That’s a big 10-4 on an interesting ride along experience

Bobby Roy

The Extra Point

For most of us civilians, what we read and see on the news and television on a daily basis regarding what the police do is usually the best source of information.

Most of us don’t know the intricate details of what an RCMP or police officer does during a day or night shift.

On Aug. 20 I got a closer, but short, look at what the job of a Leduc RCMP officer entails during a ride-along.

The purpose of the ride along wasn’t an investigative expose on a certain police case or anything of that nature. I wanted to see and experience the process of the justice system from the grass roots. When we read, see or hear about murders, accidents, incidents or anything the police have to be involved we usually see the end result and only some of the details of what happened.

Anyone can do a ride along and after doing one, anyone interested in what an officer does for a living should definitely go and do one.

I wanted to learn and experience what it was like to initially receive a call, do research on the person or persons involved, respond to the call, see how the officer or officers interact with the people in question, see how the situation evolves and if it is resolved or other steps must be taken.

It’s the little details that make a police officer’s job so interesting, dangerous and important.

I got a little taste of that during my ride along (and if you’re wondering, we did stop at Timmy’s for coffee, but no donuts).

I figured a Friday night would offer up some pretty interesting situations across Leduc and the county. For some, Friday nights usually mean party time and more times than not, there is alcohol involved.

Unfortunately, the influence of alcohol on some people’s systems can result in interesting, but volatile situations.

The night started off pretty bland, but the Leduc RCMP officer said the problems and calls don’t usually start until later in the night.

He was right to some extent on that night.

During the happenings of the night, we ended up investigating a possible drug pick-up, which didn’t come to fruition, dealt with a couple of speeders who smartly took their lumps and responded to a domestic assault.

Throughout the night, talking and listening to stories from the officer, the RCMP are not out to get everybody, hand out as many tickets as possible or try to ruin one’s night.

They want to make sure people in their community are safe and don’t have to worry about driving on our roads, walking down our streets during the night or who they’re going to run into.

That also doesn’t mean if someone gets pulled over or questioned by police they will automatically receive a severe penalty. We all make mistakes and the police recognize it and give people breaks when they deserve.

It’s when people don’t get the message they’re doing something wrong is when the police have every right to make sure that message gets home. Tickets, charges and jail time are an officer’s best friend when it comes to making sure criminals get the message.

So, although the night wasn’t too crazy in terms of the calls we responded to, it was still a very interesting night, I learned a lot and gained even more respect for the boys in blue.

No one likes getting tickets or dealing with the police when it looks like you’re in trouble, but more times than not they’re looking out for your best interests.

Police officers wouldn’t be spending hours upon hours with paperwork, speaking with people, investigating and patrolling if they didn’t care about people’s safety.

They deserve the respect that their uniforms represent and I’m glad I got the opportunity to experience the night with Leduc RCMP Const. Fox and Const. Bannerman. A big thanks to them is needed.