ride-along with the cops...amazing!

[Mike88]

Last night I went on a ride-along with the Montreal police. What an experience! I spent time with 4 different officers (in teams of 2) on patrol. I spent most of the 8 hour shift patrolling through Little Burgundy, St. Henri and Point St. Charles, which are widely considered to be the poorest, and ghettoized neighborhoods in all of Canada. I saw a fair amount of action, including a foot chase, two cop car chases (one where we were flying over speed bumps in back alleys at 70km/h) and a domestic dispute where a husband had threatened to stab his wife. I also checked out the regional criminal processing lab where I saw a few lock-ups.

I'm writing a paper on racial profiling and I saw plenty of it. I must say tho, I've spent most of my semester reviewing what the academic literature says about this, but without getting into details after seeing it first hand it seems to be a necessary part of policing.

The highlight of the night had to be 110km/h in a 30km/hr
zone in repsonse to a graffiti call with metallica - master of puppets blasting in the cop car. Amazing way to get the adrenaline pumping!

[hockeyman]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

A few times a year, we get ride-alongs too. College Kids that are writing a paper or studying for a job in Criminal Law. Normally, we get them on slow days like Sundays or Holidays.

[dmw319]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

ive always wanted to do one here on saturday nights where i know a street the ricers always do stupid stuff at and tell him to go there with me in the car lol.

[Mike88]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

A few times a year, we get ride-alongs too. College Kids that are writing a paper or studying for a job in Criminal Law. Normally, we get them on slow days like Sundays or Holidays.

Apparently they don't allow these things very often here...I got lucky and I ended up contacting the right person who pulled some strings. My professor who is from Arizona did his Phd in Ohio where he regularly went out on patrol with officers. He said its pretty normal for civilians to go out with cops in the US. I'm doing an independent research as part of my sociology undergrad at McGill. I graduate May 30th and then I'm off to do a Master's in Criminology at U of Toronto so this experience will definitly be good for my education.

[96greenmachine]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

i could ride along with cops too if i wanted, all u have to do is commit a crime and u can ride with them to ur local jail lol

[Fireball27]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

Hehe.. alright here it is:

Maybe Adam should go on a ride along... learn to keep himself out of trouble :D


















Oh wait! He's already been in the back of a police car

[vanbibber]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

damnit mark, you beat me to it

[stevethepirate]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

i too have been on a ride-along...
but in the back seat...with handcuffs on. guess it doesnt get any better than that!

[mloaks]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

I'm writing a paper on racial profiling and I saw plenty of it. I must say tho, I've spent most of my semester reviewing what the academic literature says about this, but without getting into details after seeing it first hand it seems to be a necessary part of policing.

I guess Hockey would have the real take, but for myself after many ride-a-longs, MP duty and such, yr statement above sums it up.

[ssms5411]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

Last night I went on a ride-along with the Montreal police. What an experience! I spent time with 4 different officers (in teams of 2) on patrol. I spent most of the 8 hour shift patrolling through Little Burgundy, St. Henri and Point St. Charles, which are widely considered to be the poorest, and ghettoized neighborhoods in all of Canada. I saw a fair amount of action, including a foot chase, two cop car chases (one where we were flying over speed bumps in back alleys at 70km/h) and a domestic dispute where a husband had threatened to stab his wife. I also checked out the regional criminal processing lab where I saw a few lock-ups.

I'm writing a paper on racial profiling and I saw plenty of it. I must say tho, I've spent most of my semester reviewing what the academic literature says about this, but without getting into details after seeing it first hand it seems to be a necessary part of policing.

The highlight of the night had to be 110km/h in a 30km/hr
zone in repsonse to a graffiti call with metallica - master of puppets blasting in the cop car. Amazing way to get the adrenaline pumping!

Thats alot of activity for one night, normally there maybe a Dui , domestic violence call, robbbery call or theft, but normally it depends on if your doing traffic or hot calls that depends on how busy you are. Sounds like you were with the guys who take all the hot calls that come in.

[crushedout]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

I've been on 5 ride alongs, none were my choice though. :o

[Smoke Panther]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

I've done police ride-alongs as a suppliment to some CJ classes I've taken...I wasn't too blown away by the experience. I know on my first one, the cop was talking to his wife the entire time...then, on the second and third ones, we had a few domestic disputes and served a handful of warrants.

[Mike88]

Re: ride-along with the cops...amazing!

Thats alot of activity for one night, normally there maybe a Dui , domestic violence call, robbbery call or theft, but normally it depends on if your doing traffic or hot calls that depends on how busy you are. Sounds like you were with the guys who take all the hot calls that come in.

The cops kept appologizing to me for having such a slow night. They recommended I come back in the summer when it really gets rough. Its like I said...the police 'poste' as they call it in french that I chose patrols Montreal's roughest neighbourhoods...there are a lot of gangs, drugs, and really low-rent appartments. I mean the back seat of the cop car that i was in had spit all over the ceiling and blood on the divider between the back and front seats. These were the slums. I realize they were probably nothing like the ghettos in Detroit and other American cities that you hear about, but I doubt cops would ever allow civilians to go on patrol in those places.

The cops I was with were very energetic. The 4 that I spent time with were all in their mid-20s. I think you have to be young and not have your own family if you want to work in a neighbourhoods like that. One of the cops had responded to the shooting at Dawson College here in Montreal last September. He saw the girl die and even shot at the killer. But, I asked 2 of them and they both told me that they were assigned to that post by choice.