Ride Along With PRO-2A LEO

[surfcc]

I'm taking part in a 3 month long Citizens Police Academy and I had my ride along last night. I met the LEO, (16 yrs on the force), at 7:30PM and rode with him until 11:30PM. When we we got into the cruiser, he hooked up his satellite radio and tuned into NRA Radio! He told me he listens to it religiously. So the night started off with the two of us talking about guns and the 2nd Ammendment. We listened to Cam, Wayne LaPierre, Col. Oliver North, and Sarah Palin. I asked him if he supported concealed carry and he said, "absolutely....and they (govt) ought to simplify the gun laws in MA and Nationwide....shall issue, with one permit good in all 50 states." Nice!

He and I were on the same page politically....counting the days until Obama leaves office! He was a helluva nice guy and answered all of my questions. I learned a lot about him and what his job entails. I also learned about all the "stuff" that goes down in my town. The night was relatively uneventful. However, we did respond to a suspected OUI, he checked out fine and then responded to a disturbance involving a belligerent customer at a convenience store. We ended up doing about 90 mph with the blues and full siren, bombing down a ten mile stretch of the highway to get there....only to find the customer had left the scene.

He dropped me off at 11:30, so he could do some paperwork, do another roll call and then work another shift from 12:30AM to 7:30AM. He's doing back to back double shifts this weekend....picking up for another officer out sick for a couple of days. I have a ton of respect for LEO's and even more so now!

 

[wolfhunter]

Sounds like a good night.

 

[Itstjs]

Wow, sounds like alot of fun. Ive wanted to do something of the sort around my area, just dont know how to get involved in that sort of thing. What do you assist the officer with? Can you still conceal carry while with him? What do you get at the end of the Citizens Police Academy?

 

[CrazyHorse]

It's good to hear about good cops that still believe most people are good. Ive been around cops all my life (my dad was a cop and I was a cop for 3 years) and have seen too many cops become jaded. It's not hard to do when you deal with pissed off scummy people much of the time.
I found that when cops had other family members that own guns they tended to be pro 2a. However when they had no close family that was ether a hunter or went to the range they were the type that felt they should be the only one with a gun.
Regardless, It's an underpaid, thankless job most of the time and they deserve our respect. Their is nothing better that a good cop and nothing worse than a bad one.

 

[kelcarry]

Hey Y'all: Here in Mt. Pleasant, SC we have an active Police Academy and a Police Academy Alumni Assn. You can also, at any time, ask permission as a resident to ride along with an LEO on any shift and in any area of town. The best way to describe this is to just watch Cops on TV but being in the car puts a note of reality to the ridealong that truly makes you understand what a dangerous and difficult job an LEO has, particularly at night, when he approaches a pulled-over car and does not know whether the driver is waiting there with a firearm.

 

[kennymn]

A ride like that would be a real eye opener to show a person what really goes on at night in your town or city. ( exciting )

 

[surfcc]

Wow, sounds like alot of fun. Ive wanted to do something of the sort around my area, just dont know how to get involved in that sort of thing. What do you assist the officer with? Can you still conceal carry while with him? What do you get at the end of the Citizens Police Academy?

Carrying while with the LEO is prohibited and you must sign a waiver that you wil not CCW while riding and you cannot leave the cruiser when the LEO makes a stop or answers a call. So you cannot assist. We are having a party at a local watering hole after the academy for our graduation night. This Tuesday, they are taking us to the local range to shoot.....should be fun!

Many departments around the country offer these Citizen's Police Academy's.....funded by Federal Grants. You should definitely look into locally.

 

[Piece Corps]

They have a C.O.P.S. (Citizen's Observer Program) program here in my town, run by the Volusia County Sheriff. I had signed up for the training, but my boss wouldn't give me the requisite 5 Saturdays off needed to train.

No weapons allowed, even with a CCW permit. Here's their responsibility list:

• Homeland security patrols of critical facilities such as power stations, gas pipelines, and other sensitive installations.
• Traffic control at special community events and emergency situations.
• Assisting at emergency shelters for hurricanes and evacuations.
• Performing House Watches for residents who are out of town for extended periods.
• Fingerprinting children for family records.
• Distributing the Vial of Life to elderly or disabled members of the community.
• Setting up radar speed-measuring trailers at various locations in the county.
• Providing logistical support such as food and water supplies to Deputies who are on extended crime, search, rescue, or emergency scenes.
• Speaking to Neighborhood Watch groups about patrolling their neighborhood and the C.O.P. program.

I had a short stint with the Florida Highway Patrol Auxiliary in the early 80's, and you were allowed to carry your own weapon (had to be approved by the FHP) openly. Don't know if they still do that, but there are not too many PDs around that will let you carry as part of a program they run.