Thank you for your interest in the Kimberling City Police Department’s Ride-Along Program. Law enforcement is a unique and valuable service to the community, and the Ride-Along Program helps educate citizens about the daily challenges and risks, as well as, the opportunities for service that come with police work.

To further promote positive citizen contacts, the Department provides opportunities to ride-along with a uniformed police officer as conditions allow. There are inherent risks involved with participation in the program.  Participants must be mentally and physically able to respond to immediate dangers and critical situations.

In order to manage the number of requests and to provide for the safety of the participants, please note the following about ride-alongs:

Ride Along Release Request / Hold Harmless Agreement

All participants must meet the following requirements:

• All participants must be free of any recent major or habitual violations of the law, including drug usage or other activities or associations that would be considered contrary to law enforcement ethics or compromise law enforcement operations. All applicants must pass a criminal history check.

• All participants must be 18 years of age or older, unless a written petition for exception is approved by the Chief of Police or his/her designee. Exceptions to the minimum age requirement may be authorized by the Chief of Police or his/her designee if the juvenile is at least 16 years of age, resides in the City, is currently enrolled in a criminal justice program, and/or has shown interest in a career in Law Enforcement.

• All participants must be able to effectively communicate with officers, dispatch, and other law enforcement personnel to understand dispatch or officer instructions and to use the radio to summon assistance in an emergency situation.

• Individuals with medical conditions that may manifest themselves or possibly be affected by a ride-along will be required to submit written consent form a medical doctor. This requirement is intended to ensure that all participants are able to adequately assist in emergency situations by performing needed functions, such as quickly exiting the vehicle, running, laying flat on the ground, and using the patrol vehicle radio without compromising the safety or law enforcement mission of the officer.

• Any individual known (or suspected) to be under the influence of alcohol/illegal drugs/ marijuana or medications that may impair judgment or safety shall not be accepted for a ride-along.

• Individuals may apply to participate in one ride-along per year unless preauthorized.

All ride-along applications are subject to criminal history checks and must be approved by the Chief of Police or his/her designee.  To apply, complete the online ride-along application. Once you have completed an application, a tentative date and time will be assigned to your ride-along, subject to final approval and availability of officers.

Yes, you are required to sign a waiver form that frees our insurance carrier and the Department from liability in the unlikely event that you are injured while on a ride-along. If you are under 18, your parents must also sign the waiver.

Ride-alongs are permitted on day and evening patrol shifts between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Generally, ride-alongs are scheduled for a 2-4 hour period.

You may dress semi-casual but your clothes should be clean and neat. Remember to dress for the weather as officers often drive with their windows rolled down (to hear better) regardless of temperature.

No.  Due to the constitutional rights of privacy, cameras and voice recorders are NOT allowed to be carried on ride-alongs. Personal cell phones may be carried but must be turned off during the ride-along.

Additional Ride-along Information:

• No participant may carry a weapon (including knives, OC spray, etc) unless he/she is a sworn law enforcement officer with jurisdiction within the State of Missouri. Such officers will not act as an agent of the Department and will have no law enforcement responsibilities during the ride-along, will dress in civilian clothes, and will carry the weapon concealed.

• Either the hosting officer or a supervisor may terminate the ride-along at any time if it detracts from or jeopardizes the safety of the officer or the law enforcement mission.

Ride-alongs must:

• Wear a seatbelt at all times while inside the vehicle

• Remain in the vehicle at all times, unless instructed by the hosting officer to do other- wise

• Follow all instructions given by the officer.