It’s 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, the rain is hammering the window of Officer Jason Dye’s squad car as it races down waterlogged Western Boulevard to respond to an intrusion alarm on the far side of campus. This is a scene not uncommon for any participant of Campus Police’s Ride-A-Long Program.

The Ride-A-Long Program provides community members with the opportunity to shadow a Campus Police officer on patrol and learn about law enforcement firsthand. While many of the participants in the program are pursuing a career in law enforcement or a related field, others are simply curious about police work.

Dye, sporting pepper spray, a Taser gun, a bullet gun, a baton and handcuffs, explained that he has been with Campus Police for about three years. Campus Police, he said, is a full-fledged police force responsible for about 60,000 people including students, faculty and staff. On average, he receives 15 to 20 calls per night. The departmental average for call clearance (a call ending in an arrest, proven to be unfounded, etc.) is 30 to 35 percent, while in other police departments, the averages are around 20 to 25 percent, according to Dye.

On Wednesday night by 10 p.m., for example, Dye had responded to five calls. On two of the calls, the suspects fled the scene and had disappeared by the time he arrived.

Dye offered a piece of advice to students, “If you see something or someone suspicious, you’re advised to call Campus Police right away,” he said.

“It is not uncommon that police will be investigating a crime and someone will mention that they saw someone suspicious who could have been the perpetrator,” said Dye.

“Just call ASAP, even if it’s nothing,” Dye said. “We would rather have someone call and it turn out to be nothing than not have someone call and have something happen.”

The Ride-A-Long program, according to Sgt. Barnwell of the Campus Police, has been fully active since 2000 and is open to all community members. He said that students are highly encouraged to try the program. It is a good way to “understand how police function on a daily basis.”

The only requirement for the Ride-A-Long program is that participants sign a liability waiver, Barnwell said. Participation is free.

“[If you’re] interested, call 515-3000 and set up an appointment,” he said.