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Well, Shane asked me to post it, but there isn't really a whole lot to tell.
I was with Officer Gonzalez ("Danny") from about 6 PM until around 11:30 PM. After we got the initial awkwardness out of the way, (i.e., "Danny, I swear like a truck driver, so if you cuss, please do so, makes things more comfortable...." and he did), we had a pretty good time talking back and forth and driving around.
I say driving around because that's pretty much all we did. Now, maybe things heated up after 11:30 PM, but I can tell you this: If you are suspicious looking and driving a car that's stolen or has fake plates in Simi Valley, you are in deep doo-doo. About 3/4 of the calls I heard on the radio were requests for license plate verifications (no, they don't have terminals in their cars yet, maybe next year). They don't have much else to do out there, it seems.
The most interesting call was the first one, where a divorced couple were fighting about their kid. Seems the hubby lives in Michigan, and when he comes to California, he gets his kid for the weekend. Well, he'd notified his ex-wife and when he got there, she refused to release the kid. Sensibly, he went to the police station instead of Donnybrooking it out with her. We went over, with backup (who happened to be a female K9 officer, with a holster on her leg, no less). The woman yammered on for about ten minutes (she was a certifiable lunatic), and Danny just sort of listened pleasantly, nodding his head. Then he'd had enough and as nicely as he could, told her either she could release the kid or go to jail. It ended well, but it wasn't fun to watch, and the lady was pissed off that I was there (standing wearing a "Citizen Observer" badge). I can imagine that a lot of calls are like this, where you just have to listen to someone who's all bent out of shape just rant and rave and go crazy, and not try to fix the situation. She had determined her kid was NOT going with her ex-husband, even to the point of as we were walking the little girl out to her dad (and she was ecstatic to see him, BTW), the woman told the guy to stay there, she wanted to TALK TO HIM for a minute. Danny told the guy to go on and go, if he wanted to, and the lady got all huffy again. I was wondering if she was going to freak out and leap on his back or something, but she didn't.
I got to spook him out because while he was in the house, I got bored and started poking around the car. (He came out and got me later.) I was reading hot sheets, and looking at ticket books, that kind of stuff, then I opened the glove box and found the cute little Keltec (sp) sitting there. I took it out, chamber-checked it, and then put it back. Later, I was chaffing Danny about how he wears a bulletproof vest with plates, carries a Glock .40, has OC spray, baton...all that personal self-defense stuff, and he doesn't wear a seatbelt. Then I added, "You've even got that cute little gun in the glove box with a round in the chamber but you don't wear your seat belt?"
Instant reaction:
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I thought he was going to have a heart attack, and I explained that I was quite capable of chamber checking a gun, thank you, and don't get off the subject, why don't you wear your seat belt? I don't know if he was more concerned about me chamber-checking his gun or poking around his car. It made for an interesting moment, though.
Lessee...oh yeah, some guy got his locker broken into and his stuff stolen at Bally's Gym...I ended up typing the report on the laptop for that, 'cause Danny's a SLOW typer...
All in all, it was fairly dull. We were goofing off for a minute on our way back to the station and he zapped me with the spotlight, so I zapped him with his flashlight. We did this back and forth a few times and ended up in a four wheel locked skid into the intersection at a red light. Who said a ride along was safe?
At no time was it hairy, scary, or crazy. And this was on a FRIDAY night, 4th of July weekend, WITH A FULL MOON.
Maybe it just wasn't my night to see wacky stuff happening, but it seemed like the Simi guys have a pretty cush job. Danny did say that it never fails when he has a ride along, things are dull as hell. But it was cool, and maybe in 6 months or a year, if I'm feeling bored and he'll let me, I'll go again.
So there's my whiz-bang ride along story. Sorry it wasn't more exciting. But I had a great time, and the officer was honest and open and funny as hell (after we got past the swearing thing).
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Corruptisima republica plurimae leges
(The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws)
I was with Officer Gonzalez ("Danny") from about 6 PM until around 11:30 PM. After we got the initial awkwardness out of the way, (i.e., "Danny, I swear like a truck driver, so if you cuss, please do so, makes things more comfortable...." and he did), we had a pretty good time talking back and forth and driving around.
I say driving around because that's pretty much all we did. Now, maybe things heated up after 11:30 PM, but I can tell you this: If you are suspicious looking and driving a car that's stolen or has fake plates in Simi Valley, you are in deep doo-doo. About 3/4 of the calls I heard on the radio were requests for license plate verifications (no, they don't have terminals in their cars yet, maybe next year). They don't have much else to do out there, it seems.
The most interesting call was the first one, where a divorced couple were fighting about their kid. Seems the hubby lives in Michigan, and when he comes to California, he gets his kid for the weekend. Well, he'd notified his ex-wife and when he got there, she refused to release the kid. Sensibly, he went to the police station instead of Donnybrooking it out with her. We went over, with backup (who happened to be a female K9 officer, with a holster on her leg, no less). The woman yammered on for about ten minutes (she was a certifiable lunatic), and Danny just sort of listened pleasantly, nodding his head. Then he'd had enough and as nicely as he could, told her either she could release the kid or go to jail. It ended well, but it wasn't fun to watch, and the lady was pissed off that I was there (standing wearing a "Citizen Observer" badge). I can imagine that a lot of calls are like this, where you just have to listen to someone who's all bent out of shape just rant and rave and go crazy, and not try to fix the situation. She had determined her kid was NOT going with her ex-husband, even to the point of as we were walking the little girl out to her dad (and she was ecstatic to see him, BTW), the woman told the guy to stay there, she wanted to TALK TO HIM for a minute. Danny told the guy to go on and go, if he wanted to, and the lady got all huffy again. I was wondering if she was going to freak out and leap on his back or something, but she didn't.
I got to spook him out because while he was in the house, I got bored and started poking around the car. (He came out and got me later.) I was reading hot sheets, and looking at ticket books, that kind of stuff, then I opened the glove box and found the cute little Keltec (sp) sitting there. I took it out, chamber-checked it, and then put it back. Later, I was chaffing Danny about how he wears a bulletproof vest with plates, carries a Glock .40, has OC spray, baton...all that personal self-defense stuff, and he doesn't wear a seatbelt. Then I added, "You've even got that cute little gun in the glove box with a round in the chamber but you don't wear your seat belt?"
Instant reaction:
Lessee...oh yeah, some guy got his locker broken into and his stuff stolen at Bally's Gym...I ended up typing the report on the laptop for that, 'cause Danny's a SLOW typer...
All in all, it was fairly dull. We were goofing off for a minute on our way back to the station and he zapped me with the spotlight, so I zapped him with his flashlight. We did this back and forth a few times and ended up in a four wheel locked skid into the intersection at a red light. Who said a ride along was safe?
At no time was it hairy, scary, or crazy. And this was on a FRIDAY night, 4th of July weekend, WITH A FULL MOON.
Maybe it just wasn't my night to see wacky stuff happening, but it seemed like the Simi guys have a pretty cush job. Danny did say that it never fails when he has a ride along, things are dull as hell. But it was cool, and maybe in 6 months or a year, if I'm feeling bored and he'll let me, I'll go again.
So there's my whiz-bang ride along story. Sorry it wasn't more exciting. But I had a great time, and the officer was honest and open and funny as hell (after we got past the swearing thing).
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Corruptisima republica plurimae leges
(The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws)
