Bad experience with local PD. - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

far_fast · 03-03-2007, 05:13 PM

i've been trying to arrange a ride along with my local dept. Should be easy, right?
WRONG

Went in to the police station, filled out the form, and the front desk lady says i'll get a call in a week. Cool.

I dont get a call in a week.
I call back, and i'm notified that the application is approved.
Great, I say. How do i go about scheduling an exact date and time?
You need to come to the police station.
I thought that was odd, i had already been there in person to fill out the application and all that, but didnt question the answer, and headed on down to the police station.

When i arrive, i tell the front desk officer that I was approved for a ride along, and i'm here to schedule an exact date and time.
He says we dont do that at the front desk, and gives me a number of the lady who arranges ride alongs. Great, thanks, i say.
Head home, call the number, and it turns out its the number of the lady i reached the first time, who repeats that i need to go down there in person and schedule an exact date and time.
I'm mildly frustrated at this point, but still keeping a sense of humor about it. I head back to the station and explain the situation to the front desk officer, who seems to ignore me completely, and repeated "you need to call this number" I dont want to get into an arguement with the officer, so i just call again from the phone in the front desk, very politely explain the situation to the lady, who repeats again, FRONT DESK.
she even repeats that "BY ORDER OF THE POLICE CHIEF, THEY HAVE TO BE SCHEDULED AT THE FRONT DESK!", which i quote to the front desk officer.
Now, during this entire passing on of words, i sense a massive ammount of frustration coming from both the lady and the front desk guy, directed at me, which made me very upset, because I was infact the victim.

So, finally, he hands me a blank peice of paper to write my name and phone number down on, and he says someone will get back to me.

Later that day i receive a phone call from a Sergeant at the PD who was very nice and helpful, and we agreed on a date (today) and a time. I was very happy, and looking forward to my ride along.
So, today i put on some sharp-ish clothes, try to look somewhat presentable and head down to the station, say "hi, i'm here for a ride along, the name is ############", and i'm instructed to take a seat and wait.
Then out comes an officer who was very nice, shook my hand and told me he'd be right back with the paperwork. He comes back a little later and says he couldnt find my ride along approval form. At this point i'm not quite sure what to say, so i assure him i have gone through the necessary paperwork, and spoken to the higher-ups and have indeed been approved, and had a scheduled appointment at this time.
He basically tells me he's sorry, but without the papers he cant legally take me along. I understand this isnt his fault, so i remain calm, and say no problem.
He hands me a new application form, and sent me on my way.

UN FRIGGIN BELIEVEABLE. I'm not even going to bother with them anymore, Tomorrow i'll head to the local sheriffs office. Hopefully they have some REMOTELY competent people handeling their affairs.

Rant off. Sorry about any spelling errors, i wrote this kinda fast.
I would also like to add that the majority of the people i was in contact with were very nice and plesant to speak with, and i have no hard feelings with the dept, I'm just frustrated out of my mind with whom ever is to blame for all this.

dsump · 03-03-2007, 05:28 PM

I'll tell you that where I work, all of our guys hate taking ride-a-longs. Its not personal, but our cars are our offices and we have our own way of doing things and we don't like to share our space. Most Policemen dont like the extra liability. For me I enjoy to FTO (field train) but hate to take ride-a-longs. Our Department finally made it policy that the program is disbanned and we can not take anyone unless they are sworn Officers or employees of our city.

far_fast · 03-03-2007, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsump

I'll tell you that where I work, all of our guys hate taking ride-a-longs. Its not personal, but our cars are our offices and we have our own way of doing things and we don't like to share our space. Most Policemen dont like the extra liability. For me I enjoy to FTO (field train) but hate to take ride-a-longs. Our Department finally made it policy that the program is disbanned and we can not take anyone unless they are sworn Officers or employees of our city.

I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here.

Are you implying that they sent me on a wild goose chase (or wild goose chases) and wasted several hours of my time just because they didnt really want to do a ride along?

Broadside · 03-03-2007, 06:29 PM

The agency I worked for encouraged ride alongs. We wanted the public interaction and to see what we do and how we do it. It was really simple to get a ride along with the SO. Just call ahead fill out the form when you show up. We made a copy for you and kept the org. You could ride along for 2 hours. Any calls we felt were dangerous you would get dropped off at the first gas station. The dispatcher would call a ride for you or another officer would pick you up.

We used to take county commissioners, city counsel, joe blow resident, high school students and cadets.

FALaholic · 03-03-2007, 06:49 PM

How close are you to Greensboro NC? Our dept. loves ride-alongs for the above mentioned reason. Not all officers like taking riders, but the riders I have had have always been good to go.

At any rate I probably would have used the name of that woman to the front desk officer if you know what I mean. I dont blame you for being PO'd about that mess...definetly unsat.

**hacker15** · 03-03-2007, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by far_fast

I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here.

Are you implying that they sent me on a wild goose chase (or wild goose chases) and wasted several hours of my time just because they didnt really want to do a ride along?

Afraid so, far_fast. When I was active, none of the regulers wanted a civilian in the car with them, unless they were in the back seat and in 'cuffs. It's nothing personal - but you have to understand that, a - you're not trained and, b - if something happens to you while you're with the LEO, it's his/her a$$.

The work is often tedious and boring, but it can turn into a $hit$torm real fast. A routine DD call can become ugly. Just about any traffic stop today has the potential to become a problem.

I don't know what you do for a living, but I'll wager there are some elements of it you don't want to share with outsiders to your profession. Maybe these are too dangerous for them to handle, maybe too technical. It's the same with LEOs.

A "ride along" program is a great public relations tool - but I venture to say that the guys who dream this stuff up never ride in the cars with the civilians or (for that matter) ever ride at all. Most are "admin" types or assistents to a chief or mayor and are reacting to political pressure.

Just my observations on this - I'm sure there are some departments that have ride along programs that work out well for them. I've just never seen them in action.

retired · 03-04-2007, 01:15 AM

About the only ride along I had little problem taking was an applicant for the dept. At least I knew they had an interest in becoming a leo.

We generally did not have any choice tho if a ride along was assigned to us. Unfortunately, you really never knew if the person riding with you had an agenda (I'm not talking about the applicants).

My former dept. encouraged the applicants to go on ride alongs and the question of what they had done to prepare themselves for the job was asked during the oral boards. The applicant had better say they had gone on some.

To be quite candid, most of us who had ride alongs (other than applicants) basically tried not to get involved in anything that day just because we had no idea what the ride along's reason was for being there (i.e. trying to destroy our career, etc.)

**hacker15** · 03-04-2007, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retired

About the only ride along I had little problem taking was an applicant for the dept. At least I knew they had an interest in becoming a leo.

We generally did not have any choice tho if a ride along was assigned to us. Unfortunately, you really never knew if the person riding with you had an agenda (I'm not talking about the applicants).

My former dept. encouraged the applicants to go on ride alongs and the question of what they had done to prepare themselves for the job was asked during the oral boards. The applicant had better say they had gone on some.

To be quite candid, most of us who had ride alongs (other than applicants) basically tried not to get involved in anything that day just because we had no idea what the ride along's reason was for being there (i.e. trying to destroy our career, etc.)

+1 (up to a point) on this. Had one "applicant" that thought he was already trained. Came from the military and shows up in BDUs, with 'cuffs and CP. Had to make it plain before we got in the car that he was AN OBSERVER ONLY and had to ditch the hardware. Asked if he had anything else on him - he sort of rolls his eyes and pulls up his pants leg to disclose an ankle holster and pistol. Right then, I called the ride off.

Jettubby · 03-04-2007, 07:20 AM

Sounds like you've been getting the proverbial run around son. LEOs don't like ride alongs.

Timmy44221 · 03-04-2007, 09:38 AM

Hmm. The fact that LEO dont like ride arounds bothers me. I relize its "your space" (not a good excuse), and there is some liability. But a simple waver and most of those problems are solved. If you dont want me to see you working, as a servent of the citizenry, then I dont want you working for me. Yes the police work for the citizens, and if they are not, then I dont want the police to exist. The departments need to stay as transparent as possible so that people dont fear/hate the police as much.

03-03-2007, 05:13 PM	#1
far_fast XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 478	Bad experience with local PD. i've been trying to arrange a ride along with my local dept. Should be easy, right? WRONG Went in to the police station, filled out the form, and the front desk lady says i'll get a call in a week. Cool. I dont get a call in a week. I call back, and i'm notified that the application is approved. Great, I say. How do i go about scheduling an exact date and time? You need to come to the police station. I thought that was odd, i had already been there in person to fill out the application and all that, but didnt question the answer, and headed on down to the police station. When i arrive, i tell the front desk officer that I was approved for a ride along, and i'm here to schedule an exact date and time. He says we dont do that at the front desk, and gives me a number of the lady who arranges ride alongs. Great, thanks, i say. Head home, call the number, and it turns out its the number of the lady i reached the first time, who repeats that i need to go down there in person and schedule an exact date and time. I'm mildly frustrated at this point, but still keeping a sense of humor about it. I head back to the station and explain the situation to the front desk officer, who seems to ignore me completely, and repeated "you need to call this number" I dont want to get into an arguement with the officer, so i just call again from the phone in the front desk, very politely explain the situation to the lady, who repeats again, FRONT DESK. she even repeats that "BY ORDER OF THE POLICE CHIEF, THEY HAVE TO BE SCHEDULED AT THE FRONT DESK!", which i quote to the front desk officer. Now, during this entire passing on of words, i sense a massive ammount of frustration coming from both the lady and the front desk guy, directed at me, which made me very upset, because I was infact the victim. So, finally, he hands me a blank peice of paper to write my name and phone number down on, and he says someone will get back to me. Later that day i receive a phone call from a Sergeant at the PD who was very nice and helpful, and we agreed on a date (today) and a time. I was very happy, and looking forward to my ride along. So, today i put on some sharp-ish clothes, try to look somewhat presentable and head down to the station, say "hi, i'm here for a ride along, the name is ############", and i'm instructed to take a seat and wait. Then out comes an officer who was very nice, shook my hand and told me he'd be right back with the paperwork. He comes back a little later and says he couldnt find my ride along approval form. At this point i'm not quite sure what to say, so i assure him i have gone through the necessary paperwork, and spoken to the higher-ups and have indeed been approved, and had a scheduled appointment at this time. He basically tells me he's sorry, but without the papers he cant legally take me along. I understand this isnt his fault, so i remain calm, and say no problem. He hands me a new application form, and sent me on my way. UN FRIGGIN BELIEVEABLE. I'm not even going to bother with them anymore, Tomorrow i'll head to the local sheriffs office. Hopefully they have some REMOTELY competent people handeling their affairs. Rant off. Sorry about any spelling errors, i wrote this kinda fast. I would also like to add that the majority of the people i was in contact with were very nice and plesant to speak with, and i have no hard feelings with the dept, I'm just frustrated out of my mind with whom ever is to blame for all this. __________________ He has never voted to raise taxes. He has never voted for an unbalanced budget. He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership. He has never voted to raise congressional pay. He has never taken a government-paid junket. He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch. He voted against the Patriot Act. He voted against regulating the Internet. He voted against the Iraq war. Ron Paul in 08

03-03-2007, 06:29 PM	#4
Broadside XDTalk 2K Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,913	The agency I worked for encouraged ride alongs. We wanted the public interaction and to see what we do and how we do it. It was really simple to get a ride along with the SO. Just call ahead fill out the form when you show up. We made a copy for you and kept the org. You could ride along for 2 hours. Any calls we felt were dangerous you would get dropped off at the first gas station. The dispatcher would call a ride for you or another officer would pick you up. We used to take county commissioners, city counsel, joe blow resident, high school students and cadets. __________________ XD - 9 Subcompact XD - 357 Service w/ SA Custom Carry Pro Pkg SA - Mil Spec 1911 A1

03-04-2007, 07:20 AM	#9
Jettubby XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: "Blink...and you're mine!" Posts: 1,921	Sounds like you've been getting the proverbial run around son. LEOs don't like ride alongs. __________________ T "You can come along peacefully or you don't have to come along at all". - Sonny Crockett "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." - Abraham Lincoln "My 1911 is better than your 911."

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03-03-2007, 05:28 PM	#2
dsump XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 270	I'll tell you that where I work, all of our guys hate taking ride-a-longs. Its not personal, but our cars are our offices and we have our own way of doing things and we don't like to share our space. Most Policemen dont like the extra liability. For me I enjoy to FTO (field train) but hate to take ride-a-longs. Our Department finally made it policy that the program is disbanned and we can not take anyone unless they are sworn Officers or employees of our city.

03-03-2007, 06:49 PM	#5
FALaholic XDTalk Newbie Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 13	How close are you to Greensboro NC? Our dept. loves ride-alongs for the above mentioned reason. Not all officers like taking riders, but the riders I have had have always been good to go. At any rate I probably would have used the name of that woman to the front desk officer if you know what I mean. I dont blame you for being PO'd about that mess...definetly unsat.

03-04-2007, 01:15 AM	#7
retired XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: S. Calif. Posts: 5,407	About the only ride along I had little problem taking was an applicant for the dept. At least I knew they had an interest in becoming a leo. We generally did not have any choice tho if a ride along was assigned to us. Unfortunately, you really never knew if the person riding with you had an agenda (I'm not talking about the applicants). My former dept. encouraged the applicants to go on ride alongs and the question of what they had done to prepare themselves for the job was asked during the oral boards. The applicant had better say they had gone on some. To be quite candid, most of us who had ride alongs (other than applicants) basically tried not to get involved in anything that day just because we had no idea what the ride along's reason was for being there (i.e. trying to destroy our career, etc.)

03-04-2007, 09:38 AM	#10
Timmy44221 XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 797	Hmm. The fact that LEO dont like ride arounds bothers me. I relize its "your space" (not a good excuse), and there is some liability. But a simple waver and most of those problems are solved. If you dont want me to see you working, as a servent of the citizenry, then I dont want you working for me. Yes the police work for the citizens, and if they are not, then I dont want the police to exist. The departments need to stay as transparent as possible so that people dont fear/hate the police as much.