Ride Along Continued

I can write about the truck we were in all day, but I think it is important to get to the questions I was invited to ask at the start of the ride along. What are the normal shift assignments and rotations? The sergeant said the shifts are 12-hours long and they change at six. The rotations are a two-week cycle. On the first week, an officer works MTFSSu, and the next, he or she works WR. Is it a busy department? He said weekends can get busy, but M-R are the most busy. Which shift is best to work on in your opinion? The sergeant said when he was young, he preferred nights, but now he prefers days.



How are the overtime and advancement opportunities? He said this is a platoon-sized department and advancement opportunities exist; after all, he did make sergeant. He also said overtime opportunities exist for sporting events via sign-up sheets. We started motor patrol through campus including the parking decks. He explained that they cover an area up to 500 yards off campus. My three hours and 30 minutes of motor patrol were fascinating. However, I decline to discuss them in detail here due to the sensitive nature of some of the conversation and events. However, he did want to dispel one myth, which I will pass on. He said some people think the police want to hurt them, but in reality, the police resort to force as a last resort.



I witnessed an example of this concept first hand and hopefully, I will get to witness more. My ride along with the City of Dunwoody Police Department has been set for Friday from 1300 to 1700. I am to meet the officer in the lobby of 41 Perimeter Center East, Dunwoody, GA 30346. I am in contact with a LT in the Marietta Police Department regarding that ride along. In my next post, I intend to report on the Dunwoody ride along at the very least and hopefully report on setting up the ride along with the Marietta Police Department.