Last night I slept like a baby, which was good because I really needed the rest to fight the onsets of a cold. When I woke up, I didn't feel any worse than I did the day before. In fact, I actually felt better! I was so pleased that I was beginning to knock this crap down before it ever became a serious problem. However, my Dad informed me that we were headed to my Mom's for dinner, which is always a good thing. She cooked salmon, which is something I could really eat every day, regardless if it is raw or cooked. When it comes to food, I love trying new things and going to new places, but when I find something I like, I tend to stick to it. I'm one of those people who only orders 1-3 entrees from a given menu, except for one restaurant: Taco Bell. I am "proud" (I don't know if you can even call it that) to say I have tried absolutely every dish on their menu, but I refuse to tackle the #9 by myself (the family value meal) in fear of dying from congestive heart failure.
Dinner was heartfelt, to say the least. My Mom just gets overwhelmed sometimes about my career choice and the big decision that I made and the decisions I will continue to make, but I still had a good time nonetheless. I know that she knows that I will be safe, and whatever decisions I make, personal or professional, will be in my best interest.
After dinner, I got dressed and began the drive down to work. I did need to make a pit stop at the local pharmacy for some more lozenges and such, so I parked and walked inside. Keep in mind this is roughly 9:30 at night, so most kids, especially younger ones, should be in bed. I look to my left down towards the registers, and low and behold there are kids, probably ranging from 4-14, throwing 1LB bags of candy and shit at each other. I looked directly at the cashier with one of those "aren't you going to do something about this?" looks, to which she "replied" with a "I am too tired to put up with their crap" rolling of the eyes and sulk. Well, even though I was out of my jurisdiction, I felt that it was my job at least as a human being to speak with the kids about their behavior, because not only was it driving both the parents and the employees crazy, but how does it look on me if the manager of the store walks in and there's merchandise all over the floor and a lack of order is ensuing and I'm just standing there ignoring it? I mean, I'm walking around in a billboard, so getting any of my basic information and reporting my "misconduct" isn't too hard with the patches on my shoulders and my shiny name tag on my right breast pocket. With all of this weighing out in my head, I decided to react.
I walked up to the boys and talked to them. I said to them in a collected and friendly manner, "Listen guys, the manager really isn't going to be happy that you're throwing all of his stuff around, so I want you to do me a favor and pick up all of this stuff and put it back where you found it, OK?" They apologized and put all the stuff back. Mission accomplished.
The drive to work was uneventful, and I began the evening riding with the Sergeant, but eventually was turned over to a different guy who I had never ridden with before, and this was a guy who liked to stay busy, which I enjoyed. He was also very down to Earth and sociable, which I liked even better. We began with some area checks and some community patrols, all of which were uneventful. We then headed out to the local school to do a foot patrol. The school complex houses the playground, new gym, old gym, and school itself. During our check of the new gym, we found a door unlocked, so it was time to conduct a building search. This meant we had to take our weapons out. I knew in my mind I had to draw, but just to be safe, I waited until he drew his to be sure I didn't surprise him. All of my academy tactics came back to me. My weapon came out of the holster fluidly, as did my flashlight. I assumed the "Watchman" position in regards to my flashlight/firearm grip, and we began searching the building. I followed his lead, weapon pointed down, finger OFF the trigger. We searched the weight room, basketball courts, and bath/locker rooms, all of which yielding nothing out of the ordinary. We got a case number from dispatch, secured the door with flexcuffs, and left. Now it was time to do some paperwork: A short-form incident report.
I opened a new short-form report file on the computer and began filling in all the blank spaces. Roughly 20 minutes later I was done. We then met the SGT on checkpoint, where the guy I was riding with said, "Don't be disappointed if he kicks it back to you." The SGT took the report in his hands, checked it over, and said it was pretty good and said he would keep it. Then I heard the "Ah!" that comes with the discovery of something. The SGT then said, "You forgot to put the case number. Oh well, I'll fill it in for you and it will be good to go." I thought for a minute, and asked for the report back. I put in a lot of effort to make sure everything was typed and neat, and to me filling in a case number by hand takes away from the whole professionalism of it. Plus, it's my first report, so it HAS to look good. I told him I would fill in the blank and turn it in to him later, which I did. I felt a lot better about that.
The rest of the shift went uneventfully. I headed back to the station to print everything out, and sure enough the morning shift had already caught themselves a couple of drunks making a scene at one of the local watering holes. One of them was fairly quiet, while the other was quite "talkative", to put it nicely. In short, he could have made "made a sailor blush". So this guy is hammering away at everyone in the room, myself included, but I didn't care. I opened my daily activity sheet from my hard drive, and found a nice little gift inside of my file.... the file was GONE!" All that proactive work was gone. Superb, really superb. I now had to type it out ALL OVER AGAIN! FUCK. It's ok, though. I can get this done in about a half hour. 30 minutes later, I had a new report, but as I compared the typed sheet to the written sheet, I noticed an error at the top of the page, so now I had to do it all over again. FUCK x 2. Then one of the officers needed the computer, so I just let out a long sigh, packed up my shit, and headed home.
Tonight I will be in a different patrol zone, so it should be quite an interesting night.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Day 8 - "Transfer"- 6/28/09
My weekend was a fantastic one. I went jet skiing with my wonderful girlfriend, got to catch a couple of very good movies, and got a chance to relax. However, it was most certainly inevitable that I managed to feel the onsets of a cold. All I can say is, “I told you so.” I immediately began taking special precaution in regards to my health. I went to the local pharmacy and grabbed 1000mg tablets of Vitamin C, multi-symptom cold syrup (day and night), and lozenges to try and thwart this formidable foe as quickly as possible. And, of course, this had to happen the night I rode with the patrol Sergeant.
I not only wanted to be on top of my game, but on my P’s and Q’s as well. I started by getting there extra early, making sure all of my stuff was taken care of, and that I had plenty of cold medication to last me through the night. Our first assignment was a special detail, which I volunteered to take by the horns. I made sure that everything was taken care of, all the way down to the last detail. I WANTED to make a good impression, ESPECIALLY to my Sergeant. The detail went off without a hitch, and off to the substation we went. I completed the detail by finishing all necessary paperwork. The Sergeant said he needed to catch up on paperwork, so I was entrusted with a single task:
OBJECTIVE – Keep busy and out of the Sergeant’s hair
I began to look over all of my stuff and grab extra paperwork, reports, and other essentials to be sure I didn’t waste any of the Sergeant’s time later down the line. After that was all done, I needed something else to do. Just then, I got an idea. One of the other officers had a new trainee, and he said that the writing on our area map was too small. The light turned on almost instantaneously. I was going to make a new map of the entire area, and make it look damned good as well. I used the program only the finest computer graphics designers with amazing art talents could use….. Microsoft Paint. Trust me, I can barely draw a stick figure, so it was perfect for me. Slowly but surely it came together. Roughly an hour later, I had my “masterpiece”. I showed it to the Sergeant, who told me to make some minor changes, and to come back with a finished product. After 15 minutes of minor touching up had elapsed, I had my completed map. I had put in a great deal of effort, and now reaped a great reward… not only was he impressed, but he told me to distribute copies of my map to the entire department. Off to the copier I went, with a smile on my face.
Before I knew it a couple of hours had passed, and it was time to get back on the road. We stopped at one of the checkpoints, where the SGT told me to transfer with another officer, who I would be conducting area checks with. I said OK, grabbed all of my stuff, and put it in the officer’s patrol car. We completed a property receipt for a lost wallet, did a couple of area checks, and then headed to a different checkpoint, where I transferred again to a different officer. We did another community patrol of a different area of town, and then waited for an opportunity to do some traffic. After some grazing of the playing field, we found a car we wanted to stop for a faulty tag light. We pulled up behind it, went through the whole traffic stop protocol, and pulled the vehicle over.
I watched as the officer contacted the driver as I kept watch on the four passengers. Even though my attention was focused in two different spots, I made it a point to listen to the conversation the officer was having with the driver. It turned out the five occupants were from Kendall, but rented a car to drive around, which to me was a bit suspicious. Just then, I got the familiar scent of marijuana coming from the car. I discreetly alerted the officer, who then confronted the driver, who admitted that two of his occupants had smoked some on their voyage to our jurisdiction. He then willfully consented to a search of the vehicle, which turned up no results. We decided to turn them loose. It was now time for yet another transfer. Now I was in ANOTHER patrol car with a different officer. We did some area checks, then sat on checkpoint until the sun came up. I went home amidst a sea of thunderstorms, took a shower, crawled into bed, and slept for 9 hours. I now feel very well rested, and ready for another night of work.
I not only wanted to be on top of my game, but on my P’s and Q’s as well. I started by getting there extra early, making sure all of my stuff was taken care of, and that I had plenty of cold medication to last me through the night. Our first assignment was a special detail, which I volunteered to take by the horns. I made sure that everything was taken care of, all the way down to the last detail. I WANTED to make a good impression, ESPECIALLY to my Sergeant. The detail went off without a hitch, and off to the substation we went. I completed the detail by finishing all necessary paperwork. The Sergeant said he needed to catch up on paperwork, so I was entrusted with a single task:
OBJECTIVE – Keep busy and out of the Sergeant’s hair
I began to look over all of my stuff and grab extra paperwork, reports, and other essentials to be sure I didn’t waste any of the Sergeant’s time later down the line. After that was all done, I needed something else to do. Just then, I got an idea. One of the other officers had a new trainee, and he said that the writing on our area map was too small. The light turned on almost instantaneously. I was going to make a new map of the entire area, and make it look damned good as well. I used the program only the finest computer graphics designers with amazing art talents could use….. Microsoft Paint. Trust me, I can barely draw a stick figure, so it was perfect for me. Slowly but surely it came together. Roughly an hour later, I had my “masterpiece”. I showed it to the Sergeant, who told me to make some minor changes, and to come back with a finished product. After 15 minutes of minor touching up had elapsed, I had my completed map. I had put in a great deal of effort, and now reaped a great reward… not only was he impressed, but he told me to distribute copies of my map to the entire department. Off to the copier I went, with a smile on my face.
Before I knew it a couple of hours had passed, and it was time to get back on the road. We stopped at one of the checkpoints, where the SGT told me to transfer with another officer, who I would be conducting area checks with. I said OK, grabbed all of my stuff, and put it in the officer’s patrol car. We completed a property receipt for a lost wallet, did a couple of area checks, and then headed to a different checkpoint, where I transferred again to a different officer. We did another community patrol of a different area of town, and then waited for an opportunity to do some traffic. After some grazing of the playing field, we found a car we wanted to stop for a faulty tag light. We pulled up behind it, went through the whole traffic stop protocol, and pulled the vehicle over.
I watched as the officer contacted the driver as I kept watch on the four passengers. Even though my attention was focused in two different spots, I made it a point to listen to the conversation the officer was having with the driver. It turned out the five occupants were from Kendall, but rented a car to drive around, which to me was a bit suspicious. Just then, I got the familiar scent of marijuana coming from the car. I discreetly alerted the officer, who then confronted the driver, who admitted that two of his occupants had smoked some on their voyage to our jurisdiction. He then willfully consented to a search of the vehicle, which turned up no results. We decided to turn them loose. It was now time for yet another transfer. Now I was in ANOTHER patrol car with a different officer. We did some area checks, then sat on checkpoint until the sun came up. I went home amidst a sea of thunderstorms, took a shower, crawled into bed, and slept for 9 hours. I now feel very well rested, and ready for another night of work.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Day 7 - "Memory" - 6/25/09
I didn't sleep as well last night as I did the night before, but I still felt well rested and ready to go to work. I checked my email and visited one of the website I frequent, LS1tech.com. I had posted something in one of the sections, and when I refreshed the page, a thread entitled "Michael Jackson dead at 50" popped up. I knew the person who posted the thread didn't care for the artist, so I thought it'd be a link to a funny video. Instead, I got a link to TMZ (who suck, by the way; I wish they got a real life instead of following useless information) stating the Michael Jackson was dead at 50. I also found out Farrah Fawcett passed as well, which was equally a shame. I closed my computer down, got dressed, and headed for work.
I popped the radio on in the car and on EVERY SINGLE station there was Michael Jackson playing, which was cool. Personally, I don't know whether or not he molested children or whatever (in fact, I think the parents who let the kids sleep over are idiots themselves), but positive or negative, he touched the lives of billions of people for more than four decades, which is something very few even fathom of accomplishing. However, even though Jackson was more of an icon, Farrah put up one hell of a fight, and should deserve equal notation in regards to her memory.
Work was semi-interesting, but fun. My FTO was enjoying his day off, so it was a completely new experience riding with someone else. It turned out my best friend's girlfriend was related to him, so we talked all night long. It was a very different experience than riding with my FTO, because although he taught me everything I know thus far and knew the job inside and out, he wasn't nearly as open as this guy, which not only helped me stay awake and let the time pass, but increased my vigilance and love of the job. I even managed to hammer out some extra studying along the way, and began revising an area map that future officers could use.
The time flew by fairly quickly, and before I knew it it was 7AM. We had sat at checkpoint for 90% of the night, but it still was very entertaining. I completed my daily activity sheet, turned it in, and went home. Now I get to enjoy some time off, and I look forward to Sunday night --- I'll be riding with the patrol SGT.
I popped the radio on in the car and on EVERY SINGLE station there was Michael Jackson playing, which was cool. Personally, I don't know whether or not he molested children or whatever (in fact, I think the parents who let the kids sleep over are idiots themselves), but positive or negative, he touched the lives of billions of people for more than four decades, which is something very few even fathom of accomplishing. However, even though Jackson was more of an icon, Farrah put up one hell of a fight, and should deserve equal notation in regards to her memory.
Work was semi-interesting, but fun. My FTO was enjoying his day off, so it was a completely new experience riding with someone else. It turned out my best friend's girlfriend was related to him, so we talked all night long. It was a very different experience than riding with my FTO, because although he taught me everything I know thus far and knew the job inside and out, he wasn't nearly as open as this guy, which not only helped me stay awake and let the time pass, but increased my vigilance and love of the job. I even managed to hammer out some extra studying along the way, and began revising an area map that future officers could use.
The time flew by fairly quickly, and before I knew it it was 7AM. We had sat at checkpoint for 90% of the night, but it still was very entertaining. I completed my daily activity sheet, turned it in, and went home. Now I get to enjoy some time off, and I look forward to Sunday night --- I'll be riding with the patrol SGT.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Day 6 - "Energy" - 6/24/09
Today was one of the best days I've had since I've been appointed. After sleeping for 9 hours before my shift, I felt very well rested. Just in case, I grabbed not only some orange juice, but a nice big can of Red Bull. I spoke to my girlfriend on the way down which was very relaxing, and showed up early as usual. However, I did something a little different after arriving. Instead of getting out into the humid air, I decided to run my vehicle's A/C for awhile to keep my skin cool. The reason being that mosquitoes don't tend to bite people who don't radiate heat as much. I personally give off more heat than most, so keeping myself nice and cool keeps me under the radar.
I grabbed my stuff, hopped in with my FTO, and away we went. We headed to a detail, where I decided to take the lead. I made sure I was on my P's and Q's, and everything went fairly smoothly. From there we went to the station for a bit of paperwork. I realized I needed a flashlight charger, so I, in accordance with agency policy, drafted my first memo. I made sure that it was perfect. I made sure I had all of my forms and that all my ducks were in a row. I finally felt like a member of the Department; walking around, getting stuff, accomplishing tasks without a lot of FTO involvement. It felt VERY nice. I also managed to down 2 cups of coffee to give myself some energy.
We did some area checks, and I did all of the radio transmitting. I did everything properly, and I really felt like I was progressing. A couple of hours later, we were on a checkpoint. I studied new material and went over traffic stops with my FTO. In this time I began to look at statutes and practice the fairly complicated way to call out a traffic stop. Here is how it is supposed to go:
1. Identify violating vehicle
2. Pull behind vehicle
3. Begin to call out traffic stop using Q codes/signals, location, description, and wait for dispatch to receive.
4. Dispatch acknowledges receipt, and allows you to send the license plate #
5. Send the license plate number, get out of the patrol car, and conduct the traffic stop, keeping in mind officer safety
6. Run the driver's license and driver for possible problems (wanted, DL expired, etc..)
7. Determine whether or not to cite, and if so, cite properly
8. If a citation was issued, pull a case number
9. Break contact with the violator in a professional manner
10. Go back in service.
It took a bit of getting used to, but I began to catch on. At around 4AM, I still felt good, but began feeling myself getting slightly tired, so I had my Red Bull to pep me up. A couple of swigs later, I was back in business.
My FTO filled out my first weekly evaluation, and my grades are good. He said I had a great attitude, was dressed professionally, I was confident (but sometimes overconfident), had good memorization skills and was learning quickly. The only bad thing I saw was that I was having "difficulty staying alert in the morning hours", which I saw coming because I've never worked a night schedule and last night was no picnic for me stayin awake. I never fell asleep, but he saw that getting out of the car every 10 minutes wasn't the best. I signed the bottom of my weekly evaluation, and felt really good.
Tonight I am riding with someone different as my FTO has a day off. I am very excited for another night in law enforcement!
I grabbed my stuff, hopped in with my FTO, and away we went. We headed to a detail, where I decided to take the lead. I made sure I was on my P's and Q's, and everything went fairly smoothly. From there we went to the station for a bit of paperwork. I realized I needed a flashlight charger, so I, in accordance with agency policy, drafted my first memo. I made sure that it was perfect. I made sure I had all of my forms and that all my ducks were in a row. I finally felt like a member of the Department; walking around, getting stuff, accomplishing tasks without a lot of FTO involvement. It felt VERY nice. I also managed to down 2 cups of coffee to give myself some energy.
We did some area checks, and I did all of the radio transmitting. I did everything properly, and I really felt like I was progressing. A couple of hours later, we were on a checkpoint. I studied new material and went over traffic stops with my FTO. In this time I began to look at statutes and practice the fairly complicated way to call out a traffic stop. Here is how it is supposed to go:
1. Identify violating vehicle
2. Pull behind vehicle
3. Begin to call out traffic stop using Q codes/signals, location, description, and wait for dispatch to receive.
4. Dispatch acknowledges receipt, and allows you to send the license plate #
5. Send the license plate number, get out of the patrol car, and conduct the traffic stop, keeping in mind officer safety
6. Run the driver's license and driver for possible problems (wanted, DL expired, etc..)
7. Determine whether or not to cite, and if so, cite properly
8. If a citation was issued, pull a case number
9. Break contact with the violator in a professional manner
10. Go back in service.
It took a bit of getting used to, but I began to catch on. At around 4AM, I still felt good, but began feeling myself getting slightly tired, so I had my Red Bull to pep me up. A couple of swigs later, I was back in business.
My FTO filled out my first weekly evaluation, and my grades are good. He said I had a great attitude, was dressed professionally, I was confident (but sometimes overconfident), had good memorization skills and was learning quickly. The only bad thing I saw was that I was having "difficulty staying alert in the morning hours", which I saw coming because I've never worked a night schedule and last night was no picnic for me stayin awake. I never fell asleep, but he saw that getting out of the car every 10 minutes wasn't the best. I signed the bottom of my weekly evaluation, and felt really good.
Tonight I am riding with someone different as my FTO has a day off. I am very excited for another night in law enforcement!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Day 5 - "Horatio" - 6/23/09
Last night was fairly unexciting, but had in store a little twist that gave me a boost of energy I desperately needed.
After I came home yesterday, I didn't fall to sleep for awhile, and then went to my Mom's house to dinner with my Dad. I got about 7 hours total, which I knew wouldn't be enough, but I figured a nice meal would give me some energy, and trust me, it was a very nice meal. After dinner, I still felt out of it, so I grabbed a blanket and tried to go back to sleep for an hour or two, but my parents' conversation and the fact I was watching a TV show I liked kept me awake. It was then time to get changed and ready. I needed something to boost my energy.
On my way out, I stopped at the local gas station and picked up some orange juice not only to give me a boost, but to keep me healthy as my FTO was in the stages of getting rid of his cold. I drank the orange juice on the way down, cranked the tunes, and rolled down the windows. After the tremendous storms that had hit, a brief reprieve of cool air lingered over South Florida, which many dired for after the heat index at night was almost 100 degrees.
My FTO picked me up as usual, and we did a small detail and it was off to the checkpoint. I took the helm at the first detail we had as I wanted to not only impress my FTO, but reinforce what I had learned. It went pretty smoothly, and I was very confident in myself. At the checkpoint, we sat there for awhile and then got relieved by another officer. We went to the station, did some minor paperwork, and then decided to do a small foot patrol, where he showed me all the buildings and what to check for; it was a good learning experience for me. I had done many foot patrols before as a security guard, but he showed me a couple of small things I had been overlooking in the past. After the foot patrol, it was back to the checkpoint.
Walking around for awhile really helped my energy levels, but once the air conditioning in the car kicked in and we had sat there for awhile, fatigue began to kick in. At about 0500 I began to feel like my eyes had little weights on them, or someone was pushing the "close" button on a garage door and my eyelids were the receiver. At every 10 minute interval I had to get out of the patrol car and walk around, stretch, and do an occasional jumping jack. In between these little "exercise" routines, I took my FTO's advice and read up on statutes and standard operating procedures. At 6:30 in the morning, we had an investigation to go to.
Apparently one gentleman had walked into one of our substations bleeding all over the place, so one of the other patrol officers worked on getting him to the hospital. The gaping hole in his wrist said it all. While the other patrol officers were taking care of him, we were dispatched to conduct an investigation. Queue CSI: Miami music.
We arrived at the house and my FTO wanted to start checking for broken windows. Sure enough, on the side of the house, was a broken window. We then looked inside. There was blood absolutely everywhere. In the center of the floor of the bathroom (the room with the broken window) was a giant pool of blood, along with low-velocity blood splatter drips throughout the house. Once again, academy training fell right into place. I immediately thought to myself, "secure the scene, take overall, mid-length, and closeup pictures, ensure the chain of custody, and remember officer safety." We did all of that, and then did an overall canvass of the house. There were more low-velocity blood drips around the house, and I thought for a second, after folowing the trail, that it came from the subject's car. I checked underneath the door handle, around the edges of the window, and shined my flashlight inside the vehicle. Nothing. I tried to look at every possible angle, and answer the ultimate question, "How did the subject get cut?" and also, "What was the subject cut with?"
The broken window was busted out from the inside, which means any activity occurred inside the house. I looked around to see what instrument he used. Could it be a piece of broken glass? Could it be something on the bathroom floor? Could the instrument be outside? I took a hard look inside the bathroom, and aside from glass, I couldn't see an instrument decent enough to inflict a lot of harm. I began to assume that the instrument was the glass itself. I didn't get a chance to go inside the house to look for more instruments, but at this point in time, the glass was my best bet. I then left the house with that idea, but never concluded to it.
At the station, we finished up with paperwork, and by that time, I was all full of energy. A little too late in my book, but it felt good. From there it was back to my car, back to my house, and 8 hours of sleep. I feel good, and hope that tonight has some excitement as well.
After I came home yesterday, I didn't fall to sleep for awhile, and then went to my Mom's house to dinner with my Dad. I got about 7 hours total, which I knew wouldn't be enough, but I figured a nice meal would give me some energy, and trust me, it was a very nice meal. After dinner, I still felt out of it, so I grabbed a blanket and tried to go back to sleep for an hour or two, but my parents' conversation and the fact I was watching a TV show I liked kept me awake. It was then time to get changed and ready. I needed something to boost my energy.
On my way out, I stopped at the local gas station and picked up some orange juice not only to give me a boost, but to keep me healthy as my FTO was in the stages of getting rid of his cold. I drank the orange juice on the way down, cranked the tunes, and rolled down the windows. After the tremendous storms that had hit, a brief reprieve of cool air lingered over South Florida, which many dired for after the heat index at night was almost 100 degrees.
My FTO picked me up as usual, and we did a small detail and it was off to the checkpoint. I took the helm at the first detail we had as I wanted to not only impress my FTO, but reinforce what I had learned. It went pretty smoothly, and I was very confident in myself. At the checkpoint, we sat there for awhile and then got relieved by another officer. We went to the station, did some minor paperwork, and then decided to do a small foot patrol, where he showed me all the buildings and what to check for; it was a good learning experience for me. I had done many foot patrols before as a security guard, but he showed me a couple of small things I had been overlooking in the past. After the foot patrol, it was back to the checkpoint.
Walking around for awhile really helped my energy levels, but once the air conditioning in the car kicked in and we had sat there for awhile, fatigue began to kick in. At about 0500 I began to feel like my eyes had little weights on them, or someone was pushing the "close" button on a garage door and my eyelids were the receiver. At every 10 minute interval I had to get out of the patrol car and walk around, stretch, and do an occasional jumping jack. In between these little "exercise" routines, I took my FTO's advice and read up on statutes and standard operating procedures. At 6:30 in the morning, we had an investigation to go to.
Apparently one gentleman had walked into one of our substations bleeding all over the place, so one of the other patrol officers worked on getting him to the hospital. The gaping hole in his wrist said it all. While the other patrol officers were taking care of him, we were dispatched to conduct an investigation. Queue CSI: Miami music.
We arrived at the house and my FTO wanted to start checking for broken windows. Sure enough, on the side of the house, was a broken window. We then looked inside. There was blood absolutely everywhere. In the center of the floor of the bathroom (the room with the broken window) was a giant pool of blood, along with low-velocity blood splatter drips throughout the house. Once again, academy training fell right into place. I immediately thought to myself, "secure the scene, take overall, mid-length, and closeup pictures, ensure the chain of custody, and remember officer safety." We did all of that, and then did an overall canvass of the house. There were more low-velocity blood drips around the house, and I thought for a second, after folowing the trail, that it came from the subject's car. I checked underneath the door handle, around the edges of the window, and shined my flashlight inside the vehicle. Nothing. I tried to look at every possible angle, and answer the ultimate question, "How did the subject get cut?" and also, "What was the subject cut with?"
The broken window was busted out from the inside, which means any activity occurred inside the house. I looked around to see what instrument he used. Could it be a piece of broken glass? Could it be something on the bathroom floor? Could the instrument be outside? I took a hard look inside the bathroom, and aside from glass, I couldn't see an instrument decent enough to inflict a lot of harm. I began to assume that the instrument was the glass itself. I didn't get a chance to go inside the house to look for more instruments, but at this point in time, the glass was my best bet. I then left the house with that idea, but never concluded to it.
At the station, we finished up with paperwork, and by that time, I was all full of energy. A little too late in my book, but it felt good. From there it was back to my car, back to my house, and 8 hours of sleep. I feel good, and hope that tonight has some excitement as well.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day 4 - "Heat" - 6/22/09
It has been unusually warm and muggy these past couple of days, and it was very evident last night. My FTO is continuing to struggle with a cold, so I have been taking extra precautions to prevent myself from getting sick. More Vitamin C and hand sanitizer by the truckload, please!
I had a chance to speak with my girlfriend before I went on shift, which relaxed me a bit. I wasn't nervous or anything, but she always seems to make me feel better, regardless of how good I am already feeling. I actually felt very confident; very sweaty, but very confident. Before my FTO arrived, I had a chance to speak with my SGT, who gave me orders to head to a checkpoint and also gave me the key to the back rooms of the station. When my FTO arrived, I transferred my stuff from my car to his and we went on our way.
He lets me queue up on the radio very frequently, and it gives me the opportunity to practice and also stay vigilant on my skills. We sat at the checkpoint for a couple of hours and went over more forms. The air conditioned patrol car felt so nice. At roughly 2AM, we received a call to investigate a resident being harassed by a loved one. We went out to the residence and made contact with the complainant/victim, a young woman with a 6-month old girl in her arms.
It was incredibly buggy due to all of the humidity, and they began swarming on her, my FTO, and myself. I had my notepad out, and so did my FTO. Even though we were both doing a lot of writing, I assumed the role of the cover officer while my FTO made contact. I made note of the types of questions he asked, his tone of voice, his stance, and other nuances that will let me excel in this job. We found out she had received threatening phone calls and text messages from her co-habitant, who happened to be the father of the child. We also found out he was on his way to the victim's residence to "handle" things. Our SGT stopped the co-habitant at one of our checkpoints. We made the decision that he was allowed to come in, grab some things for the evening, and then immediately leave the premises. He did so. The entire time he was on foot, I was ready to roll just in case something happened. However, he came and left without incident. We had locked the victim and her child in our patrol car to put a barrier between the two parties.
After handling that incident, we made it back to the checkpoint for a little while longer and went over some more forms. My FTO began letting me assist him in maintaining the checkpoint by making contact with drivers and getting down all of their information. This continued for a little while longer until we made our way back to the station for some paperwork.
Back at the checkpoint, we began filling out the report. The computer program "Omniform" really makes things easy. Just tab, fill in info, tab, fill in more info, and so on. I can't wait to install it on my computer so I can use it when I get my own car. While my FTO began typing his narrative, I studied my statute book and continued to assist at the checkpoint. The end of the shift ended with a completion of all report forms, and my daily activity sheet.
On my way home, I began noticing dark clouds EVERYWHERE. They gradually got darker as I continued to drive to the Northeast. By the time I got home, it felt as if I was driving through a tropical storm. Mild rain, but the wind was incredible! Downed tree branches, mild debris, and a vicious looking sky. By the time I parked my car it had began to drizzle. The moment I got inside my house, the sky opened up. I considered myself very lucky, and very dry :D.
I had a chance to speak with my girlfriend before I went on shift, which relaxed me a bit. I wasn't nervous or anything, but she always seems to make me feel better, regardless of how good I am already feeling. I actually felt very confident; very sweaty, but very confident. Before my FTO arrived, I had a chance to speak with my SGT, who gave me orders to head to a checkpoint and also gave me the key to the back rooms of the station. When my FTO arrived, I transferred my stuff from my car to his and we went on our way.
He lets me queue up on the radio very frequently, and it gives me the opportunity to practice and also stay vigilant on my skills. We sat at the checkpoint for a couple of hours and went over more forms. The air conditioned patrol car felt so nice. At roughly 2AM, we received a call to investigate a resident being harassed by a loved one. We went out to the residence and made contact with the complainant/victim, a young woman with a 6-month old girl in her arms.
It was incredibly buggy due to all of the humidity, and they began swarming on her, my FTO, and myself. I had my notepad out, and so did my FTO. Even though we were both doing a lot of writing, I assumed the role of the cover officer while my FTO made contact. I made note of the types of questions he asked, his tone of voice, his stance, and other nuances that will let me excel in this job. We found out she had received threatening phone calls and text messages from her co-habitant, who happened to be the father of the child. We also found out he was on his way to the victim's residence to "handle" things. Our SGT stopped the co-habitant at one of our checkpoints. We made the decision that he was allowed to come in, grab some things for the evening, and then immediately leave the premises. He did so. The entire time he was on foot, I was ready to roll just in case something happened. However, he came and left without incident. We had locked the victim and her child in our patrol car to put a barrier between the two parties.
After handling that incident, we made it back to the checkpoint for a little while longer and went over some more forms. My FTO began letting me assist him in maintaining the checkpoint by making contact with drivers and getting down all of their information. This continued for a little while longer until we made our way back to the station for some paperwork.
Back at the checkpoint, we began filling out the report. The computer program "Omniform" really makes things easy. Just tab, fill in info, tab, fill in more info, and so on. I can't wait to install it on my computer so I can use it when I get my own car. While my FTO began typing his narrative, I studied my statute book and continued to assist at the checkpoint. The end of the shift ended with a completion of all report forms, and my daily activity sheet.
On my way home, I began noticing dark clouds EVERYWHERE. They gradually got darker as I continued to drive to the Northeast. By the time I got home, it felt as if I was driving through a tropical storm. Mild rain, but the wind was incredible! Downed tree branches, mild debris, and a vicious looking sky. By the time I parked my car it had began to drizzle. The moment I got inside my house, the sky opened up. I considered myself very lucky, and very dry :D.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Day 3 - "Hands" - 6/21/09
Well, I am finally getting adjusted to the sleeping schedule. Each night I have been feeling less and less tired, and last night was no exception.
The night started off very simple, but at the same time I was a little wary. There were no calls for service, but my FTO was beginning to sniffle and cough a bit, which to me is a very bad sign. Whenever someone around me seems to get sick, I seem to not only get whatever they have, but get it much worse. As it so happened, I stopped into a service station and grabbed a bottle of orange juice for energy, and was very thankful to have some extra Vitamin C in my system. He said that we'd be heading out to one of the checkpoints and he would be showing me more of the forms he had on his laptop.
We spent roughly 3 hours at the checkpoint when the SGT told us we needed to be back at the station for something. My SGT handed my FTO some paperwork and told us there was a prisoner we needed to transport from our holding facility to the jail. The SGT spoke to me and said, "I am going to start letting you be more active and going more hands on. You'll start by transporting this prisoner." I nodded my head, double checked my duty belt for my handcuffs, and headed out with my FTO to our holding facility. On the way, my FTO stated the guy had been arrested for Domestic Battery, so I immediately got into the mindset that the guy may want to give me a hard time during the transfer of custody.
We arrived at the holding facility where I met my "menace to society".... a 70 year old guy who pushed his wife in the course of an argument. For those that don't know, Florida has a ZERO tolerance for domestic violence. If an officer arrives on scene and can determine a primary aggressor in a DV case, it is REQUIRED by Florida law an officer make an arrest, and if an officer can't determine a primary aggressor, then it must be thoroughly documented.
After some of the minor paperwork was done, it was time to transfer custody. I immediately was faced with my largest problem: Language. The gentleman didn't speak a single word of English, yet spoke Spanish and Chinese fluently, and he made sure all of us in the holding facility knew it. He wreaked of alcohol, but was fairly compliant when one of our Spanish-Speaking officers directed him to put his hands on the wall. I quickly got out my handcuffs and put the gentleman's right hand behind his back. I snapped the first handcuff on without a problem. The second one went on without a hitch. It felt just like training at the academy. I felt that although I did very well, I could have been a TAD more gentle. By no means did I injure him or cause him great discomfort, but I moved him like I would have moved someone half his age. My FTO said I did a good job, but to take more care with an elderly man as I could, if the time had come, have easily overpowered him. I took great heed to this advice. We then went out to the car, put him in, and then for the next 20 minutes, proceeded to hear him talking to himself in the back of the car on our way to the jail. We arrived without incident.
At the jail, I immediately remembered procedure. Alert our dispatcher of arrival, drive into the Sallyport, off-load all weapons, wait for the Sallyport door to close, then escort the prisoner out. There is a small "holding" area that you can place a subject while filling out the entry log, so I put him in there and said "Sientate". I was surprised I remembered ANY Spanish at all, but it was useful in aiding the man down on the bench. There was a lock on the holding facility, so I proceeded to lock it. Immediately after the lock closed, my FTO says, "Don't lock ---! Jailer, can I have the keys to open this please?" He understood why I locked it, but said, at least for this guy, it wasn't necessary. Even if he did run, the Sallyport was totally locked down. We then escorted him inside. Immediately, I felt embarassed.
Here I was, escorting what seemed to be a harmless old man into the jail. Police Officers, Corrections Officers, and even inmates were giving me the "WTF is he here for?" look. After a bit of paperwork and an hour of time, we were back on the streets. My FTO let me use the radio to update our status, and then headed back to our zone. From there, it was more studying, more paperwork, and the sunrise.
I think my FTO is beginning to feel very confident in me, and I couldn't be more pleased. Tactically, I felt sound, but, as one of my academy instructors used to say, you need to be a "KIND AND GENTLE MAN".... at least with some. I will be sure to remember that for next time.
The night started off very simple, but at the same time I was a little wary. There were no calls for service, but my FTO was beginning to sniffle and cough a bit, which to me is a very bad sign. Whenever someone around me seems to get sick, I seem to not only get whatever they have, but get it much worse. As it so happened, I stopped into a service station and grabbed a bottle of orange juice for energy, and was very thankful to have some extra Vitamin C in my system. He said that we'd be heading out to one of the checkpoints and he would be showing me more of the forms he had on his laptop.
We spent roughly 3 hours at the checkpoint when the SGT told us we needed to be back at the station for something. My SGT handed my FTO some paperwork and told us there was a prisoner we needed to transport from our holding facility to the jail. The SGT spoke to me and said, "I am going to start letting you be more active and going more hands on. You'll start by transporting this prisoner." I nodded my head, double checked my duty belt for my handcuffs, and headed out with my FTO to our holding facility. On the way, my FTO stated the guy had been arrested for Domestic Battery, so I immediately got into the mindset that the guy may want to give me a hard time during the transfer of custody.
We arrived at the holding facility where I met my "menace to society".... a 70 year old guy who pushed his wife in the course of an argument. For those that don't know, Florida has a ZERO tolerance for domestic violence. If an officer arrives on scene and can determine a primary aggressor in a DV case, it is REQUIRED by Florida law an officer make an arrest, and if an officer can't determine a primary aggressor, then it must be thoroughly documented.
After some of the minor paperwork was done, it was time to transfer custody. I immediately was faced with my largest problem: Language. The gentleman didn't speak a single word of English, yet spoke Spanish and Chinese fluently, and he made sure all of us in the holding facility knew it. He wreaked of alcohol, but was fairly compliant when one of our Spanish-Speaking officers directed him to put his hands on the wall. I quickly got out my handcuffs and put the gentleman's right hand behind his back. I snapped the first handcuff on without a problem. The second one went on without a hitch. It felt just like training at the academy. I felt that although I did very well, I could have been a TAD more gentle. By no means did I injure him or cause him great discomfort, but I moved him like I would have moved someone half his age. My FTO said I did a good job, but to take more care with an elderly man as I could, if the time had come, have easily overpowered him. I took great heed to this advice. We then went out to the car, put him in, and then for the next 20 minutes, proceeded to hear him talking to himself in the back of the car on our way to the jail. We arrived without incident.
At the jail, I immediately remembered procedure. Alert our dispatcher of arrival, drive into the Sallyport, off-load all weapons, wait for the Sallyport door to close, then escort the prisoner out. There is a small "holding" area that you can place a subject while filling out the entry log, so I put him in there and said "Sientate". I was surprised I remembered ANY Spanish at all, but it was useful in aiding the man down on the bench. There was a lock on the holding facility, so I proceeded to lock it. Immediately after the lock closed, my FTO says, "Don't lock ---! Jailer, can I have the keys to open this please?" He understood why I locked it, but said, at least for this guy, it wasn't necessary. Even if he did run, the Sallyport was totally locked down. We then escorted him inside. Immediately, I felt embarassed.
Here I was, escorting what seemed to be a harmless old man into the jail. Police Officers, Corrections Officers, and even inmates were giving me the "WTF is he here for?" look. After a bit of paperwork and an hour of time, we were back on the streets. My FTO let me use the radio to update our status, and then headed back to our zone. From there, it was more studying, more paperwork, and the sunrise.
I think my FTO is beginning to feel very confident in me, and I couldn't be more pleased. Tactically, I felt sound, but, as one of my academy instructors used to say, you need to be a "KIND AND GENTLE MAN".... at least with some. I will be sure to remember that for next time.
Day 2 - "Bookworm" - 6/20/09
After a few refreshing days off with my girlfriend, it was time to show up for a new tour on what I think is the busiest night of the week.... Saturday. Before I showed up, I readjusted my duty belt so that it would stay snug, made sure my radio was charged, and hit the road. I got to the station at 10:15, and patiently waited for my FTO to show at 10:30. He came by and picked me up right on schedule.
I had completely memorized all of the Q codes and dispatch signals, so now I actually knew what was going on over the radio. The first thing that came in was a vehicle fire, but another unit was taking care of it as he was already on scene. We were also in another patrol zone, so we headed to our post where my FTO gave me an assignment.
OBJECTIVE-
1. Study Q codes, dispatch signals, maps, and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
I am the kind of guy that loves a challenge, so while my FTO was doing supervisory things and paperwork, I took to the books and decided to brush up on my geography. I am also the kind of guy who likes to accomplish EVERYTHING and be a step ahead, so because I memorized all of my Q codes and dispatch signals, all I really had to focus on was geography and SOPs. The geography wasn't too bad. I am not the kind of guy who uses "directions" to find places, I use images. If I drive to a place once, I can drive there unassisted from then on.
My FTO gave me the idea of drawing a map and labeling things, so I did, and it really helps. That's probably why he's the FTO I was in the station with my nose in the books for 3 hours, and by then my brain was starting to overheat. Continous studying had gotten the better of me. I decided a "12" was in order (meal break/eat), so I fished out my sunflower seeds and drank a cup of coffee. Finally, my FTO emerged and told me to bring my stuff as we were going to hit the road.We headed to a checkpoint, where we sat from 0300-0500. My FTO said, "Do me a favor and write down all the Q codes, dispatch signals, and phoenetic alphabet on the back of your daily activity sheet." This was my time to shine. I immediately scribbled down ALL OF IT and showed it to him. It felt good to show him I was being responsible and taking care of what I was supposed to. He rewarded me by letting me queue up on the radio while we did checks of some of the surrounding areas. It was another step closer to the end of FTO.
Towards the end of the shift, we received a call about a possible PANTHER nosing around someone's house. Between the alligators and the panther, you might as well call in Animal Planet and have them start shooting film.
All in all, it was a fairly uneventful night, but I am still exciting for what tonight can possibly bring.
I had completely memorized all of the Q codes and dispatch signals, so now I actually knew what was going on over the radio. The first thing that came in was a vehicle fire, but another unit was taking care of it as he was already on scene. We were also in another patrol zone, so we headed to our post where my FTO gave me an assignment.
OBJECTIVE-
1. Study Q codes, dispatch signals, maps, and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
I am the kind of guy that loves a challenge, so while my FTO was doing supervisory things and paperwork, I took to the books and decided to brush up on my geography. I am also the kind of guy who likes to accomplish EVERYTHING and be a step ahead, so because I memorized all of my Q codes and dispatch signals, all I really had to focus on was geography and SOPs. The geography wasn't too bad. I am not the kind of guy who uses "directions" to find places, I use images. If I drive to a place once, I can drive there unassisted from then on.
My FTO gave me the idea of drawing a map and labeling things, so I did, and it really helps. That's probably why he's the FTO I was in the station with my nose in the books for 3 hours, and by then my brain was starting to overheat. Continous studying had gotten the better of me. I decided a "12" was in order (meal break/eat), so I fished out my sunflower seeds and drank a cup of coffee. Finally, my FTO emerged and told me to bring my stuff as we were going to hit the road.We headed to a checkpoint, where we sat from 0300-0500. My FTO said, "Do me a favor and write down all the Q codes, dispatch signals, and phoenetic alphabet on the back of your daily activity sheet." This was my time to shine. I immediately scribbled down ALL OF IT and showed it to him. It felt good to show him I was being responsible and taking care of what I was supposed to. He rewarded me by letting me queue up on the radio while we did checks of some of the surrounding areas. It was another step closer to the end of FTO.
Towards the end of the shift, we received a call about a possible PANTHER nosing around someone's house. Between the alligators and the panther, you might as well call in Animal Planet and have them start shooting film.
All in all, it was a fairly uneventful night, but I am still exciting for what tonight can possibly bring.
Day 1 - "Gators" - 6/17/09
Today was probably one of the best days of my entire life.I had to be there at 8AM so I set my alarm for 6:15. The entire night I couldn’t stop dreaming about it. Of course, my dreams were interrupted by my father at 6AM. I really could have used those extra 15 minutes, but oh well. I got up and jumped right into the shower. Personally, if I am shaving, I need to have a shower beforehand otherwise I get really irritated. I dried myself off and picked up my electric razor and began shaving my face. Along comes Mr. Murphy to plant a speed bump in my morning routine. The electric razor I use has a flip-switch to open the head to dump out the hairs and stuff. Unfortunately, the flip-switch flipped itself open, and hair gets ALL over me. Great. Now I can look like I’m on crack when I go to the station, scratching all over the place and stuff. I promptly brushed myself off and proceeded to get dressed.
My uniform came with two chrome-finished bars, so I put them on my collar. I got all dressed up and finished it all off with the nifty clip-on tie. I was ready to roll. My parents followed me down there without a hitch. I walk into the police station in full uniform. I felt 12 feet tall. One of the guys quickly brought me down to Earth by saying, “Lose the pins, tie, and hat” (I was furnished with a Smokey-the-Bear hat). I promptly put all that stuff in my car, came back inside, and had a seat. Roughly 15 minutes later, out comes the Chief.
I felt like an astronaut 10 seconds before liftoff. He gave me a piece of paper to recite from, and told me to repeat after him. I said the oath and he shook my hand. Now, it was official. My Dad got to pin my badge on me, my mom took pictures, it was great. My Dad almost cried, so in turn I almost cried, which in turn had everyone thinking, “Hey look, they’re gonna cry!”. Neither of us did though.
My parents left and I went to go fill out paperwork and get fingerprinted. I got my badge #, court ID #, and radio #, all typed up on an official piece of paper. After that I received my duty weapon (G22) that came with a very unusual holster. In the academy the release button was activated by the thumb. This one was activated by the middle finger. It took a bit of getting used to, but for some reason still felt awkward. Figuring it may have been defective, I asked for a different holster. They issued me one with a snap-and-pull type design. I immediately liked that better.From there it was into the HR Dept for, you guessed it, more paperwork. Health insurance, dental insurance, etc. I was so giddy in my new uniform. All this pent up energy with nowhere to release it. I wanted to be on the road, to interact with citizens, to make a difference. I decided it was best to just pay attention, the road would come later that night. Finally, I was on my way home, ready to show up at 11 the same night.
I decided that going to the gym would be a good way to disperse some energy and get me in the mood to take a nap, so I did. Summer vacation for the idiots, excuse me, the middle/high school kids really slowed the gym progress down. They’re all like, “Hey check this out! Look how much I can lift even though it’s going to screw up my body! I’m so HAWT DAWG!” My friend and I tried to get around them and use the machines, but finally after a couple of sets I hit the treadmill and ran a while. I then came back home, grabbed a shower, and passed out for a couple of hours.
I figured I'd get to the station early so I could relax and prepare my mind. In fact, listening to music did the trick on the way down. I parked my car, put on my duty belt, and walked into the substation. I was greeted by 2 other officers, and they were very nice. They both gave me the same advice: "Listen." The Sergeant then came in and then informed me who I was riding with, and told me and my FTO I was in "Observer mode only". OK, that's cool. I can dig that. I get paid to use my senses and learn a couple of things along the way.
My FTO is a cool guy. He gave me all types of paperwork, procedural information, the works. We're riding down one of the local roads and he is talking to me, which requires him to take a look at me every once in awhile. He was explaining something to me, and all of a sudden he says, "OH ****!", immediately followed by a THUD. "What was that?" He, in the most non-chalant voice, says, "Gator." This was my FTO's 2nd experience with an alligator in as many days. 48 hours earlier, an alligator bit a piece off the front bumper of his patrol car. I didn't believe him until I saw it, and O...M...F...G I saw the missing chunk. I even took a picture with my cameraphone.
After a bit of agency policy and radio lingo, we had our first assignment... transport a prisoner from our holding cell to the jail. As an observer, I watched his tactics as he cuffed the subject and escorted him to the patrol car and put him inside. We drove to the jail without incident and pulled into the Sallyport. He then informed me of all jail procedures. We got out of the car and said to put all my weapons (baton, OC/CS, firearm) in the back of the patrol car and then escort the subject. He places the subject near the doorway and gives ME my first assignment:
OBJECTIVE:
1. Make sure the guy in handcuffs doesn't escape.
I immediately reverted back to my training. I grabbed his wrist with my non-dominant hand and had his bicep with my dominant hand. I applied firm pressure, but not something that would be discomforting to him. I wasn't inflicting pain, and at the same time, he KNEW I had a good hold. He remained compliant as DOJ took him in and began to process him. Close to an hour later, we were done. Now it was back to the station.At the station I received my time sheets and other paperwork, and the SGT and my FTO showed me how to fill it out. I began catching on quickly to my daily activity sheet simply by listening to my FTO and the codes being sent out. I also had a handy-dandy Q code/Signal sheet that I will be studying very vigorously.
After the paperwork, we did a TON of geography. The West Side, the East Side, different areas and business checks, all logged in to the activity report. During the course of the morning, we spotted about 5 alligators, some of which were less than 20 feet from the patrol car. Finally, it was a trip to the county line, re-fueling the vehicle, and completing paperwork. By then, the sun was beginning to come up, and I was getting EXTREMELY tired. Between getting up at 6AM and only napping for a couple hours, I was totally drained. I mean, I've stayed up through the night, but not when I get up at 6AM.
At 7AM I was technically off duty, but the SGT wanted to speak to my FTO, so I waited for a couple minutes. I thought to myself "About 24 hours ago, I was sitting in this SAME spot waiting to get sworn in." It was a really odd feeling.
Finally, I was driven back to my personal vehicle. I was then told that I would be having today and tomorrow off, and to come back Saturday night. The 45 minute drive home wasn't too bad as I was finally driving. I got home, and had a very key decision to make..... "Do I just pass the **** out all dirty, or use up my energy in the shower? Do I get instant sleep gratification, or not have to worry about the laundry?" I decided a shower was better. I dried myself off, fell into bed, and was in dreamland in about 5 seconds. Now I'm up, and full of energy again. The gym doesn't sound like too bad an idea right now.
See everyone soon!
My uniform came with two chrome-finished bars, so I put them on my collar. I got all dressed up and finished it all off with the nifty clip-on tie. I was ready to roll. My parents followed me down there without a hitch. I walk into the police station in full uniform. I felt 12 feet tall. One of the guys quickly brought me down to Earth by saying, “Lose the pins, tie, and hat” (I was furnished with a Smokey-the-Bear hat). I promptly put all that stuff in my car, came back inside, and had a seat. Roughly 15 minutes later, out comes the Chief.
I felt like an astronaut 10 seconds before liftoff. He gave me a piece of paper to recite from, and told me to repeat after him. I said the oath and he shook my hand. Now, it was official. My Dad got to pin my badge on me, my mom took pictures, it was great. My Dad almost cried, so in turn I almost cried, which in turn had everyone thinking, “Hey look, they’re gonna cry!”. Neither of us did though.
My parents left and I went to go fill out paperwork and get fingerprinted. I got my badge #, court ID #, and radio #, all typed up on an official piece of paper. After that I received my duty weapon (G22) that came with a very unusual holster. In the academy the release button was activated by the thumb. This one was activated by the middle finger. It took a bit of getting used to, but for some reason still felt awkward. Figuring it may have been defective, I asked for a different holster. They issued me one with a snap-and-pull type design. I immediately liked that better.From there it was into the HR Dept for, you guessed it, more paperwork. Health insurance, dental insurance, etc. I was so giddy in my new uniform. All this pent up energy with nowhere to release it. I wanted to be on the road, to interact with citizens, to make a difference. I decided it was best to just pay attention, the road would come later that night. Finally, I was on my way home, ready to show up at 11 the same night.
I decided that going to the gym would be a good way to disperse some energy and get me in the mood to take a nap, so I did. Summer vacation for the idiots, excuse me, the middle/high school kids really slowed the gym progress down. They’re all like, “Hey check this out! Look how much I can lift even though it’s going to screw up my body! I’m so HAWT DAWG!” My friend and I tried to get around them and use the machines, but finally after a couple of sets I hit the treadmill and ran a while. I then came back home, grabbed a shower, and passed out for a couple of hours.
I figured I'd get to the station early so I could relax and prepare my mind. In fact, listening to music did the trick on the way down. I parked my car, put on my duty belt, and walked into the substation. I was greeted by 2 other officers, and they were very nice. They both gave me the same advice: "Listen." The Sergeant then came in and then informed me who I was riding with, and told me and my FTO I was in "Observer mode only". OK, that's cool. I can dig that. I get paid to use my senses and learn a couple of things along the way.
My FTO is a cool guy. He gave me all types of paperwork, procedural information, the works. We're riding down one of the local roads and he is talking to me, which requires him to take a look at me every once in awhile. He was explaining something to me, and all of a sudden he says, "OH ****!", immediately followed by a THUD. "What was that?" He, in the most non-chalant voice, says, "Gator." This was my FTO's 2nd experience with an alligator in as many days. 48 hours earlier, an alligator bit a piece off the front bumper of his patrol car. I didn't believe him until I saw it, and O...M...F...G I saw the missing chunk. I even took a picture with my cameraphone.
After a bit of agency policy and radio lingo, we had our first assignment... transport a prisoner from our holding cell to the jail. As an observer, I watched his tactics as he cuffed the subject and escorted him to the patrol car and put him inside. We drove to the jail without incident and pulled into the Sallyport. He then informed me of all jail procedures. We got out of the car and said to put all my weapons (baton, OC/CS, firearm) in the back of the patrol car and then escort the subject. He places the subject near the doorway and gives ME my first assignment:
OBJECTIVE:
1. Make sure the guy in handcuffs doesn't escape.
I immediately reverted back to my training. I grabbed his wrist with my non-dominant hand and had his bicep with my dominant hand. I applied firm pressure, but not something that would be discomforting to him. I wasn't inflicting pain, and at the same time, he KNEW I had a good hold. He remained compliant as DOJ took him in and began to process him. Close to an hour later, we were done. Now it was back to the station.At the station I received my time sheets and other paperwork, and the SGT and my FTO showed me how to fill it out. I began catching on quickly to my daily activity sheet simply by listening to my FTO and the codes being sent out. I also had a handy-dandy Q code/Signal sheet that I will be studying very vigorously.
After the paperwork, we did a TON of geography. The West Side, the East Side, different areas and business checks, all logged in to the activity report. During the course of the morning, we spotted about 5 alligators, some of which were less than 20 feet from the patrol car. Finally, it was a trip to the county line, re-fueling the vehicle, and completing paperwork. By then, the sun was beginning to come up, and I was getting EXTREMELY tired. Between getting up at 6AM and only napping for a couple hours, I was totally drained. I mean, I've stayed up through the night, but not when I get up at 6AM.
At 7AM I was technically off duty, but the SGT wanted to speak to my FTO, so I waited for a couple minutes. I thought to myself "About 24 hours ago, I was sitting in this SAME spot waiting to get sworn in." It was a really odd feeling.
Finally, I was driven back to my personal vehicle. I was then told that I would be having today and tomorrow off, and to come back Saturday night. The 45 minute drive home wasn't too bad as I was finally driving. I got home, and had a very key decision to make..... "Do I just pass the **** out all dirty, or use up my energy in the shower? Do I get instant sleep gratification, or not have to worry about the laundry?" I decided a shower was better. I dried myself off, fell into bed, and was in dreamland in about 5 seconds. Now I'm up, and full of energy again. The gym doesn't sound like too bad an idea right now.
See everyone soon!
T minus 12 hours - 6/16/09
Hello everyone,
When I was in the police academy, the instructors taught me very well and gave me the tools I will be keeping in my toolbox during my lengthy career in law enforcement. However, none of them ever really talked about their rookie experiences or gave any of us any insight as to what the first couple of baby steps in this profession would be like.As such, I have decided to make my contribution to the law enforcement community, both in uniform and in this nifty way you see before you. I will be keeping a log of the every day activities of a "daisy-fresh rookie". Sorry if this post is long, but below I describe how I got to where I am now. Enjoy.
I've always wanted to be a police officer. My father used to work for the United States Postal Inspectors, and he was the main reason I got interested in LE in the first place. Just the way he carried himself and how happy he seemed to be initially caught my attention. Then came the father-son bonding, which over a number of years, began with the playing of the police lights, PA, and siren, watching news clippings of him on TV, going to the shooting range, and listening to some of his arrests on 1010 WINS, a news channel in New York City. Sorry, I grew up in New York, forgot to mention that.
After my Dad was transferred to South Florida a couple of years before his retirement, I realized I would be staying here in this mosquito, red ant, sunburn, flying plywood infested State for quite a while. I graduated high school early (23rd in my class of 1025), and found myself at the University of Central Florida 2 weeks afterwards. I majored in Criminal Justice, and three and a half jam-packed years of vigorous studying later, I had myself a Bachelor's Degree. 2 weeks after that, I found myself in Gainesville, FL at the Santa Fe College Law Enforcement Academy. 6 months and one incredibly painful round of OC spray later, I graduated 3rd in my class of 23 recruits. 48 hours after that, I passed the FDLE State Exam. Now it was time to get a job.
The application process sucked. I thought because I was certified I didn't have to go through all the "pre-app" stuff. Wrong. I also thought these applications were only a couple of pages. Wrong again. Some were 40 pages long!!!! .I headed to the Broward Community College where I took a swim test and a physical abilities test. I then proceeded to flood the market with applications. One of them was to a Dade County Police Dept. In fact, it was one of the first applications I submitted. I sent apps as far north as the Palm Beach/Martin border, and as far South as Miami. I waited.If there's anything that sucked more than losing my pants at the Broward College Swim Test, it was waiting on these departments to get back to me. Day in and day out I headed to the mail box and checked my phone for missed calls and voice messages. For a solid month, I heard nothing. Finally, I got a pulse. The Dade County agency wanted me to take a swim test for them. I said I'd be there.
It was April, so I figured it'd be warm outside. Of course, being the Murphy's Law poster child I am, it was ABNORMALLY cold outside. I got there early. The test was at 7AM, I was there at 6:30. One of the detectives greeted us, and I walked to the pool in nothing more than swim trunks and one of my academy shirts. Once I lost the shirt and began stretching, it didn't get any warmer. In my mind I'm like, "The pool must be freezing." I dipped a toe in, and quickly found out the pool was heated. Nice! I swam the test which wasn't too bad, and then began to dry off. There was one guy there who said he didn't know how to swim. I tried to give him some pointers, but he didn't look confident. This was a chance for me to try to get some "pluses" in my corner.
1. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could give the guy the strength to pass, hoping one day he would be my partner and would back me if I needed help.
2. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could show the detectives I was a team player, and since I had my academy shirt on with my last name embroidered on the back, they'd know EXACTLY who I was.
Unfortunately, the guy sank 5 yards before the finish line. I felt bad, but also felt good I passed. They said he could come back later; I really hope he tried again.After passing the psychological exam (which was a mind-picking 5 hours), I was now in limbo, I mean background . This was the waiting game. I didn't hear back from them for a month until they told me I passed my psych. A month after that, I was scheduled for an oral board. This, for me, was either the deal-maker or the deal-breaker. How I conducted myself would determine whether or not I had a job. I began to run through possible questions they'd ask me, and thankfully, I crossed my "T's" and dotted my "I's".
I walked into the oral board in a NICE suit. I liked the way I looked, I guarantee it. . I sat down ONLY after being told to do so, and they began asking me who I was, why I wanted to be a police officer, what my opinions were on use of force, why the hell my driving record was so long, and if I would be loyal to them if they hired me. I am a damn good public speaker, and anyone who knows me can tell you I can run my mouth until there's no more air left, so I used that to my advantage. I talked my way through it. I was serious, but had a personality. One of the questions they asked me was "What do you know about the Tribe?" On the way to the oral board, I figured it'd be a step up if I knew SOMETHING, so I memorized the colors of their flag (White, Black, Red, Yellow in that order) because I saw so many of them on the road. I could tell they liked that because they laughed.At the end of the interview they asked me if I had any questions for them. I asked, "What is the next step?" They told me to wait outside.
I was so nervous I could barely find the door handle to exit the room. I shut the door, and immediately began to breathe again. I did some square breathing to relax, got some water, and waited. A couple of minutes later the Chief of Police came out, stuck out his hand, and said, "Congratulations, I am going to hire you". For a moment there I felt like I had swallowed a watermelon because I couldn't say anything, but regained my composure and said "Thank you" like it was going out of style. I calmly exited the police station, got in my car, and left. As soon as I rounded the corner I became T.O.; I did the biggest Super Bowl touchdown dance you could possibly do in a 2-seater car. I immediately began calling everyone in my phone. I finally had it. I was a POLICE OFFICER!!! All that was left was a medical exam, which I passed.
On Monday, June 15, 2009, I got my uniforms, equipment, and was told to show up on June 17th at 8AM to get sworn in. I was also told earlier today that after getting sworn in and completing paperwork to show up again at 11PM for my first tour. 11PM - 7AM. I like that, I stay up late anyway.So here I am. Uniform is clean and pressed with all the pins on it. All I have to do is wake up tomorrow, go down there, and get what I have worked so hard for. I am psyched. Tomorrow is the next chapter in my life, and I can't wait to write it.
See you all tomorrow!
When I was in the police academy, the instructors taught me very well and gave me the tools I will be keeping in my toolbox during my lengthy career in law enforcement. However, none of them ever really talked about their rookie experiences or gave any of us any insight as to what the first couple of baby steps in this profession would be like.As such, I have decided to make my contribution to the law enforcement community, both in uniform and in this nifty way you see before you. I will be keeping a log of the every day activities of a "daisy-fresh rookie". Sorry if this post is long, but below I describe how I got to where I am now. Enjoy.
I've always wanted to be a police officer. My father used to work for the United States Postal Inspectors, and he was the main reason I got interested in LE in the first place. Just the way he carried himself and how happy he seemed to be initially caught my attention. Then came the father-son bonding, which over a number of years, began with the playing of the police lights, PA, and siren, watching news clippings of him on TV, going to the shooting range, and listening to some of his arrests on 1010 WINS, a news channel in New York City. Sorry, I grew up in New York, forgot to mention that.
After my Dad was transferred to South Florida a couple of years before his retirement, I realized I would be staying here in this mosquito, red ant, sunburn, flying plywood infested State for quite a while. I graduated high school early (23rd in my class of 1025), and found myself at the University of Central Florida 2 weeks afterwards. I majored in Criminal Justice, and three and a half jam-packed years of vigorous studying later, I had myself a Bachelor's Degree. 2 weeks after that, I found myself in Gainesville, FL at the Santa Fe College Law Enforcement Academy. 6 months and one incredibly painful round of OC spray later, I graduated 3rd in my class of 23 recruits. 48 hours after that, I passed the FDLE State Exam. Now it was time to get a job.
The application process sucked. I thought because I was certified I didn't have to go through all the "pre-app" stuff. Wrong. I also thought these applications were only a couple of pages. Wrong again. Some were 40 pages long!!!! .I headed to the Broward Community College where I took a swim test and a physical abilities test. I then proceeded to flood the market with applications. One of them was to a Dade County Police Dept. In fact, it was one of the first applications I submitted. I sent apps as far north as the Palm Beach/Martin border, and as far South as Miami. I waited.If there's anything that sucked more than losing my pants at the Broward College Swim Test, it was waiting on these departments to get back to me. Day in and day out I headed to the mail box and checked my phone for missed calls and voice messages. For a solid month, I heard nothing. Finally, I got a pulse. The Dade County agency wanted me to take a swim test for them. I said I'd be there.
It was April, so I figured it'd be warm outside. Of course, being the Murphy's Law poster child I am, it was ABNORMALLY cold outside. I got there early. The test was at 7AM, I was there at 6:30. One of the detectives greeted us, and I walked to the pool in nothing more than swim trunks and one of my academy shirts. Once I lost the shirt and began stretching, it didn't get any warmer. In my mind I'm like, "The pool must be freezing." I dipped a toe in, and quickly found out the pool was heated. Nice! I swam the test which wasn't too bad, and then began to dry off. There was one guy there who said he didn't know how to swim. I tried to give him some pointers, but he didn't look confident. This was a chance for me to try to get some "pluses" in my corner.
1. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could give the guy the strength to pass, hoping one day he would be my partner and would back me if I needed help.
2. By cheering the guy on and coaching him, I could show the detectives I was a team player, and since I had my academy shirt on with my last name embroidered on the back, they'd know EXACTLY who I was.
Unfortunately, the guy sank 5 yards before the finish line. I felt bad, but also felt good I passed. They said he could come back later; I really hope he tried again.After passing the psychological exam (which was a mind-picking 5 hours), I was now in limbo, I mean background . This was the waiting game. I didn't hear back from them for a month until they told me I passed my psych. A month after that, I was scheduled for an oral board. This, for me, was either the deal-maker or the deal-breaker. How I conducted myself would determine whether or not I had a job. I began to run through possible questions they'd ask me, and thankfully, I crossed my "T's" and dotted my "I's".
I walked into the oral board in a NICE suit. I liked the way I looked, I guarantee it. . I sat down ONLY after being told to do so, and they began asking me who I was, why I wanted to be a police officer, what my opinions were on use of force, why the hell my driving record was so long, and if I would be loyal to them if they hired me. I am a damn good public speaker, and anyone who knows me can tell you I can run my mouth until there's no more air left, so I used that to my advantage. I talked my way through it. I was serious, but had a personality. One of the questions they asked me was "What do you know about the Tribe?" On the way to the oral board, I figured it'd be a step up if I knew SOMETHING, so I memorized the colors of their flag (White, Black, Red, Yellow in that order) because I saw so many of them on the road. I could tell they liked that because they laughed.At the end of the interview they asked me if I had any questions for them. I asked, "What is the next step?" They told me to wait outside.
I was so nervous I could barely find the door handle to exit the room. I shut the door, and immediately began to breathe again. I did some square breathing to relax, got some water, and waited. A couple of minutes later the Chief of Police came out, stuck out his hand, and said, "Congratulations, I am going to hire you". For a moment there I felt like I had swallowed a watermelon because I couldn't say anything, but regained my composure and said "Thank you" like it was going out of style. I calmly exited the police station, got in my car, and left. As soon as I rounded the corner I became T.O.; I did the biggest Super Bowl touchdown dance you could possibly do in a 2-seater car. I immediately began calling everyone in my phone. I finally had it. I was a POLICE OFFICER!!! All that was left was a medical exam, which I passed.
On Monday, June 15, 2009, I got my uniforms, equipment, and was told to show up on June 17th at 8AM to get sworn in. I was also told earlier today that after getting sworn in and completing paperwork to show up again at 11PM for my first tour. 11PM - 7AM. I like that, I stay up late anyway.So here I am. Uniform is clean and pressed with all the pins on it. All I have to do is wake up tomorrow, go down there, and get what I have worked so hard for. I am psyched. Tomorrow is the next chapter in my life, and I can't wait to write it.
See you all tomorrow!
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