Have you ever had that feeling your face is so hot it would burn your finger if you touched it? That feeling where you try to breathe as slowly and deeply as you can, but your heart still races and feels as though it might beat right out of your chest? Well, I had that feeling for about six hours recently, while cruising in the passenger seat alongside a seasoned San Leandro Police Officer, Annie O’Callaghan.
To begin, a little about Annie O. She is one of those people who radiates toughness. Being in the same room with her, you can tell that she knows her stuff and she could tackle any situation put in front of her. Annie has spent years on the streets, working undercover to catch “Johns” soliciting women. She was a motorcycle cop for years, on patrol keeping Bay Area streets safe from criminals. She’s worked in narcotics. In a nutshell, she is one tough chick who can get the job done. I’d say she’s my hero, because there is no way I could keep my cool like she does.
During our patrol shift, the streets were calm. I have no heroic stories of breaking up gang fights or stopping robberies. The craziest event of the night was an (extremely) intoxicated man who ended up, somehow, on the floor of a local diner, unconscious and without ID.
That said, even the low key calls got my heart pumping. Being on a job where you can’t predict its path kept me on edge the entire time. I guess this is something an officer gets used to quickly, because otherwise that officer would have a stress-induced heart attack or find themselves with an ulcer in no time. But for me, the patrol newbie, this was edge-of-my-seat stuff.
We started on a few run-of-the-mill calls; an elderly lady with dementia who had escaped her assisted living facility, a noise complaint from an elderly man (not the first time he’s called), and a family dispute where the ex-husband was intruding on the ex-wife by coming to the house to do his laundry. I learned quickly that part of an officer’s job, beyond guns and handcuffs, is playing mediator, therapist and voice-of-reason. If someone calls, even over a simple family problem, officers have to do what they can to resolve the issue and ensure everyone will be safe when the officer leaves.
Of course, these calls wouldn’t be considered high-risk, but what I learned was that even when you are on the most mundane calls, you don’t know what lies ahead. Many officers are gunned down during routine traffic stops. Just a few weeks ago, a Riverside Police Officer was killed by a man on parole, who stole the officer’s gun and shot that officer as he tried to run. There are some people who feel they have nothing to lose in these situations and will do anything to get away. That is the risk an officer takes everyday. They don’t put on the bullet-proof vest for nothing.
We pulled over a gentleman for a gross polluter violation after crossing paths with his chimney of a truck, spewing toxic clouds into the atmosphere. As Annie got out to talk to the man, all I could think was, “What happens if he has a gun? What if he is running from a warrant and feels he has to do anything to get away from this cop?” This is all in a regular day’s work for officers like Annie O. Those thoughts don’t cloud her mind; it’s all business and getting the job done.
I may not have come home with harrowing tales of death-defying rescues or speeding car chases ending in the apprehension of a serial killer, but I came home with a refreshed respect for our women and men in blue. Their job is one I simply could not do. After just one shift, I counted the minutes until I could get home to my warm, safe bed. If my days were spent on patrol looking for the bad guys, checking around every corner and being on high alert for the next thing that COULD happen, I would not only have an ulcer, I would probably have a therapist on speed dial.
To those of you out on the streets, thank you. We couldn’t live the lives we do without you.
