This is certainly a different kind of blog for me. I have a long bus ride home and this experience was incredible, so why not document it?
May 2024 an email is sent to Dayton PD staff about the opportunity to go to Washington DC to work the Presidential Inauguration in January 2025. To ensure the peaceful transition of power from President to President in the Nation’s Capital takes about a year of planning. On top of using the FBI, Secret Service, Homeland Security, DC Metro, the military and fire services, DC brings in around 3800 police officers from all around the country. Alaska, Washington, Miami, Texas, California, Rhode Island…I saw cops from all over. Our department does overtime sign ups by seniority. I’ve never had enough seniority to go on a trip like this. Being on my 23rd year, I actually believed I had a shot on this one. We were told up front that we would leave early Saturday morning and take a bus to DC. We would be put up in a hotel for 3 nights. We would have a briefing and paperwork day Sunday. Monday could be a 16 hour day and be prepared to be in the cold. Then we drive home Tuesday. This only happens every 4 years. There’s a decent possibility I retire from police work January 6, 2028 (but who’s counting). So this may be my one and only shot. I showed up to the sign up and got a spot. I was excited about the opportunity but a little anxious of the unknown. What exactly would we be doing? Would I have issues finding gluten free food? Any issues keeping run streak alive??
A few months go by and it’s time to go. We get sent our hotel location and rooming list. This gives me time to map out a run to the National Mall! Our hotel was about a mile from the Mt Vernon recreational path. The path goes through Gravelly Point, next to Ronald Reagan Airport, crosses the Potomac River, and then goes straight to Thomas Jefferson Memorial. From there, there’s a few different paths to go see different Memorials and museums. I had to be smart and flexible due to not knowing a few variables. How long would it take the bus to get us to our hotel? Would our hotel have our rooms ready so I could change into run clothes? Weather in DC in January? How much daylight would I have? My training plan called for 90 minute run. I wanted to adventure out. I made a route that was taking me to Smithsonian Castle, Washington and Lincoln Memorials and then back to hotel for 10.80 miles. This would take longer than 90 minutes but I wanted to see what I could while I was there.
We met at 0430 and our bus departed Dayton at 0500. We had 2 stops. Total trip time was 9 hours. For a bus full of cops, it was a quiet ride. Snowy and cold as we left. The thought of being a tour bus driver as a retirement gig entered my mind. Get paid to drive the bus, then enjoy the area, get hotel and food paid for then drive back…doesn’t sound bad to me. We get to hotel at 2pm. I’m excited my timing is working out. It’s sunny and in low 40s that day. We get our hotel rooms to find out someone “messed up” and we ended up getting our own rooms. No sharing! That was a great mistake! I change my clothes and out I go! I’m so excited to make this run happen, I forget to grab my headphones. Which was good because I get to take in the sounds and not just the sights. Our hotel was in Crystal City, Virginia. Nice little town, nothing special. I find the bike path with no problem. Heading right towards the airport I keep seeing planes landing and taking off. As I get to Gravelly Point, I get to experience what makes Gravelly Point so cool, planes arrive about every 5 miles and almost land on your head!
It’s loud and you get to see the belly of the plane up close! Very cool experience. First time through, I didn’t hang out. I wanted to get to the big sights. The trail had a few icy and snow covered spots. There was a small bridge I slid on and just walked gingerly across. There were lots of people out. Runners, walkers, cyclists and dog walkers. Fun environment. Then the path jumps up on the big bridge of the Potomac River. The rec path is safe with a barrier between path and traffic. The water had frozen patches.
The planes kept flying over. As soon as I cross the bridge, I’m at Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
. I take a few minutes to look and take required tourist pics. I’m absolutely stoked. To wake up at home and be running in DC later that day…blessed! Then I follow my route on my watch to Washington Memorial. You can see Washington Memorial from miles away. To get to run right up to it was so cool.
Except for the security fencing that was up which blocked my route. I knew that was a possibility and would have to reroute. I did my best to run where I could and thought I found my way back to my route. What I didn’t realize was I should’ve went towards the Castle instead I went the opposite direction towards another big memorial. I was about 4.5 miles into my run. And I’m floating. So many people! Huge monuments. My adventure heart was full! I get to this huge memorial and there’s media, different protest groups, religious groups, Black Panther groups, children, adults, cops all together. I found it quite comical to run in between groups yelling and arguing at each other and no one seemed to care I was there. I was just 1 guy not bothering anyone. I finally take out my phone to figure out where the heck I had taken myself to.
I laughed at myself when I realized I was at the Lincoln Memorial! It’s so big, you gotta look around and climb stairs to actually see Lincoln!
On the stairs were a group of cops who I believe were DC Park Police. You could tell they see this craziness everyday. They were working but not bothering anyone. Letting everyone enjoy their First Amendment rights. There were a ton of people at the Lincoln Memorial. It was like 4-4:30pm. Lots of people. I took my pics, and left. Ran down the opposite side of the Reflecting Pool and saw so many political signs. Many had been trashed. Some lying in the grass. Only had 1 homeless guy ask me for “food cards.” Ran all the way up to Washington Memorial and took more pics. You can see the US Capital from there.
I’m over 5 miles into my run and know I gotta start heading back. Used my cell phone GPS to ensure I was headed in right direction. I pass by Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Proof I was there pic
Was hoping they were giving out free prints but I didn’t get one. Headed right back to Jefferson memorial and used the airplanes as a reference point. Back over the icy path to Gravelly Point. Now I’m 8.5 miles into my run. Lactic acid is setting in. Sun is going down. I know I’m roughly a mile and a half out from hotel. I take the time to video a plane approach and land. Looks like it’s coming right at you. Very cool. The moment catches me and I get choked up. Thankful for the opportunity and proud of the planning and willingness to go adventure. As I finished my run, a group of coworkers were walking to a restaurant. I’m 99% sure I was the only one who busted out a run in our group, and I’m perfectly ok with that. It was amazing. The hotel we stayed at had gluten free pizza and pasta. I hadn’t eaten lunch so I got both. Saturday was a win!
Sunday we were told to be on the DC bus at 0700. We were taken to the Gaylord National Convention Center. All 3800+ cops were brought there to get our credentials and be sworn in as US Marshals for the day. Marshal, Officer, Sheriff, Constable..you name the law enforcement moniker, I saw it. Hallways filled with cops.
It was like Disney World, without the cool ride at the end. Patch and challenge coin trading was everywhere. And what would a cop convention be without donuts? So many donuts were consumed this weekend. Not one gluten free donut to be found, so others enjoyed the one I would’ve had. I’m a planner. I like to see things run efficiently. Having thousands of cops standing around for 2-3 hours not doing anything isn’t efficient to me. On the grand scale, I get it. Bring everyone in, do the paperwork, corral all the cops, swear them in have the briefing and go. But I dislike having everyone show up at same time when you could filter in and reduce standing around. That’s just my opinion, I’m sure this was a small detail in a huge project, but whoever coordinated it gets a C grade from me. I have no doubt the US Marshals and Secret Service are eagerly awaiting my feedback on the cop swearing in ceremony (not). We did get a DC Metro patch and a goody bag of little snacks.
We also got a video from President elect Trump thanking all law enforcement for being there and our commitment to safety!
Once we were sworn in and got our briefing from the Mayor of DC, DC Metro Chief of Police, Secret Service big wig, and DC Metro planner, we were dismissed. I don’t like complaining but I try to be transparent and honest. You have 3800+ cops all released to a hundred buses going to multiple hotels. There is one or 2 ways out. This may seem harsh, but it was a TOTAL CLUSTERFUCK. No one knew which bus was going where. Some bus drivers didn’t speak English. Busses were lined up for a mile. They couldn’t move until the first bus left but no one knew who was riding it. Grade F for who planned (if you call it that). Someone in our group brokered a deal to get the first bus driver to make 2 stops. The 4 officers who were on the bus got joined by 20 Dayton Police officers and away we went. We then walked to Ted’s Montana Grill where I enjoyed a 16oz Bison bone in ribeye. It was delicious! After our early dinner, we chilled out at hotel and lights out early for our long day.
We had to be on the DC bus at 4am. My alarm went off at 3:10am. The Inauguration was moved indoors due to freezing temperatures. We were all bundled up. Some more than others. In a real sign of the times, 2 officers had socks that had their temperatures adjusted by an app on their phone! Socks! I know I’m getting older but socks adjusted by cell phone app is wild to me, and yet it’s probably not even new. Two last minute items I had grabbed was long John pants and a face/head covering I o my wear for super cold runs. These were absolutely essential to my well being. When we exited the bus at 0420, we walked to our spot. Seeing the US Capitol before sunrise was cool.
What we didn’t know was that the Secret Service HADNT “swept” the area yet and they weren’t too happy we were there already. I chalk this one up to lack of communication between huge agencies in a huge event. Our DC Metro liaison found us and led us to the National Museum of Natural History for breakfast. Location gets an A+.
F’ing Jellyfish
Food gets a C. Breakfast sandwich and potatoes from a catering place. I scraped the sausage and egg to get all the bread off. Had about 10-15 minutes to look around and take required tourist pics. Then we walked back to our little spot on Pennsylvania Ave. we had to guard the gate …where no one was allowed.
This was our little slice of …nothing.
The Secret Service cars and K9s were parked there. The general public who had to go through metal detectors were half a block away. On the opposite side of Pennsylvania Ave, there were some people. The big crowds were back at 6th Street. There was a Johns Hopkins building across the street that was used as our “warming center”. They had snacks and hand warmers and restrooms for us. Lots of chairs. People working the center tried their best to help us out. We would take a shift being outside, pacing or blocking the gate from no one, and trying our best to stay warm and then use warming center. A squirrel who is clearly used to getting fed by humans climbed up at least 2 people’s legs trying to get food. This squirrel was very popular as it provided entertainment. There was a good and bad part to our “spot”. The good thing was we had no worry about people jumping our fence because there was no people. The bad thing was there was nothing to watch or do. Standing in full uniform, minus a radio and taser (metros orders), in freezing cold weather gets old fast. Yes, we were told it would be a long day, we knew it was going to be cold, but it wears on you.
Side note…but is awesome. I realize my awesome may be different because of what I do everyday. We were specifically told that if a person jumps the fence and breaks the line of cops, to try and stop the motorcade, to let them go, DO NOT chase them! It is the Secret Service’s policy to just hit the person with the car and keep motorcade rolling. That’s awesome. Don’t be an idiot and you don’t get ran over. Pretty easy.
The sun had risen and a few people were out. I want to say it was around 10am when we were told to take and hold a spot that the Presidential motorcade was moving and coming our way. I later read that it was President Biden and President elect Trump riding together to the Capital. We were told to face away and watch the crowd as this was “game time”…we had no crowd to watch. I also didn’t think Secret Service wanted anything pointed at motorcade. I didn’t test that the first motorcade pass. I watched as about 30 motorcycles, then Black SUVs, then 3 “Beast” Limousines then more SUVs and more cars drove by. It’s a cool experience to be on the inside of the line, standing guard on Pennsylvania Ave while the leaders of the free world drive by. Once the motorcade passes, we’re back to chilling. We heard one loud mental guy hollering nonsense. I think the Secret Service disappeared him. Lunch was rumored to be Chick Fil A. That rumor was false. Deli turkey or chicken sandwich was brought in by catering company. Not great. Towards about 1-2pm, I’m about bored to tears. And COLD. Instead of heading into warning center, I go looking at the crowds that have gathered for when newly sworn in President Trump drives by. I find a nice family from Illinois. Riley is a 6th grader who has visited with his parents. They had to drive through Dayton to get to DC. I got to talk with them and hear what they’ve seen the past few days. This was a great way for me to kill time, feed my social side and they got to kill time talking to a cop working a Presidential detail. I then went across Pennsylvania Ave, making sure no vehicles were going to run me over, and talked with a family from Arizona. They had brought their 3 kids to see DC and hoped to see the motorcade. I enjoyed talking with the kids and found out the Dad worked for Homeland Security. I truly enjoyed the interaction with the crowd. On my way back, I saw a guy about 22 told wearing a Notre Dame jacket. I asked him what he thought the score would be of the National Championship game that night. “38-34 Notre Dame” he said. I asked him why he thought ND would win. “I just hate Ohio State and their fans! I don’t even like the color red!” To be fair, there are other Daytons. Ohio doesn’t have the only Dayton. And we’re in DC, no where close to Columbus. So I was loving this. I asked what he didn’t like about Ohio State fans. “They are all annoying!” He was with 2 females about his age. They were rolling their eyes and not sharing his passion for ND. They were wearing lacrosse shirts so I asked them about playing lacrosse. Then some President talk happened. Then I dropped the bomb I was from Dayton OHIO and this kids face dropped. I was cracking up. I told him I wasn’t sorry for annoying him so bad. Then I gave the crowd a big O H! One lady replied “I O.” But it wasnt very passionate. I thanked her for trying. She was from North Carolina. The crowd interaction was one of the best parts of the day.
I heard the canons go off when President Trump was sworn in. I met the head Secret Service agent in the Dayton office. He was assigned to the White House but wanted to come and say hi to Dayton PD. Then we were told to be ready for the motorcade. We were ready. We waited. We waited some more. Almost an hour goes by before we hear some guy may or may not have gotten through a metal detector with a gun. That guy was dealt with, I joked the Secret Service disappeared him also. Then finally a ton of police motorcycles line Pennsylvania Ave. a few minutes later, more police motorcycles carrying American flags arrive and the motorcade is approaching. I’m still guarding a fence with no people around so I took a video of the first few cars and the limos. 2nd time through was even better with all the police motorcycles lining Pennsylvania Ave.
After motorcade went by, we all agreed none of us would’ve been standing out in the cold for hours just to see some cars drive by. You can see the videos online of motorcades. You had no idea which of the 3 limos the president was in. You do you, but I’m not standing out there just to watch cars drive by.
The crowd dispersed. There was no asking them to leave, they were freezing and ready to go. Some law enforcement officers left. We were told we had to wait to see if the president was coming back to the Capital. We go inside the warming center to be told they are shutting down and we gotta get out. We’ve been in uniform for 14 hours and fighting to stay warm. You could see pain and discomfort had set in. Tired and frustrated cops. Most of our group wanted to get back to watch our beloved Ohio State Buckeyes become NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!
Our liaison took forever to finally tell us we were dismissed. We were thrilled to leave. Until what do you know, we can’t find our bus. We think we know the number that was on the bus but we’re not sure. We get to play find your bus again. Not great. Not organized. Tired grumpy cold cops are not who you want to see when they don’t know how they are getting home.
We do, eventually find our bus. My feet and legs are sore. They are so happy to then go run a mile to keep run streak alive. Half a mile away from hotel and right back. Then I have pizza and chicken Alfredo for dinner in my room watching my Buckeyes win!!
To sum it up, it was a great trip. Really cool experience that I would do again if given the opportunity. Only time will tell. What I didn’t expect was this trip to put DC on the list for Brittney and I to return to. I was in DC in 8th grade (I think) and know I didn’t appreciate it then. There’s so much to see and do that we would have a blast with now. If anyone can turn the heat back on in Ohio, before we get back, that’d be great. I hear it’s extremely cold there.
Our pile of used hand warmers. We were pulling them out of gloves, hats, pants. I had thrown away 4 before we left.
