What one thing do we fear the most when we are driving around in our cars? Perhaps we’re going a little too fast, we look in the rear-view mirror and see those dreaded flashing lights and siren – BUSTED! You wonder “Why me? Why did they have to pick on me?”

I personally never had a clue as to what is entailed in a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Deputy shift until I had the honor to ride with one of them as part of my Leadership Pinellas class requirements. Hey, at least I wasn’t in the BACK seat! The cool part was being in the front seat during a full eight hour shift. In that short period of time, I learned a few things I thought I would share with “John Q. Public.”

Did you know that all of the Deputies have computers in their cars? If you see one behind, you better hope that your tag and license are current because more than likely they are running your tag! They don’t do this to try and capture you – they do this to look for people that might have a warrant out for their arrest. By doing this they might find someone who steals cars, has had several DUI’s or perhaps a sex offender that has a warrant out for their arrest. This new technology is extremely cool and it was designed to keep us safe. Besides, who wants a sloppy drunk on the road or a creep that might be driving around looking for vulnerable children?

Crazy people are everywhere! During the course of the night we got all sorts of wild calls. A few that we went on had to do with domestic violence. Deputies don’t show up to cause problems – they are there to help calm down the situation. With a Deputy present, people tend to calm down and not be so violent and crazy. My ride along buddy was very calm, cool and collected, very understand and spoke with a strong voice of authority. He knew how to handle all of the different types of weird calls with ease. It made me feel good to see him work; plus it made me feel safe to know that he was there to protect me. I was walking up with him on all these calls and was able to witness the reactions and the way he dealt with every situation. There wasn’t a single time when I didn’t feel safe. I felt sorry for most of the people that we had to pay a visit to because they all seemed far removed from reality. It was sad to see so many messed up people and situations. It’s nice to know that we have someone to watch over these messed up individual’s otherwise who knows what might happen. They truly make the world a safer place.

The last part of the night was the most action we had all night! While searching for a trouble-making minor, we happened to see a car that had just pulled up to a convenience store who just happened to have busted out taillights and tags that expired back in 2008. The Deputy noticed this right away. To me this was amazing as it was a very dark area – they really know what to look for. After running his license, we found out that this person had several DUI’s, traffic violations and his license had been revoked years ago. The officer handcuffed him and put him in the back seat of the car. At this point, he started searching the suspects car. He found a small container that had small white pills in them. We continued to search and found another container that had crushed white stuff in it. Deputies’ cars have drug kits in them, so they can test the chemicals to see what kind of drug they are. After running the tests we found out that the pills were Oxycontin and the crushed up white stuff was crack cocaine. At this point a car pulled up and out came a woman on crutches (that seemed to be in a lot of pain) plus her two children. The woman had just gotten out of the hospital and it turns out that the guy we were arresting was supposed to be home taking care of her. It was really sad. The children should have never witnessed that. Turns out they only lived around the corner so if the guy was smart he would have walked to the store for his cigarettes and beer. Again, the Deputy handled the situation with ease. He asked the woman and her children to go home, which they did, and He called in for back up. Within minutes another cruiser pulled up to help. They worked together as a team to continue with the vehicle search and eventual arrest. While we were waiting for the paddy wagon, the Deputy had to type in his report. There were so many counts it took him awhile to do this. He explained the entire process to me as he typed. In the mean time, the arrested individual in the back was pleading for his release as he told us his sad story over and over again, stating he would never do it again if only he was released this one time. Deputy’s hear sad stories all of the time and they need to stay calm and do the right thing. Putting the bad guy away can save a person’s life. This guy had a history of DUI’s, was driving a car that was not registered to him with expired tags, driving with an open container and he had illegal drugs with him. Who knows what might have happened if the Deputy did not pull him over. A busy neighborhood was right across the street with cars and people walking about. By taking this guy away he might have saved a life.

This experience taught me to really appreciate what the Deputy’s job entails and how hard their job is. Without them, our world would not be safe and full of violence. It makes me proud to know that there are some people that are willing to fight crime and deal with all of the emotions that come along with it. I have a new respect for our Sheriff’s department. The next time you see one, wave at them and say thank you. After all, they’re here for your protection and to help make this world a safer place to live in. This ride along was one of the coolest things that I have ever experienced. Now instead of fearing the Sheriff and thinking they are the bad guys, I have a new and trusted respect for them. Thank you, Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office!