My friend (let ‘s call him Joe) went to Texas on business. He rented a car and had to drive a couple of hundred miles from one city to another. In Texas, driving 200 miles is an non-event – it ‘s like driving 20 miles in New Jersey. Joe was running late, he was speeding and got pulled over by a state trooper for doing 82 on 65. The trooper stayed in the car for a while and then invited Joe to step out of the car and slowly approach the police car, which Joe did. Then, a typical “License, registration and insurance, please. What do you do in Texas?… ” The cop liked Joe and just gave him a written warning – not a ticket.

When Joe arrived to his destination city, he could not find his driver ‘s license, which was not a good thing because on the next day he was supposed to board the plane to go back home. Passports are not required for traveling within the country, but you need a valid ID. Joe decided that the cop must have forgotten to return his license earlier today. Next day he was driving back on the same highway, and noticed a police car not to far from the place of yesterday ‘s incident. He pulled over and ask the cop who was in the car if there is a way to contact yesterday ‘s cop (Joe showed him the paper warning). This cop said that he has a vague idea where that cop might be, took Joe ‘s cell phone and promised to contact him later that day. In about an hour, he called Joe and said that he found that cop in a so-and-so shopping plaza, which was in 30 miles from the place Joe was at the moment. In Texas, driving 30 miles is like driving 3 in New Jersey, remember?

When Joe arrived to that sopping plaza, he found his yesterday cop watching a video tape with with another cop. Apparently, they tape each incident on the road, and he was trying to find the “an episode ” with Joe. Finally he ‘s got and showed Joe on the screen how he ‘s returned his driver license. Even at this point it ‘s clear that the cops did more than they ‘ve were expected to do, but the story continues…

Then the cop said, “Most likely you ‘ve dropped the license on the spot and it ‘s still there in the grass. Do you want to go and check? I have the GPS info of that place recorded on the tape, so we can find that spot easily “. Joe, was amazed and grateful, especially given the fact that they were in 20 miles from that place. They drove to the spot – dusty grass in the middle of nowhere – no licenses laying around. Then the cop goes, “Wait a minute, I made a mistake – as per GPS we are three hundred yards away from the right spot. ” They ‘ve moved three hundred yards down and found Joe ‘s driver ‘s license in the grass!

To me, this is an amazing story. First and foremost, it tells me that people in Texas are better than in the Greater New York area. I can not imagine something like this happening in New Jersey. Not in the wildest dream.

Second, I thought that only in Hollywood movies the police can use the the latest technologies in their day-to-day lives. Apparently I was wrone.

Bravo, Texas police!