What is a night on the job really like for a Niles City Police officer?

That is the question I set out to answer as I signed up for a ride-along with the city’s police force on the evening of Friday, Jan. 30.

My tour guide was Officer Nathan Adamczyk, a clean-cut 34-year-old graduate of Brandywine High School who joined the force three years ago after cutting his teeth as a member of the department’s reserves for several years.

Adamczyk’s shift was from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., but I stuck with him from 6 to 11 p.m. — enough time for me to get a snapshot of what a Niles Police Officer does on a typical shift.

6 p.m. — I arrive at the Niles Law Enforcement Complex and am taken to a room where officers meet at the end of one shift and the beginning of another. I learn that the city has three officers who work the night shift, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are two reserve officers also this night.

6:10 — I meet Adamczyk, who shows me how to put on a bulletproof vest. It is surprisingly lightweight and fits comfortably under my jacket. I learn it protects an area from the top of my chest to around my belly button.

6:30 p.m. — Adamczyk takes me to his police car, which he explains is his office. He spends 12 hours a day in it unless he is outside doing other police duties, like asking for a person’s driver’s license during a traffic stop or serving a warrant. He spends a good five minutes checking to make sure all the equipment in his car works, from the computer to the in-dash camera to the microphone on his belt and the lights on the roof. When things are all good, we leave.

6:35 p.m. — Adamczyk doesn’t have any calls to respond to at the moment so he is on “free time,” meaning he can run traffic stops and tend to other business. We drive past an apartment complex in the 600 block of South Third Street looking for a person who has a warrant out for his arrest. The person isn’t there.

6:45 p.m. — An SUV is idling and partially blocking the road near South Fourth and Hickory, an area Adamczyk says is known for drug activity. He runs the license plate and learns it is expired. Before he can contact the driver, Adamczyk gets his first call of the night — malicious destruction of property. The person making the complaint is at the Law Enformcement Complex, so we head back there.

6:50 p.m. — A young woman said she returned to work at a local hair salon to find her clippers broken. Other equipment was also allegedly damaged. She suspects a co-worker, who has a problem with her for one reason or another. She estimates the damage at $400. Adamczyk tells the woman he will follow up by going to the hair salon.

7:10 p.m. — We arrive at the hair salon where Adamczyk learns the suspect is not on shift. He gets her schedule so he can talk to her later.

7:24 p.m. — Adamczyk sees a pedestrian illegally crossing South 11th Street and stops him near Long John Silvers. The guy said he was staying at the nearby Niles Inn and going to meet someone at McDonald’s. He gets off with a warning.

7:30 p.m. — As we are leaving the parking lot, Adamczyk notices an open door in a building just north of Long John Silvers. He investigates and determines the building is vacant.

7:43 p.m. — Adamczyk is ready to demonstrate a traffic stop and parks by Schilling’s Auto Wash on South 11th. A traffic stop, he said, is a great way to make “contact” with people in addition to improving the safety of motorists. Making “contact” is one good way police can find people who have a warrant out for their arrest, have drugs or other paraphernalia.

7:44 p.m. — Adamczyk’s personal philosophy on speeding is “9 you’re fine and 10 you’re mine.” School zones are an exception. Other officers have different philosophies.

7:47 p.m. — Our first traffic stop comes near the Brew Ha Ha for a cracked windshield and loud exhaust. The officer finds that the person’s driver’s license is suspended out of Indiana and he has no proof of insurance. Adamczyk writes him a ticket for no operator’s license and no proof of insurance and a warning for defective equipment. The driver also had to come up with $50 bail or go to jail. The man had the money and paid it.

8:15 p.m. — We cruise around the northeast side of Niles near the Ferry Street Resource Center. Adamczyk said it is an area that gets a lot of drug activity. He says some people who live there call it “C” side, although he’s not sure why. It’s a good place, he said, to make contact with people walking in the street or make traffic stops.

8:20 p.m. — Adamczyk points out a structure in “C” side police believe is a drug house. He shows me an area where he recently chased down a person who had a gun.

8:30 p.m. — Adamczyk checks out a van that has its back door open and is partially blocking the road in the 700 block of Oak Street. The driver explains he is unloading supplies and is unable to back all the way into the driveway because the hitch on the van will scrape the concrete. Adamczyk knows one of the people there.

9:10 p.m. — Dinner at a fast food place. I learn officers get a nice discount when the price of my meal is about half of what it normally would cost.

9:43 p.m. — Adamczyk pulls over a person for speeding near the car wash. The person pulls over in the turn lane in middle of the South 11th, which Adamczyk said is both dangerous and not advised. The driver gets off with a warning despite giving him attitude.

10:05 p.m. — Another car is pulled over for speeding near Parkview Apartments on North 17th Street. Adamczyk explains how he watches the driver’s face in the side rearview mirror to see how he is reacting. This guy seems calm. A warning is given.

10:15 p.m. — Adamczyk gets a call to be on the lookout for a red truck near Save-A-Lot, so we head there. While parked at United Federal Credit Union, Adamczyk chats with another officer. He sees a vehicle crossing the train bridge over the St. Joseph River and the other officer heads in that direction while we stay in the parking lot.

10:40 p.m. — Adamczyk pulls over a car that has an unreadable license plate on North Lincoln Avenue near Union Street. The driver, who calls Adamczyk “sweetie” has an expired license and is issued a ticket.

10:45 p.m. — I get a call from my wife, who says our 11-month-old daughter is awake. She needs help because she has to get up for work at 2:15 a.m. I tell Adamczyk its time for me to go.

11 p.m. — Adamczyk drops me off at the LEC and invites me back in the summertime, when police get a lot more activity. I say, “Count me in.”