Growing up in my hometown in the early 70's the police started a program that centered around establishing relations with the community in which pre-teen youth , with their parents written permission, could spend a day riding with police for a day in their patrol car.
For a kid like me at the time it was something I was dying to do and my parents were glad to let me do so .
Being a young excited child, I think you had to be over 10 years old, in a brand new often imagined about environment I remember the experience fondly.
One thing that I do recall is that the officers were all business if there was any type of official stop , making sure I was securely locked in the car as they went to investigate a reported crime or suspected person.
The only time I saw them sit in the car talking to someone thru the window was if it was a person well known to them, not part of any official business, and they were completely at ease in doing so.