POCATELLO - Derek Daniels spends his weekend nights driving alone through dark streets where his few encounters are with waving passerby and distressed callers.

Friday evening was like any other weekend, but with the only difference being that it was his first Halloween shift. The Idaho State Journal joined the officer on a guest ride along from 7:30 p.m. to about 9 p.m.

Daniels, an officer with the Pocatello Police Department, patrols Pocatello neighborhoods from Friday through Monday and works a 4:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. shift.

Most nights, he said, officers will receive up to about 10 calls, with those numbers usually peaking to around 15 on Fridays and Saturdays. He said fellow officers treat Halloween and other major holidays like any other weekend when more working people take to the night life.

On Friday, Daniels drove through Northwest Pocatello neighborhoods where costumed children would occasionally wave at his squad car as it made its way between rows of homes. Daniels returned the favor by rolling down his window and waving his arm out.

Occasionally murmuring into his squad car's radio, Daniels explained that weekends and holidays can often keep police officers busy, but added that it is difficult to compare shifts on a daily basis.

He said he sometimes receives a large volume of calls on Mondays while reporting to fewer incidents on weekends.

"But you never know," Daniels said.

The incidents, he said, can be anything from simple domestic complaints to neighbors reporting about loud disturbances, such as late night house parties. During the ride along, Daniels didn't have to break up any Halloween parties, but said he has previously gone into homes that neighbors called in complaints on.

He even stops his car if he witnesses a party causing a disturbance.

"If I drive by and somebody has the music blaring, I'll stop and talk to them," Daniels said.

Additionally, he said bars can frequently cause problems for police officers on both weekends and holidays. Daniels said he passes bars about twice a night.

"Bars are not on my beat, but everyone drives through bars once or twice a shift," he said. "I try to see how busy it is earlier."

Daniels, though, engaged into action twice Friday.

The first , which occurred at about 8 p.m., involved a female driver who drove with a non-working passenger side head light. After making the routine traffic stop on Garrett Way, Daniels said broken headlights often result in warning citations or safety cautions from officers.

He later pulled another female driver over a little before 9 p.m. The woman drove with both of her head lights off, and Daniels explained that some drivers often use the excuse of being in well lit area, causing them to forget turning on their lights.

"Her friends made fun of her and said 'No wonder you couldn't see,'" he said.