Different night, different problems

So, Chris took my idea for my first blog post.

I did my Vic PD ridealong the night after Chris did his. I feel like I got a different perspective (maybe it's because I was with a lady cop) so I'm going to put out a few observations from my first night in the front seat of a cop car.

From trendhunter.com - Brooke Shields, Candice Swanepoel and Elaine Irwin are 'Lady Cops' in Vogue Paris.

Law students get almost no practical experience in their first year. We learn about the law in general, and not a lot about how it applies to people's lives. I've done six months of criminal law, and if I was arrested, I wouldn't be clear on my rights. So any chance I get to do a real life law thing, I take it.

Officer Chris: A Ride-Along with Vic PD

I spent my Friday night running after a police dog, holding the keys to a cop car in my pocket and meeting some of Victoria's most colourful characters.

Beyond more free pizza lunches than your body can rightly handle, being a law student affords you interesting opportunities every once in awhile. I was quick to sign up when a colleague of mine organized a series of ride-alongs with the Victoria Police Department.

I had little idea what to expect. Given Victoria's aged population and sleepy reputation, I had difficulty fathoming a very busy night. But as I came to learn very quickly, Victoria has got its fair share of problems.

Image: 49th-parallel.blogspot.com

My night began around 7:00 pm. After my initial placement left the station on an important call, I was placed with a veteran officer -- for the sake of anonymity, Officer Q. He was very pleasant and seemed happy to have me on, but was nonetheless a tad reluctant. And with good reason. Having a civilian in the passenger seat certainly doesn't make an already stressful job any easier. It's just one extra thing to have to worry about. With that in mind, I was especially appreciative.

As Q started listing a couple basic precautions, he handed me a set of keys to our cop car. It suddenly dawned on me that I was about to embark on something inherently dangerous. I managed to shake from my mind any scenarios in which I would need to use the car keys, but it did serve to remind me to stay out of harm's (and the officer's) way.