When I retired there were few important criminal cases pending so I had very little to do with the courts on criminal matters. But there was a BOZO who assaulted his live-in girlfriend, then cold-cocked his uncle who tried to intervene, then when I got there the wrestling match left me with a dislocated shoulder and elbow and him in handcuffs. During processing at county jail BOZO got a little bit rambunctious, kicked his way through an office door, then head-butted me in the face, breaking my nose and fracturing a couple of teeth.

BOZO proceeded to plead guilty to charges of assault, domestic violence, and assault on a peace officer, then was sentenced to 4 years in prison. During those 4 years he entertained himself by filing hand-written pro-se lawsuits against me, my department, and anyone else he could think of suing. I spent 4 years appearing for depositions and trial dates before the case was adjudicated in my favor.

No compensation. No travel allowances. No witness fees. Just drop everything every time I was served with more papers requiring me to jump through another set of hoops.

By the way, it can be a little bit difficult to get a mortgage or finance a new car while you have a multi-million dollar lawsuit pending against you.

I think everyone sees the larger picture here, so RANT OVER.