My Detroit, 1936 to date........

[Lowell]

You have had a blessed and interesting life with hopefully many more chapters to be written. You have also added a lot of eye-witness historical perspective and color to this forum. But you have opened yourself to questions too.

So what were the funniest and scariest events in that long life?

[Ray1936]

So what were the funniest and scariest events in that long life?

Oh, Lord, funny happened all the time. It was healthy to keep looking for the humor in most situations. I remember going through a grocery store in the wee hours when we saw a prowler inside and the back door kicked in. Finally found the kid on a shelf above the hot-water heater. Kinda surprised, I shouted "What are you doing up there?" The response had us howling. "Everybody gotta be some place", he said.

Dozens of stories like that. We had a ping-pong table in the squad room that got heavy use before and after roll call. Most officers kept a ping-pong ball in their handcuff case. Never failed that when and arrest was made and the handcuffs were pulled out in a hurry, a ping pong ball bounced merrily down the street.......

Pistol inspections were routine during roll call. Had a Lieutenant named Ralph Eskuri who called it. Pistols were drawn, emptied, and held toward the ceiling of the squad room. Ralph walked down the ranks and took a revolver at random from an officer named Ray Cislo. Eskuri slammed the cylinder shut, pointed it to the ceiling, and click, click, BANG. And poor Cislo is looking at his hand counting bullets....one, two, three, four, five.......oh, shit......one, two, three, four, five............

Probably still a hole in the ceiling in that building, which is still there.

I guess the 1967 riot was the only thing I could call scary. Not for my personal safety, for I was cautious, but for my city. After a couple of days of it, I just knew the C of D would never be the same. I was right.

Don't mean to ramble, but you asked.