In the past few weeks, Olivia Bergmeier and I have been spending time with law enforcement personnel from the Concordia Police Department (CPD), including patrol ride-alongs.
I teamed up with Officer Phil Sudduth for a Saturday night patrol. Our vehicle was a Chevy Impala. “It is the last car in the fleet,” Sudduth said. “All the other vehicles are SUVs. I drove it when it was new, with less than 300 miles on it.”
The Impala is also the oldest vehicle in the Concordia Police Department (CPD) fleet, and it shows its age. When I turned on the air conditioner, it made a noise, but the air that came out was sketchy, at best. Sudduth grinned. “I really like this car.”
Our night began with a drive around the entire town, from the airport park on the southern outskirts to the John Deere dealership north of town. Sudduth patrolled through a lot of alleys, checking the rear of buildings and storage sheds. He stopped behind businesses like Bomgaars, Town & Country and Concordia Chevrolet and walked around, making sure that doors were locked. We checked on the ballfields, the car lots and neighborhoods where there always seems to be activity.
Sudduth's head was on a swivel, constantly looking into the dark recesses. When the weather is nice, he drives with the window down to hear any unusual noises. Without any residual sound like a car radio, it's amazing how quiet a residential street is at night.
“I'm looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary,” Sudduth said. “Are there dogs barking for no apparent reason; are 16-year-olds coming out of the five corners late at night; is there a truck towing a boat at two in the morning. A headlight out is always going to get my attention.”
Our first interaction with an offender is a truck driving with a headlight out. Sudduth lights it up, and the vehicle quickly pulls to the side of the road. The first thing Sudduth does before he gets out of the car is run the license plate. In less than a minute, the dispatcher informs him that the license plate is expired, and it isn't registered to the truck. Sudduth is immediately wary as he activates his body camera and approaches the truck with his flashlight on, shining it in the bed of the truck and then into the cab. The driver is young and, honestly, scared. Sudduth speaks to her in a calm, soothing voice while he shines his flashlight around the interior of the cab. He requests her license and registration and carries both documents back to his patrol car. Another call to dispatch will verify the identification and check to see if there are any outstanding warrants on the driver.
Within minutes, the confusion is cleared away. The vehicle was recently, legally, purchased. The teenager mounted the wrong license plate on the truck. The correct license plate is in the back seat.
Sudduth explained to the young lady exactly what needed to be done to resolve the multiple issues and then let her go with a warning. It was apparent, after just that one traffic stop, that Sudduth has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Concordia and Kansas laws.
Shortly afterward, we're on Lincoln Street and spot yet another car with a headlight out leaving town. The plates registered the car as being from Saline County.
Sudduth pulls the vehicle over. As he approaches the car, he first pushes down on the trunk to make sure it's not open - for example: nobody's hiding in the trunk, perhaps with a weapon. It also puts his fingerprints on the vehicle should it try to flee the scene and be stopped elsewhere by another law enforcement agency. His fingerprints would prove that Sudduth had encountered the vehicle earlier.
In the car are three young girls, all teenagers, in a vehicle registered in another county. Why are they leaving Concordia on a Saturday night at almost ten o'clock? Sudduth talks to them, watching their mannerisms. They're obviously nervous. He shines his light all around the interior of the vehicle and then on the passenger in the back seat. Sudduth makes a point to speak to all three occupants of the car. The girls all have the same story: they picked up a friend in Concordia and are driving her back to Salina for the weekend. The driver's license and car registration are all valid, and none of the girls seems to be in any kind of distress.
Sudduth lets the girls go with a warning to get the headlight fixed and to drive safely to their destination. The relief on the girls' faces is apparent, and they thank Sudduth for looking out for them.
Cops have favorite places they like to park and wait for someone to break a traffic law. Sudduth has different spots around town, and we are parked at one on Lincoln Street for less than 5 minutes when his radar alarm blares. Someone is doing 48 mph in a 35 mph zone.
On come the lights; away we go. The driver pulls over immediately into a fast-food restaurant parking lot. Sudduth approaches, pushing down on the trunk and quickly scanning the interior of the vehicle with his flashlight before he reaches the driver's door. It's an elderly couple. They live in another county, and they're hurrying home because they just got a call that their dog is very sick. To their credit, both the man and woman are cordial and do not try to make excuses. They knew they were speeding.
Back in his patrol vehicle, while he waits for confirmation on the driver's license and registration, Sudduth points out the personalized license plate – the driver is a military veteran.
The license and registration are good. The man was driving 13 mph over the speed limit at night on a busy stretch of road, so Sudduth wrote him a ticket. But he does lower the speed infraction to a minimum, which will reduce the fine by almost $200.
A short time later, we're parked at another one of Sudduth's favorite spots. In less than a minute, a vehicle rolls through a stop sign. Sudduth lights them up. The individual was only a block from their home. After verifying the driver's license and registration, Sudduth again lets the person go with just a warning.
It's time for a break, so we pull into Casey's. I load up on coffee. Sudduth enters the store just to show the uniform and chat with employees and make sure they're having no problems. A few minutes later, we're standing outside next to the patrol car. I let Sudduth know I'm ready to roll whenever he is. He looks at me, offers up one of his smiles and says, “You know, sometimes, you don't even have to patrol. You can just wait, and it'll find you.”
Sure enough, a few minutes later, a vehicle pulls into Casey's. The driver and passenger look right at us. They say something to each other. The car turns and drives out of the parking lot without stopping. Sudduth is already reaching for his driver's door; that vehicle might be worth a second look. But as we're leaving the parking lot, an urgent call comes over the radio from the dispatcher: a one-month-old baby is not breathing. This time, Sudduth hits the sirens along with the lights, and we race toward the address.
When we arrive, Fire/Rescue and Lt. Sorell are already on the scene. A moment later, Sorell hurries out the door holding the baby in his arms. He strides toward the ambulance.
Sorell and Sudduth – two experienced cops – say exactly five words to each other:
Sudduth: “You taking 11th Street?” Sorell nods: “Yeah.”
Sudduth sprints to his patrol car. Again, with lights and sirens, we race toward the intersection of 11th and Lincoln streets. Sudduth eases into the intersection and blocks traffic in both directions. He gets out of the vehicle and stands in the middle of the road to reinforce the police presence. All traffic - even several semi-trucks - slowed to a halt. However, one vehicle slows down at first but then drives around a stopped vehicle and takes off in the opposite direction. Sudduth watches it, his eyes narrowed, but there's nothing he can do while he mans the roadblock.
Moments later, we hear the scream of the ambulance siren. It reaches 11th Street, makes the turn at speed, and races toward North Central Kansas Medical Center.
Back in the patrol car, Sudduth's face says it all: he's not happy with the car that skimmed the blockade. He remembers the make and model of the vehicle, and he'll be looking for it the rest of the night.
We're heading out on another patrol around town to check on businesses and areas of high night activity, when a call comes in from dispatch: a fire at a residence. We roll to the location with emergency lights on. The Concordia Fire Department (CFD) is already on the scene. It's a grass fire that had reached up to a wood fence bordering the property, but it is quickly put under control. The chiding banter between the CPD and CFD while they work is amusing.
Our next stop that night is Walmart. Here again, Sudduth is showing a police presence at a location that's often busy during late hours. He doesn't just cruise through the parking lot; he enters the store and walks the aisles, stopping to chat with a half-dozen workers and people out shopping.
It's now past midnight, and I'm starting to wind down, despite the half-gallon of coffee I drank. Sudduth is still sharp as a tack. His shift won't end until 2 a.m.
Here are a few things I learned from that patrol night: If you violate a traffic law, your vehicle will be stopped. The first thing they're going to do is make sure you have a valid license that's not suspended for any reason. They're also going to confirm that the vehicle you're driving is properly tagged and insured. And, make no mistake about it, while all this is going on...they're going to check you out, too. Do you show any symptoms of being intoxicated or under the influence of narcotics? They'll do a visual scan of the interior of your vehicle to see if there's an open container of alcohol or drug paraphernalia visible.
Here are some simple tips to avoid being pulled over by the CPD:
Don't drive at night with a headlight out or a taillight out. They're going to stop your vehicle, and that opens you up to all sorts of scrutiny.
Obey the speed limits. If you think every cop has a speed limit cushion - a certain amount they'll allow you to exceed the speed limit - you're wrong. If you're on the section of Lincoln Street/Highway 81 where the speed limit is 35 mph, don't drive 41. They will pull you over. Lincoln Street/Highway 81 is a busy thoroughfare with lots of traffic pulling in and out of the convenience stores, gas stations and fast food restaurants, which means a higher probability of an accident happening if someone is speeding. Cops watch that stretch of road day and night.
Don't roll through stop signs, especially at night. From personal experience, don't run the stop signs at the corner of 18th and State Streets. CPD writes a lot of tickets there.
This last one is a no-brainer, but also the most important: Don't drink and drive.
You may think you're okay to drive, but when it comes to driving under the influence, law enforcement officers don't care what you think. When you drive under the influence you put the lives of other people, innocent people, in danger, and law enforcement has a single mantra for that: zero tolerance.
Here's the main thing to remember: don't be confrontational with an officer. If you confront or escalate with a law enforcement officer, you're only going to make the situation worse for yourself. If you've been stopped for a minor infraction, there's a good chance you're going to be let go with just a warning, so have a calm discussion with the officer.
Many thanks to the CPD, Police Chief Brent Gering, Lt. Adam Sorell, and especially “California” Phil Sudduth for allowing me the opportunity to go on patrol. Sudduth proved he is a seasoned, savvy, proactive cop who is an asset to the CPD and our community.
