Police Blog Series #1 – R.I.D.E

February 2, 2010

It was still dark outside when I woke up…the alarm read 4:30 am…time to get ready for work.  I arrived at the station around 5:30 am, and began putting on my uniform.  I have always enjoyed putting on my freshly pressed pants and dark blue shirt, as if I was wearing them for the first time while at the Police College.  After a quickly polishing my boots, I head upstairs to be paraded.

As I greet my colleagues, I can’t help but notice that everybody looks sharp.  A group of men and women dedicated to looking and acting professional.  I have grown to trust these individuals as if my life depended on it, literally.  A group of sergeants bring us up to date on the projects, BOLOs (Be On Look Out), and new case law.  The meeting ends with laughter as my partner cracks a joke.

I make my way to my cruiser and pack it full with my duty and supply bags.  It’s going to be a cold day from what I heard on the radio.  I don’t like the cold, but somebody has to be out here.

We set up for R.I.D.E spot check.  The cold wind beats against my face, but I’m eager to catch an impaired driver.  An hour passes and it appears everyone is behaving, when my partner notices that a dark car in the distance is making a U-turn.  We quickly retreat to our cruiser and give chase.  As I activate my emergency lights, the dark car slowly pulls over to the right shoulder.  I cautiously walk up to the driver side window and notice a middle aged man staring straight ahead.  I ask him a couple questions but he ignores me.  He finally looks at me and asks why I stopped him, as he speaks, I can smell a strong odour of alcohol from his breath.

After conducting a roadside test, the man is arrested and brought back to our station for further breath samples.

Impaired driving is prevalent; however, we are doing are best to chip away at the problem one driver at a time.  I truly believe we are doing the right thing.  I want to make a difference.

With short term fun, comes long term paperwork.  There is more paperwork in this job than they will tell you, but somebody has to do it.

Before I know it, the end of my shift rolls around.  I look forward to seeing my family; I look even more forward to putting on my uniform again.

Officer Sterling