October Police Ride

I arrived and waited outside until Private first Class Hirschi arrived in his K-9 Ford SUV. He invited me inside to the station from the back. I walked in and he sat at a desk near the back entrance and got on the telephone.
I walked around the desk and looked at the large posters near the desks at different pictures of gang signs, photographed as tattoos on the gang member’s bodies. I walked down the hall to the back wall to see the small holding cell, a white and plastic or plexiglass-looking case with scuff marks and carvings on the inside. Closer to the holding cell was an alcohol test area with tubes and digital readings, etc. I saw the area where mug shots were taken, and the instructions for taking them taped to the wall nearby.
Officer Hirschi continued his telephone call about some unwanted photos on Facebook, part of a recent court case that involved a split-up family and fighting for custody of their kids. Someone is angry that pictures of their kids with their ex-wife’s kids are up on Facebook. Another officer and his wife were called in, obviously off duty, to ask questions about the phone call and Facebook pictures. I read the notifications, or police reports posted with tacks on the nearby board. They were notifications of recent warnings or call-ins to the station or nearby stations for residents in the Rexburg area. One particular recent post warned officers against a man and his friend angered at the arrest of a relative, and who was ready with weapons to retaliate against officers; this was back in May.
After the man and his wife left the station, or as they were leaving, the officer and I left. He removed things from the front seat, probably things for his dog.
The dog had been trained and it will be his until the dog retires. His name is Nitro, a bomb sniffing dog. Just three weeks earlier he was in Idaho sniffing around a school after a bomb threat.
The officer pulled over two cars, both young adults, probably BYU-Idaho students. The first failed to signal at a turn and had a broken headlight, which the student tried to explain as an electric problem that occurred once every week or so. The second pull over was also due to lighting problems. In the car there were normal car things, and then a rifle, without the clip (which was close-by), and a camera that always recorded. There was a monitor to show the recording with controls to stop or pause it. It would turn on automatically with the siren, and the recorder would record a minute before the siren to catch the offense or crime on tape. The officer was equipped with a microphone which made it possible to hear the conversations with those pulled over.
He is not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the majority growing up. He grew up here with five other non-member friends. He is married with two children, an almost 8 year old daughter, and an almost 5 year old son.
His shift is now the 4pm to 2 am shift, which he strongly dislikes, soon to change to 7pm to 9am. He also leaves frequently in his off hours due to the demands of his membership of the Rexburg, Idaho SWAT team. After two years as an officer, after years in juvenile delinquent centers, he applied, tried out for and made the swat team. They recently almost caught a lady who had stolen her own child (breaking custody laws), but returned him.
He is also on call as the cop with the Canine, he and the dog are on call. He carries a handgun and a tazer gun.
He is a little over 6 foot, in shape, 200 pounds or so, maybe less, 185. The station is set up with a Chief, a Captain, 3 Lieutenants, 4 Sergeants, then there should be a Corporal, but there isn’t, a couple Private First Class Officers, and then standard Officers. Soon the division will host 20 officers, 4 extra recently pulled from the BYU-Idaho division, who will soon have a private security organization, with Rexburg patrolling the area.