On Tuesday, July 24, this reporter accompanied Scotts Valley Police Department Officer Paul Meier on a ride-along throughout the city. The trip allowed me to see through the eyes of an officer, and to understand what he does on a daily basis.
The first action of the day occurred at 3:10 p.m. Officer Meier arrived to assist the Sergeant with a routine traffic stop. The driver got stopped for having a broken tail light. It is standard procedure for another officer to arrive at a traffic stop, especially if there is more than one person in the vehicle.
During a lull, Officer Meier talked about the unpredictability of his job as an Officer.
“You never know what will happen on a day-to-day basis,” Meier said. “Last year someone robbed a bank, in which several officers were involved in a high-speed pursuit and an officer-involved shooting. That was a slow day up until then, but you never can tell when the day will take a turn.”
At 3:17 p.m., Officer Meier pulled over a van for an expired registration. The driver had a fraudulent 2019 registration sticker, but Meier was able to tell it expired by punching the license plate number into his computer. After the driver admitted it was a faulty sticker, the driver was given a misdemeanor offense and a ticket.
Several years ago, a misdemeanor would have resulted in an arrest. However, local county jails have no more room for offenders, so they are just written a citation, according to Officer Meier.
Officers utilize technology on their daily rounds much more than the general public may realize. The Scotts Valley Police Department’s computer software allows officers to access general information about citizens such as their address and date of birth. However, this is used mostly to find stolen cars and expired registrations.
This type of work, which is called “pro-active enforcement,’’ is common in low-crime cities such as Scotts Valley. It helps officers find a higher volume of stolen vehicles, weapons, and drugs.
The light point of the day was at 3:45 p.m. when an elderly couple pulled over next to Officer Meier and asked him for directions. It appeared that they printed out a MapQuest and got lost on their route to Santa Cruz. Meier showed them how to get back on the Highway, and they departed on their way.
At 4:25 p.m., Officer Meier received a report about a woman passing a stolen check under someone else’s name at Bay Federal Credit Union. Meier, along with the Sergeant, interrogated the woman outside the bank while a third officer searched her bag. Eventually, the woman was detained and put in the back of the police car. The woman kept switching up the details of her story and was allegedly lying about how she got the check. Eventually, she was released with a misdemeanor due to lack of evidence that she stole the check.
At approximately 5 p.m. a driver of a vehicle got arrested for pointing a rifle at another driver on Highway 17. Officer Meier arrived towards the end of the investigation. The driver of the vehicle had four guns in the back of his car, which was otherwise bare. He underwent several sobriety tests, which he passed. However, when the officer took out the breathalyzer, he was hesitant and admitted to drinking earlier in the morning. His blood alcohol level was at approximately 0.15, which is way over the legal limit of .08. The man shook his head in disgust as the cops confiscated his rifles. He got charged with a DUI and illegal brandishing of a firearm.
As the day came to an end, Officer Meier’s statement on the unpredictability of any given day rang true. Whether it was helping folks with directions or investigating a drunk driver with a rifle, Officer Meier helped serve his community.
