The Colby Echo

Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Local News

Media Credit: Thomas Bollier WVPD patrol officers Brian Gardiner and Adam Siroies let two Colby students ride along with them last Saturday night. The evening consisted of traffic stops, sobriety tests and a lot of paperwork.

Waterville Police Department (WVPD) patrol officers Brian Gardiner and Adam Siroies love Super Troopers. As they round the city's central district (an area encompassing downtown, covering many bars), they quote the movie-about screw-up Vermont state troopers-and make references to Chief Wiggum of The Simpsons. The unmarked patrol car passes by You Know Whose (a bar downtown) and Gardiner waves at some of the people standing outside. "They don't wave back," he jokes. "I guess they don't like us."

It's a rainy Saturday night and the two officers are working the "C" shift, from 8 p.m. until 6:30 Sunday morning. Tonight, there are four officers on duty, along with a sergeant. Siroies is new to the Waterville department and is shadowing Gardiner, who has been part of the department for three years. Both have more experience in other neighboring departments-nine years on the force for Gardiner and eight total for Siroies. The two have worked together previously, but say that Waterville is "the department to be at." "A lot of experienced officers apply to work here," says Gardiner, explaining that the department is very proactive and offers better pay.

The shift begins with a briefing by the sergeant, who gives the officers updates about what happened during the day and things to be aware of while on duty. The car leaves the station around 8:30; because it's unmarked, Gardiner explains, it's more comfortable than the marked cars (which have caged backseats) and ideal for the two officers and their two intrepid student-journalist guests for the evening. While on duty, the cars maintain their patrol areas, but tend to roam around the city limits, looking for traffic problems and scanning the local bars. "We try to be proactive until we get calls," says Gardiner.

Early in the evening, the car pulls up to a Dunkin' Donuts drive-through. The officers laugh at a reference to the common cop stereotype and point out that there are no doughnuts in the actual order-just coffee for the impending long night. Gardiner and Siroies-who have a bi-yearly fitness requirement to fulfill-prefer snacks they bring themselves from home, such as peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and leftover spaghetti. When asked what else they do to keep in shape, Gardiner jokes, "Drink beers," and then explains that the officers all get free membership at Planet Fitness and enjoy many outdoor activities, like skiing, mountain-biking and wake-boarding. "We like to get together and hang out with each other's families," says Gardiner.

Continued...

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