High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : To Protect and Swerve : Law enforcement: Ride-alongs let the public see the exciting--and routine--aspects of police patrols.

“Three-twenty-three! Respond to possible shots fired at Topaz Elementary School.”

We--a police officer and I--responded to the dispatcher’s command in silence: no lights, no siren. I thought, “Will there actually be shots coming across the hood of this police car, aimed for my head?”

As we dashed along, dodging other cars, I wondered: “Does the officer sitting beside me have the right to deny the call because I’m in the car? Should he? What do I do if he gets hurt?”

Was my ride-along evening going to be as full of action as I had hoped--and dreaded--it would be when I volunteered for the program?”

Fullerton’s Community Services department offers police ride-alongs three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday, twice a day from 5 to 8 p.m. and 8 to 11 p.m.

According to Officer Mary Murphy of community services, the watch commander assigns one officer to stay with the person riding along during the assigned time period. The ride-along participant is instructed to report to the front desk at a specific time to meet his or her partner.

Last year, the Fullerton Police Department participated in more than 400 public ride-alongs.

The ride-along makes the Police Department more accessible to the public, Murphy said. “Police work is not only what you see on television; there is a lot more to it,” she said.

The program offers a chance for members of the public to go behind the scenes and find out, for instance, why it seems to take the police so long to respond to non-emergency calls or why police officers leave in a hurry (to respond to more important calls).

The Police Department also benefits.

“The program allows our officers to meet the people that live here, the good people,” Murphy said.

“Most people who go on a ride-along are concerned and interested in their community.”

The Fullerton Police Department does not publicize its ride-along program. “It is so popular that we don’t have to,” Murphy said.

Most of those inquiring about the program are students enrolled in government or civics classes who want to know more about how city government works, Murphy said.

And then there are those who may be considering careers as police officers.

“It is our opportunity to open up our doors and say, ‘Come on in and take a look around,’ ” Murphy said.

When we arrived at Topaz Elementary on the south side of Fullerton, Officer Ed Lemoine, to whom I was assigned, said the first thing to do was search the alleys and dark streets for suspects. With assistance from a second police officer, we discovered two male suspects and questioned them.

Both gave us legitimate reasons for being in the area.

After that, we left the other officer and searched the area on our own. Suddenly a call came over the radio asking for assistance at the elementary school from that officer.

We sped to the school grounds and found him questioning two people who had supposedly “parked their car” at the school.

After questioning, Lemoine asked them for permission to search the car, and they consented.

He found a plastic sandwich bag about half full of cocaine. The people were arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine and cited for driving with an expired registration.

Earlier in the evening, we had responded to the report of a window open at a residence in north Fullerton.

The owner had called police before she entered her house. Lemoine checked it out but found nobody inside.

Fortunately, the owners were just moving in, so the only thing of value that was stolen was a radio with a CD player and a couple of compact discs.

The remainder of my ride-along was routine, apparently a typical evening’s worth of activity for the Fullerton Police Department.

For more information about the Fullerton ride-along program, call Community Services at (714) 738-6835. For information about a program in your city, contact your local police department.