Read Part 1.1 here
Chapter 1: The Ride-Along
Part 2: Sophie
“Tell me about your typical day, Officer Harrison,” Sophie launched into her first question as soon as Sam sat down. She felt so awkward about this whole thing, and her only saving grace would be focusing on the work. While she waited for him to answer, she pulled her trusty iPad and Apple pencil out of her book bag. She opened it to the notes page with her questions for today and prepared to write.
“Oh. Sure. At the beginning of our shift, we check in with either our sergeant or the lieutenant.” Sophie scribbled a note to ask about those rankings. “We learn about anything major that happened recently that we need to be aware of.”
Sophie noticed Sam paused a lot, as though giving her an opportunity to jump in. She fought a little smile that wanted to escape. She prided herself on being a good listener; she wouldn’t dare interrupt.
“Then we get our patrol assignments, which are usually the same thing.”
When she finished writing notes, Sophie waited a minute, but he didn’t continue. “Do you mean that you typically have the same route or list of tasks day-to-day, or multiple officers doing the same assignment?”
“Same route. And I guess the same tasks, but it’s really just one – keep an eye out and answer calls. So maybe two tasks. I have an area that I drive around.” He paused again, and Sophie waited.
“Some guys drive the exact same route through their patrol area. I think it helps them notice things that are out of place. I like to take a different route each day, so that I see the neighborhood from a different perspective. It also means I’m never in the same place at the same time two days in a row, preventing criminals from predicting my behavior and using that to their advantage.”
Sophie nodded and jotted in her own personal shorthand of sorts on the iPad. She rarely wrote down direct quotes, preferring to keep the gist of things on paper and the flow of the conversation in real life moving.
“On average do you respond more to calls or things you see personally while you’re out on patrol?”
“I would say more calls. People here are good about calling 911.”
Hmm. Good? That was unexpected. She’d have to chew on that thought. Sophie just assumed it was a bad thing if you had to call 911.
“What sorts of things will you end up doing? I assume you don’t stay in your vehicle all day.”
“Oh, a bunch of different things. Some days it’s boring. Maybe a traffic ticket or report of a break-in or theft.” Sophie shuddered. That was boring? Man, she had a lot to learn to master this assignment, but for now, she needed to focus, since Sam had continued speaking. “Some days there are fender-benders or even major accidents. Very rarely will we have something significant like armed robbery.”
She scribbled down some notes, preparing to ask about the police rankings, when Sam surprised her by turning the tables.
“Am I allowed to ask questions, too? I’d like to know more about this project you’re doing.”
His mellow voice lulled even as the content of his speech caused a hitch in her heart rate. Sophie excelled behind a computer, molding other people’s words and jobs and products into something beautiful and desirable. Talking to those other people about herself? Not her strong suit.
Work. Focus on the work.
“The company I work for, Jordan Designs, won a bid from the city council to update the city’s marketing. We’ll be touching everything from the website to the banners downtown, fliers in shops… Um, what else?” She drummed her fingers on her leg.
“How does that bring you here?” Sam asked.
“My boss assigned me this part of the project. I’m to collect data about the police department via interviews and this ride-along, then work with my team on the police department’s portion of the city rebranding.”
“I take it this is more than just a new font and colors, huh?” Sam gave a half-smile.
Sophie appreciated his attempt at understanding her job. “Yes, it is. New slogan and taglines, new graphics, and yes, new colors and fonts.”
Sophie glanced out the window and realized with a jolt that –
“This is my neighborhood!” she exclaimed in a half-whisper.
“It’s also my patrol area,” Sam supplied.
She had no idea how to feel about this. Her first reaction was a sense of injustice, but she knew not at what. That he knew where she lived? That he hadn’t told her when she mentioned her building? That she was somehow supposed to observe him in action on her own turf?
Except it didn’t feel like her turf. 8 months hadn’t been enough to make this area feel like home. Most days she went straight from work to her apartment and locked the doors.
Well, when she wasn’t out doing… other things.
She decided to keep all her thoughts to herself and refocus on her list of questions.
“Can you explain the hierarchy at the police station? You’ve mentioned a sergeant and a lieutenant,” she prompted.
He gave a nod. “Officers report to sergeants, sergeants report to lieutenants, lieutenants report to the captain. Captain runs the station, or precinct. There are 4 precincts in Williamson. The four captains report to the chief. Bigger cities have more layers between the captains and the chief, like maybe commanders or deputy chiefs. We’re small enough that we don’t need a bunch of managers. The chief has an assistant, and that’s about it.”
Sophie’s head was spinning faster than her fingers could move the digital pencil. Her notes looked like a barely-legible version of “off-sgt-lt-cap-chf”.
“So let me get this straight. You are an officer. So your boss is a sergeant?”
“Sort of. I mean, technically, yes, but my sergeant is also a detective, and more often than not he’s out doing his own thing. So the lieutenant is the one who briefs us at the beginning of shift and gives out assignments like this one.”
“Stuck with me by the grandboss, huh?” she smiled in a rare joking moment. Where had that come from?
He chuckled. “My enthusiasm must be obvious.”
Now she laughed out loud. “Very few people are enthusiastic about talking to a marketer unless they asked for it. I’ve heard the mayor was very receptive to my boss’s interview and suggestions, but I certainly don’t expect that response from everyone.”
“You expect people to dislike you?” He frowned, but she didn’t understand why.
“Sure,” she shrugged. “Comes with the job sometimes. I imagine it’s the same for you.”
Keep reading! Part 1.3 can be found here on 2/21/25.