Life is a game of inches.
Drivers and passengers are separated by inches; cars are part of life's game. To find out more about friends and family, take a road trip.
Road trips have rules: cover when coughing and crack the window when belching. Unshared snacks and forgotten earphones are no-no's. Interrupting interesting conversations is also a violation. If a rest stop has one bathroom, who goes first? Perhaps the swiftest; perhaps the youngest; perhaps the road-weary driver; perhaps the person who requested the stop.
Ride-alongs have rules: listen to your cop; go with your cop; stay awake; arrive on-time; listen to your cop. Listening bookends the rules because radial listening and radio listening differ. Radial listening depends on the sound of a voice, but radio listening depends on the sound of the violated.
Riding shotgun allows radial proximity to the driver's voice; third row seating creates a longer radius from the driver. While radial listening depends on a voice, radio listening depends on the violated.
911 Dispatcher: 31?
Officer: 31
A 911 Dispatcher inquires of an officer whose first and last name have been reduced to a 2-digit code. When Dispatch whispers "31?" all the officers hear, but only one officer is expected to respond, "31". Dispatchers initiate radio traffic because a violation has sparked the 911 call.
911 Dispatcher: 31?
Officer: 31
911 Dispatch: Can you head to the moving truck versus motorcycle (automobile accident) near Saginaw and Washington (an intersection in the city)?
Officer: Yes
Radio listening and radial listening collide. On the way to a scene of possible death and dismemberment, your cop may coolly pick up the conversation where dispatch interrupted. A few minutes in a cruiser can reveal childhood memories, budding romance(s) and little known facts. Your cop may want to share a story, or listen to yours; may tell you difficult things; may discover you two are connected by mutual hobbies.
Mixing a bit of chaos into small talk is routine for the cop, but your heart may race.
Where did your niece and nephew say they were helping friends move today? Does the motorcycle match your spouse's make and model? Is satellite tracking your offspring's whereabouts quasi-stalking behavior? As the officer negotiates construction detours and 'what-if' scenarios, while driving faster than the passenger prefers, remembering ride-along rules helps.
Rule #1: Listen to your cop.
If the driver gets quiet, be quiet. If the cop wants to talk, listen. If you want to talk, ask yourself, "Why am I doing all the talking?" If you're doing all the talking, review ride-along rule #1 and...
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ~ I Peter 5:6-7
Your ride-along will probably be tied to God's design for your life. If you're still reading, your connection to Christian outreach among first responders is more than coincidental. Scripture reminds you, and your blogger, that we're:
- Being called to humble self because pride threatens disaster in an area of life;
- Hiding under influences other than God's might hand;
- Chafing at the seeming lateness of our uplift / recognition;
- Clutching our anxieties rather than casting our worries on Him;
- Hoping someone cares for us rather than believing the Father cares for us.
Few experiences can be used by the Father like ride-alongs.
A ride-along is a road trip but the rules are different. Expect Dispatch to consistently interrupt interesting conversations. Anticipate chaotic destruction of the conversational sand castles you and the officer build. Be ready to pick up the conversation at the officer's whim; be ready to shut up and let the constable work. Remain unsurprised by involuntary whispers of your Maker's name.
Seek the Lord in prayer, reach out to your local jurisdiction and ride.