The Knights of the Saltire

Interventions

1

Monday, 4:00 AM

Chicago, IL

Officers Frank Carlson and Ben Pierson of the Chicago Police Department sat in their patrol car drinking coffee. It had been another boring night, and they both looked forward to their shift being over. The late-spring air was still chilly near the lake, and the two officers had their jackets zipped up to stay warm. The steam from their breath and the coffee created strange patterns on the windshield in the stillness of the early morning.

Neither officer said much as they drank their coffee. The occasional crackle of their police radio was the only break in the silence. Carlson, sitting in the driver’s seat, had just decided that it was time to resume their patrol when he heard the dispatcher come on the radio again.

Two-Seven-Charlie-Echo, come in please.

Carlson put his coffee down in the cup holder and picked up the microphone. Two-Seven-Charlie-Echo, go ahead.

Two-Seven-Charlie-Echo, we have a report of a disturbance on West 53rd Street near Princeton. Anonymous caller says four men who have been robbing locals have been caught.

Two-Seven-Charlie-Echo, roger, Dispatch. We’ll investigate, Carlson responded.

Pierson looked at his partner with a questioning expression and put his own coffee down. Carlson started the patrol car and put it in drive. The red and blue lights on the roof broke the darkness as the two officers sped off into the night to respond to the dispatcher’s instructions.

Pierson saw the train tracks on their right as they slowly approached West 53rd Street. Both officers looked intently into the night, using their search lights to find the source of the disturbance reported by the dispatcher. Suddenly, Carlson slammed on the brakes. Pierson looked over and saw why Carlson had stopped the car. Illuminated by the search light were four men, unconscious, sitting back-to-back on the side of the road with a stop sign between them. The search light reflected off of the chains and handcuffs that secured the men to each other. Carlson turned the patrol car, so that the headlights were pointing toward the four men, and put the car into park. He and Pierson got out of the car to investigate.

Carlson shined his flashlight at the four men. Both officers checked each of the men’s pulse to confirm that they were all still alive. The unconscious men showed no signs of injury. The men were dressed in dark jeans, dark boots, and black hoodies. They resembled common street thugs.

The two officers circled around the unconscious men. Pierson noticed that one of the men had a large manila envelope taped to his chest. Come here and look at this, Frank, he said to his partner.

Carlson walked around and saw the envelope in the beam of his partner’s flashlight. Call it in, and see if they want us to open the envelope or wait for the detectives, Carlson told his partner. I’ll get the camera and start taking pictures.

Pierson grabbed the microphone attached to his shoulder and pushed the talk button as Carlson went back to the car to get the camera. Dispatch, Two-Seven-Charlie-Echo. We have four men bound and unconscious at the corner of West 53rd Street and Princeton. One has an envelope taped to his chest. Do you want us to open the envelope or wait for the detectives?

Pierson turned his eyes so the flash on the camera wouldn’t blind him as his partner started taking pictures of the scene. "Two-Seven-Charlie-Echo, Dispatch. Detectives are en route. Secure the scene, and wait for them. We’ll dispatch EMTs to your location."

Two-Seven-Charlie-Echo, roger, Dispatch. We’ll secure the scene and wait for the detectives.

Within ten minutes, another patrol car and an unmarked car arrived on the scene with their red and blue lights flashing. Detectives Tom Simpson and Tracy Murray got out of the unmarked car and approached Officer Carlson. Morning, Frank, Simpson said shaking Carlson’s hand. What have you got for us?

Morning, Tom. We found them just like they are. We photographed everything and checked their vitals. No obvious sign of injury, and they’re all alive – just unconscious. Ben found something taped to one of them, Carlson said, pointing to Pierson.

Both Detectives moved around to see the man that Pierson was standing over. Murray pulled out a pair of latex gloves, put them on, and knelt down to take the envelope off the chest of the unconscious man. She stood up and opened the envelope as everyone gathered closer to see what was inside. Murray motioned for Pierson to shine his flashlight on the contents as she began looking through the information.

Mostly photographs of these four men bullying and robbing people, she commented after a moment. There are also two DVDs, and the label on them says ‘Surveillance Videos.’ There’s a cover letter and a list of names and addresses.

Murray read the letter out loud. Dear Chicago Police. These four men have been shaking down and terrorizing the people in this community for a very long time. Enclosed you will find photographic evidence of their crimes and two surveillance videos that prove they committed a number of crimes including the shooting of an elderly couple and two shopkeepers. We were unable to prevent these shootings, but we are determined that these thugs be brought to justice. You will find their guns in a locked box next to the building that the person with this envelope is facing. The keys to their handcuffs and the locked box are taped to the inside of the envelope. Ballistics should be able to match these guns to a number of crimes that have been committed in this area. We are not trying to do your job for you; rather, we saw an opportunity to make a difference to this community and took it. We turn the whole matter over to you now.

Carlson shined his flashlight toward the building and saw the locked box. He retrieved it and returned as Murray was pulling a key ring out of the envelope. Carlson held the box while Murray tried a number of keys before finding the one that opened the box. Inside, the gathered police officers and detectives found seven semi-automatic pistols ranging from .45 caliber to 9mm. All guns looked well used.

The EMTs arrived. Murray unlocked the unconscious men from their handcuffs and chains. As the two detectives looked around the scene, the EMTs attempted to revive the unconscious thugs. They’ve clearly been drugged, one of the EMTs said to Simpson. They don’t appear to have any physical injuries. I can’t tell if it was ether, chloroform, or something else. We should get them to a hospital and have them checked out before we do anything else.

Simpson nodded to the EMT, who radioed in for an ambulance. The officers placed the recently removed handcuffs and chains in evidence bags and put them in the back seat of the detectives’ car. They then placed their own handcuffs on the four men, who were starting to regain consciousness. When the ambulance arrived, the officers helped the men into the back and got in their patrol cars to follow the ambulance to the hospital so the men wouldn’t escape.

The two detectives took one more look around the scene, nodded to each other, and got back into their car. The morning sun was rising over the lake as the police, EMT, and medical vehicles left the scene.

Silence once more returned to the street, broken only by a faint clicking sound coming from the roof of the building across the street. A lone, shadowy figure snapped a few additional photographs of the events below before putting the camera back into its small case. The figure then pulled out a phone and dialed a number. Intervention concluded, he said into the mouthpiece. Scene cleared. He hung up the phone, grabbed the camera case, and quickly left the roof top.

Two weeks later, the two detectives were sitting in their Lieutenant’s office. Good job, you two, Lieutenant Bell said. The evidence against those four was rock solid. They were identified by dozens of victims and finally confessed to the robberies and the shootings. The District Attorney let them take a plea: 25-to-life for all four of them.

The two detectives looked pleased at this information.

Any idea who set them up for us? the Lieutenant asked.

None, Simpson answered. There were no prints on any of the materials we recovered, no physical evidence on the four criminals, and no witnesses to their capture.

Well, don’t waste any more time looking. We have more important things to do than looking for people who are trying to help us.

Yes sir, Simpson and Murray answered as they rose to leave the Lieutenant’s office.

The Lieutenant watched the two detectives walk away and picked up his copy of their report. His detectives didn’t know it, but this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. The Lieutenant pulled his keys from his pants pocket and unlocked the lower left drawer of his desk. There was an unmarked red folder on the top. He took the folder and placed the report in the rear. There were at least five other reports in the folder. He put the folder back in the drawer, closed it, and locked it again.

I wish I knew who was doing this.

2

Tuesday, 6:30 PM

Hartford, CT

Tim Franklin had worked in the call center of Bellington Security for two years. Unlike most of his colleagues, he had been in law enforcement and knew the importance of responding quickly to alarm alerts from the company’s clients. He knew that the clients depended on him to do his job correctly, and he did his best to earn and retain their trust.

Tim was just about to walk down to the lounge and get a soda when an alert popped up on his computer. A silent break-in alarm had been triggered at 2334 Scarborough Street near Rose Park. Tim knew the area. Some of the more powerful and wealthy members of Hartford’s business community lived there. He did a quick check on the house and saw that the owners had notified the company that they’d be out of the country for another week. Tim clicked on the Call Police button on his computer, and his phone immediately dialed into the Hartford Police Dispatch Center.

Hartford Police Dispatch, this is Operator 167. What is your Emergency?

Hartford Police Dispatch, this is Tim Franklin of Bellington Security. My ID Number is 4163-3259. We have a silent break-in alarm notification at 2334 Scarborough Street. Our reports state that the homeowners are out of the country for another week.

Thank you for your report, Mr. Franklin. We’ll dispatch officers to 2334 Scarborough Street immediately and notify you of our findings. May I have your direct number so we can reach you regarding resetting the alarm system?

Tim gave his direct line number to the dispatcher and hung up. He then pressed a red button on his desk to notify his supervisor about what had happened.

Across town, the Police Dispatcher looked at her computer to see what patrol cars were in the area. Baker-Four-Nine and Delta-Three-Seven, we have a report of a silent break-in alarm at 2334 Scarborough Street. Homeowners are out of the country. Proceed cautiously.

Sergeant Bill McMorrow, in patrol car Baker-Four-Nine, was breaking in a rookie partner that week. Officer Jeff Tomford had been on the force for a few months, and McMorrow was one of the best field instructors that the department had. They were driving up Asylum Hill toward Insurance Row, where many of the major insurance companies were based, when the call came in. Baker-Four-Nine, roger Dispatch. We’ll proceed silently to 2334 Scarborough Street and coordinate with Delta-Three-Seven.

McMorrow turned on the lights, but kept the siren silent as he increased speed. There wasn’t much traffic on the street at that time of day since most of the insurance company employees went home around 4:00 PM. He saw the lights of the Stag logo on the roof of The Hartford building turn on and remembered how many times he had been called to that location because some of the local drug dealers had shot out the windows on the upper floors while aiming at the Stag.

The patrol car passed St. Francis Hospital and part of the university. As they passed Gerard Avenue, Delta-Three-Seven pulled out behind him, and the two cars continued together. As they reached Rose Park, they turned right onto Scarborough Street and turned their flashing lights off. They parked several houses away from 2334 and got out of their cars.

We’ll cover the rear of the house, McMorrow told the other officers. You cover the front of the house. Report in once you find the point of entry. The other officers nodded, and they all moved quickly toward the house.

Tomford followed McMorrow up the driveway of the next door neighbor’s house and through the back yard. Tomford looked at the meticulously sculptured hedges and gardens as he tried to keep up with his partner. Everything about this neighborhood spoke of wealth.

They reached the tall shrubs separating the neighbor’s yard from 2334. McMorrow pointed to a medium-size unmarked panel truck parked in the rear near the garage. They must have entered through the rear of the house. Stay near me, and whatever you do, don’t shoot me. McMorrow quickly informed the other officers of his discovery, and then both men drew their guns and proceeded toward the house.

As they approached the house, they saw that the rear French doors were open. McMorrow crept to the open doors and looked inside. Seeing no one, he entered the house, followed by Tomford.

Officer Tomford found the alarm system control panel. The cover had been removed, and there were a number of wires leading to a small device still attached. He pointed out the alarm control panel to his partner. McMorrow nodded silently and continued to search the first floor of the house.

The two policemen moved toward the kitchen, and they both heard sounds coming from the front of the house. McMorrow motioned for Tomford to proceed to the front of the house through the kitchen while he went around through another room. Tomford nodded and quietly moved away from his partner.

As he got closer to the front of the house, Tomford heard something that sounded like grunting and thumping. He took a deep breath, adjusted the grip on his weapon, trying to remember all that his weapons instructor at the academy had taught him, and moved toward the sound.

He entered the living room and saw McMorrow coming in from the hallway at the same time. Tomford heard the grunting sound again to his right and turned to see what was causing it.

Sitting in the middle of the floor, bound and gagged, were three men. All were trying desperately to break free of the ropes that had each man tied to the other and their hands secured.

McMorrow looked at the three men for a moment. He whispered for Tomford to watch them, and he continued searching the house for other intruders. He returned a few minutes later and shook his head. I can’t find anyone else in the house. He got on the radio and told the other officers to enter the house from the open rear door. He then called Dispatch to report what they found in the house.

Tomford holstered his weapon and started taking the gags out of the mouths of the three men as the other police officers entered the room with their guns drawn. When he got to the second man, he saw a large manila envelope taped to the man’s chest. Sergeant, come look at this, he said to his partner.

McMorrow came around and saw the envelope. Taking out a pair of latex gloves, he carefully bent down and removed the envelope from the man’s chest. He stood up and turned on the overhead light so he could see the contents. Inside the envelope were photographs of the men robbing other houses, a list of houses and items that had been robbed, and three DVDs with the label Surveillance Videos on them.

The envelope also contained a letter that said: Dear Hartford Police. These three men have been breaking into people’s houses for years. Enclosed you will find photographic evidence of their crimes, including surveillance videos that prove they are guilty. We are determined that these thieves be brought to justice. We are not trying to do your job for you; rather, we saw an opportunity to make a difference to this community and took it. We turn the whole matter over to you now.

Tomford finished removing the gags and began untying the ropes that bound the men together. McMorrow questioned the three men about what they were doing in the house and what had happened to them, but the three men refused to say anything. Once untied, the three men were handcuffed and escorted out of the house into the newly arrived police cars that would take them to jail.

McMorrow and Tomford searched the truck in the driveway and found that it contained a number of items already – rugs, antiques, jewelry, electronics – apparently from a number of houses, judging by the range of styles and brands. McMorrow called Dispatch to have the truck impounded and the items inventoried, and then he went back inside the house.

The crime scene investigators had just arrived and were looking at the alarm control panel. Is this the way you found it? one of them asked Sergeant McMorrow as he walked up to them.

McMorrow saw the puzzled look on their faces. Yes, my partner noticed it as we entered the house. What’s the problem?

Well, this was called in as a silent alarm, right?

Right, McMorrow answered. Dispatch told us that a silent alarm had been triggered.

That’s impossible, the crime scene investigator stated, pointing to the wires and the device attached to the alarm control panel. These guys are pros. This device totally bypasses the entire alarm system. There’s no way a silent alarm could have been triggered with this device attached. Someone would have to disconnect this device to make the silent alarm go off, but it looks fully connected to me.

Maybe the alarm was triggered by whoever tied up the thieves, Sergeant McMorrow suggested. He then explained how he found the three men tied up in the front room of the house.

Maybe so, the crime scene investigator said. We’ll finish processing the house and see if we can find out anything else about what happened here.

It was several hours before the police finished processing the house for evidence. The thieves had already been taken away and were being interrogated, their truck was towed away and the contents inventoried, and the alarm company had come out to check the alarm system and re-lock the house. Tim stayed at his desk until everyone had finished and then reset the alarm system from his computer. The house was quiet again.

On the other side of Albany Avenue, a couple of hundred yards away, a lone figure stood watching. The figure took a couple of pictures of the alarm company truck driving away and then turned to walk to a nearby car. The figure slipped into the car, pulled out a phone and dialed a number. Intervention concluded, she said into the mouthpiece. Scene cleared. She hung up the phone, started the car, and drove off quickly.

Several weeks later, Sergeant McMorrow and Officer Tomford walked out of the Hartford Court House feeling very good about the outcome of the trial. The three thieves were convicted on dozens of counts of home invasion and theft. They would never break into another house again.

Did anyone ever find out who tripped the alarm? Tomford asked his partner.

No idea. No one ever told me a thing. I’m not sure anyone ever figured it out, he replied.

Oh well, at least the bad guys got caught and are going away for a long time, Tomford said. Do you want to get some lunch?

No thanks, Jeff, the Sergeant replied. I need to meet somebody, and then I’m going home to watch the game. See you tomorrow.

Okay. See you tomorrow. Have a good night, Tomford said as he walked away.

The Sergeant watched his partner walk away and then turned to get to