Last week I had the privilege of participating in the Ride-Along program put on by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. I rode with Trooper Reuter out of Maryville, MO for about 4.5 hours. He showed me the ins and outs of what they do and what they try to accomplish every time they go to work. He explained, of course, that there is no such thing as a 'normal' day at work, so he couldn't tell me what to expect for the time I was riding with him.
He asked what I had in mind for the ride; what I wanted to see. I replied that I am interested in a career in law enforcement, possibly with the MSHP, and I was along for the ride to get a feel for what may happen in a night on duty.
So we took off down 71 highway, radar-ing cars as they passed, stopping a couple for various things. Then went down some country highways and eventually back to Maryville. After a couple hours of driving around, we decided Taco Bell sounded pretty good, and while we were eating, got a call of a car in the ditch outside of town.
Off we went, found the gravel road and the car, but no one was with the car. Long story short, the officers had to have the vehicle towed, find the driver, etc.
As he said, you can never be sure about what to expect.
I really enjoyed the ride, and hope to go on another later on in the year. I look forward to whatever plan God has laid out for me, possibly in the law enforcement area. We shall see how things work out!
