MPW.70 / 2018 Shift by Shift by Keith Lane
Photographer
Keith Lane Washington DC

Team Lee

Story Summary

Patrolling the streets, the officers of the Mountain Grove Police Department (MGPD) work all hours of the day. There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. Some turn up narcotics, while others assist a teen in need. In a period of twenty four hours, officers can run into someone with an outstanding warrant, shoplifting at a local business or engaging in a dispute.

Hang out long enough in the the police station and you’ll find officers taking smoke breaks, filling out paperwork, talking about cases or a grabbing a quick moment alone to prepare for the day. Officer Sean Mclear, age 21, new on the force, puts it best when talking about life as a police officer in Mountain Grove, “[There’s] not a single day that you’ll do the same thing.”

Day by day, shift by shift, the law enforcement officers and support team of the MGPD see it all.