On a weekday morning in late May, I arrived at Central Precinct for roll call. I had ridden twice with the downtown precinct the previous calendar year, but it had been six months since my last ride with the squad. After greetings from the familiar Mobile Police Department officers and sergeant, there was a short morning brief and training. Then I joined Officer Homsher in his Tahoe for patrol.
My previous two rides in Central were on weekend night shifts, so it was interesting to see the precinct during the work week from the vantage point of patrol. Even amid familiar buildings and parks, one sees the city from a different angle when riding with the police.
Parking violations turned out to be a daytime issue as well as a night shift one that I had previously experienced in the entertainment district. From vehicles parked in No Parking Zones during business hours on Dauphin Street to cars in spots marked MPD Parking Only on the side streets, warnings, tickets, and towing were dealt with throughout the day.
There was a call to a homeless shelter due to disorderly conduct, and hours of patrolling the streets within the business district. For the second time on patrol in Central, I witnessed a driver going the wrong way westbound instead of east on Dauphin Street. Fortunately we were the nearest vehicle heading the proper way and the driver pulled over on a cross street without issue. Please keep in mind that even with many of the north/south streets now handling two-way traffic, Dauphin Street remains One Way eastbound.
Rain kept most of the early afternoon hours quiet in downtown, but before the precipitation arrived, we walked the lunchtime beat along Dauphin Street and through Cathedral and Bienville Squares. Officer Homsher was joined by Sergeant Canning for the foot trek through the heart of the precinct. I kept close on their heels, thoughts of my 1920 MPD beat officer character swirling in my mind as they offered nods and greetings—often by name—to those they passed. It was definitely a unique experience and throwback to the previous century.
The last few hours of the day were filled with added rush hourcomplaints due to the wet roads.With traffic accidents clogging both I-65 and I-10, the commute out of Mobile further complicated the roads from all directions as east-bound drivers tried to get to the Bankhead Tunnel on Government Street. Please do your part in helping to avoid accidents by driving without distractions, slowing down in wet weather, and leaving a safe distance between vehicles.
P.S. On a side note, I created a one minute video slideshow of my time visiting the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C., which includes all the known fallen MPD officers. Watch it on my Youtube channel now.
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