Jon and Ponch were the best of friends and had been partners for many years. They were a strange match, Jon a son of a wealthy real estate broker and Ponch a hispanic man who had been raised by his single mom who supported her family by cleaning houses. But, they had become the best of friends and when they had a chance to ride together again they grabbed the chance.
Their original sargeant had now retired and had been replaced by Steve Bartrum, an old pal of theirs who had spent many hours on the road on his bike. He was a good man with the understanding that came with the experience of actually having once been a motorcycle cop.
Now, as Ponch and Jon looked around they couldn't help but notice who the station had changed. No one was allowed near any of the police without a complete search and there were locked doors everywhere. You now spoke to the police officer at the desk from behind bullet proof glass. Not only was that different everything was computerized and everything an officer did had to be logged on the computer.
Gone were the days of just riding your motorcycle around and being on the lookout for trouble. Everything came from the computer with little or no voice contact and if there was not an instance of immediate danger the public now had to fill out their own police reports. The police no longer would come to a person's house if the perpetrator had already left.
Ponch and Jon shook their heads. Could they really become chps officers again with all of these changes? The personal side of being a police officer was the part of the job that allowed a police officer to meet the more human side of the job. They could not wonder if that was the reason why the police now seemed more self protective and more aggressive. In all of the time that they had ridden together neither one of them had to shoot a suspect or hide behind their shield.
Both men had continued riding their bikes on a regular basis and had passed the exam and physical training once again with ease. Even though, they were both in their late thirties they were in very good condition to be riding again.
In the years since Jon had been a member of chps he had continued on as a police officer for the city of San Fransisco. He had enjoyed working with the police there, however, he had found himself longing for the road on a motorcycle once again. When he and Ponch had met again for a family (chps family) reunion they had decided that it was now time for them to go back to the streets of LA and ride on their bikes with the chps.
Ponch had married a wonderful girl named Maria and now was the father of two young children, a girl three and a boy one and a half. He had worked in the court house as a bailiff and had honestly enjoyed most of the time there. But the call of the road had been calling since he had left chps and was glad that Jon was also ready for a change.
They had been required to retake the test and then go through six weeks of training where they learned of the new rules and regulations and the new laws. They graduated with honors and were looking forward to going on the road once again this day.
As they went into the briefing room they were glad to see some of their old buddies. It had been a while, however, they were met with cordial welcomes and given their assignments for the day. They were to be covering the lower LA freeways and keeping a general eye on traffic.
There had been some troubles with illegal aliens being driven up the freeways and into the big city where they would blend in. This is one of the reasons why Ponch and Jon had been chosen for this job. Both men were fluent in Spanish and could easily communicate with any of the men and women and families sometimes that they would be encountering.
The conditions that these people would endure to come into the country were unbelievable. There had been times when as many as forty people had been crammed into a van that was no larger than a small U Haul truck. There would be no air and the temperature would rise to as high as one hundred and twenty degrees inside. There had been many cases where the people inside would be found in very bad condition or worse.
Also the freeway had now become a corridor for the drug dealers. They would carry anything from pills to heroin, crack cocaine any thing that the people of the city would wish. These dealers were extremely dangerous and would stop at nothing to get their goods into the city. Many police officers had been harmed or wounded when they tried to stop the dealers from bringing the drugs into LA.
But both were confident that people never change, that there would be the usual problems with the accidents the medicals. There could be just the normal everyday things that they had encountered just a few years ago.
As the mounted their cycles Ponch and Jon began to feel like their old selves. The wind on their face and the smell of the salt air of the ocean. Although, they could not see the ocean from where they were they could smell it in the air. It seemed to Ponch as though the smog had gotten a little worse, but it was tolerable.
As the approached the first freeway ramp, they saw a large truck with a heavy load weaving as though the driver was beginning to lose control of the wheel. As Ponch and Jon approached the truck the truck driver noticed them and tried to correct his actions. This caused him to swing back into the other lane causing the car in that lane to swerve and strike another car. As that car was pushed to the right it flipped over striking the embankment and landing on it's roof. Unfortunately at that time the truck slid to the right and land on it's side.
By the time that the accident was over Ponch and Jon were looking at a crash involving over six cars. Ponch ran over to the lady who had struck the embankment. He could smell gasoline, so he immediately broke the glass on the passenger side of the car and reached into the compartment. There was a young lady in the car, probably thirty or so unconscious. He reached over to undo her seatbelt and working around the air bags managed to start pulling her out just as he could see the flames coming from the bottom of the car. He pulled her to the side and looked her over. She seemd to be in bad condition and as he looked up he was glad to see the ambulance on the scene.
Jon had come over to the man driving the truck and had managed to get him out with what appeared to be minor injuries. The man seemedd to be taking it all in stride and Jon insisted that he be looked at by the paramedics. Jon handed the man a ticket for driving to endanger and took care of all the other cars involved in the accident. The whole thing took about an hour and then an hour worth of work on their computer and back on the streets they found themselves again.
They had been on the road about an hour where they assisted various individuals, from a woman with a flat tire to a man who was walking down the freeway after having a fight with his girlfriend. It seems that she had left him on the side of the road.
That situation was taken care of by Ponch simply calling the girlfriend and warned her that she could have been charged with reckless endangerment had her boyfriend been inured. She had calmed down at this point and agreed to back and pick him up.
It had been a long day but both Jon and Ponch felt good about it. They had sucessfully helped over fifty people that day and they felt good.
Everyday there were the same simular incidents and Ponch and Jon were beginning to feel more comfortable in their newly replenished roles. They had been right although there had been some modernization to their jobs the people were basically the same.
It had been over a week since Ponch had pulled the lady from the burning car and he had checked with the hospital to find out how she was doing. Unfortunately as a result of the accident it was apparent that she might be paralyzed from the waist down for life.
Ponch felt bad about her circumstances, however, many people live long happy lives without the use of their legs and with physical therapy she could look forward to that life. He was surprised when the Captain called him into his office.
"Ponch I am sorry but because of an ongoing investigation to your reaction during the accident on your first day on the job you have been put back on a desk. The woman has a lawyer now and they are suing the city for wrongful damages." Captain Davis told him.
"Captain, I don't understand the car was on fire was I suposed to just let her burn?" Ponch asked.
"I want to have you fill out this form thoroughly and we will have you speak to internal affairs. Unfortunately at this time you will be assigned to a desk." the Captain told him.
Ponch left the room and headed to the locker room. He told his partner Jon of what had happened and together they decided to go over the accident step by step once their shift was over.
Jon climbed onto his motorcycle once again, but this time with his old friend Mike, not Ponch. It just wasn't going to feel the same without his longtime partner.
Ponch looked down at the paper that he was to fill out. It was asking a step by step scenerio including why he and Jon were following the truck. Had they had their lights on at the time of the crash? How long did the accident take? Could he have called to Jon for assistance and possibly put out the fire allowing the emts to remove the woman from the car?
When the long day was over both Jon and Ponch went to the site of the accident and looked at their laptops. Each report had been done immediately after the accident and each of them had written their own account. Although there were subtle differences in the report the major parts were almost identical.
Each of them remeasured and took more photos of the marks on the embankment. They called the woman who had originally sideswiped the lady and made an appointment to see her that evening.
Mrs. Monroe lived in a nice house in one of lA s better neighborhoods. She was a nice lady in her early forties and met them at the door. After they had all taken seats Ponch and Jon started to ask her some questions.
"I had nowhere to go the truck nearly hit me. Unfortunately, the lady in the car in the lane next to me was too close to stop and that is all that I can remember until I heard the popping of tires." she told them.
"Did you see this officer pull the lady from the car?" Jon asked.
"Yes I did as I looked over the car muffler or whatever had caught on fire and there was smoke everywhere. He was pulling on the lady and yelling can you hear me can you hear me? When he finally came out with the lady they were both covered in smoke. The officer carried the lady over to the embankment and laid her down. By this time the fire department and emts arrived. If the officer hadn't pulled her from the car the lady surely would have died, because as the firemen approach the car exploded in flames." she told them.
Both officers thanked the lady and decided to make a call to the man who was driving the truck. It was their hope that he would just tell them what had happened and not uncooperative bcause of the ticket that Jon had given him.
Jon left a message on the machine of the man who had been driving the truck and waited for his phone call. In the meantime he read over Ponch's police report and Ponch went over Jon's accident report.
Neither one of the men could see anything that would be to Ponch's assistance on their computer they hoped that what Mrs Monroe had stated would be of some assistance. Their next hope would be from the truck driver.
Ponch went home to his wife and children and wondered how he would go about telling his Maria that one week on the job and he was already in trouble. She was a great supporter of his and always understanding. He loved her very much.
As soon as Ponch opened the door Maria and the kids ran to the door. They gave him hugs and kisses and a great welcome. Maria could tell right away of the trouble just by the posture that Ponch was holding.
He explained to her what had happend and she remembered him telling her of the accident and of the ladies condition. She felt very badly for the lady, but it was not her Ponch's fault. He had saved her life, and without him she would have died. Why would she do such a thing, she thought to herself.
The next morning internal affairs met with Ponch. They questioned him for over two hours making him a nervious wreck. They said that they would look at \his claims the videos and the victims of the crash. There were several people left to check. Anything else that he could remember would be welcome, however desk duty it was.
Jon was called in just after lunch to talk to internal affairs. He had dealt with internal affairs before, they were tough and could cost Ponch his job. His interview went on for over an hour and he left with a sense of relief. Although no words as such were spoken they listened intently to Jon and took many notes, plus video.
That evening as Posh and Jon left work Ponch's cell phone rang it was Mark the truck driver. He was more than willing to meet with the officers. He understood that the results of the internal affairs investigation could have a profound effect on his life as well. As a result of the accident he was facing job dismissal and the loss of his license. He was also aware that if the woman was sucessfull in her suit against the city she could sue him also.
Jon and Posh met with Mark at a local truck stop. He was nervious and wearing a sling on his arm. He had dislocated his shoulder and also had broken a couple of ribs, but thanks to the efficiency of the men of chps he was alive and would be well soon.
Mark's memory of the crash was mostly what happened prior to the crash. He had been traveling down the freeway on his way to deliver some goods to a local grocery store. The lady that had been driving the car who was trying to sue the city was to his right and had attempted to pull out in front of him. Because his truck was heavilly loaded when Mark tried to go into the left lane to avoid the lady he began to lose control. He thought that he had the truck mostly in control when he noticed the chps officers behind him. Mark got frightened and over compensated his truck and went into a spin.
His next memory was Jon helping him out of the truck and hearing people yelling. He then saw the lady in the burning car. He couldn't see anything as the smoke was so thick but did see Ponch carry a lady over to the embankment and attempt to give her first aid. He remembered that the ambulance or fire truck didn't appear until after Ponch had pulled the lady out of the car.
Ponch and Jon thanked Mark for his time and felt relief when Mark agreed to speak to the internal affair division. They felt with the tape of their conversation and Mark talking to internal affairs Ponch would be at work soon and the lady would not win in her lawsuit.
When Ponch came into work the next morning he dropped off all of the information that he and Jon had collected with the Captain. He then went off to work at his desk with a little bit of hope in his heart.
The next few days were busy. Working the desk was very busy but Ponch missed his chance to ride his motorcycle as a chps officer again. He and Jon had kept in touch with the hospital and found that the lady had been discharged to a local nursing home for rehabilitation. Ponch felt sorry for her as she was a young mother, but what happened was an accident and by the truck drivers statement she could very well have been the person responsible for the accident. That would need to be looked into also.
The weekend was long and lonely for Jon and Ponch, they had been looking forward to working together again and for the last ten days Ponch had been on desk duty for something he was not guilty of. Ponch's wife had Jon over for a barb-q and that took some of the worry off his mind. His wife and children were his life.
That Tuesday as Ponch came into the police station once more to work at the desk the Captain called him into his office. "Ponch I have good news for you. Internal affairs has cleared you of any wrong doing. You can now join your partner Jon on the road again."
This could not have been better news for Ponch. He smiled and shook the Captain's hand. From there he walked to the locker room smiled at Jon and put on his helmet. They smiled as they headed onto the freeway back to ride again.