Chapter 25: Night Shift

Jimmy had given up. Given the current situation, there was no way for others to help him; he would have to handle things on his own.

Jimmy went back to rest. The next day was his day off, followed immediately by a night shift—his first one. According to the county sheriff's office schedule, he was assigned a 12-hour shift from 8:00 PM to 8:00 AM. However, active patrol duty only lasted until 2:00 AM, after which he would return to the station for desk duty, allowing for a brief rest.

During the day, Jimmy went to open a bank account, deposited his paycheck, and then headed to the shooting range for practice. The price of ammunition was still quite high, and if it hadn't been for a discount, he wouldn't have been willing to spend the money.

When it was time for his night shift, Jimmy put on his gear, started his patrol car, and left the station. As the lowest-ranking patrol officer in the county, Jimmy's daily routine consisted of driving back and forth on the roads or waiting at intersections for unlucky drivers—whether they were speeding, running red lights, or failing to stop at stop signs. This "waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree stump" approach was Jimmy's favorite, as it allowed him to simply park by the side of the road, rest, and eat, all while keeping an eye on passing traffic without worrying about supervisors checking his position.

On his first night shift, Jimmy patrolled for a while before spotting a speeding car. He turned on his emergency lights, and the vehicle pulled over. Jimmy checked the driver's license, verified the identity with dispatch, and once everything was clear, issued a speeding ticket and finished the stop. By now, Jimmy was very proficient at writing tickets. Since it was late at night, he didn't feel like driving around anymore and decided to station himself at a crossroads.

A pickup truck passed by from the side, just as the light turned from green to red. Jimmy turned on his lights and followed. Once the truck pulled over, Jimmy opened his door, stepped out, and walked over. Shining his flashlight into the driver's seat, he saw an elderly man with gray hair and a white beard.

"Good evening. I'm with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office. I pulled you over because you ran the red light back at the intersection. Do you have an emergency?"

"Sorry, I didn't notice."

"Understood. Do you have your license, registration, and proof of insurance?"

"Just a moment, let me find them." The old man rummaged behind the sun visor, found the registration and insurance, then pulled his wallet from the glove box to retrieve his license.

"Is this vehicle registered in your name?"

"Yes, it is."

"Please wait a moment." Jimmy took the documents back to his patrol car and contacted dispatch via radio to verify the identity and vehicle information. After confirming that the vehicle belonged to the driver and there were no outstanding warrants, he returned to the pickup.

"Alright, here are your documents. I won't issue you a ticket this time, but I am giving you a verbal warning. Visibility is poor at night, and running a red light is extremely dangerous. Please be careful when you drive from now on."

"Thank you, officer. Can I go now?"

"Okay, drive carefully."

Jimmy returned to his patrol car. The red light violation had actually occurred just as the light changed; the truck had already mostly crossed the stop line. It was a situation where a ticket could go either way, so he felt a warning was sufficient. Not every stop required a citation.

He returned to the same intersection. Compared to other areas, this crossroads had relatively more traffic, which naturally meant more incidents to handle. For Jimmy, dealing with more traffic violations was a good way to hone his skills.

Over the next hour or so, Jimmy caught one driver making an illegal U-turn over a double yellow line and another for speeding, resulting in two tickets. He also gave a warning to a driver whose brake light was out, advising them to get it fixed.

After that, there wasn't much else to do. With a long time left before he had to return to the station, Jimmy started the car and began to slowly cruise along the highway.

It was past midnight, and there were barely any cars on the road. Jimmy turned the car around, heading back toward the station. After driving for a while, he noticed a car ahead that seemed a bit off. It was swaying slightly from side to side; although it stayed within its lane, it looked suspicious—possibly a case of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Jimmy turned on his emergency lights and siren, signaling the vehicle to pull over. It took over ten seconds for the driver to signal right and pull to the shoulder. Jimmy stepped out, shone his light toward the driver's seat, and saw a middle-aged man with both hands on top of the steering wheel, waiting for him.

"Are you okay?" Jimmy swept the flashlight beam over the driver's face before lowering it slightly so as not to blind him. "I pulled you over because you were swaying while driving. Have you been drinking?"

"No. Well, a little—one beer," the man replied, then lowered the sun visor to retrieve his registration and insurance.

"License, too. Is this your car?" Jimmy asked after taking the documents.

"Yes. Here you go." The driver pulled his license from his wallet and handed it over.

"Wait here a moment." Jimmy followed procedure and checked the details. The information returned by dispatch made him frown: according to the license, the driver was Dorch Mars, an officer with the LRPD.

"Mars, step out of the vehicle, please." Jimmy signaled him to the side of the road. "Mars, you know this isn't personal. A job is a job. I'm going to conduct a field sobriety test—the horizontal gaze nystagmus test—before deciding on the next step. Is that okay?"

"Okay."

Field sobriety tests are a standard method used by American police to determine if a suspect is driving under the influence. The test consists of three parts: the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, the walk-and-turn, and the one-leg stand. If a driver fails these, the officer must perform more accurate tests, such as a breathalyzer, blood test, or urine test. If the driver is confirmed to be under the influence, they are taken into custody on the spot.

"Feet together, arms at your sides. Follow my finger with your eyes as much as possible. Do you understand? Any questions?"

"No."

"Okay, I need your eyes to follow my finger. My finger will move back and forth in your field of vision. Follow it with your eyes, but don't move your head."

Jimmy used his right index finger as a tool, moving it slowly from left to right and back again four times, pausing at the extreme left and right positions.

"I think you know how much you've had. The test shows you're approaching the threshold for a DUI. You're an officer, too; you know the standards for the sobriety test. So, to be safe, you should call someone to come and pick you up."

"Okay, I'll call right now." Dorch Mars returned to the driver's seat, took out his phone, and made a call. "My friend will be here in 15 minutes."

"Good. Brother, I don't think I need to explain further. You know I'm not doing this to target you. I'm choosing to trust you, so I won't stay here waiting for your friend. If I see you continuing to drive yourself, the outcome might be different. That's an outcome neither of us wants, right?"

"Okay, you can wait in your car. Is your friend coming to drive your car, or are you leaving it here to pick up tomorrow?"

"He's having a friend drop him off, and then he'll drive my car."

"Okay, that works. Make sure you wait for your ride. Do not drive yourself."