By Motorcop
Crime stinks and that isn’t an amusing anecdote. Crime actually has a smell. Ask any cop that’s been around more than a minute and they’ll tell you it’s true. I used to work in a custody setting, and there was a distinct odor associated with the building. Fast-forward to many years later and I can tell you when I stop a car and I notice an unpleasant smell, I know the driver is dirty. Not needs-a-bath dirty, although that’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility, rather I’m guilty-of-something-dirty.
Usually, one of the first questions I asks is whether or not the person driving has ever been arrested. If the response takes longer than about three milliseconds, I know this isn’t their first time. You know how I know? If I was asked that question, the answer is a simple and quick no. Case in point, I recently stopped a speeder. As soon as I walked up to the passenger side of the vehicle, I was hit with the aforementioned aroma. I looked down at the front passenger’s foot well and saw a piece of tinfoil that had some residue of a burnt substance on it. I subsequently asked the driver when was his last arrest. Six months or so was the answer. It turned out the driver was on probation for a drug charge, had a no-bail warrant for his arrest, was in possession of two different kinds of drugs as well as a device commonly used to smoke those drugs.
If you get into a friend’s car and it has a distinct malodorous scent in the air, you may want to get a different ride because your friend is likely dirty. The same concept also applies to various structures in which people reside and/or work. When officers conduct probation/parole searches and the unpleasant smell wafts down the hallway, it isn’t a mystery what room needs attention.For landlords, if your tenant stinks and you just can’t identify the loathsome scent, you may want to seriously reconsider your lease arrangement. Sooner or later, some officers may very well kick in the door.
