PoliceLink

Our ride alongs are expected to dress in a business manner.  Doesn't mean you need to wear a suit and definently not a dress but in a way, you are representing not only yourself but that department for the time you are in the car.  As for the duties, watch and learn - nothing more.  Remember, the officer you are riding with may have some sort of influence over your hiring in that department if that is in fact your ultimate goal.  Be respectful of their wishes and they will let you know what you can and can't do during the shift you ride with them.

Our department discourages most ride alongs but do leave the decision up to the individual post commanders as to who rides along and why.  During the ride alongs that came along with me, I would tell them, its ok or not ok to approach this next vehicle with me.  When I was dispatched to calls, they came with me to take the complaint.  If the situation just didn't "feel right", then they were advised to stay in the car.  They were also instructed how the radio worked (800mhz digital) in case, God forbid, everything went sideways.  Otherwise they were there just to observe and ask questions later, after the situation had cleared.  For the most part, the officer you are assigned to will let you know "their rules" before you even get into the car.

Steve

Business casual dress is the norm. Even something like cargo pants and a black t-shirt is acceptable in the summer months. No bright colors. Just don't be flashy! I would also suggest a water bottle (at minimum) and a notepad & pen. I would not go overboard packing a whole backpack or anything... but keep in mind you will be sitting in a vehicle for probably half a shift or more.

What you can expect is for anything to happen! Thats the fun part of the job. It may be a slow night and nothing may happen, or you may be busy and go from call to call all evening. I would expect to stay in the car for the most part. However, being an extra set of eyes and ears can be a big help.

How about ride-alongs to officers wanting to do lateral transfer withing state? Do you encourage them to wear uniform? Come armed? I would wear my vest whether or not allowed, for my safety.

I don't know about every state, but i have state wide powers (i work for state police), so i can arrest if needed.

 When I went on one I wore refular civi's, I went the whole shift for 10 hrs.. Felt like a half hour! Time flew by.. I picked his brain. I made sure to get a FTO for that reason. We went on a  lot of domestic disputes and a few traffic stops.. Then at the end of the night someone called in a attempted murder so we flew through town to be the first on scene.. It was a kid making prank calls. It was very fun and a good learning experience.. Made me want to be an LEO that much more.

I made sure to ask for a Friday night. They said I should hear back within 2 weeks. I'm so excited. They said to dress in casual dress but plain clothes, no writing on the shirts.

When a ride-along gets pointed my direction, we have an old vest in our storage that I give them to wear.  They are pointed to a bathroom to put the vest on under their clothes.  They want the experience, they may as well get as much as I can provide and if it is summer time, might as well give them not only protection but the heat also.  You may wish to wear a comfortable undershirt that will "protect" you if they loan you a vest to wear.

I work nights and while the post has provided us some Stinger flashlights. . . .for some reason they never seem to get put back in their charger when some officers use them, ergo I have my own flashlights I bring with me.  If you are going to ride at night, I would bring a quality flashlight that you can use and then not have to ask to borrow one.

Other things you may wish to consider, you may also want to bring pen and paper cause I have my ride-alongs take notes so they can write my report later on.  Bring their own handcuffs, gas, baton, Sam Browne and all so I can sit in the car while they go up and take the complaint, make the arrest and bring bad guy back to the car. . . . . .BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!  (No, I just added this paragraph for fun.)

I've been on a few with my local dept.'s and they're a blast.  Business casual is the dress for my local pd's, with the sheriff it's more like BDU's or jeans and boots as they cover serious farm country.  With the local pd's they have an old vest they have you wear and with the sheriff's a friend usually let's me borrow one his old ones and I find for my own comfort the undershirt is a must.  The one I like is underarmour, but a regular Fruit of the loom will work, if you're not sure if they issue you one then bring along an undershirt in case.  If it's at night I'd suggest bringing your own flashlight, small but powerfull Led should do, pen, notebook, and I bring along my Gerber multitool just in case.  Always follow all directions from the officer.  Don't ask off the bat "how do I get to the shotgun if (&( hits the fan and how do I work the radio" or "can I play with the sirens?".  If you've got questions then write them down in the notebook and wait until the officer has cleared the call before asking.  Also if it's at night stay awake, lay down for a nap before going out.  Sounds funny but I know of another "candidate" that was on a ride along and fell asleep in the car midway thru the shift.  Not a good thing to do.  Relax and have some fun while learning.

I just scheduled a ride along with the department in the town where I go to school. I'm pretty excited about it, should be on the 20th just have to wait to hear back and make sure everything is confirmed. Plan on going on the evening shift. Some good info posted in here. They also instruced to wear business casual. Good luck Kitti, and wish me luck!

Do it on a friday nights its wild down here in New Orleans every night but Friday is the funnest. A flashlight is good but remember not to sillouet the officer. Good luck and have fun. 

Don't get me wrong, I know and understand how dangerous and serious it is but I also know that this is what I want to do. That's why its exciting to me. I also have security experience. I hope nothing goes wrong but I also know what to do if it does. I apreciate you bringing it up though.

Thanks cjustus. I definatly want to get as much of the experience as I can. I'm feeling very good about it and I've learned to trust my feelings. I want to thank everyone who replied and I will keep all of you informed on how it goes. Be safe out there.

I'm hoping to get a ride a long as well, we'll see. Since I'm Army, hopefully that'll help me out some, but we'll see!! I'm excited, but scared because I know things can go very ugly before you know it. Ride a longs are good, but I can see where it'd be like babysitting for the officer in the car. We'll see how it goes!

I am always sure to know the risks before I get into anything, and also know what to do if something goes very wrong. Attention to detail is something drill sergeants say, and it's a good saying to listen too!!

Don't be nervous. Put good faith in the fact that the officer you'll be riding with is a professional, and it's not their first day at work.

The bottom line for us is that we go home at the end of our shift. And so will you.

I've done quite a few with the department I dream of working for (next to Las Vegas, haha).  It's really great, and the 3rd shift crew is starting to get to know me, which is great.  All the guys are all about success and education, so even if they don't want you with them, they don't act like it.  They teach you as much as they can and show you as much as they can.

Ray_Man says ...

Well, I just recieved confirmation that my ride along was approved. I'm going with the Knoxville (Knoxville TN, I know there are some officers from around this area on here) Police Department on the 20th for the evening shift!

I actually received a call today but of course, I was at school, so going to hear back from them tomorrow morning