UNCAGED

UNCAGED

The Owl Within Her

They called her “Officer Owl” because she had the wisdom of a Barn Owl, with the abilities of a Chameleon. Jodi Jenkins worked nights as a Police Officer for the City of Hampden, in Hampden County, Florida. Jenkins was a petite rookie determined to make a difference. Her duty belt barely fit her tiny waist and she was often thought of as “too attractive to be a cop” by her squad.

Despite the difficulties of being a female in a male-dominated profession, Jenkins was indeed like an owl; she knew how to catch her prey and she did it well. However, it was what she did after capturing her prey that was quite different from the owl.

Jodi believed in fairness. She also believed the fair thing to do when catching her nightly “prey” was to help them learn from their mistakes. “Officer Owl” was wise enough to know that not everyone she encountered belonged in a jail cage. People make mistakes,but what happens after the mistake is what matters most. Was a lesson learned?

When it came to problem-solving and community-oriented policing, Jodi shined as bright as the silver badge she wore proudly. Letter upon Letters of Commendation were received on her behalf, which often resulted in envy by fellow officers. Jodi’s zone partner, Officer Jacob Ross, was one of those officers.

Ross had a real problem with women working in Law Enforcement, let alone having a female zone partner. He was old school- part of the good ole boys- and did not approve of Jodi’s style of policing. He would often mock and make fun of her over the radio saying things like, “Hoo-hoo, Officer Owl, What’s your 20?”

It was a just past midnight, with seven more hours to go before the start of a 3-day weekend. Jodi was patrolling her zone when Ross called her on the radio, “Officer Owl, 10-20?” “I’m 10-8 at the 1100 block of U.S.1; what do you need?” replied Jodi. “10-56 at the station so I can give you additional 10-14 from last night’s case.”

Officer Ross was nearly twice Jenkins’ age and his retirement was long overdue. He was lazy, extremely impatient, lacked compassion, and smoked nearly a pack of cigarettes per shift. On duty, he wore his hair in a low, concealed ponytail. Off duty, he was a gruff biker. Ross rode a Harley with handlebars the shape of his mustache and custom-made leathers that were far from military-type.

Jodi arrived at the station. Officer Ross was waiting for her in his patrol car at the entrance of the Criminal Investigations Department. She parked her patrol car 69 to his, as he handed her an envelope through the window. On the envelope were the words, “DO NOT DISTURB” written in capital letters.

“Do not disturb? Sounds like something you’d see hanging on a hotel room door. Why would someone write that on an envelope?” she asked. “What are you, a detective now? I don’t have time for your questions, Owl; Just log it into evidence under the case number from last night’s incident.” “Which incident, the flying monkeys or the Signal 7?” Jodi drove off in disgust.

As Jodi made her way down the hallway of the station to the evidence room, her phone rang. It was her supervisor, Sergeant Wilson. Sergeant Wilson was well-liked in the department; he was down to earth and had a sense of humor comparable to a stand-up comedian. He also believed in Jodi’s tactics, and was aware of the jealousy that existed within the department. He knew Officer Ross mistreated Jodi, and he respected her for never complaining about it.

“Hey Sergeant.” Jodi answered. “Hey there, Officer Jenkins! Question for you…By chance, were you on scene during last night’s Signal 7 investigation?” “Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, I was first on scene. Why? What do you need?” I need to know, “Was Officer Ross there as well?” “Yes, sir. He arrived as backup. I’m not sure why though- unless it was just sheer morbid curiosity. I certainly didn’t need “back-up” for a Signal 7!”

“Jodi, I need to speak with you off record… Copy?” Jodi could sense something was wrong. “Sergeant... What’s going on?”

“I’m giving you a heads up- and you did not hear this from me… Tomorrow, Internal Affairs will be calling you in to give a statement regarding the details of last night’s case.” “What about last night’s case?” she asked.

“The dispatch times don’t match your report, Jodi…” “…What do you mean they don’t match?”

“Jodi…Last night, you were dispatched to the incident at 03:21 hours, on scene at 03:33 hours, and the Signal 7 was confirmed at 03:58 hours.”

Jodi didn’t know what he was getting at. “That sounds about right, Sergeant.”

Sergeant Wilson had a chilling tone to his voice- one Jodi will never forget…

“Jodi, the incident occurred last night, but your report was time-stamped and dated 3 nights ago. Your report of the incident was completed in full detail before the incident even occurred- it was emailed before his time of death!”

Jodi looked down at the envelope she was carrying. The words became blurry as she became disoriented. It felt as though the room was spinning. High-pitched screams- much like the call of an owl- echoed through the building. She quickly tore open the envelope. Inside was a black and white photograph of the “Signal 7”, alive and well, posing against a staircase banister next to a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Jodi with an owl perched on her shoulder. It was dated 1921, exactly one century ago.