Today the Baltimore Police Department is offering residents (who have already signed up) a great opportunity to ride with a cop. Every patrol car in every district should be filled with a so-called ride-along to give residents a chance to see how police do their jobs.

It's a great idea to show the other side, especially since police and crime can dominate neighborhood meetings. Many people complain that when they call the cops, the cops either don't come or simply drive by the problem and don't stop. Today, those people who complain and see how it works first-hand.

Residents are scheduled to hit the streets around 3 p.m. and then attend a reception at Police Headquarters this evening. Myself and Baltimore Sun police reporter Justin Fenton will be out with police and residents, on opposite sides of the city, and we'll report back.

I'd be interested in hearing thoughts from people who participate in this program. You can e-mail me at peter.hermann@baltsun.com and I'll publish as many as I can on the blog.