A Day in the Life of a San Angelo Police Officer

SAN ANGELO, TX - While many San Angeloans enjoyed a four-day weekend in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., I had the opportunity and pleasure to spend the day with Officer Raymond Francis of the San Angelo Police Department (SAPD). During my ride along, I got a glimpse of what it's like to be an SAPD Officer.

Our shift began bright and early Monday morning at 7 a.m. We first patrolled the local roadways until we reached the cemetery where Jaime Padron, a fallen SAPD and Austin Police Officer, is buried. Officer Francis explained that he likes to visit Padron once a month at least.

Officer Francis explained that, while on and off duty, things can change in a matter of seconds. He said it's like going from “zero to 60 in a minute.” Francis knows this well because he has been with the SAPD for eight years now, and loves his job.

“I’m doing what I want to do,” he said.

With Chief Frank Carter taking his new position within the SAPD, one major change he made was creating 12-hour shifts for officers, three times a week. Francis explained that he enjoys the four days off that he gets during the week, but when it's time to work, he gives it is his all.

After leaving the cemetery, we made our way to local neighborhood subdivisions. Francis mainly focuses and patrols District 6, although officers can be dispatched anywhere within San Angelo.

“We concentrate more on the neighborhoods more than we did before,” Francis added.

As we made our way through the streets, a man met us at the end of his driveway. Francis rolled down my passenger side window, figuring the man needed assistance with something. But to the contrary, the gentlemen simply wanted to say thanks to Officer Francis for patrolling the neighborhood and keeping the citizens safe.

After this encounter, I asked Francis what his favorite part of the job is. He responded, “People. The two handfuls of thank-yous I have gotten in my career make it worth it. I say this all the time, but we can never be thanked enough.”

At 10 a.m. we received our first call from dispatch. CPS needed assistance at Shannon Medical Center. After making contact with the CPS worker, Officer Francis spent an hour at Shannon helping in whatever way he could with the situation. He parked his patrol car outside the front of hospital doors, out of the way. As an hour passed, I witnessed many expecting mothers walking past the car. After Officer Francis returned to the vehicle, I asked him how everything went. Of course for safety reasons, names and details cannot be given, but he did explain that he helped the CPS worker by conducting interviews.

The next call we received was an unusual one. Someone called in suspicious activity at Kindred at Home, 112 W. Concho Ave.

Dispatch explained there was an unattended green bag on the side of the building. Thankfully, while investigating, the bag revealed only a jacket, blanket and a few personal belongings. Since the bag was non-threatening and the building staff wanted it off the property, we took it back to the police station and submitted it as found property.

After this incident, Francis assisted a fellow officer at a traffic stop; we then responded to a suicidal subject call. Sadly, the suicidal subject was a juvenile. As we pulled up to the scene, I was instructed to stay in the vehicle, as I had done for all of the previous calls. This call took roughly an hour as well. Again, because of the nature of the incident, I cannot relay the specifics here.

Our final and last run of the night was for an unwanted subject at the Icehouse, 2805 N. Chadbourne St.

As we pulled up, suspect Calli Jensen, 53, was present on scene. Jensen is widely known throughout local law enforcement.

Jensen was issued a Criminal Trespass Warning (CTWs) in 2013 for the Icehouse. Since she was on the property, she was arrested and transported to the Tom Green County Jail (TGCJ). From 2013 to the present, Jensen has been booked in the TGCJ 29 times. In fact, Jensen has multiple CTWs throughout the city. Francis and I escorted Jenson to the TGCJ in his police car.

As of now, Jenson is still being held in the TGCJ on a $500 Surety Bond.

Yesterday was an exciting, fulfilling and memorable day for me. Although I was only able to get a glimpse at a fraction of what the SAPD handles on a daily basis, it's easy to see that their jobs are not easy, and they assist in many functions throughout the city.

Overall, riding in a patrol car and experiencing the life of an officer created a new prospective of their duties. By seeing all of the equipment up close, and what they wear and use on a day-to-day basis is unimaginable. Yet, throughout the entire day, Officer Francis created an energetic and happy environment that showed me exactly what the life of an officer means to him.