I dormed at my college campus where there were stories circulating about students being accosted at night as they walked from dorm to dorm, to the library, etc.
Being an infant flashaholic back then, I bought the biggest and baddest Maglite I could, the 6D (this is back when I thought Maglites were the end-all). I marked the light by stenciling my initials around the tube between the head and switch.
So one night I'm walking a female friend from my dorm to hers, drop her off, and on my way back a campus copper lights me up with his police car spotlight and tells me to stop walking over the PA. I'm like ummm, okay. (This wouldn't be the first time I've had "problems" with the campus po-po, but this time I honestly didn't think I was doing anything wrong.)
So officer McKay, yes I still remember his name as we were practically bunk mates for my freshman year, says he wants to check out my flashlight. He says it in a friendly way, like "Say where'd you get that?" I hand him the light, he takes it to the cruiser, measures it, and proceeds to tell me that he could arrest me for having a BILLY CLUB. I was like, yeah right dude, gimme back my flashlight. After a few back-and-forths he said he'd let me off without an arrest or citation but would have to confiscate the light. Not being in the mood to see the inside of the Cal Poly Pomona holding cell again, I agreed.
The following year there was a disturbance call in my dorm building, and officer McKay responded. I heard the hubbub from my room, which was the closest to the lobby, and McKay was "aggressively interviewing" a drunk student in the lobby with like 50 onlookers. I poked my head out and saw him shining a 6D Maglite in the guy's eyes.
Guess which identifying marks were on it??
