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welcome mat has been pulled out.”
    As we headed for the door, several Panthers stood up and moved to cut us off. One was now directly in front of us with the door to his back. We probably could not fight our way out so I decided on one of Preacher’s tricks, namely, kindness.
    I smiled at him and said, “We appreciate you fellows offering to help us find the door, but I can see it now, and we are leaving.”
    The cordial tone caught him off guard and bought us enough time to slip past him to the exit.
    Several cars pulled up within a few minutes, including Lieutenant Dominik. I explained the situation to him, but he took more time than I expected to respond.
    “Are you pretty sure this is the guy who’s been knocking off restaurants, the one who later killed the owner of the dry cleaners after he resisted?”
    “Yeah,” I replied. “The description is dead on, especially the red and blue tats on his arms.”
    Dominik called for additional units from the adjoining precinct and laid out the plan after they arrived.
    “We are going to make the arrest with such a show of force that resistance will be unlikely. Although we will move rapidly and try to avoid trouble, we know what kind of people hang out here. If someone pulls a gun, defend yourself. I want Stone to go in front directly to the suspect. All of us will follow with drawnrevolvers at our sides and sticks in the other hand. Questions?”
    No one asked anything. The only sounds were sticks being pulled out of their carry rings and weapons from holsters.
    “Okay,” said Dominik. “It’s show time.”
    The sight of ten or eleven officers walking in with drawn weapons had the desired effect. Nobody moved or talked. I cuffed the suspect, and all of us were outside in less than two minutes. The lieutenant thanked everybody. Meanwhile, a wagon had arrived to transport the prisoner to the precinct. Fortunately, the cold-water pipe was not in use. I gave the collar to Mike and coached him on the paperwork.
    An Ugly Rite of Passage
    Mike came to court the next morning with me to watch the process. The arresting officer sits down with an Assistant U.S. Attorney who reviews the arrest report and criminal history of the defendant. After a few questions for the officer, the AUSA decides whether to press charges or release the defendant for lack of evidence or improper police procedure during or after the arrest. Outstanding warrants for robbery and murder made the decision simple in this case. Later, we caught a few hours of sleep and arrived for the 3:30 p.m. roll call the same afternoon.
    The room was full, like nobody was on leave or sick. Excess manpower translates into two-man cars and foot beats.
    Townsen began bellowing out assignments. “Stone and Jansen, one and two, pull on the hour, and stay the fuck away from McCombos.” A few ripples of laughter followed the admonition.
    An occasional foot beat gave patrol officers the opportunity to meet merchants and common citizens alike, listen to their crime problems and complaints while trying to repair some of the mistrust and racial tension, hanging thick in the air after the riots of 1968. Fast-moving cruisers on the streets cannot take in detailssuch as hidden alleys, fire escapes, apartments above stores, and other information that might be helpful later during a disturbance or pursuit.
    Footmen also have the luxury of pulling a box, then ducking into a restaurant to eat real food. The greasy pork fried rice and Kung Pao chicken we finished off was fair.
    Resuming our trek north on Georgia Avenue, I turned to Mike and said, “See those two hard cores in long coats who just entered the liquor store? Their fronts were open, and the one nearest to us was using his arm to hold something against his body.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like a sawed-off, twelve-gauge suspended by a leather sling from the shoulder. Easy to conceal, ready for action. Holdup artists here use a lot of sawed-offs.”
    “Jake, what’s the