Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Police see ‘greatest show on earth’ through their job
Police work isn’t all about writing tickets and assisting at the scene of car accidents.
Much of it is public relations. I found this out firsthand from the front seat of a police car on a Saturday night ride-along with Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Department Officer David Hale.
The patrolman was pleased, when after conducting a late-night traffic stop, the driver shook his hand.
A police officer is charged with protecting both people and property.
Rain had fallen for about 90 minutes; the roadways were slick and it seemed darker than usual on the back roads.
We passed by a car barely pulled off the roadway. I didn’t see it as we passed. Hale said he caught sight of the vehicle from the corner of his eye.
We turned around and both noticed that the car’s hazard lights were dull and barely flashing.
Hale hit the lights and with a flashlight approached carefully and ascertained that no one was in the car.
He popped on his onboard computer and ran the plates. The car was registered to a teen.
Hale first assumed the driver could have run out of gas and might be walking to a gas station along a two-lane road after dark.
After finding the car unlocked, and the keys in the vehicle, he attempted to start the car. When it didn’t turn over, he then considered the worst, maybe the driver had been abducted.
Hale noted that the pavement underneath the car was dry, and assumed that the vehicle had been parked alongside the road for more than an hour.
Hale notice a university sticker on the back window and dialed college police. He was given the registered owner’s phone number.
While he was on the phone, a tow truck arrived. The driver reported of the vehicle said she was safe and sound.
Hale said he had considered calling a tow truck but preferred not to in case the registered owner had made other less-costly arrangements.
This stop had a happy ending.
As I stood by the car with the lights flashing, Hale directed traffic around the tow truck. He lit the right side of his body and his waving arm with the flashlight to give motorists a better chance to see him directing traffic.
While standing in the middle of the road, the patrolman was at risk. I was appalled by the number of motorists who didn’t pay attention or listen, but I was told it was “unfortunately” part of the job. What a job! Fellow WEGO Sgt. James Renegar told me that police see a lot and “the badge is the ticket to the greatest show on earth.”
Nothing much out of the ordinary happened on this particular night. Hale and I quietly talked while he drove and occasionally parked. He drove slowly through several retail parking lots. The officer said that employees finishing up their late-night shifts appreciate seeing him making the rounds.
Hale said he enjoys assisting those who need help.
“We get to help somebody when they absolutely need it,” he said. “It doesn’t happen often, but it makes everything worth it.
“You can really make an impact on somebody’s life.”
Hale has saved two heart attack victims. He later met one father and daughter who were able to share a graduation thereafter.
He’s also successfully administered Narcan a half-dozen times to overdose victims.
Police officers exercise discretion.
Does the offense merit the fine? Is someone angry because they’ve had a recent bad turn of events?
He said his job is to deescalate rather than escalate.
“People get angry, we don’t know where they’re coming from,” he said. “Does hitting them with the fine change their behavior?”
There are offenses that Hale regularly enforces.
Windshield tint is dangerous and illegal, he said, and oversized tires and monster trucks are typically not tolerated.
The seven-year veteran officer also watches for those texting and “putting people at risk,” although the texting law is not easy to enforce.
WEGO officers work 12hour shifts, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Every two weeks they swap day for night shifts.
Twenty-nine full-time
officers and six or seven part-timers run the department. Six sergeants, two lieutenants and a chief work from the station.
Hale drives about 80 miles per shift and typically responds to four or five calls, filing a report for each.
“There are less calls at night, but they are more dangerous, under the cover of darkness,” the brand new, first-time father said.
Hale’s belt and vest weigh about 30 pounds. He carries a department-issued gun, Taser, handcuffs, baton, radio and pepper spray.
He personally adds a flashlight, second set of cuffs and tourniquet.
“You try to have a positive presence,” Hale said. “You change perspectives one stop at a time.
“The goal is to change behavior and get them into compliance. Public relations is most of the work we do.
“Writing tickets is the least, but it’s where we come into contact with the public.”
We stopped at a Wawa. Hale said he uses compassion, understanding and is open-minded.
“We like to be out there and build better relationships.
Maybe it’s a trust issue. We’re doing our best to improve that.”
We transported a woman to an arraignment and I felt sorry for this person secured by cuffs in the back seat.
“I don’t feel bad,” Hale said. “For us it’s business as usual and there is nothing personal in this business.”
A police officer’s number-one nemesis is complacency.
“Every alarm (call) you go to could be a burglary alarm,” he said. “You still have to treat it like you’ve never been there before. “It’s a constant battle.” Hale said he does sometimes become scared, with an adrenaline rush and sometimes subsequent adrenaline dump is typical.
“You do your best to fight through it and rely on your instincts and training to help get you through,” Hale said.
Bill Rettew Jr. is a weekly columnist and Chester County resident. He prefers the front seat to the back seat in a police car — although there’s clearly more room in the back. He may be contacted at brettew@dailylocal.com.