SJPD invites community to participate in ride-along program

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The St. Joseph Police Department is inviting community members to check out its Citizen Ride-Along Program. 

It’s a chance to spend six hours in the passenger seat with an officer, seeing firsthand what a typical shift on patrol really looks like. 

“Our citizens can sign up to do a ride-along on our website two times a year and catch six hours of our shift. They can attend the roll calls and understand what our shift briefing is like,” said Sgt. Jeremy Peters, with SJPD.

Residents can hop in with an officer for a shift, riding along as they respond to calls and getting a real feel for how officers interact with the community  

Peters said anyone who participates in the ride-along might even see officers making arrests, checking out crime scenes or handling traffic stops. Giving them a clear, firsthand look at what the job is really like.

“A lot of times this is utilized by people that are interested in careers in law enforcement and they get hands-on experience if this is something that they want to do,” Peters said.  

Peters points out, while there can be some action on the job, it’s not quite like what you see on TV shows.  

“There’s a lot of hard work that goes in behind the scenes and a lot of paperwork that’s involved in the process which we follow,” Peters said.  

There’s no deadline to sign up for a ride-along. Anyone can apply anytime through the department’s website, and after a quick background check, they’ll be cleared to ride along with an officer.  

Officers work different day and night shifts, meaning calls can be very different depending on the shift. That gives ride-along participants a real sense of how daytime patrol compares to overnight shifts. 

“I think it's a benefit to the department because they get to interact with people who are more than likely not having contact with the police or not know much about the job,” Peters said.