Saturday, February 01, 2025

Memorable Encounters

Encounter A: He had long bushy hair and a beard. Was wearing a yellow Mickey Mouse t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. Scruffy look but not so much that you'd give him a lot of attention.

Encounter B: They were dressed neatly and could have been grad students or professors. Every item they had on was German. They spoke German flawlessly and were circumspect in their use of German body language. I was permitted one quick glance across a room.

Encounter C: Both of them were filthy. Long unwashed hair. Large beards. Leather jackets. Greasy Levis. Motorcycle boots. One had a chain for a belt. I assumed they were armed.

Encounter D: A police supervisor. Sharp and experienced. He described the psychological problems often faced by those who were in deep undercover work. One of his concerns: an undercover officer had recently gotten a tattoo, which could be a warning sign regarding identity issues. Another topic to counter a civil rights query by a state attorney general's office: there was no way that we were going to put a female officer in an undercover assignment in a biker bar. The gangs regarded women as currency.

Encounter E: The managers explained that their employee came up clean in a local records check. [He had been convicted in California.] He was hired in a special jobs program and then transferred to the City Treasurer's Office. He was caught after an alert bank employee noticed an odd movement of over $700,000. Everyone in the office liked him. A frequent comment: "Willing to work late."

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