Last April, and again last month I spent some time in a ride along with a member of the Shawnee PD. The April ride was the evening shift, and the October ride was the midnight shift (and I made it all night until 6AM)
Both times I saw various things that both impressed me and made me feel good about our PD.
First, it is obvious that the police officer of today is better educated than in years past. Even more important, I was able to witness various actions which showed that the officers also used alot of common sense. That is a trait that is becoming scarce in many other professions. And part of that probably has to do with their job related training.
One thing that became obvious on a couple of the calls is that we are definitely, IMHO, short handed. There were calls that required two officers (primary and back up) for the safety of the officer and the public. When this happens, based on the number of officers on duty there are holes in the coverage. As an example, one of the calls was a complaint about a party at an apartment clubhouse, and we know liquor was involved. There could have been problems if only one officer responded. Another call was a commercial burglar alarm at a restaurant. It's after midnight, closer to 1AM........you don't know what you are walking into. Again, two officers have to respond. Fortunately, neither incident resulted in a negative situation. But until the officers got there, and investigated, they didn't know what they could be getting themselves into.
Anyway, as stated above, I personally think we have some really good people on the PD.
I would like to see the number of officers on the street increased...........and that can only happen if the department is expanded. And that requires action by the council and the city manager.
BTW, if anybody else is interested in doing a ride along, there are forms available at the PD that you have to fill out, submit and get approved. It can be a learning experience.
