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10 Tips for Ride-Alongs
Dr. Richard Weinblatt
6) Less Talk, More Listen
Many folks engaged in their first ride-along get quite excited. That leads to the motor mouth syndrome. Officers tend to be reserved when they first meet their ride-along. They are unsure of the person’s motivations or perspective at first. It is better to go slow and allow the officer to get to know you. In an adaptation of the old adage, it is better to be quiet and listen than to speak and be thought of as a fool. It should go without saying that profanity and other unprofessional speech has no place. These guidelines are particularly true if you are an aspiring officer applying to the agency, as they often serve as another layer of unofficial screening for the department.
latino65
about 3 years ago
2 Comments
How do u find out how to get a ride along and see i am intrested in being a police officer and would like the experiance please email me some information rosiehinojosa29@yahoo.com
lillawangel12
about 3 years ago
174 Comments
Thanks for the advice.. I'd would add don't wear any heavily scented perfume or cologne.. You don't want to knock the police officer out.
Kath
about 3 years ago
1814 Comments
Thanks for the advice. :o)
sac305bw
about 3 years ago
2 Comments
Ride aongs are a great opportunity for a law enforcement agency to maintain transparency in their communities but have very little value in building police/community relationships. We can't hope to show anybody what it is we do in a few hours, days or even weeks. So for most participants a ride along is little more than entertainment.
The exception are the people who work in social agencies, United Way, shelters, mental health workers and others upon whom we depend. Law Enforcement Explorers make good riders as long as their program establishes requirement for eligibility. And finally, community leaders from groups like the Chamber of Commerce always take something away froma ride along that comes back to the police department.
Everybody else should, in my opinion, stay home and try to catch a rerun of The Rockford Files.
helmsley
about 3 years ago
2 Comments
I have done several ride-alongs w/my local PD & they are a lot of fun. I also learnt so much & how dangerous their jobs can be. It is through these ride-along officer's that I have come to gain the respect I have for this PD,as they are the one's you spend the time with.I have come to see that the officer's of this department arent as bad as people make them out to be.I recommend that everyone does a ride-along or the Citizen's academy if your local PD offers it.
TheCopDoc
about 3 years ago
220 Comments
"Fire Hand" Experience should be "First Hand" Experience. Sorry, but that was a typo that was not caught.
-- Dr. Richard Weinblatt
DRE911
about 3 years ago
4 Comments
What is fire hand experience with handcuffs because I want to be a police officer.
Patrolman25
about 3 years ago
178 Comments
I've taken a few people on ride alongs and it has always been enjoyable for me and my riders. This article is great and full of great advise. Just to add something, I always tell a rider that they should be prepared to be dropped off at a local gas station or restaurant in the event of a call that is too dangerous for them to go on.
MTPD7
about 3 years ago
48 Comments
I often host riders. My department has a very strict policy regarding who can ride along, including current members of our Citizen's Police Academy, Township Trustees and Police Explorers. As a Police Explorer Advisor, I host riders almost every week. This has mostly been a great experience. It is fun to see the excitement of someone riding for the first time. These are some very good tips for riders. Civilians that enjoy the experience should look into the possibility of attending a Citizen's Police Academy for an even more in-depth experience.
diderr
about 3 years ago
66 Comments
I've did a few ride alongs with the local PD. It was fun, and I learned a lot. The reality of it is it can be dangerous, but different departments have different SOP's for ride alongs for safety.
And, yes I saw some things you won't see on T.V.
Peter281
about 3 years ago
10 Comments
I have to add a comment, I only spoke when spoken to, and kept my hands to my self in the car, as far as touching the computer screen, etc. I had been given rules to what to do in my civilian police academy class.
Peter281
about 3 years ago
10 Comments
I had the ride along wtih my local PD, and I had thetime of my life. I filled out the pre-ride paperwork and fun watching the officer work as well as talk to him and was his extra pair of eyes catching red light runners.
clobster
about 3 years ago
1552 Comments
I really hope that most of this wasn't new for people wanting to do ride alongs, because its a lot of common sense stuff you should have figured out to begin with.
gonzalezjaime50
about 3 years ago
32 Comments
I am currently in school, majoring in Criminal Justice, and was pleased to see that I am eligible for a ride-along. I was really excited about the fact until I read resortcop's post. I'm glad I read it, it gave me the understanding that ride-alongs can sometimes be dangerous as well. Thanks for the heads up.
resortcop
about 3 years ago
34 Comments
Anothr good thing to remember is that ride-alongs can be in the line of fire. A few years ago here in East Tennessee, a county deputy and his ride-along were ambushed and shot to death by a murderous set of brothers as they were pulling up in front of the house. It was a really sad day. Especially since they got away with it in the court system. I sometimes have ride-alongs, and I always spend time instructing them in what to do if things go bad. But, sometimes, all the instruction in the world is not enough to prevent a tragic event.