Unless you are a sworn officer, do not bring your firearm and equipment. However, if you have your own bullet-resistant vest, wear it under your shirt. Follow instructions. Stay in the car unless the officer asks you to move for your safety or other reasons. Ask questions to clarify your limitations and instructions beforehand.
If possible, schedule your ride along for the night shift as you will get to see and do more. Ask questions dealing with patrol. What are the normal shift assignments and rotations? Is it a busy department? Which shift is the best to work on in your opinion? How are the overtime and advancement opportunities? However, do not talk about specialized units, such as SWAT, CID, and K-9, unless the officer brings it up as it takes years to be selected for such assignments.
My call-in to Zone 2 was initiated at 1540 on 07 OCT 2011 and lasted only one minute. I was told by the radio-telephone operator that I would have to walk-in to the physical location at 3120 Maple Dr. NE Atlanta and that the paperwork was available to fill out 24 hours per day. I rode the 5 Sandy Springs-Dunwoody bus to East Paces Ferry Road, then walked to the location. On Saturday the bus runs every 30 minutes and the trip time is approximately 15 minutes. In my next post, I will continue with my impressions on Zone 2 and discuss my application to the City of Dunwoody Police Department's program.
