Taste Life: Featuring Police Sergeant Brady. You’ll never guess the first three words a police officer said to me on my ride along…

June Police Post

You’ll never guess what were the first three words uttered on my ride along with Sergeant Brady. He exclaimed, “I feel blessed.” And so began my “bucket list” ride along with Sergeant Brady, a patrol supervisor with a police department in the southwest metro area of the Twin Cities. With the event of the big 6-0 I have whole-heartedly grasped the concept that I am no longer infinite and have begun to work diligently on my bucket list. And one of those was a ride along with a police officer. I met Brady when I interviewed him for a city employee Energy Talk and we immediately hit it off with our love for helping people and Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. But knowing Brady, anyone could immediately “hit it off” with him. He is just so likeable!

The ride along began with a tour of the office and meeting many of his colleagues. I sensed gratefulness for each one of them as he introduced me to them. We spent much of the time together on patrol. We drove through city streets, neighborhoods, country farmland, and business parks. What diversity this town has! When we drove through the business park Brady mentioned, “They pay lots of taxes and they like to see the police cars.” I bet they do. Something I never thought about.

Our calls consisted of talking to a young man who was driving without a license, helping a frail 80 year-old who was upset her tulips were pulled up and she thought it was her neighbors, helping a woman who thought someone tampered with her car parked in her driveway, and a drug call where I for sure remained in the squad car. Every call was filled with compassion and empathy. Brady mentioned he had a “head start” on how he was raised with honesty and treating everyone with respect until they don’t deserve it!

5 things I learned from Brady:

  1. Police jobs are difficult to land in Minnesota – 1 positon for 200 to 300 applicants.
  2. Police deal with 7% of the population 75% of the time.
  3. His take on traffic enforcement is educational versus penalizing people and thinks every situation deserves a different response.
  4. His favorite part of the job is helping someone whether it is an 80 year old who fell and can’t get up or a domestic call and helping the woman connect with resources to get her out of her situation.
  5. When it’s 30 below it‘s hard to break into cars and the snow makes beautiful tracks to help catch the ones that do!

I have a new appreciation when I see a police car when I am driving. Instead of my first instinct of angst and asking myself, “Am I speeding” now, I feel blessed they are protecting me and I am wave at them. I wish they would all wave back. Maybe Sergeant Brady needs to teach them all that, hey!