Over the last several years, Law Enforcement Agencies and Officers have received lots of harsh criticism, some warranted and some unwarranted. In order to gain some insight into what goes on behind the scenes, and also originally as part of a class project, I decided to set up a ride-along so that I could learn more. Well, that was last October, and this year I decided that I wanted to do another ride-along to see if anything had changed in the last year and to see how the traffic division differed from the patrol division.

My first ride-along took place on October 20th, 2015 with Sargent O’Neill of the Edmond Police Department. Sgt. O’Neill has been with the Edmond police department since 1995 and is currently a patrol officer. Sargent O’Neill was very kind and courteous throughout the time I was with him. Right before I entered the station I got a sudden wave of anxiety over what was about to happen. Once the ride along began we just drove through Edmond for a few minutes waiting for a call to come in. At one point we drove all the way out to Bryant and Sorghum Mill Road in far north Edmond, a mile from the Oklahoma/Logan County line (Waterloo Road) just to get out of the Edmond traffic. Sgt. O’Neill told me that Edmond averages around ten car wrecks per day. During the two or three hours we were out on patrol there were eight accidents, not including the previous accidents throughout the day.

The first call we were sent on involved a man who was harassing people for money at the area of second and Bryant near UCO. Before we arrived in the area of the suspect, Sgt. O’Neill told me that he was probably with a specific church that was known to send out criminals and felons to collect money for their “rehabilitation” program. Sgt. O’ Neill spotted the suspect at the 7-11 on the corner and pulled in to speak with him. The suspect was a Hispanic male in his late thirties to early forties who had been convicted of several felonies and had served jail time in Oklahoma a couple of times and in California as well. As Sgt. O’Neill got out of the squad car he locked me in from the outside, no doubt for my protection and for the prevention of someone attempting to take off in his squad car. The suspect was not arrested but he was definitely someone to be uneasy around.

The third call we were sent on was much more urgent in downtown Edmond. This call was particularly alarming. The suspect allegedly walked up to a woman who was just leaving work and punched her in the face for absolutely no reason at all. After punching his first victim in the face, the suspect proceeded to chase another individual through downtown and even threw a rock at a vehicle at a stop light, which is a felony in the state of Oklahoma. The suspect ran all the way from 1st and Littler to 2nd and Kelly (roughly 2 miles) in about ten minutes or less. When the suspect was captured, it was found that he was high on “khat,” an Ethiopian plant that causes high heart rates and other psychological symptoms. Once the Edmond Fire Department arrived on the scene of apprehension, it was determined that the suspect was fine to be transported to the station where he could be processed and prepared for transfer to the Oklahoma County Jail. As the suspect arrived at the station, his first victim was there having photographs taken of her face, which was still red and beginning to bruise from the strike of the suspect’s fist. The first victim was able to positively identify the suspect as the person who hit her.

After the excitement of catching the suspect, Sgt. O’Neill told me that I could go home because he would be spending the rest of the night doing paperwork. I chose to stay at the station because I wanted to see both sides of the process. Not only working on the streets but also seeing how the paperwork has to be done is a major part of any law enforcement job. It took about an hour to write the Probable Cause Affidavit which is required in order to transfer a suspect to County and prevent them from being released the next day. After finishing the PC affidavit and having it signed off on, Sgt. O’Neill was going to allow me to go down to County with him to drop off the charges. Unfortunately, Sgt. O’Neill had to pick up his superior and then go down to County, so I had to go home. Prior to my first ride-along I already had a lot of respect for the police, but after, I had a lot more. I also learned that 90% of the job is based on personal judgment calls, and if a wrong call is made it can end their lives or ours. From then on I had decided that I would back the blue.

My second ride-along took place with the Logan County Sheriff's Office with Deputy Randolph. This ride-along wasn't as exhilarating as my first and third ride-alongs, but still had some serious adrenaline involved. The main part of the ride-along was spent working a non-injury rollover in rural Logan County out by Charter Oak and Westminster rRad. When I heard the call come in over the radio I realized two things. One, we were the closest unit LCSO and EMS to the scene, and two, there was a chance it could be a fatality accident. Thankfully, the accident was non-injury, but it was a rollover. Because of the way Logan County operates, we had to contact Oklahoma Highway Patrol to come work the accident. It took OHP nearly an hour to arrive because of traffic, location, and other accidents. After finishing up at the accident site, Deputy Randolph, myself, and several other LCSO officers went to dinner at a little Barbeque place out at Douglas and Waterloo.

Logan County may not have offered as much excitement as Edmond did, but it was nice to get an inside look at how they operate.

I have always found LEOs very approachable and understanding as well as helpful and respectable. Last weekend in Arlington, TX, a wrong turn was taken out of the AT&T stadium after a concert, and I ended up lost along with someone else. After looking at the map and dropped pin of where my car was located, I approached an Arlington Parking officer and asked for help. He immediately offered his assistance and directions. A short time later I asked another Arlington Police Officer for more directions and if I was headed in the right direction and he was so kind and understanding. Shout out to the two officers who helped an Oklahoma girl find her way despite the fact that you were supposed to be focused on directing traffic.

Friday afternoon, on my way to campus and then the police station, I saw an Edmond police officer telling his wife and kids goodbye in a gas station parking lot before he went to work. It hit me then that there was a chance he may not come home tonight because he is putting his life on the line in order to protect people who may not necessarily be grateful for his protection.

My third ride-along took place on Friday night with the Edmond Police Department. This time I rode along with Officer B in the Traffic Division.

Officer B's vehicle is an unmarked police car, so that was really cool because in my opinion, he was able to catch more people than he would've had he been in a marked vehicle. There wasn't a crazy chase or anything like that but "we" did pull three people over in Northeast Edmond two miles from the end of their Northern Jurisdiction line for going nearly 20 mph over the speed limit. Their speeds were about 64 mph and 60 mph. The first was a man in a Ford and that stop didn't take long. The second was the 64 mph stop. In this particular stop, the driver actually waved at Officer B as he was passing and that actually made Officer B a little irritated and he muttered something along the lines of, "Don't sit there and wave at me when you're passing me at almost 20 over."

After that stop was completed, Officer B got a call from a buddy in a different department, who was a buddy of the 64 mph guy. He basically asked that the ticket be voided because the driver served as a Navy Seal on Seal Team 3 for 13 years and is a veteran who assists in training and working with law enforcement. Officer B said the only reason he would give this guy a break is because of his service to our country.

I personally believe that no excuse is good enough to get out of a speeding ticket because if you do the crime, you do the time or pay the fine. But on this occasion, I kinda agree with Officer B's buddy. I mean the guy served on Seal Team 3 for 13 years and now he helps Law Enforcement agencies and so he kind of does deserve a break this time.

After having now gone on 3 ride-alongs, I have truly gained a deeper respect for law enforcement officers along with a deeper knowledge. I would still like to do a ride along with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Oklahoma City Police Department, but for now, I'll just focus on school and earning my Criminal Justice degree so that one day I can work alongside the amazing men and women of law enforcement. Even though I may not want to be a police officer, it is still important to know not only as a Criminal Justice major but as a citizen as well, what it is that LEOs go through on a daily basis. I have decided to back the blue because they put their lives on the line each day and expect nothing in return. Sure, some of their judgment calls I may not agree with, but they still deserve our support and respect. So stay strong law enforcement officers. I've got your back.