National Poetry Writing Month - April 11, 2014

I spent the better part of yesterday and about an hour this morning finishing an online course called ARIDE - Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement. It's a sort of in between training course from the basic Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to the much more advanced Drug Recognition Expert. The DRE certification is one that I would greatly like to obtain. I've always enjoyed taking drunk drivers off of the streets. With my current department I've amassed almost 70 DUI arrests, and that was in about 4 years. It may not seem like many, but it's good enough for second overall in enforcement in the department.

While taking the course I was thinking to myself, I wonder what could have happened to all of the impaired drivers if I hadn't intervened.

If I Weren't There

If I weren't there to stop you

Would you have made it home?

Safely to your family

Or to your home alone?

Could you have gone without a crash

And taking an innocent life?

Using your car and your impaired mind

As weapon; a gun or knife

Is it possible you'd have killed yourself

In some fiery mass of steel

Leaving me and my fellow officers

To tell your family, and see how they feel

About you making such a rash mistake

To drive after drinking so much

No longer would they hear your voice

See your face, feel your touch

You curse me as I handcuff you

And take you off to jail

As I read the forms and write the tickets

And make you post your bail

But think of this when we arrive in court

And remember well my face

That because I arrested you that night

You're alive to be in this place