Retired lawman tells funny stories from behind badge

Author Harry Penny thinks police officers need to laugh more.

That's why the retired law enforcement officer has penned a book containing 70 of the funniest stories from his sometimes-comical career. Penny says he knows that working in a field that isn't exactly peppered with chuckles and grins means that such a book promises to not only be entertaining - it could also save lives.

Penny points to the high suicide rate in law enforcement.

"If my book keeps one cop from eating his gun, then my book will have met every intention I've made for it," the author told The Sun during a phone interview from his San Diego home. "Humor will make them feel better. I've always found that humor is a great way to vent your stress. My book helps them see that someone understands."

The book is called "Behind the Badge: The Funny Side of the 'Thin Blue Line.'"

Penny, who is headed to Yuma for a book signing, hasn't forgotten about the civilians, however. He says that people who have never been inside a patrol car - the front seat or the back - will find something to guffaw about in the pages of his book.

"One lady who wrote a comment said 'I was on the floor laughing out loud!' She said my book had to be the funniest thing she'd ever read."

Book lovers in Yuma will find out for themselves on Saturday when Penny comes to Yuma for a book signing. Penny will appear from 1 to 3 p.m. at The Corner Book Shop, 345 W. 32nd St.

Penny lived out the stories found in "Behind the Badge" during a law enforcement career that spanned 21 years.

The author said he made true on a prediction he made when he was just 7 years old. A teacher had asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. He responded that he was going to be a sailor, a singer and a policemen, all three callings that he ultimately fulfilled in life.

Penny joined the Navy as a young man and worked as an in-flight medical technician in the Vietnam War. A second stint much later in life saw him go into the Navy and serve as a corpsman, including participation in Operation Desert Storm.

Musically, he and a brother formed a band called The Penny Brothers, which played a few weeks in The Mint casino in Las Vegas. After that gig, the band went on a nationwide tour and also appeared in the movie "The Doll Squad."

As an officer, Penny worked for numerous agencies, but most notably the L.A. Sheriff's Department, which had him patrolling the "mean streets" of south central, the sunny beaches of Malibu and the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.

The stories told in his book range from "The Handcuff Song" to "Where's the Top of My Car?"

He recalls the time he unknowingly arrested the mayor and the time a punk kid decided to take his patrol car for a joyride.

Penny said he also wanted to write his book as a way to show the public that police officers and sheriff's deputies are real people, too - complete with funny bones.

"Cops are either seen as the Gestapo or jack-booted thugs. The cop is always the bad guy in newspapers," the author said. "I tell all the funny stories that don't make the newspapers. My book gives another side to police officers. This book shows your the human side of cops."

A few very memorable stories from Penny's career didn't make the book, however. That's because they're not very funny.

Penny says he had the trigger pulled on him three times - once with the gun directly to his head - but each time, the gun misfired and he was saved. Penny was also forced to retire from law enforcement after a suspect brutally attacked him with a chain.

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Darin Fenger can be reached at
dfenger@yumasun.com 539-6860.