Sometime between a traffic stop in Pasadena and an armed robbery in Millersville, Rick Behringer grabbed a soda and snack from a gas station - not exactly the dinner break he'd pictured when he signed up for a county police ride-along last week.

Behringer, vice president of the Old Mill Community Association, was one of a dozen community leaders who shadowed Eastern District officers for eight hours July 23 to get a feel for crime in their neighborhood, point out problems and learn what police do on a day-to-day basis.

Participants such as Behringer learned just how busy officers stay on each shift, even on a somewhat slow...