In 7 days I'm going to patrol with the k9 unit for the local county sheriff. Very excited to say the least. I will have a note pad full of questions for the trip.  We are patrolling from 7am-3pm. Anything I need to know? anything to expect?

1 question...I conceal carry all day everyday...should I leave the gun at home? Bring it and don't mention it? Or ask if I can bring it?

Ask if you can bring your firearm, most likely you'll be told no, but I haven't ever had a problem with a civilian bringing theirs riding with me. Don't dress stupid, don't show up wearing anything that will embarrass the deputy, i.e. big Johnson t shirts...
Do what you are told the whole time, if the deputy tells you to stay in the car, STAY IN THE FREAKING CAR.  The deputy will probably not mind questions, and this will normally make a shift go by faster. Also keep in mind you are riding with a K-9 unit, you need to ASK BEFORE trying to pet the dog. This seems like common sense, but you'd be surprised at stories I have heard. (I'm not a K-9 officer) Keep one thing in mind, some officers/deputies don't really like ride along's, so do your best to be friendly yet professional. Contrary to popular belief, Officers/Deputies are not robots, we have good and bad days like everybody else, just bear with whomever you are riding with. He/She may not want to talk about just LEO related stuff either, mix up the conversation with other topics too. Also be prepared for the amount of paperwork any LEO has to do, a lot of people forget or don't consider this when going on a ride along, for every arrest, traffic stop, K-9 use, or anything, there is always paperwork to be done after the incident is over.

purpose of ride-internship/citizen academy?
no d&d jokes
don't have diarrhea of the mouth
listen and not just hear
be attentive
do as your told

Ask about the CC first.

Leave the questions at home... during the shift, perhaps many of those questions will be answered.  WATCH, OBSERVE, LEARN.

Find the "oh shit" handles in the car and hang on when he hits the lights and siren and tells the dog it's time to eat.

-Do not take your gun...dont even ask.
-Dress the complete opposite of what you think a cop would wear.  No 5.11, cargo pants, duty boots, etc.
-Do as you are told without question.  It probably wont happen, but if I am ordering a rider to do something there is a safety issue and there isnt time to "talk about it."
-Be prepared for a boring night.  Whenever I have riders I kick over every rock I see and rarely find something...probably because we are trying too hard.

Be prepared to smell dog to the point of nausea while being folded around a razor sharp laptop mount while crammed into a seat that's fully forward.

I don't know how those guys do the K9 thing. I guess they can't smell it any longer.

this 100%

OP, go potty every chance you get.
I dont take riders on tracks with me.
And I could be gone for hours with you left doing the PP dance beside the truck.

Thanks for the great advice guys!  No gun, I got that.  I'll be wearing jeans and a polo. I'm going to write down a bunch of questions but I won't bring them with me. I don't wanna look like imnquizzing anybody I will just ask any I remember during normal conversation.

The shift is 7am-3pm so I'm not expecting any crazy to happen just going to use the opportunity to try nd understand the job more and learn about what it takes

"... smells like -- VICTORY!"

My K9 was brushed every day and was bathed regularly.  No one ever complained about an unpleasant odor.
A dog that wasn't properly groomed would not have been tolerated.

Yea well you have pride in your work. That's a tough job that requires tons of hours if done right.

I was going to say the same thing but didnt want to derail.

And OP at my department, you can not wear jeans. Slacks/khakis at the least. It obviously maybe different at your place, but might want to double check before making the drive.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll ask what's appropriate to wear

The only tip I can add to the advice already given is get in the car last. All our dogs tend to not like people near their rigs and will let you know it. I worked with a handler for a day and I was always second to get in the car, even if I got there first. Kept me from getting bit all day.

I've done three so far (Trooper and Sheriffs next)

Khakis, polo, dress shoes.  Sunglasses, but ones you're willing to lose.
CCW at home.  I did bring my folding knife but I just use that as a tool (boxes, bags, etc) so I didn't think much of it.
Water bottle, 1 liter.
Yes, potty break every chance.
Listen, observe, then ask.
Offer to pay for the meal.

One time the officer went over the radio setup with me 'just in case'.  He also asked if I knew how to shoot an AR, yes, so he went over that with me too 'just in case'.  I didn't ask about it that I remember, it seemed to be part of his ride-along routine.  The other two didn't do that.

My most recent ride-along was with Ft Lauderdale Police (they have their own force) and we ended up riding the Rhino for about two hours .  City Manager wanted them to enforce the No Alcohol statute on the beach so my guy was part of that for a little while.

Arrested two guys for thieving (I think this was 'Larceny').  Got to translate a bit with some witnesses.  None of the guys on shift knew spanish .  Otherwise a quiet afternoon.

No on the CCW.  This is a felony the moment you bring it into the jail.

You are an unwanted liability.  Dress is khaki pants, button down shirt so the citizens think you are a detectve.  Buy dinner on the lunch break.  Don't make stupid comments.

This. I found out the hard way at 4am while printing out some citations and my FTO was in the office. Dog went nuts out of nowhere and about made me mess up a pair of uniform trousers. I had never really been scared of dogs until that point.

Don't ask stupid questions, don't talk too much, but don't sit there all quiet and looking bored.  Have a good time, watch, listen, and learn.  Oh and if I'm writing a report, you may ask a question here and there, but for the love of god sit there quietly, play on yer smart phone, whatever, just don't keep bothering me!! Lol had one of those a couple weeks ago...took about 2.5 times longer to write a simple report cuz he couldn't key in that I was trying to be polite and let him know I needed to focus and he needed to STFU!

Play with the lights, siren and radio.  Play the meow game.  Ask for a liter of cola during 10-7 at fast food joint.  

don't talk about how being a cop is your second option if your music career does not take off...if you do bring that up, then for the love of god absolutely DO NOT ask questions about whether it was legal when that cop pulled you out of your car, searched it, and found weed while you were sitting in front of a complainants house with the car blacked out, then proceed to talk about how all your best friends are heavy weed smokers or dealers....

and yes, I actually had a ride along that did this...I was starting to think someone was pulling a prank on me, but no...this kid was just that stupid...

 

Not LEO but work with them in my current job so I get invited out a lot.  And years ago I was going through the process with a few agencies.



Every dept. is different.  



State patrol wanted me in a suit and tie since I was an applicant.  Had to sit in the car for the entire shift.  I don't know how those guys do it, but chasing tail lights for 10 hours and looking for expired tabs and seat belt violators wasn't fun.  And the trooper wasn't much for conversation.  Tried to ask a few questions but she didn't seem like she wanted to answer them.  So I sat with my mouth closed for those LOOOONG 10 hours trying to learn what I could. At one stop I opened my door just to stretch my legs out and apparently that was unacceptable.  After the ride was over, I withdrew from the process.  No way I could do that every day.



Local city agency said levi's, polo shirt and "professional looking" sweat shirt.  Asked if I was carrying a weapon and if I was, to put it in my car.  Stayed in the car until he told me to get out, if anything went down I was to get as far away as fast as I could. It was a fun ride but it seemed like he was trying to "sell" his dept. to me to get me to apply.  I got more of a tour of the city than anything.



County was a different ball game.  I was an applicant at the time so I showed up for my ride in khakis and a polo.  Deputy asked me if I knew how to run a AR platform, went over the "worst case scenario's", how to run the radio, etc.  Then drove me to my house and said change over to work clothes and actually said "5.11 pants and some kind of shirt that looks like mine and boots".  Then he told me to grab my CCW.  If he got out of the car on a stop, I had to be out of the car.  I thought it was a little over board but when we went to a burglary call, there was another deputy with a rider and you could tell he had been given the same drill.  The only thing I couldn't do was interact with anyone they were questioning or being detained.  Turned out being a shit ton of fun.  LOTS of code calls, K9 track, couple transports to the jail, etc.

My ride along wa awesome. Got great insight into the process of becoming a LEO and the daily they put up with. First call was a car wreck with a semi, then we got to canvas a nieghborhood for a purse snatcher. Used the dog to find the ditched stolen purse in an overgrown abandoned lot. Boy does the dog wrk fast!  Did a welfare check some other small calls and a domestic dispute that turned into a minor car chase around the block!  Got to use the dg to search a car that stank of marijuana. He hit on a suitcase that had ashes and residue. Didn't find any goodies though. All in all very fun and I am applying for patrol jobs today. Hopefully I get an interview somewhere but really gunning for a position with the county sheriffs dept.

Glad you had fun!! It's a great career. Not always glamerous, but you get a front row seat to the greatest show on earth!!