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The last couple of days, I’ve been pondering something Jeff Gamso wrote, at least partly as a response to a comment I made on his blog. As with a lot of Jeff’s stuff, it’s taking me longer to consider than most things I read. I like that. I like that Jeff makes me think. Too many people in the world don’t seem to spend enough time thinking, or helping others think, these days.
Take these two cops, for instance.
According to this story, teens celebrating their graduation from the eighth grade made the mistake of being in the same area of the world where someone had discarded an empty bottle of alcohol.
Seems the principal of the school found the bottle in the woods and, since the kids happened to also be in that area, he had a pretty good idea that they must’ve been drinking. Police were apparently called and, well, police being the police — and the kids repeatedly denying their guilt — the kids had to submit. In this case, they had to submit to being tested to see if they’d been drinking.
Now they get to add to their achievements: Not only did they graduate eighth grade, they also passed the alcohol breath tests.
Mug Mii ShotFor a long time now, the Japanese have been on the cutting edge of technology. Now police there have parlayed this seemingly-nationally-inculcated skillset into a cheap way to catch criminals.
Frankly, I was a little surprised to hear that this story came out of Japan. It has all the earmarks of what passes for police work where I live in California.
Apparently, police in the Kanagawa prefecture of Japan really want to talk to somebody. Anybody. Apparently. Why else would they use Wii’s “Mii” feature to construct a “mug shot” of a person of interest. Or is he a suspect?
No, the only thing here that is suspect is whether the police officers in question have a) too much time on their hands and b) too few brains.
On the other hand, it just might work. How many Japanese can there be with hollowed-out cheeks whose skin tone nearly matches their hair? Add to that the fact that the head is large and the shoulders missing and I don’t think this guy should be as hard to identify as it first appeared.
The Law Office of Rick Horowitz provides criminal defense services
in Fresno, Tulare, Kings, Kern, Madera and Merced Counties.