True Ghost Stories: Real Police Ghost Stories: True Tales of the Paranormal as Told by Cops and Other Law Enforcement Officials
True Ghost Stories: Real Police Ghost Stories: True Tales of the Paranormal Told By Cops and Other Law Enforcement Officials
By Zachery Knowles
The Sexton’s musings (spoilers are likely):
As we move forward with our “non-fiction” journey things will continue to be a little different. Knowles delves into the actual stories/experiences of the hero’s that work every day to keep our streets safe. There is less history mentioned and more information about run-ins with the spirits. Do understand that because of this most of the information is second hand and open to interpretation. He explores stories of law enforcement from all over the world. This is not like the specific locations that we have visited thus far. I will continue to talk on the chapters in a similar way to the previous books, giving my two cents and will add pictures with links to sites with additional information if available (cross your fingers). I will only be doing brief overviews of what is said, to get the specific story you’ll have to read the book. Hopefully we learn more about the experiences that few of us ever get to experience and have a few good chills along the way. Shall we be on our way to delve into the experiences of our ladies and gentlemen in blue? I’m feeling a bit peckish.
I enjoy the author’s introduction to the book. I think that it is well written and the style is complementary to subject matter.
The Reanimated Woman
So this story reminds me of a movie that truly creeped me out (and it takes a lot to creep me out) called “The Boneyard” (and yes there is a direct link to the name of my brand). Reanimated corpses getting up and moving around (technically in the movie they were evil spirits but hey it takes place in the morgue) not something that should happen. Like the police officer in this story, I’m really not sure how I would react to this. It’s definitely unnerving. Makes you wonder what she was doing. I mean it didn’t really achieve much did it? Just frightening the poor janitor to death.
A Childish Haunting
Photo: “9 Creepy Houses In Nebraska That Could Be Haunted” by Delana Lefevers on Only in Your State.
Ah copper thieves…they make such a freaking mess of a building! I suppose as a police officer you never know what you are going to be walking into in situations like this. Small town Middle America can be eerie all on its own but include snow and dark, I’d probably be on edge too. In a situation like the one our officer found himself in I think I would rather deal with the ghosts than a real person. I have to admit the drawing is a fascinating part to this tale. I wonder if the officer kept it? I would have. You know, proof so I didn’t get made fun of back at the station.
Asua
Okay so apparently this man did not want to leave his childhood home even after death. In all fairness though the authorities could not just leave his body in the home to rot so he kinda had to go. I mean his essence is welcome to stay if it would like, although he did kind make a mess of the front of the house and all. The picture will make sense if you read the chapter…wink!
The Girl in the Water
Photo: Newsweek
I know that winter where I’m at is no treat, so I can only imagine what winter in the New England area is like. It would be hard being a police officer working the night shift in the dead of winter, possibly in negative temperatures. Having to go out and search for a missing person, only to find that person standing in a freezing lake…yeah…I’ll take warmer climes thank you very much! The whole situation is eerie.
Eyes of the Devil
Photo: History Daily
Tranq dart anyone? Because this is the only way we’d be getting this guy out of the apartment if it were me. Using a needle and syringe seems like a fools task to me. So short of leaving in a body bag…tranq dart folks! This would be a terrifying experience for everyone involved (except maybe for the asshole interloper stealing the man’s body). I would really like to know where this one was specifically. It would be interesting to do some research. Plus I’d like to know what happened to the man.
A Scream in the Night
Photo: mgmirkin.deviantart.com - on Pinterest
I think the most disturbing part of this particular incident would be the silence in between the screams. When animals and insects avoid an area then there is something seriously wrong with that area. Whether it’s a predator or something more frightening you know it’s gotta be not good. I wonder what the screaming actually was. I have no doubt that they heard what they heard. I have to wonder what it actually was or if it has ever been heard again. If it’s a reoccurring thing maybe an investigation is in order.
A Footprint Without a Child
Photo by Jenny Lagerqvist
Allow me to start out by saying, if I had been one of those officers the word irritated is not big enough to describe where I would be emotion wise after getting half a dozen calls, to the same place, because an alarm is going off. It would frustrate me to no end. The question is, and the implication is that the entity started off in the boiler room. Why would there be a child in the boiler room. It’s all kind of creepy. I also suspect the footprint was wet as there would be condensation in an old boiler room. My mind goes immediately to something bad having happened in that boiler room at some point in time. The implications are definitely concerning.
Writings on the Wall
An interesting story. I’m curious if there is a legend attached to it. It seems that there was something going on in the 1930’s up in there. It’s definitely concerning to have someone writing “get out of my head or I’ll kill us both” all over. I also wonder if where the figure fell is where their body was buried? I mean the dog did stop there and started winning so it seems perfectly plausible to me. But I get the impression that there was no further investigation into what happened.
The Grey Man
Photo: “Why These Scientists Fear Contact With Space Aliens” by Rebecca Boyle for NBC News
I’m wondering if this story is more alien than ghost. The description of the suspect is an awful lot like a grey. Tall, thin, large black eyes…hey alien and UFO sightings are just as common as ghost sightings. I personally feel that it is statistically likely that we are not the only life in this universe. I mean based on size alone it makes it likely that we are only a tiny part of it all. And don’t get me started with inter-dimensional stuff…it makes my head hurt from all the thinking. Theoretical physics is a fascinating field that is not given enough credit by the hard core, scientific physicists. Perhaps if they would open their minds to possibilities we’d be far more advanced in our understanding. It’s a damn shame if you ask me.
Inside Looking Out
Photo: tvtropes.org
It make me wonder if this lady had experienced stuff all her life or if the closer she got to her own passing she experienced more. I feel that the closer we get to our own demise the more likely we are to have experiences. The veil that surrounds our reality becomes thinner and we are able to see through it. If were open maybe we even get to understand. Wouldn’t that be awesome? I do hope that it was not these incidents that caused her family to move her to a home. That would make me sad because I don’t think that she was going batty. I just think that perhaps she had been haunted and was just now able to experience it. To her understandable terror.
The Key Holder
Photo: “Empty offices are creepy” by B33rboii on r/LiminalSpaces on Reddit
This would make a great short film. I mean old, dark office buildings are always creepy. If you have ever been the first one into the office or the last person out and all of the lights have been turned out except for the occasional “just in case” light then you understand what I’m saying. There is just something unnerving about a quiet, empty building. This is the epitome of that. No wonder the dude’s key would not open the stairwell door. Oh and it didn’t take them long to clean out his office did it?
A Restless Reporter
Photo: “The Live-Streamers Who Are Challenging Traditional Journalism” by Andrew Marantz for The New Yorker
Okay so first off Bob’s wife should be ashamed of herself. Where the hell does she get off ignoring his final wishes to be cremated because she does not want to have carry around his cremains. Seriously bitch? You could cremate him and bury said cremains. Ever think of that? Fucking disrespectful. It’s probably partially her fault that he stuck around. If a man does not want to be worm food then respect that! Now I understand that a non-believer seeing a spirit for the first time can be unsettling but being frightened to the point of drawing your gun…calm down dude. He was his friend in life after all, he comes in peace. Oh just a note…some asshole on reddit made the decision to take this story…almost word for word but making subtle changes as he was acting like he was the nephew of the sheriff. You know the book is copy righted dude.
The Changeling
Photo: “Changelings: The Devilish Doubles” by Yamuna Hrodvitnir - posted on Medium
This one is even weird for me. I don’t know much about cryptids but this one is interesting. I mean I’m not sure I understand the whole playing with the lights thing. If this was an actual creature then the question is why and how? Ah the mind thirsts for the answers! Answers that I’m sure I will not know until it’s my time to leave this corporeal existence. Perhaps without the meat suit I will have the opportunity to really explore.
The Woman in Chains
Photo: “The Possession of Hannah Grace’ Review: A Demon Makes for a Noisy Corpse” - New York Times article
Nothing like being witness to a possession to find ones way to the spiritual and or religion. I myself am not religious but I am what I refer to as spiritual and I suppose as far as religion is concerned I’m agnostic at best. There is so much that we don’t understand. Hell we can’t even fathom the power that the mind has let alone the powers of the natural world that surrounds those minds. As for this experience…I can see how it could change ones skeptical mind. It’s interesting how our natural involuntary response to these experiences (i.e. cold chills, goosebumps, hair standing up ect) goes against our “rational” minds. I personally think that we think too damn much. I know I do. Stresses me out to the max!
Shadow Man
Photo: “Urban Legends Around the World” by iaa5399 on sites.psu.edu
Shadow men are a hot subject for horror movie makers in the past couple of decades. Why? Because they are creepy as hell. There have been many sightings and disappearances attributed to these dark figures especially in heavily wooded areas like state parks. If there ever was evidence of alternate dimensions to our own then this is it! Some people talk about these shadow men as being like a picture negative to us and that may very well be a logical way to think about it. At least in terms that we currently can understand. I think it’s a lot bigger than that. Something unique about this story is the sensory experiences, particularly the smell that was experienced. Oh how the wheels are a turning! See that’s me getting all thinky again. It’s a problem. Wink!
5150
Photo: Tree Loft Studios
First off the title of this story is interesting. Apparently this is the call code in California for possible psychiatric issues potentially in need of hospitalization (i.e. the person has lost their shit). Turns out that the young man in the story, even if on drugs, has not lost his shit. At least not in the way the rational world thinks. The senior responding officer knows it too as he was part of the case that put those spirits in the house.
The Long Corridor
Photo: Pinterest
I’m going to start out by saying that these two officers broke one of the rules to staying alive in a horror movie. They split up…that’s a “no no” for survival. It would be interesting to look into the history of this place. There is always a reason for a haunting. In places where the grieving come there is always potential for an extreme reaction…like throwing yourself off the roof of the crematorium for instance.
The Stocksbridge Bypass Ghost
Photo: “Sights of a medieval monk and two ghost children playing keeps Stocksbridge Bypass as one of UK's most haunted roads” by Lucy Ball for The Star
This is a “gotta see it to believe it” type of situation. If I were one of the security guys I would be pissed that I was being laughed at. I suppose they do have the last laugh however. I can only imagine having to write a report about my extremely varied experience with the paranormal in an official police capacity. It’s interesting that the security guards and the police officers had so many different experiences. I don’t know what the history of the surrounding location is but it’s gotta be horrific because both the security guards experienced different things, different entities. It’s crazy to think that the construction of a bypass would cause so much unrest (well except for maybe with environmental groups). Apparently this road is considered to be one of the most haunted roads in England. I wonder why I have not read about it previously.
Closing thoughts:
I think that the fear that is felt when confronted with situations like the one in this book is due to a lack of understanding. The unknown is infinitely more frightening than the concrete things that are within our reality. It seems that these brave men and women of the thin blue line would rather deal with a gun totting drug dealer than a ghost any day of the week. In a way this makes sense to me. That drug dealer is something that they have training to be able to deal with. I personally would rather face a paranormal situation any day of the week over a human being. True evil lays in the hearts of man.
Great stories! A very quick easy read that would be great for a rainy day! Enjoy!
“The supernatural is the natural not yet understood.”
