I have such high praise for the work of Police Officers. It takes a special kind of person to do the work they do and not just anyone can do what they do on a daily basis. My experience of this past weekend only confirms this. As my previous post noted, Rachel and I went out to Madison this past weekend to see our friend Molly. As you may or may not be aware, Molly is a police officer in Madison. She had suggested a while back that the next time we visit, we should partake in a ride-along where we get to sit in the passenger seat while she makes her rounds and takes calls. It was both a very cool and kind of frightening invitation. However, neither of us could turn down the opportunity to see first hand what she gets to do on a daily basis.

Since I don't know what I can actually talk about, I won't get into details, but it was a very cool experience. Our day started at 2:45 in the Central District briefing room where we joined Molly and her fellow officers in their pre-shift briefing. We got to meet a number of her fellow officers including a number of people I've heard Molly talk about on numerous occasions. Since Molly could only take one of us at a time (it is really cramped in the back seat - just ask Rachel), we each spent time with one of her co-workers. Both of us had the opportunity to go on calls with Molly and her co-workers and actually see some pretty serious stuff. Although, Molly and one of her co-workers have decided that Rachel and I can no longer do ride-alongs at the same time again. There were far too many similarities between our separate experiences for their comfort. Ask me about it sometime!

Molly's shift ran until 11 PM when both Rachel and I reconnected back at the Central District station. A big thank you goes out to Molly, Rose, and Jen for putting up with the two of us that night. I have such a better respect for the work police officers do and know it takes a special kind of person to do that kind of work. To all the great officers in Madison and elsewhere, keep up the excellent work and stay safe!

Posted by Curt at February 27, 2007 10:35 PM