Introduction
Ever since I was a little child growing up in a busy city, I had this desire to be a police officer when I grow up. I found police officers in the city to be clean, organized and they seemed to be in control. I always liked their beautiful uniforms that always stood out in almost all the streets of the big city. It was impossible to pass a street without coming across a police officer or a police patrol car with sirens and lights blaring. They always seemed busy and in control of whatever situation they found themselves in. These, among many other aspects of the police force, infatuated me as a little kid.
When I got older, I inevitably developed an urge to learn more about policing and an opportunity arose to ride along with a police officer. I took up the opportunity without a second thought.
Body
However, before embarking on that ride, I had to hand in a written application to our police department offices in order to be granted and assigned an officer. This was also necessary in order to set a date for the trip. A week earlier, I had picked an application form for participation in the program, read through the rules, filled it out and turned it in as per our local department of police requirements.
Since a police officerâs job revolves around maintaining peace and order in the community, the officers usually get involved in very risky and dangerous situations. It was therefore a mandatory precaution to sign an accident waiver at the department. By signing the waiver, I assumed all the risks that I could have been exposed to at the time of the ride and throughout the program. I later received a call from the department informing me that I have been granted the opportunity to participate in the program. I was also informed about the venue, time and date of the âride-alongâ.
It was an early Tuesday morning. The alarm went off; I woke up and prepared myself for the crucial ride. I dressed professionally and at around 9am, I headed to the police departmentâs offices. The streets were busy with people going about their daily activities. On arrival, the officer on duty introduced himself, gave me a short tour of the department and the patrol car. He later directed me to the patrol car.
He ensured that I was ready and fully aware of the possible risks involved. We boarded the car and fastened our safety belts. The officer started the car and immediately calls started coming in through the communication system. The communicationsâ gadgets placed in the car including the tele-communicator and radios were all working properly. He reached out to the microphone and responded to what sounded like his dispatcherâs instructions on his start of duty.
On driving to the main road, the officer quickly picked out a car with an underage male who was driving carelessly. The siren went off and we drove towards the car. The underage driver pulled his car on to the sideway and the officer did the same.
He suggested I stay put in the car unless otherwise advised or ordered. I watched him get out of the car and head towards the white colored BMW that the young man was driving. On getting to the already lowered window of the car, he introduced himself and adequately informed the boy the reasons of pulling him over. He requested for a driving license, which the boy admitted that he did not have. He claimed to have a valid license but forgot to drive along with it.
The boy was in shock and pleaded with the officer. The police officer pulled out a pen and scribbled some details about the driver. The culprit responded to all the questions regarding his name, date of birth and current address. The officer made some calls and with a smile instructed the boy to drive off. The latter seemed relieved and happy. With a simple gesture, he drove off and the policeman came back to the patrol car, started it and took us back to the main road.
Suddenly, a radio call was made from the other end. It sounded like an accident alert from one of the dispatchers. A traffic officer had noticed traffic piling up and was instructing nearby police officers to join in and help in clearing the traffic and assisting the victims of a crash. The patrol car sirens and lights went off again and at very high speed, we drove towards the indicated venue. Directions and more instructions kept coming in through the radio calls.
On arrival at the scene, we found dozens of cars and people milling around. I got out of the police car although I was advised against this by my officer. I witnessed the tragic accident that had taken place. An old brown Chevrolet pick-up truck seemed to be intertwined with an unrecognizable saloon car by the sideway. It was a tragic scene. The oil leaking from the cars was slowly flowing over the blood- stained tarmac. People trapped in the cars were crying out for help. The officer along with others already at the scene gave directions and orders to a small group of people, directing them to move back to avoid further injuries.
The ambulance was just in time and the paramedics rushed to rescue and give first aid to the victims. Fire fighters arrived at the scene and started to work by cutting and separating the metals to rescue the trapped passengers and driver. Thanks to their skills and hard work, all victims were rescued within minutes and taken to the ambulance which rushed them to the hospital. The officer was taking statements from eye witnesses while the rest of the team cleaned up and cleared the traffic.
An investigator was later handed the statements gathered to continue with the investigations. The road was clear and we headed back to the station. Given that this was my first time to witness the work of a police officer from the inside, I sought to complete my tour. After a few remarks from the officer and some paperwork from the head of the department, I completed my ride- along and went back home.
Conclusion
I can only describe my ride- along as an eye opening experience that enabled me to see police officers from a different perspective. I could now see them as dedicated and hardworking citizens of our country. It also enabled me to understand the police force and look forward to joining it in the future.