Police Ride Along

[KBCraig]

If you really need a weapon during the ride-along, there's likely to be a shotgun in the cruiser, isn't there?

What more do you need?

The location of the release switch would be handy.

[Greybeard]

Yep, someone beat me to saying "their shotgun" (most likely with empty chamber and full magazine)

[Shoot_First]

While on a ride along a few years ago in Utah, after the patrol briefing (where I learned that lieutenants and higher brass were generally clueless) and I signed a liability release, the patrol officer provided me with a vest and showed me how to deploy the rack-mounted shotgun. He told me not to be the second person out of the car at a stop or I would be locked inside the car... and he meant it (door knobs retracted so low you could not unlock them manually and the lock switch was disabled). Said if he told me to deploy the shotgun we were both in serious doo doo and that I should be prepared to use the shotgun. He asked if I could do that. The officer carried a Kimber 1911 TLE and was a former Army Ranger who had become dissatisfied with Army service and left the military as a SSG after 10 years. He covered all the gear in the trunk... some real goodies since he was also SWAT member. The trunk had enough ammo to fight a small war! He explained all of the car's light functions and other neat switches in the car and had me demonstrate that I understood. We responded to many requests for service throughout that night and all were uneventfull. I don't see how police cars can stand the abuse they are put through! Thank God we had good brakes and tires! The officer had totalled two police cars, one an unmarked hit broadside by a snowplow during a chase. He normally told me to stay with, but just outside the car with my door open so I could hear the radio. He always left the keys and never instructed me to deploy the shotgun. All in all, I gained real respect for the LEO job... one that can be boring as hell, but then turn to life-threatening in a heartbeat. At the time of my ride along, the city's police chief had previously been an assistant chief in LA who tried to apply what worked in LA to this city and as a result he was a dismal failure. Morale was in the pits. The current police chief was a lieutenant who came up through the ranks, unusual in this city, and who was appointed police chief while still a lieutenant. As a result he has the respect of the officers and morale has rebounded.

Not sure if a ride along in Texas could equal my Utah experience. Any one care to tell us about your ride along? Or a LEO to comment...

[TXGLOCK29]

I would love to have an experience like you had in Utah! I'm really not sure what to expect on my ride along. I've always figured that you just sit with an officer who is on patrol, then while he or she goes up to talk to individuals you stay back in the car and lay low. If anyone else has been on a ride along, please share your experiences!

[srothstein]

I have done several ride alongs, and the customers almost always were very happy with the ride. Some had more exciting nights than others, of course.

Probably the best ride I know of was given by a friend of mine on SAPD. He managed to get into a chase with the rider in the car. Speeds went over 100 mph. When the BG stopped and bailed out, the officer started the foot pursuit. The second officer on the scene also gave chase. The third officer on the scene stopped to check on the rider. He told me it took 10 minutes to get her fingers out of the plastic in the dash. Interestingly enough, she did come back for a second ride but she did not stay to finish that one. She also said she enjoyed both, just not as much at the time for the first one as the story afterward.

[DoubleJ]

Both ride alongs I have gone on have been a blast.
course, I went to high school with the officer, so we're old buddies. We just cruised around "small town texas" and looked for burnt out tail lights, people doing 40 in a 30, improper (read: lack of) use of a turn signal, and all the other menial things you can get pulled over for.
no, didn't carry. I figured the guy with the bullet proof vest oughtta be the one fielding and returning fire, which of course didn't happen. did have mah pepper spray, though

[soccerguy59]

I am a member of the Collin County Sheriff's Citizens Academy, in our rideouts you are told not to carry any weapons. You have to sign a release as well. I had to stay in the car the entire time, but could hear all conversations on the radio. The Deputy searched several business, churches, and construction sites, since the price of copper is HIGH. What is unique about Sherrif's jurisdiction is all the rual places, lots of open space, small towns. We assisted TDPS on a DUI, teens with drug paraphnelia (sp), loud music at a rodeo, residents sitting outside drinking at 4am, looked like burgerly, oven fire, got to go FAST on that one.

[DoubleJ]

we had a "non-responsive male, not breathing" call on my first ride-along.
being as I had more medical knowledge than my associate, I lead the "Charge" into the house, secured the "patient", and made sure his airway was open, and started the ABC's.
turned out, dude was drunk, either passed out and fell, or fell, and knocked himself out.
he seemed to breathe just fine when his "buddy" wasn't sitting with the vic's head in his lap, which resulted in the vic's chin being depressed down to his chest! kinda restricts the breathing a bit.
Rescue arrived shortly after that, and I let the professionals handle it while I got outta the way.

adrenaline got moving a little, which is always fun. as with most "emergencies," it turned out to be nuffin.

[jimlongley]

I rode along with the Plano PD, as a member of the Citizens' Police Academy, I actually could have ridden more times but it wasn't convenient.

We were told, in class, that we who had CHLs would not be allowed to carry on ride alongs (this was before the change in the law, so we couldn't even carry in class) and that was reiterated at sign up for the ride along.

After I met the officer I would ride with, we went out and inventoried the car and started out on patrol - I was not invited to sit in on roll call.

As we left the parking lot the officer asked me if I had a CHL and was I carrying. I told him that I was and was not and tat was pretty much the end of it.

We had little or no excitement on our shift, caught a kid who had been stealing cigarettes from "stop an rob" stores, street racing yet, with about a hundred packs of various brands of smokes all in the back seat.

We investigated the theft of a fire extinguisher from a hotel.

We investigated a prowler in an abandoned building - there I was ordered to stay in the car and listen to the radio.

Late in the shift the officer revealed that he wouldn't have had any problem with me carrying, but department policy is department policy.

[Snake Doctor]

I have a friend at APD who is taking me along some time during the coming weeks. I'd prefer not to disclose where or when he works, but let's just say it's the last place you'd find me hanging around in Austin, an we ain't working the lunch shift. We haven't really talked about the shotgun (as everyone seems to keep bringing up), and I guess I didn't think I'd get a bulletproof vest (is that common or was that just the one member who posted?), but I'm sure we'll talk about it all before the ride. I would feel more comfortable if I were allowed to carry, but I will respect the law. I'm almost positive he is more skilled and prepared than I am to handle a live fire situation, but at the end of the day I'm relying on me--and only me--for self defense. Perhaps it's just the Libertarian in me...

[Gecko45]

What? you don't have your own Level 3 body armor? mine has extra plates that my girlfriend has sewn into strategic places.
it can withstand a direct 308 hit.

[Keith B]

What? you don't have your own Level 3 body armor? mine has extra plates that my girlfriend has sewn into strategic places.
it can withstand a direct 308 hit.

If it is sewn into strategic places, how can you see and hear??

[Tactical_Texan_CHL]

If it is sewn into strategic places, how can you see and hear??

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keith, you a funny guy!!!!!