Driving

The radio chimes my number.

Two men fighting on the 2800 block of "Willie" Street.

I flip on the lights, hit the siren, and accelerate.

The sound of sirens settle most fights.

As the traffic parts ahead, the dispatcher updates the call.

The two are heading off east together.

I kill the lights, turn off the siren, and slow.

On the box, I type my cover.

People who are fighting don't walk off together. Not Going Code.

He agrees as he arrives. I'm there a minute behind him.

There's no fight. Never was. Two buddies are stumbling home drunk, each trying to keep the other up. They have one yard left to go. With our presence, they summon the last of their sobriety, defy gravity for a few more moments, and make it home.

There was no emergency, and no need to drive like there was one.

Comments

[historicpup]

How about hearing noises outside? Followed by dispatch giving you the officer tag for the address (ie. officer prior notes). "Female who lives at address suffers from dementia, and reports people walking through house and things that aren't there,
' so maybe you won't beat the bush as much as single mom home with baby, but you still go poke around.

[RD]

Exactly. Treat the call as real, but use the past history, and your experience to guide your decision making process on how you drive. You have to weigh the risk of driving code by the risk of danger of the caller.

RD

[h.]

Of course the type of call you describe in your post is exactly the circumstance that leads to this sort of complaint:
"I just saw an officer use his lights and siren to get across the intersection, and then stop and drive normally. They should have to wait at the light like everyone else! It's abuse of Police privilege!"
People don't understand that calls change, information alters, circumstances become more clear, and new choices are made accordingly. Driving code is dangerous and most experienced officers don't drive code just for the hell of it.

[Jerry Ann]

The assumption is probably not at all helped by TV/movies that show cops with lights blaring and racing the streets at the drop of a hat... (or the comedies showing cops driving code in order to get through intersections)