27 Feb 08
Originally posted by scherzoJapanese police dogs have been doing this for years, but THEY must remove their shoes before entering rooms and are trained to do so -- all of which critically slows down drug raids, but then the Japanese would lose face if one of their own was discovered to be involved in the drug trade, so the delay gives the perps time to flush the stuff and everybody is happy. True story.
German policemen are so strange. 😵
In Japanese prisons the inmates and guards bow to one another and nobody talks smack. Escapees are permitted to make a certain degree of progress so as to avoid embarassing them with grossly futile efforts, but the law inevitably steps in and "discovers" the attempt in time to thwart it, at which point guards and inmates engage in a reserved display of ritual applause. (If not, one of the inmates, called a "sigusan" and specially designated for the purpose, discretely informs the authorities at the critical moment so that events may proceed in a polite, well-organized and socially acceptable manner.) Everyone sends the warden a card at Christmas.