Picture writing by Juliano (unedited)

It was three in the afternoon .My partner Terry and I were making our routine patrol in the neighborhood .
The weather was just treacherous .The sun was blazing and the heat was unbearable .Terry and I wanted to finish up the patrolling and get back to the air-conditioned office
Just as we were about to finish our rounds ,something caught my eye .A wall was covered with graffiti .Normally I would just ignore the situations but I realized that the town council had just completed the paint job a few days ago and I could swear that the wall was spotless about fifteen minutes ago.
I told terry about the situation and we decided to head back .Getting off the car ,we examined the wall. A pungent odour filled the air .Newly used spray cans could be smelt .
Terry and I combed the area ,hoping to find the vandals .Out of the blue, terry spotted a group of boys in school uniform with their shirts tucked out .
The trios’ appearances gave us the impression that they were gangsters .Since the gang was a stone’s throw away from the scene ,Terry and I suspected that the boys were the vandals .
We went to confront the boys .As soon as the trio saw us ,they quickly stood up ,with anxiety written all over their faces .
“Boys, were you the ones who vandalized the wall ?”I said solemnly , pointing to the wall .
I could see that they were taken aback .
“N… no sir we didn’t do it, honest !” one of the three mentioned.
I had my doubts and threw more questions at them. I even threatened to send them to the home even though I knew that it was not possible. Nervously, they answered all of them. Terry was convinced after a series of questions my I was not.
As I was about to ask more questions , a voice suddenly interrupted our conversation.
“Ha ha ha ! Those police are so dumb! We vandalized the wall just recently and still didn’t catch us !” The voice laughed smugly .
Anger mingled with curiosity , Terry and I moved towards the sound with my fists clenched . It led us towards a group of teenagers ,with their hair dyed in all sorts of colors it almost looked like a rainbow was on their heads .
We eavesdropped on their conversations and we were sure that they were the vandals. Terry and I appeared from our hiding place and approached the youngsters .
After hurtling a few grueling questions the errant teenagers finally admitted to their wrongdoings.
Terry and I dragged them to the car. I apologized to the first group of kids and they told me that they only tucked out their shirts because of the heat.
That incident made our patrol more exciting and taught me to keep an open mind .It was one incident that I was sure would help me to become a better policeman by keeping an open mind and not jump to conclusions easily .