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Station 3

Station 3

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May 21, 2010
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Edinburg Texas
I was wondering i know im not the only one but how many departments out there just have one officer working on shift. City,County,State Police i just wanted to see how many more out there have to patrol the streets on your own. There are about 7 agencys that i can think of within my area that do the same as my Police department. I think its kinda dangerous but the higher ups think its safe.
 
My old city there was usually only one officer on at any one time.. and I worked days so I was by myself but the county had the school resource officer for the city so if I needed backup he was no more than 5 minutes away.
 
We have a School Police Department but they dont have radios and dont really do much police work they got a nice fancy Police Unit its a 2007 Ford F-150 but they dont patrol so i dont really see why. They dont carry guns either most of the time so they not much help to me. My back up is usually a Lone Constable for the the whole Pricinct or a Deputy Sheriff or one of the other agencys thats about 7 miles away but they really do a good job of backing me up and i back them up since were alone.
 
I work as a park police officer.. we have 3 officers, including myself, that patrol a park system for a city of approximately 120,000 people. We have a day shift (6am-2pm) and afternoon shift (2pm-10pm). Midnights are covered by city police. Luckily, we have our own take home patrol vehicles (the supervisor has a Ford F-250). Each of us patrol the city on our own, but have back up from city and county police. Sometimes back up is 30 seconds away, sometimes it's 10 minutes or more.


We're responsible for over 90 parks and properties. To give you some idea of what I patrol/respond to; approximately 15 miles of river walk/riverside trails, 4 municipal golf courses, 4 recreation centers, 5 splash pad parks, 2 public pools, 1 zoo (oldest in the state, AZA certified), 1 greenhouse & conservatory, 1 ice skating rink, 1 pavilion/rental hall, 1 fitness center, 1 softball complex (holds international, national, regional, and local tournaments - hosts US Olympic Team), 1 nature preserve and nature center, 1 tennis center (14 competition courts, holds local and regional tournaments), 1 skate park (holds regional tournaments) and North America's first man made white water rafting waterway (used for international/national competitions, river rescue trainings, etc - hosts US Olympic Team).
 
sbparkcop said:
I work as a park police officer.. we have 3 officers, including myself, that patrol a park system for a city of approximately 120,000 people. We have a day shift (6am-2pm) and afternoon shift (2pm-10pm). Midnights are covered by city police. Luckily, we have our own take home patrol vehicles (the supervisor has a Ford F-250). Each of us patrol the city on our own, but have back up from city and county police. Sometimes back up is 30 seconds away, sometimes it's 10 minutes or more.

We're responsible for over 90 parks and properties. To give you some idea of what I patrol/respond to; approximately 15 miles of river walk/riverside trails, 4 municipal golf courses, 4 recreation centers, 5 splash pad parks, 2 public pools, 1 zoo (oldest in the state, AZA certified), 1 greenhouse & conservatory, 1 ice skating rink, 1 pavilion/rental hall, 1 fitness center, 1 softball complex (holds international, national, regional, and local tournaments - hosts US Olympic Team), 1 nature preserve and nature center, 1 tennis center (14 competition courts, holds local and regional tournaments), 1 skate park (holds regional tournaments) and North America's first man made white water rafting waterway (used for international/national competitions, river rescue trainings, etc - hosts US Olympic Team).
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Thats alot of ground to cover bro. :shock:
 
kinda of out of date but I worked by myself back in the 70's-80's with back-up usually 45 mins. to 1 hr. away. Most of the time it was a Mayberry type of town :)
 
the County i work in has about 40 departments we actually work for,most of the boroughs usually only have 1 or 2 people on 24 hours a day. then again we have departments that have 25 people working 2 twps away so they tend to get backup if needed
 
We have a min staffing level of 3 (supposed to be 5 per shift, but that would be a dream come true) and it gets kind of rough sometimes. I have had to work only 2 people for several hours and I have mad respect for those who work alone. We have a small town in the county that is a 2 man dept but they make their own schedule (have even heard them get a call and say 'Dispatch, I just pulled into my driveway to be 10-7, 42, you'll have to send the county) and would be considered a part time dept. Have a buddy who went from a 6 man per shift dept to one with 1 man shifts and he says it made him grow up fast. I rode with him a few time and the SO tried to never be to far away, but there were times when the chief would respond from his house in the middle of the night because no one else was around.
 
My town we usually have 7-10 but there are some shift where there are only 3 for a city of over 100,000. But we have a good shift system where days are (7am-5pm) early swings (1pm-11pm) and late swings (4pm-2am) and graves which is (10pm-8am) so even if one of the shifts is short most of the times we are pretty good. But that is only most of the time. But i have nothing to complain about!
 
I work solo, but backing units are usually close by. We also make it a habit to scan each other's channels, and respond when appropriate.


I dont worry. I usually use force a bit earlier that most, due to being alone, but other than that, it's not too different. Our staffing is due to the city having a shitty mindset, and crap like that. Still, I have decent bennies, all the training I can handle, decent pay, take home rig, so I dont really complain.
 
Just shy of 40,000, but in a metro area of close to or over 200,000, our normal staffing is 3 per shift. I've worked w/ 2 though (prior approval by supv, court the next day, sick...). However, we've also had up to 9-10 on at overlap (2200-0100), like the other night where we found an occupied stolen. There were so many of us, we were tripping over each other.


It's rough sometimes, but we make do. Domestics by yourself are fun, as are injury accidents w/ DUIs... You get real assertive real quick, and talk, talk, talk, talk.... until help can get there. I'd estimate we have more force reports per ratio than the larger depts in the area, but it comes with the territory/numbers.
 
Alovebaby41 said:
there are some shift where there are only 3 for a city of over 100,000.!
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That is crazy! The town I live in has a min of 3 and the population is only 12,000. Must be crazy working with that few officers in that big of a city!
 
Sometimes there was only 1 deputy on duty on midnight shift at the county sheriff's office I worked for a couple of years ago. Backers were usually in the form of a city police officer if you were close to one of the cities or a state trooper on occasion. You were on your own for the most part on the hoot shift though.
 
We used to have anywhere from 20-25 deputies working the road on each shift respectively, however with budget cutbacks over the past two years those numbers have dwindled to 5-10 deputies working the road patrol. At times, that number is even lower to 4 deputies working the road, especially during the summer months which inherently are the busiest for us. We used to have a minimum manpower, however the sheriff nixed that. Our sheriff has put more of an empahasis on manpower in the jail than on the road patrol by laying off cops and keeping corrections officers (we are two entirely seperate divisions with differing unions). Several months ago I responded to a large fight outside of one of our local watering holes, when I pulled up there were about 12 people actively fighting and throwing bar stools, my nearest cover car was 15 minutes away. It has gotten so bad at times, that all of our cars have been tied up and active domestics and other priority calls pend at times for up to an hour.....
 
Jasen, Isn't that the one where you did donuts in the gravel lot, spraying sand and rocks all over to get them to stop fighting?? Nice. :D
 
I know that the county next to my county where i patrol at has only 2 deputys working at any one time for the whole county! :shock: But it is kinda understandable since mosty you only run into cows or deer in that part of the county. :lol:
 
My district is about 75 square miles and pretty active. The latest data I can find is over 14,000 crimes reported in my district in the year 2006, and its only gotten busier. Daywork works 6a-4 and has a minimum staffing of 12 patrol officers, evenings is 3-1a and has a minimum staffing of 15 officers and midnights is 8:30 to 6:30a and has a minimum staffing of 8. Even within my own beat, backup can be coming from 7 miles away through congested areas... so it can take a long time.


I can't imagine being the only officer working ANYWHERE. Criminals can get from one place to another very quickly and easily now. The guy that shot 3 people in DC can be in Smalltown USA in the midwest in a day, and then one of you guys tries to pull him over for expired tag... no thanks!
 
Having worked (and currently) both a park and muni PD-it sucks being the only car on. With the park PD we run minium of four cars and a supv. The muni, its usually 2 cars, but midnights is 1! Regardless of how many people are working, when the soft brown is hitting the fan, no one is close enough unless they are with you shot gun! Those of us working those one man shifts, know how you need to change your tactics. The bad thing about the park, is when you are 2 miles back in the middle of the woods with a DB, he generally knows your back-up is at least also 2 miles away!


And a kind of side not I think is funny- the park is in a county with about 300k folks. We run from inner city, to rural farm areas. We have had calls where the local big city PD has backed us up. I've walked into the woods in the dark a few times with the big city cop, not wanting to go in till more back up got there because it was dark!
 
rwo978 said:
Jasen, Isn't that the one where you did donuts in the gravel lot, spraying sand and rocks all over to get them to stop fighting?? Nice. :D
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That is the one, the fight had spilled outside by the time I pulled up! The spinning of the gravel was quite possibly the best advice my FTO gave me to clear em out! I can recall when I was in training he and I had a fight call at a bar on the outskirts of the county. When we pulled up he looked over at me and told me to put on my hat, when I asked him why, he said that when he gets outta the car, he is hitting everyone with his PR-24 that wasn't wearing a hat and by god he kept true to his word. I know for a fact I saw him crack at least 5 heads that night, it was quite the experience for my first week on the job...
 
ParkPiggy said:
Having worked (and currently) both a park and muni PD-it sucks being the only car on. With the park PD we run minium of four cars and a supv. The muni, its usually 2 cars, but midnights is 1! Regardless of how many people are working, when the soft brown is hitting the fan, no one is close enough unless they are with you shot gun! Those of us working those one man shifts, know how you need to change your tactics. The bad thing about the park, is when you are 2 miles back in the middle of the woods with a DB, he generally knows your back-up is at least also 2 miles away!

And a kind of side not I think is funny- the park is in a county with about 300k folks. We run from inner city, to rural farm areas. We have had calls where the local big city PD has backed us up. I've walked into the woods in the dark a few times with the big city cop, not wanting to go in till more back up got there because it was dark!
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I can relate to all your points!
 
Jasen Hatfield said:
That is the one, the fight had spilled outside by the time I pulled up! The spinning of the gravel was quite possibly the best advice my FTO gave me to clear em out!
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We don't have gravel roads where I work, but that is a great tactic. I have found that for a LARGE fight and people refuse to disperse, get a line of cruisers aimed towards the group, turn the hi-lo siren on and slowly advance towards the group. I've had to do that about a dozen times over the years to disperse crowds. Some of the mopes try to be tough and not move, it only takes a couple seconds before they usually give up and go away.
 
mcpd2025 said:
We don't have gravel roads where I work, but that is a great tactic. I have found that for a LARGE fight and people refuse to disperse, get a line of cruisers aimed towards the group, turn the hi-lo siren on and slowly advance towards the group. I've had to do that about a dozen times over the years to disperse crowds. Some of the mopes try to be tough and not move, it only takes a couple seconds before they usually give up and go away.
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So, something like this would come in handy... :D


Yeah, fights. Drive slow, lights and sirens the whole way, not turning the siren off until people start leaving the area. Most have already started that direction hearing us coming.
 
Jennifer Rose Towing said:
W T F was that!!!
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Not sure. Jamemison found it and posted it in the "fuuny vid" thread. Thought it was funny and applied to Jasen's and mcpd's comments. :mrgreen:
 
rwo978 said:
Not sure. Jamemison found it and posted it in the "fuuny vid" thread. Thought it was funny and applied to Jasen's and mcpd's comments. :mrgreen:
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Hahahaha! That's the first thought through anyone's head when they see those stupid contraptions, Jennifer. It's some weird festival thing that requires a effin' crapload of sirens. More about it here...


They may be good for riot control as well :twisted: :lol:
 
We have a minimum of 2 per shift, even though we are a .25sg mile town. On Fri/Sat/Tue nights sometimes we will have 3 on for part of the night shift due to the 5 bars we have in town and an events they may be hosting. We work a modified pit-man schedule of 6a-6p and 6p-6a. From Memorial day thru Labor day we have 2-3 Full-time officers on and 3-6 Class II (part-time officers who have same powers/responsibilities as the full-timers) on for Fri and Sat nights. The additional Full-timer works 7p-3a, and the Class IIs work 8p-3a with 2-4 on a foot post, 1-2 on bike patrol and 1-2 on the road in a car. During the same time period we will also have on Tuesday nights 2 Class IIs on at the main bar due to them getting roughly 2000-4000 people due to a "beat the clock" special. They are there for crowd control, fights, and False ID arrests.
 
Bonanno said:
We have a minimum of 2 per shift, even though we are a .25sg mile town. On Fri/Sat/Tue nights sometimes we will have 3 on for part of the night shift due to the 5 bars we have in town and an events they may be hosting. We work a modified pit-man schedule of 6a-6p and 6p-6a. From Memorial day thru Labor day we have 2-3 Full-time officers on and 3-6 Class II (part-time officers who have same powers/responsibilities as the full-timers) on for Fri and Sat nights. The additional Full-timer works 7p-3a, and the Class IIs work 8p-3a with 2-4 on a foot post, 1-2 on bike patrol and 1-2 on the road in a car. During the same time period we will also have on Tuesday nights 2 Class IIs on at the main bar due to them getting roughly 2000-4000 people due to a "beat the clock" special. They are there for crowd control, fights, and False ID arrests.
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Are the bars paying for the private security to babysit them?
 
ParkPiggy said:
Are the bars paying for the private security to babysit them?
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I believe so. Only the ones at Bar Anticipation are on post for that particular bar for Tuesday nights, and for other special events they host. The rest of the bars just fall into a post area that is covered. Also the State gives us a grant for being there as per a ABC grant for enforcement of ABC Laws.
 
Bonanno said:
We have a minimum of 2 per shift, even though we are a .25sg mile town. On Fri/Sat/Tue nights sometimes we will have 3 on for part of the night shift due to the 5 bars we have in town and an events they may be hosting. We work a modified pit-man schedule of 6a-6p and 6p-6a. From Memorial day thru Labor day we have 2-3 Full-time officers on and 3-6 Class II (part-time officers who have same powers/responsibilities as the full-timers) on for Fri and Sat nights. The additional Full-timer works 7p-3a, and the Class IIs work 8p-3a with 2-4 on a foot post, 1-2 on bike patrol and 1-2 on the road in a car. During the same time period we will also have on Tuesday nights 2 Class IIs on at the main bar due to them getting roughly 2000-4000 people due to a "beat the clock" special. They are there for crowd control, fights, and False ID arrests.
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Wow, that's a good amount for such a small area...my town's 1 mile square and they usually only have 1 officer on, though backup's only a minute away from the town that's literally on the other side of the river (different county, so different town)...
 
ccsobaker said:
556 sq. mile county, usually only 2 of us per shift.
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On a good night, with nobody off sick or on vacation, we'll have 3. But half the roads aren't paved, so getting some places quickly can get sporty.
 
When I work there is usually one officer on per shift, except every other friday/saturday (they might be in a row) there are 2 of us working from 1900-0300. Sometimes on Wednesday nights, depending on how the schedule works out.


It's not really THAT big of a deal, the Sheriff's office is 1/2 block from my PD even though there's not always deputies there, at least it's close. There's also at least 1 officer working in the town that attaches to our south that is our "sister" town, and at least one officer working for the Indian Settlement which attaches to our west border. Between the 2 towns and the Settlement there's about 7500 people, with 3000 per town and 1500 on the settlement.
 
I left the rat race of a city PD to go to a rural SO at the end of my career. The thing that I often see is the "city" attitude that officers in smaller departments are a bunch of rubes. Not true. In the city, we had a traffic unit, detectives for everything, SWAT, evidence crews, transport wagons, etc.


In my smaller department, I did all the above. I felt much more well rounded as an officer, not relying on everyone else. I used much more of my training and experience in the smaller department.
 
crescentstar69 said:
I left the rat race of a city PD to go to a rural SO at the end of my career. The thing that I often see is the "city" attitude that officers in smaller departments are a bunch of rubes. Not true. In the city, we had a traffic unit, detectives for everything, SWAT, evidence crews, transport wagons, etc.

In my smaller department, I did all the above. I felt much more well rounded as an officer, not relying on everyone else. I used much more of my training and experience in the smaller department.
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BTDT: Big city cops hit the smaller PDs never having done a complete accident investigation, worked the tech/evidence collection side of a crime scene, or talked a suicidal schizophrenic out of a grain silo. I've talked to guys from huge agencies that spend their entire shift taking reports, essentially being clerks who fight. Worse, big city rankers "retire" as chiefs of rural agencies expecting Mayberry, and start to pout when there is real, live police work to do.
 
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