Ride-along
Encyclopedia
A ride-along is an arrangement for a civilian to spend a shift in the passenger seat of a police car
, observing the work day of a police officer
, Firefighter
, or Paramedic
.
Ride-alongs are offered by many police departments around the world. There is a minimum age to participate in a ride-along. Depending on the department, it is often somewhere between the ages of 14 and 18. When participation of those under 18 is permitted, consent from a parent or legal guardian
may be required. Those with criminal record
s or problems on previous ride-alongs may also be barred from participation. The most common form of ride-alongs are Law Enforcement Explorers
, or Auxiliary or Volunteer Police officers.
People go on ride-alongs for various reasons. These include interest in a future career in law enforcement, personal interest in law enforcement without such a career, journalist
s wishing to write reports, and those interested in community relations. Regardless of the reason, all citizens who meet the department's eligibility requirements are generally welcome on a ride-along.
For the most part, the safety of the person on the ride-along must be considered. Officers with ride-alongs generally will drop off the person in a safe place prior to an emergency call if they believe the call may pose danger, and another available officer will attempt to pick up the person. Some departments require applicants to sign a liability waiver
prior to participation. It is not always possible for the officer to avoid a situation where the person riding along may be in danger.
In 2007, a woman in Boise, Idaho
was on a ride-along when she witnessed two police officers fatally shoot a suspect following a high-speed chase.
The TV series Top Cops
, which aired 1990-1993, once told the true story of the 8-year-old son of a police officer whose father took him on a ride-along after obtaining an exemption to the department's policy in which the minimum to apply was 14. During the shift, the officer was called to a bank robbery
, in which the robber claimed to be armed with a live-wire bomb, and demanded the tellers take him to the vault. The boy, who did not understand the potential danger, was not harmed.
Most participants in ride-alongs do not have ill intentions; however, in 1991, famed journalist and serial killer
Jack Unterweger
went on a ride-along with the Los Angeles Police Department
allegedly to learn the location of the area's red light district
s. Shortly thereafter, several area prostitutes were murder
ed, and Unterweger was considered the prime suspect.
In the United States
, ride-alongs have raised privacy
concerns. In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that allowing journalist
s or photographers to enter and film private homes during a ride-along is a violation of the Fourth Amendment
.
The TV Series Friends
has an episode entitled The One with the Ride-Along where Chandler, Joey, and Ross go on a ride-along with Phoebe's then-boyfriend Gary, who was a cop.
In The Simpsons
episode Separate Vocations
, Bart Simpson
goes on a ride-along with Springfield police officers Eddie and Lou.
In the 2009 film Observe and Report
, Ronnie Barnhardt, Seth Rogen's character, goes on a ride-along.
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
, observing the work day of a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, Firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
, or Paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
.
Ride-alongs are offered by many police departments around the world. There is a minimum age to participate in a ride-along. Depending on the department, it is often somewhere between the ages of 14 and 18. When participation of those under 18 is permitted, consent from a parent or legal guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
may be required. Those with criminal record
Criminal record
A criminal record is a record of a person's criminal history, generally used by potential employers, lenders etc. to assess his or her trustworthiness. The information included in a criminal record varies between countries and even between jurisdictions within a country...
s or problems on previous ride-alongs may also be barred from participation. The most common form of ride-alongs are Law Enforcement Explorers
Law Enforcement Exploring
Law Enforcement Exploring also known as Police Explorers is a career-oriented program that gives young adults the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement by working with local law enforcement agencies. Founded on July 12, 1973, it is one of the Exploring programs from Learning for Life,...
, or Auxiliary or Volunteer Police officers.
People go on ride-alongs for various reasons. These include interest in a future career in law enforcement, personal interest in law enforcement without such a career, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s wishing to write reports, and those interested in community relations. Regardless of the reason, all citizens who meet the department's eligibility requirements are generally welcome on a ride-along.
Issues with ride-alongs
Ride-alongs face a variety of issues.For the most part, the safety of the person on the ride-along must be considered. Officers with ride-alongs generally will drop off the person in a safe place prior to an emergency call if they believe the call may pose danger, and another available officer will attempt to pick up the person. Some departments require applicants to sign a liability waiver
Liability waiver
A liability waiver is a legal document that a person who participates in an activity may sign to acknowledge the risks involved in his or her participation. By doing so, the signer typically removes legal liability from the business or person responsible for the activity. The enforceability of such...
prior to participation. It is not always possible for the officer to avoid a situation where the person riding along may be in danger.
In 2007, a woman in Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
was on a ride-along when she witnessed two police officers fatally shoot a suspect following a high-speed chase.
The TV series Top Cops
Top Cops
Top Cops was a documetary program broadcast in the United States on the CBS television network from 1990 to 1993.Each episode of Top Cops consisted of two to three segments featuring commended police officers and dramatic recreations of the events leading to their having been honored.One episode...
, which aired 1990-1993, once told the true story of the 8-year-old son of a police officer whose father took him on a ride-along after obtaining an exemption to the department's policy in which the minimum to apply was 14. During the shift, the officer was called to a bank robbery
Bank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
, in which the robber claimed to be armed with a live-wire bomb, and demanded the tellers take him to the vault. The boy, who did not understand the potential danger, was not harmed.
Most participants in ride-alongs do not have ill intentions; however, in 1991, famed journalist and serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Jack Unterweger
Jack Unterweger
Johann "Jack" Unterweger was an Austrian serial killer who murdered prostitutes in several countries. First convicted of a 1974 murder, he was released in 1990 due in part to a campaign by intellectuals and politicians, who regarded Unterweger as an example of rehabilitation...
went on a ride-along with the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
allegedly to learn the location of the area's red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
s. Shortly thereafter, several area prostitutes were murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed, and Unterweger was considered the prime suspect.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, ride-alongs have raised privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
concerns. In 1999, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that allowing journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s or photographers to enter and film private homes during a ride-along is a violation of the Fourth Amendment
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause...
.
In fiction
The 1993 film Cop and a Half portrays a boy on a ride-along, who witnesses a murder.The TV Series Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
has an episode entitled The One with the Ride-Along where Chandler, Joey, and Ross go on a ride-along with Phoebe's then-boyfriend Gary, who was a cop.
In The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode Separate Vocations
Separate Vocations
"Separate Vocations" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 27, 1992. In the episode, the Springfield Elementary School makes the students take career aptitude tests...
, Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
goes on a ride-along with Springfield police officers Eddie and Lou.
In the 2009 film Observe and Report
Observe and Report
Observe and Report is a 2009 American comedy film written and directed by Jody Hill, starring Seth Rogen, Anna Faris and Ray Liotta.-Plot:...
, Ronnie Barnhardt, Seth Rogen's character, goes on a ride-along.