TZ250
04-25-2009, 09:45 PM
Recently, a Montgomery County Sheriff Deputy friend invited me on a ride-along. I jumped at the chance. I shadowed him for 6.5 hours. I learned a lot.
The day started by signing an injury waiver right away, naturally. After that, I sat in on the morning brief that all districts were listening to via radio. After that we loaded the cruiser. He surprised me by his ability to pay attention in traffic, listen to the Motorola radio, watch the computer screen, type on the computer, and tell me stories, all at the same time! I would have crashed in the first mile. We went to the Dayton jail to pickup some inmates that were doing some kind of chores for the County. I got to see the property log for the previous few days. It was full of entries for marijuana, pipes, crack and the occasional Lorcin and Hi-Point pistols. I had no idea of the amount of drugs that were captured every day. There is a lot more in circulation that is never confiscated.
I also got to watch him take photos and dust for fingerprints at a house that had been broken into. The Deputy was very kind to everyone that we encountered and he was always respectful. I know that anyone can be on there best behavior when someone is around, but I know that this guy is genuinely respectful and courteous. He was a great teacher both to me and to the lady that owned the house.
I asked him some difficult questions. One of them was "How do you determine when to let someone go with a warning or write a ticket?" The answer provoked a long conversation. The officers know what is going on. The understand that some people are in difficult situations and have had a string of bad luck. Also, they know when people are lying and know the street thug responses to their questions. Basically, they have to be good at determining character qualities. That comes with experience, but is a good quality in cops.
These few words do not do justice to the Deputy and to the Ride-Along. This is a VERY brief summary. By the time I left, I learned a new respect for law enforcement personel and the daily jobs that they perform.
It was great to see thing from 'the other side'.
The day started by signing an injury waiver right away, naturally. After that, I sat in on the morning brief that all districts were listening to via radio. After that we loaded the cruiser. He surprised me by his ability to pay attention in traffic, listen to the Motorola radio, watch the computer screen, type on the computer, and tell me stories, all at the same time! I would have crashed in the first mile. We went to the Dayton jail to pickup some inmates that were doing some kind of chores for the County. I got to see the property log for the previous few days. It was full of entries for marijuana, pipes, crack and the occasional Lorcin and Hi-Point pistols. I had no idea of the amount of drugs that were captured every day. There is a lot more in circulation that is never confiscated.
I also got to watch him take photos and dust for fingerprints at a house that had been broken into. The Deputy was very kind to everyone that we encountered and he was always respectful. I know that anyone can be on there best behavior when someone is around, but I know that this guy is genuinely respectful and courteous. He was a great teacher both to me and to the lady that owned the house.
I asked him some difficult questions. One of them was "How do you determine when to let someone go with a warning or write a ticket?" The answer provoked a long conversation. The officers know what is going on. The understand that some people are in difficult situations and have had a string of bad luck. Also, they know when people are lying and know the street thug responses to their questions. Basically, they have to be good at determining character qualities. That comes with experience, but is a good quality in cops.
These few words do not do justice to the Deputy and to the Ride-Along. This is a VERY brief summary. By the time I left, I learned a new respect for law enforcement personel and the daily jobs that they perform.
It was great to see thing from 'the other side'.