Postcards

Impersonating a K-9. After stopping a car with a broken taillight in July, two deputies for the Hamilton County, Tenn., Sheriff’s Department chased the driver, who had jumped from the car and fled into nearby woods. According to The Associated Press, to persuade the driver to surrender, the deputies warned they would send a dog after him, although they were not accompanied by a K-9. One of the deputies began barking, and the driver immediately came out of the woods. The deputies told the AP that it was not the first time that barking at a suspect produced the results they wanted.

In pursuit of happiness. Denver resident Jeff Peckman collected enough signatures this summer to introduce a ballot measure in November that would require the city to do more to reduce stress for residents. According to The Associated Press, the measure does not specify how the city should reduce stress, but it requires the city to research methods for reducing stress and scientifically prove which methods work. Councilman Charlie Brown called the proposal “lunatic,” but Peckman claims that it is the council’s duty under the U.S. Constitution to ensure domestic tranquility.

Grave matters. In June, Sultan, Wash., won a lawsuit brought by a woman who, during a visit to the city cemetery in 2000, stepped into a sinkhole on her father’s grave and broke her ankle. According to The Associated Press, the woman alleged the city was negligent in its upkeep of the cemetery grounds, while the city’s attorney claimed the state’s Recreational Use Act protected Sultan because public park visitors are generally responsible for their own safety. Sinkholes had appeared in the cemetery before as a result of problems with rotted wooden coffins that had not been sealed in concrete liners.

Can you hear me now? Officers and firefighters in Gilbert, Ariz., are experiencing communication problems in their new headquarters. The $46.6 million facility that opened in July was designed to withstand a terrorist attack, but its lock-tight construction is blocking wireless communication in parts of the building. According to The Associated Press, police officers have to use land-line phones because cell phone reception is weak in some areas of the building, and there is a large dead spot in the center. Although the problems are being investigated, the city is retraining workers to be less dependent on their wireless devices.