Looking For a Speed Trap?

This is a great picture and I just had to use it to set up for my future blog post about traffic tickets.  I am planning a series of posts related to driving as I taught the 'Point and Insurance Deduction' classes when I lived in NY.  I actually miss teaching them as I put a great deal of time and energy into developing my class to keep it from being BORING (which they mostly were) and also educational.  I know I kind of stretched the rules a little (using a little more video than I was supposed to) with how I did my class, but I felt confident that my students got more out my classes the way I structured them and isn't that really the goal.  Anyway, here is my first driving related post.  I call it 'Speed Trap?'
Thanks to Down With Detroit http://www.downwithdetroit.com/ for posting this picture on Facebook.

Speed Trap?   Photo from Down With Detroit Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/DownwithDetroit

Will Low Winter Sun be a Hit for Detroit?

Look what I found on Amazon - Season 1 (the 1 and only season) of "Detroit !-8-7".  So excited now I can watch it all over again.  One of my favorite lines from the show was when Fitch said this to his partner, "Lock up your gun Tonto, we're going to Canada."

OK, so yesterday I blogged about how much I missed "Detroit 1-8-7", and a new Detroit based show- "Low Winter Sun".  I realize now that I did not post a video for this new Detroit Detective show..  AMC has a great channel on YouTube that has 9 videos for their new show, and "Low Winter Sun" also has it's own official site on which you can watch the entire first episode if you missed it or just want to watch it again. http://www.amctv.com/shows/low-winter-sun   The show looks promising, it will be fun to see how it evolves. One of the things I really liked about "Detroit 1-8-7" was how they used Motown music on the show, I hope that "Low Winter Sun" will use Motown and other area music (This is a great and diverse music city).  The ratings were good, not great even though it had  a strong lead in from "Breaking Bad ".  I hope this doesn't spell doom for the show (as it did for "Detroit 1-8-7") as many a great show has taken more than one season to build an audience.  Here is the trailer for "Low Winter Sun".

Missing Detroit 1-8-7

Photo from Detroit 1-8-7 Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Detroit187

Did anyone catch the new show on AMC," Low Winter Sun"?  It takes place in Detroit and is about Detroit Detectives.  Reminds me a bit of Detroit 1-8-7 (I loved that show).  I think I may be already hooked on this new show as I want to see where this story goes.  I still miss Detroit 1-8-7, I thought it was a great show that ABC never gave a real chance, I had hoped that a cable network would pick it up but alas it was not to be.  The cast of that show was outstanding and I enjoyed the characters and plot, good mix of humor and drama.  Watching the promo from Detroit 1-8-7 reminds me of how good the show was, I am hoping this new show will measure up. 
I will say it is awesome to have a series being shot in and around Detroit, Michigan again.  I'm going to keep watching, so far so good. 
Enjoy the Detroit 1-8-7 promo from the Detroit 1-8-7 Facebook page.

Badge of Honor

I just read "Badge of Honor" by Walter L. Harris Jr..  Great book, I could not put it down and read it in one day.  Walter L. Harris Jr. was a Detroit Police officer for 9 1/2 years.  For 5 years he served on the Executive Protection Unit (EPU), first with Mayor Dennis Archer and then with Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.  It was under the 'leadership' of Mayor Kilpatrick that Officer Harris's world was forever changed.  This is the story of a good man, a man of integrity, the kind of man you want serving on the police force.
I loved this book, it is well written and I love how Officer Harris sprinkled quotes throughout the book.  The quotes are well chosen and relate to what is  being written about at that time.  From the book's dedication to the appendix this book is all class.  The Forward is written by former Mayor Dennis Archer and the Introduction starts with this quote:  "For it is not easy to do the correct thing when the people around you are prospering from doing the wrong thing" - Walter L. Harris Jr..  Great quote Officer Harris, I think we have all seen this happen around us to some degree, and I think that is part of what helps to make this book so intriguing.  Part 1 lays the foundation telling us how Walter L. Harris Jr. became the man and Police Officer who would stand firm in his convictions and beliefs.  We get to see the wonderful people who helped to form this good man.  Part 2 brings us Mayor Kilpatrick and the downward spiral.  The final chapter , Chapter 17 is titled, " To Blow the Whistle or Not", and gives us all food for thought should we ever find ourselves in that position.  Officer Harris uses a quote he heard in some movie, "It's not what you know, but what you can prove."  Remember that, it is extremely important.  The book ends with an appendix titled, "Things You Should Consider Before Blowing the Whistle (Checklist).
I came to admire and respect Officer Walter L. Harris Jr., and am saddened that he had to leave a job he loved and also his home.  I don't know where Officer Harris is now or what he is doing (Supersonic Safety Research may have to track him down for me) because I would love to shake this man's hand.  Bless you Officer Harris and your family wherever you are.
This is a link to a radio interview with Officer Walter L. Harris Jr.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3lY5mFcj96k