STORY BEHIND THE POEM MISSING MEMBER

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Robert Gough is a young police officer working the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, commonly called skid road.  He is the nicest guy you could meet and talk to, but, can be forgetful sometimes as is illustrated by this poem.

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Robert was working an overtime shift on Drinking Driver Counter Attack.   After completing their eight hour shift at Cordova and Cambie, Robert was detailed to take the Counter Attack van back to headquarters.  Unbeknownst to the Sergeant in charge, Robert had signed out a police car and driven it to the setups.  Robert who is one to always volunteer to help, had also forgotten that he had a police unit at the scene.

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He drove off in the Counter Attack van and everyone else left the scene.   Sometime later a citizen phoned 9-1-1 in quite a panic.  He could see a police car sitting in the middle of the road, doors open, engine running and emergency lights flashing.  After seeing all the reports of terrorist activity, and fearing for the safety of the policeman who was obviously missing, he called in.

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Steve Shaw who was working an overtime shift in patrol, got the call to investigate.  He determined that Robert had signed out the car and he knew Counter Attack had been stationed there earlier.  He made a  radio broadcast and the Sergeant on the Counter Attack, found Robert in the locker room, dressed in just his underwear (shoes rhymed better though).   Robert rather sheepishly got dressed and headed out to pick up his lost patrol car.

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When at the scene he was heard to comment, “Thank goodness this is the “Even” squad so there won’t be a poem”.  One of the members at the scene stated, “Let me introduce you to Steve Shaw, who works the “Odd” side, on Tom Gowdyk’s squad.   Information passed, poem born.

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