Some background: I belong to the Dupont Forum on Yahoo so I can keep up on the goings on of the Dupont/West End area of DC where I live (mostly I like to read about crime so I can increase my paranoia and perhaps recognize criminals by name!). Lately, two big sticking points have been the rats in the Circle, and speeding on O and 22nd. I can sympathize and get behind both of these causes. Nobody likes rats, and speeding can be painful if you’re hit by a car. Anyway, the forum moderator contacted MPD (that’s Metropolitan Police Department) and they are going to put up one of these speed dealies (you know, they tell you how fast you’re going, but that’s about it). Anyway, here was a post in yesterday’s digest.

 MPD is lined up to put that speed measuring/warning machine on 22nd at O tomorrow. If anyone could supply power to the machine through an extension cord, the battery in the machine would last longer than the 3 to 4 days that it’ll last without. (The solar panels don’t get enough light to them in winter). If Officer XXXXX XXXXX could run the power to your house or business please contact him (CCed).

There is something that really cracks me up about the police asking to plug their device into somebody’s home outlets. I dunno, it just seems a bit humerous, and almost Simpsonesque. I can see Police Chief Wiggum doing something like that in Springfield. Doesn’t the police department or DOT have some kind of battery source they can use when the solar isn’t operating? Oh well. Just figured I’d share this.