Although we were affected by the rider's curse (meaning there were no use of sirens or flashing lights) I had an interesting ride today with Officer Matthew Oxendine (call sign 2Adam42), a four-year veteran of the Yuma Police Department. The department allows citizens to ride along with an officer two times a year. During the period of 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. little exciting happened. But I found out about the new technology being used by officers and how patient they must be to handled the myriad of small incidents that happen daily. During this ride there was an apprehension of a man who failed to appear in court, investigation of a suspected apartment break-in (which required extra paperwork), transportation of documents, and warning of a driver who didn't have the proper safety equipment. What I did take away from the ride was a better knowledge of the location of places in Yuma: the various areas controlled by gangs such as the Okies or the Blues, the clubhouse of the Sons of Hell, the facilities near the airport for Homeland Security agencies, and the neighborhood in which a Marine Corps Harrier jet crashed in 2005. I also found out that, if you really want to experience the exciting action, you need to ride along on a Saturday night. Maybe next time.
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