During its Wednesday night 10:00 p.m. news, KOAT, the ABC affiliate in Albuquerque, N.M., did a story about a cop in Española, N.M. who saw what he thinks is a ghost cruising around the station parking lot at night.
In her story, reporter Nancy Laflin showed the police surveillance video with the ghostly figure. She asked the cops if they believed in ghosts. They do. Then, she made a right turn into Scooby Doo land and tossed in an unsolved murder reference.
“Española police tell us as far as they know this is not an ancient burial ground and they say the police station has been here since 2006, but no inmates have died here. But they do say there have been some unsolved murders near by.”
Only 10:00 p.m. anchor Doug Fernandez seemed skeptical, arguing the figure could have been dust or a reflection on the lens.
So now the question that needs to be answered is, who would stand to gain from the police packing up and leaving the old haunted amusement park police station?
According to Wikipedia, this is the acceptable protocol when dealing with ghosts:
[Gawker]The Mystery, Inc. gang turn up in the Mystery Machine, en route to or returning from a regular teenage function, when their van develops engine trouble or breaks down for any of a variety of reasons (overheating, flat tire, out of gas, etc.), in the immediate vicinity of a large, mostly vacated property (ski lodge, hotel, factory, mansion, cruise ship, etc.).
Their (unintended) destination turns out to be suffering from a monster problem (ghosts, Yetis, vampires, witches, etc.). The gang volunteers to investigate the case.
The gang splits up to cover more ground, with Fred and Velma finding clues, Daphne finding danger, and Shaggy and Scooby finding food, fun, and the ghost/monster, who gives chase. Scooby and Shaggy in particular love to eat, including dog treats called Scooby Snacks which are a favorite of both the dog and the teenage boy.
Eventually, enough clues are found to convince the gang that the ghost/monster is a fake, and a trap is set (usually by Fred) to capture it; or, they may occasionally call the local sheriff, only to get stopped by the villain half-way.
If a trap is used, it may or may not work (more often than not, Scooby-Doo and/or Shaggy falls into the trap and/or they accidentally catch the monster another way, usually if the plan is explained in detail beforehand, then the attempted execution fails). Invariably, the ghost/monster is apprehended and unmasked. The person in the ghost or monster suit turns out to be an apparently blameless authority figure or otherwise innocuous local who is using the disguise to cover up something such as a crime or a scam.
After giving the parting shot of “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids” (sometimes adding “…and your stupid dog!”), the offender is then taken away to jail, and the gang is allowed to continue on the way to their destination.