Police Officers in the Area....

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

¡Hola Fellas (and Ladies)!

I was wondering if we had any Police Officers, I'm sure we do, in the Nashville/Davidson County, Rutherford County/Murfreesboro area. I really want to do a Ride-Along and have heard that you have to do Citizen's Academy to do the Ride-Along anyway. However, I was also wondering if you could pick the Officer you rode with or if they just stuck you with someone that pulled the short straw that night. If you do, and would allow someone to Ride-Along and ask a couple questions here and there () I would like to. IDK, just riding with someone you know, even if it is on a Forum, would be better than just them picking one for you, if it's possible. Thanks, in advance, for all the info and blowing up my thread.

Drew.

[DaveTN]

Great idea.

Be careful though, your opinions on some things may change drastically if you get some actual experience.

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

Great idea.

Be careful though, your opinions on some things may change drastically if you get some actual experience.

That's what I was hoping to happen.....

[kb4ns]

Hopefully someone will come along. I'd tell you to take a trip down the road to Bartlett and you could ride with me, but for some reason we don't have a ride-along program. I'm not sure why, but our policy says it's only allowed in "certain situations when approved by the Chief of Police". I asked once a few years ago when a friend's son wanted to ride and was told no. :-\

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

Hopefully someone will come along. I'd tell you to take a trip down the road to Bartlett and you could ride with me, but for some reason we don't have a ride-along program. I'm not sure why, but our policy says it's only allowed in "certain situations when approved by the Chief of Police". I asked once a few years ago when a friend's son wanted to ride and was told no. :-\

If only....

[Guest Jamie]

Hopefully someone will come along. I'd tell you to take a trip down the road to Bartlett and you could ride with me, but for some reason we don't have a ride-along program. I'm not sure why, but our policy says it's only allowed in "certain situations when approved by the Chief of Police". I asked once a few years ago when a friend's son wanted to ride and was told no. :-\

Most of the PDs I know of don't allow ride alongs... only the SOs do.

I don't know why, since the liability isn't any higher for one than it is the other, and they make the person sign a waiver anyway...

J.

[JReedEsq]

Ride alongs were available here in Knoxville when I was in Law School at UT. I'm often on a different side of things than the LEOs but anyone who works in the legal system gets a whole new perspective on the world.

[kb4ns]

Most of the PDs I know of don't allow ride alongs... only the SOs do.

I don't know why, since the liability isn't any higher for one than it is the other, and they make the person sign a waiver anyway...

Seems to be the way it is here. When I worked for Univ of Memphis Police, we allowed ride-alongs with the standard-issue waiver completed. Of course, that's state LE, not city. I dunno if Memphis PD allows it or not. I wanna say they do, but I'm not 100% sure.

I think all departments should allow it. It gives a prospective LEO the chance to see what it's really like. I did a ride-along with a buddy who worked for a small town before I ever got into LE. It really opened up my eyes. That's when I learned that the job was not quite what hollywood had led me to believe it was!

[Erik88]

I did a ride along a few summers ago with KPD.....it was awesome!!!!

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

I did a ride along a few summers ago with KPD.....it was awesome!!!!

Did you have to do Citizen's Academy or did you just call them and ask?

[Guest db99wj]

Seems to be the way it is here. When I worked for Univ of Memphis Police, we allowed ride-alongs with the standard-issue waiver completed. Of course, that's state LE, not city. I dunno if Memphis PD allows it or not. I wanna say they do, but I'm not 100% sure.

I think all departments should allow it. It gives a prospective LEO the chance to see what it's really like. I did a ride-along with a buddy who worked for a small town before I ever got into LE. It really opened up my eyes. That's when I learned that the job was not quite what hollywood had led me to believe it was!

Prove it! I guess I couldn't get clearance for one.

[EMTRN]

A small department might be the way to go. My department allows ride alongs as long as you sign a waiver and the Chief approves it. You have to stay in the car at all times though.

[DaveTN]

Don’t they have auxiliary cops here?? Become an auxiliary Police officer or deputy. You don’t have to stay in the car and you get in on the action.

You just don’t get paid for it.

If you don’t like it… quit.

[Guest Jamie]

Don’t they have auxiliary cops here?? Become an auxiliary Police officer or deputy. You don’t have to stay in the car and you get in on the action.

You just don’t get paid for it.

If you don’t like it… quit.

Yup, they're called reserve deputies/police. That's how I got started.

( They're also called "part timers", though I usually got in 40 or more hours a week. )

Six months of ride alongs, then commissioned as a reservist. How much authority a reservist has is usually up to the sheriff or police chief.

And the reservist do get paid for some things... Or I did anyway. It's usually security-type stuff, or going to retrieve a prisoner from another county.

Never had to wait in the car, either, even on a ride along.

Oh, and in Tn, an officer can work for up to one full year without having gone to the police academy. I know several that went full time that way, my own brother included.

Granted, all of that may have changed in the last 10-12 years... I know a lot of stuff did, after 9/11. Not all of it for the better, either.

J.

[kb4ns]

Yup, they're called reserve deputies/police. That's how I got started.

That's how I started. With the same department that EMTRN's with now. Used to be able to do reserve after only 40 hours of training. POST just changed the minimum for reserve / part time to 80 hours. Either way, it's still a lot less than the required hours of training for full-timers. I think the SCSO academy was 560 hours when I went through, IIRC. Been a little while. Most departments around here have a reserve program.

Oh, and in Tn, an officer can work for up to one full year without having gone to the police academy... Granted, all of that may have changed in the last 10-12 years...

Yep, POST just recently changed that, too. Now you can only work 6 months before you gotta hit an academy. Not really an issue if the new officer is riding with an experienced officer. Some places would scare the h*ll outta me, though. Some small towns will hire someone and cut them loose on their own to enfore laws with little to no training until they got sent to the academy. THAT is scary!

Edited July 15, 2010 by kb4ns

[EMTRN]

I love our reserve program. After you have had all of your training and been on for a while, they will let you loose just like the full time guys. If you don't work hard and they don't trust you, you will end up just riding with a full time guy. I have been on my dept for three years and I respond to calls and make traffic stops on my own.

[Erik88]

Did you have to do Citizen's Academy or did you just call them and ask?

I just called and asked.

[Fallguy]

Columbia PD has a ride along program. Rode with my brother several years ago. Have to stay inside car.

[KOM2]

Are there any departments in Middle Tennessee that have the reserve programs?

[Guest Glock23ForMe]

Are there any departments in Middle Tennessee that have the reserve programs?

Ditto on that.

[kb4ns]

Are there any departments in Middle Tennessee that have the reserve programs?

Been looking at some of the departments' websites. So far, all I've really seen is this:

Reserve Police Officers Program

Best I can suggest is to start calling (or visiting) police / sheriff offices in your area. Almost every agency in my part of the state has a reserve program. Some have more stringent requirements than others. My department as well as Shelby County and Memphis require reserves to complete a full academy. Other departments require as little as 80 hours of training.

[Guest mosinon]

I went along on a ride along once. I learned a few things:

a) Police have a tough job

there are more jerks in the world than you imagine

c) It seems to be either a 1 or 0, you're either completely enthralled by the current situation or you are very bored.

But that was just my experience. I went with a federal guy so maybe standard police work is more exciting.

[Guest Jamie]

It seems to be either a 1 or 0, you're either completely enthralled by the current situation or you are very bored.

I think it's safe to say that police work is many hours of absolute boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.

And it's how you handle both that'll determine how good a cop you'll be.

J.