mitchellosu
Merion Village
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I'm thinking about doing a ride-along with CPD in the 11th precinct, which covers GV, MV and some of the areas across Parsons. I feel like it will be very interesting at a minimum and may also give me a little insight into the difficulties cops face (I could stand to be a little more appreciative of the police).
Anyone ever done this? If so, what was the experience like?
theroberthogan
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I did this when I was in high school in the mid-nineties and was thinking of becoming a cop. It can be really interesting or really boring depending on when and where you ride along. It's an interesting experience that will definitely make you appreciate the work the police do.
lifeliberty
Here
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theroberthogan wrote I did this when I was in high school in the mid-nineties and was thinking of becoming a cop. It can be really interesting or really boring depending on when and where you ride along. It's an interesting experience that will definitely make you appreciate the work the police do.
+1 did it about 6 years ago with CPD. You can go a half shift or entire shift. Not sure of the precinct #, but it was campus. it was really interesting and you learn a lot about the neighborhood. I think it really depends on who you ride with.
alison
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I did it several years ago as well, and the thing that floored me was the vast amount of paperwork that was involved even on a routine night. Not only were the pair I was with filing out forms for much of the night -- they went back to the station afterwards and wrote up even more. That was a big concern for them.
I agree, it's a great idea to go on a ride-a-long. Gives you better insight (good and bad!) on the police.
lifeliberty
Here
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i'm not sure. i did it through the citizen police academy
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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I think you can usually request it on your own.
It's something I'll probably do once I have my degree and teaching certification and find a job. Get a better understanding of the neighborhood I am working in and where the kids are coming from.
Shade
Beechwold
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I went on a ride along about a year ago with my friend who works in the 13th precinct. The boundaries are I-71 to the West, Frebis to the North, Alum Creek to the East. I forget what the southern boundary is but I think it includes part of I-270 and down to the Southerly WWTP. We went on a false 911 call, went in a couple condemned/abandoned houses, and responded to a burglar alarm at an industrial site on Alum Creek (called in the chopper for that one!). The thing that took most of our time was a multiple car crash with injuries that closed southbound 33 during evening rush hour. Lots of paperwork to do for that. My friend has gotten to know the area well including people who report crime and those who commit it repeatedly. I was surprised how hands-on the experience was. I was instructed to follow behind the officers in all situations: even when they had their guns out going into an unknown situation, and if a suspect ran I was to run behind the police as well. It definitely gave me a better understanding of what the police do and what is going on in the neighborhood.
mitchellosu
Merion Village
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shroud wrote So is this something anyone can do? It doesn't have to be through a school or anything?
The Minority Recruiting Unit handles the ride along program. 614 645-4642.
shroud
Polaris
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mitchellosu wroteshroud wrote So is this something anyone can do? It doesn't have to be through a school or anything?The Minority Recruiting Unit handles the ride along program. 614 645-4642.
Ok, this is going to sound dumb, but ... even if I'm not a minority?
mitchellosu
Merion Village
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shroud wrotemitchellosu wroteshroud wrote So is this something anyone can do? It doesn't have to be through a school or anything?The Minority Recruiting Unit handles the ride along program. 614 645-4642.
Ok, this is going to sound dumb, but ... even if I'm not a minority?
Yeah, but I'm not really sure why.
jpizzow
Above the American Apparel building
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I went on a ride-a-long with the cops, but it was in the back seat. Christmas party gone wrong = DUI.......don't judge........and yea, the cop did paper work at the station for about three hours. i kind of felt sorry for her. it was about 4 in the morning by the time she finished everything. she had to write EXACTLY every little detail that happened from the time she got there to the time she layed her pen down after writing that she was taking me home. what a waste of police protection.
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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Paperwork sucks. I have to do incident reports for work when things happen. Sadly I've gotten very good at writing up the "kid shit in the pool". The worst was supervising over the summer and doing the back boarding one. I ended up 3-4 witness statements, plus my own version; had to make multiple copies for various higher ups.
I can only imagine how tedious the police stuff is.
mitchellosu
Merion Village
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Well, I just signed up for my ride along. Precinct 11 (German Village, Merion Village, areas along Livingston) this Friday from 6-10. It ended up being slightly more complicated then just calling Minority Recruiting. Minority Recruiting told me that they only schedule ride-alongs for those who have completed the application process to join the force and I was transferred to the precinct and they scheduled me.
All I have to do is show up in business-casual attire a few minutes early and then sign a waiver. I'll post after I complete my ride-along.
mitchellosu
Merion Village
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I guess I'm being really anticlimactic. Anyway, I did the ride-along about 2-3 weeks ago on what ended up being one of the coldest days of the past year. I was told by several cops that cold usually means slow evening, but I did see a fair amount of action.
My instructions were to follow my officer everywhere (unless he told me to stay in the car) and stay a couple feet behind him. The only time I had to stay in the car was when there was an on foot pursuit (with guns drawn) of three "perps" who attempted to break into a house. But I was able to get very up close and personal with the seamy underbelly of South Columbus. Even on the coldest day of the year, crackheads, drug dealers, prostitutes, and other misc. criminals were still active in the area.
The experience was a lot of fun and I'd recommend it to any urban core dweller. Most of the precincts that cover the lower-crime downtown neighborhoods also cover portions of higher crime areas and knowing this, and seeing the substantial amount of activity going on during a slow day, helped me see how hard many officers work to keep the city safe. Also, I think I might do another this summer to see what a busy night is like.
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