the guy who I'd seen pointing out shrubs to the police. I said I was with the property and would like to know what the guy in custody had done.

Well.

The guy helping the police told me he was in Dollar General when he saw the guy now in custody shoplift a pair of socks and a box of disposable diapers. He and his girl friend tailed after the guy, calling 911 as they tailed. They followed the guy onto Miss Puerto Rico's property, where he'd scaled the security fence. I assume this is about when the first police arrived.

Now, I am fully cognizant of the fact that shoplifting is a crime. But, was this not overkill? Does Fort Worth maybe have a few too many cops out on patrol? Maybe the police force could be scaled back a bit and the freed funds used to keep a library or two open an hour or two longer.

I could understand a massive police response to a really serious crime. But, stealing a pair of socks and a box of diapers is borderline Jean Valjean territory, you know, the guy in Les Miserables who's life was made miserable because he was super hungry and stole a loaf of bread. The police overreacted in that case too.

I wonder how much last night's police action cost? Obviously way more than the cost of a pair of socks and a box of diapers.

I enjoy my visits to Miss Puerto Rico's. You never know what you're going to see. Or hear. Or do.