Ride-Along

After the accident, the man ran into the road, right into traffic.

The guys car just bumped the pole, no real bad damage.

#3 Car


#2 Car

#1 Car...Yikes!
This is what can happen if you aren't paying attention.
At least they know the airbags work!

Last night I had the privilege of going on a “ride along” with the West Valley Police. I went with Sgt. Merritt, because I knew him from working with him when he was in the COP (community oriented policing) department. I have always been impressed with him. He’s one of those people who, literally, is the definition of integrity. I felt comfortable with him & I asked a million questions, oh man…if there was a question, I asked it! Poor guy, I had him talking his entire shift! I was able to be his “shadow” from 5:30pm –2:00am. I got to tour the buildings, the evidence room & different areas that I probably wouldn’t have been able to see if I wasn’t on a ride-along. I learned so many things!

I wanted to see the fun, exciting part, we did get to run “code”, you know, lights, sirens & going really fast…it was great! But I also wanted to understand the side of the police officer. Here in our neighborhood, I often hear the complaint of how long it takes for police response time. I admit, I myself have been annoyed & complained. But being in some of the meetings with the city I’ve been in, I wanted to understand why things are they way they are… Well, this I can say for sure, I won’t be complaining anymore. Holy Cow, I have a whole new perspective. You know the old saying, “there is two sides to every story”…I would like to share what I learned.

Their shifts are totally unpredictable; everything depends on the type of calls that they get. It could be pretty quiet, or slammed with a ton of calls. Some of the calls that we went to were: 3-car accident, traffic stops (Why on earth do people drive with suspended or revoked licenses, no insurance, no registration?), a medical caused accident where a taser was involved, two suicide complaints (alcohol & guns don’t mix well), more traffic stops providing back-up. I was again impressed, Sgt. Merritt has compassion with people & I think that is sometimes a rare quality to find in a police officer. (Or we're just too angry when we get pulled over by a cop to see it! :) wink, wink!) We also did some patrolling in some neighborhoods…some being pretty rough & one was a new construction, with a lot of theft. While we were in the new construction neighborhood, we were driving with all of the lights off & then heard shots fired & before I could even compute it in my head, Sgt. Merritt had all the lights back on & was driving really fast trying to locate where it came from, but without seeing any cars around, it was hard to find. But then there was a call about some road rage & then we rushed to that…. There was a lot of driving, a lot of observance of how people react when there is a police car nearby, a lot of people do stupid things right in front of the police…that makes me laugh!

Anyway, I was in awe how the officers have to watch the calls on their computers, listen to the radio, talk on the cell phone, drive and keep their eyes out for things happening around them. Talk about multi-tasking…very impressive. I had the opportunity to go to the dispatch center as well, my goodness, it was really very overwhelming to see what goes on “behind the scenes” so to speak. I learned that there are plenty of calls that you start going to…but then turn around because a new priority arises. The whole priority of calls was interesting to me. There has to be order, right? But when you have something happen to you, you think it’s the most important thing & needs to be addressed right now! But, when you look at the whole picture, that’s not how it works. Again & again I saw this last night. This is what made me realize that no matter where you live, there will be delays…because the officers have to be looking at the whole picture. For example, your car may have been broken into & you want the police to come right now, but there may be an urgent matter somewhere else that requires several officers.

In talking with Sgt. Merritt, I also learned that it’s important to make sure that we call the police when a crime has been committed. There needs to be documentation. Sometimes the calls don’t warrant 911, but we can call 840-4000 to report a crime. This helps the city know if there is a pattern…it is really important for the police to be notified. It is also helpful for the neighborhood watch to be effective. We have to work with our police department in order to combat & deter crime in our neighborhood. If you see something suspicious, call!

Before I went on the ride-along I had to sign paperwork that released the city of liability if something were to happen…to me. I read the paperwork & thought to myself, I know they are covering themselves of all the legalities. But, a police officer puts their life on the line every time they show up for work, and for that, I am grateful. I am grateful for the men & women who do this job so that my family can be safe…so hopefully, before we all start to complain, let’s think of the many things that our police department does to ensure our safety!

Thank you, again, Sgt. Merritt, for letting me shadow you & ask my many, many questions! It was an experience I won’t forget!