Originally published in 2008
Night Shift
Sgt. Craig Freitag helps keep the peace in Randolph
RANDOLPH, Wis. - The streets of Randolph are typically quiet at night, and the
Randolph Police Department works hard to keep it that way. Sergeant Craig
Freitag, who has worked for the police department for two and a half years,
usually works the late shift, patrolling village streets on foot or in his
squad car. Although Freitag has an office at the police department, he doesn't spend
much time there.
"It's kind of like our office," Freitag said of the squad car.He worked from 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 13, to the early morning hours of Saturday. Freitag's shift began with him checking the accuracy of the radar used to apprehend speeders and making sure the squad car is safe to drive. He said that Friday nights in the summer are busy, with a lot of north bound traffic on Highway 73 heading for lake homes. Before five minutes had passed in his shift, he had pulled over a vehicle for traveling 14 miles over the speed limit.****
"Radar detectors are worthless," said Freitag. He said that by the time a detector goes off, police radar has already captured a vehicle's speed.
Freitag also said that police departments don't have quotas to meet.
"I don't care if I write one ticket, zero or 20," said Freitag. "I get paid the same."
Freitag said that what is important is his presence, reminding drivers of the need to slow down and pay attention. He said he sees too many people drive by talking on cell phones.
"You can tell when they are not paying attention," Freitag.
Within 10 minutes, he pulled over another vehicle for speeding 14 miles over the limit. By the end of his shift, he has pulled over two vehicles for speeding 16 miles over the limit, and a third for speeding 21 miles over the limit.
"I wish I would have started from day one of being a cop, just writing the excuses down. They never get old." Freitag said that the excuse from one of the drivers caught going 16 over was "I just want to get home."
The person going 21 mph over the limit used the excuse that they were lost.
"Going 16 (and 21) over in a residential area is excessive," said Freitag.
The fines for speeding 16 and 21 over in Randolph are $109 and $159. Working for a small police department requires officers to wear a lot of different hats, from working an animal control call to investigating a crime.
"One day you're a detective, the next you are a patrol officer. In a bigger department, you're taking calls - that's it," said Freitag. "One night you may go from call to call...the next night you may be trying to find something and work on reports or do a foot patrol."
Freitag also serves as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer for the police department, going into schools to talk to students about how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.
"At work and on patrol you see a lot of negativity, people being rude or intoxicated," said Freitag, who enjoys going into the schools. "It breaks up the week by going in there, it's all positive. I enjoy that."
"Tomorrow will be a different day," said Freitag. "That's why I like going to work - I don't know what to expect. Things were quiet for Freitag on his Friday the 13th shift. Other than the traffic stops, he answered one call for a noise complaint and secured an open door at the high school at 1 a.m. Freitag, originally from Barneveld, said that he has a way of coping with the negativity he sees on the job.
"You leave it at work and forget about it," Freitag said.
****My apologies to friends and family in Illinois, but anyone who drives to Northern Wisconsin on a weekend or holiday will appreciate the source of my attitude. The first car pulled over was a Lincoln Navigator. I was asked if the driver should receive a warning or a ticket. The driver was clocked going 14 over, and he had plates from the state to the south.
"He's from Illinois," I told the sergeant. "Let's give him a ticket."
No comments:
Post a Comment