UNH Police

For my group's second project, we decided to tackle one of the constants in every UNH student's life: the UNH police.

On Friday I joined a UNH PD officer for a ride-along. My mission was to pick up b-roll for a narrated story of sorts.

The officer pulled up to the department and after a series of questions and my signature, took me out to the streets of Durham. I hadn't realized just how mundane many of the activities they went through ever day were.

When we pulled over a woman who hadn't stopped at a stop sign, the officer left his door slightly ajar. He explained the significance:

"You never know when someone could jump out and shoot at you - you need to be ready to jump out and roll to the ground at all times."

I pictured a scene from James Bond. He always knew how to dodge the bad guys.

"Have you ever had to do that?" I asked.

The officer grinned at me sheepishly. He had been on the job in Durham for almost 20 years before switching to the smaller UNH PD a few years ago.

"Well, no. But you should always be prepared."

From handicapped parking (a "major pet peeve"), to crossing a solid line, to uncalled for tones of urgency in fellow officer's voices on the dispatch radio, the live of a UNH cop looked quite complicated and fulfilling.

Still, I got some great noise when we pulled over the violaters - even him explaining their offenses - along with sirens, the radar, and dispatch. Plus, we learned about a state grant that pays for the Durham and UNH police to work together without quotas - they can make unlimited arrests on the weekends between 9 p.m. and the early morning hours. The UNH officer did say that little changed when he switched departments - that working for the UNH PD was essentially the same as working for the Durham PD.

Brittney interviewed a repeat offender yesterday, someone who definitely felt the effects of the state grant. And all of this while one of our TNH columnists ranted about the pointlessness of searching ceaselessly and arresting students for intoxication, even when almost at their rooms.

We're looking into the grant, interviewing Paul Deen, and putting it all together before noon today, with narration.

Wish us luck.