Scott Oldham Bloomington Police Department Sergeant Scott Oldham. This is a record of what he saw. Sgt. Scott Oldham is the evening shift supervisor and 20-year veteran of the Bloomington Police Department. His shift began at 9:30 p.m. for roll call at BPD headquarters on Third Street. Then, he climbed in his unmarked Ford Crown Victoria and started the night. "I try not to be on station as much as I have to," Oldham said. He was one of two shift supervisors and 22 officers working Friday night. "The shift supervisors make runs through the hot-spots in town and there are certain calls we must go on," Oldham said. Oldham works a nine-day schedule, which means he works six days in a row, followed by three days off. "There are no holidays," Oldham said. The department, however, grants a certain number of vacation days depending on rank, job title and number of years served with the department. Oldham completed his training at the IU Police Academy in 1988. At 10:55 p.m., Oldham received his first call of the night - a burglary in progress at Terra Trace apartments. The dispatch radioed Oldham, and he flipped a switch to turn on the blue and red lights, which pulsated through the front and rear windshields. The car accelerated to 60 mph and was at the apartment complex in less than a minute. Oldham was joined by several other officers who interviewed the complainant, but no arrests were made. Thirty minutes passed, and Oldham was back on the road. Oldham then drove through Crestmont, a federal housing district in Bloomington. He said he frequently patrolled Crestmont and the northwest section of town before becoming a sergeant. Officers request to patrol one of Bloomington's six specific districts, Oldham said, which allows officers to become familiar with the community and vice versa. "By having the same officers in the same districts, day in and day out, officers know who should be there and when," Oldham said. As a shift supervisor, Oldham no longer restricts himself to one district but rather floats through all of them when evaluating officers in the field. "The guys do not need that much supervision," Oldham said. "I make sure there are enough officers present on a scene and that they are safe and follow policy and procedure." Bloomington Police Department is one of the top five largest in the state. Oldham said 90 percent of the nation's police forces have less than 10 officers. "Some departments may have more people, more technology, but we handle similar crimes from traffic accidents to homicides and bar fights to hostage situations," Oldham said. At 12:45 a.m., Oldham assisted BPD officers in a disturbance call at Motel 6 on North Walnut Street. As he pulled into the parking lot, a motel room door swung open and a dozen teenagers ran up a grassy hill and out of sight. Officers were able to accost one of the male subjects and a car full of high school teenagers who were about to drive away. Officers questioned the individuals and Breathalyzers were administered. The subjects' parents were notified to pick them up and take them home. Oldham is an Ellettsville resident. The majority of BPD's officers live outside of Bloomington's city limits, he said. At 2:46 a.m., Oldham received the third call of the night. While driving on College Avenue, dispatch informed officers that a subject exposed a handgun at Kilroy's Sports Bar. Oldham drove into the back parking lot and exited his cruiser. Fifteen minutes later, Oldham was back, carrying a .45-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun in his right hand. The subject was arrested and taken into custody. The majority of states have certain carry laws, which enable citizens to have a firearm in their possession in public as long as the individual has a valid permit and is not intoxicated, Oldham said. In this case, the individual was intoxicated and will face numerous preliminary charges, including intimidation with a deadly weapon. The gun was fully loaded with a bullet in the chamber. After stopping to get a Coke, Oldham was back on the road. He responded to a disturbance call at the Steak 'n Shake on the west side of town. While en route, dispatch notified officers of an incident in which a subject was urinating in public. Officers did not respond to the call. Because of a lack of resources, officers must prioritize the calls they receive, Oldham said. Oldham did not arrest the individual in the restaurant and explained that, contrary to popular belief, officers do not arrest people at every chance they get. "The vast number of people we arrest stumble upon us," Oldham said. "We don't stumble upon them." At 3:47 a.m., Oldham assisted an officer who was administering a Breathalyzer to a driver. Before being taken away in handcuffs, the subject insisted that the Breathalyzer was not accurate and that officers should draw blood to confirm his blood alcohol content. After more patrolling, it was almost 5:30 a.m., and Oldham went back to the station, where he completed some paperwork. At 6 a.m., he returned home to catch five hours of sleep, tend to his family and repeat the process again.

Written by Scott Oldham The active shooter, and the response by law enforcement, has been the topic that has dominated police training for the past several years. Scott Oldham is a supervisory sergeant with the Bloomington, IN Police Department where he is assigned to the Operations Division as patrol supervisor, as well as being one of the team leaders for the department’s Tactical Unit. He and his partner, Sergeant Mick Williams, provide contract instruction on a wide range of subjects, including tactical and patrol-based skills. He can be reached at oldhams@bloomington.in.gov.

Written by Scott Oldham This year, Surefire is celebrating 30 years of being in the business of saving lives. Scott Oldham is a supervisory sergeant with the Bloomington Police Department where he serves as the tactical team leader for that agency. He can be reached at oldhams@bloomington.in.gov.

Sergeant Scott Oldham Columbus PD Bloomington PD (812) 376-2607 (812) 339-4477