Breaking News

I've covered a lot of shootings, fires, bad car crashes.  Still when the scanner tips me off to something in the middle of the night, I can't help but get excited.  Jumping in my work car, and heading to a area where I'm bound to see lots of flashing lights, maybe some chaos, gives me a little burst of adrenaline.

As a result, I someone manage to be the first at the scene very often.  Maybe I'm speeding, maybe I'm just really prepared to run out the door.  Probably a mixture.  It doesn't hurt that I'm the one actually listening to the scanners.  I hear news.  I go.  There's no middle man who has to call a photographer and direct them to a scene.

My executive producer calls me 'Batman'.
The photographer at a competing station calls me 'lead foot'.
And today, the police called me an obstruction.  I got to this shooting below too quickly.  Parked too close.  Drove through the crime scene before they had a chance to put tape up.  Ooops.  I was lectured, told not to to it again, and my wheels were then inspected for blood or bullet casings.  Lesson learned.