M-Taliesin
Regular Member
Howdy Folks!
I've mentioned elsewhere that I'd be doing a ride along with a sheriff's deputy Saturday night.
The tour started at 5:00pm and ended around 3:00am!
It started out with me being led to the squad room for the pre-shift briefing. They discussed issues happening in their patrol areas.
Once that was out of the way, we headed out to the squad cars to being our patrol. The deputy to whom I was assigned was a nice young man who was very friendly and informative. I learned a great deal from him as we spent the night together on patrol.
Somewhere along the line, the deputy asked if dead bodies were a problem for me, and I said no. As it turned out, we did go to the scene of two different fatalities. One was the result of a traffic accident, and the other evidently simply died of natural causes.
I'd forgotten what juices flow when you're racing to the scene of an emergency call with lights and sirens going while travelling 90 MPH across town. This was on interstate highway, but the young deputy certainly know how to put the spurs to his car!
During the shift, we showed up for 1 possible domestic violence, took one individual to the detox center, did a traffic stop for loud muffler and no tail lights, took one guy to a holding cell to charge him with obstruction, went to the scene of a fight (got there and could not see anybody), dealt with a bunch of neighbors complaining that a nearby resident was firing a flame thrower, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The big deal of the night was a shooting incident at an apartment complex. There were other incidents during the shift but I've mentioned the more exciting ones.
On each stop, I was encouraged to come along with the deputy as he responded to calls, including leaving the vehicle in most cases. The only time he had me to stay in the car was the traffic stop early in the evening, and the call about a fight that we couldn't seem to find any evidence of when we got there. Aside from those two incidents, I was out of the car and right there with the deputies.
After the deputy let me out at the substation, I put my pistol back on my hip. I wasn't allowed to carry on patrol, and I can understand why. But once the shift was done, I slapped my Ruger P94 back on my belt before heading home. Since I was parched something notorious, I stopped at a 7-11 to get a soda pop. When I pulled in, a Commerce City police car was parked in the lot with nobody in it. I haven't OC'd yet in Commerce City, but decided this was as good a time as any. I walked in and immediately saw the officer coming at me armed with a cup of Joe. I gave him a friendly "howdy" and went to the coolers to fetch me a soda. When I came back to the counter, the officer had left the store, but I could see him standing outside the window. I figured he might be waiting for me, so I paid for my soda and stepped outside. I chatted with him briefly, and nothing was said about my openly carried firearm.
I do not wish to elaborate on any of the events of that night, because I believe it would be inappropriate to do so on a public forum. What I will say is that it was an amazing evening and the deputy comported himself with a great deal of professionalism and courtesy. I learned a great deal from him and from the experience itself. Perhaps one day I'll give it another go.
During the ride along, I asked him how he regarded me as a companion for the evening. I hoped I wasn't making him feel like he was my chaperone or anything like that. He told me I was just fine. "I had one guy ride along, and he kept singing to me. I suddenly remembered I had a lot of paperwork to catch up on and that was the end of his ride!" He said.
I was not exposed to any danger to my person during the 10 hour tour, and was accorded respect and dignity throughout the ride. It was something I'll think on for awhile, and may do again one day.
Most police departments accomodate citizen requests for ride alongs for citizens of their jurisdiction. They very much want citizens to know about their department and their mission. I'd encourage anybody interested in this sort of experience to contact their LEA and ask about taking a ride along with an officer. You may be surprised what you could learn.
Blessings,
M-Taliesin
I've mentioned elsewhere that I'd be doing a ride along with a sheriff's deputy Saturday night.
The tour started at 5:00pm and ended around 3:00am!
It started out with me being led to the squad room for the pre-shift briefing. They discussed issues happening in their patrol areas.
Once that was out of the way, we headed out to the squad cars to being our patrol. The deputy to whom I was assigned was a nice young man who was very friendly and informative. I learned a great deal from him as we spent the night together on patrol.
Somewhere along the line, the deputy asked if dead bodies were a problem for me, and I said no. As it turned out, we did go to the scene of two different fatalities. One was the result of a traffic accident, and the other evidently simply died of natural causes.
I'd forgotten what juices flow when you're racing to the scene of an emergency call with lights and sirens going while travelling 90 MPH across town. This was on interstate highway, but the young deputy certainly know how to put the spurs to his car!
During the shift, we showed up for 1 possible domestic violence, took one individual to the detox center, did a traffic stop for loud muffler and no tail lights, took one guy to a holding cell to charge him with obstruction, went to the scene of a fight (got there and could not see anybody), dealt with a bunch of neighbors complaining that a nearby resident was firing a flame thrower, and a whole bunch of other stuff. The big deal of the night was a shooting incident at an apartment complex. There were other incidents during the shift but I've mentioned the more exciting ones.
On each stop, I was encouraged to come along with the deputy as he responded to calls, including leaving the vehicle in most cases. The only time he had me to stay in the car was the traffic stop early in the evening, and the call about a fight that we couldn't seem to find any evidence of when we got there. Aside from those two incidents, I was out of the car and right there with the deputies.
After the deputy let me out at the substation, I put my pistol back on my hip. I wasn't allowed to carry on patrol, and I can understand why. But once the shift was done, I slapped my Ruger P94 back on my belt before heading home. Since I was parched something notorious, I stopped at a 7-11 to get a soda pop. When I pulled in, a Commerce City police car was parked in the lot with nobody in it. I haven't OC'd yet in Commerce City, but decided this was as good a time as any. I walked in and immediately saw the officer coming at me armed with a cup of Joe. I gave him a friendly "howdy" and went to the coolers to fetch me a soda. When I came back to the counter, the officer had left the store, but I could see him standing outside the window. I figured he might be waiting for me, so I paid for my soda and stepped outside. I chatted with him briefly, and nothing was said about my openly carried firearm.
I do not wish to elaborate on any of the events of that night, because I believe it would be inappropriate to do so on a public forum. What I will say is that it was an amazing evening and the deputy comported himself with a great deal of professionalism and courtesy. I learned a great deal from him and from the experience itself. Perhaps one day I'll give it another go.
During the ride along, I asked him how he regarded me as a companion for the evening. I hoped I wasn't making him feel like he was my chaperone or anything like that. He told me I was just fine. "I had one guy ride along, and he kept singing to me. I suddenly remembered I had a lot of paperwork to catch up on and that was the end of his ride!" He said.
I was not exposed to any danger to my person during the 10 hour tour, and was accorded respect and dignity throughout the ride. It was something I'll think on for awhile, and may do again one day.
Most police departments accomodate citizen requests for ride alongs for citizens of their jurisdiction. They very much want citizens to know about their department and their mission. I'd encourage anybody interested in this sort of experience to contact their LEA and ask about taking a ride along with an officer. You may be surprised what you could learn.
Blessings,
M-Taliesin
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