Ready for Action

Well, the time has come to hit the streets.

The final two days of post academy were spent visiting the police evidence impound facility and the family investigations bureau. The evidence building is amazing. It's a huge warehouse filled with every kind of stolen/seized/found item imagineable. We walked past row after row of plasma TV's, generators, safes, tools, furniture, and countless other items. There were huge freezers and refrigerators full of biological evidence like blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids.

There are separate holding rooms for drugs and firearms. We got to enter the drug room and see the countless shelves of cocaine, meth, PCP, heroin, crack and huge bales of marijuana. There must have been millions of dollars worth of illegal drugs in there. The room full of seized firearms was also quite sobering. You wouldn't believe the type of guns that criminals are running around with these days.

The family investigations bureau is the place where victims of sexual assualt are brought for forensic examination and interviewing. We listed to some 911 calls for domestic violence and were shown pictures of some of the victims. I can't believe how badly people can treat their own family.

I start my field training on Tuesday. For the next 14 weeks, I will be riding with a training officer who will show me the ropes and evaluate my progress. My shift will be from 3:00p.m. - 01:00 a.m. with Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off.

The picture shows some of the duty gear I will be bringing with me (or wearing). Pictured are: duty belt, ballcap, primary and secondary flashlights, cassette tape recorder, radio with earpiece, cellphone, Glock .40 caliber handgun with tactical light, (3) magazines of ammunition, tactical knife, OC pepper spray, whistle, handcuffs and key, metal clipboard with traffic citation, fingerprint kit, X26 taser, sunglasses, riot helmet, gas mask with biological and chemical filter, bullet-proof vest, and puncture-resistant gloves. I'll also have various operations manuals, policy manuals, and a criminal law book.

I can't wait to actually start on Tuesday but am feeling a bit jittery as well. Nineteen weeks of training seems like a long time but when you consider all of the legal, ethical, physical, and mental issues that go into law enforcement, it seems more like a basic outline.

I'm not sure how much sleep I'll be getting in the coming weeks but I plan on keeping this log updated as best I can. If you're in the area between 7th Ave and the SR-51, between Northern and Thomas, please be on your best behavior or I might be paying you a visit.