When Deputy Stewart Hartley gets ready for work, he prepares for a long night.
Hartley works the midnight shift with Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, hitting the road at 6 p.m. and continuing until 6 a.m. He joined the Sheriff’s Office five years ago and said he hasn’t worked a day since.
“I’ve enjoyed it, and the Sheriff’s Office is a great place to work, and there’s good people here,” Hartley said.
Hartley’s patrol area includes Chelsea, where he and his wife live. Keeping this area safe hits close to home, and Hartley said it serves as an even greater motivator.
“When you cover where you live, you want to do a good job,” Hartley said.
Staying up all night is an adjustment, Hartley said, but it’s the shift he enjoys working. While some nights are slower, Hartley said those nights allow for proactive steps. Deputies can keep an eye out for narcotic activity in the area or work to combat car break-ins.
He said the midnight shift follow a general pattern, with more car accidents during rush hour, an increase in calls during the late night and a lower call volume and more chance for proactive policing in the early morning hours. 280 Living joined Harley on a Friday for five hours of his 12-hour shift, starting at 6 p.m.
6:02 p.m.
A traffic complaint comes in over the radio. There is a car going 100 mph on U.S. 280, and deputies are advised to keep an eye out for it. The car is not located.
6:19 p.m.
Hartley assists Deputy Burke with a traffic stop. Hartley talks with the driver while Burke searches his vehicle. No arrest is made.
6:37 p.m.
Hartley stops at the Chevron to fill up his vehicle. He is 30 minutes into a 12-hour shift, which he said is sometimes easier to stay awake through than other times.
“Sometimes we’re busy and it really doesn’t seem that hard,” Hartley said.
7:22 p.m.
Hartley pulls over a female driver for speeding.
“I just wrote her a warning citation,” Hartley said. “But that’s what traffic is all about, preventing accidents.”
Hartley said by providing a warning citation, the driver will hopefully be more cautious and follow the speed limit.
8:00 p.m.
Hartley pulls over a driver because his taillight was out. Burke assisted in the traffic stop, talking with the driver and passenger while the car is searched. Hartley issues a warning and tells the driver to stay safe.
8:46 p.m.
A suspicious vehicle is spotted outside a convenience store and gas station. Hartley patrols the area and then identifies the driver of the vehicle, who is cleaning the inside of the convenience store.
8:50 p.m.
Hartley sees a potential suspect vehicle. The vehicle appears to match the description of a vehicle involved in a robbery earlier that day. After Hartley pulls into the road, the vehicle pulls into a driveway.
Hartley advises Burke to patrol the area, and both deputies wait to confirm the vehicle’s color, but the vehicle does not leave the driveway. Both deputies leave the area to continue patrols.
10:00 p.m.
Hartley and Burke meet to discuss warrants in the area, and a citizen approaches their vehicles. The citizen talks with the deputies about people he knows in the area who might be involved with drugs and other criminal activity.
After the citizen leaves, Hartley said those tips and that information helps the Sheriff’s Office stay updated in the area.
“That really is they way you get a lot of things done,” Hartley said. “They know this area better than we ever could … We rely on that information.”
10:32 p.m.
A domestic call comes over the radio, and Hartley heads in the direction of the call. The location of the incident is a few minutes away. With the Sheriff’s Office, Hartley said he has a large area to patrol. If an incident occurs on the opposite side of his patrol area, he needs to travel a large distance in a shorter amount of time.
“This way, you can see, it’s a lot of ground to cover,” Hartley said.
An update over the radio reports the domestic incident has been cleared. Hartley returns to patrolling his current location.
11:00 p.m.
Hartley returns to the Sheriff’s Office substation at Chelsea City Hall to drop me off. He has to leave immediately, “running code” – flashing lights and all – toward an on-going residential burglary.
