Category: Research
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Fragments Observed: Riding with the Mobile Police Department, Part 13
I arrived at the historic Mobile City Hospital building on St. Anthony Street on an April morning and reported to Sergeant George in the Financial Crimes Unit. It was my first “ride along” shadowing a specialized squad for a shift as opposed to riding with one of the precinct officers on patrol. Besides the sergeant,…
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Fragments Observed: Riding with the Mobile Police Department, Part 12
Author’s Note: In honor of National Police Week, I am posting this article early. Thank you, Mobile Police Department, for protecting and serving those living and visiting within the jurisdiction. Your work is appreciated! My twelfth ride for this blog series began like many shifts. On a Monday morning in March, I meet my assigned…
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Fragments Observed: Riding with the Mobile Police Department, Part 11
I reported to 3rd Precinct on an overcast Thursday in late February for my monthly ride. As it was only my second time in the northeast Mobile precinct and my first time for a nightshift there, I figured I would see some new-to-me situations. That proved to be true. My host officer for the patrol…
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Fragments Observed: Riding with the Mobile Police Department, Part 7
The temperatures might have cooled, but criminal activity was ripe in southwest Mobile when I returned to 2nd Precinct in October. A sergeant from the squad I rode with over the summer held the station door open while teasing me about abandoning his group for their counterpart. While I do enjoy return rides to familiar…
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Fragments Observed: Riding with the Mobile Police Department, Part 5
Thanks to a steamy August afternoon, condensation coated the windows of the lobby at 1st Precinct on Dauphin Island Parkway. The precinct cat lounged on the sidewalk near the door—not bothering to withdraw from a stranger in the heavy evening air. Though it was the end of most people’s workday and week, the squad sergeant…