View from the front passenger seat of the APD patrol car while parked at the Cayuga County Jail, during the "Ride Along" September 23, 2020 (photo credit: Lisa Brennan)
I suspect there is trepidation whenever you are faced with a planned activity that you do not know what to expect or a spontaneous unplanned meeting with your boss, an expected call from your doctor with test results or when you have to deal with anyone in authority and you do not know why.
Experiencing anxiety is probably thrown into this emotional vortex of trepidation especially when your “fate” is planned in advance; is circled on your calendar with big asterisks, and each day prior gets a big “X” before going to bed.
Wednesday, September 23rd was my day (co-shared with Lisa Brennan.)
It was the long scheduled “Ride-A-Long” with an Auburn, NY police officer. A four-hour commitment into the unknown and little experienced world and job of a police officer.
Our involvement was a proactive endeavor to better understand and “appreciate” the rigors of that job. A job that is minimally understood by the public. And that lack of insight may be due to the job’s inherent, ever-changing complexities and layers of operational oversight. It may also be due to the public’s one dimensional viewpoint of that job as just being centered on apprehension, arrest and unfortunately for a small handful of some officers a use of force that goes above and beyond; errant behavior fueled by a profound disrespect for the lives of folks who may not look like them, and therefore are not accorded the “to protect and serve” provision of the sworn oath.
Police work, like any other job, is tempered by some tediousness, by observation, waiting, detailed paperwork, camaraderie, cramped office space, wit and humor, boxed pizza or refrigerated food that is forgotten because the demands of the job did not give time for a food break. It is a job where being on alert and ever watchful is an always consistent sensibility. Expecting your fellow officers to have your back because the rigors of the job, the monthly changing quadrants of coverage, the minimal info on a call from dispatch ratches up your emotions because you really do not know what to expect at any possible crime-related scene or when a police presence is requested by a citizen or required by a situation.
These are my Ride-A-Long take-aways even though my experience was grounded in waiting…for fire department officers to assess an arrested person’s health due to drug misuse; ambulance personnel transporting the person to the hospital; waiting while health care workers did assessment, blood tests and evaluating whether or not admittance was warranted…waiting. …and then some.
And while there was acknowledgment by hospital staff that there was an apprehended patient present, I brought my “dark humor” to the forefront since it became evident that the wait time for this person was really no different from that of the average person seeking hospital care. I further realized certain patients are well known by hospital staff since they routinely work the system to delay an arraignment in court and possible jail time. And then you remember what you already knew…some folks know how to work the system…to delay jailing…to be silent or to talk when it benefits her/his agenda. And you become more respectful as to how officers “treat” those in custody. The humaneness and basic respect accorded the arrested person and the embedded training to follow the law regardless of what the person in custody manipulates to their advantage. The officer’s patience. Their chit chat while waiting. The head nods or brief words to fellow officers who are in the same place, at the same time. The waiting.
Waiting.
Eventually the medical assessment determined no admittance was needed. Onto the Cayuga County jail. Intake. Waiting. Trying to catch another call to give the guest rider another view of the job, of policing, of keeping the community safe.
Overall, it was a quiet evening, possibly uneventful in the larger scheme of policing but enlightening and informative. My officer had the opportunity to catch up and do her paperwork. With a quick meal at the computer while typing. Other officers engaged me in what they do; shared photos; enabled me to see them as people and not some monolithic entity; shared the ins and outs of what they do, the standards they hold dear; a willingness to share their passion, their job, who they are.
The officer I shared the patrol car with had a passion to help others at an early age.
It was the summer of her 16th year of age when she was working as a lifeguard. A co-worker called her and asked if she could work. She declined. She would be venturing on an educational camping trip in the Adirondacks and therefore, out of town, unavailable. Had she been home, she knew she would have taken the shift. While she was away, a young boy drowned. Erase the trip, she would have been there, on duty, lifeguarding. Would her presence have made a difference? She will never know.
A year earlier at 15, as with other Americans and the global community, 9/11 was a huge factor for her. An impressionable moment that would serve to mark her life in a pointed manner. While in college, she thought the legal profession would be her career, becoming a lawyer. Interestingly, she abandoned that goal after an internship with the Livingston County Sheriff’s office located in Geneseo, NY. She was hooked. Motivated. She knew law enforcement was what she wanted to pursue and continue to do as her professional career.
Lisa rode with another officer and Lisa’s impressions were distinct, different, another aspect of the policing job.
First twenty minutes in the car, one domestic violence incident was broadcast. We drove past that residence after observing that there were already two patrol cars at the scene. We then drove to the downtown parking garage where an older seventy-ish lady had her unlocked car broken into and fifty dollars stolen.
From there....
There was the report of a woman in camo pants acting up near the Quik Fill gas station on West Genesee Street. She was aimlessly wandering in the street in the midst of traffic, an unsafe situation. Possibly under the influence, this woman was with a male who was adversarial but did not disrupt the police involvement. With her identity finally known, even as she claimed a different name, it was then confirmed that a bench warrant for her arrest was still active. The woman was handcuffed, the first such procedure I ever witnessed, and then put in the back of the car where I sat directly in front. Even with the separation of the crisscrossed protective bars, my heartbeat quickened, and I wondered what would happen next. She appeared despondent and quietly out of it. Her demeanor did not lessen my anxiety.
We went to the APD for processing and initial medical screening by fire department personnel. The woman claimed to be nauseous, and not feeling well. She admitted to using and being tripped up on "Molly." The Auburn Fire Department conducted a preliminary medical evaluation when four firemen arrived with their medical assessment equipment. An ambulance was called. This woman was then transported to Auburn Memorial Hospital always with two officers accompanying her. While bill was with another officer in a separate patrol vehicle, we “stood guard” with the officers until almost 7PM when it was medically deemed that she did not need to be hospitalized. Upon discharge from ACH, we drove to the county jail to "check her in" for processing.
WHAT A NIGHT!
I survived. I am haunted by the apprehended woman, her glassy, empty eyes and missing front teeth with other toothless spaces. This was my first experience seeing someone totally tripped out on drugs. She was somewhat an example of the walking dead... a zombie….what you see viscerally in movies; but this was the tragedy of real-life addiction. A life being slowly sapped. It was so incredibly sad. But never once was she demeaned or disrespected by the officers or any other “first responder.” They gave her a semblance of dignity.
I had some great conversation with the officers, especially my officer regarding what it is like to be a female police officer. She loves her job, clearly. Finding balance is key for her. When she leaves duty, she uses her drive home as an opportunity to decompress, where she is finally able to let some things go as she is greeted by her dog and that makes everything alright. When she removes her uniform and is no longer “Officer so and so, she is just who she is as a person. (That's what she said to me... really great conversation; to see her as an individual and not the uniform or the job.)
We also talked about pushups.... that it is hard for a woman to do pushups because we are not built that way. The vest, which weighs almost 25 pounds, and then the belt with all the police paraphernalia adds more weight. (It is not a job for everyone.)
So, do not underestimate a female officer who responds. She is focused, ready and equipped to be a police officer and handle a variety of situations to deescalate and shift the dynamics of troublesome situations.
It is that simple.
* * *
The APD officers through quiet moments of reflection, their professional stance when confronting a situation, and sharing unbiased and unscripted answers to questions they may have heard a thousand times from others made us feel (as separated individuals) like this was the first time hearing such questions. And while in separate cars, when Lisa and I shared take-aways, we assessed that both officers were proud to be members of a profession that continually seeks to serve the common good and ensure public safety.
We thank these officers for their patience in answering questions and giving us the opportunity to better understand their job. Bottom line? We would need a week of ride-a longs to fully comprehend what officers do since no ride along is the same or can be predicted as to what may come over the dispatcher’s broadcasts.
The bottom line?
Police work is complex and fraught with the extraordinary demands of accountability and public expectations for fairness and equal treatment.
Some departments leave a lot to be desired.
Some departments make the effort every day to have patrol officers, command staff and administrative leadership embody their oath of office…”to serve and protect.”
An Auburn Police Department Ride-A-Long may not be the preferred option for some of us, the way we want to use our free-time. However, is it worth the effort?
Bottom Line?
Yes. Period. Yes.
Lisa and I appreciated the officers’ time, as well as Chief Butler and Lieutenant Slayton for their arrangements and ongoing willingness to enable the general public to have opportunities to enter their world, see what they do, and have your own take-aways. Everyone at APD, especially the officers who had us as tag alongs, lessened the trepidation and anxiety while they opened their world to us. Their gesture was heartily appreciated.
Thank you.
bill berry, jr., chair, HTCJP
Lisa A. Brennan, secretary, HTCJP