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I just filled out my request for ride along in Clay County FL. It clearly states on the form that you will be going on every standard call the officer would typically perform in the line of duty, and that you ackowledge and hold harmless the CCSO for injury or death. In speaking with some of the local officers here, they have stated to me that if they are well aware of an immediate danger you are to stay inside the car. Other than that on any standard traffic, or domestic issue you will accompany the officer on the stop or inside.

I agree with MPD.... make sure you follow the officers rules, stay safe, ask for a vest and wear it if they are available.  You never know when you may need it.  I wouldnt drive 130 miles an hour to a armed robbery by myself, much less with a ride along.  Too dangerous to yourself and to others on the road.... you do the citizens no good if you don't make it to the call because you crashed your car at 130 MPH. 

Enjoy the ridealong!  It gives citizens a great look at what real police work is about.

Come on.. say it.. we hate ridealongs.. they are a pain in the ass.. Its like having to babysit someone.

Somehow I always seemed to get the baptist minister from some podunk midwestern town for my ridealongs....

so.. the first thing I always did was take them to the

Pleasure Chest.. 7771 Santa Monica Blvd,, there they could look at all the black latex S and M outfits and all the lovely devices the same users would like to use upon themselves...I especially liked the rubber facemask with the built in 12 inch dildo for a nose

then onto the PussyCat Theatre where they could see all the men dressed in raincoats with happy faces playing pocket pool...

then onto the Blvd and back alleys where the Mayor and friends (West Hollywood is of course an All American gay city) would be having consensual sex in the bushes... scattering like ants when we lit the place up

By the time I did the rounds they had their crosses out and were looking for Lucifer around every corner... but for some reason they always wrote nice thank you letters to my Captain for the "nice" ride-along.. I can imagine the first sermon they delivered when back in nowheresville.... 

If I may respond ...

Most of the ride-alongs that I've done have been with LEOs who knew and trusted me so they felt more comfortable in having me actively participate.  When with LEOs who were familiar with me, they had me act almost like a second officer.  But when I rode with ones that I did not know/they didn't know me I never assumed they would be the same.  Some of them were, some weren't.  Seemed to be more of an officer to officer way of doing things vs. any departmental rule, code, SOP, what-have-you.  I always made sure to let the officer let me know how involved they wanted me to be.

One of the more common things they did with ride-alongs ... randomly through the shift ask the ride-along where they are.  If the ride-along didn't know, the LEO would say, "How will you get help to us if something happens to me." 

I don't mind riders as long as they are not forced upon me.  I think it should be voluntary for the individual officer instead of voluntold.  Most riders here for the most part sit in the car, it's policy.

Huge down side to the rider and potential upside is this example.  I was clearing the jail when I heard a female voice over the radio a Deputies call sign needs assistance, shots fired.  I was significantly alarmed since I had heard that Deputies call sign all night and it was not a female.  It turned out his mom was riding along, since I don't work for the SO I was aware of that at the time.  The upside, mom armed herself with the shotgun just in case.  The suspect hid behind a large tree and got splintered pretty good and got sentenced yesterday to 28 yrs.

SirJax says ...

 Exactly policewf. The only ride alongs that I have been on are with a friend's friend so they are a lot more comfortable, since one of their friends recommended me. So I wasn't sure if that made a big difference because I have yet to ride with someone that did not even some what know me. And I deffiently see why LEOs hate taking civilians on a ride, because then they have to rearrange their stuff and look after themselves and their ride along. When I ride, I shut up and listen and only ask questions when he is not busy... and usually I am rewarded with some taste of the action. If an LEO tells me to jump I am going to ask how high basically.

I was with a rescue squad back home and the majority of my rides were with LEOs from the area I worked.  I also did a few in a neighboring county and two with agenices that I had considered joining.  Those circumstances made for an easier time for all, I guess.

My Dept didn't allow it, thing called Civil Liability. Also insurance is not available to cover civilians here, as they won't pay the extra money for it. Workman's comp doesn't cover civilians, so it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. All the releases in the world can't stop it from going to court, and the expense of just defending such a lawsuit would be astronomical.

Oh, and to the "NOTMEOFFICER" ...  You would be EVER SO LUCKY to "babysit" ME..!   LOL

There are pro's and con's to the ride-along programs. Whenever you have a ride along you do not answer dangerous calls and expose your passenger to unnecessary danger if you can at all help it. You of course do not refuse a call for help but you do not rush to the scene just to show your ride what a shootout or robbery in progress is all about. Jax, you need to stop you, let me call it exaggerations?, and give you the benefit as they don't make you look good at all. The 130MPH remark is foolish and you know it. Also, no Officer I know of is going to take you that far from the unit into a dangerous housing project, especially in Jax. Keep it real here or suffer our wrath.

The pro's are it gives you a great opportunity to turn the public to view the cops with a very sympathetic eye when they see you as someone that is abused for very little compensation and who is doing nothing but trying to help the community. They tell their friends what a great group of cops are in there town and how we need to help them by reporting crimes and being good witnesses whenever they can and support us in pay and in court. You can do a lot to help.

Cons, remember that you can also do a LOT of harm as well! Don't bitch about the Police Department and it's senior Officers even if they make Goofy look smart. Don not sit there and refer to the civilians as dirt-bags, pukes, or profanities. Don't do anything that brings any kind of bad publicity on you or your department.

SirJax says ...

 Ok so I have heard a lot of talk about what civilian observers should be allowed to do while on ride alongs. I have recently been on several ride alongs where I have been able to walk blocks away from the squad care with the cop and walk back into really bad apartment complexes and then have to run all the way back to the car when a armed robbery call comes through; which then we drive 130 MPH to get there. I have also been in the action when a suspect is forcefully detained. I am not complaining at all because it really showed me what being a cop is like, since I am a little less than a year away from starting the hiring process. Basically what I am asking is do you think things like this is too much, because when some cops answer my questions they are shocked about what I have been able to do, and others are glad that I was able to get a taste of the action. I couldn't ask for a better experience though, so don't get me wrong. I am more than happy that I was able to experience what I did. 

You got lucky...My kid is an Explorer and he has had the same experience as you...Because he has a level head...Most of the guys won't ride with an explorer much less let him speak...You sound like your gonna do fine...I'm glad you got shown the real side of police work instead of being dropped off at a 7-11 when the poop hits the fan.

TheSarge says ...

I get to ridealong everyday I am work .... with me, myself and I. Holy smokes, what a riot.

I get to see weird cranksters swallow their last tooth.

I get to hear cops yelling for help cuz they''re engaged in a fist-a-cuff donnyhbrook battle for their lives.

I get to smell what a body smells like when the  A/C is left off, a person has died and no one knows until two weeks later.

I get to go to calls where people beat the poop out of each other and then turn around and smooch and have a BBQ cuz they are missing most of the their cerebellum.

I get to drive a car that has been driven by 20 other guys with a spastic colon. And there are marks to prove it.

I get to ridealong and see all kinds of cool stuff that never makes the final edit to the TV show COPS.

Most of all, I get to ridealong with me.

I can hardly stand myself.

Get a life.

10-8....

My God that 2 week no AC body smell I been out for 12 yrs and can still remember them...Along with the maggots,....After the first one I started carrying Vicks Vapo Rub and shoved that under my nose before I even walked in...

Georgia_Cop says ...

We have interns ride with us.   We used to have dispatchers in training ride with us so they could see first hand what they would be sending us to.   I haven't seen one in a while so I guess we've stopped doing it.  One was in the car during a close quarter shoot out.   The officer he was riding with and the back up unit both had to reload twice during the incident.  The bad guy reloaded once.   A lot of rounds were flying and that dispatcher was trying to make himself very small behind the dash of the car.  I don't know if that ended that ride along program or not.

As an FTO, when I don't have a recruit, I get the ride alongs.  I hate it mostly.  I have to rearrange my stuff.  I have to look out for them.  I have to decide what they can or can't go in on.  I can't engage in pursuits with a civilian in the car.  I have to accomodate a second person with bathroom breaks and meals.   And the worst part is I can't sing along with the radio. 

That said, when I get a good ride along that doesn't ask a bunch of stupid questions and knows how to act, it isn't too bad.  I like to let them see what police work is really about as opposed to TV cops.   I've seen some eyes really get opened to reality.  Civilians that understand and support us for the split second decisions we make are our greatest allies.  They do outnumber us by about 120 to 1 afterall.  We need to keep as many of them on our side as possible.

What is it with you Georgia guy and your radios...I used to partner up with a guy from Georgia every once in a while..We fought over the radio station all night long....Then to drive everyone nuts we would alternate using the radio cause he had a thick southern accent and I had my thick NY accent,..Ah the good old days...

jakesdad says ...

Vicks and a cheap cigar.

Our dept doesn't allow tobacco,,,,,The old timers got grandfathered but for the last 15 yrs no cigs on or off duty...And no cigs in the public view..Which works for me I'm not a smoker

Georgia_Cop says ...

I had a guy that was dead for 2 weeks lying on the floor next to a gas flame heater that was on high.   He had the two weeks dead AND the slow roasted thing going on.   Vicks didn't help.  And my uniform had to be DX'd.

My brother had one that died under an electric blanket...Was bloated to the max...Being the smart cop he found the rookie and gave him his gas mask and told him to go in and handle it...Watched through the window as he touched the guy who exploded and the rookie puked in the gas mask,,,LOL would have loved to have seen that one...

If the speeds you talk about are true, then the officer you rode along with was very foolish. Being that I believe we have more level headed LEOs out there then foolish ones, I still find it hard to believe. If YOU were ok with riding along at 125+ MPH, then you are foolish. At those speeds, there is very little standing between you and death.