It was the second night I was working as a police officer. I had a uniform and a gun. I had no instructions about arrests. I had handcuffs but no key and no idea how to use them. I was assigned to ride with the department’s sergeant because I knew nothing about police work and he was to teach me everything I would need to become an effective police officer. The hour arrived for the sergeant to have lunch. He drove to his house and got out of the patrol unit. He told me to drive around for a half hour and then come back and get him. My assignment was to learn the streets and their names.

I was driving on Lamonta Street when I met a Scout, which is a sport utility vehicle. I moved to the right and the Scout moved to my right and seemed to be following me. I moved as far to the right as I could and I ended up sitting next to a building before the Scout went past me. I was terrified that the Scout was going to hit the patrol car the first time I had ever driven one. I was over 40 feet off the street before the Scout went by the patrol car, missing it by inches.

Not being the smartest rookie on the road I decided I had better stop the Scout and find out what the problem was. I followed the weaving vehicle down the road for about a mile, flashing my head lights and pushing various buttons. I finally hit the right button and the emergency over head lights came on and the Scout stopped. I never did figure out where the siren was, but the horn worked. I could not call for assistance because there wasn’t a radio in the car and the sergeant had taken his with him.

As I walked up to the Scout its gentleman driver got out and promptly fell down. It took this rocket scientist a little while before I figured out the guy was what we refer to as ”shit faced drunk”. He was very nice and polite, but he was so drunk he could not stand up. He told me he was driving because he was too drunk to walk.

I locked his Scout up and gave him the keys. I placed him in the back seat of the patrol car and drove to the sergeants house. The trip to the sergeant’s house was interesting because I had only been there once. I got rather lost. We didn’t have protective cages so the drunk was perfectly happy about riding in the back seat of the patrol car. He wasn’t handcuffed because I didn’t know how to work my cuffs, and besides I didn’t have a key for them. The sergeant got into the passenger side of the patrol unit and started a very friendly conversation with the drunk. They had known each other for several years. Finally the sergeant asked why I was giving Alvie a ride home. I explained the driving I had seen and said I thought he was too drunk to drive. The sergeant directed me to the station. He seemed rather pissed off about something.

At the station we placed Alvie in a holding cage. The sergeant told me something about being so damn smart that I could just do it myself. He got into the patrol car and left. Now what was I to do? I didn’t have a clue. I asked the dispatcher and she smiled and called a state trooper in. The trooper growled and asked what I needed. I pointed to Alvie and explained what had transpired, and told him the sergeant had left me to take care of things and I didn’t have a clue about what was happening, or what to do.

The trooper called the sergeant on the radio, but the sergeant refused to answer his radio. The trooper took his gun off and had me take mine off and put them in a locked box. He helped me process Alvie for DUII. He helped me write the citations and fill out the booking slips and lodge Alvie in jail. That trooper saved my bacon several times in the first week and I’ll always be grateful for his help and direction.

About four years later Alvie wrecked his Scout in Prineville. I again arrested him for DUII. He blew a 0.17 both times. Alvie was at least consistent. The second time we met he was just as polite, but I knew what to do and didn’t need assistance from other officers.

By the way, the sergeant was really pissed. I never rode with him again. He somehow filled out my training book, that I only heard about. The sergeant and I became great friends.