Last Night I Did a Ride-Along with a Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy.......And it wuz a
Most Righteous Experience, Indeed!!!
Spent the 10pm-6am shift riding shotgun [riding Totally Unarmed, actually] alongside one of Our Own Minions of the Law-----
Deputy "B"-----in his Ford Crown Victoria cruiser.
The numerous waiver forms I signed included an agreement to refrain from divulging any details, so we can't get into the
Nitty-Gritty. But please be assured that it was a heckuva view from the inside.
I learned:>Douglas County has an excellent Sheriff's Department facility which can't be seen from the outside. CSI, Research, Grants Writing, Holding Cells, Workout Room (stress relief), Electronic Equipment Repair, Training Classroom, Tactical Equipment Room, and much more. Much of it paid for by funding from captured drug cars and drug-related assets.
>An enormous amount of documentation is required for each and every step of each event of the shift patrol.
Laptops and GPSs help and are a big part of the solution, but
Oh!----the writing, writing, writing......
>The
Sheriff's Deputies would be right at home w/
NFOA folks. Most of the deputies are ex-military, hunters, shooters, gun collectors, and All-Around Good Fellows. Including the Female Deputy. (Many are probably NFOA members already.)
>Procedural restrictions on LEO behavior are substantial. Amazing that anybody ever gets arrested and booked, given the precautions required, hoops to be jumped, and other
impedimentia with which LEOs are laden.
>The
Kreepy Krawly Kritters come out at Night.
And lotsa other things. [Like I met a convenience store clerk last night who has been held up at gunpoint
nineteen times now. Whereas, my own Worst On-the-Job Hazard is watching students bang their foreheads on their desks while falling asleep during my classroom lectures.]
It gives a good, warm fuzzy to know that these
Good Folks are alert and on patrol while our heads are safely on the pillow.
Finally-------The
Ride Along program is available to any and all who wish to partake. Just go to the Sheriff's office and fill out an application. Filled mine out on Monday morning and was in the cruiser at 10pm on Tuesday evening. How's that for "
bureaucracy"
!!!
