My first job as a sworn police officer was in a smaller town. It had a population of just over 10,000. I now work in a city that is a little bit bigger. Police in both big and small communities experience a lot of the same calls and meet some of the same kinds of people.
Smaller city police in my experience have some interesting realities that our bigger city brothers/sisters, just don’t experience.
1) Dispatch may call to tell you not to pull over the speeding BMW.
Our ER had some great doctors. Problem was there was often only one on staff late at night. If things got busy or when certain emergencies came in they would often call in other doctors from home.
One night EMS was dispatched to a call of a home birth that had developed complications. The mom-to-be was going to need an emergency C-section. The ER staff, knowing they would need an extra hand, called an OB surgeon. They then called our dispatch center and our dispatcher asked if the folks on patrol could look the other way. It was 3 AM on a weekday so there was no traffic and the sergeant agreed.
2) The local business owner may try to set you up with his daughter.
We had a gas station convenience store in town that was locally owned. They did not give out free coffee to cops, but the prices were low. The quality of what they had was also better than the big chain convenience stores.
Most of the staff was his family. More than once I would be in the store and he would ask about my schedule. He would then comment about how I seemed to share an off day with his daughter. Eventually I took the bait and asked her out. We had one date, it was good but we did not click in a romantic way. Five years later she got married to an officer with less seniority than me.
3) Even when off duty, people may call you ‘officer’ and point you out to others.
I know in bigger cities officers bump into people when off duty who recognize them. In a smaller town the statistical probability is just that much better.
Sitting at a restaurant eating lunch with a buddy. My ears perk up when I hear the waitress say my name to a customer. “Officer RJ, could help you with directions, I am afraid I don’t know where that is.” She pointed at me and the confused customer was looking around not seeing a police uniform.
After walking over to their booth I introduced myself and then gave them the directions. As they left they still had a confused look on their faces. I can imagine them thinking when did the police start wearing gym shorts and tee-shirts?
4) The neighbors may come over to your house, versus calling 911, in an emergency.
I had some good neighbors at the first house I owned. Hardworking families who actually felt safer knowing an officer lived on the same street.
One afternoon I was chilling out watching TV – maybe even playing some Xbox – when I heard a pounding on my door. Opening the door I see my neighbor. “Come quick I think Joey (his son) broke his arm.”
Luckily the charger for my portable radio sat on the table by the door. I grabbed the radio and followed him out to the sidewalk. Joey was lying on the ground next to his bike. His arm was not pointing in the right direction. I keyed the microphone and asked dispatch to send EMS to my house. Three minutes later paramedics were helping the kid out.
5) A suspect’s mom may fix a complaint before you even arrive on scene.
Listening to the police scanner is almost as entertaining as binge watching shows on Netflix – assuming that is the local police has not switched over to some fancy digital encrypted system.
We had an ongoing problem with a young man named Tom playing music too loud in his apartment. One night I was dispatched to Tom’s for loud music. When I arrived at the apartment complex he was sitting on a bench outside with his ID card in hand.
“My mom called me after hearing you get dispatched on her police scanner. I figured things would go better if I made the process faster for you...”
