I’ve always wanted to get the chance to see what it’s like to be a police officer. Soon enough, I’ll be driving, and I wanted to know what the officer in the Crown Vic is thinking.

Last week, I got my chance to ride along with Officer Steve Garrison. This was a real pleasure especially since Officer Garrison has been a police officer for 24 years. I was more than happy to hear what he had to say and experience his average day.

Unfortunately, Officer Garrison and I got off to a rocky start when I clumsily spilt his coffee as I got into his cruiser. I’m just happy he didn’t make me ride in the back seat after that little incident.

With that resolved, we started off patrolling downtown Saco. Once we got to Route 112, he caught a man speeding in a white minivan.

Personally, I think the job of being a police officer would be unnerving.

Officer Garrison approached a car on the side of the road and had no idea who was in there, whether or not the driver was armed, and he didn’t know what they might try to get out of a ticket. Thankfully, the police have several tools to protect them. First of all, they have a computer system that allows them to get a detailed history about the owner of the vehicle, using just a license plate number. The system lists everything from warrants for arrest to the home address of the owner.

The officer is also equipped with a recording system that includes a wireless microphone to record the conversation and a camera on the car to record the entire interaction. As a final line of defense, all police personnel wear body armor, despite how uncomfortable it may be in this heat.

I asked Officer Garrison what he recommends drivers do when they are pulled over. He informed me that the major concern in these situations is safety, so the driver needs to stay in the vehicle. It is a lot safer for a police officer to walk to you than for you to approach him.

He also said that as he is approaching the vehicle he is looking inside and he doesn’t know what you are reaching for, so it is best to keep both hands on the wheel and wait for him to ask you to retrieve your license and registration. Officers have heard virtually every excuse imaginable, but have a good idea of what enforcement action they are going to take before they approach the driver. And no, tears won’t affect that decision.  

He also mentioned that distracted driving laws are becoming more strict. Just that morning, he pulled over a young woman for distracted driving because she was using her cell phone. A few years ago, Car and Driver magazine documented that an unimpaired driver took 0.54 seconds to brake, he had to add four feet to break when he was legally drunk and he had to add 70 feet to his breaking distance when he was texting. So why would someone even attempt it; is your life really worth a five-character text message?

I left the Saco police station with a new appreciation for the police department. They really are a valuable asset to the community. What surprises me the most is that people like Officer Garrison are able to keep a calm, relaxed, assertive, professional demeanor no matter the situation. I am looking forward to sharing the road with them.

Thanks to Chief of Police Brad Paul for setting this up. I would like to give a special thanks to Officer Steve Garrison for your participation, and, for the record, I owe you a large coffee.

— Timothy Morris is a student at Thornton Academy who is active with Thornton Academy television station and will be writing this column for the Journal Tribune through the summer.

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