For several weeks I’ve been thinking about starting a new series profiling local police officers. “Our Officers” will begin March 13 with the profile of an officer I joined recently during his graveyard shift patrolling the streets of Gilroy.
Though my brother is a police sergeant up north and I’ve been on multiple ride-alongs in several cities, this was different: not only have I never ridden in a Gilroy Police Department vehicle—front or back seat—this was my first work-related ride-along.
The night started about 9:15 p.m. with a briefing between the two officers on graveyard. A third officer—in SWAT gear—joined in when he returned from an incident. These were the three men who would keep an eye on the darkness of Gilroy that night—with me in tow.
The officer drove around the city as I peppered him with questions about his work, his hobbies, his family life. Questions and answers paused as he dealt with various calls: assault/robbery, commercial alarms, a domestic dispute. At one point, we came upon a suspicious truck parked behind Costco, and as the officer cautiously approached the vehicle with two people inside, my pulse quickened and my mind raced through possible scenarios.
I couldn’t do it. I could not be a police officer.
At 3 a.m. it was time for some food and those on duty met up at Denny’s. With heavy eyelids, I sat at a table with four Gilroy cops—the fourth was from an overlapping shift—as they laughed and joked, teasing each other and making me feel completely comfortable.
As the officer I rode with headed back to the station at 5 a.m. to write reports, I found myself mildly disappointed it was a relatively slow night.
And then it hit me: a slow night for me is a good night for him.
Let me be clear: I am aware of the negativity surrounding police and aware of the controversies. But this being the Lifestyles section, my goal will be to introduce readers to officers; to humanize them, to offer a glimpse of who they are beyond the badge.
Because, as my brother says, “Cops are human too.”
“Our Officers” begins with GPD March 13, with plans to rotate between Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister.
