My traffic record is clean, and I’ve never been written up on a late night out for anything like a noise violation. In other words, I’ve never broken a law. Thus, I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve spoken to a cop.
On Monday, however, I was wire editor for the Institute, a position that required I call nine different law enforcement agencies to find out if any major events had happened the night before. Sunday night was uneventful, but I learned that New Year’s Day hadn’t been. Three homicides took place in the Tucson area on the first day of the year, and I got to report on all of them.
I felt like a rookie when I began writing the story. I was entirely lost in this country’s legal system (read my bio and you’ll understand why) and frankly frightened of getting a fact wrong, misquoting somebody or missing an important detail.
I probably annoyed some of the Institute editors with all my questions about crime, prosecution and police jargon, but with their help and 12 hours of continuous work, I finished the story.
At the end of the day, I felt the same way I did when I saw my first story ever printed in a newspaper: accomplished.
Now I know the next time I have to question a cop that I’ll be more than capable.
Regina García Cano