Going on a ride-along. How do I not annoy the officer?

[WAPM]

I know not to ask stupid questions or to touch stuff, but I'm not a very talkative person unless the other person talks to me. I also have a major problem with trying to be funny, but what's funny to me, isn't funny to the other officer. I kind of made that mistake on my ride home once with a couple of police officers. (Nothing bad or illegal. I was in a crash and I couldn't get ahold of anyone to give me a ride home so they drove me home.)

Can anyone give me some ideas of what's not funny to you?

[ask80]

asking dumb questions abou cop stereotypes like "Where are the donuts at?" ...

[prelives1337]

Hahaha.
Read some stories in this thread to get an idea:
http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64537

[WAPM]

asking dumb questions abou cop stereotypes like "Where are the donuts at?" ...

What if they make the joke first? Is it okay to follow up?

[aftermath]

What if they make the joke first? Is it okay to follow up?

No. Sit there, observe, ask intelligent questions. Period.

[WAPM]

No. Sit there, observe, ask intelligent questions. Period.

So be a boring stiff. Got it.

[exComptonCop]

So be a boring stiff. Got it.

By your own admission, you're no chatty Cathy, nor are you a George Lopez. You have few options

[WAPM]

By your own admission, you're no chatty Cathy, nor are you a George Lopez. You have few options

I'm not Chatty Cathy because I spend too much time over-thinking about what to say and how not to sound like an idiot to the other person. I can talk and talk until the cows come home if I'm not initiating the conversation.

[J_Mann]

Act as if you were riding with the chief and he was considering you for the next position.

[MOGSOT]

Alot of officers don't like to have riders. So just play it cool and don't try to carry conversation. If the call load is slow feel free to ask questions but wait a about an hour after shift starts so the officer doesn't get to annoyed with you right away. And try not to ask the normal questions like (have you ever shot anybody?) Those kinds of questions really get annoying. And again read this thread if you haven't all ready. http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64537

Good luck, and have fun.

[Foxgguy2001]

You know, I'm not officer, but I've been on a few ride alongs. The officer is dealing with poeople day in and day out, he/she knows how to deal with people. More often then not just by being observant, the officer will let you know how he feels about the ride along, and will also let you know when it's appropriate to talk, and when to not. They already know you're interested, if they are interested in sharing something, etc, they will let you know.

[VtCO84]

I'm not an officer yet (i have my interview with the chief tomorrow) but i've been on about 6-8 ride alongs of varying lengths. The first thing i always say is "If there is anything I can do tonight/today to make the ride-along easier please let me know", that shows that you dont want to be a pain for the next 3-6 hours. Also, if you are responding to a call (accident, 911 hangup, etc.) when you get the chance, ask him if you should stay in the car, some officers want you to get out so you can learn from it, others do not want you in the way or being a liabilty, never assume you can get out. NEVER ask to get out of the car on a domestic dispute, thats just common sense.

Also, if you are talking and raido comes on, STOP, mid sentence, mid word, just stop talking. Again, thats common sense.

And remember, the officers arent robots, ask them about sports, movies, whatever, if its slow, shoot the breeze with them. You'll get a vibe if the officer wants to talk all night.

Thats just a few things I've learned from my ride along experiance.

[Evil Cartman]

1. Get in!

2. Sit down!

3. Shut up!

4. No problem!

Just kidding....

Riders aren't that bad...

Some of them have interesting question...

Others want to point out everyones bad driving habits and drool all over the dashboard...

[Nightshift va]

Do not talk Politics especially if you are a liberal tree hugger. Other than that just be yourself. Also dont perceive a Police Officer's being direct as a personality defect. Most Cops especially real one's who work Patrol have to get to the facts quickly and so often that at times it may even seem they do not listen. But we are more observant than you would ever know.