Drive Time

Yesterday was my first day behind the wheel of a police cruiser. I started off by rear-ending another patrol car as we lined up for refueling. I forgot to take into consideration the extra 18 inches of push-bar at the front of the car (which is not visible from the driver's seat). Luckily, I was only going about 1 mph and didn't cause any damage but what a great way to show off my driving skills to my training officer.

I got a taste of just how much access we have into people's private lives. Here's a tip: if you have any embarassing items, put them somewhere out of view -you never know when the police may need to conduct a 'protective sweep' of your residence to ensure no bad guys are hiding. Yesterday, we conducted this kind of sweep in an apartment where a felon was known to be living. As we entered the master bathroom, I upon a large collection of various 'adult' items. It was more than I wanted to see but that's what happens when you're not discreet.

Later, we got a 911 call from an old man that said he was in trouble. When we arrived, it was obvious that he lived in a nursing home. We found him in the Alzheimers section of the facility. He was disoriented and couldn't remember where he was or why he called the police. He was clearly confused but did not need any help from the police.