What the hell does a possum look like?

Today is my off day so it's time for a story from my past. Soon after leaving the NYPD and working upstate in the country I found myself becoming a different kind of cop. It was here in the country that I started to really become a community police officer and started to enjoy talking with the people in the town and really trying to help them. In such a rural town as Police we went on all types of calls that in NYC we would never respond to. At about 1 am I was sent to a local residence on a report of a possum inside of someones garage. As I was driving to the location I thought to myself "Do I even know what a Possum looks like and do they bite"? When I pulled up to the house I saw the all American family awaiting my arrival, the husband, wife, child and family dog. I exited the car and the man told me that there was a possum in the garage. I wondered why the hell he didn't get it out of there but why should he get hurt when the lonely old civil servant police officer can get bit instead. I told the family to stand back and I bravely entered the garage with no clue what the hell I was looking for or what I would do when I found it. I was armed with a long pole with a rope at the end which is suppose to be put around the animals head and tightened so you can drag him out. It would be my first time using this device. As I looked around the garage my heart was thumping as I looked under things and kicked things to make some noise. I heard something in the corner and walked towards it. I saw the ugly beast wedged against the underside of the stairwell. When I flashed my light on it it's little red eyes glowed like the devil. I made my first attempt with the pole and the possum lunged toward it and I jumped up on top of some box and hit my head on the ceiling! As I began to prod at it it seemed as if I only agitated the beast as it now was trying to bite the pole with what looked like razor sharp teeth which could slice through me like butter. I considered shooting the damn thing but it wasn't safe with my .40 caliber pistol at such close range. After about 15 minutes I was able to stun him with some mace and get the pole around his neck. I quickly tightened down the rope and dragged that god forsaken beast out of the garage. I could hear the family cheer as if I had just saved their life. They said thanks and I got back in my cruiser and left and cranked up the a/c to cool down. All in a days work I guess...