Week Three With the SHPD

This past week at the Shaker Heights Police Department has actually been less exciting than previous weeks. Halle and I did a bunch of filing last week: traffic tickets, gun permits, other documents. But we've been really lucky to have all the cool experiences that we have had so far, so we can't complain.

Although two days were devoted specifically to filing, we still managed to get out on ride-a-longs last week. Halle and I are usually scheduled for ride-a-longs on the same day, but we alternate traffic and shift; if Halle's on a traffic ride-a-long, then I'm on shift. Traffic ride-a-longs are pretty self-explanatory, and those officers will respond to accidents, write accident reports, and run radar. Shift officers respond to 911 calls, alarms, etc. I rode with four different officers this past week (one traffic, three shift), and the officers I was with responded to a dog incident, an accident, a few alarms, and reports of stolen items. I actually got to witness another arrest today!! We almost got two more in the afternoon, but some issues got in the way (for one, the warrant was active in Berea, and the Berea police were not going to come to Shaker; for the other, the warrant was for some outstanding court fees (I think?), and the woman claimed she was on the way to the courthouse, so the officer compromised and just followed her back to the court).

Halle and I also had another K-9 demonstration last week, and this time I put on the bite sleeve. The bite sleeve is a hard plastic sleeve that comes all the way up to your shoulder, and it's wrapped in some carpet material. The sleeve doesn't have an opening for a hand; it instead has a metal bar inside that you hold on to. Anyways, the whole contraption is used for the police dog training. On the officer's command, the dog leaps, grabs ahold of the sleeve, and does not let go at any cost. Eventually, the bite sleeve wearer lets go of the metal bar inside, letting the sleeve slip off, and the dog will run off with it still in its mouth. So, I gotta say it was a bit frightening having a massive German Shepherd come at you pretty quickly. You don't feel a thing in the sleeve, but the dog is incredibly strong.

Halle and I have court and the dispatch center tomorrow. I think we have two more ride-a-longs total before the end of project. I think we'll also wind up in the detective bureau sometime this week as well. But needless to say, we're both having a blast, and I think we'll both be sad to see our project coming to a close.

Hope everyone is well,

Becky