Eye in the Sky

If you go to the Uptown Concert Series Friday night, check out the Columbus Police Department's Sky Watch sky box. It will be parked on the corner of Broadway and 11th Street.

When I was down there last Friday night, I saw my friend Jackie Long, a long-time CPD officer. I asked him about it and he asked if I wanted to go up in it.

Duh!

He took me up and it was a fascinating look at downtown Columbus. It looks like a cherry picker but it's an enclosed one with windows on all four sides. It's even air-conditioned.

The chair swivels so the officer can look all around.

Jackie says what happens is the officer can spot any trouble on the ground and then radios the other officers on the street. Usually, it's someone who's drunk and lurching around, he said. Other times, it's a fight or pickpocket.

It is so cool being 30 feet in the air. And did I mention it's air-conditioned?

Bruce Robinson is usually the officer in the Sky Box, so when Jackie brought it back down, he was waiting.

When he saw me, he just laughed and shook his head.

My brother, Fred, was with the Columbus Police Department before he left to go to the Hollywood (Fla.) Police Department. So he knows these guys. And through him, I've met a lot of the CPD officers.

So for once, I can say it's a good thing being Fred Okamoto's sister! I would probably never been able to go up in the Sky Box if it weren't for him. Well, maybe.