K.C. Police on V-Day

I never thought I would be spending my Valentine’s day in a police car. Really it was only the last five hours of the grand holiday. If I was back home on Valentine’s day I would just be stuck with some beautiful lady on a romantic evening. Alright, that actually would probably be a lot better than spending it in a police car. But I’ve got the rest of my life for romantic nights. Before this trip started I told myself that one host would be a police officer. Check that off. I also said I wanted to do a ride-along to see what it’s all about. Check that off too.

Now let me tell you, if you ever want an amazing tour of the city, don’t pay for it. You can have an amazing free tour in any city by signing up at the police station to do a ride-along, and you’ll have some adventure, learn a lot more than just the tourist spots, and have a new respect for law enforcement. My host, Dave, teaches at the academy to both recruits and current officers. Tonight he set me up with the Central Police Division in KC for a five-hour ride around town.

Pretty soon I might be adding one more item to the list of things I want to be in life, a police officer. Before coming to Kansas City I had never thought of being either a police officer or a fire fighter, now I would consider both. A big thanks to Daniel for taking me out tonight. In the winter the city is pretty quiet, temperatures in the single digits and some snow is a good way to reduce crime. We responded to a few calls, a diabetic who was low on sugar, a guy who’s lady friend smashed the rear lights of his car (sounds like someone forgot to get her flowers), and urging a homeless man to move on after not refusing to leave a bar. That was tough, to see a homeless man be moved out to the streets on a cold night. But what’s to be done?

Once again, go to your local police department and ask if they have a ride-along program! You’ll be thankful you did. It’s an awesome line of work and I have great respect for it.