(Taylor, TX) A traffic stop is a dangerous procedure for anyone in law enforcement. Whenever an officer pulls a car over, he or she has no clue of what hazards await. While every police officer knows to expect the unexpected, no amount of training and no procedural manual could have prepared a Taylor police officer for the infamous Columbus Day traffic stop.
On October 12, 2009 Officer Keith Urban (no relation to the dead rocker, as far as I know), was running radar patrol on County Road 112 in the town of Taylor, Texas (just northeast of Austin), when he pulled over a black SUV. A run-down barn provided a quaint backdrop for the routine traffic stop.
As Officer Urban interviewed the driver, a kitten trotted from the barn and approached the two parked vehicles. The kitty, a nameless stray recently dumped at the farm, began rubbing against the officer’s leg. Unperturbed, Officer Urban moved the kitty away with his foot and continued writing the ticket. When weaving around the officer’s leg didn’t earn an ear scratch, the kitten ramped up his advances. The black kitty scaled Urban’s leg, ascended his chest, and finally perched atop the officer’s head. All the while, the deadpan officer continued to speak calmly to the SUV driver and scribble on his clipboard.
Fortunately, the squad car dashcam caught it all. Equally as fortunate, Urban told the Taylor Daily Press, the year-old kitty didn’t dig in with his claws, so no officers were hurt filming this video.
Word spread around town about the infamous recording and the Taylor Police Department made the video public after a request through the open records act. According to Taylor PD public information officer Don Georgens, the video was released without sound to protect the privacy of the SUV driver. What a pity, because apparently the conversation was hilarious.
Urban’s manner was so matter-of-fact that the SUV driver asked him, “Did you know there’s a cat on your head? Is that your cat?”
Indeed, Officer Urban knew a black kitten had taken up residence atop his head, and no, it wasn’t his cat. Officer Urban told the Taylor Daily Press “I think the driver of that vehicle was laughing a little bit.” Despite the ticket for speeding, the concerned SUV driver offered to get out of his vehicle and extricate the cat from the officer’s head.
According to Georgens, in 2011, Carl Bittner, the owner of the farm passed. The property was sold and the barn razed. Don’t worry. The barn cats were relocated, and shortly after the release of the video, the friendly black kitten went to a loving forever home.
Georgens said Taylor has a no-kill shelter, and they use Trap-Neuter-Return program to control the stray/feral cat population. They never put an animal down for lack of home,” he told me proudly. “We have a lot of volunteers.”
Yea, Taylor, Texas!
Thank you to Officers Urban, Georgens, Dallas PD and all brave law enforcement officers around the country who keep us safe. You have my gratitude and my prayers.
This is so funny. That officer just stuck to his job despite the distraction. That kitty was determined to have his attention And kudos to the driver for offering to help and not laughing (to loud)