The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 134 Drunk Driving
Weston left, and Darren left too.

Eric was left, and he looked at Annie, who had walked over and was now standing beside him, and examined her carefully.

It was the same as always, but judging from the rookie's expression, Eric knew she had taken his words to heart.

“Let’s go too,” Eric said, standing up and nodding.

Annie nodded and obediently followed behind.

-

It's still the same Explorer patrol car.

Annie is becoming increasingly adept at checking equipment before night shifts.

Police walkie-talkies, handcuffs, small pepper spray, paper and pen for recording, stun guns, high-voltage batons, glaring flashlights, thin disposable gloves, and sharp police folding knives can all be neatly and orderly put away by her.

She even felt that she was starting to get used to this tedious feeling.

After locking the M4 carbine in the trunk, Annie glanced at Eric and saw that he had already gotten into the driver's seat, so she obediently swallowed the question of who was driving.

She slammed the trunk lid shut, clutching the M870 shotgun, and strode after Eric. She opened the passenger door, climbed in, and deftly snapped the shotgun into the center locking mechanism.

"Sir, all ready!" she said crisply.

Eric nodded, said nothing more, picked up the walkie-talkie connected to the police radio, pressed the call button, and spoke in a steady tone:

"10-A-11, commencing patrol, please dispatch missions."

"Received!" came the confirmation from the radio station.

The voice was still crisp and full, but Eric could tell it wasn't Abby's voice. However, he wasn't really bothered. After all, there were so many people in the police station, and it was possible that if a shift was changed, everyone who was originally in the same process would have to be changed.

Because what matters isn't the person, but the position under their buttocks.

After completing this step, Eric gripped the steering wheel, looked at Annie who was already fastened her seatbelt and sitting upright, and said calmly.

"How does it feel?"

Annie took a deep breath. She already felt a bit pressured by the darkness around her, and Daves's words were echoing in her mind.

"It's alright," she said earnestly to Eric.

"But, sir, I've already prepared myself mentally after I got back."

Eric looked at her tense body and laughed, "Don't be nervous, you'll easily mess things up if you're nervous."

Upon hearing this, Annie immediately took a deep breath and tried to relax.

“Don’t worry, although the night shift is much more dangerous than the day shift, it’s not that exaggerated,” Eric said.

"There might be some mean-spirited veterans who might play pranks on newcomers, but if someone offers you a drink, be sure to throw it away."

Annie nodded seriously, but also expressed her own thoughts: "I never drink anything from strangers."

Eric shrugged: "That would be best."

After saying that, Eric shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and drove the Explorer patrol car away from the police station.

The first night patrol thus began.

----------------------

On the road.

The night was as dark as ink, pressing down heavily. Outside the car window, the streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, intertwining with the hazy colors of the distant neon lights. Annie spoke up.

"The feeling at night is definitely different from during the day." Eric gripped the steering wheel, letting the flickering light and shadows from the roadside brush against his face, outlining his features in half-light and half-shadow. He casually replied:

"What's the difference."

"Visibility is very low, it feels unsafe anywhere, like something bad could happen at any moment!" Annie's tone was tense.

Eric's lips twitched slightly: "Just maintain the necessary vigilance and pay attention to your surroundings. Being overly concerned will only make things worse."

Annie glanced at the surrounding night scene and said seriously, "Okay."

Eric glanced at Annie before looking away; every newcomer on their first night patrol inevitably feels this way.

Even he back then couldn't escape it; day and night were clearly two different worlds.

Eric glanced at the traffic light ahead and saw it turn red, then immediately steered the wheel to turn into the right lane.

Just then, before he could even turn the steering wheel, a white BMW 330i 3-Series blatantly ran a red light right in front of them.

That's not all; they even sped past them in the opposite direction.

They had only just left the police station when Annie glanced at the calm Eric and muttered to herself.

It was nighttime, and this seemed to be the first time in the month she had been on duty that she had seen someone dare to run a red light and drive against traffic in front of a police car.

"Flash lights, turn on sirens."

Upon hearing this, Annie immediately took action.

Eric had already taken control of the steering wheel, turned and chased after the audacious driver, beginning a routine traffic interception.

Waaaaaah!

Accompanied by the piercing sound of sirens, red and blue lights flashed on this highway.

It attracted the attention of many drivers, who saw an Explorer patrol car, resembling a ferocious beast, chasing a white 330i 3-Series BMW.

Not long after, the BMW 330i 3-Series slowly pulled over to the side of the road, and the pursuing Explorer patrol car also gradually slowed down.

This scene was commonplace for them, so they didn't find it strange and turned their attention away to continue driving.

"To determine the nature of this police report, we need to deduce it from the available information or first look at the situation of the person who called the police," Eric instructed Annie, parking his car two meters behind the BMW.

"Sometimes, you only need to take a look, without even getting out of the car, and you can guess pretty accurately based on your experience and instincts. And your body is the most honest alarm bell. Every inch of taut skin, every standing hair, is silently telling you what you are facing."

As he spoke, Eric unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at Annie, who was deep in thought.

Tell me, what are you feeling right now?

Annie shook her head and said honestly, "I didn't feel anything, sir."

Eric said, "So no wonder you're a newbie." Then he opened the door and got out of the car.

Annie's cheek twitched. She stared at Eric, who was already walking towards the front of the car, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and followed him out of the car.

Eric rested his right hand on his holster and waited for Annie. Based on the information presented to him, including the strong smell of alcohol, he knew that the driver in the driver's seat was drunk.

He looked at Annie with a testing gaze, as if he was waiting for something.

Annie pursed her lips, mimicking Eric's gesture, and placed her right hand on the holster. She stepped forward and first looked at the rear window of the 330i 3-Series BMW, quickly scanning the interior.

He then walked to the rear of the car, reached out his left hand to touch the taillights and the bottom of the trunk, and then, while observing cautiously, slowly moved toward the passenger side window.

Her whole body was tense, her pretty eyes fixed on the car window. When she confirmed that there seemed to be only one woman inside, Annie breathed a slight sigh of relief, walked to the passenger side window, and knocked on the glass.

(End of this chapter)