Chapter 21: The First Dedicated Police Car

Jimmy picked up his paycheck and walked to the equipment room to retrieve his single-patrol gear: a large duffel bag and a shotgun. With his car keys in hand, he headed to the parking lot.

He scanned the license plates until he found his squad car—an 80%-new Crown Victoria. It featured a semi-wrap-around front bumper that extended to the sides, with a siren speaker mounted underneath, allowing the officer to broadcast through a microphone in the cab. The roof was equipped with old-fashioned tubular light bars, a style rarely seen in 2022, reminiscent of American television shows or movies from before 2010.

On the A-pillar of the driver’s side sat an adjustable spotlight. Its handle, located inside the cabin, allowed for easy control, letting the driver turn it on or off and rotate the beam to illuminate an arc of over 180 degrees in front of the vehicle.

The doors bore the emblem of the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office. Jimmy inspected the vehicle, stowed his gear in the trunk, loaded the shotgun, and felt ready. He drove out of the station, first familiarizing himself with the car's handling on the quiet country roads of the western suburbs before embarking on his first solo patrol.

County sheriff patrols have defined jurisdictions. Due to historical reasons, parts of the area near the western suburbs of Little Rock had overlapping jurisdictions between the County Sheriff’s Office and the Little Rock Police Department, usually managed according to dispatch center assignments.

In principle, American police jurisdictions do not overlap. Rural police handle township matters; city police manage municipal affairs; county sheriffs handle areas outside the city and rural jurisdictions; state troopers cover areas outside county jurisdiction and cross-county cases, in addition to highway patrols; and federal agents handle federal and interstate matters. Beyond these, there are specialized forces like campus police, park rangers, and Capitol police.

The area Jimmy was patrolling originally fell under the city police's jurisdiction, but due to staffing shortages, the city had negotiated with the sheriff’s office to share patrols. For calls in these overlapping zones, if the sheriff’s deputy preferred not to respond, they could simply ask the dispatcher to hand it off to the city police.

The most significant factor is manpower. City police departments account for over two-thirds—some data suggests up to three-quarters—of the nation's total police force. In contrast, county sheriff’s offices, which cover much larger areas, typically face severe personnel shortages.

Taking the Little Rock Police Department and the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office as examples: the city department employed over 700 people, with more than 500 sworn officers. The sheriff’s office was much more modest, with only a few dozen deputies responsible for all law enforcement outside the larger cities, as well as duties like serving as bailiffs for the county courts.

Of course, the county sheriff doesn't handle everything. The towns and villages under the county’s umbrella have their own elected local police departments, which are small—some with a dozen officers, others with only two or three. Officers in these smaller departments are usually recruited locally, often from military or National Guard veterans. They don't always require training at a police academy; they are often hired directly by the local sheriff or chief and trained according to in-house programs.

Jimmy was either unlucky or fortunate. The misfortune was that because the sheriff was an elected official, a previous, unreliable incumbent had promised to improve police standards by requiring all new hires to meet POST commission standards and graduate from a police academy. This meant no new deputies were hired during the first year of his term. Jimmy joined during the sheriff’s second year. Had it not been for that academy requirement, he could have been hired immediately upon the sheriff's approval.

The good fortune was that, for reasons yet unknown, Jimmy had acquired a new identity that had already cleared all the prerequisites for joining the county police. With a little bit of maneuvering, the hiring process was completed. Since the sheriff had his own motives for facilitating this identity swap and hiring, Jimmy felt he had come out on top, especially since his soul originated from elsewhere and he felt no particular attachment to his original identity. He considered it a major win.

Jimmy had spent this time learning the ropes of the Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff had two years left in his term, and Jimmy expected no trouble during that time. His goal was to solidify his new identity. Since the paperwork was in order, he could technically jump ship to a large city police department at any time, but he was still new to this world and didn't know enough to risk a move to a big city yet. It was safer to spend some time as a county deputy.

"Adam 28, report of a hostage situation involving a knife at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus. The caller says a black male is arguing with a female at the school gate and has taken her hostage. Campus police have him surrounded."

"Adam 28, copy."

Although it was a bit of a distance, Jimmy accepted the assignment and headed toward the university.

When Jimmy arrived at the school gate, he found an LRPD squad car already on the scene. He stepped out and greeted them, "Pulaski County Sheriff's Office. Brother, do you need any help?"

"My partner is already inside; we should have it handled," the officer by the cruiser replied, shaking Jimmy’s hand. "Sorry for the wasted trip."

"As long as it's resolved, I'll be on my way."

Jimmy returned to his car, reported the situation, and left the campus.

He hadn't gone far when the dispatcher called again: "Adam 28, Adam 36, State Highway Patrol reports a suspect speeding on Highway 630 heading west. Please meet at the Highway 630 College Drive entrance to wait."

"Adam 28, copy." "Adam 36, copy."

Jimmy arrived at the highway entrance, and Mason arrived shortly after. The two waited for the signal, then merged onto the highway, driving normally while waiting for the suspect vehicle to pass.

Mason, a veteran officer, spotted the suspect vehicle and the state trooper's car, immediately switching on his lights and merging into the lane. Jimmy was a bit slower, and by the time he accelerated to close the gap, he was the last in the line of squad cars.

The suspect was weaving through traffic, reaching speeds over 120 mph—nearly 192 km/h. This speed was beyond what Jimmy had imagined. He stayed at the back, using the path cleared by the patrol cars ahead to accelerate. He realized that if he tried to weave through traffic at 190 km/h himself, the most likely outcome would be a rollover or a crash.