Two months down. A successful two months by any standard. My perspective on the world of Law Enforcement has changed considerably since the pre-Academy days, mostly because I have begun realizing what it must take to do the job well. The two best parts so far would have to be the physical training and my internship.
Physical training has taught me how to push myself to do things that both my body and mind don’t want to do. It’s also partially been about overcoming obstacles. I ran two miles without taping my foot this past Saturday, which to me was a big deal as I’ve been taping the thing since the beginning of the year. No problem there, so that’s one scare behind me. However, last Tuesday I came away from PT with a sharp pain on the side of my leg right by the knee – and it didn’t go away. Looks like it could be a muscle pull or even a tear. So the hurdles just keep coming.
I’m interning at the local Sheriff’s Department. Interning basically means doing lots of ride-alongs in addition to observing some of the other units doing their job. Ride-alongs are a special thing for me. I never find myself so intimidated as when I show up for a ride-along. Imagine a police recruit that nobody knows from Adam, and a police officer who is usually a 6-10 year veteran is going to be stuck with him in a squad car for the next 12 hours. I always feel at the start of a shift that I am quite out of place; intruding into a world where I haven’t yet earned the right to be, in some sense.
Ride-alongs in my area often involve long periods of inactivity. Some officers will fill this time with proactive stuff like lots of traffic stops and other what-not. Usually all will make mention at some point about how they’re sorry it was so slow and boring, and how it’s not usually that way, and so on. To me, traffic stops and even just patrolling an area is exciting. An officer will go on at length about some inter-departmental drama and how it’s affecting everybody, then they’ll feel bad about dumping on you. As someone wanting to eventually be in their place, I highly value that kind of interaction because it reinforces the lesson that the police are real people, not just a big collection of emotionless stoics.
March 5, 2008 at 10:10 am
Great blog, keep it coming.
May 17, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Having been on a ride-along and seen the complaints of a lot of officers, I share your feelings. A lot of officers that I’ve seen online have complained about the thrill seekers they get, but I enjoy just being there and taking in everything. It’s an immense learning experience, especially the first time and I can’t wait to go on another one, even if it’s a calm day.