The Ride

A chance to see law enforcement from the inside

While I continue to digest election results, I want to share an experience I had last week. I kept asking Sheriff Matt Clifford about a ride along every time I ran into him, so I was really excited when the opportunity came up. I got a text from a sheriff’s deputy last Thursday morning saying that it was time.

Random photo of an ACSO vehicle.

The deputy I rode with made a few traffic stops and responded to some calls, but obviously I can’t comment on anything specific that I saw. What I will always remember is how surreal it was to get a peek on the other side.

Every driver is aware of cops on the road. We all worry about forgetting a turn signal, rolling through a stop sign, or going a little bit too fast. I consider myself a good driver, but I’m still extra careful when I see a police vehicle nearby. It was fascinating, then, to see things from the other side. I felt the frustration of being behind cars going five MPH under the speed limit because they saw a cop behind them. I wondered what people were thinking when they did not pull over for sirens and lights. Most of all I was impressed with the way in which the deputy kept an eye on all the vehicles around us, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Enforcing traffic laws was just one part of a day in the life of law enforcement. Several times throughout the evening the deputy was called to respond to this or that incident, turning around, engaging his lights and sirens, and speeding down the highway. It really was surreal to be in the vehicle at that time, watching the lights illuminate everything around us and seeing cars get out of our way (or not, if they didn’t notice!).

I did not see a single ticket issued all night, just a couple of warnings. I noticed right away how similar the deputy’s incident system was to the ticket systems I have used in my IT career. Dispatch logs calls with different priorities, and deputies take care of them as they can. This instantly gave me a new appreciation for what deputies experience during their shifts. In tech support, priorities can range from a minor inconvenience to an ongoing loss of revenue. For law enforcement, priorities can range from a minor inconvenience to someone’s life being on the line.

Perhaps what impressed me the most about the deputy I rode with was his attention to detail. Even when making conversation he was still constantly scanning the road, looking for people driving too fast, unsafely, or violating other traffic laws, or drivers who simply looked out of place. With his years of experience, the deputy has developed an eye for when things are out of place, such as drivers who for whatever reason want to avoid attention from law enforcement.

Officers on duty can’t afford to be distracted. I find myself constantly distracted when I’m trying to write, whether by children or Twitter or whatever, but the deputy maintained concentration on the task at hand. He can’t afford to be distracted — an emergency call could come across the radio at any moment.

During the ride along I enjoyed learning about the deputy’s perspective on law enforcement, family, community, drugs, and more. I found him friendly and knowledgeable, with a true desire to make our community safer and better for everyone. He was a fine example of what all our law enforcement personnel should be.

I recommend everyone take opportunities like this when they can — it was an amazing experience. I thank Sheriff Clifford, the entire Ada County Sheriff’s Office, and the deputy who allowed me to experience a few hours of his daily routine.