When your cell phone rings at 4:30 in the morning and you roll over and glare at the screen to see your sister calling, you're heart seems to drop into your feet. However, when you find out she's calling you with THIS NEWS and tells you "Go wake up Mom and Dad...He's in your neighborhood..." Your heart seems to drop, and speed up at the same time.
This was my reality this morning. Growing up in a city that has more prisons than anything else, you sort of get used to the occasional inmate escape. You're alert, but not paranoid. And being the daughter of a cop, being aware of our surroundings is nothing new, it's our lifestyle. So, I wasn't really worried as I hung up with my sister and got out of bed. However, As I exited my room to wake my parents, I was greeted with the flashing lights of blue and red reflecting off our front door pane. I literally ran down the hall and woke my parents, telling them about the situation and that it seemed a police car was in our driveway. Dressing quickly, my Dad went to look out the window. There were indeed TWO police cars stationed right outside our house. Our neighbors across the street were out of town and we had been watching their house for them. Next to their house was an empty heavily wooded lot.
Dad, being a retired police officer knew protocol and didn't want to be in the way. It wasn't until a third car showed up that he ventured out to identify himself to the cops and make them aware that our neighbors hadn't been home for a few days. He was told they were waiting for the search dogs to arrive. So, we all sat in the living room and listened to radio updates. Soon, our subdivision was in full lock down, and we heard a search chopper overhead. As daylight broke, we noticed police walking our street with search dogs and several police cars surveying the area. At one point we had four police cars parked along our curb. Despite the seriousness of the situation, we felt like we were the safest people in the neighborhood at that point. LOL!
As I write this entry, the inmate is still at large, but things in our area have calmed down. It's not known where he is, but it's apparent by the diminishing police presence, that our neighborhood is no longer a huge point of interest (at least not right now).
Days like today have made me grateful for several things:
- Our local law enforcement. I grew up with a cop, so I've always had an incredible respect for them. They've done an amazing job at keeping us informed and just their simple presence in the early hours of this morning was a comfort.
-The fact that I don't live alone. Seriously, it was REALLY nerve wracking this morning. I would have HATED being alone under those circumstances.
- A big sister that calls in the middle of the night to make sure we are aware of what's going on.
-Our local radio station for the great job they did of keeping everyone informed.
-Facebook. Laugh if you must, but this was a great tool that allowed us to what was going on in other parts of our neighborhood.
-The fact that I no longer work on Tuesday's. It would've been a nightmare trying to get out of here this morning, and I was happy to be able to stick close to home today.
It's been a whirlwind day, no doubt about it. But in the midst of so much uncertainty today, there was a lot to be thankful for.
My prayers tonight go out to those still searching for this person. May all of this come to a peaceful conclusion very soon!
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