Riding with the PoPo - Day Shift
The last (and only) ride along I experienced was back in 1997, some 25 years ago, when I lived in Santa Monica. So, I was thrilled to be able to do another here in Grimes County. I want to express my gratitude to the Grimes County Sheriff’s Department for allowing me to hang with them for a few shifts this past week.
The Day Shift - My day began with a visit to dispatch where they answer calls for help. The dispatch crew struck me as very professional in their approach and very caring for the individuals on the other end of the line. Some of them are cross trained for other duties, something that was mentioned several times throughout my two-day ride along experience. The folks at the Sheriff’s Department wear multiple hats and are ready to throw in whenever and wherever needed to take up slack during times of need.
For those who don’t know, Grimes County is big. At more than 800 sq. miles, it is nearly the size of Rhode Island. And its entirety is patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department who do their best to make their presence known with the goal of helping to keep order in our society.
Early in the day as I started patrol with a Sheriff’s Deputy, things were a bit slow. But I was warned not to use the “q word” (quiet) which is akin to whistling backstage during a live performance. It’s just plain bad luck. That quiet could change at any time, considering that each Deputy responds to over 100 calls per month.
With no active calls waiting in the queue, the Deputy uses his/her own discretion as to what type of activities to pursue (e.g., traffic enforcement, neighborhood patrols, serving warrants, etc.). This morning, the Deputy went on patrol and drove into some known trouble areas deep in the woods of Grimes County.
Lunchtime came along and just as the food was served, that is when the quiet ended. A call came in about a suicide threat. These calls are treated very seriously by law enforcement and mental health officials as one might expect when bodily injury is threatened. No fewer than 15 people from numerous County and State agencies were on the scene within minutes, with another several maintaining contact via the radios.
Personnel talked this person down from hurting themselves and the situation eventually came to a calm point. And just that quickly, when you think the situation is under control and the person is being compliant, they suddenly become combative and put up a fight with the officers. The person was eventually taken to a facility for further evaluation.
A few things were evident from this one call. The first was the cooperation among the agencies. Everyone worked together to handle the situation. Another was how this call reflected the overall MHMR needs that are common in our (and most other) communities that have limited resources to address them. And yet another is that, while it may take more time than you would imagine resolving a call like this one, the day shift somehow flies by in a flurry of activity.
I was impressed by the professionalism shown with dispatch officers and the deputies with whom I rode. One thing the deputy mentioned was that the Sheriff’s Department was like family. That was evident throughout the experience. I will continue this series with the Night Shift ride along. Stay tuned!
The column represents the thoughts and opinions of Johnny McNally. Opinion columns are NOT the opinion of the Navasota Examiner.
Johnny McNally is Grimes County’s Best Dressed Businessman advocating for Grimes County and writes a bi-weekly column for the Navasota Examiner.