• Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

The Peculiar World of a Graveyard Cop

graveyard cop

(Courtesy Fountain Valley Police Officers Association)

September 2, 2019
Jim McNeffbyJim McNeff
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

Working as a graveyard cop is one of the best experiences in law enforcement. Oh sure, there are two major downsides. For instance, your sleep and social life both suck! But I’m talking about experiencing the thrill of police work. You know, the action that drove you into the business in the first place.

The Graveyard Cop Is a Different Breed

Any police officer can tell you about the mountain of paperwork that comes with the profession. Moreover, the social service aspect gets tedious, and the community outreach programs are necessary, but never-ending on Day Watch.

However, during the graveyard shift, action happens and “Yard Dogs”—as we refer to them at my agency—want to be in the middle of it.

Police officers working Graveyard/Morning Watch/Mids/Watch 1, or whatever your agency calls it, enjoy rolling to hot calls without the interference of traffic. Getting from one end of town, or your beat, to the other is done with ease compared to working during the day.

After working years on “the yard,” (short for graveyard) cops become increasingly frustrated while driving in day-time traffic.

mental health
(John Liu)

Yard Dogs Can Multiply

The Yard Dogs know there is a greater likelihood of finding a crook while answering an alarm call at 3:30 a.m. versus 3:30 p.m. After all, we got into the business to catch bad guys, not the other assignments.

Ironically, there are fewer cops assigned to graveyard, but when the crap hits the fan, we multiply. When a partner radios, “I’m in pursuit,” everyone drops what they’re doing to help. If it turns into a foot chase and a perimeter is required, it is a hundred times easier containing an area during the relative inactivity in the middle of the night than it is during the day.

When things slow down, there is time to bond with a cup of coffee behind 7-11, or your favorite place for a bold-blend. Regardless of the quality, you’ll drink the cup-of-joe because it’s graveyard.

Always Looking for Bad Guys

And if things really slow down, you can “cherry pick” the “fishing hole” on the border in the adjacent jurisdiction. There is no need to explain what I mean to those in uniform.

champion
(Courtesy Fountain Valley Police Officers Association)

Gotta Love Salty Sarge

Another beautiful thing about working graveyard is that “Salty Sarge” is usually there. This is the crusty dude that could care less about another promotion. As a matter of fact, he’s offering a Philly Cheesesteak meal  to the next officer that “bags” a burglary or robbery suspect.

Surprisingly, a defense attorney once obtained this information, and during cross-examination, asked if it was true.

“You better believe it,” came his snarky reply. “I’ll buy you a ‘Philly’ too if you find someone doing what your client did.”

Pursuits, Perimeters, and Pleasantries

Moreover, the most amazing pursuits occur at night. Please hold the politically correct criticism. I know innocent people get injured and killed during these events, and no one wearing a badge wants that to occur. But police officers are tasked with catching bad guys. Anyone who believes that a “no pursuit” policy will reign crooks in is naïve. Yes, we need to use good judgment, but the chases that occur when the sun goes down are worth the tour of duty.

Furthermore, when the bad guys run, a K9 handler is usually working “The Yard,” so our four-legged officers get in on the action . . . big time!

There are few pleasantries greater than hearing a police service dog (PSD) “capture” a felony suspect who’s been hiding within a perimeter for the past hour. As a result of activity on the shift, this occurs with greater frequency.

graveyard cop
(Courtesy Fountain Valley Police Officers Association)

After Midnight

“Nothing good ever happens after midnight,” is something you’ve probably heard. I don’t know where the saying originated, but it had to be a graveyard cop. We intuitively know this to be true, due to the bad things we see during this time of night.

If police see a pedestrian or bicyclist in a non-populated area at 3:00 a.m., chances are very good the person is stoned, drunk, or both. Furthermore, the same person, even in this condition, is looking for an opportunity to “score.” By this I mean they are seeking a vice or personal property belonging to someone else that will facilitate obtaining their desired chemical of choice.

Believe me, the cyclist riding in circles in the middle of the night is not training for the X-Games. Moreover, this person is not someone you’d trust to babysit your children.

By the way, “dopers” internal alarm clock activates at midnight. So while opportunists prey on people who are sleeping, officers pray for the ability to find them engaged in crime they ought not be doing.

For a graveyard cop, it’s all in a days work—a period of time that occurs after midnight!

– Jim McNeff

 


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: graveyardK9midnightperimeterpursuitWar StoriesWatch OneYard Dogs
Jim McNeff

Jim McNeff

Jim McNeff is the managing editor of Law Officer. As a Medal of Valor recipient with more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement and the military, Jim brings experience, insight, and a keen perspective to the issues affecting law enforcement. For nearly a decade, Jim has also served the law enforcement community as a writer and editor following the latest news, facts, and figures concerning law enforcement seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Jim is a retired police lieutenant and served a municipal police department for 28 years. Previously, Jim was a crewmember of the National Emergency Airborne Command Post—a presidential support detail. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice from Southwest University, and is a graduate of the esteemed Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute and the Leadership in Police Organizations IACP course of study. Jim is also the author of three police-related books: The Spirit Behind Badge 145, Justice Revealed, and Jurisdiction.

Related Posts

marathon pursuit

California man arrested following marathon pursuit

February 15, 2023
Chicago FOP

Chicago police officers ‘ordered’ to stop chasing violent armed robbers

September 11, 2022
Wyoming Highway Patrol

Two people die while trying to evade Wyoming Highway Patrol

June 1, 2022
county police departments

Two out of three ain’t bad

December 11, 2021

Search continues after suspect allegedly shot at Oklahoma City officer

September 6, 2021
elderly woman killed

Elderly woman killed, husband critically injured after suspect vehicle crashes into home during pursuit

June 27, 2021
Load More

Latest Articles

Joseph Watson

Oklahoma airport shooter pleads guilty to 8 counts, receives split life sentence

March 27, 2023
Georgia homeowner

Georgia homeowner fatally shoots burglary suspect breaking into house

March 27, 2023
loose tire

Loose tire launches car airborne on California freeway

March 27, 2023
six young girls killed

Six young girls killed in Tennessee highway crash after car flips, passengers ejected

March 26, 2023
Border Patrol Agents

Border Patrol Agents Doubling as EMTs

March 26, 2023
Florida officer critical

Florida officer critical, suspect dead by suicide, police say

March 26, 2023
Load More

Weekly E-Newsletter

Subscribe—and get the latest news and editorials direct from Law Officer each week!

[newsletter_form type="minimal"]

JOIN THE FIGHT

BE COURAGEOUS

FIND MORE…

Law Officer

© 2021 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact

© 2021 LawOfficer.com