Weekend Wrap-up

[galdrin]

So ... I got to do my ride-along on Saturday with the Denton Co. Sheriff deputy.

Tons of fun (like flying up I-35W at 110 mph) and highly educational (like how to unlock the shotgun from its mount, if necessary, and why we see them speeding down the highway without their lights and sirens going.) In between alarms, stolen vehicle, trespassing, a funeral escort call, we were able to get some work in.

Saw way too much of the Lantana area [ http://www.lantanatexas.com/ ]. You've got to feel for these guys, though ... only four deputies to cover the entire county. Luckily, that'll change in the next several weeks as they have eight new deputies coming on-line as soon as they complete their training and get their 'ghost' ride out of the way (a 'ghost' deputy rides along to observe and give pointers as necessary.)

Really a great bunch of guys, though. It was a fascinating experience. Hopefully we can repeat the experience as we prepare for their FC proficiency.

Comments

[galdrin.livejournal.com]

My wife and I always wondered why we could see police cars cruising up and down the highway, obviously exceeding the posted speed limit, but without their lights and siren going. Turns out it was as I suspected. They are responding to a call. The lights and siren are reserved for life-threatening or emergency response only. They're moving that fast because there are a limited number of officers available and they have to respond to their calls as quickly as possible. Plus, whenever the lights and siren are turned on, the on-board system is recording everything going on inside and outside the car, both camera & sound.

If they are not responding to a call and are just patrolling, they run about 5 mph over the posted speed limit. This is because if they go the speed limit, they cause a backup as speeding motorists back their speed down.