Commerce City Police Officer Neil Johnson patrolled the city on homecoming night Saturday Oct. 10.
Johnson went on duty that night at 10 p.m. for a shift, scheduled between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. He has been patrolling the city for the past four years.
“The community can be unpredictable at times; you never know what you’re going to be dispatched to,” he said.
The first event was reported by an off-duty police officer Johnson had worked with previously. It concerned a black dodge Dakota at around 12:30 a.m. It was reported driving the wrong way down highway 24/50, making a left at Live Oak and parking improperly in the Taco Bell Parking lot.
Johnson did not activate his lights or sirens but did hurry to the area.
Once on scene, the reporting off-duty officer said the vehicle had left and had gone down Live Oak into the city. Johnson went in pursuit, but did not find the vehicle and resumed his patrol.
“Nights like these are good opportunities for thieves to burglarize liquor stores, vehicles, houses, anything really,” Johnson said. “One group, a year or so back, came down from Dallas and burglarized nine vehicles before we apprehended them. Their whole mentality was that they could come down to Commerce where they figure it’s quiet and out of the way, pick up some merchandise and go back to Dallas. These big events like this, you just have to keep your eye on the whole city. You can’t just focus on the events.”
Between 12:30 a.m. and 1 a.m. Johnson was dispatched to the scene of a fight. Several other officers were dispatched, as well as an EMS personnel and a fire truck.
They were originally dispatched to the wrong location, because it was reported incorrectly. After the dispatch received the correct information from the call in and Johnson arrived, it was revealed another officer had already been on scene and stopped any fighting.
“Luckily no one was shot or being stabbed,” Johnson said.
At around 2 a.m. he was issued a dispatch to a car accident, which occurred at the intersection of Culver St. and 24/50. A red sports car was involved, pointed at the traffic light pole.
Johnson originally thought the car hit the pole, but Johnson later found the driver had actually T-boned with another police officer unit at the intersection. Department of Public Safety was dispatched to handle the case because a Commerce Police Officer had been involved. Several officers of Commerce City, state patrolmen arrived on scene as well as EMS and a fire truck.
While on patrol, Johnson stopped off at one of the larger local parties at The Lodge, which was forming after the major gatherings on campus let out. He parked his vehicle, got out and walked through the building, checking up on the events and proceedings to make sure there was no underage drinking or any other sort of illegal activities.
Johnson continued his patrol for another hour. He made two more routine traffic stops: one for passenger side head light being out, the other for failure to dim bright lights at approaching traffic. Johnson issued a written warning to the first one and only a verbal warning to the second.
“You have some of those documented stops”, Johnson said. “And you have some of those, people who have been in the community for years and years and years. You got your head lights on bright. Dim your headlights. Have a good morning.”
At 3 a.m. Officer Johnson was dispatched to a disturbance at an apartment complex. It turned out to be the brother of a Texas A&M University-Commerce student at the brother’s girlfriend’s apartment, having shown up to stay the night there; he found no one was home.
“On a night like this, you’d be surprised how many people will bang on the wrong door or not be allowed in, because everybody has gone to sleep and the dead bolt is on,” Johnson said.
Officer Johnson gave him a ride to the motel across town where he was staying.
After around 3:30 a.m. Officer Johnson was dispatched to a disturbance involving several fights breaking out at a local gas station. When Johnson arrived on scene, nine other police vehicles and several police officers were already on scene. Officer Johnson assisted in dispersing all the civilians on site.
Once the party at The Lodge let out, a large group of people traveled to the gas station and several disputes broke out between the people there. Several people were detained for questioning, but released minutes later after things calmed down.
Most of the disputes were only verbal; however, one woman sprayed a man in the face with pepper spray. The woman was arrested and taken into custody on assault charges. The police attempted to get the man victim to press charges, but he did not show up later to fill out the appropriate forms after leaving the scene.
At 5:20 a.m. Johnson returned to the station to meet with Commerce Police Chief Kerry Crews, finish any paperwork left over from his shift and take a brief break until his shift ended at 6 a.m.