For Officer Paul Mott of the DeKalb Police Department, Saturday nights are not the time to party.

His workday started at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon after roll call and vehicle checks. Before a patrol officer like Mott can start his duties, his vehicle must be inspected to ensure it is in proper working condition. Sirens are sounded, lights are flashed and the communication equipment is tested.

Each vehicle in the department is equipped with a laptop computer dubbed an MDB, an acronym standing for Mobile Data Base. No longer solely dependent on the radio to relay information to an officer responding to a call, dispatchers can send all important information directly to an officer’s MDB.

The laptops also allow officers to fill reports directly from their vehicles as well as keep the dispatchers and other officers informed of their status and availability. Another benefit of having the MDBs is that any officer has the ability to check license plates and people themselves.

Four hours into his shift on Saturday, Mott was called on his radio to respond to an accident at the intersection of First Street and Pine Avenue. The vital information popped up on Mott’s MDB, showing the officer that the accidents involve damage more than $500 and injuries are unknown. The priority status lists the accident as “urgent,” and Mott, heading west on Lincoln Highway, pulls a U-turn and begins to race back to the scene of the accident with red and blue lights flashing.

Upon arriving at the scene, Mott left his lights flashing in a strobe light fashion as he exits his vehicle to speak with the occupants of one of the vehicles involved. The driver and two passengers were not injured, only slightly shaken, and met the officer at the corner to tell their version of the events.

Another officer, on break when he happened upon the accident, spoke with the occupants of the other vehicle. After taking the information of the occupants at his corner, Mott crossed the busy roadway to speak with his fellow officer. Since both vehicles were able to be driven and there were no injuries, both drivers agreed to meet Mott at the police station, allowing the intersection to reopen. Mott filled out the report on the accident, as the drivers waited in the lobby, and wrote a ticket to the driver at fault.

Mott, who celebrated his fifth month with the force on Monday, has obviously dealt with accidents like this before, but this officer prefers to work with children.

His most memorable time involved a little girl he helped. Stuck in a difficult situation at home, the kindergartner called 911, and Mott responded to her plea for help. When her case finally was settled, the little girl, seeing Mott as her rescuer and holding her trust in him, asked the 24-year-old officer if he could be her dad.

“It’s things like that that make this job worth it, to know that you made that big of a difference in somebody’s life,” Mott said.

Others haven’t been as appreciative of Mott. In the hours prior to the accident call that Saturday, Mott was kicked repeatedly during an arrest. Another subject less thrilled with Mott’s presence is a warrantee Mott is trying to contact involving a hit-and-run accident that occurred over the weekend.

Later on Saturday evening, a caller phoned the dispatch after having locked his keys in his car. The car, purchased earlier in the day, was running when the officer arrived. Trying as best as he could, Mott attempted to use a tool dubbed a slim jim to jimmy the lock open. The thin metal tool slides down the window track into the door frame in hopes to find the latch that locks the door.

Unfortunately, brand new cars have an anti-theft system built in that blocks tools such as the slim jim from working, and Mott was forced to leave the driver with the hopes that a locksmith could help.

Mott finished his shift at 11 p.m. that night, but his night didn’t end there. Mott joined another officer to do bar checks at local taverns. When his normal shift ended, fellow officer Jeff Winters hit the streets with DUI Patrol.

Winters, an eight-year veteran of the DeKalb police force, is working overtime this Saturday evening because of a traffic enforcement grant from the state.

Officers like Winters stop any and all traffic violations, from broken taillights to illegal tinted windows. Most often, they crack down on violations that appear alcohol related, like swerving or no headlights.

Another aspect to the traffic enforcement detail is doing speed checks on the main drags of the city. Winters clocks drivers with a laser unit, which is more reliable than the standard radar guns.

Within an hour of beginning patrol, Winters made two traffic stops with drivers speeding 10- to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit. But two traffic stops in one hour do not compare with the time Winters made two DUI arrests at one time.

Winters was transporting a drunk driver to the station for booking when he came across another vehicle obviously in the hands of another intoxicated person. Unable to get assistance, Winters pulled the car over, and the second driver also was charged with DUI.

The only drinking violation Winters dealt with this particular Saturday was a citation for underage drinking. The 19-year-old NIU student was comical with Winters, whose experience allowed him to keep a serious tone with the intoxicated teenager.

“Sometimes you deal with the same people and the same problems,” Winters said. “But it’s always interesting.”