The lighter side of The Job
Five incidents prove serious situations can produce laughs

Very few arenas produce more serious circumstances than the law enforcement profession or the judicial system. There's nothing very amusing about most of the challenges that officers and judges deal with on a daily basis.

However, humorous situations sometimes can be found where you least expect them. Here are a few examples, gleaned from a variety of periodicals:

• The reverse speed trap - A 20-year-old police academy student and his father were arrested and charged with stealing a radar gun and using the device to pose as law enforcement officers. The dad/son duo made a major mistake. They stopped a real police officer for speeding. It was discovered that the two had been playing the role of radar officers for more than a year before stumbling into their own phony speed trap.
• The after-the-fact security check - A judge recently ordered a comprehensive study of her courthouse's security status. Her demand came a little late. She issued it after being attacked by a man she had just remanded to a mental health facility. The judge also applied for a CCW permit.
• The case of the contemptuous thought - A defense attorney who was desperately trying to convince a judge to throw out evidence that might incriminate his client became angry after his request was denied. He asked what would happen if he called the judge "a stupid, ignorant old fool." The judge replied that he would hold the lawyer in contempt of court and seek to have his license revoked by the state bar. "What if I only thought it?" asked the attorney. "In that case," answered the judge, "there is nothing I could do. This is a free country and you can think whatever you want." "In that case," the attorney responded, if it please the court, let the record reflect that I THINK you're a stupid, ignorant old fool."
• The revenge against a "lemon" - A Tennessee man became so enraged when his car wouldn't operate he decided that merely kicking the tires or banging the hood wouldn't be sufficient to vent his anger. Instead, he attacked the vehicle by firing 90 rounds of ammunition into it from an AK-47 attack rifle. Officers called to the scene were relieved to learn that the frustrated driver was not interested in killing people - only his vehicle - and was out of ammo.
• The warden's fatal attraction - A warden at a Mexican prison figured he could get some cheap voyeuristic thrills by spying on inmates during conjugal visits. He got into the habit of watching through a skylight as prisoners and their wives made up for lost time in what they believed was a private setting. His habit was permanently broken when the skylight collapsed and he plunged to the floor of the conjugal visit room abruptly ending both his life and the couple's "visit."

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