Read below how it all started. You can get the complete book at Chase and Hunt Investigations
‘Chase’ and ‘Hunt’ have been friends since the second grade at Saint Francis Elementary School; a private, Catholic grade school in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The pair went on to graduate together from Saint John’s Catholic High School located in the same county. Upon graduating from high school in 1997 the two decided to enroll in a local community college to each earn an Associate degree in Police Science. When the two pals graduated in 1999; they both applied to the Chicago Police Academy and were accepted.
Six months later, as the new Millennium was about to dawn; James Chase and John Hunt were made Chicago P.D. rookie patrolmen. Each of the new rookies was paired, in different precincts, with a seasoned patrolman. Neither rookie liked his older partner. Chase thought his partner was lazy, corrupt and risk aversive. Hunt considered his partner to be a fat, out of shape slacker and bully. After a year on the street; both men, now no longer rookie patrolmen, put in for transfers.
The transfers were approved but the two young officers found that their new partners weren’t much better. Both had partners that liked cruising around and harassing punks but showed little interest in actually stopping crimes. The two young patrolmen actually made more physical arrests than their older, supposedly more experienced partners.
Chase would ‘Chase’ down subjects fleeing the scenes of muggings, burglaries, gang fights and armed robberies.
Hunt would ‘Hunt’ around neighborhoods that were noted for drug dealing and ID pushers who were hanging out on corners, in alleys, on doorsteps, around schools and in parks.
The two had both earned a number of departmental citations by the end of their second year on patrol. Neither of the two gave a shit about their citations. Both, however, were bored and disgruntled having to partner with officers who sat in their patrol cruisers and radioed in for assistance as Chase and Hunt undertook all the pursuits, takedowns and arrests. It was just a few months after 9/11 had occurred in 2001 that the two young patrolmen got their big break.
The pair was off-duty and hanging out together for lunch at a restaurant in Chicago’s central ‘Loop’ area when a van pulled up across the street in front of a bank and four men got out. The men were all carrying bags and for a while just stood around on the sidewalk in front of the bank’s entrance. Chase and Hunt are sitting at a table in front of one of the restaurant’s large front windows just enjoying their after meal coffees when the four men suddenly all take out ski masks from their bags and don them. Both Chase and Hunt are already in motion by the time the four men pull out their weapons from the same bags. Chase screams out to the owner; “Call 911, officers need assistance bank robbery in progress;” and he and Hunt head for the door. Just as the four men are about to enter the bank; Chase and Hunt come bolting out of the restaurant’s front entrance into the street with their off-duty weapons both already drawn.
“FREEZE,” Chase screams; “CHICAGO P.D.”
The two young officers continue to charge across the street at the four bank robbers. They dodge cars, roll over hoods, and sidestep motorcycles. The four bank robbers pretty much stand there like young deer caught in the headlights of a fast moving car. None of the four bank robbers, obviously, had prepared themselves for this scenario to go down; two armed cops barreling at them at full tilt and they hadn’t even reached the doors of the bank yet. Chase and Hunt are both across the street before any of the four shocked bank robbers even begins to react.
One of the bank robbers finally begins turning his weapon towards the charging officers but it’s already way too late; both Chase and Hunt slam into the group of four men like they’re defensive linemen for the Chicago Bears NFL football team. There are bodies in motion everywhere. Two of the bank robbers are slammed hard to the pavement; one is nearly knocked unconscious and the other one is slammed hard enough that he loses his grip on his weapon. Another of the bank robbers is thrown back against the front wall of the very bank he had intended to rob. This blow too is sufficient to knock the wind out of him and he too loses possession of his weapon as it skids away down the sidewalk from his slumping body. The last armed robber did a pratfall and is starting to scramble to his feet but is using the hand that he has his weapon in to push himself back up off the pavement.
Chase and Hunt are both screaming like they’re insane at the downed men; “FREEZE! DON’T MOVE! DON’T MOVE! YA MOVE YOU’RE DEAD! DROP THE FUCKING WEAPON, I SAID DROP IT! I’LL SHOOT! I SWEAR I’LL SHOOT ASSHOLE. DROP IT!”
The last of the bank robbers finally drops his weapon and Chase and Hunt kick whatever weapon they are near as far out of the reach of any of the robbers as possible.
“Stay down;” Chase orders; “get on your faces. Come on move, get down on your bellies and put your hands behind your heads. Do it; I said DO IT NOW ASSHOLE!” And Chase kicks out at one of them who is trying to get up on his knees. Hunt rolls the one who is almost unconscious over onto his stomach. Hunt then moves to the one that Chase had just kicked his legs out from underneath him and kneels on his back, pulled out his handcuffs and cuffs the man. Chase moves over to the one who had been slammed against the wall. He’s just sitting their propped up against the wall.
“Get on your belly, NOW!”
The man looks up defiant at Chase. Chase backhands him with a closed fist. The man reels sideways from the blow and Chase kneels on his side and sticks his pistol right at the back of the man’s neck.
“I said on your belly asshole;” Chase says almost in a growl. “I don’t think I’ll miss from this distance.“
The man rolls onto his stomach and Chase grabs one of his arms and yanks it back hard; any harder and he would have ripped the arm right out of its socket. The man gets the message and lays still. Chase pulls out his handcuffs and cuffs the man. With only two of the four bank robbers cuffed Chase and Hunt stand menacingly over the remaining two with their pistols aimed at their heads.
“If either of you move a muscle I’ll put a nine millimeter round through the back of your head.” Hunt spits out.
Man, both Chase and Hunt are pumping. They’ve so much adrenalin pumping through their bloodstreams now they both could probably climb up the side of the bank building using only their hands. Police cruisers begin to arrive with their blue lights flashing and sirens blaring. First a single cruiser, then a couple more speed onto the scene followed by who knows how many as the block starts to fill up with patrol cars. The first officers out of their cars scream at Chase and Hunt to lower their weapons. The two young officers both grab their weapons with their free hands by the pistols’ barrels and hold them over their heads.
Both men then start yelling; “We’re C.P.D., We’re off-duty cops. Don’t shoot. We have our badges.”
With all the officers that come running to the scene; two relieve Chase and Hunt of their weapons while several others take up positions with drawn weapons behind the four men on the ground. Once relieved of their weapons; Chase and Hunt each pull out their IDs and badges to show the other officers. The other officers show immediate signs of relief and the two who had relieved Chase and Hunt of their weapons; return them. Still pumped full of adrenalin; Chase and Hunt both begin talking real fast saying things like;
“Those two are still uncuffed; none of them have been frisked for other weapons; they haven’t been read their rights; their weapons are all on the ground somewhere; there’s one in the gutter…”
A Senior Sergeant tries getting the two young officers to calm down.
“Relax boys, relax, you did good. There are twenty officers here now. Let us handle things. You two boys go find some place to sit down. The adrenalin is going to start draining out of you two pretty soon and you’ll probably begin to shake like newborn calves.”
The two are already beginning to shake so they tell the sergeant that they’d be over in the restaurant across the street finishing their coffees.
The sergeant says; “Fine, but don’t get lost; both robbery-homicide and IAD will want to talk to you two.”
The two shaken men just nod and head for the restaurant. When they get there the entire restaurant breaks out in applause. The two men just smile, nod to everyone and give small waves and then head for their window booth. When the owner comes over; they thank him for calling 911 and ask for their coffees to be re-heated. The post-adrenalin shakes hit them hard and it’s nearly two minutes before either man even attempts to lift his coffee cup for fear of dropping it. Both men sit for several minutes just staring down at their coffee cup until finally Hunt looks up and smirks at his friend; “What in the hell were we thinking partner?”
Chase grins back; “You were thinking man? I sure as hell wasn’t. I still have no idea what insane notion propelled me out that door and running across that busy street like rabid dogs; I plead temporary insanity.”
Both friends chuckle. Just then two pair of suited men walk into the restaurant and walk over to the manager. One asks the manager something that neither Hunt nor Chase can hear but they see the manager point in their direction and the four suits walk over.
The tallest of the four men speaks first; “Are you the two officers that took down those bank robbers?”
Both Chase and Hunt just nod in the affirmative.
“What’s your names boys?” the tall man asks next.
“I’m patrolman James Chase and this here is patrolman John Hunt. Who are you fellas?”
The tall man smiles; “I’m Lieutenant Bob Stoffle and this is my partner Sergeant Devon; we’re robbery-homicide. These two gentlemen are Sergeants Bradley and Miller IAD. We all have a few questions for you two.”
Chase and Hunt look at each other apprehensively and then Hunt just has to ask; “Are we in trouble sirs?”
The four senior officers all break out in smiles but it’s Sergeant Bradley from IAD that gives the two young officers the good news; “I think I can safely say boys that you’re NOT in trouble. You just took down four armed bank robbers before they could even enter the bank; without firing a single shot and with no civilian casualties. We at IAD don’t usually make snap judgments but I think I’m confident enough to say that our ruling will be in you boys’ favor.”
The other IAD man, Sergeant Miller, then asks: “are you two partners?”
Chase answers for both; “No Sergeant, we’re not even assigned to the same precinct. We’ve just been friends since the second grade.”
“How many years have you two been on patrol?” Sergeant Bradley asks.
“We’ve worked Patrol little over two years now Sergeant.” Hunt answers.
The tall Robbery-Homicide Lieutenant then speaks; “Ever apply for the detective exam boys?”
“No sir;” both Chase and Hunt answer in unison.
“Would you like to?” the Lieutenant asks next.
“Yes SIR;” both again answer in unison.
“These IAD boys get you two first so you better go downtown to Police Plaza with them but when they’re done with you stop up to Robbery-Homicide and I’ll see about getting our Captain to approve you taking the exam.”
“Thanks Lieutenant;” again both men almost answer in unison making their reply sound almost like an echo.
“Good job boys and by the way; that little band of bank robbers you two just nailed cold is suspected of six other robberies in Illinois and Wisconsin;” and the Lieutenant’s smile grew; “you two just made a lot of Robbery-Homicide Detectives and Bank Managers real happy.”
“OK boys;” the IAD Sergeant named Bradley said; “we got to all go downtown and make your incident official.”
Chase and Hunt stand up and start following the four detectives. The two stop at the cashier desk to pay for their meals and coffees. The manager won’t take their money so Hunt and Chase slip it into the tip jar on the counter, wave their goodbyes and leave.
After this incident, things really start happening for the two friends. Both receive the department’s medal of valor. Both take and pass the detective’s exam which seemed easy to them after passing the numerous tests they had been given during their degree courses in Police Science. Both are assigned with a senior detective to show them the ropes; Hunt in Vice-Narcotics and Chase in Robbery-Homicide. This time around both new detectives actually like and more importantly respect their senior partners. Hell, the two senior detectives even usually sprung for their coffees. At first, the two are both relatively happy with their jobs and learning a lot.
Over the next three years they both manage to chock up a number of good arrests to boot. It’s at this stage in their careers that they both felt they had to sit down and decide which direction their careers should go. Neither detective is thrilled about the prospect of twenty more years in the division he was in. Chase, in Robbery-Homicide, deals mostly with psychotic killers and sociopathic robbers. Hunt, in Vice-Narcotics, deals with real slime balls, perverts and junkies. A lifetime with either of these groups of society’s worst; the two friends know will certainly eventually jade them and turn them bitter. This is a prospect neither man wants to eventually face. It’s Chase who comes up with the idea of going out private and handling only the cases that they want to handle. At first, Hunt is hesitant. He likes the police force; he likes the investigative part of his detective’s job; he just doesn’t like the scumbags that he has to deal with day in and day out. Chase goads him telling Hunt that he can still investigate crimes only they’d have the option of which crimes they’d investigate. When Hunt is still hesitant; Chase throws a change of venue into the deal. Chase suggests that the two pull up stakes from Chicago and move to a smaller metropolis with a warmer climate, more fun activities and more beautiful women around. This suggestion raises Hunt’s eyebrows.
“Where?” Hunt asks.
“Hell, let’s take a cross country trip and check a few places out.” Chase replies.
The two friends take a month off work and head first out west. They stop in at the Reno-Lake Tahoe area which both men see some potential in. They then move on to the Frisco area. Again, they both see some potential in working in the ‘city by the bay’. They then drive down Pacific Coast Highway to LA. Neither man likes Los Angeles. Next stop is Vegas followed by a short trip up to the Colorado ski areas. The next stop on their list is the ‘Big Easy’ New Orleans followed by several stops in Florida which included Tampa, Miami and Pensacola.
The two drive back towards Chicago via the nation’s capital, D.C. and return to Chicago with three days to spare before having to report to work. Sitting in Chase’s apartment sipping beers; the two discuss the pros and cons of each location. LA is immediately ruled out as are the three in Florida. Too much drugs and vice in those locations and those are things the two men, especially Hunt, are trying to get away from. D.C. is soon crossed off their list because political intrigue interests neither of them. The Colorado ski locations are dubbed as too small and seasonal to sustain their business so they are wiped from the list. By the time each has finished three beers; they are down to the Reno-Lake Tahoe area, Vegas, the ‘Big Easy’ and the Frisco area. By the time another beer is finished the ‘Big Easy’ is wiped off their list. Vegas is next to get the red pencil through it. This left the Reno-Lake Tahoe area and the Frisco area. Chase seems to be leaning towards Frisco and Hunt towards Reno-Lake Tahoe.
Frisco eventually wins out due to it having, what both men agree, would be a more diverse clientele to choose from. At each of the locations when they were there; they had applied for a state private investigator’s license and a concealed weapons permit. Since they had showed copies of their police files to the government bureaucrat in charge of licensing at each location; all licenses and permits had eventually been approved. They decided. They’d resign their jobs giving a one month’s notice and then head out to Frisco to open up shop.
You can read the next chapter at getting started or you can get the whole book at Chase and Hunt Investigations.