Start of the Shift

Cruiser keys hang orderly in the District's Radio/Equipment Room. Gone are the days when an Officer was in charge of assigning cruisers to his co-workers. Now it is first-come, first-served. And for me, as a usual last minute arrival for Roll Call, all the good cruisers have already been signed out. I tend to get whatever's left, picking between "Piece of Junk" and "Piece of Crap." We drive these cruisers hard in this city. However, the light at the end of the tunnel for me: Seniority. It does count for some things, and when I choose to play that card, I can usually trade up for a decent ride. After all, why should some rook with 3 years or less on the department get a better car than someone like me, a 13 year veteran?