Hi, all!

I am a Ph.D. Candidate researching the history of the ride-along for my dissertation. I came to this project by way of my former romantic partner who became a law enforcement officer the same year I started my PhD program. I have spent the past three years observing everyday patrol work while on ride-alongs with a handful of different officers, developing an ethnography of how policing is enacted "on the ground" in everyday encounters with policed communities. However, in attempting to expand on my own understanding of the ride-along program and what I'm beginning to see is its fragmented history, I have struggled to locate a historical moment, event, or legal precedent that catalyzed the adoption of ride-along programs nationwide.

So, here I am! Might anyone -- LEO, LEO personnel and affiliates -- have any understanding, heard any stories, or otherwise have a sense of when the ride-along programs started, even if it's in relation to your own local department?

Many thanks for taking the time to read this post!

Best,

DK