Sac'mento 911

One of my favorite types of story to cover is the classic ride-along. I've done ride-alongs with state police, local police, the Air Force, even one of those trucks that spreads sand on icy roads. I just have fun tagging along while other people do their crazy jobs that I'd otherwise never be able to see firsthand.

Tonight I got to roll with the Sacramento Sheriff's department as they did a round-up of parole violators in Rancho Cordova. This multi-day sweep was festively titled "Octoberfest". However, this Octoberfest was quite a bit different from those I'd attended in the past. Also, I'd like to point out at this juncture that Sacramento's Sheriff's Department isn't nearly as hilarious as Reno's Sheriffs Department.



That aside, it was still a fine adventure. For the most part, the perps were compliant and weren't looking to start any trouble, which is certainly a good thing, but a good ol' Dog the Bounty Hunter-style beat down would have been nice. Still, I can't complain. There were a few doors kicked in, and one dope seller bolted out the back door, only to be tackled and handcuffed. Of course, since it was out the back door, it wasn't caught on tape. But I bet it looked awesome.



During this portion of the roundup, a couple of guys drove into the motel's parking lot, and upon seeing the cops, slammed on the breaks and tried to turn around. One of the deputies went over to investigate, and found that they were cruising along with a couple of fresh tall-boys in the cup holders. The passenger insisted that they both belonged to him, as if that made things better.

They also had a large steak knife next to the driver's seat, along with a couple of outstanding warrants. Clearly, today wasn't the best day for them to drop by the local cesspool.

At the end of the day, around 25 people were taken into custody, making the streets just a little safer... at least for tonight. Just gotta clear up some room in those overcrowded prisons. C'mon Arnold, wasn't the plan to start exporting them to other states?

When I got home, I was inspired to dig up a package that I shot in my younger days, where I did a DUI patrol ride-along with the Eugene Police right before Christmas. In addition to a high-speed chase that traveled down bike paths along the Willamette river, we came across a guy who drank a fifth of whiskey, got in a fight with his pals, and drove away... only to turn around and come back, as the score was yet to be settled (his buddy slept with his girlfriend... ooh!). When we arrived to the call, we found the guy's car parked on a lawn and blood streaming from his busted nose. After extensive sobriety tests, he was arrested for DUI, which he didn't actually realize until we got back to the station, at which point he began weeping uncontrollably. While much of the juicy details weren't included in the story, here it is for your viewing pleasure...