UPDATE OCT 12, 2022: I spent my second day riding along with HPD in the same beat zone. The shift was a little busier and I rode with Officer Dailey, a one-year veteran. I once again enjoyed observing the patrol work done by the HPD officers. The report queue certainly do build up on officers as they go from call to call, even if not all calls generate reports. In fact, my ride-along ended about three hours early due to Officer Dailey having to complete reports before ending her shift.
I spent the evening with the Hagerstown Police Department (HPD), after my own tour of duty at the Hagerstown Community College Police Department (HCCPD), as part of a two-day ride along. Both agencies are in Maryland. To educate myself more about police work, I decide to ride along with that agency.
This evening, I rode with Officer Morris, an 8-year veteran of the force. He was assigned to the West End part of the city. It was rather a slow shift with just three calls (domestic disputes and a traffic accident) and a traffic stop assist. However, Hagerstown, population 43500, is a busy and often difficult city to police. It's also referred to as "Little Baltimore," a clear acknowledgment to Baltimore located about 75 miles away, which was once notorious for its high crime rate -- and still is to some extent. I never thought I'd give HPD a thought. It's a broken department with a high turnover rate. Half of my police academy class has left the department. There are also a few others, not affiliated with my police academy class, who departed, often leaving for smaller departments. I'm being told due to the call volume, people end up burning out. Among other things.
But I liked what I experienced on the shift. Officer Morris stated a fact I already knew: the grass is not always greener on the other side. Officer Morris acknowledged HPD has its flaws, but any other agency has them as well. He stated that a downside for HPD was the lack of a take home program for patrol officers (officers assigned to special units enjoy that benefit).
I'm spending another evening tomorrow, Tuesday, October 11, with HPD.
