Police Ride Along

This week has been crazy busy; therefore, I am just now able to post about an interesting experience that occurred on Monday of this week.  I rode along with the Maricopa Police Department from 5-9:30 pm on Monday night.  It was fascinating the go on calls and enforce traffic laws throughout the evening.  I started my ride along with a Sergeant who gave me a tour of the Police Headquarters and showed me the computer technology they use in the police vehicles to determine where to go on calls and how they run license plates.  After about an hour, we met up with the patrol officer whom I would shadow for the remainder of the evening.  We went on multiple calls ranging from a potential home entry to a vehicle sited as going the wrong direction on SR  347.  Perhaps the most interesting part of the night dealt with enforcing traffic laws.  We sat at a four way stop and near road closure barricades along with venturing up and down SR 347 on patrol.  I was surprised that we pulled several cars over yet many of them consisted of just a warning.  Police officers are so often perceived negatively, yet from my experience on the ride along, it became clear as to the judgment calls they make every day.  Regardless of the negativity associated around them by carrying guns and arresting people, ultimately they work toward making our communities safer, and that should never be forgotten.